~Storm Windwhisperer

I fly up to see the serpent. It's long, green(i think, because they mostly appear green), body emerged from the tight instrument(i don't know what it is). I let out a not-meant-for-communication roar. I screeched and landed on the serpent's body, winding out still. It's tail seems to be coming out now. When the whole serpent's body was out, it roared a not-mean-... you get what i mean. I'll call it a NMFC roar for now. It's claws came out at me fast. I could've flew away from that claw easily, but I was terrified. That roar was so familiar. I had last heard it... NO! I screamed in my mind. I couldn't let the worst memories reach me. It's the only thing i can't talk about. I makes me sad simply to think about. Anyways, it grabbed me with one of it's claws. I was about to screech until it lowered it's eyes to look at me. Too familiar. I can't seem to remember how it was familiar, for I am very forgetful when frightened. The serpent gurgled, regaining it's speech, probably from being cooped up in the power for so long. It tried agian, making out a few words. "Owl...gurglegurgle...owl...is...gurg..." I think it's trying to say my name.

The explosion blows me backwards, and I flap my wings wildly to keep from tumbling backwards, not to mention Thinble and Rob. Thimble asks what she should do, and honestly I don't know what to tell her. My wings are tired from flying so much the last few days, and I wish I could just rest. My brain power isn't exactly surging forward either. But I can't let her down. I have to protect my little friends. Even though I dont even have a plan, I have to say something. I sigh. It feels like the world is falling apart. The gryphon,rampaging in the human town. All the innocent people, dying, or getting hurt. All the innocent animals that BIG has taken prisoner. The beautiful, peaceful, Kyngdom I once knew was slipping away. I don't remember the last time I heard anyone laugh from the belly. I can't remember the last time I spoke without a hint of worry in my voice. I don't even know when it was that blood and battle and evil and darkness wasnt always weighing on my heart. A tear runs from my eye, rolls down my cheek, and drops, falling, falling, silently to the ground. Thimble looks worriedly at me. Rob`s snoring drifts into my ears. I have to put on a brave face for them. Or at least the one that's still awake. *sorry for this out of character moment. I just wanted to say, for complicated reasons, I have to use this < as a quotation mark. Very sorry for the inconvenience. ;)*<Thimble, I honestly don't know what we're going to do. I don't have a plan. And unless you have any ideas, I think we're going to have to consult Storm. If you don't already know, he's a member of Captn O.> I say. I fly to a nearby branch. < I'm tired. I need a rest. Maybe we can think up a plan here.> < Sounds good to me! Bring any food?> she says. < sure did.> I unpack the food from my bag, wake Rob, and pass out the sunflower seeds.

~ Scarlet 

i tell my brother to wait. I try to calm him. But hes always got a mind of his own, even at times like these, at times of revenge. "Wait!" I call threateningly. "Nows not the time! Some of thise animals were coming around i could see it!"

no i couldnt. I know that wasnt true. But anything, Anything to calm my brother. "Listen, we have animals on our side! Those who aren't are with BIG! You remember that boy, yes? The one who started BIG? He's dead! But BIG is still live enough! And so are you! We need these animals. Don't," 

he poounced onto a sertain chickan i remember from our escape. There i saw a moise fly, and something else. I had to do something. And Griffin did too. "Hes too strong," i growled. "And stuborn."

with that i was a Dragon, Griffin a Griffin, his wings still huddled in close. "I must do this, to show them im on their side. If things get out of talon, come on in. But for now, this is my battle."

I lashed my now long, scaly tail, and spread my large dark wings with slow anticipation. Then a sprang. Like a snake, though more birdlike, graceful, and quieter then a mouse. He never saw my outstreated talons. He didnt have time before i was on him, pinning him to the ground by his long neck. The animals scattered. The chicken got up and hobbled out of sight, the mouse helping her like a crutch. Then i felt guilt. Like a wave crashing on the bay. Was it the Powers that got the animals involved in the humans war? Or the humasn? Or little BIG? Or did they do it themselves? Whatever the reason, she felt bad for it. Responsible. But turning back was not an option. Going back was not in our ways.

