I don't really have much to say for this intro, so let's just get to the point, but first…

garland of eden: Thank you so much for your reviews! Sorry if I replied a bit late. I was worried about what people would think of how I was making the world in this story and the ideas of the races and stuff, but I'm glad to know a few people like the concept. I'm glad to know you like Rikki!

I own nothing but my OCs like usual.

Here's chapter 7.

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Chapter 7: White Blaze

As the heroes moved forward, they found that the living statues were as dangerous as ever when they rushed at them with their attacks, but there were also Baki they had to deal with. So far, they hadn't had to deal with any Gato, but that wasn't the biggest problem they had to deal with now.

Y'know how there was that explosion and the sound of crashing and stuff before? Well, it made it so parts of the stage were destroyed. For the most part, the heroes and the Raposa could easily move across with a few jumps, but they didn't have the platforms the Creator had drawn due to a lack of the Book of Life and any easels that could be used to create them was destroyed.

Maelynn was able to use the BoT as backup of course, but it only made them more curious about the Book itself. Why was the Book of Truth there? And when exactly was it created? She never stated when it was, though it might've been implied that it and the Book of Life were created at the same time, but then again…

"Hey Maelynn?" Thunder suddenly spoke as they were fighting a few hordes of Baki that had gotten into their path. Maelynn easily took down some with her rapier before looking back at Thunder, her blonde hair whipping behind her when she turned.

"Yes, um… Thunder, I think it was?" She asked, forgetting his name a moment as they kept moving forward.

"What exactly is the Book of Truth? I know you explained it to us, but did your village always have it?" Thunder asked Maelynn, quite unsure.

Maelynn shook her head. "No, not always. Why? Did I imply that?" She inquired rather worriedly.

"…Yeah, kinda." Roselyynn stated, and Maelynn bit her lip.

"Well, I can tell you that it's more recent, but in a sense, the Creator did use it to help us build our village and grant us blueprints- but she had the book, not us. Some events that happened due to this book occurred during the Isolation."

"And what about that one guy who got punished?" Penelope squeaked and Maelynn frowned.

"Wait, what of him? The one who drew in the book?"

"Yeah. You said you weren't there when he tried to draw in the Book, but your father was, implying that you've had it for a while."

Maelynn was surprised at how little she actually said about the book itself. "Yes, yes, my father was a witness to the event. But what I meant by I wasn't there was that I actually wasn't present at the time. I was still training to be Mayor and I was off doing a chore." She explained.

The heroes went silent and looked at each other. Thunder asked the question again. "…Okay, so when did you get the Book of Truth?"

The Renard Mayor had to ponder on it as they continued moving through, but just before she could answer, Rikki stopped them, telling them to quiet down and hide upon noticing something. The heroes nor Maelynn had a clue what he was thinking, but Aurora did. Maelynn hadn't been paying as much attention due to thought. As for Aurora, though she wasn't as scared as Rikki.

"The Whiteclaw Chieftess is nearby! We gotta hide quickly before she sees us!" He indicated. Penelope's eyes widened in response when they looked at her.

"I can't use my abilities a lot in a day, or else I lose balance and control of myself. My shadow ability is un…" Penelope was quickly cut off when she was cut off and saw the silhouette of some Gato, with one looking bulkier than most of the ones they saw.

As they were freaking out, Penelope analyzed the building they were close to and figured out a plan. "Ay, Roselyynn, Thunder, can you change forms into something that can easily climb up walls? Like Spiderman or something?"

"Well, we have these spider-like forms. Why?" Thunder asked.

Penelope pointed at the building and then the other two heroes saw what she was getting at. Roselyynn flipped her hair before huffing. "Alright Thunder, let's switch."

They were quick to change into their spider forms (which really didn't resemble spiders at all, as Thunder's was more of a thunder cloud and Roselyynn looked like a mutated rose with three thorny stems), and quickly went up to get to the rooftop. Penelope then got the Raposa to shut up and with a deep breath, she went into her shadow form again and tried to hide them in the shadows as the Chieftess and some Gato approached. Then, she tried to move herself and the Raposa into the alleyway to better hide.

When the heroes saw them step in, they first saw the two guard Gato from earlier, and they seemed to be talking to her about something, but it was better understandable when they were out in the open.

Then, they saw the Chieftess, and wow, was it evident. She wore this fancy cape with golden fur trimmings around the collar and the ends, with tiger stripes around the back and reaching to the front. In her hair, there were two feathers that glimmered with the color of fire and resembled the feathers of a phoenix. The color of her hair was also interesting. It was a white hue with a bit of a hint of grey, which faded into a greyer but slightly brownish hue around the tips. Her ears had the same hue as the tips of her hair and her striped tail was the same brown and also a grayish color. She was armed with a spear.

