Chapter 4
The Betrayal
Icefire awoke to a scene that confused her. A green meadow flowed before her, along with a pile of charred wood and ashes and many bodies of sleeping people. It was then she remembered where she was: The Guardians' Home. She sat up and looked behind her, seeing HomeOak loom above her head. She noticed that some of the Guardians were already up; Snowburner climbed around in the branches of HomeOak, a young girl with light blue eyes and black hair who was called Pyro crouched on a thick branch of one of the smaller oaks, and Falcon, the red-eyed girl with the cape, meditated on a boulder several yards away. Wolf, Tiger, and Bramble were nowhere to be found and Nebelung, the girl who wore only leaves, stirred and growled in her sleep, waking Silver, who reluctantly got up and disappeared into the branches of HomeOak. Azalea and Sotako woke at the same time, and Echo, a girl with purple eyes and black hair, still slept soundly. Nightsky, fast asleep next to Echo, sweated and shivered at the same time, then woke with a gasp, wide-eyed and panting. Icefire crawled cautiously over to her.

"Are you okay?" she laid a hand on the blonde-haired girl's clammy-skinned arm, dripping with sweat.

Nightsky stared at her- no, stared through her- with cloudy eyes that started to clear as though she were coming out of a dream, or a vision.

Nightsky shook her head viciously and blinked several times before replying, "Yeah…yeah, I'm fine."

Icefire knew otherwise, but respected the boundaries set between her and other people's problems, so she shrugged it off.
"Okay." She got up and climbed HomeOak to see if Snowburner needed help with whatever he was doing. She saw him standing in front of the large window-like gap, staring out at the field that rolled away from him. He looked thin but strong and majestic, looking as though he were guarding his home from any invaders that might be lurking around the edge of the forest that bordered the meadow.

Icefire thought about leaving him alone when he spoke. "I've lived here all my life, you know," He said quietly. "helping the lost and dying kids I found. We all have one thing in common: we are unwanted." He turned to her as she crept out of the shadows to stand in the light of the morning sun. "Unwanted by kin, orphanages, every civilized people. We decided to come to the forest to seek a home and protection. Then we found this meadow and called it The Guardians Home, because we believed that we could protect the woods. Now I can't believe how right we were." Icefire gave him a questioning look and Snowburner turned back to the gap before answering, "You see, along with our new home, we discovered that we had supernatural abilities. For example, I found out that I could control the elements fire, water, air, and earth. Nightsky could speak and control the minds of animals and had animal-like reflexes, abilities, and instincts. Falcon is a newer member and can fly and use magic to do her bidding. Nebelung was born into a pack of wolves and so has dog-like behavior most of the time, but what is truly extraordinary is the fact that she has a special connection with the forest and the elements but cannot use them as I can. She can, though, turn to mist or fog, disappear into a tree without a trace that she had been there, transform into anything from sand to boulders and sink into solid ground as though it were merely water. She can walk through flames like they aren't there and turn to smoke and vanish into thin air, dissolve into water and breathe underwater. I still can't fathom how this is possible when she can't control any of these things, and she even says she can speak to the forest and that it speaks back. Anyway, Azalea controls water and Pyro has the same mastery over fire. Wolf, Tiger, and Bramble are not even from this planet, and though their kind have a few Clans in this area, each are independent and wouldn't take them in, so they came here and we welcomed them, even if they aren't here all the time. Silver can use magic and spells and stuff like that same as Falcon, only different. And Echo is a blind girl who has extremely high senses and is very good at sneak attacks, war tactics, and is an amazing fighter, which gives her the title: The Warrior. Nightsky is The Tracker. Falcon is The Shadow. Nebelung is The Scout. Azalea is The Defender. Pyro is The Powerhouse. Wolf, Tiger, and Bramble are The Protectors. Silver is The Healer. And I am The Leader." He stopped as though lost in thought, then spoke, "But if you want the in-depth stories on each of them, you'll have to ask them yourself."

"Then tell me your story, Snowburner." Icefire said.

