DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE PLOT AND MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!

A/N: I'M HERE - AT LONG LAST! WELCOME BACK! WELCOME BACK! WELCOME BACK! WELCOME BACK!

So, I understand I haven't posted for a few weeks. Why? Three reasons.
(1.) I went back to playing "Final Fantasy VII", again.
(2.) I wanted to see if you would post more Reviews (Donald's glad about THIS part!).
(3.) I had a little trouble writing this particular Chapter.

That aside, here's the TRIVIA I promised!
DID YOU KNOW? David Ogden Stiers was the actor who played Governor Ratcliffe AND Wiggins in Disney's "Pocahontas (1995)". Yet, that was not all the roles he did for Disney. He was also the Narrator for the "Winnie The Pooh" movies for a long time. He voiced Dr. Jumba Jookiba in Disney's "Lilo And Stitch (2002)" and "Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep". He played Cogsworth in all the "Beauty And The Beast" movies and "Kingdom Hearts 2". He even voiced The Archdeacon in the Disney version of "The Hunchback of Notré Dame (1996)".
That aside, you can tell Disney hired one talented actor to play all those roles. I imagine they chose him because he was on the older show, "M*A*S*H".

Now that I've got THAT out of the way, I wanted to tell you a few things.
(1.) I went to see the Disney-Pixar movie, "Inside Out", TWICE in the last few weeks. I've considered using it in these stories. "How?", you ask? Only time will tell...!
(2.) Donald's REALLY happy with the Reviews he received! Would you like to see more characters help introduced the Chapters?
(3.) I don't really like the show "Welcome Back, Kotter", so PLEASE do NOT assumed I do just because of how I opened This Chapter.
(4.) Let me know what you think about ALL that I stated above! Any/All feedback will be GREATLY appreciated!

Finally, it is TIME TO READ ON! PLEASE REVIEW, TOO! I THINK SORA'S A LITTLE JEALOUS SINCE DONALD GOT REVIEWS!

CHAPTER 15
The Ripples And A Blinking Star

Their footsteps echoed through the forest. The sun overhead was slowly descending. Long shadows were starting to creep across the land. The sky was becoming a reddish color. Night was coming. The air was growing cooler.

Sora kept focused on his task at hand. Before him, Pocahontas led the group through the woods. Behind, Donald and Goofy were panting as they tried to keep up. Launchpad was behind them, also a little out of breath.

Sora gave a soft sigh of relief. At least the Heartless hadn't shown up for a while. That was a good sign as far as he was concerned. Wherever there were Heartless, there was bound to be trouble — that had been his experience. Even when he had brought down Organization XIII, he had been forced to deal with thousands of Heartless. He'd even defeated one thousand Heartless in a single battle! Hopefully, he would never have to do that again! It had worn him out completely.

Come on, there's nothing to worry about, he thought to himself. He glanced into the trees for a second. An image of a giant creature sporting a long neck, orange beak, and covered in golden feathers crossed his mind. He shoved it aside. For some reason, his mind had started to play tricks on him since the group had left Grandmother Willow. Why was that?

The group finally reached the village. They stopped. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad fell to the ground to pant, huff and puff, and simple catch their breath. "I hope we're not too late," Sora said aloud.

He saw Pocahontas staring into the distance with worry written on her face. Curious, the brown-haired young man glanced into the same direction. His eyes lit up. Near the other side of the village, a large number of long canoes were rowing to the edge of the riverbank. Seated inside were an army of warriors with spears, tomahawks, and archery equipment. Chief Powhatan was waiting on the bank to greet them. The other members of the native tribe were gathering around their leader.

Sora gave a very deep sigh. "We're too late… " He started to wonder if Powhatan had summoned all those warriors because Sora and his team had taken too long to find Pocahontas. Then again, the chief probably needed them to protect the village from the Heartless. Maybe the Heartless had attacked the villagers while they were away?

Nakoma came running up to the group. Sora recognized her from before. He recalled she was the native princess's best friend. "Pocahontas!" she exclaimed. "Are you crazy?! What were you doing out there?!"

"It's okay," Sora reassured her before Pocahontas could speak. "She's safe."

Nakoma nodded. "Thank you."

"There you are!" Sora's ears perked up to the voice. His team, Nakoma, and Pocahontas all whirled their attention to an approaching warrior. One look, and Sora sighed. It was Kocoum.

Kocoum barely glanced at Sora's team. This made Sora cross his arms, Launchpad scowl, Donald glare, and Goofy shrug in confusion. He put his arm behind Pocahontas as though protecting her. He gazed out at the arriving army. "Look at them. Now we have enough warriors to destroy those white demons!"

From the riverbank, Chief Powhatan and the warriors' leader both turned their eyes to the crowd around them. "Now that we are joined by our brothers, we will defeat this enemy," the chief called.

Sora gulped nervously. His fearful thoughts were correct. The native people did believe John Smith and the other settlers were up to no good. He was sure this was due to the Heartless roaming about. What other explanation could there be?

"He's the chief?" Goofy inquired, pointing at Pocahontas's father. "Gawrsh."

Donald slapped the knight's hand. "It's not nice to point!"

Goofy rubbed his hand. "Well, it is when you're usin' 'sign-y lane-girl-age'."

Sora glanced back at his friends. "Don't you mean 'sign language'?"

Goofy gave a nod. Sora smiled. All of a sudden, Pocahontas took off running. They stared in surprise.

"What's going on?" Donald asked.

Sora shrugged. "Only one way to find out."

Sora and his team started off. They followed the native woman straight to the largest wigwam in the village. The spikey, brown-headed Keyblade wielder recognized it as the same one where Kekata had informed him and Launchpad about the threat of the Heartless earlier.

Pocahontas ran up to her father. Chief Powhatan stopped and turned to see her and the group approaching. He smiled at Sora. "Thank you for bringing my daughter home safely."

Sora grinned and placed his hands behind his head. "All in a day's work, as usual."

"Father," Pocahontas spoke up. "I need to speak with you."

Powhatan gestured to the inside of the wigwam were several warriors were gathered. "Not now, my daughter. The council is gathering," he said as Kocoum rushed inside the building. The chief turned to see Sora's team. "You're welcome to help us in the upcoming battle. I trust you to be there."

Sora looked a little hesitant. "Well… "

"We don't have to fight them," Pocahontas blurted. "There must be a better way."

Powhatan gazed at his daughter. "Sometimes our paths are chosen for us."

"Couldn't we try talking to them?" Sora suggested. "I don't think they're behind the Heartless trouble."

The chief shook his head. "They do not want to talk."

"But if one of them did want to talk," Pocahontas persisted. "You would listen to him, wouldn't you?"

Powhatan seemed to be about ready to drop the conversation. "Pocahontas… "

Pocahontas's eyes filled with concern. "Wouldn't you?"

Powhatan gave a very deep sigh. "Of course I would," he admitted. "But it is not that simple. Nothing is simple anymore."

