Chapter 34: The Return

That evening Tiggerpaka had returned, and Tribe boys began to swarm him, demanding what he had been doing, in which Tiggerpaka went to describe a great quest he had apparently went on, where he had cleared out every intruder in the territory. The usual evening festivities had been stopped for this, and soon Tiggerpaka had every Tribe boy listening to his story.
"If anything, he's making it worse," Lilypaka commented.
"Making what worse?" Misty asked.
Lilypaka nodded at Ricochet, and Misty looked to see the black wolf was eyeing the scene with a certain anger in his gaze. "Oh," Misty murmured.
"Don't see what the big deal is. We're not staying or anything," Campbell scoffed.
"He seems to think we are. Or at least Tiggerpaka is. I don't think Ricochet minds the others," Misty remarked.

****

4 months later in Author Time

****

*Sounds of meerkat paw steps approaching on darkened stage*

*muttering can be heard*

Where the heck is that blasted Great Scott?

Who does she think she is anyway

letting my fans hang like this!

*stomps around and elevates to rant level*

Great Scott!!

Where are you!!??

My devoted legion of fans have been 

wasting away waiting for 

more of the great TP!

**Looks around---sees no one at the computer**

**an evil smirk crosses the meerkat's face**

Well my dear fans,

You shall wait no longer!!

Your Dear Leader has arrived to save the day

and quench your thirst for more of me!

**Reads the beginning of this Draft Post**

'Making it worse?'

**begins typing**

Suddenly a rock falls from the sky hitting

Lilypaka in the head and killing her.

Hmm...she is my sister....

 and killing her.

and knocking her into a coma for 6 years.

TIggerpaka continues to delight everyone with his tales of  his great heroics.

Crabbell is overcome with awe and finds her self

irresistibly attracted to Tiggerpaka.

She fan-girls all around Tiggerpaka who turns to her

and kindly says,

 "young lady---I appreciate your 

undying devotion, but you are much too young.

So piss off."

The boys clamor for more stories and Rick Shay

crowns Tiggerpaka Emperor for Life

Misty stands by Tiggerpaka's side because

she has always loved him like a big brother

And Tiggerpaka makes her his right hand man

and re-names her Nutello

He sends Nutello on a mission to inform 

Yin and Yang to stop this nonsense

because it makes for a crappy story plot

and ain't nobody got no time for that.

So of course Yin and Yang comply

all in the land fall down and bow before
Tiggerpaka Emperor for Life

And there was peace ever lasting

The End

**The meerkat sits back and reads over his entry**

Well, now that's a story

the fans are gonna love.

**Picks up a grub and tosses into his mouth

crunching it as he leaves the stage**

* * *

**doors open and author walks in**

Four months? 

Wow.

Well uh, hey guys

In case you haven't noticed, this blog hasn't been entirely...active lately

Mainly because I've been busy with starting high school and trying to keep grades up (who decided school was a good idea anyway? I mean I've known what I want as a job since like 6th grade).

So yeah, unless I get a inspired to come back, I'm done with TFEOB until further notice - which either way is gonna be a while.

It's been a great run, and I still can't believe I've made it this far. I've loved all the people who've come along and read this story, and for all the characters I've had the privilege of writing about.

However, as I said, I'm just too busy to really stay dedicated to this anymore.

But one day, many years in the future, if you're out and see an advertisement for some story with a title along the lines of "The Four Elements Of Bending" that looks suspiciously like that story you used to read and make characters for online when you were younger,

that would be me getting the book published.

If that just so happens be sure to pick up a copy.

Also, if you're one of my friends though and wanna stay in touch with me, I'm not completely disappearing off the internet.

I use this site called tumblr a lot, and if you wanna follow me on there just click here. Send me a message letting me know it's you if you do happen to follow me so I know you're not some random person.

Another thing, I post on this story called The Powered Ones whenever I write a chapter on there too; although I don't spend much time on the blog itself, I just paste the chapter in. Click here to see that story.

So yeah, see you all around and possibly later.

