He heard it. Takanuva readied his staff and looked around as the loud bangs echoed through the forest. It was very close. If he could just find the source he can finally identify the possible threat. He chose the direction he though it came from and ran.
He ran through thick foliage before tripping on something and landing on his face. He laid there and moaned. When he got on his hands and knees he found himself staring straight into the yellow eyes of a Rahkshi. He screamed and jumped to his feet. He readied his staff of light and was prepared for a fight. The Rahkshi didn't move. He lowered his staff and realized that it was dead. Looking around, he found no sign of a fight or struggle. Then he noticed something in its head. He took a closer look and found a small hole piercing though the head armor and into the Kraata itself.
What the weapon could've been was beyond his knowledge. He then looked over the Rahkshi and saw a pile of crates with foreign objects.
"What in Mata-Nui's name is going on?" he whispered to himself. He found a potato peeler and examined it.

High above, Sarah was awestruck at the sight of the Toa. She had climbed up to reach some fruit. Halfway up, she was able to see the volcano just a few miles out and to her surprise several snow-covered peeks. She heard a yelp and looked down to see the gold, robotic being face-planted into the round. She then recalled Ashley's account of an 'angel'. It matched the description and looking closely, she saw what appeared to be organic tissue inside it. The question now was what to do.
Suddenly, a soft whisper filled their air: "Kill it."
Sarah immediately shook her head. It was an odd thought, even though she just killed a much bigger creature.
"Kill it." The voice sounded colder.
Hesitantly she pulled out her riffle and aimed it at the robot. For several seconds nothing happened.
"Kill it. Before it kills you!"
She cringed her teeth and rubbed her head. Did she really have to? For all she knew it could be friendly. Then again, Mr. Brute said there were savages. She decided that if she were to find the truth she would have to observe very carefully.

Takanuva was done going through the bizarre objects. Whatever had killed this Rahkshi must've wanted it to say secret. Why that would be was something he would have to discuss with Kopaka. He grabbed the Kraata and pulled it out of the armor before walking off.
Sarah found it odd that he would do that. When he was a fair distance away she climbed down and re-packed, this time replacing most of her gear with winter attire. If he was going to the volcano she won't have to worry. If he chose the mountains she would have a more treacherous, but rewarding adventure.

"Well, how was it?" asked Mackenzie.
"No luck." replied B.J.
He and Mr. Petrik returned from another search mission with no survivors.
Mr. Petrik held in his hand the only 'good news'. "We did catch some food." He tossed it on top of a table.
The students and survivors stared with disgust at the eel-like creature. It was purple, scaly and had six large spikes protruding out.
"Are we supposed to eat that?" asked Mackenzie.
"Yes." snapped Mr. Petrik. "We can't afford to be picky." Then looked over to another survivor. "Ethan, we're going to keep hunting. Will you prepare something for us?"
"Sure will." he replied in a thick Texan accent. He wore a light-blue shirt and kaki pants. "See if you can catch me some Gar." he joked.
Mr. Petrik wasn't quite sure what that was and went alongside B.J. as he left. "I don't think we're using the right strategy."
B.J. looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"By now some survivors may have moved far inland. We should search farther inland as well. Or at least explore the place."
"Don't you think that's a little risky?"
"Yes, but think about what we could find: food sources, a better camp site or even civilization."
B.J. paused over it. "Alright, but we'll have to plan this thoroughly. A three-day trip, no kids tagging along, and we'll need to bring bullets. Lots of bullets."

