Chapter 11: A Broken Path

Regal was trying to shake off the evil Ny'vene. He was struggling to claw at the huge dragon. Dovesight noticed this and came to Zolnixi's aid.

"Take this!" She rammed her horns into the dragon's belly but it didn't effect him.

"So? You also want to die?" The Ny'vene grinned and was forced to let Regal go.

"Don't you dare, Valor!" Regal barked at the huge sylesti.

"Oh... But I will kill her. She ruined our lives!" Valor snapped and bit into Regal's neck, choking the godly spirit.

Dovesight growled and leaped on the Ny'vene, trying to get him to open his mouth and release the Zolnixi. Valor looked back at Dovesight as he let Regal fall to the ground. Tailor looked back at Dovesight, she was being pounded in by Valor 5 times before he finally leaped into action and used his divine balance to lift her up. Dovesight never felt this power before, she held up the Ny'vene by his feet and threw him over to Porsh, Shadow, Red and Knight.

"Oof!" They all screamed aloud before slowly getting back up to see the angry Luffox.

"All of you are so dead!" Xander called from afar.

Shadow gave the Griffi a look before focusing his eyes back on Dovesight. Demonflight was busy fighting with a powerful Qitari and a strong black Zolnixi. The Zolnixi bit his ear and dragged him on the ground, injuring his wings in the process.

"Ah!" Demonflight growled while trying to pull away. Suddenly, Takumi and Quizary knocked the Qitari and the Zolnixi down with their air powers. Sheba came into fight and healed Quizary who has been bleeding. He smiled for a quick second as the Zolnixi leaped back into action and slammed him to the ground.

"If you make one move, this Qitari is dead!" The black Zolnixi growled.

"You wouldn't dare!" Sheba cried out.

"Oh but I would. You took a lot from me, so why don't you give up?" The Zolnixi asked again. The evil purple Qitari pinned Takumi down with it's hooves, giggling at him.

"So? You don't remember us?" The Qitari titled his head to one side, laughing.

"Ramsey!" Takumi growled.

"Please stop this!" Sheba cried, she was pretending to give in. She had a small beam of light go through the ground and towards the Zolnixi.

"I'm sorry Dark, but I must." A voice called to the evil sylesti.

"What the heavens?!" Dark cried before the light took him in. Ramsey was scared and ran away from the battle. All of the other 800 sylesties were still fighting against each other. Regal was busy with Shadow.

"So? You think this is all over? I told you that I would get all of you!" Shadow hissed.

"Shadow, you've been a problem since Devil came into the picture. It's time that you stopped this mess!" Regal was about to challenge him but a voice could be heard.

"Stop right there!" A gruff voice called.

"What!?" Shadow turned to see an orange striped Luffox.

"Shadow... It's time for you to die." Tigerstripes growled. He eyed Shadow the same way he did when they first fought.

"Why should I? You took everything from me to satisfy that Luffox. The one that goes by the name, Devil." Shadow hissed at him.

"Well, you can't take back what has been taken. You didn't deserve to be in the tribe. You were lying, using others to your advantage and killing our tribe members. Starpaw will always be remembered." Tigerstripes spilled the truth.

"Why don't you give up and tell your evil spirit army to fall back?" Another familiar voice hovered in the air. It was from Lucky.

Demonflight was able to see his father walk into the fight.

"You! Why don't you stay out of this!" Shadow hissed at Lucky but the Luffox shook his head.

"No... Not after what you caused." Lucky refused to give in.

"Then you all want to die?" Shadow roared.

Xander watched the battle from above, he always wondered what Lucky was like, yet he was more concerned about his daughter. She was struggling with Valor.

"I don't think you can win!" Dovesight growled at the Ny'vene.

"I will!" Valor about to leap on her by a slash went through his belly. Clare took him out by her wonderful surprise. Her fire slash killed him instantly.

"How was that? You can't kill anyone now." Clare laughed.

Valor's eyes looked blankly at her, he was dead.

"Clare..." Tailor noticed her attack from afar.

A few more sylesties were remaining, the heroes were winning the battle as the last 60 sylesties fled. Porsh and Knight were killed and their bodies disappeared. Red and Shadow were the only two remaining in the fight. Tigerstripes was ready to fight him as Shadow dug his claws into the ground. Devil watched and braced herself just in case.

Regal and the other spirits left. Tailor waved his tail to the others. Dovesight and her group watched them leave, she also looked at Clare. The pink Ny'vene winked at her and flew up into the red sky, disappearing into the purple mist.

"It looks corrupted." Demonflight hissed.

"Where else could they go?" Blackflight huffed.

Red decided to watch Shadow and Tigerstripes battle.

"This fight is going to be like last time but without the help of his team." Devil spoke.

"Then we should let them each handle it." Demonflight looked at his mother.

"What if I fought him?" Dovesight broke the silence.

"What? Are you trying to die?" Takumi growled.

"No... But maybe, Tigerstripes isn't the one that should fight him." Dovesight got his attention. Shadow laughed.

"I would kill you!" Shadow giggled.

"I can fight you." Dovesight argued.

"Well then... A new challenger awaits." Shadow grinned. Tigerstripes wasn't so sure about Dovesight fighting an old enemy. Instead he shook his head at her.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be continued...

Chapter 12: Light And Dark

Shadow looked at Dovesight, death in his eyes while he stared into her soft blue eyes.

"You are such a drag in your tribe, Dovesight. Haven't you ever thought of seeking death? Perhaps be on my side for once?" Shadow paced around her.

"No! Why would I even work with you!?" Dovesight argued.

"Because you hold special powers... I have been trying to gather up my army, but you destroyed them..." Shadow growled with a grin finally showing on his face.

"She'll never join you!" Demonflight growled at the evil Luffox but he was pinned down by a tree root that came up for the black colored grass.

"You need to be quiet. All of you..." Shadow's voice deepened with anger. He looked back at Dovesight who was frozen with slight fear.

"You can't do that!" Dovesight gave Shadow a furious look. She finally ran up to the evil Luffox and jumped over his shadow blade attack.

"I can and I will stop everyone from joining our battle!" Shadow turned as a root trapped Tigerstripes by his legs and his entire body.

"Oof!" The Luffox tribe leader grumbled as he tried to break free.

