Wolf Warriors: Eternal Twilight

Stormcloud grew tired quickly, but she kept going, feeling her lungs burn with exertion. Her goal was to place one paw before the other as fast as she could, getting closer and closer to her Clan.
She smelled them first, bursting into a clearing filled with familiar faces. Excited, she didn't bother catching her breath, just saying, "Iheadtherewas...sometroubleandIcameas...fastasIcouldStormhasbeen..."
A low hiss sounded behind her and Stormcloud turned very slowly.
Storm - or was it? - was standing, with some wings spread threateningly, with a purely arrogant and venemous fire in her eyes.
Stormcloud pressed her ears back to her skull with confusion and fear. Who...?

****** Moonstar ******

Moonstar stood up, defiance glowing brightly in her eyes as the demon known as Kix'razen made it's presence known to the Warriors.
She was about to step forward to challenge the demon when Keeper Lak and her mother came up, standing in front of the malicious beast.
A single word slipped from Amethyst's mouth, " Storm...?"
That made Moonstar gape in disbelief, this, thing that stood before them was Storm??? No...no... it can't be, this monster wasn't Storm... it couldn't be!!
Yet, Amethyst could see the shining golden eyes of her sister behind the glowing red mirrors of arrogance and boldness...
" My dear sister....how could I have let this happen....?" Amethyst said softly, Moonstar could feel her sorrow and fault fill her being.
Amethyst closed her eyes, " Though it shall pain me to to do this... I must for the protection of the ones I love... if you are somewhere in there, Storm... I shall fight for you as well...."
The she-wolf began to glow brightly with a golden aura, surrounding her body with powerful energies.
Moonstar could feel her mother's power, the bright white intensity flowing through her very veins!!
" If it is a fight you come seeking, Kix'Razen demon, then you shall have it!!!" and with a flash of golden light, Amethyst's deep purple eyes snapped open, blazing with flames of determination!! She snarled loudly and ran, tackling into the demon in a full-on charge.
Moonstar heard a familiar voice from nearby, sounding rushed and out of breath.
" Stormcloud...?" Moonstar asked, instantly recognizing the she-wolf's scent.

****** Sayre ******

Sayre was just about to question what was going on after Makair tackled her to the ground, but her inquiry was quickly answered at the sound of the demonic voice.
This demon, Kix'razen... who was she? And what did she mean the first hybrid created from a Warrior?
The wolf, the Great One, Amethyst, took a step forward, whispering a silent word, " Storm...?"
Sayre did not hear the other words Amethyst uttered, but looked in time to see her, enveloped in a golden aura, charge the demon, tackling it head-on.
" Makair..." Sayre said, fear and panic heavy in her shaking voice, " W-what's going to happen to us...?"
" I don't know..." he growled lowly, his eyes scanning over the shocked crowd of wolves watching the fight, trying to pick out Blaze from among the confusion.

****** Nor'a ******

Nor'a watched the fight with anxiety obvious in her eyes, she had wondered why the Deputy had not come back with the others after they left to visit the Shrine.
" So...it's happened..." she whispered silently.
From nearby, she could hear the clan pups whimper and mewl in fear, could hear Haryah's frightened voice, " Oh Storm...oh dear sweet lords... not Storm..."
Haryah had looked up to Storm as an idol figure, and now, seeing her like this... what had become of their beloved Deputy...
Solar, Moon, and Brighteye gathered near their parents, seeking protection from the monster.
Nor'a stood in front of them, ready to fight if the beast's attention shifted away from the attacking Amethyst.
Yet, she could hear, almost feel something, or someone, close by, rushing towards the camp.

****** Hashiru ******

Jurkaiu stormed tirelessly over hill and dale, eager to reach the clan grounds of the Warriors.
" Let us pray we are not too late..." Hashiru said softly, concerned for the safety of the other Warriors, and most of all, his niece and mate, Solacea, and their twin daughters, Solar and Moon.
The polar bear warrioress growled, " It looks like we've got here in the nick of time, look!"
The grey wolf looked up, and saw the Clan grounds close by.
A sense of joy welled up in him, until he heard an unearthly roar and a loud snarl, saw a bright flash of light from near the clan's Meeting Tree.
" What was that?" he asked, his body tensing up for a fight.
Jurkaiu turned towards the direction of the noise and flash, " It seems that the Warriors are being attacked! We must hurry!"
The polar bear charged at full speed, running through the mostly empty clan grounds, the dens were barren and empty...
What Hashiru saw next caused a mix of emotions to enter his being, he saw the entire clan around the meeting tree, could feel the fear and shock that held control of their senses, he saw Solacea readily standing to protect the pups and theirs as well, and, the most powerful memory... He saw his sister, whom he thought to be long-dead, bravely facing off against a demonic being.
" Amethyst...my sister...she's...back...?" he asked, surely this was an illusion deceiving his eyes! Or the effect of the returning memories as they seeped into his mind...
Yet, it seemed so real, felt so real...
" Let's get behind the pack, we can't make our presence known just yet..." he whispered.
Jurkaiu nodded, and slowly stalked behind the pack, hiding behind the turned backs of the other wolves.

