CH 13 Summary: Aerobolt and Shade find that they are too low on supplies to go on. And with Storm's incapacitation, it complicates things even further. So they decide to turn to the otter village of Uron for help. However, the otters of the village had recently suffered a tragedy at the paws of a fox, and are not going to take them kindly.
This is what happens in Chapter 14 of my book. Quite a bit of a twist is here at the very end so... yay... twists! Who doesn't love those! Enjoy!
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The Guardians of Life: Justice (Book I)
Chapter Fourteen-
Uron

“Hey! Get your paws off of me!” was the first thing Aerobolt yelled. He heard Shade and Storm cry out nearly identical commands, yet the otters completely ignored them. The otters restricted him; he couldn’t move. He realized the tied ropes around him. What efficiency! How could the otters have done that so fast!? In groups the otters lifted each of the foxes completely off their paws and onto their backs, oblivious to their futile struggling. Aerobolt yelled, “Let me go!” They did not.
The otter they had first encountered was leading. Turning back to thrust his spear close between Aerobolt’s eyes, he growled, “Not a chance, fox. We are taking you to our new chief. He will want to have words with you. Painfully.” The otter narrowed his eyes in a glare to the emphasis of his last word. Storm couldn’t help but gasp at how serious he sounded. Without moving his spear, the otter turned and looked at Storm with surprisingly kind eyes. “Don’t worry, Guardian. We will rescue you from these two lowlifes. Just make sure you don’t get too close to the desert again. Those Kobold Bandits are also becoming even more troublesome.”
“But they didn’t hurt me!” Storm cried out. “The Kobold Bandits did! And they rescued me!”
The otter raised an eye suspiciously. “Oh? And did they threaten you to say something like that? Don’t tell me even the sacred “Guardians” lie. Humph. A fox is a fox. Guardian or Shadow Vulpine, they cannot be trusted.”
Aerobolt looked down ruefully and immediately noticed he appeared to be floating on top of tall grass he didn’t notice before.
“No! They didn’t threaten me! They’re my friends!” Storm yelled.
“Yet they made you walk on that messed up paw? What kind of friend does that?” the otter spat.
“But-I-!” Both Shade and Storm started to protest.
The otter butted in. “Silence! Save it for Chief Jormund! You are lucky he is in a good mood today!” He sighed and started talking to himself. “And to think his mood will be ruined when he sees these three foxes… I guess it cannot be helped…”
Neither captive said a word. They just exchanged glances with each other. Fear in Storm’s eyes. Anger in Shade’s. Aerobolt didn’t want to guess what was in his eyes. He looked over to the settlement of Uron. It was close enough to where he noticed the majority of the buildings were made of sandstone. Few buildings were made of wood. Was this because of the lack of trees in the area? Then he noticed there were buildings on both sides of the river with no bridge connecting each side. There were more otters swimming to either side of the river, looking peaceful, and even playful. Upon reaching their side, they shook out their sleek fur and on occasion they got their brethren wet. They took no notice, however.
‘What fun those otters are having,’ Aerobolt thought, no longer thinking about how he was captured. ‘I would love to be one of them. But… I’m not…’
They were now close enough to where Aerobolt could hear the laughter and squeals of merriment the otter children were apparently having somewhere in the village. Aerobolt was surprised at how fast the otters moved on land despite their short legs. Fascinating creatures they are; Aerobolt’s emotions quickly changed to curiosity. He stared at the otters’ daily lifestyle until the lead otter jabbed his shoulder with the butt end of his spear. “Hey! What are you so happy about? You might die shortly!” he growled. Aerobolt caught a tinge of surprise in his voice.
“Oh, nothing,” Aerobolt replied casually. “Just admiring how you live your lives. Carefree, playful, no worries, no problems, no… foxes…”
“What the hell are you!?” the otter exclaimed, while both Shade and Storm looked on.
