This is my first story on FF. I'm really excited about it and would like to know what you all think. So please, feel free to leave a review. No trolling! I won't tolerate any of that! Enjoy the story! :)

Chapter 1: The New Warrior

The wind howled mournfully; gloomy grey clouds hid the happy blue sky above. Snowflakes here and there traveled abstractly on the wind currents. A thick blanket of snow covered a vast area of the region, leaving no sign of hope for any living thing that dared to go there. Somewhere in the white wilderness, there stood a lonely cabin, lost in the sea of snow. The warm glow from the cabin's windows did little to chase away the white gloom.

Four lonely creatures resided in this cabin, unsure of where they were, or what even happened to them. A fire roared in the fireplace, casting its comforting glow through the semi-empty cabin. A golden-winged, black creature sat in front of the fireplace, hunched over in deep thought. Her brown eyes gazed intently into the flames; her two long braids hung listlessly in front of her blue vest, resting on her brown pants, as the rest of her golden-blonde hair flowed down her back. Her white-striped tail swished gently now and then, a sure sign she was thinking.

A gray rabbit wearing black pants sat down on the sofa to the right of the winged skunk. He seemed impatient as he constantly brushed his black leather-gloved hand through his flaxen hair and played with his clawed and beaded necklace.

"You've been sitting there a while," he said.

"Hm?" was the response.

"What are you thinking about?" the rabbit asked quietly.

"Oh, just stuff…"

"Like…?"

"It's none of your business, Dagger!" the skunk snapped.

"Excuse me?!" Dagger shot back. "Is that how you speak to me?!"

"When you're sitting there being an idiot, yes!" the skunk spoke sharply.

"As the leader of this band, I demand-"

"I'll be right back," the skunk interrupted, promptly standing up and marching towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Dagger raised his voice.

"Just going out for some fresh air," the skunk responded, "And to clear my mind. I'll be right back." She immediately opened the door, stepped out, and shut it with a loud bang. This display only made Dagger more irritable, as he huffed moodily and pressed himself against the couch pillows.

As if that moment couldn't get any worse, another skunk (this one a male with a green vest and brown pants) entered the living room.

"What was that about?" he asked in a scolding tone. His accent was always strongest when he was expressing negative emotion.

"You know what? That's none of your business!" Dagger snapped.

"Really…!" said the skunk. "Why were you bugging Goldwing?"

"Thunder, shut it!" Dagger almost shouted. "Go find something to do with yourself! Leave me be!"

Thunder shrugged, turned around, and went up the ladder to the loft.

Goldwing seemed unfazed by the biting cold as she wandered absent-mindedly through the barren wilderness. Occasionally, she would look up, only to see the same flat horizon she saw before. Nothing was new. The snow seemed to stretch onward for all eternity. She continued walking with her head down for a short while, but when she looked up again, she saw a bump in the snow. Immediately, her pace quickened, eventually turning into a run towards the unusual lump. As soon as she arrived at the bump, she quickly brushed the snow away. What she discovered was shocking. Under all that snow laid another black creature – though this one was feathered, and he had long white hair that turned blue at the edges. Goldwing continued digging away at the snow and saw that the creature wore light brown pants and black shoes with white socks underneath.

All this was so amazing to the young skunk that she dug faster until the creature was loosened from the snow's ruthless bondage. She gently lifted him up, careful not to hurt his bill or pull his hair, and carried him back to the cabin.

"She just walks away without saying where she's going!" Dagger fumed, pacing the cabin irritably.

"Oh, shut up!" retorted a brown female rabbit. "You're not her father!"

"It's not the point!" Dagger exploded.

"Goldwing's coming!" Thunder blurted, looking out the window. He instantly rushed to the door and swung it open. His bald face dropped at the sight before him, and his reddish brown eyes grew wide. "Goldie, what in the world…?"

"It's a black duck, stupid!" Goldwing snapped, obviously still irritated from earlier. "Now help me warm him!" She ran over to the fireplace, Thunder following her. As Goldwing set the duck down, the male skunk took a blanket from off the couch and covered the creature.

"That should do it," said Thunder once the creature was completely covered.

"Thanks, Thunder," Goldwing said plainly.

The male skunk smiled good-naturedly; then seated himself next to his favorite winged friend.

Dagger peered at the odd white-haired creature. "I don't know…what do you think, Diamond?" he asked the female rabbit.

