The Song the Wind Sings

[Dr. Ferret Pants]

Introduction

In the beginning, there was nothing, and the Lifemother was born from that nothing. She banished the eternal night, then brought forth the Two and created the World. Rohan was a huge lion of light, and his light breathed life into the new World. Silva, a white tiger, was not as brilliant, but when Ronan slept she watched over the World, and her silver glow comforted those lost in the dark.

Rohan and Silva birthed four children. Ashre, Tyden, Eyrth, and Whindor were their names. Ashre was black as night, but his paws were red. He was quick to anger and was unstoppable when enraged. Tyden was a silvery blue and calm, but her temper, too, was outrageous, though not easily provoked. Eyrth was solid brown and cold as stone. He was almost never angered, and stubborn. Whindor was the color of snow and light and peace, and fast as nothing in the world could equal to. She sang as she moved, and she walked alone.

Ashre hated Whindor the most. He spoke fire; she whispered soft breezes. He dug himself a hole deep within the earth of the World, and there he plotted and schemed, planning to rid the world of Whindor once and for all.

Eyrth heard of Ashre's plans, and moved to warn Whindor. When he arrived the brother and sister were hard at battle, and Ashre was winning. Enraged, Eyrth flung himself at his brother, and fought him. Ashre was defeated, but the wounds Eyrth bore were too great, and he died. Ashre returned to the hole in the earth, fueled by rage.

Silva, Eyrth's mother, was ever silent after her son's death. Rohan, however, roared curses and threats at Ashre and sentenced him beneath the ground forever. Tyden fled to the sky and wept, and her tears filled the great gouges in the World created by the battle. She lives there still, sorrow never ceasing. Whindor, upset, shut herself away from the others and raced all over the world, sometimes destroying in her grief. Eyrth's body became one with the World when Ashre disappeared beneath it, spirit helping to trap him forever.

Many summers after Eyrth's death, Whindor went to the kingdom of Birds, and learned from the King Eagle that there was a great being threatening them, killing them and stealing their eggs. She vowed to help, and learned of when the killer appeared and where.

She pushed and shoved at a tree to the point where a single breeze would knock it over, and waited. At the time that the killer appeared, she felled the tree and was surprised to see Ashre beneath it. He spat and cursed at her, but she ignored him.

When Rohan could be seen on the horizon Ashre began to scream, clawing at his eyes. Having been trapped in the earth so long the light was blinding him. He begged and pleaded Whindor to release him, but she did not.

"Ashre, the one whom I can no longer call Brother, you have forsaken your kind with your pride and rage. From now on all your children shall be born with your pride, and that pride will end them. Go now, and never raise your head from this World again." Then she pushed the felled tree off him, but he had not heeded her warning. Quicker than any mole, he dug yet another hole in the earth and disappeared. It is said he still lives there, feeding his rage and hatred, and will unleash it when he feels the time is right...

[Dr. Ferret Pants]

Chapter One

The Time of the Fire Eye was ending. The sky turned from blue to red to violet to black. The Hooter screeched and flew from his nest. Hissla slithered about the woods, creeping upon mice and following the sounds of the croaking songs of night frogs. Bats flapped their leathery wings and took flight, nearly invisible against the blackening sky. With soft purrs and luxurious stretches, cats awoke. Some prowled the forest in search of prey. Others gathered by garbage cans and brick walls and in garages to talk and groom amongst themselves. A single silver-and-white tabby wandered the streets and alleys. He would not be joining them. He was a stranger here, and knew no one.

The tabby, a young tom barely out of kittenhood, was called Moonshine, for his coat that gleamed under the Ghost Eye of Silva. Not even he knew his real name. He was skinny and sleek, though he still had tufts of kit-fur around his ears. His tail was thick and ringed like a raccoon's brush. His paws were so dark they were nearly black. And his left eye was bright green, that of new leaves and meadow grass, and his right blue as the sky and sea -- something he'd never seen, but had heard of.

