A New and Improved Story

Once again I see that Great Scott has left his post and has begun to neglect this blog.  Oh how ye fans must yearn for more!  Where Great Scott leaves you thirsty, allow I, Tiggerpaka the Great, to quench thee.  Where Great Scott leaves you hungry, allow I, Tiggerpaka the Great to fill thee.   Yes, ye fans must go to bed each night wanting, but I, Tiggerpaka the Great shall make you not want!

So, it seems Great Scott has left poor Misty and her crew of misfits trapped in some dungeon somewhere.  But luckily, I, Tiggerpaka the Great is there!  And I, Tiggerpaka the Great have hatched a great plan!    I will set the dungeon on fire and as the bars crumble to ash we will escape!  And if SoSlow tries to stop us, I, Tiggerpaka the Great will slay him with my mighty bare paws!

I, Tiggerpaka the Great will slay all who stand in our way.  (And if Crabbell should accidentally be slayed too, well, collateral damage does happen, I'm sorry to say-----wait---no I'm not!)

And under the leadership of I, Tiggerpaka the Great, we shall.....................

uh-oh

Someone's coming!


Publish!

Publish!

Publish and run!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter 10: Majaka's Visit

"Okay, so everyone understand the plan?" Koro asked.
"Yeah," nodded Rhett. "It's a stupid plan, but...it's a plan."
"It's never gonna work," growled Campbell.
"Alright then, let's hear you come up with something better," smirked Ophir.
"I can't off the top of my head," Campbell snarled, whipping around to face him.
Misty closed her eyes and sighed. Today they might possibly be escaping this horrible prison. But then again, we might not, said a voice of doubt in her head.
We will, Misty retorted determinedly. She had a feeling in her gut that they'd escape. They had to. They couldn't just remain locked up in here forever; it was supposedly her and the others' destinies to go save Yin and Yang. They couldn't do this all from the Amorache Tribe jail.
"Will we get hurt?" Bracken murmured.
"We won't," insisted Koro. "We'll get out of this jail."
"Yeah," agreed Lilypaka. "I believe this should work. The flaws in this plan are minuscule. If, of course, we're fast enough."
"I'm fast," smirked Tiggerpaka. "I am the speediest animal in the land! I move at blur! No animal can catch the speedy meerkat--"
"Shut up," Lephos snapped.
Misty turned to look at her sister, Adele. The winged she-wolf looked back at Misty but, as usual, said nothing. Do you understand this? Misty wanted to ask. Do you know that you'll have to run?
Adele blinked once but that was it.
Misty sighed and turned back to the group. "We should start," she said.
"Right," Sidew nodded in agreement.
Bracken stood near the entrance then got down onto the ground and yelped out loudly, as if in pain. "Augh!"
"Hey!" Campbell yelled. "This guy's paw broke!"
"Why's Campbell the 'yeller', anyway?" Misty heard Lephos wonder.
"Because she has a big mouth," Sidew said, and the brothers snickered at this.
Just then, Ferrum the lynx came in. "Bracken!" she gasped. Misty felt a pang of guilt in her stomach; out of all the Amorache Tribe members, Ferrum had probably been the nicest, even if she did have a bit of a temper occasionally. And here they were, about to trick her. This is for your own good, Misty scolded herself. If you don't do this, you won't escape. "Are you okay?"
"My paw..." Bracken grimaced.
Suddenly, someone else walked in. "What's going on?"
It was Tsovo. Misty scowled as the wolf came in to examine what was going on. They had only been expecting one animal to come in. Now they had to deal with two.
"Bracken's hurt," Ferrum said worriedly.
"Looks fine to me," Tsovo muttered.
Misty glanced at Campbell. They locked eyes and Misty nodded, hoping Campbell got the message. Much to Misty's relief, the gray wolf nodded back, understanding what Misty was trying to say.
"Yep, he's a wimp," Tiggerpaka snorted. "I mean, if I twisted my hand, I'd go on fighting! He's not as tough--" he was cut off when Lilypaka slapped a hand over Tiggerpaka's mouth. Despite this, Tiggerpaka kept speaking into his sister's hand, but his voice became muffled.
"Yes, well..." Misty advanced closer to Tsovo, her body overcome with nerves as she anticipated what was going to happen next. At the same time, Campbell crept closer to Ferrum, confirming that she had understood Misty's silent message. "I think you look at Bracken's paw a bit closer..."
Suddenly Misty slammed into Tsovo's side and knocked him onto the ground, holding him down with her forepaws. For once, Tsovo's bored, emotionless expression had been replaced by utter shock. Campbell now had Ferrum pinned down, and as they were held to the ground the others fled out of the entrance at what appeared to be a blur, running on adrenaline from anticipation.
Misty turned to take after but pain shot through her paw. She flinched and yelped as she saw Tsovo had bit down on her, and he kicked her right in the stomach, making her fall back. She scrambled to her paws and Tsovo got to his narrowing his eyes at Misty.
Misty turned to look at Campbell only to see her friend had already fled. Misty growled to herself as Tsovo advanced. "Trying to escape?" he asked coolly.
Gritting her teeth Misty lunged at the wolf, but Tsovo darted to the side at immense speed that took Misty by surprise. She tried to attack again, this time aiming for his paws, but Tsovo took his claws and slashed them across Misty's head. She yelped out in pain and felt blood run down her fur, slowly moving down her nose. She didn't have time to try and wipe it off to prevent herself from being blinded before she felt claws latch onto her back. Misty yelled out and turned to see Ferrum biting down on her back. She howled and bit down on Ferrum's paw, sinking her teeth in and drawing blood. Ferrum screeched and fell off, but landed on her paws in a fighting position. She bared her teeth. "I'm sorry Misty, but I'm doing my job."
"If we were ever the slightest of friends, you wouldn't be attacking me right now," Misty retorted with a growl.
"Tribe before anything else," Ferrum spat, just as Misty was knocked over and pinned to the ground by Tsovo, just as she had attacked and pinned him down not so much earlier.
He dug her claws into her shoulder and blood poured from the spot where he struck, and Misty gritted her teeth to fight back a yelp of pain before taking her own claws and slashing Tsovo's leg.
Tsovo snarled and fiercely slammed his paw onto Misty's head, and she could only just hear her name be called before her vision went black.


When Misty woke up she was no longer at the Amorache  Tribe, but in a forest. It was incredibly bright and full of greenery. It's supposed to be near white-earth, Misty told herself. What's going on...?
She narrowed her eyes as a huge white winged wolf made his way into the clearing, with black markings on his face. Misty recognized him immediately. "Majaka--?"
The huge wolf merely narrowed his eyes at Misty. "What are you thinking...you stupid girl?"
Misty flinched at the remark as her ancestor continued. "You get yourselves captured by that weak-minded Amorache Tribe and put in jail when your time is running out!" he snapped. "Don't you realize that Yin and Yang's fighting is going to get worse and worse before one of them dies? You have a limited amount of time to complete your destiny, or you're going to the Void when the world dies out because you failed to save it."
Anger filled up Misty's chest. "IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" she snarled. "I didn't ask to get put in jail!"
"Well you could have prevented it," Majaka snapped.
"How?" Misty demanded.
"There were so many different ways you could've, grandchild, but your blind eyes couldn't see them," Majaka hissed. "If only you could see all the different things I could see..." He then stopped and seemed to consider what he just said. "...you'd probably go mad," he muttered.
Misty felt too annoyed to care about what he had just said. "Well then, wise dead guy, what am I supposed to do?" she demanded. "Huh? If you're so all-knowing--"
"Respect your elders, girl, didn't anyone teach you?" Majaka growled. "There is a way to get out of your situation. My eyes can see many different versions. What you and your idiotic friends just attempted definitely wasn't one of them." He then looked Misty up and down. "Oh, there's a way out, all right. And the way out is right in front of you, girl."
"What...?" Misty began, but her vision went black again, and the last thing she saw was Majaka spreading his wings and shooting away.


When Misty woke up everything was dark. She first thought she was in another dream, but she recognized the smell of the Chief den. Why am I here? she asked.
"What were you thinking?" asked a voice.
Something shifted in the shadows and Misty realized it was Tsovo. She felt too tired to reply, but attempted anyway. "We wanted to get out," she retorted.
"You could've gotten yourselves killed," Tsovo murmured.
"And you were helping us prevent that, how?" Misty said dryly.
Tsovo didn't respond for a while, which Misty was okay with, but then she heard Tsovo sigh. "You wouldn't get killed, of course," he said, "but I don't think my father would mind killing off your friends."
"Why wouldn't I die?" Misty asked.
"Because I don't want you to," Tsovo replied. "I think my father would respect that. He seems awfully desperate to get me to become Chief. I have him right where I want him."
Confusion filled Misty. Not only had her great-great-great-many-greats-later grandfather yell at her and called her idiotic and stupid, insisting that finding a way out of this was easy, now Tsovo was adding on to the confusion she already had by speaking in riddles, so it seemed. "...Okay," was all Misty responded with.
"Your friends are still alive right now," Tsovo said. "They're back in the prison."
"Then why am I here?" Misty asked.
"You got injured the most. I had to take you to Nahuel," Tsovo explained.
"Well, I want to get back to my friends," Misty insisted.
"Why not stay here?" Tsovo ventured.
Misty felt a pang of annoyance. "Because I am loyal to my friends," Misty growled. "You may say 'Tribe first', but for me, my friends are first. If they're going to be imprisoned, I will too. With that said, I'm now ordering you: take me back."
Immediately she felt stupid for insisting she was ordering Chief's son around, but Tsovo merely replied with, "If that's what you want, then."

Author's Note:
Chapters two days in a row, wow. o:
This chapter was fun to write. ^-^

QOTD: What do you think Majaka's saying?