Aerobolt looked away. “Sometimes I don’t want to be… a fox in general…” The otter continued to give him a dirty look for several seconds as if he were trying to determine what Aerobolt was planning. Aerobolt couldn’t help smiling. ‘Now do you see not all foxes are bad?’
“I don’t know what you think you are doing, but if you try something I don’t like, this spear will drink your blood.”
‘I guess not. One day you’ll see,’ Aerobolt thought disappointedly as the group began to pass some of the buildings. They were in Uron. Finally being out of the tall grass, Aerobolt felt strangely exposed. Seeing all those otters under him, supporting and carrying him, made him feel even less secure. Nearby denizens of the village stopped what they were doing and stared at the captives. Aerobolt wished they didn’t; it further worsened his sense of insecurity. All those eyes staring at him… Aerobolt shut his to avoid those stares, but he could still here them whispering. The words they said made it even worse:
“Mommy. I’m scared.”
“Foxes? Are they going to hurt us?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they did.”
“If they dare, I’ll rip their fur off!”
“Look. They’ve already been caught; they can’t lay a paw on us.”
“Wait. Is that a Guardian with them!?”
Storm flinched when he heard them say Guardian. It must be hard for Storm since he sticks out the most. But if anything, Storm might decide their lives’ fates.
Aerobolt almost gasped when the otters under him stopped. The biggest building stood before them, made of old looking oak wood, much like the wood in Ryanda Forest, stood before them. The chief’s house no doubt. The lead otter proceeded to knock on the door. “Chief Jormund? It’s me, Kalaus! I’ve brought something you need to know about!” A few seconds passed before Kalaus pushed the door open. He gestured to the otters to go inside. The otters carrying Aerobolt weren’t careful. They deliberately let the top of the short doorway smack Aerobolt full on the muzzle. He heard one more smack, and that must have been Shade. Storm was spared. Somewhat blinded by pain, he could barely make out wooden objects, windows, a fireplace, what looked like a large rug, and a figure sitting in a chair facing one of the windows. A gruff voice sounded from there.
“So. You’ve brought foxes into my house. On what grounds do you perform these actions, Kalaus, and bring such dirt in here?” It was spoken in such an eerily calm voice, but there was no denying the anger that was being masked.
“We caught them trespassing just outside Uron. Two of them are injured. One of the injured ones… he is a Guardian, sir,” Kalaus said, trying not to sound too nervous.
Jormund turned to the captives. “Set them down and disperse. I must chat with them.” With the order given, the otters wordlessly set them onto the floor. Aerobolt was shocked to find how rough the rug was. The hoard of otters bowed at Jormund before taking their leave.
When the last otter left, its tail behind the door, Jormund turned to the captives, glaring at them. “So. You three thought you could sneak into my village and wreak your havoc? I will not allow such a thing. It is because of your kind I stand here as chief today. Now speak. What are you doing here?”
Storm looked at Shade. Shade looked at Aerobolt. Aerobolt looked at Jormund, then back at Shade. No one said a word.
“Well?” Jormund demanded. “The fact you failed to answer only proves further you are up to no good. Kalaus. Search them.”
Kalaus nodded and proceeded to grab Storm’s little pouch from his shoulder. Storm didn’t even protest. Good. That ought to help convince the, they had nothing to hide. Kalaus dumped the entire pouch onto the floor. The sweet looking fruits rolled in all directions. Kalaus threw the pouch behind him and proceeded towards the bigger pack Shade carried around. Shade also showed no resistance. Kalaus, to Aerobolt’s dismay, dumped what was left of their precious supplies. He tossed out the camping gear, the compass and the map, what was left of their food and water, the first aid kit…
“Is that…?” Kalaus said as he pulled out the Force Scarves.
Aerobolt looked at Shade. Shade only shrugged. The fact that these Scarves were found might be promising.
“There is so many of them! There are… one two three… nine of these in here… for one Guardian? Where did you lot get all these from? Stole them from the Guardian I presume?”