off guard, i was flung off in a simple movement. Serpaint was blinded by rage, and deafened. He couldnt see that it was me, all he could see was an opstical, something standing in his way. The animals were trying to fight him, bt he was nothing like Griffin. He had layers of scales, bult like armor, and eyes with a covering. His teeth were razor sharp, and with one touch of his talons you were dead. The animals wouldnt be able to defeat him. BIG wouldnt be able to defeat him without their poison. I was their only chance of survival. I flew through the air, and he sprang up to meat me, his talons curved and ready to strike. But i was ready first. I was born ready. I slamed his jaw shut with one of my flopping wings and hit him with all the force i could muster in my tail. He was knocked down, but down was his land. Down was his home. He landed with a shocked "humph" then dug his talons into the dirt and heaved a chunck of land bigger then the largest bolder youve ever seen right at me. I dived towards it, shattering it to sust al around me. I landed gracefully without a noise and lunged for his throat. He ducked and hit me in the belly, knocking the breath from me. A struggled in the air for a heartbeat, before i dived back down like an arrow, and hit him smak on the top of his head. He was out cold. "Run," my hoarse Dragon voice roared at the amazed animals. "He will wake soon enough. Ive given you time to run. No, dont try battling him. Trust me, his the strongest of all the Powers."

I left out the obviouse 'except me' part in a show of trust. The others got the message though, she realized with dissapointment, and obedaintly ducked away into the shadows. "Wait," i growled. "Join me and i will protect you from the Powers, when the wake thursty for revenge. Ill protect you from BIG. But, i dont need your assistance defeating them. All i ask is that you let me, and when i have, you will all be free. I will be free. The Powers will be. And the world, the world will be free from humans. Do you want to know what ot was like before the first one figured out technology? The world was beautiful. I was beautiful," i said out of true wistfulness, longing and sacrifice. "If you let me, i can show you the world as it used to be. I can show you true freedom."

~Storm

With one last gurgle, the serepent said "Mrot..". My eyes widened in fear. Is was possible, but highly unlikely. It must've been attacking others in rage with the rest of it's body, because a sudden movement made me launched from the serepent's claws. It was Claaws himself, keeping the rage of the serpent under control. The serpent is one of the most deadly of the power creatures, with thick scales and long claws. The only weak spot I could think up of is the eyes and the inside of the mouth. I was flying up, hearing Claaws's words of wiping out humanity, bringing us true freedom and such. I hooted, "Not all humans are bad! Some even wanted to help us rescue Zephyra. There were spies who were good friends..." remembering Trill and Tani. Trill had helped save my life from Corneila Hornshaw. Tani tried helping us as much as she can, and she did. She helped deffended the Power of Wing from the Gryphon with her drone that she crushed. I considered these spies as friends. I could go back to help them with their problems, but I have to help Scarlet, and decide wether I should consider Claaws as a friend, or a foe. I gave thought into what had just happened. Claaws should not be either friend or foe. He is trying to be friend, but foe because he wants to wipe out humanity. I had to go back. I gave a look at Scarlet saying "Stay here and retreive more info if possible. I need to report what we've got so far.". Scarlet looked at me in understanding, and huddled close to the tree trunk. With the wind blowing to my back fast, I flew away.

And just so you know, Claaws is not a him, but a her. 

I glanced disappointedly at the Serpent under my talons, his long brown body curling along the ground. My plan had failed. The animals didn't trust me. Believe me. Humans and their inventions. They killed the world. They killed the Powers. They killed me. I just wanted the world back to its former glory...no humans. The Powers could make the world as it used to be...she didnt want the power back, just the freedom. But thesse animals never experienced anything like it, and couldn't see the truth. She had to kill BIG herself. Her and the Powers. I just hope my greed doesn't get the best of me again.

~Wiseowl

When I returned to my room I flopped down on the... I don't actually remember what it's called. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw some thing etched into the wood of my floor. A code! Suprisingly, I remembered how to decipher it. Right there, the mesage  spelled out : warn the power of claw gardian. I didn't know what that ment but I sensed that it was important. I would have to find out some answers. I had found a flyer in the streets, advertizing a bog and burrow inn. Mabye some one there could help me.

Arriving at the gryphon scene, not much has changed. It only had been a few hours, and the only difference was that there were more people at the scene. The BIG building was destroyed and no longer smoking.

Very short I know. I just arrived at the gryphon place. 

Tani~

I must've fallen asleep, because what happened next was weird.

I felt myself slowly rising - kind of like people say they do when they have near-death experiences or something like that, my conscience going somewhere outside of me. I saw rubble, people, and a girl curled up on a burnt patch of grass. That, I assumed, was me.

Then I turned, and I saw me again. Like a shadow of me. She looked exactly the same, and she gave me that look I know I give people when I think they're being ridiculous.

