Gah. Delay. Now, I usually procrastinate over this, but now I am using this to procrastinate over my French Work. Anyway, I'm surprised none of you asked what a Sylph was. It's is a real thing (kind of) I have done my research into the topics surrounding this story like a good child. I'm not going to tell you because it's no fun, but you can look it up. If you do know, don't tell anyone; it'll ruin the surprise! :O It's fairly obvious though. I'm tempted to rename this story 'Essence of the Wind' but I'm lazy at the moment. Now, what excitement will Gustpaw get up to in this chapter? Yeah, I don't know either. Lead the way my main character friend!
Wind on the Wing
Gustpaw was getting sick of all these unpleasant surprises.
First, it was spiteful Ravenkit spying on her practising, and then it was the three intruders. As Gustpaw slumped out of Camp, glaring sullenly up at the sun edging its way upwards in the sky, she pondered just what those strange cats had meant by 'Sylph'. She had terrible feeling they were talking about her, but she didn't even know what a Sylph was! With a lash of her tail, the tortoiseshell-and-white apprentice was sent tumbling to the ground with a hiss of annoyance due to the sudden gust of wind she accidentally conjured up. Why had StarClan bestowed these pointless powers on her? They were only a hindrance, a secret that was difficult to keep, desperate to burst from its cage, rattling at the mental chains it had latched around it. She wished she could tell her siblings, her mother, her mentor, but the very idea of being shunned made her shudder. She was too weak, too afraid to admit to being anything but average. It was easier that way, being average. She could still upstage her brother and WindClan could still win battles so what was the use in having her talent? If only StarClan could give her a sign. Had Honeyblossom received one? Did the bitter she-cat know? Gustpaw shook her head, the smell of the distant forest growing stronger as she wandered towards the ThunderClan border unintentionally. She began to grow bored of thinking so hard about these things, so she turned her attention to the looming border, wondering if any ThunderClan cats enjoyed the morning sun like she did. She would be practising but since the Ravenkit incident she had decided not to do so for the time being.
With the border a few tail-lengths away, Gustpaw paused to watch the birds flitting through the trees, fascinated by their little wings fluttering as they coasted over the bushes, shooting through the trees and gliding across the sky with an amazing grace. They must be quite hard to catch mused Gustpaw to herself as she took another step toward the border, eye training on a sparrow darting through the leaves, shadowed by the branches which were stooping under the weight of thick green leaves. The sparrow shot straight out the trees and right over to Gustpaw, zooming past her head with a whooshing sound. It curved around in an arc, flitting around the apprentice's head for a moment before disappearing back into the ThunderClan forest. Gustpaw tilted her head to one side, her ears twitching as the sparrow vanished form view, delving deep into the forest. Shrugging it off, she turned around and began to make her way back to camp with a skip to her step; hopefully she could train today without any interruptions.
Although she was satisfied with the peace of the early morning, the soft sunlight dancing across her fur and the calm breeze caressing her with a cool touch, Gustpaw was on high alert, almost expecting something or someone unexpected to come into view. With all that had been happening lately, it wouldn't surprise her at all if something happened to her between now and returning back to camp. With a small sigh, Gustpaw picked up her pace, tilting her head up to stare at the sky, a delicate blue with puffy white clouds smudged across it, faintly outlined by the rising sun.
"Good morning Gustpaw!" a cheerful yowl came from a few fox lengths away, and Gustpaw turned her face down to look at the approaching figure, that of the Deputy, Robinwing. The brown tom was full of energy at all points in the day, perhaps a little too much energy, for he was known to be a little jumpy and flighty. However, he made an excellent, compassionate Deputy because he was just the kind of cat you can always relate to and empathise with. He bounced over to Gustpaw, her dark-flecked pelt glistening in the pale light.
"Oh, good morning Robinwing," Gustpaw replied, her tone bright but a little shocked the Deputy was out of his nest too. Robinwing gazed past her for moment, over to the distant forest, before turning to look at the apprentice again, his ears turning in various directions as he listened to the world around him.
