Chapter 53: Fighting the Firebenders

Ash started to back away slowly, overwhelmed by all of the Firebenders staring at him. Rusty looked very scared, and even Tiggerpaka looked scared. The apprentices, however, looked most scared of all of them. FireBlade had a smug look on his face and he sneered. "Well, what are you going to do now?"
Ash looked at Rusty, "If we go really slowly and calmly, maybe they won't chase after us," he whispered. "Just stay calm, and back away, as if not to cause any harm..." he took a step back, and so did Rusty and Tiggerpaka.
"RUN!" Rusty yowled, and he turned around and darted off. Tiggerpaka ran after, and so did the apprentices. Ash had no choice but to follow. Rusty was yowling in fear, and Ash could smell and hear the Fire Nation chasing them. Ash was very scared, he was praying they'd make it to The Bending Tower without being killed.
The Fire Nation was yowling as they chased them, and Ash could tell they were getting closer. His fear made him run faster as he jumped over the fallen trees and ran straight through the bushes, Rusty by his side, looking wide-eyed in fear. Tiggerpaka was running on all fours, trying to get past Ash and Rusty. "Let me go first! I'm more important!"
"Shut up, Tiggerpaka and just run!" Cinder yowled. She was behind Ash, covering ground quickly, her eyes wide with fear. Leafy and Aimee were screeching in fear as they fought to catch up. Ash could hear the yowls, growls and hisses of the Firebenders behind him. He sniffed the air as he ran, and could detect The Bending Tower getting closer. Come on, almost there! Ash darted forward as jaws snapped at his tail, luckily missing.
Ash broke through the entrance, Rusty coming by him. To get everyone's attention, Ash yowled the alarm, and Rusty yowled with him. The apprentices yowled too, and Tiggerpaka shouted: "HELP!" as loud as he could. The Fire Nation all began to pour into the yard, and Ash rounded on them, hoping the Benders would come. Rusty kept yowling.
"Kill 'em!" roared a voice from the crowd, and as the Firebenders began to move forward, the door at The Bending Tower bursted forward and animals poured out, doing battle cries as they leaped at the Firebenders. Everyone broke into battle, fighting, biting and scratching as they all tried to defeat one another.
Ash looked around for someone to help out when he spotted Airia in the air, with a fennec fox tugging on her wing, not letting go. Airia was snarling at the fox, unable to reach her. That fox could possibly tear her feathers off, Ash thought in fear, and he sprang into the air and bit down on the fox. The fox yowled as Ash brought it to the ground, stunning it as the fox's body made contact with the hard ground. It's eyes were wide with shock, and Ash could tell the fox was really hurt, perhaps having a broken bone.
Ash felt no sympathy for the fox, however. "Are you okay, Airia?" Ash asked, looking up at her. Luckily, she looked unharmed. Ash felt that warm sensation come into him and tried his best to ignore it.
"Fine, thank you Ash," Airia nodded. Ash felt relief. He knew that it used to be that Airia would scold him for saving her, but now that she trusted him as a loyal Bender, Airia was happy that he dragged the fox off of her. Ash watched as Airia flew off into the battle.
Ash looked around and saw that Dell was pinned by a black she-wolf, helplessly fidgeting under the wolf's hold. The wolf pulled her head back to land a bite, and as Ash was about to pounce to save Dell, suddenly Windows jumped in and landed on the wolf's back, digging his claws in. The wolf yowled and looked at Windows, and Dell easily slithered from the wolf's grasp. Dell quickly lashed her scaly tail from side to side and some of the earth below the wolf jerked up, rising the wolf yet not doing any damage. Wide-eyed, Dell ran off, and Windows chased after Dell to help her, and the wolf chased after the two pangolins.
Suddenly, Ash fell to the ground and felt weight on him. He glanced up to see a dark orange male wolf pinning him down, baring his teeth at Ash. "The..." He bit down on Ash's neck, making Ash yowl out, "Bending Tower..." He dug his claws into Ash's back, "Will surrender!" As he bit down harder to kill Ash, Ash felt his attacker's weight come off him, and he landed by Ash. Ash got to his paws and saw Moonlight standing there.
"Thanks Moonlight," Ash thanked the loner she-wolf.
"No problem Ash," Moonlight smiled. "I'm going to find Ember," she ducked as a fireball hissed over her head, "I'm sure he somehow needs my help." She darted off, and Ash watched her go. He then turned around to look to see if anyone needed his help. Slice was pinned to the ground by another wolf, and Miguel jumped onto the wolf's back and Slice managed to get free of the wolf's grasp.
Ash ducked as a fireball hissed over his head. He saw Firetalon had pinned Eclipse to the ground. She was helpless, considering she was blind. Yowling, Ash leaped into Firetalon and pinned him to the ground, and bit down on Firetalon's chest, making the hawk screech in pain.
"Get... Off... Me!" snarled Firetalon, sinking his talons into Ash's chest. Ash yowled out and let go, watching as blood spilled from his chest. Firetalon got to his talons and flew into the air, and dive-bombed down onto the ground, forming a large fireball. Ash quickly spun around and lashed his tail, and a waterball came and distinguished the fire.
Suddenly, Eclipse jumped at Firetalon and bit down into him, making him cry out. "Eclipse, be careful!" Ash howled over the noises of the battle, "He could easily harm you!" Ash made sure he was clearly indicating to the fact that she was blind.
"I got this!" Eclipse yowled back, throwing Firetalon aside. He screeched at Eclipse but didn't lunge back at her; instead, he gave up and leaped to battle someone else. Eclipse smiled at Ash and ran off towards Feather, who was fighting a barn owl.
Suddenly, Ash felt something land on his back and he fell to the ground. Growling, Ash turned his head and gasped as he saw Hazen pinning him to the ground of the yard, a serious look of hatred on his face. "Hazen!" Ash exclaimed, "What are you doing?"
Hazen growled. "Haven't you figured it out? I don't want to be an apprentice here. I'm a Firebender spy, Ash. All of you mistreat me because I'm different. Especially you. I'm glad I'm a Firebender. They'll respect me that I know your strengths and weaknesses now." Hazen bared his teeth and aimed a blow at Ash.
"Get off my mentor!" came a growl. Ash grew wide-eyed as he saw Cinder leap onto Hazen's back. She dug her tiny claws in and bit down on him.
Hazen let go of Ash. "Are you serious?" Hazen growled. Hazen was bigger than Cinder, Ash realized, so Cinder was in trouble. Hazen bit into Cinder's leg, and she yowled in pain and jumped off his back, a look of anger on her face as her paw began to bleed. "Get out of here, kit, before I kill you."
Ash growled and tackled Hazen, pinning him. I thought Hazen would become an Earthbender, Ash growled, and he betrayed us. He's a Firebender spy! Why didn't I see it before? Ash bit down on Hazen and Hazen yowled, kicking Ash in the stomach. Although winded, Ash kept his bite in Hazen, anger rushing through his veins.
Suddenly, Ash was hit in the side and he fell to the ground. Mistletoe had pinned him, she had a look of fear on her face. "Ash! Why were you biting Hazen?" she looked wide-eyed, like she expected that Ash had become evil and joined the Firebenders. "Don't tell me you've joined the Firebenders...!"
"I didn't," Ash panted as she put her weight on his chest, "Hazen's evil. He's the spy for the Firebenders!" Ash managed to get out, growling to himself. And to think I trusted him, Ash thought to himself, hatred coming upon him when he looked at Hazen. To Ash's surprise, Hazen looked shocked too, and sad as he looked at Mistletoe.
"What?" Mistletoe grew wide-eyed in shock. "He's..." She turned to him. "You're a Firebender spy?" Mistletoe looked very hurt and sad. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Hazen sighed, "Remember last night when I didn't want to go for a walk with you? I was melting the snow. The Firebenders ordered me to." He looked about as hurt as Mistletoe. "Mistletoe, I love you, but I got to stay loyal to the Firebenders. I was raised there. They have great plans for the land and we will rule. You can either come with me and I'll protect you, or you can stay here."
Ash was surprised to see Mistletoe looked torn. Wow, then she must really love him, Ash thought. He shook his head. "Mistletoe, this is your decision, and you can decide what to do. Just..." Ash sighed. "Remember... Where your loyalties lie."
Ash walked away, feeling anger about Hazen still. He ducked as a fireball hissed over his head and dodged a fireball coming at his side. A wolf at his side pounced for him and Ash darted out of the way, and the wolf fell onto the ground. Ash pounced on the wolf, growling. He saw who it was. Fang; Eclipse's brother, who had joined the Firebenders alongside his adopted brother, Firetalon.
"Fang!" howled a voice, and Ash was pushed off Fang as a she-wolf came to his rescue. She snarled at Ash. "Paws off him," and she bared her teeth at Ash. Fang got up and growled beside her, and Ash began to back up as they growled at him, wanting to pounce onto him. It was two against one, so Ash knew he had the least bit of a fighting chance.
Suddenly, Ash heard barks and howls. He looked at the entrance and saw a bunch of wolves running in. Ash's hopes slowly lifted up, but then went back down. Are they on our side or the Firebenders' side? He wondered nervously. He then sniffed the air. Wait... That's the Tribe of Flying Birds!

