Ruby's Inheritance

Chapter One

 Ruby hated grazing,but she was nice enoughto not complain about it.Her old mother told her that it made Ruby the spunky rhino she was,but she didn't think that hunching over and eating grass all day when you could be running through straw dummies really was that useful.But the day that she accused the giraffe tribe of stealing the rhino tribe's rightful grazing grounds was the day she was scouting for better grounds to graze on,as her mother expected her to do.She had inherited the leadership of the tribe from her mother,but if being chief meant grazing all day like a nobody,she wanted to just be deputy chief.That fateful day,she saw Edmund,the giraffe chief,bending down to eat grass right smack where the rhinos usually grazed."What are you doing?!?"she yelled at Edmund."That's our turf!"He didn't respond.Even now,she was nice enough only to ignore him,which didn't do her any good.She tromped  back to camp.As her mother ran to greet her,she ran right past her,making her mother yell at her,but she didn't care.She needed to contact the elders.

Chapter Two

 The pot-bellied rhinos decorated with jewels and bird feathers waited for her on benches in the council's hut,drinking wine imported from Greece.They joked about Moko and Apophis,which was very disrespectful,but she quieted them with a shout.They gathered around the round table(was it a table or a lean-to?),and waited for her directions."Elders of the rhino tribe,I have seen a giraffe intrude on our grounds,and he is Edmund!This is a violation of the code!And I thought that the crocodiles were bad,eating our children!"The elders started roaring angrily,but Ruby banged her chin against the table,making it sway."Silence!"The elders stopped throwing pears and zebra pelts."We shall accuse the tribe of stealing our grass,if Edmund was seen grazing.The crocodiles have accused us of stealing their fish when we were only drinking from their stream,which is OUTRAGEOUS!And the giraffes stealing our grass is another OUTRAGEOUS thing!"The morale of the elders was boosted dratastically.They chanted,and she could see the rhino tribe winning an upcoming war with their sharp horns.

Chapter Three

 The brave rhino warriors,clad with armor,natural and artifical,walked up to the Tree Circle,where the giraffe camp was located.Giraffes snacked on leaves there,which Ruby thought were yucky.Oi-yuop!"she shouted,and her warriors took up the chant.The giraffes looked at them,suprised,then yodeled to the other giraffes of an invasion.Soon,giraffes and rhinos stood opposing each other,seperated by a line of tree.The clouds were modeled into a shape of a snake by the winds,which nobody paid attention to."Chaaaaarge!"Ruby shouted,and the rhinos charged angrily.The giraffes dodged,then swung their necks back to strike,but their attack barely hurt the rhinos."Why are you doing this,Ruby?"Edmund called out to her."I thought we had a truce!""Well,you stole our grass!"Ruby retailiated in words.Edmund looked suprised."We giraffes don't eat grass!"he shouted."I was picking flowers and looking for my monocle!That was a misunderstanding!""Lies!"The two chiefs clashed,horn against hoof.They fought,untill the giraffes backed down,and the rhinos retreated triumphantly."Losers!"Ruby shouted at the trees as they ran back to their camp.

 Chapter Four

 Ruby walked back into the camp,a whole parade of barely hurt rhinos following her.As each warrior passed by their hut,they went back to their families.Soon,Ruby was heading back to her hut alone when she heard a cry from the northern tower,meaning that there was an invasion."Crocodiles,attack!"Cornelius shouted,and crocodile warriors waddled in,snapping at passerby.Not a very scary mob,if you ask Ruby.They weren't stopping to fight induviduals,though,and they were heading toward the chief's hut to make another accusation."Rhinos,to me!"Ruby shouted,and rhinos charged toward the crocodiles,cornering them.Either fight the chief early,which wasn't their plan,or get slowed down by fighting a whole troupe of rhinos.They chose the more reasonable plan:fight the troupe.Ruby got just enough time to run back to her hut,gather the bodyguards,and get ready for battle herself when a few badly wounded crocodiles filed in quickly,trying to impose a threat.The others were either dead or battling the rhinos trampling them.As she finshed finshing them off,she wondered:Where was Cornelius?But then she heard a cry from the back of the hut,and knew that he had tried a backward assault.She ran to the back,and ran over him as she tried to defeat him,but his pelt o' scales was too thick.Ruby managed to throw him out before she blacked out with exhaustion.

Chapter Five

 She awoke with a cool cloth on her forehead."Mom?"she asked thin air.Everything came into focus."Mom!""Yes,dear."The wrinkly face of her mother appeared over her head,smiling."But Cornelius got away..."Her mother shook her head."No,Ruby,I am very proud of you.You proved yourself to me by defeating TWO tribes in a row!You are a great leader,though I'm not sure that Edmund really was grazing."Ruby's insides boiled inside of her."Mom!I'm sure that he did!I saw him chewing grass right before my eyes!"Her mother sighed,and rolled her eyes."Ruby,your eyes must've been playing tricks on you.As he said,giraffes don't graze.""MOM!"She bolted out of the house without warning,heading toward the dummy pit.

Graham's Story

Graham,the crafty monket alpha,is wise and isn't a stranger to the forge.But where did he start his journey to become the best inventor of all time?Let's find out in this tale lost to many centuries of rotting...

Chapter One

 Graham looked up at the trees,gazing at the stars.His mother pointed out every single constellation,from the Big Dipper to Draco to Hercules.The shadows beneath them on the forest floor didn't bother Graham one bit,as long as his mother's hand was stroking his messed up hair.He had a knack at making gizmos and thingmabobs out of the human waste that had washed up on the shores of the beach.Every machine was crazier than it's predecessor,some useless,like his robot dog and a catapult that fell apart when a small bunny tripped over it.But he was determined to make a good gizmo now,one the gods couldn't ignore."Mama,will you let me go collect some metal from the temple?"he asked her softly.She frowned down at him."Graham,I have nothing against you,but the shadows haunt that place."she told him."The metal there is blessed,but artifacts are strewn everywhere,some unsafe."The word "blessed"made Graham want to go even more,but it was time for bed before he could think about it."Time for bed,sweetheart."his mother told him as he was laid to bed.He closed his eyes,and dreamed of floating masks chasing him all around.

Chapter Two

 Thirty years later...
 Graham now worked at his forge endlessly in a hollow tree,putting together a Spirit-extracter 3000,so that he could take the spirit of Mira out of her statue so that she could take on a more physical form,or at least revive Zios.There was a war between the newly born phantoms and the alphas outside,but Lisa had promised that they would protect his tree so that he could bring back Zios before it was too late.Mira had locked herself in the statue partially to weep,and she was weakening.Now Graham worked like crazy,eating graham crackers at an alarming rate.He just had to make this invention,he had to!Some of the blessed metal from the temple had been put in the extracter,most of it from Zios's statue.Just as he secured the last screw...a large phantom crashed in through the window.So much for Lisa's promise."I am the Phantom king!"he screeched."I possesed Zios as a mere shadow,but rose from Mira's tears!Puny monkey inventor,I shall tear you apart before you can reverse my deeds!"The sound of the battle raging below made it clear that no help would come.Graham feinted,then sucker punched the phantom.Ichor poured from it's leg,but it showed no sign of giving in."Yaaaaah!"The phantom lunged for him, and Graham made a tough decision.He held up the vacumn shaped machine,and the phantom's spirit was temporarily seperated from it's body.As the phantom disentigrated,the phantoms below realized that their king had fell,and fled.The alphas cheered,and his invention clattered to the floor,now a useless vacumn.

Chapter Three

 The alphas came in,and hoisted him up on their shoulders.Graham was carried all around Jamaa twice before he was finally let down."So what happened?"Lisa asked him.Graham told her the story.She frowned,since they couldn't revive Zios or Mira.Now,Mira barely came out of her statue,only to grant quests.Lisa knew something was wrong with her,but Cosmo said that she was fine.Now,the only thing to see to was to make Graham an Alpha.He didn't refuse,since they had good supplies,but he was sad that his invention only postponed the next great phantom battle."Hey,I couldn't have done better."Greely assured him."I know evil well,and believe me,we would've lost without you."Graham sighed,and accepted alphaship from the Alphas as he wandered off to customize his room.
 