"I'm surprised you're up so early. Is Embercloud scaring you into making sure you're awake before her? That would be a new low for her if she's frightening her apprentice that much. I have to make sure I'm awake because I'm on Dawn Patrol today. As is your father, actually; I would encourage Dawnsong to take her apprentice along too but Stormwhisker would probably never stop asking questions about how things are going and that might get on the rest of the patrol's nerves, hm?" another thing about Robinwing was that he talked rather a lot, and Gustpaw stared at him in some sort of awe, never considering the Deputy would bother to stop and speak to an apprentice for more than a quick exchange of 'Good Morning'.
"No, I just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Although, I do consider evading Embercloud's wrath as part of it," she replied with some jest in her voice, "I was on Dawn Patrol yesterday and we met a RiverClan patrol," she added, eager to tell anyone about the encounter with the rival Clan yesterday. When Robinwing mentioned her father she was surprised; she hadn't spoken to her father in quite a while. No doubt the curious Tom would pay her and her littermates a visit soon. Unlike Shadepool, Stormwhisker was actually interested in the lives of his kits. Robinwing interrupted her thoughts with a deep, rumbling purr.
"I did hear about that patrol, and also about your interrupted hunting session. Strange intruders, weren't they? I'm sure you gave them something to think about, eh? I'm sure they won't be coming back here in a while," he mewed with whiskers twitching in amusement, his eyes sparkling with a sense of youth which was unusual to see in a cat of his rank. Although, Robinwing was quite young for a Deputy and many members of the Clan had been surprised when he was chosen, so Gustpaw had heard. She was not alive when Birchstar died. It was true that the tom made a good deputy, but there was still talk that he just wasn't mature enough. All the same, WindClan stood just as tall as ever. It wasn't hard to have enough sense to be able to organise patrols and Robinwing was a swift fighter and effortless hunter. Why did it even matter? Gustpaw didn't mind so long as an intimidating cat like Shadepool or Embercloud didn't become Deputy, or worse, leader. She would be too afraid to show her face ever again.
By the time she pulled herself away from her thoughts and back to stare into the wide eyes of Robinwing, he looked fidgety, ready to go. He was known for his short attention span. He gave her a final nod before beginning his way further away from the camp, following a similar route to the one Gustpaw had just taken.
"You know, Gustpaw," he called after her as he trotted away, "it takes a while for us all to understand why we really have the names we do. I hope you understand why you have yours one day," with those final mysterious words, he was gone, vanishing over the hills, out towards the ThunderClan border. What he would do when there was something she did not know. Dawn Patrol would be ready to leave soon. She pondered Robinwing's last piece of information, about understanding the real meaning behind her name. Gustpaw immediately wondered if he knew about her talent; she could control gusts of wind. Or perhaps he was referring to his own name. But what did the Deputy have to do with Robins? Gustpaw brushed it off; he was probably just trying to sound wise for once. With a small snort, Gustpaw set off in a steady bound back to Camp, where Embercloud would probably be waiting.
Sure enough, the ginger shape of her mentor was pacing up and down the camp, looking across the sleeping Clan in search of her apprentice. Gustpaw flattened her ears, fear rising through her chest, and hurried over, skidding to a halt in front of Embercloud. The warrior snorted, unimpressed.
"Where have you been?" she snapped, staring down at her apprentice with an unreadable expression. Gustpaw's green gaze dropped to the ground, shuffling her paws nervously under the burning stare of Embercloud. It was so early, why was she so concerned? Dawnsong was on Dawn Patrol and Timberfur was still asleep, as were her siblings. Why did Embercloud have to be so cruel?
"I was outside exploring the territory. I even saw Robinwing and he didn't seem to mind," she whimpered in response, almost expecting some sort of beating from the fierce she-cat. Embercloud snorted again, her tail twitching in agitation.
"You saw Robinwing. And you think that makes it okay?" Embercloud practically muttered in response, keeping her voice low and dangerously calm.
