"Why do I have to come out here?" demanded Liberty the next day. "My tail's broken. I can't do training with a broken tail."
"Yes you can," Twister growled in response. "You just gotta try. Ignore the pain."
"I can't ignore the pain," Liberty shot back, "it hurts."
"Others in The Bending Tower have been through worst pain than you have," Twister retorted. "Just ask Crystal. She was lucky enough to get tortured by the Firebender named Flamingclaws and forced to be part of the act of killing Feather."
Liberty didn't know who Feather or Flamingclaws were, but she just grumbled to herself and didn't respond. If my mentor thinks it's easy walking with a broken tail, she's wrong. I don't care about what happened in the past, anyway...
Liberty was walking awkwardly along other Benders: Nyla, Sparky, Twig, Ryker and River, who was the leader of the group. She had heard other animals going on about how strong a warrior River was, but this was the first time Liberty actually had anything close of an interaction with River.
"We're working on navigating through the forest," said River, turning to the group. "If something's to happen, you got to be able to run through this territory - not only run, but run without hitting anything. This was an exercise my sons didn't quite master...well, who wants to go first? We'll need two volunteers."
No one spoke up.
"Liberty will go," Twister said.
"What?" Liberty demanded. "I got a broken tail!"
"It's best that your tail gets used to being hurt," Twister insisted. "Then it'll be less uncomfortable."
Please let Twister die sometime soon, Liberty growled angrily.
"I'll go too," Sparky spoke up.
"Better hope you didn't inherit your father's abilities, or you'll end up with Nightgale patching you up," snorted Twig sarcastically.
"Quiet, Twig, we don't know how good or bad he is yet," growled River.
Twig fell silent.
"You'll race," suggested Twister. "First one across Ice River wins."
"Across Ice River?" said Nyla nervously. "That's not our territory."
"Please. They'll be fine. It's not going to be for too long," Twister growled in response.
"But--"
"I'm with Twister on this," Ryker spoke up. "It'll only be for a little bit, mom."
"Alright, when I say 'go', you two take off," nodded River. "Get ready...go!"
Sparky shot off into the forest. Liberty too off after him, but immediately froze and grimaced. Agh! she thought in alarm as her tail protested with pain.
Liberty urged herself to push forward. She kept running, but awkwardly as she tried to keep her tail from hitting anything. Sparky was way ahead of her. I gotta catch up. I am not losing to a wolf who looks like he can't even run in the first place.
Fighting to keep up, Liberty jumped over logs and ducked under low branches. She looked behind her. She had been running for a while and the mentors were no longer visible behind her.
Suddenly, Liberty slammed into something and she screeched. Her vision blackened and she became dizzy, stumbling. Wha-- Liberty began. She fought to keep her vision, and looked to see she had run into a tree while she had been distracted. Liberty found herself sinking to her knees. Ugh, SCREW the freaking race, I'm resting here.
"Liberty!" someone yelled.
Liberty realized the voice belonged to Sparky as the huge orange apprentice ran over. "Are you okay...?"
"Fine," Liberty managed.
"You look weakened. I'll take you back to the mentors," Sparky nodded.
"I'm--" Liberty began, but suddenly the earth began shaking. "NOT NOW!" she shrieked in frustration at the ground. Why do we keep having these earthquakes?!
This earthquake was particularly loud though. Liberty gasped as she turned around and saw the ground moving for her and Sparky.
The quake was making a hole in the earth.
"RUN!" Sparky shrieked, pushing Liberty to her paws.
Fear overcame Liberty and she started darting off after Sparky. She kept blinking her eyes, trying to make her vision return fully. She saw dirt flying alongside her, and some trees falling down. Is this how Sparky and I die? she wondered.
"Faster!" Sparky yelped, as a huge oak tree came flying down towards them.
Liberty darted forward faster, just avoiding the tree from hitting her.
She and Sparky kept running, avoiding falling branches, the earth swaying beneath them. But then, the earthquake stopped.
As soon as it did, Liberty and Sparky stood there, panting. "We need to get back to our mentors," Sparky said, breaking the silence.
