A/N: This story begins at the end of True Tail's original pilot episode, which is on YouTube. That being said, this take on the series will go along with the original concept, not the new one.

For those of you who are unfamiliar to what the older True Tail concept was, here is some of the official description: "We follow the adventures of Caleb Truetail, an orphaned kitten looking for a family, who finds one in the most unlikely of places: a group of mercenaries. Accustomed to working alone, and willing to sell their services to the highest bidder, these mercenaries find themselves being forced to team up in order to obtain an artifact for an evil cockatrice. Will this group of rowdy 'heroes' overcome their flaws and work together? Or will they succumb to the treacherous plans of Eldritch the Necromancer?"

True Tail is owned by Skynamic Studios. To learn more, please go to True Tail's Wiki or Skynamic Studios' website.

Enjoy!

Chapter 1: A Journey's Start

Although they were unsure if they themselves were the cause of maybe activating an ancient curse within the Griffons' palace, they knew that one thing was for certain—they did it; they had successfully defeated the skeletons that threatened to end them without the cost of one of their own, Caleb, who was the cause of their victory. And, now, as they all stood in the aftermath of the battle, a triumphant and relieved atmosphere surrounded them while they celebrated the kitten.

Deciding that it was time to get back down to business, though, Doh-Li broke herself away from the heartwarming moment but nonetheless continued to smile slightly while she spoke.

"Despite setbacks," Doh-Li started as she produced the Atlas, the same golden sphere that they had scoured the desolate palace for, from behind her, "we can now begin our true journey."

In response, the others directed their attention to her as she began to close her eyes and concentrate, allowing the sphere in her hooves to split apart as her white magic flowed through it, giving new meaning to her earlier phrase stating that only she could wield it. While the group watched on in awe, they were engulfed in golden light as the Atlas had completely opened up to reveal an entire map of Splitpaw. Everyone gazed up in amazement at the wondrous sight.

Settled on Brutus' massive shoulder during this event was his one and only squire, Caleb. The kitten in question promptly turned towards Brutus and smiled contently. The same happy expression was equally apparent in his voice as he spoke, "So, where are we going next?"

Brutus smiled back slightly as Caleb then looked around at his new teammates, who, for the most part, were still gazing at the magical map above. He watched as Melody, who was especially entranced by the beautiful map, walk over and eagerly situate herself in front of Doh-Li before excitedly suggesting, "I think we should go to get food first! I know a great pla–"

"No, Melody," Doh-Li interrupted sternly, her eyes unmoving from the map above as she continued. "We need to continue on our path before we think about food."

Melody deflated slightly at the answer but shrugged nonetheless before taking out her violin. "Okay, fine, then."

Caleb continued to watch the scene as Melody wandered while playing a quiet tune on her violin. Turning his attention away from the rabbit, he noticed Doh-Li looking up at specific areas on the map like she was planning the next place for them to travel to. Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw something orange move, and he shifted his gaze to it.

It was Viktor, who was now gravitating over to Doh-Li, or more specifically, the Atlas in her hooves. It didn't take a genius to know that he probably wanted to examine the artifact closer while it was open to determine its full value. However, before the vulpine could get close enough, Doh-Li caught him out of the corner of her eye and shot him a glare as she protectively held the Atlas closer to herself. In the same instant, Viktor looked elsewhere, suddenly fascinated by everything else except for the Atlas, almost as if saying "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Caleb would've snickered at the rather funny scene if he were not beat to it by Kanikus, who seemed to also witness the interaction, but with cruel delight. During this, Melody put her violin away and hopped over to see what all the fuss was about.

The elderly phoenix then spoke, a slight tinge of sarcasm in his voice as it effectively drew the attention of everyone, defensive kirin and sneaky fox in all. "O wise leader, unless you're fine with traveling at night, we should set up camp soon."

Caleb and Melody shared a slightly nervous glance as Doh-Li turned around swiftly, a serious look on her face. "Whatever is necessary to complete our quest sooner is the best choice. With that being said, we will have to travel during the night sometimes. However, that does not apply to us today."

She promptly pointed up to an area of land on the map above. "Our goal is to reach Waterwheel by noon tomorrow if we are to stay on schedule. The full walk will take us about 6 to 7 hours, and we will be able to complete about half of it an hour before sundown."

After that point was made, she began to concentrate on the Atlas, letting her magic flow through it once again as it began to close, taking its golden light-emitting map with it. After placing her hooves on her hips, she continued. "Any questions?"

It was silent for a while before Caleb finally built up the courage to speak. "Umm, where are we going to set up camp?" He sheepishly inquired.

"Yeah, yeah! Where?" Melody questioned, her face brightening as she looked to Doh-Li.

The kirin thought for a moment before answering, her sophisticated tone thick with slight aloofness. "If we combine our money together, I'm sure we can get a room or two for an inn tonight. If not, we will just set up camp outside. Now, are there any other questions before we go?"

Silence answered her own question. "Good," stated the kirin as she pompously turned around towards the exit, tossing her long hair back in the process before walking forward with grace. For a moment, the rest of the group stood unmoving until they shared a glance and seemingly shrugged as if unanimously agreeing before following the kirin through the cavern's exit. And although he was excited, Caleb had a feeling that this was going to be a very, very long journey.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this! This little story has been in my mind for quite a while now so please feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think! Anything's appreciated! I'll update as soon as possible so until next time, bye!