With another sigh, the tribal chief headed into the large wigwam. Pocahontas watched him leave with tears forming in her eyes. Before Sora could think of what to do, the native woman turned and sped off into the village. Sora and his team watched as she disappeared from sight.

Sora gave a deep sigh, wondering how much longer this quest of his was going to take. He had been hoping to be down with plenty of time before Christmas. At this rate, it would be Christmas Eve, the day after Christmas, or even New Year's Eve before he had restored order to the worlds once again.

"What will we do now?" Donald asked.

Sora looked down at the ground. "I don't know. I'd hate to say this, guys, but I don't have a clue what to do."

Launchpad started whirling his head around. "Where'd Goofy go?"

That's when it became clear the knight had wandered off. Sora sighed again. "Man, why can't things just work out for once?"

The group started walking through the village. They strolled past wigwam houses guarded by warriors. They stepped alongside the gracefully-moving river; Sora could now tell what Pocahontas had meant when she'd mentioned how her father wanted her "to be steady like the river". They walked around small campfires with children playing. They moved to the edge of the forest, but there was no sign of Goofy.

Sora threw his arms up in annoyance. "I'm just about ready to give up."

"Yeah," Donald agreed, equally frustrated.

CHOMP! CRUNCH!

The sounds grabbed the group's attention. They spun their heads around. Before them stood an enormous field of healthy, green cornstalks. Seated on the ground beneath one of them was the tall, clumsy knight Sora had come to know as Goofy. He was relaxing with his legs crossed, leaning against a tall, thick stalk. In his hands was a half-eaten corn-cob.

Sora gave a sigh of relief and shook his head. It was déjà vu all over. Goofy had worried the others like the time when he'd been knocked unconscious by a flying piece of debris… or had he been buried alive in a sudden rockslide in the gorge near Villain's Vale? Whatever had taken place, Sora was glad to see his friend.

Donald rolled up his sleeves and stomped over to the knight. "What's the big idea?!" he snapped. "You got us all worried!"

"Gee," Goofy muttered between swallows. "I didn't mean ta get ya worried."

Launchpad strolled up to another stalk beside the two. He plucked a corn-cob from the plant, unhusked it, and plopped onto the ground to chill. He started to eat. "May as well get some time off for dinner," he chuckled.

Donald rolled his eyes. "I can't believe this… "

Sora covered his mouth to conceal his laughter. He shook his head. This sight was something else! Goofy and Launchpad were two of a kind, only the pilot was slightly more comical while the knight was just plain clumsy.

Some footsteps from behind caused everyone to swing their attention to behind Sora. There stood Pocahontas. "I need to see John Smith," she said. "Would you come with me?"

Sora looked uncertain. "Are you sure? He said to meet him at Grandmother Willow tonight. Remember?"

Pocahontas gave a short nod. "I know, but… he needs to talk to my father. Would you bring him there?"

Sora nodded. "Alright. We'll bring John Smith to Grandmother Willow." He glanced up at the sky. "The sun's setting anyway."

Pocahontas nodded before pointing into the distance. "The shores are over there. He must be close to them."

Sora nodded. "Thanks."

He rounded up Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad from their places. Before long, Sora was leading the group through the cornfield. Behind them, Pocahontas was watching with a faint smile. Sora had to admit it.

Perhaps there was still a chance to prevent a battle between the natives and settlers….

The sun was much lower in the sky. The shadows were nearly at their maximum point. The air had cooled off a lot more. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad had fought their way through a series of Heartless hordes while following the river. At one point, they had peeked around a large rock and saw Herbie resting on the bank. Donald had rushed over and hastily finished repairing the Gummi Ship — without bothering to ask the other three for assistance. They were now on the edge of a clearing near where Pocahontas had claimed the shoreline was.

As they stepped into the clearing, it became apparent the area was dark. Not the kind of darkness due to lack of light, but the type of Darkness you could feel… and sometimes smell (if your nose was keen enough). A loud animal sound filled the air. The group froze in their tracks.

"What was that?" Donald questioned.

Goofy gulped. "Sounded really spooky."

Launchpad was standing proudly above the others. "I'm sure it was nothing," he chuckled.

Not paying any attention to what his teammates were doing, Sora approached the edge of the trees and peered through. On the other side, he saw what appeared to be a wall made of long, wooden poles. The tops of the poles were sharpened like pencils. The thought of returning to school in January rattled Sora's mind so much, he desperately shook it away.

"Guys," he said, signaling his friends over. "Look at this."

He heard Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad hurrying over to him. Without warning, Goofy jumped onto his shoulders. Donald hopped onto the knight's shoulders. Launchpad clambered up to the top, squishing Donald's head in the process. Sora could barely stand, no thanks to all the weight on his shoulders.

The three awed in marvel.

"Gawrsh!"

"Wow!"

"Looks like a bunch of pencils lined up."

Sora could no longer hold his friends up. He collapsed onto the ground. Goofy, Donald, and Launchpad landed onto him one-by-one. There they were, lying in a heap in the thin grass and dry dirt. Sora shook his companions aside before rising to his feet. He brushed some dirt of his clothes before gazing back at the wall. Launchpad was correct; it did look similar to a bunch of pencils.

His eyes followed the wall to the left. Not far from the group's position, he saw a couple men standing near the top of the wall with a pair of what seemed to be giant axes on rods. He instantly assumed it was the main entrance into the structure.

"C'mon," Sora said to his team. He pointed to the supposed entrance. "Let's check it out."

Goofy, Launchpad, and Donald rose to their feet. They followed the brown-haired young man to the entrance of the building.

When they reached the entrance, Sora had the group stop in place. He put a finger to his lips, causing the others to cover their mouths. He pointed at the opening in the wall. A young man apparently in his twenties was standing guard with a large gun in his hand. Sora didn't know much about guns, but he thought it looked a little like the one John Smith had been carrying around. Other than that, he also took notice of how the stranger was slender with red hair and wearing a dark-green cap, light-green shirt, brownish pants or shorts (Sora could not tell), and brown shoes.

"Gawrsh," Sora overheard Goofy whispering to Launchpad and Donald. "Looks like some kinda guard."

"Yeah," Donald whispered back.

"He must be guarding something important," Launchpad added in a hushed voice. "There's a fort in there."

Sora started to take a step closer. One of his oversized shoes snapped a twig. The sound grabbed the young man's focus. He spun around and pointed his weapon in the sound's direction. Sora and the others froze. The guard closed one eye while aiming the gun at the group.

Sora's eyes grew wide. His first instinct was to summon his Keyblade. However, he had just taken note of how scared the strange young man was. He chose not to move.

"Y… you there," the man nervously called. "Who… who are you?"

"Sora," Sora replied. He had the feeling this was something like an interrogation. He gestured to his friends. "Donald, Goofy, Launchpad."

The man continued to point his gun at the group. A second man approached from inside the fortress. Sora's eyes lit up, recognizing the blonde hair. He smiled with relief, knowing it was John Smith.

"Thomas," Smith said as he approached from behind. "What's going on?"

Thomas whirled around in surprise. He pointed at Sora's group. "John! We've got strangers."