Chapter 9: Lucky

Starlight carried the kitten in her jaws back to The Bending Tower, Liberty walking beside her. The young followed, asking questions and constantly talking, all of which Starlight herself answered and never Liberty. The kitten had fallen silent with its eyes closed and didn't make a single sound on the whole trip.
They went through the tunnel that lead to the yard rather than taking the main entrance, and upon entering the yard no one looked their way, but Liberty knew it was only a matter of time.
"Oh my Lifebreeze!" gasped Nyla, running through the crowd of Benders to Liberty and the others, stopping in front of Starlight to examine the new-found kitten. "What's this?"
"A kitten we found," Starlight answered, voice muffled by the kitten's fur.
"Where?" asked Mistletoe, coming over to Nyla's side to examine the kitten
"Among the trees," Starlight replied.
"Yeah!" exclaimed Alista. "Starlight said it's been...uh...ban...doned!"
"Poor thing!" cried Crystal, running over.
"What's going on?" Liberty heard Miguel say from a few feet away.
"I dunno, but the girls are all obsessing over something," shrugged Raoul from next to Miguel.
"You need to take that kitten to Eclipse," said Crystal, worry written all over her face.
You don't say? Liberty was tempted to respond with.
"We will," Starlight said assuringly.
"Pups, head back to Airia," Nyla insisted.
"Aww!" Rhonda and Alista harmonized.
"Now," ordered Nyla.
Alista and Rhonda headed off, mumbling to each other as they were followed by Okerro and Cloudie into The Bending Tower, followed by Nyla, which Liberty figured was to make sure they actually made their way back to Airia.
"Go to Eclipse, now," Crystal insisted.
Starlight nodded and trotted towards the Tower, Liberty following. Animals turned heads their way as they passed, but didn't stop them or say anything as they continued to head for the Healers.
Upon heading inside, Liberty saw that Ekaj was in there, with Comet tending to a cut on his paw. "Honestly, Ekaj, watch were you step..."
"It was an accident," Ekaj insisted.
"Well, you should be more--"
"Oh my gosh!" spoke up Nightgale. Liberty looked to see the she-wolf running over to her and Starlight from the corner. "Who is this? What happened?!"
"It's a kitten that Liberty found," Starlight said, voice muffled by the kitten's fur. She sat it down on the floor.
"Poor thing!" Nightgale cried.
"What's going on?" asked Eclipse, walking over to them.
"This kitten was found, and the poor thing looks near dead!" Nightgale yelped. She picked it up. "We got to treat him..."
"Is he going to be alright?" Starlight asked.
"Of course," Nightgale nodded. "But after we treat him, we have to get the poor thing back to its mother." She placed the kitten down and put a leaf down on a cut on his back, putting pressure on the wound.
"His mother must be worried sick!" Eclipse exclaimed. "I know I'd be."
"How did he end up like this, though?" Starlight wondered, making everyone turn to her. "All scratched up?"
"Maybe he got lost," suggested Ekaj with a shrug. "Wandered too far from his mother."
"His mom must be feeling so upset though!" Eclipse said worriedly. "I mean, she probably turned her back on him for one minute and then he was gone...she must be looking everywhere for him!"
"Immediately after he's treated we got to--" Nightgale turned back to where the kitten had been, only to see he was gone. "Where'd he go?!"
Everyone exchanged looks and surveyed the area. Liberty scanned the room and looked behind her, but the kitten was nowhere in sight.
"He must've slipped away somehow," Starlight murmured.
"Well, we've got to find him!" Eclipse exclaimed. "Liberty, Starlight and Ekaj, you all head out together. I'll go with Nightgale. Comet," she turned to the wolf, "you stay here in case someone comes for treatment."
"Alright," Comet nodded.
"Let's go then," Starlight said. "C'mon."
She trotted out of the room and Liberty followed, and she could sense Ekaj close by as they went into the hallway. "Which way do we go?" Starlight wondered.
"We could ask around, if anyone happened to see a kitten run by," Ekaj suggested.
You don't say, Liberty thought to herself.
"Let's go then," Starlight nodded, heading down the hall, Liberty and Ekaj following.
"What's the kitten's name?" Ekaj asked as they walked.
"He never spoke," Liberty answered.
"Probably too young to speak. He's awfully scrawny," Starlight pointed out.
They turned a corner and saw Tiggerkat, humming and popping a reese cup into her mouth. "Hey, Tiggerkat," Starlight said.
"Hello, friends!" Tiggerkat sang, grinning ear-to-ear. "How are you?"
"Fine, thanks," Starlight returned.
"Have you seen a cat go by?" Ekaj wondered. "Black, hazel eyes, white spot on his chest?"
"A cat?" Tiggerkat echoed. "'Cat', as in Tigger'kat'? I saw Tiggerkat in the puddle the other day," she said, rubbing her chin with her paw, "is Tiggerkat missing now?" she gasped, and then ran off. "GUYS! GUYS! TIGGERKAT'S MISSING! WE GOTTA FIND HER!"
"Uh..." Ekaj said as she scampered off.
"That was no help," Liberty grumbled.
They continued down the hall in silence, looking into rooms to see if the kitten happened to be there. Nothing, nothing, Liberty said as she saw no black kitten in the rooms she peered inside of. Noth--wait...
She stopped and could see a clump of black fur in the elders' den, sitting among the elders as they talked. "Excuse me," said Liberty, walking in.
"Hello Liberty," Creature nodded with a smile.
Liberty noticed the kitten looked fearful. She could feel Starlight and Ekaj come in as she continued to speak. "Listen, that's our kitten," she said. "We took him to the Healers but he ran off."
"Oh?" Creature frowned. He turned to the kitten. "What's your name?"
The kitten hesitated before replying in a small, high-pitch voice. "Lucky," he whimpered.
Liberty could feel a sarcastic remark about the kitten's name rising in her, but suppressed it. "And why did you run off, honey?" Sun asked.
"They want to take me back to my mom," Lucky murmured.
"Why's that a bad thing?" Starlight asked.
"My mommy's mean," Lucky whimpered, looking close to crying. "She hurts me everyday. I don't want to be hurt anymore!"

Author's Note:
To be continued... ;)
Also, I made a new page on this blog, it's a survey for you guys to fill out. Check it out if you'd like. :3 (you don't have to, of course!)

Chapter 8: The Rabbit

The next day Misty was still hungry. She had been given some food - a mouse - and it wasn't enough to fill her stomach. As soon as she woke up it was growling.
"You know what I dreamed about?" Sidew was saying when Misty opened her eyes. "I dreamed that I was chasing a rabbit that was singing 'You're hungry, you're hungry, but you can't catch me!' And I never did!" he growled.
"Any more wise advice for us?" Rhett said dryly to Koro.
"We just need to remain calm," Koro shrugged. "We'll find a way out of this."
"'Find a way out', my tail," grumbled Sidew.
"Aren't you positive," muttered Lephos.
"You try to be positive when you're starving!" Sidew snapped.
"Whine, whine, whine," spoke up Tiggerpaka, putting a grub in his mouth. "You pups think you have it so tough. I should tell you about the time I--"
"NO," said Sidew and Lephos at once.
"We're going through enough torture already," growled Sidew.
"My stories are not torture," Tiggerpaka sniffed. "My stories are ecstatic and phenomenal! Your young minds are merely too stupid to figure that out."
"Excuse me?" Campbell growled.
"Tiggerpaka," Lilypaka said quickly to her brother, "listen, why don't you go back to your fort and plan more on how you're going to 'seek safety'?" she suggested.
"I don't need to do that. I already know how!" Tiggerpaka smirked. "For I know everything."
"Yes, of course..." Lilypaka murmured, seeming unwilling to argue with her brother.
Misty sighed and looked out the entrance, where she slept by. Sunlight was filtering in, and Misty could see the brambles that guarded the exit, and Tribe members walking by, free and without troubles. It annoyed Misty, seeing how carefree they were compared to her, Misty, who was stuck in this den,
That was when someone ducked through the entrance. Misty nearly jumped as they came through, but then saw it was Tsovo, with a rabbit in his mouth. Misty scowled to herself. "What do you want?"
"Here." He set the rabbit down in front of her. "You're probably hungry."
Misty's hunger grew as she saw the prey in front of her muzzle, but fought back the urge to eat. "Why are you giving me this?" she demanded.
"Like I said. You're probably hungry," Tsovo repeated.
"I'm not eating while everyone else starves," Misty snapped.
"Hmm. You are hungry," remarked Tsovo.
"Take it back," Misty insisted. "I can't eat and let them starve."
"Suit yourself," shrugged Tsovo, leaving without taking the rabbit with him.
Misty growled to herself and turned to her friends. "Why'd Tsovo bring you that?" Bracken asked, head tilted.
"I don't know," Misty muttered.
"Misty's got a boyfriend," smirked Campbell.
"No," Misty growled.
"What's that?" Bracken asked.
"It's when you spend time with a fellow animal who you like and they like you back, but you're not mates," Lilypaka explained. "Another term is 'girlfriend'."
"Oh," Bracken murmured.
"Tsovo must like you," Rhett chuckled.
"No," Misty insisted.
"Tsovo has a crush on you," Campbell said.
"Well if he does, I'm going to crush him," growled Tiggerpaka.
Everyone fell silent and looked at the meerkat, and immediately Misty felt embarrassed. "Why?" Lephos said.
"Because Ash assigned me as her guard," Tiggerpaka said importantly. "And it is my duty to protect her."
I'm not helpless, Misty growled to herself.
"What a fine job you've been doing of that," said Campbell sarcastically.
Tiggerpaka threw a grub head at Campbell, hitting her forehead. "Hey!" Campbell growled.
"Yeah, you're real tough," Ophir muttered.
"Fight me," Campbell snapped.
"I'm a whole head taller than you and you wanna fight me. That makes sense," Ophir said dryly.
"So what are you going to do with the rabbit?" Bracken asked.
"Throw it out of the den. We can't be fighting over it," Misty insisted, grabbing the rabbit.
"I want it," insisted Sidew.
"No. We'll just fight over it. Like Misty said," Koro insisted. Misty felt satisfaction at his agreement.
"Aww," groaned Sidew as Misty tossed the rabbit out the den.

Author's Note:
Short, pointless chapter.
And I'm not ready for school tomorrow tbh.

Chapter 7: Pup-Sitting

The next day Liberty sat with Starlight at breakfast. "Why are you a full Bender? I'm older than you, and I've been one longer," she pointed out.

"Fake-Ash offered," explained Liberty.

"And you accepted?" Starlight said in disbelief. "Why?!"

"Because, if I gain his trust I can try and figure out why he's here and impersonating Ash," Liberty responded

"Remember his meeting with Bracken? He wants to take over The Bending Tower," Starlight pointed out. "And y'know, that can't be Bracken. It has to be his opposite."

