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.