"I don't think you will get away with this!" Sasha growled as she dodged the roots. Before she could reach Shadow, she was caught by a tree root as it shifted around her, squeezing her tightly.

"Ep!" She howled.

"I told you that this was my fight with Dovesight!" Shadow growled as he turned around to get slashed in the face by the angry Luffox.

"STOP IT!" Dovesight roared in anger. She stood her ground and growled at the evil Luffox. Xander looked back while trying to help the other spirits escape.

"Dovesight, don't fail us now..." He squawked to himself before running off into the dark mist.

"So you can fight..." Shadow chuckled.

"I can and I will fight you! I will take you down! Even if I must go down with you!" Dovesight roared and leaped on Shadow. The Luffox grunted under her weight and kicked the powerful Luffox off of him.

"You will never take me down!" He pinned Dovesight down. He got ready to claw her throat as Tigerstripes finally broke free from the roots and knocked the dark Luffox off of his feet.

"This isn't over between us!" Tigerstripes growled at Shadow. Shadow growled at him back as the two stared each other down. Dovesight ducked in fear and watched both of them carefully. She knew that once wrong move can be the cause of her leader's death.

"You really think so? Ha! I knew that you were going to say that!" Shadow bellowed as he ran up to Tigerstripes and tried to bit his neck but the leader whipped around him and pounced on his back, causing them both to slide over to Dovesight, skidding to a halt in front of her. She backed away and leaped into the air, she unleashed her light beam on Shadow.

"Ugh! The light!" Shadow growled and covered his eyes. Tigerstripes flipped the evil Luffox over and kicked him as his foot claws scratched his eyes. Shadow yowled in pain and backed away.

"You little!" Shadow growled at the tribe leader.

Devil watched her leader fight, she was trapped in the roots but she couldn't speak. Lucky tried to help her but he got caught with her. They were forced to see a battle that wasn't worth more than anything.

"What can we do to stop these roots and weaken Shadow?" Takumi looked at the Zolnixies.

"I have no idea..." Scar huffed in annoyance. He looked at Sasha and Blackflight for ideas.

"I wonder if Dovesight can break us out. She and Tigerstripes are the only ones free." Blackflight purred with delight despite being trapped in Shadow's tree roots.

"Dovesight! Help us!" Sasha called to her. Dovesight looked at all of her trapped friends and then she looked at her parents. There energy was getting drained without any warning. She closed her eyes as the ground lit up. The roots started to die as they were going into the ground. Shadow was too busy fighting Tigerstripes to see what Dovesight was up to.

"You think this is over?" Shadow got in Tigerstripe's face. The leader was injured and bleeding badly from Shadow's attacks.

"I think it is over... You will lose!" Tigerstripes coughed.

"I think it is you that will lose. You have no other choice here. The spirits you fought with are gone. It's time for me to take over the forest." Shadow growled.

"You're a spirit! What can you possibly do to take control over the forest!" Tigerstripes growled.

"Oh? When I kill you, your body is mine. I'll use you." Shadow grinned as he whipped around Tigerstripes and bit into his throat.

"Uggggh!" Tigerstripes choked. Before more damage could be done, a heavy body ran into him. Knocking him away from the orange Luffox. Toughwing gasped and looked at the person who knocked the evil Luffox into the ground.

"I don't think so!" Devil hissed. She was free from his roots as she clawed into his back. Lucky joined the fight and bit into Shadow's throat.

"Gak!" Shadow choked. He tried to kick Lucky away but Dovesight bit into is leg, injuring him. Shadow whined and tried to get back up.

"Give up!" Tigerstripes got up and growled. He came towards the evil Luffox, his deep blue eyes locked onto him.

"No..." Shadow used his shadow twister attack to blow everyone away.

"Ow!" Lucky whimpered as he looked up at Shadow. His body was glowing, his eyes locked onto his enemies.

"Oh no!" Devil gasped.

"Is this the end?" Blackflight panicked but Scar stopped him with a flick of his tail.

"No, it's only beginning..." Scar huffed. He looked at Sasha how was focused on Shadow.

"Ha ha ha! You think you all can beat me up! Those tribes will pay and so will you!" Shadow roared and grew bigger.

"What is happening?" Tigerstripes was confused.

"He's gotten bigger!" Toughwing panicked and tried to escape but Quizary stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going?" He gave Toughwing a look. Toughwing grinned and giggled.

"I'm leaving!" Toughwing finally grumbled.

You're not leaving! You going to help us fight!" Takumi looked back at him. Warlock agreed.

"Yes, you are going to help us take Shadow down!" Warlock roared to the scared Luffox.

"How?" Toughwing looked at the strange Luffox.

Tigerstripes was already running up to Shadow as he leaped up into the air, he was aiming for his eyes with his air powers but Shadow took in a lot of air. The orange Luffox felt like he was getting sucked in. He tried to use his wind powers to shove himself away but it wasn't working like he planned it to.

"Ugh!" Tigerstripes was frustrated.

Devil used her dark powers around Shadow's leg to stop him as Lucky tried to bite into the evil Luffox's throat. He couldn't allow their leader to be eaten by an evil spirit.

Sasha and her tribe mates slashed at Shadow's eyes as the evil Luffox closed his mouth. He allowed Tigerstripes to land on the ground. Tigerstripes felt a snap on his font right leg, he grunted in pain. Shadow ran into a tree, making Sasha hit her head against the tree.

"Oof!" Sasha grunted as he fell on the ground, she slowly rose up and looked at Shadow. Blackflight and Scar were trying to cling to his throat but they were knocked off.

"You all can't stop me!" Shadow roared and looked at Dovesight. She was on his back using her light beam but the evil Luffox blew her off his back. He turned to face her instead as he looked at him with fear. He was stronger than what she imagined.

"Shadow! Just stop it! It's not my mom's fault!" Demonflight growled at him from afar. Shadow's ears perked as he turned to face the young male.

"Nothing is never her fault!" Shadow hissed and slapped Demonflight to the ground. Devil panicked and used her shadow powers to choke the Luffox but he was immune to her powers.

"There is nothing you all can do!" He slammed his other paw on Devil, trapped her. Lucky gasped and bit into Shadow's front left leg. Shadow grinned and taunted Lucky.

