Chapter 30: Return of an Old Friend

Ash could hardly believe his eyes, nor his ears.
Everyone in the crowd had stopped, obviously recognizing the voice, too, and turned to see the owner. When they saw who it was, gasps and shouts of surprise arose from them. Ash could barely speak. He couldn't believe it. At first he thought it was a dream, but it couldn't be. Ash could just make out some words from the animals of The Bending Tower.
"Is he a ghost?"
"How'd he get here?"
"No, he's real! Seriously!"
Ash looked at him, and he looked back.
Spots.
"Hello," Spots smiled.
Rusty murmured to Ash, "Do you see a dalmatian that looks exactly like Spots, too?"
"Yes," Ash replied, not taking his eyes off his thought-to-be-dead friend.
"Fantastic," Rusty said, making his way over to Spots.
Everyone ran up to Spots, shouting things.
"Spots!"
"We thought you were dead!"
"How'd you survive?"
"What happened?"
Spots then said, "Calm down, guys." He then looked back. "Sylvia, you can come out."
A very beautiful dalmatian arose from the bushes, looking shy and nervous. She trotted to Spots's side, examining the animals. Spots murmured something to her, then turned to the crowd.
"So, Spots, who is your little friend over here?" Rusty smiled, eyeing Sylvia. Ash couldn't blame him, Sylvia was very beautiful, Spots was lucky to be friends with her.
Animals were still murmuring, so Ash called, "Everyone, hush. Let Spots speak."
"Where's Goldwing?" Spots asked, looking around, ears perked.
Ash sighed. "...Goldwing is dead. So's Airwing."
Spots looked at Ash. "I take it you're leader now?"
"Yeah!" Rusty exclaimed, "and I'm deputy!"
"Pfft," said Tiggerpaka's voice, "the offer was made to me first but I declined."
"Right," Dust snorted.
"But Kabu's still alive...right?" Spots said.
"Yes," Kabu nodded, and everyone turned to look at him. "Spots...I am sorry you fell over the waterfall. It was my fault, I'm the one who had you all swim in the river. Please forgive me."
Spots smiled. "Kabu, it was one of the best mistakes ever."
This made some animals laugh.
"Anyway," Spots continued, "this is Sylvia. She helped me make it back to The Bending Tower. Without her, I'd probably be either dead or still lost by now...what'd I miss while I was go?" Spots then smiled, examining everyone, probably sure he had a lot to catch up on.
Ash then launched into a very long story about how the Firebenders invaded, conquered The Bending Tower, punished them all severely, how a monstrous deer terrorized everyone ("And nearly killed my sister!" Streak had exclaimed), and how they killed Feather and tortured Crystal, and that they were planning to get rid of the Firebenders once and for all.
"I'm in," Spots nodded, "those Firebenders are a nuisance."
"Since Spots is in, I'm in too," said Sylvia.
"Good," Ash said, "we need to get moving. Spots, Sylvia, you'll be able to catch up on your rest sometime later. Sorry for making you travel more." He then turned to Miguel, "you. I want Stone and Darner to guard Miguel in case he tries to do anything." Miguel nodded, and Stone and Darner leapt to his side, Stone giving Miguel a warning glare. Darner gave Stone a look, and then Ash said, "if we catch any prey along the way, the young and elders are to be fed first. They need their strength."
With that, everyone set off. Ash decided that he, Rusty, Eclipse and Nightgale would always take the front while the young and elders would walk right behind them, and everyone else would be behind. Ash had Spots and Sylvia walk at the front with Ash so they could tell him about their journey. As they walked, everyone was talking, but Ash told Spots and Sylvia not to begin their story until everyone had crossed the Ice River; the same river Spots was swept away by.
Everyone stopped at Ice River. Spots looked at it in fear, and Sylvia murmured something to Spots. Spots looked at Ash. "I'll cross first," he volunteered. An air current came through the area and Spots jumped swiftly to the other side, no doubt he used Airbending to help. Sylvia jumped easily across.
"Alright. I want Nyx and Zapada to carry the young over."
"We can swim ourselves!" Streak insisted.
"Yeah!" exclaimed Patch.
"No," Rainbow said, licking her kits, "it's too dangerous. You will be carried over."
Nyx picked up Streak and carried him across. Zapada picked up Patch, and Eclipse took Nzuri, whose injuries were still healing, and leapt across with Nzuri. Kabu swam across, not minding the river one bit, and came out to the other side and shook his pelt.
Everyone else then began to cross. There were no accidents, and everyone made it to the other side in one piece. Then they all set off again in the same order they started. Ash could remember the way to the Water Tribe, because he had been there as an apprentice. As they walked along, he turned to Spots and Sylvia. "So, tell me about your journey."
Spots nodded. "Well, it obviously started when I fell over the waterfall. I thought for sure I was dead. I fell down, but just before I hit the ground a breeze swept by, which floated me to the ground. Someone Airbended it, but I couldn't tell who. I had passed out from shock, and when I woke up I was in a cave with Sylvia next to me. She had been caring for me for three days, she said. I tried asking her if she knew where The Bending Tower was but she had no clue what I was talking about. Then I tried asking if she Airbended me to the ground. Didn't know what that was either. I was in the cave with her for quite a few days when I told her I needed to get back to The Bending Tower. She didn't know where that was, like I said. I tried leaving but Sylvia insisted on me not leaving, saying I wasn't healed enough."
"Because you weren't," Sylvia blurted out.
Spots smiled and continued, "That was when I told her what The Bending Tower was, that it was where I lived. She told me there was no way I could return because one, it was over the waterfall and two, she didn't know where it was and that she had taken me a long way from the waterfall."
"Why had you taken Spots from the waterfall?" Ash asked Sylvia.
"I had detected other animals nearby and was worried they'd hurt him. So I took him far off," Sylvia replied.
It must have been us she detected, Ash figured.
"So I tried leaving, and Sylvia followed, fretting about my wounds. I told her I was fine and that she could leave, but she said she didn't want to, that she thought I would get killed. We ended up travelling together. I tried teaching Sylvia Airbending, but for whatever reason, she was unteachable. We kept travelling until we finally got here. And luckily you're not gone."
"Alright," Ash nodded. "Anyways, our first place we'll stop at will be Mt. Ice."

Author's Note:
Be sure to check out the new TFEOB Character Guide blog!