The cold became more than bearable for Sarah and she put on her snow gear. It consisted of a ski bib, a thick, red and black coat, a matching stocking ski hat, a ski mask, goggles, winter shoes and gloves. The amount of time she spent preparing, allowed the robot to get far ahead. Experience taught her not to run after it, as she would sweat. Once she settled down, the cold would freeze it and she would have a miserable night on the mountain.
Fortunately the sky was calm; only a few cotton balls of clouds floated high above. The robot's tracks were difficult to see off the reflective snow, but once she put on her goggles the difference was as night and day. She followed the trail at a steady pace up a slope.
It led her through a long and narrow pass before going up another slope and along the edge of a cliff. Soon she found the robotic figure far downhill and approaching another pass. Instead of waking, Sarah got on her back and slid down. She let out a big smile as she picked up speed. When she reached the bottom she sat up and found herself much closer to the robot. Luckily it didn't notice her approach as it entered the pass.
She followed it, making sure to keep her distance. As she was coming out of the pass she stopped and ran back in. She slowly peeked out to find the robot had stopped just twenty yards in front of her. It had found another pile of random supplies. It looked around nervously, as if expecting something to jump out at it. Cautiously it walked away.
Sarah debated to herself whether to investigate the supplies or not. A quick scan of the sky showed no signs of any storms. She went over and began to salvage. She pulled out a few chocolate bars, which here hard as a rock when she bit into one, a Swiss army knife, and tranquilizers. It had no practical application for hunting, but she figured it would help in detaining the robot.
She packed a few darts and put on her pack. As she began walking again the hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she shivered. She stopped and spun around. There wasn't anyone there and all she heard was silence. Slowly she turned back around and continued walking. Occasionally she would look over her shoulder as the thought of something watching grew on her.

Kopaka Nuva stood on top a mountain. Since the strange rahi's appearance, he kept vigil watch for anything suspicious. The fact that he hadn't heard anything from the other villages had him worried; He would never show it of course. But he found himself spending his alone time thinking over it. Sometimes he would stay awake until late at night, just trying to figure it all out.
Something from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He looked down and saw a gold blur moving. His eyepiece whizzed as it zoomed in on the figure. It was Takanuva. He almost rolled his eyes as he remembered that it was his turn to teach the novice. He then spotted another figure moving, far behind Takanuva.
The lens focused on the odd creature. For a while he was stumped on what to make of it. As he watched its behavior though, it became apparent it was stalking the Toa.
Kopaka's eyes narrowed and he readied his blades. This will be the first lesson Takanuva receives: always watch your back.

Following the trail Sarah had cut home wasn't difficult. It was the amount of running Janet did that had her to the point of exhaustion. She rested along a tree and panted. After drinking the last water from her canteen she looked around. There was no sign of Sarah anywhere.
"That's what you get for leaving camp." Janet grumbled to herself. She heard something brake and froze. "Sarah?" she whispered.
Foliage rustled in the distance; where it came from she couldn't tell. Nervously she looked around. Deciding it would be better to avoid it, she ran. She didn't get very far when she found herself running straight into something. She groaned and got on her hands and knees.
When she looked up her eyes were locked onto the eyes of a short, green robotic being. She let out a scream. It screamed in reply and she screamed even more. Both got on their feet and ran in opposite directions.
Janet found herself running past a pile of crates. The camp was close. When she ran to the campsite, Bryan and the others were surprised and shocked.
"Janet, where the heck have you been?!" asked Bryan. "And where's Sarah?"
Janet spoke in between gasps. "Volcano…. robot bears… monsters…. robot midgets!"
"What are you talking about?"
Janet put a finger up and took several more deep breaths. "Sarah was going to leave without us knowing. I followed her until a giant red monster attacked. It was almost ten feet tall, spikes out its back and its face split into three directions."
"But where's Sarah?" Bryan repeated.
"I heard her firing a gun."
Bryan then looked cross. "You left her behind?!"
Janet tensed up and she raced to find a good defense. "She- She told me to run."
The answer didn't calm him down completely, but she knew he believed it.
"From now on we stay close to shore, understand?" he asked.
Janet quickly nodded.

Every few minutes Sarah looked over her shoulder. As she reached the top of a hill she stopped as a strange structure came into view. Nearly a quarter a mile away stood a tall wall that jutted out between two massive glaciers. Several windows were along it, with a large door at the base. She quickly got on her hands and knees and crawled forward until the slope began to dip down again.
She rested on her stomach and pulled out her riffle and used the scope as binoculars. There were several guards patrolling along the wall. To her confusion they appeared rather short. She then spied down on the white and gold robot. It was at the base of the hill and walking towards the structure very casually.
Then an idea came to her. The gun was already on safety mode, and she put her finger on the trigger. Sarah had fired guns several times before, but for once she felt like a real sniper. No one could see her, yet she could see everyone. She could kill anyone and get away with it. She wouldn't really do it; she tried hunting but could never get herself to shoot something intentionally.
With the gun still aimed at the robot she pretended to pull the trigger, making her heart skip a beat. All of a sudden she felt a sharp pain in her left leg and screamed. She rolled over and found an icicle that pierced through the lower calf. Ice was growing around the wound and covered her whole lower leg in a layer nearly an inch thick, sealing the shard into her leg.
Sarah cringed her teeth and groaned. She heard the sound of crunching snow and looked to her right. Her eyes widened as a robot, looking just like the supposed 'angel' was charging right at her.
Panicked, she aimed her riffle and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened and she realized the safety lock was on. She scrambled to get it unlocked and when done she fired again. Nothing happened. Fearing the chamber was frozen shut, she got up and readied herself to use it as a club. The robot aimed its sword and a stream of ice shot out.
The act freaked Sarah out and she instinctively used the side of the gun to block it. It hit the gun and began to encase it. Sarah flinched and threw the gun to the side. By the time it hit the ground it was completely covered in ice.