"Stop hurting others!" Lucky roared but he was kicked and sent flying into the dark mist. The Luffox slowly rose up and turned around. A shadowed figure was looking at him.

"Stay away from me!" He growled.

The figure only laughed and disappeared into the black bushes. He heard the person laugh as he tried to escape from the mist, but it was like a maze. There was no way out and everything seemed to repeat itself.

"Dovesight! Devil! Demonflight!" He called their names five times before giving up.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shadow was winning the battle. Even Takumi and Quizary couldn't fight him as Warlock, Dovesight and Tigerstripes were the only fighters left in the battle. Shadow had Demonflight and Dovesight's mother pinned to the ground with his paws.

"Dovesight! Don't give up!" Demonflight grunted under Shadow's weight. He tried to give her a peace of hope like Xander did. She looked at her brother and then at Tigerstripes. He nodded to her as he leaped on Shadow's head and clawed at his eyes, making him blinded.

"Ugh!" Get off of me!" Shadow roared out loud as he tried to use his shadow powers to get the Luffox off of his face.

Tigerstripes leaped off of him and skidded over to Warlock who bit into Shadow's front right leg, wanting him to let Devil go. Demonflight was trying to escape from Shadow's grasp as Blackflight and Sasha followed Scar's lead and leaped on the Luffox's back again. Slashing his neck.

Shadow got upset and grumbled.

"If I can't win, then no one can!" Shadow blew everyone away again and leaped back. He opened his mouth wide and sucked in a bunch of dark air again. His tongue lowered with his large uvula in view which swayed rapidly from the air being sucked into his throat.

"We can't lose!" Tigerstripes grunted and dug his claws into the ground to stop himself from being sucked in. Toughwing was the only one that was dodging the fight as Quizary looked at him with furious eyes. He was being sucked in and there was nothing a scared Luffox could do.

"Toughwing!" Quizary yelled to him but the Luffox backed away. He finally decided to help out as he leaped on Shadow and ran down his tail. He used his new earth powers to tie his tail down. Shadow wasn't feeling a thing as he continue to suck in air. Dovesight felt her grip on the ground was loosening as Demonflight watched his sister get thrown into Shadow's mouth. Tigerstripes shouted to her.

"DOVESIGHT!!!" He yelled as Dovesight reached the mouth of the evil Luffox. As she entered his mouth forcefully, she saw his uvula and caught a hold of it. She clung on for dear life as he never stopped sucking in air until everyone was gone. She was swaying rapidly with the moving bulb as she tried to think of a way to stop him.

"He ate her!???" Takumi was surprised.

"No! She is right there hanging on for dear life!" Quizary hissed as Toughwing used his earth powers as roots tightened around Shadow's muzzle making him stop.

Dovesight opened her eyes and used her light powers. Shadow felt the light as he grunted in pain. He closed his eyes as he felt like he was turning into thin dark air. Dovesight was seen from Toughwing's view.

"That was a nightmare!" Toughwing was glad to see Dovesight as she turned and face Shadow who appeared but he was back to his normal size.

"Grrrr!" Demonflight stood his ground with his mother by his side. Tigerstripes was behind the evil Luffox as he spoke.

"Shadow, this is your last chance! Give up! We got you surrounded now!" Tigerstripes growled as Shadow grinned.

"Oh? You may have turned me back to my normal size but that doesn't mean I can't suck you in and snap your neck!" Shadow hissed as he tried to suck in air but nothing was working. No dark air moved as he kept trying.

"What is going on?" Shadow was confused as he looked around, everyone grinned at him and looked at his fearful face.

"You lost you powers from me." Dovesight walked up to him and pinned him to the ground. Shadow looked up at her in fear.

"No! You don't understand! I'm a friend! I was only joking!" Shadow tried to back away from her but he ran into Quizary who kicked him hard in the face with his hooves. Shadow landed on the ground next to Demonflight and Devil.

"Spare me..." Shadow begged but he was attacked. After everyone ripped his pelt, he lied on the ground just like he did when the Bulbories killed him.

"There is nothing of you to be spared." Takumi spat.

"Yes, there is! I can tell you who is behind this all, but since you have defeated me, I don't have the time to give you any answers..." Shadow smiled at them weakly as he disappeared.

"What!?" Scar was surprised.

"It's over. Shadow must have been stalling us..." Tigerstripes saw that the mist disappeared and the forest was back to normal.

Lucky was running up to them as he hugged Devil and his kids.

"You mean that there is more spirits that want to take over?" Dovesight was confused.

"I have a feeling that Shadow isn't alone and there is a reason why he came back." Tigerstripes answered.

"So what will we do now?" Devil wondered.

"I'm going to find the source of the evil spirits and stop them." Dovesight walked forward but Tigerstripes got in her way.

"Not at this time. We need to go back to the camp and rest. Redwing is at the camp waiting for my return." Tigerstripes pushed her back.

"We also need to heal..." Takumi weakly added as Warlock nodded though he wasn't injured due to his spiritual appearance.

Quizary started to complain as Sasha gave the Qitari a look. He looked away from her and continued to follow the group back to the Luffox Tribe.

Tigerstripes lead the away until they all finally reached the golden path towards their home. Xander watched them from behind the bushes, he wouldn't leave Dovesight's sight until she and her tribe were safe from the evil spirits.

"So? Do you like watching them?" An evil hiss caught his attention as he turned to see a Ryori coming up towards him. It's eyes full of hate.

"What is it to you?" Xander bravely answered the mysterious Ryori.

"You see, those Luffox's are mine. Stay out of my way this time!" The Ryori hissed.

"Roy, there is no way I'm letting you harm her." Xander growled before blocking his way.

"Me? I won't hurt her, but you will." Roy chuckled and disappeared into dark thin air.

Xander followed the dark air but it was gone within a few seconds as he found himself facing an old group of evil Ryories.

"Cyber, is this the guy?" A small Ryori barked.

"Yes... He is the one that Roy sent us after." Cyber grinned happily as she stared at Xander.

"You will won't win..." Xander stood his ground.

"It doesn't matter, you will lose. You will pay for what you did to me!" Cyber roared.

"What did I ever do? It was your fault that you chased a messenger Luffox up a hill with loose rocks in your dark world." Xander calmly stated.

