Gale's Storm

CHAPTER 10

Lillian, Rock and Gale were waiting for James to come with his commander. They had gone to a clearing just inside Oak Colony's territory, so that they were in their own land when they faced him. James said it would take him 15 or 20 minutes to convince and bring Blake out to where they were.

Lillian felt honestly helpless, she couldn't shapeshift like Gale and Rock could here. Even though she had the most stamina out of the two combined and doubled, she still liked to have the option to be in her bull shark form when she needed to.

The group heard rustling in front of them and a commanding adult voice followed by James's voice. His red hair came into view from the trees along with a tall man with short, black hair.

The man who Lillian guessed was Commander Shoorel's eyes flashed as he saw the group of teenagers, like he had expected them to be different than they were.

"Are these the shapeshifters you said wanted to talk with me? Are they messengers? Are they going to be taking me back to their leader's den or something?" the commander said, clearly thinking they lived like woodland creatures.

"No, these three are the people who have the plan. They are smart and skilled, I mean, Lillian can swim twenty-four miles without resting!" James said as he walked to stand in front of Blake.

"Impressive, but you have a darkside that will enable you to do that, don't you?" Blake said, still rejecting the truth. Lillain told him frustrated; "No sir, I was challenged to swim as far as I could in human form. I swam for hours, going twenty-four miles before I got tired enough to go back home in my shark form,"

James turned to look at Gale before turning back to the human commander and saying; "Gale is the one who assembled this entire plan, you should speak to her. Gale, care to explain what you told me?"

She nodded and stepped forward as he stepped back, "Commander Schoorel, we are pleased that you have agreed to meet us here peacefully. I have an idea that will make the world safer for us all, shapeshifters and humans. That plan is to get rid of borders, have us all mingling together in large cities around Nemus. I ask that you find a way to send this message to the human king, and tell him that the shapeshifters want peace and unity. Tell him that Reef Colony, Birch Colony, and Oak Colony sent this message."

He glared at her with his hard steel eyes as she spoke with confidence Lillian knew she could never muster herself. When she finished he shook his head, "you say that only three colonies of your people are sending this message. I know there has to be more and I don't trust that they will keep the peace if they haven't been told that it exists. I will not put my people at risk of that. I don't trust you, no matter how peaceful you can be. James, clearly they have messed with your head, we are going back."

But James didn't move an inch from Lillian and Rock's sides. Lillian couldn't believe he was disrespecting his commander's order.

He clearly didn't expect it either and turned back around and faced James saying; "Soldier, that was an order. We are going back to the town."

"No. You can, but I'm not. I believe them, they are people, just like us. They're even better than most humans I know! I'm going with them to unite this messed up continent, and you aren't going to stop me," James said defiantly, meeting his commanding officer's cold eyes.

Commander Schoorel put his hand on his weapon at his hip threateningly. He narrowed his eyes at James as if daring him to say that again.

"You heard me right, I'm going with Gale, Lillian and Rock. You've just lost another soldier, you can continue to the town without me, Blake," James said in an almost sneering way.

Blake brought a sword from its sheath and held it in his right hand before saying; "James, I don't want to hurt you, but you have to come back, I won't let your family lose you like this."

Gale ignited her hands, making them glow yellow and envelope in flames. Her eyes flashed menacingly while James brought a sword from its sheath at his hip. Lillian didn't know how to fight, she had nothing but her own body.

My own body... Lillian thought as she shifted into a more fight-ready stance.

Blake bolted forward, but at Rock instead of James. This scared Rock and he shifted into his falcon form and left Blake cleanly slicing the air above him. Rock took flight and dove at his face with his sharp talons aimed at his eyes.

The commander rolled before he could swipe at his face right into Lillian's reach. She knew she wouldn't be able to do anything against his heavy metal armor, but she had an idea. She lunged forward to take his sword from his hand, but Blake was on his feet when she had reached forward and he cut her arm and wrist, pushing her back again.

Lillian let out a yell of pain, she'd never been attacked like this before. She backed up with tears of pain in her eyes, wincing as she moved her arm. She watched helplessly as James met Blake's sword in a loud clash. The commander had a lot more experience and spun his sword out of his hand and pointed his own at his chest.

But before Blake could do anything more, Gale had shot a ball of fire at his outstretched arm, making the metal heat up and burn the fabric that was under it. he dropped his sword and dropped to the ground, trying to put out the fire. As the flames went out Gale came forward swiftly and put her hand on the plates of metal on his back and used her other hand to catch his hair on fire.

Gale jumped backward as Blake twisted around, his legs flashing out to trip her. He rolled around on the forest floor and the flames went out.

Lillian heard Gale say to Blake; "You've lost. commander. Go home and let James come with us to do Nemus a favor. That's an order, I will not hesitate to light you on fire again."

Blake got up and retrieved his sword with a scowl on his face and he walked away toward the town. Rock came back down and landed in a flutter of gray wings before he shifted back into his human form and ran toward Lillian.

"Lillian, are you alright?" Rock said as he helped her to her feet. She showed him her bleeding arm and said with a wince, "he cut my arm really badly, but I think I'll be alright,"

"That looks bad, does anyone know how to heal?" Rock asked the group.

"I learned some basic herbal healing in my training, can we find goldenrod?" James asked them. "I saw some back in human territory, I'll go get it," Gale said as she bounded off.

Lillian winced some more as Rock ripped off most of his sleeve and applied pressure to the long wound. He continued to add pressure to her arm before Gale came back with a lot of golden flowers on long stems in her hands.

James took the flowers from Gale's hands and crushed them into a poultice on his wrist. When he was satisfied with the paste he took some on his fingers and started to spread it along her wound. It spread more easily onto the cut since Rock had helped to stop the bleeding.

It stung, but it was better than having it get infected. When James was done putting the poultice on her wound he took Rock's ripped off sleeve and wrapped it around the bulk of where she had been hurt. Lillian hoped she'd be okay.

"We should leave before Blake comes back with more soldiers," James said nervously. Gale gave a suggestion saying; "Let's go back to that field where we stopped to let me practice my magic the other day,"

Everyone agreed that they should go back and they were off. Lillian was able to keep up, though they were worried she wouldn't be able to with her injury. She had to reassure them with the fact that she could go further than all of them combined when she was healthy, so she would be able to at least go as far as them injured. They had stopped for the night there and everyone was done for the day.