“One of the Sylph Scarves belongs to me. A Gnome Scarf belongs to Storm. One of the others belongs to Aerobolt. Will. We don’t know his Bane yet,” Shade answered, dignified. “We are Guardians too, you know,” she indicated herself, and Aerobolt with her muzzle.
Jormund stamped his webbed footpaw on the ground. “How dumb do you think we are!? You both are bona fide Shadow Vulpines through and through!”
“Oh really? Ask me something only the Guardians would know. Something Shadow Vulpines would never have even conceived,” Shade growled.
Jormund thought for a moment. He is going to give Shade a very difficult question isn’t he? How would he know so much about the Guardians though? He can’t know so much more about them than the Shadow Vulpines do. “What are the names of the Seven Forces’ Arch Guardians?”
“Piece of cake. Salamander for Fire. Sylph for Wind. Gnome for Earth. Nereid for Water. Thor for Thunder. Seraph for Light. And… and me… Shade for Darkness,” Shade said in a hard, confident voice.
Kalaus gasped. Jormund didn’t let up. “That cub could have told you these answers beforepaw! And now you are calling yourself an Arch Guardian!? What nerve you have for doing as such!” he growled.
“If you think Storm gave me all this information, why’d you ask in the first place!?” Shade snarled.
“You told me to,” Jormund retorted.
“Fine. Ask me something an apprentice Guardian would not know yet,” Shade said.
Jormund thought for a moment again. What he said next shocked Aerobolt. “What is the name of the fox your Goddess deems the God of Justice?”
Shade’s jaw dropped. “You know about Aerobolt!?”
Jormund and Kalaus were equally surprised. “You know about him too!?” Kalaus exclaimed.
“Yes! And he’s right there!” Shade gestured with her head towards Aerobolt. Aerobolt felt the burning eyes of the two otters digging into his fur. He wished they wouldn’t stare at him so intensely.
“He’s a Shadow Vulpine!?” squealed Kalaus in pure astonishment.
“Now now, Kalaus. They could still be lying to us about that. The fact they know about Aerobolt is impressive enough, but if they think they could convince us he is deemed to be such a legend without proof has me very skeptical…If this one really is the Aerobolt we all know, then he knows the Prophecy of Justice, of which that was given to him when he needed it most… You there. Fox said to be the legend. Recite the Prophecy. Or we will know your true identities,” Jormund demanded.
Now all eyes turned to Aerobolt once again. Feeling quite a bit of pressure, Aerobolt wasn’t sure he could recite the Prophecy exactly. The prophecy wasn’t even that long ago. Another thing that bothered him was that the Prophecy was only to be revealed to him when he would need it. Perhaps Iridescence knew he was to be captured by otters with a serious personality change that demanded him to recite it to them? Maybe… So with the dream he had in mind, he recited the Prophecy to the best of his ability. Somehow he felt he recited it perfectly, and the feelings amplified when he saw Jormund’s eyes softening and Kalaus’ jaw dropping to the ground, a promising feat indeed.
Jormund sighed. “So you are Guardians. You do mean no harm. Kalaus, would you untie them, please.”
Kalaus nodded stiffly and went to undo the ropes binding Aerobolt’s and Shade’s arms and legs. Aerobolt realized just now Storm was not bound. Shade stood up and relocated her wrists. Turning to Jormund she asked, “How do you know so much about the Guardians, sir?”
Jormund turned to look at her. “We are close friends with Nereid.”
“Bu-but! I thought you hated foxes!” Aerobolt exclaimed when he stood up. He found it hard to get to his paws. When will he recover from the confrontation already!?
Jormund laughed. “It is the Shadow Vulpines I hate! I side with the Guardians, even if some others in Uron won’t trust any fox,” he looked at Kalaus, who just muttered something indistinct. “It is because of Nereid our village has not been swept away by floodwaters. I am well aware that not all foxes are evil.”
Aerobolt couldn’t help but a sigh of relief. “Am I glad to hear you say that!?”
“Why is that?” Jormund asked.
