Soy
Soy, the magic cat was inspired by a real cat named Soy. In Blanco's Magic Tails, Soy is the 2nd land creature born from Earth. One day, a flower blossomed in front of Raven (the 1st land creature on Earth). Soy was born from that flower and became Raven's best friend (Tail One). Soy flew on Raven's back and saw all of Earth and the universe beyond. When they returned to Earth, Raven left on a mysterious journey (Tail Two)... Soy was alone on Earth except for the plants and her friend Shadow, who only came to her in dreams (Tail Three). Eventually, Soy got very lonely and met Coyote in the dreamworld. Coyote told Soy to draw a doorway at the top of a mountain, and to cast a wish to it when she woke. Soy woke and saw her doorway at the base of the tree she slept in. She sat before it and made a wish. The doorway burst open and out poured a steady flow of animals (Tail Four).
All of the animals (except Coyote) put Soy on a pedestal. She became a living Goddess in their eyes because she was the one who opened the doorway and freed them from the strange place they existed in before Soy came along. Soy didn't understand why they treated her that way, but was more than happy to allow them to do so. Each night at sunset, Soy sat in Big Tree's branches and told her Tail to them all. This went on for hundreds of years until one night when Coyote interrupted... but that's another Tail (Tail Five, actually).
Here is Soy, the real cat who inspired these stories:
She was born in Flagstaff, a town in the mountains in Arizona. She lived with Rich's friend, Ravven until Ravven left on a long trip.
Soy stayed with Rich from April, 1996 - August, 1998. On July 4, 1996, the weather had been very dry for many months. Fires burned in the forest. No Monsoon rains had yet come... until that magic day. All afternoon the rain poured down, and tiny flowers could be seen everywhere. At sunset a double rainbow arched over Flagstaff. Soy went into labor. She gave birth to 4 kittens - 3 pure white and last - a Ginger Tom, who Rich named Heimdall.
Soon a story began to take shape.
Sometimes it seemed to Rich that Soy was telling him the story and he was drawing it. Soy would watch him, sometimes looking over his shoulder, sometimes sitting in his lap.When she liked a picture, she would lie on the drawing, or put a paw on it, her stamp of approval. The words came later.
A few weeks after Rich finished writing, it was time for Soy to leave. She disappeared and hasn't come back - except in Rich's dreams. She visits often - playing, purring and smiling as she always did. Rich was heart-sore when Soy left, but he knew somehow he had been given a gift. Blanco's Magic Tails is that gift. Soy, Rich, Heimdall, Raven and all the beings in 'Magic Tails' invite you to join us...