The Beginning

Chapter 15

As Riley sat there, she thought about the past events. Landing on the island, meeting the Siblings for the first time, seeing their domains, befriending them, and meeting their loved ones has been a long journey. The good thing is, there is more to explore after all this, she thought.
She got up and walked towards the Catwings, who were running around in the water, playing some sort of game.
"Who's it?" Hazefhur asked, cautiously walking towards his sister.
"Jhaufyther. I tagged him on the tail," Klickhaze said.
Riley was interested to see them play a game that she played throughout her childhood. She saw Jhaufyther slowly walk towards the group, looking as innocent as he can possibly be.
"She's lying!" he said. "I tagged her and dodged her tag. She's clearly it."
Hazefhur backed away from Klickhaze, his uncertain gaze flicking between Klickhaze and Jhaufyther.
"Hazefhur, Klickhaze's telling the truth. She would have tagged you if she was it," Riley told him.
As soon as she said that, Jhaufyther ran forward and tagged Hazefhur on the shoulder, flying into the sky and hovering a safe distance over him. "HA! Got you! Now Hazefhur's it! RUN!"
Klickhaze bolted, her paws skimming over the water. She started opening her wings to fly.
A brown and black shape lunged out of the trees and tackled Hazefhur, who was struggling under the weight of the other Catwing. "I stopped the traitor! He will no longer TAG anyone EVER AGAIN," Cloodhot exclaimed.
"YAY!" Klickhaze cheered.
Jhaufyther landed and opened his wings. "The good ruler Cloodhot of the Tribe of the Winds has stopped this ghastly and horrid traitor, Hazefhur, former member of this lovely Tribe from tagging anyone. Let us give a great wing thump!"
They slapped their wings against the ground, creating a loud and hollow thump that echoed around the beach.
After they were done harassing each other and breathing fire all over the place, Jhaufyther collapsed on the shore. Riley walked up to him and settled herself on his shoulder. He glanced at her and smiled. "I'm really tired," he said softly. "I feel as if my entire body is in flames right now."
"At least you'll go home peacefully," Riley pointed out.
"I guess you're right." He looked at the sunset, his fur now a warm, pinkish-orange.
"You know, this place reminds me of my sister," he said.
"How?" she asked him.
"I.." He sighed. "Just like the sun, my sister is incredibly beautiful. She's graceful, but also really dangerous, also like the sun. It's funny, really. We rag on each other all the time, but there are also times where she has defended me from many situations, and I've done the same. Is that weird?" he said, looking at her.
"It isn't. What you experience is something called 'sibling bond-and-rivalry.' Your sibling is basically a bully who loves you. Only they can tease you. If someone else tries to tease you, they will defend you from them. Although they won't admit it, your sibling loves you."
Jhaufyther looked at the ocean. "That does explain the relationship I have with my siblings. I've never thought of it that way. Thank you."
"It's fine. I'll always be here to help you figure out what you're feeling," Riley said gently.
"I know," he said, smiling at her.
Jhaufyther gently got up. "You want to walk, or do you want to ride on me?"
Riley didn't realize how sore her legs are after all the walking she has done. "Yeah, sure."
He lowered his tail at Riley's feet. She grabbed it and climbed up it, settling herself between his shoulder blades. He looked over his shoulder at her. "You ready?"
She nodded. "Yep."
Jhaufyther opened his wings. "I'll be flying gently so that in case you fall asleep, you won't be woken up," he said. He jumped into the air and flapped his wings to gain momentum. "Why do you need to fly?" Riley said.
"I wanna visit my friend Lepardhice, and her camp is on the opposite side of the ocean. This island is split in two: one half has my tribe and Klickhaze's tribe. The other part has Lepardhice's tribe and the Desert Tribe, as we call it. It's really called the Tribe of the Desert."
"That does make sense. I was wondering why there's a giant body of water on your side of the shore," Riley said.
"Yeah, the journey is too far to walk, even for a Catwing. The only thing to do is to fly. It's a long journey, so you might as well go to sleep."
"I'll be fine. I'm not tired at all." Jhaufyther's fur was so soft, Riley had trouble staying awake. She settled herself deeper into his fur, and she eventually fell asleep.