Chapter 74: The Peacebenders' Meeting

The sun beamed through the trees as a white hawk soared through the forest gracefully, watching the forest floor zoom under him as he sped up. He felt the cool breeze ruffling his feathers, and he closed his eyes to enjoy the flight.
The white hawk opened his eyes and stared ahead of him. He slowed down and began to soar for his destination - the Peacebenders' meeting, which, he was late for.
"Cloudsky," said a golden wolf who was standing on top of a pile of rocks. His pelt literally glowed gold, making him look very majestic. "You are late."
"Sorry, Lifebreeze," the white hawk dipped his head to the glowing wolf, "I was speaking to Ash."
"My son," breathed a black she-wolf, "I should't have abandoned him, he's under so much pressure, and he has such a terrifying destiny!"
"Midnight, you did the right thing to abandon him; if you hadn't he wouldn't complete his destiny, which you know is truly terrible." Lifebreeze said calmly.
"But still, his destiny is scary, I won't be there for him, and he'll be so upset because he's going to go through tough times, not knowing what to do-"
"We'll watch him from the skies," a light gray male wolf whispered, "Under our guidance, he's going to be okay."
Cloudsky felt sympathetic for Ash. Midnight was right, he'd be scared and confused many times in his life - but once Ash completed his destiny, Cloudsky knew that Ash would have a great life before him.
"Anyways, we're here for a meeting," Lifebreeze said, "As all of you know, the two of the Three are chosen - Eclipse and Ash - Ash as leader. The other must be chosen carefully, for I fear that Ash may not choose the correct animal to help him."
"Yes, the last to be chosen is an unexpected animal," breathed a female dalmatian, "If Ash doesn't choose the right animal, they will die."
"What will we do to tell Ash who it is? I mean, we can't tell straight to his face, or else something might go wrong," a male dalmatian said.
"Maybe we could send some prophecy?" suggested a black fox.
"A thought," Lifebreeze nodded.
Cloudsky thought for a bit. A prophecy was a good idea, but other ideas could be used. And besides, how would they create a prophecy?
"I can't think of anything else," said a female hawk.
After a while, no one else had any ideas. Cloudsky began to admit that a prophecy would probably be the best thing they could do.
"Lightning," Lifebreeze said to the gray male wolf, "go down and tell Ash this..." Lifebreeze closed his eyes for a while, then opened them again. "An autumn colored animal, the unexpected animal, mistaken for a weakling much rather than a hero, will rise."
The gray male wolf beamed, "I'll get to see my son!" with that, he walked away from the group and into the undergrowth, and Cloudsky watched him leave.

Author's Note:
Even the Peacebenders have meetings! :P Midnight is Ash's mother, it seems she's awful sad for her son. Lightning is Ash's father - the male and female dalmatians are Spots's parents! You can see some of the Peacebenders on the Meet The Benders page. There's also a new page - Histories! Go check it out!

Chapter 73: Meeting Cloudsky

When Ash opened his eyes, he was in a forest. The sunlight shined through the trees, making the forest sparkle. Prey was everywhere; Ash could smell it. His stomach rumbled at the thought of prey. He began walking through the area, exploring.
Suddenly, with a sickening jolt, Ash realized that he had just been in the snowy mountains with Waterstreak. Then how am I here? 
"Hello," said a voice.
Ash turned around. A very small bobcat was walking towards him. The bobcat smiled; he looked very friendly.
"Um, hi," nodded Ash, "where am I?"
"You're in the forest," the bobcat replied, trotting up to Ash. "Where're you from?"
"Er, The Bending Tower?" Ash answered cautiously.
"Oh, yes, I could smell the scent on you!" The bobcat squeaked. "My name is Rock. You?"
"Ash," Ash replied.
Then, the bushes rustled. Ash turned around, and saw a white hawk coming out from the bushes. He had black bands on his wings.
"Ash?" said the hawk.
"Hi. Um, do you know where I am?" Ash asked the hawk.
"This is the Peacebenders' territory! Y'know, where dead Benders are," answered the hawk.
Ash gasped. "Am I-?"
"No, Ash, you're not dead, don't worry. There's no reason for you to die yet," the hawk said. He flew in front of the bobcat, looming over the small animal. "Ironfang, what are you doing here?" he asked calmly.
Ash felt dizzy, his head started spinning. "I-Ironfang?"
"No! I'm not Ironfang!" squeaked the bobcat in fear, "I'm Rock!"
"Ironfang, you may fool Ash, but your disguises do not fool me. Ash is not yours to control!" Cloudsky squawked.
The bobcat spat, "Fine, Cloudsky! I'll leave!" growling, the bobcat darted off.
"Th-That was Ironfang?" Ash asked, still feeling dizzy.
"Yes," replied the hawk, apparently named Cloudsky.
"How could it be? I figured Ironfang'd be, y'know, more scary," Ash shrugged.
"Ironfang took you into this vision to try and convince you to join the Firebenders. Luckily, if I hadn't been watching over you at the moment, you would've been tricked into attacking Waterstreak already," chuckled Cloudsky. "Ironfang took form of what he looked like when he was an apprentice, so you didn't know it was him."
"What's happening to me right now?" Ash asked.
"Oh,Waterstreak's quickly flying you down to the Water Tribe Healer. He's my brother," Cloudsky nodded.
"He is?" Ash said.
"Yes, except I lived at The Bending Tower - I'm Cloudsky, Feather's mate. I know Feather misses me, but I'm watching over her," Cloudsky smiled weakly. "Firetalon, the Firebender hawk is my son - Eclipse and Fang are siblings, Feather and I adopted  them both."
Ash grew wide-eyed. "Two Firebenders are your sons?"
"Yes," sighed Waterstreak. "Firetalon got angry that I accepted a blind wolf as my daughter-"
"Eclipse is blind?" Ash gasped. She was so good at getting around, Ash didn't even know Eclipse was blind.
"Yes, she is. Doesn't act like it, huh?" Cloudsky chuckled. "Anyways, Fang didn't really like Eclipse either. Firetalon and Fang both became good friends - always hunting together and wandering off into the forest, side by side. I was happy that  they got along so well, but I didn't see how much they hated Eclipse. One day, the two ran off to join the Firebenders. I was sad to see them betray us; The Bending Tower suffered their losses, both would make great Benders."
"Wh-When did you... Die?" Ash asked.
"I'm getting to that," Cloudsky nodded, "So later on, Firetalon and Fang brought some other Firebenders to attack Eclipse. They also were mad at both Feather and I, for keeping a blind wolf, as I said already. I defended Eclipse with my life - I told Firetalon and Fang that they were doing evil deeds and told them to stop. But Firetalon killed me - luckily, Feather managed to keep Eclipse safe. When I went to the Peacebenders to watch the rest of the battle, I saw someone had helped Feather."
"But wait... Someone had also helped Stone escape the Firebenders - who was it?"
"Guardians," Cloudsky answered, "They live here in Peacebender territory. The Guardians look exactly like you, but more transparent, like a ghost. Every Guardian wants Ironfang defeated; so they help their body forms through times they are needed. Stone had to escape the Firebenders, or else Ironfang wouldn't be defeated, Stone will help you defeat Ironfang, but she is not one of the Three."
"The Three?" Ash echoed.
"The Three - that includes you, Ash. You lead the others - two others will help you defeat Ironfang. One of them is Eclipse. Her Guardian is the one who helped her survive when Fang and Firetalon tried killing her. Eclipse's Guardian fought alongside Feather," Cloudsky whispered.
"What do Guardians do when you die?" Ash asked, interested in everything Cloudsky knew.
"When you die, your Guardian joins your body, which accepts you into the Peacebenders. It helps you become wise, which will help the animals on earth," Cloudsky explained.
"But... Wait," Ash said, "then what about Firebenders? How did they become evil, and do Guardians help them?"
"Firebenders' Guardians get confused when an animal joins the dark side. All the Guardians know is that they need to help the body they're with. Now, I must get going, the Peacebenders are gathering for a meeting soon-"
"Wait, Cloudsky!" Ash said. The white hawk turned around. "Um... Wh-Who will die during the battle with the Firebenders?"
"I cannot tell you that now," Cloudsky whispered. "All I can say is... Choose the other two of the Three carefully."