Harper's Mother

Chapter One

 Everything was at peace in the Alpha hut,before Peck sprinted in,panting.
Harper was molding a statue of Mira for the holidays before Peck ran into her room,almost tearing off Mira's wing."WHOA!"Harper screeched."Peck,I was trying to take Mira's spirit out of her statue by transferring it to this statue,then extract it using my claws!"Peck ignored her,as her rebellinous streak showed through."I saw phantoms when I was exploring the uncharted lands."Peck said,as if that explained everything."And?"Harper asked her.Peck stuck out her tongue at Harper."I won't tell you unless you tell me the legend of Cithara and Firetail.I want to paint it!"Peck said like a little brat,which she was.Harper sighed,and told her the northern legend.At the end,Peck looked truly gratified,and she left to get her easel and paints,but not untill she retied the ribbons in her tail and told Harper what she had saw."The phantoms were attacking a few foxes in the valley where Amelia was born,but we haven't retrevied the spirit stones that the phantoms cast across Jamaa.I would've helped them,if they weren't guarding the fox spirit stone.I think that you should retrieve it,since I have not exprienced any phantom wars,while you fought many after you beat Firetail."Peck wasn't Graham or Cosmo,but she was right."I know that I am not Lisa,Mira or Zios,but I request that you accept the quest to get the spirit stone.""Quest accepted."Harper teleported into the valley,as close as she could get to the spirit stone.

Chapter Two

 The situation wasn't as bad as Peck had described,since only two collosal phantoms attacked the family.Peck had probably drew the other phantoms that probably helped them exploding,but these phantoms were resistant to magic,as Harper could smell.But her best powers weren't magic.The family should've died long ago,if spirits of foxes hadn't been rising from the stone and defending them.But the spirits were weakening,and Harper knew that a moment later,she would've been too late."Hey,big and ugly!"she shouted at the phantoms."Fssssk!"one phantom said angrily."Puny seal,you have no idea what we are doing for our king!"the other translated.Harper didn't respond.Instead,she sliced the phantoms to pieces as the foxes watched from their den,awestruck.When she was finished,she sharpened her claws on the rocks,and waddled over."We have to flee!"she told them grimly.They didn't need that thought.Slabs of rock were falling down the valley wall,and the spirit stone needed magical attention.Harper grabbed the orange spirit stone,but noticed that there was a secret passageway behind the stone,as if the stone had used an illusion to fool the eyes of the foxes."Go!"she told the foxes."Get to the savvanah!Tell everyone that foxes are coming to Jamaa!I'll be fine!GO!!"The foxes ran,never looking back.Harper looked at their beautiful tails one last time,then crept into the passage.

Chapter Three

 Harper knew that she needed to go through,because a portal took her back to where she had once lived,the North Pole.A grey seal poked at the ice with a polar bear tooth,looking for fish not so primitively.Harper recognized the seal."Mom!"The seal looked up,and alarm spread across her face."Harper!"They slammed together in a polar bear hug,and tears crept down both of their cheeks."Mom,I thought you were dead!""I thought so too!"Harper told her mother her story,then Harper's mother told her story in exchange,though she seemed to not get over the fact that she hadn't shed her baby fur coat.
 "I was kidnapped by Firetail when you were young,and he froze me in ice as a hostage.But he didn't have time to bring me out when you battled him,and I was buried in sand for many years,untill a polar bear busted me out.I went back to where we had lived,thinking that I was gone for only an hour,but you were gone!I asked around,and I learned that you had hosted THREE gods without burning up,but died valiantly fighting Firetail.I moved on in sorrow,but now here you are!"Harper's eyes welled up with tears,but she had a quest to complete."Mom,come with me."she told her mother."I can take you somewhere safe,a place in the lands of no-ice where polar bears don't roam."Before her mother could answer,she teleported both of them to her bedroom in the bamboo forest.

Chapter Four

 They arrived in her cold bedroom,where everything replicated her arctic home.There was even a mini swimming pool that mimiced the arctic sea,with fish schools living in the depths.Snow covered the beds,and Harper only needed to imagine a bunk above her bed to create one.Her mother was stunned,and started to slide on the ice a bit."No polar bears will lay paw in this replica!Wa-hoo!"Harper left her mother to fish in the pool as she went into Lisa's bedroom.It was like a chinese bamboo forest,with live pandas crawling through the stalks and  a bed that looked like something molded out of bamboo,live bamboo,which it was.Lisa sat in a tree,dabbing face paint under her eyes,when she noticed Harper."Hello,friend."she said,distracted by trying to imagine more NO POACHERS signs all over the room.Then she noticed the fox spirit stone,with a rune etched on it for a fox.The stone was attracted to the stone on Lisa's cane,and the two jewels fused.Another unique animal spirit was suddenly avaliable for everyone.Lisa smiled."You have done us all a favor,and you shall be rewarded."she said.Harper smiled,and shook her head."Nah,Lisa,I already have everything I want.This land,Jamaa,is a gift for everybody!"

Otto's Journey

Otto is a lesser  alpha,one who likes trade and sometimes even trades new jammers a gecko plushie for nothing!He is a mysterious figure,one who imposes a threat to small bunnies.Let's peek at the past of this gentle pachyderm...

Chapter One

 "Father,what is that tree?"
Otto asked his father.
 "Otto,that is Moko,the elephant god."his father relpied.
"Tell me the legend!Please?"
His father sighed,and got a faraway look just looking at the baobab tree shaped like an elephant.
"A long time ago,Africa was a land of landfills and evil.Spirits of chaos roamed our land,terrifying the few inhabitants.As the animals were driven to extinction,Moko was born from their last prayers.Everywhere he stepped,life overcame death.Jungles and savvanahs grew in his path,choking the chaos.As soon as he reached the South Africa,Apophis rose to oppose him.'Brother,I cannot let you defeat my minions of Death and Chaos,and Life and Balance will make their last stand HERE!'Where Apophis stood,serpents of shadow crept over Moko.He resisted,but they binded him to his spot.When Moko could fight no more,he summoned a spear decorated with phoenix feathers and drove it into the shadow serpent's heart.Apophis died,but Moko did,too.Moko managed to travel here,and became that tree,which protects all of Africa today."
Otto was awestruck."Where did the spear go,Daddy?"he asked his father.
 Otto's dad's expression became serious."Young Otto,you cannot go around asking questions like that,"he warned.
 Otto looked disippointed.
"The rest of the scrolls were burned by the remaining followers of Apophis,and our defeat is still a touchy subject."
What Otto's dad didn't realize,though,was that his answer fed Otto's curiousity even more.

Chapter Two

 Five years later...
 Otto opened the stone door of Moko's temple,nested safely under his tree.Three moons ago,his father had died,leaving him as the elephant tribe's chief.All of the maidens in the tribe had gathered to dress him in his father's robes,which prepared him for this moment,the time where he would recieve a quest for the sake of his tribemates,from Moko.The musty smell of the temple made him want to plug his trunk,but he needed a paw to use.When he was six,Father had told him about Moko and the origin of Africa,which would prepare him for the war he would soon experience.The rhino tribe had accused the giraffe tribe of stealing their grass,while the giraffes accused the crocodile tribe of taking their trees.The only tribe that wasn't fueding right now was his,but Otto was sure that an accusation would be made soon.The torches on either side of him were blazing green,which made no sense to Otto.Wasn't the color of fire red?When he got to Moko's little altar,he saw the elephant warrior and the Egyptian chaos serpent Apophis battling each other,frozen as statues.Apophis was in pieces somewhere in Uganda,but Moko's spirit was trapped in this tree,radiating life.The green spirit of Moko fluttered around in the chamber,trying to warm up Africa in these dark times.Statues of Moko supporting the stone ceiling,in full battle armor,showed any tresspasser that Moko wasn't someone to mess with.His bulging muscles was enough to scare his fellow chiefs,the rhino chief Ruby,the giraffe chief Edmund,and the crocodile chief Cornelius.The small brazeir in the center of the room glowed green,as all the torches did,making Moko's skin look reptilian.Otto walked up to the central statues,and dumped some acai berries into the sacrifical bowl,along with half-dead scarabs extracted from Egypt.He began his prayer to Moko.

