Sheena thrust her eyes open, gasping for breath. Her heart pounded. What was that? Where was that? She suddenly remembered Narwhal's claws, rushing towards her throat, and blacking out. Had he killed her? Was she in the Everworld, the other side of the living? Was she dead? She searched for her pulse, just to be sure. It was there, beating strongly. She sighed in relief. She was alive. But how? And where am I? 

Shee looked around, getting to her paws. It was like being inside the Great Oak, only... smaller. And more cramped. She could barely stand up straight. The tree--she had decided it was a tree--was a reddish brown in color, much different from the oaks of the Terra land. But how would she have gone to another territory? Was the path of stars subconsciously leading her to this location? 

She sat back down, straightening her back, as it seemed like the best thing to do. She tucked her tail over her paws, observing more about the tree. Although there was enough room to sit up straight, the ceiling soon tapered off to a narrow point. It seemed unrealistic so Sheena decided that this must be a hollow in the trunk. She shifted slightly, noticing that one side of the circular wall was covered in thick, heavy moss and lichen. She squinted at it uneasily. Could she see light through it? Yes, that was most certainly light. How is light reaching the inside of a tree? Sheena then realized that the tree wasn't dark, as it should be. There were no knotholes to let light in, yet there was still light. It was more than the moss could give, she thought. There must be some other source. 

Suddenly Narwhal's parting words flashed through her mind. "Tonight, I will become the earth." She felt stunned. Narwhal, in a fit of confusion, had revealed his plan. I need to get out of here.

Desperately, Sheena clawed at the tree. Her claws nearly tore away when she gouged the reddish bark and she recoiled in pain, nursing her sore paws.

"Now now, don't be in such a hurry to leave," a gentle voice cautioned. "We need you here for a little longer. A day, or so."

I can't stay a day! Sheena thought angrily. For all I know, the night's passed! I have no idea how long I was out! 

"Be careful." The voice had many voices, all in sync, all in unity. It frightened Sheena. 

"Please let me go!" she wailed. "I need to..." She couldn't tell the mysterious... entity her plan. For all I know, it's a malevolent spirit that will kill me.

"We wouldn't kill you, oh no," the voices hummed. "We just want you to stay awhile."

Time seemed to slow down. Sheena scanned the tree frantically, but its trunk was pushing in on her from all sides, compressing her in its reddish-brown, somewhat slippery embrace. She felt as though her ribs would crack as the tree squeezed tighter... and tighter... The only thing that remained unchanging was the moss. 

The moss! It has to be the exit! Sheena struggled to escape the tree trunk, claws scrabbling madly for the patch of moss. It wavered slightly, revealing darkening daylight. Oh no. It's dusk. Narwhal must be nearly at the Essence of Terra's location. The thought gave her strength and she burst from the tree's grip, tearing through the moss and tumbling into the forest beyond.

She was surprised to discover that she was still in the Terra forest. Oaks loomed around her and the one she had come out from looked nearly the same, except it was moving. Its trunk twisted around, as if it were looking for her, and its branches whipped out, lunging for her. She leaped away, staying well out of reach, and hared away towards the Terra settlement. She nearly flew over the ondergrowth, racing as fast as she could to her destination. She burst into the clearing, gasping for breath, and ran to the Great Tree.

Shaking away all unhappiness, she squirreled her way up the root column, stopping at the very top. Her muscles burned and her claws ached as she yelled, "Terra! It's urgent! Life-or-death, actually!" 

The door opened to admit her but she didn't come in. "Tonight," she panted. "Narwhal is coming tonight."

Terra didn't bother to question her, simply closing the door, motioning her to go down the roots. The pillar shook slightly as he clambered down above her. Urgency made her paws work faster, and soon both leopards were outside the oak. Sheena was suddenly aware of how much bigger Terra was than her; he was nearly twice her size. She decided not to be afraid.

"I'll show you the way," he stated without discussion.

