I said I'd left FA... but I said I'd finish what I started. And that is what intend to do... and once I am, a final farewell is in order.
CH 18 Summary: Lot's of rain. Lot's of rain plague the foxes. Yet they make the best of it. But mother nature is making the worst of it in chapter 19 of my book...
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The Guardians of Life: Justice (Book I)
Chapter Nineteen-
Angry River

The rain did not let up the next morning however. There was so much mud and water the terrain looked more like a marsh than a field. Hence the name Marsh Plains applied so perfectly. Some puddles were so deep they went up past their ankles. Shade herself said that this much rain was not normal.
The mountains were very close now. Tomorrow night they’d reach Thalda and then the mountains themselves. The mountains were also being assaulted by the storm; their peaks and summits were being decorated by the white precipitation. It was pretty to think about until Shade burst his bubble.
“More water is going to run off the mountains into these plains. This place sees a lot of water, but much more and it’s going to flood. Not only will we be affected, so will Uron, Thalda, Empra, maybe even Cavra. Nereid, what are you doing?” she added absently.
Aerobolt sneezed. “Yeah what is nature’s deal lately? The sandstorm and quicksand, then this? I am not liking Gnome or Nereid so far.”
Shade shook her head. “Are you still sick? You should take some medicine. And as for your question, I don’t know. But you are right. This cannot be a coincidence. Could it? I have to investigate this; it is too early to know for sure.”
Storm yelped suddenly. He was unexpectedly waist deep in water. “That does it I am a big furry fish,” he said.
“An otter?” Aerobolt said absent-minded. He was searching the sky for patches of blue that would signal the end of the relentless rain. The sky seemed to have forgotten what color it was supposed to be.
“Perhaps!” Storm said, dragging himself out of the hole. “Shade, I thought you said the rain would let up by now! I’m still wet and waiting!”
Shade didn’t respond. She was too busy looking straight ahead of her. He r eyes were clouded with worry.
“What’s wrong?” Aerobolt tried to follow her line of sight. He saw only more plains and muddy trail in front of them.
Shade focused harder on the area in front of her. “You don’t hear that?” she asked with slight surprise.
Aerobolt tried to mimic her focus. He could only hear the rain. “Hear what? The rain?”
Shade shook her head. “No. It sounds like… rushing water,” she said quietly.
“What?” Straining his ears to listen more closely, Aerobolt found that she was right. In the distance, and only very slightly, he could hear the sound of rushing water ahead of them. It sounded like a waterfall, but it seemed to have a murderous hiss about it. “What is that!?” he exclaimed. “A flood?”
“Worse,” Shade said darkly.
“What?”
“The river curves up ahead. It will cross our paths yet again.” The river curved east and out of sight a while ago. But now… “It’s coming back. And from all this rain, it must be overflowing,” Shade said tonelessly. “And we have to cross it.”
“Swim!?” Aerobolt yelped incredulously. “Can we just freeze it?!”
Shade’s eyes were doubtful. “No, not swim. There should be a bridge. But it is very old, and may have been washed away by now. As for freezing the river if that were the case, I highly doubt we could create ice strong enough to withstand the floodwaters as well as our weight. It could break too easily.”
Aerobolt was aghast. “Is there no other way?”
Shade shook her head in dismay. “None that I can think of. We can only hope the bridge is an option. The likelihood, however, is as good as none.”
Aerobolt’s muzzle was wide open enough to catch rainwater. It couldn’t be. They had come so far.
“But. I have an idea, now that I think about it more!” she suddenly said, brightening up.
Desperate for information, Aerobolt yelped loudly, “What!?” the volume made Shade’s ears flatten themselves.
“Not so loud! I am right here! I have one idea. We all have to work together, okay? And we must be very careful,” Shade started.
“Work together? Oh no do we have to swim!? We would never survive!” Aerobolt interjected.
“Let me finish you daffy fox! The three of us will work together. We will go with you idea, Aerobolt. We will build a bridge of ice across the river. However, like I said, the current may be too strong, and shatter it before it could get strong enough to withstand all that pressure. So the other two will have to block the current as much as possible while the other constructs the bridge. How does that sound?” Shade was very annoyed.
“That may work. But what if one of us loses concentration somehow?” Aerobolt said.
“Why would you think about that?” Shade sighed.