"So we have two opposites at The Bending Tower," commented Liberty.
"Wonder if we have anymore," Liberty said. She then looked down at her food. "I'm full."
"Same," agreed Starlight.
The two got up. "What do you think we're doing today?" Starlight wondered.
Liberty shrugged in response.
"LIBERTY!" snarled a voice. Liberty almost jumped in alarm and turned to see her mother, Charlotte, walking over to her, looking very angry. Some of the talking in the yard dropped when Charlotte shouted, but began to pick back up again. "You didn't finish your breakfast."
"...Yeah," replied Liberty, confused.
"You don't waste food!" Charlotte roared, making Liberty flinch. "Take that prey out of here now!"
Liberty nodded quickly and Charlotte growled and walked off. "Whoa," Starlight murmured. "What was that?"
"I...don't know," Liberty muttered, feeling a bit hurt. Charlotte never yelled like that, especially not for something as petty as that. Every now and then senior Benders would scold them slightly for leaving uneaten prey behind, but they never screamed like that over it.
"Don't feel to bad about it, though," Starlight insisted. "It had to be your mother's opposite. That's all."
My mother's opposite, Liberty echoed to herself. Does that mean my real mom's in trouble...? "Then where's my real mom?"
"I don't know," Starlight admitted. "But I'll bet she's still here. Somewhere."
They both picked up their prey. "We'll go dump this in the pit that the earthquake formed," Starlight said.
Liberty sighed through her rabbit. One time when she and some others were out in the woods, an earthquake had struck and caused a big hole in the earth. It killed River, Liberty's grandfather, but she didn't know him very well, so she wasn't too upset.
Liberty nodded in response, but before they could go, Eclipse walked up. "Liberty, can you do a favor?"
"Depends," spoke Liberty into the rabbit.
"Could you take the young out to explore? They're driving Airia crazy," Eclipse explained.
"Do I have to?" Liberty growled.
"It'd be fun!" Starlight exclaimed. "I'll go with you."
"Fine," muttered Liberty.
"Thank you," said Eclipse, looking relieved. "I feel guilty leaving Airia alone with the pups, but I have medical things to attend to."
"Let's go get the young, then," said Starlight after Eclipse left.
Prey still in their jaws, the two headed for The Bending Tower. Once inside they padded upstairs and down the hallway, into the young den, where Alista was chasing Rhonda around, while Cloudie was sleeping and Okerro was watching. "Airia!" Starlight said.
The winged she-wolf lifted her head off her paws, her face showing annoyance, and then relief. "Are you going to take the pups out?"
"Yes," Starlight confirmed, setting her prey down. Liberty did as well.
"Thank you," Airia said, looking grateful. "Pups!" she yelled, and Alista, Rhonda, Cloudie and Okerro all turned to her. "You're going with Starlight and Liberty."
"Who's Starlight?" Alista asked.
"I am," Starlight spoke up.
"Hi Starlight!" Rhonda exclaimed. "I'm Rhonda!"
"Hello Rhonda," Starlight grinned.
"I like her better than the other one," Alista said.
"That's not very nice," Rhonda insisted.
"Where are we going?" Cloudie asked.
"Anywhere," Liberty muttered. She wasn't offended by Alista's comment; she knew Starlight was better with pups than she was.
"Out into the woods," Starlight explained. "We're going on an adventure!"
"Yay!" exclaimed Alista and Rhonda.
"What's in the woods?" Okerro asked, curiosity in his eyes.
"A lot of trees," Starlight replied. "It's pretty amazing when you first see it. But you have to be careful. There are dangerous things out there."
"Will we die?" Cloudie gasped.
"Not if you step in the right places," Liberty said.
"You won't die," insisted Starlight. "Now let's go."
The pups all scampered to their paws as Liberty and Starlight picked the prey up, and they lead the pups out of the den. "Why do you have those in your mouths?" asked Alista curiously.
"We didn't finish our breakfasts," Starlight explained with a muffled voice. "So we have to throw our leftovers out into the forest."
"Why?" Rhonda asked, head tilted.
"Because if we don't, we're wasting food," Starlight said.
"What's 'wasting food'?" Alista wondered.
"It's when you don't eat food and it goes bad," Starlight replied.
They were now in the yard. Starlight and Liberty lead the pups through the yard and towards the woods, the young scampering after them eagerly.
Once in the woods, the pups all looked around. "Wow," Rhonda whispered.
"What's it like?" Cloudie asked.
"Big," Alista replied. "Bright." She narrowed her eyes at the sunlight.
"Us Benders go out here to practice," Starlight spoke up. "In fact, we go out here often."
"So we'll get to, too?" asked Rhonda eagerly.
"Yep," Starlight nodded.
Then they came across the pit, and Starlight tossed her food down it. Liberty did the same. "What's this?" Alista asked.
Starlight put her tail in front of Cloudie to keep her from walking. "This pit was made during an earthquake," she explained.
"What's an earthquake?" Cloudie asked.
"It's when everything shakes," Starlight said. "It can makes things fall or get destroyed, and it opens up holes in the earth, like this."
"What'd happen if someone went down it?" Alista asked.
"They'd die," Liberty spoke up. "From impact."
Alista and Rhonda whimpered. "Yes, so don't fall down the pit," Starlight said, giving Liberty a look.
"How do we cross?" Okerro asked.
"You have wings, though!" Rhonda protested. "It's easy for you."
"I dunno how to fly yet," Okerro pointed out, opening his small wings. "My mom knows how."
"Well duh, she's a grown-up," said Alista dryly.
"A log was set up here by some of the senior Benders," Starlight explained, "so we can cross it. Be very careful, though."
"I don't wanna die," Cloudie murmured.
"You won't," Starlight assured the pup.
Liberty saw a log a few pawsteps away that went from one side of the pit to the other, acting as a bridge. She headed over to it, and was followed by the others.
"Put your claws into the log to keep yourself from falling," insisted Starlight.
Liberty stepped onto the log and latched her claws in, cautiously making her way across. After a few pawsteps she turned. "It's safe. C'mon."
Alista stepped on the log but flinched, and then slowly eased her forepaw onto it. She scrambled up and got onto the log, and began making her way across, followed by Rhonda.
Liberty stepped off and turned to watch. Okerro was now on, right behind Rhonda. Alista, at the front, was slowly and shakily making her way across.
Suddenly, as Rhonda set a front paw down she slipped and yelped. Liberty was about to run to try and help, when she saw Okerro grab Rhonda by her shoulder with his mouth. Knowing he wouldn't be able to hold on for long, Liberty got onto the log and grabbed Rhonda, lifting her back onto it. "I almost died!" Rhonda cried out.
"You would've if Okerro hadn't caught you," Liberty pointed out, going back off the log.
"Thanks," said Rhonda to Okerro, seeming relieved.
"You're...welcome," Okerro replied.
Alista finally got off the log, sighing with relief as she did, and Starlight got on, carrying Cloudie in her mouth, who didn't seem bothered by this. Rhonda got off the log after a few pawsteps as well, followed by Okerro who landed next to her, and then Starlight stepped off the log and set Cloudie down. "We'll take you guys to the tree-fall place to play," Starlight said.
"What's the tree-fall place?" Alista asked.
"One time before we were all born, a bunch of trees fell during a massive storm," Starlight explained. "So it's a place with a bunch of fallen trees."
"Oh," Alista said.
They kept walking along, Starlight answering question after question from the young - usually from Alista and Rhonda - and they finally arrived at the area with the fallen trees.
"Whoa," murmured Alista.
"That's a lot of fallen trees," Rhonda said.
 "Yep. Go play," Liberty muttered. Upon saying this, Rhonda and Alista dashed down to the clearing, followed more slowly by Cloudie and Okerro.
"You really shouldn't scare them, telling them they could die," Starlight pointed out as soon as the pups were out of earshot.
"It's the truth," Liberty shrugged.
"We should go down there with 'em," Starlight pointed out. "Lifebreeze knows they'll get into some kind of trouble."
Liberty nodded in agreement and followed Starlight down the hill and into the clearing. Rhonda and Alista were jumping over trees and ripping and racing, while Okerro was watching from a distance, and Cloudie examining the fallen leaves with her paw, brushing her forepaws across them.
"Hey, Okerro!" Rhonda called out. "Join our game of tag!"
"Really?" Okerro said.
"Yeah! It's fun!" Rhonda beamed.
"Alright," Okerro said, getting up.
"Alista's 'it'," Rhonda explained.
"Not for long!" Alista shouted as she tackled Rhonda.
"Hey!" Rhonda cried out, as Alista bursted into laughter, getting off her sister.
"Best tag ever!" Alista howled with amusement.
"I can see why they drive Airia crazy," Starlight muttered.
Liberty nodded in agreement, watching as Rhonda tore after Alista. All Okerro had to do was make sure to stay at a distance so as not to get tagged.
Then Alista jumped on top of a group of logs and her tail got stuck in between two. She didn't notice this and kept trying to run, but was slammed back. "Augh!" she yelped.
Rhonda bopped Alista on the forehead. "You're it!" she exclaimed, laughing.
"That's not fair!" Alista protested.
"Yes it is!" Rhonda said, bursting into giggles.
Liberty sighed and walked over to help Alista. "Get me out!" Alista cried.
"That's what I'm about to attempt," Liberty muttered as she approached. She placed her forepaws on the top log and pushed hard onto it. It took a little bit, but the log finally rolled off, and Alista was released. Upon becoming free, she tagged Rhonda.
"YOU'RE 'IT'!" Alista laughed, running away.
"Hey!" Rhonda protested, dashing after.
Liberty turned to walk away, but something reached her ears; a crying sound, not very loud.
What's that? Liberty wondered as it continued. It sounded like it was among the fallen trees. She looked around to try and identify it, but then realized what it was.
A very small lump of black fur was among the trees, the crying sound coming from it. It shifted and Liberty saw that it was a cat. His head was very tiny and his ears were flattened back as he cried out. Liberty looked at how small it was; he was no bigger than the grass. He must've been not too old.
"Who're you?" Liberty asked.
The kitten turned to look at Liberty. He had an injured eye and ruffled fur with a scratch on his left leg, clearly in pain.
"Liberty," Starlight said. "What--" she then gasped. "A kitten!"
"Young, too," Liberty added.
"We need to bring him back to The Bending Tower," Starlight whispered. "Poor thing...!" She picked him up in her jaws. "Let's go."

