"Yes," Sheena answered. "I think you can. Look, I think it's time I told you something. About Narwhal." She glanced at the entrance to make sure they were alone and that Tyro and Stella were nowhere near. They were back at their posts at the camp entrance. Sheena leaned closer to Flower. "Do you know about the Essences?" she asked.

"I've heard a little about them," Flower responded.

"I found out that Narwhal was going to the Essence of Aqua. We used to be best friends," she added. "When he left, he invited me to join him. I declined and he was angry, but I've followed him now. He left me a note on a leaf by the lake where he attacked me. he said he was going to the Essence of Aqua. And I went to it after him, because I knew I couldn't let him get it. 

"I had to get past seven barriers that Knowledge Protectors of the Aqua have set up over the seasons. It was hard, and exhausting. I met Narwhal at the last one, wich was a shark attack, and I couldn't believe what he'd become.

"He ordered me to fight them, but in the end we fought together. We defeated them together. But he went on to the Essence, feeling its call, forgetting me in its presence. I followed, but I was too late. He picked it up into his paw, and its aura swirled around him, and everything became white and colorless. It was awful. And when it ended, Narwhal was collapsed on the ground. I thought he was dead. His pelt was white and his flank was still.

"But he shuddered and breathed again. He lived again. And color seeped into his pelt... a thousand shades of blue for every Aqua that ever was and that never will be." Sheena sighed deeply, calming her mind. "He was beautiful and terrible. he was weak yet strong. He was happy, and content, and evil, all at once. It was awful, Flower." 

The former Terra cub didn't answer, enraptured by Sheena's story.

"And so I followed him up, back into the world. I felt defeated. I had let him take the Essence, my Essence. I had failed. I was weak. I was too weak to resist him again. He asked me—ordered me—to join him and I was too weak to turn away. I agreed, but on one term. I had to see what he had done to the Aqua. 

"So I went to my former settlement. And at first I didn't see anyone there, but eventually I noticed them. My family, my friends, colorless husks of what they once were." She gave an involuntary shudder. "It was terrible. I don't want to describe it. Do you understand?"

Flower nodded. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, but that's not all. I entered the Cavern of Knowledge," Sheena continued, "to see if Ciel was there. He was, but it wasn't him. He told me that I could reverse the curse Narwhal had placed upon the Aqua. He told me there's always another way." Sheena found she was crying. "I have to do it, for him. I couldn't live with myself if I let Narwhal get away with this. He can't touch any of the other Essences, Flower. I won't let that happen to any other species."

Flower was silent. "I want to go home." 

"I do, too," Sheena murmured. "I do, too."

~ ~ ~

Rays of dawn struggled to breach the thorn barrier, not quite reaching the camp. It was cold and dark. Sheena couldn't believe that anyone would choose to live here over their safe Element. She exited her den, stretching slightly, blinking. The morning sentries, Flick and Dmitri, were standing by the gap in the thorns. She nodded to them. "May I go on a walk?"

The two panthers exchanged glances. "I'm not sure boss'd like that," Flick answered gruffly. "Best you stay here."

"Please," Sheena pleaded. "I need fresh air. I can't live like this, stuck in a camp. I'll be back by sunup."

"I guess," Dmitri said uneasily. "Go ahead." He stepped aside to let her through. She smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

She shouldered past the thorns, inhaling deeply. The air was cold, but not as cold as it was in the camp. She felt a pang of regret at leaving Flower, but she knew that the resourceful cub would know Sheena hadn't left permanently. And if she didn't return by sunup, Narwhal would be angry and send his panthers after her. Where is he, anyway? She barely ever saw him. Was this how it always was in his camp? 

Sheena wandered through the woods, relaxed for the first time in what seemed like forever. Leaves crunched under her paws and small animals rustled in the branches overhead. Sheena decided she'd catch a bird; she was tired of fish. She lightened her pawsteps, creeping below a tree. A bird hopped on the branch above her. It would be an easy catch. She gathered her haunches, leaping with her claws extended. The bird noticed her, fluttering up, but it was too late. It was trapped in her claws. She brought it down, killing it, carrying it in her jaws. Sitting down, she tore off a few feathers. 

The bird was good. Its flavor was different from the blandness of fish and refreshed her. She licked her lips, finishing off the scraps of feather and bone, then got to her paws. It was good to be away from the camp. She had felt so suffocated and trapped, and now she was free.