Chapter Three

"Oh Moko,answer my call."Otto cried to the vent in the ceiling,leading up to Moko's burial chamber,where his spirit was coming from.The mist was slowing down it's cycle through the chamber now,as if it was listening."My father has died,and our beloved land is being torn apart by the four tribes.O Moko,please send me advice."A tattered scroll floated down from the vent,and a fresh breeze smelling like fresh flowers and dry grass blew in.Otto grabbed the scroll with his trunk and unwrapped it.These words were etched on the papyrus clearly,as if the writer had freshly written the message.

                                                     YOUR ANSWER SHALL BE FOUND
                                                                      AT THE OASIS
                                                      WHERE THE CHIEFS SHALL MEET.
                                                       COME TO　MY CHAMBER
                                                         AND RECIEVE YOUR QUEST
                                                          TO AVENGE ME.REMEMBER,
                                                                  NEVER GIVE UP HOPE.

 Otto stared at the message in disbelief.As far as he knew,nobody had been up there in millenia!It was an honor to see Moko's coffin,but Otto didn't see how he was special."How will I fly?"he asked.New words were scrawled on the scroll,and Moko's voice seemed to resonate in his ears.

                                                          JUST IMAGINE YOURSELF FLYING.
                                                          THIS POWER HAS BEEN GRANTED
                                                                          TO YOU BY ME.

 Otto imagined him,a one ton elephant,flying up toward the vent.Before he knew what was going on,he was floating into Moko's tomb and gawking at his sarcophagus.

Chapter Four

 The tomb of Moko was grand,but vines had choked many of the urns and shabti,,making the place look like Moko hadn't bothered to spring clean it.Only one thing was sacrificed from the plant treatment,which was Moko's sarcophagus.Otto wanted to open it,revive Moko,but a force kept him away.The coffin radiated power,and the full spirit of Moko rose from it.He looked like a helephant,with a jeweled loincloth covering his front butt and a phoenix feather headdress.Moko trumpeted,and Otto smiled."My lord,speak."Otto said.Moko was given the ability to talk after millenia of silence."Otto,my son,you must unite the tribes against Apophis."Moko said."Other gods will play a part in this,but they do not matter right now.I shall inhabit you,use you as my host untill you have fulfilled your destiny.Giving is better than recieving,and you will sacrifice much to battle Apophis.Goodbye and hello,Otto."Moko's spirit disentigrated,and was sucked into his body.With a pop,the god of life was living inside his body."

Chapter Five


 He went back to the huts,and his elephantskin awaited him nervously."What is the quest?"General Eltoto asked him impatiently.Otto gave them the truth calmly."We're going to gather the chiefs for a meeting at the oasis in Egypt."he said,"and try not to lead them into a slaughter.Impossibly impossible,isn't it?"

Harper's Tale(continued)

Chapter Six

 Harper kept on sliding across the ice,untill they reached a lodge."Come on in."the spirit twoleg said,opening the door.It was cold in there,with furs hung above her fireplace.The twoleg frowned,and put some snow in the fire.It died,and Harper slowly grew accustomed to the warm temperature."Drink some tea."the twoleg said."I want to interview you,so that I can sign a petition against those crap Americans.Is Cithara very important to you?"Harper understood that the "Americans"the spirit twoleg talked of were the pale twolegs that hunted the pups only for furs."That's a silly question."Harper said."My mother told me about Cithara when i was a pup,and I still cling to that memory.She died shortly afterward.""Do you realize that the other seals think that you are hosting Cithara?"Harper scoffed at the spirit twoleg's suggestion."No way!Even a seal stronger than me would freeze to death if he or she tried to host Cithara,since she created the lands of ice,but the Firetail drakon created the broader land of no-ice.I can't even host the weaker Firetail deity!"The spirit twoleg furrowed her eyebrows."Then why do I see the face of Cithara in you?Your mother isn't dead,Harper."Harper realized three things.First of all,how could she know what the other seals thought without interoggating them?Second of all,how could she know where her mother was?And third of all,why does shse know her name?That was no seal spirit,or shaman.The spirit twoleg snarled,as if sensing her thoughts."If I could,I would use a gun to shoot you.Cithara,I cannot let the lands of ice exsist,since global warming cannot defeat your might.Goodbye,enemy."The body of the twoleg burned away,and a long serpent appeared where she once stood,a Firetail.But this one wasn't regularly sized,as Harper realized when the cabin exploded.The serpent kept growing,until it was touching the clouds.It was THE Firetail,the ruler of the lands of no-ice.And it was accusing her of hosting Cithara,when she only hunted in the deep.Harper was in big trouble,and she was aware that this wasn't a tale where she won quickly,like those myths about her now burned into her mind.

Chapter Seven

 "You are a host of Cithara,and there is no denying it."Firetail hissed."Cithara's realm shallth be destroyed by my minions,and the entire world will be tropical,as it should be.""Those clubs that kill your kind are called guns,and I use them to kill polar bears to annoy Cithara.Just like the old days,eh?""NO!"Now a voice inside Harper's head made it clear that she was,in fact,a host of Cithara."You cannot destroy this land.Many animals depend on it,and the twolegs would be displaced.Chaos will not reign,Firetail."Her voice was doubled,with an anceint force backing her every word up with confidence."Give my mother back!"Firetail cackled a cackle no sane creature could endure."She is dead,young one.At least not now,but if you defend your land..."Firetail didn't have to finish his sentence.She knew that her mother would be cast into the depth of the Otherworld,maybe even incinerated in the flames of Firetail,or even fed to the rabid polar bears all those seals thought she fought.Then two other deities entered her body,and she nearly burned up,but her training deep in the sea prepared her.But there weren't any other deities besides Cithara and Firetail in the legends of the North.Who could the two other deities be?"We are Mira and Zios."the two other voices said."Cithara is our distant cousin of deities,but we will take you to our land after we defeat Firetail.The drakon blew fire onto Harper,but she raised a shield of hail and deflected it.The fire sputtered as it hit Firetail's scales.Harper threw a whole blizzard at him,and he flinched.Then he sent a dust devil at her,and she got seared."ARGH!"she howled.A large orb of winter winds appeared between her paws,and she thrust it at Firetail.The drakon screamed,disentigrating,but she brought herself down with it.As she lay dying,a panda's sprit hunched over her,and then she died.

Chapter Eight

 Harper's spirit awoke in a hut somewhere in the land of no-ice.Cithara's voice no longer spoke inside of her,and three animals were staring at her.One was a beautiful panda,another a grey heron,and the last a floating mask."Seriously?"she muttered to herself."Of all animals to greet me,one had to be a psychic mask.""Respect your gods,Harper."the panda said."Especially since they helped you defeat Firetail."Harper sat up,icy energy swirling around her.Spirits of the winter gathered to gawk at her,a embodiement of Cithara."W-where am I?"she asked her companions.The grey heron smiled,as if she had done this a million times."You are in Jamaa,young one."she said."To my right is Lisa,to my left is the spirit of my husband and creator,Zios,and I am Mira,Mother Sky."Harper got out of bed,and felt her every muscle aching with power.She felt like she could lift an iceberg!Harper crawled toward the door,opened it,and stepped out into the breeze of no-ice.