"No threat," Diamond shrugged.

Dagger didn't answer. He simply sat on the couch, his legs pressed together and his arms crossed.

Not a few minutes passed before the long-haired duck began to stir. Thunder nudged Goldwing, who was off in a daydream somewhere. As she blinked herself back to reality, she saw the duck's eyes flutter open. When he opened his eyes fully, he gazed at them curiously at first. Then as he observed his surroundings, he jumped up and almost backed into the fireplace. Thunder, Goldwing, Dagger, and Diamond had also risen from their places, shocked by the sudden display of fright.

"Careful, now," Thunder cautioned, putting his hands forward, attempting to draw the duck away from the flames. "Don't burn yourself." The duck grunted and pulled away from Thunder; the feathered creature began to spark, and immediately his whole body was alive with blue electricity. Thunder backed away instantly, and resolved to only watch what the creature would do.

The duck seemingly tried to force something through his hand. Becoming frustrated when nothing appeared, he put his hand through the flame – much to the bewilderment of the other four creatures. When the duck pulled his hand out, it was completely on fire. Next, he sent an electric charge to his flaming hand, and the yellow ball of fire became much hotter than before. The flame grew hotter until it burned bluish-white.

Goldwing, Diamond, and Thunder's eyes were wide with astonishment and interest. Dagger, on the other hand, looked as if he wanted to run out the door and never come back – but he stayed, despite his mild apprehension to this electric fire thing that was now in the cabin.

The feathered one eyed the creatures before him – which made Dagger more nervous. The duck's fiery yellow eyes snapped over to the gray rabbit. Dagger, now becoming increasingly afraid, reached back into his pocket and slowly pulled out a knife. Observing this, the duck quickly put the fire in his hand out, and knocked the knife out with a single electric bolt. At first, Dagger's eyes went wide with surprise, but then he snarled and lunged at the duck. The feathered creature smirked and instantly brought down the rabbit with another bolt. Dagger lay on the floor, shocked.

"Now just you wait a minute," Diamond challenged, stepping forward. "You can't treat him like that! You don't even know him!"

The duck scowled at the comment, and instantly put a ring of fire around Diamond, making her scream.

"Uh, little help here?" Diamond said nervously, as she gazed wide-eyed at the fire around her feet. Thunder glanced from Diamond back to the feathered creature. Unfortunately, the duck's piercing yellow-eyed gaze bore into Thunder.

What do I do? Thunder's mind raced. I've heard of creatures like this, but not how to deal with them. As the skunk fretted inwardly over his options, he noticed the duck was slowly beginning to light on fire. Oh my! Thunder panicked.

"Um…please," Thunder began, trying to remain calm. "We mean you no harm."

The duck snarled. Something in the skunk's accent was making the feathered fire creature uneasy; and it showed as more visible electric charges weaved their way through the black body.

"Did I say something wrong?" Thunder mumbled. Suddenly, the fire creature lunged at the skunk and pinned him to the floor. The duck's eyes began to glow white with hot blue surrounding the white center. But suddenly, as fast as he had lit himself on fire, the feathered creature's eyes ceased glowing and the flames engulfing his body subsided; the electric charges disappeared.

The duck turned his head slowly towards Goldwing, as he felt her hand on his shoulder. Her face was the first to show true compassion as she smiled sweetly. The duck, however, remained impassive as he stood up, still gazing into Goldwing's eyes. The golden winged skunk became locked into the fire creature's gaze, nearly being sent into a trance.

Without warning, the duck disappeared in a flash of fire, startling Goldwing. She blinked, not realizing what just happened. Thunder slowly propped himself up on his elbows, watching his friend intensely.

"Are you all right?" he asked, feeling quite concerned.

Goldwing shook her head. "Um, yeah," she stammered. "Sure…" She stared aimlessly. "Where did he go?"

Once recovering from the shock, Dagger stood up, though his legs shook quite a bit. "Why does it matter?" he said gruffly. "That…that thing's…dangerous!"

"…I wouldn't say 'dangerous,'" Goldwing said quietly.

"Goldwing, you saw how he reacted to Thunder!" Dagger retorted. "We can't have that menace living here!"

There was a slight pause before Goldwing spoke. "He's not a menace," she said, her voice softer than before.

"What, now, was he communicating through mental telepathy or something?" Dagger said sarcastically.

