Magical things tend to come from mundane places. Soulfaith hadn’t expected much from his walk. After all, he took this patrol every single day. He would always go home, feeling faintly bored. Sometimes he found something cool. On one of these patrols, he found Northernlegacy, one of the most unique cats the loner had ever met. Soulfaith quite liked Northernlegacy, even if he was worried for the mercat. Soulfaith continued his walk. This shoreline also gifted him his first true friend, Albatrossmoon. Soulfaith had been watching the waves when Albie had surfaced, like a gift straight from Starclan. Albatrossmoon hadn’t even asked a single question, simply gone straight to helping Soulfaith. Helping Soul overcome things. Soulfaith had been standoffish at first, but now… he truly appreciated Albatrossmoon. Soulfaith continued his walk. Wasn’t this also the shore where Soulfaith found his magic surfboard? Oh, the memories /that/ brought with it. Surfing around the island, Blessedpaw guiding while Soulfaith clung to the board. Hey, hadn’t Soulfaith taken all his friends surfing too? Theodore on the Oasis surface, Greenpaw out by the shoreline… yeah. That board had brought good memories. Soulfaith continued his walk. Soulfaith paused for a moment, staring out at the ocean. Wasn’t it near here that he first met soweli Kili? Soulfaith exhaled slowly. Everywhere seemed to hold some sort of reminder of the greatest cat Soulfaith had ever known. Soulfaith paused for a moment, staring out towards the ocean. He exhaled slowly, not wanting to leave this spot. But he had to. Soulfaith continued his walk. Why were his paws getting so heavy? Soulfaith missed Kili, that much was for sure, but he had promised Kili that he would be okay. Soulfaith /had/ to be okay. That was what he had promised, and he would never get the chance to make Kili another promise again. Soulfaith released a rattled breath. He had to keep going. Soulfaith started to run. The wind was nice against his fur. The sand was rough against his paws. He was now shifting away from the shoreline, because it held too many memories. Soulfaith wasn’t ready to confront them yet. His course diverted away from the calming shoreline, away from the memories he wasn’t ready to accept. Soulfaith started to cry. Why was grief such a complicated emotion, he wondered. Why didn’t all problems have a solution? Soulfaith shook his head, trying to clear his vision, but it only blurred his sight further. Soulfaith couldn’t possibly carry the mantle of Kili’s legacy. Soulfaith wasn’t good enough for that. Soulfaith wasn’t strong enough for that. Soulfaith started to slow. “... why me? Of every cat on the shores… of all the nobility, of all the leaders and deputies and healers these shores have to offer… why did you choose me?” Soulfaith didn’t receive an answer. Nor did he expect to. But, it offered some relief just to ask it. Soulfaith released his breath, and looked up. His vision was still slightly blurry, but much to his distaste, Soulfaith saw a dust devil. The sandy vortexes tended to cause more eye pain than destruction, and this one seemed no different. Soulfaith started to turn. Out of the corner of his eye, Soulfaith saw a flash of red among the debris. Soulfaith paused, and turned back to face the swirling sand. Sure enough, fluttering among the dust devil’s fury, a red fabric flew, seeming to be caught by the wind. Soulfaith took a step closer. Soulfaith started to approach. What was he doing? It was just some random cloak. He had seen Abalonestar wearing one, so why did he dare to confront nature’s wrath just to get a better look? Well… Soulfaith felt that this was a sign. A sign from Starclan. Something about this cloak. Something resonated. Soulfaith started to crouch. Soulfaith pounced into the dust devil’s wind. It wasn’t a strong dust devil, not like the monstrosities Soulfaith saw from large distances, but it still had enough wayward sand to attack Soulfaith’s pelt with tiny, stinging particles. However, Soulfaith’s paws wrapped around the cloak, and he managed to bring it to the ground. At that instant, the moment the cloak stopped flapping around in the wind, the dust devil dissipated, leaving a fine layer of sand floating down from the sky. Soulfaith started to stare.
The cloak beneath his paws had a velvety texture and was crimson red. Around what Soulfaith presumed to be the collar was a thick white fur, one that was soft and comforting to the touch. On the inside of the cloak, a single pocket bulged with some content. Soulfaith started to reach. Out of the pocket, Soulfaith pulled an engraved container. Small, detailed images of sleeping cats covered the surface of the box. Soulfaith stared for a moment, then popped open the lid. Two beautiful earrings. One had a ruby set in its frame, the other a sapphire. Soulfaith started to smile. It took a few moments, but Soulfaith was now garbed in a thick red cloak, one that caught the sun’s light in all the right ways. It was hot, but Soulfaith loved it. Set in his ears, he had managed to attach each earring, giving him a regal sort of look that Soulfaith hadn’t often sought, but one he found that he loved. A lot. Something in Soulfaith’s gut gave him the innate desire to show off, almost like he was on a runway with a panel of cats judging his appearance rather than in the middle of nowhere. Soulfaith started to twirl. As the cloak fluttered, Soulfaith watched, half shocked, half expecting it. Sure enough, in the direction he had flicked his cloak, a small dust devil formed, spinning away from Soulfaith before dissipating. Soulfaith smiled. Magic. And if he had to guess, his earrings held magic just the same. If he had to guess, it had something to do with those engravings… He’d figure that one out another day. Right now… he had a cloak that created cool wind and some gemstone earrings. Tucking the earring case back in his pocket, Soulfaith sighed heavily. Then. Soulfaith started to purr.
