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The Felidae are a group that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics. They are a tribe of mobian cats that reside within the Mysterious Cat Country located in the southern hemisphere near Station Square, though other cats existed within other mobian settlements, such as Angel Island and New Mobotropolis.
History[]
Ancestral Conflicts[]
The Felidae have a long history of violence with other cultures they have come in contact with. Dating back to the Forgotten War, the Felidae were at odds with the ancestors of the Wolf Pack over the ownership of a mutually revered artifact known as the Ancient Onyx. The wolves eventually left their lands for unknown reasons and the Felidae were given free reign of the now empty northern territory, though they made little use of it. #213, #214)
Two other societies they waged war with centuries ago were the warrior and scientist castes of Echidna colonists from Albion. These warriors and scientists were known as the Knuckles Clan and Nocturnus Clan, respectively, and they attempted to settle in the native cats' lands. The costly and brutal battles against the Felidae caused some of the scientists and all the scholars and labourers of the expedition to leave the two warlike castes behind and relocate elsewhere in Downunda, while the Knuckles Clan (under the leadership of Pachacamac) and the Nocturnus refused to give up their claims in the Mysterious Cat Country. As a three-way war raged on and the Felidae pressed their attack on the Knuckles Clan, the desperate Pachacamac sought out the power of the nearby Chaos Emeralds to gain the upper hand in the battle. When he and his warriors injured the Chao at the nearby shrine while trying to acquire the Chaos Emeralds, the enraged Chaos turned his wrath on the warrior echidnas and wiped them out, though the Nocturnus and Felidae were spared this fate. The Nocturnus would end up outlasting the Knuckles Clan, but they bothered the Felidae no more once they mysteriously vanished off the face of the planet. Statues and remnants of the Knuckles Clan's colony were left behind, the area being considered taboo by the Felidae and left largely untouched by them for centuries.[1][2][3][4][5]
Falling Sky[]
The Felidae were reunited with part of their past in the modern age when Dr. Eggman broke apart the Master Emerald in an attempt to revive Chaos and caused Angel Island to fall into the ocean just offshore of the Pais Mysterioso in 3236. The cats recognized the landmass as the current home their hated echidna enemies and grew suspicious of another invasion attempt. Deciding to strike the first blow, a raiding party of warriors accompanied by Queen Hathor made landfall, captured the Chaotix, and took them back as hostages. After making some slightly transparent death threats to the group for their insolence, Hathor was surprised to see Locke approach, willing to finish their dated conflict if the Felidae were. Hathor pitted their reigning champion, Razorklaw, against the aged Guardian, who managed to best the larger cat and then attempted to convince their presence near the Felidae's territory was just a coincidence. Only after being shown ruins of the Knuckles Clan's failed colony did they realize the impact of their history with each other.[6][7][1][2]
Relations Renewed[]
A year later, the Felidae had ancient history dug up around them yet again. This time the wolves had returned to reclaim their abandoned homeland and bring all the packs together under the banner of their new Wolf Pack Nation. Relations went off to a poor start as minor skirmishes broke put between both the Felidae and the wolves with the former reportedly hurling spears before any words could be spoken on at least one instance. Things escalated in short time, with the Felidae kidnapping Grand Chief Lupe's children and then having some of their own warriors abducted in turn. The situation continued to worsen nearly to the point of all out war when the Felidae discovered the Black Emerald to be missing and accused the wolves for stealing it, while being blamed by them for the same crime. Later, Sonic the Hedgehog and the lowly Felidae fisherman Big the Cat approached Queen Hathor on what Sonic described as a mercy mission, while Big stated that they were in search of the "Ancient Onyx", to which Hathor accused Sonic of having stolen on the spot. After explaning the situation, Sonic was able to convince both the Felidae and an arriving war party of Wolves to travel to the Mystic Ruins, where they found the local Eggman Empire presence: a Dark Egg Legion chapter led by the disgraced Razorklaw and Wolf Pack traitor Drago Wolf and consisting of renegade members of both cultures. After defeating the Legion and reclaiming the artifact, the Felidae came to an uneasy peace with the Wolves through the aid of Sally Acorn, in which they shared custody of the Black Emerald.[8]Reigning Cats and Dogs Part One[3]
Culture[]
The Felidae have a monarchical-structured society, with a Queen as their leader. Clothing is an important cultural aspect, as the tribe uses apparel to define their social standing and identities; even the Queen speaks of herself as a separate entity when not wearing her cloak. The native Cats also prefer not to speak "simply to hear [them]selves", limiting their use of dialogue to when it is necessary. The Felidae's mindset prior to the war with the Knuckles and Nocturnus Clans hundreds of year ago is uncertain, but the Cat people have ever since been xenophobic and very distrusting of outsiders, particularly of echidnas and deemed trespass into their enemies' ruins as strictly taboo.
Their paranoia and distrust of outsiders is so ingrained into their minds that they are willing to believe the words of outcasts from their own people before anyone else. Association with outsiders is forbidden as well and is grounds for being labeled a heathen and exiled from the Felidae. Other aspects of their society include barbaric rituals, such as eating their young if they "get out of line", torturing hostages, and fights to the death to solve disputes. In cases where the loser survives, he or she is banished in disgrace for having shown weakness in a society that allows none.
Despite hundreds of years having passed since the ancient wars with the two echidna castes, the Mysterious Cat Country natives continue to use primitive, pre-medieval level technology. While there is a concentrated population of Felidae on the eastern coast of their territory, there are smaller tribes or even hermits-such as Big the Cat-scattered throughout the wilds. Many of these smaller groups choose their isolation due to disagreeing with the brutal traditions of their brethren, although they still retain the practice of identifying the status an individual by their attire.
Trivia[]
- The name Felidae is the real-world scientific classification for various feline species, ranging from jungle cats to common house cats.
- The Felidae can be seen as the cat counterpart of the Wolf Pack.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sonic the Hedgehog #82, "Door to the Past"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sonic the Hedgehog #84, "Perfect Chaos" and "Bridge Over Troubled Waters"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sonic the Hedgehog #214, "Reigning Cats and Dogs Part Two"
- ↑ Sonic Super Special Magazine #1
- ↑ Sonic Super Special #2
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #80, "Land Fall"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #81, "All you need is a bit of Chaos"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #213
External links[]
- Felidae at Mobius Encyclopaedia, the Archie Sonic wiki.