Chapter 53: Waiting

The patrol waited and waited for Ash to come back.
"Well, I've got to go," Flyingbird shrugged, "Leafclaw wanted me back soon, I needed to go on a territory patrol."
"Bye," Creature nodded.
With that, Flyingbird ran off.
Wonder what Treebranch and Ash are doing, Dust thought. He looked around. Rusty was talking to Crystal, (obviously, Dust told himself), Charlotte was looking quite worried, Fan was talking to Airia and Stone, Creature was talking to Light. Flare was having a conversation with Eclipse, and Slice was pacing around.
"You okay, Charlotte?" Dust asked kindly.
Charlotte shook a bit, then shook her head, "I'm worried if Ash's okay. He's been gone for a long time."
Quit worrying about Ash, Dust thought, narrowing his eyes.
"He'll be fine," Rusty nodded.
"But he has learned pretty much nothing about Bending yet," Charlotte pointed out, sighing.
"He's a brilliant fighter," Flare shrugged.
Oh yeah, he's brilliant! Dust thought angrily, a growl rising in his throat.
Rusty snickered a bit, seeing how angry Dust was.
Shut up, idiot, Dust thought, his temper rising.
Slice turned to Dust, seeing how angry he looked. "Calm down," Slice said, "what are you so angry about Dust?"
"Er, nothing," murmured Dust, trying to look calm again.
Charlotte looked confused, and she turned away, resuming back to thinking.
Why does she keep caring about Ash so much? Dust tilted his head, I wish she'd stop worrying! She could worry 'bout me instead.

Author's Note:
Heh, now you guys are still wondering about what is happening to Ash.

Chapter 52: The Escort

The next day, Ash woke up because someone kicked him in the side. He looked up to see Rusty and Dust roughhousing.
"Hey!" Ash shouted.
"Alright enough," Fan said softly, "before you kick someone else."
"Aww," Rusty complained. But, they stopped.
As soon as Creature woke up (he was last to wake up), Flyingbird and Treebranch came in. Treebranch looked like she was about to be killed by Ironfang. Flyingbird, however, looked his usual - like a mean, bossy wolf, the animal he was.
"We'll escort you out of our territory," Flyingbird nodded.
"Y-Yeah," Treebranch stuttered.
Flyingbird nudged Treebranch hard, almost knocking her over, then whispered something to Treebranch. The she-wolf nodded.
The patrol got up and headed for the exit. Ash found he was walking near Airia, and, once again, the feeling came back.
"Good luck, Flyingbird, Treebranch," Leafclaw called.
Flyingbird nodded. Treebranch, still looking shaken, nodded as well.
"What do you suppose is with her?" Ash whispered to Rusty and Dust.
"Maybe she's upset you're leaving," Rusty joked, keeping his voice low.
Treebranch glared at Rusty - Ash could tell she couldn't hear him, but could tell he was talking about her. Rusty shifted his paws.
"Alright now," Flyingbird said, "let's get moving."
The patrol began to move across the territory. Ash kept a steady pace. Rusty and Dust were holding a conversation, something about how weak Firebenders are, and Ash didn't bother to join the conversation.
Finally, they made it to the end of their territory - Ash could tell, because Flyingbird and Treebranch stopped, and, the scent of Tribe wolves came to an end.
"Here's the end of our territory," Flyingbird announced, feeling confident. Ash couldn't tell what about. He saw Flyingbird whispering something else to Treebranch, who looked bewildered and scared.
"Thank you," Fan nodded, "we'll get moving."
"Hold on," Treebranch said quickly; so quickly, Ash could only just make out what she said. "Ash, c-can I show you something?"
Flyingbird looked relived. Fan and Airia exchanged looks.
After a very long pause, Fan nodded her agreement. "He can go with you, but be quick."
"She will," Flyingbird smirked.
What is this all about? Ash thought, and he began to panic, as Treebranch led him back through the forest.
Finally, Treebranch came to a stop. She hesitated, then turned to face Ash.
"What?" Ash asked, his voice shaky with fear.
Treebranch looked sad. "Ash, I'm really sorry about this! But I was ordered to do so..." Unexpectedly, she jumped on Ash, who tried to run, but he got knocked out.

Author's Note:
Wow. You can never trust Tribe wolves, can you? What do you reckon they want with Ash?

Chapter 51: Hanging 'Round

"Hey, Ash," Dust whispered.
Ash turned to Dust. The prisoner den was quite large, so they had plenty of room.
"What?" Ash whispered back.
"We think that, er, you know that wolf? Treebranch?" Rusty tilted his head.
"Course I do," Ash nodded.
"From how she acts, we think she might, er," Rusty tried to say.
"Like you," Dust said quickly.
"What?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "She's a Tribe wolf, I can't live here."
"Exactly," Dust shrugged.
"Which is why," Rusty began.
"She ought to figure it out," Dust continued.
"By herself," Rusty finished.
Ash couldn't hold back a small laugh at how the two littermates finished each others' scentences.
"What's the plan gonna be?" Ash turned to Fan.
"We're gonna stay here for a day, and then we'll continue for the Water Tribe," Fan explained.
"Okay," Rusty nodded.
The patrol stayed silent for a while, with nothing to really do. Ash studied his paws, bored. He glanced up and saw Airia talking to Stone in a low voice.
"So," Charlotte muttered, "what happens next?"
As if on queue, two wolves came in. One was very small; she looked like an apprentice. The other looked like an apprentice, too.
"Here you go," squeaked the very small one. She slid two shrews towards the patrol.
"Here's a few prey in addition to Mousetail's-" the other began.
"Whoa," Ash grew wide-eyed, "she's a warrior?"
Rusty and Dust laughed. As soon as the scentence escaped Ash's mouth, he wished he could put the words back in.
"Thanks," Mousetail said coldly, "I knew you wouldn't make fun of my size."
"I'm sorry, but-"
"Doesn't matter now," Mousetail snapped, "it's out of your mouth already."

Author's Note:
We got a small warrior in the Tribe, eh? XD

Chapter 50: The Den

"We found these animals passing by our territory, Leafclaw," Flyingbird said in an un-friendly voice.
"Hmm." Leafclaw tilted his head. He walked up to Ash and studied him.
"That dark gray wolf was hunting," Crow mumbled.
Leafclaw turned to look at Crow. "He was now, was he?"
"Yes," Crow confirmed.
"Sorry," Ash dipped his head, "I didn't know this was your territory."
"None of us knew this was your territory," Fan added.
Leafclaw walked up to the peahen. "You're a peahen, eh?"
"Does it look like it?" Fan said coldly.
Then, Leafclaw walked up the small hill. "Let all of those Tribe wolves old enough to battle the Tribe Of Fire gather under Leader Hill for a meeting."
Tribe Of Fire? Ash thought. Sort of like their Firebenders.
Slowly, the Tribe wolves began emerging from their bramble dens. Some looked friendly, others looked cruel, like Flyingbird.
"Okay now," Leafclaw continued, "we will let them stay in our camp for a while. But they must leave soon to continue their journey to who-knows-where."
Ash narrowed his eyes. Well, that's not a leader as friendly as Goldwing.
"Treebranch," Leafclaw nodded to the she-wolf, "go show them to the prisoner den."
"Prisoner den?!" Stone growled.
Treebranch, however, beamed. "Of course!"
Ash shook his head. This'll be a long stay.
The patrol followed Treebranch. She took them to a big hole, which was next to another hole.
"The hole on the right is the prison den," Treebranch explained. "The one on the left is the medicine wolf den."
As the patrol entered their new den, Ash could feel Treebranch's eyes looking at him. As he turned around, he saw her smile.