Harper's Tale

Not much is known of the seal shaman, Harper. What was her life like before she appeared so suddenly in Jamaa? Let's find out. . .in this first installment of her story.But who knows what is in store for her?

 

 

Chapter 1

"See that gathering of stars, my child?" the mother harp seal asked her daughter.

"Yes, mum," the pup replied.

"That is our spirit, the seal goddess Cithara. She is what gives all things beautiful to this frozen land. From her eyes shine the northern lights, from her sleek white fur comes the snow, from her silver claws the ice, and from her tail the endless currents of the ocean."

"How do you know she's there?"

"Cithara is always there, she is our protectress, our life-giver, and our guide wherever our travels take us. She lives within us, here on the ice, and in the realm of the ice spirits. We are her children, just as you are mine," the mother seal looked into the sky, her mind lost in the stars.

"You'll always be with me," the pup whispered, "right?"
"Sometimes you won't be able to see me, but I'll always be with you Harper."
"Always?"
"Always and forever."

Chapter 2
Forever did not last long. Though it felt like days the light never differed, and as hard as she searched, Harper could not see her mother in the dark waters of their breathing hole. Her mother had set out for a hunting trip and never returned. A tear slid down her face, freezing droplets forming in her snowy, white fur. Deep down Harper knew her mother was not coming back, and that's why she was different from the other seal pups. She was barely five days old, still pure white, certainly not a sleek, grey ten-day-old. Survival? Impossible. Heart heavy, but will strong, Harper set forth where no pup had gone before - the dark icy ocean. Harper gathered herself at the edge of the ice, stared into the dark depths, and plunged headfirst. She froze in shock, the icy chill of the ocean tearing at her with it's cruel talons, pulling her into its lair of everlasting sleep. Harper shook herself, even her spirit felt like it was shaking, but she at last woke up and felt her body stir. I escaped, but this won't be the last time I evade the jaws of death, Harper thought. Even with the first flick of her tail she fell in love with the icy, forbidding waters. She new this was her home, and where she was meant to be. What she didn't know was that because of her close call with the endless sleep, her snow white fur would never fall. Harper would forever be the white seal pup that slid into the depths of the sea and found . . . hope.

Chapter 3
As Harper grew older she changed; though her body stayed small her spirit grew. The currents of the ocean could barely keep up as she cut the water like a streak of white lightning. At a standstill below the ice her silky white fur would glimmer and float in beams of sunlight, making her seem like a vision to fellow seals. The dazzling moonlight shining through the Arctic ice led her eyes to glow like stars. Other harp seals generally kept away, awed and intimidated by the strangeness of the white seal. Harper was fine with that. She spent her days and nights alone, and in doing so discovered the magic of silence. She could hear the voices of the distant whales, the whisper of the wind above the arctic ice, and the murmur of the sea currents on their travels. One night, however, she heard something else. What is that . . . singing? Harper though. She slowly pushed herself up onto a thin ice sheet, listening keenly. Hearing nothing she sighed, looking up at the stars of Cithara, the seal goddess, that her mother had shown her long ago. One seemed to wink at her, when she felt something strange. There was a gentle pulse of sound that came from the stars, one not heard, but felt. Harper closed her eyes, and let her spirit stretch out into the sky and stars. A melody of gentle voices wove through the night; whispers of the past, present, and future brushed Harper's mind. She opened her starlit eyes in wonder. It's the seal spirits, they live in the stars. Mother was right, she is with me even now, always and forever.


Chapter 4
Seeing the vast inequality between the two-leg hunters and her kind, Harper vowed to find a way to teach them that seals were not the helpless creatures they appeared to be. The animal spirit two-legs hunted the seals to live, Harper could see that, but the pale two-legs did it for their fur. Harper could see that greed in their eyes when they killed a snow white pup with their hideous clubs. Where the pup died the snow was stained, not only with its blood, but with its mother's grief. The death spot of a seal pup was avoided by all seals, even those of different species. As the years swam by Harper grew stronger, she was an adult harp seal with pale white fur, stronger than any male of her kind, her brilliant grey eyes where unlike any other's. Harper was also born with strangely long claws and immensely strong front legs. This meant she could travel on ice as well as in the Arctic waters. Harper began to sharpen her claws on the ice, and along with their constant use, the outer black slowly wore down to show a brilliant silver that stayed needle sharp. Though she didn't notice, Harper became the embodiment of Cithara, the Seal goddess, to other seals. Legends were spun of her great adventures to the land of no-ice, incredible battles with rabid white bears and pale two-legs, as well as her kindness towards all seal species. Fiction and fact became one and the same, her stories would be passed down generations, never to be forgotten.

Chapter 5
The ice crackled under Harper's paws as she walked and slid along the arctic ice. The bright sky illuminated everything around her, nothing went unnoticed. Suddenly, a small figure appeared in the distance. Harper tensed, but continued forward until finding that it was an old, animal spirit two-leg, one she recognized as the medicine female of a nearby two-leg nest. Harper let the two-leg approach, warily stepping closer to another seal's breathing hole.
"Do not be afraid my child," the two-leg called, "I mean you no harm."
Harper froze. How can I understand her? She thought.
"The same way I can understand you, little one," spoke the two-leg calmly, "I also am of a seal spirit."
"Are you, perhaps, one of the spirt two-legs of the ice village?"Harper murmured hesitantly.
"Yes, strong one, I am what they call their shaman. A wound healer and a tale singer."
"Have you come for me, wise one?" said Harper, now emboldened by the honesty and kindness lining the words of the spirit shaman.
"Yes indeed, clever one," the two-leg smiled, "I'm here to guide you in what you need for the next world."
With that she slowly turned back to the direction from which she came, beginning to shuffle through the snow and ice. Harper stood a while, watching the spirited one, head tilted in thought. She blinked in surprise at her own decision. With the gentle push of the wind and the whisper of encouragement from the deep waters Harper set off; head help high and silver claws flashing, following the two-leg towards the frigid horizon.

The Beginning Continues . . . In Part 2

Anyway,Jammers,I am turning this blog into a story blog about alphas,the gods,and phantoms.Anybody can discuss how to control phantoms and revive the gods in the comments,but you have to comment to do this.Most of these stories are from Snowyclaw's storybook,but next parts of Harper's tale are from my own.Gather 'round for the next installment...

Cosmo's Destiny

Chapter One


 The wind whistled in the trees as Cosmo clung to his mother's belly.The blinding lights of the monsters speeding by the trees scared him,so he tried to snuggle further down in his mother's pocker.The gentle heartbeat calmed him,but what he didn't realize was thatit would be the last time that he heard her gentle heartbeat and soft breath."HONK,HONK!"a monster wailed,and slammed into the tree stronger than any Loudclaw.It drilled straight through the tree in a matter of seconds,and Cosmo fell to the ground.His mother was still alive,but her heartbeat was getting slower.THOOM.Before he could react,a monster crushed his mother,spilling fresh blood and oil on his head,and he started crying.His mother's body went limp,and he tried to wriggle out,but he didn't have the strength.Before long,a slippery paw grabbed him,but it wasn't his mothers.He thrashed,but it was no use.Cosmo blacked out.

Chapter Two

 He awoke in a large pouch that was much,much warmer than his mother's pouch.He lay in a pelt softer than any koala pelt,and another slippery paw was trying to give him some squishy stick thing through a hole in the transparent pouch.He bit down on the stick at the end of the stick,and rich,yummy white-water poured out.However,it was much skimmer than his mother's milk,and he tried to pull away,but his teeth were stuck,and he had to drink all of the weird white-water untill the slippery paw drew away,"Mraw?" He was confused,and slowly walked around the pouch.As night fell,the bright-ball above him dimmed,and he had the chance to crawl out of the pouch.The fall was high up,but not as nearly as high as the fall from the tree.The ground was hard and slippery,and it smelled like poison to Cosmo.He clawed his way to the exit,and crawled barely through a crack in the door.Immidieatly he saw the familiar white-koala,with spots all over her face.But more monsters awaited him in a ditch close by,sleeping under the moonlight,their evil grins in need of dental care."Bo boh?"He crawled toward the woods to the west,and fell asleep in a tree branch.

