Chapter 30: Vortex's Message

After another night of fighting with the Tribe boys, Ophir finally settled down by Bracken and Rhett later into the night. The stars were bright up in the sky, and the moon was past being in the middle of it; the girls on the other side of camp had been asleep for a while already.
"Do you think they're okay?" Bracken asked, failing to stifle a huge yawn.
"They're fine. Girls like hanging out in groups of their own gender anyway," Rhett chuckled.
Bracken looked at Rhett and grew wide-eyed. "D-Do you have three ears...?"
There was silence between them before Rhett and Ophir burst into laughter. "And that's a sign that you can't handle staying up late," Ophir snickered.
Bracken quickly shook his head. "Sorry..."
"Just get some rest," Rhett said, putting his own head on his paws.
Ophir lay down on the ground as well, glancing over at the girls' camp. Misty was asleep with Lilypaka propped up against her side, and Adele was sleeping not too far from her sister, and Campbell was a bit further from the others, sound asleep as well. Ophir smiled. The only time she isn't trying to kill me, he said to himself in amusement, turning over and closing his eyes in attempts to fall asleep.


Despite expecting to wake up in the morning, Ophir didn't; instead he found himself awake standing in a large, dark cave, on a short stone pillar. He frowned, confused, and tried to pry himself from it, but found he couldn't get off it. What's going on? he wondered.
"Ophir," said a hissing voice. The gray wolf's head jerked up and he found Vortex standing not too far from him, and immediately his stomach churned with nerves, knowing what the dark wolf had contacted him for. This pillar calls animals while they're dreaming, he realized. That explained why he couldn't step off of it; he was still in a dream. Vortex was in the awakened world.
"Hello, Vortex," Ophir said, attempting to keep cool. But it was becoming increasingly difficult, as Vortex's red eyes glowered and he looked outraged.
"You imbecile," Vortex growled. Guess he's cutting right to the chase, Ophir remarked. "Do you know why I called you?"
"Becuase you missed me?" Ophir smiled.
"Don't get in more trouble than you already are," Vortex snarled. "You know perfectly well why I contacted you. Why isn't the Earth Guardian dead yet?"
"How do you know she's not--?"
"I have my Shadow Trackers, Ophir. They're my eyes," Vortex said through narrowed eyes. "Her name's Adele, isn't it? Winged wolf, white fur with gray markings. And you know perfectly well what she is. So why isn't she dead?"
For the first time in a while, Ophir was nervous, and it was all he could manage not to stammer as he spoke. "I...haven't found an opportunity."
As soon as he said it, he knew Vortex knew it was a complete lie. "Yes you have," Vortex spat, storming forward so his muzzle wasn't too far from Ophir. Ophir tried not to flinch or move away; despite Vortex was shorter than Ophir, he was still intimidating; in fact, the wolf was easily the most feared animal in Yin. "I want a real reason, Ophir. Now."
Ophir sighed. "I...It just keeps slipping from my mind, I guess--"
"I know the reason," Vortex growled, pacing back and forth angrily. "You're growing attached to these animals, aren't you?"
"N-No," Ophir insisted, but his voice betrayed his fear.
"Yes you are," Vortex hissed. "You're supposed to kill one of them, and you're becoming attached to them. Take it from me, Ophir - other animals dig into your heart and plant themselves there. Once their roots are dug in, it can't be dug out." Vortex quickly shook his head, and then stared Ophir down, anger flashing in his eyes. "I want my Earth Guardian dead, Ophir. You can't let these animals you only just met come in between you and your job."
"I...won't. They're...not," Ophir insisted.
Vortex quickly turned to look at Ophir again, glaring daggers. "Face it Ophir. You're soft enough to let them penetrate you and get to you. Especially that...that gray wolf. Campbell."
Ophir's heart skipped a beat in alarm. "She...she hates me."
"You don't hate her though. Much the opposite. And that gives you a weakness," Vortex spat. He took a few steps back, looking at Ophir. He was silent for a few moments in which Ophir's fear rose, but then spoke again. "I'm telling you all this for your sake, Ophir. You have much potential. Succeeding at this job can easily earn you a spot at my side for the rest of your days. But failing it? Failing limits them." He then gave a small, cold smile. "Have I made myself clear?"
"V-Very. Very clear," Ophir nodded rapidly.
"Good, then. Don't disappoint me," Vortex said.


Ophir woke up with a start. The sun was just on the horizon, casting shadows across the mountains and the river between them. It made for a pretty scene, but Ophir was worried.
Not only was Adele's life on the line now, so was his.
And only of them could make it out alive.