Only partly, she reminded herself. I still have to go back. 

She decided to go a little further and soon happened upon a clearing. The trees came away to reveal a small, circular pool. And sitting at the water's edge was none other than Narwhal. 

"Narwhal," she said. She found that she was unsurprised. 

"Sheena," he answered, equally impassively. 

"Fancy meeting you here," Sheena said drily. 

"Likewise." He stared down at the water. Sheena noticed that his pelt was once again a frosty blue with spots a little bluer than his eyes. 

"Your pelt is normal," she noted. 

"I can control it now," he responded. He said no more, concentrating on the small ripples in the surface of the pool. 

"Why are you here and not tending to your panthers?" she asked, padding over and settling down—not near to him, but not far.

"I often come here to think," he answered distantly. "It calms my mind."

Sheena had a sudden thought. "You've shown that your fur contains the colors of all the Aqua," she said. "Is your mind the same way? Is your head filled with every thought, every notion, every instinct, that an Aqua leopard has ever had?"

"Sometimes," he responded pensively. "But now I am calm."

Sheena moved a little closer. "Is it terrible?"

"Sometimes," he said again. 

Did she imagine it, or did he inch nearer to her, just a tiny step?

Sheena was silent. She and Narwhal sat in almost peaceful silence, before she said something.  "Narwhal, remember I went to the old Aqua settlement?" she asked. "I didn't tell you the whole truth."

"Yes?" He turned towards her.

She swallowed, wondering whether to break this almost comfortable moment... Narwhal was now leaning into her. His fur felt so warm against hers... but she decided that it must be said. And she described all she had seen. 

He was silent for a long moment, staring once again into the water. "I did not know that would happen. Something of the sort, yes," he added when Sheena opened her mouth to argue. "But not so terrible. I will reverse it, but not yet. They can live a little longer."

"They are not living, Narwhal," she snarled, wrenching herself away from him. "They are hardly surviving. They only exist. And it is a miserable existence. How could you do that?"

"How are you not affected?" he mumbled, as if he had not heard her. "I saw, but nothing makes sense." He crouched down, pressing his paws over his ears. "Nothing makes sense! Nothing will ever make sense again!"

Sheena hesitated, torn between pity for this broken leopard and horror at his thoughts. She turned and ran.

Twigs stung her face as she pelted blindly through the woods, letting her paws carry her away. She ended up outside the camp, breathing hard, emotions battling beneath her pelt. She pushed through the thorns and the sentries let her in without a word. She headed across camp, ignoring Flower's greeting and ducking into her den. She curled up into a tight ball, eyes burning. She wished she could stay there forever, alone and angry, but she knew she had to act. Narwhal had said the Aqua's restoration could wait a little more, but wait for what?

It has to be the Essences, she muttered under her breath. It all ties back to the Essences. I have to act before he corrupts anything else. I can't let any other leopards' existence be ruined by Narwhal's selfish quest.

I can't hide forever. 

She stood up, jaw set in firm resolve. Flower padded over as she left her den. "I'm sorry about earlier," Sheena apologized. "But come with me. I need to do something. We need to do something."

She noticed with satisfaction that Flower's fur now resembled something she'd see on a healthy Elemental leopard. "I'm going out again," she notified Flick and Dmitri. 

"Already?" Dmitri seemed bemused, but she could never tell with guards. 

"Yes. May I take Flower with me?"

"Go ahead."

"We may or may not come back."

"We'll cover for you. Our fur may be black and has forgotten the Elementi, but our hearts are not so." Dmitri's voice was calm, steady. 

"We will protect you, Sheena. Help the Elementi. You owe it to us, and to them. Go well." Flick faced her solemnly. "When Narwhal returns, he will be angry. But I am willing to risk that, for the sake of the Elementi."

"Thank you," she whispered. "I won't fail you. I promise." 

Her heart ached that such noble leopards were trapped in the pelts of panthers. "I promise," she repeated, and then, with Flower at her heels, fled into the shadowy forest.

~

I'm sorry if this is overloading you, Admins.

I'll post more tomorrow, I promise. 

Look at the last comment on page 24, please. 

GOSH, I LOVE THIS BOOK TOO MUCH!!!!

A compromise with myself: I'll write this book until I finish it because it's my child and good mothers don't abandon their children. BUT I'll never publish it becuase it doesn't really make sense.

I love you all and thank you so much for supporting me and my indecisive mind!