Chapter Three

 He awoke to crickets chirping,and found that he had eaten poppy seeds some animal had tracked in here.No wonder why he slept so well.He found a few other herbs the elder koalas reccommended,and he put them in an alcove in the tree.Cosmo would find something to heal later."Are you lost,young one?" Cosmo nearly jumped out of his fur."Momp?"was all he could manage.The voice laughed."So you're a baby,and your mother didn't teach you our tongue yet.That's expected from a koala that smells like milk!"Cosmo was embarassed,and started licking the milk out of his pelt."Aww,I didn't mean to insult you!"the voice said.Finally,Cosmo summed up the courage to look up.A mother koala with no baby in her pouch stared down at him,grinning."Come on in,"she said,"Beatrice was a healer.She would've taught you how to heal if she'd survived the move to this forest.I'll teach you instead."Reluctantly,Cosmo crawled in and sucked her milk.“Do not fear the woods,because many forces can heal you."his newfound foster mother muttered to him."Other forces hate animals,though,and shouldn't be called upon."He didn't understand,but just took a nap instead.

Chapter Four

 Ten years later...
 Cosmo leapt to the other tree.He had now stashed many herbs in his alcove,and the koalas here came to him when they needed medical help.Cosmo's muscles were now streamlined from yanking herbal roots out of the ground,despite his foster mother's training.He had learned that her name was Alla,and she was a friend of his mother,Beatrice.He also had learned nature magic,calling upon dryads and satyrs to help him heal.He had dreams of a grey heron,a mask,and phantoms in a faraway land,which disturbed him greatly."Your time will come,"the heron had said to him in his dreams last night.He had found himself saying "I will serve you,Mother Sky.""Huh?"Cera asked him on a nearby branch."What's this talk about this 'Mother Sky?'"Cera looked puzzled,so he told his apprentice about his dreams.She simply rolled her eyes."You're only eleven,so I don't trust your judgement."Cera said,quite wisely for a six-year old."I think you have a vivid imagination."Cosmo cussed under his breath."What?!?"Cera had a weird sixth sense,which annoyed Cosmo,but it came in handy when strangers lied about their health.She could easily sense any sort of hidden evil act(like lying or cussing under your breath),but this time she let it go."Look,I want to show you the weird lichen I found at the edge of the woods,but you're acting weird."Cera had told him about some ominous lichen near the normal toadstool harvesting grounds,and somehow it felt like it tied to his dreams."Fine."Cosmo said."Maybe I can idenify it.""Well,Cosmo always stops acting weird just to idenify a weird lichen species."Cera teased,but she led him to the spot anyway.

Chapter Five

 Cera led Cosmo to the spot.Purple fog surrounded the normally yellow lichen,and Cosmo felt like this was something important."Well?" Cera asked him impatiently."What is this lichen?" In a trance,he stroked the fungus.The lichen fell off,revealing an artifact phantom statue.How did he know that the weird spider-like creature was named a phantom?Before he could cover up the stone statue stuck to the tree,Cera pulled the statue off it's post in curiosity,and the phantoms flew out of the tree."Rarr."a phantom snarled."EEEK!"Cera yelped.She bolted to warn the others,leaving Cosmo to fend for himself.He picked up a stick,and it elongated into a wooden staff with a green orb on the end."Hi-yar!"A bolt of green light struck the phantoms,and a few disentigrated.The rest made a noise like bats,and lunged.He sidestepped,and struck them with a blast,and they turned into mice,fleeing."Good work."The same heron that visited him in his dreams flapped down to congragulate him,her eyes full of pride."You'll make a wonderful alpha.Come with me."Cosmo nearly stepped into her back,but stopped himself."Will I ever see Beatrice and Cera again?"he asked the grey heron.She seemed to know what he meant."You won't,but I promise that Jamaa will be a land lusher than anyplace else."Cosmo stepped onto her with no hesitation,since he only loved his deceased mother.Immidieatly he was in a forest greener than his own,with huts and platforms high up in the trees.Animals with face paint approached him warily from behind a log,but Mira(how did he know her name?)motioned for them to come closer."Cosmo,"she said,"these are the alphas that protect this land,Jamaa."Mira said.A small bunny with ear socks and adorable eyes shyly peeked out from behind a regal tiger with a cape and three beards."Hello."Her voice was harmonious,with melody and beat to it,like every breath was a song.As soon as he heard her voice,Cosmo knew what to do.He would be the best healer that ever was.

  

The epilouge of Amelia's Vow

Epilouge

After Amelia died,Mira went on to face the phantom born from her body,but
it wasn't untill thousands of years later that she caught the fleeing devil.This story is adopted from Snowyclaw's storybook,where some of my tales come from.Gather round,because this story explains how the phantom war ended after many years of sorrow and loss.

 The Forgotten Story

The wind danced with the sand in the thin air of the forgotten plains. Mira stood on the crest of a high dune, proud and tall, but almost transparent with exhaustion. Thousands of years fighting the darkness can leave even the strongest of spirits without the strength to go on. With this encounter, however, Mira had something different, something she had been saving for a time such as this.

This would be the end,after all those years of chasing the phantom she has beared.

Her bright eyes watched the horizon patiently, watching as the darkness invaded the sky, shadows rippling along the sand at a breathless pace. A looming eye surrounded by a swirling darkness rose about the earth, invading the blue of the desert sky. An involuntary shiver ran down the grey heron's spine as she watched the hideous thing she created so long ago creep toward the sandy hilltop she stood upon. A laugh echoed along the plains.

"Give up mother," the phantom boomed "all is lost."

Mira shook her head, eyes never leaving the creature. "I am not the mother of one such as you," she replied, "you were born of hate and pain, and so do not belong here."

A gleeful giggle, one not fit for the ears of any sane creature, erupted from the darkness. "Oh but you are. You created me. When Zios left this world you hated him so; he left you alone didn't he?"

Mira lifted her wings high, "I was angered, but that is but an emotion. You are the embodiment of despair, and so do not belong in this land."

"And you expect to stop me, after all this time? Foolish bird.You had let me live when we were fused." 

It was the spirit's turn to laugh. "I am not finished yet, dark shadow. As you said, you are part of me, and what am I but the earth?" Mira's wings began to flap at a dizzying rate as she rose, twisting and turning on the howling wind. Sand rose in a cyclone, engulfing Mira and the phantom.

"NO!" the phantom bellowed, "YOU CANNOT BIND ME!I HAVE THE POWER OF TWO PHANTOM RULERS!

The spirit that was once a grey heron whirled through to sky, rising to the clouds and gently falling to earth. With one last shrill scream of rage the phantom dissipated, the shadows it was once made of raced away along the sand. The sand fell and the plains lay empty. Nothing but the gentle whisper of the wind was left on the empty landscape.

And so Mira fell, but is she gone? No, she lies within the earth. Within the sky. She is part of everything in Jamaa, just as we are a part of her. She is proud of our strength and watches over us. Perhaps you'll catch glimpses of her spirit from time to time. The shadows remain as well, but not strong enough to emerge on their own. They grasp at the minds of the weak and the petty, but Jamaasians are always there to fight the darkness. Mira and Zios fight as well, though they reside in a place beyond sight. Sometimes we can feel them as they fight the shadows, the earth rumbles and lightning flashes. Even the earth boils over in Jamaa's highest mountains in their struggle. Mira, Zios, the shamans, and us. Those that inhabit Jamaa. We all play a part in the fight against the darkness, and we will continue. The war may never end, but that doesn't mean that it isn't worth fighting,as Amelia's death taught us all.