Takanuva spun around at the sound of a scream and drew his staff. He was more than ready to save a fellow Matoran, except there were none. Instead he found Kopaka on top the hill he was just on, running at something.
Then a figure stood up and his eyes widened. "Mata Nui." He immediately ran up, but Kopaka gave a quick gesture of his hand, telling him he had it taken care of. Takanuva stubbornly took a step back and watched.

Sarah quickly pulled out the bayonet. Her heart picked up and the pain in her leg was filtered out of consciousness. She and her opponent locked eyes. Though it could not see her face, there was something about its cold gaze that sent a shiver down her spine. If his size wasn't intimidating enough, his emotionless face was enough to make her think twice about doing this. The robot then grabbed its sword and separated it into two. Sarah's eyes widened.
"Didn't see that coming." she thought.
She reached into her left pocket, hoping to use the pistol instead, but felt a tranquilizing dart. Too panicked to keep searching, she began to think of a way to use it against her attacker. She stepped back as the robot charged.

Kopaka swung his sword at the stranger. It blocked the attack and he raised his other sword in the air. The creature ducked as he made his blow. Kopaka made several more swings and found his challenger trying desperately to block or avoid them. Once in a while it would try to strike back, only to be blocked by his shield.
He found its fighting style to be odd. There was a part of him that wondered if it even had a fighting style. Regardless, he was going to end this threat.

Sarah and the robot backed away from each other for a moment. She breathed heavily from exhaustion. Adrenaline still rushed through her body. She thought as fast as she could and found a weak point. If it swung its shield, it would be wide open for an attack.
The robot ran at her again and swung its right sword at her. She barely dodged it. It swung several more times at her; The whole time she was praying that the robot would make the move she was hopping for. But after a few more near misses she couldn't take it anymore. She didn't dodge the next attack in time and the blade ripped through the ski suit and left a deep gash in her left arm. She screamed in pain and knelt on her good leg as she covered her wound.
She saw a shadow fall over her and looked up to see her attacker raising both swords in the air. She blocked them both with her bayonet. The two struggled to push each other. Desperate, Sarah reached in her pocket and grabbed a dart. This was her only chance.

Before Kopaka could react, the creature threw something at his stomach. He groaned loudly and staggered backwards. He looked down and pulled it out a dart.
"How could I be so stupid?" he thought to himself.
The creature took advantage of the moment and pulled out another foreign weapon. He looked at it and noticed the similarities it had with the one he just froze. He raised his shield in time.
There was a flash and a loud bang, followed by a sharp 'cling' as he felt something hit the shield. It fired again and the same thing happened, but this time the attack ricochet off his shield and went into Takanuva's right shoulder armor. It made a loud clank and knocked off his shoulder piece. The Toa of light stumbled backwards in surprise.
Kopaka then jabbed a sword into the ground and sent a stream of ice shards that erupted out of the snow at the creature. It threw itself out of the way and landed flat on the ground. As it got up he charged one more time, using his shield as a battering ram.

Sarah was too tired to dodge in time and was knocked to the ground. She looked up and saw the robot raise its sword again. Unable to get up, she used her half frozen leg to block the attack. But when the sword made contact with her foot, the swords glowed and the ice advanced up her leg. Sarah yelled in horror and yanked her leg away. She then used the weight of her ice-covered leg and swung at its legs. The force of the impact caused the robot to fall over and land on its side. She took the opportunity to roll away and get herself back up, but with a leg almost completely frozen, it was difficult.