"You won't escape though, no matter if it was your fault or the tribe's fault. We were ordered to take you down." Cyber got ready to kill the Griffi once and for all. Xander only stood his ground and watched her carefully.

"Do as you wish but I won't back down..." Xander said his last words before the fight began.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To Be Continued...

Chapter 13: The Ghost Of Evil Hearts

Xander was trapped by the shadow spirits who controlled Shadow and the other sylesties. Xander turned to face Cyber who was ready to kill him. He closed his eyes and stood his ground, ready to take the attack.

"If you use the other Ryories to fight me, you're weak." Xander commented. Cyber lashed her tail and ran up to the Griffi. Hatred in her eyes as she jumped up into the air and used her shadow blast at him but the smart Griffi held up a barrier around himself. Cyber, thinking that she hit him, lands back on her feet only to gasp in surprise when Xander stands there, unharmed.

"Heh. You didn't see that coming, did you?" Xander chuckled. This made the Ryori upset as she lifted her head up and chanted a few words. Spikes rose up from the ground and surrounded the Griffi. Xander looked left and right as he tried to fly out of the spiked ring but he was shocked with electricity that came out from the tip of the purple spikes.

"Ha ha! I'm sure you didn't know I could do that, Xander..." Cyber laughed as she watched him lie on the ground in pain.

"You will suffer here. There is no one left to save you." Cyber continued her speech. Xander couldn't feel anymore pain. He finally closed his eyes, he felt like he was moving as he quickly opened his eyes and saw more spirits. Porsh and Knight stared at him with confused looks on their faces while Red growled.

"So? You finally made it..." A familiar voice came from behind him. He turned to see a young brown Luffox. Her fur was clean as she shook off.

"Brownie? What's going on?" Xander asked while getting up to meet her.

"I'm doing fine, I thought we won for sure, but it's not over. Xander, it's not your time. You are still a fresh spirit. You died with honor, but you must keep the tribes safe." Brownie said while pacing back and forth.

"But... Cyber and her goons got me trapped. What else is there for me to do?" He growled while looking back at Porsh, he turned away from the Griffi.

"Wait! Porsh! I have to ask you something!" Xander ran from Brownie who gave him a concerned look.

"Oh? Look who comes crying to the ones that would dead." Porsh rolled his eyes as Xander gasped for breath.

He looked down at the angry Bulbori.

"You all started this mess, so why don't you answer me?" Xander was about to pin him down but Red got in his way.

"We don't need you starting anything, Xander. You caught us and dropped us off in this place full of nothingness!" Red growled and barked at the Griffi.

"Alright, fine. Is there anything you guys can do to come back with me and help me out? You don't have to be evil or listen to Roy." Xander asked with compassion in his tone.

"Why? We can't go back once we are here." Porsh hissed.

"Yes, they can't." Brownie cuts off Red before he can say a word.

"Huh... She's right." Red snickered while turning away with Porsh. Crest slowly came forward to Xander and almost kicked him but he stood his ground.

"Don't beg on your knees, Xander. You can't fight? Then don't. Stay with us and suffer." Crest followed Red and Porsh. Knight could only look at the scene as he laughed and came over to the Griffi.

"Xander, you are a fool. Why don't you wake up? You are still alive, you are just playing." Knight galloped away with the other spirits.

Xander looked at Brownie one last time before opening his true eyes.

"Good luck." Brownie purred.

Xander opened his eyes quickly as he felt the pain, he finally used his barrier to break to spikes as Cyber and the other Ryories gasped in horror. The Griffi flew high into the air and slammed Cyber right into the ground. The female Ryori tried to get up, but she was weakened by the attack.

"I think you learned your lesson. Don't come back here, Cyber..." Xander walked away and left the injured Ryori to disappear.

"Roy will kill you!" She screamed at him until she was gone. Roy growled in anger and followed the other Ryories back to the shadow realm.

Xander went back into the forest and saw Dovesight by herself with Tigerstripes. They were talking about Shadow and what he did a long time ago and why he came back.

"Dovesight, Shadow thinks he won because of the dangers that will always arise out of no where." Tigerstripes continued to explain the story of the evil deputy.

"Ah... Shadow is just awful. From what you told me about the Bulbori tribe, they don't like other species leading them." Dovesight looked down at her front paws, her ears were drawn back.

"It will be okay, Dovesight. Shadow learned some of his lessons when he messes with a tougher tribe.

Suddenly, a few sylesties were coming up to them.

"Hi! I'm Max and this is Paula!" A small white Puffadore barked at them.

"Sorry kids, this is too dangerous for you. Why don't you to go back home." Tigerstripes purred gently.

"Aw, we came far away to help! We are from the Puffadore Kingdom!" Paula whimpered.

"I can't let you send two kids home by themselves. They better stay for the night." A voice sounded from behind them. It was Devil.

"Oh, right..." Tigerstripes lightly purred while patting Max's head.

"We get to stay here?" Max jumped up excitedly while Devil calmed him down with a lash of her bushy tail.

"Just one night. Tomorrow, we are going to take you back to the kingdom." Devil purred. Max and Paula sighed and pouted but Devil pushed them into the warriors den.

"Thanks, Devil." Tigerstripes purred at her and Devil gave out a small purr in return. Tigerstripes turned back to Dovesight.

"So what was the rest of Shadow's history?" She asked her leader.

"He was injured by the war he took upon us. The Bulbori tribe turned on Shadow and killed him." Tigerstripes ended the story.

"Wow... I never heard the story of Shadow that way." Dovesight was interested in what happened in the past.

"I honestly wish I was back in those times! My brother and I could have saved the innocent Luffoxes that died!" Dovesight jumped up but Tigerstripes hung his head low.

"No, it was for the better that you weren't there. Shadow was too dangerous back then. He only grew weak because he's without a body. He's a spirit and it shall remain that way. Keeping Shadow alive would make him even more powerful." Tigerstripes grumbled.

"I see. I just thought that if my brother and I were living in those times, we'd be able to save the ones that didn't deserve to die. I bet Starpaw meant so much to you and Redwing." Dovesight came up to Tigerstripes and rubbed up against him.

"Dovesight... What are you doing?" Tigerstripes couldn't help but purr in response.