MORE WRITING (huzzah)! 

Sheena's pawsteps slowed; as did Flower's. Sheena gazed around, trying to figure out where they were. The trees were still dark and unfamiliar, yet perhaps less dark and unfamiliar. Slightly bigger, as well. The scent of the air was unrecognizable to Sheena, but Flower seemed to find something in it. The little cub inhaled deeply, eyes closed in pleasure. "It smells like home!" 

"What?" Sheena was glancing distractedly at a trail of ants. 

"The air smells like Terra! I think we're reaching Terra land!" Flower's voice was jubilant. "I can't wait to go home!"

"That's great!" Sheena picked up her pace, but let Flower skip ahead. "Lead the way." 

As the pair traveled on, Sheena noticed a subtle change in the environment. It gradually became more hospitable, and sunlight dappled the earth. It smelled rich and full of life. And soon the trees and plants became even more vibrant. Sheena had never known that so many different types of flowers existed. But there was still a lack of open water. The air was moist, yes, but it didn't hold a candle to the pools back in Aqua land. 

Flower was humming a happy tune, bouncing through the forest. "Here's where my brother and I used to play Catch the Tail," she chirped, pointing at a small, grassy clearing. She bounded over to a tree stump. "And here's where I caught my first prey!"

Sheena smiled, listening to her joyful reminiscence. "Do you know when we'll reach the heart of Terra land?" 

"Oh yeah, it's right up ahead! Race you there!" Flower dashed away, leaves scattering in her wake. Sheena hared after, not wanting to be left behind. She kept her eyes trained on Flower's pink spots as they ran through the final stretch and stopped before a great ravine.

"Why'd you stop?" Sheena asked, and was surprised to see worry darkening Flower's lavender eyes. 

"What if they don't like me anymore?" she whimpered. "I left them for a band of panthers! Isn't that betrayal?"

"You left them for panthers, but you aren't a panther yourself," Sheena pointed out. "That has to count for something." 

"Maybe," Flower mumbled, still anxious.

Sheena stared over the lip of the ravine. The earth fell away in a sweeping curve, verdant vines lacing and spiraling through it. The Terra's dens were hollows in the earth, with curtains of leafy vines shielding them. Sheena shuddered. What kind of leopard in its right mind would want to sleep in a burrow? Returning to the current moment, she nudged Flower forward. "There's no time like the present," she said gently. "It's now or never." 

Flower sighed. "Okay. I'm glad you're here, Sheena." 

"Thanks for following me," Sheena returned. "Now let's go." 

The two leopards picked their way down the slope, keeping a careful eye on their pawsteps. One misplaced paw and they could trip and fall. Sheena risked another glance at the main settlement. Leopards milled about, chatting, relaxed. One looked her way, seeing her.

"Hey!" he called. "What are you doing here?" He trotted towards them. Sheena and Flower rushed down the rest of the slope to halt before him. He looked them over through narrowed green eyes. But soon they opened wide in wonder. "Flower?"

"Daddy!" the cub cried, leaping towards him. He swept her up in his paws, rubbing her head with his muzzle. She nestled into his chest and he curled his tail around her. His mane of leaf-like tufts lay flat and Sheena could hear both father and daughter purring loudly.

"I missed you," he murmured. "Your mother and I worry so much. Why did you run away with that panther?"

Flower buried her face into her father's chest fur. "I don't know," she mumbled. "But I'm back now." She turned to face Sheena. "This is Sheena. She's my friend."

"Come into the settlement," Flower's father offered. "I think we have much to discuss."

Sheena followed him gratefully. "See? That wasn't so terrible," she whispered into Flower's ear. Flower's purr rumbled a little louder. "I'm glad my dad found us."

Sheena smiled, saying nothing. Flower's father led them into the settlement. Leopards ask around turned to glance at them, whispering and pointing. Sheena ducked her head, hurrying a little faster. Soon they stopped in front of a den. It was a little bigger than the other ones Sheena had seen. She hesitantly stepped through the vine curtain after Flower and her father. 

The strong scent of earth filled her nostrils. She felt suffocated by the closeness of it on all sides, but she stayed silent to be polite. Inside the den lay an elegant she-leopard, with a dark brown pelt, amber spots, and warm green eyes. Her ears pricked forward at the arrival of the three leopards. 

"Flower!" she cried, welcoming her daughter. The cub dove to lay at her side, grinning. 

"I came back."