Makair

He watched The Great One battled the demonic form of Storm breathlessly. Beside him, Sayre was looking out for her brother and even though he knew he should be helping her, Makair couldn't tear himself away from the battle.
The Great One was twisting and turning, avoiding the demons attacks with the greatest skill he had ever seen. The two stopped finally, each panting and, in Kix'razen's place, growling. The Great One had received a small amount of injuries while her opponent was littered with bites and scratches. They were at a standoff, glaring into each other's eyes.
A sudden gasp from Sayre tore his attention away from the fighters to see what had shocked her, not expecting to react the same way. A certain red wolf with dragon scales was making his way through the crowd and towards Kix'razen. Sayre started to walk towards him, then broke out into a run, Makair hot on her tail but they were too late. Blaze took a flying leap at Kix'razen.
"BLAZE NO!" Sayre cried still running. Time seemed to slow down as several things happened at once. Sayre made to leap at Blaze but was knocked down by Makair. Amethyst turned towards the flying Blaze and started to prepare to intercept him, and Kix'razen raised her paw preparing to bat Blaze out of the air.
As it was, nothing seemed to happen as planned. Sayre landed with a rush of air with Makair once again on top of her. Amethyst jumped to late to stop Blaze's course. Blaze, instead of landing on Kix'razen, landed just in front of her in paw range. Kix'razen made to complete her swing but stopped suddenly, mere inches from connecting with Blaze's face.
Then, the world exploded. All he could hear was a heart wrenching howl and all he could see was a white light....

Kix'razen/Storm

Kix snarled at Amethyst every time she came to close to her but it seemed to have no effect on the other wolf. She was littered with cuts, deep and shallow, as well as bite marks. She landed for a breather across from her opponent, panting and growling. Storm took this chance to speak up.
What happened to the great and mighty hybrid huh? Not so powerful are you!' She taunted, still working away at the bars of her cage. She had almost made a whole big enough to slip through.
SHUT UP! Kix snarled angrily. Just you wait you pathetic wolf. My chance will come.
Oh really Storm said, disinterested. Would that be today or tomorrow?
Movement in the real world caught Kix's attention. She smirked cruelly. How about right now? She said. The conviction in her voice made Storm look up and take notice of what was going on outside. She saw the red wolf jump, the other three wolves try to stop him, the hit Kix was going to give him. She saw it all, and she grew angry and desperate. Not a good combination for a strong telepath.
NO!!! She cried out desperately, pushing all her telepathic abilities into that one word. The cage around her exploded, leaving her free to bound over to where Kix was standing frozen. She bound the hybrid in strong mental chains and cast her to a corner of her mind. Then Storm finally took her place in control of her body.
Instantly things began changing both mentally and physically. Kix was bound in stronger chains as well as being muzzled. Her body outside reverted back to her normal white and black colouring. The wings shattered, claws turned black, tails condensed into one, and her eyes turned back into their normal warm golden colour. Throughout the entire episode she had been letting out a loud howl that rose and fell in time to the pulsing white light emanating from her body.
Everything finally died down allowing Storm, from what had seemed like forever, to see the rest of the clan through her own eyes. She was back.

Blaze being one of the first to recover from the blindness stood in defience of the demon wolf. He was about to breath fire at the cursed thing but he stoped when he saw that she had transformed into one of the wolfs that had been at the amythyst tree. He stood there still staring her down just in case something happened.

Kel stared around, wondering why the Warriors did not arrive. It was not their custom to be late, and his mind immediately jumped to multiple conclusions,none of them good. With his arm as an indicator, Lak seemed to be fine. To hell with it, Kel can't wait another year to announce his clans. Everything depended on this year if things were to go according to plan. He roared loudly for the clans gathered to hear, and they stiffened in anticipation of an attack. Kel walked boldly and slowly towards the clearing, where all may see him.

"YOU!" shouted one of the clan chieftain, Hiro, if Kel wasn't mistaken. "Blue Fangs! Attack!"
"Hold!" roared Kel, stretching his arms either side of him, palm outwards. "It is the custom of the clans to gather at this one place, is it not? And the clans are bound by the rules to not attack one another, am I not right?"
"You are not one of ours! Nor do you have a clan!" replied Gero, leader of the Proudclaws.
Kel smiled and lowered his arms. "Would I be so foolish as to be alone in a clan meet? I have brought my clan."

With a howl, he summoned his clan forward. The ragtag group of his shocked many, especially the trolls and vampires. They snarled in anger and unsheathed their claws, but the Law dictated that they must not attack. Kel looked at them, and felt a wave of pity and disgust. This was what they were reduced to. Hiding in forests around the world from the eye of humans when they should be taking their rightful place as their masters. Still, he had some use of them, and if he played it right, he could steer the clanmeet into an outcome which he profited the most...

"So, let's continue..." started Kel, grinning mentally.

****** Sayre ******

Sayre gasped as she saw Blaze, making his way through the crowd, running right past her and Makair, and then taking a flying leap of faith at the demon!
" BLAZE!!! NO!!!" she shouted as she ran after him, with Makair close on her tail.
Dammit Blaze, what the hell is he thinking?! This wasn't his fight!
Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as several things happened simultaneously.
Sayre, who was running, knowing that each second that passed was another second that Blaze could get seriously injured or killed, yelped in sudden surprise as she was once more tackled to the ground by Makair.
Amethyst, who looked to see the oncoming Blaze, got into position and leapt at him, hoping to intercept and ground him before Kix'razen could hurt him, for she saw the demon raise a paw to bat the flying pup out of the air.
Sayre now lay panting hard on the ground, with Makair on top of her, Amethyst timed her jump too late, and she sailed past Blaze, sliding a foot away on her paws, and turned to make another attack at Kix, hoping to do so before that pup got hurt.
Blaze barely missed landing directly on Kix, instead landing in front within paw's range. Sayre barked out in panic as she saw the demon bring it's paw down on Blaze, until, something unexpected happened.
The incoming paw froze suddenly, just inches away from cleaving Blaze's head in half, and the area began to fill with a glowing white light, and a loud howl sounded.
Makair and Sayre braced against each other as the light blinded them temporarily.
When the light cleared, Sayre took into notice what had happened.
The demon was gone, in it's place stood the wolf she faintly recalled as Storm, who was looking around at all the faces of the gathered wolves.
Blaze stood nearby, staring her down as if he was expecting an attack.
Makair got off of Sayre, helping her back to her feet.
She looked on in wonder as Amethyst approached Storm, and heard a shout from the crowd.
" Storm!!!" it said, and she saw the dark-brownish she-wolf running towards the two, stopping when she got close enough to Amethyst.