Author's Note:
The kitten's name is Lucky, and is based after an abandoned cat my family took in a few months ago. :P

Chapter 6: Tsovo's Visit

Misty's stomach rumbled rather loudly, angering her. I KNOW you're hungry, can't you shut up?! she demanded to herself. She was feeling rather irritable, and figured it was due to her hunger. It was around lunchtime - past it, Misty was sure - and no one had stopped by.
Everyone was trying to pass the time, but Misty was sure it wouldn't be long before she'd start to feel closed in to this one room. She preferred to be able to move about; but being stuck in this den wouldn't be good for her. Calm down, she told herself. You'll be fine.
Suddenly Misty could hear loud crunching sounds. She turned to see Tiggerpaka chewing something in his mouth, leaned back against the wall and looking rather laid-back. "Tiggerpaka?" Misty said. "Are you eating something?"
"A fresh grub, of course!" Tiggerpaka smirked. "They're delicious."
This made Misty more irritable - why was Tiggerpaka eating when she wasn't? - but she suppressed the words she wanted to say to him. I'm supposed to respect my elders, she told herself.
"When's food gonna get here?" groaned Campbell.
"They'd better not be skipping lunch for us," growled Sidew.
"Sidew, you're already fat enough. You can go without one meal," said Lephos, rolling his eyes.
Sidew snarled. "I am not fat."
"Sure looks like it to me," muttered Lephos.
Sidew then jumped at Lephos, who yelped as he was taken by surprise. The two began rolling around on the floor, biting and clawing and snarling. "Hey!" yelled Lilypaka. "Stop!"
"I'll stop them!" Tiggerpaka declared with a smirk. He ran for them and lunged, and Misty watched as he ended up being part of the fight, Tiggerpaka's shouts being added to Sidew and Lephos's.
"Hey! Cut it out!" Campbell snarled, making the three freeze into place.
Tiggerpaka was the first to hop up as he brushed himself off. He snorted. "I was the clear winner of that."
"Shut up," growled Sidew as he got to his paws, followed by Lephos.
"That was entertaining," chuckled Ophir.
"See what hunger is doing to us?" said Koro, addressing everyone. "Look, we may all be starving, but we have to remain calm and reasonable."
"Weak," snorted Rhett.
"We're never gonna get out of here," Bracken whimpered.
"Duh," said Campbell, rolling her eyes. "We're in here for life."
"You're not helping," Koro insisted.
"What, I'm supposed to honey-coat it?" Campbell demanded, growling at Koro. "It's the truth, isn't it?"
"I can practically smell the tension," muttered Lilypaka from nearby.
Just then, someone came in the den. Misty's stomach jumped in a mixture of being startled and anticipation, and saw Tsovo come in, not carrying any food.
"We're starving in here," announced Sidew, voice quivering with weakness.
"Some of us less than others..." murmured Lephos, glancing at his brother.
"Will you cut it out?!" Sidew snapped.
"Why didn't you bring food?" Campbell demanded.
"Not my job," responded Tsovo simply.
"Well tell whoever has that job to get us food," snarled Campbell.
"What are you going to do?" Tsovo asked calmly. "You're a prisoner. I'm the Chief's son."
"'Chief's son', my tail," Campbell growled. "You are starving us, and I will do something about it."
"Sure," muttered Ophir from next to her, and when Campbell rounded on him he smirked.
"Watch me," Campbell growled at him.
"I'm here to talk to Misty," said Tsovo, taking Misty by surprise.
"What?" Misty said.
"Yeah!" Tiggerpaka exclaimed in agreement. "What do you want with her?"
"Just to talk," replied Tsovo in a calm tone.
"'Just to talk', my tail," Tiggerpaka snapped. "You lay a paw on her and I will destroy you! I am a warrior, and don't you forget it!"
Everyone fell silent. Even Misty was taken by surprise; usually Tiggerpaka's only concern was for himself. And the fact that it seemed like Misty needed a meerkat to protect her made her even more uncomfortable. "I won't forget it," spoke up Tsovo after a while, using his same calm voice.
"You'd better not," Tiggerpaka agreed.
"Uh..." Lilypaka began. "Tiggerpaka...why don't you chill out?"
"I am chilled out," Tiggerpaka insisted. "I am the most chilled animal here, thank you!"
As Tiggerpaka kept ranting Tsovo pulled Misty aside. "What do you want?" Misty demanded, feeling annoyed. The wolf who sent her to prison for life suddenly wanted to talk to her. Why am I even doing this? Misty asked herself.
"To talk," Tsovo said.
DUH, Misty thought. "About?"
"Why you're in here," Tsovo responded. "You claimed to have been talking to Achak before his death?"
"Yes..." Misty said hesitantly.
"What was he telling you?" asked Tsovo.
"Why should I tell you?" Misty asked.
"Because this is my Tribe," replied  Tsovo.
"You never even stay here," retorted Misty. "This isn't your Tribe."
"I'm the Chief's son, though," Tsovo insisted.
"That's still not a good reason," Misty said.
Tsovo seemed to be thinking for a while, then he spoke. "Okay then. If you answer my question, I'll answer one of yours."
"Alright then. Why did I wake up in a tree?" Misty demanded. The memory was going through her head; one morning when she and her friends had been traveling, they had all settled down to sleep. When Misty woke up, she had been in a tree branch, not too far off from the others. Later she learned Tsovo had put her there. But why? Misty asked.
"So I could come back for you," Tsovo responded.
"Why?" Misty demanded.
"Because I wanted to take you to the Tribe," said Tsovo simply. "Now, my turn."
"Bu--" Misty began, but then sighed. "Fine. Achak was telling me about how he got here to the Tribe. Happy?"
"Mm, no," Tsovo responded. "That's not very detailed."
Annoyance prickled at Misty. "Well, I answered your question, didn't I? He told me about his childhood, no big deal. Now leave us alone. I don't want to see you."
"Alright then," said Tsovo. "I'll be back, though."
"To bring us food, hopefully," Misty remarked as Tsovo left the den.

Author's Note:
INCREDIBLY POINTLESS AND BORING CHAPTER. I'm sorry.
Check out my new blogs if you haven't already. ;n;

Chapter 5: Tales of Tiggerpaka

Liberty had graduated the next day alone.
She had expected Fake-Ash to have her and some other apprentices graduate, but it was just her.
"Peacebenders, hear my words as I make Liberty into a full Waterbender." He lacked enthusiasm in his voice, and sounded like this was one of the last things he wanted to do. "She has worked hard to understand Waterbending, and is ready to take her turn to become a full Waterbender. Liberty, do you agree that you are ready to be a Waterbender, and that you can take on all of these responsibilities?"
"Mm," nodded Liberty. She could hear the crowd of animals whispering, all of whom had attended the ceremony.
"Then with the help of the Peacebenders, you may get your wish. Liberty, when I tap your head, the Peacebenders' power will make you stronger, faster, and a better Bender," continued Fake-Ash.
Liberty felt a growl rising in her throat. Fake-Ash touching her was one of the last things she wanted, and other than that, the whole "Peacebenders' power" was stupid. How can I get help from something that doesn't exist? she demanded to herself, annoyance prickling at her pelt.
However, Liberty found her paws taking her forward to meet Fake-Ash, and he tapped her head. She felt nothing.
Fake-Ash then pulled away, and Liberty locked her eyes with his, trying to seem as confident as possible. "Liberty," he said, scrutinizing her with cold eyes. "You are officially a full Waterbender. Welcome, Liberty."
There were yells of approval from the crowd, and although Liberty felt uncomfortable due to the attention, she kept her chin raised high and walked back to where she had been sitting before being called forward, right in between Wyki and Ekaj.
"Why do you get to be a full Bender so early?" whined Wyki.
"Because I'm a good fighter," responded Liberty.
"No lack of confidence in you, huh?" Ekaj chuckled.
"And why were you the only one who graduated? Starlight and Sparky have been training longer than you have," pointed out Wyki.
"I don't know," Liberty lied.
The crowd had then began to break up, all the animals heading in different ways. Wyki left, muttering things under his breath, leaving Liberty and Ekaj by themselves.
"No offense, but Wyki is right," Ekaj said after a little bit. "Why were you made a full Bender before me? I've been training more than you."
Although Liberty was now a full Bender, she certainly didn't feel like it. For one thing, the full Benders were normally bigger than the apprentices (small animals like Streak being an exception, of course), and Ekaj was bigger than Liberty. Also, Liberty was positive she didn't know as much as a full Bender did.
But she had a plan, despite these problems.
"I don't know," Liberty repeated.
"It is awfully strange." Ekaj tilted his head in confusion. "What did Ash want with you when he called you over, anyways?"
"He wanted to congratulate me on my fighting," said Liberty.
"Ah." Ekaj nodded. "So that's why you're a full Bender now."
"I suppose so," agreed Liberty.
"Liberty!" Tiggerkat bounced over. "Congratulations!"
"Um, thanks," said Liberty.
"You should have a reese cup to celebrate! They are great for celebratory occasions. I use them to celebrate a lot. Then again, I just eat them all the time, not necessarily for celebrations. In fact, I eat reese cups on a regular basis. But they're so good!" Tiggerkat exclaimed.
"...Okay," was all Liberty could say in response.
"Have you had any reese cups? If not, I'm surprised, they're actually very good! You should try some," insisted Tiggerkat.
"No, thank you," Liberty said, feeling a bit irritated.
"Well, congratulations anyway," Tiggerkat grinned, giving Liberty a hug, making her extremely uncomfortable. She then hopped away, humming a tune.
"She's a bit...off," commented Ekaj with a frown.
"Mm," Liberty muttered in agreement.
"Anyway, uh--"
"Liberty!" called a voice. Liberty turned to see that her father, Dust, was running over to her. Sometimes it was kind of embarrassing to say Dust was her father, as he and Liberty's uncle, Rusty, were known for being two of the biggest idiots in the Tower. So seeing Dust call her name and running over to her didn't help that much. "Congratulations! I knew you'd be an early graduater. Graduatee?" he frowned.
"Dad..." sighed Liberty.
"What?" Dust gave her a look. He then shook his head. "Anyways, I'm proud of you, y'know. My daughter, a full Bender."
The other daughter will certainly never be one. Liberty bit back the words. "Thanks."
"Anyway, what was I over here for..." Dust frowned, and then smiled. "Oh yeah! Airia sent me. The young are being a pawful, and she's the only one in there. She suggested you help her out."
"Why me?" Liberty blurted out. "Why not someone who's good with the young, like Starlight or him?" Liberty glanced at Ekaj on the word "him".
"Really, I wasn't listening," Dust laughed. "Well, good luck." He then trotted away.
"Do you two ever talk? Because your conversation didn't have much love to it," Ekaj commented.
"Rarely," Liberty responded, getting to her paws.
"You want me to help?" Ekaj offered.
"No," Liberty said automatically, putting more harshness into her voice than she had intended. "Thanks." She then walked away, leaving Ekaj behind.