"This is my mate, Kaya," Flower's father said. "My name is Pan."

"Nice to meet you," Sheena choked out. The den was cramped with four leopards in it and the air was heavy and musty. "I'm Sheena."

"Nice to meet you as well." Kaya's tone was welcoming. "If you don't mind my asking, what is going on?" 

"I'll explain later," Sheena answered. "I have to talk to Terra."

"I'll take you there," Pan offered. "Follow me."

Kaya stood. "I'll come too."

Flower jumped up, but Kaya laid her tail on the cub's back. "Uh-uh. You stay here."

"Flower should come," Sheena said, surprising herself and the three others. "She's my friend. She deserves to hear what I have to say."

Kaya nodded, lifting her tail. "If you say so."

The four exited the den, Pan in the lead.

"Terra's den is in the oak up ahead," the big leopard announced. Sheena looked forward, staring in awe at the massive tree. Its gnarled roots were visible through the ground, popping and weaving for a distance. Sheena's gaze traveled up the huge brown trunk, taking in the knots and holes, the texture. The trunk alone was twice as big as Sheena. Its branches began small, with sparse leaves, but widened and varied into a gigantic canopy of emerald green. Sheena couldn't fathom how one leopard could possibly need so much space. 

As if reading her thoughts, Pan chuckled. "The Grand Tree also contains the Knowledge Chamber and healing den," he explained. He pointed out a hollow in the trunk. "There's the entrance. Are you coming?"

Sheena nodded, entering the tree. She was surprised at how well-lit it was. The knotholes that had seemed so small from the outside let light filter in, and the tree seemed almost as bright as the day outside. There was moss under her paws and a winding ladder of roots twisted up through the tree, carrying it past several levels. Pan jumped onto the ladder, beckoning with a flick of his tail. "Terra's den is at the top."

Sheena leaped after him, then Kaya, then Flower. Sheena's claws gripped the roots, boosting her upward, and as they progressed towards the top, she looked around. The first level had many stacks of leaves and herbal flowers lining its trunk-walls and a small pine green leopard bustled about it, organizing and sorting the herbs. On the next level, Sheena recognized the Knowledge Protector's den. It was full of hardened clay tablets and plant fiber scrolls. Sheena breathed in the new scent of Terra materials before climbing higher. There was another level of Terra Knowledge. 

Then the four reached a closed section. The root ladder carried up through it, but the trunk made a ceiling that they could not go through. Pan rapped on the door in a complicate sequence with his paw, and Sheena heard a rustling above them. Soon a voice called, "What is your business?"

"We have an Aqua messenger that wishes to tell you something," Pan responded. 

"Let them in." 

Sheena couldn't believe her eyes--the tree trunk was moving! It lifted up, revealing the largest leopard she had ever seen. He was huge; solid muscles and brown fur, leaf-green spots, fierce amber eyes. The mane of leaf-like tufts that Terra males had ran from his nose to his tail-tip, ending in a large cluster. His paws had white bottoms and his chest fur was white as well. His claws were hooked around a tough plant fiber that was attached to the tree stump section. Sheena guessed that he had pulled it up to let them in. 

She suddenly felt very small. This leopard that could only be Terra stared down at her, eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

Sheena tried to speak, but all that came out was a frightened squeak. She ducked her head in embarrassment, trying again. "I have dire news."

"Come in, then." Terra stood aside to let her step inside. Pan, Kaya, and Flower made to follow, but Terra held them back. "It is her time right now," he said, voice deep with authority. "I see we have much to discuss, but return later. Wait in the Knowledge Chamber."

The family reluctantly turned back, making their way down the twisting roots and disappearing from sight. Terra once again lowered the wooden cover, then sat in front of Sheena. His tail curled neatly over her paws. "Sit."

Sheena sat, lowering her head respectfully. 

"Look at me," he ordered. "What is your name?"

"I am Sheena of the Aqua, student of Ciel," she answered formally, trying to keep her voice steady. "But I am sorry to say that I am the only Aqua leopard left."

His eyes narrowed with interest. "How so?"

Sheena took a deep breath. "Well, you know how Flower, the cub who so miraculously appeared just now, joined that panther that wasn't a panther?"

"The icy blue one? Go on."

And Sheena, for the second time in what seemed like the same day, explained everything Narwhal had done. "Now Narwhal is Aqua," she finished lamely. 

"If this is true, then how do you still appear to be Aqua?" the Terra leader inquired, expression distrustful.

