*wolf howls*

Sheena couldn't see Narwhal anymore. He must have gone more quickly. But she soon forgot about him, bursting into the open air. The scent of leaves made her nose tingle, and a cool breeze whisked through her fur. The Aether part of her reveled in the openness, the freshness. She was out of the Black Hole. She had survived. 

But she had failed.

Narwhal had succeeded.

Not yet. There is always another way, she convinced herself. There must be. I still have a chance against him. I have to hope. 

There is no hope.

Don't say that, the voice said. You might still be more powerful than him. You can't let him get to the next Essence. You should absorb it yourself.

Sheena blocked it out, but what it said was true. Narwhal would be unstoppable if he absorbed even one more Essence. How had he done that? Could any leopard do it? Or was he... special? She shook her head. 

"Sheena!" 

She turned around to see a blue-green leopard. Narwhal. After all, no other leopard besides him is blue now. "What do you want?" she growled. Tears sprang to her eyes but she choked them back. "Haven't you done enough?"

He narrowed his eyes. "You resisted the Essence's drawback," he answered. "You're different. You could be a strong ally. You could help me. Join me, Sheena."

Sheena flashed back to that time, so long ago, when he had asked her a similar question. When they had been younger. When he had first left. Before everything.

Do it, the voice commanded. Join him. 

And Sheena was too weak to argue. She stumbled towards him. "Fine," she said, voice dull. "I'll come. But let me find what's left of the Aqua first." 

"Why do you care about those weaklings?" he growled. "They don't matter anymore. Come on."

"Just-just one moment," she begged. "I need to see what you did, if it's really as great as you think... please, Narwhal."

He stared at her for a moment, then flicked his ever-changing tail. The only thing that stayed the same was his cold green gaze. "Fine. Go ahead, but remember this. I'll stay here until the sun sets."

Sheena glanced overhead. The sky was beginning to tinge pink as the sun reached the horizon. With a glance back at Narwhal, she muttered a hasty "Thanks," and hared away. 

I could run away right now, she realized. I could run away from this madness and let Narwhal destroy the Elementi and rule them. It wouldn't affect me if I ran away. i'm strong enough.

Don't even, the Hidden voice answered. You couldn't run past Aqua land in your state even if Narwhal was chasing you with bloody claws.

She sighed. You're right. And as it is, I need to see if Ciel's alright. 

She flattened her ears to block out the voice, hearing only the peaceful chirping of birds in the background. Running over the slightly wet land she knew by heart, she cleared her mind. This was her moment of peace, just running in the fresh, cold air, running towards home. 

Home.  

Thank you! June, welcome to Hidden! I hope you continue to read and enjoy the story for as long as it lasts.

And now, after keying my password into NaNo about seven times (why did I make it 33 chars long?? Why??) I finally accessed the next part! Here you go.

★

What would it be like? Would anything have happened? Had Narwhal actually absorbed all Aqua leopards' essences? She shook her head, deciding that she would find out when she reached the heart. For now, her mind was silent, filled with the murmurs of rushing streams and chirps of forest birds. She breathed deeply to regulate her heartbeat, reaching the break in the trees where the Aqua settlement was. She slowed, taking a few deep breaths, and entered the camp. At first, it seemed as if nothing was there, and then she saw them.

Her Element was huddled in their dens, skirting the many pools of water throughout the settlement. Their pelts clung to their bones and their fur was colorless. If she squinted, she could see their surroundings through them. She shuddered, her violet gaze searching their hollow, empty eyes. They stared back, silent, horrible. They were absolutely devoid of spirit and soul, unspeaking, eyes emotionless. 

She shuddered and hurried on, winding her way between the pools of water towards the Chamber of Knowledge. She stared straight ahead, but she could feel the leopards' eyes on her pelt, dull and expressionless. This, she thought as she padded on, this is worse than death. They are alive, but I could not call their sorry state really living. I could never, ever do something like that to someone. Ever. She imagined what it would be like, to be a husk, a shell, of a leopard, and found she could not. The spirit of life and living coursed through her body and she could not imagine losing it.

Worse than death. She walked into the Chamber, breathing in its familiar stone-and-water scent. And she saw a hunched shape in the corner. Oh no. She crept closer, barely daring to breathe. The shape was another leopard, now indistinguishable from all the others. Its—his—body was thin and his pelt was ragged and matted. His gaze was hollow and sunken. And Sheena knew that there was only one leopard this could be. 

"Oh Ciel," she gasped. This horrid creature could not possibly be her mentor. Ciel, her quiet teacher, who had always been so much taller than her, with his sky-blue pelt and gentle eyes, could not be this sad, gray-furred creature. "Ciel... I'm so sorry."

The leopard opened his mouth. For a moment, no sound came out, but eventually he said in a dull, monotonous voice, "It's not your fault. You are Hidden, Sheena. You evaded this. You can turn it back. You are invincible to its cause. You will save us."

He drew in a shuddering breath. "You will save us, Sheena. You are not yet taken. There is always..." he broke off in a cough, and she could see his ribs through his pelt. "Always another way, Sheena." He lay his head on his paws and stared up at her with those empty, colorless eyes. "Reverse it..."

She placed her paw on his. "I will, Ciel. I will. I promise."