It was common knowledge in the forest.
Water and wind simply do not mix.
Never had...never would.
Yet they were together, that much was obvious. General Crow, leader of the army for the Wind Clan. Handsome, charming, and overwhelmingly loved by his people. Crystal, the esteemed first daughter of the Water Clan. The Crystalline Princess, the beloved eldest child of the Water's alpha.
One day the general was captured by the Water, assumed to be dead, and half a year later he returned, the Crystalline Princess in tow. Questions were asked, accusations flew, loyalties were tested, but one thing remained clear.
They were in love.
Years passed - four of them, to be exact - and the Wind Clan had finally settled into the old routine. Still at war with the Water, but they had learned to ignore the princess in their midst. Some had even learned to befriend her. And it was in this time that Crystal bore a son, named Sora.
Sora was a very intelligent child. He knew that some of the older villagers looked at him and his mother with disdain. He knew that other Xweetok kits would scatter at the sight of him. He knew that looking like his beautiful mother was more of a curse than a blessing. And yet he endured it, because he had his parents.
Time continued to pass.
Ten years after Sora's birth, a very peculiar thing happened.
Crystal gave birth to a daughter, named her Suna, and passed away.
The Wind Clan were amazed. This child Suna looked very much like their beloved leader Crow and bore none of the markings of Water. She had also managed to kill the Crystalline Princess with her birth.
They loved her for it. Sora resented her for it.
Yet as time went on Sora learned to care for his sister. He was old enough to know that it was no fault of hers that she looked more like Father. No fault of hers that her birth killed their mother. No fault of hers that the Wind Clan loved her.
Suna grew up happily along with her father and brother. She slowly learned about the Water Clan and her mother, hearing quite different things from her family and the village.
Daddy? Suna asked while idly batting a leaf on the ground.
What was Mommy like?
Crow smiled, catching Suna before she tripped over a hidden rock.
Well, she was very kind and loving. Even before you were born she loved to talk to you and tell you stories. She was...a wonderful Xweetok.
Suna looked up curiously.
Even though she was Water Clan?
Crow's face darkened.
Are the villagers telling you lies again?
The little girl shied away from her father's anger.
They just said that Water Clanners can't be trusted.
Suna, Crow said with a sigh.
Water Clan and Wind Clan aren't any different. Some will try to point out little things, but at heart we're all the same.
And heart is what's important, right? she chirped in reply.
Crow smiled.
Yes, Suna. Don't forget that.
Suna grew.
As most do, of course, given proper love and care. Suna had plenty of both.
At eight years old she was the Wind Clan's little ball of sunshine, brightening everyone's day wherever she went. Exceedingly naive and curious, she was mostly viewed at adorable, if a little annoyingly cheerful.
Despite the sunshine, clouds began to gather.
The war between the Water and the Wind intensified. Word got out that their princess had died at Crow's hands, rather than in childbirth. The Water mourned their princess and their grief intensified their hatred. They began to attack innocents that roamed the forest alone.
Sora and Suna were forced into hiding as Crow rejoined the army - as half breeds, they were in danger from not only the Water, but radicals from their own clan as well.
Sora? How long are we gonna have to hide? Suna questioned, peering out of the tiny window in their shelter.
Until the war's over, probably. Sora replied, pushing her down and looking out himself. The forest was deadly quiet.
I miss Daddy. the little girl whispered, snuggling against her brother's side.
Me too, Suna. Me too.
But the war would not end so simply.
The first day of fall Suna's eighth year brought water leaking into their shelter. At first a trickle, which wasn't uncommon after a rain - their shelter was only wood and mud, after all. But the water grew, and grew...and suddenly, with a crashing wave, their hideout was decimated.
Suna struggled to the surface, gasping for air. The forest was flooded, the water six feet deep in their valley. She struggled to stay above the vicious waves.
All around her Wind Clanners were fighting with Water Clanners. Blood splattered the trees and floated in dark clouds in the water. Large gusts of wind and huge waves battered both sides, leaving those like poor Suna flailing to survive.
Suddenly she was seized by the scruff by Sora. Unlike Suna, he had been often taken to the river by their mother to learn the basics of her culture. Swimming, of course, was the most vital skill to one of the Water Clan.
He dragged Suna, coughing and sputtering, up a hill to get out of the water. And then they ran, as fast as they could through their exhaustion.
They had run for half an hour straight when Suna collapsed, gasping and crying. She couldn't go any farther, and they both knew it.
Sora sat there, panting hard and trying to assess their surrounding through the downpour. He knew that there would be others on their trail - they were the obvious target. If their father hadn't found them by now...he was probably dead. He might have died weeks ago.
He sighed heavily, looking at his sister.
There was only one alternative left.
Magic.
Magic that he alone inherited from their mother, being of royal blood. The ability to erase memories, developed to keep secrets. This, paired with his swimming abilities and stunning resemblance to their mother, might save him. Suna took too much after their father and would probably one day grow wings, marking her as a Wind Clanner. She would never be spared - they would never believe she was Crystal's.
Sora bent down, nudging Suna with his nose. She was passed out, her tiny lungs barely expanding. It was now or never.
First, the sealing symbol. Grabbing a long thorn from the brush around them, he began to carve a lotus flower on Suna's hip - the symbol of the royal family. The small kit twitched but did not wake. His shaking hand and terrible guilt did not make it any easier.
He shakily laughed as he surveyed his handwork.
It looks more like a rose...
The blood washed away in the rain, leaving a clean pink wound. Sora muttered a few quick words, concentrating intensely on the symbol...
The wound suddenly healed into a smooth dark scar - a sign that the spell had taken. Sora smiled bitterly - Suna would no longer remember much more of her past than her name. If he hid her now, she would never find her way back to the clan.
Grabbing the scruff of her neck carefully, he dragged her into the bushes and hiding her carefully. It was a little drier under there and was close to a human road - with any luck she would follow it to the city upon waking. And if not, at least she was big enough to hunt small prey. She could survive.
Bye bye baby sister. he whispered as he kissed her cheek one last time.
Grow up big and strong, okay?
Squirming out of the bushes, he looked into the forest. Despite the rain, he could hear that his pursuers were pretty close. He looked at the blood on his paws, refusing to wash away despite the rain. Perhaps he could tell him that he killed Suna. Tell them that he despised the Wind Clan and always wanted to join the Water. He laughed hollowly - he didn't care much for either, honestly.
With another half crazed, half resigned chuckle, he made his way back to the village.