Author's Note:
Lots of action... :o And more to come! :3 DISCUSS BELOW. ewe

Chapter 52: The Battle's Beginning

"Look outside! Come on!"

Ash perked his ears and opened his eyes. He examined the area. The other full Waterbenders were slowly stirring and beginning to wake up. Ash stretched and slowly got to his paws. He watched as the apprentices passed by the entrance of the den. Ash looked and saw Cinder, Snakeseye, Leafy and Aimee walking for the stairs. Curious, Ash followed, detecting that Rusty was following close to him.

"Ah, my good friends!"

Ash almost jumped as he felt something land on his back. Instinct took over as Ash turned his head around and bit down on his attacker. "Ow!" exclaimed the attacker, and he let go. Ash looked forward and saw Tiggerpaka land in front of him, rubbing his arm where Ash bit down. "Geez, pal, why would you attack and old friend?"

"Um, we're not friends," Rusty muttered.

"Anyway..." Tiggerpaka continued, "you two going out to enjoy the beautiful day? Those dumbfounded pups and their furless friend almost trampled me when they walked by, sheesh!" He shook his hanging head.
"Beautiful day?" Rusty echoed. Ash exchanged confused looks with his friend. "But... It's freezing out! And snow has covered the whole area!"
"No it isn't! Come on," Tiggerpaka got down on all fours and scurried down the stairs out to the yard. Ash quickly followed, wondering whether Tiggerpaka had made it all up or if the snow was really gone. Rusty seemed as curious too, and followed Ash quickly.
Ash went out into the yard and grew wide-eyed as he saw that Tiggerpaka was right. The apprentices seemed to be enjoying it, running around and cheering and playing, but Ash was confused. He noticed that Rusty looked as confused as he was. The snow couldn't possibly melt that quickly, Ash thought, what's happened?
"Come on guys, let's go into the forest!" Leafy exclaimed, bouncing around eagerly. Aimee nodded agreement, and the two darted off into the forest, leaving the others behind.
"Wait up!" Cinder called, and she followed. Snakeseye seemed like he wanted to stay behind, and he went inside into The Bending Tower. Tiggerpaka ran after Cinder, looking like he wanted to go out into the forest as well.
"We can't let them go out there unsupervised. Let's go follow," Ash nodded to Rusty. Rusty nodded back in agreement, and they both darted after the eager apprentices. Ash caught their scent and followed it, tracking them. He found them playing in a clearing, by a large area of bushes. Tiggerpaka was shouting at them, trying to get their attention, but the apprentices ignored him as they kept on playing.
"Guys, guys!" Ash exclaimed, and the apprentices stopped to look at Ash. "What are you doing?" He knew that they were playing, but he was wondering why they didn't seem the least bit concerned about how the snow would have melted so quickly and not take its time like a usual snowstorm would.
"Playing!" Cinder exclaimed, looking cheerful, eyes bright.
Rusty snorted and rolled his eyes. "Nice question, Ash. It must've been hard to figure that out yourself, eh?"
Ash narrowed his eyes playfully, but just as he was about to make a retort, Leafy had bowled into Tiggerpaka and rolled into Ash's leg, and he flinched.
"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Tiggerpaka exclaimed, trying to push Leafy off yet failing, "What, do you think I'm some sort of enemy? I'm not something for you to eat either, so get your little paws off me before I'm forced to scratch your eyes out!"
Ash expected Leafy to back off in fear, but instead she giggled, "Right. Squirrels don't frighten me!" she playfully batted at Tiggerpaka's nose, and he didn't look amused; instead he looked kind of frustrated at Leafy. Leafy smiled and Tiggerpaka swiped at Leafy's face and she moved her face back, giggling in amusement.
Suddenly, Ash heard a deep voice from the shadows of the bushes, "I see you're still getting beaten by animals younger and weaker than you, eh, Paka?" the voice sneered.
Ash turned around and grew wide-eyed as he saw a pair of eyes in the shadows. Out came a black jaguar, and he didn't look like he was a friendly loner; his eyes looked evil, and looked like he wanted to harm, not necessarily just throw insults.
"And I see you still need to work on getting stronger, huh, TiredBlade?" Tiggerpaka retorted, getting up as Leafy let go of him and backed up in fear. Ash looked from Tiggerpaka to the jaguar. So this is Tiggerpaka's enemy, the one he had mentioned before, Ash realized, growling at the jaguar.
"For the last time," spat the jaguar, "It's FireBlade, not TiredBlade!" he growled, and leaped at the meerkat.
Ash expected the jaguar to easily pounce on Tiggerpaka and kill him, but to his shock Tiggerpaka leaped to the side, easily dodging the attack and landed on a rock. "Looks like your reflexes are a bit slow," Tiggerpaka said, "try again, ole pal."
FireBlade snarled and leaped again at Tiggerpaka. Ash backed away to stand next to Rusty, who looked more shocked than Ash was himself, thinking that Tiggerpaka would be able to perform this battle himself, easily without any help.
Tiggerpaka jumped up and slid down FireBlade's back, and he grabbed onto a poisonous vine hanging from one of the trees and swung into a tree. "Oh, poor you, you seemed to have lost some of the fighting skills I've seen last time I fought you. Try again."
FireBlade snarled, "You're going to regret all these insults you've said to me, Paka!" he easily leaped up the tree and clawed at him, trying to land a blow. Again, Tiggerpaka easily dodged, and Ash was still shocked that Tiggerpaka still had no injuries on him. Tiggerpaka looked like he wasn't tired at all. FireBlade looked incredibly angry and frustrated, however.
