The sun's rays dimmed as a cloud that most likely held snow drifted infront of it.
The cold winds weren't actually what you'll call the best weather to have a baby out in the open, but Rav was.
It made him more comfortable, considering that his birth season is winter. Well, because of something else too, really, but no one will tell him.
"Rav! Come back, it's cold out," a familiar voice called out to him. It was Gravel-Zircon, his mother.
Its ok, he thought, knowing he can't talk yet, I'm not cold, I'm happy.
But he still turned toward his mother's voice, but forgot that he could easily fall because he was sitting on a rock.
Paling green grass swished at that bottom of the rock, and small dying flowers crumbled each time a grass shoot hit it.
The tall pine trees loomed overhead, with birds faintly chattering above.
Rav watched the sky as more dark clouds rolled in, each of them smelling of snow.
"Rav!!"
Oh, he forgot, whoops.
Climbing cautiously down from the rock, Rav dropped to the ground and started to walk over the smaller rocks around, going towards Gravel-Zircon.
Her royal purple eyes immediately landed on Rav as soon as he himself could see her.
Her warm gray wings folded around herself, protecting her from the cold, and her short hair barely moved in the wind that whipped at pine branches above.
"It's time to go back to the camp, Rav," Gravel-Zircon said.
She opened her wings just a bit, and allowed both of her arms to peak out.
"It's cold outside and I haven't eaten anything yet, so let's go." Then she murmured to herself, "I need to switch these clothes out for the warmer, winter ones.. I hope Cloud's there."
*****
The camp was busy with the Crescent Tribe's afternoon life.
Fallen Angels were everywhere, transporting food, gossiping in groups, or reinforcing rooms and the Medicine Cave.
They were especially reinforcing the Medicine Cave.
Lightning was pulling on the huge cloth that will protect the wooden door from the upcoming snow, the new apprentice Flame helping him.
Meanwhile, the senior Builder Glow-Tunnel was calling orders to Moon-Hill, a quite good builder, and he went and came with different materials for them to use.
Sage-Onyx was standing close by, watching the process of everything.
Everyone's either busy or they're just doing nothing, he thought, then a strong gust of wind blew hair into his face.
Gravel-Zircon lifted her wings and sheltered herself and Rav with her feathers, while Rav was sure the yelp of surprise he heard was definitely Lightning's.
Nevermind that because his mother was irked.
"This wind always targets us! I know it's slip-sliding around everyone else, and it's really targeting me!!" she was really mad, her feathered compellers twitching in anger.
"Your the only sane one to physically bring a baby out into the cold..!" Sage-Onyx commented, overhearing Gravel-Zircon's statement.
"I wasn't asking you, Sage-Onyx," his mother replied back as the wind lowered, and she folded her wings back in a comfortable position.
Her face changed from calm annoyance to gritted fury. "Thank you very much for trying to educate me, though, I appreciate your attempt," she added on.
Sage-Onyx only just flapped her own wings to get rid of the tiny sparkles that are snowflakes and marginally showed grumpiness, then turned away.
"At least you listened to me on this," she said over her shoulder and worried with her dove-gray hair in a excuse of not feeling grateful.
Rav knew she was grateful for someone to actually listen to her.
Just then, Gravel-Zircon lightened up. "Cloud!" she said, her eyes shining.
Cloud was peaking out of the door to the Medicine Cave, checking the progress of the winter preparations.
Hearing her name, she turned her attention to the person who called her for a second, then recognized the person as someone who cant be friends with anybody.
Cloud waved her hand to signal at Gravel-Zircon, then said something to Flame, with the boy nodding along.
Coming up to them, Flame was slightly awkward, but he still said "Cloud says that yes, tomorrow she's going to give you your winter clothes. But for today, she's sorry she can't because.. um," the jittery apprentice looked lost for a second, then continued, "it's not finished."
"Really? Then why does everyone else got theirs but not me, a nursing mother?" The question seemed to shock Flame, who's nervous nature might not be able to handle it.
"I don't know! Ask her!"
She really doesn't get along with everyone, but that's a good question.
*****
Three days passed, and snow pelted hard on the earth.
Rav was curled up in his basket bed filled with fur and cotton, his cold transparent wings folded around him. He was told to stay inside today.. well, they were worried about him but he didn't need it.
It was snowing hard outside, and he could feel the freezing air swishing into his room, but it was actually refreshing.
Especially since he finally moved into the Apprentice Cave, he now shared the Cave with Flame, Lightning, Zeo, Breaking, Night, Shine, Three, Depressed, Husk, Feather, Hua, Cloud, and Petal.
Yes, that's a lot of apprentices, but comparing to the Lake-Moon Massacre, it's actually more like a blessing than a curse.
Here's this, there are five different things you can train in:
Warrior,
Hunter,
Builder,
Healer,
And Guardian.
And here's where every apprentice is training in:
Warrior: Hua, Zeo, Breaking, Depressed, Husk, and Night.
Hunter: Night, Petal, Three, Flame, and Feather.
Builder: ...
Healer: Cloud, Shine, Rav.
Guardian: Hua (is trying to become a guardian,) Lightning.
Rav is a Healer right now, but he really wanted to become a Builder.
He learned how to talk too, and it was actually quite nice communicating with his tribe mates other than just staring at them and they stare back in confusion.
And now he knew why.
**Flashback because of course**
"Rav, it's time for you to be apprenticed in something," as soon as Shine had said that, Rav instantly thought that it was time.
"Will I get name?" He had replied, but Shine shook her head.
"That is your name, but it's already time for you to start training, and I already have a suggestion!" she had said with a excited tone.
"What?"
"A Healer!"
"A.. Healer?"
**
Rav had gone to become a Healer, not knowing he was supposed to pick himself.
Then after that, he met with Lightning, the new apprentice boy even though he was quite older than most. (Got held back.)
Lightning was with Morning-Prase that morning, and he seemed as though he would've not been woken up early.
"Morning-Prase, I'm quite tired, can I go take a short nap?"
"No," the almost Chieftain had replied instantly. "The Aster-Fate looks like she's sickening, so I have to train you harder in this. Summon your spirit, what are you doing!?"
Even though Lightning had no right to take his attention off of his trainer, he still directed his gaze towards Rav, who had passed by, and that's exactly when Rav saw what he had been blind to.
Lightning's face was full of feathers. They were twitching and standing up, but it went down as soon as Lightning hurriedly snapped back to Morning-Prase.
Even Morning-Prase had thick feathers on her cheeks and ears. There was a single feather stuck to her forehead, and they drooped downward, quite like her long, white streaked hair.
**End**