**author exits stage**

Chapter 33: The Disease

It had been decided that Starlight would stay at The Bending Tower and be kept alive in the end, but Liberty had focused on Twister's comments. No one really talked to the white wolf afterwards - Liberty had seen her being given strange looks, and anyone who asked for more information on what Starlight was always ended up leaving without knowing anything more. But Liberty did want to know how Twister knew about all of this. It bugged her, truly.
That next morning Liberty was walking down the halls when Fake-Ash had rounded the corner. "Liberty," he said. "Come walk with me."
Reluctantly, she nodded and went to pad alongside the opposite. What did he think about Twister's knowledge on Shadow Trackers? He hadn't given anything away, however, so Liberty was unsure of his feelings about it; although she could assume he wasn't happy.
"I'd like to tell you about something," Fake-Ash said. Liberty perked up slightly; did this mean she was becoming closer to him? Would she get to learn more about the opposite's intentions?
"What is it?" Liberty asked calmly.
"There seems to be some sort of...problem," said the opposite, heading down a flight of stairs with Liberty padding after.
"What kind of problem?" wondered Liberty. He hadn't found out about her knowing of Yin and Yang, had he?
"I've found out of a disease," Fake-Ash continued, speaking as if not having had heard Liberty's question. "And I'm quite concerned about it, whether it may spread or how many members of the Tower it may infect..."
Was he talking about the Shadow Tracker bite? No, he couldn't be; he wouldn't be so vague about it if he was, Liberty realized. She remained silent as she waited for him to continue. "The symptoms of it are pretty strange," he explained. "And I feel as though you should know them. That way if you experience them, you can come to me right away."
He looked at Liberty, who gave a nod, wanting him to continue. The opposite took the invitation. "Animals who have experienced this tend to...hallucinate, I suppose. From what I've heard, they see...themselves."
"What do you mean?" Liberty asked, slightly annoyed at how little he was explaining.
"It's the biggest symptom; they see themselves, but the animal they see acts nothing like them. They look the same, but it's like it's their opposite."
She felt her heart lurch as she realized what he was talking about: Fake-Ash was trying to convince her she didn't see her opposite. That she was infected by a disease that didn't truly exist. "Really?" she said, trying not to sound doubtful.
Fake-Ash nodded. "And I'm afraid it's already taken effect on some of the members of The Bending Tower. One wolf claimed she saw an opposite, but one of you." Liberty knew Fake-Ash was looking at her, but she was alarmed; who saw her opposite? "She said the opposite of you tried to kill her, but of course that's not true. You'd never kill one of your own friends."
Liberty already knew the animal's name, but she was praying it wouldn't be who she thought it was. "Who is it?"
"Sirius," confirmed Fake-Ash. "And until she gets better, we're having her stay in the prison that Sparky, Nzuri and you cleaned out."
Liberty wasn't sure what to feel. What did Sirius think of this? Did she blame Liberty for landing her in prison? Had she blown Liberty's cover as a spy? "May I visit her?" Liberty asked.
Fake-Ash shook his head. "Not now. I have Eclipse and Nightgale checking Sirius and trying to determine a cure. Once that's done you may visit her. But I'd be cautious. We're still not sure what this disease does to animals..."
Because it doesn't exist, Liberty told herself. She felt a twinge of doubt - what if Fake-Ash was telling the truth, at least to an extent? - but Liberty tried to push it away. He's just trying to manipulate me.
"But Liberty, I have to ask...have you been feeling any of the symptoms?" Fake-Ash asked, taking Liberty by surprise. "You're one of my best Benders, and I don't want you catching the disease."
Although she felt satisfaction that she was considered of high ranking, Liberty found herself hesitating. What does he want me to say? She hesitated before shaking her head. "No."
Fake-Ash smiled. "Well that's good then. I--"
Suddenly a shriek sounded, and Liberty flinched. "What was that?"
The opposite didn't reply; he bolted to the exit, and Liberty felt she had no choice but to run after him. She quickly headed for the yard, not too far away from Fake-Ash, curiosity filling her as she wondered what it was about.
She made it outside, and there was a large crowd gathered. Fake-Ash was pushing his way through it, and Liberty quickly followed before the crowd could close back up. She managed to push her way to the front, standing at Fake-Ash's side as she looked at the scene before her.
Slice stood above a body, shaking with fear. Liberty looked at the body and suppressed a gasp as she realized who it was: a bloody Mkia, who had obviously been bitten at the throat.
"She...she's dead," Slice managed.

Author's Note:
So sorry I haven't posted much. Kinda lost my motivation. :/
But hope this makes up for it - and also, The Powered Ones has come back! Please check it out, I'd love for you guys to read the prologue and maybe sign up if you'd like. Click here to see it.