Author's Note:
Long, good chapter, eh? Cloudsky's one wise bird! He's a good story teller too - agree? :P Did it scare you when Cloudsky called the bobcat "Ironfang"? XD

Chapter 72: Practicing Waterbending

"Let's change the subject," Waterstreak shook his head, "so anyway. We're here to learn, right? So anyway... That pine tree can be the target. Try to Waterbend onto it, close your eyes tight if you need to. Now go."
Ash closed his eyes. He imagined water hitting the pine tree. He repeated it over and over in his mind, hoping it'd work.
Something that sounded like water hit a surface, splashing Ash. When he opened his eyes, Waterstreak was nodding.
"You hit the side of the mountain," Waterstreak reported, "try again."
Ash again, imagined the water hitting the pine tree. He shut his eyes, and repeated it over and over, like last time. Once again, he heard the sound of water hitting a surface.
"You hit the tree, good job!" Waterstreak said cheerfully, "keep doing it."
Ash did it over and over again with his eyes shut, imagining the water moving.
"Alright now!" Waterstreak smiled after a while, "try doing it with your eyes open."
His eyes open, Ash imagined the water hitting the pine tree. Gasping, he watched as a big ball of water hit the center of the pine tree.
Waterstreak laughed, "That was the exact reaction I got the first time I opened my eyes and did Waterbending. Keep trying."
So, Ash did that over and over, the ball of water getting bigger. He learned that the faster you imagine it, the faster the ball of water would go. Waterstreak was quite impressed.
"Excellent! You're a fast learner! Now, to make the water stretch out and more flexible, you got to move your paws in a graceful motion. Not in the air, but on the ground works for you since you're, well, a wolf," explained Waterstreak.
Ash's paws crunched in the snow as he moved them, at the same time imagining the water heading towards the pine tree. A ball of water zoomed for the pine tree, but didn't stretch out.
"Ah, takes some practice the first time. Try again," Waterstreak nodded.
Ash tried again. He moved his paws on the snow, but suddenly, the world went black, and Ash crashed onto the ground.

Author's Note:
Minor concussion, perhaps? Working too hard? XD You'll never know until the next chapter.... C:<

Chapter 71: Army?

Snarling, Ash turned to face Waterstreak. "Well, what if I don't want to defeat Ironfang? I'll die for sure, he's the toughest Bender all throughout the land!"

"You have to. It's your destiny," replied Waterstreak, looking at Ash with concern.

"Can't I choose my destiny?" growled Ash.

"No. It's not possible," Waterstreak sighed, "my destiny was to lead the Water Tribe. I didn't want to. I wanted to become a Healer. However, when I was a Healer apprentice, the Peacebenders sent me a vision telling me to become a Waterbender apprentice. The Peacebenders are right, they'll guide you through the toughest times you must endure."

"Peacebenders can't come back to life and help me," snapped Ash.

"No, but you will have help from others."
"What?"

Waterstreak sighed, "Two others will help you defeat Ironfang. The rest of the Firebenders, you will get help from the Water Tribe, Tribe Of Flying Birds, loners, and all of The Bending Tower."

That's a big army, Ash thought. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Author's Note:
Short chapter. :3

Chapter 70: Waterstreak's Explanation

Soon, Ash found himself walking down the Water Tribe halls with Waterstreak. Stone had given him permission to train with the Water Tribe leader, and Ash had been excited to as well. I'm training with a master, he told himself, legs full of anxiety.
They walked out of the back exit of the Water Tribe, and trekked up a snowy hill. The wind buffeted Ash's face.
"Why don't you just...fly...up..." Ash gave a big grunt as he pulled himself up further, "the mountain?"
"The wind would knock me clear out of the sky!" Waterstreak shouted, laughing.
Once Ash and Waterstreak got over the hill, the winds stopped. Giving a sigh of relief, Ash walked through the snow. On either side of him were rock walls, which acted like a hall. He looked up and saw that the sky was covered with clouds; he couldn't see a single bit of blue.
The trainee Waterbender and the master Waterbender made it to a circular area. In the middle was one lone pine tree, and the rocks all surrounded the area, acting as a wall.
"Uh... Where's a river?" asked Ash.
Waterstreak laughed. "I'll be teaching you to Waterbend without using a river!"
"But... But isn't that, y'know... Advanced?"
"You'll learn, and besides, there's a water source in the Water Tribe, you'll get water from that. How much have you learned so far?" Waterstreak questioned.
"Not very much," Ash admitted, "I only learned to close my eyes and Waterbend some water out of a river to make it hit a tree, the tree was the target."
The smile wiped off Waterstreak's face. "Wow, they should've taught you more than that...! With how much you'll go through later..." 
"What?" Ash perked his ears.
"Er, nothing," murmured Waterstreak. "Now-"
"What am I  going to be going through?" Ash demanded.
Waterstreak sighed. "You know Ironfang... Right? Well, I suppose you do..."
"Go on," prompted Ash.
"There's a prophecy - 'The moon is full. An animal lurks. The animal, pure evil himself, is out to strike-"
"The fallen fire will rise and defeat the evil!" Ash exclaimed, finishing Waterstreak's sentence.
"Ah, you know that part," nodded the blue hawk, "well, you know Ironfang, he's the most evil animal of all. You... Are destined to kill him."
Ash couldn't believe what he heard.

