Si forgot again. But Si likes to procrastinate, waste time and sit around doing nothing except RP. Si apologises and hopes she can mould an epic chapter for you all, and whilst procrastinating she had started to write a terrible parody which she should never show in public. But she might just. Enough talking about myself in the 3rd person, onwards with the chapter!
Strangers
Gustpaw bounded after the retreating Timberfur, Cloudpaw hurrying close behind, almost nipping at her paws as she tried to catch up. He was always trying to compete with her. Gustpaw shook her head, and she couldn't resist, with a flick of her tail she sent a blast of wind slamming into Cloudpaw's face, making him slow down considerably, and leaving Gustpaw to charge ahead, satisfied. She knew she shouldn't abuse her talent, but how could she resist using it to beat her brother? The white-patched tom huffed and bolted forward again, the unnatural gust of wind gone. A confused expression crossed Cloudpaw's face for a moment, wondering what exactly had just happened, before picking up the pace, the Training Dip coming in to view over the horizon.
The sun had risen far over the distant horizon now, the morning quickly falling away into afternoon. The ginger pelt of Embercloud came into view, but the she-cat did not notice them; she was watching Cinderpaw circling her mentor, determination clear in her blue eyes. Timberfur trotted over, calling to the ginger she-cat, who spun around, almost surprised by the tom's sudden appearance. She gave a sigh and shuffled over to him, pausing as the two apprentices caught up, panting. Cloudpaw didn't look happy, but Gustpaw looked rather smug. If she was just careful how obvious she was about using her talent, she could abuse it as much as she liked. No-one was telling her otherwise, and she wouldn't hurt anyone. Pleased with this conclusion, Gustpaw focused her attention on her mentor and Timberfur, motioning for her and her brother to follow them out into the vast, open moors. Her home.
It was a beautiful New-Leaf day, the sun sending soft rays cascading down, light dancing across Gustpaw's tortoiseshell-and-white pelt as she scurried after the two warriors again, Cloudpaw keeping level with her this time. She lifted her tail, tempted to send another gust of wind rushing into Cloudpaw, but decided against it, not wanting to risk suspicion again. It wasn't long before the two mentors halted, and the apprentices followed suit, staring expectantly up at their mentors for today's hunting challenge. Embercloud only glared at Gustpaw, who dropped her gaze to the floor uneasily. There was no winning over her scornful mentor. Timberfur, however, stood proud, tail quivering in the breeze, staring at the two young cats with eyes full of the excitement of a kit.
"Today, you'll be honing your stalking skills and learning to pay more attention to the wind's direction. If you're downwind when stalking prey, they'll be able to smell you several fox-lengths away," Timberfur explained, lifting his head to the breeze, trying to pinpoint its exact direction. Gustpaw always paid attention to the wind; she couldn't help it, she felt every slight change in direction, every time it picked up speed. It was little irritating, always being aware of the wind's path. Embercloud grunted, opening her jaw slightly, scenting the air for prey. Cloudpaw hopped from paw to paw, eager to get started, probably eager to upstage his sister, too. Gustpaw suppressed a grumble and waited for further command from her reluctant mentor.
"Well? Off you go; we're not going to direct you to the prey this time, you can do that yourselves. Gustpaw, you're first, go on!" Embercloud ordered, flicking her tail in the direction of the endless rolling hills, flicking her ears impatiently. Gustpaw gulped and scampered off, opening her mouth to try and pick up the scent of a rabbit, narrowing her eyes as she searched the grass for any movement.
What she saw next was definitely not a rabbit.
The scent hit her first; an unfamiliar but not unpleasant scent. It was sweet and light, like the distant scent of catmint carried over on a breeze. Next, smudges appeared over the hill, true shapes becoming clearer as they advanced towards Gustpaw, who stumbled backwards, terror striking through her chest, quickening her heart and flattening her ears. She bounded back towards her Clan-mates, yowling as she went.
