Each chapter I upload brings me a step closer to the end... and my end on FA for good...
CH 19 Summary: The river got in their way and got very upset at them... yeah... finally we arrive in a town called Thalda in Chapter 20 of my first book...
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The Guardians of Life: Justice (Book I)
Chapter Twenty-
Thalda

Myunae nu Eira. The vast mountain range that seemed so far away before was now standing right before Aerobolt’s eyes. They were much taller than Aerobolt had conceived. They definitely were much taller than the Thunderstruck Mountains west of Hydyraen. The Thunderstruck Mountains were tall, but these, the Spires of Sky, matched their name so brilliantly, as they rose higher than any cloud ever could. Somewhere in these gargantuan gates, lies Castla nu Craara.
The traveling foxes had reached the top of another foothill, and got a majestic eyeful of the vast wall of earth in front of them.
“Th-they’re huge!” Aerobolt breathed in awe.
Shade nodded. “Our home lies within. Look down there,” she pointed downwards somewhat. “See those buildings? That is Thalda. We need to restock there and make sure they know of the situation in Uron. The problem is… Lady Marqi, the town’s second in command is not exactly friendly. And there is their chief, Stonepaw, that fails to acknowledge it.”
“Stonepaw?” Aerobolt echoed. “Why do they call him that?” he knew it was a dumb question.
“It is known that his paw pads are as hard as stone. No one, not even he, knows why. He can’t walk well at all as a result. So please, be kind to him and not ask him yourselves. He likes to think of himself as a normal wolf, and one that has no ailments of any kind,” Shade said to them as she started down the hillside into the valley that sheltered Thalda. The sun was beginning to set. It bathed everything into a beautiful, brilliant orange, turning the valley into an aesthetic wonder. So far away from Hydyraen… so close to Castla nu Craara… it made the idea of the place even more spectacular.
“Hey Shade? You mentioned wolves living in Thalda. Are those the kind of creatures we should expect to live there?” Aerobolt asked curiously.
Shade faced him. “I had a feeling you’d ask that. Well, unlike in Uron and Cavra, the denizens of Thalda as well as nearby Empra are a mix of many different creatures including otters and badgers. Wolves make up the higher ranked members of the society. Some Kobold Warriors prefer to live there and Empra instead of their stronghold of Ieron that lies between them. It is truly diverse. Creatures called bears and lynxes and different kinds of birds… you will even find a few foxes there!”
Aerobolt was surprised. “Oh really?”
“Yes. And the best part about these foxes is the fact that most of them are retired Guardians. Their wisdom they gained over the years in Caslta nu Craara knows no bounds!” Shade explained.
“Wow… that sounds like a really wonderful place!” Aerobolt said excitedly. Thalda did sound wonderful! He couldn’t wait to get there! “Maybe I could learn something from those elders!”
Shade nodded. “I don’t see why not! Many of them were there when I first received the Prophecy. They’d be eager to meet you!”
Staring straight ahead, the town seemed to move closer to them instead of them moving closer. It was as if Thalda was more welcoming than Aerobolt expected; Uron and Cavra both treated them as enemies at first. He knew Thalda would be different. He saw various shapes and silhouettes moving about inside the town. Some were taking notice of the foxes approaching. One of them decided to greet them. As it left Thalda, running at surprising speed despite relatively short legs, Aerobolt saw it had very short ears. They were like small circles on a bigger head. It also appeared to have a very small tail as well. Its defining features were its massive paws.
Before Aerobolt could ask, Shade whispered, “That’s a bear. They are incredibly strong creatures that could kill a fox without any sort of weapon almost effortlessly. Whatever you do, do not make them angry. It may be hard; they have quite a temper sometimes.”
Aerobolt nodded tight-lipped. He just hoped that this bear was not hostile judging on what Shade told him.
These bears were apparently quite fast. Aerobolt was sure they could also outrun a fox. It was not long before it was in earshot of them and called over. “Welcome to Thalda!” a gruff female voice was what Aerobolt picked up. She was very tall and bulky. Shade was right. These bears look very powerful and ready to fight, even without any weapon of any kind. He was very thankful this bear was not hostile.
When the bear caught up, she noticed Shade instantly. “Hey! I know you! Shade right? You are no longer Nova, if I remember correctly.” She turned to Aerobolt. “Oh? And is this—“
Shade interrupted quickly. “Thanks Kalha. And yes. This is Aerobolt.”
The bear called Kalha eyed Aerobolt. “My, my. Don’t you seem like a powerful one? Well considering who you were raised by, I can hardly say I am surprised,” she said in a praising voice.
Who was this bear exactly…? “I- what?” Aerobolt had no idea how to respond to her.
“Bears can sense how powerful someone is. It’s like that Ralis character in Cavra, but genuine, Shade said. Facing Kalha, she said, “Well he is destined to be the God of Justice after all.”
