I am sorry I haven't updated for a while... the final weeks of school are extremely busy but once school is over... who knows! I may have more time on my hands then stories to write. But until then new chapters will come slowly. Thank you for reading.

MovieGirl44~ Oh, yes he does know something... but you'll just have to wait to find out what.

Chapter 10

I was restless all night, wondering whether or not Conleth would agree to help us. I knew my mother wanted to join me, but why would Conleth listen to my mother? He wasn't a good leader, that much anyone could tell who was told the truth, but there was something beyond his simple yet horrible reign that bothered me.

Starlight's voice wafted into my ears like a song, "Roven, your father has to be stopped."

"He's not my father," I snarled, "that oil covered rat killed my father." I turned to her, "Mother doesn't believe me, and I couldn't tell her even if she would, not with those… rogue planes Conleth hired."

Starlight cocked her head, the markings on her nose sparkling in the small amount of light there was. "Conleth hired rogues? How do you know?"

"You forgot I'm from Thunder Pack, I am of the royal family. The royals must remember all of the pack, but it's kind of hard not to when you are always passing then in the tunnels," I chuckled slightly, mostly out of nervous energy. "Those two oversized planes that we saw, the ones with the crossed out circles, they weren't from the pack."

Starlight narrowed her eyes, "Those planes smelt strongly of humans. What were humans' planes doing there?"

"They may have escaped, like Llegar," I suggested, not sure what to think of Starlight's statement.

"Unlikely but possible," Starlight said with a slow nod. "But you're right about Conleth, there's something fishy about him."

Then Linna, who was growling in her sleep most of the night, awoke. "Will you keep it down, for Caracallum's sake?"

"Linna," Starlight hissed, "What did you think about Thunder Pack?"

Linna shrugged, "I thought their leader was a big jerk, along with those two hooligans. They did not rise and they did not fall on my list of the best packs I've met."

Starlight nodded, "Unfortunately, Roven, I'm with her on that."

"It didn't used to be like that," I said quietly, knowing it was true. "My father and my mother, when they ruled the pack, were good leaders."

Ribal stirred, unfolding his wings and yawning. His sharp teeth flashed in the dim light as his lips raised and tongue curled. "What time is it?"

Starlight butted her nose against his side slightly playfully, "Too early to be up." Her voice grew dark and serious, "Especially when battle may be lurking around the corner of the day."

"Star's right," Llegar said, peeking in from the entrance. His dead eyes scanned the place, as if seeing without seeing. "Conleth is going to accept, I could hear it in his voice. But along with good intentions, there were darker ones behind his perhaps 'good' reign. We may have to battle more than one plane on this trip."

Nobody moved, not even a twitch of a rudder rustled the air. You could have heard someone blink as the truth sunk into us, chilling us to the core and instilling a deep dread in our souls. Tension was almost whirring through the air audibly as fear set in.

It was I who broke the silence by clicking my teeth together as an idea formed once more in my head. I could see it now, Lighting Pack, Thunder Pack, and the Tribe of Rushing Water fighting valiantly side by side against the humans. The only problem was that being allies with another pack, tribe, or group was absurd and unheard of but I was determined to have every one of the forest planes fighting together, if it worked.

The planes of Lightning Pack looked at me expectantly. I cleared my throat. "The Tribe of Rushing Water might join us." For a moment no one responded. "Or maybe it's a stupid idea."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Linna said with a smug grin. "Do you know how much Rushing Water hates other forest planes? Besides, the humans would never dare interfere with them. They aren't worth it. I mean, who wants a cliff face to live in anyway?"

Llegar looked thoughtful though, "I don't know, for Rushing Water may be vain but they aren't invincible. They need to have a chance against the humans and their doing. I should know, I've been captured by them. They are capable of more than you may think."

Ribal nodded, "But we have to try. We need all the planes we can get."

"And as soon as possible," Starlight agreed, her sleek form slipping through the den entrance. "Ribal and Roven, you will go and try to get Rushing Water to join us in this war."