"It's so early! None of the other apprentices are even awake yet! Dawnsong is going on patrol and Timberfur is fast asleep like the rest of the Clan!" Gustpaw complained, her voice a defensive but trembling hiss, quiet and careful not to disturb her sleeping Clan mates. Embercloud let out a long, hissing outtake of breath.
"We have had many battles and intruders lately. It isn't safe for an apprentice to go out in the territory alone. Besides, don't you want to get ahead of your siblings? I would have thought some extra fighting practise would please you," Embercloud replied sourly, her tail falling still and her ears perking forward, staring at Gustpaw was an expectant expression. The warrior certainly knew her Clan-mates, even if they didn't know her as anything but 'the bitter one'. Gustpaw lifted her gaze, nodding cautiously.
"Oh, then, y-yes, I would like some extra training. Especially with all we've encountered," she added, her voice shaking slightly, but there was a determination in her eyes. She wanted to be WindClan's greatest warrior, and not because of her stupid wind-controlling talent. So she sprung to her feet and scampered after Embercloud, who was already strutting out of camp, tail waving behind her as if to signify Gustpaw to follow.
It was a short but awkward walk between Camp and the Training Dip, and Gustpaw hung her head in shame, wishing she could impress her mentor somehow. It was just Embercloud too; her parents were proud of her and even Dawnsong and Timberfur weren't afraid to offer her praise when they trained together. Gustpaw was on the verge of giving up; there seemed to be absolutely no pleasing the ginger warrior.
"Okay, today I'll be teaching you a handy move to use against bigger opponents," Embercloud announced as they reached the training dip, standing in the centre of the round area, motioning Gustpaw over with a flick of her ears. Gustpaw curried over, green eyes wide and eager to do whatever Embercloud wished her to. There was no point in rebelling, so Gustpaw decided on training as hard as she could in hopes of one day getting some sort of approval out of her. So she nodded enthusiastically, proving she was listening intently to every word the warrior spoke.
"Here's how it's going to go; you are in battle and a bigger opponent is coming towards you. Usually, they will leap at you in some way and attempt to pin you down. Once they have succeeded in this, due to their bigger size, you will have little hopes of shoving them off. So it is best to avoid this happening all together. When they are charging toward you, feint to one side," Embercloud hopped to her left in a demonstration, "then dive for either their back, or slip underneath them swiftly to deal a blow to their belly. Either way, be careful of your opponent attempting to crush you under their weight. If you leap onto their back, they may come crashing down onto their backs and thus squishing you underneath them. And if you are too slow sliding underneath them, they can easily immobilise you by quite literally sitting on you." It was a lot to take in for just one type of move, but Gustpaw listened very carefully, trying to picture herself preforming the move in her head. She had trouble concentrating on each word she spoke, finding herself drifting off into t dream of preforming a battle sequence. Once Embercloud had finished, Gustpaw nodded vigorously, proving she fully understood everything, although she was not so sure she did. But she couldn't tell Embercloud that.
"Alright, let's give it a try. I'll come towards me, and you try on the techniques I just explained," Embercloud ordered, and without a further warning charged toward Gustpaw, who leapt to her paws in shock of Embercloud's fast action, and bolted to the side, narrowly missing the ginger she-cat cannoning into her. She slipped under her belly, but stumbled, paws flailing as she dealt a badly-aimed blow to her belly. It hit, but not in the ideal spot Gustpaw was aiming for, and as Gustpaw was wriggling out, Embercloud slapped a paw on her tail, holding her down. The apprentice struggled and writhed around on the ground, but Embercloud held her down easily, staring at her with an expression that showed a hint of some sort of amusement. The small tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat lay still, admitting defeat. Her gaze dropped to her dirt-dusted paws, the white of them stained a faint brown colour. But the state of her fur was the least of her worries; she turned to look at Embercloud, expecting to receive her full wrath. But the warrior only shook her head, tutting.
"Too slow and hesitant; you need to act fast and act precisely," she explained simply, but Gustpaw was unconvinced; how could she react that fast? She had been an apprentice for a barely a moon! But she nodded quickly, as if to say she understood and could improve fast, though she was not so sure. Embercloud looked fairly pleased with her reaction.