Still panting, the two walked back rather tiredly towards where they had left their mentors. Trees had fallen down, some split in half, leaves were everywhere, and the area was totally silent except for the sound of Liberty and Sparky's paws swishing through the debris.
"Whoa," murmured Sparky.
Liberty looked at what he was looking at. There was a huge hole in front of them. Liberty peeked over the side of it. The ground was now far, far below - far enough that, Liberty knew, would mean death to anyone unlucky enough to fall down there.
The hole stretched pretty far. "We got to walk around it," Liberty murmured. "Safest way." She could see its ending, but it would take a while to reach it.
In silence, she and Sparky walked around the rather large hole, both looking at it the whole way around. Liberty drew her attention away from it and sniffed at the air. Where could our mentors be? she wondered. She looked around the area, but then saw someone familiar rushing their way. "Hey!"
"Ryker?" Sparky yelled in response.
Ryker ran up to the other side of the hole and froze. "Whoa," he murmured, looking down. He then shook his head and looked at Liberty and Sparky. "Are you guys okay?"
"Liberty had hit her head, but she's fine now," Sparky responded.
"I got a headache, though," growled Liberty.
"Well, look," Ryker panted. "We were all running when we heard the earthquake, heading towards you guys, trying to find you. We got separated because of all these trees collapsing. We managed to regroup, but..." Ryker sighed. "We can't find River."
"Can't find him?" Sparky echoed. "But..."
"I'm sorry, Sparky, but we're pretty sure. If he hasn't made his way back by now, he's dead," Ryker insisted.
Sparky whimpered. "My grandfather..."
Author's Note:
Kinda sad chapter. I honestly liked River. :/
Check out my new story please. I'd appreciate it! ^-^
QOTD: Which character were you okay with dying?
AOTD: For me, pretty much all of them (I normally kill off characters I'm not that attached to) except Spots. That sucked.
"Yes you can," Twister growled in response. "You just gotta try. Ignore the pain."
"I can't ignore the pain," Liberty shot back, "it hurts."
"Others in The Bending Tower have been through worst pain than you have," Twister retorted. "Just ask Crystal. She was lucky enough to get tortured by the Firebender named Flamingclaws and forced to be part of the act of killing Feather."
Liberty didn't know who Feather or Flamingclaws were, but she just grumbled to herself and didn't respond. If my mentor thinks it's easy walking with a broken tail, she's wrong. I don't care about what happened in the past, anyway...
Liberty was walking awkwardly along other Benders: Nyla, Sparky, Twig, Ryker and River, who was the leader of the group. She had heard other animals going on about how strong a warrior River was, but this was the first time Liberty actually had anything close of an interaction with River.
"We're working on navigating through the forest," said River, turning to the group. "If something's to happen, you got to be able to run through this territory - not only run, but run without hitting anything. This was an exercise my sons didn't quite master...well, who wants to go first? We'll need two volunteers."
No one spoke up.
"Liberty will go," Twister said.
"What?" Liberty demanded. "I got a broken tail!"
"It's best that your tail gets used to being hurt," Twister insisted. "Then it'll be less uncomfortable."
Please let Twister die sometime soon, Liberty growled angrily.
"I'll go too," Sparky spoke up.
"Better hope you didn't inherit your father's abilities, or you'll end up with Nightgale patching you up," snorted Twig sarcastically.
"Quiet, Twig, we don't know how good or bad he is yet," growled River.
Twig fell silent.
"You'll race," suggested Twister. "First one across Ice River wins."
"Across Ice River?" said Nyla nervously. "That's not our territory."
"Please. They'll be fine. It's not going to be for too long," Twister growled in response.
"But--"
"I'm with Twister on this," Ryker spoke up. "It'll only be for a little bit, mom."
"Alright, when I say 'go', you two take off," nodded River. "Get ready...go!"
Sparky shot off into the forest. Liberty too off after him, but immediately froze and grimaced. Agh! she thought in alarm as her tail protested with pain.
