*In an Ice Cave*

"No!" Dragonsong gasped, amber eyes wide. "It can't be!" She shot to her paws, dazed. She turned from the ice wall, trembling. "We have to stop what will happen!"

"You must go to the Hidden Kingdom now." A deep voice from the side of the cave rumbled.

"Why can't you go, as well?" The black tigress asked, prepared to run to her followers.

"It is not my time, yet. I can offer no help at the moment." The deep voice said, somewhat sorrowfully. Dragonsong nodded, before rushing out of the cave.

"Serpentstrike!" The golden tiger looked up at his leader.

"Yes, Dragonsong?" Serpentstrike asked, noticing the look of fear on his leader's face.

"Gather some of your fastest warriors; the end will come if we don't go to the Hidden Kingdom now." Dragonsong ordered, neck fur bristling. Serpentstrike nodded immediately and rounded up some of the other tigers. "Let's go!" Dragonsong bounded forward, the patrol of tigers following her. The tigers moved swiftly across the snowy terrain in a southward direction, Dragonsong forcing the others to follow faster. The black tigress stretched her legs in an attempt to travel faster. Finally reaching the part of the Northern Kingdom where the mountains slope down to meet the Hidden Kingdom, the tigers were able to run faster with the added speed of running downhill. Narrowing her eyes to keep out the wind rushing in her face, Dragonsong charged down off a ledge and over the border into the Hidden Kingdom.

"Fan out and find the One." Dragonsong ordered. "Serpentstrike, you will come with me." The golden tiger ran to Dragonsong's side. "We will go east. The rest of you get going." Dragonsong ordered the patrol before turning around and sprinting through the forest. The feeling of leaves under her paws was unnatural, having always stayed in the icy mountains for the majority of her life.

"What are we looking for?" Serpentstrike asked. Dragonsong did not answer the male tiger. Soon, both tigers came to a beach.

"There are other animals here. And humans, as well." Dragonsong commented, turning her gaze back and forth.

"Could they know what we might be looking for?" Serpentstrike asked.

"I hope so." Dragonsong answered her companion, making her way onto the beach. "Is there anyone here?" Dragonsong called loudly, narrowing her eyes slightly. She noticed Serpentstrike jump as one of the Hidden Kingdom lions jumped out of the bushes, growling. "Calm yourself, lion. We come in peace." Dragonsong growled.

"…Wait here." The lion turned around jumped back into the bushes. Dragonsong shook her neck fur and waited silently until the lion came back with two humans. Before they could speak, Dragonsong spoke first.

"We are of the tiger tribe in the Northern Kingdom. I am Dragonsong and this is Serpentstrike." The black tigress introduced the tiger next to her with a flick of her tail.

"I am ApeTrully and this is Lin Chung. I'd welcome you to the Hidden Kingdom, but…" The shorter one with a boxy head said.

"Yes, we can see." Serpentstrike cut un, rolling his eyes. Dragonsong glanced at him, silencing him.

"We are here for a reason. Is there one who dwells here with a dark gray pelt, ice blue eyes?" Dragonsong asked, her eyes flickering between the two humans.

"Her? What do you want with her?" The one named Lin Chung said angrily.

"We need to help her." Dragonsong answered quickly.

"Help her!? What's happened to the whole Hidden Kingdom is her fault! How could you help her?" Lin Chung said, gesturing with his arms wildly.

"Yes, we know. But she is important in future events." Dragonsong said exasperatedly.

"Yeah, sure." He snapped.

"Insolent boy! How small-minded are you!?" Dragonsong snapped. The human's eyes widened. "Never mind, I doubt you could answer that question. Come, Serpentstrike. We will look elsewhere." Dragonsong stood to her paws and ran past the humans and on into the forest.

"Well, that was useless." Serpentstrike said quietly. "Do you-" The male tiger was cut off by a scream. Dragonsong stopped in horror; she knew the voice.