"Who are you?" asked an orange-and-black wolf pup as soon as Liberty walked in, her green eyes shining with curiosity and blinking innocently.
"Liberty," Liberty responded, taking in how small the pup was.
"I'm Rhonda!" she exclaimed. "That's my sister Cloudie--" she looked at a gray wolf pup with a black tail, "--and Alist--"
"I already met her. She chased off a bear," Alista said.
"Wow! Really?" Rhonda beamed at Liberty.
"No, she didn't," spoke up Airia, looking irritated as Dust had said. "Thank you, Liberty, for agreeing to watching them."
Against my will, Liberty was tempted to add. "No problem, Airia."
"I'll be back in a bit," Airia nodded, leaving the den.
"I'm gonna be an Airbender," Alista announced.
"Nice," said Liberty.
"I'll be a Waterbender!" beamed Rhonda.
"Mm-hm," nodded Liberty in response.
"You're no fun," pouted Alista.
"Why are you so quiet?" Rhonda asked.
"You barely talk," Alista added.
"Are you in a bad mood?" Rhonda said.
"Airia talks more than you do," Alista insisted.
"Yeah. She tells us stories."
"Tell us a story!"
"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" Rhonda jumped up and down.
"I don't know any stories," Liberty said.
"Pleeeaaaase?" Rhonda begged.
"Fine," Liberty muttered. She took a seat in the middle of the room, and Alista and Rhonda practically stepped on each other in attempts to sit in front of Liberty. Cloudie came over and joined them, a lot calmer than her siblings. Liberty tried not to focus on Cloudie's blind eyes too much.
She then spotted a black winged wolf pup in the corner. "Hey, you," she said.
The pup looked up at Liberty, a sad expression on his face.
"Over here," she said.
He quickly shook his head.
"Get over here," Liberty ordered. "I'm not telling stories just for only three pups to hear."
Somewhat reluctantly, the winged pup came over.
"Hi!" Rhonda exclaimed as he sat down next to her.
He finally spoke. "Hey." From what Liberty could hear, his voice was more scratchy, but that may have been nerves; he seemed like an introvert.
"Who are you?" she asked him. She knew it had to be Okerro; she just wanted to hear him say it.
"Okerro," he responded in his scratchy voice.
"Alright then," said Liberty.
"What's your story about?" Alista asked.
Liberty thought for a few moments. The stories she heard the most, came from Tiggerpaka - who was dead now - and it was about his adventures. She doubted they were all real, but decided to tell it anyway. "I will tell the stories of a meerkat named Tiggerpaka."
"Who's that?" Rhonda asked.
"Tiggerpaka was a warrior meerkat who always boasted about his quests," answered Liberty. And they were all fake, she told herself. "He used to live here before you were born, but went missing one day."
"Wow! He lived at The Bending Tower?" said Rhonda.
"Yes," Liberty nodded. "One of the stories he seemed to enjoy telling was when he fought Tiredblade, his nemesis."
"What's a n...neme...sis?" Rhonda frowned as she tried to pronounce the word.
"A bad guy," Liberty replied. "Tiggerpaka and Tiredblade ran into each other more than the other would've liked. Every time, Tiggerpaka defeated him, and Tiredblade would always end up fleeing for his life. One time, Tiggerpaka was going through the woods when he came across Tiredblade, who had apparently been trying to attack The Bending Tower. Tiggerpaka had grabbed his stick and launched onto Tiredblade and stabbed him with the stick. Although it took Tiredblade by surprise, he fought back."
"Was Tiredblade tough?" Alista asked.
"Very," Liberty confirmed. "In the end, Tiggerpaka won, and Tiredblade ran off. Tiggerpaka had saved The Bending Tower."
"That story was short," pouted Alista.
"Well, it's better than no story," Liberty retorted.
"Tell us more about Tiggypaka!" Rhonda begged. "Pleeeeaaaassseeee?"
Liberty was just about to respond when Airia came in. "Were they any trouble?" she asked upon entry.
"No," said Liberty, shaking her head.
"Well thank you for watching them," nodded Airia.
"Liberty told us stories about Tiggypaka!" Rhonda exclaimed.
"She did, did she?" Airia said. She turned to Liberty. "You're dismissed."
Liberty nodded and headed out, grateful to leave.

Author's Note:
Abrupt ending x3
Please check out my new TFEOB-related blog! I'd appreciate it; click here.

Chapter 4: Achak's Death Story

"Augh! Stop hitting me!" snapped Tiggerpaka as the lion - named Ohloko, Misty had learned - pushed him once again.
"You're not moving fast enough," said Ohloko through narrowed eyes.
With the lion's size and his voice, any normal animal would be intimidated. But Tiggerpaka wasn't a normal animal. He narrowed his eyes right back at Ohloko. "I happen to be emperor of the land. If you touch me one more time, I will get my minions to slay you!"
"Tiggerpaka, shhh!" Lilypaka hissed to her brother.
Arazel, a horse Misty had seen before, snorted. "Watch your tongue, meerkat. You are at our mercy, may I remind you."
"Bah!" Tiggerpaka waved a paw. "Truth is, you all are at my mercy!"
"Right. Because we're so intimidating with guards on either side of us," muttered Sidew.
They were now getting close to the Chief's den. "I'm scared," Bracken whimpered.
"What's the worst he can to?" Misty asked the bobcat.
"Sentence us to death?" Campbell suggested.
Misty shot her friend a glare.
"We're not going to die," Koro insisted.
"Yeah," Campbell snorted. "I wouldn't place any bets on it."
Koro gave Campbell a look.
"Well gee, aren't you a little ray of sunshine today?" said Ophir sarcastically.
"I never am," Campbell growled.
"You sure have convinced me of that," Ophir chuckled.
"Aren't you scared about this at all?" Campbell demanded.
"Of course not. What have I to be afraid of?" Ophir smirked.
"Death?" suggested Rhett with an eye roll.
"Quiet," Ohloko ordered. They were now entering the den.
In the den, it was dark as usual. Chief and Nahuel were sitting next to each other, and Misty noticed that Tsovo was on the other side of Nahuel. Misty scowled to herself. She wasn't sure whether she liked Tsovo or not, but was definitely leaning towards "not". But why was he here? Misty had been told he rarely stayed at camp.
"Welcome, prisoners," said Chief. "Sit down."
The group all sat down, and Misty found herself in between Campbell and Tiggerpaka.
"Now, since I am a merciful leader," Chief continued, "I have decided to listen to your side of the story."
Misty felt annoyed at the word "merciful", but at the same time she felt relief. Maybe she could convince Chief that Achak's death wasn't her fault. Am I persuasive enough, though? she wondered.
"Well, the only animals here who can tell the story is Misty and Tiggerpaka," said Sidew with an annoyed tone. "Adele can't because she's deaf."
"I suppose I can tell the tale," Tiggerpaka spoke up.
"Tiggerpaka!" protested Lilypaka. "Don't--!"
"Achak was one of Tiredblade's minions," said Tiggerpaka, standing up. "And Tiredblade is no good. Despite having defeated that blasted cat many a time, he keeps coming back for more. And, every time, I send him crying for his mommy! Achak was here to hunt me down, to imprison me and bring me into Tiredblade's clutches. You should've seen it. Fear was in Mistake and Winged One's eyes, but I promised them that I would defend them, for I am a true warrior! I declared that I would never be captured! And that's when Achak jumped at me, fangs bared and ready to strike!"
Misty rested her face onto her forepaws in embarrassment.
"I didn't even have to move. I used my supernatural powers and froze Achak in midair, just like that! Then I stabbed him with my mighty stick spear, and Achak fell down on the ground, stone dead. The-end!" Tiggerpaka smirked.
Everyone was silent, until Chief spoke up. "Misty," he said, "perhaps you would like to tell the story?"
"Yes, Mistake!" Tiggerpaka exclaimed. "Tell them how I saved you, Winged One, and this whole miserable Tribe."
"Chief, I am so sorry," spoke up Lilypaka, looking utterly embarrassed.. "My brother, he's not exactly sane, he tends to exaggerate the truth, and--"
"Hey! No one said you were allowed to speak!" Tiggerpaka snapped.
Chief nodded at Lilypaka, and then turned to Misty. "Please inform us on the events surrounding Achak's death."
Misty cleared her throat. She had already made up her mind; she wouldn't mention Yin and Yang or the message about 'seek safety'. "Achak had called me in there, and I brought my sister Adele and my friend Tiggerpaka in with me. He started to tell us a tale about his youth." Misty had settled on this, because it was the truth. "Then I noticed his breathing was getting bad. I brushed it off at first, but it began to become serious. I asked what was wrong, he insisted that he was dying. And, sure enough, he was."
Silence for a few moments. Then Tiggerpaka broke it. "Boo! Lame! My story was a lot better compared to yours! Yours had no excitement, no blood, no guts spilling out everywhere, no--" Lilypaka had wrapped her paws over Tiggerpaka's mouth, yet he continued to ramble in a muffled tone.
"I don't believe either of your stories," insisted Chief, muzzle raised and looking down on them.
"What?" said Misty and Tiggerpaka simultaneously.
"My story is one hundred percent believable, you imbecile!" Tiggerpaka yelled.
"The only logical explanation to this is that you killed Achak," said Chief.
"Finally!!  Now we're getting somewhere!  That is what I've been trying to tell----" Lilypaka covered his mouth again. Tiggerpaka forced her hand off his muzzle and began to mutter irately while walking in circles.
"That being said, I find you all to be guilty," said Chief.
"I mean, of course Mistake's is quite crazy, but mine certainly isn't..." Tiggerpaka went on muttering to himself.
"Come on!" protested Lephos. "We're not guilty!"
"Yeah! Most of us weren't even with that old tortoise!" Sidew agreed.
"Not believing one of my stories," Tiggerpaka said, no longer speaking at a mutter. "And they say I'm crazy!..."
"Alright then." Chief narrowed his eyes at the brothers. "I will ask my two peers here. Nahuel - what do you think?"
"Guilty, my Chief," Nahuel answered.
"What!" Campbell growled. "We're not guilty!"
"And Tsovo," Chief turned to his son. "Your thoughts?"
"Hmm?" Tsovo replied, apparently snapping out of a daydream.
"Are these prisoners innocent or guilty of their crimes?" Chief asked.
"Guilty," Tsovo insisted, going back to his daydreaming state.
"Come on!" Campbell snarled.
Misty decided she didn't like Tsovo after all.
"Alright," Chief said, turning back to the prisoners. "Back to your prison!"
"But--!" Sidew began.
"Let's go," growled Ohloko, coming forward. "Any struggling will make us treat you as hostile."