Smith gazed out at the four standing on the edge of the woods. He shook his head and grinned. "Easy, Thomas. They're friends."

Thomas lowered his gun and started to take in gasps of air. "Oh, I could've killed them!"

"Not aiming like that, you couldn't," Smith corrected. "Keep both eyes open when you shoot. You'll see twice as well."

Sora and his teammates approached the fort. Sora calmly placed his hands behind his head and smiled all the more. "Glad to know you're someone we can trust."

"Huh?" Donald inquired, clearly startled by Sora's remark. Usually, the spikey, brown-headed Keyblader would automatically trust anyone, even if they were a complete stranger. At times, this quirk of his had gotten the group into trouble. At other times, it had proved vital in helping others. Unless Sora was unaware of the seriousness of the situation at hand.

John Smith waved Sora and the others over. "Hello, Sora. Nice to see you again."

"Same here," Sora admitted. He glanced over to see if Thomas was paying attention to them. When he saw it wasn't so, he relaxed and continued. "Pocahontas sent us. Her tribe is planning to attack. They think everyone here is responsible for the Heartless out there."

Smith paused in thought for a couple seconds. "I know what you mean. Perhaps we should talk with Governor Ratcliffe, explain the situation."

Sora looked perplexed. "Who?"

"He's our leading official," Smith explained. "If anyone could negotiate a peace treaty, it'd be him."

Sora crossed his arms. For some reason, he had a slight sense of doubt in what John Smith was telling him. He didn't know why, how, or whatever. He just had a funny sensation about all this. He chose to go along. "Okay," he finally said. "Where is he?"

"Smith! Where are you?"

The deep, booming voice caused Donald to scamper behind Goofy, his tail feathers shaking. Everyone else veered their focus toward a huge, gold tent. Striding in the direction of the group was a rather large man with long black hair tied into short pigtails with red ribbons, thick black eyebrows, and notable lavender eyelids. He was wearing a long V-cut shirt with lavender collar and cuffs, crimson knee-length pants, lavender socks, and black boots. Behind him was a thin, young man with brown hair and brownish-tan clothing.

Sora nearly shuddered when he saw the two. He remembered them both from the second image he had viewed while the group had been at Grandmother Willow's tree.

"I am over here, sir," Smith called to the larger man.

The two men marched up to the group and stopped. The larger man looked stern and strict, which reminded Sora of Donald on a very bad day. It also made him think of his English teacher, Mrs. Bookie. He stared when he saw Sora's team. "Who are these four?" he demanded.

"Sora, sir," Sora gulped. Deep down, he had the feeling there was something dark about the governor. The sensation was similar to the times he had encountered Maleficent and Pete on his previous quests. Of course, he hadn't seen the two so far on this quest, but he did know something funny was most-likely happening. The only question was… what?

"Donald," Donald introduced, shaking anxiously.

Goofy gulped. "Goofy… "

"Launchpad McQuack," Launchpad muttered, feeling a tad nervous.

"I found them while I was out scouting the terrain, sir," John Smith clarified. "They mean us no harm. They helped protect me from those 'strange monsters'."

Smith turned to Sora's group. "And this is Governor Ratcliffe. The one behind him is Wiggins."

The thinner man poked his head out and waved at the group. "Hi! I'm Ratcliffe's manservant. Wherever he goes, I go."

"Just like me an' Donald," Goofy chuckled. "We follow Sora wherever he goes."

"And I'm new to the team," Launchpad proclaimed.

Donald shook his head when he heard this.

Ratcliffe was busy looking over the group. He nodded before returning his gaze back to John Smith. "Excellent," he said with a half-grin. "Then you must all know the Indians' whereabouts. We'll need all the information we can get for the battle."

Smith looked shocked and angered. "What 'battle'?"

"We will eliminate these savages once and for all," Ratcliffe informed them.

"No!" Smith stated. "You can't do that!"

"Oh?" Ratcliffe smirked. "Can't I?"

"Yes," Sora agreed with John Smith. "You don't have to fight them."

Thomas approached the group. "John?" he inquired, a puzzled look on his face. "What's gotten into you?"

"We met one," Sora clarified before Smith could open his mouth. He could tell Donald wanted to scold him for meddling too far.

Thomas looked shocked. "You what?! A savage?!"

"They're not savages," Smith explained. "They can help us. They know the land. They know how to navigate the rivers."

"They also got a nice form of 'so-sea-it-y'," Goofy chuckled. "A-Hyuck!"

Upon hearing this, Donald slapped his own face. He muttered a long series of illegible garble that ended with, "…Aw phooey!"

Goofy reached into one of his vest pockets and pulled out an extra corn cob. "See? They've got lots of this stuff."

Thomas gazed at the cob in wonder. "What is it?"

Smith smirked at the sight of the item in Goofy's hand. "It's better than hardtack and gruel, that's for sure."

Wiggins poked his head out again. "I like gruel."

Ratcliffe was unimpressed. He marched forwards and snatched the cob from Goofy's hands. "They don't want to feed us, you ninnies!" he scolded, waving the cob violently. He threw it onto the ground and stomped on it, crushing the corn into mush. "They want to kill us — all of us! They've got our gold, and they'll do anything to keep it!"

"There is no gold around here!" Sora barked in anger. He had heard enough of this misunderstanding.

Donald nodded with a glare. "Yeah! I was so disappointed!"

Thomas gasped in surprise. Some other settlers strolled over, having watched the heated argument. They were murmuring over what Sora had just said.

Ratcliffe gave a small grin. "And I suppose your little Indian friend told you this?"

"Yes," John Smith confirmed with a serious face.

"Yeah!" Sora seconded.

"Lies — all of it!" Ratcliffe shouted loud enough for everyone to hear. "Murderous thieves! There's no room for their kind in civilized society."

"That's not fair!" Sora argued.

"Yes," Smith agreed, siding with the seventeen-year-old. "This is their land!"

"This is my land!" Ratcliffe retaliated. A thin layer of dark clouds appeared around his body. "I make the laws here. And I say anyone so much as looks at an Indian without killing him on sight, will be tried for treason and hanged."

Sora's glare remained. He had seen the hint of Darkness radiating out from the governor. Clearly, this man was intent on getting his hands on gold, even though there wasn't any in the landscape. His lust for gold… Sora wondered, could that be what was summoning all the Heartless?

Ratcliffe marched back to his tent. Wiggins was directly behind the large man. Once they were gone, Thomas walked back to the entrance to continue his post. John Smith turned to Sora. "Sorry you had to see that," the former apologized. "The governor's been real testy ever since those 'Heartless' you speak of attacked our camp with the Indians."

Sora crossed his arms in thought. Perhaps the answer to the problem was directly in front of him. The only way he could get a definite understanding was by further investigation of the governor. He felt a little silly, knowing this idea was similar to how a certain medical examiner might start looking for clues. What was the name of that older show, again? The one his mom and dad had watched on a daily basis? All Sora could recall was it had something to do with the letter "Q". But what?