Author's Note:
Short-ish chapter, but I hope you guys liked it. :3
Also, Ophir's POV :D How do you like reading it from his perspective?

Chapter 29: The Debate

Liberty was pacing the halls of The Bending Tower when she glanced at the Healers' den and noticed Starlight's eyes were open, and she was laying down in the corner. Her heart lurched in joy and she ran into the den. "You're okay!" she said with relief.

"Hey, back off," Comet growled.

Liberty's joy left and was replaced by anger. "My best friend just woke up from being knocked out. Shut up."

Comet narrowed his eyes. "I will have you leave if you violate her."

Liberty growled in response and approached Starlight. "How are you?"

Starlight was staring off, seeming dazed.

Liberty sat down across from her. "Did you...hear rumors?" she murmured.

"She hasn't spoken at all since she woke up," said a voice.

Liberty turned to see Mistletoe there, with two pups nestled into her, both with white pelts, but one with a red and green stripe on its chest, much like Mistletoe's on her side.

"Who's that?" Liberty asked. She want particularly interested in newborns, but was curious. They were her new kin after all.

"Ridge and Rose," said Mistletoe warily. Liberty felt a pang of annoyance. Does she not trust me? she demanded to herself. 

Liberty just nodded and turned back to Starlight, examining her. She seems okay, she thought. Is she? 

Starlight turned to look right back at Liberty, and then started shaking slightly.

Liberty studied her, wondering what was going on, and then Starlight let out an ear-splitting screech, making Liberty flinch, and Ridge and Rose start wailing.

"Hold her down hold her down hold her down!" Comet shouted, and Nightgale and him darted over and tackled Starlight down.
"What's going on?!" Liberty yelled, taking a few steps back as Nightgale and Comet pinned Starlight to the ground, and the screeching continued.
As if to answer her question, Starlight seemed to be changing and, if possible, the screeching became even louder. She suddenly began getting black and seemed to waver form, and her eyes began to grow white, her ears growing longer and getting sharper like horns, and a long purple tongue coming from her changing muzzle.
She was turning into a Shadow Tracker.
"She's been doing this on and off!" Nightgale shouted, struggling to keep Starlight down. "She transforms back but she turns into this monster!"
"Get out of here!" Comet snarled to Liberty. "We need to handle this ourselves!"
Liberty snarled back but left the den.