The End

 

Amelia's Vow(continuied)

 Chapter Four

   Claw and tooth stabbed each other in the battle of opnion and oath,as Chorus and Amelia taunted each other as they fought to the ends of the land.One day they would spill blood in Mount Shiveer's spring,another they'd shred fur on the beach,yet another day they fought in the deepest part of Sarperia Forest.From time to time Peck would help Chorus,but give up and flee.This made Amelia believe even more strongly that the alphas were arrogant and proud forces that should be overthrown,while Chorus thought that Peck was simply recharging.Neither were correct,as neither really avenged balance correctly.Sometimes,doing what is right can mean breaking an oath,in Amelia's case.They fought for countless days,untill Amelia finally struck Chorus's heart,ripping half out.As Chorus lay dying on a barrier reef in the ocean,her blood turned the sea bright red,alerting Mira.Chorus turned to face Amelia,her trumphiant conqueror."I-I was wrong,Amelia."she croaked."I told you so!"Amelia beamed."But you were wrong,too."Amelia stood there,shocked.All these years,she had believed that she had been avenging Balance,and yet she had been wrong!"I do not question that you had a future with the phantoms,but why were you foolish enough to swear such an oath?It is ridiculous and hard to keep,as both good and bad oppose phantoms,as suprising as it seems.You should've died that night,Amelia,and that's what was right." A milky substance covered Chorus's eyes,and Amelia was left to bury Chorus under the waves,to be eaten by fish.

Chapter Five

 Soon Mira arrived,her expression stern."What happened?"she asked."Why would it matter to you!"Amelia screamed."You never told me the ugly truth,and left me to do what was wrong!I should've died,and you let me live!What a protector of Jamaa you are!" Mira's eyes flared with anger,but this wasn't unusual.After Zios died,she had become rash and unpredictable,and tortured Sir Gilbert for killing her spouse,even though her creator had been corrupted by the evil that had crept into the land."You should've died,yes,but the pure spirit of Zios told me to spare you.And he was wrong!You charmspoke him!" Amelia kicked Mira,and golden ichor poured from Mira's leg."Grey herons aren't supposed to be this corrupt!"Mira looked suprised when she heard Amelia's remark,apparently the other alphas,even rebellinous teenage Peck,had strayed away from telling the truth of why they were mad at her."You shall die,and never be reborn.You will face eternal punishment from me in the Phantom Vortex!"But the voice wasn't Mira's.It was the voice of her godmother!"Huh?"Amelia gasped.Mira was now being possesed by the Phantom Queen,as Zios had been corrupted by a sliver of  the Phantom King's spirit."YOU LIED TO ME!"Amelia screamed."You said that you were part of the White eye,but you were actually the phantom queen!"Mira laughed."Puny fox,your kind is so easy to manipulate!I latched onto Mira's spirit when she finished mourning,and took over her!I only sent a minion to take you,but I wanted to destroy you,because you'd kill me!I will not let you hinder my plan to take over Jamaa!"Mira laughed a maniac's laugh,and Amelia suddenly grew angry."You lied to me,and you think it's funny?"Mira stopped laughing, in shock."You made me swear this oath,and I turned against the alphas,became a rogue,corrupt hundreds of Jammers,kill my friend,and hurt Mira JUST FOR YOUR PLEASURE?!?"she shrieked.Now Mira got over her shock."Let's battle,"she said,"and this time I'll kill you!"The two lunged for each other,as Chorus and Amelia had did before.
Chapter Six

 The battle was short-'lived,since Mira actually found the strength to resist the precense of the Phantom Queen.When Amelia leaped over her and struck a blow to her belly,Mira didn't fight back.When Mira swiped at her,she seemed to miss on purpose.Amelia gouged one of her eyes,and it went black.She bit her neck,and ichor poured out rapidly.The fight between mortal and immortal went in favor of the mortal,until the Phantom Queen took over again."Hi-ya!"she'd shout,and Amelia would almost implode."For Zios,the Father Sky,"she'd shout,and the sky seemed to crush her.Soon,it was too much to handle.She collasped,and Mira stood triumphantly over her.That must be how Chorus felt,she thought.Then Mira shuddered,and the Phantom Queen came out.Mira collapsed.Then a more male phantom appeared,and they fused."I will see you in the forgotten plains."the phantom said,the female and male voice merged together said,and the phantom dissipeared,As Amelia lay there dying,Mira rose and took pity on her."You will die,but the alphas will rescue your spirit and place it in their ranks."Mira said."Rise,brave one."Amelia felt herself rising,her dead body being yanked away from her.But instead of turning into a phantom for her bad deeds,she took a detour and headed toward the alpha hut.There,Lisa waited for her,arms spread wide as Amelia bounded into her arms,as if the event that happened sixteen years ago never happened.
                                        The End of the Beginning

Mayans and Jamaasians

Mayans+Jamaasians

 Hi Jammers!Sorry for not informing you on the past two updates! You have no idea how busy I am! Anyway,the Mayans say that the world would end tommorow. I don't think that's possible,but if you think so,just comment! Maybe I'll see to helping you make sense ofit.

Well,I'll tell you guys something else about Mayans, they actually inspired a lot of Jamaasian culture,like Zios's mask. Just google "mayan myths". In fact, i think that the Lost Temple of Zios was inspired by Macchu Picchu.

The Story

(by AJHQ)

And so it was that the Sky Father was named Zios. He created many stars and planets, and set them in motion. But after eons of creation, he became lonely. So he created the Sky Mother, a grey heron, and named her Mira.

Mira was beautiful and kind and they were very happy together. She loved Zios deeply and often told him how talented he was, encouraging him to create. Together, Zios and Mira created their masterpiece: a lush land filled with oceans, mountains, meadows, and all kinds of plants and animals. They named this special world Jamaa, and for hundreds of years, the world and its animals were at peace.

But today, all is not well in Jamaa. A mysterious dark force has crept into the land, stealing away animals and ruining the beauty of Jamaa. Only you can help save the animals and restore the world to its glory. Please help, for you are Jamaa's only hope.

Lisa's Story

Many of you know of Liza as the kind and caring shaman that first welcomed you to Jamaa, but no one knows of her beginning. It all started when a panda was born in a small bamboo forest, near rural China...

Amy Jiao presents...

The Alpha Chronicles

Where are you going ma?"
"Liza, it's time you had your own feeding grounds, I can't take care of you anymore."
"But ma..."
"You knew this day was coming, I'm going to leave you here, instead of making you finding your own stead. You should be grateful."
Only because of those humans getting too close, Liza thought. She watched her mother amble away, disappearing through the bamboo. I'm not sure if I'm going to miss her...
Liza spent over a year in her little bamboo forest, inspecting every inch of it, and obseving the curious people that lived nearby. One day Liza heard lound yells and destruction at the edge of the forest. Curious as ever she went to find out what was going on. She found the humans destroying what little land she had.No! They're stealing bamboo! I can't let this happen!Liza was outraged, just because they had strength doesn't mean they should take all the land for themselves! Gathering her strength she went to confront the humans.
"Stop!" Liza yelled. The humans looked up in amazement.
"Stop, you're destroying my home!" She cried out, they didn't seem to understand. A man came with a long pointed stick, holding it like a weapon.
"What are you doing?" Liza growled. Suddenly she felt a fire in her chest, and the world went black.