Sora uncrossed his arms and turned back to John Smith. "Could you stay with Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad for a few minutes? I need to check something out."

"Sora?" Donald asked.

"Are ya sure you won't miss us?" Goofy added.

Sora turned back to his friends. "I gonna sneak over to that guy's tent. Maybe I can learn something important."

Donald and Goofy frowned. "Sora… "

"I'll be back," Sora said before turning away. He marched over to the large, golden tent near the far end of the camp. Beyond it was a giant, wooden ship with three, four, or five masts. Sora didn't bother to check. He was too focused on his current destination.

Sora reached the tent within minutes. He started walking slower and slower as he closed in. By the time he reached the canvas, the sunset was almost over. He knelt down beside the canvas and leaned gently on the side. He could hear Ratcliffe and Wiggins speaking from the inside.

"I've never been a popular man," he heard Ratcliffe sigh.

"I like you," Wiggins said.

"And don't think I don't know what those backstabbers at court say about me."

"Oh yes! All that talk about you being a pathetic social climber who's failed at everything he's—"

"I'm very well aware that this is my last chance for glory. But mark my words, Wiggins, when King James sees the gold those savages were hiding, success will be mine at last."

"And how will we find this gold?"

"The battle, Wiggins. Once we eliminate those savages, all the gold will be mine, mine, mine!"

Sora gulped when he heard Ratcliffe. He sensed a hint of Darkness coming from within the tent's canvas. He froze. The Darkness was gradually getting stronger. Truly, this was the source of the Heartless. Unless… He looked around the area. There was not a single Heartless in sight.

Sora paused to think. Something seemed way off. How could Ratcliffe be responsible for controlling the Heartless when there weren't any Heartless around for him to control? Maybe there was a stronger Darkness out there somewhere? How would he ever find out for sure?

He yawned and stretched. The sky was dark and stars were starting to appear. Night had fallen. Sora's lit up. He had completely forgotten to tell John Smith to head for Grandmother Willow! He leapt to his feet and sped off through the camp.

About halfway through the fort, he stopped. Sora glanced to his left, spotting a campfire with several people gathered around. He was too far to feel the heat of the flames, but close enough to hear what the settlers were talking about.

"Ratcliffe wouldn't take us halfway around the world for nothing."

"But what if Smith is right? What if there is no gold?"

"If you ask me, Ratcliffe's been lying to us since we left London."

"Listen to you, you bunch of idiots. Those savages and beasts didn't attack us for nothing. They're hiding something."

"If they do have the gold, I reckon we'll have to fight them."

Sora paused for a couple moments. His mind continued to spin. Had the world wanted him to stop there and listen to all this chit-chatter? He could now tell the settlers truly did believe Pocahontas's tribe was using the Heartless. They were convinced the Heartless were guarding the native's gold stash. Of course, the Keyblade wielder already knew there wasn't any gold in these hills, but he also couldn't say again to the settlers without interfering with the World Order more than needed.

He turned his eyes into the darkness. To his relief, he saw Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and John Smith sneaking around the fort's walls. He hurried after them. When he reached the group, Sora smiled and whispered, "Guys!"

The four noticed the spikey, brown-haired youth and grinned. "Didja find somethin' out?" Goofy asked.

Sora nodded. "Yeah. Ratcliffe's determined to get his hands on gold, even if there isn't any."

"Sounds like someone else we know," Launchpad muttered, glancing at Donald.

The duck magician glared at the pilot. "Hey!"

John Smith turned to Sora. "We're on our way to see Pocahontas," the former informed the latter.

Sora gave another nod. "Let's go."

They carefully crept up to a small gap in the fort's walls. One by one, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and Smith snuck through the opening and disappeared into the darkness of the forest. They had no idea they had been seen.

Thomas peered through the opening in the picket fence. To his surprise, there was John, dashing into the woods. He had just seen Sora and his gang head out there, too. What were they thinking? There were hostile monsters lurking out there. Not to mention, a bunch of savages, too. Why would they be running into the forest in the middle of the night? It was too dangerous — even for an experienced explorer like John.

He felt a hand shove him from behind. Thomas gasped and spun around. Through the dim light of the moon above, he could see a large silhouette — one of a man. He automatically knew who it was. After all, the shadows made him look darker than usual.

Governor Ratcliffe.

"Follow him," the governor ordered.

Thomas stood at attention. "Yes, Governor."

"I want to know where he's sneaking off to."

"Yes, sir."

"And if you happen to see any Indians," Ratcliffe added. He tossed a musket into the young man's hands. "Shoot them."

Thomas looked over the gun in his hands. He felt a tad uneasy. His mind went back to the skirmish a few days before. He had tripped over a log and fired his gun into the wrong direction. Ratcliffe and demanded he shoot at the attackers and later ordered him to learn how to handle a gun. He turned to follow John and Sora's group.

"Oh, and Thomas?"

Thomas turned back to see Ratcliffe. "You've been a slipshod sailor and a poor excuse for a soldier," the governor muttered. "Don't disappoint me again."

As Ratcliffe walked away, Thomas sighed softly. He walked slowly away to follow John's trail. There was no way he would fail to follow the governor's instructions… again.

Pocahontas was running. The moon overhead provided enough light to allow her to see across the village. She was now on the edge of the clearing and near the massive cornfield. The air was cool compared to daytime. The wind with all the colorful petals had seemingly disappeared.

It did not matter. She had to meet John Smith.

She was about to head into the cornfield when a voice called out to her. "Pocahontas!"

Pocahontas spun around. Through the darkness, she saw the shape of her childhood friend hurrying over. "Nakoma!"

"Don't go out there," Nakoma said, a stern look written on her face. "I lied for you once. Don't ask me to do it again."

Pocahontas turned to leave. "I have to do this."

"He's one of them!"

"You don't know him."

Nakoma was so frustrated, she ran around the native princess to make eye contact. "You go out there, you'll be turning your back on your own people."

Pocahontas sighed. "I'm trying to help my people."

"Pocahontas, please," Nakoma begged. "You're my best friend. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't," Pocahontas replied. "I know what I'm doing."

She passed the young man and took off into the cornfield. She could still hear Nakoma shouting to her.

"Pocahontas, no!"

Nakoma was shocked and worried alike. Pocahontas was gone. For all she knew, the man she'd seen her friend with before was up to no good. She could not take any chances. So what if Pocahontas trusted him? He could turn on her without warning.

She needed to get help. Nakoma turned around and ran back into the village. She found a fire lit just outside Kocoum's wigwam. The warrior was outside, busy sharpening his knife for the upcoming battle. She ran up to him. "Kocoum?"

Kocoum stopped what he was doing and turned to face her. "What is it?"

Nakoma paused, unsure if she was doing the correct thing. "It's Pocahontas."

Kocoum rose to his feet. His eyes were filled with alarm. "What's wrong? Is she all right? Those monsters have not attacked her, have they?"

Nakoma hesitated once more before speaking. "I think she's in trouble."