"There are some things I wish not to say," Sheena answered quietly. "I don't want to know what you would do to me if you knew what I was."

"You are not Aqua," he persisted.

"Perhaps." She changed the subject. "Narwhal cannot go near the Essence of Terra. If he even touches it, your species will be doomed."

"Nothing can take down the Terra," he scoffed incredulously. "We are the strongest of the Elementi, muscles strong as tree trunks from digging the tunnel network. We are the earth. The earth is what supports your paws. It is eternal. It has been in existence since the beginning of the world, and it is . You cannot take away the earth."

"You cannot take away the sea," Sheena answered softly, "but look at what he's done."

Terra didn't answer, eyes burning in indignant silence. "I will not back down. This leopard cannot and will not control me. I will do what I think is best for my Element. And whatever you say, I will not relocate my Essence. It is too fragile and delicate to touch."

"I think you could handle it," Sheena responded. "You are Terra, the representative of your Element. You are the closest thing to the Essence."

"I will not touch it," Terra repeated.

"At least consider," Sheena pressed.

TOP! Scylla, this is such a wonderful story! I enjoyed reading it from the very start, and I can't wait for the next part to come out! I can't believe this is on the second page! TOP TOP TOP! How can this wonderful masterpiece BE ON THE SECOND PAGE? PLEASE RISE TO THE TOP, WONDERFUL STORY! TOP TOP TOP! 

TOP!

TOP!  

TOP! 

TOP!  

TOP! 

Have the end of Chapter 13!

"How would he find it?" Terra demanded. "Its defenses are absolute. Most of the Terra ourselves don't know where it lies."

"The Essence of Aqua is sheltered inside a place nicknamed 'The Black Hole,' with seven denfenses that I could barely get past to guard it. And only Ciel, Aqua, and I know where it is," Sheena arugued. "How could he have uncovered its location? The answer is simple. He will not stop at torturing someone to find an Essence. He is power-hungry, Terra. He is mad with his urge to absorb the Essences of the Elementi. You think he will respect you because you're a leader? No, he will not. He will kill you if you do not tell him."

"I have infinitely more power than him," Terra snarled. "I would kill him first."

"Oh no you don't," Sheena retorted, voice dangerously low. "He has the Essence of an entire Element inside him. You only have a fraction of what he has. You are powerful, yes, but he is greater."

"There is no one greater than a rightful leader," Terra growled. 

"His power is stronger," Sheena rephrased. "It is larger. It is bigger. Yours is right, but his was stolen. His is absolute."

"Not quite." Terra closed his eyes. "In the ancient lore of the Elementi, there are strengths and weaknesses between our types. These... properties, you would say, follow the laws of nature. Fire devours wind, wind evaporates water, water douses fire, and earth absorbs water. Aether is irrelevant, equally strong to every Element. Terra overpowers Aqua. I overpower Narwhal. It is the law of nature. He will not defeat me."

"Why are you putting up such a huge fight about this?" Sheena pleaded. "I don't care if you're stronger. I don't care if he's stronger. All I care about is not letting another species fall. I couldn't live with myself if I let him take your Essence."

"I appreciate your concern," Terra began gruffly, "but--"

"If he absorbs the Essence of Terra, he will be nearly unstoppable. I heard him say--he said to me--that he would target you next. He's probably heading towards your Essence at this moment."

"You said earlier that only you, your trusted mentor, and your leader know the Essence of Aqua's location," Terra said. "How did Narwhal find it? It seems as though you three would rather die than tell him."

"I'm not exactly sure," Sheena responded. "But what happened to them in the end is worth than death."

"You are still well," Terra pointed out.

"Wrong. I have to live with my failure," Sheena breathed. "It's awful. I can't let this happen to anyone else." Tears splashed from her eyes onto the wood below. "Please believe me. Please protect your Essence... protect yourself."

She stood up and backed away. "This is all I have to say. It's your choice to listen, to act. I can't tell you what to do."

His eyes softened. "I can see you mean well, Sheena. I will protect my leopards. Narwhal won't win, if I can stop him. I promise, on my honor."

"Thank you," Sheena whispered.

Then Terra reopened the trunk. "You're free to go. I won't forget you, Sheena."

Sheena dipped her head respectfully, then climbed down onto the root ladder. The last thing she saw was Terra's eyes, gleaming with pride and emotion, as he replaced the wood. 

And then he was gone.