It's about time I got back to this... With the chaos in my life right now, I can't work on this as much as I used to...
So. Shade, Aerobolt, and the new party member, Storm, have escaped the Shadow Vulpines' clutches... So what life does Aerobolt face now? Here it is at last, chapter eight of my first book...
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The Guardians of Life: Justice
Chapter Eight-
Explanations

Thankfully, over the next two days, the trinity did not meet any more trouble as the traversed through the remainder of Ryanda Forest. After that time, the trees began to thin out, and the air grew steadily hotter, and the ground, drier and dustier. The desert was dead ahead. Wait a second…
“We went upstream! Didn’t Arcane say the desert was downstream!?” Aerobolt exclaimed.
Shade shook her head. “Never trust anything that wretch says. Arcane was always good at lying…” There was an unidentifiable emotion in her voice. She sighed. “Well. A promise is a promise.” She sat down.
“Hmm? Promise? What promise. Why are we stopping?” Aerobolt looked over, and saw the desert only a couple of miles away. “The desert is right there.” He sat down too, but he still questioned it. He also hoped the desert was not too long; he does not do well in the heat.
“You’ve forgotten… I did tell you. After we had passed through this forest, I’d tell you all about the Guardians,” Shade said calmly.
“Oh!” So this was it. What the life Aerobolt will now live is about to be revealed. Eagerness tingled in ever inch of his body. Unable to hide his torrent of questions, he burst out, “Well? What are the Seven Forces of Life? What is Iridescence? What is Castla nu Craara like? Who’s your leader? What exactly does a Guardian do? Besides guard something, of course but…” So many questions… Aerobolt wished he could ask them all at once, and have them answered all at once.
“Whoa, slow down! I can tell you have quite the eager mood right now! Storm!? Sit down would ya!?”
Aerobolt didn’t even notice the cub until the cubs paws made contact on his tail. He was running around, enjoying himself like a cub should. Aerobolt sighed, ‘It’s times like this that make me wish I was a cub again. Somewhere else, and not in that place.’ Storm sat down, but wasn’t still; he twirled around on his backside, kicking up dust. Shade gave him a stern look, but that did not stop him.
“Let him be,” Aerobolt coughed a little, “Let him have his fun while he still can. He won’t be a cub for much longer. You know how my life was like, right?” he added sadly.
“Aerobolt… What matters most in life, is the present. How we use the present, to make our futures bright. The past is passed. It doesn’t matter anymore,” Shade said sympathetically, but there was something hidden in her voice that Aerobolt couldn’t identify.
“I know… I just wish I had more of a past that I could be proud of. Say something like, ‘What good times those were.’ You know what I mean?”
Shade nodded. “Yes, I do. My past was also littered with tribulations no one can understand but me. But don’t let your past get you down. Let it motivate you! To make a better future!”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself!” Aerobolt’s eyes brightened.
“Let’s get back to the topic. Now. Listen to what I will say. This information is important.”
Aerobolt nodded.
“Alright. As I already said, the Guardians live in the stronghold, well, it’s not really a stronghold, more of a citadel, of Castla nu Craara. The Haven of Being. On the other side of this desert, you will see a mountain range. It’s called Myunae nu Eira. The Spires of Sky. The mountains are so named because their peaks rise above the highest clouds in the sky. Within Myunae nu Eira, lies Castla nu Craara.
As I have also told you, the Guardians use their powers to protect the Seven Forces of Life,” Shade continued.
“What are the Seven Forces of Life?” Aerobolt blurted out suddenly, through Storm’s merriment. Storm was now trying to catch butterflies in his handpaws.
“I was getting to that. Now, you might not have realized it, but you’ve already used two of the seven Forces,” Shade replied.
“Huh?”
“The Seven Forces of Life are what you may call the elements. Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Light, and Darkness, make up the Seven Forces. You have used the Forces of Wind and Darkness, am I correct?”
“I suppose so,” Aerobolt said uncertainly. He found his mind whirling so fast, he was unsure if he’d understand anything.
“Well. A Guardian protects each of the Forces from any threats that may harm them. And any harm to any Force, can disrupt the very balance of Nature, and throw the world into irreversible turmoil and destruction. Storm here is training to wield the Force of Thunder. Of course, every Guardian is supposed to guard six Forces, but—“
“Six? Why not all seven?”
“Every Guardian has one Force that they cannot protect. One Force that they can’t even wield! They are born with all the Forces in their veins, but one always leaks out, and through the extremities of our bodies, our paws, if you will. That Force is also said to be the very Bane of a Guardian, the Force destined to seal their fate forever. That is why it is called a Bane Force. Storm here… His Bane Force is Earth. Storm? Storm! Sit down!”
Shade’s impatience was obvious, for she grabbed Storm’s shoulders as he hopped by, and forced him to sit.
“Aww! Shade! I almost had that butterfly!” he complained.
“Never mind that. Show Aerobolt your paws,” Shade said quickly.