“Oh really? The Prophecy speaks of him? (‘So they know too…’) Wait. Shade. His life was ‘Once shrouded in tribulation’? What have you done, Shade?” Kalha demanded in a hard tone.
“What are you talking about!? I haven’t done anything! It was Arcane!” Shade defended herself. Aerobolt couldn’t believe what was going on. Kalha made it very clear that he was supposed to have been raised by Shade, but why was Shade denying it? Any good mother would tell their cubs the truth no matter what! Even though Aerobolt knows, and Shade does not know that he is aware, the fact that Shade still denies it in front of him hurts him.
“Arcane. The Unknown Enemy,” Kalha growled. “I remember when that filthy rat showed his face here for the first time sixteen years ago. Even as a cub, he was unpleasant to be around.”
“Yeah, well. He leads Hydyraen now,” Shade said regretfully.
“What!?” thundered Kalha. “That weasel! What does he plan on doing with the Shadow Vulpines!?”
“We fear he is raising an army against Caslta nu Craara. He’s already gotten the support from Koboldar I believe,” Shade replied.
“He wouldn’t!” Kalha gasped. “But why?”
“Revenge. He wants to drown Nyethra in darkness and dictate Nyethra with iniquitous hell. What he does not realize, however, is that if one Force is blown out of proportion, in this case Darkness, the other six will fall into imbalance and place Nyethra in catastrophic danger,” Shade explained grimly.
Kalha was growling. “He wouldn’t dare. I don’t care if he wants revenge for whatever reason. If he dares comes close to Thalda, I will snap his neck.”
Shade couldn’t seem to help but seem slightly amused. “Sorry Kalha. But Aerobolt here is the one destined to kill him. Remember the Prophecy?”
“Lucky fox,” Kalha muttered.
Shade decided it was time to change the subject. “Could you take us to Stonepaw? We have urgent matters to speak with him.”
Kalha suddenly stopped storming, and became quiet. “I’m afraid Stonepaw cannot take any visitors as of current,” she whispered.
“Why not?” Shade demanded.
Kalha shook her head as if she didn’t want to say. “His condition has gotten worse. He has always been sickly since his paws inexplicably turned to stone, but now it has escalated to new levels. He’s ordered no one to visit him until he either get better, or… or dies,” Kalha said somberly. “Which unfortunately… is too likely to consider the possibly of curing.”
“Dies!?” Shade echoed loudly.
“The recent rains have caused many Thaldans to fall ill. But for Stonepaw, it is fatal. The wolf is sixty-two years old; he is far older than a normal wolf should be at fifty-five! Achieving an age like that is impressive enough without a crippling disability like his! He can’t walk anymore without seriously hurting himself. It cannot be much longer until Marqi takes over.”
“No! I don’t believe it! He was there when I first ran away from Hydyraen! He was the one who helped me find my way through the mountains… I don’t want to lose him now!” Shade cried in disbelief. “And Marqi! Does that pugnacious wolf really intend on succeeding him!?”
Kalha was growling again. “I do not like her either, but when Stonepaw goes, she’s indeed next in line.”
“She isn’t going to want to help Uron, is she?” Shade said in a low voice. “Please. It is really urgent! Does Stonepaw even know about the crisis in Uron? A Guardian should’ve delivered the message by now!”
Kalha was unsure. “I doubt he knows. He fell ill as soon as the rains overflowed the Vrangar River. As for visiting him… I really don’t know…”
“Please!” Shade begged. Aerobolt couldn’t believe how much desperation there was in her voice. Then he remembered. Shade made it seem that she and Stonepaw were very close friends.
Kalha sighed. “Oh alright… But only because it was you who asked me, Nova,” she said as she turned around to lead them into the town of Thalda.
“Why does she keep calling you Nova? My middle name?” Aerobolt asked curiously.
Shade almost didn’t want to answer. “My name before I became Arch Guardian of Darkness,” she replied. “I am surprised Kalha still remembers it.” Aerobolt was about to complain in his mind how obvious it was that Shade was his mother and that she kept hiding it from him despite how obvious it was, but he realized that the Thaldan buildings were around them at last. They were built mostly with stone, but with wooden framings and supports. The next thing Aerobolt saw were the various creatures that lived here. He saw some that he did not recognize suddenly leap into the air and fly! He gasped out loudly to where Shade noticed.
“Eagles. They are mostly native to western Myunae nu Eira at Vrangar Hold, but many live here in Thalda. They are very proud creatures. Nothing will hurt their pride. They are rather defensive about it though. So be careful around them,” Shade explained.