Chapter 2
Liza felt herself rising, she watched her lifeless body grow smaller and smaller, her spirit rising into the vast expanse of space. She watched Earth, then the Sun, then the galaxy, disappear as she traveled with the speed of light. The stars winked out, one by one, and she found herself suspended in complete dark, or light; somewhere in between.
"This is the world between the worlds," a voice echoed, "I am Father Sky, Zios. Your bravery in your past has brought you here, to a new land, in need of guidance."
"How? I'm only one. What do I do?" said the spirit-that-was-Liza.
"You will know in your heart. Other's will come, but you are the first panda, and will guide the animals," the spirit Liza felt his voice reach her very center, warming her, filling her with purpose, "Now open your eyes."
Liza felt the between world slide past her as she opened her new eyes. A grey heron, made out of light and mist, carried her down to the wonderful new world.
"I am Mother Sky, Mira. Here is your new home. Welcome to Jamaa."
Liza found herself standing alone in a forest of bamboo. Walking along the path she found a town filled with beauty and magic. Looking up she saw the glittering forms of Zios and Mira. She smiled.
"I am ready."

The End of the Beginning

All Jammers know of Greely, the dark wolf shaman, but what was he like in his early years; before magic, before Jamaa?That is a question many have vowed to answer...

Greely's Story

Chapter 1

The wind ruffled his fur as Greely stood on the grassy hill. Far below was a caribou herd, one that, luckily enough, stumbled right into pack territory. Darting in the shadows were the hunters, the swiftest and strongest of the pack, who brought down the large kill. These were the subordinate, directed by the beta they circled around the sick caribou separated from the herd, then the alpha gave the signal. Greely stepped forward.

"Get back here pup!" Growled the omega.

"I don't take orders from the omega," Greely snapped, glaring at the pale grey wolf. "I'm almost eight moons old, old enough to join in the pack hunts, I'm not a pup anymore."

The wolf winced at the cold fury in the young one's eyes. Legends of the sight, the power to see beyond, flashed through his mind, legends of dark wolves knowing dark magic...

"I'll be beta before you know it, then you'll regret treating me like a pup," Greely stalked off to the cave, joining his sister. Something moved in the corner of his eye, whipping around he found nothing. The omega looked nervous and wouldn't look at him directly.

The rest of the pack returned soon after, giving up meat for those not in the hunt.

One wolf stood on moon watch as the pack drifted to sleep, Greely slept at the mouth of the den, under the stars.

Chapter 2

It was dark when Greely awoke, but he felt restless. He stepped lightly out of the den, making no sound. Greely murmured a greeting to the moon watcher, but he didn't turn around. Asleep are we? Greely chuckled to himself, ready to pounce on his pack-mate. Then he jumped through him. Yelping in surprise he looked at his paws; they were were made of a dark mist, not solid. His body looked asleep in the den. Is this a dream? Greely wondered. He spent the entire moonrise exploring the territory, never getting tired and never need to pause to catch his breath. Sometimes his mist shape would be wolf, other times a bird, but most of the time a shadow, melting into the landscape. As moonset came he wandered back to the den, gleeful from the freedom he experienced. Suddenly it was there again, something in the peripherals of his vision. He tried to catch sight of it, but it disappeared when he faced it. What if... Greely focused his outer eye on the den, while his inner eye roamed. This was the true sight, seeing things beyond, seeing the fabric of time and space. There was a tear in that fabric, and through it Greely could see dark and light, shadows and mist. He felt pulled toward it, like he was part of it. Looking back to the den he saw his pack and knew he must make a choice.

Chapter 3

Greely knew where he belonged now. Stepping through the fabric he felt his shape give way, and felt the life he once knew end. Now a shadow in the mist. A grey heron formed from the mist, somehow he was not surprised.

"What is your business shadow?" The heron murmured.

"I belong here, I am a dark wolf." Greely replied, the heron looked taken aback.

"Then you are the one foretold, welcome to the new land. I am Mira, the Sky Mother."

Greely felt the mist clear and found himself a wolf once more, yet still part shadow. He felt the magic of the Canyons fill his veins, filling him with a powerful energy. He could feel the aura of the world strengthen against his shadow magic, and he knew that his time had come.

The End of the Beginning

Gilbert's Trap
A great warrior and a caring shaman, Sir Gilbert is a worthy leader of Jamaa. Where did he come from, and how did he become who he is today?Alas,he wasn't always the curious and proud warrior he is today,and he came as the result of his wrongdoing...

Chapter 1The night air was heavy and dark, perfect for a hunt. Like a night shadow Gilbert slunk through the undergrowth, stalking a jungle herd. Nocturnal creatures went about their business, their calls echoing into the night. There was no breeze to carry his scent to the unwary jungle deer. Gilbert's claws kneaded the damp soil, getting ready for the pounce. Bringing his powerful haunches under him he crouched like a coiled spring, when suddenly yells brought the night forest to life. Torches lit from all around, encircling the great tiger. Gilbert roared his fury into the night, joining the chaos of noise that had blossomed in the peace. A trap, those filthy humans set a trap. He remembered the night, not long ago when he took humans' animals. I should have learned, Gilbert growled to himself, humans will come back with death. The circle was closing in, the guns and eyes of the hunters shining in the firelight. Gilbert backed to the sloping trunk of a tree and knew what needed to be done. Twisting around he grabbed the trunk with huge paws, claws sinking deep. I thank the spirits for my fortune, he thought, climbing higher and higher up the great tree. Gilbert felt himself running with great speed, though he knew it to be impossible. Wind gave him wings, he felt as if he was running on air. Gilbert saw his life flash by, a life in the jungle, with adventures and mistakes. He felt himself leap into the sky, above the trees, then start to fall. He let out a roar, one of sorrow, rage, and regret. Falling down into a pool of shadow. One last look at the jungle, then embraced into the darkness.

Chapter 2
It was dark, but also light. Warm, but cold. Solid, but shapeless. The spirit-that-was-a-tiger felt openings in the shadow, to worlds unable to imagine. Some of them light, others dark. One called to the spirit, a world of both dark and light, but a new one, one of opportunity. He felt himself pulled to it, like he belonged there. Suddenly he was rising, breaking to the surface of a lagoon. The night greeted him home once again, and on the sand strewn shore there stood other animals. Alphas ready to welcome him to the new land, Jamaa.
 
The End of the Beginning
Peck's Story

Many have heard of the artistic and spunky rabbit shaman, Peck. But where did she come from? How did she get to Jamaa?And where did she get her wonderful art muse's skill?

Chapter 1"This is boring," Rose muttered, puckering up her face in a pout.
"Aw come on sis, this is fun!" Peck replied, looking at the colorful sand hopefully. Whiskers quivering in excitement.
"Not for me," Rose grumbled, "I don't like painting, it's pointless! It'll only get washed away by the rain."
"But that IS the point!" Peck exclaimed, sprinkling sand artfully. "Everything is temporary, that's what make life so special. Carrots don't last long, and you still eat them."
"That's cause they taste good!" Rose stuck her tongue out at her sister.
"Well art tastes good to me."
"Everyone says you're just confused," Rose says sulkily, "I'm beginning to agree."
"Just because I wear ear socks and paint with sand doesn't mean I'm crazy!" Peck said, ears twitching with agitation. "There, it's done, what do you think?"
"It looks like a blob."
"Well, I was aiming for a dark shadow of endless space with whisps of dark mist reaching out to tear apart the fabric of time," Peck paused, "but that's close enough."
"Thanks for the explanation." Rose said sarcastically. "Now lets go, we're going to be late for supper."
"Wait up, I think I should sign this one, it really seems...alive." Peck reached her paw into the dust, placing a print at the edge of the sand art. Suddenly she felt a wind rush past, putting her fur on end. It stopped just as suddenly. "Did you feel that, Rose?"
"Feel what? Boredom?"
"No, that wind..." Peck said, looking around confused.
"You really are crazy," Rose giggled, "there's no wind today at all." She bounded off toward the hollow.
Peck looked back at the sand art she had finished, one word appeared in her mind: phantom...