The sky was pitch-black. Or at least it might have been, given it was visible from deep within the forest. There was no wind moving, evident since the branches of the trees were not swaying a single inch. The scent of Darkness was starting to fill the air. Animals of all shapes and sizes were scurrying around, seeking shelter in case of an approaching storm.

It was during this when Sora, Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, and John Smith finally reached Grandmother Willow. They found Pocahontas already there, speaking with the elderly tree.

"The earth is trembling, child," Grandmother Willow stated. "What's happened?"

Pocahontas looked concerned. "The warriors are here!"

"What?" Sora declared as he and his friends reached the native woman. "Already? This can't be good."

Donald rolled his eyes. "When is it ever 'good'?"

"Pocahontas!" John Smith said as he raced over to her. "Listen to me. My men are planning to attack your people. You've got to warn them."

Pocahontas's eyes lit up. "Maybe it's not too late to stop this," she realized. "You have to come with me and talk to my father."

Smith shook his head. "Pocahontas," he sighed. "Talking isn't going to do any good. Sora and I already tried talking to my men but everything about this land has them spooked."

"Yeah," Sora said. "I don't get it. Why can't you get this whole misunderstanding cleared up?"

Smith turned to the brown-haired Keyblade wielder. "Once two sides want to fight, nothing can stop them."

"That can't be," Donald stated. "I have stopped fights many times!"

Goofy and Launchpad started chuckling. "More like ya started dem fights many a-times," the latter teased.

"Hey," Donald snapped. "That wasn't funny!"

Goofy and Launchpad went on laughing. Donald started yelling in anger, which only caused Sora to laugh with the others.

"All right, that's enough!" Grandmother Willow snapped louder than before. Everyone instantly became silent. They swung their undivided attention to the tree. "It's enough to make your sap boil. Now then, there's something I want to show you. Look."

The old tree gently lowered her vine towards the water below her roots. In the process Goofy picked up a small, smooth stone and tossed it into the river. The stone skipped as it bounced past Grandmother Willow's vine. It sank twenty skips later.

Pocahontas's eyes lit up. "The ripples… "

John Smith was unimpressed. "What about them?"

"So small at first," Grandmother Willow told the group. "Then look how they grow. But someone has to start them."

Sora shook his head. "They're not going to listen."

"Young man," Grandmother Willow said to the spikey-haired Keyblader. "Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one. Don't you see? Only when the fighting stops can Pocahontas and John Smith be together."

John Smith turned to face Pocahontas. When she smiled, he glanced at the others. They were all smiling.

"Yeah," Sora encouraged.

"Go on," Donald agreed.

"Sure," Goofy added.

"Nothing tried, nothing a-learned," Launchpad encouraged in turn.

Smith grinned, knowing he had lots of encouragement from his friends. He turned back to Pocahontas. "All right. Let's go talk to your father."

Pocahontas smiled all the more. She threw her arms around the blonde-haired young man. He quickly returned the embrace. Sora gave his famous grin. Donald and Goofy covered their eyes. Launchpad covered his mouth. Grandmother Willow closed her vines, even though Sora and his friends could still tell what was happening.

Pocahontas and John Smith leaned in close to one another. They shut their eyes and pressed their lips together.

Thomas was stumped. The trail of footprints left by John's shoes had come to an end on the edge of the riverbank. He came to a halt, seeing a wall of vines blocking his way. He carefully used his rifle to move the vines aside. He squinted into the darkness.

A pair of silhouettes caught his eye. He froze, recognizing one as his friend, John. The other was a young woman with long, black hair. She was wearing a dress made from animal skin.

Thomas gasped in total shock, realizing what he was seeing. John was kissing an Indian.

Kocoum squinted to peer into the darkened clearing on the edge of the riverbank. He had followed Pocahontas's trail clear through the forest to this stop. He peered into the distance. His eyes lit up when he saw the native princess standing there with a young man sporting blonde hair.

And they were kissing! He felt a surge of envy rush through him. His facial expression swiftly transitioned into a scowl, followed by a sneer. His hearts started pounding faster and faster. He could not stand by any longer. He needed to take action — now!

Several strange creatures started to appear around him. It didn't matter. He let out a loud war cry before leaping into the clearing.

The loud shout stole Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad's attention. They swung their eyes to the far side of the clearing. There was Kocoum, the warrior who had outright criticized Sora's combat abilities. He was rushing into the clearing in a heated frenzy. Pocahontas and John Smith spun around in surprise. Kocoum jumped and shoved the latter of the two onto the ground. He pulled out his tomahawk and started to lash out at the blonde-haired young man.

"Kocoum!" Pocahontas exclaimed in alarm. "No!"

Sora and his team watched in shock as Smith resisted the warrior and knocked him aside. Kocoum pulled out a sharp knife and attacked again. Pocahontas grabbed the warrior and tried to drag him aside, but Kocoum pushed her onto the ground.

Sora was astounded. Had Kocoum followed Pocahontas here? Was he really going to kill John Smith?! Whatever the case, the spikey, brown-haired young man wasn't sure how to respond. He hadn't seen an incident like this one take place for a long time.

It was then something else caught Sora's eye. He swerved to head to the left. His eyes lit up. A horde of shadow-covered creatures emerged from the ground. Among them were some larger monsters with huge bodies. Some flying hawk-shaped ones also appeared.

"Heartless!" Sora declared, summing his Keyblade to fight. He charged into the group of enemies and started to slash, slice, and slam his weapon into the Heartless.

Donald saw what Sora was doing and immediately joined him. Goofy and Launchpad were last in line to help. They struck down Heartless after Heartless after Heartless after Heartless after Heartless after Heartless after Heartless after Heartless after Heartless after Heartless after Heartless after Heartless after Heartless after Heartless after Heartless, etc.

The Heartless kept on coming. Sora began feeling woozy. He glanced around the clearing. Where were all these creatures coming from?! He hadn't seen anything like this for a little over a year. Nonstop Heartless… no wonder he felt so worn out now.

Sora then spotted a familiar young man running past the hostile creatures with a gun in hand. "Thomas?" he realized. "What's he doing here?"

Thomas reached the opposite end of the clearing and pointed his gun at Kocoum. A few Heartless started to attack him. Sora was about to rush over when the gun fired. It all happened super-quick. The Heartless were obliterated… Sora felt something bounce off the armor on his right shoulder… the bullet struck Kocoum's left arm. The warrior fell backwards. He reached out and grabbed the blue necklace around Pocahontas's neck. The necklet snapped apart, startling the native woman. Kocoum continued to fall and landed into the water on the river's edge. Pocahontas rushed over to him.

Sora slashed his Keyblade through the last of the Heartless before hurrying over to the fallen warrior. True, Kocoum had been very critical about his fighting methods, but that didn't mean he deserved to be… he didn't want to think about it.

John Smith returned to his feet. Spotting Thomas, he was taken by surprise. "Thomas!"

Thomas neared the riverbank and stopped. "Is he… ?"

Pocahontas turned to the young man. "You hit him."