Author's Note:
So the patrol is staying in a hole. What fun. XD

Chapter 49: Into The Tribe

"Go with you?" Stone growled.
Treebranch looked at the raccoon. "Why not? We can provide food and shelter for you."
"We don't care," Stone snapped, "we're perfectly capable of looking after ourselves, thanks."
"Don't you want some help?" Crow glared.
"Not at all," Airia narrowed her eyes.
"Yeah, we're able to go to the Water Tribe ourselves," Rusty growled.
"Come on," Treebranch begged, "you'll be able to rest for a few days."
"She's right," Fan shrugged.
"It'd be good to have a rest," Eclipse agreed.
"Okay," Flyingbird nodded, "now follow us."
Why do they so badly want us to go with them? Ash thought curiously.
The patrol walked through the woods. There was a small creek, which everyone just stepped over. It wasn't too big, so they didn't have to leap.
Crow walked alongside Flyingbird, every once and a while murmuring something to him. They were having their own conversation.
Treebranch seemed like she was recently out of some kind of apprenticeship. Maybe apprentice have only the first part of their name, Ash guessed.
"Excuse me, Treebranch," Ash turned to her.
"Yes?" She nodded.
"Do you have apprentices in your Tribe?" Ash asked.
"Yes," Treebranch answered. "We have pups, which become apprentices. An apprentice becomes a warrior. Then we have deputies, which are second-in-command. And finally, we have our leader."
"Why does Flyingbird have the same name as the Tribe?" Ash questioned.
"It's prophesied he has some sort of destiny," Treebranch shrugged.
The patrol finally made it to the camp. It was full of wolves - they were, walking along, putting prey in a pile, some eating, others sleeping.
The camp was like a square. The entrance was on the right side of the camp, where Ash and the patrol were entering. In the top left corner was a den made of brambles. The smallest wolves Ash had ever seen were playing around in it, giggling and roughhousing.
In the middle of the left wall was another bramble den. In it were some more small pups, some were big however.
In the bottom left corner was an old log, laying on its side. In it were some old wolves.
On the top of a small hill was a huge bramble den. Ash couldn't see in it, so he didn't know what was in it.
At the top right corner was a bigger bramble den, filled with wolves. Must be the 'warriors'' den, Ash told himself.
"Strange place," Dust commented.
"Agreed," Rusty nodded, "they live out in the open?"
The den on top of the hill rustled. Out came a strong wolf, he looked like a great fighter. Right away, Ash felt respect for him.
"Treebranch, Flyingbird," he called, "who are these animals?"

Author's Note:
If you're confused with how I described the camp, just imagine you're a bird looking down on it from the sky, it's a lot easier that way.

Chapter 48: Three Wolves

As the patrol moved on, Dust's words rang in Ash's head like a never fading echo. I don't want this to happen! Ash growled in frustration.
"Alright now," Stone said, "we're nearing the forest."
"Oh, really?" Rusty said coldly. Crystal chuckled.
Stone narrowed her eyes. "Boy, Rusty, if you want a fight, I'll give you a fight."
"Bring it!" Rusty challenged.
"Stop it," Charlotte snapped, "we can't be fighting amongst ourselves."
"Charlotte's right," Dust agreed quickly.
Of course she is, Ash rolled his eyes.
"So anyways," Airia continued for Stone, "once we get in the forest, keep your guard up for any Firebenders. They might be waiting to attack us."
"Okay," Ash nodded quickly.
Only Ash could hear Dust snicker.
The patrol finally entered the forest. Ash sniffed the air. He couldn't smell any Firebenders - only prey, and wolves.
Probably Rusty, Dust and I, Ash shrugged, thinking to himself.
They walked on. Ash sniffed the air. He could smell a rabbit.
"Can I go hunting?" He asked Fan.
"Sure," Fan nodded.
Ash tip-toed among the forest. He finally spotted the rabbit by a bush, unaware of the patrol's presence. It was eating some berries.
While it was distracted, Ash crawled along the ground, being careful where he stepped.
Finally, Ash jumped in the air. Inside of him, he was actually hoping Airia was watching him hunting the rabbit.
Suddenly, something hit Ash in the side. It pinned him. Ash looked up to see a wolf standing over him. It was much bigger than himself. The wolf was dark gray with a white underbelly.
"What do you think you're doing?" The wolf growled at Ash.
"I was only hunt-hunting!" Ash gasped.
"Flyingbird, whatcha got there?"
The gray wolf turned around. Ash saw that there was a light brown wolf with darker brown paws, and a black wolf with a white underbelly, and green eyes.
"An intruder, Treebranch," Flyingbird growled.
"What fun," the black wolf mumbled.
Looks we got another Stone, Ash joked with himself.
Suddenly, Treebranch gasped at Ash. "You're..."
"What, pathetic?" Stone sneered.
Treebranch shook her head. "...Nevermind. Anyways, where are you going to?"
"The Water Tribe," said Dust.
"What?" The black wolf tilted his head.
"You don't know of it?" Airia asked.
"Yeah. Like Crow, we have no idea what it is," Flyingbird shrugged.
"What is your group of wolves called?" Stone asked.
"The Tribe Of Flying Birds," Treebranch nodded.

Author's Note:
If you looke on the Meet The Benders page, you'll see Flyingbird's tribe.

Chapter 47: Say What?

"Seeing everything is okay now," Masang said, "I'll go back to Mt. Ice."
"You're not coming with us?" Charlotte sighed.

"No," Masang shook his head, "I'll see you guys on your journey back. Have a safe trip!"
"You too!" Dust called, as the blue rabbit hopped away towards the clouds.

