The day has come... But, Aerobolt is no longer too worried about it anyomore. Is his mind being corrupted by Arcane? Or will his benevolence outmatch Arcane's philosophy?
Here is Chapter Six of that book I am writing...
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The Guardians of Life: Justice
Chapter Six-
The Dam

“Damn it,” Aerobolt cursed under his breath.
“What was that?” Arcane said.
“Nothing,” Aerobolt said perhaps too quickly. He and Shade did hope they wouldn’t encounter Arcane on the way out, long enough to escape.
“You two are a mess. I would think you’d know how to take care of your fur by now,” Arcane commented.
“Didn’t sleep well,” Aerobolt gritted his teeth. ‘He wouldn’t know why, would he?’
Arcane laughed. “Too excited for your first outing, eh? I don’t blame you! It really is a blast!”
Neither Shade, nor Aerobolt said anything. Arcane noticed and stopped laughing, “Oh come now! Are you both nervous? What is there to be nervous about?”
Aerobolt and Shade exchanged nervous glances.
“Well we, uh…”
“The thing is…”
“Oh, I get it! You think you will screw up what I tell you? Is that it? Shade, I know you’re rusty, but not that rusty!” Arcane began laughing again.
Aerobolt and Shade decided to go with that.
“Yes, that’s it!”
“That obvious is it?”
“Well, we ought to get going shall we? We don’t want to get outdone by the other foxes! We still have to show Aerobolt around!” Arcane beckoned the two of them to start moving.
Aerobolt couldn’t help but feel a little excited. Even if it is for all the wrong reasons, he was finally going to leave this stronghold for some fresh air, outside. He wanted to see what the outside world was like. He was sick of looking at stone at every turn in Hydyraen, every day in his entire life.
Once again, Aerobolt found himself standing in front of the gate. Arcane went up to it, and after a few metallic clanks, it opened. “This’ll be the last time I’ll do that,” he said to himself. “You two need anything before we go? Speak now.”
Both shook their heads. “Alright then. Proceed.” For the first time in his life, Aerobolt crossed the gate. He was finally outside Hydyraen. He was walking through a dimly lit tunnel. The stones under his paws soon turned to dirt. Aerobolt was surprised at how gritty is felt, especially after all that stone his entire life. ‘If it gets stuck between my pads, I know I won’t like it…’ he thought absently.
“The tunnel is getting narrow!” Shade exclaimed. She was directly in front of Aerobolt. “You may have to crawl out from just up here!”
She was right. The tunnel was getting narrow; his ear tips were brushing the dirt ceiling, coating his head in it. The tunnel also began to incline upwards.
Arcane, who was in front of Shade, replied, “Yes. We need the entrance narrow and inconspicuous, so we don’t get unwanted visitors.”
Shade and Aerobolt both got to their handpaws and knees, and continued in a crawl. Aerobolt could already see light up ahead, even through both Arcane and Shade. Here it comes! The outside world! And then suddenly, Aerobolt was surrounded by bright white light. The strength of the sunlight completely blinded him. It took minutes for his vision to finally adjust. When they did, he saw a vast expanse of green grass in front of him. Flowers and grass waved their greeting in the gentle zephyrs that blew peacefully across. As it did so, he heard rustling behind him. Spinning around, he realized they were also standing on the border of a forest as well. To his left was a river that snaked through the forest. To his right, he noticed a mountain range in the distance. There were clouds over them. Those must be the Thunderstruck Mountains Arcane mentioned the night before.
“Beautiful. Isn’t it?” Arcane suddenly said in a soft voice.
Aerobolt realized his muzzle was open in awe. Shutting it quickly, he responded, “It sure is.”
“One day, it will all be ours to control… Wouldn’t you love that?” Arcane asked.
Aerobolt barely heard him. So this was the outside world… Nyethra… Aerobolt took a step forward onto the grass. After stones on his pads for his entire life, the cool grass felt wonderful! Realizing just how great Nyethra was, made him that much more impatient to leave Hydyraen forever.
Shade sighed. “I remember the feeling of grass under my paws for the first time. It made me wish we didn’t live in a confined existence underground, and lived up here.”
Arcane shook his head. “You all know very well why we have to live underground, right?”
Shade sighed even more deeply, “I do know that, sir. I just wish we didn’t have to.”
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll see what I can do to grow grass in Hydyraen. How does that sound?”
Shade hummed. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
Aerobolt stared at her. ‘She says that, yet this will be our last day here… I guess if she said anything else, Arcane would get suspicious.’
“Aerobolt, look over there,” Arcane pointed towards the river. “There is a trail between here and that river that the Vulpines target every day for travelers. Since you are new, we will start you off with something simple, and inconvenient, rather than harm.”
Aerobolt felt much more relieved. He was right! No way Arcane would have him kill anyone now! He really was worried about nothing..
“So… What will you have me do?” he asked, trying to sound normal.
Arcane thought for a moment. Then, “Isrir informed me there was a family of beavers on the river, blocking it with their dam.”
Aerobolt knew where this was going. Arcane wanted him to destroy that dam.
“I want you to destroy it.”