“I just want to make sure that no matter what, we will make it!” Aerobolt defended himself.
Shade sighed again. “You really like to over think things do you, Aerobolt?”
“I do Shade. When I am afraid, I do over think things too much… My mind is willing to do whatever it takes to keep me safe. To do that, it tries to gather as much information about the situation as possible. That results in my many questions,” Aerobolt explained.
Shade looked surprised. “You are afraid?” When Aerobolt nodded stiffly she continued. “Whatever qualms you have about this, as long as we have each other and work together, we’ll be fine. Let’s go. We should not wait for the river to subside. Uron needs help still; we cannot delay for anything.”
“You’re right. What am I doing? I have to stop over thinking everything so much,” Aerobolt said with a twinge of regret.
“Sometimes thinking a lot about a situation is a good thing. You just have to learn to recognize when such a thing is appropriate,” Shade said.
With every step they took they sound of rushing water became more and more prominent. It started quiet, like a breeze in the summer trees. Then it grew louder, loud like a tornado. The noise reached its peak when Aerobolt saw the flood moving left to right. He saw the dark wood bridge immediately after, swaying ominously barely above the torrent. The flood, Aerobolt realized in dismay, was the river. The foxes gasped.
“It’s worse than I thought,” Shade breathed. “The river has to have at least doubled in size. Maybe even triple. There is supposed to be a gorge down there, but it’s gone!” Aerobolt couldn’t believe how fast the current was moving. He couldn’t understand how such a calm and serene Force by nature could hold so much fury.
At least the bridge is still up,” he said nervously, walking up to it and hoping it would hold. Aerobolt was astounded at how much the ground was shaking under his paws from the sheer force of the river. Cautiously he lifted his footpaw to test the bridge. The very second his toe pads touched the rotting wood, it split into several pieces instantly and dropped into the raging snake of water below. Aerobolt jumped back exclaiming. Walking back towards Shade and Storm, even more nervous, he called, “Someone should really replace that!”
Shade wore a grim look. “So it would seem our ice bridge idea has to be our way of crossing.”
Storm finally spoke. “B-but! But I cannot! My Water powers! They are too weak! I will only screw things up for you two! What if I get you killed!?”
“Okay. A plan B would be that if one of us falls off, we try to keep them safe from the water by focusing all our attention away from the ice and into the current. That way we will keep them safe,” Shade said.
“So many more things can go wrong still!” Storm wailed. “It is times like this that I wish I DID grow webs between my toes!” he exclaimed, remembering what he said the day before.
“At this point we all do. But do not worry. We WILL keep each other safe!” Shade promised. “Just remember. Take it slow and steady out there. If we go too fast, we’ll all just tire out faster. Don’t focus all your energy on the entire river. Just what is around us and directly in front of us, okay? That would also tire us out too quickly. I realize that you would all want out of there as soon as possible, but this is for all our safety. Do you two understand?”
The two reynards nodded uncertainly.
“Alright. So who is the one to generate the ice bridge?” Shade asked.
No one spoke. Aerobolt was not sure who was best at handling ice. He thought of his bridge in Uron and when Shade froze him solid. Then he wondered how strong Storm was not saying he was. He did not know who was best for this job.
“Aerobolt? I think you should be the one to do it,” Shade said when time passed.
Aerobolt did not object. Somehow he knew she was going to choose him. “Alright. Let’s go,” he said.
Shade nodded. “Let us block the current first. Then you freeze the stilled water behind it. Okay?”
“Yes. I understand,” Aerobolt answered quietly. Shade almost didn’t hear him.
“Storm? Are you ready?” Shade turned to the cub and saw he was pale with fear. His eyes were big and wide with it.
“I-I… A-as ready as I will ever be,” he stammered. Shade told him not to worry again, but that didn’t change anything. She held Storm’s paw as the approached the riverbank. Storm shook some of his fear out of his head and stared at the river. It took a few seconds for a small area of the water at the edge to calm enough for Aerobolt to freeze it. Shade looked at him. Her eyes were glowing blue with the concentration of the Force of Water. He momentarily wondered if his eyes were doing the same. Without taking their focus away they each stepped onto the little ice platform Aerobolt created. It was a bit small, but Aerobolt had to conserve as much energy as he could. The shock of the ice’s coldness momentarily shattered Storm’s concentration, and that made the current surge forth, slightly shaking Shade’s focus. The ice vibrated ominously, but Storm managed to get back on track. Shade and Storm slowly moved the block further into the river. The roaring current of river was so loud; it threatened to break Aerobolt’s concentration. He blocked it out. Aerobolt was trying to synchronize his ice path along with them. It was not working as well as he felt safe to be. Nevertheless the ice held under them. As they moved, the current behind them resurged, and cracked the ice they were on just a couple of seconds ago. This was incredibly dangerous, yet there was no turning back now. This was their only option.