“Because I used to think all foxes were evil. I thought I was evil, because of who I was by blood. I also believed that no one thought of us as anything but evil. Now that I’ve been proven wrong, I feel… happy,” Aerobolt answered.
“Well I must apologize for accusing you of mischief. You too, Kalaus,” he gave his subordinate a hard stare.
“Sorry…” Kalaus grumbled.
“That really was a painful interrogation was it, Mister Kalaus?” Storm brought up heartily. Kalaus scoffed and defiantly turned away.
Jormund however, was not amused. “Kalaus did you really say I would harm them? We otters are not creatures of war. Our spears are only to be raised in defense,” he turned to the foxes. “I really must apologize for him. He can be quite… problematic sometimes.” Kalaus gave his leader a glare. Neither malice nor humor was in his eyes. Jormund continued, “You still haven’t answered our initial question, however. What are you foxes doing in Uron?”
Shade went to retrieve the pack, along with whatever supplies Kalaus did not waste. “Well, you may not have noticed, but when your subordinate threw out our food, water, and medical supplies, there was hardly any of it left. We are far too low on it all to survive even to Thalda. We humbly request some supplies so that we can fulfill Iridescence’s wishes of bringing young Arrabalta here to Castla nu Craara.”
Jormund’s face fell dark. “I am afraid that is isn’t possible anymore,” he said quietly.
The foxes all gasped. “Why not!?” Shade exclaimed.
Jormund looked at them with a somber expression. “Just a week after I took leadership here in Uron, our crops and food supplies were raided by Kobold Bandits. Now we barely have enough for any of us. I’m afraid to say a famine in Uron is imminent.”
Aerobolt gasped again. Shade whispered, “Oh no…”
“We can renew your first aid kit and water, but as for the food, I am afraid we are all out of luck,” Jormund said sadly.
Storm punched the floor. “Those bastards! If only- If only we had taken them out sooner, Plazma and me! But… we had… we had no idea what they were planning… Could we have done anything to help in the first place?”
Shade shook her head, “I do not think so. The timing of your arrival doesn’t correlate well with theirs…”
Kalaus looked down at Storm. “Didn’t you say you three had a run in with the Bandits? Or were you lying to us?”
Storm nodded. “They were the ones who gave me this.” He pointed to the heavy bandages on his shoulder.
Kalaus nodded. “And what about that paw?” He pointed at his cast on his leg.
“An old friend of Aerobolt’s paid us a nice visit,” he said carefully.
“An old friend?”
“A Shadow Vulpine that tried to take Aerobolt back to Hydyraen,” Shade elaborated.
“Oh, I see…” Kalaus said. “So these Kobold Bandits. How did you get out of it alive?”
“We blew up their den! With them still inside of it! They are dead!” Storm said proudly.
“Are they now? So does that mean we can retrieve our supplies from their place?” Kalaus asked in a hopeful voice.
Shade shook her head. “Most likely not. Almost all of their hideout is buried in rubbles of sandstone. Some of your supplies might have survived it, but the likelihood of it being many, is remote. I am really sorry about that… If I had known before we got caught…”
Jormund laughed quietly, “That’s alright Shade. You have done much for us by just eliminating those scourges. That much I can thank you for.”
Shade flushed. “It was Aerobolt who came up with the idea to blow them up. Don’t thank me.”
“What are we going to do about our food supply, though? Surely we can’t go any farther like this?” Storm said.
No one had an answer. Shade and Storm were convinced the otter village was their only shot at restocking their supplies. Being told they could not because the Kobold Bandits recently raided Uron was a devastating blow. Now they are out of options. How much further was Caslta nu Craara? How could they starve before getting there? It didn’t make sense in Aerobolt’s mind why they are out of supplies like this.
“Well is there another village nearby? A merchant? Something?” Aerobolt asked desperately.
“Our best shot now lies at the coastal settlement of Cavra, a days march west of here on paw,” Shade said.
“Do you think they could help us!?” Aerobolt continued. “Can we make it there like this?”