As she was heading down the halls of The Bending Tower, Spot ran up to her. "Liberty!" he exclaimed.
"What?" she muttered.
"There's a meeting. Ash wanted me to make sure you were there," Spot explained.
Liberty was puzzled. "Why?"
"I don't know. He just asked me to get you," the Dalmatian shrugged.
This just confused Liberty further, but she gave in. "Alright. Let's go then."
She followed Spot down the hall, and a silence settled between the two as he took the lead and Liberty walked slightly behind him.
Sure enough, in the yard the whole Bending Tower was gathered, all murmuring and talking among themselves. Fake-Ash wasn't currently present. "What's the meeting for?" Liberty asked Spot. No one in the crowd had taken notice of their arrival.
"It's about Starlight, since she's been transforming," Spot explained.
"You mean everyone knows about it?" Liberty said, fearful.
"Of course they do. News travels quickly around here," he remarked matter-of-factly. "Now c'mon, Ash said we're to be at the front with him."
"Why?" Liberty frowned.
Spot shrugged. "I didn't question it."
She then followed Spot to the front where the leader would normally be. Up front was Eclipse - Liberty assumed she'd be speaking for what happened in the Healers' den - Raoul, the deputy, and Sparky, Wyki and Nzuri. Why are they up here? Liberty asked herself as she took a seat in between Spot and Nzuri.
Not much longer, Fake-Ash came out into the yard, and made his way to the front, standing in between Liberty and Nzuri, and Liberty couldn't help but feel discomfort knowing she was next to the opposite. "Benders!" Fake-Ash shouted, and the animals all fell silent. "Thank you for joining us in this debate."
"'Debate'?" Liberty echoed in a whisper.
"He's going to ask the Bending Tower members to help decide," Spot explained, also in a whisper.
Liberty nodded, and she found herself catching Sirius's eye. The she-wolf glared at Liberty, and somehow Liberty could tell what was going through her mind: you're right by the impostor Ash. The enemy. She couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt, although it went away just as quickly. I'm not on his side, she told herself.
Ripping her gaze from Sirius, she tuned back in to the debate. "...has been transforming into a strange creature, as was reported by Max and Slice," Fake-Ash was saying. "It was unlike anything ever seen before. The creature was described as being black as night, with white eyes, ears that were more like horns, long purple tongues and fire coming off the back rather than a tail."
This set off yells and gasps among the crowd, but they were silenced by Raoul, who let out a bark to quiet them down. Fake-Ash nodded at his deputy before continuing. "And we must decide on the fate of young Starlight. We have three options here: kill her, exile her, or keep her and try to save her."
More yells and animals attempting to get word in, but it all overlapped so nothing was heard at all. "Silence!" Fake-Ash barked. Once again the crowd grew quiet. "Now, I would like to ask for opinions from my associates here: Eclipse, Nzuri, Sparky, Liberty, Spot and Raoul. Once they state what they believe, I will ask for what the rest of you think." He turned to Raoul. "My deputy shall start."
Raoul nodded at him in acknowledgement before speaking. "I know what it's like to lose a child," he said, and it became incredibly quiet at that remark. Way to start it off, thought Liberty in annoyance as the Collie continued. "I wouldn't wish that upon anyone, especially an animal I know. If we kill or exile Starlight, it would be like ripping the hearts out of the parents, Rusty adnd Crystal. And not only that, Starlight cannot help what has become of her. I say we try to heal her. And if we can't, and she proves to be a danger..." he hesitated before speaking again. "We exile her," he said hurriedly. This made some animals begin to murmur, but Raoul added, "only as a last resort."
Liberty expected more talking, but strangely, everyone was silent.
"Nzuri goes next," Fake-Ash said.
The she-cat took a few steps forward. "Slice explained what happened when Starlight underwent transformation. She explained that she witnessed it the first time it occurred. Once Starlight had turned, she had practically thrown herself at Mistletoe, who had only just given birth to her pups. In fact, Slice said it was almost as if Starlight was trying to kill them."
Whispers rippled through the crowd as Nzuri continued. "She's already proven to be dangerous. I say we kill her."
The whispers quickly escalated into yells, and Nzuri had to shout over it to continue. "If we exile her, she'll just come back! We need to kill her!"
Now the yells turned into roars that Raoul silenced with a deafening bark. "Thank you Nzuri," Fake-Ash nodded. "Eclipse."
"All animals in this Tower deserve to live," Eclipse said immediately, her blind eyes seeming to scan the crowd. "Especially an animal like Starlight, who has done nothing to deserve death, let alone what is happening to her. You can very well assume what I believe: Starlight lives."
"Spot," Fake-Ash said after a while of silence from the crowd.
"Like Eclipse said. Starlight shouldn't die," Spot said. Liberty looked at him as she talked. "But at the same time, she has proven to be dangerous. We exile her."
Liberty looked at the crowd, and found her gaze landing on Ekaj. He was looking directly at her with a sadness in his eyes. Liberty held his gaze for a while before lifting her chin and turning back as Fake-Ash asked for Sparky to speak.
"Starlight is my sister," he began, his voice shaky. Liberty began to grow worried that he may grow murderous - as he had when he found Liberty in the woods - but she shook it off. That was his opposite, she told herself.
But she casted Sparky a nervous glance. Was this his opposite right now?
"I've known her since we were born," he continued, his voice only slightly louder than a murmur - but what with the silence he was definitely able to be heard. "We did practically everything together. A lot of memories of mine have her in it. She was one of my best friends."
More silence in which Sparky began to tremble. "And it's not her fault she was turned into a monster!" he yelled. "She deserved nothing but good, and she only became a freak!" he was now practically roaring. "Starlight was a kind, loving animal! She's never done bad! We can't exile her. We can't kill her. She shouldn't get that."
He then slowly turned to look at Fake-Ash, pure anger in his eyes. "If she gets exiled or gets killed...so do I."
There was a silence in the crowd, and Liberty couldn't help but feel fearful of Sparky's words. What would The Bending Tower say to that? She turned to look at the crowd, and everyone looked either shocked or confused. Liberty looked at Rusty and Crystal, who were sitting side-by-side, and they looked horrified.
Fake-Ash merely gave a nod. "Liberty."
All eyes were now trained on Liberty. She never liked speaking in front of animals, but now she was speaking for Starlight's life - so she had to make it good.
"I've also known Starlight for a while," Liberty said. "We...were pretty close." She gathered her thoughts for a bit before continuing. "I'm with Sparky. She was a kind animal. And she's not fully a monster. I was in there with her. I know there's still some Starlight left. She's not the freak that you all are probably believing her to be right now." She scanned the crowd once more. "And because of this, I say we spare her of exile and killing."
A few murmurs spread through the animals, and Fake-Ash spoke up again. "You've heard their thoughts. Now anyone may speak their opinion now, but in an orderly manner."
"Don't kill her," spoke up Rusty right away. "She's my own daughter. And I don't want to lose both of my children because of something the one can't control. And I know my mate will say the same." He glanced at Crystal, who nodded solemnly in confirmation.
"The majority wants Starlight spared and kept here," Eclipse remarked.
"I'm with my brother. Starlight is kept here," Dust said.
"I agree," said Leafy. "Starlight's a good pup."
"I think she should be exiled," spoke up Crash. "She doesn't deserve to die, but for our own safety, she should leave. I'm thinking of the majority here."
With a feeling of annoyance, Liberty realized the tom was right.
"I agree," Light said. "For all of our safety, we exile her."
"She stays here, alive," demanded Malroy. "I'm in agreement with Sparky, Liberty, everyone else who said it: Starlight doesn't deserve exile or death."
"I...also agree," said Audrey nervously.
"We exile her," Stone insisted. "She may be good, and she may not be controlling what's happening to her, but she's still a threat. Exiling her balances out the point of each side."
"I agree with Stone," nodded Darner.
"So do I," Hazen said. "Death was often in the Fire Nation. I don't want to see it happen here, especially to an innocent."
"Agreed," Slice nodded.
There was silence in the crowd. "Would anyone else like to add anything?" Fake-Ash asked calmly.
More silence, but after a while Twister spoke up. "I would."
Everyone turned to face the white she-wolf, who looked at everyone with her usual cold look. "I have seen these monsters before," Twister said, and everyone looked at her in surprise. "They're ruthless killers. Nevermind that it's Starlight; once these creatures fully turn, the only thing on their mind is carrying out orders - and the only orders they're used for is killing. We can't risk everyone's life in The Bending Tower, just for the life of one animal."
She locked eyes with Fake-Ash. "For this reason, I say we kill her."
This set off a lot of yelling and gasps and murmurs, and Liberty couldn't help but notice Fake-Ash's calm expression waver.
Twister had seen Shadow Trackers before - did this make Fake-Ash believe her to be a threat?

