Kingdom of Cats
The Kingdom of Cats leads in meowgic research, agricultural production and technological development. Its climate is temperate and its lands have been spared the pollution of the humans, which explains the rapid rise of the Cats, who see themselves at the center of the world. All eyes turn to Cat Tree City, the capital, where King Walter sits.
In the Kingdom, meowgic is used everywhere, all the time: it helps the tailor, heals small hurts and even tidies the rooms of the messiest Kittens.
Most inhabitants are Cats, but there are also ferret merchants, stray dogs and skunk minstrels. Rodents are rare: the mistrust inherited from former prey and former predators builds a wall between them. The Cats draw their subsistence from the land, and the common law, absolutely respected, forbids eating an animal that speaks.
King Walter watches, from his perch, the ceaseless bustle of the animals who toil to enrich him and feed him. He climbed onto the throne by cheating and cunning, and holds it with a loyal and thoroughly indoctrinated royal guard.
He rules by fear: heavy, vexing taxes, an all-powerful guard, summary justice. He enforces the Exile of Kittens and plots with the Yardogs to keep useful enemies around, one more threat he brandishes to muzzle his subjects.
A wooden sign marked with a crossed-out cat's head shows the edge of the Kingdom. Beyond it, one leaves the civilization of Cats for other horizons.