Author's Note:
Well, Ash is the main character, I expect you all figured he'd kill Ironfang in the end. ;) 

Chapter 69: He's Gone

Ash stood wide-eyed. The word "Firebender" repeated over and over in his mind. A Firebender? Right here? Right now?
"Don't just stand there, let's go!" Stone growled, and she ran out.
"Grumpy one," commented Darner, and he took off after her.
Ash followed, running as fast as he could. He could scent Airia, Rusty and Charlotte behind him.
Stone and Darner stopped, side by side. They looked at all the Waterbenders, most of them attempting to put out a fire.
"What happened here?" demanded Darner.
"Fang," sighed Bluefall, "he came in, but before we could attack him, he set the area on fire." Bluefall made some water appear in the air, and she Bended it onto the fire, "when the smoke cleared, he was gone."
"Evil Firebenders," muttered Darner.
"We're here to help, we'll stop those Firebenders," Stone promised.
"Oh boy," Rusty whispered. Ash turned around to see Rusty behind him, who was rolling his eyes. Ash laughed a bit.
"I'll help out," nodded Creature. He Bended some water and threw it onto an area of flames.
"I would, but I haven't trained," sighed Ash.
Waterstreak flew up to Ash. "If it's okay with your patrol leader... Do you want to train with me?"

Author's Note:
Training with a master Waterbender? Oooh!
And whadda you think? StoneXDarner? xD

Chapter 68: Tiggerkat's Surprise

Ash gasped as he saw who the animal was, asking Waterstreak to stay. Wide-eyed, he took a few steps back in disbelief.
Everyone else looked shocked too; well, everyone but Waterstreak. He just smiled kindly at the visitor.
"No way..." Charlotte's voice trailed off.
Tiggerkat, however, had her eyes filled with excitement. "No way! TIGGYTIGER!" she shouted, apparently very happy to see another "tigger".
"Hi, cousin!" smiled Tiggytiger.
"There's two of them?!" shouted Stone.
"We're just gonna get even more annoyed," mumbled Airia.
"I'm so happy to see you!" cheered Tiggerkat, hugging Tiggytiger.
"Words fail me," Rusty said out of the corner of his mouth to Dust.
"Er, anyway, what are you doing here... Tiggytiger?" Fan asked politely.
"Y'know, just traveling. One of the animals here, I heard them talking about a, er, 'annoying tiger'... I knew it had to be Tiggerkat," laughed Tiggytiger.
Tiggerkat raised an eyebrow.
"You can stay in this Travelers' room if you want, Tiggytiger," nodded Waterstreak.
"Very well, thank you," smiled Tiggytiger, going over to sit next to Tiggerkat.
"Are you a Bender, Tiggytiger? I can teach you how to Bend Reese Cups!" said Tiggerkat eagerly.
"Oh boy," Airia mumbled.
Ash was still getting over the fact that Tiggerkat had a cousin. There's more than one "tigger"? Huh...
"I'm an Earthbender," nodded Tiggerkat.
"Did you give up on your Reese Cup Bending skills?" Tiggerkat asked.
"No, they don't teach that kind of Bending here," shrugged Tiggytiger, "so I had to learn Earthbending."
"Anyways," Darner said, before the two cousins' conversation could go any further, "we should start discussing-"
"FIREBENDER!" yowled a voice.

Author's Note:
Tiggerkat received a surprise... Hehe, Tiggytiger belongs to, well, Tiggytiger. And yush, more Firebenders... Eek. Sorry I didn't get the chance to post yesterday.
Check out my new story blog - Dragon Journey! Click here!

Chapter 67: Talking to Darner

After what seemed like moons, the Water Tribe finally finished introducing themselves. Why can't Waterstreak just wait for us to eventually find out their names? wondered Ash.
"I wonder when we'll run into a Firebender..." Flare thought aloud.
"Soon, soon," nodded Waterstreak.
"Hey, you haven't introduced us to Darner," commented Rusty, cocking his head.
"You're right," nodded Fan, "where's your deputy?"
"Oh, he's with our Healer, one of our young got injured," sighed Waterstreak. "Darner should be here soon-"
"You wanted to see me, leader?"
A male raccoon came into the room. Ash looked at Stone, whose face gave nothing away with what she was thinking, to the male raccoon.
"Oh boy," chuckled Rusty.
"Darner, these are the Benders Goldwing sent us," smiled Waterstreak, nodding to Ash and the others.
"It's good that Goldwing cares," nodded Darner, "greetings, as you may know, my name's Darner.
"Hello Darner," said Stone coolly, "we're glad to help the Water Tribe."
"We owe you for helping us," smiled Darner.
"Where are the Firebenders now?" asked Charlotte.
"Not sure," Waterstreak sighed, "could be anywhere."
"Excuse me," came a voice, "but I need a place to stay, can I say here?"
"Oh my gosh..." whispered Tiggerkat.