Ash looked at Airia. He felt a strange feeling where his heart was. Like he did something good and someone complimented him for it.
What is this feeling? Ash asked himself. He was confused.
The patrol walked on, and Ash kept testing the feeling. He looked at Willow. No happy feeling. He then looked at Airia. The happy feeling came back.
"Now," Stone called, "we're halfway to the Water Tribe-"
"YES!" Rusty yowled triumphantly.
"Eh...As I was saying, we're halfway there. We need to walk through a forest, across a 'rickety' bridge, and we'll enter the Water Tribe. It's kind of cold there, but not as cold as Mt. Ice," Stone finished.
"Oh, great," Charlotte complained, "I don't want to be cold again!"
"You'll be fine Charlotte," Dust nodded, "your fur'll keep you warm."
As the patrol kept walking through the pasture, Ash kept thinking about the feeling he got every time he looked at Airia. Hatred? No, it couldn't be hatred, it was a good feeling.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but...maybe Dust knows. Ash turned to Dust, and, as usual, the feeling faded away.
"Hey, Dust," Ash whispered.
Dust turned to look at Ash. "Yes?"
"Erm...when I look at Airia, I get this weird feeling..." Ash began. He didn't quite know how to explain it.
Dust chuckled. "That? Oh, that just means you like Airia, nothing too bad."
Say what?!?! Ash thought in alarm.

Author's Note:
Like Perry4464 always says (hope I got the numbers in Perry's user right): "Dun, dun, dun...." Who's more evil? Ironfang, or me? >:D

Chapter 46: Unlikely Hero

"Ash!" Charlotte shouted.
Ash began to tred water. He quickly reminded himself not to breath if he fell under it - he remembered the river expirience.
"Help!" Ash coughed. The water forced him further back into the lake. Only the tip of Ash's paws could touch the bottom of the river - it felt murky and slimy.
Ash then tripped and fell under the water. Eyes closed tightly, Ash broke the surface, and breathed heavily, until he fell back into the water.
"Someone get help!" Ash yowled in frustration.
"We'll-we'll try!" Eclipse called.
"Stop taking our friend, undertow!" Rusty yowled.
"Yeah!" Dust shouted, and both of them jumped into the river.
Ash rolled his eyes. "You guys aren't very smart."
"Erm...yeah," Rusty admitted.
"I learned how to swim though!" Dust admitted proudly, "and here, it's every animal for himself, so see you!" And with that, Dust swam back to shore without helping Ash or Rusty.
"Come on!" Rusty rolled his eyes, "he probably only did that to impress Charlotte."
"Well, why don't you swim up there and try to impress Crystal?" Ash said coldly.
"Okay," Rusty shrugged. He swam to shore.
"DON'T YOU GET SARCASM WHEN YOU HEAR IT?!" Ash roared.
"All right," Rusty said, "we need a plan."
Ash listened to their conversation.
"How about you two swim out there and grab Ash?" Airia said coldly.
"We don't want to risk our lives!" Dust growled, "you got us into this mess, Airia, why don't you get us out of it?"
"Don't tell me what to do," Airia narrowed her eyes.
"Dust's right," Charlotte glared, "you go help Ash!"
"Fine," Airia sighed in frustration. Ash grew wide-eyed as she flew over the river. She's actually going to help me?
Then, Airia picked up Ash by the scruff, and then placed him on shore.
"Be more careful next time," Airia said to Ash, then walked off, leaving Ash feeling a little different.

Author's Note:
Four words: I. Am. Too. Evil.

Chapter 45: Mystic Shore

"Well, we're nearing the clouds," Masang commented.
The patrol was still heading up the hill, and Masang was right; they were getting closer to the clouds above. Once they walked through the clouds, then they'd be out of the Mt. Ice range, and they'd be closer to Mystic Shore.
"I can't wait," Rusty bounced around. "I want to get to the Water Tribe as soon as possible!"
"We all do, Rusty," Charlotte laughed.
"I'll be first to run in," Dust challenged.
"No, I will!" Rusty said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Ash rolled his eyes. Does it really matter who's in first?
As the patrol walked on, Ash found that he was first to step through the clouds. It was very warm - a pasture was in front of Ash, like on the other side of the Mt. Ice range.
Rusty and Dust crashed through the clouds.
"Aww, Ash was first!" Rusty complained.
"You know, it doesn't matter," Ash rolled his eyes again.
The rest of the patrol came through. Masang walked with them as well.
"Once we get to Mystic Shore," Masang explained, "I'll turn back."
"But you might get eaten by predators," Flare noted.
"I'll be fine," Masang chuckled, "I've survived till now, why should I die at this random time?"
"He's got a point," Charlotte pointed out, and the patrol walked on.
At first, it seemed to Ash that it was just pastures as far as the eye could see. But then, he saw there was a hill. And down below was a beach-like area. There was sand all around, and a huge river. Beyond it seemed the sand never ended. Far, far into the distance, however, was a forest.
"Let's go," Crystal shrugged. She walked down the patrol, Rusty walking after her. The rest of the patrol followed, Dust walking alongside Charlotte.
"I'm thirsty," Ash commented, then he turned to Airia. "Can we get a drink?"
Airia rolled her eyes. "Knock yourself out."
"I'm not going to knock myself out!" Rusty growled, "are you insane, Airia?"
"No, but you might be," Airia retorted.
Ash trotted up the river. He bent down to get a drink. As he slurped up the water, the sand became slippery with water. Ash found that he fell into the river.

Author's Note:
This is where the undertow comes in...

Chapter 44: Thinking

"Come on," Rusty jumped around, "don't you think it'd be funny if Mystic Shore was a giant sea monster? And the undertow was its tongue?"
"Yeah, sure..." Crystal rolled her eyes.
The patrol was nearing the clouds. A wind buffeted Ash; he was carried off his paws, but then he dug his claws into the hill and climbed up.
"Are you okay?" Charlotte asked.
"Fine," Ash sighed.
Eclipse began to laugh. "Let's not start the whole hill episode all over again, Ash."
Ash flattened his ears against his head. Then, he suddenly got an idea. Eclipse is the Healer apprentice, Ash thought to himself, the Healer is supposed to be wise.
"Eclipse," Ash whispered.
"Yes?" Eclipse nodded.
Stone was near the front with Masang. Ash sighed with relief and continued. "Do you know about Stone's past?"
Eclipse thought a bit, then shook her head. "No," she said reluctantly. "All I know is that Feather told be Stone wasn't born at The Bending Tower."
That's kind of normal, Ash thought, lots of animals at The Bending Tower were born orphans.
As Ash thought more, he heard Dust talking to Charlotte.
"So the undertow is basically the waters pulling you into the middle of the river, lake or ocean?" Dust asked.
"Yes," Charlotte confirmed, "then you die out there after you get tired of swimming, because you drown underwater. Either that, or you get saved."
Ash shuddered with fear as he imagined the water sucking him deep into the water. He snapped back to reality. I'll worry about that later, he thought, I need to know Stone's past.
As Ash began thinking, he suddenly realized, since Eclipse said she wasn't born at The Bending Tower...maybe she did something at the place she used to live.


Author's Note:
What do you think about Stone's past? Ash is trying to figure things out, eh?

