So guess what! I'm not dead! I know, you're shocked but it's true. School is now a thing so I can't spend all my time writing cat stories on the internet, as much as I'd like to. However I will make an effort to keep updating, it won't be often but I promise that I won't abandon FFN or these stories. Thank you guys for giving me a reason to commit to this through your support, every favorite, follow and review counts!
Flower: She definitely will, at least to Shadecloud anyway, I'm glad you like her as well; she makes a nice change from my usual characters so I like writing her. Thank you for the OCs as well, two is completely fine, the more the merrier! I'll use them a little later on in the story but you'll definitely see them.
Maplestar of Dawnclan: I'm happy you like how I did her, I didn't want her to be completely surly and shut off so it's good that her friendship with Shadecloud is good.
Swirlspot: I'm not sure about that question, it might be because they share a name but I didn't intend for that, oops! As for the second one, you certainly would; probably for Thunderclan because they get all the omens. And then I steal those ideas because they're good and they make more sense than my mental ramblings! As usual you're spot on, with my actual plan no less! The action will be kicking in soon and she'll have her part to play!
Meow is Back From the Dead: Yeah... don't get used to that! Your reaction to Maple makes me pretty happy, she wasn't supposed to be entirely likable at first so that's good!
And now, on with the much delayed story!
"What do you think of them?" Maple asked thoughtfully, gazing at the clearing from the shady spot where she sat with Shadecloud.
"Who?" Shadecloud asked, looking at her friend curiously then back at Junco and Swallow, who were playing Rooster
"Shadow and Frost, what do you think of them?" Maple clarified, her green gaze returning to the toms in question.
Shadecloud though for a second, considering each tom before speaking. "I like them I suppose, they're nice enough."
Maple rolled her eyes and gave Shadecloud an odd smile, "No I mean do you think they're handsome?" She asked.
"What?" Shadecloud said, taken aback by the question. "I mean, not really, I never thought of them like that. Anyway Frost has a mate and I'm probably related to Shadow."
Maple looked only momentarily fazed by Shadecloud's relationship with Shadow, instead fixating on the first part. "Frost has a mate? Who?"
"Lotus, you know, Fallow's daughter." Shadecloud told her friend, looking around the clearing for the she cat in question. "She shares a den with us."
"You mean the one who always looks like she's eaten a bad mouse?" Maple asked, making a face of her own at the thought of the cream she cat.
Shadecloud stifled a laugh at the not entirely untrue description of their denmate. "She's pretty nice when you get to know her, just a little uptight."
"Oh well, then she and Frost must be perfect for each other, uptight was the impression I got of him too." Maple grinned, chuckling quietly. "That's okay though, I'm more interested in Shadow anyway."
"Then you're in luck, he doesn't have a mate and they're probably going to try to set you two up anyway." Shadecloud purred, rather happy that Maple was instigating the relationship rather than being semi-forced by Lotus.
"What do you mean 'set us up'?" Maple asked. Prompting Shadecloud to give an inward sigh as she was reminded of the calico's habit of picking up on little discrepancies and hints that she wasn't mean to notice.
For a heartbeat they grey speckled she cat was silent, trying to work out how to explain the situation delicately. "Well you see they often have arranged pairings as there are so few like us and it's hard to have a normal mate. Lotus and Frost's relationship was arranged but it worked out pretty well for them." She explained, hoping Maple wouldn't take it too badly.
"So they were planning for Shadow and I to be mates?" Maple asked, tilting her head curiously. To Shadecloud's surprise she didn't seem at all upset, only intrigued by the custom and it's affect on her.
"Well yeah, I assume so based on the fact that you're the only eligible cats, I don't know for sure but it's a pretty reasonable guess." Shadecloud confirmed.
Maple didn't speak again for a few heartbeats; she simply sat watching Shadow with bright green eyes and a thoughtful expression. "Don't you have an arranged mate?" She asked at length.
Shadecloud started with surprise, that wasn't the question she'd been expecting. "Oh, no, no I don't. I mean Frost has a mate and we're pretty sure that Shadow and I are related."
"You are?" Maple questioned, looking curious. "Related to Shadow I mean. You don't act like it, I'd guess that he and Frost were siblings, not you two."
Shadecloud took another pause to think about the question, "Well, we don't know for sure but Frost thinks so. It's all very complicated." She admitted with a small sigh, "Shadow's father adopted Frost when they were kits so they were raised as brothers which is why they're so close. As for me and Shadow, well, Frost's theory is that Shadow and I are related because we have similar curses which apparently run in the family." She told the calico with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Oh, alright then." Maple said; looking, Shadecloud thought, a little disappointed at the mundane nature of her explanation. "So what is your curse, as you call it?" She asked.
"Oh, well I don't quite understand it myself but basically my shadow is alive, it just does its own thing most of the time." Shadecloud shrugged, peering around her to see if her shadow was there.
It wasn't and she briefly wondered where it had gone before shaking her head, the shadow had taken to flitting around by itself lately and she'd simply let it do as it pleased.
Maple followed her gaze and looked a little unsettled by the shadow's absence. "Do you not have control over it?"
"Not really, it helps me if I'm in danger but other than that it does what it wants, it doesn't really impact me in any way." Shadecloud responded then paused, "What about you? What's your ability?"
"Umm, it's kind of complicated." Maple said, her green eyes fixed on the ground between her paws. "I don't like talking about it, it's caused a lot of pain."
Shadecloud moved closer to her friend so that they're pelts were brushing, "It's okay," She said comfortingly, "We've all messed up, especially with our curses, that's part of the reason they're called that."
"Really?" Maple asked, her green eyes shimmering with what Shadecloud though might be tears.
Shadecloud nodded, resting her tail on the other she cat's shoulder and doing her best to offer silent support.
"I had no idea what it was when it first happened, one day I was thinking of picking up a mouse and it moved by itself. I didn't think it was anything, just my eyes playing tricks on me." Maple began, "Then more things started to move when I thought about it, and things would catch on fire if I looked at them too long. I got scared, I was worried that there was something wrong with me." She stopped for a second and Shadecloud looked over at her.
The calico was crying, silent tears dampened her fur and her expression was one of deep sorrow and pain. "And then I was watching my little sister, she was sick and mother asked me to look after her. I forgot all about my, my curse, because I was just so worried about her and then her pelt started smoking and she just, just started to burn."
Maple was crying freely and Shadecloud found herself whispering comforting phrases and almost cradling the distressed she cat.
"I couldn't do anything, she was screaming and then suddenly she just vaporized. Then my mother came back, apparently she'd noticed what was happening but didn't mention it, she was furious. She called me a monster and chased me to the river, I fell in and then I blacked out." She finished; her words were indistinct and interspersed with racking sobs.
Shadecloud didn't say anything, she simply curled herself around her friend, who had collapsed to the ground, and let the other she cat cry into her pelt.
So I hope you liked that chapter, I'm really curious about your reactions so don't forget to review and tell me what you thought of it! And while you're at it why don't you favorite and follow as well? I know it was a bit fluffy but I promise that either in the next chapter of the one after major things will start happening!
QOTD: So I've been talking about putting in some action very soon, hat do you think is going to happen?
That's all for today, I will see you lovely people next time!
~ Feathers