With a nod, we slipped out of the maze of tunnels and caves that Lightning Pack called their home, catching fires flickering controlled in the corner of our eyes, Ethra and the hatchlings playing together, and movement of cave rats in the recesses of the crags in the rocks. After a time of picking our way to the entrance of the cave, we felt the prickling down our backs and necks of being watched. Ribal sensed this first, "Someone's behind us. I can feel it."

"Me too," I agreed, casting a glance around me. Nobody seemed to be there.

"At ease," Llegar's voice whispered through the cave, echoing slightly. "I'm coming with you." For a few moments, there was the sound of rustling and the huge plane showed himself. His eyes looked past us all, unseeing just as always, but set with grim determination.

"But," Ribal started, "You're blind. I don't think Starlight would approve."

"Oh so what if she thinks I can't find my way 'round. I've been dying to feel wind under my wings since my escape." He smiled slightly, "Can't blame a plane for that, can you?"

Ribal snorted, giving me a helpless look, knowing Llegar could not see it. "O-okay. Let's go then."

It was several minutes after we made ourselves at home in the air before any of us spoke. It was not the tense, impending battle, but the way Llegar looked. There was fear in the way he flew, a slight shortness of nervous breath, a quick rudder flick with every sound, or the baring of his teeth when the wind picked up. He was on edge, and that put Ribal on edge, therefore passing the feeling to me. Something about the way Llegar spoke and acted, something about his aura made him trustworthy and wise. But now there was a strong sense of dread rising in our throats as we neared the lake to which Rushing Water prided themselves in owning.

It was then that Llegar stopped and broke into a hover that seemed impossible. "You go on, I mustn't go further. Star wouldn't be happy with me if she knew I was out, let alone go across borders." There was a lightness to his words but it sounded forced and unnatural. He turned around and landed on the lake's bank. "Better to find my way by ground when others are not with me. Unfortunately."

We nodded, swallowing hard in fear. "I don't know," I said, "why was Llegar so tense."

"He knows things," Ribal answered, casting a surreptitious glance around the area, "Like he's connected somehow with Greatwings, ever since he returned from being captured."

I wanted to ask, but I had before. Starlight had snapped back at me, saying it was none of a dark forest plane's business to know the pack's secrets. "Sure," I said, trying to sound nonchalant, "but now we have to focus."

"Right," Ribal said. "Have you ever been to the Tribe of Rushing Water's camp? Ever seen it? I hear it's amazing."

"I have," I admitted, "but I never saw anything but the edge of the cliffs."

Ribal looked interested, "So it's true then? They live in and on the cliff face? Like us?"

"As far as I could tell. But it seemed different than our pack's home. They had more like open caves, rather than concealed ones." It was then that we saw it: oil. It stained the water a deep black, greasy, and colors spilled at the edges of the oil, making it look as if a rainbow had died a gruesome, horrible death. It splattered the sides of the cliff as well and trickled down the teeth like rocks that grew up and created a border and wall to block water out. "What happened?" Everywhere we looked there was oil. And blood.

Ribal swallowed, "We're too late. The humans have come."

I turned, skimming the water with my port wing, "We have to help anyone if they are still here, there might be wounded and dying here."

"Not likely," Ribal said, preferring to stay far above the camp where the oil stained rocks looked simply as if they were black. "Humans only kill or take prisoners. They don't leave the wounded unless they are going to die."

"Then we have to search still," I said slowly. I scanned the cliff face, looking for any plane at all. There were only a few hulking forms so obliterated by bullets and oil that there was no telling who the planes were. After a while of scanning the back and cliff face I heard rasping breathing.

As I drew nearer I saw the form of the legendary Neerrokell, the super-alpha, the leader. His frame was splashed with oil and blood framed his lips. He looked up at me. "Thunder. Run. They are coming." And he began to chant in a rasp unforgiving.

Freedom shall wear a harness,

The dim light of dawn shall be the bright light of day,

The essence of life will be chained by death,

Today's hunger will be tomorrow's fullness,

Forest turns to stone,

Water and blood turn to gas and oil,

Fear dominates all.

They are coming.

The plane's song is ending.

So fight to scream the last breaths of freedom.