"Uh, guys!" Diamond called out. Dagger and Thunder looked in her direction. The fire ring was still burning around her, but didn't spread any farther. "How am I supposed to get out of this thing? I mean, is it gonna do something if I jump out?"

Goldwing recovered her senses and brought her attention to Diamond. The winged skunk walked over to the fire ring. Licking her finger, she brought it to the flame; as soon as she touched it, the ring instantly disappeared. Dagger's jaw all but hit the floor.

"Oh, great!" the rabbit slapped his head. "Magic fire now?"

"It's not magic," Goldwing said standing up. "When water – or anything wet – touches a firebird's ring of fire, it'll go out."

Dagger's lower eyelid twitched. "How is this possible?" he wondered aloud, his voice tense.

"Go take a breather," Goldwing said dismissively as she went towards the ladder that led to the loft. She briskly climbed it and disappeared into the darkness.

"Teach me not to listen to the firebird stories," Diamond said ashamedly, rubbing the back of her neck. Thunder had already stood up. He noticed Dagger's wide-eyed expression and almost burst out laughing. It wasn't everyday that something this exciting – or particularly amusing – happened. Dagger's gaze shifted over to the amused skunk. The rabbit moodily crossed his arms and glared menacingly – which didn't faze Thunder in the least. The skunk tried to regain his composure.

"Goldie's right," Thunder smiled. "You should take a breather." He patted his friend on the shoulder and also went toward the loft. Dagger huffed and planted himself in the couch. Diamond shrugged to herself and left the living area.

Goldwing meandered through the cabin, slowly turning her head every which way while nonchalantly playing with her braids.

I wonder where he went, she thought as she stopped herself in front of the empty couch. She stood there for a moment, thinking that maybe he was behind it. Peeping around the couch, Goldwing found, to her amazement, the white-haired creature curled into a sitting position, seemingly asleep. A small gasp escaped her mouth, which startled the black duck. His head instantly shot up, his yellow eyes boring into Goldwing.

"It's okay," she said softly, extending her hand. The fire creature suddenly caught the skunk's wrist, gripping it so tight, Goldwing thought her bones would be crushed. Her breath grew rapid and her eyes increased to twice their size. The duck slowly stood up as he kept his gaze – and grip – steady. Goldwing attempted to draw back, but she was stuck – much to her dismay.

"Please…let go…" she said helplessly. "I don't- want- to hurt you!"

"Why have you brought me here?" the duck asked sharply.

Goldwing's breath slowed. Did she really hear that? This creature actually spoke to her!

"Answer me!" he snapped, with an obvious lisp.

The golden-winged skunk took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "Y…you were buried under the snow," she managed to say. "You were…passed out. I couldn't just…leave you there…"

"Hm," the duck said, his gaze not as harsh now. He loosened his grip on Goldwing's wrist, releasing it. The skunk rubbed her wrist, letting out a distinct "ow." The creature's expression became calm, and his eye color wasn't as intense as before.

"Who are you?" the duck asked simply.

"I'm Goldwing," she answered quietly. "What's your name?"

"Blue Flame," the duck responded respectfully.

"Pleasure to meet you," Goldwing said politely, extending her other hand. This time, Blue Flame responded with a gentle handshake. The skunk breathed a sigh of relief, which prompted Blue Flame to chuckle.

"I guess this means you're not mad at me?" Goldwing joked.

"Mad?" Blue Flame smiled sarcastically. "Who said I was mad?"

Goldwing giggled. "I see you have a sense of humor!"

"Maybe I do," Blue Flame said matter-of-factly, though he smirked. "Having a sense of humor is important," he continued on a more serious note. "Without it, you would become austere, and strange to those around you. You'd be the subject of everyone's gossip."

"That's…very true…!" Goldwing said slowly. "I've never thought about it that way. Did you learn that on your own?"

"I learned mostly from…my dad," Blue Flame explained, his voice trailing off at the word 'dad.' His eyes cast downward.

"Oh," Goldwing said softly. "What…happened to him?"

Blue Flame looked up quickly, pain written all over his face. Goldwing began to think she said something wrong; her heart pounded a little. "That's another story for another time," the firebird said a little rapidly.

The winged skunk shifted uncomfortably. "…Okay," she muttered. "Just…please don't get angry at me…you know…for asking."

Blue Flame sighed. "…I have no right to be angry with you. And I can't say you don't know the pain I feel. Let's leave this subject alone for a while, and focus on getting to know each other. Everything will be revealed in time."