"Okay, so let's try it again. Be ready this time," with that, Embercloud was off once again, hurtling toward Gustpaw who leapt out the way more out of shock and instinct that actual tactic, and pounced onto Embercloud's back, having difficultly gripping without the use of claws, tail lashing as she tried to hold on, flinging her paws around her mentor's neck as some sort of hold. The wind went wild, blowing in all directions as Gustpaw lost control, her tail never ceasing and her concentrating so hard on keeping on Embercloud she let it go wherever it wished. Embercloud swayed and stumbled due to the wind knocking her forcefully in all directions, its harsh strength almost unnatural. She flopped to the ground, sending Gustpaw crashing down with a thud, her forepaws trapped under the warrior's weight. With a swift movement, Embercloud flipped over onto her stomach and gripped both of Gustpaw's forepaws with her own, and looking down at her with a piercing green gaze, hiding some sort of confusion.
"It appears the wind was on your side, but you were too slow. You were doing well, but as soon as you feel your opponent falling, leap off! If you're fast enough, you could pin them before they have time to get up. Don't just focus on not getting thrown off," there was a glimmer, a hint of praise in her words, and even that smallest hint maybe Gustpaw's eyes glow with pride. She was getting some sort of positive response out of her! That had to be good, right?
"It was an improvement, you have some good potential. Let's try it one mor-" before Gustpaw could fully register Embercloud's faint words of praise, and before the ginger warrior could even finish what she was saying, Embercloud was interrupted by the sound of distant yowls and the pounding of paws against the ground. Both mentor and apprentice whipped their heads around to see a blurred black and white shape streaking across the moors, one that was small and sickeningly familiar. The shape was being chased by a golden blur tearing after in long, breathless strides, the type of out-of-practise lollop that could only belong to a single cat…
"Follow them!" Embercloud screeched without a second more of thought, cannoning after the two shapes with a confused Gustpaw hurrying behind. What was going on? Both shapes were moving at such a rate it was difficult to determine exactly who was who, but that sickening sense of instinct and horror that was rising in Gustpaw throat, a vile taste that could only mean trouble, told who just who each cat was. But what were they doing streaking across the moors like there was a murderer on the loose? They were heading nearer and nearer to the ThunderClan border, and each showed no signs of stopping, no matter how loud Embercloud yowled after them, paws thundering against the grasslands in pursuit of the two cats.
Great though Gustpaw as she scampered after her mentor, kicking up the wind to help power her forward; she didn't want to get left behind, yet another unfortunate problem. But why is she chasing him with such a determined fury? Suppressing a sign and powering forward, Gustpaw squinted, green eyes narrowing into slits, trying to pick out some detail from the two blurred figures charging towards the ThunderClan border, Green eyes studied the shapes as she hurtled towards them, wind howling and moaning as she pushed it to go faster, boosting her speed.
What a question! Think you can guess which cats they are? I gave you some very obvious hints! But what are they doing? Will Embercloud and Gustpaw step in in time to save the situation? Tune in next time on She who Controls the Wind! LAWL you gotta love a good ol' cliff-hanger. Keep reading, and review, please! Big thank you to XxBlazestormxX, xXEclipseheartXx and Dawnpaw for their lovely reviews!
Now, you guys all love Gustpaw, right? I seem to get a lot of positive response from you guys about her. I don't know why; perhaps she's easy to relate to? Now, I was doodling her the other day. And I did a little family tree. Want to see my rubbish doodle of Gusty? Want to know who WindClan's most adorable couple are and who their kits are? Want to know who Elmstar's brother is? Which surprising kitties Honeyblossom is related too? Then I command you, REVIEW! Tell your friends, spread the word and you shall be rewarded with some little background info titbits! I'm totally bribing you guys and it's really fuunn. I get a certain number of reviews from a certain number of people I will show you one of the things I listed above. READY, SET, REVIEW! Oh, and any reviewer gets an Embercloud plushie. Not so friendly, but she's FLUFFY! :D ~Si