"You mean," Sora sputtered. "He's… "

Pocahontas shook her head. "No, he's not dead."

Sora gave a deep sigh of relief. At least there was some good news — for once. Thomas looked startled. "I thought that… "

Pocahontas glared at Thomas. "Get away from him!" she snapped. "You almost killed him!"

Thomas was shocked beyond belief. A series of questionable voices could be heard in the distance. Thomas looked around wildly, uncertain about what was going to happen.

"Thomas, get out of here," Smith yelled to his young friend. "Get out of here!"

Thomas took off running in a right hurry. He was well out of sight within seconds. Sora and his friends gathered beside Pocahontas as they watched him leave. Moments later, several warriors from Pocahontas's tribe rushed into the clearing and seized Smith. They dragged him off toward the village. A few others retrieved Kocoum's unconscious body.

Sora sighed really deeply after the native warriors had left. "Man… what's going on? Why can't something go right?"

Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad shrugged. "Who knows?" they said together.

Pocahontas was silent. She slowly strolled in the direction of the village. Sora's team watched her walk away. They followed shortly after. Sora sighed again, knowing the incident he had just witnessed was only a hint of the trouble yet to come.

The clearing was quiet. Not even the animals gathered around in the trees were making any noise. The whole area seemed gloomier than usual. Up above, some clouds were slowly starting to cover the star-filled sky. The strong scent of something dangerous was slowly filling the air little by little.

A rustling in the trees. Out stepped a figure. Not just any figure, mind you. Rather, it was a slender, teenage girl sporting long, sandy hair, shiny blue eyes, and mildly-tanned skin. Her outfit consisted of a pink shirt and skirt, zipped red jacket, and blue tennis shoes. A yellow-colored hairband was nestled neatly in her hair and she had a star-shaped necklace around her neck.

She stepped out into the glade. She walked slowly up to the broken necklace lying on the ground. She stopped and bent down to pick it up. She gazed at the pieces in her hand. She sighed.

"This is so sad… if only something could be done."

The village was mostly quiet by the time Sora and his team arrived. They found the tribe gathered outside in two lines. Many of them were gasping or weeping. At the end stood Chief Powhatan. He watched in shock as two warriors carried the unconscious Kocoum on by. He gave a stern look at the head of the returning warriors. "Who did this?"

"Pocahontas was out in the woods," the warrior replied. "Kocoum went to find her and this white man attacked them."

The warrior pointed to the captive John Smith. The young man was scowling at the natives with a fearless look in his eyes. Sora watched as Powhatan pointed the staff in his hands at Smith's neck. "Your weapons are strong," the chief said. "But now our anger is stronger. At sunrise he will be the first to die!"

Pocahontas stepped closer. "But father… "

Powhatan gave a stern look to his daughter. "I told you to stay in the village. You disobeyed me. You have shamed your father!"

Pocahontas looked discouraged. "I was only trying to help."

"Because of your foolishness, Kocoum is injured!" Powhatan snapped. He gazed back to Smith. "Take him away."

Sora raced up to the chief before Donald, Goofy, Launchpad, or anyone else could stop him. "Hey!" he shouted. "Don't blame her! We didn't know someone was gonna get hurt!"

Powhatan scowled at the Keyblader. "I told you to protect my daughter. With Kocoum injured, you will stay and keep her safe."

Sora was shocked. Here he had been trying to prevent a possible battle from happening. Now, it seemed hopeless. Besides, what if the Heartless got mixed into the fight? Neither side would stand a chance! "But… "

"That is all!" Powhatan snapped before marching away. The other natives followed him back into the village.

Sora gave a deep sigh. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad gathered around him.

"Sora," Donald scolded. "You shouldn't have said that!"

"Yeah," Goofy agreed. "How are we gonna stop a fight that ain't even started yet?"

Launchpad shrugged. "Ya got me there."

Sora gave an especially deep sigh. "I know. But… I just don't know what to do. It feels like everything we try to keep peace in the world goes wrong." He stared at the moonlit ground. "Maybe… maybe this is something we can't do."

Donald looked saddened. "Sora… "

"Don't give up," Goofy reassured the seventeen-year-old. "Remember what thuh King said? 'There's always a Door to the Light'. May-bee we just gotta find thuh right door."

Launchpad glanced around the immediate area. His eyes landed upon some nearby wigwams. "I dunno… I don't see any doors around here."

Sora shook his head. Talk about having bad luck! First, he had watched Pocahontas futilely try to persuade her father not to go to war. Next, he had been unable to reason with Governor Ratcliffe. Then, he had watched a fight break out between Kocoum and John Smith. Now, it seemed war was inevitable in the world he was wandering in. Could anything else get worse?

He glanced back at Pocahontas. The native princess was kneeling on the ground with a saddened face. A shadow loomed over her. To Sora's surprise, there stood Nakoma. The young man rose to his feet and strode over. A startled and confused Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad followed suit.

"Kocoum was just coming to protect me," Pocahontas sighed as Sora and the others approached.

Nakoma sighed. "Pocahontas… I sent Kocoum after you," she admitted. "I was worried about you."

"Really?" Sora asked in surprise. "You sent him out there?"

Nakoma nodded. "I thought I was doing the right thing."

Pocahontas shook her head. "All of this happened because of me," she said, tears starting to form in her eyes. "And now I'll never see John Smith again."

Sora sighed deeply once more. He gazed down at the ground. His mind went back to the time he had learned his friend, Tron, had been de-rezzed by the corrupt program, CLU. Even though that had been inside the Realm of Sleep, Sora had known Tron wasn't really gone. He had grown quite depressed for a while anyway, certain he would probably not get to meet his friend in the world's dreams.

It wasn't until later Sora had learned Tron was alright — he had been reprogramed into the hostile program, Rinzler. Sora had even fought his friend to save him from CLU's control. He had succeeded, though that particular Tron was only a piece of old data from long ago. The real Tron was safely inside Ansem's computer in the Radiant Garden.

Either way, Sora also knew what Pocahontas was going through was no different. Well, the only notable difference was how the world wasn't in a dream. Either way, Sora knew one thing for sure — losing a friend wasn't as bad as never seeing them again.

Nakoma knelt down and helped Pocahontas to her feet. "Come with me," the former said.

Curious about where they were going, Sora's team followed behind. They found themselves approaching a large wigwam on the inside of the village. A warrior stood guard on either side of the building's entrance.

"Pocahontas and her friends want to look into the eyes of the man who injured Kocoum," Nakoma told the guards.

The two warriors glanced at each other for a quick second. "Be quick," one told the group.

Pocahontas and Sora walked past and inside the wigwam. Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad sat down outside the structure to wait. The minutes seemed to last longer than hours….

The interior of the wigwam was rather cool compared to the air outside. The only light came from a hole in the ceiling above. A patch of moonlit descended into the large, round room, illuminating the only person inside. He was tied to a wooden post with his hands behind his back.

Sora and Pocahontas walked up to the blonde-haired young man. Pocahontas knelt down and grabbed the man's attention. "Pocahontas!" the man exclaimed, recognizing his friend.