"Intruders! Strangers, over the hill!" she called, voice shaking as she skidded to an uneasy halt beside Embercloud, who sprang to her paws, glancing to Timberfur before charging forward, the brown tom following soon behind, face set in a snarl. Timberfur had the patience of a Saint when he was with his Clan-mates, but he was notorious for his lack of thought when faced with a threat.
"Stop!" a voice rang across the hills, not coming from any of WindClan cats, but from one of the distant smudges. Timberfur and Embercloud slowed their pace, confused. The distant shapes became the forms of three cats, all with a similar soul-piercing look in their eyes. Cloudpaw was trembling uncontrollably, curling into a ball in a feeble attempt to protect himself. Gustpaw stood, petrified, unsure of who these cats were and what they wanted. Rouges and loners usually travelled alone, so who were these strange cats? Not only that, but they held themselves with a certain purpose, one that proved they meant business.
The first cat to come into proper focus was a pale grey long-haired tom with depthless blue eyes, still and calm like the waters of the Moon-Pool. He seemed to be leading the group, slightly ahead of the other two cats, his tail billowing out behind him like a string of falling feathers. The second cat was another tom that had similar blue eyes, but he seemed a little more edgy, her gaze flitting from left to right. He had an earthy brown face, ears and paws and the rest of his fur was an uneven cream colour, ruffled and uncared for, matching the flustered air the tom seemed to give off. The last cat was a she-cat, with golden brown fur and exotic, dark bronze-brown marks splotched across her slight frame. Her eyes were shining golden amber, giving away no emotions or feelings at all. She walked with a more sensible air than the Siamese tom, seeming far more level-headed and laid-back. In the time it took Gustpaw to take in the appearances of the three strange cats, they had reached the point where Embercloud and Timberfur were standing. They gave no hint of aggression.
"We're here for the Sylph," the pale grey cat announced, sharp blue eyes boring into Embercloud's unchanging composed gaze. Gustpaw winced at the very sight of the tom's striking glare, but the ginger she-cat didn't even flinch. Clearly, she had met her match. The two glowered at each other for a moment, before the tom spoke again.
"The Sylph, hand her over. We need her," the tom snapped, switching his gaze to look at Timberfur, whose fur was prickling, his tail puffed up to twice its size. He snarled, hiding the utter confusion in his eyes as the tom demanded something he was quite sure they didn't have. Gustpaw tiled her head, both terrified and puzzled. What was a 'Sylph'? If she could, she would have sent a tornado spinning in their direction; maybe that would scare them off. However, she dreaded her Clan-mates' reaction too much to do it.
"We don't know what you're talking about. We don't have a 'Sylph', so you call it," Embercloud snapped, a low growl forming in her throat. The Siamese tom coughed uneasily, nudging the pale grey cat.
"Kashti, are you sure this is the right place? Silarvra didn't mention anything about all these hills…" the Siamese mumbled, quivering as his eyes shifted back and forth between the pale grey tom, apparently called Kashti, and the WindClan cats. Kashti cuffed his ear with a paw and hissed at him, his tail lashing violently. The wind almost moaned as it rushed by.
"We know you have her, hand her over. Now!" Kashti snarled, taking a step forward in warning, unsheathing his claws and digging them into the ground, tearing up the earth surrounding the paw before drawing his attention back to the cats expectantly, his stance threatening. Timberfur snarled, spitting in disgust at the tom, taking a step forward himself, eyes darkening.
"Kashti, darling, she isn't a Sylph; she just has the powers of one. That's why they're confused. They probably don't know what a Sylph is," it was the golden she-cat this time, her voice a smooth, seductive drawl that weaved its way into over Kashti who promptly flattened his ears against his skull, grumbling. The she-cat only rolled her eyes.
"Well, Chasm should have specified this. He's supposed to be the brains of this operation, not the coward," Kashti huffed, glowering at the Siamese, Chasm, who lowered his body to the ground submissively, his eyes wide with fear. The two WindClan warriors stood there, poised to attack, bewildered by the situation unfolding in front of them. Gustpaw was slowly, unsurely, beginning to catch on, creeping forward to get a better view of the whole thing. Cloudpaw refused to move, peeking out from under the cover of his tail, which he had wrapped around his coiled-up body. The Siamese's gaze slid over to her for only a moment before nervously fixating on the ground.