Storm was confused. “Huh? My paws? Why?”
Two words were hissed, “Bane. Force.”
Storm suddenly may have realized what she meant, but he didn’t take his somewhat hurt eyes off of her. “Oh! You’re telling him about Bane Forces! Okay…” With that, he swiveled his head to face Aerobolt, and he waved at Aerobolt with his handpaw. The pads were green.
Aerobolt’s eyes widened. “Whoa! I never noticed that before!” Before he knew it, Shade’s handpaws were right in front of him. They were purple. “Huh!?”
“My Bane is Wind. When you summoned up those wind blades back at that dam, I was quite afraid,” she said in a low voice, taking her paws back.
“You were? Gosh… I’m sorry! I didn’t know!” Aerobolt felt guilty.
“What? Don’t worry about it. It’s normal for a Guardian to be afraid of their Bane. I was only afraid because I did not have my Scarf on.”
“Scarf?”
“Force Scarves. They were infused with the power of one of the Forces, and are to be worn by a Guardian with that Force as their Bane. With it, they are invincible to that Force. Some Guardians were reported to have been able to use that Force after getting their Scarves, though that case is rare.” Shade turned to her pack. After rummaging through it for a minute, she took out a long purple cloth. “This is my Scarf. My Sylph Scarf. And Storm’s…. Wait. Storm! Why are you not wearing your Gnome Scarf!? Especially with the desert so close!”
Storm looked back innocently, “Plazma told me not to wear my Scarf in Shadow Vulpine territory…”
“Plazma, that idiot. He should’ve known that you should, without any objection, wear your Scarves there. In fact, he needed to wear… his…” she trailed off.
“Wear what?” Aerobolt asked, perplexed.
“I suppose I have no choice but to tell you now. The names of the Scarves are the same as the name given to each Arch Guardian. Sylph for Wind, Gnome for Earth, Salamander for Fire, Nereid for Water, Thor for Thunder, Seraph for Light…” she trailed off again.
“And what about darkness…?” Aerobolt pressed, even though he had a good idea what.
“Shade…” Shade said slowly.
“You are the Arch Guardian of Darkness?” Aerobolt asked.
“Yes. You catch on fast, Aerobolt,” Shade said. “As I was saying, the rule on Scarves in the Shadow Vulpine territory is for everyone with a Bane of Darkness wear their Shade Scarves, regardless! Plazma never paid much attention as an apprentice… Now look what’s happened…”
“S-so… These Bane Forces… can be seen by pad color? Mine are black. Does that mean I have a Bane of Darkness?” Aerobolt thought cautiously.
Immediately Shade answered, “No. It’s obvious it’s not. You’ve used it before; if it was your Bane, you wouldn’t at all. And besides, you can’t be sure until you bathe in the Iridescent Waters. Your Bane is hidden from you, until Iridescence reveals it to you.”
“Iridescence… Who is Iridescence?” Aerobolt wondered.
“Iridescence is our Goddess of Tutelage. Iridescence lived as a philosopher hundreds of years ago, and not only was the foundation of the Guardians, but she also saved the world from a catastrophic ruin that was catalyzed by an imbalance in the Seven Forces. She is the one Guardians look up to when they need help. She is the one that is always there to save a life. She’s so called Iridescence, because it is said her fur shines with every color imaginable. She was said to be able to wield all the Forces with complete impunity, with no Bane at all. She is to this day, our Arrabalta, watching over us in the Ethereal Sky.”
“That’s incredible… We never had anyone like that in Hydyraen. It was just our leader motivated by greed, and not by a deity,” Aerobolt said bluntly.
“I know. But our leader, who is called Fielra, is the polar opposite. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
“I can’t wait either.” Suddenly worried. “How big is this desert?”
“About the same size as Ryanda Forest. Why? Afraid we’ll run out of water or something?”
“I’m not so good with the heat,” Aerobolt admitted stiffly.
“Hm… Is that so? Do you think your Bane is Fire?” Shade asked.
“Yeah… C-can I see if I can wield it?” Aerobolt asked, nervously.
“Though it is impressive you can wield the Forces already, without receiving Iridescence’s Blessing, it is much too dangerous to attempt to use what could be your Bane. It could easily backfire, and kill you. I can’t let you take that risk. If it is… Then I must apologize in advance, but there is no other way.”
Aerobolt was disappointed. “Alright. I-I will be fine in that desert, right?”
“It’s only a two day journey! Stay close to us, and we’ll be fine. Storm! Put on your Gnome Scarf! We’re going in!” she added to Storm.
As Storm busied himself with an emerald colored scarf, Aerobolt glanced nervously back at the dunes ahead.
“Fear is natural. But we all know you will be fine!” Shade insisted, putting on her Scarf as well.
“Are-are you sure?”
“Positive.”
Taking a deep breath, Aerobolt replied, nervous, but ready, “Alright. Let’s get this over with…”
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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/