Author's Note:
Sorry for not posting; school. But luckily, summer break is soon. :D
Hope this makes up for it. :)
Also, tonight I'm going to a sleepover - I've never been to one before since when I was little, I didn't really have any girl friends. Wish me luck, since I'm not too sure how sleepovers work. ^^;
Oh, another announcement - I had this new story idea, called "To Glory". I made it into a story blog, and would appreciate if you guys gave the blog a follow! You'll learn more about the plot later, I promise~
Click here to see it!

Chapter 28: Shadow Trackers

They made their way through the territory, heading in the direction of where the shriek was heard. It didn't sound again, but Misty kept walking with Lilypaka, Campbell and Adele towards it, walking a bit faster now. What happened? Misty kept wondering.
"There!" Lilypaka exclaimed, scampering forward. Misty ran up as well and looked down the hill.
Zela, Echo and Destin were there, all standing next to each other and facing something. Misty's heart lurched as she recognized what it was: a Shadow Tracker.
The creature's long tongue flicked, silver saliva falling off the end, and it let out a hiss as it stared the boys down.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF MICE IS THAT?" Zela yelped.
Destin snarled at it, taking a few steps forward. "Whatever it is, it won't be here long."
"Is that what Achak was talking about?" Lilypaka whispered. "Those Shadow Trackers?"
"We saw those at The Bending Tower! I knew we weren't seeing things!" Campbell shouted, turning to Misty.
Destin charged the Shadow Tracker, but in a black wisp it easily dodged, making Destin skid to a halt. "Fight me, you coward!" he challenged, leaping at it again, but this time the Shadow Tracker disappeared into a shadowy vortex and reappeared behind Zela and Echo, who jumped back in fear.
"It's obviously not here to fight," Lilypaka commented. She then ran down the hill. "HEY! It's not gonna hur--!"
The boys didn't listen, and Destin once again tried charging the Shadow Tracker. "Help me take it down!" he called to Echo and Zela, who quickly followed him in attacking the creature. It dodged yet again, however, away from them.
"C'mon," Campbell said, trotting down the hill. Misty and Adele both followed.
They made it down, and Lilypaka was trying to get the boys' attention, but they kept trying to catch the Shadow Tracker to no avail. Misty watched. "Come on, guys!" she shouted. "Listen to Lilypaka! It's not--!"
Just then the Shadow Tracker appeared right in front of Misty and she let out a tiny gasp, but didn't dare speak. The Shadow Tracker didn't move either, staring at her, hissing and spitting, and then looked from Campbell, then to Adele.
When it saw Adele it froze before letting out a deafening screech, then disappearing in another shadow vortex.
There was silence before Destin laughed. "We scared it off!" he declared, and then Zela and Echo joined in his laughter, howling in victory.
Lilypaka scampered over. "Well, it's gone," she remarked. "Not sure why."
Misty frowned. "It looked at Adele," she said, turning to look at her sister. "Then ran away."
A look came upon Lilypaka, the look that normally came on her when she was thinking. "You said Achak told you that Shadow Trackers don't have minds of their own, right? That they're given orders by authority figures, and that's all they focus on?"
"Yeah..." Misty said.
"Well obviously, the Shadow Tracker's being here wasn't mere coincidence," Lilypaka said matter-of-factly. "That means someone is controlling it, and they sent it here."
There was a silence in the group before Campbell broke it. "But why...why would they send it here?"
Lilypaka looked dead serious when she spoke.
"Because someone is looking for us."