Sora nodded. Yup! John Smith was in here, just like Nakoma had claimed.

Pocahontas looked down. "I'm so sorry."

Smith grinned. "For what, this? I've gotten out of worse scrapes than this. Can't think of any right now, but… "

Pocahontas shook her head slowly. "It would've been better if we'd never met. None of this would've happened."

Sora looked down. It was clear Pocahontas was about ready to wish everything that had happened hadn't happened in the first place. Sometimes, he also wished he could rewrite history. Of course, such things were really impossible… weren't they?

"Pocahontas, look at me," Smith said. Pocahontas did so. "I'd rather die tomorrow than live a hundred years without knowing you."

Sora looked up at the opening in the ceiling. Beyond he could see countless stars shining down. What Smith had said, it sounded familiar… it almost felt like Sora himself felt whenever he was around Kairi. He liked how her auburn hair flowed gently in the sea breeze. Her eyes were blue like the sky. Her laugh made him show his famous grin… sometimes he would grin first, which caused her to giggle. He liked that.

The spikey-headed youth shook his mind free from the random contemplation. Instead, he found himself thinking about a noise or two he had barely heard back at Grandmother Willow. While Pocahontas and John Smith were… well, you know… he had thought he'd heard a sound. It had sounded a little like a twig snapping. His mind had been so wrapped up in the moment, he'd assumed it was his imagination… or was it? Had someone — or something — been lurking in the trees' shadows around the old willow tree?

He decided he ought to inquire Smith about such things. After all, the young man had explored a vast portion of the landscape. Could he know something Sora himself did not?

Sora lowered his eyes to meet John Smith's. "John Smith, did you ever see anyone, or anything, strange out there?"

Smith's eyes seemed to light up a bit. "Yes," he answered. "I saw a strange creature standing in the middle of a meadow a few days ago. I was scouting the terrain."

"Really?!" Sora exclaimed. "What'd they look like?"

Smith thought back as he explained. "It looked like a woman. She was wearing green. When I saw large wings on her back, I thought it was bird in my imagination. But then, she waved her arms and a bunch of those monsters you called 'Heartless' appeared. I tried to get a better look, but she was gone before I could."

Sora crossed his arms in thought. For some reason, the only girl he knew with wings was Tinker Bell. But she was a fairy, and she was tiny. What Smith had seen didn't make sense. Then again, it did sound like someone was controlling the Heartless.

His mind suddenly went back to when he had transformed into a fairy in the Realm of Sleep. He had been in Tinker Bell's world then. Of course! Maybe this strange girl was from… whatever the name of Tinker Bell's world was… but how had she become so much bigger? Something seemed off.

Sora didn't have time to think about it. It was then Nakoma peered into the wigwam and said, "Pocahontas?"

Sora sighed, knowing their time in there was up. He turned to Pocahontas. "We need to go now."

Pocahontas looked at John Smith once more. "I can't leave you… "

"You never will," Smith informed her. "No matter what happens to me — as long as you think of me now and then — I'll always be with you — forever."

Pocahontas took one final look at her friend before strolling out of the wigwam. Sora followed behind. He glanced back long enough to see John Smith looking into the sky far above through the ceiling's opening.

'Man', Sora thought to himself. 'They were so close… '

Outside, Sora found Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad waiting for him. Goofy and Launchpad were laying against the building with their arms behind their heads and their legs crossed. Donald was sitting down playing a game of solitaire. In the distance, the flames of a giant bonfire could be seen. It illuminated the scenery just enough for the duck to just make out what he was doing.

Sora looked around the area and saw Pocahontas walking away. "Wait up," he called to her. The native princess turned around. "Where're you going?"

"I'm going to see Grandmother Willow," Pocahontas replied.

"Your dad asked us to protect you," Sora told her. "If you're going, we're going too."

"We are?" a surprised Donald said. Goofy and Launchpad nodded at the magician. Donald glared at them. "I wasn't asking you!"

"Come," Pocahontas gestured for the group to follow her. Sora took off after her. Donald scooped up his cards and followed. Goofy and Launchpad hopped to their feet and did the same.

They followed the native woman to the edge of the river. Here, they climbed aboard Pocahontas's canoe and paddled away. The stream was dead calm, as usual. The one thing Sora noticed was different was how quiet it was. Earlier that evening, the whole area had been filled with the chit-chatter of many animals. Now it sounded like the inside of a ghost town.

Something else caught Sora's focus. The air was still. Up till the skirmish about two hours before, there had been at least a gentle breeze blowing about. The wind was gone. There was no indication of the pleasant-feeling wind with the colorful leaves.

Pocahontas gazed into the dark water of the river for a moment or four. She gave a very deep sigh before returning to her paddling. Sora gazed into the water afterwards, but all he saw was his own shadow. He shook his head and reached into his pocket for Kairi's good-luck charm.

He felt something else. Sora hastily removed his hand. To his surprise, he was holding a glowing trinket. It was a sky-blue yo-yo-shaped item with a light-chartreuse five-pointed star. The object was giving a light-blue glow. He recognized it as the same trinket that mouse back at the Radiant Garden had given him.

He wondered… could this be one of those "Summons"? He recalled how Simba, Bambi, Genie, Dumbo, Tinker Bell, and Mushu had helped him out on his first quest. Still, they had been what the Fairy Godmother had called "Summon Gems". On his second quest (the one to stop Organization XIII), Chicken Little, Genie (again), Stitch, and Peter Pan and Tinker Bell had all been ready to assist him on a moment's notice. He also remembered how they had come to help whenever he had held up their charm to the Light in… whatever world he was.

He had the feeling he would be collecting some additional "Summon" allies as he journey continued. He had something else to look forward to. The only question left about this was… who was his first ally?

He shrugged the thought aside and continued to help the other paddle down the river towards the elderly willow tree.

"Help! Somebody help! Help! Help!" Thomas hollered as loudly as he could. He raced into the camp. He nearly ran straight into Ben and Lon, who happened to be on guard duty. It was easy to identify the two settlers. Ben had black hair. Lon had red hair and a beard. The two had gone out searching for John Smith earlier, only to return with stories about a "spooky tree lifting its roots". That, and they had been attacked by the terrible monsters.

"Easy, lad," Lon said. "What is it?"

Thomas was nearly exasperated. "It's Smith!" he exclaimed. "They got him!"

"Who got him?" Ben inquired.

"The savages!" Thomas declared louder than before. "And those monsters! They captured him — dragged him off!"

Ben and Lon were shocked. Several other settlers came out of their tents in alarm, having overheard the news. "Where'd they take him?!" Ben questioned, alarm written on his face.

Thomas pointed into the forest. "They headed North!"

"How many were there?" Lon asked.

"I don't know," Thomas replied. "At least a dozen."

Ben was furious. "Filthy beasts!"

"Ratcliffe was right," Lon realized. "Those savages might be hiding the gold, and they took Smith captive until we agree to leave!"

"We've got to save him!" Thomas said, finally catching his breath. "He'd do the same for any of us."

