Silverclaw

Lesson on a Cliff

 Anya stepped from the cliff, eyes closed as she sang to the wind, bending it to her will so that it would carry her down to the ground below. King Oakfall clapped approvingly as she landed, as light as if she had made a step on solid ground.

 'Very well done, Princess Silverfur. Your control is absolutely perfect. I believe you may be ready to move on to the earth, along with Lady Earthtwister. However, I would like to know why you still sing when using your Silver.'

 Anya hesitated, thinking on how to answer. He had expressed his disapproval of her singing several times now, and while she had tried to use her Silver without singing, her control had always been erratic and difficult to handle, and she would usually end up sat on the ground with nothing to show for her efforts.

 'I'm sorry, your Majesty, but it just feels so right to sing. It's like my Silver is a song itself, and if I don't give it a voice, it slips out of my grip again.'

 'Hmmm... perhaps we should practise other ways in which for you to let your Silver express itself. The song itself, however, makes me think of a bird I saw once. It landed on my wrist because I asked it to, but soon left again. It was so beautiful, and I have searched for it ever since. Perhaps you know of it, Princess Silverfur. My people have no name for the bird, but yours calls it a Lunix.'

 Anya went still in surprise. She had never shown him her feather, not wanting to share it with anyone other than Darian and Glenfell, but it looked as if this would no longer be possible.

 'I... have seen it, Majesty, yes. It was beautiful, and its song was even more so. It did sit on my wrist for a little while, and it gave me a feather before it left.'

 Oakfall gaped at her in shock. 'The Lunix gave you a feather? Why did you not tell me this before?'

 She shifted nervously. 'It didn't feel right to share it with anyone. Darian and Glenfell know about it, but no one else.'

 'I see... Princess Silverfur, I understand that you do not wish others to see this feather, but I ask that you show it to me.'

 Anya's heart sank. The feather was meant to be a secret, and if she showed it to him, that secret bubble would pop. Her heart heavy, she bowed to Oakfall.

 'I shall go and fetch it right away, Majesty. But... I ask that you do not tell anyone else about my feather.' She waited a moment, until he had nodded his agreement, and gave a small smile. Turning, she walked through the trees, weaving through them with a sure step that showed how well she knew the forest. She and her companions had been living in the Elves' City of Ithiria for almost a year now, and she loved it with all her heart, but there was times when she missed Fiona, Runik and Sir Canon. She wished for the lessons that she had had with Lady Rachelle, the Rose Maze she had explored with Princess, her Bonded Partner, and for the hustle and bustle of the Market Day in Ilona City.

 Princess trotted out of the shadows, falling into step with Anya as she ran. Princess was a Snow Leopard, able to shift from her usual form to that of either a house cat or a Snow Leopard the same size as a Shire horse, which she only currently used when in training. Not losing a step, Anya used a root sticking out of the ground to jump into the branches overhead, Princess following her.

 Anya was a tall girl of fourteen winters, her eyes a pale blue the same shade as the sky on a clear summer's day, and her hair was a pale gold, almost white, and reached past her knees. Now able to use her Silver, the elf name for magic, to comb it out, Anya never plaited it anymore, letting it flow around her freely when she moved.

 A lapis lazuli disk was tied into it against her head, and the hair had been threaded through the hole in the centre and fixed in place with pins of the same stone. Anya's ears were slightly pointed, not as prominent as an elf's, but enough to make her looks a little more exotic. Her cheekbones were high, and her eyes made anyone who saw them think of a cat's, with the way that they tilted upwards slightly at the corners. Dressed in forest greens, her clothes were a shirt and trousers, with brown leather boots that came halfway up her shins. Jumping off one branch, she grabbed the next with both hands, swung round it, and launched herself off of it to land directly in front of her tree house, slightly crouched, Princess landing next to her. Straightening, she reached for the door handle and opened the door to her home.