O.O …3 months you say? Well, er, I can explain. Actually, I can. It comes in the form of four words: School and moving country. So, yeah, sorry. But, it's summer now (yay!) And I shall try and finish this thing :O ~Silent :3
Secrets
Gustpaw's paws pounded against the ground as the sun rose sleepily over the moors, casting soft beams of light across the hills. The tortoiseshell apprentice was up earlier than would be expected, but she had her mind set on practising. Not hunting, or fighting, but controlling the wind. With a flick of her tail, she got the wind blowing a favourable direction, so that it pushed her forward. Once she was far enough from the camp, she halted and let the wind drop, panting for a moment. Keeping the wind under her command was surprisingly exhausting. However, determination pushed her to charge forward, her tail lashing furiously as she attempted the get the wind blowing in the right direction. However, her tail was moving so frantically the wind went in no one direction. It swirled around itself, and tiny hurricane twisting around her tail and blowing off into the clouds. Gustpaw spun around just in time to see it disintegrate, ceasing to move as quickly as it had begun. Gustpaw halted completely, tilting her head. How had she done that? She twirled her tail around again, faster now. Sure enough, another tiny hurricane formed around her tail. Faster, faster, the apprentice swirled her tail, and faster the tornado grew. But it did not grow in size. Gustpaw lowered her body to the ground in the strain of it as she desperately attempted to expand her mini tornado. However, it only moved faster, her tail circling furiously, untouched by the tornado as it sat directing in the middle of what is called the 'eye of the storm'. Only a light breeze could be felt on her tail and the rest of her body, as the wind blew freely without Gustpaw's command. However, the tornado became no different and eventually Gustpaw collapsed on her side, panting heavily and her hurricane instantly degenerated.
'Perhaps there is another way to make a bigger tornado…' Gustpaw wondered, getting shakily to her feet. Imagine, enveloping the enemy Clan in a looming hurricane, whisking away any attacker! If only she could master her new found powers, she would be a great warrior, perhaps even greater than Redwhisker! Wait, if the Clan knew of her powers, surely they would be too afraid to revere her? They would shun her, because that was what cats did, do everything they can to get rid of the things they were frightened of. Gustpaw lowered her head, accepting the fact she would have to keep her unique talent a secret. That meant no showing up Cloudpaw and finally impressing her Mentor. She would have to do that without the help of the wind. But that didn't mean she couldn't practise in secret, because she knew one day her powers would come in useful, and she would make her whole Clan proud. With that thought in mind, Gustpaw turned her thoughts back to her new theory of creating bigger whirlwinds. If she ran around in circles, perhaps she could lead the wind the follow her path, thus creating a larger tornado. Gustpaw nodded to herself, beginning to run in a circle, a small one minds. Any cat watching would have thought she was crazy, or like a young kit chasing after her own tail, but truth was there was real sense behind the tortoiseshell's erratic movements.
Sure enough, in the centre of Gustpaw's circle there formed a whirlwind, only visible by the circling formation of loose blades of grass that were lifted and spun in the air. Gustpaw's eyes were with alight with the excitement of her discovery and her tail fluttered out behind her like a banner. Faster and faster she twirled in circles, and faster and larger the hurricane grew. It was getting bigger this time! Gustpaw could almost leap with glee, her ecstasy clouding her concentration for just one moment, a moment that let the tornado spin out of control, twirling away from the Apprentice. Gustpaw's dashing came to a sudden halt as she watched the tornado fly away, still spinning rapidly. I have to stop it! But how? Even though Gustpaw had stopped, the tornado had not. The joy in her eyes was replaced with anxiety as she frantically tried to think of something that would end it. She bounded after it, yowling and crying 'stop!' But it was of no use. She had to stop, no longer able to keep up with it. She stamped her forepaws in her annoyance, which, to her surprise, whisked the tornado away so it became just another part of the breeze. Gustpaw stared, shocked, and also pleased she had figured out how to stop it. She slowed her rushed, heavy breathing and exhaled deeply, relieved. Perhaps it is time to return to camp. Embercloud will probably call me for training soon. Gustpaw decided before beginning to make her way back to camp, her pace brisk but relaxed, pretending as though nothing had happened.