“Maybe… I would have to go alone, however. You and Storm are far from fit to travel. Maybe you will have recovered by the time we leave, Aerobolt, but Storm… we don’t have much time.”
“So. Because of me, we are doomed? Are we going to die, at the expense of my well being?”
Shade stared at him with upset eyes. “Please Storm don’t talk like that. We are not doomed. There is hope for us yet. It is in Cavra.”
Aerobolt suddenly blurted out, “But what about Uron!? Shouldn’t we do something about their famine!?”
“Yes Aerobolt, but Cavra alone isn’t going to solve it. Cavra alone would drive both settlements into famine. There just isn’t enough in Cavra for both of them. We will have to ask Thalda. And then, the Guardians. To help. Problem is, there is not enough time to reach them. I will have to contact them.”
Aerobolt understood. “Like how you contacted Plazma in Hydyraen?”
“Sort of. I have to dream. Iridescence comes to all Guardians who need her guidance when it is hopeless without it. She can transfer messages between Guardians away from Caslta nu Craara to those in Castla nu Craara, and even to other Guardians in the field, and send help much, much faster.”
“So Iridescence can volunteer to be a messenger too?” Aerobolt asked, somewhat confused.
“Yes. Isn’t she wonderful?” Shade said.
“Quite. But there is one thing I do not understand. How did Storm and Plazma get to Hydyraen so quickly? If it takes as long as you say it does to get there, how did it take only a day or so for them to get there?” Aerobolt asked, even more confused.
Shade suddenly turned away. “I-I don’t want to talk about that,” her voice nearly choked.
Aerobolt looked at her in surprise. Surely it wasn’t a difficult question to answer? He glanced at Storm, who was looking sullenly at the cast on his leg. Storm knows too. Why were these two so secretive all of the sudden? What happened? Aerobolt turned to the otters. They returned his confused looks right back at him. What could be so bad about the answer to this question?
“Shade. What’s wrong?” he ventured carefully.
Shade’s voice was riddled with sadness. “I-I had given up on you Aerobolt. I gave up,” she choked.
“Huh? What do you mean…? What do you mean by given up on me…?”
Shade turned to him with tearful eyes. “I spent ten years in Hydyraen. Searching. Searching for you. Yet I never found you. Yet… I stayed. B-but when… when Skymae died, and Arcane took over, I had lost control of the search. When I realized the bad side of the Prophecy started to fulfill, I began to panic. I began to think that even you were going to become corrupted under Arcane’s influence. I thought it was too late to find you. I had to warn the Guardians of what was unfolding, so I called out Iridescence to ask for liberation. With Arcane in control, I couldn’t get out alone like I had when Skymae was in control. I-it was the day before the rescue was scheduled to come when my search finally ended, and I found you under Isrir’s paws… I couldn’t believe that after ten years, I find you on my very last day there. It really was a chance meeting. We almost never met at all. B-but… but it doesn’t change the fact… that I had given up on you Aerobolt. I gave up on my… my…” she didn’t go on. She choked off and was on the verge of tears.
“Shade, it’s no big deal,” Aerobolt said reassuringly.
“No! It’s a huge deal! I gave up! If I hadn’t found you! If I hadn’t found you in the last second like that… Arcane would have had a clear shot at what he wanted; you wouldn’t have escaped Hydyraen! I would’ve left behind… I would have left behind… my-“ she couldn’t finish, for the tears finally claimed her.
Aerobolt understood why it would’ve been a problem if he wasn’t rescued, but somehow he knew it was much more than that. Much, much more. Enough to drive Shade to tears. But what could it be? He suddenly had a powerful thought that sent him reeling backwards by the shock of it. No! It couldn’t be! World spinning around him, he remembered the voice he heard when his life was in danger. It wasn’t Iridescence who spoke to him. It was his long lost mother!
Shade!
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Whoa! What did you think of that!? Keke... how many saw this one coming? keke...
Chapter 15 is another very very important one, so stay tuned for that!

Want to 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/