Her inquisitive eyes shifted around curiously as the guards followed. "So, you said that you smelled the scent of some Raposa wandering about the Rooftops? Where?"

"We're… we're unsure, ma'am. We could've sworn we had seen something that might've been Raposa earlier, but they appeared to have vanished. To make all matters worse…" The female guard began, only for the Chieftess to shush her quickly.

"The Blackpaws are irrelevant, soldier. You told me that you started to pick up a scent. We cannot have any foxes interfering in our affairs here." said she very firmly. She turned away and began to walk around, investigating the area. However, she picked up an odd yet suspicious scent that seemed to be coming from somewhere nearby.

For some reason, it was the scent of roses. And also, something that kinda smelled like it was burning, like electricity or something. From her investigation, it appeared to be coming from above. The Whiteclaw Chieftess paused in her tracks as the two guards stood back. She looked up, trying to find where this weird scent was coming from.

"Chieftess White Blaze, is something the matter?" asked the male guard as Roselyynn and Thunder tried to hide themselves by somewhat crouching down (in their spider-like forms). White Blaze didn't reply, only to pull out her spear.

"I smell something weird. I can't pinpoint where it's coming from." stated she, as she still tried to look around.

Penelope was starting to get worried that White Blaze would find Roselyynn and Thunder as she hunted around, trying to see them. She also started to feel her power going unsteady, due to a lack of control. She tried her best to keep in control though so they wouldn't get caught. However, when the sunlight started to shine down on Roselyynn and Thunder, making them a bit more evident (especially Thunder), White Blaze noticed something was up on the rooftop, noting how whatever was up there was hating the sun as it beat down on them.

A predatory gleam appeared in the Gato's eyes as she was going to go and catch her 'prey', carefully starting to sneak over in order to start climbing up. Penelope, however, panicked and lost control, taking everyone out of the shadows and making the Renard Raposa and herself tumble out.

The guard and White Blaze went silent upon hearing the sudden noise, and noticed the four figures. The three were unamused, and changed their targets, with White Blaze taking the lead and cautiously coming in. Penelope tried to quickly hide them again, but it was too late, as White Blaze aimed her spear at her head as she was collapsed over. The Gato's face was dark as she towered over the tiny rabbit hero, and Roselyynn and Thunder saw from the Rooftops.

White Blaze looked emotionless and rather unsympathetic to them. Maelynn was displeased at how Penelope blew their cover, but she honestly could blame the poor heroine. Penelope appeared to be somewhat pained and freaked out.

The chieftess snapped and spoke to the two guards. "Well, we've found the scent. Take them away and lock them up. We cannot have Raposa interfering."

Aurora attempted to protest. "But we're not interfering! We're trying to-"

"Quiet, child." White Blaze ordered back, appearing quite bored at the whole ordeal now; like it had been going on for too long. "Elanor, Aelius, take them away."

Roselyynn and Thunder were safe from the Gato, but all they could do was watch as their allies were hauled off. And if they attempted to do anything, all it would do is make the situation worse because they would also probably get captured and then all would go bad.

They also didn't know where White Blaze or her two guards were taking the four of them. And without the Book of Truth (which seemed more useful now that they really though about it) or a way to contact the Creator, basically, the duo was in hot water.

Once it was in the clear, Roselyynn and Thunder got off the building as they remained in their spider forms and then changed into their regular forms. Both were at a loss for words.

"How are we supposed to get them back now!? This is really bad. We need Maelynn and Penelope!" exclaimed Roselyynn. The pink-haired heroine was starting to tug on her hair and pace back and forth in panic. Thunder tried to calm her, but he started to also find himself in a pit of despair too.

What if there was terrain they couldn't cross as a result of this chaos? Maelynn was practically required to go anywhere due to having the BoT. And Penelope probably could open portals and stuff if she were here.

Oh! What was the point? The journey was over and the heroes were helpless…

…Or were they?

"I never thought I'd see the day where the likes of you two were put into a bind." That voice! It was too familiar… no. It couldn't be.

Roselyynn and Thunder looked back to see a very familiar (and unwelcome) face. No hesitance was taken to pull out their weapons and step back when they saw Wilfre. He was the last raposa the both of them wanted to see. And yet, he was back again! What, did he just not die?

"You! How come you're not dead? We saw you die and you should've been permanently eliminated!"