Liberty urged herself to push forward. She kept running, but awkwardly as she tried to keep her tail from hitting anything. Sparky was way ahead of her. I gotta catch up. I am not losing to a wolf who looks like he can't even run in the first place.
Fighting to keep up, Liberty jumped over logs and ducked under low branches. She looked behind her. She had been running for a while and the mentors were no longer visible behind her.
Suddenly, Liberty slammed into something and she screeched. Her vision blackened and she became dizzy, stumbling. Wha-- Liberty began. She fought to keep her vision, and looked to see she had run into a tree while she had been distracted. Liberty found herself sinking to her knees. Ugh, SCREW the freaking race, I'm resting here.
"Liberty!" someone yelled.
Liberty realized the voice belonged to Sparky as the huge orange apprentice ran over. "Are you okay...?"
"Fine," Liberty managed.
"You look weakened. I'll take you back to the mentors," Sparky nodded.
"I'm--" Liberty began, but suddenly the earth began shaking. "NOT NOW!" she shrieked in frustration at the ground. Why do we keep having these earthquakes?!
This earthquake was particularly loud though. Liberty gasped as she turned around and saw the ground moving for her and Sparky.
The quake was making a hole in the earth.
"RUN!" Sparky shrieked, pushing Liberty to her paws.
Fear overcame Liberty and she started darting off after Sparky. She kept blinking her eyes, trying to make her vision return fully. She saw dirt flying alongside her, and some trees falling down. Is this how Sparky and I die? she wondered.
"Faster!" Sparky yelped, as a huge oak tree came flying down towards them.
Liberty darted forward faster, just avoiding the tree from hitting her.
She and Sparky kept running, avoiding falling branches, the earth swaying beneath them. But then, the earthquake stopped.
As soon as it did, Liberty and Sparky stood there, panting. "We need to get back to our mentors," Sparky said, breaking the silence.
Still panting, the two walked back rather tiredly towards where they had left their mentors. Trees had fallen down, some split in half, leaves were everywhere, and the area was totally silent except for the sound of Liberty and Sparky's paws swishing through the debris.
"Whoa," murmured Sparky.
Liberty looked at what he was looking at. There was a huge hole in front of them. Liberty peeked over the side of it. The ground was now far, far below - far enough that, Liberty knew, would mean death to anyone unlucky enough to fall down there.
The hole stretched pretty far. "We got to walk around it," Liberty murmured. "Safest way." She could see its ending, but it would take a while to reach it.
In silence, she and Sparky walked around the rather large hole, both looking at it the whole way around. Liberty drew her attention away from it and sniffed at the air. Where could our mentors be? she wondered. She looked around the area, but then saw someone familiar rushing their way. "Hey!"
"Ryker?" Sparky yelled in response.
Ryker ran up to the other side of the hole and froze. "Whoa," he murmured, looking down. He then shook his head and looked at Liberty and Sparky. "Are you guys okay?"
"Liberty had hit her head, but she's fine now," Sparky responded.
"I got a headache, though," growled Liberty.
"Well, look," Ryker panted. "We were all running when we heard the earthquake, heading towards you guys, trying to find you. We got separated because of all these trees collapsing. We managed to regroup, but..." Ryker sighed. "We can't find River."
"Can't find him?" Sparky echoed. "But..."
"I'm sorry, Sparky, but we're pretty sure. If he hasn't made his way back by now, he's dead," Ryker insisted.
Sparky whimpered. "My grandfather..."
Author's Note:
Kinda sad chapter. I honestly liked River. :/
Check out my new story please. I'd appreciate it! ^-^
QOTD: Which character were you okay with dying?
AOTD: For me, pretty much all of them (I normally kill off characters I'm not that attached to) except Spots. That sucked.
SOOOOOO MUCH DEEEEEAAAAATTTTHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So death mush sad
ReplyDeleteThe cruelty from the writer herself xD
ReplyDeleteYou remember when I said Liberty was my favorite? Yeah, I think I'll go with Spots or Ryker now instead xD
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I've ever had a character I really was 'okay' with dying, to be honest.