She followed him back into the forest. The Terra leader moved with confidence through the woods, purpose making his strides longer. Sheena had to run to keep up. The sun was setting, and a tinge of pink was visible in the clouds. Sheena's eyes darkened with worry, but Terra's face remained unchanged, jaw set in firmly. Soon, Sheena was beginning to doubt if they'd ever stop when the ground opened up in a yawning hole in front of them. 

Without hesitation, Terra bunched his haunches, leaping straight into it. Sheena, with trembling paws, jumped in after him. The wind whistled through her ears as she fell, soil and grit stinging her eyes. She twisted her body, paws down, to land safely. Shock rattled her limbs as she landed on the earthy floor, but she wasn't hurt. Terra beckoned to her with his tail, and pointed to a dark tunnel. It was a big tunnel; about three times as tall as Sheena, and just as wide, but it was dark. How would she see if something attacked her? And it looked cold. But, despite her misgivings, Sheena padded onward.

Terra led her into the tunnel, and the darkness swallowed them up.

"Where are we going?" Sheena asked eventually. The dark earth of the tunnel seemed unchanging, but Terra apparently knew where he was headed. 

"You'll see," he answered, eyes fixed ahead. At least Sheena thought they were staring ahead, but she couldn't see well enough to be sure. Staring into the darkness was beginning to hurt her eyes so she closed them, letting her whiskers guide her. She stayed close to Terra, trusting him to lead her to the right place. Several times, she felt wind brush her face, as if there was a branch from the main tunnel they were following, but they never strayed from the one Terra had chosen. Sheena felt scared, and could sense the weight of the earth above her. It was almost like water, but more solid and overwhelming.

Eventually the tunnel grew lighter, just slightly. Sheena could now make out the tiny definitions of rock and soil in the tunnel wall. The tunnel gradually grew lighter and colder, until it was almost unbearably chilly. She shivered, bushing out her fur, trying to warm up. 

"We're almost there," Terra announced, and suddenly the tunnel widened, light flooding it. It opened up into a wide cave. 

No, Sheena thought. 'Cave' doesn't justify this. The cavern's vastness was overwhelming, massive stone stalactites hanging from its massive ceiling. It stretched for farther than she could see, wide, and wonderful, and terrible. But what was even more alarming was the large stone walls rearing up in front of her. She could see the cave above them, and she could see that they extended for perhaps the size of a whole forest, twisting and turning in jagged spirals.

"Welcome to the labyrinth," Terra said flatly. 

"Oh," Sheena answered. "Thanks."

"Come on." He whisked his tail, heading off into the labyrinth.

Sheena had  sudden memory of the fish guarding the Essence of Aqua. At the time, she had thought it was big, but this labyrinth was so much larger. She couldn't fathom getting through it in one day, or even a quarter-moon. "How long until we get to the center?" Her voice was a tiny squeak. 

"However long it takes." Terra's words were not in the least reassuring. 

"What if Narwhal's already reached the center?"

Terra gave a dry laugh. "Trust me, that's not going to happen. He, an Aqua who's never even set foot here, against me, the leader of the Terra?"

"Okay," Sheena mewed uneasily. As they wandered through the labyrinth, she trusted Terra to lead her to the center, focusing only on the bobbing black tip of his tail. The maze seemed like monotonous stone, unchanging despite the twists and turns. Sheena yawned in spite of herself, paws beginning to ache from the cold earth. "Are we there yet?" she mumbled sleepily. 

"What do you think?" Terra snapped back. "This is hard enough as it is."

Sheena was jolted back to the present by his harsh words, and she struggled to stay more attentive. An entire Element hangs in the balance! She blinked several times, padding with renewed energy after Terra. 

Suddenly a huge stalagmite shot up from the ground in front of them. Sheena reared back, yelping in shock, as its sharp point tore away a tuft of her white belly fur. Terra stood by, expression unchanging, as the stalagmite slowly retreated back to the earth. 

"Be careful of those." His tone was mild.

"How?" Sheena panted, still startled. 