Author's Note:
Well, they tried.
Anyway, I have a new TFEOB-related blog. Please go check it out! Link in my profile. :)

Chapter 3: The Healers' Den

Liberty never liked visiting the Healer den. The Healers we okay - Nightgale, Comet and Eclipse - but it always had sick or injured animals in there, and Liberty never liked looking at them. She also never visited the Healers often, and when she had in the past it was because of her broken tail. So she never associated the Healers' den with good news.
Wyki was in there, with Comet looking him over and talking to him. Wyki glanced at Liberty as she and Ekaj entered the room, but quickly looked away and turned back to Comet. Liberty felt a pang of sympathy and regret as she saw his injuries, but it melted away. It's not like he's going to die, she told herself.
The most noticeable thing in the room was the tree. Liberty hadn't gotten to see it, but an earthquake had caused a tree to crash through the roof. It was still there, but the hole would have to be patched up soon; it could let snow and rain in through the den, which wouldn't be good for the sick and injured.
"Oh, dear," said Eclipse upon seeing Liberty and Ekaj. Her swollen stomach had disappeared; she had given birth to three pups a few days ago. Liberty hadn't gotten the chance to meet them because she had been busy, but had to admit that her curiosity about them was peaked. Rumors had been flying around about their names; something about a cloud, a list, and something else. "What is with you three and your injuries?"
"Sparring," replied Ekaj.
Eclipse shook her head. "Honestly, why would the mentors allow this? I'll be with you two in a little bit." She then retreated to the herb storage.
"She's right, though." Ekaj turned to look at Liberty. "Why would our mentors allow this?"
"I don't know," Liberty responded, not looking at Ekaj but instead scrutinizing the herb storage. There were tons of little berries, leaves and other things, all of which Liberty didn't know the name of. Being a Healer must take a lot of intelligence, she commented to herself.
"We'll be okay, though," Ekaj insisted. Liberty wondered if he was trying to convince himself more than her. "I doubt that will ever happen again. And if it does...well, we're not going to kill each other, right?"
Liberty turned to look at Ekaj, focusing on his green eyes. "Of course not."
There was silence between the two for a little bit and then Eclipse came over with the herbs. "Alright then...Liberty, how's your cast doing?"
"Fine," Liberty responded.
"We might get Tiggerkat to look and see how your tail is doing," said Eclipse as she began to treat Ekaj's wounds. Liberty scowled. "Nightgale, can you come look at Liberty's injuries?"
"'Course," said Nightgale, trotting over to Liberty. She picked up a leaf and pressed it to Liberty's muzzle. "This is your worst one, I think," Nightgale remarked. "It may have a scar behind."
"So you guys can't do Bending?" asked Eclipse in effort to make conversation.
"No," Ekaj answered. "Adamu was right about it. No one knows why, but I'm not going to worry about it. Whatever the problem may be, it'll be taken care of, I'm sure."
"Still, what could possibly take Bending away?" Comet asked from over by Wyki. "It's never happened before..."
"Mommy!" exclaimed a high-pitched voice. Suddenly, something flashed by Liberty and pretty soon it was right by Eclipse - a small orange wolf pup with a black tail and bright blue eyes; one of her forepaws were silver, the left one, while her right forepaw was black. "Hi!"
"Hi Alista," said Eclipse. "What are you doing in here? You can't leave your den."
"Well it's boring in there!" Alista protested. "Daddy is busy so he can't play. Rhonda is sleeping, Cloudie can't see, and I don't like Okerro. And Airia keeps scolding us."
Eclipse looked somewhat annoyed. "Cloudie can't help that, Alista. And give Okerro a chance. He--"
"He never talks!" Alista exclaimed in her high-pitch voice. "All he does is look at us and sits by Airia."
"He probably never talks because he's shy," Eclipse retorted. "Now, I am busy. As you can see, some of the apprentices are injured."
Alista looked at Liberty and Ekaj. "What happened?" she gasped.
"Fight with a big bear," Ekaj chuckled. "We managed to kill it and saved the day."
"Wow!" Alista exclaimed, beaming.
"That's not--" Nightgale began, but was cut off by Wyki.
"Yeah! I ripped its fur off!" Wyki said.
"And Liberty, she bit down on its neck. The poor thing didn't stand a chance," Ekaj laughed.
"Ekaj, you're setting a bad example," Eclipse scolded. "Apprentices shouldn't tell lies."
"Sorry," Ekaj said, but his expression still made him seem amused.
"So you didn't fight a bear?" asked Alista.
"No." Ekaj shook his head. "We fought each other, but--"
"Why?!" Alista demanded.
"It was for practice," Ekaj explained as Nightgale pressed down another one of Liberty's wounds. "We'll be fine."
"I wanna be an apprentice!" Alista exclaimed, turning to Eclipse.
"Well not today," Eclipse insisted. "Go back to your den."
Alista sighed, and walked off, grumbling.
"Your pups' names are Alista, Rhonda and Cloudie?" called Wyki.
"Yeah," responded Eclipse, cleaning up blood off of Ekaj. "You just saw Alista. I've always liked that name, so I named her that. She's the second-oldest of my three daughters. Rhonda is the youngest; she has these beautiful green eyes and has orange fur, with black legs,a black tail, and black ears. Cloudie is my oldest. She's named after my adoptive father, Cloudsky. She has gray fur and a black tail, but she's blind. Cloudie is the most similar to me out of my pups."
Liberty remembered Eclipse's blindness; she was so good at getting around and doing things independently, that it was easy to forget that she lacked sight. "How do you know what they look like?" Wyki asked. "Aren't you blind?"
Eclipse gave a weak smile. "Yes, I am. Firefly told me what they look like." She addressed Wyki while still focusing on Ekaj, multi-tasking.
"Why won't Alista play with Okerro?" Nightgale asked, turning to Eclipse.
"Okerro is more of an outsider," Eclipse explained. "For some reason, he doesn't talk much to the others."
Liberty had never been shy of the other young when she was a pup. She'd address them when she wanted, and they never intimidated her. But then again, at a young age she shared a den with Lephos, Sidew, Ryker and Audrey, and they had never been scary. They were all older than Liberty and her sister Campbell, but all four of them became apprentices together. Liberty wasn't sure why though; Lephos and Sidew had always been immature. But then again, maybe Ash thought apprenticeship would give them maturity.
But they're dead now. Liberty had to tell herself this on a regular basis. All the time she'd expect to hear stories of Lephos and Sidew's recent pranks, or hear them laughing and the scolding of a Bender. It never happened, and that was because the two were dead. She tried not to think too much of it; grief was pointless.
Her sister was dead too. Liberty and Campbell never got a long; Campbell hated Liberty, and Liberty didn't know why. But she hated her sister back because of it, and the relationship was just fine with Liberty. But now Campbell was dead. The hate relationship had lasted for all of Campbell's life. Liberty had no reason to be upset about her sister's death though; why grieve over someone who never loved Liberty in the first place?
"I think you two are fine now." Nightgale's voice snapped Liberty back to reality. "But you're done training for the day; Healers' orders. Just take it easy, and it the wound opens up again come to us. Ekaj, you're dismissed. But Liberty, you'll have to stay here."
"Why?" Liberty demanded.
"We're going to call Tiggerkat in to look over your tail," Nightgale responded. "It won't take too long."
"Will you be okay if I leave you?" Ekaj asked, looking at Liberty.
Although Liberty knew Ekaj meant it for being concerned, it only angered Liberty. What, does he think I can't look after myself? I don't need him for anything, of course I'll be okay! "Yes," said Liberty through gritted teeth, not meeting Ekaj's eyes.
He obviously didn't understand that he offended her, as Ekaj merely nodded and left the den.
"I'll go get Tiggerkat," spoke up Comet, leaving the den.
As Nightgale left Liberty to go to the herb storage, Liberty settled down onto one of the nearby moss beds, figuring she may as well get comfortable. "You know he was just concerned," spoke up Eclipse, who had sat down nearby Liberty. She spoke at a murmur, so Liberty knew Nightgale couldn't hear. "He knows you're strong."
"How did you know what I was thinking?" Liberty asked confusedly.
"I could sense your annoyance." Eclipse shrugged. "You'll find out over the moons that guys aren't very good at sensing emotions or knowing how or why they offended you. Do you know how blind Hazen was to Mistletoe? When he revealed he was a spy for the Firebenders, somehow he found out Mistletoe had liked him and asked her to join the Fire Nation like it was no big deal. He didn't quite grasp the depth of the situation."
"Wow," was all Liberty muttered.
"Yeah. Somehow they're mates now, though. Ever since Hazen revealed his purposes for coming to The Bending Tower, Mistletoe had been a bit crept out. She never quite felt the same. Like, I think she still had feelings for them, but it had gotten combined with confusion and distrust - even when Hazen declared loyalty to The Bending Tower. I guess Hazen finally won her over," Eclipse said, shaking her head. "I feel sorry for Mistletoe. I don't think they have a very strong relationship, and Mistletoe had liked Hazen for a while."
"How do you know all this?" Liberty asked in awe.
"When you're a Healer, and get all sorts of animals coming into the Healers' den, you hear a lot of gossip," smiled Eclipse. "I know a lot about the animals here."
"Oh, yes," spoke up Nightgale. "You wouldn't believe all the rumors I've heard floating around about animals here and the news about who-likes-who and whatnot. It's interesting, to be honest, hearing everything that Benders think of one another."
"Yes, but of course, we're good secret keepers," said Eclipse, as Nightgale nodded in agreement. "Some stories are harmless to tell, whereas others...well, we respect Benders' privacy. So you can't really come in here asking us who so-and-so likes or what so-and-so thinks of you."
Liberty nodded in understanding. She didn't care about any of that stuff, anyway. Most girls - like Starlight and Sirius - practically ate that stuff up. Liberty often heard things floating around but usually forgot it, so she doubted she'd come to the Healers to try and find out things like that. She didn't care what others thought of her, and thought that learning about who-liked-who was stupid.
"I'm here!" sang a familiar voice, as Tiggerkat bounced into the room, followed by Comet. "Hel-lo!"
"Hi Tiggerkat," Nightgale greeted her. "We need you to check Liberty's tail."
"Okay!" Tiggerkat bounced over to Liberty, and immediately grimaced in disgust. "The flowers! Ugh!"
"What about them?" asked Comet curiously.
"They're dead." Tiggerkat's nose wrinkled in disgust. "You should've at least came to me earlier. I could've put on fresh ones."
"Does it help with the healing?" asked Liberty.
"No, it'd just look nicer," insisted Tiggerkat, while Liberty muttered words that her mother would probably give her a lecture for saying. "Now let's see your tail."
Liberty tried to stay still as Tiggerkat worked on taking the cast off, but found herself flinching. No. You've been through worse, she told herself. Like the process of the tail becoming broken.
"Done!" Tiggerkat sang. Liberty turned and looked to see that her tail was ruffled from being in the cast so long, and the end of her tail was crooked - Liberty knew it would probably remain that way, too.
"It's healed now?" Comet asked.
"Yep!" Tiggerkat said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have reese cups to eat." She bounced out of the den.
"It'll probably still hurt now and then, Liberty," Eclipse said. "Ash has a broken right paw, and it still hurts him when he hits it against something. So be careful."
"I will," Liberty promised.
"Good. You're dismissed."
Liberty then left the den, her tail feeling rather free now that it didn't have the cast to bind it.

Author's Note:
Hey! Go check out my new story called "Runner". Link in my profile. =P
And Ekajerty is the cutest thing omg ;u;

Chapter 2: Accusations

"Tiggerpaka, what are you doing?"

The meerkat looked up from his stick project, one of them in his paws. "That old tortoise said to seek safety. So I'm gonna hide in this stick den." He continued to stack the sticks, attempting to make a rather pathetic-looking hideout.

"We are in a den," Misty pointed out. 

"Yeah, the prisoners' den," said Sidew dryly. "You just had to be there when Achak died, didn't you?"