****** Moonstar ******

Moonstar could barely remember what had gone on before that blinding light.
She remembered seeing that young pup bravely run out from the crowd and leap right at the demon, how the other two wolves and her mother tried to stop him, and when Kix'razen had frozen, just before hitting the pup, and became enveloped in a white light.
She immediately looked out just as the blindness cleared, and saw her mother, standing over by...
" Storm!!!" Moonstar shouted, pushing her way out of the crowd and running towards them.
She slowed down as she got closer to them, stopping directly next to her mother.
The she-wolf was filled with a mix of emotions, she wasn't sure whether she should be relieved, afraid, or just plain bewildered...
" Storm... what happened to it...the demon?" Moonstar asked nervously.
Amethyst stood still, looking into the eyes of her beloved sister, and spoke, " Storm has repossessed control of her body... but the demon is far from gone, it still lingers in her, though it is tightly bound... However, it could break free and repossess her body again..."
She said softly, her voice pouring out in a mixture of joy, yet, sadness hinted her words, " What has happened to you, my dear sister Storm? Who has done this to you?"

****** Hashiru ******

Hashiru was taken by surprise when a bright white light surrounded the combatants and much of the area, and a loud howl could be heard echoing from the midst of the light.
As it vanished, the demon was gone, and there, in front of where Amethyst and Moonstar stood, was...
" Storm?" he asked, still confused as to what had gone on...
He was about to dismount Jurkaiu and walk over to them, when suddenly, a hand upon his shoulder was felt.
Slowly turning, he found himself looking into the eyes of Nor'a.
" It's good to see you again, Hashiru..." she said, smiling a bit.
In the crowd, Theron could've sworn he had heard a familiar voice just as the battle started, caught a familiar scent of someone he knew all too well.
" Stormcloud!" he called, as he and Haryah began pushing their way to the she-wolf.
" Mommy!!" Haryah shouted, happy to know that her mother had come back.
Theron pushed wolves out of their way, " Excuse me... Pardon me... Just let me get through here... Stormcloud!!!"

Lak was more than glad to see Storm revert to her former self,
But the fact that she had a demonic side didnt bode well in his mind.
'Is this part of the rising Chaos?' Lak pondered.
Out of the corner of his eye Lak saw two things that required his attention.
There were new guests, and Gyre was cowering away from where the conflict was.

'I didnt act because I dont have the power anymore. Gyre... Why havent you used your power?'

Lak also had a nagging feeling in the back of his skull.
The Clansmeet was today, and they had not left camp yet!
'Hopefully', Lak thought, 'they weren't too late...'

Skylett shook his head angrily, trying to get rid of the light that was keeping him from seeing.
He had heard a voice, her voice... Skylett had thought he would never hear that beautiful sound again.
He started forward blindly, but then everything cleared and everyone was frozen for a moment. What had happened?
"Stormcloud?!" Skylett called, afraid for his sister's safety. Ignoring the others, he continued through the crowd to find her.


Arka was hit by an overwhelming, strangling emotion. Turning away from Grim, she watched her son plough through the wolves. His handsome face was set in firm determination, his green eyes flaring dangerously.
"Skylett... My baby..." she murmured to herself, her heart breaking into little fragments.
"Stormcloud!" called another voice, Theron's. Arka whipped her head to the right to see her daughter standing shaken near Storm.
The Spirit had also been blinded by the light, which was odd considering she wasn't mortal. But that didn't matter. In this moment, her children mattered.


Stormcloud was frozen, fearful. What...?
"Stormcloud?!"
"Stormcloud!"
Two familiar and aching voices were shouting, and she faced first Theron, who was closest, and then Skylett.
Theron was a sturdy male, much more developed since the last time they had seen each other... It was brilliant to see him, fully grown into a strong warrior.
Skylett, on the other hand, was thinner. Living a life away from a Clan had apparently taken its toll. But lean as he was, Skylett's muscles still rippled under his fur, and he carried himself with the air of a proud fighter. He had turned from a soft-spoken pup to a hard predator, living and providing only for himself.
I wonder if I've changed, Stirmcloud wondered, looking herself over. I hope I still resemble my old self.

Storm

Storm stood on her legs shakily before collapsing to the ground, exhausted. Murmurs of sound reached her ears and she tried to focus more to understand what they were saying.
"What has happened to you, my dear sister Storm? Who has done this to you?" Her heart leapt at hearing Amethyst's voice once again. Storm shakily struggled to her feet, looking at Amethyst and Moonstar.
"I...I don't remember..." Storm trailed off confused, trying to make sense of the blur of memories. The only thing that came through was the sound of a voice. 'Perfect... and the Saiga stone is at the altar... soon... on the night of the Annual Moon Meet... My dark lord will return and bathe this world... in the Chaos of the Inferno... Kix'razan... your first order... attack the Warriors of the Moon!' "The only thing I remember is the sound of a voice. It was a male talking, and he seemed somewhat familiar. He said something about the...Saiga stone.

Makair

Makair stalked over to Blaze, Sayre following behind.
"You foolish pup!" he snarled, swiping at Blaze with his paw. "How could you attack like that! You could have been killed!" Blaze looked taken aback by the fierce onslaught and moved backwards away from Makair.
"I had to do something! It's not like you were going to do anything!"
"That's because I know when something is to strong for me! Didn't you see how hard The Great One fought against the demon!" Makair stood glaring down his nose at Blaze, fur bristling and teeth bared in a snarl.