Chapter 32: Ricochet's Offer

The next day the boys were goofing off again over breakfast. They ate the meal but in between pushed and shoved each other, and sometimes Misty even saw food being flung across the camp. How do they survive if they're so childish? she asked herself. Ricochet seemed to be the most mature one, and even he was careless; as if he wanted to act immature but wasn't.
"Can't they just eat their food?" Campbell muttered in annoyance as Tornado flung part of a rabbit at Colton.
"Apparently not," sighed Lilypaka, shaking her head.
Misty was about to speak up when Moonshadow came over, stopping at the fence, as if not knowing if he could cross or not. "Hey," he said in greeting.
"You lost?" Campbell said with a slight chuckle.
Moonshadow shook his head. "Just wanted to tell you guys something."
"What is it?" Lilypaka asked curiously.
The black wolf hesitated, but spoke up. "I wanted to stay here," he insisted.
Misty blinked at him in surprise. "What?" she said after a little while of silence.
"I have nowhere else to go," Moonshadow said. "The Tribe boys accept me. And Ricochet even extended an invitation to stay."
"Don't you have anything you'd be leaving behind?" Lilypaka said confusedly.
Moonshadow once again hesitated. "Well...my family's dead. I have nowhere to go."
Misty nodded in understanding; that was why he had been alone when they found him.
"Well it's not our decision. Stay if you'd like," Lilypaka nodded.
"Wait," Campbell said. "Did Ricochet ask anyone else to stay?"
"Well...he did invite the others..." Moonshadow said nervously.
"And what did they say?" Campbell demanded.
"...Nothing...but they seemed to be considering it," Moonshadow frowned.
Misty heard Campbell curse under her breath. "What?" Misty said. "We can't stay here."
"Of course they'd think we could!" growled Campbell in annoyance. "They think this place is a paradise, since they get to be so carefree."
"They should know we can't stay," Lilypaka commented. "We have to go to that...place," she said warily, glancing at Moonshadow.
"I'll talk to them," said Campbell, standing up with an annoyed look on her face.
"No, I will," Misty insisted. Campbell would lose her temper at them, she told herself. And sure, Misty could get annoyed too sometimes, but she could control it better than her friend could.
She expected Campbell to protest, but all the gray wolf uttered was "fine" and sat back down. Misty nodded and walked past the fence to head to the boys' side, and she could feel Moonshadow following close by.
Bracken, Rhett, Koro and Ophir were with Zela and Ethan, all of them talking. Misty approached them but they didn't stop their conversation. "Hello," she said to them.
They stopped and looked up upon her arrival, looking surprise. "Hey Misty!" exclaimed Bracken.
"Why're you here?" Rhett asked in confusion. "You're usually on your side of the camp."
"I'll cross if I want to," said Misty defensively. "Now did Ricochet say something about letting you guys stay?"
The guys exchanged looks before Rhett said, "maybe."
"Did he or did he not?" Misty demanded.
"Who told you tha--" Rhett began, and then he saw Moonshadow standing not too far away. The black wolf seemed to be listening in on the conversation, Rhett scowled at him. "Of course. Filthy snitch..."
Moonshadow gave him a look and Misty turned back to the boys. "And we're not staying, right?"
"Of course we're not," Koro insisted.
Misty glanced at him. He smiled slightly, but she didn't return it. "I'm not assured."
Rhett scoffed. "Why would we stay here? We have...other stuff to do."
"Aww c'mon!" Zela protested. "You guys are cool. Why not stay?"
"We're not here to join a new group. We have a home. And a mission," Koro added.
"Mission, shmission," snorted Ethan in the beginning of laughter. "I think you'd like staying here."
"What about the girls?" Rhett said.
Zela shrugged. "They can just keep doing what they're doing."
"I think they hate it here," Ophir chuckled.
"You could ask if I do instead of pretending like I'm not here," Misty said in annoyance. "And it's okay here, but we can't stay."
"I think Misty's right," Bracken said, but he sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.
"I know I'm right," Misty insisted. "It's the selfless thing to do to leave."
"Yeha, yeah, heroicness and all that," Rhett muttered.
Misty sighed, pretty sure she couldn't make any further points. "Good. Thank you." She then turned and left the boys, who she could hear murmuring to each other as they left.
She almost made it back to her side of the camp when she felt something jump onto her back. "Mistake! How nice to see my faithful minion."
"Hey Tiggerpaka," she said, fully knowing it was the meerkat even before he jumped down in front of her.
"That black wolf, uh...Rickshy? He asked us to join his Tribe." Tiggerpaka snorted in the beginning of laughter. "He's obviously in need of a better leader, but you'll be happy to know I declined the offer. It's a shame, though. These poor Tribe boys need someone like me. But there is no one like me."
Misty glanced over at Ricochet, and her stomach lurched in fear as she realized he was listening in on Tiggerpaka's words, eyes narrowed. How far would the Tribe leader be willing to go to prevent the meerkat from becoming a new leader figure to the boys?
"Yeah..." Misty said hesitantly, prying her gaze off Ricochet and turning back to Tiggerpaka. "But, uh...right now, I have an important mission for you." She figured she needed the meerkat to do something to keep Ricochet from getting any madder at him.
Tiggerpaka lit up. "You chose the right meerkat for the job then, minion!"
"There are...flowers in the woods," Misty said darkly. "Yeah, they're this odd color, like no one has ever seen before. And they'll kill us all."
"I'll slay them!" Tiggerpaka declared, grabbing a stick that was laying nearby and holding it up.
"Good! Once you see a flower that looks threatening, destroy it," she nodded. And just like that, Tiggerpaka scampered off, yelling some sort of a battle cry. That'll keep him out of Ricochet's way, she told herself. And from getting us in trouble...