Predictable.
“Sounds easy right? Beavers build with the utmost architectural strength. Let us kill two birds with one stone, shall we? By building that dam, the beavers are unknowingly blocking the river. You must know that by destroying that dam, you are helping Nyethrans downstream. We cannot have that on our reputation. So I want you to destroy the dam, but in a way so the wreckage still blocks the river. It is not possible without the use of certain Powers, however. Let’s kill three birds now. Let’s destroy the dam, block the river, and give you experience in using your Powers. How does that sound? Any questions?”
Aerobolt’s mind was reeling from what Arcane had told him to do. Destroy a dam, and make sure the wreckage still blocks the river… It’s bad, maybe evil, but thank the Creator that it is not diabolical. Aerobolt is fully aware that he will cause dehydration issues downstream. Even though he does not know who or what lies downstream, he knew that he’d be giving those beasts a potentially slow death, which was worse in his opinion. He had to know what lie down there…
“Do you know what is downstream from here?” he asked.
“A desert.”
Stomach falling into his tail, Aerobolt began to sweat up. ‘Oh! Of course it is! Fantastic!’ he thought bitterly.
“Any other questions?” Arcane growled.
Aerobolt shook his head stiffly.
“Good. This way.” Arcane beckoned them in the direction of the river. Aerobolt and Shade followed him through the grass. The sun was barely up. Aerobolt was mesmerized by how bright it was, and how warm. Since it was still morning, everything around them was still cold.
When they reached the dirt trail, Aerobolt noticed several paw prints in the dirt. He realized that many of them, were not just vulpine, but of other beasts as well.
Arcane laughed heartily. “Looks like someone got a cat themselves! Oh and did they struggle or what!?” he added when he saw tufts of fur alongside the path. Aerobolt felt sick. He glanced anxiously at Shade, who just mirrored his thoughts. ‘Did our dreams actually happen!?’
Arcane tsked, “If only they would cooperate. This fur is going to warn other travelers. Shade, would you remove it?” he said.
Shade nodded curtly and went to gather it all up. Aerobolt shook his head, trying to clear the image of his dream out of his mind. ‘It wasn’t the same. Our dream took place in the mountains. Not here.’ But the dream did not fade.
As Shade returned, Arcane set off towards the river again. It was some steps later before they heard the sound of rushing water. I had to be the river.
“Hmph. Normally you can hear it from the trail. The beavers must be finishing as I speak,” Arcane growled.
The trees began to thin, until Aerobolt saw the long snake of the river slithering to his left. From the bank, it seemed significantly lower than usual. To Aerobolt’s right, he saw it. It was a massive heap of sticks, branches, and logs, woven together to form a massive dam. On the dam, he saw several short and sturdy brown bodies adding to the architecture. Those must be the beavers. Behind the dam, he saw the rest of the river being held back. Very little water was being relieved. Aerobolt took a step forward, but Arcane blocked him.
“No. We can do it from here. We have to do it from here. Those beavers are much more dangerous than they look. Their tails are big and thick enough to stun a fox completely. And their teeth? Huh. Get anything vital between them, and it is instant death. You do not want to fight these guys paw to paw. That is why I said you should use your Powers.”
Aerobolt nodded. “Alright. So, how do I summon these Powers?”
“You draw it directly from nature. If you wanted to summon Wind to your aid, for example, you would focus its very manifestation, which would be the air, of course, into your handpaws. There you can bend it to your will. Bend it into clean, pure energy, or shape into a weapon of any sort you wish. Do not try to summon it any other way. Only the most powerful sorcerers and sorceresses can summon a Power without its presence. We don’t want to lose that dam. To try and prevent from completely obliterating it, use the Wind to form blades to cut the stability of that dam away.” Arcane instructed.
Aerobolt nodded again. Focusing his attention on the wind around him, he tried to will its energy towards him. Within seconds, he could see silvery wisps swirling around. He felt light on his paws. The silvery wisps concentrated around his handpaws. He looked over to Arcane, who looked very impressed. The second he glance, the wisps began to fade somewhat. Returning his attention to the Energy, he tried to push his focus to it so hard; it was like his mind began to become a part of the Wind. At that point, he felt he could do anything with the Wind. It was at his command. He tried to bend it to his will, to shape themselves into several individual blade-like shapes. They were clumsily shaped, ragged, and perhaps dull, but they had to do. So, without taking his mind away from his power, he faced the dam and flung out his arm, pointing at it. At his cue, the blades spiraled uncontrollably and unpredictably towards the dam. Only about two-thirds made contact. With a distant buzzing sound, the blades did their job. The beavers stopped to try and find out what just happened. The three foxes felt the ground trembling under their paws, and at that instant, they saw the beavers fleeing their ruined dam. Even from where Aerobolt was standing, he could hear the wood snapping. Then it was crashing. The interior of the dam collapsed on itself. The design of its exterior, however, prevented the entire structure from washing away. Aerobolt saw the beavers on either side of the bank, examining the damage. Then one side joined the other, by swimming across with surprising agility, and they all dispersed. They knew they couldn’t fix it. One too sudden movement, and the entire thing will give way. Aerobolt felt guilty the second the last beaver disappeared in the trees. He wanted to chase them down and express his regret right then.
