Here's an extra-long part to compensate for my inactivity! Admins, I hope it doesn't hold you up.

"How did you know that?" she whispered.

"I know everything, Sheena. I've watched you from the shadows, always out of sight. I saw you kill that leopard.. Xiang, was it? I lost you when you ran away, but I have seen what you can do. I just don't know how you did it."

"That's," Sheena started to say, but stopped herself. "It's not important right now. What you did to the whole Aqua species is worse. Worse than death."

Narwhal shouldered past a thorn bush, leaving a few tufts of fur behind. "Whatever. We're here." 

She hurried past the bush after him, and soon they were standing at the edge of a huge hollow. It was like a crater in the earth, bathed in moonlight. Thorns twisted around its rim, black tendrils with gleaming white, hooked claws of thorns. Shadowy figures slunk around it, eyes flashing in the gathering darkness. It looked.... inhospitable, to say the least. 

"This is where you live?" Sheena choked. 

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Narwhal answered dryly. "It's what we found, and I'm grateful."

Sheena shuddered. How could anyone be grateful for this scary, dark place? And it was so devoid of water. No pools to relax in, no places to swim. Her fur felt too dry just thinking about living there. But she could adapt. She was part Aether, and they certainly didn't spend half their lives in water. She could adapt. She could battle through this. After all, what was a little discomfort? 

She pressed against Narwhal and this time, he didn't move away. He headed down the rim, picking his way through the thorn barrier. "I'm back," he called. Immediately, several dark heads snapped back, their eyes gleaming. Sheena noticed that their pelts were all a uniform black, with vague hints of spots, but their eyes were all different, the only hint at what Element they may have belonged to. 

He pushed her forward. "This is Sheena. She wants to join us." He poked her with a claw. "Right?"

"Right," Sheena managed. She was terrified. The Ferals were staring at her distrustingly and she felt the urge to back away. "Please don't hurt me."

One, with dull ochre eyes, let out a guffaw. "Hurt you? I wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"Only anything other than a fly," another one snickered. "What's up with you, man? Why you all colorful?"

Narwhal puffed out his chest. "I'm the only Aqua," he declared. "I succeeded! I absorbed their Essence. Now I'm the only one."

"That's fantastic!" one cried. She was small--as small as a cub. A cub joined Narwhal's pack? Sheena shuddered. How could he convince a cub to leave its safe life and join his? The cub's fur was not yet entirely black; it was a deep green. Her spots were a faded pink and Sheena could tell they had once looked like flowers. 

"I'm Flower!" the cub chirped. "Nice to meet you!"

"Hello," Sheena croaked. "I need to go to sleep. I'll talk to you later." 

"Sleeping dens are this way." Narwhal led her off to the side, to a patch of thorns. Sheena was astonished to see how carefully woven they were, forming a dome shape. There was a soft bed of leaves inside and she stumbled over to it, collapsing. "Thanks."

"See you in the morning," he answered, ducking out of the den. Sheena could barely get comfortable before blackness overwhelmed her and she gratefully drifted into sleep. 

~ ~ ~

Sheena woke up. She crawled out of the den and yawned, stretching. She felt well-rested, but she was still hungry. She kinked her tail over her back, straightened it, and set off to find Narwhal. He found her first. 

"Sheena, where are you going?" he asked sharply. "This is your home now."

"I was just going to catch a fish," she protested. "I haven't eaten in a long time."

"I'll have someone bring you a fish. You are not to leave this camp until I say so." He turned to leave.

"Wait." Her gaze burned into his fur and he faced her again. 

"What?"

"Is this how it's going to be?" She glared at him. "I could kill you with a flick of my tail if I wanted to."

"But you don't want to," he pointed out. "I know you, Sheena."

"No, you don't," she said simply. Then she turned on her heel and re-entered her den. 

Sheena curled up, the leaves on the floor crackling as she adjusted herself. She tried to block out her hunger, tried to relax, but she couldn't make herself fall asleep again. She leaned over the edge of the leaves, poking at a twig with her claws. She played with it for a while, but eventually tired of it and tucked her nose under her tail. A tear slid down her cheek but she angrily shook it away. I will not cry. I will not let Narwhal win. He can't win. 

Flower poked her head into the den. "Narwhal sent me to check on you," she said brightly. 

Sheena stared balefully at her. "I'm fine."

"Narwhal says you tell good stories," Flower persisted, entering the den. "Will you tell me a story?"