Chapter 43: The Place That's Like A Nightmare

Far off past the mountains, through the valleys, past the Water Tribe and all the villages, lived a city. It was red, lit up by the lights and volcano. It was very hot in that area, with all of the fire.
No living thing dared go near the city. It was a horrible place, a place only for the most evil animals to ever exist.
A wolf walked up to a viper. It nodded his respect to the snake.
"News?" The snake got taller, standing on the end of its tail.
"Yes, I gathered info. I know something..." The black wolf growled.
"Good. You'd be in big trouble if nothing was learnt, you know that," the yellow snake flicked her tongue.
"Yes, of course I know," the black wolf nodded.
The main gate to the city opened. A hawk jumped outside.
"Ah, you're back," the hawk said coolly.
"He's got information," the snake nodded.
"How perfect," the hawk sighed, "come on in, he's waiting."
The hawk lead the black wolf into the city. Many animals walked around the city. We'd never be beaten, the black wolf thought with a smug look, all of us have many animals on our side.
Most of the animals in the city joined because the wanted to. Some joined because they feared the animals who lived there, and if they said no, they'd be killed.
"Where is he?" The black wolf asked.
Suddenly, an owl came flying in. He hit his head on the wall, fell onto his feet, stumbled, and fell down.
The black wolf jumped and put his paw on the owl's chest. "What is it Cackle?"
The barn owl breathed heavy, beings the black wolf's heavy paw was on him. "Iron..." Cackle wheezed, "...fang wants to...see you..."
"Good," the black wolf narrowed his eyes, picked up Cackle by the wing, and threw him across the city. He screamed in terror and he was thrown, but no one cared about the barn owl.
The hawk hopped along, and the black wolf continued to follow. None of the others picked their heads up as the two animals walked on by. No one paid any attention.
There was a lake area in the city as the two animals walked by. A huge great white sharked jumped out of the lake, and did a backflip into the water.
"Seems that Alacazame is practicing," the hawk commented.
Finally, both of them approached the gates to their leader's room. No one at the moment was guarding it.
"Where are the guards...?" The black wolf looked around.
Suddenly, the wolf was hit to the side. He looked up to see that another barn owl, a bigger owl, had hit him and pinned him.
"Beaten by an owl," the owl joked.
The black wolf bared his teeth. "Nyra, I threw your assistant across the city, I can throw you, too."
"Cackle?" Nyra laughed. "He's small! He couldn't be thrown two inches without living. Like I'd care about some stupid little barn owl. I shouldn't be responsible for him!"
"I can see why you hate Skye," the hawk rolled his eyes.
"Indeed I do, Firetalon, indeed I do," Nyra narrowed her eyes at the hawk. "Hate her with all my heart."
"Can you get off me?" The black wolf growled, and bit Nyra's leg.
"Ouch!" Nyra hopped off. She looked at a torch on the wall.
"No, Nyra, no! Not now!" The black wolf protested.
Then, the doors busted open. A crocodile crawled out.
"Idiots!" The croc growled. "Ironfang is growing impatient, and boy do the Darkbenders know he gets in a bad mood once he grows impatient!"
The black wolf and Firetalon exchanged worried glances. When their leader was angry, it was not a good thing.
"Let's go," Firetalon nodded to the now closed gates. Both animals walked in.
It was dark in the building. Only a few red lamps lit up the place. The lamps enabled the black wolf to be able to see Firetalon's face. Both of them could see each other, but just barely.
"You're here," came a voice. It was a bit high-pitched and sounded scary.
"Yes, Ironfang," the black wolf bowed.
"There was word you had news, Fang?" Ironfang asked.
"He does indeed have news to say," Firetalon nodded.
There was no response after a while. Then, Ironfang spoke.
"Firetalon, I want you out of here," Ironfang snapped, "this is just for Fang and I."
"Sorry, sir!" Firetalon panicked. "Is there anyway I can-"
"NOW!" The bobcat roared.
Scared, Firetalon quickly flew out of the building.
Fang became scared. His pelt was hot with nervousness. He didn't want to make the bobcat leader mad.
"Now, where were we?" Ironfang prompted calmly.
"I-I have news," Fang began. "The Waterbenders in the Water Tribe are growing weaker-"
"Good, good, good," Ironfang laughed evilly. "That will show those Waterbenders not to stand up to us Firebenders. We will take their land."
"But, but that m-may not work," Fang could tell his voice was getting a bit high-pitched, since he was so scared.
"WHAT?!" Ironfang shouted. "That's an outrage! Why won't it work?"
Fang found himself tackled by Ironfang. The bobcat had him pinned. Fang could not see his leader in the darkness - in fact, no one ever saw Ironfang's face. If he ever had to step out of his place, he'd wear a hood to hide his face.
"B-Because..." Fang wheezed. Ironfang was pressing down on his chest, like Fang did with Cackle. But Ironfang was way stronger than Fang himself. "...Because the Water Tribe is...is getting...help..."
"HELP?!" Ironfang growled, pushing down harder. Fang thought he'd never breathe again. "From who?!"
"G-Gold..." Fang drew in breaths quickly. "Goldwing's Benders..."
"Goldwing??" Ironfang growled. He let go of Fang, and Fang quickly jumped to his paws. "That idiot is coming to help the Water Tribe? If he wants a war, so be it. We'll murder Goldwing's Benders!" And with that, Ironfang let out an evil laugh.

Author's Note:
Ironfang sounds kinda scary, huh?

