Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle.

A Message from the Thief

It took Thaukon one look to decide that he didn't like what he was seeing. The lava advanced fast, too fast, burning and melting averything on its path.

There wasn't much time, he snatched the two Ta-Matoran and threw them on his back.

-Everybody, run towards an exit! Quick!- he shouted in thought speak. Then he followed Nairof inside a crack.

Kishro started after Thau, but a second before entering the tunnel, he stopped and turned around.

"What are you doing?" asked Lewa.

-I'm telling you later, alright?- was the answer. The green Ihar shot up the walls, clawing on every small rock that stuck out and running down every ledge. Lewa tightened his grip, holding on for dear life.

"What are you doing?" he howled.

-I don't like tunnels- was the answer.

"Neither do I, but I don't get us killed for that!" shouted Lewa.

-There's an opening in the ceiling. Thau can't climb, and Nairof doesn't like it. But I'm not going down a tunnel just for that!-

"But the lava..."

-I can quickspeed faster than lava-

"Heartswear?"

-No, don't heartswear-

For a moment, the only sound was the lava rushing through the cave, then...

-ARE YOU INSANE!- came Thau's voice, apparently he was still near enough to hear what Kishro was saying.

-Didn't you already realize?- asked Kishro simply. Lewa tightened his grip and asked himself why they hadn't let the Toa Metru have that stupid Anjai.

The rest of the group had listened to all what Kishro had said, so they all had a half idea of what he was doing. Tahu was worried for Lewa: it hadn't been him that had asked for such a companion, but he also had other things to worry about.

The tunnel was slowly filling with smoke, and it kept getting harder and harder to see anything, Thau had to stay close to Nairof to make sure he wasn't going against a wall or the wrong way.

The smoke became more and more, stinging their eyes and going down their throats, making them cough, and still there was no exit in sight.

-Nairof! Can you see anything?- asked Thau.

-Yeah. Ahead of us, smoke. To our left, smoke and rocks. To our right, more smoke and rocks. Behind me, smoke and a Ta-Ihar with two Matora riding it-

-Very funny. And behind me?-

-Dunno, you're in the way.-

-Are you telling me the lava could come round the bend any second and you wouldn't know it?-

-Well, it would roast your butt first-

-I'm not asking next time-

Takua, who was sitting behind Tahu, looked nervously behind his back. All he could see was the blackness of the tunnel. Better than lava, at least. He was about to turn back around when he thought he had seen something. He squinted through the smoke. No, he must have been wrong. No! There was really a yellow glower in the distance. Lava!

He turned around to tell Thau, but breathed in a mouthful of smoke and had to cough. He tried again.

"Thau! Lava! Behind us!"

-How long is it till we get outside, Nairof?-

-If this is the right tunnel, we're nearly there.- answered the black Ihar.

On his back, Onua could see that 'nearly there' was too much. There was no light in sight, the lava would have reached them long before the were out, without counting that 'if this is the right tunnel'. What could he do?

His hand searched for the Ringlu. If he just could still control the earth, then he could have raised a dirt wall to protect them, for a while at least.

-I see a light!- came Nairof's voice. But it was too late, too late.

Onua tightened his grip around the stone, as if it could help, and tried desperately to make the earth behind Thau rise. To his surprise, it worked.

-What... oh, who cares. Faster Nairof! It won't hold for long!- shouted Thau. Nairof shot forwards and into the light..

As soon as they were outside the tunnel, they ran into the jungle. For some time, everything became a green blur, then Thau stopped in front of a large tree, panting.

"That was close," said Takua, slipping off the red Ihar, shortly followed by Tahu. Thau smiled in his weird way, then he raised his head and stood there, perfectly still, Takua knew he was probably calling for Kishro.

-I'm alright, and I'd look uptree if I were you- came Kishro's voice. The next second, the lively cat landed on Thau's back, who promptly threw him off and started barking at him for what he had done. Lewa climbed down the tree a minute later, grinning.

"So," he said. "Where next?"

Kishro turned to him, clearly glad that he had asked.

-I'm not sure... somewhere deepwood- he answered. Everybody stared at him.

"WHAT?" shouted the four Matoran.