"I hate to admit this, but... I love you..." Dovesight blushed. Her brother who was watching her from the den gasped in horror. He couldn't believe that she loved their leader.

"Well, I don't think I feel the same... You're way too young for me." Tigerstripes felt awkward about the whole thing.

"I'm sorry..." Dovesight turned away and waked over to the warriors den. Tigerstripes came up to her and placed his paw on her back.

"I'm still your leader, don't you forget that. There will also be another Luffox that will love you the same way. I'm just too old for you." Tigerstripes chuckled and allowed her to get sleep.

She jumped into the den and walked over to her brother, who looked grumpy.

"What is it, Demonflight?" Dovesight asked.

"Nothing, just go to bed." Demonflight grumbled. Lucky looked at her as he was about to say something but he didn't.

"It's alright, dad, I'm fine." Dovesight smiled at Lucky.

"Of course you are. Good night." He yawned and curled up, Devil was snoring beside him.

Bighorns was in his nest alone. He missed Brownie, his mate. His children were still asking about where she went as it was hard to tell them about the Ny'vene that killed her.

"Brownie... I wish that you'd come back..." Bighorns cried before resting his head on his paws.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two Puffadore knights were out of the kingdom. They were looking for Max and Paula.

"Why do these kids do this to their mother and father? Can't they stay in the kingdom and act perfect for once in their lives?" One of the knights asked.

"No! They have to go everywhere as you said before!" The other knight chuckled.

"I'm not joking, Charles! If those kids get hurt, we will have our head chopped off!" The Puffadore panicked.

"Alvin, calm down! We will find the kids and bring them home in one piece." Charles barked while running ahead. Alvin followed him as they both reached the forest.

"Is this the place where all of the tribes live?" Charles wondered while looking at Alvin with a huge smile. He was excited to see what tribal life was like.

"Yes, but trust me, not all of these tribes are wise and nice enough to know that we are harmless." Alvin added before walking on the tribal paths first. Charles started to sing but Alvin placed his tail over his mouth.

"No! Shhh!" Alvin slapped his tail over Charles's mouth. They both moved on in silence. They were hoping to get through the forest and find the young sylesties before they were gone for good.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To Be Continued...

Alvin is a tough Puffadore knight that is on the hunt for Max and Paula. The King and Queen's hatchlings. He brings Charles along in hopes that they can find them and bring them home.






Charles is a wacky Puffadore knight that loves to sing and dance in the middle of the forest which always causes him to get into trouble with wild rogues that don't like his voice or his songs.



Max is a golden Puffadore that ran away from the Kingdom with his sister, Paula. He wanted to explore and get to know the other sylesties out there but is being pursued by the Puffadore knights.



Paula is Max's sister who also runs away from the kingdom to explore the other tribes. She doesn't like staying the the kingdom and following their traditions.

Chapter 14: Steel Hearts

Alvin and his partner, Charles fled from a few wild sylesties and reached the Lupora Tribe. Darion looked at them with a confused look. He's never seen any Puffadore come to the tribes as they were only locked away in kingdoms far from the forest area. He came over to them slowly before they could go anywhere else.

"Who are you?" Darion firmly asked the two strangers. Alvin puffed out his chest and was about to speak but Charles spoke up for him.

"I'm Charles and this is my buddy and partner, Alvin!" He cheered while Alvin snorted and gave him a nasty look. He was entirely annoyed by his partner and want to kick him in the face so bad.

"Nice to meet both of you. What are you doing here? Did something happen in the Puffadore Kingdom?" Darion was worried about them being in the forest.

"Yes, but we are looking for a few hatchlings that escaped from the kingdom. They're names are Max and Paula. Max is a small golden Puffadore and Paula is a small pink Puffadore. They are the son and daughter of the king and queen." Alvin explained his story while Charles was busy speaking to a female Lupora about their cities and markets.

"Hmmm... I haven't seen any Puffadore except for you two. I'd try looking in the other tribes. Maybe they might know where they are. Would like to borrow one of my warriors to tag along with you?" Darion gave them another worried look. Alvin shook his head and looked back at Charles as he spoke.

"No, we are just fine on our own. Thank you though." Alvin dipped his head and called Charles over.

Charles bounced over to to Alvin and the two headed towards the Zolnixi Tribe. Charles asked about singing a song but Alvin snapped at him and flew up into a tree to find out where the tribe was. Charles looked up at him and then smelled a few wild sylesties coming as he hid from their view. Alvin stayed in the tree and looked down at them. A Vulynx and a Sylvorpa were walking along the path they were taking.

"Pssst! Charles! Let's take another route!" Alvin called from above the tree. Charles quietly came out of the bushes and watched the two sylesties walk away laughing.

"I wonder what they are laughing at?" Charles was confused but Alvin pushed him onwards to the second path far into the bushes.

"Don't worry about them because if we come in contact with those fools, they will kill us." Alvin growled as he walked faster. Charles started to get worried as he asked his partner a heavy question.

"Is there a reason why all of these wild sylesties hate us?" Charles asked as Alvin took a deep breath and answered his question.

"It's because we live in a rich kingdom. We are close to being as rich as the Ny'venes. I don't understand how dumb dragons could get as rich as we can." Alvin didn't sound happy.

"Well we were rivals from what the king said. But since we got that peace treaty, we have to be nice to them and respect them as well." Charles purred in response.

"True. Still, why can't we be the richest species in the world?" The Puffadore huffed and continued down the path to the Zolnixi Tribe. Charles was dancing behind him as they came to a halt. A big sylesti approached them at the entrance of the camp.

Alvin and Charles gasped in shock. They were not prepared to meet the tribe's leader. As Charles tried to back away, another sylesti concerned him and Alvin. The search for the hatchlings came out to be much slower than they thought.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nightfall was still outside of the tribes as Quizary came out of the warriors den to see a stripped Luffox sitting at the top of a high rock. He was looking up at the stars and the moon. Quizary paid him no mind as he walked into the forest to think. He needed to clear his head and think of a way to get rid of the evil spirits that still walk the earth.

Finally, Warlock appeared beside him. He smiled at the Qitari and tilted his head to one side before speaking to him.

"What's wrong?" Warlock started to look concerned about his new friend.