Author's Note:
Ooh, I can't wait to tell you guys who the voice is. C:< And Darner's a raccoon, we have us anotheh raccoon. :3

Chapter 66: Meeting Waterstreak

"Hey, Bending Tower animals!" came a voice.
Ash turned around and saw a magnificent blue hawk flying to the Travelers' room. He landed on his feet and cocked his head, studying the visitors.
"Greetings," said Stone coolly. "You are?"
"Waterstreak, leader of the Water Tribe," nodded the blue hawk kindly, "we are so grateful you brought help. The Water Tribe owes you many thanks."
"Are you back from training?" asked Creature.
"Yes," confirmed Waterstreak. "We train up in Mt. Upepo. Very cold, but we're all used to it, it's a great place to learn fighting moves." Despite the troubles that the Water Tribe was in, Waterstreak still seemed happy and calm.
"We're glad you're learning to defend yourselves," Fan nodded. "You'll find out our names eventually, I am sure. Now, can we meet the rest of the Water Tribe?"
"But of course!" smiled Waterstreak. "They should be coming any minute now, Bluefall informed us of visitors, and I told them all to come along and meet you all."
Suddenly, Ash heard many pawsteps, and voices. A big commotion was down the hall, it seemed as if a bunch of moose were rampaging.
"Ah, there they are," said Waterstreak cheerfully. The Water Tribe arrived, standing next to Waterstreak. Every animals was talking to each other. Ash felt sorry for them, seeing there wasn't a lot of them.
"For a small group of animals, they're awful noisy," commented Crystal.
"And that's probably not all of them," Rusty shrugged, "the young and the mothers might be in their dens."
Rusty's right, Ash told himself.
"Settle down everyone, settle down!" called Waterstreak. All the animals stopped talking at once.
"Oh, it's Goldwing's Benders?" asked a voice from the crowd. Ash couldn't tell whom it belonged to.
"Yes, it is," Waterstreak nodded. "I want us all to introduce ourselves."

Author's Note:
That'll take a long time of introducing. XD You can see the Water Tribe on the Meet The Benders page. :3

Chapter 65: Ironfang's Story

"Okay, enough about you, Stone, can we just learn about Ironfang, please?" begged Dust.
Stone seemed happy to stop having to talk about her Firebender past. "Alright then. Slice, you can continue telling it."
"O-Okay," Slice stammered, and she went on reluctantly, "Ironfang was b-born at The Bending T-Tower, like I told you guys." she seemed very nervous.
"Yeah... Go no," nodded Ash, anxious to hear what Slice had to say.
"Ironfang was on-one of those apprentices who  were very eager." Slice's voice got a bit stronger. "Ironfang was very small, he was born a runt. Everyone made fun of him for being small. But he didn't care... For a while, that is."
"That's rough," Eclipse commented.
"So anyway," Slice continued, "Ironfang's mother then died, right after he got a mate, named Blackpaws. Ironfang was very sad that his mother passed away. And right after his son, Bracken was born, his father died. Ironfang became very angry, and blamed his mate and his son for his parent's death."
"Poor Ironfang," sighed Charlotte.
"Don't be sympathetic, he's a bad guy!" Dust insisted.
"The leader at the moment was Airwing. Goldwing had recently became a warrior. Since Ironfang was upset, Airwing made Ironfang deputy; his old deputy had passed away. But Airwing made a bad mistake," Slice sighed.
"Apparently," Light narrowed her eyes.
"Mad with grief, Ironfang attempted to kill Airwing so he could become leader, and take his wrath out on all the Benders at The Bending Tower. To prevent himself from being killed, Airwing retreated. But with good reason," Slice added, seeing the look on Ash's face. Ash was alarmed that Airwing ran away from Ironfang.
"Keep going," Crystal prompted.
"Everyone believed Ironfang's story, his story that he had walked with Airwing through the territory and that a Firebender had attacked him. Ironfang was leader for a while, and Goldwing was his deputy. Airwing came back, and built a hut in the forest. Of course, Ironfang didn't know Airwing was back. Airwing told Goldwing about Ironfang, and Goldwing chase Ironfang out and exiled him," Slice said, "Ironfang was taken in by the Firebenders, and they made him leader."

Author's Note:
I don't even need teh say it. Perry, you go ahead with your "dun dun dun...."

Chapter 64: Stone's Secret

"Ironfang was born at The Bending Tower?!" Rusty gasped, shocked.
"Yes, he was..." sighed Crystal, "and there's a huge story to that, I promise you."
"Aha! He was spying at The Bending Tower to get the Reese Cups!" shouted Tiggerkat.
"Okay. One, not so loud, Tiggerkat, and two, if we was born there, how could he be spying?" Ash turned to Tiggerkat.
"I guess you're right..." mumbled Tiggerkat.
"But... But wait," Fan said, "Stone, you weren't born at The Bending Tower. And when you were here, Ironfang didn't live at The Bending Tower-"
"Correct," grumbled Stone.
"I don't think many of us were alive when Ironfang lived at The Bending Tower, I'm sure it was moons and moons ago," Creature pointed out.
"-So you must've been born at..." Fan gasped.
"I was born at the Fire Nation, yes!" snapped Stone.
"Mom always said that-that Stone was a very l-loyal Firebender," Flare said with caution.
"Yeah, she also said that Stone shouldnt've left, that she'd make a good Firebender leader," Crystal added.
"Yes, I was a loyal Firebender," Stone grumbled.
Ash grew wide-eyed. That's why Bone and Slice had said "I know you" to Stone! That's also why Stone must've let Slice join us; she-she might have made a deal with Slice, that if she kept her mouth shut, she could come with us! And that's why Crystal and Flare were allowed to come, they'd spoil Stone's secret if she didn't let them!
"I wanted to tell you guys," growled Crystal, "but since Stone let us come, I kept my mouth shut!"
I knew it! thought Ash triumphantly.
"So... Why'd you leave the Fire Nation?" Eclipse asked Stone.
"Because," mumbled Stone, "I was exiled."
"Ironfang exiled you?!" Slice gasped, sounding impressed, "when someone does something bad, he'd kill them instead of exile them!"
"Um, he didn't exactly exile me..." sighed Stone. "I was at the Fire Nation one day. There was a pup who was born a runt. Since I was so loyal, Ironfang called upon me to kill the pup. I was going to, but..."
"But what?" prompted Dust.
"I-I suddenly had a flashback. I think the Peacebenders were showing me all of the evil stuff I had done for Ironfang in the past... I saw everything bad that I did. Then a voice... I think it was my m-mother's... She told me to leave the Fire Nation and set off for a better place," Stone explained, "then the flasback was over. This innocent little pup was looking up at me... It's mother was watching me with fear... I told Ironfang no. I couldn't do it."
"Who knew Stone had such a kind heart," Rusty whispered to Ash, chuckling.
"Yeah," laughed Ash silently.
"So then," Stone continued, glaring at Rusty and Ash, "Ironfang said it was either me or the pup. At that moment, I ran. I knew it was hopeless; Bone and another Firebender, a fennec fox named Nuewfoow, chased too. I thought I was dead for sure. But some fire came out of nowhere... I don't know who Bended it. But it made some logs collapse, trapping Bone and Nuewfoow on the other side. So I ran into the forest."