Wilfre rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Honestly, it's really hard for me to die. It's funny how you people think I'm dead when I seem to disintegrate. I thought I was dead last time too until the world was released from Mike's dream."

Roselyynn and Thunder glared at him. Wilfre sighed at them, still appearing to be annoyed they didn't understand. "Everyone thought they were dead when the world was disconnected. But here we are now, with this isolation being over. Trust me when I say I don't intend on being a threat."

Roselyynn aimed her shooter at him and began charging up her shot. A murderous gleam was in her lilac-colored eyes. "You're a threat by just existing. This time, the world will finally be cleansed of you!"

Wilfre shook his head at the heroes' stupidity because they still didn't get it. So, they attacked him and Wilfre was able to avoid their attacks with ease before stopping them with shadow goo and locking them into place. "Oh, for the love of the Creator! Stop with your nonsense. This pointless fighting is getting us nowhere!"

"Wow, lookit you. You're actually saying fighting is pointless." Thunder mocked Wilfre. He ignored it, because honestly, this wasn't the problem.

"If I were a threat, wouldn't I be the villain here? The problem in itself is bigger than all of us. Killing me would only make it impossible for progression."

Roselyynn's face was starting to redden from rage. "Stop making this harder! You're probably the true villain here, and I refuse to take YOUR help!"

"Well…I hate to admit it, but…" Thunder began, only for Roselyynn to stare at him alarmed.

"But what, Thunder?! Don't tell me you're siding with him!"

Thunder frowned at her. "Roselyynn, if Wilfre were honestly the villain here, wouldn't he have started acting on his plan a while ago? He did this the first time and the second time, and we'd know he's a threat because he'd show up earlier. This is the first time he's shown up now."

Roselyynn tried to figure out an objection. She pondered on it and tried to think, only to find that Thunder was right. And she couldn't find any holes in his logic either because he had a point. Roselyynn didn't want to admit he was right. So, she only huffed and went silent, immediately looking away. In a lower voice, she proceeded to start interrogating Wilfre. She had to be able to prove Thunder wrong.

"Why are you showing up now, Wilfre? And why are you saying the 'real' problem is bigger than all of us? Aren't you allied with White Tuxedo? Saying that you aren't a threat is an act of deception."

Wilfre crossed his arms. "Well, I know that siding with White Tuxedo would be a mistake. If we were allied, I would've shown up with him in the first place. But we aren't allied, since it would only lead the world to its destruction. This isn't like what happened with Mike."

Roselyynn and Thunder glared at him. "You tried to drain color from the world to save yourself! And maybe everyone else too, but that doesn't matter! How can this be different from Mike's situation?!" Roselyynn snapped at him.

"Because we're here now. And worse will happen if we don't protect the second book, or its holder." Wilfre simply answered. There was a long pause.

Thunder was starting to go back on what he said prior knowing that Wilfre knew about the Book of Truth. What if Roselyynn was right? What if he really was a threat? He just didn't know, but he and Roselyynn drew their weapons again.

"How do you know about the Book of Truth? Are you planning to use it for your own ideals?"

Wilfre was starting to get annoyed with the heroes once again because they honestly weren't getting the point. "I'm not interested in using the Book of Truth. But we can't let White Tuxedo get it, or we're dead. As much as I don't want to help you, I'm afraid that we don't have a choice in this matter."

"So we're being forced to work with you now, huh?" Roselyynn asked. Wilfre rolled his eyes and proceeded to walk off.

"I'm not forcing anything. Still, do you want to get your companions back or not? We both know that they just got captured, yet we've been standing here; pointlessly arguing with each other when there's a problem at hand."

Roselyynn and Thunder went silent. Now the both of them didn't want to say he was right. Wilfre could tell that was the case, but he didn't let it bother them. With the pair crossing their arms, they proceeded to hesitantly follow Wilfre, hoping that they were able to get their companions back.

…Or kill Wilfre if they found out he was actually deceiving them like he was so skilled at doing.

-o-o-o-o-

Wow, this chapter took a while. And now, Roselyynn and Thunder are stuck with Wilfre in hopes of getting their companions back! But is he really lying and he's the true villain?

Ok, so I'm just going to give a quick spoiler here, soooo…

Spoiler: Wilfre's not the villain. I mean, it would make sense if he was, but he's not in this case. It doesn't mean that Roselyynn and Thunder trust him though (they still don't, and won't throughout the story).

I don't really have much to say other than that.

Like usual, please review if you'd like, please refrain from flaming and please tell me how I can improve! I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing so I can better myself.

I will see you all in the next chapter.

Ciao!