Being the only female Freedom Fighter might have seemed like a issue for most people, but Smellerbee didn't even notice that she was a girl at times so it didn't bother her. That is, unless someone else happened to point out the they didn't know she was a girl. Yes, it was a double standard that she set for everyone, but only she could think of herself as a tomboy (or boy like in anyway for that matter) everyone else was just supposed to know she was a girl.

So on the day that Jet, the only guy in the group that made Smellerbee feel all girly inside, said "I would like to commend Smellerbee, she has a feminine charm that makes her far superior in battle. She's sneaky." and then Jet smirked a bit and looked over at her, Smellerbee's heart fluttered and almost flew right out of her. She could tell that her cheeks were bright red and she had nothing to cover up with. What was she to do, she couldn't let everyone else know that she had girly feelings, she couldn't let them know she liked Jet, her reputation was a stake here.

So she ran.

She ran out to the end of the tree-house platform and jumped down, just catching on to the ropes that gently caressed her down to the forest floor. As soon as she touched the floor she bolted, running in no particular direction. And then she thought about it. Running away in a hurry like that, after receiving such a compliment, was going to entail a lot of explaining.

She reached a small pond at the end of the creek the Freedom Fighters got water from. The little world that revolved around this tiny pond fascinated her. It soothed all her worries and calmed all her fears, and her mind went blank. The dragonflies buzzing on the water were the only living creatures there to make a sound. But when Smellerbee looked closer, in reality everything at the pond was alive. The pond was the bringer of life for the dragonflies, but also the trees around it and the pond grass that grew in it, and it housed the small trout that swam in it. Up above in the trees, birds came flying down to the pond, drinking and bathing themselves in it. And even the air itself was cooled and turned by the water of it.

She got herself together and realized that, just like the pond, the Freedom Fighters were all living off the same thing. They all came from the same background and were fighting for the same reasons. So what she was a girl, with girly feelings, the fact that she ran away for a while only needed to be explained to one person. The one person she had really been running from. Jet.

Smellerbee walked back to the trees, that would eventually lead her to the tree-house, and zipped on up. It was already lunch and everyone was huddled together in a feeding frenzy, like normal. She walked straight through the muddled mess and didn't look back. The group stopped, looked up and starred. They saw raw determination in her eyes as she waltzed passed them, a determination different from the normal Smellerbee stare. It wasn't the determination they saw when she hunted, or even when she was playing around, it was more intense and yet more gentle.

Smellerbee knew where to find the man she was looking for, she new he wouldn't be eating with the others, but she needed to make it known that she was to be left alone, and she wanted to say it without saying a word. She saw the rest of the Freedom Fighters stare up at her in confusion and subtly admiration, and she knew that they got the message. She didn't turn her head to take in their bewildered looks, even though she desperately wanted to. It wasn't often that a person could get that much personal attention in a group of their size. But the daunting task ahead of her kept her from turning back to bask in her wondrous glory. And then all of the sudden she had reached the door she had been looking for. She knocked, hesitantly at first, then with more a little more self-assurance.

Jet opened the door. "Glad to see you've returned.", he said with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah, I just needed to think for a sec, that's ok right, everyone needs to think every once in a while.", Smellerbee replied. She wasn't sure how to start the conversation she had played out in her head on the way back from the pond. "Can I come in Jet, we need to talk."

"On business? You're doing great, you know that. I told you that myself." Jet answered.

"No, not on business, just a talk alright." she snapped back, she wasn't sure why she just couldn't say it and it was making her frustrated.

"Oh, alright I guess, come in." Jet let her in and was a bit confused. What could Smellerbee possibly want to talk about that wasn't business? Did she want some advice on hunting technique? Did she want to know what was next on the agenda for the Freedom Fighters? Smellerbee walked past him and then turned around to face Jet. He closed the door and looked at her, then it clicked in his head, Smellerbee's cheeks were very, very red, she must be sick! "Are you ok? I can take you to a healer if you don't feel right. Do you have a fever? You look like you do." the words stumbled out of Jets mouth in a manner that didn't suit him. He couldn't handle his favorite Fighter being sick, and he didn't know what to do.

"I'm not sick." Smellerbee said, puzzled by his reaction, it threw her brain of course. Jet calmed down, sat down, then looked up at her. "What I wanted to talk about," she said, taking a seat down on the floor with him, "was that I wanted to say..."

"Yes? You wanted to say?"

"Just shut up for a second, jeez.", the moment was finally here and she had two choices in her mind, she didn't know which option to pick, "I don't know how to gather my words, I...I...I...L..."

Jet looked up, he knew what she was going to say and he reached for her hand. Smellerbee pulled away her hand in return and stood up, "I'm leaving the Freedom Fighters." and she left. Jet watched her through the doorway as she ran, not looking back.

It rained, and Smellerbee was washed away. Jet was wrong, and nothing seemed right.

To anyone who liked the other chapters. They are gone. Sorry. I hated them and wrote them out of peer pressure when a friend made the statement "Oh that was nice, bet it will be great when its done."

The story was intended to end here.

Again, all apologies.