Chapter 50: Exploring

"We have a new loner staying here," Ash announced at a meeting that was after lunch. Liberty was sitting near some other apprentices near the front of the animals listening to Ash. Adamu was standing next to Ash, looking at the crowd with confidence. "His name is Adamu, and he's a Thompson's Gazelle."
"Who's Thompson?" asked Wyki. Liberty saw Mirage shrug in response.
"I expect for everyone to treat him with respect," Ash glanced at Stone, "while he's here."
"What're you looking at me for?" growled Stone.
Ash sighed and shook his head. "Anyways, yeah, you get my point I guess--"
"Can you still do Bending here?" asked Adamu, turning to Ash.
"What do you mean?" Ash frowned.
"Duh. Anytime my friends or I attempted to do Bending, we'd pass out."
The crowd broke out into rushed murmurs and talking. "Hey!" Ash yelled, and everyone fell silent and turned back to their leader. Ash turned to Adamu. "What do you know of this?"
"Nothing, except that Bending won't work," Adamu replied.
"Yeah it will!" exclaimed a voice. Everyone turned to look at Rusty. "Watch." He then moved his paws forward, but stiffened and collapsed, falling over, knocked out.
This sent everyone into a storm of conversation. Voices overwhelmed Liberty, as they steadily got louder and louder. She ducked down, covering her ears. For the love of Lifebreeze, can't anyone around here be quiet?
"Quiet down!" yelled Ash. Immediately everyone stopped, turning back to Ash. "Thank you. It appears as though Adamu was right--"
"Unless Rusty was dehydrated because he forgot to drink at all today!" spoke up Light. "It's happened before!"
"Oh yeah, that's a likely coincidence," said Nzuri sarcastically.
"--so," Ash raised his voice as he continued, "apparently we can't use Bending. So no Bending training."
"Rusty's okay," announced Nightgale, who Liberty saw was with Comet by Rusty's unconscious body. "He's not dead, his heart rate is find...he just needs to wake up is all."
"So that's what happened to me," commented Starlight. Liberty turned to look at her friend. "I tried to do Bending and I fell over, remember?" Liberty nodded in understanding.
"You did?" said a voice. Liberty and Starlight turned to see Malroy standing there.
"Yeah! It was really weird," Starlight turned to look at him.
"Well, hopefully it won't happen to you - or anyone - again," commented Malroy.
Starlight smiled. "Or to you."
"I'm starting to feel like the third front paw here," Liberty said loudly.
"Oh," Starlight turned to Liberty. "Uh--"
"I'd better get going. Ekaj and I are going hunting." He smiled. "See you later, Starlight."
"Bye," replied Starlight as Malroy trotted off.
"Sorry about that," Starlight turned to Liberty. "I was--"
"You like him."
"Wha--? No, I don't, I swea--"
"And I have two heads."
"Liberty, I don't!" Starlight protested. "I don't like him, I-I only...only see him as a friend, okay?"
"That's a load of crap," muttered Liberty. "Do you like, not trust me?"
"I do!"
"Then tell me the truth, Starlight. I want to know."
Starlight sighed. "Okay, fine...yeah, I like him, but so what?"
Liberty just looked at her friend blankly. "Why?"
Before Starlight could respond, Audrey ran over. "Starlight! Liberty!" she exclaimed, panting.
"What is it?" asked Starlight. Liberty couldn't help noticing Starlight looked relieved.
"Ryker and Sirius found something. Come on!" Audrey insisted. She ran for The Bending Tower. Curious, Liberty and Starlight sped after.
They entered the main room, and Audrey ran over to something behind the staircase. Liberty frowned as she saw a chest, with Ryker and Sirius standing next to it. "There you are," Ryker said to Audrey.
"What's this?" asked Starlight.
"We heard some thumping around below this chest," Sirius explained. "We wanted to move it back, but we needed some animals we trusted to help."
"Yeah. If we got the senior Benders to help, they wouldn't let us investigate," pointed out Ryker.
"C'mon," Sirius gripped on the chest and began to pull it back. Ryker helped, and Starlight moved on the other side of the chest to push, and she was joined by Audrey. Liberty just watched, wondering why they were all going to the trouble of just moving some chest.
Finally, the chest was moved. Liberty grew wide-eyed as a trapdoor was revealed. Sirius pulled it open with her muzzle, revealing a passageway. There were only a few steps, but then it was too dark to see the rest of them. "Let's check it out!" exclaimed Sirius eagerly, running down the steps.
"Sirius!" yelled Ryker, running after her. "You're gonna fall if you run too fast!"
"Oh, no, oh no," murmured Audrey as she followed her brother, "this is gonna end badly..."
"Let's go," Starlight turned to Liberty, before padding after the others. Liberty followed.
Liberty couldn't see at all in front of her. She could hear Sirius and Ryker talking near the front though, and Audrey muttering nervously to herself. "Where does this lead to?" asked Starlight.
"We don't know," Sirius responded.
"So you took us down to a place you've never been before, nor knows where it goes," Liberty said.
"Yeah," confirmed Ryker.
"Go figure," muttered Liberty.
"Why are we going here anyways?" asked Starlight.
"We told you, we heard something," replied Sirius's voice.
As Liberty walked along she felt the path swerve so she went with it.
And ahead, the group saw some light.
"Where are we?" murmured Liberty.

Author's Note:
Supsennnnse~
If you read the first book ever of TFEOB you might remember the passageway. ;)

QOTD: What do you think will happen next? :3 Comment predictions below!