"Hey," Lephos glared at his brother. "She can't help what the Tribe believes."

Misty sighed. It was as if they left the Meerkat Clan for nothing. There, they had been treated as prisoners, but Misty didn't think these animals would believe she was an Earth Goddess, like the meerkats had. 

"But still," Sidew muttered. "What good are we as prisoners? We have to get out."

"We will," promised Koro. Misty looked at their leader, and her heart fluttered. She had developed a crush on him over a few days, but kept it completely to herself. "We got to."

"And? Any plans?" Rhett, Koro's brother, asked.

"No." Koro shook his hanging head. "You just have to keep hope."

Rhett rolled his eyes. "Lame," he chuckled.

"I wanna go home," whimpered Bracken.

"It's okay," Misty assured him. "We'll be fine."

"Why would Chief think you killed Achak?" Bracken protested. "You're not a murderer! None of us are!"

Misty sighed. The memory of her imprisonment was still fresh in her mind...

"Hey, Achak," Ferrum, a lynx, had come into the elders' den shortly after the tortoise's death. "Chief wants--"

She then saw the scene and gasped. "Achak's dead!" she shouted.

It wasn't too long after that the whole Tribe had come over, all murmuring questions and talking rapidly to each other at the new incident placed before them. Misty hated the fact that she seemed to be in the center of it all.

"What's going on?" one voice rose above the test, and an incredibly old wolf made his way through the crowd rather slowly. He looked at the scene with a coldness in his eye. "You three..."

"What?" said Misty nervously.

"You killed Achak," Chief murmured.

"Ha! I can kill anyone in this Tribe," declared Tiggerpaka with his usual smirk.

"I am a great warrior, after all."

"So you killed Achak?" Chief snarled. Despite being old and looking crippled, he was terrifying when he was angry.

"No!" Misty protested. She was pretty much the only one of the three - her, Adele and Tiggerpaka - who could retell the story correctly. Adele, her sister, was deaf, and Tiggerpaka always tended to turn the spotlight on him when telling stories. "We didn't lay a paw on him."

"I don't believe you," Chief said through narrowed eyes.

"Now, Chief." Adonael came forward.

"These three are such sweethearts! Surely they couldn't have--"

"Quiet!" Chief barked. He turned back to Misty, Adele and Tiggerpaka. "You three - and your friends - are our prisoners now until the day you die. You will pay for killing Achak!" 

"No!" Misty cried.

"Arazel! Ferrum!" Chief yelled. The lynx came forward, looking fearful, and was joined by a huge brown horse. "Escort these two to our prison. And take their friends there, too."

The prison was just a den that looked like the others throughout the Amorache Tribe, but there were thorn bushes close to the entrance to catch escapees, and usually a guard or two posted. Who, Misty didn't know at the moment, because she never left the den. Her food was brought to her by Tribe members. 

"But hey," said Lilypaka - she was Tiggerpaka's sister, and the brains of the group - with a frown. "If Chief acted so mad about Achak's death without allowing you protest...do you think it could've been his opposite?"

Misty considered this. She had told the group everything Achak had told her before his death. Mainly it was the side effects of Yin and Yang, like opposites coming out, but he had also insisted that Misty and the group had to save the world. Although the group did seem interested in what Achak had said, Lilypaka had become utterly fascinated. "Possibly," suggested Misty. Some things made more sense after Achak's message. For one thing, Adonael's personality had completely changed at one point, and Misty knew it had to have been her opposite. But did that endanger the Tribe?

"Hey." All the heads of the group turned, and Ferrum came through the den. Since she was small, she could get past the thorns without getting hurt. She hesitated, then sighed. "Look...I'm sorry, I guess...I kind of landed you in here..."

"What?" Campbell growled, taking a step forward.

Ferrum flinched at first, but confidently raised her chin to look the wolf in the eye.  "It was accident though."

"She alerted the Tribe to Achak's death," explained Misty. She then turned to Ferrum. "But that doesn't mean it was your fault..."

"Agreed," nodded Koro. "But has Chief calmed down about it at all?"

"Yeah, it sounded like he was only mad for the time being," agreed Lephos.

Ferrum gasped. "He can't just get over Achak's death so quickly! Achak was one of Chief's close friends. Of course he'd look for someone to blame."

"Doesn't mean he can blame us," Campbell growled. "When we get out of here, he won't live to see another day."

"What are you going to do?" Ophir asked with a smirk. "You couldn't hurt a fly."

"Shut up!" Campbell rounded on him.

"Make me," Ophir scoffed.

Campbell growled but Koro interrupted. "Cut it out." He then turned to Ferrum. "So we're really in here for life?"

"Yeah...sorry." Ferrum looked ashamed.

"It's okay," Bracken insisted. Ferrum turned to look at him. "You didn't know the Chief would react that way."

"Well...I hope you guys are comfortable in  here then, and uh...try not to go insane. That's what happened to the last animals who stayed in here." Ferrum shrugged. She then left the den.

"I'll try to keep my sanity," Rhett said dryly.

Tiggerpaka snorted. "Please. I lost that moons ago, and I turned out fine!"

"That's not exactly reassuring," Lephos muttered worriedly.

The group then began conversation, except for Misty, who drowned everyone out with her thoughts. How do we get out? she asked herself, full of worry. 

Just then, a huge male lion came in through the entrance. "Prisoners." His voice was deep. "Chief wants to see you."

Author's Note:

Gah, short/kinda pointless chapter. x3 But at least you learned a bit about what's going on. :3

Chapter 1: Sparring Ekaj

It had been about a moon since Liberty learned about Shell's past.
Now Liberty was on patrol in the forest - she was with Twister, Miguel, Wyki, Streak, Stone and Ekaj. "Alright, listen up," said Stone, the leader of the patrol. She turned to face the group. "We'll be doing sparring today. You guys need to hone your fighting skills."
"Alright!" exclaimed Wyki eagerly. He turned to Liberty with a smirk. "Looks like we can have a rematch!"
Flashes of the fight Wyki and Liberty had as pups went through Liberty's mind. She had won the match; in fact, she did a lot of play-fighting as a pup with the other young, and always won. So fighting was Liberty's best skill. She gave Wyki an unimpressed look. "Right. You're smaller than me, and somehow you're going to win?"
"He could!" exclaimed Streak. "During the fight with the Firebenders, I managed to take on a bear with Patch and Nzuri, and we made that guy cry for his mommy like he was one of the young!" The cat laughed.
"He ran because Quake had charged him," said Stone dryly. "You kits clinging to him didn't do a thing."
"Anyway," spoke up Miguel, "We're going to partner you guys up. Wyki, you'll be fighting Streak."
"Aw," said Wyki, disappointment on his face, "I wanted to fight Liberty."
"No, you'd probably be too rough, and Liberty has a broken tail," Miguel insisted. "That's why Liberty is paired up with Ekaj; I know he'll go easy on her."
Liberty clenched her teeth at the thought of her broken tail. A tree had fallen onto it a while back, and Tiggerkat - an animal staying at The Bending Tower - had made a cast for her, with flowers on it. It made Liberty incredibly embarrassed to walk around with flowers on her tail, and her tail also still hurt. Luckily, no one gave her looks about the flowers as much anymore, but Liberty hated the fact that it made her stand out.
"Stone, Twister and I will observe," Miguel continued. "Spread out."
Liberty and Ekaj faced each other, a few feet away from where Streak and Wyki were facing off. "I'll try not to hit your tail," said Ekaj.
Duh, that's what you're supposed to do, thought Liberty. But she replied nonetheless. "Thanks."
Twister sat by Liberty, eyes locked on her apprentice. Liberty glanced at the wolf, whose eyes seemed like that of a hawk's: incredibly focused and cold. Twister didn't talk much and was very serious - Liberty shared something in common with her mentor that way. Maybe that's why she became Twister's apprentice.
"Alright then," said Stone, looking at the apprentices with interest in her eyes. "Begi--"
"Hello there," a cold voice said.
Everyone turned to look. A dark-colored wolf with blue eyes came onto the scene. A growl began to rise in Liberty's throat as she realized who it was - "Ash". Not the real Ash; a fake one.
Ash was the leader of The Bending Tower since before Liberty was born. Then one day he left, and a fake one returned in his place. Liberty had learned that this fake Ash was the real one's opposite, which was a side effect of Yin and Yang fighting. However, Liberty and some of her friends were the only ones who knew this; and since she was just an apprentice, no one would believe her. 

"Ash!" exclaimed Miguel. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to watch," said Fake-Ash, sitting down.

"Why?" asked Wyki.

"I'm interested in the progress of my apprentices," said Fake-Ash, eyes narrowed. "So I'm here."

"Well, I guess we can't argue with that," Miguel said.

Suspicions ran through Liberty's head, but she just narrowed her eyes and nodded, not being able to find any excuse as to why not. Of all the animals here, only Liberty knew this wasn't the real Ash - well, Fake-Ash knew that too, of course.

"Begin," said Stone.

Liberty began to shut out everything around her and focused on her opponent , Ekaj. This is my talent, she told herself. This is what I've been doing for moons.

Ekaj seemed to be trying to decide what move to make. He looked at Liberty as if sizing her up, and pushed himself forward with his hind legs and leapt for Liberty's chest. She quickly jumped to the side and slammed her body into Ekaj's side, making him stumble - she wasn't strong enough to push down someone as big as Ekaj. But Liberty used the opportunity to swing her front left paw at his legs, making him fall. He turned to face Liberty, attempting to get back up, but Liberty used his own move against him and leapt at his chest, knocking him off-balanced and making him fall again. She jumped towards him in attempts to pin him down, but he kicked at her when she got close and sent her away from him. Liberty got to her paws with a growl.

"Come on, Liberty!" growled Twister's voice. "I know you can do better than that. Don't be hesitant to actually hurt him!"

Liberty turned to look at her mentor, but then felt incredible force hit her chest. She found herself on the ground and only just saw Ekaj slamming his paws towards her to pin her to the ground in time to roll out of the way, missing him by what seemed to be a hair.

Liberty sprang up and jumped onto Ekaj's back, digging her paws into his fur and careful not to use her claws, as that was against sparring rules. Ekaj started to crumble, but at last-minute pushed himself back up. He's strong, Liberty commented to herself. Liberty wasn't strong herself, so she never quite used brute force; her fighting style was similar to her mentor's in this way. 

Liberty decided her position was useless, seeing as how she couldn't use her claws. She jumped off and out of the corner of her eye saw Fake-Ash's eyes zoned in on her, looking incredibly interested.

Anger bubbled in Liberty and she turned to face her opponent again, only to find Ekaj had swept his left forepaw into her front paws, forcing her off-balance. He then slammed into her, and she nearly collapsed but forced herself to stay strong. "There you go, Ekaj!" shouted Stone's voice. 