Blaze stared down makair angrily "when we fought I would have won if I had been older and bigger I have a beter fighting style than you and I control fire I could have stood toe to toe with her until older wolves could have helped." hufing he also said "you know its true that smack to your face would have taken you and besides I figured she would have attacked so thats why I didn't land on her." turning around blaze stalked away from makair who was speachless at his attituded and sayre who had a horrified look on her face.

******* Amethyst & Moonstar ******

Amethyst listened as her sister spoke of what she could remember, and helped to support her as she stood on shaking paws.
Storm couldn't remember most of what had happened to her during her disappearance, but she did say something about a male voice talking to her, and he had mentioned something about the Saiga Stone...
Moonstar's ears flattened, what would someone want with that old piece of rock? Unless... it was a part of something important... but she couldn't figure out what...
Amethyst slowly shook her head, " The Saiga Stone... this does not bode well..."
Saiga Shadowstalker had once been one of them, one of the Warriors, he had helped them during the First Battle, the assault on Kel's fortress... had helped them win... and they had come to love the blue wolf shaman very much.
But years later, his desire for power corrupted him, leading him to betray the Warriors by luring them into a trap, the Battle of the Gan'arg Mountains, which they had lost to the much more powerful forces of Kel, and were forced into hiding...
During the last years of the War, he had helped Kel summon his brother, Rax, back into the world, and set up an ambush for the Warriors in the clearing, the waves of endless elementals... When Kel and Rax had been defeated by Grim/Parjai and his allies, Saiga encountered them one last time, in the place that had become the Warriors Shrine.
He tried to take them all down with him... but ultimately failed due to Amethyst's intervention, sacrificing her own life to protect them all from utter destruction... If she hadn't done so, then they all wouldn't still be here today, and her spirit had been preserved in the form of the Amethyst Tree, which had been made from her corpse so she could still connect with them from the world of the dead, courtesy of Nor'a...
Moonstar thought back to how her mother had come back, when that pup, whom she faintly recalled as being named Blaze, had fainted against the tree...
Maybe the pain the pup was in had an effect on the tree, and gave it enough energy for Amethyst to assume corporeal form and help them.
At the same time as Moonstar was pondering through the memories as they flowed into her mind, a nagging feeling was felt in the back of her skull.
Sudden realization dawned on her...
" Dear sweet Creation! The Moon Meet is tonight!" she said, panic and concern in her voice, night had already fallen, and they had yet to leave the clan grounds.
Hopefully they wouldn't be too late to arrive...

****** Sayre ******

Sayre followed behind Makair as he stalked over to Blaze, swiping at her brother and snarling, " You foolish pup! How could you attack like that?! You could've been killed!!"
Blaze retorted, " I had to do something! It wasn't like you were going to do anything!"
The older wolf snapped back at him, " That's because I know when something is to strong for me! Didn't you see how hard The Great One fought against the demon?!?!"
Makair was very angered and annoyed at Blaze's intervention in the fight, but Sayre couldn't help but agree with him, that demon would've sliced his head in two if Storm hadn't regained control of her body at that very moment!
She often wondered what went on in her brother's head, what had compelled him to make a direct leap attack at Kix'razen? Had he not seen how much stronger the demon was than him?
The Great One, Amethyst, when Makair had mentioned how she fought, Sayre thought back... The wolf had fought with clever precision, keeping a cool and level head in the face of a dangerous enemy, and was willing to fight for the ones she loved, managing to sustain little damage while dealing out more to her opponent, and dodging with grace and masterful skill...
Thinking of all this... it made Sayre jealous, yet awed at the same time... she wished she could be brave whenever she was in danger, instead of cowering behind her brother like a ninny... it was why Blaze was a bit more adept at fighting than her...
It was just that Sayre did not really have any desires to hurt or kill others, it just didn't seem in her nature...
Blaze's sharp words at Makair tore her from her reverie, "When we fought, I would have won if I had been older and bigger! I have a better fighting style than you, and I have the power to control fire... I could have stood toe to toe with her until the older wolves could have helped." Blaze defiantly stared Makair down, huffing as he added, "You know its true... that smack to your face would have taken you. And besides, I figured she would have attacked... so thats why I didn't land on her."
And with those words, Blaze turned and stalked away, leaving Makair speechless, and Sayre with a horrified look on her face.
A voice came from nearby, shaking the two from their shock, and Sayre looked up to see Amethyst, looking towards them, " You need not be angry with him... He is quite impulsive, and is rather daring to take on something exponentially stronger than him... but from the attack he was willing to make against Kix'razen demon, I could tell that he truly has the heart of a lion... I will not lie to you, I greatly admire the pup's courage... He has the determination to become a strong and able warrior like you... I cannot lie to you, what I speak is the truth, and nothing but the truth..."
Sayre sighed and looked to Makair, Amethyst was right, Blaze could be hot-headed and impulsive at times, which often got him into tough situations... Thinking back to when he had gotten that scar on his muzzle, the very memory made Sayre shudder...
Looking towards where Blaze had stalked off to, Sayre sighed, she knew she had to do something...
" Blaze..." she said, looking back to Makair before she ran after her brother, " Blaze, wait!"