Tiggerpaka smirked, "And you're gonna regret you ever walked across my path on that day and attacked me!" he exclaimed, and, now playing offense, Tiggerpaka swung on his vine and landed on FireBlade's back, biting down. FireBlade growled, looking a bit in pain but not as if it didn't do a lot of damage.
"That was you who attacked me, Paka!" FireBlade spat, and bit down on Tiggerpaka and threw him to the ground, putting a paw on Tiggerpaka's chest, "And I've got you!" Tiggerpaka struggled beneath FireBlade's hold, not able to get out, "Now you're going to regret everything you've did to me since day one!"
Tiggerpaka gritted his teeth and flinched, obviously expecting FireBlade to kill him. Ash couldn't believe it, but he found that didn't want to see the meerkat die. Ash yowled and tackled FireBlade in his side and pinned FireBlade, and Tiggerpaka got to his feet.
"Get off me!" FireBlade spat, and bit down on Ash's leg. Ash snarled and let go and faced his opponent. Rusty came to Ash's side and growled next to him, preparing to fight alongside Ash. The apprentices were looking fierce too, despite there was no fighting moves they knew except for the ones they had just saw.
"You're out numbered, FireBlade!" Rusty exclaimed, "Give up now and you won't have any scars." He had a glare in his eye, and Ash was happy to see that his friend had his rare, serious face on and looked like he was prepared to do as much damage as necessary. Tiggerpaka leaped over and stood by Ash and Rusty, apparently ready to fight him too.
"Give up?" FireBlade breathed. He then laughed, which made Ash a bit nervous; why would FireBlade laugh when he was obviously outnumbered, six to one? "Me give up? It is you who will need to give up. In fact, after this horrendous battle is over..." Ash gasped as he saw many pairs of eyes blinking from the shadows of the bushes, all of them looking evil and like they were prepared for battle. "It is The Bending Tower who will be surrendering, not me or the Fire Nation!"
Rusty looked at the eyes in fear, and Ash observed them all. There was too many of them. Ash had heard there be talk that the Fire Nation would obviously have their revenge on The Bending Tower for driving them away from the Water Tribe.
That was right.
The Fire Nation had come for revenge.
And by the looks of things...
...The whole Fire Nation had come to defeat The Bending Tower.

Author's Note:
Well, thanks to Pokemon798 for Tired-- Er, I mean, FireBlade. Ooh, a battle's coming up. I'll let you know, it's going to be a huge battle at that... I love writing these battles. .3.

Chapter 51: Hazen's Dream

A scream was heard and it echoed off the walls. Then silence. A fire cracked, lighting the place up. The silhouettes of many animals were together in silence, sitting together. All of them were battle-scarred and looked like the definition of evil. Their eyes had fire dancing in them as they all looked up at the silhouette of a small animal. On its claws were fresh blood, and a body lay by it: the body of a cat. It had blood pouring from its throat, its eyes blank, dead.
"See?" growled the voice of the murderer, its voice icy, "this is what happens when a warrior refuses to go to battle. Muddyfur is no use to us. He deserved to die," the voice spat. His voice was followed by yowls of agreement. The murderer's claws gleamed in the moonlight, and he bared his teeth, which gleamed in the moonlight.
"Now, all of you are going. We're going to show them that the Firebenders are not easily defeated. Because you all failed me at the Water Tribe, I'm giving you a chance to strike again and show me that I lead warriors, not soft-hearted fools. Do I make myself clear?" snapped the murderer. His claws were in a pool of blood but he didn't seem to mind.
Yowls arose from the crowd, all of them seemed ready for whatever their leader was urging them on to do. Their eyes glowed in the darkness, and they were thirsty for a battle. The leader seemed to smile a bit, but it was in an evil way, no doubt about it. "The Bending Tower will not be ready for this attack," his icy voice spat, and he hopped down from the mass of bones he was standing on. "They think they're stronger than us," he began to walk through the crowd. His army seemed scared of him, yet their eyes glowed with respect for him. He eyed to snakes as he continued, "Only The Bending Tower stands in our way between ruling and being casted away. I have faith in all of you that we will push The Bending Tower down like prey in the forest and stand up as the rulers! It is the will of the Darkbenders, and we will make sure it happens. No one will dare stand in our way." His eyes glowed red as he walked through the middle of the crowd, all of them watching him as he talked. "The Earth Kingdom has been conquered. They fear us. The Water Tribe, those soft-hearted fools, will bow down once we rule The Bending Tower, for no one will help them then. The Air Temple will stay in their usual position: out of the way, not wanting to be a part of this war." In a flash, the leader was in front of one of the snakes, who looked scared as he stood in front of her. "And we're not going to let them win this time, are we, Poisonfang?" He bared his teeth at her, and the snake seemed to know that he'd easily finish her off if he wanted to.
"No, Ironfang, my leader," the snake dipped her head in respect, "I will die before I let The Bending Tower win." Her glowing green eyes looked up at the leader, and she seemed to be pleading that he wouldn't kill her right then and now.
"You better," growled the leader, "Or I will kill you next time you fail me." He jumped up onto the mass of bones. "Our spy should have found out The Bending Tower's weaknesses by now. When we invade, he will report to us what it is and we will use it against them." The leader quickly jumped high into the air and landed on the bones, and a ring of fire appeared around the bones. "The Firebenders will rule! We will become the leaders we deserve to be!" he yowled, and the army yowled with him.

