Bionicle: Fractured Dawn

Chapter 4

Flashes of blurred colours danced in Ackar's mind. He tried to return to consciousness. His eyes struggled to open.

Soon the only colour he saw was the blue sky above him. There was a searing pain in his right leg and a booming pain in his head. He couldn't decide which was worse.

As his hearing became less and less muffled, he could hear familiar voices. But his friends were nowhere to be seen. He slowly lifted his back up off the ground.

"Kiina?" he said. No reply. He heard her voice again, followed by the voices of the Toa. He couldn't quite make out the words.

Then it hit him. They weren't words, they were screams. He tried to move forward, but his leg reminded him otherwise. He could only move enough to just barely see past a boulder up the hill.

There was the Skopio, with Kiina in its jaws.

Ackar frantically searched for his flame sword. He had to save her. The Toa couldn't get near the beast without it knocking them back.

He witnessed Tahu get crushed repeatedly by the Skopio's treads, then get knocked aside and cease to get up.

The whirring of the Thornax launcher on its tail became louder and louder, almost ready to strike.

He spotted his sword a few feet out of reach on the ground. He lunged sideways towards it, but he could only reach a few inches away from it. He reached out farther, his finger teetering on the edge of the handle.

Suddenly, he heard another shout. This one was long and sounded determined, like a war cry. The Skopio stalled and looked toward the source of the scream.

What happened next astonished Ackar. A pack of wolves ran towards the Skopio, jumping and clawing at it. It became distracted from its prey to try and shake the wolves off.

Then, a wolf with a cloaked figure riding it raced towards the Skopio and sprung up high on its legs. The figure clambered up on to the Skopio's tail and slashed his dagger at the Thornax launcher.

The Thornax fell down and exploded upon contact of the creature's back. It wailed out in pain and loosened its pincers, allowing Kiina to easily open them and become free of it's grasp.

The figure whistled three times, signaling the wolves to start clawing away at the wounded spot on the beast's back.

Kiina grabbed her trident and shot a beam of water, blinding the beast. The wolves tore at the exposed flesh, and the figure on the tail jumped down and buried his blade in the beast's hide. It toppled onto the ground and stopped moving.

Kiina approached the stranger as he jumped down from the Skopio.

"Thank you for saving me," she said. "My friend is injured, he needs help."

The stranger was silent. He walked over to Tahu and Gali, which the former was laying dazed against a boulder. He knelt down and examined him closely. The stranger looked up at Kiina and muttered,

"Toa?"

She nodded anxiously. The stranger stood up and looked over at Ackar.

"And what about your other friend?" he asked, already walking over to the wounded Glatorian.

"He broke his leg. He needs-" Kiina paused. "What makes you think the Toa is my friend?"

The stranger chuckled. "No one would come this far with someone they don't trust. Only a madman would endure a long journey with anyone that's not an ally."

Kiina thought about his words. Did she really trust, or even care about these Toa? She remembered Mata Nui mentioning them as great warriors, but she never thought she'd ever meet them, let alone work with them to rebuild the society of a new planet.

The stranger was right. She needed to put aside her differences, like Ackar did. We have a society to build. She thought. I'm not letting a few disagreements get in the way.

Gali helped Tahu up and they followed. The stranger looked over Ackar and Tahu.

"You need rest and aid. Come, let us seek refuge at my shelter."

They carefully lifted Ackar onto a sled pulled by the wolves and the group headed deeper into the mountains with the stranger.