Author's Note:

DA SECRET IS REVEALED. The question is, who was it who saved Stone? >:3 

Chapter 63: A Firebender's Story

Something kicked Ash in the side, waking him up. He turned up to see Slice had accidently kicked up; she was apparently backing up and didn't realize Ash was there.
"Oh, sorry!" Slice apologized. "I didn't mean to kick you."
"Nah, it's fine," Ash nodded. He stood up.
"I wonder if Ironfang was here," Dust growled with excitement.
"He wasn't," Airia said, "Bluefall told me we didn't have to worry about Ironfang yet."
"Good," Crystal sighed with relief.
"Ironfang is scare-EE." Flare added.
"By the way, does anyone at all know about Ironfang's past?" Rusty asked everyone.
No one responded.
"I... I do..." Slice said reluctantly.
"Can you tell us about it?" Eclipse turned to Slice.
"I-I don't really want to," Slice mumbled.
"C'mon, pleeeeaaasssee?" Dust begged.
"Yeah, we'll find out if he took the Reese Cups!" Tiggerkat added, sitting up.
Ash rolled his eyes.
"What're Reese Cups?" Crystal asked.
"Some sort of food Tiggerkat made up to try and fool us all," Rusty glared at Tiggerkat.
"They're not made up! Reese Cups are REAL!" snapped Tiggerkat.
"Um, anyway, let's get on with Ironfang's story," Charlotte shrugged.
"I honestly don't know much about it myself," Airia admitted.
"Okay," Slice sat down. "Iron... Ironfang wasn't born at the Fire Nation..."
Ash grew wide-eyed.
"So... Where was he born?" Light demanded.
"He..." Slice tried to say something, but words failed her.
"He was born at The Bending Tower!" Stone snapped. As soon as the words escaped Stone, she slapped her tail over her mouth.

Author's Note:
Sorry I haven't posted for a while! But I'll bet this makes up for it, huh? >:3 Also, you know The Great Migration? Spino let me  take over the story blog, please visit it, click here.

Chapter 62: The Unexpected Traveler

Fan looked at the travelers' room. She grew wide-eyed, as if she just noticed. Ash turned; he gasped. He had been so busy looking around the room that he hadn't recognize it at all, either.
Stone growled. "Tiggerkat!?"
The animal in the room woke up. It stretched, and Ash saw that, indeed, it was Tiggerkat.
"Hey guys," Tiggerkat yawned. She turned to look at Stone.
"What're you doing here?" Stone growled.
"I followed you guys to the Water Tribe. I heard they were being attacked by Firebenders, and Airwing said that they stole the land's reese cups. So I decided to avenge them," Tiggerkat growled, looking like she was imagining clawing the Firebenders.
Bluefall looked at Stone, and Ash knew Bluefall was certain that Tiggerkat was crazy. Stone murmured something to Bluefall, and Bluefall rolled her eyes.
"So, um, the rest of the Water Tribe'll be coming back when?" Fan asked Bluefall.
"Soon. We've been training so we can beat those Firebenders - those poor excuses of Benders," Bluefall growled.
"How much are there left of you?" Flare asked.
"Not much," Bluefall sighed, looking quite sad, "our leader had been killed by Poisonfang. So we recently got a new leader, and Darner was recently appointed deputy."
"Maybe you guys could join The Bending Tower?" Slice suggested.
"We'd be showing weakness," Bluefall replied, "and then the Firebenders'd take our land!"
"Oh," Slice whispered.
"See! We've got to beat those Firebenders!" Tiggerkat had jumped to her hind paws.
Everyone ignored Tiggerkat.
"When the rest of the Water Tribe returns, we'll start discussing plans," Bluefall promised, "you guys have a good rest."
With that, Bluefall left the patrol.

Author's Note:
Hehe, Tiggerkat followed the patrol. TIGGERKAT was what Ash kept hearing all the time on the way to the Water Tribe. I have a new Poptropica blog, click here to see it [link].

Chapter 61: A Blue Tiger

"Cold here," Flare commented.
"Oh really?" Crystal chuckled.
Ash stared at the Water Tribe. It seemed unlively, like a ghost town. He didn't see any signs of movement.
"Um, where is everyone?" Ash asked, turning to Willow.
"Maybe they ran away?" Airia suggested, landing onto the ice where the patrol was standing.
"The Water Tribe doesn't give up too quickly," Stone said.
"Well, let's get going," Rusty shrugged. He began to walk towards the place.
"Hold it there," Slice ran up to Rusty. "What if Firebenders want to ambush us?"
Stone sniffed the air. "I don't smell any."
"Me either," Airia confirmed, sniffing the air as well.
"Then it's safe to go," Rusty nodded, "let's go."
Ash found himself walking next to Charlotte. He looked back, and saw the bridge swaying in the breeze.
Unsure of where the entrance was, the patrol entered through a window. Ash jumped gracefully over the sill. Rusty tried jumping and he hit his belly on the wall.
"You okay, Rusty?" Slice asked, walking up to him.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Rusty grunted getting to his paws. He climbed over and into the hall.
The hall floor was covered in ice. Ash looked out the windows in front of him. There was a big icy yard in front, surrounded by the hall.
Wonder where the rooms are, Ash wondered. He sniffed the air. The scent of animals was fresh.
Suddenly, something hit Ash. When he looked up, he saw a tiger had pinned him.
"Who are you?" the tiger asked.
"Uh-"
"We're from The Bending Tower," Airia explained, "Goldwing sent us to help you all with the Firebenders."
"Ahh, yes, I heard!" the tiger nodded, "but he sent so much of you."
"Um, we picked up some others along the way," Willow explained.
"So where's everyone else?" Light asked.
"In the mountains, all training. Me and Darner are guarding the place while the others are out and 'bout. My name's Bluefall," the tiger nodded. "Darner's our deputy."
"Alright then," Stone nodded, "we're all exhausted from our journey; can you show us to a den we can sleep in or something?"
"Sure," Bluefall nodded. She trotted down the hall, the patrol following. Ash shuddered as a breeze swept into him. Slice, Crystal and Flare all looked more cold than the others.
"You have herbs here, correct?" Eclipse asked Bluefall.
"Oh yes, we do," Bluefall replied, "we have a Healer. I suppose you do, too?"
"Yes. I'm our Healer's apprentice," Eclipse nodded.
"Good. We can use some extra paws with medicine. Can you stay in the Healer den... Uh..."
"My name's Eclipse, and sure," Eclipse nodded.
The patrol entered a room. There was a cracking fire in it, and right away Ash felt warm. The floor was made of ice, and the walls were made of ice as well.
"By the way," Bluefall turned to Fan, "does this animal here belong to you?"