A white wolf woke with a start. He examined the room. Everyone was asleep. His icy blue eyes narrowed and he shook his pelt. The dream had scared him. Despite it was still night out, he exited the den and went out into the hallway. He had to prepare. The Firebenders were going to come, and they were going to arrive quickly. He looked left and right to make sure no one was coming. Then, the white wolf headed for the staircase.
"Hazen?"
The wolf jumped. He turned around to see Mistletoe. He felt his heart ache. She was beautiful and kind, yet he would never be allowed to be with her. He shook his head. "What do you want?" he asked, hoping she'd leave soon. Hazen tried to push his feelings away but they kept coming back at him like an opponent would come back to you after you struck him.
"Why are you up?" Mistletoe asked.
"Er... I just had a dream," Hazen sighed. "I... Don't want to talk about it." Hazen slowly turned his head to look at her. Kindness was in her eyes, she didn't have a questioning look upon her at all, unlike Ash, who always seemed to look suspicious and nervous whenever he looked at Hazen. "Do you need something?"
"I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep," Mistletoe responded. "Do you want to... Um, walk with me?"
Hazen hesitated, but then shook his head. "I just... Want to be alone for a while. Go back to sleep, and I'll see you in the morning." He looked at her, and was surprised to see that she seemed to have affection towards him, too. Well, at least then maybe she'll understand I want to be alone, Hazen thought.
Mistletoe nodded, "Alright, see you in the morning." She returned to the Airbenders' den.
Hazen sighed in relief, and quickly went downstairs and out into the yard. It had stopped snowing. Hazen's legs sunk into the snow. It was cold, and a breeze swept through the area, making Hazen's pelt ruffled. He stared at the snow. Then he narrowed his eyes. He had to do this. It was what he was here for.
Hazen breathed in, then out. He looked up at the dark, clouded sky. He shut his eyes, then pushed his paws front paws forward, breathing again. He swished his tail slowly, then opened his eyes, growling. He glared at the trees around him. I just need to perform this duty and then I can go home, Hazen thought to himself. He finally spun in a circle and leaped, landing onto the ground.
A fire appeared on the snow, and the snow melted quickly. Hazen quickly looked around. No one had seen him do the Firebending. Good. The plan was working well so far. As the fire grew bigger, Hazen kept looking around, trying to make sure he wasn't being watched. Hazen turned to the fire. He smiled, narrowed his eyes, and turned his back to the fire, then quickly lashed around, pushing his paws forward quickly. The fire quickly spread throughout the area, melting all the snow. It went into the forest, luckily not catching any trees on fire, melting the snow in its path.
Hazen sighed relief and walked back inside The Bending Tower. His duty had been done. Since the snow had melted, the Firebenders could get here. Soon, once the Firebenders won, he'd get to go home and leave. He'd be rewarded for helping out the Firebenders. Perfect.
Suddenly, Hazen realized something.
There was one problem.
Mistletoe.

Author's Note:
Do not let your heart be troubled, Hazen... JOIN THE GOOD SIDE. :U
Yep, Hazen's a spy for the Firebenders... D: Poor Mistletoe. The Firebenders are coming soon. Someone, start singing "Be Prepared". xP

Chapter 50: Training the Apprentices

Ash trudged across the yard. Despite the harsh winds and steadily growing snow, Goldwing wanted Ash and the others to take out their new apprentices before the snow got too much. However, the snow was getting really big, and it took Ash a long time to get across the yard, same with the others. They all had to use a lot of effort to pick their legs up.
Finally, they entered the forest. Ash looked around. The apprentices looked more exhausted than the mentors. Snakeseye looked very cold, more cold than the others, but he seemed to be fighting the urge to ask to go back into The Bending Tower.
"So what do we do now?" Cinder looked up at Ash with a smile on her face and big, beaming eyes. She twitched her whiskers, making a bit of snow fall off them. She seemed eager to learn, as well as the other apprentices, except Cinder seemed more excited.
"Umm..." Ash thought for a minute. "How about we do a little hunting, maybe? Because the prey is going to be hiding for a while." Ash examined the patrol, seeing that few with faces that showed that they agreed with him.
"I think we should teach them fighting," Dust shrugged, "Because the Firebenders supposedly want revenge on us, they're going to need to learn how to fight." Dust looked around, and everyone slowly began to nod agreement, especially the apprentices, who looked like they wanted to learn to fight more than anything.
"Agreed," Charlotte nodded. She turned to the apprentices. "Remember, Bending isn't the only fighting you need to learn, and Bending is more complicated than it looks. There's certain 'forms' you need to do to use a certain Bending move, and this is all a bit too advanced to be something for beginning apprentices. Fighting is efficient, too. It can do a lot."
"Well, unless your opponent uses Bending back," Dust snorted with a little eye roll. Charlotte looked at him, and Dust looked back at her. "What?"
Charlotte shook her head. "We'll do pairs, mentors and apprentices. You can do simple fighting, but no biting hard and trying to kill each other!" Even though she sounded serious, there was amusement in Charlotte's eyes. The apprentices all nodded eagerly. "Spread out," Charlotte nodded.
"C'mon Cinder," Ash nodded to his apprentice, and he headed over to the bushes, away from the others. The bushes had a lot of snow on them, and Ash planted his paws in the snow. "Now, this snow is going to make it harder to fight. When the snow is gone we'll probably be going over fighting again." He looked at Cinder. "First, let's learn a basic move. Using your claws, scratch wherever you can. If there's a weak spot you know of, like a scar on your opponent, try clawing that. Try it on me. But like Charlotte said, don't try to kill me."
Cinder nodded, and for the first time she looked worried. She crouched down and leaped, and Ash noticed her claws were out. Cinder jumped for Ash and landed a scratch on his shoulder. It didn't hurt, but Ash was sure if Cinder wanted to she could do serious damage.
"Good," Ash nodded. "Now, try attacking again."
Cinder looked a bit confused, and fell a bit in the snow, which tripped her. As snow blew into her pelt, Cinder leaped again, her paw forward, giving a hint that she was about to strike his shoulder again. As she came closer, Ash jumped back, dodging easily, and Cinder fell to the ground.
Breathing heavily, Cinder got to her paws. Ash nodded. "Good try, but an enemy is likely to dodge and strike back. If I were your enemy I would have pinned you to the ground and would have tried to kill you. Luckily, this is only practice," Ash chuckled. "Try again. When you see an enemy, try to sneak up to them if you're in the bushes or hidden. When I see you and can expect you coming at me, be quick and attack in the way your enemy least expects it."
Cinder nodded, and crouched down. Ash expected her to jump towards him, but instead she darted around to the back of Ash. Ash turned to face her, trying his best to act like an enemy. Cinder then darted to the other side and when Ash was about to face her again, he suddenly felt her weight come down on his back.
"Good!" Ash nodded, and easily shook her off. He faced her. "Do that, use your swiftness to bring down your enemy. But when you do it to an enemy, dig your claws into their backs and hang on."
Cinder nodded, and the winds grew harder, and snow blew. Ash shivered from the cold. He trotted over to the group, "We should probably resume training inside The Bending Tower!" Ash yelled over the mighty, strong winds.
"Good idea!" called back Charlotte's voice; she was barely visible with all the snow blowing. Trying his best to follow, Ash walked with the group back in the direction of The Bending Tower, Cinder following close by him.