At dinner, the girls stayed in their camp and watched the guys on their side. Misty had to admit, they were good for entertainment.
As the boys were all fighting over and ripping into their food, Ricochet stood on a tree stump and gave a sharp bark that silenced the Tribe, and the boys from Misty's group.
"There was a creature in the forest today!" Ricochet shouted. "A creature black as night and made of fire, as someone reported it."
Gasps and whispers coursed through them, except for Zela, Echo and Destin, who merely all glanced at each other.
"And Destin, Echo and Zela chased it out!" Ricochet declared. "A howl for them!"
The boys all howled and broke into cheers and laugther.
"Enjoy your meal!" Ricochet exclaimed, jumping down from the stump, and the dinner continued.
"They're annoying sometimes, but they seem like a fun, carefree group," Lilypaka commented.
"Yeah, except that that can result in being a little cocky or not caring about intruders," Campbell muttered.
"It's worked for them so far," Misty pointed out.
"But how long have they been here?" Campbell retorted.
"It's a good thing for that creature that I wasn't there!" Misty heard Tiggerpaka say. She turned to see Tiggerpaka speaking to Colton, Snowdust, Mudaz and Dezren. "I would have slayed the beast and it'd never return!"
"Really?" said Colton in interest.
"Of course! I am a warrior after all," Tiggerpaka smirked.
"You are?" Dezren said.
"Yeah, he is!" Mudaz exclaimed. "And he can talk to hornets!"
The boys gasped as Mudaz grinned, seeming proud to be the one to tell them that.
"Where'd you learn to do that?" Snowdust asked.
"Natural-born talent, my boy!" Tiggerpaka said, smiling. "Only some of us have that gift."
"That's so cool," Dezren said eagerly.
"Tell us another story!" Mudaz exclaimed, hopping up and down slightly. "Please? Please?"
"Okay," Tiggerpaka nodded. "So back in my home, we had a sworn enemy called the Fire Nation..."
Misty tuned out, having had heard the story enough as a pup to know all that the meerkat would say. She glanced around the camp and her eyes fell on Ricochet, who was glaring at someone. Misty followed his gaze to see it was locked on Tiggerpaka, who was making a lot of motions as he told the story.
"What's up with Ricochet?" Misty wondered aloud.
"What is it?" Campbell asked.
Misty nodded at the Tribe leader. "He's glaring at Tiggerpaka."
Lilypaka hopped up, also studying the scene. "Maybe he thinks Tiggerpaka is stealing his boys from him."
Misty frowned. "That's actually a good point. They did seem to look up to Ricochet before."
"Yeah, and now Tiggerpaka's stealing the spot," Campbell commented. "I know what that's like. Except I never had that spot in the first placed."
"Oh, hush," Misty said dismissively.
They returned to eating their meal, and Lilypaka spoke up. "Wonder what's gonna happen tonight with the boys."
"Probably more of that stupid fighting," Campbell snorted.
"It's interesting to watch, though," Misty commented.
"Sorry for the subject change," apologized Lilypaka, "but the Shadow Tracker...who do you think sent it?"
"I'm not sure," Campbell frowned.
Misty hesitated before speaking up. "Aren't we like, 'destined' to save Yin and Yang?"
Lilypaka considered this. "I guess..."
"What if someone doesn't want us to?" Misty wondered.
"Why would they? Yin and Yang's fighting could end the world," Campbell pointed out.
"Yeah, but...maybe there's someone behind it all," Misty murmured.
This brought silence for a while before Campbell snorted. "Stupidest idea I've heard all day."

Author's Note:
Age of Ultron came out and I'm so excited for it. :D I'll be watching it tomorrow.
Pitch Perfect 2 also comes out May 15, and I'm definitely watching that as well. :3