The blonde-haired boy turned to her, eyes wide. "You want to here my story?" he turned back to the field and Icefire almost thought he'd say no, but he told her. "Well….the first thing I remember was taking a hike with my father. He said it would be a bonding trip and I believed him; I was only five then. Anyways, my father took me to these very woods and for a time it was fun. But when I got hungry, he said I couldn't have what we had packed because it was for when we got to our destination. I didn't even know where that was, but I kept my mouth shut and tried to ignore the hunger pains and growling stomach. When we stopped at rivers, he gave me ten seconds to drink as much as I could before he left, whether I was behind him or not. Soon, I was starving and running out of energy. And when my father saw this, he told me to rest while he explored a camping spot. I did as I was told and slept. When I woke up, it was dark, I was hungry, and he was nowhere to be found. That's when I knew something was wrong. For days, I searched for him, but when I couldn't go on, I laid down to rest. That was when I heard a faint crying and the sound of ragged breathing. At first, I thought it was my father, so I ran towards the noise. As it turned out, it was Azalea. She had burns all over her body and her clothes were patchy and singed. She was crying in pain and weakly thrashing about. I gently carried her to this meadow, which I had stumble upon by chance, and stayed with her and healed her wounds. I nursed her back to health and when she found the motivation to talk she told me what had happened; she had been in an explosion and had somehow been dragged to the forest. She said her brother had gone looking for help when I found her. Over time we searched for him, but to no avail, we couldn't find him." He paused for a time.

Icefire used that chance to tell him, "I've known Sotako nearly all my life. Or at least since I started my training." This time he threw her a questioning glance. "When I was no more than two years old, I was apprenticed to The Headmaster. I still don't know much about him though and he says that's okay, that knowledge can be deadly. I never once questioned him after that. He said it was dangerous and, like you, I believed him. He trained me for the last eleven years I think and finally sent me out on a mission with Sotako because he was more experienced. At first, I wasn't thrilled at the thought, but Sotako is a nice kid and I enjoyed working with him, until he got us lost. See, our ship crashed and we had to get away from these weird people who kept pointing guns at us. Anyway, I must confess that I can, somewhat like you, control water and fire at my will, which some students say is made of iron. That is the only way we got away from those people. They're probably searching for us as we speak. I can't imagine what they'll do once they find us." She stared down at her feet.
Snowburner seemed to get it. "Don't worry, they won't find this place. No one can, unless they live here or are shown The Guardians' Home."

"You think so?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Thanks." Icefire told him quietly, walking away.

Icefire sat at the gap in HomeOak, looking out at the sinking sun. It was three days after her talk with Snowburner and now she was watching life in camp settle down for the night. A hand on her shoulder made her nearly jump out of her skin. She turned to see Sotako standing over her. She got up and asked what he needed.
"I have to talk to you." He said before leading her out of the tree and into the forest, sitting down in a bramble thicket. "Look, it's been almost a two weeks and we still haven't completed our mission. Now I've noticed that you've been getting careless and a little too comfortable here. We can't afford to put this off any longer; we have to strike now. Do you want The Headmaster to think you're a failure? And how do you think I feel? I have a victorious reputation, that can't be spoiled."
"Not everything is about you, Sotako. What about Azalea? Would you really attack her home, her family? Truthfully, I'm having second thoughts on this whole thing." She replied.
"I'm going to let her come home with us. The Headmaster won't mind after I talk him into it." Sotako said. "Once she's gone to the ship, we'll take out the rest of them. It'll be easy and Azalea won't even know."
"You would lie to your sister?"
"If that's what it takes to keep her out of danger, then yes."
"Besides that, what do you mean by 'I'm getting too comfortable here'?" she asked.
"I've seen you with that Snowburner character, you're always near him. When you need something nowadays, you always go to him." Sotako went on, "And another thing, you can't keep hanging out with these people, they're our enemy."
"But they're nice and caring and….." Icefire's voice trailed off deep in thought, "I don't see why The Headmaster would them destroyed, they only want to protect things, just like him. And I think you're jealous because Snowburner's taking up some of my time. Well let me just tell you something, I like this place, I like the way it makes me feel free, the way Snowburner makes me feel safe. I don't think I could destroy this place." She finished without meeting his gaze.
"Get real," Sotako rolled his eyes, "We have a job to complete and we're going to complete it, whether you like it or not."
"You can't make me!" she almost screamed, remembering just in time to keep her voice low.
"Look Icefire, you either fight with me or you fight with them. Choose one."
"Then you will fight alone. The Headmaster taught me to befriend the enemy and then turn on them, but these past few days have been amazing. Maybe if you didn't spend so much time brooding over this mission, you might have realized that too." She got up to leave. "I'm sorry, Sotako, but it just doesn't feel right, betraying friends."
Sotako stood and brushed past her. As he did so, a bush in front of him trembled slightly in the presence of a fleeing person. The black-haired boy took off after it and Icefire followed. She knew that whoever it was would be in big trouble if Sotako caught it. A ferocious hiss from ahead told her that he had captured whoever it was. She pushed harder, making her legs move faster as she neared a clearing. She emerged to see Wolf pinned to the ground with Sotako standing over her.
"Traitor!" Wolf hissed, defiantly struggling.
"How much of that conversation did you hear?" Sotako ignored her, leaning close to her face. The gray she-cat snapped at him, but he just moved out of the way.
Fear for Wolf's life surged through her and Icefire leaped onto her partner's back and flung him off the girl. "Stay away from her!" she yelled at him. He didn't look surprised, which seemed puzzle Wolf.
"Why do you not fight with him?" she asked cautiously.
"Because I cannot let him hurt you or anyone else." Icefire answered determinedly.
"Then I'll fight with you." Wolf declared, coming up to stand next to her, "I heard your talk with him and you said that you wouldn't betray us, even though you've known Sotako your entire life and you've only been here a few days. I believe you will make a good Deputy one day. Snowburner thinks a lot of you, I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate to give you a title."
"Enough talk," Sotako cut in impatiently.
"You know you can't beat both of us, Sotako. Like I said before, you fight alone." Icefire told him.
"So you think, kid." He whispered. "But you don't know the half of it. I'll be back, but you won't like who I'll bring with me." With that, he slunk back into the shadows, leaving no trace.
"Thanks, Wolf. I owe you one."
"No, you don't; you saved me and I saved you. We're even." The gray she-cat replied. "Come on, let's head back home."
"Yeah, home." Icefire liked the way the word tasted on her tongue. I could get used to this, she thought as she followed Wolf back to The Guardians' Home.