Author's Note:
Don't you love blizzards? P:

Chapter 49: The New Apprentices

"Ash. Ash."
"Huh?" Ash jerked awake. He had had a good night's sleep, and hadn't wanted to wake up yet. He looked up to see Rusty over him, prodding Ash with his paw. "What is it?" Ash yawned, getting to his paws and stretching.
"Goldwing needs to see you, me, Dust, Charlotte and Firefly," Rusty said. "He didn't say why, though..." As Ash got up, Rusty walked over to Firefly and prodded him and murmured down to Firefly. Firefly got up and stretched.
"Let's go then," Ash shrugged, and he exited the den. Rusty followed, and Firefly took up the rear. Ash sniffed the air, and headed into a room on the far side of the hall. Goldwing was there with Dust and Charlotte already. He turned his head as Ash and the others arrived.
"Ah, you're all here! Good," Goldwing nodded. Kabu was sitting next to him, a smile on his face in greeting. They took a seat, and Goldwing began. "Well, even though you've all only been full Benders for about a moon, we have some new apprentices."
"We do?" Charlotte said, "Wow, that apprentices' den is gonna be packed!" She looked around, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Yeah," Dust nodded in agreement, "Charlotte's right... I'm sure glad I'm not an apprentice. Why do we have so many?"
"Well, the bigger the army, the better," Kabu smiled. "Lots of apprentices is good, never mind that the den is now packed. That means we'll have a lot of good, strong Benders, ready to fight the Firebenders whenever they come to attack."
"He's right," Goldwing nodded. "Now, as I was saying, we have some new apprentices: Leafy, Comet, Lily, Aimee, Snakeseye and Cinder. Even though you're fresh, new Benders, this'll be a good experience for you... I want some of you to mentor these apprentices."
Ash grew wide-eyed. Already, he was getting an apprentice? He suddenly became excited, and exchanged looks with Rusty, who looked more eager than Ash felt inside. Dust seemed excited too, like he was about to bounce everywhere with joy. Charlotte was wide-eyed with shock, and Firefly had a shy smile on his face, yet Ash could tell Firefly was excited as well.
"Who am I going to mentor?" Rusty asked, trembling with excitement.
"I'll tell you," Goldwing chuckled, exchanging amused looks with Kabu. "Leafy is a young wolf pup, and Charlotte," Goldwing nodded to the white she-wolf, "You'll mentor Leafy. Comet is a wolf pup, who's quite serious for his age. Firefly, you will mentor him. Lily is an eager she-pup. Rusty, you'll mentor her. I'm going to let Crash mentor Aimee. Snakeseye isn't a wolf, he's a Watermonitor, a type of reptile. He's pretty curious and very smart. Dust, you're mentoring Snakeseye."
Oh, so that's the scale animal I saw the other day, Ash nodded to himself. He turned to Goldwing to hear what Goldwing had to say, despite Ash knew Cinder and knew Cinder was the one he'd be mentoring to be a Waterbender.
"Ash, you'll mentor Cinder, she's very nice and calm," Goldwing nodded. "You saw apprentice ceremonies before, right? You all know what to do?"
The group nodded in unison.
Goldwing smiled, "Perfect. Time for a meeting."

"Leafy, what type of Bender would you like to be?"
The cold winds yowled outside as Goldwing held the apprentice meeting. The meeting he had with Ash and the others was to prepare them since they were not that experience with Bending. All of The Bending Tower was gathered in the training room for the meeting.
"Airbender!" Leafy responded, looking excited.
Goldwing turned to Charlotte. "Charlotte, you will be Leafy's mentor." Charlotte dipped her head to Goldwing, and so did Leafy. Leafy walked over to Charlotte and sat down next to her, looking up at Charlotte with big, excited eyes.
"Coment, what type of Bender would you like to be?" Goldwing turned his head to an orange-red-and-black male wolf pup.
"Waterbender," Comet replied simply.
"Firefly," Goldwing nodded to Firefly, "You will mentor Comet." Firefly dipped his head to Goldwing, and so did Comet. Then, mentor and apprentice joined each other and sat down next to each other as the golden leader continued.
"Lily, what Bender do you want to be?" Goldwing asked a golden she-pup.
"Waterbender," Lily replied in a shy, calm voice.
"Rusty, you will mentor Lily," Goldwing confirmed, and, like Firefly and Comet did, they both sat down next to each other.
"Snakeseye, what Bender do you want to be?" Goldwing asked the reptile-creature.
"Earthbender," responded Snakeseye.
"Dust, you will mentor Snakeseye." Goldwing nodded. Ash watched as Dust trotted up to Snakeseye and sat down next to him, looking full of pride.
"Aimee, what Bender do you want to be?" Goldwing asked a small white she-pup.
"Airbender!" Aimee responded, voice full of enthusiasm.
"Crash," Goldwing nodded to the broad tom-cat, "You will mentor Aimee." And with that, Crash walked up to Aimee, whose eyes shown with respect for her mentor, and he sat next to her, a smile on his face.
"Cinder, what Bender do you want to be?" Goldwing asked the gray she-cat, and Ash's legs tensed with anxiety.
"Waterbender," Cinder replied firmly.
"Ash," Goldwing turned to Ash, almost making him flinch, "You will be mentor to Cinder." Ash got up, nodded, and, heart pounding, walked over to Cinder and sat down next to her. She looked up at him and smiled.