Author's Note:
First day of summer for me :D Dad let me take off the last two days lol.
So I decided to work on this TFEOB chapter, and for the first time in a while I'm watching Duck Dynasty while I work on it. :P
Hopefully since it's summer vacation I'll be working on TFEOB more, and on my new story, To Glory. The Powered Ones - which as been on hold for a while - is also due to start sometime this summer. Stay tuned!

Chapter 31: The Opposite Meeting

Liberty made her way down the hallway, ignoring the other animals on either side of her. They seemed to stray away from her, giving her looks - they still were wary of her, after what she had done. Good, Liberty told herself. Then I suppose I'm doing a good job. She was supposed to separate her opposite from the rest of the Tower anyway; it had been Ash's orders. And, as he had said to her and others, it was all part of a bigger plan.
She made her way into Ash's den. He had called her in to talk to her. Undoubtedly about how well I've been doing, she thought, a small smirk on her face as she told herself this.
Ash was examining himself in the pool that was in the leaders' den. He looked up upon her arrival. "Ah. Liberty," he said coldly.
"You asked for me?" she asked with a smile.
"Yes..." Ash murmured, and then next thing Liberty knew he was right in front of her, snarling. "What have you done, moron?!"
Liberty flinched slightly, confused. "What do you mean?"
"You know perfectly well what I mean," Ash hissed. "You let yourself be seen."
Her heart skipped a beat in alarm as she realized what he was talking about. "H-How did you--"
"Know that?" he said, scowling. "I have eyes everywhere, Liberty. They saw what they saw."
She thought for a moment before cursing to herself. Sparky. Traitor, she thought to herself. He was also on duty at the time, and nearby where she was. Who else would've told Ash what happened? "I'm...sorry," Liberty said apologetically.
Ash scoffed in the beginning of laughter - a dry laugh that wasn't at all good-hearted. "You think sorry can fix this?" he snarled. "Your opposite saw you. It could jeopardize the whole plan!"
"Then what can I do to fix this?" Liberty asked calmly.
"Nothing," Ash spat. "Nothing, Liberty. Your opposite saw you. And she's much too important to lose."
Liberty nodded, recalling the plan Ash had explained to her and the others so many times. "I know, but maybe you can manipulate her somehow. Turn it in your favor."
"Don't you think I would've if I could find a way?" Ash growled. "You messed this up, Liberty. You're worthless. I should've just left you in Yin!"
A pang of hurt flashed in Liberty - and jealousy. "I-I'm not worthless," she stammered, unable to hide any nerves from her voice.
"Yes you are," Ash snapped.
Liberty was silent, not sure how to respond. "So how...?"
"You have one more chance to prove yourself to me." He then brought his face slightly closer, and it took all of Liberty's will not to flinch away. "And if you don't succeed, you'll be begging me for death."

Liberty hesitantly responded, "but if you harm me, my opposite will also--"

"You don't know everything about opposites," he hissed. "Now--"

Suddenly there was the sound of scampering pawsteps. Ash stiffened, then quickly darted out of the room, and Liberty realized what it meant.

Someone had been eavesdropping. 

There was a yelp and the sound of a mixture of scampering and slamming pawsteps, then Ash was wrestling someone into the room, forcing them onto the floor.

It was a female wolf, that Liberty had recognized as being named Mkia.

Author's Note:

I'll be posting more in the summer, which is coming up soon; last day of school is June 16th. ^-^

Also, my grade and I are going on a field trip to an amusement park on Monday. :3

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