||THE WAY OF THE WIND||

CHAPTER 3 - THE FIRE REALM

As soon as the Sky Elements left the Water Domain, Breeze thought up an excuse to not go home. She was going to pay Lord Volcano a little visit. "Hey," she said to Star, one of the guards Lady Moon had brought with her. Star looked at Breeze, curious. "What?" "Tell Lady Moon I'm going, er, hunting! Yes that's right! Hunting! To keep our tribe well-fed!" Breeze forced a reluctant smile.

"Okay," Star agreed. "Don't take long!"

She flapped her wings then chased after the four tiny dots in the sky, Lady Moon and her other three guards in the direction of the Sky Palace. Breeze launched herself in the other direction. Flying to the Fire Realm wasn't going to take long. In fact, just a few minutes into her flight, Breeze saw a small battle troop of Fire Elements sneaking into the Water Domain, while battle clashed up in the sky. Breeze held back the temptation to turn back and warn Lady Torrent. She refused my leader, Breeze thought angrily. She had no right to be alerted of the oncoming fire attack. Breeze pushed harder against the air current. It was holding her back. She made a break out of the current, only to crash into a Fire Soldier, one of the many Fire Element attackers, throwing a corpse of a Water Soldier away.

"A Sky Element! Lady Moon has betrayed Lord Volcano!" he roared, seizing Breeze. The silver tabby struggled, but could not break free from his grasp.

"Let's see what Lord Volcano has to say about this," he snarled. "I hope it means war against the Sky as well!"

"Very well. Thank you, Lava. You are dismissed."

Breeze was held against her will in front of none other than the ruler of the Fire Realm. "You have guts," he told Breeze, "To come here alone. This is dangerous, here, while we have war against the Water Domain. Youngsters like you shouldn't be here." Lord Volcano glowered at Breeze.

"I am not a youngster! I am General Breeze of the Sky Kingdom!" she hissed. Lord Volcano paused, and so did every other Fire Element in the throne room. "You can't be," he spoke poshly and quietly. "Ember killed you. He said so himself."

Breeze did not feel any emotion, except for pity. Ember had lied so that he could pretend he completed his mission (which was to kill Breeze) and stay where his heart truly belonged. Not at number 1 at a Sky hotel.

"Well, I am alive and right here." Breeze stubbornly shot back.

Lord Volcano blinked. "Okay then. But still, why are you in my realm?"

"I am here," Breeze held her head up high. "Because I demand you to stop having war with the Water Domain!"

Lord Volcano barked a laugh. It was rumbly and loud.

"As if!" he boomed, getting over Ember. "You should go to Torrent. She's the one who started all of this." Breeze stiffened.

"Well, I just flew from the Sky Kingdom, to the Water Domain, then to the Fire Realm. I just flew like a hundred kilometres! And now, you're telling me to fly back to the Water Domain?" Breeze tried to control her anger. When she was only a kittling, as she was half kitten, half dragonling at that time, her mother used to always say that Gust's temper was the worst. That was the last thing Breeze's mother had said before she'd gone missing. Perhaps Breeze had inherited her father's temper.

"Lady Torrent said that you're a disgrace! If you don't want me to believe her, then fine! Who started this war and what happened?" Lord Volcano sighed. "I suppose you should know. Well, it all began at the Earth Territory..."

"You what now?" Lord Volcano barked. Lord Vine looked calmly at him, lazing around on his leaf throne. "

You heard right. I, under the cover of darkness, killed General Shell. One of Torrent's most trusted friends. And don't forget! I left a pinch of your fur on Shell's dead body." Lord Volcano's forever-moving back fire-like scales flared twice the size.

His fur spiked up and he unsheathed his claws. "You did that on purpose!" Lord Volcano spat at his brother.

"So then you can direct Torrent's attention and anger at me! How did you even get my fur? An innocent soul! Why not Moon? Why... ME?" Lord Volcano lunged at his brother, who just stared calmly. Just as Lord Volcano was about to claw his throat, even dragoncat's weakest spot, Lord Vine yelled, "Guards!" and in burst five well-armed Earth Soldiers.

They had witnessed Lord Volcano gripping his brother's throat and shaking his body violently.

Breeze stared at the massive dragoncat. Who knew what was underneath it all?

"Why didn't you tell Lady Torrent it was Lord Vine?" Breeze asked. "I'm not an idiot!" Lord Volcano spluttered. "I'm not as dumb as that! Of course I told Torrent! But would she listen? No! Then I paid Queen Pendant a visit! But did she believe me or even help me or comfort me or- or..."

Lord Volcano coughed, and one of his servants immediately bought him a stone cup of lava. He gulped it all down, sighing.

"You should go back now, youngster. You shouldn't be here, anyway." Lord Volcano twirled his paw in the air, and General Eruption swiftly padded in.

"Escort General Breeze here to the border of the Sky Kingdom, please." Breeze followed Eruption, dimly aware where she was going. Her brain was buzzing with all those thoughts Breeze had learned today. How could she save this war and save Spencer? Soon Earth and Sky will join in on their preferred side, Breeze was sure of it. The Great War... could destroy Spencer forever.