Author's Note:
Ahh, the Water Tribe. Made of ice. :P Who's the animal in the Travelers' Room, you think? C:< Bluefall belongs to Snowfur; thanks for the character, Snowfur!

Chapter 60: Ye Old Rickety Bridge

As the patrol began travelling north still, a sudden chill came upon them. It began to get cold - not as cold as Mt. Ice, but still, pretty cold.
"You guys all feel that chill?" Fan asked.
"Of course we do," Dust nodded, shivering.
"That means we're getting-"
"What, nearing another mountain?" Rusty asked, shivering.
"Er, no, we're getting closer to the Water Tribe," Fan explained.
"Good, I can't wait!" exclaimed Charlotte.
"Is the Tribe underwater?" Dust asked.
Stone shook her head. "That's got to be one of the stupidest questions I've ever heard. What's your IQ, anyway?"
"Um... I think mine is... 4.5?" Rusty screwed up his face in concentration.
"No, no," Dust turned to Rusty, "that's what our mother said she thinks our IQ is if we put both of ours together."
Ash couldn't hold back a laugh. Nightgale chuckled too, and Slice gave a little snicker of laughter. It seemed the rest of the patrol was trying not to laugh.
Finally, the patrol exited the forest, and a strong wind hit Ash. He closed his eyes tight, and then opened them once the wind was gone.
Ash gasped as he saw a rickety bridge was in front of them. There was a cold canyon below, and it seemed bottomless.
"Wow, that's a big canyon," Rusty remarked. "Anyone here scared of heights?"
Flare grabbed a rock and pushed it over the edge. It fell down, and the patrol never heard the sound of it making contact with any floor. Ash shivered; partly because he was cold, and partly because he was spooked by the bottomless canyon.
"Er, let's get moving..." Stone suggested. She put a paw on the rickety bridge, and it made a creaking noise. Stone flinched and put her paw back on the ground.
Ash tried to look into the distance, but he saw that the bridge led into mist. It was so cloudy, it almost seemed as if the bridge never ended.
"Well, the Water Tribe isn't going to help themselves," Crystal shrugged. She put two paws on the bridge, and it creaked again. Cautiously, Crystal kept walking across the bridge.
Rusty quickly followed Crystal. "We got to be careful, the bridge could break," Rusty warned.
"Er, yeah, I'll be careful," sighed Crystal, and she kept advancing across the bridge.
Slowly, the rest of the patrol followed. Eclipse flinched a few times when the bridge creaked, but kept moving. Ash had to admit that he was pretty scared of the bridge breaking, too, and flinched a lot of times. He kept moving.
"Hey, Airia," Fan turned to the winged wolf, "stay under the bridge and hover there. If anyone falls, catch them, okay?"
"But what if the whole patrol falls?" Airia asked, jumping off the bridge and flying in the sky.
"Um, we'll handle that one when we come across it," Stone shrugged.
Great. If we all fall, we'll probably be too much for Airia to carry. Ash told himself, scared.
They advanced towards the fog. It was now very hard for Ash to see; he could only see the shadows of others in front of him.
"Ouch! That was my tail, Flare!" came Crystal's voice.
"Sorr-EE, I can barely see in this mist!" Flare protested.
"It's okay, Crystal," Rusty's voice said calmly.
Finally, after what seemed like a moon of walking, they finally made it to what looked like an icy yard. It was surrounded by pillars and halls with open windows in it. Everything was ice blue.
"Welcome to the Water Tribe," Willow nodded.

Author's Note:
BOOYAH. Like the chapter title? XD

Chapter 59: Continuing

"What the-?"
"How'd he get here?"
"And who is that other black wolf? No, not you, Crystal, that one, o'er there!"
Ash woke up reluctantly. Someone was poking him in the side. He looked up and saw Rusty standing over him, a smile on his face.
"Oh... Hi everyone," Ash yawned, trying to blink sleep from his eyes.
"How did you get back?" Stone demanded.
"Chill ya prey, let Ash explain," Rusty rolled his eyes.
Ash stared at him. "What did you just say?"
"I said, 'chill ya prey', it means... Er, never mind. Ash, just tell us what happened."
Ash told everyone the story of how the Tribe wanted Ash's help in defeating an enemy. He told them there was a prophecy, and that Spirittiger ("Spirit who?" Slice had said, who was shushed by Crystal) didn't want Ash to defeat the enemy yet, so he escaped and took Nightgale with him.
"So... This is Nightgale," Airia confirmed, pointing with her tail and the black wolf, who was sitting up to listen.
"Yes, I'm Nightgale," Nightgale said coolly. "You are?"
"Airia," mumbled Airia. "We can save the introductions for later, you'll find out who's who sometime or another." Ash could tell that Airia didn't quite trust Nightgale, but that was nothing new, of course.
"So, we should get moving," Fan interrupted Nightgale and Airia's staredown.
"Yeah, the Water Tribe isn't going to help themselves," Flare shrugged, getting to his paws.
"We should arrive there soon," Stone announced.
"Good, my paws have been aching pretty bad since the start of the journey," Eclipse sighed with relief.
"Once we get there, I want a good rest," Charlotte agreed.
"With that said, let's get moving," Creature added.
The patrol exited the cave, and began to walk north. Dust was walking next to Rusty, murmuring something to him. Ash noticed that Dust hadn't said hello to him at all, not like Ash would expect him to.
Charlotte was walking alongside Eclipse, both girls in conversation, and Ash couldn't hear them speaking at all.
"So, Ash, how was the Tribe?" asked a voice next to him. "I mean like, after we left."
Turning to his right, Ash saw that Slice was the one talking to him.
"Annoying," Ash confirmed, "they kept me in a cave to wait to defeat something, but Spirittiger told me to escape, like I told you."
"Who were you supposed to defeat?" Slice cocked her head.
"I don't know," Ash admitted. And, Slice was right. Who did the Tribe want him to vanquish?