-Hey! It's not my fault!- protested Kishro. -I didn't hide it!-

"No, I bet that worm did." growled Tahu.

-Who? The thief of Ga-Metru?- asked Nairof.

"Yeah, who else? She's been causing us trouble ever since we reached Metru Nui... if I get her...!" he snapped.

-How did you do that, Onua?- asked Nairof, changing subject.

"Did what?" Lewa wanted to know. Onua shrugged.

"I don't know it myself.," he said. "I just, tried to command the earth, and it worked."

"What?" shouted Lewa. Nairof told him quickly.

For a short time, nobody said anything. Kishro was the first to break the silence, telling them that they had to find the Jinoka, the Air-Ilsao.

"How?" asked Onua. "We don't even know where to start!"

-You've got your Ilsao.- answered Nairof. -All you have to do is concentrate on the Jinoka.- But Onua shook his head.

"I tried it before, but it didn't work," he said.

-That's probably because you weren't doing it right.- answered Thau. -You've got to concentrate only on the Ilsao, not on where it is!-

Onua nodded and tried to picture the Ilsao in his mind, together with the others. A green stone... nothing else. That was all that made it different. But it was enough. The Ringlu didn't start to pull, though. Instead, a riddle appeared in their mind.

"Huh?" he heard Takua say. "Next to the talking stone, on top of the singing tree?" Nobody answered. None of them had even a slight idea where this could be, only Lewa's face was the only one that lit up.

"I know where that is!" he said. Everybody stared at him.

"You do?" asked Tahu in disbelief.

"Yes! It's..." then he stopped. How in Mata Nui's name did he know? But Kishro didn't seem to bother.

-Jump on! You'll be our wayfinder then!- he said. Lewa climbed on his back, still asking himself how he knew.

XXXXX

It took them two days to reach the place, which turned out to be a tree next to an engraved rock. In the tree lived many birds, that kept squaking or chirping or whatever sound they made, filling the jungle with noise.

"And that's supposed to be the singing?" commented Tahu, covering his ears.

-Yeah, can't you catch the melody?- answered Kishro. Tahu snorted, his face telling clearly that for him it was only noise.

"So," said Onua, changing topic. "The Ilsao is up there?"

-If Lewa is right, then yes- answered Nairof.

"Okay," said Lewa happily. "Bring me uptree, Kishro."

At this, Kishro did something very strange. He ran to the bottom of the trunk and started climbing, then he stopped, halfway between the first branch and the ground.

-Maybe you should do it alone...- he started. Lewa gave him a questioning look.

"We'll be faster this way," said.

-Yeah, but it's also more dangerous- answered Kishro. Lewa stared at him.

"You didn't seem to care back at volcano." commented Lewa.

-Yeah, but... oh, nevermind- said the green Ihar and started climbing again, leaving Lewa confused.

They had been climbing for a while when Kishro jumped on a too thin branch, which broke under his weight. The cat clawed the branch underneath, but doing this, Lewa lost his grip and flew off the Ihar's back, landing on a lower branch.

Kishro looked down at the green Matoran, hoping that he didn't suspect anything, he needed all Lewa's trust if he wanted this to end well. He stared as the green Matoran stood up and started climbing up to him. No, he didn't have any suspect. Good. But he hadn't finished yet, he did as if to jump towards Lewa, but doing this, he 'tripped' and fell. Fell to the bottom of the tree.

Ouch, he thought as his left front leg crumpled beneath him. He should have been more careful. Luckily it wasn't broken. He looked back up the tree, now Lewa was by himself, whether he liked it or not.

Lewa couldn't believe in what had just happened. Kishro? Tripping? It couldn't be! But now he had to concentrate on getting to the top of the tree. He grabbed a vine and started climbing up. He could feel the Ilsao was near, somewhere in the top leaves, he climbed faster. His mind was completely on the Jinoka, so he didn't realize he that the whole forest had fallen in an eerie silence.

On the ground, Takua was busy studing the carving in the rock. It was a riddle, written in Matoran letters. Even though the time had clearly signed the rock, the message was still readable..

I know what you're seeking,

you're looking for the one who disappeared,

you're seeking me.