It seemed to have taken all day. Their movement across the river was so slow Aerobolt was growing impatient. His impatience quickly overwhelmed his fear. They were only halfway across the river now. Block the current directly in front of them. Freeze the water where it has calmed. Quickly sidle to the new platform before the one they were on disintegrates. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. It was so slow and monotonous, yet so dangerous and maybe even a little bit thrilling. Aerobolt had no time to ponder what he thought of their situation currently. He just rinsed and repeated the movements over and over. The other side of the river never seemed to get any closer. In fact, every step they took, the other side looked like it was taking a step back. The cold ice numbed his paws too. He was certain that because of it, he won’t move in time before it broke apart, and would be swept away by it. He wondered briefly if Storm and Shade felt the same way. Therefore he decided to try to keep the ice behind them stable for just a second or two longer, so they could move. This unfortunately made him begin to grow winded. Before he knew it, he was panting along with a headache forming inside him. He didn’t know how much he could take yet he kept going, because he knew if he didn’t, all three of them would drown. That alone gave him enough strength to keep going. Finally, the other end of the river seemed to have gotten a nudge closer. Just a little more he kept telling himself. His head was pounding with a headache that made him feel dizzy momentarily. His concentration broke. And they were at a standstill. He didn’t know how much energy the other two had left, but he knew he could not afford to stop. He tried to get back on it, but it was difficult. Aerobolt was certain he was about to pass out. But he wasn’t the one who passed out.
At first he barely noticed the orange body falling. At first he barely noticed as one of his allies disappeared under the waves. At first he didn’t notice Storm Cesia Tharo falling into the deathly clutches of the overflowing and raging Vrangar River. Aerobolt barely heard when Shade yelled, “Storm! No!” He did not hear when Shade yelled his own name. All he could do was jump head first into the white-capped torrent.
Even when the enormous power of the river slammed into his body, he refused to let it drag him away as well. He refused to let it drag him down. He didn’t care that he couldn’t swim. He didn’t even think about the fact he left Shade alone on the ice floe. He didn’t care that he was exhausted. All he cared about was rescuing Storm. He’ll worry about everything else later. Swiftly, he worked his way towards Storm. It was not hard to his surprise. The current was pushing him towards Storm, while Storm was trying to move against it. By the time he reached Storm, the white caps have completely covered him. Aerobolt dove under. His eyes did not tolerate the water, yet he refused to shut them; he had to find Storm! It was only a trifle calmer under the river; the currents were still exceptionally powerful. A flash of orange fur. Storm! He grabbed the unconscious cub from under his arms and dragged him to the surface. The weight of both of their soaked furs was almost unbearable. It took Aerobolt an alarming amount of time to reach the surface, and when he did, he took a very deep breath. He had not realized how low on breath he actually was. Instinct took over. He swam across the current, towards the other side of the river. It seemed even further away than it actually was, but Aerobolt did not care. All he wanted was for the two of them to be on shore. He kept his semiconscious mind on that goal and refused to yield to the colossal power of the river. Even when he hit the shore, and Shade had pulled them both out, he continued to swim until he saw nothing but black.

Aerobolt awoke to Shade’s voice. “Oh Thank Iridescence! You’re alive!” followed by her body trying to shake him awake. He groaned. His head hurt like crazy. Without warning he coughed, and what came out was a truly substantial amount of water. He looked over and saw Storm breathing heavily, a traumatized look across his cute face. “Both of you should be glad you are still alive! That was the dumbest thing I’ve seen you do, Aerobolt!” Shade said in an unnaturally high-pitched voice. It was morning of the next day. That night they would arrive in Thalda. Shade was giving them a worried tongue lashing over the recent incident.
“We know Shade! Give it a rest already!” Aerobolt replied warily. He just noticed the rain finally stopped. But he felt his fur was never going to dry again even if he coaxes it out himself.