"Fine," Kashti growled, turning his blue eyes back to settle on Embercloud, "we want the cat with the talent." He commanded, taking yet another warning step forward, narrowing his eyes at Embercloud, expecting no response but 'yes'. The ginger she-cat rolled her grey-green eyes, purring in a mocking amusement.
"We have many talented cats here at WindClan, but I don't think we have anyone with a particularly special 'talent', so you call it," she explained, her voice shockingly calm, the she-cat was seemingly unaffected by the whole thing, almost finding the situation comical. Timberfur, however, was fuming, ready to spring at any moment, just waiting on the strange cats to attack.
They did.
"Alright, so we'll do this the hard way. Elki, take the tom, Chasm, the two snivelling kits. They look just as scared as you do. We'll force the answer out of them, and remember claws and jaws!" He yowled before landing on Embercloud's back with a powerful spring. She turned around and hissed spitting and yowling, leaping into the air to land on her back, crushing Kashti underneath her weight. Timberfur had pinned down the she-cat before she could even react, and the two were slashing and biting in a flail of claws and teeth. Chasm crept over to the mortified apprentices, trying to look as frightening as his counterparts. A snarl ripped through the air, this time coming from Cloudpaw. Ear still showed clearly in his eyes, but the determination to serve his Clan forced him to his paws and sent him plummeting forward towards the Siamese, who primarily shied away, before leaping forward, paws outstretched, grappling onto the Cloudpaw and slamming him to the ground, rearing up on his hind legs. Cloudpaw went tumbling across the grass, panting heavily. Gustpaw whimpered, backing off slightly. She shook her head; she had to fight! She bunched her hind legs and pounced, claws ripping at the Siamese's back, sending him spitting and yowling as he twisted and writhed underneath the apprentice. He flopped onto his side in an attempt to crush the apprentice, but she leapt away, only to get her tail trapped beneath the Siamese's paw. A smug look crossed his face, only to vanish as Cloudpaw went hurtling into his side, head-butting him with an unexpected force. The Siamese went crashing to the ground, stunned. Cloudpaw leapt on top of him, pinning him down and Gustpaw helped, holding his back legs down so he couldn't tear at Cloudpaw's vulnerable stomach. The Siamese almost howled in protest, struggling with all his might. It was, however, two against on, and even though the apprentice's had barely a Moon's training, the Siamese was weak and overly-wary, admitting defeat far too quickly.
It seemed the apprentices weren't the only ones to succeed. Embercloud stood proudly over Kashti, a triumphant glimmer in her eyes, and Timberfur held the she-cat's head down with a large brown paw, still angry but contented he had prevailed.
"Take them to camp. Elmstar will deal with them further," Embercloud ordered, grabbing Kashti by the scruff his neck and dragging him along the ground like an over-grown kit. The pale grey tom huffed and puffed, trying to wriggle away, but to no avail; he was weakened from the fight and Embercloud's grip with strong. Timberfur grabbed the she-cat and followed after, defiant and smug over his victory, ignoring the indignant whines and curses coming from the golden she-cat. Together, Gustpaw and Cloudpaw grabbed a forepaw each and pulled the Siamese back to Camp, both with fur puffed up in pride. The Siamese did not struggle like his companions, whimpering occasionally, looking bedraggled and extremely frightened.
"I can't believe that just happened! Chasm, how did you let two kits beat you? Sitarvra is going to be furious!" Kashti moaned, only to get a glower from Embercloud. Chasm shook his head pitifully, opening and closing his mouth as he attempted to think of an excuse.
"I-it was two against one, Kashti! I-I didn't mean- Sitarvra should have given us more details! How are we going to know who it is?" Chasm retorted, anger flaring up in his voice as he slid uncomfortably across the ground as the apprentices tugged at his forepaws.