That night, she lay awake on her branch-bed in HomeOak. When she and Wolf had come back, Snowburner had invited her to stay forever. She had accepted this clearing as her permanent home. Everyone had been thrilled, but there was still no sign of Sotako. Icefire had admitted that she was sent here to destroy them, but had turned on her own partner. She also revealed Sotako's plan to them, knowing that they had to get ready for an invasion of some sort. Snowburner had told her that everyone had a life-story of some kind, but they were still a family that loved and cared for each other. He had said that when she earned it, Icefire would receive a title like the other members of her new family.
She was just glad that he had trusted her enough to invite her into the family, even after what she might have done. She felt complete loyalty towards The Guardians now, and for the first time in her life, Icefire had a sense of security and safety, knowing that they would always have her back and in return, she'd have theirs. This was something that she had never felt while she was apprenticed to The Headmaster. Falcon, in order to make her feel better, had told her that she too had run away from a dark master. The red-eyed girl had been apprenticed to a Dark Sorcerer and had escaped from his clutches for he used her only as a target to practice his own spells. They had rubbed off on Falcon before she ran away and she had been here ever since.
Knowing that she had a story very similar to that of another, Icefire was grateful towards Falcon and was no longer afraid of what the others thought of her, as they had stories of their own that might be worse or more depressing.
Soon, sleep over came her like a black wave, drowning her in darkness.