Arcane burst out laughing. “Well done, Aerobolt! That was fine work! I did not expect success that easily! You’re a natural at this! You have tons of potential, that’s for sure! Hell! You might even be Hydyraen’s new leader when I’m gone!” Arcane slapped Aerobolt’s back in congratulations while Aerobolt smiled meekly. Leader of Hydyraen!? Not a chance!
“It was nothing,” he lied. Of course it was something! Something awful! He just destroyed someone’s home. A home they’ve been working on, for who knows how long!? Then there is the blocked river! ‘I don’t want to hurt anybody! I want to help them! Against you, Arcane!’
A rustling sound nearby averted their attention away. Had one of the beavers found them? No. Those beavers were on the other side of the river.
“What was that?” said Arcane. The rustling stopped. Wait. Could it have been…?
“Probably nothing interesting,” Shade shrugged. Aerobolt knew that might not have been true. That could’ve been the Guardian they were supposed meet that day.
“In any case, I really must ask of you Aerobolt, how you are capable of such power at your age and experience. No one like you should be able to pull this off so well! You didn’t even struggle to use your powers! They came to you so naturally, it’s like you already are among the most powerful sorcerers out there!” Arcane praised.
Aerobolt flushed. “I don’t know. Really! I don’t!”
“My only wish was that we saw their faces when it collapsed… Oh well… If we had gone up there, their faces would’ve been the last things we see… So. How about we show Aerobolt the rest of the area? You may have a good generalization of the area, but just in case you get lost?”
As the day wore on, Arcane gave Aerobolt the names of the landmarks in the immediate area. The Vrangar River, Ryanda Forest, Thunderstruck Mountains in the distance, and Windfall Fields were introduces to Aerobolt that day. Aerobolt also learned that the path that leads into the forest was called Awru en Craara. Arcane said it translated into “Path to Being”.
“Why is it called that?” Aerobolt asked, curiosity peaking.
Arcane smiled. “I don’t know a whole lot about the ancients language. Why it is called the Path to Being is mystery to even me.”
Somehow, Aerobolt knew Arcane knew more than he was implying. Something was amiss in the way he said that. But what…?
“It is getting a bit late. The other Vulpines are likely to have returned to Hydyraen for dinner by now. Damn! I should’ve had you steal chickens from the nearby settlement, just three miles downstream from here! The larder is running much lower than I’d like. You two, will you do this for us tonight? Your first independent task will be under the cover of the nighttime darkness, when Nyethrans let down their guard; you two will have it easier than anybody else. Can I count on you for that?” Arcane said, suddenly.
“Uhh,” Aerobolt looked over to Shade, who winked, “Sure! We can do that!”
Arcane gave a satisfied nod. “Good answer. Try not to get caught. It will be difficult because of how timid and loud those birds can get, but I know you won’t fail me. Shall we return to Hydyraen for now?”
For a split second, Aerobolt was very tempted to say no. But he knew what would result from such a careless response. Reluctantly, he crouched down to follow Arcane back into the tunnel. When the dirt turned back into stone, Aerobolt had intense longing for the grass under his paws again. A weight worse than dread settled in his stomach when he crossed the gate in the wrong direction.
“Remember, there is not much left within the larder. Try not to gorge yourselves tonight. I await your success in restocking the larder tonight!” with that, Arcane trotted away.
When he was out of earshot, Shade faced Aerobolt with bright eyes. “Well done! You handled that so well! Better than I ever did!”
Aerobolt blushed. “Yeah well. Actually doing it is much easier than thinking about it. Don’t get me wrong; I hated it, but it wasn’t impossible,” he said.
“We should be out of here by now!” Shade exclaimed suddenly enough for Aerobolt to jump.
“Yes, you should be out of here… So I can get in there, myself! And Aerobolt, if you don’t get off my tail right now, you will wake up in the river!”
Isrir. Aerobolt gasped when he realized the floor felt softer than it was supposed to and leaped aside.
“Thanks,” Isrir snapped ungratefully. HE spat in Aerobolt’s face, stamped on his tail before strutting off.
Aerobolt was fuming. Before he knew it, he conjured his anger in a dark orb of energy. He realized too late that it was flying right into Isrir’s back. It sent Isrir flying several yards forward before he landed hard on is muzzle. Shade gasped. All Aerobolt could feel was his anger; he was momentarily fearless at what Isrir would do in retaliation. He saw him get to his paws, glaring at Aerobolt. Isrir’s eyes had anger written all over them. But there was something else glinting inside them. Was it… fear? Fear. Had Aerobolt done what Arcane would? No! He mustn’t let himself believe that. He can’t have just followed Arcane’s philosophy. Isrir held a stare for several seconds, before walking away again, in a quick paced manner.
Then, the realization sank in. “I-I…” Aerobolt stammered.
Shade placed her handpaw on his shoulder. “I know. And that’s why we need to escape. Tonight.”
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Wanna start from the beginning? Here is Chapter One! http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11187661/
Here is my series' index! http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5340298/