****** Theron ******

Theron nuzzled into his mate, Stormcloud, whom he had missed so much...
Haryah licked her mother's muzzle, her eyes shining with joy and a bit of mixed sadness.
" It is good to see you and Skylett have returned," Theron said, smiling for the first time in what seemed like eons.
Stormcloud nodded, " It is good to be back home, though it troubles me that I have returned during such dark times..."
The blue-black male's ears flattened, ever since Moonstar had brought back that glowing green paper she had found, everything had been going all to hell... and now that Storm had a demonic side... it didn't quite sit well in his mind.
He heard a familiar voice from behind him, " Father!!"
Brighteye burst out from the crowd, trotting over towards Skylett, and nuzzled him lovingly, glad to see him back.
The pup had grown into an able-bodied young apprentice, the beginnings of muscles showing beneath his shining, sleek tan-silvery fur. His one amber eye shone bright as the sun in exuberance, his other amethyst eye was looking at his father in question, wondering where he had gone since he left the clan.
Amethyst the 2nd approached them slowly, her feelings coming at her all at once. She was happy to see her mate, Skylett, again, yet, she was still awash with feelings of sadness and betrayal... He had left the Clan, left her to care for Brighteye alone... Skylett had left her once, how could she trust him not to leave her again? Not to break her heart again?

****** Hashiru ******

Hashiru smiled widely at the werepyre he had known for so long, " It is great to see you as well, Nor'a..."
He hadn't seen her ever since she became a goddess, she had watched over the Warriors for so many years...
The wolf had felt her power when she returned to the mortal world, as well as Nom's, and he knew they had both come back...
Nor'a grinned, " Someone else wants to see you as well..."
She stepped aside, and, much to Hashiru's surprise, he saw Solar, Moon, and Solacea running towards him to greet him.
" Father!! Father!!" the twins cried out in joy as they nuzzled into their father's fur.
" Hashiru!! It's good to see you back!" Solacea said, a wide grin on her face.
He licked her muzzle gently, " I told you I'd come back, did I not, dearest Solacea?"
She smiled, and said, " What prompted you to come back so soon? I thought you said you'd be gone for six months, it's only been four!"
Hashiru was about to answer about what Jurkaiu had told him at the mountains, just before his return to the Warriors, yet, he felt he didn't need to ruin the cheerful air of this reunion, not just yet...
" I returned early because I remembered... I have duties to fulfill..." he said, trying to stay calm and cool.
Of course he knew why he had broken his promise to complete his spirit journey to return... the clan was in deep danger, the Great Tree was withering and dying, and the message of the doom-spoken prophecy weighed heavily on his mind...
He could never abandon the Clan when they were in peril, and he would do everything in his power to help them, for that was the Way of the Warriors!!

Blaze turned as sayre caught up with him "so how are you feeling sis I know I put you under stress when I done that but damn it im stronger than everyone thinks I am if I was only a little older and stronger!" sighing to himself he finished "I knew she was going to try and kill me if I had landed on her back or in front of her but thats why I had the smoke streaming out of my mouth when she transformed I was about to send the demon realing for amythst to finish off to restrain I had my fire a ace up my sleave she dosn't know I can control fire." Looking somber blaze wonders around for a minute until he finds a spot to lay down under a tree.

****Therebas****
The sun rose. He walked over to the balcony of the Spire of Chaos, the other clan members had not yet gathered. It was coming though, his return... and when he did return, the glory of Inferno would bathe this world.
"I can only hope that Corion and Darius are in position..."
****Corion & Darius****
They were inside of the Great Tree before all the other clans, many of whom were still gathering at the grounds of the Tree. Corion and Darius stood inside the meeting chamber. It was at the highest point the tree's trunk. Though, what remained of the upper part when the room was hollowed out had been cut off purposefully. At night it gave the perfect view of the Moon overhead.
"Darius... everything is ready... Master Therebas, has told us where to wait for the meet to start..."
"Then to the shadows we go..."
Darius' body turned completely black, he walked towards Corion and touched his side, causing the same to happen again. The two hid within an alcove in the meeting chamber waiting for the clan leaders to arrive. They wouldn't put much effort in hiding their presence... just enough so that only the Warriors would be able to notice slightly.

Storm

Storm turned to Amethyst, alarmed as she remembered something important.
"We have to get to the Clan Meet! Something important is happening there! I can't remember what.." Tears of frustration rolled down her cheek here. Amethyst turned her great head to look at Storm before facing the rest of the clan.

Lak heard Amethyst's panicked voice, and paced his way to her and Storm.
"We should get everyone ready to go, we can make it before morning if we hurry-"
The wolf lost his train of though as he saw Amethyst's eyes full of tears.
Speechless, Lak fumbled for something to say.
Looking down, he simply said,
"We... we should start going."

****** Amethyst & Moonstar *******

Amethyst nodded her great head, " Agreed, with some luck, we may not be too late..."
As she said this, a sense of panic washed over her as she felt...something...
She did not know what it was, but... it was not a pleasant sensation...
Looking to her sister, Amethyst licked the tears from Storm's face, " Do not cry, sister, you must be strong, strong like the mountain..."
She noticed the rest of the clan walking towards them, prepared to get to the Moon Meet before it was too late.
Amethyst nodded to Lak, and then turned and started walking towards the location of the Great Tree.
Moonstar watched as her mother began to walk off in the Great Tree's direction, and hesitantly began to follow after her, looking back to make sure the others were following as well.