Chapter 2

Peck and her family were scavenging for supper when the wind started, sand billowed up in waves since there hadn't been rain for weeks. Peck stiffened.
"Ma, I think we need to get inside the den," she said nervously.
"Nonsense dear, it's only a little evening breeze," her mother replied, busy digging up some roots.
"What's that?" Rose said abruptly, eyes wide as she pointed at a dark mass on the horizon.
"Get inside everyone," their father said, rigid with shock. Everyone else hurried into the burrow, but Peck paused. Guided by an unseen force she hopped quickly to her storage of colored sand. She then began her greatest masterpiece; she didn't even know what she had painted until she finished.
Peck gasped at the beauty of the great heron that stood there in the sand, I didn't paint this myself, she thought. Peck's paws rested on the sand of the painting, which suddenly came alive. A great grey heron rose from the sand, shrouded in magic, but built from sand. The dark mass grew closer, and Peck realized that it was her painting, the phantom, who had risen from the sand as well. Wind buffeted Peck's fur as she crouched in the sand, watching the scene unfold.

Chapter 3
The heron took her talons and raked through the shadowy phantom, dissipating what ever darkness she touched. A scream of rage echoed through the air, Peck's coat stood on end as she shivered, feeling the pure wrath of the phantom. The wind picked up as the heron beat her wings and something started growing between her and the shadow. A dark purple hole opened and spread like liquid shadow. The heron bore down on the phantom, silver talons gleaming. There was a last soul piercing scream before the phantom was engulfed by the shadowy portal, sand closing it off from the world. Slowly the heron gathered herself, and turned towards Peck.
"That, was a phantom young one. One you brought to this world."
"I had no idea," Peck whispered, "all I did was put my paw print on it."
"You are gifted with magic, and so don't fully belong in this mortal realm," the heron said carefully, "I am Mira, a goddess of a magic filled world called Jamaa."
Peck dusted herself off and tidied her ear socks. "So you're taking me there?"
The heron looked slightly put out, as if she wanted to be the one saying that, but nodded slowly. "You would be a welcome member of the group of animal alphas, if you choose to come."
Peck looked around at her home sadly, "I don't belong here, and I guess I always knew that," she looked up at Mira, "I'm ready, Mother Sky."
The heron looked confused for a moment, Did I tell her my other name?, but simply nodded. Peck watched as Mira brushed her wing through the air. Peck gasped, the air rippled. It was as if the heron had brushed away all time and space. The light dark mist spread around them as the stepped through the tear. The hole closed, and another opened with just a wave of the heron's wing. The landscape opened onto the beautiful moonlit canyons, Peck felt the warm night breeze ruffle her fur. She felt warmth flood her soul and heart, "I'm home."The warm canyon breeze stroked her as she stepped into her new land,Jamaa.

Amelia's Promise
Amelia is an unknown alpha,one of the outcasts that never were recognized,as they were humble,even though they actually slew all the phantoms compared to the originals.She was once an unruly rogue,though,and had killed a friend to keep a promise she made to a phantom,where Mira was forced to let  her die...
 and teach her to become an Alpha.

Chapter One

 Amelia looked up from her musty den."Amelia!" her mother cried. "The creatures are coming!Run!" She was just a pup,so she took no heed for her mother's pleas.The sky outside turned stormy gray,and a flock of odd creatures approached.Most were attacked by Mira and a few animals she didn't recognize,but a few escaped their blasts and iron grip."Chup?"Amelia squeaked. A large phantom crept into her den,evil spirits and mist following the creature."WAAAAAA!"The phantom's eye softened."Now,now,don't fear me."the female phantom said.Suddenly,a purple zap blasted the phantom,and it winced.The phantom was tossed aside,and Sir Gilbert peered in."I got rid of your attacker.We have to leave,this valley is doomed." he said in a stern voice.Amelia backed deeper into her den.In a blink of an eye,the old tiger snatched Amelia's scruff and dragged her out."Amelia,I would've taken you deep into the Phantom Vortex if the foolish alpha didn't stop me,and given you proper training.Avenge my death and kill anyone who opposes the phantoms.Swear on the sacred mask of Zios,or I'll be forced to blast you to pieces."the spirit of the phantom said in her mind as Gilbert dragged her away.Tears welled up in her eyes as it dawned on her that the phantom eanted to protect her,since her family had been taken by worse phantoms.She was a phantom rebel,and yet the alphas didn't spare her."I swear."she muttered,then blacked out despite the rumble of lightning.
Chapter Two

 She awoke in a soft pidgeonpelt bed.Amelia clambered out,and noticed that she was in a hut.She walked to the front of the hut,and saw Lisa grilling some squirrel for her."Did my family survive?"
She knew that that was a ridiculous question,but Lisa sighed and turned to face her."I'm sorry to say this,Amelia,but they didn't make it.I'll take care of you and give you proper training."
Proper training.Two opposing forces had claimed that they were wiser,which confused her.Who should she believe?She remembered her vow,and kicked Lisa so hard that a normal animal would've doubled over and died."OW!"Lisa screeched.Amelia ran into the woods,crying for her complicated life,and even pitied herself.If she had just ran to the phantom earlier...She bumped into a scarred lion,and screamed her head off.The lion picked her up,trying to suppress a laugh as she kicked and flailed.Just then,before he could devour her in a messy gulp,a shadow striked the lion.He dropped her,roaring in anger."Ank,don't kill her." a voice said behind the lion."She looks rebellinous,and rebels fit into rogues  like a charmeleon in a tree."Amelia slashed the lion,and he doubled over."FINE,i guess that she won't be my supper."the lion said in a raspy voice that would've terrified a mud wrestler.But Amelia wasn't afraid.After all,if you bargain with a phantom or another creature of Chaos that supports Balance,you gain the ability to know no fear."I accept you as a rogue."the voice said,emerging from the shadows as a muscular Arctic wolf."My name is Chorus,and his name is Ank.You are offically one of us,which means you are a true rogue."

Chapter Three

  Sixteen years later.
Amelia was now nineteen,sixteen years later since she kicked Lisa and joined the rogues.She had made an impossible oath when she was three,and she still kept it.Now the rogue number had swelled as homeless Jammers heard of Amelia refusing alpha training and becoming a feared rogue.At day she would bargain with phantoms,at night she robbed poor Jammers' dens and did acts of arson with her phantom allies.Even the richest of Jammers would be targeted despite the guards,and some would wake to find their den bare,all their guards dead and their money gone.A bolt a fear would strike their hearts,and realized that Amelia had stole their life,almost completly.Many commited suicide after that.Amelia now sat in a tree stump burrow,feeling very proud of herself as she sifted through her money bags as the leader of rogues,when Chorus called for her,in a voice very much like Peck's herself."Amelia,I need to talk with you."she half shouted,half sang.Amelia grumbled as she rose from her soft chair and trudged out."What?!?"she grumped."Are you going to scold me for refusing to support the alphas?They killed my godmother!"Amelia now thought of that phantom as her godmother,since she had seen what she should've gotten from the phantom rebels.Now she was a rebel among her own kind,and always avenged that phantom's wishes now."Well,it's something like that."Chorus muttered not so beatifully.They went into the forgotten shrine to Mira,a crumbling structure in the very same valley Amelia had lived,as the temple had broken off from Jamaa long ago as the phantoms plundered Jamaa long ago.Amelia sat on a crumbling urn,smearing her face paint all over herself in boredom.Chorus sat on a pedestal opposing Amelia."Amelia,I don't believe the story you told me last night about the kind phantom and the vow,blah blah blah.As every mother had already gone over with her pups,phantoms are pure evi-""That''s NOT true!"Amelia shot up from her urn,and it shattered.Chorus nearly fell over."Those dam alphas are feeding you false information!They believe that all phantoms are evil!Mira actually had some control when she cried the phantoms into exsistence,but not enough to stop their creation.She had time before she stopped mourning to create a rebel group of phantoms that avenged her,the White eyes.My godmother was one of them!"Chorus's suprise turned into anger."You've always been chaotic,Amelia,but I didn't imagine that you would oppose me,young one,after all I did to make you fit in."They lunged at each other,and blood spilled on bricks and vines.

To be continued...