And Neerrokell looked up at me. "Run or die." He then mouthed the word 'help' before his eyes rolled back and life left him. The Tribe of Rushing Water was all but gone.

Ribal hadn't been watching, he had been searching the caves hollowing out homes in the cliff. I heard his call from inside one cave that he had found something but I felt numb and unable to move. All I could do was stare at Neerrokell's oil spattered frame in horror and fear. The humans had struck, they were close. Too close for any comfort. But I could think about it no longer, for Ribal called again.

"Roven! I found a survivor!" I rushed to him, thankful for the opportunity to put Neerrokell's body out of my mind, of the words he spoke.

When I arrived, there was a small but strong looking female plane standing there. She shivered as she pressed up against Ribal's wing for warmth. Fear was present in her eyes, making them dark and haunted. Her color was an almost white silver, a bit like Dennyr's, and her markings were a pale, whirling gold.

"She's not able to fly. Hasn't been taught yet," Ribal said slowly, "Or at least I think she hasn't."

The little plane glared defiantly up at him. "I can fly, I'm older than I look. Besides, I don't have to go anywhere…" then she paused, "Who are you talking to?" She hadn't noticed me.

Ribal pointed with his nose to me and the little plane shied away. I came forward slowly, "Are you okay?"

She backed up, deeper into the cave. "I'm fine. Just leave me alone! I don't want to go with a human's plane! Don't make me go!"

I must have seemed to grow in size, "I am no human plane! We're only trying to help." She only backed up further, until her tail scraped against the rock wall. "That sounds like something the humans' planes would say."

Then Ribal came to her. She seemed to trust him as he spoke softly to her, "No, he's my friend, a packmate. We aren't going to take you to the humans' place, but we are going to take you with us. It's not safe here for you, or anyone. Do you know if there are any other survivors?"

She frowned, tears forming at her eyes, "No. They're all gone. They took my mother and sister and then they killed my father. My brother was tranquilized and then taken too."

"Tranquilized?" Ribal and I asked at the same time.

"They did it to many, to those that didn't fight the best. It makes them go into a sleep… and then they either kill them or take them away. Those that can't fight were taken by simple force, from what I saw."

Ribal pressed his nose lightly against hers as she began to sob. "What's your name?"

"My name's Noratali," she whispered shakily.

"Well, Noratali," Ribal said a little louder, "we must be getting going."

It took some coaxing before we convinced her that we were just going to the forest, but she followed all the same. It also turned out that several other planes of Rushing Water were still alive and flying. Most had run away during the attack, confused and turned around. Some hid in fear, trying to protect family members. Still others had been injured and faked their deaths. There were ten planes in all, three of them hatchlings, four of them apprentices, and another three of them full grown warriors. The Tribe of Rushing Water had survived; it seemed, to the point where they could start again if they must.

We lead the remnants of Rushing Water back to Lightning Pack's camp. Starlight was pacing back and forth when we arrived, her pin point markings sparkling in the sunlight. "Where have you been? It's taken you over three hours just to gather…" she looked over the planes we had brought, "ten planes? Where are the rest of Rushing Water?"

"They are dead or captured." Ribal said dimly. "The humans attacked them."

"They destroyed the whole camp," I added.

Starlight took a deep breath, "So they have joined us." Ribal and I both nodded. "Good, because Conleth is coming soon to tell us his answer."

"But I thought we had to go there," I said slowly. I had to share the dying leader's words with mother. They haunted me greatly, echoing through my mind like a ghost in the wind.

"No, he is coming here. A patrol will come through soon, anytime now."

And anytime it was indeed. It was but ten minutes before he arrived, his head held high and stripes glinting in the sun. Those stripes made me nervous, a grim reminder of my family. He came with four planes: the two rogues, Isron, and Whitefern. Whitefern looked sad; her head hung low and her swirling markings pale. In truth, only Conleth and his two thugs looked well fed and healthy. Isron looked fine but exhausted, as if he could hardly stand up on his landing gear.

Starlight, Coryn, Ribal, Llegar, and myself went up to meet him. "So," Starlight said with regal bearings, "what have you decided?"

"I've decided to join you in your raid."