Four days after she had been accepted as a Guardian, Icefire woke to the sound of warning howls. She had spent many hours learning the different calls, perfecting the sounds with her own voice, and deciphering which person gave the call. Knowing that Bramble had howled, Icefire crept to the edge of the gap in HomeOak and saw about fifteen dark shapes moving through the grass. That moment, Echo bounded up the branches and motioned for Icefire to follow. It was still hard to believe that girl was completely blind. They both landed on the ground behind Silver, who was crouching behind a large boulder. She turned, recognized them, and peeked back over the top of the rock. Icefire followed her gaze until her eyes found the leader, Sotako. Her eyes widened as she saw her ex-partner lead an attack on The Guardians.
This is my home now, she thought angrily. She let fury build up inside her as she waited for the signal. She saw Snowburner leap onto a boulder in front of hers and howl the attack order.
Icefire jumped over the boulder, landing on all fours, and leaped at the nearest kid. She recognized him as Zailon, the student she had defeated almost a week and a half earlier.
His gray eyes were filled with rage as he shouted, "Traitor!" in her face. He squatted down, leaned back, and swung leg out to trip her. Icefire back-flipped out of the way.
"I may be a traitor to you, but I still remember my training." She twirled with one leg up and let her heel catch the side of his face, sending him careening backward into a boulder. She took the chance and pinned him down, only to be pushed back as Zailon's feet met her stomach. Before she could recover, the black-haired boy jumped for her, but he never reached her. Azalea caught him in mid-leap, pinning him to the ground.
Icefire got up, nodded her thanks, and bowled over another student of The Headmaster. This time it was Keeta, a young girl with lots of skill. Icefire allowed water to leak from her hands and when it had covered Keeta's arms and shoulders, she froze it. While that kept the redhead busy, she knocked Sotako off Snowburner, who was struggling for air. She kicked her ex-partner away from her packmate, as her family called each other. She checked the blonde-haired boy's breathing and, after deciding it was returning to normal, leaped onto Sotako's back, squashing him on the ground. As she sat there, on her enemy, she took in the battle; Echo was landing well-aimed attacks on a boy called Kori, Silver was sending white light in every direction, Falcon was fighting her way out of a corner by using her dark magic as a shield and slowly moving forward. Snowburner had rejoined the battle and had driven a girl named Salora into a pool of quicksand that he had created, solidifying it when she was waist-deep in sand. Wolf and Tiger were wresting three kids, while Bramble fought off a couple of younger kids. Nebelung was teasing at least three students by attacking one then disappearing when they turned to look and attacking another and doing the same thing. Azalea was still battling Zailon, who had the upper hand.
Suddenly, Sotako shifted under her and threw her off. She slammed into a boulder and blacked out.

