Spreading Fire: 30

Instructions

Flash stumbled backwards, his tail fluffing up a little at the mere THOUGHT of his father. “You can’t! He’ll move me somewhere else- he’ll make me come back and start my training! He’ll YELL. Gah- I CANT go back there, I can’t!” He yelled, his eyes widening by the moment as he spoke. He was clearly NOT happy with this idea. Blizzard stared at him with a cold, hard glaze over her eyes. “This is your last chance, Flash. Break the rules again and your father WILL be notified.” Flash nodded and backed away a little, his long ears tipping further backwards. Unfortunately, Blizzard WAS his supervisor, and there was really nothing else he could do about the situation except… ‘behave’. Blizzard growled a little before turning and trailing away, an icy chill following her as she left. Kira trotted over beside Flash with Flower still stuck to her side. “The heck was that about?” She asked, completely bewildered as she watched Blizzard stalk further into the distance while she waited for Flash’s reply. “Nothing.” Flash snapped, his ears aggressively snapping back into position as his expression hardened into one Kira didn’t.. quite… recognize. “I have to go.” He added in a low, almost.. saddened growl. And with that, he was gone. Kira and flower glanced to each other with a sort of ‘what just happened?’ Expression. Kira sighed. “Let’s just go see what’s for breakfast…” Flower nodded a little, glancing quickly at Flash’s den. Her eyes were soft and gentle, and to most it wouldn’t really look like she thought much of anything about the situation, but it was clear to anyone who knew her that she was worried. Extremely worried. After Kira and Flower had gotten breakfast, Kira quickly realized that it was just going to be one of those days where they didn’t have anything important to get done. Normally Kira would’ve just found something entertaining to do, maybe tell Flower a made-up story or two, but today was.. different. Even though Kira would never admit it, she was just as worried about Flash as Flower was. She wanted to know what in the name of all things on this horrible planet was GOING ON. Kira grinned a little and got that look in her eye, the one that said she was up to something. The one that everyone in the camp knew by now. She nodded. “I’m gonna go talk to Flash,” she finally decided aloud. “You wanna come or wait here?” She asked, turning to look down at Flower. Flower thought for a moment before looking back up at Kira. “I…I’ll come. I won’t say anything, though..” she replied in a whisper. Kira snorted “didn’t expect ya’ to, kid.” She purred. The two started outside with Kira confidently in the lead, her tail wrapped protectively around Flower, who Kira knew felt safer that way. Kira peered into Flash’s den and found him huddled in the corner, saying something to himself and looking down at a rock with.. something engraved on it. Upon closer inspection, The rock appeared to be carved with a certain language only the most important mystics knew. Any mystic working in the palace had to know it, all the royalty knew it, and many of the mystics around the world knew it too. This speech was ancient and it was forbidden to be taught to a cat unless they were working with royalty. It was usually carved onto rocks or shells, and sometimes, if one could afford it, the letters could be carved onto flattened vines which were created by the nature mystics (something that, once invented, came to be in high demand and turned out to be quite profitable for the nature mystics). Of course, all this being said meant that Kira had absolutely no clue what meaning the rock had and didn’t take much notice of it. Kira’s smile faded a little as she saw the.. honestly depressing state Flash was currently in. He was so absorbed in- whatever it was that he was doing, that he didn’t even notice Kira walk in (which, keep in mind, Kira knew was very well against camp rules). Kira paused. “Flash… you good?” She asked, a hint of compassion hidden deep in her voice. Flash jumped, looking up. Kira squinted. The den was rather dark and depressing, but even through the darkness she could tell something was serIously wrong. Flash’s face was stained with tears, and there were fresh ones forming at the corners of his eyes, which were heavy and distressed and filled with panic and uncertainty. He had the stone clutched tightly under one of his paws with his other front paw supporting his weight. His tail curled defensively around both himself and the stone before trailing off to who knows where in the dark, unseen corner of the den. Whatever excited, michevious glimmer had still been left in Kira’s eye had quickly faded and been replaced with a more disturbed, anxious one, with even a bit of concern, though she tried her best to keep that hidden. All her life, if Kira had ever gotten too close to somebody, even somebody she was SUPPOSED +