****** Sayre ******

Sayre lay down next to Blaze, " I'm sorry about what Makair said... It's just that... you can be rather impulsive and hot-headed at times."
He huffed, " He just underestimates me... I can fight, I have excellent battle strategies, it's just that I wish I was bigger and stronger..."
She sighed, " Listen Blaze, when you left, the Great One, Amethyst, she said she admires your courage, how you were willing to make that daring attack at that demon, even though you put your life on the line... You have the heart of a true warrior, the lionsheart, and you have earned her respect. And know this, you are my brother, and I love you and look up to you, as you are willing to take chances when nobody else will... like when you were willing to take that Martyrdom attack and be scarred forever rather than seeing any harm come to me or Makair..."
Blaze was silent as he took this all in, his anger-ridden look softening a little.
" When our parents left us to take care of our own, we made a silent promise to each other, that we would look out for one another, and stay by each other's side... I have never left your side and I never will... and you, you stay by my side and protect me... Ever since Makair took us in, and helped us when we needed it, I have begun to look up to him as a father, as he treats us like he would his own, he loves us behind that rough exterior. We three are family, and I have come to accept that fact... In all, you have my respect, as well as the Great One's respect, and perhaps even Makair's... but he just doesn't show it... I'm pretty sure, deep down, Makair appreciates your courage and determinedness..."
Blaze looked deep in thought, then sighed, " You're right... we have grown to be like family, after all the hell we've been through so far..."
She smiled, glad to see he understood, " Perhaps we should get back to Makair and the others..."
He nodded, and the two of them got up and began walking towards the clan grounds, and arrived in time to see them beginning to leave.
" They must be leaving to go to the Clansmeet at the Great Tree, let's go," Sayre said.
They walked towards the mass of wolves, Sayre managing to pick out Makair among them, and fell into line next to him, looking towards him with concerned eyes.

((ooc: Flame, I hope you don't mind me controlling Blaze a bit in this, I kinda want them to keep up with the clan before all hell breaks loose XP ))

Lak sat on a fallen tree, counting heads as the clan rolled through the forest.
'If we keep at this pace, we'll be at the Tree by nightfall.' He said to himself.
He picked out individuals in the crowd, some he wanted to talk to, but didnt have the time to.
One individual particularly was the red-brown fox-sized wolf pacing by himself, at the back of the clan.

With everyone, plus a few new heads, accounted for, Lak jumped off the log and strode next to Gyre.

"Keeper," Gyre said, looking up at Lak.
"Gyre, go mingle with the wolves you haven't met before, you haven't been so social." Lak said, grinning slightly.
Gyre's ears lowered, looking down at the small path through the forest.
"I..."
"-dont have an excuse? Get going, I'll see you again before we reach the Clan's meet."
Gyre looked back up at Lak, and his eyes spoke volumes.
"I'm glad your back, Lak."
He took off, darting around wolves, saying "-Excuse me. ...Pardon me, Sorry!"

Lak shook his head.
Deep in his chest, Lak felt his revitalized self ebbing back into sleep.
Optimistically, Lak guessed he had one more day.
'"I'm glad your back..." ... You need to make friends fast, Gyre. '

Lak closed his eyes, and stopped walking.
He called out mentally, hoping Storm would hear him.
'I need to stop momentarily, keep the clan moving, and i'll catch up.'
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Gyre squeezed past the flowing wolves, some growling as he slipped by them.
He grinned a little at how his size came in handy.
'Darn it! "Gyre, go mingle with the wolves you haven't met before, you haven't been so social." I didnt think he'd notice... I hope he isnt disappointed with me...' Gyre thought to himself.
Looking through legs and past masses of fur, Gyre spotted the tails of a trio he had never seen before.
A black wolf with a white tattoo on its shoulder, another black wolf with red scales, and a white and light blue wolfess with something on her back, all marching on together.
Lak's words echoed in Gyre's mind.
Taking a deep breath, he ducked, dove, and dodged past legs to the three.

"Excuse me!" Gyre exclaimed.
The red-scaled wolf and white wolfess turned.
Gyre's eyes widened when he realized a number of things.
The white wolfess had wings on her back, she had no puples, and she had antlers.
And the black wolf with scales looked like he could kill Gyre in a heartbeat.

Gyre gulped, and focused on keeping his voice from cracking.
"Um, i ha-haven't seen you three before. Are you joining us to the M-M- Meet?"
Gyre gulped again. 'Smooth, stupid! Really smooth! Lak would be laughing his tail off if he saw me now!'
"I'm Gyre." He said, more confidently.

(ooc: Lets move this along! We're so close to finishing this part!!!)

Blaze stuck his tounge out at gyre "your a little to nervous there friend... My name is Blaze this is my sister Sayre and that old fart behind me is Makair." Sayre shook her head and Makair snorted "Whell Gyre yes we are joining the clan to the meet.... umm would ya like to walk and talk for a bit?"

****** Sayre ******

Sayre walked alongside Blaze and Makair, looking out among the wolves around them as they marched to the Great Tree.
She heard footpaws coming to them, and turned her head as someone called out, " Excuse me!"
There was a rather young-looking red-brown wolf was rather small, almost like a fox, pushing his way towards them from the crowd.
"Um, I ha-haven't seen you three before. Are you joining us to the M-M- Meet?" he asked, his voice rather shaky.
Sayre had seen his eyes widen when he took them into account, what did he think of them? Well, as far as Sayre knew, they were a ragtag trio, herself, her brother, and their master, Makair.
The wolf introduced himself as Gyre.
" Gyre, that's a lovely name," she said, grinning.
She opened her mouth to introduce herself, but Blaze cut in.
"You're a little too nervous there, friend... My name is Blaze, this is my sister Sayre, and that old fart behind me is Makair," he said.
Sayre shook her head a bit, and Makair snorted at the 'old fart' remark.
" He's our mentor," Sayre said to Gyre before turning an gently nipping Blaze on the ear, giving him a slight grin, " I could've spoken for myself, you know," she chided softly at him.
"Well Gyre, yes we are joining the Clan to the Meet.... umm, would ya like to walk and talk for a bit?" he asked, playfully bumping Sayre's shoulder in response to her retort.
Sayre nodded at Blaze's words, " Oh yes, please do! We could use some extra company."
Smiling, she gave a reassuring nuzzle to Gyre's shoulder, young lad seemed rather nervous around them, but then again, Sayre, Blaze, and Makair were not officially part of this pack yet, and Sayre was not quite sure if she was willing to join either.
Something was going on, and her fur tingled at the thought of it.
She glanced back to Makair, wondering what he was thinking about as far as this Clan of wolves.