"Please, Chasm, don't blame it on Sitarvra, you're supposed to be intelligent! Why don't you just figure out who it is with that massive intellect of yours?" Snarled the golden-brown she-cat, yelping as Timberfur bit down harder on her scruff, as if commanding her to be quiet. All three intruders fell silent, eyes burning with anger and the disappointment of defeat. The WindClan cats, on the other hand, looked extremely pleased with themselves.
On arriving back at Camp, the parade got several stunned looks from their Clan-mates, a few growls rising from the cats mingling about the camp, dropping their pieces of prey and conversations to watch the two mentors and their apprentices drag the strangers into camp, past the onlookers and into the Leader's den, an abandoned Badger's Set at the far end of the dip that served as WindClan's open-air camp. Timberfur entered first, dropping the she-cat at his feet, who landed with an indignant thump and a grunt. Elmstar's eyes widened, confusion crossing her face for only a moment before she looked at Timberfur with a curious concern.
"Timberfur, who are these cats?" the leader asked, tilting her head slightly as she raked her gaze over the three strangers, peering at them with crystal blue eyes that shined with an unreadable gaze, the kind of look that was mixed with such wisdom and tainted memory it was hard to pick out some actual emotion. Timberfur lashed his tail, anger still present in his amber eyes, b=making them shine bright and harsh like the hot sun in Green-leaf.
"We found these three approaching us in the moors, demanding a 'Sylph' or something strange like that. We refused and they attacked. We don't even have what they looking for," Timberfur explained with a hint of a sneer in his voice as he glowered down at the collapsed she-cat, who returned the favour without hesitation. Elmstar nodded slowly, lifting a single silver paw to give it a few thoughtful licks. Gustpaw watched in pure interest as she wondered what the leader was going to do with the strangers.
"I see," was all she uttered, placing her paw down again and coiling her striped tail around it, "well, shall we hear them speak? Then you can take them down to the edge of the territory and see them off." she continued, shifting her gaze down to Kashti, who was writhing under Embercloud's grip, absolutely livid with rage, eyes blazing with the pure indignation of being defeated and then addressed like this. He spat at Elmstar.
"We need the special cat! We were lead here under trusted supervision, you can't hide her forever!" Kashti snapped, wriggling hopelessly beneath Embercloud, who stared down at the grey tom with a smug expression. There was no getting past the defiant ginger warrior. Elmstar tilted her head, not familiar with the cat Kashti was explaining. Honeyblossom never told her.
"I've heard enough. They clearly have the wrong place. Take them away, make sure they leave," Elmstar decided, voice cool and collected, not an emotion showing in her soft blue eyes, full of knowledge that far surpassed her youthful appearance. Timberfur gave an eager nod, and Elmstar dismissed them with an elegant wave of her tail.
"Well done to the apprentices, too. Far too many fights lately, though…" she added with a wink to Gustpaw and her brother, who restrained from squealing in the excitement of being complimented by their leader. Elmstar let out a small, almost inaudible sigh as she watched the group of cats drag the intruders from her den. In that instant, she knew it:
Honeyblossom had done it again. That lying, sneaking medicine cat was hiding something. She knew the golden she-cat's skills were unique and astounding but she her habits in keeping everything, even prophecies to herself were almost insufferable. Elmstar shook her head, watching the small patrol of cats disappear over the slope.
What the hell was that? O.o I even changed point of views at the end. I thought that was quite smooth actually, in a stupid and useless way. I just couldn't resist, when you don't have a set plot line and you love Kashti so hard you have to include him. Look, I know I poofed but I feel just so… ugh. I'm stuck in a rut and I honestly can't find anything to get me out. Nothing is going my way IRL at the moment. God I feel awful. I should have finished this later so it wouldn't suck quite so bad but I feel guilty leaving you people hanging, especially since I got some lovely reviews. Big thanks to XxBlazestormxX, Hawkpaw and Dawnpaw for all their reviews on last chapter. You have no idea just how much it means to me getting reviews. It makes my day and I really need that right now. I know there is LOADS to critique and yes, I haven't proof read yet, but I will. But if you wish to offer criticism, which I do appreciate, then please, I know I sound pathetic, be kind. I don't want to melt into a weeping pool of slush thanks very much. Thank you all so much, Silent :3