He recognized the wolves right away. They looked a lot like the Kobolds, but the rat-like features were gone. The wolves seemed much nicer to be around. Shade went on about how proud they were as well, and how they always seemed to compete with the eagles over seemingly everything. She also explained how the wolves always lived and fought in packs, very rarely ever separating.
“If only foxes lived like that,” Aerobolt muttered.
“Hydyraen and Castla nu Craara,” Shade said.
“Outside such things,” Aerobolt responded. There were foxes living in Thalda too. They had the same fur coloring as Storm did. Storm recognized an older couple right away and addressed them.
“Grandma! Grandpa!” he ran over to them. And the grandparents of Storm were surprised and glad to see him.
“If it isn’t my little Storm!” said the grandmother embracing him in a gentle hug. “My! Look how you’ve grown! Is that really my little grandson in there? Oh… I remember when Cesia was born… she was the cutest thing…”
“Mum…” Storm said. “I wonder how she is doing right now…”
“I’m sure she is doing fine,” Storm’s grandfather said. “It’s that blasted Farus I am worried about…”
“Father? I dunno. He is always with those Shrouded Wolves, I rarely get to see him!” Storm exclaimed.
“Shrouded Wolves?” Aerobolt queried.
“Tribe of wolves in the Shrouded Forest… which is a huge forest far to the west of here… It is all difficult to explain, but to be brief, Farus is the Guardian ambassador to the Tribes there,” Shade explained.
“So, my grandson, what brings you to Thalda?” Storm’s grandmother asked.
“Yurisa…” Shade started.
She started. “Oh! It’s Nova—Shade! And how are you faring?” she asked.
“Just fine… I left Castla nu Craara for a while to pick someone up,” Shade explained.
“Is this the one?” Yurisa pointed a shaky finger at Aerobolt.
“Yes he is… he is coming home with us,” Shade said.
“He looks scrawny! He needs some fattenin’ up! Like Storm here!” the grandfather suddenly said.
“Allum. I believe contrary! I believe Storm needs to lose his cub fat and Aerobolt looks just fine!” Shade said.
Allum muttered something. Aerobolt ventured a guess and assumed he and Shade never really saw eye to eye.
“We were on our way to see Stonepaw, right?” Aerobolt said.
Shade remembered. “Oh right! We must speak to him as soon as possible!”
“Leaving so soon? That’s so like you Shade…” Yurisa said in a cheerful tone. Then she darkened. “But given the circumstances with Sir Stonepaw’s health, I understand why…”
“We were so close when I first came here… he was my only friend at the time,” Shade said sadly.
“Go to him, then. Go to him while you still can,” Yurisa said kindly.
“Yes. I-I will…” Shade replied unsteadily.
“Do me a favor,” Yurisa continued.
“Yes?”
“If he goes, please be strong and let him go.”
“Y-Yurisa…”
It must have struck Shade hard to be reminded that her closest friend may not survive tonight. Aerobolt couldn’t but grieve along with her, even though he had never met Stonepaw before. Shade said a shaky goodbye to Storm’s grandparents and let Kalha take the lead again.
As they passed further into Thalda, Aerobolt realized how lively the town was, even in the evening hours in the dying sunlight. He heard many voices talking, many bells tolling, and the sound of many pawsteps on the cobblestone roads… Aerobolt realized how much he’d love to live in a town like this, to think that he’d be so very close. They had stopped. Aerobolt realized almost too late and nearly bumped into Shade.
“We are here. Please be as kind and patient as you can. I highly doubt Marqi is going to take you all in so kindly. I am not supposed to do this, but, I’d take Marqi’s wrath for you any day, Shade,” Kalha said.
“Thank you so much Kalha,” Shade said.
“Good luck,” is what the bear said before backing out and leaving into the crowd. They were facing what looked like the biggest building in Thalda. It remarkably resembled Jormund’s house in Uron, but it had the stone accents. Shade knocked on the dark wooden door. Aerobolt noticed it was made of the same wood as the crumbling bridge over the gorge. There was no answer. Shade knocked harder. There was still no answer. She tried the door. It was unlocked.
“Well… Let’s go,” she decided, taking a step inside.
“Are you nuts!? Breaking and entering!? That could spell big trouble!” Aerobolt hissed.
“Stonepaw told me whenever I needed help, I should never hesitate to ask for some,” Shade said determined. “I am not hesitating. Let’s go,” she repeated.
Aerobolt sighed and he and Storm followed her in. Stonepaw’s house was dark and dusty. I t was an unkempt mess with various objects scattered about. Amongst the dusty smell there was another that sent chills up Aerobolt’s spine. Aerobolt knew instantly what it was. Death and illness…
A loud voice from the gloom made Aerobolt jump and trip over a low table. “You! What are you doing here!? Stonepaw is dying! Get out!”
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Wanna start from the beginning? Here is Chapter One! http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11187661/
My series' index! http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5340298/