"Everything is wrong. This whole mess is wrong! I don't understand how we defeated an evil Luffox from the past and then we continue to stay with these Luffoxes. Why isn't this over?" Quizary was frustrated and confused.

"You're right but you have to think of what could be the source of Shadow coming back. Tomorrow, you guys will have to find a Ryori, he goes by the name, Roy." Warlock told the angry Qitari.

"So now we must fight an evil Ryori. Just great." Quizary snapped at the Morkko. Warlock went silent and decided to go into the tribe camp. He looked back at the sylesti.

"I wonder why he told me and not Dovesight... She can see those spirits more than we can." Quizary huffed and walked back to the tribe camp. He finally heard the sound of little Puffadores squealing with excitement. Devil and Lucky were trying to sleep but they couldn't with all of the noise.

"Can't you two littles ones rest?" Quizary's voice could be heard.

"Oh? Who are you?" Paula squealed as he brother bumped into her.

"Oof! Hey you were-!" He cut himself off as he saw the huge sylesti looking down at them.

"What are you two doing? Get some rest!" Quizary snapped at the hatchlings. Both of them quickly ran over to Bighorns and slept with him like they were asked to.

"Thank you Quizary, they were trying to make us play with them all night." Devil yawned and lied down. Lucky did the same.

"It's no problem." Quizary quietly walked over to an empty nest and went to sleep. Sasha and Blackflight were sleeping near Toughwing and Scar. Warlock kept an eye on things as he noticed Tigerstripes left from the high rock.

"He must have been tired..." Warlock thought as he disappeared.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Dovesight and the other took off in search of the evil source that was taking over the spirits. They were also taking the two Puffadores back home to where they belonged. Max jumped up and down while Paula was riding on top of Quizary who didn't care about it anymore. He just wanted this all to end so that he could get back home.

"So, do you both know where the kingdom is?" Dovesight asked the hatchlings but they had forgotten the path they came from.

"Um... I think it was passed a few thorn bushes. Our kingdom is protected by the nest thorn bushes out here!" Max bravely replied.

"I thought you said berry bushes, Max!" Paula argued.

"Listen, kids, let's not fight. We'll find your kingdom." Sasha giggled as he hopped passed Demonflight and got too far ahead. She tipped on a rock and twisted her front paw. She howled and whimpered in pain.

"See? That's what you get for playing around!" Quizary snapped at her but Takumi pushed the Qitari.

"Hey! I'm carrying a kid!" Quizary stomped his hoof on the grass. Takumi gave the Qitari a nasty glare of annoyance.

"They may be so, but you need to stop snapping at others! You never ask anyone if they were alright, you just get annoyed at mistakes and injuries. I wonder if you got hurt and I snapped at you... Maybe I'd do the same and just yell at you for hurting yourself!" Takumi growled at the frustrated Qitari who backed away a few inches. He realized what he done and went to apologize to Sasha who was hurt.

"Ow..." She looked at her twisted paw. Scar was trying to help her get back up as Blackflight growled at Quizary.

"What do you want?" He barked.

"I wanted to apologize for how I acted. I'm just so frustrated at this whole thing. Shadow, a new spirit that we must face. What will happen if we face this source?" Quizary felt worried than frustrated.

"We will fight it together!" Demonflight looked back at him.

"Yes." Sasha was finally able to get up and limp towards everyone. She dipped her head to the Qitari and let him go ahead of her.

"You need to be more careful, Sasha." Scar reminded her.

"I know. I'm sorry. I understand that if I keep doing that, it will slow us down even more." Sasha huffed as he kept on going.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alvin and Charles looked beaten as they each could barely move. They were prisoned by the Zolnixi Tribe which was lead by Nixenstar. His secret hate for the Puffadores came from the kingdom. He looked into the den and saw the two were awake.

"You two won't be leaving so soon until you tell me why you are here." Nixenstar growled.

"Augh... I can barely move..." Alvin grunted, blood from his mouth dipped onto the nest. Charles's ear wounds were looking awful.

"We came here to find our hatchlings. They left the kingdom..." Charles finally spoke up.

"You idiot!" Alvin blurted out in pain.

"Hmmm... I didn't see your beloved hatchlings here but if you don't mind, I'll send a patrol to find them..." Nixenstar grinned at them. Alvin knew the look on his face that their situation wasn't so great.

"No... You wouldn't dare harm them!" Alvin got scared and tried to get up but a guard Zolnixi pinned him down.

"Where do you think you're going!?" He barked at him. Charles didn't dare move. He watched the Zolnixi pin down his partner.

"Keep them here." Nixenstar left the den and ordered his patrol to find the hatchlings of the Puffadore kingdom.

"What are we doing to do?" Charles whispered to Alvin. Alvin was silent, he didn't know what else they could do. Fighting a bunch of Zolnixies wasn't the best idea. It landed them in so much trouble.

"We do nothing, I suppose Max and Paula get the death they don't deserve." Alvin gave up.

"You can't tell me that you're giving up on this?" Charles whined.

"Look at us! We are trapped in this place! Nixenstar isn't what he seems!" Alvin grumbled. He looked up at the guards, they were looking straight into the forest.

"Maybe we can slip passed them." The wacky Puffadore whispered in his ear.

"Yeah, but what about my injured leg!" Alvin winced in pain from his right leg. He was twisted and matted with blood.

"I can grab you! I've done it before, remember?" Charles asked him.

"Okay, fine. Let's give it a try." Alvin sighed in defeat and allowed Charles to quietly lift him up by the scruff of his neck. Alvin when limp in order for them to escape easily. Charles shook his behind and dashed for the exit of the den. Both Zolnixies were caught off guard as they barked for the others to stop them. Both Alvin and Charles broke into a run and Alvin limped quickly beside his partner.

"Get them!" A Zolnixi shouted. Nixenstar heard them all barking as he noticed the two Puffadores were getting away.

"Don't let them get to those hatchlings!!!" Nixenstar growled.

The Zolnixies started to pursue the two Puffadore knights. Alvin found a shortcut that they could take to get out of their territory. They saw a young black and white Qitari and she was friendly.

"Hey you!" Alvin called to the Qitari as she looked down and noticed the small sylesties.

