Chapter Twenty-Eight: Of Prophecies and Poncles

A/N 11/14/10: I am so ashamed. I started this chapter in March and just now finished it. Please forgive me for doing that to you guys. I was focusing on my original writings, and... Well, if it is any consolation, I have almost finished a book, have written at least fifty poems, and have improved ten-fold in my drawing capabilities.

Now, if I could just do something about my procrastination. Anyway, this is the start of a new arc. Welcome to the Poncle Arc!

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"Okay, now that Icicle has been caught up on our story so far, let's move on. What prophecies have we been told?" asked Sasuke, looking to the companions that sat across from him. Sakura crossed her arms and frowned. With a sigh, he said, "Fine. I'll go first." He chuckled. "You know mine is best anyway. Straight from Agata Forest: Beware of the white wolf, for with it comes death. A helping hand is not always good."

"I better not be that wolf," said Sakura. "But at least we know that the 'helping hand' was Raiden." Sasuke nodded. His sister scratched one of her ears. "Well, I talked to the woman in Agata Forest as well. She told me: A hunter is coming; with him is darkness. Run for your life; be wary of familiar faces."

"That sounds like Raiden, doesn't it?" asked Sasuke. "He seems like a hunter of gods or possible Moon Warriors."

"No," said Icicle, eyes narrowing beneath his mask. "It sounds more like Kenash Unarabe Kamui."

Sakura cocked her head. "Who?"

"An Oina goddess who attacked me yesterday. She kept calling me 'Hunter' and then said she was a 'Hunter of Hunters'." Sasuke sighed and rubbed his chin. His ears flattened against his head.

"Gods attacking innocents. Moon Warriors running around ruining lives. Prophecies popping up left and right."

"I'll say." Icicle crossed his arms. He coughed to clear his throat. "A new life is formed. History repeats itself. The time to wield Kutone has come again. A silver glow shall light the way." He paused, hands clenching as he remembered the daunting orange eyes."And from Kenash: A thousand years of darkness follows in your wake. Those you hold dear shall crumble and fall."

"Lovely," said Sakura, propping her head up on her hand. "We're completely doomed."

Sasuke smirked. His ears twitched as he leaned near his sister. "You're just now figuring that out?"

Sakura growled and bared her fangs. "Shut up-"

"Hey, Sasuke! Sakura!" The trio looked toward the voice. A little brown dog galloped up to them, a broad grin on his face.

"Ita!" Sasuke returned the smile and leaned forward on his frozen seat.

"Sake, Sakkie, good to see you," said the dog. His gaze shifted from his friend to Icicle. His eyes widened in fear. "Ah, Icicle!" He took on a fighting stance. The orb around his neck pulsed with energy. Kutone rattled until Icicle obliged and drew it. They squared off, growling warningly.

Sasuke stepped between them. The short boy stared back and forth at the duo, determination empowering his gaze. "Ita, he's on our side now." The Canine Warrior frowned and stepped toward Icicle. The teen raised his blade. "Come on, guys. We fight enough with Raiden. Why can't we just sit down and listen to a story?" Ita's ears perked.

"A story?" Sasuke grinned. He clasped his hands behind his back.

"Yep. It's the story of a little pup who ended up fighting for the wrong team."

Icicle sighed. He covered his eyes with his hand. "Stop making it sound so childish. It is my life story for kamui's sake."

"Life story?" Ita cocked his head. "Are there lots of awesome fight scenes?"

"Of course!" cried Sasuke. "Now have a seat and I'll tell you everything!" Ita obeyed, sitting on Sakura's right. Sasuke sat on her other side, and was joined by Icicle after he sheathed Kutone. "So, here we go..."

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"So, now you know," said Sasuke in a serious voice. Then, he smirked and extended his hand to the dog. "Wanna join our group of heroes?"

Ita jumped up and barked. He placed his paw on the boy's palm. "Of course!" His tail wagged so fast, it was no more than a blur.

Icicle frowned beneath his mask. "But I thought you were one of the Satomi Canine Warriors," said the teen. "How can you have time to help us?"

Ita's ears flattened. "Well, I could not help much, but I'm sure Princess Fuse would allow us to assist if you need back-up. Protecting the safety of the gods is one of our duties."