Moonshine had wandered most of his short life, and he had seen many things most kittens had never believed possible. He had met many cats, stood against many dogs, chased many mice and rabbits and birds. He was spoken of as a spirit in some places, a friend in most, and an enemy in a few others, but in all none could deny he'd been seen. Some said he had Whindor's restless spirit and tireless energy, and that was why he wandered and never stayed in one place for more than seven Ghostings. If someone had asked him -- and no one had -- he would have said that he walked because there was no reason to stop. The one thing he would never say was that there was an odd compulsion pulling him, leading him far and wide across the World. He did not know when or where he would stop, but he followed it anyway. He was wiser than many knew possible for a kitten, and he was calm. Nothing stirred him easily.

He knew not whether he had family, for he had been born with no siblings, his mother died of some disease before he could capture her in his memory, and he did not know his father. Many Kit-Mothers offered to take him in, to let him curl up and nap with their own litters, but he always politely refused. He knew he would never be a true part of their family.

Many of his friends -- one kitten in particular named Phantom -- had offered to accompany him on his journeys, but he preferred to walk alone. Sometimes he sang songs of old to himself as he traveled, and many times cats stopped and listened.

This was only one of the many towns he'd been through, but by far the most impressive. Everything was neat, and all the Man-Lodgings looked the same. Some yards had trees growing, and since it was spring all were in bloom and dropping softly-colored blossom petals to the ground. It was in one of these trees where he would sleep, and when Rohan traveled the sky again he would continue on his journey.

He chose an apple tree in a nearby yard, and as his claws dug into the bark to begin climbing a frail-sounding meow caused him to turn his head. There, on the porch of the Man-Lodging, an old pale brown tom sat, gray on the wearied muzzle and around the grizzled bent whiskers. The oldster groaned as he rose to his paws, tired old bones snapping, and slowly padded towards him on skinny legs.

"Good Ghosting to you, Elder-Cat," Moonshine meowed politely, bowing his head. "They call me Moonshine. I am a traveler, and I apologize for trespassing on your territory. If you will allow me the use of your tree I promise to leave by first light."

"No such...formalities...Kitten-Friend. I have...long since...stopped caring as to...who came and went on...my lawn. Good Ghosting." The tom's voice was dry and brittle, and he spoke slow and soft. "My name is...Forrest. I...have heard of you...young Moonshine. Many traveling cats...pass through here...and they speak of a kit...who glows in the light of Silva and walks as...Whindor does. You are...more than welcome...to use my tree. I have not the strength...to climb it any longer."

"Thank you, Forrest. I shall remember this forever. May you live in peace for the rest of your time on this World, until you pass into the realm of the Lifemother."

A wrinkled smile stretched the old tomcat's muzzle and he stiffly bowed his head before returning to his porch. Moonshine clawed his way up the trunk of the apple tree, settled onto a thick sturdy branch, and fell asleep.


When he woke, Forrest was still on the porch, snoring softly and covered in a thin layer of early morning dew. Rohan had not started his journey yet. He stretched, yawned, then descended the tree and padded across the yard to the street. A low mist swirled and danced over his paws and turned the world a light shade of gray.

Moonshine padded down the street, pelt heavy with mist tugging on it. Formless shapes whirled around him like kittens in play, and when he spotted one he could make out he stopped.

The smoky form of a cat stood, or seemed to stand, watching him. A light red tinged where its paws would be. Cold eyes glared at him. Then it vanished.

Moonshine blinked in disbelief, trying to process what had just happened, when a soft padding sound reached his ears. Forrest appeared from the mist, moving stiffly, as though the wet were hurting his aching joints. "I seldom...ever leave my yard...anymore," he wheezed, halting beside the younger tom. "But when I saw...that you had left...I felt the need to tell you...something I meant to say last night. My frazzled old mind...forgot all about it.

"Another cat...came through a few...days ago...looking for you. He wasn't much older...than you were. He said his name...was Phantom. He headed off...that way." His thin tail wavered as it pointed in the direction the kitten had disappeared, the same direction Moonshine was headed. "I hope...you find him. He seemed concerned...about you."

"Thank you, Forrest. I shall try to find him. Farewell." The young tom padded off again through the mist, wondering why Phantom was looking for him, and even more so, who that strange cat in the mist had been.

[owls-in-october]

Yikes...this is hard to keep track of. I would suggest making smaller fonts, centering, to make it look less daunting. It might also be helpful to use more adjectives, just to make for easier reading. Also, it might just be me, but it's hard to keep track of all these characters. A bit of editing, perhaps?