Chapter 14

Many moons earlier...

Hawk and Flight circled around each other. The two apprentices were having a mock-fight. Flight darted towards her brother, batting at his cheek with sheathed claws. Hawk lurched forward, biting down on her shoulder. Flight squealed, backing away quickly.

Hawk dropped into a hunting crouch, then ran at Flight, ramming his head into her chest. Flight, taken by surprise, was knocked to the ground. Hawk pinned her down, and leaned forward to give a nip on her neck.

"Hah! I won again!" He exclaimed as he pulled back, jumping off his sister.

Flight scrambled up. "No fair! You always win!" She pouted, upset that she had lost to her brother yet again.

Hawk stuck out his tongue. "It's not my fault you're weak!"

Flight gasped. "Well, at least I'm a better hunter! So there!" She stuck out her tongue.

"Now now." Falcon intervened, padding over to the squabbling siblings from where he was watching their training. "You two are both equally talented at different things."

Hawk flicked an ear. "I suppose that's true." He meowed grudgingly.

Flight nodded, puffing out her chest.

"But I'm still stronger than you!" Hawk exclaimed, pouncing on her again.

Present Day

Heather awoke from another dream. They seemed incessant, repeating over and over every night. The result was making her tired, unable to get a full night's rest. She sighed, and turned her head upwards, toward the overhead bramble. 'Weird,' She thought, tilting her head slightly. 'It looks too dark for it to be morning…' Just then, a wind blew in from outside, carrying with it the biting chill of snow. Heather bushed up her fur against the cold, looking over to the entrance of the den. 'Ah. Yes, now I remember. It's leaf-bare.' She flicked an ear, picking up the faint sound of Flash, giving a small cough at the side of the den.

She looked over to him, worry flickering across her face. "Flash?" She whispered, careful to keep it low as to not disrupt the others. "Flash." She meowed again, more insistent as he kept his eyes shut.

He opened one blearily. "Huh?"

Heather flicked her ear. "Are you feeling okay?"

Flash closed his eye. "I'm fine, go back to sleep…"

"Hey, sleepypaws! C'mon you two, you can't sleep all day!" Flight chirped from outside.

Heather finally noticed that she and Flash were the only two in the den.

"O-Oh!" Heather exclaimed in surprise. She rushed out of the den, embarrassment following her out. She gave a sheepish smile at Flame, Grass and Flight. Her paws sunk into the newly fallen snow, sinking in so that the tops of them were buried beneath the white. Flame had her fur slightly bushed out against the cold, but was still shivering slightly. Grass had his fur slightly bushed out as well, but he wasn't shivering. Flight looked energized and ready to start the day.

Heather shivered, and glanced behind her in time to see Flash pad out of the den behind her. He looked tired, his movements slow and heavy.

Flame looked over to her brother, concern flashing on her face. She trotted over to him quickly. "Flash? Are you feeling alright? You don't look well."

Flash glared at her, his fur bushing out. Whether it be from the cold or in irritability, Heather wasn't sure. "I'm. Fine. Leave me alone." He meowed in a low tone, lashing his tail.

Flame blinked in slight surprise. "Flash?"

Flash drew back his lips. "I said- LEAVE M-"

"Okay! Okay, okay. Let's all just calm down!" Flight interrupted, putting on a smile. "Flame, if Flash says he's fine, I'm sure he is."

Flame narrowed her eyes at Flight, bristling. Flash stared at the ground, silent.

Heather twitched an ear, nervousness flooding her. 'If they don't learn to get along, we won't make it through leaf-bare.'

Flight drew in a small breath. "Okay. I'm sure you all have a lot of questions, so, until it is sunhigh, you can ask me anything you want, and I'll try to answer them as best I can, okay?" She gave a small smile, but Heather caught doubt flash in her eyes. "I won't answer everything, keep in mind."

Flame lashed her tail. "Okay. How about this: Why did you abandon us as kits, and never bothered to come back to check on us?"

Flight flattened her ears, and looked down. "As I told you before, I didn't have a choice. If I'd kept you, then nothing good would've come out of it, for anyone. I wanted to keep you with all of my heart, but I just couldn't."

Flame bristled. "That didn't answer my other-"

"I have a question." Grass interrupted, shooting Flame a look. He held out his right forepaw. "What's this, and why is it here?" On his paw pad, a small leaf symbol could be seen.

"You have one too?" Heather responded, surprised. She held out her own paw, showing her symbol.

Flame furrowed her forehead, and held out her paw as well. On it was a small fire symbol.

"I was wondering that too." Flash meowed, holding out his paw also. On it was a circle, with the top half being occupied by three swirls, and the bottom half having three squiggly lines going across it horizontally.

Flight stared at the symbols for a moment, seemingly lost for words. "So I was right…." She murmured.

Grass glanced over to Heather. In his eyes, she could see questions swirling endlessly. "Right about what?" He asked, turning his head back to Flight.

Flight closed her eyes, and shook her head. "Nothing, nevermind. Um, wh-when did these appear?"

Flame shrugged her shoulders. "For me, I don't know, I guess after I went out one night, and came across…." She narrowed her eyes suddenly. "Came across you and Frost…."

Flight shifted her paws uncomfortably.

"Wait, when did this happen?" Flash asked, looking over at Flame.

She flicked her tail. "Remember that one night where I wasn't at camp? I had gone out in the night, and came across her and Frost. Frost then somehow made ice encase her legs, and I got really mad. Then…" Her eyes suddenly widened. "Now I remember! Then I felt as if something had unlocked inside me, and then flames shot up from everywhere! It melted the ice, and they both ran off! Then I passed out."

Everyone, excluding Flight, stared at her, shock in their eyes. Heather blinked, and shook her head, thinking back to the battle.

"I remember something too…" Grass murmured, creasing his forehead in concentration. "During the battle, I felt as if something unlocked in me as well. I slammed my paw on the ground in pure instinct, and the ground shot up and out from it."

Flash nodded. "Same with me, but a blast of water instead."

Heather blinked. "I had a similar experience with a blast of wind. I-Is this why these symbols are here?"

All eyes turned to Flight. She looked extremely uncomfortable, shuffling her paws. Flame narrowed her eyes, and shot forward, grabbing her right paw in her jaws.

Flight yelped, and a burst of light shot out from her, hitting Flame square in the chest. Flame was knocked to the ground, landing with a soft plump into the snow. Flight stared at her, a confusing array of emotions flashing through her face. "I-I'm sorry!" She shouted, then ran back to the den as fast as her legs could carry her.