Sheena curled tighter into the leaves, but she couldn't resist the prospect of telling a story. "Fine. Come on."

"Yay!" Flower bounced over, settling beside Sheena. Her eyes were lavender, bright with excitement. "I love stories."

Sheena couldn't help but smile. This cub reminded her so much of Luna, back home. And the thought gave her hope. Luna was still okay! She was an Aether cub; she wasn't affected by Narwhal's absorbing of the Essence. Sheena guessed that Nyx had taken her away to Aether land, where they would be safe. 

She returned to Flower, to the present. "If I tell you a story, can I have a fish, or any food at all, later?" she asked. 

"Sure!" Flower nestled closer. "Now start the story."

"Okay," Sheena said. And then she began. 

"Once, there was a leopard. This leopard was beautiful. Her coat was painted golden by the sun and her spots were black as shadows. Her amber eyes seemed like tiny gems, glowing bright, sharp and noticing everything. Her claws were as sharp as her sight, but she was not violent. Her name was Akira.

"This leopard was a lone hunter, a golden shadow. She traveled all over the world, father than you've ever seen. And one day she saw another leopard. 

"If she was sunlight, bright and gold, he was shadow, dark and mysterious. His fur was black, but not featureless, and his eyes were yellow. His tail was especially long, and his claws were longer and sharper than Akira's. This leopard, a panther, as he would come to be known, was named Kyto.

"When Akira met Kyto, she knew she would spend the rest of her life with him. As the day belongs to the night, Akira belonged to Kyto. He felt the same way and they settled together in this very land. 

"As time wore on, soon Akira gave birth to five cubs, an unusually large litter. They were not ordinary cubs, however: each was unique."

Flower gasped. "Five cubs?"

"Yes," Sheena answered. "She and Kyto named them Aqua, Terra, Aether, Ignis, and Ventus. The family lived contentedly for a time, safe in their land, but as the cubs grew up, they eventually grew restless. Ventus was the first to leave, running like the wind through the forest, claiming part of it as his own. Then Ignis left, blazing his path like fire to his own part. Then Aether, then Aqua. Terra was the last to leave. She loved her parents and wanted to stay with them forever, but she knew that she must claim the final part of the land. 

"Akira and Kyto lived as nomads, traveling throughout their cubs' land, visiting, checking in. And one day when they came to Ignis's settlement, the heart of his land. There they found another leopard, a beautiful female. Her belly was swollen with the promise of cubs. 'This is my mate,' Ignis told his parents. And they knew that he would continue their legacy, as would each of their cubs. 

"Akira and Kyto, light and shadow, sun and moon, knew that their five cubs would continue their legacy forever—the legacy of the Elementi." Sheena let her words hang in the air for a moment before adding, "The end."

"It's not the end, though," Flower responded. "Because we still exist!"

"Not for much longer," Sheena answered grimly. 

"Why not?"

"Have you ever wondered what Narwhal does on his trips out?" 

"He says he's making the Elementi great," Flower said loyally.

Sheena sighed. She wasn't going to tell this innocent, sweet cub what her leader had done. "That's what he's doing," she said wearily. "That's exactly what he's doing."

"Thank you for the story!" Flower beamed, once again cheerful. "Narwhal was right. You're the best storyteller ever!"

"That would be my teacher, Ciel," Sheena laughed. "He taught me everything I know." She grew somber, remembering what remained of her beloved mentor. She forced herself to smile again for Flower's sake. "Without him, I wouldn't be a storyteller at all."

"Can I meet him someday?" Flower asked. 

"Someday," Sheena assured her. Someday, I'll fix this. I promise, Ciel. 

Yay! New part!

Great job, Scylla! I love it. I agree with Esthelle and Cockleburr--nice work on the dialogue! I also like the description of Flower. 

Hey, everyone.

I'm going to shut this project down.

Let me explain why.

I have tried, time and time again, to make this story as original as possible. It's deviated so far from the original concept that it's nearly unrecognizeable, quite honestly. But that's not why I'm stopping progress. This plot has so many holes that I'll never be able to patch, like the fact that leopards are solitary, and that Xiang knows so much about everything, despite not being a Knowledge Protector, and that Sheena's appearance changes with pretty much every update.... Don't get me wrong, I love the characters. Sheena's become so real to me, as well as countless other leopards... Ciel, Flower, Narwhal, Xiang, Dawn....