Goldwing smiled slightly. "All right then," she agreed. "Do you need to be alone for a bit?"

"No…" the firebird sighed. "I'll be fine…for now."

"Okay. Won't you sit down on the couch?" she offered.

Blue Flame raised an eyebrow.

"So…we can…get to know each other better?" Goldwing added.

The firebird smiled. "That's fine with me."

Goldwing returned the smile.

"I've lost them!" a strange creature shouted. He had an odd voice; his body was solid black; only his eyes showed; and he was decked from head to foot with beautifully furnished battle armor, though half his body was showing.

"Master Lucianus! Please calm down!" an old fox admonished. "You've been fuming for over an hour!" But the servant's words did little to soothe the raging humanoid creature.

"I can't calm down!" Lucianus roared, his body growing tense. "This was my only chance! And that accursed fire creature blew it! (Quite literally, I'm afraid.)"

"If you make a conscious effort to soothe your rage, you may be able to think!" the robed silver fox advised.

Lucianus stared into the fox's slanted black eyes. The black creature looked back at his damaged machinery and sighed heavily. "Silver, my humble servant, I have lots of work to do. You may turn in for the night."

Silver bowed respectfully and made his way towards his sleeping quarters. Lucianus seated himself in his laboratory chair, making a conscious effort to breathe and slow down his rising heart rate. I must be careful to not overdo it, he thought to himself. If I want to accomplish my agenda, I must not risk my health. Eventually, I'll find those creatures, but I need to focus on the important things. Lucianus looked around at his half-destroyed lab. …Like cleaning this awful mess.

Before Goldwing went to bed, she made sure that Blue Flame was okay with sleeping on the couch. The firebird had confirmed that he was, stating that he could also keep an eye on the fire. Once the two had bid each other 'good night,' the winged skunk climbed the ladder. As she neared the top, she was startled by Dagger standing in the way.

"Couldn't find it in your heart to kick him out, huh?" the rabbit said mockingly.

"You've got some nerve!" Goldwing shot back.

"I'd say you're the one who has the nerve! Didn't I already state that we can't have that menace here?"

"And who made you the boss?"

Dagger recoiled at that little challenge, his eyes widening with anger. Seeing that Dagger had no answer, Goldwing roughly pushed past him and crawled into her bed, folding her massive wings over herself to stay warm. The rabbit, realizing he got literally nowhere with the argument, huffed and crawled into his own bed, opposite from Goldwing's and Diamond's.

The night crawled by slowly for Dagger. He tossed and turned non-stop. Whichever position he lay in, he wasn't comfortable. Dagger had no idea what time it was, but he thought he'd check the fire and stoke it if need be. He quietly slid out of bed and climbed down the loft ladder. When he turned around, he saw the fire was still going. Looking to the right, he saw Blue Flame passed out on the couch, snoozing contentedly.

Something caught Dagger's attention. He silently moved closer to the fireplace and was taken aback at what he saw: tiny bright yellow girls with their hair on fire! The rabbit couldn't believe it. He had never seen such adorable little pixies in his life – especially not where he came from. They were laughing and dancing through the fireplace, though their laughter sounded musical and pleasant. A strange feeling of joy began to rise inside Dagger. He knew that feeling, and it had been so long since he felt joy. He couldn't control the smile that spread across his face.

Suddenly, Blue Flame turned on his side, which made Dagger jump and forget his emotions. The rabbit looked back at the firebird and was about to leave, had not Blue Flame seen him and spoken to him.

"What are you doing?" the firebird asked curiously.

Dagger's emotionless look returned. "Just checking the fire- wait a minute!" the rabbit stopped. "You speak?"

"We are not discussing whether or not I know how to use my vocal chords," Blue Flame said flatly. "I was simply asking what you were doing."

Dagger became increasingly irritated, but he hid it well. "I was just checking the fire," he said smoothly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get some sleep."

"Why else did you come down here?" the firebird questioned, his curiosity rising.

"That's none of your business!" Dagger snapped and swiftly went back up to the loft. Blue Flame shrugged and immediately fell asleep.

"Why else did I come down there," Dagger muttered under his breath as he crawled into bed. Laying his head on his pillow did nothing to soothe his intensifying headache. Probably some psychic, Dagger thought. He probably knows, he's just playing tricks on me.

"Freak…" Dagger whispered to himself.