A Jammer's Dream, Book 4: The Darkest Days - Complete Version

I've decided to finally post the complete version of A Jammer's Dream: Book 4! Also, my internet connection problems were fixed today. Now, here is the story.

A Jammer's Dream, Book 4: The Darkest Days

A Jammer’s Dream, Book 4: The Darkest Days

Prologue

“Do you really think it’s possible? That he will betray us all? But who is with him? Who will be on his side?” asks a large, muscular figure. The figure stands in a small hut in the center of Jamaa Township, talking to a familiar female panda.

“Oh, Faber, I really don’t know. But this topic is serious. One of our own Jamaasians could betray us in the final battle,” Liza the Panda Alpha whispers in the dim, small hut. The bamboo walls let sound travel through the air, so whispering is required.

Faber stares at the cold ground. The hut is one small room, but with many artifacts from Jamaa’s past. He trots over to a desk full of ancient papers and sits down. After lighting a candle, he begins rummaging through the papers.

“What are you doing?” asks Liza.

“Maybe we can get to the bottom of this. There has to be clues somewhere. We will be betrayed, and I know that. But I just don’t know by who,” Faber replies quickly, more interested in the papers.

“But do you really think that it’s…” Liza begins to speak, but stops half way through.

“I hope not. A Jamaasian would not betray the animals unless they have a reason,” Faber suddenly stops staring at the papers.

“And he does,” Liza admits. “A very good one.”

“You could be right, but we still don’t have enough evidence. We can’t jump to conclusions yet. After all, if we go up to him and ban him from Jamaa, he could be innocent. Let’s keep searching for clues,” Faber then grabs the papers and begins his quest yet again.

As Liza and Faber search through the old, yellowing papers, another figure opens the door and slowly walks into the hut.

“Rapicik? What’s going on?” Liza questions as rapicik enters the hut, covered in blood. He slams the door shut so the early dawn light doesn’t reveal everything in the hut.

“I went to the Dream World, and trust me, there are petrifying events that will occur in the near future,” Rapicik pants, trying to catch his breath.

“You went into the Dream World?!?” Faber angrily whispers.

Rapicik just stares back at him, expressionless.

“What did you find?” Liza wonders.

“A horrible disease is going to come to Jamaa soon. I don’t know when are what it will be, bt we have to prepare for anything. And an enemy is returning to Jamaa… a horrible enemy that caused a battle. This enemy seems to have black fur, but I know nothing else. This ‘returning enemy’ is under control of an even more powerful force, but I don’t know who. These two must have something to do with the upcoming battles. The last thing I found out was… umm… I can’t remember…” Rapicik suddenly starts scanning his brain for answers.

“What was it?” Faber demands.

“Oh, yes!” he lifts up his head.

“The one who will betray Jamaa has a reason. They are jealous of something,” Rapicik explains.

At that moment, Faber and Liza look at each other. For them, it’s all adding up. But could the seemingly harmless, young Jamaasian really betray Jamaa?

Present

It has now been two days since we arrived back in Jamaa. The journey was long and hard, but we all survived. I even spoke with Ersel on the way home and I’ve gotten an orb to communicate with him. It’s early spring and the flowers are all starting to bloom around Jamaa Township. I’m standing in the center, watching the crowd go by. The blue sky covers Jamaa in a cheerful way. Everyone is out and about, shopping, chatting, and… worrying. Like I am.

Wandel, the new popular Arctic Wolf, is sitting on the bridge with his friends. They chat together, smiling. Wandel spots me and raises an eyebrow. When I go up to the bridge, Wandel looks similar to me. He is still bigger, but I am more muscular. He has more fat. His brown fur is soaked with mud and grass stains. His eyes droop beneath his exhausted face, and he peers at me with his green eyes. He looks tired, but not tired enough to stay home.

“Cup! It’s been ages!” Wandel gasps.

“Yeah, I guess so,” I grunt.

“I was a fool to ever bully you. We were all fools. We were were young,” explains Wandel.

“Thanks, Wandel. I’m sorry I was such a pain back then,” I apologize for my weird behavior from the last time I saw him.

“And I apologize for mine,” Wandel dips his head.

“You’re going to save Jamaa, and I’ll fight with you when the time comes,” Wandel chuckles.