"Thomas is right!" Ben agreed. "We've got to do something."

"And so we shall!" Ratcliffe boomed as he marched over, Wiggins directly behind. "I told you those savages couldn't be trusted. Smith tried to befriend them, and look what they've done to him. But now I say it's time to rescue our courageous comrade. At daybreak, we attack!"

The settlers all shouted in agreement. Ratcliffe marched into the middle of a platform overlooking the men. Wiggins began placing pieces of black armor onto the governor. He also included a blood-red cape. "What can you expect from filthy little heathens? Their whole disgusting race is like a curse."

All of the men stood at attention as their leader continued to speak. "Their skin's a hellish red. They're only good when dead. They're vermin, as I said — and worse! They're savages!"

"Savages!" the settlers yelled in turn.

"Barely even human," Ratcliffe declared as he tossed muskets down to the men below. "Drive them from our shore! They're not like you and me, which means they must be evil! We must sound the drums of war!"

Ben pointed a sword into the air. "Let's kill a few, men!" he yelled loud enough for everyone to hear.

Ratcliffe waited for Wiggins to add his sword. "Now it's up to you, men!"

"They're savages!" the settlers chanted in reply. In the midst of the crowd, Thomas gulped very, very, very, very, very, very, very anxiously. He could sense a strong dark power coming from the others around him. He saw a black cloud forming high above the fortress. He knew this meant only one thing.

Trouble — and lots of it.

The native village was filled with noise. The bonfire in the middle was burning brightly against the darkness around it. All the warriors were gathered, preparing for an upcoming battle. At the center of the crowd, Chief Powhatan was briefing everyone.

"This is what we feared," he informed the crowd. "The paleface is a demon. The only thing they feel at all is greed."

Kekata was busy helping the now-recovering Kocoum over. The warrior had a bad scrape on his right arm. The bullet was gone, but it still stung from time to time. "They're different from us," the shaman declared. "Which means they can't be trusted."

"I wonder if they even bleed," Kocoum yelled.

The warriors shouted in reply. "They're savages!"

"Killers at the core," Powhatan shouted. He threw down his staff and picked up a larger one shaped like a club. "We must sound the drums of war!"

The chief turned to gaze into the wigwam where John Smith was being held. "First we deal with this one, then we sound the drums of war!"

From within a nearby wigwam, Nakoma was watching the display. She watched a cloud of what seemed to be dark magic form in the sky well above the village. She gulped, feeling a strong dark presence from within the cloud.

The forest was deathly quiet. The sky above grew darker. Soon, no stars could be seen. A giant cloud started moving above. A second one formed in the opposite direction. The two clouds grew closer and closer together. Within minutes, they collided. A flash of powerful energy struck the ground. At the impact site, numerous creatures started to appear. They were black as night itself with claws, antennae, and creepy yellow eyes. Some were bigger than others. Some could spin like the wind. Others could fly through the air.

In the middle of it all, a figure approached the mysterious creatures. It was a young woman with reddish-orange hair, blue eyes, and pinkish lips. Her outfit was complex. It seemed to be a dress with a dark-green color, was a small purple skirt in the middle around her waist, and it had a leaf-like design. Her feet were covered by pinkish-purple shoes. She also had a purple-colored hairband with a tiny, green wine wrapped around it. There was a golden-colored vine wrapped around her right wrist like a bracelet and she had a strawberry-designed tattoo on her right shoulder. What also stood out about her appearance was a set of transparent wings that seemed to be shaped like leaves.

This was no ordinary woman.

She gave a sinister smile at the creatures gathering before her eyes. "Yes," she said to them. "Cover this land. Take over whatever is there. But don't hurt any trees, flowers, or any other plants. Plants are our friends — not our enemies."

Riku was leaning against the wall of the circular chamber. The day was moving slow. Ever since he had gotten into the heated argument with Niccole, she'd returned to her training for the rest of the day. Kairi was busy, too. The only ones left in the study were Master Yen Sid, Mickey, and Violet.

He sighed. Couldn't something interesting happen? Until classes started up again, he had nothing to do….

At once, Master Yen Sid shifted his eyes to the star-shaped window. Mickey did the same. The latter gasped in alarm when he saw something. Violet looked through and gasped, somehow knowing what it was.

Curious to know what the others had seen, Riku turned and peered through the window. He looked around outside. Other than a close star starting to twinkle rapidly, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Wait. A star twinkling quickly? He took another look. It wasn't twinkling. It was… blinking? He wondered what this meant. Whatever the case, he could tell from the others' reactions it wasn't good. Not good at all.

He wondered if they were looking at a world where Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad were at. Whatever the case, he knew something funny was going on. And he wanted to know what… whenever he got around to it that is.

A/N: YIKES! THIS DOES NOT LOOK GOOD - NOT GOOD AT ALL!
Well... I needed a Cliff-Hangar for next time, anyway.

So, I have the feeling you want me to clarify some things for you.
(1.) When I included the "song", "SAVAGES", I was NOT trying to offend anyone out there! I used the "alternate lyrics" (not from the movie itself) only so I could show the seriousness of the situation. After all, a whole world is on the verge of falling to Darkness. That is NOT something to be taken lightly!
(2.) Try to GUESS who the young woman that picked up Pocahontas's necklace is! HINT: She was featured in this story already!
(3.) What creature was Sora thinking about at the start of This Chapter?
(4.) What "Medical Examiner" was Sora referring to while sneaking about the camp? HINT: Think of a T.V. Show from the Late 1970s, Early 1980s. It's currently on Netflix. I saw it on there, too.
(5.) I decided to downplay the incident with Kocoum and John Smith? Why? I wrote it that way in the Storyline Summary I created.
(6.) Try to GUESS who the strange woman with the Heartless is!
(7.) What happened to Meeko and Flit? Stay tuned!
(8.) It's True! Whenever you use Sign Language, it is polite to point. How else does the receiver/audience know who you are referring to?
(9.) HERBIE has been repaired. This means, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Launchpad will be able to leave once they are done there!
(10.) Try to GUESS who the "Summon" Sora has is! HINT: Think of a Disney/Pixar character with a similar color scheme.

Well... I'm all out of things to say - UNTIL NEXT TIME, THAT IS!

So Then, I'll See You Next Time!
In other words, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT REVIEWING! THE FATE OF THIS STORY DEPENDS ON IT!

REMEMBER THIS - A MINIMUM OF 214 IS REQUIRED FOR THE SEQUEL! IF 240 ARE POSTED, I WILL INCLUDE A "SNEAK PEEK" FOR THE SEQUEL ITSELF! HOWEVER, THAT/THOSE GOAL(S) MUST BE MET BY THE TIME THE-SECOND-TO-LAST-CHAPTER IS POSTED! THAT WAY, I WILL HAVE TIME TO ANNOUNCE WHETHER OR NOT EITHER GOAL WAS MET!

This Is SoraLego278 Saying, "See Ya Later, Keybladers!" Plus, "Have A ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH DAY!"