Author's Note:
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaayy, apprentices. :3 By the way, I made a TFEOB Super Edition, check it out here [link] 

Chapter 48: A Hard Day's Work

The wind buffeted Ash's fur as he trudged through the snow that was weighing him down. He sniffed the air. What prey would be out in this weather? Ash asked himself, trying to detect any prey nearby.

"Hazen, do you know how to hunt?" Sun asked the white wolf. They were hunting, trying to see what Hazen was capable of. Goldwing had told Ash to tag along, to try and find more prey just in case. But it wasn't much hope; it was definitely likely the prey had went to hide.

Hazen shook his head, not answering, almost like he was being shy. 

"That's fine," Sun nodded, "We'll teach you how."
"If there's any prey to practice on," snorted Stone, sniffing the air. "Nothing. All the prey has gone into hiding. Goldwing must be out of his mind if he thinks we'll find some good prey out here." She turned on Raoul, her apprentice, "Did you find anything yourself?"

"Um, no," Raoul responded, sniffing the air. "Not so far, anyway..." He shook his pelt as snow clung onto it and began padding away, apparently trying to find a scent trail. "Most of the prey is probably underground," he shrugged, jumping over a fallen tree.
Hazen shook his pelt. "I've never hunted before. Where... I came from, they didn't have me hunt. They had me fight." He sniffed the air and looked around.
"So you know some good fighting moves?" asked Mistletoe, who had joined the patrol, along with Flare.
Hazen nodded and walked off, leaving pawprints behind as he left the area. Sun followed him. Ash figured that Hazen must've been following a scent trail. Ash sniffed the air and could smell the faint scent of a beaver. He followed the scent trail, which lead him to the river. He spotted the beaver swimming down the river. Ash walked after it slowly. He then crouched and jumped at the beaver, bowling into it. The beaver screeched and bit on Ash, and he yowled and aimed a bite at the beaver's neck. Ash bit down and the beaver's screeches soon ended.
His paw beginning to bleed, Ash picked up the beaver and began heading back to the patrol before the bleeding got bad. Ash put the beaver down once he met up with the patrol. "Got one," he said, looking up.
"Why's your paw bleeding?" Mistletoe asked.
"It bit me," Ash shrugged, and Hazen returned with Sun; Hazen was carrying a rabbit and Sun was carrying a bass. The bass's scent was powerful, and Ash recoiled in alarm as Sun set it on the small prey pile, right under Ash's nose.
"Okay, we should return with our catches," Sun nodded. She looked at Ash's paw, "You might need to see Feather or Eclipse about that before it gets too bad." Sun picked up her bass and began walking. Hazen walked after her with his rabbit, and Ash picked up his beaver. Just then, Raoul returned with two rabbits, and with that the patrol returned to The Bending Tower.
Once inside, Ash headed for the healers' den. He was still bleeding, although Ash figured it wouldn't be a serious injury. "Hey, Feather," he said as he approached the she-hawk.
"Hello Ash, what is it?" she asked, sorting some herbs into place. They were all scattered everywhere; Ash assumed that one of the young had run through and knocked all of it down. Feather seemed very concentrated on her work.
"Um, I was hunting and a beaver bit me," Ash shrugged, and held his paw out for Feather to examine. She did so, and nodded. Feather then grabbed a large leaf-like herb and a grass-like herb and put them down next to Ash's paw.
"Hey Eclipse," Feather called to her apprentice, who was over in the corner, lost in thought. Eclipse snapped to attention when Feather called her. "Come over here," Feather nodded, "We need to stop the bleeding on Ash's paw."
"Oh, um... Right," Eclipse nodded, still looking dazed from whatever she was daydreaming about. Eclipse came over and wrapped the leaf around Ash's paw. Feather grabbed the grass with her talons and wrapped it around the leaf to hold it in place.
"After a while you can take it off, Ash, the bleeding should end soon," Feather said. "That's not your broken paw, right?"
"No, my right paw is my broken paw," Ash responded, "thank you." With that, Ash left the medicine den and  trotted down the hall. It was nearing nighttime; Ash was tired, but didn't want to go to sleep since the dream he had. He passed Mistletoe and Hazen, who were talking to each other.
"So you're training to be an Earthbender," Mistletoe nodded. "That's cool. How'd you like hunting for the first time?" Ash stopped and watched their conversation: Mistletoe seemed to be trying to be kind towards Hazen, like she noticed he was unsociable and that she wanted to make sure he didn't feel like he had no friends. Ash knew that Hazen would be the type who was okay without friends, however. But Hazen does need a friend, Ash shrugged, no one seems to want to talk to him.
"Oh, well... It was okay, I guess," Hazen nodded slowly. "I prefer the fighting though... Well, I'm going to go see if maybe Sun wants me..." He got to his paws to get ready to leave.
"I don't think she does, it's almost time to go to sleep," Mistletoe shrugged. "Wanna walk 'round The Bending Tower? I can show you around, you'd probably like that."
"Okay," Hazen replied, and Mistletoe got up and began walking, Hazen by her side, and they both passed Ash. Ash stared after them, and could tell that Hazen was possibly in love with Mistletoe.