“I thought I lost the pair of you! Don’t ever scare me like that again!”
Aerobolt sighed grimly. “If I hadn’t acted, I am sure Storm would have drowned. And you would be blaming me for it… it’s how it goes with me… nothing I ever do is the right thing in anyone’s eyes…”
Shade softened up. “Oh Aerobolt… I had no idea you felt that way. But you should have known that using our Forces together would have saved him.”
“Yeah? And what about the ice floe? It would’ve cracked and all three of us would have been dead,” Aerobolt said glumly.
“Maybe not. We were pretty close to the shore,” Shade said quietly.
“I wasn’t apparently,” Storm muttered as he stood. His tail drooped to the ground in pure sadness. Apparently the cub blamed himself again. Shade didn’t even try to stop him. Now he seemed lonelier than ever. So much so it made Aerobolt very uncomfortable.
“Storm…” he said sympathetically. Storm looked at him, his golden eyes dark with depression.
“What? You gonna yell at me like Shade did? Go ahead. I deserve it. Because of me, all three of us almost died. Again. I truly am a waste of fur,” he said with so much misery, Aerobolt had no idea how to respond. He just sighed. Storm’s depression was contagious.
“Shade, why did you have to be so hard on him? The cub was already convinced he was nothing but a hindrance,” Aerobolt said to Shade with pronounced disappointment.
Shade returned his stare, “I know I only made him feel worse. But this time… it really was—“
“So it is his fault his powers weren’t properly trained!? It is his fault he was afraid of the river in the first place!? It his fault that his limited stamina caused him to collapse!?” Aerobolt exclaimed.
Before Shade could respond. “Guys. Stop. Please. Don’t fight because of me,” said the fox cub, sadness billowing out of his voice. His eyes glistened with tears.
“Storm…” Aerobolt said again, trying to summon the right words to help. “What matters is that we are all across and still alive. Not who, how or why we were put into danger. What matters is… is that we just keep looking into now and the future. Not what happened in the past,” he said shakily. Before he knew it, a tear fell down his face.
Shade looked at him admiringly. “Those are excellent words, Arrabalta. Now do me a favor, Storm. Abide by what Aerobolt just said. Forgive what you think you have done, so that we could forgive you too.”
Shade. I-I don’t know. I have hurt so many without my intention. I never meant to hurt anybody!” Storm wailed.
“I know… I know…” Shade said soothingly. “But all will be forgiven. But you have to forgive yourself first. I know it’s hard. I still haven’t forgiven myself for all I have done. There is a saying I go by whenever I feel down on myself. It goes like this. The Past is Always Darker Than the Future,” Shade said proudly.
Aerobolt’s eyes widened. “What?! I tell myself that every day!”
“Is that so? Well it’s a really good saying,” Shade said.
“I say that, because I remember someone from a long time ago give me it. It was so long ago, I don’t remember who,” Aerobolt knew. It was Shade. Before Arcane had cubnapped him.
“Storm, no matter how bad you think your life is, it always gets better in the end. You just have to be patient. Don’t rush yourself. No one is born happy,” Shade added with darkening eyes. Aerobolt knew she was reliving the day Arcane snatched him away in her mind, and how she knew he would’ve been born happy if all that never happened.
Storm sniffed. “You really think my life will get better? You think I will be happy?” he asked hopefully.
“Absolutely. You are still a cub. You have a long life ahead of you. Embrace it as it happens, and never let go of your future,” Shade said.
Aerobolt said to himself that that this is what he must do as well. He decided he needed to live life in the present and not the past or future.
“We learn from our mistakes and move on. We get smarter after each mistake we make. …And I realize how wrong I was to just pin blame on you like I did. There. I just got smarter,” Shade added.
“I-I guess you are right, Shade. I will move on now,” Storm said shakily.
“Excellent. Now. Who is ready to go to Thalda?” Shade asked.
Aerobolt and Storm both nodded.
“Alright! Onward to Thalda!” Shade proclaimed.
Even though Shade’s little pep talk was for Storm, Aerobolt couldn’t help but learn from it as well. ‘The Past is Always Darker Than the Future… Huh. That cannot be any more true,’ he thought as he followed Shade and Storm deeper into Marsh Plains, into the foothills of Myunae nu Eira, the last obstacle and the very gates to his new home, Castla nu Craara.
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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/