Chapter 42: Down The Hill

The patrol walked out of Mt. Ice, Masang leading the group into the snow. Ash was cold once again.
Crystal and Flare were at the end of the patrol, Stone staying near them. Lots of animals know something about Stone, Ash thought, but what? It seems that none of us know it… Ash looked at Airia. But maybe Airia knows; she’s Stone’s best friend, after all.
Ash looked at Dust and was about to speak, only to find he was looking at Charlotte. He sighed – it was clear that Dust liked Charlotte.
“Er, Dust,” Ash began.
“Yes?” Dust turned to Ash quickly.
“There’s no need for, er, what you’ve been feeling,” Ash tried to say in a nice way, “it’s a long way off. Besides, she probably doesn’t like you too much…”
Dust glared at Ash. “Who are you to say that? I can wait, and besides, I can change her mind!”
“She’s all yours,” Ash looked away. I’ll talk to him about Stone later.
Rusty was walking along with Crystal, laughing and talking.
“You sound so clumsy, Rusty,” Crystal laughed.
“I know! Dust and I bonked heads, and Ash got tangled up in it too!” Rusty laughed along.
Ash sighed. Those two seem to know their future! He joked with himself.
“Alright now,” Masang turned to the group. “All we have to do is head down the mountain, then go back up the next hill.”
“Sounds good,” Stone nodded.
Ash looked at Airia. He wanted to know about Stone. He knew Airia probably wouldn’t tell him, because he was nothing to her. I have to try this.
“Air-Airia?” Ash stuttered.
Airia sighed in frustration. “What is it, Ash…”
“Do you know anything…” Ash looked at Stone to make sure the raccoon wasn’t listening. When Ash knew she wasn’t, he turned back to Airia. “Anything about Stone’s past?”
Airia looked at Ash for a while. Then she glared at him. “Yes,” she growled, “I know all about it.” She got so close to his face that their noses were only a whiskers’ length apart. “And why should I tell you? You weren’t born at The Bending Tower-"
“He’s been here long enough!” Charlotte snapped. “Honestly, Airia, do you trust anyone?”
“I trust Stone,” Airia turned on her apprentice, “I trust you. Believe it or not, I also trust Rusty and Dust! But,” she turned to Ash, “I don’t trust animals born outside The Bending Tower!”
“Stone was born outside The Bending Tower!” Charlotte retorted, “and you trust her!”
“I got to know her,” Airia snarled, “and I got to know you. If I know outsiders well, then I trust them.” Airia turned to Ash. “But this wolf, I do not trust!”
“You’ve known him for a long time!” Charlotte growled, “for at least a moon!”
It's been a moon already? Ash thought.
“Not long enough,” Airia glared, “now stop arguing with your mentor, Charlotte, or I’ll delay the time you get out of your apprenticeship!”
Charlotte looked hurt. She hung her head, and Dust walked over to her.
“It’s okay,” Dust nodded, “Airia’s in one of her moods.”
“She always is,” Charlotte whispered. Ash could only just hear her. “I wish Airia would stop being so grumpy…”

Author’s Note:
Ooh…looks like Rusty and Dust are changing a bit…Seems Airia still doesn’t like Ash!

Chapter 41: Two Wolves

After everyone was full and ready, Masang hopped toward the entrance.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" He said, "let's head off."
The patrol walked towards Masang, who waited in place.
Suddenly, there was a streak of black, with a bit of orange following it. In a heartbeat, Ash saw that a black wolf had pinned Masang.
"Get off me!" Masang wailed.
"A rabbit that talks?" The black wolf turned to the orange. "Never saw one before."
"Mm," the orange wolf mumbled.
"Hey!" Airia growled. She rammed into the black wolf and pinned it.
Ash noticed that the black wolf looked extremely thin - and so did the orange wolf. The orange wolf was smaller than Rusty. It had a yellow underbelly and red and yellow fire marks.
"Watch it!" The black wolf snarled, "Flare and I need to eat something!"
"Well, you can't eat this rabbit!" Charlotte snapped.
"So you want us to starve?" The black wolf pressed her ears against her head.
"We'd rather you do that than eat Masang," Dust growled, "who are you?"
"I'm Crystal," the black wolf growled, "and that's Flare," she nodded at the orange wolf.
Slice became wide-eyed. "Crystal? Flare?" Her eyes sparkled with happiness. "You're alive?"
"Why wouldn't we be?" Flare smiled. "We escaped."
"I...I thought Ironfang had killed you!" Slice sighed with relief.
"We escaped the falling post," Crystal nodded.
"Let's get moving," Stone sighed with annoyance.
"Yeah. Bye Crystal and...er...Flare," Airia walked towards the entrance.
Rude, Ash thought, and he followed her.
"Hey!" Crystal ran to Airia. Then she stopped. "Er...can we go with you?"
"Why in the name of the Peacebenders would you?" Stone growled.
"Because," Crystal walked closed to Stone, their noses a mouse-length away. "Maybe we'll give away someone's secret."
Stone grew wide-eyed. Ash exchanged confused looks with Rusty and Dust.
Finally, Stone gulped and nodded. "You can come..."

Author's Note:
Blackmail....something we all use to get our ways. Thanks to Eeveelord for Crystal and Flare!

Chapter 40: Charlotte's Explanation

Prey finally came to the patrol. They ate like wild animals because, well, they are.
Masang and Fan kept back from the eating animals. Masang stayed back further, because he didn't trust hungry predators.
Ash was first done. He sat up and licked his paw. He turned to Masang. "This is your cave?" he asked.
"Yep," Masang nodded.
"Well, sorry we had to come in..." Fan apologized.
"It's okay," Masang said, "I accept all visitors, except Firebenders."
Ash looked at Slice, and saw she looked like she was panicking.
"We should get moving soon," Stone suggested when everyone was done eating.
"Do we have to?" Rusty sighed in frustration. "It's kind of warm in here. It's cold out there."
"I can guide you to Mystic Shore," Masang turned to Stone.
"You can?" Creature titled his head.
"Mystic Shore?" Ash echoed, confused.
"Once we leave Mt. Ice," Charlotte began to explain, "we go up another hill-"
"Good, I won't be able to fall again," Rusty laughed with relief.
"-And then there's a huge lake with water by it. We call it Mystic Shore, because some has disappeared when they walked by," Charlotte finished.
Ash became wide-eyed. He exchanged looks with Dust, then turned back to Charlotte. "Why did they disappear?"
"Most likely the undertow," Charlotte shrugged.
"What's an undertow?" Slice looked confused.
"An undertow," Dust began, "is when the waves pull back to the water. It can take others into the water."
Dust looked pleased with his knowledge. Charlotte looked impressed. Ash was bewildered. What if the undertow of Mystic Shore took away someone from the patrol?

Author's Note:
Better begin to comment, guys, or your character might be taken by the undertow! >:D I put up a quiz on the "Fun Stuff" page.

Chapter 39: Hunger Problems

Ash began to get hungry. Masang was lucky - he had a stash of carrots behind a rock. Not that I want to eat carrots, Ash told himself, I just want food.
It looked like everyone was hungry. Fan had found a few bugs and ate them, so she wasn't hungry at all. The meat-eaters, however, were starving.
"Let's just eat Masang," Rusty mumbled.
"No!" Charlotte protseted, "he's an innocent rabbit!"
"But we'll no longer be hungry!" Rusty pointed out.
"We shouldn't eat Masang," Dust sided with Charlotte. "He's a friend."
Of course Dust would side with Charlotte, Ash fought back an eye roll. He didn't want to eat Masang, so he'd side himself with Charlotte as well.
"Airia," Charlotte called to the winged wolf, "when do we get to eat?"
"We'll go hunting soon," Airia promised.
"Thank the Peacebenders!" Rusty sighed with relief.
"I'm starving," Stone mumbled.
Ash again thought he could hear something behind him. But when he whipped around, there was nothing.

Author's Note:
Ash is always hearing pawsteps a lot since the journey, hasn't he? Wonder who it could be...