Author's Note:
Well, at least Hazen has a friend, right? x)

Chapter 47: Figuring Things Out

Ash woke with a start. He examined the room. Empty, just as he left it. He was hot and nervous from the dream he just had. I better find out who it is before something bad happens, Ash thought, a bit shaky. He slowly got to his paws, and noticed he had a bit of a headache. Ash shook his pelt, his achy bones protesting it however. He stretched, then trotted out of the Waterbenders' den. He could hear murmuring and followed it, which lead him to the indoor practice room upstairs. There was a meeting being held.
"Ash, where've you been?" asked Dust as Ash walked past him. He turned around and looked at Dust, who was sitting next to Charlotte. There was an open spot next to Dust, so Ash sat there next to his friend. He then turned to him.
"Um, taking a nap..." Ash shrugged. He turned to Goldwing, who looked as if he was about to speak. Kabu was sitting on Goldwing's right, and Crystal, Flare and Hazen were sitting to his left. Ash's  guard went up as usual as he spotted Hazen.
"Attention!" Goldwing exclaimed. Everyone stopped talking and turned to him; you could hear even a leaf falling to the ground outside since it was so silent. "Crystal and Flare are hoping to become full Benders. They're a bit old to be apprentices but we will still train them, yet try to get them to be full Benders faster than other apprentices, since, like I said, they're older than a newbie apprentice should be. Crystal wants to be an Earthbender. Pine?"
The black coyote poked its head out of the crowd. "Yes, Goldwing?"
"Pine, you will train Crystal to become an Earthbender. This will be a challenge though, since she is older than other apprentices. I hope you'll be able to make her a full Bender quickly," Goldwing nodded.
Crystal dipped her head to Goldwing, "Thank you for letting me train."
"You deserved it, Crystal, I'm sure you'll become a loyal Bender," Goldwing smiled. He turned to the crowd. "Now, Flare wishes to be an Airbender." He scanned the crowd. "Mistletoe. You deserve to have your first apprentice."
Mistletoe looked up at Goldwing with big eyes. There was no doubt she wasn't trying to hide her excitement, even though her first apprentice was unofficial. She nodded, "Thank you, Goldwing."
"Like I said to Pine: This will be a challenge. Flare is older than other apprentices. Try to make Flare a full Bender quickly." Goldwing nodded back.
Flare was smiling, "Thank you Goldwing."
Goldwing nodded, "You and your sister will make great Benders." He turned to the crowd. "Now, this loner here is Hazen. He's been outcast from the place he used to live in, and would like to join and learn Bending. He says he wishes to be an Earthbender." Goldwing scanned the area again, looking for an Earthbender. "Sun."
A beautiful golden female wolf rose her head from the crowd. "Yes?"
"Oh, isn't that Goldwing's mate?" Dust murmured to Charlotte as the she-wolf got to her paws. "Figures he'd call on her, then."
Charlotte nodded, "Yes, that is Goldwing's mate. And I don't think Goldwing chose her because she's his mate, she's a senior Bender and very respected, have you seen her fight? She's pretty tough, even though she looks like she's not."
Ash agreed; Sun did look like she'd be more like the type to defend the young and get help rather than fight to the death along with other Benders. She was beautiful though; and looked like she would be Goldwing's mate.
"Sun, it has been a while since you had an apprentice. I think you could train Hazen," Goldwing nodded, "he'd be learning from the best, I'm sure."
Sun smiled, "Thank you, Goldwing, I'm glad to have an apprentice, it's been so long since my last one."
"Probably because Goldwing thought she was going to retire before getting another apprentice," Dust murmured.
Hazen nodded, but said nothing, almost seeming a bit shy. His eyes shown respect for Sun, and looked like he was happy to get such a great mentor and to be able to learn Earthbending. "Thanks," he managed to get out.
"I want an apprentice," Dust complained.
"Dust, you've only been an apprentice for a moon," Charlotte pointed out, "Goldwing's going to look for someone more senior to mentor any apprentices. But you'll get your day, I'm sure," she smiled, putting her tail over his paw. Dust looked down on her tail and a smile spread across his face, and he almost looked a bit nervous at the same time.
Ash knew that if Rusty was nearby and saw that he would have laughed at him. Ash just looked away and turned to Goldwing, wanting to know if Goldwing possibly had anything else to say. He looked like he was done with the meeting though.
"The meeting is over," Goldwing nodded, "Who's ready to go hunting?"
Animals began to volunteer, but Ash slipped away from the crowd and walked into the hallway, leaving Dust and Charlotte behind. He sighed and began taking a walk, trying to get all his thoughts straight. He decided to begin focusing on his dream.
So there was a traitor in The Bending Tower. "Traitor" would mean that someone who had already been there for a while was going to betray them. Ash couldn't imagine who; everyone at the Tower seemed very loyal. He began scanning through his mind who the traitor could be: Rusty? No. Dust? Definitely not. Miguel? Although Rusty would say "yes", Ash doubted it. Max? No... Come on, think! Ash told himself.
Charlotte? Of course not, she wouldn't be the betraying type. Mistletoe? Not likely. Creature? No, he would die rather than join the Firebenders, surely. Windows? Well, he may be grumpy, but Ash was sure Windows would rather fight than join.
Suddenly, Ash bumped into someone. He shook his head to clear it, and looked up to see Eclipse standing there. "Ash?" she said.
"Oh, sorry Eclipse," Ash replied, "I wasn't looking where I was going." He began to walk around her to continue his thinking, but she stopped him as he got to her side.
"You seem worried about something," Eclipse commented.
How does she know? She's blind! Ash exclaimed to himself. "What makes you say that?" he asked her, turning to face her blind eyes. He then began to realize: Eclipse was a healer, which meant she could deal with omens. Plus, she was one of the animals who were going to help him stop the Firebenders. If that was so, if Ash could get her to stay loyal to him, it'd help much more in the future.
"I can sense it," Eclipse replied. "You can tell me, if you'd like, and I'll help you sort it out." She sounded calm, and Ash knew she wouldn't respond angrily, which someone like Twister would do. But not out of anger in him, just anger like getting worked up. Eclipse would deal with it helpfully.
Ash sighed. "You'd be good with helping me in this. The Peacebenders gave me a dream today."
"That should be easy for me," Eclipse smiled, "Go on."
"My mother... My, er, dead mother..." Ash hesitated. He then shook his head and continued, trying to make his voice sound steady and make sure he didn't sound too worried. "She told me there's a traitor in The Bending Tower. And if the traitor isn't stopped, well..." He tried to remember all the animals who had died in his dream. "Lots of us will die," he summed it up.
Eclipse nodded. "Well, who's suspicious to you?" Her blind eyes were full of concern, willing to help Ash out with his problem.
"Um..." Ash was going to say Hazen, but he didn't; Hazen had only just joined, and Ash mostly just got a deja-vu feeling from Hazen, but couldn't imagine why. "Well, who you do you suspect?" Ash asked Eclipse.
"No one at the moment," Eclipse shook her hanging head. "I never suspected anyone before. But I'll keep a lookout as to who seems as if they could be hiding something. But Feather always says, always brace for the impossible, be alert. Don't let anything take you by surprise." With that, Eclipse trotted away.
Ash nodded slowly, then began walking down the hall. He then realized the Peacebenders had entrusted him with three things: to find the third animal to help defeat the Firebenders, to find the traitor in The Bending Tower, and, (the big one) kill Ironfang once and for all. Why were the Peacebenders relying on him to do so much?