"Oh? What do you need?" The Qitari wondered. She was delighted to help them out.

"I need you to kick some Zolnixies for us, they are trying to kill us and we are only looking for two hatchlings!" Charles panicked as he tried to hide behind her.

"Don't worry, I'll have a chat with them, just run along." She hurried them off as she blocked the Zolnixies from getting to them.

"What is with the road block ma'am?" A black and yellow Zolnixi growled.

"Yeah! Move it!" A pearl armored Zolnixi grumbled, his blue eyes gleaming.

"The Puffadores you are looking for went to the south, they didn't come through here." The Qitari bounced up and down with joy.

"She's slowing us down...." The black and yellow Zolnixi looked at her partners.

"Fine, if she's not here, we will look towards the south." A younger male Zolnixi added as they all turned around and left.

Alvin and Charles were still running as they looked back and saw that their new friend took care of business. The female Qitari went on about her day whistling and humming a few tunes that were stuck in her head.

"Man, this is just a mess! I wonder how we will find them now..." Alvin was getting frustrated until he heard two familiar giggles.

"Max?" Charles looked up.

"I think it is them!" Alvin ran through the ferns and bushes. He gasped when he noticed some sylesties with the two hatchlings they've been looking for.

"Hey! Stop!" Charles called to Dovesight's group. Dovesight and the others stopped in their tracks as the two Puffadore knights came over to them.

"Those hatchlings are from our Kingdom, we'd be happy to get you all there for your reward in finding these two trouble makers." Alvin tried not to let a growl escape his throat.

"That would be great!" Sasha cheered.

"Hmmm... I don't know about them." Takumi grumbled.

"If they are from the kingdom too, then they know where to go. Let's follow their lead." Demonflight decided as Dovesight nodded in agreement.

"Thank you all. Follow us." The two Puffadores lead them sylesties. They were glad to get away from Nixenstar's tribe. All of the Puffadores were hated because they lived a rich life while the others have to live in a forest with barely great defenses.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be continued...

Chapter 15: Kingdoms VS Tribes

Takumi was keeping a close eye on the two Puffadores that were leading them to the kingdom. A few dark clouds started to cover the sun as they were near a few berry bushes that Max was talking about.

"Are we there yet?" Max moaned.

"Yeah, I'm hungry." Paula whined.

"Maybe next time you two won't run away." Alvin growled at the two hatchlings. The young ones flinched and didn't say anything else. Once the group reached the gates of the kingdom, they were greeted by the guards.

"Sir, Alvin and sir Charles, welcome back. I bet you both found the children." One of the guards barked.

"Of course, they are over here." Charles pointed to Max and Paula.

"Oh, Max!" Another voice could be heard. It was King Reece with his queen. Queen Sira looked at the two knights and then looked at their group.

"Who are they?" Sira wondered as Charles spoke up first.

"Oh, these are sylesties from their respective tribes." Charles giggled.

"We don't accept them into the kingdom but we thank everyone from helping out in this search. Maybe a reward for all of the trouble will have to do." King Reece smirked.

"What kind of reward?" Dovesight gave the king a confused look.

"You are allowed to stay in our kingdom for a bit and eat some of our food. I'm sure you all must be hungry from traveling far from your tribes, yes?" King Reece grinned.

"I'm hungry!" Toughwing jumped up and down.

"Me too!" Sasha called from afar. She was catching up and her twisted paw wasn't helping much.

"Oh! Your paw!" Sira ran up to the Zolnixi and lifted her arm.

"Oh, I twisted it when I tripped. It will get better." Sasha smiled but the queen knew that letting her arm hurt would be awful. She also didn't believe in infections.

"No no no! We need to get you to our nursing center!" Sira called a few Puffadore nurses to take Sasha in. They all nodded and took the young female Zolnixi to their nursing center for her paw to heal.

"Will she be okay?" Blackflight got worried.

"She'll be fine. She just needs care." Sira nodded at the male Zolnixi. Scar felt very sad that Sasha wouldn't be able to continue at the moment.

"Thank you all for returning Max and Paula back to the kingdom." King Reece purred at them. Max huffed when he had to stay in the kingdom but he was told millions of times that the tribes are dangerous.

"It's was no problem!" Demonflight jumped up.

"Let's get you all a place for shelter and some food until your friend gets better." Queen Sira smiled at them and beckoned them to follow her. King Reece was going back into the castle to scold his son and daughter. Paula whimpered and wanted to spend time with Dovesight and her friends but she knew that it was wrong to leave the kingdom.

"Oh, Sira, I had a question." Dovesight finally spoke up as they were near an empty stable.

"Yes?" Queen Sira gave the Luffox a glance.

"Why do you guys hate tribes so much? I was born in the Luffox tribe and we are the most friendliest tribes out of all of them." Dovesight asked while walking into the nest of the stables.

"It's a tough subject. We started as a tribe but all of the other tribes were attacking us, we didn't have a chance to make life in the forest because we were told there was never any room for our kind. We were too weak." Queen Sira explained the story. She was looking down at her own paws.

"I'm sorry that happened to you guys. Are you guys happy with having a kingdom?" Dovesight wondered.

"Yes, we are but the king is just so bitter about other sylesties. He doesn't like all sylesties accept for our own kind." Queen Sira sighed. She padded out of the stable and looked back at Dovesight before returning to the castle. A few Puffadores with dishes of food on their backs came over to their stable.

"Are you guys the ones that saved the king and queen's children?" A green Puffadore asked.

"Yes! That us!" Toughwing cheered from the back of the stable. Quizary was feeling annoyed of Toughwing as usual but he tolerated it a while longer. They were served fish and a full variety of food that was cooked and made from scratch.

"This steak is great!" Takumi said with a mouthful.

"I love the fish!" Blackflight was chowing down on the sea meat. Quizary was eating a few vegetables and some apples that were served on a separate dish. Dovesight and Demonflight were both eating chicken, steak and fish.

"I wonder if we will be able to get to the source from here. I can feel like we are being watched." Dovesight finally admitted.

"Maybe we can. We just need to know where you can sense this evil being." Demonflight said with a mouth full of food.

"Hmmm... I can't be too sure, there is just too many scents at once." Dovesight sighed.

