Saviors of the Forest

Chapter 1: Feather

Feather sat along the border between her Village and the long journey to the Forest of Agony, a territory that belonged to no one.

Well, it did belong to someone, the Forest. It belonged to the Coyotes, those horrible bloodsuckers, but I digress.

She numbly stared into the thick grass that was the field that separated the Jickeys from the horrors of the Forest.

Her fluffy, pale sapphire blue tail wrapped around her paws elegantly, like she had seen the Forest Cats do in picturebooks.

Feather was a Jickey, a wolf with wings. Her fur was a pale blue, like a desaturated sapphire, and the tips of her tail and paws were white, like she had stepped in paint a dozen times, along with her underbelly and large, powerful, white wings.

Jickeys, wolves with wings, were a species that could only be found in the Forest of Agony. Or, rather, just outside the Forest of Agony. There were no Jickeys beyond the Field. It was the only way to keep everyone safe from the Coyotes.

Feather sniffed the air, nothing but the distant whiff of salt she didn't understand. She put her paw to her head, trying to force herself that everything was fine and the Coyotes weren't doing terrible things right this second.

Nope, everything is fine! I am a perfectly sane, very awesome Jickey that is not losing her mind right now. Nope! Why would you even suggest such a silly thing?

Without warning, something barreled into her, sending them both into the dirt. She leaped to her paws and bared her teeth.

Her attacker yelped, and Feather saw that her 'attacker' was only her younger sister, Squirrel. Squirrel took a step back and shook the dust from her mahogany brown fur. Her steps wobbled, which worried Feather.

"By the four Moons, what are you doing?! You scared me half to Tempus, y'know that?!" she exclaimed, throwing her paws in the air.

Squirrel stared guiltily at the ground, dragging one of her dainty claws through the dirt. "Sorry. I was only playing..."

Feather grumbled under her breath, wrapping a wing around her sister. "It's whatever. What are you even doing out here?"

"I was looking for you, I got lonely." Squirrel said sadly, looking at the ground and chewing her bottom lip.

Feather sucked in a breath and held her tighter, both of them thinking about the Jickeys of their Village that had either been slaughtered by Coyotes or had starved.

Feather tried to drive away from the subject of death. "Y'know, Momma wouldn't be too pleased if she knew you were out here. You're the only pup strong enough to even get out here! Imagine the Coyotes had been here!"

She mentally facepalmed herself. Great job, Feather. Avoiding the subject of death by bringing up more death. Fantastic work.

Squirrel whined. "But you're out here by yourself all the time!"

Because I'm replaceable, you're not, Feather thought, before shutting that thought out. Self-love, Feather. It's alright, you're great too. Birch is proud of you. Momma is proud of you. Sage is proud of you.

She rolled her sky blue eyes, one of which had half of a spring green color in it. Partial heterochromia is what the Healers called it.

"Fine, how about I play with you at the Nursery, and you stop bugging me about this, hm?"

Squirrel's face lit up. "Yeah!"

"But I have to stop by the Market Road and Sage's burrow first," Feather interjected.