"What?" I asked her (me?).

"You think you're useless," she responded. "Sitting here and doing nothing. No, that's not the right word. You feel helpless."

''Course I do!" I said, frustrated with her. (Is this how people feel talking to me?) "I don't know where anybody is, or what I can do to help, or anything!"

"I know, I know," she said, holding her hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Believe me, you feel that way, I feel that way. C'mere." She held out her hand. I took it. We glided along the destruction rather peacefully. Where we stopped, I saw the spy who I'd talked to at the cage - Iain.

"You don't have to sit and wait everything out. You have a little story of your own to complete, a bit of your past to find out, and it's just waiting for you to come and get it." She gestured to the boy, who was sitting on a fallen log and poring over maps. Slowly, she started fading away.

"Wait!" I cried, panicked. "How do you know? Who are you?"

"I'm you, Tani Vale." She said with a wry - almost kind - smile before dissapearing completely.

I woke with a jolt. I was still curled up on the ground, and I hastily sat up, brushing myself off. I saw Storm fly in, but I decided I'd talk to him later. For now, I had to solve the knot of secrets that had been confusing me for so long. Who was the girl at the market, really?

~

So, while the rest of you are getting on your Mission Impossible, I'll be over here having magical visions or something. Maybe unicorns will pop out of the sky now. (Admittedly that would be awesome.) 

~Wiseowl

I poke my head inside the door of the Bog and Burrow inn. It's swarming with people! I take a depp breath and venture in. I weave my way though animals of all sorts. It seems like a meeting is taking place. An snowy owl that looks strangly familiar is talking up front. When he sees me he freezes. "Wiseowl?" he says, not believing it. "Yes?" I reply, curious why he's acting so weird. "Where have you been?! We've been looking everywhere for you since the explosion!" Wait what!? There was an explosion? "Why do you act like you know me?" I say. "I don't even know your name!" Murmmurs  float up from the group. I start feeling out of place. Are they saying I'm weird? I run back toward the door. This group of animals must be stalkers to know my name! I would have to tell someone elese about the power of the claw. Just as I close the door behind me I here the owl shout over the din of the animals. "Wiseowl! Wait!" But I was outta there.

~Wiseowl

I had to go anywhere! To get away from those animal I would have to go somewhere that they would be afraid to go. So I searched for a factory. And then, near a mountain, I found one. The sign said B.I.G., but I could care less about what it was called. I went in and bumped straight into a woman in a lab coat. "Wiseowl?" she asked, surprised. I was getting tired of this. "Urrgh! Why does everyone know my name!" I blurted out. "Look person, I don't know you. I don"t know how you know who I am but could you please tell me what's going on?" Worry showed on her face. "Oh dear. It must have been a concusion. We have to take you to the examining room." I paled. "No! Wait! Let me get something." I ran outside and hid by a tree. I started carving in code letters.

  If you can understand this, you are trusted. I am Wiseowl. The scientist are about to examine me. They will find that I am part owl. Who knows what will happen then! Whatever you do, warn the Power of the Claw Guardia-

I felt a hand on me. I screamed. "Don't take me away!" A small group of students were forming to watch the spectacle. I reached into the deepest part of my mind to do what all the members of my family knew how to do. Turn a tree to stone. I felt a sting on my neck. A tranquilizer dart. I had to warn people somehow. "Cypherers!" I yelled.  My vision was becoming blurry. "Read the stone tree!"

"Excuse me?" asked a small voice from behind me. I sighed and turned around. Standing by the stream where the Sequoia force met was a small human cub. "Is there any room for a human on the Sequoia force?" she asked timidly. "No." I responded flatly. I turned around and started heading for my den. "Ma'am?" the cub asked again. I huffed and walked back to her. "What now?" "Is there any room for a chickaree on the Sequoia force?" And as I stood in front of her, the human cub began turning into one of those tiny squirrel-type creatures I see so often in my mountain home. There was only one explaination for this. "Ha, ha, Shadow. Very funny." I said sarcasticly. "Shadow?" the chickaree asked. "Who's Shadow?" Shadow doesn't play like this. As soon as I catch her she drops the act. "You-- you're really an orphan who can turn into a chickaree?" I asked her dumbfoundedly. She nodded solemnly. I looked her up and down. Then I said, "Alright. You're on. And you can call me Major Ursula."  

~Major Ursula Osaär