***Therebas***
"Just a few more hours... the moon is almost at the perfect position over the tree!! No doubt the warriors would be coming by soon..."
Therebas called for his attendant.
"This shall be the last time I speak with you, I must return to my meditation immediately. Inform Kaalan that the Ardor are to be send to the tree, also... I want you to have the Sect of Sacrifice summon the Altus as well, the Ardor will battle much harder with their leader's second in command on the battlefield. Hopefully it will rush the warriors once they hear the song of the Ardor... Now go!! I'll begin the ritual for summoning forth our dark lord! The hour of Chaos draws close!"
A large iron clad being, draped in golden armor appeared behind him... a being that was truly angelic, pity that they had someone who had seen angels before and would be able to see past the facade.
"Arkus, Vos tunc teneo quis vos es efficio pro vestri dux? Pro Saiga?" (Arkus, You then know what you are to do for your commander? For Saiga?)
"Etiam vates , meus ardor carmen iam sanus per regnum , nos ero successio in coma ut nemus nunc. EGO mos videor ut proeliator tentatio lemma." (Yes prophet, my ardor's song already resounds throughout the realm, they will be arriving at the tree, upon rays of light soon... I will appear when the warriors have attacked them.)
"Vos mos videor vacuus nostrum postulo voco vos illic?"(You will appear there without us summoning you there?)
"EGO sum reus ut is templum , tamen unus of meus ardor accersitus Aduro mos lascivio a novus carmen ut vadum beckon mihi continuo ut suus positus" (I am bound to this temple, but one of my ardor called Aduro will play a new song that shall beckon me forth to his position).
***The Great Tree***
The Moon's glow intensified majorly, as rays of moonlight began to shine down upon the tree, a song echoed through the area.
(OOC: The Aria of the Ardor!!!: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The one named Blaze asked, "Well Gyre, yes we are joining the Clan to the Meet.... umm, would ya like to walk and talk for a bit?"
"Oh yes, please do! We could use some extra company," his sister Sayre included.
Gyre grinned, "I'd love to."

___ ___ ___ ___ ___

The clan had marched east until the stars were out, a lovely full moon was rising to illuminate their path.
The pace slowed as the trees became thinner.
'Hmmm...' Gyre thought, 'Why are we slowing down?'

His answer was given as the trail slopped downward, underneath an enormous arch made of wood.
Gyre's jaw slacked as he realized the arch was a root of the Great Tree.
Gyre jumped a little, trying to see over the heads and backs of the taller wolves.
In between the spaced trees were large roots everywhere, covered in moss, vines, and red flowers.

Not far away from the arching root was a second root just as large, and beyond that a third.
Vines stretched between the roots of the Great Tree, making a canopy of foliage over the path the Warriors Clan walked.

Under the canopy, dancing over the heads of the wolves were little orbs of light, all different colors.
A few of the younger wolves gasped as the lights swirled down and around.

The little lights were tiny fires, coming from the butts of small insects with colored wings and eyes.

Gyre shouted, "Fyreflys!"
"I remember Lak telling me about these... They only live near the Great Tree. I heard Fyreflys can choose if their fires hurt or not..."
Almost on cue as he said it, three red flamed fyreflys danced past Gyre, and landed with lit butts on Blaze.
More started flying downward to Blaze, and within a minute, Blaze was illuminated with dozens of little fires.

"Wow... I think they like you, Blaze." Gyre said, grinning.

******** Sayre ********

Sayre strode beside Blaze and Gyre as the Clan made their way to the Great Tree.
When it seemed like they were slowing down, she could make out the shape of an arch looming over the heads of the taller wolves nearby.
Upon closer inspection, she was surprised to see that the 'arch' was actually a root!
' I've never seen the Great Tree from this view before...' Sayre thought, looking about in awe as they passed underneath.
Thick canopy and foliage covered the roots of the Great Tree, it was rather hard to see the stars now...
Tiny little lights seemed to flitter and dance above the heads of the wolves passing underneath it, so many different colors, a very pretty sight to see!
When they got closer, the lights were actually tiny fires, emanating from little insects with brightly colored wings and eyes.
Sayre was just about to question what they were, until Gyre shouted out, " Fyreflys!!"
She listened to him as he told them about how Lak talked to him about these creatures once, and how they could choose if their fires hurt or not.
" Woooowww...." she gasped in awe, the lights from the Fyreflys reflecting in her crystal blue, pupiless eyes.
As if Gyre's explanation triggered something, three of them, glowing red, flitted past Gyre and landed on Blaze, and soon, more and more came until he was absolutely swarmed with them.
"Wow... I think they like you, Blaze." Gyre said, grinning.
Sayre giggled along with him, " They sure do! Maybe they're attracted by creatures who also share the affinity of fire?"
Blaze was a controller of fire, maybe they liked him best because of his affinity with the element of fire...
She could only grin, still looking at the Fyreflys on Blaze as they continued walking, until, she heard something, a faint, musical melody, emanating from...somewhere.
" Do you hear that?" she asked to her brother and Gyre.
" Blaze, doesn't that tune sound... familiar to you?" because for some reason, it seemed to trigger a foreboding feeling in Sayre's mind.