Chapter 38: Morning

Ash awoke the next morning. He expected himself to be in The Bending Tower, but quickly remembered he was still in the cave in Mt. Ice.
Ash was not completely warm, yet he wasn't completely cold. The fire was still going.
Rusty and Dust were awake, talking together. Ash stretched and walked over to his friends.
"Hello," Ash said with a nod of his head.
"Hi Ash!" Rusty smiled.
"Morning, Ash," Dust nodded.
Charlotte woke up. She stretched and looked towards the cave entrance, where Stone and Airia were sitting guard.
Dust studied Charlotte for a while. Ash got wide-eyed.
"Er..." Ash was about to say something, but words failed him. It looked like Rusty was holding back a laugh.
"Where's that Masang guy?" Rusty questioned.
"He's somewhere near the back of the cave," Ash explained. "At least, I think he's there."
"Yeah..." Rusty then looked next to Ash with round eyes. "Either that, or he's sneaking up on you about to jump."
"Wha-?" Ash felt something hop on his head.
"Gotcha!" Came a voice, unmistakably belonging to Masang.
Ash looked up at the blue bunny. "Er, do you mind?"
"Mind what?" Masang laughed. He jumped onto Dust's head, and Dust quickly snapped to reality.
"Hey, blue rabbit, get off my head," Dust said coldly.
"All rightie then," Masang nodded.
"NO!" Rusty barked. He ran towards the back of the cave.
Stone growled. "That kid is going to drive me crazy."
Masang jumped off Dust's head and onto the ground. "So, what's going on?"
"Nothing," Ash shrugged.
"Does it look like anything is going on?" Rusty rolled his eyes.
"Not really," Masang shrugged. He grabbed a carrot placed behind a rock. "Anyways, I'll be eating breakfast. See you later."
Author's Note:
About the Dust part...excuse my crazy ideas. :3

Chapter 37: The Blue Rabbit

Finally, the patrol made it to the bottom of the hill. Ash was colder than ever. He felt like his paws would freeze to ice.
It was so cloudy, all Ash could see of Mt. Ice was a black figure. He couldn't see any details.
"It's ch-chilly!" Charlotte gasped.
"Yeah," Dust agreed. He huddled up with Rusty for warmth.
The patrol headed for Mt. Ice. Airia was least cold. Ash could tell she was a little cold, but she didn't look as cold as the others.
"C-Come on," Fan's beak chattered. The patrol headed towards Mt. Ice.
Once they got near it, Ash marveled at how tall it was. It was way in the sky.
Something crunched behind Ash. He whipped around. When he did, he saw nothing, however.
They began to hike up the mountain. The snow was chilly under Ash's underbelly. Charlotte climbed on his right side, and Rusty and Dust climbed on his left side. Fan was gliding up the mountain, Creature was climbing behind Ash, Stone was ahead of the patrol, Airia was flying up Mt. Ice with Slice on her back.
"Why does S-Slice get to be c-carried?" Dust protested.
"Because as a Firebenders, she's very sensitive to snow," Creature explained, "so Airia volunteered to carry her up Mt. Ice."
Ash nodded. It made sense - if Firebenders lived near a volcano where it was hot, the cold shock would startle Slice.
As the patrol climbed further, they spotted a cave. It was big, and by the smell, nothing was in it.
"Why are we climbing up Mt. Ice? C-Can't we j-just continue the short way?" Rusty wondered aloud.
"Because we need shelter for the night," Ash answered.
"Mm," Dust nodded.
The patrol finally made it into the cave. It was warmer than the mountain was. Ash thought he heard pawsteps behind him, but once again, nothing was there.
When Slice entered, she created a fire to warm them up. For the first time in the journey towards Mt. Ice, Ash felt warm.
When he sniffed the air, Ash could smell a rabbit. He was confused.
"Why do I smell rabbit?" He asked Fan.
Fan started thinking. Then, she looked at Ash. "I just remembered! A-"
"Hello," said a voice.
The patrol turned around. By the wall was a blue bunny. He had metal gloves and a weird stick with fuzz on the ends. The fuzz-ends were on his ears.
"Who are you?" Dust asked.
"My name is Masang," the bunny nodded.
"And what's that...that fuzz on your ears?" Ash asked. Seeing a rabbit, he felt the urge to pounce on it and eat it.
"Humans call it 'earmuffs'. It keeps your ears from getting too cold," Masang explained. "Humans dropped them on the snow, so I grabbed them and put them on."
"Lucky," Rusty mumbled.
"No, you're lucky," Masang sighed. "I want to live in The Bending Tower. But Goldwing said I couldn't."
"What?" Ash gasped. Goldwing would never be so mean. "Why did Goldwing say no?"
"Because," Masang began, "there are too many predators there. I'd be a wolf if I could. But I was born a rabbit. So Goldwing said I couldn't stay because of too many predators."
"Well, it's kinda good..." Charlotte said, "because we would've eaten you in no time flat."
Masang looked at her. "You guys aren't eating me now!"
Rusty sort of looked like he was having some sort of seizure. "You have no idea what I'm going through to not pounce on you and eat you!"
Masang grew wide-eyed. "Er, I'm going to be on the far end of the cave..." with that, he hopped away.

Author's Note:
Masang belongs to Greenmax. Thanks for your character, Greenmax! Sorry I had to have you wait so long.

Chapter 36: The Story Continues

"Anyways," Slice continued, "if the leader of the Firebenders is who you're battling, you don't stand a chance."
"What animal is the Firebender leader?" Rusty asked.
"He's a bobcat," Slice responded, "named Ironfang."
There was a long silence. Ash looked at Rusty and Dust.
Suddenly, Dust bursted out laughing.
"A bobcat leading the Firebenders?" Dust laughed. "Wolves are much bigger than bobcats!"
"It's no laughing matter," Stone narrowed her eyes. "I met him before."
"But still, I'll bet we could beat him in no time flat," Dust insisted, "Rusty and I are very strong Benders!"
"Right..." Charlotte chuckled.
They kept heading down the hill. Ash was still very cold.
"Ironfang keeps guards posted at every exit," Slice went on, "so you have no idea what I went through to escape."
"At least you're alive now," Rusty shrugged.
Slice looked at him. "Ironfang almost killed me."
Rusty jumped back in alarm. "What?!" As he stumbled back from the jump, he tripped over a rock and started rolling down the hill.
"Not again...This hill is more dangerous than I thought," Ash commented, running after his friend. He picked Rusty up and put him on his paws.
"Whew...thanks Ash," Rusty nodded.