Author's Note:
I'm not telling.

Chapter 58: Following The Scent

"Alright now," Ash sniffed the air, "it appears that the patrol has already been through here..."
Nightgale sniffed the air too. "And a peahen! Hmm, prey..."
"She's not prey!" Ash snapped, "that's Fan, she's part of the patrol!"
"Oh... Sorry," Nightgale apologized.
Ash shook his head and trekked through the forest. It was still night, and the forest was very dangerous during nighttime.
Ash started off at a run, and Nightgale followed. Sniffing the air, Ash could still smell that the patrol had been through here. The scent was fresher, and Ash got more excited. He kept on moving through the dark forest.
"Scared?" Nightgale joked as she watched Ash running.
"No, I'm not," Ash snapped, still running, "I just want to get to the patrol faster.
Nightgale sighed and picked up the pace.
Ash could smell a strong scent of Rusty. He followed the scent to the top of a boulder. He followed it, and could smell at the scent dropped to the bottom of the rock.
Heh, Rusty fell off the boulder, Ash laughed to himself. He jumped off the boulder and kept following the scent trail through the dark.
Finally, the trail lead into a cave. Ash ran into it and saw the patrol, all of them asleep.
"Found them," Ash whispered to Nightgale.
"You have an odd team," Nightgale shook her head.
Ash settled by a rock near Airia and Dust. He curled up and fell asleep.

Author's Note:
That was quick. XD

Chapter 57: Walking Free

The undergrowth rustled as Ash trotted through it, nearing the Tribe camp. He could smell a strong stench of wolves as he approached. It appeared that everyone was asleep.
How am I gonna do this? Ash asked himself, shaking his head. He poked his head in camp, seeing that no one was out and about.
Ash crawled into camp, hoping no one would wake up to the smell of his pelt.  He crawled towards the den Nightgale and him were in before. He headed for it, and slipped on the dirt.
Ash tumbled inside, and found that he had pinned Treebranch during the fall. Treebranch was wide-eyed with shock.
Growling, Ash got off Treebranch, and walked over to Nightgale, prodding her awake.
Nightgale woke up, and rose to her paws without making a sound.
Ash went for the entrance, but Treebranch stopped him.
"I'm sorry I pounced on you, Ash, but I was ordered to do so," Treebranch apologized.
Ash sighed in frustration and left the den. He walked towards the camp entrance, Nightgale following cluelessly.
"What do you want?" Nightgale whispered.
"We're going away from the Tribe," Ash answered.
"Really?" Nightgale sounded exciting.
"Yup," Ash confimred, "let's go."

Author's Note:
Now they only have to find the patrol. XD

Chapter 56: A Cave

The next day, Ash woke up to see that Nightgale was still asleep.
Eh, better let her catch up on her rest, Ash told himself. He stood up and walked toward the entrance, studying it.
Ash poked his head out. He saw that the Tribe was already busy with wolves out and about. Some where talking, others were leaving camp, some where giving food to elders, mothers and pups, and some apprentice repaired a tear in the nursery.
As Ash saw Treebranch and Flyingbird coming his way, he went back into the den and pretended he was still asleep.
"Ash, get up," Flyingbird growled, prodding Ash in the side.
Geez, thanks for the nice morning greeting, Ash bit back the insult.
"Hurry up now!" Flyingbird snapped, and Ash quickly jumped up to his paws. Nightgale's head rose due to the noise.
"What do you want?" Ash groaned.
"J-Just follow us," Treebranch mumbled.
"I'll follow you," Ash glared, "of course I will. I'll just be knocked out again, right?"
Treebranch looked hurt. Ash felt like saying sorry, but then decided not to.
Flyingbird and Treebranch led Ash towards Leafclaw, who was sitting outside his den.
"We're ready, Leafclaw," Flyingbird nodded.
"Good, good," Leafclaw smiled. He turned to the Tribe. "Tribe! We are departing, follow me. Elders, pups and mothers, stay here."
"Aww!" A pup complained, but everyone ignored the pup.
Ash walked at the back of the tribe. On his left side was Crow, and on Ash's right side was Star. The Tribe exited the camp.
After a short period of walking, they arrived at a cave. Crow guided Ash to the front of the Tribe, by Leafclaw.
"What's happening?" Ash asked.
"Just stay calm and do what I tell you," Leafclaw ordered.
Ash sighed in frustration. The Tribe waited outside, and Leafclaw went in the cave. He waved with his tail to tell Ash to follow. Not having much choice, Ash did so.
There was a portal-like object in front of Leafclaw. Ash sat down next to Leafclaw. On top of the portal was a blue-like glow.
"He has arrived," Leafclaw said to the portal.
"Good," said a voice. Above the portal, appeared a white tiger's head. Ash marveled at how huge the head was.
"So, Spirittiger, what next?" Leafclaw asked the tiger.
The white tiger spoke, "he will come soon. And the enemy will vanish."
"Excellent," Leafclaw nodded. The Tribe leader exited the cave, and Ash could scent that the rest of the Tribe went away too.
"Um...So your name is Spirittiger?" Ash asked.
"Indeed, yes," the tiger replied.
"So, what's this 'prophecy' I hear 'bout?"
Spirittiger closed his eyes calmly. Then, he opened them. A light blue fire danced in his dark blue eyes, and Ash grew wide-eyed.
"The moon is full. An animal lurks. The animal, pure evil himself, is out to strike. The fallen fire will rise and defeat the evil," Spirittiger said calmly.
"Say what?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "I don't get it at all. What's 'fallen fire', anyways?"
"Fallen fire," Spirittiger began, "is ash."
"I'm fallen fire?" Ash gasped.
"In the prophecy, yes, you are destinied to defeat an evil animal," Spirittiger explained.
"But I don't want to!" Ash protested.
"And I don't want you to, either."
"Say what?"
Spirittiger sighed. "It is indeed not your time to defeat this animal. If you do, you will die. You must do it when the time is right, and the time is not now. You must escape. Now."
"That'll be easy," Ash snorted. "Why did they leave me here unguarded?"
"Leafclaw told me to keep an eye on you. But I support the fact that you should leave," Spirittiger announced.
"So all I got to do is leave," Ash confirmed.
"No. You need to take Nightgale with you," Spirittiger shook his head.
"How am I gonna sneak into camp?" Ash questioned. "Shouldn't I just leave?"
"Nightgale has a destiny to complete, too. Would you want her to not complete her destiny? It is bad if you don't complete it," Spirittiger warned.
Ash thought for a while. Then, he sighed. "I guess I'll go get Nightgale."

