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Foxfire hestitates as he stands in front of the elder's den, a roof of large fern leaves woven together with thick fallen branches causing the inside to be shrouded in darkness. The ginger tom nervously scuffs his paws on the ground, dark blue eyes flicking to the entrance before darting away again.
He'd been asked to join Wisplight, an elder, to prepare the lights as decoration for the upcoming Star Festival, a celebration that has been occuring once a year in ShineClan for a very, very long time. Maybe even since the Clan's founding.
It is a special day in which ShineClan honors themselves, their magic, and StarClan, their ancestors. Once the mist in the darker parts of the woods becomes thicker and the mushrooms begin to glow brighter, is when they know it is almost time for the festival.
The whole day and partial night will be filled with food, games and general feelings of light and warmth, though Foxfire was still a kit during his first Star Festival, and he only has vague memories of swirling colours still present in his mind. Nevertheless he is excited to properly celebrate this time, yet he cannot help feeling slightly anxious.
The tom fears he won't be of much help with the lights, the fiery magic that dances through his veins too unpredictable and wild for such a delicate task.
He's glad he only has to help Wisplight and not do everything by himself, the elder tom having many seasons of experience. His magic gives him the ability to create small, floating balls of light, a perfect decoration for when the day turns to night.
But Foxfire's flames often flare out in all directions in large bursts, the only reason he doesn't burn down the whole forest being because of its natural magic stopping his from doing actual damage. He counts himself lucky his fire cannot actually hurt him or any other cat.
While he loves being able to make embers rise up along his back and tail - it makes him look awesome and fierce - it doesn't really do anything besides that.
Older Clanmates have told him it's just because he's young and that he hasn't had time yet to properly explore everything his magic has to offer.
But Minnowfin and Cloudwing are not much older than he is and they've got a much better handle on their abilities.
Foxfire shakes his head to clear the thoughts away, steeling himself before entering the elder's den, this is no time for doubts, he has an important job to do.
He finds Wisplight curled up in his nest, the golden brown tom perking up as he spots the ginger warrior. Kind amber eyes look his way, the other no doubt having noticed his anxious state no matter how good he is at hiding it. Wisplight just always seems to know.
Foxfire feels himself relax just a little bit.
The old tom heaves himself up out of his nest, wandering over to Foxfire and greeting him with a brief touch of his nose.
The tom regards him for a moment before speaking, "Goodmorning Foxfire, it's always lovely to see you, but I believe you're here for more than just a friendly chat, am I correct?" His tone as kind as his eyes.
"Hollystar asked me to help you with the lights for the Star Festival." Foxfire answered, not mentioning his prior anxiety-filled thoughts, though he suspects the elder might already have an inkling of his feelings, often being very perceptive of the cats around him.
Wisplight nods, "That makes sense, I've been getting older and it's not as easy to do as much as I used to. Some help would be nice."
With that settled, the two agree to meet up later in the day to discuss things further, Foxfire wanting to join a morning hunting patrol and Wisplight still feeling a bit tired and his joints a little stiff.
A succesful hunt and a nap later finds the two toms at the edge of camp, ready to head out into the forest where they can concentrate on their magic without the general distractions of the camp.
They don't have a specific destination in mind, just wandering through the forest and appreciating the sights.
Wisplight tilts his head up towards the sunlight streaming in past the leaves and branches, purring softly at the warmth of the sun's rays.
"Beautiful day today, isn't it?" He meows softly as he steps over a thin log.
Foxfire heartily agreed with him, taking the time to enjoy the sunshine greenleaf brought along with the season, and the way the light reflected off of the small stream they were walking past, the water calmly flowing downstream.
"Yeah, makes everything feel so much brighter." The ginger tom answered with a nod that Wisplight couldn't see as he was facing away from him.
The two were silent once more until they found a small clearing, just enough space to comfortably use their magic without trees or other large plants standing in the way.
It didn't take long for Wisplight to have a few balls of light floating around him, lightly bopping them with his paw for fun.
Foxfire tried to do the same, his first attempt creating a big flame that burst outwards, startling Wisplight and causing him to temporarily lose control of his lights.
The younger warrior gave the older cat a sheepish smile but Wisplight didn't seem bothered, he just smiled encouragingly at Foxfire.
Fire flared within him as he called upon his magic once again, but he held it back, trying to only use a little bit of it. A smaller flame appeared this time, it flickered once, then twice before dissolving into nothing.
He narrowed his eyes and kept trying over and over, frustration building with each failed attempt.
He doesn't notice the concerned gaze Wisplight throws his way, the old tom having completely stopped with his lights in favour of watching Foxfire.
The ginger warrior lets out an angry growl as another flame bursts open, planting his paws flat on the ground and opening his jaw wide in a silent scream.
"Foxfire? Are you alright?" Comes the gentle voice of Wisplight who had settled down next to the disgruntled tom.
"It's not working!" Foxfire snapped, tail lashing angrily behind him. Immediately, guilt shot through him and he backtracked: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong." He dropped his head down, disappointed in himself.
He looked up when he felt Wisplight drape his tail over his flank in a comforting gesture.
"I don't think you're doing anything wrong at all." The golden brown tom tried to reassure him.
"But how am I meant to help if I can't even get the shape right? Let alone get them to float."
Wisplight thought for a moment before his eyes lit up as an idea formed in his mind. "Well, who says it has to be done exactly the way I use my magic?"
"Huh?" Foxfire tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"You and your father, Flamestorm, have very similar magic types, but you both show it in very different ways. You let it dance over your pelt while he prefers to literally breath fire. Do you think there might be some other way to use your magic and get the same result I do with my lights?"
Foxfire wanted to protest at first but quickly decided to think about the elder's words, he thought about his Clanmates and how they each used their magic in unique ways.
He looked around the clearing until his eyes fell on a couple of mushrooms, red with white spots, and something sparked in his head.
The ginger tom stepped towards one of the mushrooms and rolled it over with his paw until it was upside down and closed his eyes.
He concentrated on the wild energy within him, fire magic flaring up and demanding to be released. Instead he opened his eyes and focused on the mushroom, binding a portion of magic to the object.
His plan was to use its natural magic to keep his own from getting too out of control, hoping he could make a little flame appear above the top of the mushroom's stem.
Sure enough, a small flame actually started forming right where he wanted it, flickering a bit before staying steady.
He almost couldn't believe it, but the proof was right here in front of him!
Excited, he looked back at Wisplight, eyes shining with pride. That same pride was reflected back in the elder's amber eyes.
"I did it! Look I did it!" Foxfire exclaimed, confidence soaring.
Wisplight nodded at him, "yes you did and I must say it looks lovely too, I think it will look great at the festival."
Happy with his work, Foxfire began to collect a few mushrooms to take back to camp. They could set them up around the edges while Wisplight's lights would be floating around the smaller trees like always.
Safe to say, Foxfire now felt a lot better about his magic and his use of it.