He poked at the soil with a claw. "See how the earth was disrupted? It'll crack a little before the stalagmites come up. And if your ears are pricked, you might hear a slight rumble." He heaved an almost weary sigh. "I'm afraid that we'll need to face worse dangers than stalagmites, however."

Sheena thought of all she had gone through, and all she had yet to go through, and was silent. She heard the pawsteps of Terra and she; the heavier, plodding steps of Terra and her lighter, quicker ones. She heard the slight rumblings throughout the maze as stalagmites came up, and she heard strange scufflings and unnerving roars sounding around her, some faint in the distance, some seeming to be just across the wall. And strangely enough, she heard birdsong. 

It was a lot of sounds, for such a large cave. She supposed sound echoed and magnified around the domed roof, but it was still nearly too much. And once again, Sheena missed fish, but for a different reason this time. Fish didn't make any noise. All that she heard while underwater was the sound of her own motion, and of the motion of other animals. It was peaceful. But this strange, earthy world was another matter entirely. But she would have to get used to it. She huffed a small sigh and caught up to Terra. 

He navigated confidently through the maze, eyes narrowed and face expressionless. He seemed to have memorized the way. Maybe it was a requiremet of becoming the Terra leader. Sheena almost asked but decided to keep her mouth shut.

The stalagmites were appearing with a greater frequency. It felt as if as soon as Sheena dodged one, another rushed up to impale her. None met their mark. Sheena was panting with exhasution. "I can't keep this up much longer."

"The stalagmites are almost over, but there's a lot to get past yet," Terra answered grimly. Suddenly he stopped. "What?"

Before him lay the body of a beast. It had no apparent wound, but it was obviously dead. It had the body of a golden cat, muscles well-defined under a glossy pelt. It had no spots, but was as big as Terra. A dark scarlet mane flared out from its neck, much larger than any Terra leopard's mane. The silky strands were scattered over the stony earth, soaking wet. Wings, webbed, like a bat's, were half-folded at its sides. But the most terrifying thing about it was the massive tail laid down, shiny black segments ending in a sharp barb. This beast, Sheena decided, could only be the fearsome manticore from myth and legend. 

And the area around it was covered with water. 

"Narwhal," she breathed.

Terra was dumbfounded. "One half-grown leopard... took on a manticore... alone?"

Sheena nodded, eyes wide. "I underestimated him," she whispered. "He's figured it out."

"Figured out what?" Terra asked sharply. He stepped around the manticore's body, carefully avoiding its tail-barb. 

"How to use his power." Sheena cleared it in a single leap.

"And you knew about it?" 

"I had my guesses." Sheena thought guiltily of her own power. 

Terra huffed, stalking away down a passageway. Sheena bounded after him, casting a final glance over her shoulder at the manticore. 

Could I take him on when the time comes? She stared ahead, eyes troubled. How far ahead is he? How has he made it so far ahead? 

"We need to go faster," she urged. "I don't know how far ahead Narwhal is now, but we can't let him get there first."

Terra lengthened his strides, Sheena running beside him to keep up. "Do you know what's left?"

"I'm not sure, but I predict we'll reach the center soon."

Soon, Sheena thought. We may be too late.

"We won't be late," she muttered to herself.

"What was that?" Terra asked distractedly, running now through the stone labyrinth, dirt scuffing in his pawsteps.

"We will not be too late," Sheena repeated, stronger this time. 

"I have to save my Element!" Terra's voice was less surly, more panicked. "I have to save the Essence!"

"Go on," Sheena gasped, slowing down. There was a stitch in her side and all her muscles were sore  from running so fast for so long. "Go on without me." 

Terra hesitated, looking back. 

"Go save yourself, save your Element," she urged, voice little more than a wheeze. "I'm just dragging you down."

He doubled back, stooping down, and gathered her easily onto his shoulders. Sheena was surprised.

"I'm not leaving you behind," he said firmly. "You've helped me too much for me to just leave you."