Author's Note:
My brother created Ironfang, the bobcat. He didn't comment it, but he told me about the character in real life. Rusty's pretty clumsy, don't you think? :3

Chapter 35: The Ceremony

"Benders! Gather!" Came Goldwing's yowl.
Spots's legs where shaking with anxiety. He had passed his assessment.  He'd be a full Airbender. I can't wail to tell Ash, Rusty and Dust!
All the Benders gathered around. Spots sat next to Mystery.
"Benders," Goldwing continued, "according to Kabu, Spots is ready to become a full Airbender."
Murmurs broke out among the crowd of animals. Spots looked around. Would they think he was good enough to be a full Airbender?
Goldwing looked up to the blue sky. "Peacebenders, hear my words as I make Spots into a full Airbender. He has worked hard to understand Airbending, and is ready to take his turn to become a full Airbender. Spots, do you agree that you are ready to be an Airbender, and that you can take on all of these responsibilities?"
"Of course!" Spots wagged his tail.
"Then with the help of the Peacebenders, you may get your wish. Spots, when I tap your head, the Peacebenders' powers will make you stronger, faster, and a better Bender." Goldwing walked forward and tapped Spots on the head.
Suddenly, Spots felt a rush of strength. He felt much stronger than he used to. I'll bet I could throw Kabu across the territory!
After that was over, Spots could feel a rush of energy. He felt like he wanted to run and run forever, faster than the fastest Firebender.
Soon it stopped.
"Spots, you are officially a full Airbender. Welcome, Spots." Goldwing nodded.
"Good job, Spots!" Mystery smiled.
"Yay, Spots!" Called out Amur.
"Congratulations," Rockfall nodded.
If my mother and father are watching me now, Spots thought, they'll be so proud!

Author's Note:
Spots is now a full Airbender! Congratulations, Spots! Did you know Spots's parents died? Poor Spots. D=

Chapter 34: Story

The further the group went down the cloudy hill, the colder Ash got. He was shaking in his pelt. I feel like I'll never feel the heat again! Ash thought, his teeth chattering.
Slice looked cold, too. She was shuttering, walking beside Charlotte. Stone was keeping a close eye on the Firebender pup.
"Why are we helping a Firebender?" Rusty turned to Dust.
"I quit Firebending," Slice narrowed her eyes. "It's cruel and evil. I don't want to be evil. I want to be on the good side."
"If you're a Firebender," Fan said, "what do you know about the Firebenders' plans?"
Slice looked seriously at Fan. "I know little," she explained, "because I had just became an apprentice and then ran away from camp. You have no idea what I went through to get out."
"Tell us everything about Firebenders," Creature pleaded.
Slice hesitated, then nodded. "Okay. But it'll be a long story."
Ash perked his ears. He wanted to know a lot about Firebenders. He walked along with the group, waiting for Slice to begin.
"So. The Firebenders live in a deserted city. They pretty much own it. Next to it is a volcano. That's where they get their Bending powers. They can use the volcano to be Firebenders," Slice said.
"How can theye use fire if they are far away from the volcano?" Airia asked.
"Other fire," Slice explained. "From torches. Their leader can use fire out of thin air. That's a lot of power. He's the most powerful Bender in the land."
"I won't let him destory us!" Dust stood taller.
"Yeah, right," Rusty snorted. "You couldn't harm a fly."
"Try me!" Dust yowled. He leaped for Rusty, and they began tumbling together.
Stone jumped over to them and landed in between the pups, making them roll in seperate directions. "Let's not start that hill episode all over again," the raccoon said.
"Anyways," Slice continued, "the leader hasn't been harmed yet. He's been leader for moons. No one can even put a single bruise on him. He's a cruel leader."
"Is the leader who made the Firebenders evil?" Rusty asked, eyes wide with wonder.
"No," Slice shook her head. "The first Firebender's son became evil. That was centuries ago."
"I think I heard that story before," Light nodded.

Author's Note:
This will be continued, not to worry. Looks like Slice is a good source to find information. :3

Chapter 33: A Gray Wolf

"Firebender?" Rusty gasped.
"Yes, I can smell one!" Ash nodded.
There were pawsteps coming from somewhere. But, with all the mist, it was hard to detect any animal.
Stone stepped forward. Ash was shocked to find that he could scent fear coming from her. "Alright, Firebender, show yourself!" She growled.
A flurry of pawsteps was heard. The animal was panicking. Ash sniffed the air again. It was a Firebender, for sure.
As the animal came closer, Ash pounced on instinct. He was scared, but he had to attack first to keep the Firebender off.
The Firebender yowled and squirmed under Ash. It wailed. Ash could tell it was a wolf.
"Let go! Let go!" It wailed.
That's some wimpy Firebender, Ash thought, rolling his eyes. He let go of the Firebender, and it started to run.
"Oh no you don't!" Light shouted. She lunged, and jumped on the Firebender. It shrieked. With all its yowling, Ash could tell it was young.
"It's probably a Firebender apprentice," Airia snorted. "Sounds like a pup."
"Because I am!" Came the voice. "Please let go of me."
"Light, let go," Willow ordered.
The pup got up and walked out of the mist. It was a gray she-wolf. Her back right paw was ginger.
"You're a pup," Stone rolled her eyes. "Like we expected."
"What's your name?" Charlotte asked.
The gray wolf hesitated. "Sh-Should I tell you? Are you going to...hurt me?"
"We hurt only certain Firebenders," Stone growled, with a slight smirk.
"Don't make her scared, Stone," Willow snapped.
"My name is...Slice," the gray she-wolf nodded.
"Hello, Slice," Charlotte smiled.
Slice smiled back.
"You're a Firebender?" Stone narrowed her eyes.
Slice's eyes widened. "Wait, you're the one who-!"
Stone tackled Slice before the gray she-wolf could continue her scentence.
"Stone!" Creature glared at her. "Don't tackle her, we'll lose her trust!"
"Just a minute," Stone growled. She turned back to Slice and started whispering. Then, the two got up.
"We could take Slice with us," Stone suggested.
Airia's eyes widened. "Since when are you the one to suggest taking a Firebender in, Stone?"
"Tell us about your past, and maybe we'll let you join," Fan insisted.
"I...I can't!" Slice took a few steps back. "I don't like to speak about it..."
There was a long silence.
"We should respect that," Creature nodded.
"Alright. But, can you throw some fire onto me and Rusty?" Dust pleaded. "It's freezing here!"
"Er, no," Slice held back a laugh. Ash snickered.
"Why not?" Rusty stepped forward.
"Because you could get killed," Slice rolled her eyes.
"Do you want to end up like Galmega?" Ash questioned the two pup twins.
"No..." Rusty sighed.