Author's Note:
Seems Charlotte has taken a liking to Dust... c: Ever feel overwhelmed? Well, you can assure yourself that you've never had a harder time then Ash has. xD

Chapter 46: The Nightmare

The snow was now blowing hard as winds swept the area. The sky was covered with gray clouds, not an inch of blue could be seen. All the Benders had taken shelter inside as soon as they retrieved as many loners as they could find. Now the travelers' room was packed.
"We should make some loners here Benders," suggested Miguel, "so the travelers' room will be less packed."
"Well, not the ones we just got, we may not be able to trust them," Rusty grumbled. Ash knew he wouldn't want to agree with Miguel since he disliked the Border Collie.
"I know that," snorted Miguel, "I mean, like, the ones who have been here. Tiggytiger, Crystal, Flare... Y'know, them." He took one step further in risking his fur. "Surely you'd want Crystal to come, wouldn't you, Rusty?"
Ash expected his friend to jump at Miguel, but all Rusty did was glare and walk off. Miguel glared back and walked over to Max and Raoul, leaving Ash by himself. Ash trotted to the travelers' room, which contained a few loners he hadn't met before. It was indeed packed.
One of the new loners was a giant, furry creature with big black hooves. Ash couldn't tell who or what it was, he never saw it before. Another was a creature with many scales, apparently a reptile. It seemed to be a curious creature, as he had been observing Slice and Miguel when they were building a fire for the travelers' room.
Crystal was sitting next to Flare. "I hate how much animals are in here," she said. "It's less room." She sighed. "Maybe Goldwing can make us apprentices or something."
"Well, we're rather old to be apprentices..." Flare responded.
"Old?" Crystal echoed.
"Not elder-old, just... All the apprentices are way younger than us. Heck, Rusty's younger than you and he's a full Bender," Flare pointed out.
Crystal shook her head. "Well, I don't wanna remain a traveler here forever. I wanna learn and do some Bending."
"Let's try talking to Goldwing," Flare suggested. "He can decide what we can do." As Ash walked up to them, Flare turned to him. "Oh, Ash! We were discussing being full Benders... What do you know about it?"
"Just ask Goldwing," Ash shrugged. "He'll sort something out."
"Thanks," Crystal nodded, and with that they left the room and headed down the hall. Ash observed all the travelers. Everyone was either talking to each other, sleeping, or eating. Ash turned around and left the room, heading downstairs and peeked out to the yard, not wanting to step in it though. It was full of snow, pretty big. We might even get trapped in, Ash thought to himself. Gonna have to move training to indoors...
As Ash turned around, he bumped into white fur. Flinching, Ash jumped back, and grew wide-eyed as he saw he was face-to-face with Hazen. The familiar feeling of suspense rushed into Ash's body, and his mind yet again began burning with questions about why Hazen seemed so hypnotizing and familiar. "Um... Hi Hazen."
"Hello Ash," Hazen said calmly, not looking startled at all. He seemed rather relaxed, and seemed very unsociable; no one had ever talked to him. The only one who was kind towards him was Feather; which was obvious, considering she was a healer. "Are you observing the snow?" his icy voice pierced Ash's ear.
"Yes..." Ash nodded slowly.
"Very well then," Hazen nodded back, not looking like he wanted to hold a conversation with Ash. "Get back to whatever it is you're doing. I... Have things to do." With that, he walked down the hallway.
Ash stared after Hazen. What did he mean by "I have things to do?" Ash also noticed that Hazen seemed, for the first time, a bit uneasy when he told Ash he had to go. It wasn't like travelers were given jobs to do around The Bending Tower.
"Whatcha up to?" said a voice, startling Ash back to reality. He whipped around to see Twister looking up at him, eyes full of curiosity. Ash tried to relax so he could look like he wasn't troubled with thinking hard about Hazen, and as he replied, he made sure to make his voice steady.
"I was talking to Hazen," Ash said simply.
To his surprise, Twister growled. "Something about that guy makes me nervous. I don't know what it is, but he seems suspicious. His icy voice, how calm and cool he is..." Twister shook her head. "Well? What do you think?"
"Um..." Ash tried to think carefully of what to say. He didn't want to blurt out his suspicions to Twister. "I... I think we should give him a chance. We don't have any proof that he's bad. Every animal deserves a chance, right?"
Ash half expected Twister to disagree, but all she did was nod. "Hmm. Sounds fair. But I'm going to be keeping an eye on him." She began to trot down the hall, but then she turned her head and looked at Ash again. "By the way, that was spoken like Goldwing. Sounded like something he'd say. You'd make a good leader, Ash."
Ash smiled, feeling taken aback. "Well... I don't think I'd be cut out to be leader. I'm sure someday Kabu's going to be leader when Goldwing dies, he'd be much better, anyway..."
"Well, I think Kabu will be reaching his time by the time Goldwing dies, because Kabu's very senior, around Goldwing's age. I'm just wondering how long it's going to be before Kabu retires or something," Twister shrugged, and with that she walked away.
Ash suddenly realized how tired he was. He walked up the steps and into the Waterbenders' room, which was empty; everyone was preparing for the snowstorm. I'm sure they wouldn't mind me taking a quick nap, Ash thought, and he curled up and closed his eyes.
A yowl was heard, followed by a growl. Then a yelp came, and the sound of the scratching of claws against stone. Ash's eyes opened and there was a ring of fire surrounding the area. Animals were running and fighting. Many were dying all around Ash: Tiggytiger, Creature, Kabu... Ash yowled in fear, seeing all the familiar animals having blood running from their throats. Ash looked around helplessly. He moved his feet to go and help the sudden battle, but couldn't move. The area was surrounded by darkness, Ash could only just make out other animals. He recognized Airia dive-bombing on an animal, and Dust and Charlotte fighting side-by-side, pinning down a black wolf.
The Firebenders were winning.
Ash realized that with a jolt. He yowled in fear, and then grew wide-eyed as he saw the silhouette of a huge wolf, looming over everyone with an evil laugh. Ash couldn't recognize who it was. It seemed to be smirking in satisfaction at the land of torture it was at.
Ash, said a voice in Ash's head, unmistakably belonging to his mother, there's a traitor in The Bending Tower. Find them, before it's too late, or this is the fate The Bending Tower will suffer.
Ash opened his eyes, his heart beating fast.
Who was the traitor?

Author's Note:
Who could it be... :o Share your thoughts. Who is suspicious to you?