"Do you think after this is over, we can get the Puffadores the respect they deserve. Perhaps ask for peace among the tribes and kingdoms?" Demonflight finally thought of a new idea.

"As if the tribes would listen to us. We would need to let it be solved another way. Maybe after this journey, we can make a suggestion to the king and queen when we return to the kingdom." Dovesight purred.

"That will work!" Demonflight tore into the fish he started to eat. Toughwing finally finished his share and decided to explore the town with Quizary by his side in case he got into trouble.
_______________________________________________________________________

King Reece was speaking to his son and his daughter. He was furious at them for leaving the kingdom without anyone with them.

"Do you understand what could have happened to you two if no one found you!?" King Reece snarled.

"We're so sorry daddy." Paula was backed into a corner with her brother.

"Sorry doesn't save you!" King Reece growled at her. Max was silent. Both of their ears were lowered as their father spoke.

"We didn't mean to make you upset dad, we just wanted to know what was beyond our kingdom." Max looked down at his paws.

"Well, it's a bit stupid that you both left without telling us. From now on, you both are not to leave the kingdom. You are to stay within the borders and the gates." King Reece roared at them before leaving the throne room. Max and Paula left the room, their tail was between their legs and they both shivered with fear inside of their fur.

"Do you think we should stay in our rooms?" Max looked at his sister.

"Yeah, I don't think dad will be mad if we stayed in our rooms." Paula coughed before going into her room in the castle. Max closed his room door and sat against it. He was listening to his parents fight.

He was hearing them argue about Dovesight's team and why they had to reward them. His mother was saying that they saved their kids and deserve more respect. He soon hear glass breaking and chairs being smashed against the walls. He covered his ears as he couldn't take more of the argument. Things finally settled down as he was hearing his mother cry.

"What have we done?" Max whimpered to himself.
______________________________________________________________________

That night, Dovesight was up late, she was thinking about her tribe. They were at home alone without them. Quizary has never been gone for so long and his tribe mates might be worried about him. She finally saw Xander again but this time, he seemed stressed about something.

"Xander, what are you doing here?" Dovesight wondered.

"I came to warn you that Roy is behind the evil spirits. The only way to truly take down more of the evil spirits that are rising, you must find him. I can feel him past these kingdom walls." Xander looked to the west of the stables.

"I was right then." Dovesight cursed to herself.

"Don't be stressed. I was in a tough fight with a Ryori named Cyber. She was upset about her own death." Xander sighed.

"Keep fighting for us a little longer, Xander. We still have your back in return." Dovesight purred at the Griffi.

"I shall. Just keep your word and fight off Roy. I'm afraid Cyber weakened my powers for good this time." Xander huffed. Soon the same Lupora came up to him. It was Sheba! She was always at Xander's side.

"Sheba!" Dovesight cried.

"Hello, Dovesight. Have you guys found Roy?" Sheba looked at them both with a small smile.

"We found his trail." Xander nodded with a smile.

"Oh that is wonderful! I hope we can take him down once and for all!" Sheba growled.

"We will." Dovesight purred.

"It' best that you get some sleep. Tomorrow, Sasha should be ready to go." Sheba looked at the nursing area. She noticed that Sasha was peeking outside. It seemed like she couldn't get sleep either.

"We better go." Xander and Sheba disappeared right before the young Luffoxes eyes.

"Hey, Dovesight! My paw feels much better!" Sasha came over to the cream colored Luffox.

"That's wonderful! You just need to be more careful! Hehehe!" Dovesight giggled.

"I will! After all, you can't fight the evil source without me!" Sasha grinned as she bounced into the stables and curled up next to Blackflight. Toughwing was sleeping next to Quizary. He didn't care because the young Luffox was never going to leave him alone.

Dovesight went into the stables and curled up next to her brother. Takumi and Scar were sleeping with each other near Toughwing and Quizary.

Dovesight couldn't think about anything else but destroying Roy first. He was the reason why Shadow came back to kill them. Why all of the evil spirits came back to get revenge on their tribes. The only spirit they changed was Warlock's. He decided to travel with Xander and Sheba for a little bit.

She soon drifted to sleep. They would soon get Roy and finally bring peace to the tribes. The final thing on her list once the tribes were saved is bringing them and the kingdoms at peace due to the Puffadores receiving a lot of hate from the other sylesties.
____________________________________________________________________

Roy was talking to a bunch of Ryories and a few other sylesties that were never sent into the battle in the forest. He was mad at Cyber for losing Xander. She growled to Roy that the Griffi was too strong but his powers were weakened.

"Why didn't you kill him!?" Roy yelled in her face.

"I'm sorry, he was too fast. But with his power weakened, that Griffi is no more but a joke." Cyber laughed.

"What about that Morkko and the Lupora? They are not weakened, they will stand up for Xander and become more and more powerful! We cannot let that happen!" Roy hissed.

"What about killing Dovesight? She is the main reason why Shadow lost." Cyber started to come up with a plan inside of her mind.

"Well that turns everything around doesn't it?" Roy looked at Cyber's new army.

A golden Sylvorpa was wearing black armor, he was part of the Sylvorpa tribe but was kicked out and killed by a Morkko.

"Maybe I can help." The golden Sylvorpa grinned.

"You can help us?" Roy came over to the evil sylesti.

"Yes, that is, if you want to continue to drown in failure." The Sylvorpa gave the Ryori a sly look, he licked his lips.

"Fine. Go on this quest and kill Dovesight for me and I will make sure you're all free to take over every tribe." Roy gave the Sylvorpa a look before standing by Cyber's side.

"Thank you. I will not fail you." The Sylvorpa walks off and disappears right before their eyes.
__________________________________________________________________________

To Be Continued...

King Reece is the king of the Puffadore Kingdom, he rules with strict rules and hates other sylesties. He is also a strict father and loves his son and daughter equally.




Queen Sira is the queen of the Puffadore Kingdom and is always by Reece's side but often has arguments with with him. She isn't certain of whether she likes other sylesties or not.



Mondo is an evil golden Sylvorpa. Not many others had taken this sylesti seriously. He killed many other sylesties in the wild until one day, a Morkko killed him for trespassing on their land. This Sylvorpa is now ready to take back what he needs: Revenge!

Chapter 16: A Queen's Request

This chapter will be written soon...