"What are you doing Gustpaw?" Came a small voice from just over the hill. It wasn't a voice that suggested anger or disappointment, but one of pure curiosity and innocence. It was the voice of a Kit. Gustpaw paused, lifting a paw in wonder. Had they seen her? She couldn't trust one of Duskshadow's kits with her secret, even if they were only a Moon younger than Gustpaw and her littermates. Gustpaw took a few tentative steps forward, peering forward to try and see who it was.
It was Ravenkit, the bolder one of the two kits who were both toms. He was black with white splotches, the most prominent being one covering his right eye. They got their black fur form their father, Shadepool, the senior warrior who only showed affection to his Mate, Duskshadow, who was a lustrous earthy brown, with lighter flecks being the only pattern to taint the sheer colour. Both kits, the other being Fadedkit, shared their mother's striking golden-bronze eyes that glinted like the sun in the light. Right now, Ravenkit's wide eyes were staring straight at Gustpaw, with a look that told her he saw everything. She gulped.
"Oh, just some early-morning hunting. No luck though; clearly I need more training," she explained shiftily, her eyes flickering away from Ravenkit's strangely daunting gaze.
"Really now? That's not what I saw. I saw you do some weird things, Gustpaw, and it's pretty obvious you weren't hunting." The gap in age between Gustpaw and Ravenkit seemed lengthen, but this time Ravenkit was the older one. His stare was penetrating and held the hint that he had something in store for Gustpaw.
"Oh yeah, I got a bit distracted. I just like prancing about a bit, I suppose," Gustpaw replied, dismissing Ravenkit's suspicious glare with a nonchalant tone and slight smile. She couldn't have Ravenkit knowing her secret, he was known among the younger members of the Clan for his manipulative tendencies. It was no wonder his brother seemed so distant compared to him.
"Yeah, right! I may be a kit still but I'm not stupid. I saw you making whirlwinds," Ravenkit snapped back, his tone harsh and accusing, so much so that Gustpaw stumbled backwards a few steps. The black tom was not acting like a kit at all. He was acting like a ThunderClan warrior who'd just caught her stealing prey. She hid the alarm in her eyes, refusing to be intimidated by the feisty Kit.
"Ravenkit, have you got moss in your brain or is your head just up in the clouds? No one can make 'whirlwinds', it's impossible," she retorted before trotting away, pushing past the Kit, purposefully flicking him with her tail as she did. She would be more careful when she was training from now on, because next time it might not be a Kit who witnessed her 'practising'.
"I'll be watching you, Gustpaw. This façade can't last forever," Ravenkit gave final warning sneer before Gustpaw trotted completely out of earshot, leaving the kit stranded in the empty moors. What was the kit doing out of the Nursery anyways? Duskshadow would be upset, and she was known to be especially strict. He blatantly manipulated Fadedkit into not telling anyone. With a final look of disgust in Ravenkit's direction, Gustpaw quickened her gait and hurried back to Camp, pushed by the thought of Embercloud waiting impatiently for her.
Fortunately, she was not, and Gustpaw found the Camp mostly still, only the soft rise and fall of her Clan-mates breathing could be seen as the Sun slowly rose, gradually illuminating a cloudless sky. The Dawn patrol would be moving out soon. Gustpaw made her way back over to the Apprentice's dip, creeping carefully past the warriors. Relieved no one had woken up, she was about to curl up, until she noticed a small shape trembling in the entrance to the Nursery. It was Fadedkit. Gustpaw slinked over, careful not to make a sound. She lowered her head to speak to the Kit.
"What's wrong Fadedkit? Is it Ravenkit? If you want to know, I saw him on my way back to Camp and he's fine. A little smug though, you should really put him in his place," she suggested jokingly, a soft tone to her voice. Even though they were a single moon apart, Fadedkit was especially fragile. He cowered backwards slightly, golden-brown eyes wide with concern and fear.