Sheena smiled. For all his faults, maybe this leopard wasn't so bad. 

She bounced a little, head lolling over the side of his body, as he pounded through the labyrinth, dodging the occasional stalagmite. Once a stalactite was shaken loose from the ceiling, crashing down on them, and Terra narrowly missed it. Sheena felt it whistle past her, almost brushing her ear fur. But Terra was unfazed, nothing stopping him from reaching the Essence.

Terra had to be running faster than Narwhal, so why weren't they reaching him? Was he already at the Essence? Was he just around the next bend, or was he already lost? Sheena wished she could take action, but she was far too exhausted. Yet she couldn't sleep for all the thought swhirling in her head, and the constant motion of Terra's running.

Soon they came across the body of a bat. Sheena had seen bats, flying amongst the stalactites earlier, but now one lay dead before her. It was a large bat, with black skin and a mane of amber-orange fur around its neck and face. And like the manticore, it bore no signs of injury, and was soaked in water. "Narwhal's been this way," Sheena whispered in Terra's ear. "He's still ahead of us."

Terra didn't slow, running on past the body.

They came across many other dead bats, all leading in a trail to the heart of the labyrinth. Sheena's heart cried out for all the pointless killing. What's the point of killing an animal if you're not going to eat it? But she closed her eyes, burying her nose into Terra's surprisingly coarse fur. She lay, draped across his shoulders, paws dangling over the sides of his ribs, weak and tired. I have to get my act up before we run into Narwhal. I need to be strong. She gasped. My power is star-water! If I can stop him before he touches the Essence of Terra, I can use my power to stop his! If I send stars into the water he attacks me with, I can try to reverse it onto him! Sheena felt a gathering excitement, and she suddenly felt as if she could take on anything. But Terra couldn't stop to let her off; the circumstances were too dire. One pause could cost him his entire element.

Terra ran in silence, Sheena balancing on his shoulders. The noise had lessened slightly, and there were less roars and squeaks. Sheena shuddered. She knew it was Narwhal's fault and for once, missed the sounds. She stopped thinking about the environment and set all thoughts on what would possibly happen ahead. 

Suddenly Terra skidded to a halt, letting Sheena slide off his shoulders. Before she could thank him, he motioned for her to be quiet. "We're nearly there," he hissed. Sheena nodded, treading lightly after him. Their pawsteps were silent and the walls around them shifted from cold gray stone to warm brown earth, and small torches had been embedded inside them. They were simple; just sticks with flames burning on them. At the top of each stick, there was a patch of some kind of leaf to keep the flames from spreading down the stick. 

Sheena realized just how cold she'd been inside the stone labyrinth. She had adjusted to it, but being in the torchlight warmed her up from her nose to her tail-tip. Her fur rustled as it abrorbed more warmth, but she forced it to lay still. She had to stay silent. Ahead of her she heard pawsteps, loud, scuffing pawsteps, that seemed like the steps of a giant in comparisn to Sheena's. She quietly trotted up to Terra, jerking toward the direction of the noise with her muzzle. He nodded, and she ran ahead. 

And as she had predicted, Narwhal was right in front of them, turning a corner. 

She silently crept behind him, easily gaining, quietly walking behind him. She made sure each pawstep was silent, but she kept close enough to hear him.

He was muttering feverish words, almost as if he were hallucinating. "I can feel it..coming soon.."

-

This is the last of my writing. There will be no more Elementi after this, and I'm sorry. However, I'll be creating a thread soon with my final ideas for the story, as well as some other Elementi things. I hope you enjoyed the book, however terrible it seemed to me, and I hope that I inspired you to write your own. Thank you for reading my story, to those of you who did - whether you've stuck with me the whole way through, or just started. I love you all. <3

Wow. 

Wow.

Wow.

Scylla, this is amazing and I'm so glad you wrote this story--it's been wonderful, thank you. And yet, I agree with everyone that maybe this is not the end. But even if it is, reading this story has been an adventure that I won't forget. Thank you so much.