Liberty growled and decided to use her anger to her advantage. She looked at Ekaj's back but instead aimed for his paws, and pushed Ekaj off-balance. She quickly hit his side with as much force as she could muster, and Ekaj actually fell. She was about to have him pinned when something slammed into her, and Liberty fell, caught completely off-guard. She managed to get herself to her paws in time to see her attacker was Wyki.

"What are you doing?!" Liberty demanded with a growl. 

"Ash's orders!" Wyki insisted, diving for Liberty's paws. Liberty managed to spin off the the side before facing Fake-Ash. 

"What is going on?" she snarled.

"A little more respect, if you will," said Fake-Ash coldly. "I want to see how you fight with two opponents."

"That could be interesting," remarked Stone with narrowed eyes. 

"Yes," agreed Twister with her usual serious look. "I'm sure my apprentice can handle it."

Liberty was about to say something in response when she felt something push her. She turned to see the attacker was Wyki. Liberty growled and easily pushed him off and slammed her forepaws into his chest, making him fall. 

Then she saw a flash of gray-and-orange fur, and Ekaj had hit her shoulder. She stumbled but remained steady, and she felt something crash into her from behind. She yelped as it made contact with her tail, sending pain jolting through it, and turned to see it was Wyki. "DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND MY TAIL IS BROKEN?" she roared.

"S-Sorry!" Wyki whimpered.

"Now, don't apologize," insisted Fake-Ash. "If you have an advantage, then use it."

"Really?" Wyki said.

"I don't think that's fair," commented Miguel. 

"Yeah. This is only sparring," agreed Streak.

"We're preparing them for real fights," growled Fake-Ash. "If my opponent had a broken bone, don't you think I'd attack it?"

An eerie silence fell over the group before Fake-Ash broke it. "That being said...continue, you three."

"Wait," Liberty spoke up. "If this is such 'real-fighting', does that mean we're using claws?"

Liberty then wished she hadn't spoken up. She cursed under her breath as she watched Fake-Ash considering the idea. "Of course. Let's see you try with your claws, then. Continue."

That's when Liberty felt piercing pain in her back. Wyki had jumped on and dug his claws into her back. She bit down onto his paw and he yelped and fell off and onto the ground. Liberty used the opportunity to slash her claws across his shoulder. He yelped and jumped back, looking a bit fearful, but Liberty ignored his expression. "You wanted a rematch," said Liberty, "so this is a rematch."

"Come on, Ekaj!" snarled Stone. Liberty turned to see Ekaj was watching hesitantly. "Quit being a wimp and get in there!"

Ekaj jumped for Liberty at his mentor's command. Liberty jumped to the side and clawed at Ekaj's side. He yelped and turned to look at her, and quickly pushed at Liberty's forepaws. As she stumbled he clawed her shoulder, and Liberty felt Wyki claw her side near her underbelly at the same time. Liberty growled and clawed at Ekaj's muzzle, who yelped again - this time louder - and as he did Liberty used her back paws to kick Wyki back, and turned to push Wyki on to the ground. As she did, she found herself on the ground and Ekaj pinning her. She growled and sank her claws into Ekaj's paw. As he flinched and let go for a little bit, Liberty slashed her claws across his chest and he barked in alarm. Liberty kicked him in the stomach and Ekaj backed off. Liberty scampered to her paws and Wyki clawed below her muzzle. Liberty yelped, pain striking her where he had clawed, and Liberty knew that this attack was stronger than Wyki's past ones. She could feel the mark begin to bleed and Wyki gasped. "I-I'm sorry!"

Liberty growled and scratched Wyki's ear. He shrieked and Liberty clawed his chest and then slashed at his left forepaw. Wyki cried out and backed up. "Stop! Stop!" he yelled, face screwed up in pain. "I don't wanna fight anymore!" he cried.

"Okay," said Miguel, coming forward to his apprentice. "It's okay, you'll be fine. We just need to run you to Nightingale." He shot a look at Liberty, and Liberty felt anger bubbling up inside her. This isn't completely my fault, if that's what you're thinking, she thought with a growl as Miguel and Wyki left, Streak following.

"You two, keep going," insisted Stone.

"Really?" Ekaj said, looking worried.

"Of course. I want to see who will win in this. It's a perfect match - you both seem to be equal when it comes to fighting, but in different styles," Stone explained with her eyes narrowed. "Ekaj uses his brute strength, whereas Liberty uses speed. I myself would like to see which strategy is the winner. Begin."

Liberty didn't hesitate; she wanted to get this over with. Blood still dripping from Wyki's attack, she darted at Ekaj, who dodged and spun around, scoring claw marks on Liberty's back. She gave a slight bark of alarm and then turned and lunged again. Ekaj didn't get out of the way this time, causing Liberty to claw his leg, causing a red mark to appear on it and blood to begin to come out. Ekaj slammed into Liberty's front and Liberty felt herself get a bit woozy as she stumbled back; Ekaj had hit her hard. She could just barely see Ekaj landing his claws onto her shoulder and sharp pain went through her shoulder. She stumbled again and fought to remain steady, her vision getting dark. No, no, no, no, no, she told herself. 

"Liberty! Quit looking dazed and attack!" Twister shouted.

Liberty turned to face Ekaj, whose face betrayed nothing as to what his thoughts were about this. Panting, Liberty lunged again and clawed at Ekaj's shoulder. To her surprise, he stumbled back. Liberty then slammed into him with as much force as she could muster, and he fell. 

Liberty pinned him.

"My apprentice wins," said Twister.

"Come on Ekaj!" Stone exclaimed. "There's no way you were defeated so easily. She's smaller than you!"

Liberty backed off of him, ignoring the mentors' comments, and Ekaj got to his paws. "I think we both may need to go see Nightingale," he said with a weak smile. 

"Fine," growled Stone. 

"Before you do," spoke up Fake-Ash. Libert had forgotten he was standing there. "May I speak to Liberty?"

Liberty felt nervous, but Twister shrugged. "Why not," she muttered.

Fake-Ash walked a bit from the group and Liberty had no choice but to follow. Once out of the others' earshot, he turned to her. "That was very good fighting, Liberty. Especially for someone your age."

"...Thanks," Liberty replied, panting. She felt an incredible urge to leave; she still felt woozy, and was bleeding from some areas. Overall she felt weak. She hated the feeling.

"Although Ekaj outmatched you with his size and strength, you seemed to hang in there. Until the end, at least. There was weakness when he hit your front," Fake-Ash commented.

Liberty felt annoyance. Where was Fake-Ash going with this? And of course there was weakness at that point, as much as Liberty hated to admit it. Did Fake-Ash think she could be perfect at this?

"But overall, you're pretty good, as I said," he continued. "How would you like to be a full Bender?"

Liberty froze. No way she could become a full Bender yet; she was way too young, and inexperienced. Plus she hadn't had her test yet.

But an idea was forming in Liberty's head.

And what harm was there in becoming a full Bender?

"...Sure," said Liberty.

A smile came onto Fake-Ash's face; not full of warmth, but satisfaction, more like. "Excellent. I am done with you now."

Liberty nodded and turned and headed back to the others, where they had been waiting for them. Upon Liberty's arrival they began to walk back. "Are you okay?" Ekaj asked Liberty. "I think I hit you a bit hard back there."

"I'm fine," she muttered.

"Listen," said Ekaj. "I'm sorry for, uh...giving you any of those injuries. I don't know why Ash wanted us to do that..."

"Me neither," lied Liberty.

"Look, I went easy on you in the end though," Ekaj admitted. "I could tell...there was this look in your eyes...you wanted to win."

"...Thanks," said Liberty halfheartedly.

Author's Note:

I had to actually get my dog to stand in front of me and I had to get down on all fours to fight him in order to know how the scene would go. xD

Anyway, go check out my new story blog! I think it'll be a good story, plus sign-ups are available! Click here to see it.

Prologue: The Chase

The only thing that broke the silence of the night was the sound of frantic pawsteps running through the grass.

A gray wolf with blue eyes and white forepaws appeared to be in a panic. He kept running through the night, as if his life depended on it. Crickets chirped as he did, the sky was dark with the stars out, and a slight breeze blew through the area.

"Give it up, you pathetic excuse of a wolf!" sneered a voice near him, making him yelp and jump. Red eyes appeared in the shadows as a black jaguar emerged. "We know who you are and where you're from. Surrender to us."

"I-I can't!" the wolf cried.

"You coward!" roared the jaguar. 

"Now, Fireblade." Another animal emerged from the background - a black wolf. "You're being too easy on the lad." He smirked. "Perhaps we should claw his ears off and then take him."

"Or, Fang, we could rip his tail to shreds," growled the jaguar, Fireblade.

"We could be creative as we want." Fang, the wolf, chuckled, displaying how humorous he found the situation.

"Wh-What do you want from me?" the gray wolf asked nervously. "I never did anything to you!"

Fang narrowed his eyes. "Our leader wants you, kid. He needs you for information. Refuse to cooperate and he will make sure your death is most painful."

Fear surged through the gray wolf and he turned tail and took off once more. If the wolf was good at anything, it was running away from his problems.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" roared Fireblade's voice.

The wolf kept running and didn't stop for anything; he didn't even turn to see if his attackers were giving chase. He just kept running for his dear life.

"The gray wolf with the white paws may enter. It's written into his destiny to be here."

"But what purpose does he have in our ancient home?"

"To hide. To learn. To complete his destiny."

The gray wolf kept running until he reached a forest, and even then he didn't stop. He sped into it.

Fireblade and Fang had indeed been chasing, but stopped by the treeline. "We can't go further," said Fireblade.

"Of course we can," snarled Fang, stepping forward.

"No, you idiot!" Fireblade roared. "Going any further may result in our deaths."
The wolf was so scared that he didn't noticed the spirits floating around the forest. He just kept running down the path that went in between the trees, not even bothering to see if Fang and Fireblade had given chase.
Eventually he saw a cave ahead with an entrance to it. He shot inside and stood in there, panting, trying to catch his breath.
He then looked around the room. It was circular, and ahead were two paths. Curiosity overcame the wolf as he looked around. Nothing else was in the room but him.
The wolf decided to explore. He approached the left path and yelped, jumping back as feelings of jealousy, hatred and anger came over him, startling him. The feelings left him as soon as he backed up. I don't think that's the right side, he told himself.
He then tried to right side. Happiness and peacefulness filled him. I like this side, he decided with a smile. He walked down the path, and into another room, which lit up upon his entry. He scanned the area; there were a lot of hieroglyphics and symbols on the wall, a lot that he didn't recognize.
The wolf then looked directly to his right and saw something he did know.
The symbol of Yin and Yang.

Author's Note:
If you read the first series, you may have an idea as to where this wolf is. :3