"Oh, he's alright? That's good, I was worried. I told him not to go out because it was dangerous and Duskshadow would get mad, but he wouldn't listen. He doesn't listen to anybody. I try to tell him, but he either ignores me or yells at me," Fadedkit explained, relaxing slightly but still quivering somewhat. He then gave Gustpaw a grateful nod, "thank you though, for telling me. But I think I'll leave the telling off to you and my mother." He gave a nervous chuckle, his gaze dropping to the floor for a moment, shuffling his white fore-paws. Gustpaw shook her head, whiskers twitching slightly.
"It's no problem, I just bumped into him. He was quite rude, actually, I did my best to dismiss him," Gustpaw returned, thinking back to the sickening glint in Ravenkit's eyes. It was so different compared to the soft glow of Fadedkit's, even though the colour matched. "I'd better go; Embercloud will probably come looking for me soon. You should really tell Duskshadow what Ravenkit's been up to," with a final glance Fadedkit, who only blinked in reply, Gustpaw padded back to the Apprentice's dip and curled up next to Cinderpaw as if nothing had happened. Gustpaw knew she wouldn't get back to sleep, but she wrapped her ginger-tipped tail across her body and shut her eyes, pretending she had been asleep the whole time. She heard the light paw-steps of Ravenkit returning to camp, and a hushed conversation between him and his brother. She heard the Warriors stirring for the Dawn Patrol, and the scent of Embercloud drifted over to her, growing stronger. A paw prodded her side sharply.
"Gustpaw, wake up. I'm taking you on the Dawn Patrol so you can get a feel for what you have to do," the harsh voice of Embercloud muttered in her ear, "plus, it's good for you to rise early." She added before stalking off to join the rest of the Patrol, not even looking back to see if Gustpaw followed. Of course, the tortoiseshell apprentice quickly jumped up and scurried after her Mentor, ready and eager to go on her first Patrol. Embercloud had no idea that the Apprentice had been awake far before her.
Shadepool, Silverlark and Jaggedstep stood waiting for Embercloud and her Apprentice. Gustpaw looked around at the warriors and gave them all a respectful nod, hiding the fear that she felt inside her. Shadepool, Ravenkit and Fadedkit's father, was a lithe black tom with a single white paw and striking amber eyes that were flecked with gold. He was a sinister character who was known to hunt in the shadows of the night. Despite his wicked looks, he had no intention of betraying his Clan and all evil intentions were directed towards the other Clans. Gustpaw knew not to say a word out of line whilst Shadepool was around. Right now, he was staring straight at her, inspecting her carefully. His eyes held no emotion but his gaze still sent shivers up Gustpaw's spine.
Silverlark, the next cat, was a slight, soft spoken she-cat with silvery stripes and beautiful eyes the colour of the morning skies. She was mostly quiet, her gentle nature lending naturally towards soothing the younger members of the Clan. She was often seen in the Nursery, helping the Queens, and it was fairly obvious she wanted kits of her own. However, pretty though she was, no tom had shown a particular interest yet. Gustpaw failed to understand why, feeling a hint of jealousy for the silver she-cat.
The last cat was Jaggedstep, a heavy-built dark brown tom who was gruff in appearance but kind in heart. His courage and loyalty to the Clan was well-known, and he had earned a limp from a fox that threatened to invade the nursery many moons back. His appearance was imposing but his amber eyes were filled with warmth. Gustpaw held the utmost respect for the senior warrior, and had a particular need to impress him, for he knew what true bravery was.
Three cats Gustpaw did not encounter often, but she was pleased to join them, even if Embercloud's presence made her shrink in confidence slightly. Once everyone was ready, they began to head out, and Embercloud beckoned Gustpaw to follows with a flick of her feathery ginger tail, and so she did, head lifted to the brightening skies.
C'mon, that was quite long! 2000+ words! Surely that makes up for my absence? No? Well, sorry, but life is life and school, sadly, must come first. And then there's my procrastination. So sorry again. Do enjoy, however, my rusty writing, and be happy in the knowledge that if you review, I will give you a Fadedkit plushie, because I love Fadedkit. He's one of my RP Characters, except I don't RP him as a kit, but a full warrior. The personality is pretty much the same and he's a favourite of mine. Expect to see more of him and his 'evil twin' Ravenkit.
Sorry for rambling o.o 'Till next time, Moon :3