"Go! Go, go! We must move now!" Dragonsong bounded away into the forest in a fury, legs rushing to carry her body to the source.

*With Rachel*

I scowled to myself as I willed my legs to keep moving. We were on our way to the camp of Big Green to, gag, ask them for help.

"I resent this!" Yeshai called form his place as rear guard.

"Shut up, Yeshai!" Gray snapped. The gray tom had grown irritable, starting to snap at everyone but myself. I shook my head, annoyed at the males, and continued on until I could feel sand under my paws.

"Stay here, I'll go on." I ordered; tail tip twitching as I started to walk again. I pushed my head out from under some fronds to take in the scene before me. I saw a few of the members of First Squad, and a few animals. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I walked out of the bushes and cleared my throat to get their attention. Lin Chung immediately drew his weapon, and a few of the animals stepped forward, ready to fight.

"What do you want?" Mighty Ray snapped.

"I am so going to regret this…" I groaned. "As much as I despise to say this, I need Big Green's help." There was silence before Mighty Ray burst out laughing.

"Oh, sure, you need our help!" He grinned. I growled and narrowed my eyes.

"Idiot, I'm not joking!" I hissed. Lin Chung looked at me coldly.

"Then why do you need our help?" He asked.

"TwinMasters isn't just looking for the animal hierarchies anymore, or members of Big Green. He's looking for my team and I, as well." I explained, teeth slightly bared.

"Serves you right." Lin Chung said quietly. I growled lowly.

"I don't want to team up with you as much as you don't want to, as well. But either we team up, or this hell hole is gonna get a whole lot worse." I snarled. Lin Chung shrugged before walking away. Glaring after him, I bared my fangs. "Then you just signed everyone's death sentence!" I snapped before whisking away back into the forest, growling and snarling to myself. I jumped as an animal stepped out of the bushes ahead of me, but relaxed when I saw it was Aslan.

"You scared me." I muttered.

"How did it go?" The lion asked.

"Not good; they won't join." I snarled, digging my claws into the ground. Aslan was silent for a while before he spoke again.

"…What will you do now?" He asked, eyes full of worry. I sighed.

"I have to leave you all for a while, until TwinMasters stops hunting for us." I said, ears drooping.

"What? But there's safety in numbers." The male lion rumbled.

"Maybe for a little while, but not for forever. I'll find you again when this is over." My tone basically said I had made up my decision. I touched Aslan's shoulder with my nose, and stepped back.

"Stay safe." Aslan said sadly, his amber eyes flickering in regret.

"Same to you." I turned around and trotted off into the forest, trying to hold back my tears. I was leaving my boys, my best friends, and Gray. "It's for their own good…" I said to myself. "Why me?" I asked myself, looking up at the blood red sky. The clouds offered no explanation.

"Because the Fates have demanded it of you, of course." I nearly jumped out of my skin as I recognized the roar of TwinMasters. I quickly turned to my human form and whirled around, trying to pinpoint where TwinMasters was. I was about to speak and insult him when a blinding pain entered my chest. I looked down to see the sharp tipped end of a sword blade poking out from the middle of my chest. I screamed in pain as whoever stabbed me pulled the sword out from my back, and I stumbled to the ground. I glanced up from my place on the ground to see the shape of a man disappear and, in his place, TwinMasters appeared. His stature towered over mine, and my visions blurred. But my hearing was as well as ever.

"You were the last hope for the Hidden Kingdom, did you know that, Rachel?" TwinMasters laughed. I tried to speak, but the hole in my chest caused me too much pain to speak. "Of course you wouldn't. The Prophecy was never told to you, I assume?" A Prophecy? Not that I knew of. I saw the tip of the sword glint in the air above me, before I felt another blast of pain in the same place I had been stabbed in before. I let out an ear-piercing shriek; I couldn't help it. I grabbed at the metal blade pinning me to the ground, but it was no use. My vision immediately blurred and turned black.