Icefire awoke in HomeOak. All her packmates were around her, except Snowburner. She sat wearily sat up and looked around. The last thing she remembered was being thrown off Sotako in the battle.
The battle! She realized that there was no battle. Had it been only a dream? No! She noticed that everyone had injuries and that her back ached and her arm stung. Echo was covered in bandages, some areas stained red; one of Silver's eyes was closed and swollen and her arms were covered in scrapes. Falcon was busy bandaging Nebelung's forehead; Pyro was inspecting a gash on the bottom of her foot. Azalea's left arm was wrapped in cloth and she looked barely conscious; Wolf sat next to her, trying to get her to drink. Tiger was licking a scratch on his shoulder, while Bramble paced back and forth by the gap, ignoring a gash on his arm, and Nightsky had large bruise on her forehead.
"Where's Snowburner?" Icefire asked, searching for the blonde-haired boy.
"Sotako took him to some dude called The Headmaster." Bramble answered without stopping his pacing.
"No…." she breathed, trying to get up. Her knees felt weak and shaky, but she managed. "We have to get him back."
"Not possible. Sotako has HomeOak under guard. There's like thirty people just around us." Pyro looked up from staring at her foot.
"Why did Sotako take Snowburner and not me?" she asked.
"Because we had gotten you safely into HomeOak and Snowburner called a retreat. He was the last one out and when made a break for, they surrounded him." Wolf replied this time. "I guess he seemed like a better target until they can get to you."
"Then they can have me. How long has it been since they captured him?"
"The sun was high then….it has gone down a little since then…..maybe two or three hours." Nightsky told her, "You're not going to give yourself up, are you?"
"Yes. This is my fault in the first place and I'm going to fix it." She declared stubbornly. She was about to climb down when Bramble stepped in front of her, barring her way.
"You can't do that. I won't let my packmate rush into danger." He said in his feline-like voice.
"What about Snowburner? The Headmaster will kill him! I can't let my packmate die if there is something I can do about it." She pushed past the brown tabby tom.
"Fine. Then the least we can do is give you cover. And directions," Bramble led her to the gap and pointed to a spaceship parked in the meadow. "Sotako took him there."
Icefire instantly recognized a portable holding chamber attached to The Headmaster's pod. Nebelung and Falcon got up, Tiger following quickly.
"We'll give you the distraction you need to get to the spacepod. It's up to you from there on. Okay?" Bramble said before bounding down the branches with Nebelung, Falcon, and Tiger behind him.
In spite of the fear that wormed around in her stomach, Icefire nodded to herself and climbed out HomeOak. While the others were causing a commotion, she slunk around boulders under a cloak mist. When she reached the pod, she melted a hole in the steel door with a stream of fire that she shot out of her hand. Before she entered, though, she checked to see what became of her friends. She looked just in time see Bramble and the others successfully reach the safety of HomeOak.
Icefire turned and slipped through the entrance. A corridor stretched away in front of her, leading to many side halls. She pictured the outside of the pod; the holding cell was on the left side. She traveled up the left side of the corridor, looking for something that resembled a prison. A cry of pain led her to the last hall on the right.
The Headmaster must already be torturing Snowburner! Icefire thought. A howl that she recognized as her packmate's confirmed her worst fear. She crept silently along the hall and turned herself to fog in order to phase through the door barring her way, a trick Snowburner had taught her only two days earlier. She walked through the door and hid behind a control panel before resuming her solid form. She peeked out from behind her hiding place to see Sotako standing over Snowburner, who was chained to the floor. Sotako held a remote and pressed a button that sent electrical pulses through the chains that bound his prisoner. The Headmaster was there, too, standing beside his student and questioning Snowburner, who didn't answer. Sotako sent shock waves through the chains again, making the blonde-haired boy cry out and drop to his knees as the electricity drained him of his energy. Icefire winced; she was all too familiar with this type of punishment. The Headmaster had used it on all disobedient students and for her one near-death experience was enough for a lifetime.
She couldn't watch Snowburner suffer any longer. She focused her firepower on the remote and glared at it until the control started melting and burst into flames. Sotako dropped it in surprise and looked around. Icefire ducked back behind the control panel, but it was too late.
"Icefire, I know your there. Come on out." Sotako's voice sounded, "Or I'll kill your little friend."
Icefire looked over to see the black-haired boy grab Snowburner's arm and haul him to his feet. He held an ice-knife up to his prisoner's neck. Icefire sighed and got up, coming out into the open. The Headmaster smiled and nodded to Sotako before he left the room.
"Tell you what, kid." The black-haired boy said, ginning evilly. "I'll save you the agony and kill you first." He flung the ice-knife at Icefire's face, but before it could reach, it stopped in mid-air. It hovered in front of her head before dropping to the ground and melting into a pool of water. She looked up in surprise to see Snowburner with his eyes open and one hand raised; he closed his hand into a fist while reciting something in a foreign language and fell limp, eyes shut.
"I must admit," Sotako began, dropping Snowburner on the ground, "I never expected him to have that much energy left."
Icefire rushed to her friend's side and melted the chains from his wrists. All the while being fully aware of Sotako circling her, rambling on and on about wasted efforts and other such things. But all she could do was concentrate on Snowburner; she had to get him out fast. She dragged him to a corner of the room to keep him safe while she faced off against Sotako. He moaned slightly, but did not wake.
Icefire then turned her attention to her black-haired opponent, who stood calmly in front of her. Amusement glittered in his eyes as she lunged at him but missed. She landed gracefully in a crouching position. Before she could turn for other attack, though, Sotako leaped onto her back, squishing her flat on her stomach. She pushed up with her arms and rolled over. She felt the breath be driven from Sotako's body and she jumped up to attempt to escape. She melted a hole in the door and ran over to Snowburner, who was still unconscious in the corner. She grabbed his shirt and dragged him to the door. As she adjusted her grip on his black T-shirt, Sotako bowled her over, holding an ice-spear above her face. She grabbed his wrist and twisted it between two hands. He cried out and fell back, clutching his wrist.
Icefire leaped for Snowburner and pulled him towards the exit.
This would be so much easier if he wasn't deadweight, she thought irritably. As if on cue, the blonde-haired boy's eyes fluttered open and he looked around himself. Icefire dropped him and sighed with relief. Snowburner got up and brushed his pants off.
"Come on, we have to get out of here." Icefire told her, pulling him towards the destroyed door. He followed quickly enough that she didn't have to drag him. However, before they could get to the door, Sotako jumped in front of them, barring their way.
"Sorry, kids, but neither of you are getting out of here alive." He said, leaping for Icefire. Snowburner pushed her out of the way just in time, and got hit instead. He fell to the floor, grasping his arm, an expression of pain on his face. A smile crossed Sotako's face as he stared down at the blonde-haired boy.
With Snowburner injured and Sotako still a potential threat, Icefire found it hard to see how they could escape alive.