“I can’t wait to see the final enemies. I’m going to tear them apart,” Wandel and I both say at the time.

“Cup, you won’t believe what happened this winter,” an older voice creeps out from behind the bushes.

“Armin?” I stare at him blankly. Armin is one of the older Snow Leopards in Jamaa, and he’s known for his unique fighting skills. He has dark gray fur and brown eyes.

“Yes, it’s Armin. He didn’t communicate with barely anyone. But earlier he had a vision, telling him to step up and return to the real world- not his own mind,” a smaller seal pushes her way through the crowd.

“Umm… who are you?” I ask. What’s with all of these changes? What happened while I was gone?

“Call me Rosa. I was born right after you left, but I am speaking up now because Armin takes care of me. My parents left me behind,” Rosa’s blue eyes twinkle as she speaks. My father left me at a young age, so I do feel empathy for her. But I have both of my parents now. Zikah returned to Jamaa on the journey home.

“But let’s return to the point. Over the time you were gone, we were attacked by Phantoms. Thousands of them. They were huge, too. The battle lowered our number of animals, and that’s why some of them aren’t here,” Armin raises his head. I stare at him, waiting for him to continue.

“The Alphas battled hard and finally fought them off. But we lost so many animals… it was a tragedy. We are still filthy and have the memories of the battle fresh in our minds,” Armin coughs up some blood as he finishes speaking. And then I look at him more closely. Mud is covering his gray fur, and he also looks exhausted. Rosa looks the same. And so does Wandel.

“It really affected us badly, Cup. You’re lucky you weren’t here,” a black eagle speaks, perched on top of Jam Mart Furniture. I stare up at him trying to avoid the sun blazing in my eyes. I squint, and I manage to figure out it’s Daymond. Daymond was an eagle from way back before I started any journeys. He’s about my age and he peers directly down at me with his blue eyes.

“No, I’m not that lucky. You see, Faber lived in a different land called Zone Two. In that area, the lands were divided into two parts. He controlled Zone Two. But I had gotten a vision- or something- about the Phantoms attacking us. I tried to warn Faber, but we got in trouble. I won’t discuss why. We had to escape from a dungeon, and by the time we got out, the Phantoms arrived and we had to fight them off. Three animals died in the battle, but we all had scars after it,” finish my story.

“That’s interesting. But were they huge, like the ones that attacked us?” Daymond wonders.

“Yes. It is all Kurkah’s doing,” I admit.

“But Kurkah died a long time ago!” Nile, a dark brown wolf with brown eyes, gasps. I remember him from a long time ago, too. He’s also my age and we all have memories of being around each other.

“You aren’t that old. If you were my age, there would be plenty more on more mind,” Armin snaps.

“But getting back the point. I figured out that the final battle will be a betrayal. But recently, I found out that there will be two main enemies. Since the Phantoms came in such large numbers and sizes, I knew that one of them was Kurkah. After all, he was consumed by a Phantom King- and they become whatever they eat. He must’ve been brought back to life,” I explain thoroughly while everyone else stares at me with wide eyes.

“But he’s dead! How could he come back to life?” asks Nile in a confused voice.

I look at Armin. He looks at me, too. We both know what I mean.

“There’s some things that should just be forgotten. Besides, it’s not important. Kurkah could attack again with his army of Phantoms. And we have no idea who the other enemy is, but I believe I’ve seen them,” I guarantee. I remember being in the Dream World. I watched a vision in the future. The mysterious animals rushing towards Jamaa must be part of the other enemy’s army.

“Cup, how much have you changed?” a quiet voice asks, buried in the crowd of animals. A gray arctic wolf comes out from the crowd. I can tell she’s a girl when I see her face. She has beautiful green eyes and stares at me while waiting for an answer.

“Ranel?” I ask.

“Yes, Ranel. Archie’s sister. Now can you answer my question?” she raises an eyebrow.

“I’ve changed as much as you think I have,” I make a quick reply.

“You probably have.”

Ranel dips her head in respect.

“I’m sorry for what I did to you a long time ago,” Ranel apologizes.

As I get ready to accept her apology, Armin interrupts.

“I’m about halfway through my life. All of you are nearly through a quarter of your life. Stop saying that these things happened a long time ago, because you’re making me feel really ancient,” Armin growls.