Sakura grinned. "That's right!" she shouted, punching the air. "After all of this is over, I'll definitely be deemed a goddess!"

Sasuke covered his face with his hand. "Oh, not this again…"

"Hey!" called a new voice. Sasuke looked around, but saw no one approaching.

"Who said that?" A bright green orb jumped out of Ita's fur onto his short snout. "Issun?" The Poncle crossed his arms and flashed red.

"Of course it's me, kid! I've been sittin' here the whole time listenin' to your story!" Ita smiled sheepishly, ashamed to have forgotten his mission. "Now, can we get going? I promised to be home today."

Sasuke nodded. "We'll escort you in case Raiden appears. Right, guys?"

Icicle shifted to wolf form and barked. "Right!"

Sakura transformed as well, Silver Flash appearing on her back. "Anything to be a god." Sasuke's glaive appeared on his back as he shifted form. He shook himself off, creating a little storm of snow. Sakura barked and began wiping at her face. "How do you manage to get snowy when there's no blizzard?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Magic?"

"God magic," said Ita.

"From the moon," added Icicle, motioning at the sky.

Sakura groaned and began trudging toward Yoshpet. "I hate you guys..."

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"Are you sure you'll be okay?" asked Sasuke. "Do you want us to sniff around and-"

"I'll be fine, kid!" cried Issun, glowing green as he bounced on the outer edge of Ponc'tan Village. "All us Poncles have a deadly forest to protect us. And if that fails, I'll just use Denkomaru to take care of it. Now get goin' already! Raiden isn't gonna wait around for you to beat him!"

"All right. Let's go, guys." Sasuke set off, followed by his three friends. Ita quickly trotted to the front of the group. He held his head high, and smiled confidently.

"Mission complete!" He barked excitedly. "Oh, Princess Fuse will be so proud of me!"

Icicle snorted, sending a small cloud of mist out from under his mask. He padded ahead, tail waving as he moved. "I am going to make sure the forest is clear. Do not wait up." He trotted off into the darkness of Yoshpet.

"But we should..." Sasuke sighed. "Have fun, Icicle."

After a few minutes, Sakura bared her fangs. Silver Flash surged brightly as she turned around. "I think I hear something. I'm going back to investigate." She raced off, sending a shower of snow crashing down on her brother.

"No, Sakura!" Sasuke shook himself off. "We should stick together!"

"Don't worry; I'll protect her!" shouted Ita, following her. The orb at his throat glowed as he drew from its power, allowing him to move at a rapid pace.

"Aw..." Sasuke started to go after them, but stopped as something moved to his right. "What...?" His glaive swiveled as he cautiously stepped toward it. "Raiden?"

A red ball of light bounced out of the darkness. "Issun?"

"Think again, Blackie," said the Poncle. "The name's Ishaku." He jumped onto Sasuke's snout.

"I'm sorry. You look just like-"

"So what? All Poncles look alike now?" Ishaku whapped him between the eyes. The wolf yelped and shook his head, sending the Poncle flying. "Hey! Watch it, furball!" cried Ishaku, drawing a sword. He bounced at Sasuke, slicing at his paws.

"Whoa! Ah! Look out!" Sasuke dodged each swipe by raising his paws and stepping back. "Stop attacking me!" Ishaku leapt up and landed on the wolf's nose.

"I'll let ya go on one condition: let me ride around on ya without tellin' anyone I'm here."

"What? Are you hiding from Raiden?"

"Er... Yeah, that's it." His glow shifted to green. "Hide me before it's too late!"

Sasuke lightly nodded. "Right. I'll do it." The Poncle sheathed his sword and burrowed into his neck fur. "Hey, don't pull so hard! Ow!" The wolf shook himself instinctively.

"Stop movin' so much so I can get comfortable!" cried Ishaku, gripping the fur tighter. Sasuke bit his lip and stood absolutely still. His skin crawled as the Poncle shifted like a little flea. After an agonizing amount of time, he heard, "There. Now you can get goin'."

"Thank kami. Now, to find my sister! ...And Ita!"

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A/N 11/14/10: Sorry for the long wait! I'll share an awesome song with you to make up for it: "Walking in the Air" by Celtic Women. Also, check out "The Voice" by the same artist. Those are two awesome songs.^^