Kopaka got up on his knees and looked at the creature bitterly.
"That's it I'm finishing this... this..." The world around him was slowly starting to spin. His vision became blurry. He stood up and stumbled a little before shaking his head. By the time he had cleared his vision, the creature was back on its feet. Before the Toa of ice made his next move, his vision blurred again.
"What... What's happening?" he whispered to himself. He rubbed his eyes and stumbled backwards before placing his hand on his head as he began to feel dizzy and tired. The creature turned into a blob of red and black moving towards him.

Just as Sarah hoped, the tranquilizer did its job. She took the chance and charged with her bayonet. The robot seemed aware of her move and swatted at her with his shield, but it did so far too early. Now open, she lunged forward and stabbed it in the side.
"NOOO!"
Sarah looked downhill and saw the gold-armored robot running at her. She was startled that it spoke. When she saw its staff glow, she limped to her riffle, grabbed it and threw herself down the slope and rolled for escape.

Kopaka moaned as he placed his hands on the wound. He tried to get back on his feet, only to find himself stumbling back down. He could hear Takanuva's voice growing louder as the Toa called out his name. He saw the gold blur running at him before collapsing again. He was then rolled over and found himself in the Toa of light's arms.
"Kopaka, are you all right?"
Kopaka stared at him with dilated eyes.
"Brother, say something!" This time he shook the Toa of ice.
"Takua." Was all Kopaka could whisper before closing his eyes.
Takanuva panicked a little, believing him to be dead. But a quick look at Kopaka's heart light dispelled his fear. He then looked over and saw the red creature limping away. Angered, he aimed his staff and fired a beam of light. It struck the creature on the back. It screamed and then fell to the ground. He watched it closely for a minute to see if it was still alive. When it did not move he turned his attention to Kopaka. He placed his brother over his shoulders and slowly carried him to the safety of Ko-koro.

Sarah didn't know how long she was going to play dead. The cold air stung the exposed skin of her left shoulder. The urge to treat it was overwhelming for her. When she didn't hear anyone approach her, she opened her eyes and slowly turned her head over.
The two robots were gone. She took a deep sigh of relief and tried to get back on her legs. When the tattered fabric of the coat rubbed against the skin she hissed and tried to place a hand over it. Unable to reach, she grabbed some snow and tossed it on the wound, but it only made the sting worse. She yelled and shook the snow off.
Sarah then looked at the sky. The sun was nearly set and the temperature was dropping. Slowly, she dragged herself back to the pile of supplies. The trek was long and grueling. The cold began to seep into her leg and she started to shiver. When she reached the supplies it was dark. She dug through, hoping to find something useful, and found several cloths, a hammer and newspapers.
Now it was time to find shelter. There was a small cave several yards from the pass. She dragged herself over and looked inside. The roof of the cave was only a few feet above her and she was able to make out the end of the cave just before it could be enveloped by darkness.
Satisfied, she sat herself down, with her frozen leg sticking out and her free leg facing away. With hammer in hand she took a good whack at the ice. The impact sent a shockwave up her leg and she cringed her teeth. This wasn't going to be as easy as she thought.

Lewa swung across the canopy. His plans to talk with Tahu were interrupted earlier by a Nui-Jaga swarm that had gotten uncomfortably close to his village. But even with the threat gone he wasn't going to Ta-koro. He was looking for Kongu.
The pilot took part in driving the Rahi away, but hadn't been seen since. As he transitioned to the next vine he spotted a Le-Matoran running frantically back to Le-koro. It was Kongu.
He swooped down and landed in front of the Matoran.
Kongu screamed and jumped back. "Oh, it's you Lewa."
"Life-dawn, what's with the quick-running?" Lewa asked with a confused look.
"I was air flying when a loud-bang startled by bird. It bucked me off and I began to ground-walk back." He paused. "Then I was quick-struck by a creature."
"What kind of creature?"
"I... I don't know. It was monstrous looking and it made a high-pitched cry. I quick-ran back here as fast as I could." Kongu looked behind himself. "Looks like I shook-lost it."
Lewa's face lit with concern. "We should quick-speed to Le-koro. It's getting late. But don't worry, I'll search-look for this creature tomorrow."
He let Kongu hop on his back, and then drew out his Air Katana. With a few, quick steps he launched himself into the air and glided back to his village.