Some of my greatest writing resides here in this thread, and many memories I'll never forget. This could've gone so far, but it's not the right path for the story, or for me. I want to thank you all for your constant support and encouragement, and never think for one moment that it's gone to waste.

I've written a lot of the story that I've never shown you. Like, a lot. I'll post it all here, so enjoy your last words of Hidden...

The days passed uneventfully. After the first day, Narwhal's group all treated her with respect. Sheena was grateful for their hospitality, but she missed her home. There is no home, she reminded herself for what seemed the millionth time. I have to adapt. Until I find a chance to save the Aqua. 

"Sheena!" It was Flower. "Will you play with me?"

Sheena spent most of her time with Flower, either telling stories, playing, or just chatting. Flower had been Terra, but wanted to know everything about Aqua life. 

"Of course," she answered, getting to her paws. "What do you want to play?"

"What do you want to play?" Flower asked. 

"I had an idea last night," Sheena said. "It's for  new game."

"What's it about?" Flower bounced over to stand beside Sheena. Sheena noticed that her pelt had brightened; only slightly, but noticeably. Sheena took this as a good sign. "It's a spy game," she began. "See that shiny rock over there?" She pointed with her tail to a gleaming rock across the camp. "You have to get to it without being noticed by Tyro or Stella."

Tyro, a former Ventus, and Stella, a former Aether, stood guard at the front of the camp, right next to the rock. They got up and began moving around, tails lashing. 

"Are you up the the challenge?" Sheena asked. 

"It looks hard, but I think so," Flower replied, eyes brightening. What will you do?"

"I'll...." Sheena thought for a moment. "I'll distract them. You have to capture the rock to win. Just drag it into that fern over there." She pointed to a clump of fern near them. "On your mark, get set, go!" 

Flower dashed off, keeping to the cover of the thorns. She slowly slunk closer to the rock, edging along. 

Sheena strode over to the two panthers, trying to look casual. "Hey Tyro, Stella," she greeted. 

"Sheena." 

"So, I was wondering, have you seen Narwhal recently? Because I have a question for him, about something important."

"Anything Narwhal can hear, we can hear as well," Tyro answered. "What is it?"

"Ah, you see, it's really secret. Um," Sheena paused, fidgeting. She saw Flower reach the rock in the corner of her eye. The green-furred cub began dragging it towards the fern. Only a little longer. "Do you know where he is?"

"Of course we know where he is," Tyro scoffed. Stella nodded. "He's out somewhere, doing important stuff."

"Okay," Sheena said. "Do you know if he's going to... ah... visit the other Essences anytime soon?" 

"How do you know about the Essence?"

"I was there," Sheena said softly. "I tried to stop him, but I couldn't."

"You tried to stop him?" Tyro snarled. "I thought he said you wanted to join us!"

Sheena realized she'd slipped. "Yes! Of course! It's just that as soon as I saw what he had accomplished, I knew it was the right thing to do!" The lies sickened her but she carried on. "I will help him do this! He is the right leader for us!" Tears streamed from her violet eyes. "I know he is!"

No, the voice hissed. Once they see how powerful you really are, you will be their leader. You will.

"No!" Sheena cried. Without waiting for a reaction, she whirled around, racing into her den. She collapsed into the leaves, shaking, sobbing. "No!" What have I become? 

Flower's triumphant shout sounded from outside. The cub ran into Sheena's den. "I did it!" she cried. Her face fell as she saw her friend . "What's wrong?"

"Good job," Sheena whispered through her tears. She breathed deeply, controlling her emotions. "I need a break."

"Oh, okay." Flower looked crestfallen. "I'll see you later."

"Before you go," Sheena said, voice shaking, "I need to tell you something."

Flower padded over, settling into Sheena's side as she did when Sheena told stories. "What is it?" 

"Have you noticed anything about your pelt color recently?" Sheena asked. "More like the brightness?"

Flower cocked her head, thoughtful. "I guess so," she answered eventually. "Ever since you came, I've just felt sort of... better, in a way. It's like I'm still Terra, just not quite. You've reminded me of who I am, Sheena."

"I thought so. Look at your fur, Flower."

The cub examined her pelt, and gasped. "You're right! I look more like me. I hadn't even realized that I was turning Feral, but now that I see it, I know. Thank you, Sheena." She paused for a moment. "Do you think I could go back?"

"Where?" 

"To home."