Author's Note:
WOOHOO! Hasta la viesta (or however you spell it), Tribe wolves! >:D

Chapter 55: Discussion

"Well, should we go back for Ash?" Stone suggested.
"Are you kidding? Those Tribe animals could be dangerous," Creature warned.
"I know. Have you seen Flyingbird? And Leafclaw? They're as grumpy as Stone when she fails at hunting!" Rusty pointed out.
Stone growled at Rusty.
"S-Sorry," Rusty recoiled.
Stone gave the young wolf "the look".
"Creature's right, though," Airia agreed, "it could be dangerous."
"We need to do it for Ash, though," Charlotte put in, "how would you guys like it if you got captured, and your friends didn't come back for you?"
"The Water Tribe needs us, and something tells me that they desperately need our help now," Fan said.
"How about this," Dust suggested, "we go to the Water Tribe, complete our mission, and on the way back we get Ash."
After a while, the patrol started nodding.
"That's actually a good idea," Creature agreed.
"Yes," Slice nodded, "Ash is pretty strong, he'll probably last until we come back to get him."
"And besides, the Water Tribe probably needs our help more," Flare added.
"Then it's settled," Fan announced, "we get Ash on the way back."

"How long do I have to stay here?" Ash complained.
"Until the Tribe sets you free I guess," Nightgale shrugged.
"Why would they want to keep you here, anyways? I mean, you're not too useful to them..." Ash tried saying nicely.
"I don't know," Nightgale admitted, "maybe it's part of my punishment. Or, they just...um...I don't know..."
"I want to get out of here," Ash grumbled.
"So do I, but I don't know how I can," Nightgale sighed in frustration. "Maybe you should wait until you find out what this 'prophecy' is about, and then you can somehow escape."
"It's worth a try," Ash shrugged, "once I find out some information, I'll leave the Tribe..."

Author's Note:
I have no idea how Ash is going to escape, actually. XD I need ideas. :S

Chapter 54: The Denmate

Ash woke up in a hole. He remembered Treebranch tackling him in the forest. Crazy dream, he thought. He blinked the sleep from his eyes, to find the den was deserted.
"Airia? Charlotte? Rusty...?" Ash called into the den.
No response.
So it wasn't a dream, Ash told himself, growling. When I find Treebranch, I am gonna-
Something hit him in the side. Ash stumbled, but didn't fall. He turned on his attacker. A black she-wolf was standing there.
"Who ar-are you?" She stuttered. She seemed brave, but a bit nervous at the same time.
"I'm a normal Waterbending apprentice, who was trying to get to the Water Tribe, but I got hit by some Tribe wolf for no reason, and now I'm stuck here," Ash growled.
The black female wolf rolled her eyes. "What's your name?"
"Ash," mumbled Ash.
"My name is Nightgale. Pleasure to meet you," nodded the she-wolf.
"Not so pleased," Ash mumbled. He wasn't trying to be mean to Nightgale; he was just angry at Treebranch.
"What?" Nightgale sounded worried.
"Sorry, I'm just in a bad mood," Ash sighed, "I only knew the Tribe for two days and they already wolf-napped me."
"Hmm," Nightgale said. "What'd you do?"
"Nothing," Ash snapped, "maybe they want me to join the Tribe or something. Why'd they take you?"
"I was 'on their territory' and wouldn't leave," Nightgale explained, "so they put me in here."
"That's all?" Ash tilted his head.
"Yeah," Nightgale shrugged.
"Well, I was in a group of animals," Ash began, "I tried hunting, but Flyingbird got to me and scolded me. They put us in an underground den, then released us the next day, because Leafclaw and Treebranch both offered us shelter. So we went out today, and then Treebranch wanted to see me. She said sorry, then jumped on me." Ash growled. "I hate this Tribe."
"Well, they provide food," Nightgale commented.
"How long have you been in here?" Ash asked.
"At least 5 moons," Nightgale nodded.
"And they never released you?" Ash grew wide-eyed.
"Nope," Nightgale sighed.
Just then, a white wolf with black streaks on his back came in. He was followed by a smaller black she-wolf - she had yellow flecks all over her.
"Why did you take me?" Ash growled.
"Prophecy reasons," the white wolf glared.
"Say what now?" Ash pricked his ears.
"There was a prophecy saying-" the black wolf began. The white wolf put his tail up, telling her to stop.
"Quiet, Star, he'll find out later," he snapped.
"Since he doesn't know why, he deserves to know, Warriormoon!" Star growled.
"Don't talk to your mentor that way," Warriormoon said coldly. He turned to Ash and Nightgale. "Anyways, we brought some prey." He turned his back and grabbed two magpies. He slid one to Ash, and the other he slid to Nightgale.
"Bye," Star sighed, "good luck, it's horrible being in here." With that, she followed Warriormoon out of the den.
How does she know it's horrible to be in here? Ash thought.
Nightgale seemed to read his mind. "Star was taken in when she was a pup - one of our mothers was out for a stroll and found her. The mother felt so sorry that she had to take Star in."
"At least the mother was nice enough to take the poor pup in," Ash commented, like Goldwing took me in.

Author's Note:
So due to a prophecy, Ash has to stay in a hole with Nightgale. Curse you, prophecy, for making Ash stay with the Tribe. XD Nightgale belongs with Athenscami, thanks for the character Athen!