Yes, I'm the thief of Ga-Metru.

The thief of the sea.

But you won't find me here,

and not even there.

I'm gone.

And you can't catch me.

Just like you can't catch the wind, a spy between the trees.

Or the fire, a fiery warrior.

Or the desert, messenger through its sands.

Or the wiseness and the strength of the earth.

Or the icy coldness of the metal swords and shields.

So stop looking for me.

Don't forget who you are.

There wasn't anything else in the meesage. Tahu frowned.

"Not that it brings us much farther, but better than nothing," he said. Then he looked up. "Isn't everything a bit... quiet?" he added.

In fact, no sound was to be heard. Even the birds, that till a couple of seconds before had been squaking happily, were quiet. Kishro looked around, alarmed.

-Lewa!- he yelled, then he raced up the tree.

Lewa had just found the Jinoka, stuck in a branch. All he had to do was reach out and grab it. Yet, he hesitated. The branch wasn't very thick in that point, and he didn't know what the Ilsao would do after he grabbed it.

He took a deep breath and started walking to that point, carefully, for he knew that any fall would have been his last.

As soon as he was near enough, he pulled out the Jinoka, ready for the worst. But the stone didn't do anything. Lewa sighed in relief. In that moment, there was a green flash, the sound of metal stricking wood, and then nothing more. Lewa frowned, then shrugged and started walking back t the trunk, but he had barely taken a few steps, when there was a crack, and the branch started to break.

-Lewa! Hold on! Hold on!- came Kishro's voice. But it was too late. The branch broke completely off the tree, and Lewa fell.

-No! Lewa!-

Lewa fell and fell, waiting for the end. He barely noticed that the Jinoka had started to glow.

A gush of wind came out of nowhere, slowing his fall. Then another, and another, until a small twister was formed. Lewa stared, mouth opened in a silent cry. Then, the winds stopped, and Lewa crashed to the ground.

"Lewa! You alright?" asked Onua. Lewa stood up, rubbing his head. Every part of his body hurt. But at least he was alive.

"Yeah, I think so," he muttered.

-Okay,- said Thau. -We are meeting Sirkul and the others at the rapids. Don't ask me why, but it's a long way, so...-

-What's that?- asked Nairof, staring at the broken branch.

"That what?" asked Takua. But Nairof had already turned to Kishro, who was running down the tree. Kishro's tail twitched, and he jumped down the tree to see the branch.

"Is something wrong?" asked Onua. Kishro stared at him.

-If something's wrong?- repeated Kishro. -Onua, this branch... it didn't brake on it's own. It was cut!-


64 reviews? Wow! Thanks! My brother got Bionicle 2 for christmas. It reminded me a bit of Harry Potter 3. There's little or nothing left of the original story (Where's the Moburzakh?) and some things aren't explained (Brother?), but it's quite good altogether. I just find weird the Mask powers. I thought Matau had the Mask of Illusion, not of Shape-Shifting! And what does Whenua have, exactly? Mask of Flashlight? Or X-Ray vision. I guess that means that the first movie is still number 1!

Regrem Erutaerc: The next time, please tell me what I could describe better. Oh, and during the holidays I've decided that there isn't going to be a Tahu/Gali. Not really at least, and not in this story. Sorry.

ToaMaster: I think HazeNuva is a good writer too, even though he/she can be a bit annoying sometimes (last review), and that if he/she gets problems with viruses he/she can stop getting review alerts. Besides, I've got more than 70 reviews altogether and I've still had no problems.

Slythergrl2004: Alright, I often do that too. Hope you've had a happy Christmas!

HazeNuva, Toa of thunder: Alright, if you want a chapter where both Tahu and Kopaka do something, print two of them and pretend they're one. (Note: I like your story Do you know?)

Lady Lara Croft: 14 chapters in 1 day? Whoa! I don't believe it! I'm glad you couldn't ask for a better Bionicle story, but I hope you'll find other ones that you'll like too. I'll do my best. Thanks.

ceestar: Yeah well, my other story is just something I write when my mind doesn't work properly. But since nobody told me to take it off yet, I keep writing it. Hey cool! I managed to update this story the same day you asked me!