I hereby dedicate this chapter to my friend Shayan and my reviewer Shadow Love 13 for continued interest in this story. Now, on to the juicy plot secrets!!!!

Chapter 5: Darkraisers

The silver wolf was positively quivering with rage. "I cannot believe this, Rowan! You've let him slip through your fingers a second time? I'm beginning to think you might not be the most capable of the Darkraisers to handle this mission…"

Rowan glared at the wolf. "Don't even say that. I was prepared for this mission the moment you told me about it. You remember."

"Yes..." the wolf replied, his mind recalling an old memory, "yes, I do remember…"

xxx

Rowan hesitantly stepped into the room. "The…the council wishes to see me?" A black and silver striped wolf rose and escorted her inside. "Yes, please sit down. We have much to discuss."

The wolf strode to the front of the room and faced Rowan. "I'm going to share history with you Rowan, history that is essential to the mission you will be sent on shortly." Rowan was shocked. "A… a mission?"

"Yes, we feel the time is right for your skills to be tested. But there is more to this than that matter." The wolf leaned forward, his yellow eyes glittering. "If you succeed… you will be allowed a seat on this council."

The other council members turned and muttered amongst themselves, an undertone of amazement and skepticism evident.

One member, a cloaked black and purple striped wolf, rose. "Elm… she is still a teenager. Moreover, she is a hedgehog!" The wolf's face twisted into a look of disgust.

"Only wolves have been allowed on this council, it is tradition! What makes her so special?" The wolf stabbed a finger at Rowan.

Rowan bared her teeth and growled. Elm calmly replied, "She is special, Ivy … because the Bow of Chaos has chosen her."

The council gasped. Even Rowan looked amazed. "Master Elm… how can you be sure?"

Elm returned his gaze to Rowan. "Haven't you noticed? You're better with it than any other of the apprentices, and its Chaos Crystal reacts the strongest when you're around it. There's no doubt about it."

Rowan was awestruck. "Does… does this mean… I will become a Chaos Knight?" she breathed. "I believe it does," replied Elm, giving the other council members a knowing look. "You will prove if you are ready for knighthood on this mission."

Rowan looked up. "Master Elm… you said something about telling me history."

"Yes… the history of our order," Elm replied. "Long ago, a group of wolves formed the Darkraisers, to make the world a better place. They sought the help of the Chaos Knights, mystic warriors with unbelievable power.

"At first, the Chaos Knights and Darkraisers formed a bountiful friendship, pooling their resources to help the world. Unfortunately, an evil and loathsome hedgehog named Shadow discovered the Darkraisers' existence.

"You see, Shadow wanted to rule the world and was fully prepared to take out anyone in his way. He attacked both the Darkraisers and the Chaos Knights using the darkest of arts.

"At one point, Shadow had nearly all of us killed. Fortunately, a few Darkraisers managed to escape with a few Weapons of Chaos. They relocated to this location, and started training apprentices to try and find new Chaos Knights. But even now, Shadow is hunting us…"

Elm looked out the window. "We don't know how long it will be until we are discovered again.

"You are our only hope, Rowan. I have constructed a time machine. You will take the Bow of Chaos, travel into the past, and eliminate Shadow before he even hears about us.

"The timestream will recalibrate to a better future, with no fear or suffering for anyone, especially us. It's all up to you, Rowan," Elm finished.

The weight of responsibility bore down upon Rowan. "When do I begin my mission?" she finally managed.

"Three days' time," Elm answered. "You should probably prepare, Rowan."

Without another word, Rowan turned and left the council chamber.

xxx

Elm snapped back to the present. "Rowan, I am going to give you one last chance. Finish Shadow in your next encounter or I will send one of the council to do it for you. Do I make myself clear?"

Rowan bowed her head. "Understood," she replied.

xxx

Hidden a few trees away, Tails grinned. Gathering intelligence is the perfect way to help Shadow! Combat was never my strong point, anyway. Hmm… the Darkraisers…. I've never even heard of them! I'll have to do some research.

xxx

"Do you hear something beeping?" Rowan asked suddenly.

Elm frowned. "Yes, sounds like it's coming from behind you."

xxx

"Uh-oh," Tails whispered.

xxx

Rowan pulled the small metal device from her quiver. "A tracer!" she hissed. "That fox boy must have slipped this on me during the fight.!" "He must be close by," Elm stated.

Raw fury twisted Rowan's features. "This time I'll stop him for good," she stated, notching an arrow.

xxx

"Geez, I wish people would stop calling me fox boy," Tails muttered as he dropped from the tree into his concealed Tornado 3, already in Vehicle Mode.

He roared out of the forest, with three arrows narrowly missing his tires.

xxx

Rowan cursed. "He got away!" Elm shook his head at her. "Rowan, if you are unable to take out an unarmed techie geek-"

"Next time, I will finish both of them. I will make their deaths long and pain-filled," Rowan cut in. Elm turned away. "You better, Rowan," was all he said before terminating the link.

Rowan snarled and threw the tracker device at a nearby tree. There was a very satisfying shattering sound.

xxx

Tails drove home, his face flushed with excitement. Okay, we have the name of a group, the Darkraisers. It's not much, but it could very well be the key to stopping this assassin!

What'd I say? Huh? Huh? Was that juicy or what? NEXT TIME: Her options limited, Rowan takes drastic measures to draw Shadow out of hiding...and endangers an inncoent bystander in the process...