Author's Note:
Hehe, I thought it'd be funny if Dust asked Slice to throw fire onto them. Thanks to Jenny7 for Slice! I planned this idea a while ago, and I got more ideas ahead for other characters. :3

Chapter 32: Into The Clouds

The world spun around Ash. He hurt all over after the fall with Dust and Rusty.
"Ohhh...." Dust moaned in pain.
"Come on, get up," Willow walked over and picked up all three of them at once. She put them on their paws.
"You guys okay?" Eclipse asked.
"Fine," Rusty insisted.
"Need any herbs?" Eclipse questioned.
"No," Ash mumbled. He walked ahead, at the front, walking next to Fan.
They walked down the hill towards the clouds. Are we above the sky? Why are there clouds? Ash asked himself.
"Why are there clouds below us?" Ash turned to Fan.
"Because down below is Mt. Ice. It's so cold it causes clouds to form," Fan explained.
"Are you sure it's safe to go down?" Rusty asked. "I mean, if there's a storm..."
"There is no storm," Stone rolled her eyes. "If there were, we'd see the clouds lighting up with lightning."
"Yeah Rusty, we'd see the clouds light up," Dust joked.
"Don't make me claw you," Stone growled.
Dust laughed. "Like a raccoon could beat a wolf."
"You're still a pup," Stone reminded Dust.
"But I'm strong, I'm an apprentice, not one of the young anymore!" Dust bared his small teeth.
Stone lunged for Dust, and Dust dodged. He jumped for Stone's back, but Stone jumped away, fast as lightning.
"That's enough!" Airia snapped. "We can't be fighting among ourselves."
Stone growled and walked ahead.
Finally, they made it to the clouds. Ash could swear that he heard something behind him. But when he turned around, all he'd see would be rocks.
The group walked into the clouds. As soon as Ash walked into the white puffs, he suddenly got cold.
"It's ch-ch-chilly," Rusty chattered, pushing into Dust for warmth. The two wolf pups pushed against each other.
Ash noticed that Airia didn't looked cold at all. She had a lot of fur. Lucky!
"C-C-Can we find shelter s-soon?" Charlotte asked Airia.
"If we can," Airia nodded. "It's not too cold here."
"Are you KIDDING me?" Dust growled.
"We're as cold as a Waterbender in the ice!" Rusty glared.
Ash sniffed the air. He could smell a familiar scent.
"Firebender!" Ash yowled.

Author's Note:
Question: What Firebender is it? I might surprise you by who it is... :3 At cold times, we all wish we had fur like Airia's, right? 

Chapter 31: Rolling Down

Shaking his head, Ash set off with the rest of the group. They walked through the plains.
"I'm bored," Rusty complained.
"Oh, shut up," Light rolled her eyes.
"You shut up," Dust snapped.
"You!" Light growled.
"You!"
"You!"
"You!"
"You!"
"QUIET!" Stone roared. Ash jumped back at how loud the raccoon shouted.
Ash heard Eclipse giggle.
They kept walking through the field, Dust prancing alongside Rusty, laughing as they move ahead of the group.
"Slow down," Eclipse called.
"But I like prancing!" Dust joked.
Ash sighed and ran after his friends.
After 30 minutes of walking, they finally made it to a hill. It was very steep. Down below were a bunch of clouds.
"Uhh.." Rusty hesitated. Luckily, the hill didn't go straight down; it sloped down like a regular hill.
"Scared?" Stone joked.
Rusty's hackles raised. "Shut up.."
"Let's get moving," Dust laughed, "unless you're scared, Rusty."
"I told you, I'm not!" Rusty shouted, and pushed his brother down the hill. Dust did many forward rolls, and Rusty jumped after him, and got caught in with Dust.
"Ow! Ow!" Was all the group could hear.
"I'll seperate them," Ash sighed. He ran down. Unfortunately, he tripped on a rock and collided into the twin wolf pups.
All 3 of them rolled down the hill. Ash got hit in the head, stomach, side, and all over. It hurt badly.
Finally, they banged into a boulder. Ash noticed they weren't even at the beginning of the clouds yet.
Airia walked by the rock. "Morons," she snorted.
The rest of the patrol followed.
"Smooth moves!" Light teased.
"Oh, be quiet," Dust shot at the she-wolf.
"You okay, guys?" Charlotte asked. It seemed she was mainly concerned about Ash.
Stone walked up. "What idiots," she sneered.

Author's Note:
Imagine how hilarious that'd be if it were in REAL life. Like the say..."It isn't funny until someone gets hurt. Then, it's hilarious."

Chapter 30: Arguing With Tiggerkat

Ash felt a sudden, strong wind buffet his face. It was so strong he went flying back, and landed back on the ground. He dug his claws into the earth to keep from blowing away again.
Eclipse walked over and picked up Ash by the scruff, getting him to his paws. Ash walked back to the patrol.
"Why is it so windy?" Charlotte asked Airia.
"Because we're near Mt. Ice," Airia explained.
"Near it? There are plains as far as the eye can see!" Rusty looked confused.
"Yes," Creature nodded, "but after we get through the plains, we'll see-"
Ash was tackled by something. He looked up, and saw that Tiggerkat had pinned him.
"Tiggerkat!?" Ash gasped.
"It's me!" Tiggerkat smiled. "Like my ninja-like moves?"
"What's a ninja?" Stone asked, confused.
Tiggerkat shook her head. "Nevermind."
"Why are you out here?" Fan demanded.
"You're going to battle Firebenders, right?" Tiggerkat queried.
"Yes..." Dust said cautiously.
"Well, Airwing told me all about how Firebenders stole the Reese Cups, and I must avenge them and get them back!" Tiggerkat insisted.
"Er..." Stone hesitated. Ash could tell she wanted to say Airwing made it up.
"No," Airia whispered, putting her tail in front of Stone. She spoke up. "Tiggerkat, you may as well go back to The Bending Tower. We can't have you come."
"But why not?" Tiggerkat protested.
"Um...we'll avenge the 'Reese Cups' for you," Rusty said quickly.
"And you won't get hurt," Dust added.
"I'm urged to go! I object!" Tiggerkat growled. Ash had never seen her so angry.
"No, Tiggerkat. Sorry," Fan apologized.
Glaring, Tiggerkat crawled off.

Author's Note:
A little run-in with Tiggerkat. Thought it might be a bit funny to write. :3

Chapter 29: Walking On

"Are you okay, Ash?" Charlotte asked.
"Fine," Ash sighed. He clearly couldn't fight everyone fretting over him.
"Where is Mt. Ice located?" Rusty asked Fan.
"Not too far away," Fan promised.
"My paws ache," Dust mumbled.
"Already?" Stone snorted.
"Let's get moving now," Eclipse said.
Since Healers (What Medicine Benders were called for short) were the wise animals of Bending, they were listened to often. With Eclipse's advice, the patrol walked on.
"Are we almost at the Water Tribe?" Rusty asked hopefully.
Airia laughed. "We're nowhere close, Rusty."
"Aww," Dust muttered.
The patrol kept walking north, through the forest. Ash sniffed the air. His belly rumbled as he could smell prey.
Airia put her tail in front of Ash. "We're not hunting yet."
Aww, Ash thought disappointedly.
They kept walking. Ash jumped on top of a rock, and stood high, pretending he was leader.
Someday, I'll be a leader...hopefully, Ash thought, longing to be the one calling, "Benders! Gather!"
"Ash, keep moving," Charlotte called.
Shaking his head, Ash jumped off the rock. He caught up to the group.
Finally, the patrol exited the forest.

Author's Note:
So, what do you think? Would Ash make a good leader?