****** Moonstar and Amethyst *******

Amethyst walked at the head of the clan, her eyes drifting about to view the Fyreflys gliding about among the traveling pack.
" Fyreflys... I never thought I'd see the beauty of these little creatures again..." she whispered, Moonstar slightly hearing what she was saying.
She turned to look at her daughter with sad eyes, " Isn't it beautiful, Moonstar?"
The young wolfess nodded, " Aye, it is..."
As they pressed deeper into the Great Tree, Amethyst began to feel a bit strange, dizzy, sick...
" Unngggghhh..." she moaned, starting to tip and sway.
Moonstar noticed this, and cried out, " Mother? Mother!! What's wrong?"
Amethyst fell forward, but caught herself bent down on her front paws, and she got up, shaking herself, " Nothing... it's nothing, Moonstar..."
But deep down, Amethyst could sense it, the tilting of the Balance, slowly leaning towards Chaos...
' This is not good, this is not good at all...' she thought, shaking her head again.
A sudden, faint, haunting tune began to drift from nearby, and immediately, Moonstar's ears picked it up.
" Mother, do you hear it, the song?" she asked, pressing closer to Amethyst.
The she-wolf was looking up, as is expecting something to come down from the sky, " I do hear it..."
Turning briefly, Amethyst called out, " Warriors, stay alert for anything that may pose a threat to us!"
She then turned around and continued walking, at the same time, thinking, ' I know I've heard that melody before... but where?'

Blaze sneazed as his own feeling of the wright and wronge in the universe started shifting and the fyreflys scatered. He looked at Sayre and gyre a look of horror in his eyes "Sayre we forgot I don't know how we did but we forgot what happened here when we left when the false angle took most of the wolves liveing here!" Blaze turned and started a charge to the front of the pack trying to stop what happened before from happening again.

******** Sayre ********

Sayre kept listening to the song, the music getting louder as the wolf pack moved closer towards their intended destination.
Something about the song seemed familiar, but oddly enough, she could not remember where she had heard such a melody before.
" Do you hear it too, Gyre? What about you, Makair?" she asked, turning to the other wolves.
Makair nodded, indicating he too could hear it.
It wasn't until Blaze spoke up, "Sayre, we forgot.... I don't know how we did, but we forgot what happened here when we left... When the false angels took most of the wolves living here!"
Immediately, Sayre's mind flashed back to when they first met Makair at the Great Tree, how, not too long afterwards, a haunting, angelic song, much like the one they were hearing now, had played before the false angels, dressed in golden garb and equipped with feathery white wings, came down and took away most of the lone wolves living in the Great Tree.
A snarl came to her face, only to have it turn into a look of shock and surprise as Blaze charged forth, pushing past wolves to get to the front of the pack.
" BLAZE!!!" she shouted, running after him.
" Come back here, you two!" she heard Makair shout after them as he ran in hot pursuit of the two, " It's not safe up there!"
Dammit Blaze, what the hell was he doing????
Oftentimes, Sayre wondered what ran through his mind before he would charge into something head-on...

******* Moonstar and Amethyst *********

Moonstar kept walking alongside Amethyst, but the odd melody kept playing, growing gradually louder and louder as they started nearing their intended destination.
' Where have I heard this song before?' she asked herself, trying to figure out what it was.
She could tell her mother was equally disturbed by the song, as she was getting rather uncomfortable and looking around furtively.
She heard a shout from towards the back of the back, or rather, three shouts.
"When the false angels took most of the wolves living here!" shouted one, a young male's voice, and Moonstar turned to see the young, black dragon-wolf from before pushing his way through to get to the front with her and Amethyst.
" BLAZE!!!!" shouted another, female voice, and another dragon-wolf, a she, with white and light blue fur, running up behind him.
" Come back here you two! It's not safe up there!" another voice called out, another wolf, older, black, with white eyes, was dashing up behind them in hot pursuit.
False angels? The memories came flooding back to Moonstar, was he talking about the very same ones who had come to the Warriors clan grounds a few days ago?
' They tried to sacrifice Keeper Lak, and attacked us when I stopped them from doing so!' her mind snarled out.
What had Nor'a, Nom, and Grim called them? Argents? Argor? Ardor!!
'Oh great... not THEM again...' she thought begrudgingly, but if this dragon-wolf had seen them at the Great Tree, surely the two incidents must be connected!
" You mean you've also seen these beings?" Moonstar asked the young dragon-wolf male as he caught up to her and Amethyst, " You've also seen and heard the Ardor?"

***Therebas***
The attendant returned to Therebas.
"My lord, the ardor are on their way to the tree... the warriors will be held up while you complete the ritual"
Therebas remained silent, his meditative state was perfect. He had synced fully with the frequency of Saiga's soul... a blood red aura enveloped him.
"My lord?"
Still, nothing but the sound of the winds responded to him. Therebas would not speak.
The aura grew in strength, and the attendant found his mind flooded with Therebas' voice.
"The time comes soon! The weakening of the Great Tree begins now!!!"
Therebas knew that he could not shatter the barrier yet... the moon was in the right position, but it had not turned its bloody color. The very least he could do would be to temporarily weaken it, and allow some of the energies of inferno and the power of Saiga to leak through. Shattering it would require Saiga's aid as well... it was a barrier made to imprison a god, no mortal could shatter it without a gods help.
He stood up, his eyes glowing with an intense red.
"In the name of my lord Saiga, I command the barrier that bridges the world of Inferno to ours, crumble! So that the true lord of this world may pass through!"

*** The Great Tree ***
The words that Therebas uttered echoed to the Great Tree. The earth beneath the tree shook as an agonized frightening roar resounded throughout the area. Seconds after a cracking noise echoed, a large crack had appeared at the base of the Great Tree. Its appearance sent out a wave of demonic energies, and energies from the realm of inferno, knocking those who were near by onto the ground and having strange effects on some. The Ardor who were near by became empowered by the energies they felt from the crack, becoming more angelic in appearance, and gaining power.

The crack continued to glow red as the energies seeped forth from it.