I laugh a little under my breath, but nobody else sees it. The sun glares into my eye as we all sit there in an awkward silence. Who is going to be the next animal to speak?

“I think you remember me, Cup,” another voice says out loud. I peer in the direction of the voice and spot Quinn, a small otter. I remember him from a while back, too. He was bullied by Archie and his followers, just like I was. We were both small. He looks similar to me, but he has darker brown fur and sea blue, sparkling eyes.

“You’ve grown a lot,” I chuckle. He smiles at me, and then I bring a new topic into the discussion.

“Where’s my mother?” I ask, looking around. Then I spot Zikah standing next to her. What’s going to happen between those two?

“Hey, Cup,” Zikah smiles as I walk up to him. My mother also smiles in my direction. We are all standing near the entrance of Jam Mart Furniture. It feels like this moment should be awkward, but all I feel is relief.

“Your father has explained to me everything. I’m proud of you. We are also getting back together,” she looks at him. This will be interesting!

After my first journey, my mother changed. She used to be extremely rude, but now she loves me at all times. I think she has gotten more experience as a mother in between then and now. Like my father, my mom looks exactly like me.

“Zara, I’m glad that you forgive me,” Zikah grins widely at her. Then I am dismissed, and they go back to their private conversation.

I trot back over the bridge, where many of the animals still wait for me.

“You’re back! I want to continue talking,” smiles Daymond.

“I do have an interesting topic on my mind,” I reply with a straightforward voice.

“What is it?” questions Wandel, with curiosity surging through his bones.

“How to prepare for the enemies. I was trained by one of the greatest Alphas ever, and his name is Faber. He taught me very well, and I want to pass on skills to you,” I guarantee.

“Faber? Isn’t he the Forgotten Alpha?” Ranel, Nile and Quinn all ask at the same time.

“Yes.”

“Wait- I’ve never heard of him. Are there more alphas than I know about?” asks Rosa. She looks me directly in the eye, hoping for me to answer instantaneously.

“Yes, there are, Rosa,” I begin to explain.

“On the journey home from Zone Two, Rapicik had explained to me many things. One of them was how Faber became an alpha. After all, Sir Gilbert was already the tiger alpha. But Rapicik then thoroughly told me how this happened. If an animal becomes a great figure in Jamaa and makes a very, very deep impact on the land, they can become an alpha. The reason why Faber wasn’t as popular as Sir Gilbert was because he wasn’t the first ever Tiger Alpha. He also told me that there are only a handful of these kind of Alphas,” I finish re-wording what Rapicik explained to me several nights ago. I remember that moment like it was yesterday. I learned so many interesting things from Rapicik on the journey home.

“But how exactly do they become an alpha? And how come the alphas live so long?” Ranel, who is pretty smart, ponders over the thought.

I peer into the bright, blue sky. This was a tough question or Rapicik to answer. But I clearly remember what he said when I asked the same thing as Ranel.

“To become an alpha, you have to visit Liza and sleep in her hut for a night. There’s a special room to sleep in there, and you will have a super important dream there. A mysterious force in the dream checks everything about you, and decides if you really can become an alpha. If you can, you will become one. The alphas all get improved immune systems, more healthy bodies, and new skills depending on their personalities. That’s how they live longer than an average Jamaasian. However, they can die if they are killed in battle, or a serious disease is too much for them. They would also eventually die after a long time,” I repeat Rapicik’s words. He is very wise to know all of this, and I assume that Faber explained this to him.

“What happens if that force doesn’t accept them?” Nile raises an eyebrow.

“You’ll go into a Coma. You will sleep until you die,” I squint at them all, watching their shocked expressions. I know of something else that will make you sleep until death, too.

“Have you ever seen me before, Cup?” a very, very small and childish voice asks me. Whoever just spoke doesn’t come out of the crowd.

“Who are you?” I ask the voice.

“I am Orellan.”

Finally, an unusually small bunny makes his way out of the crowd. He looks familiar for some reason. He looks at me with his mud brown eyes. He also has white fur, and all of a sudden I remember exactly how I know him.

“Do you wish to speak to me in private?” Orellan asks. I nod. He must understand that I’m confused. This is the bunny from the dream I had, a long time ago. In that dream, I had gotten a Diamond Sword from my mother Zara. I went outside, and all of a sudden I was popular. But then I found out that a small, white rabbit was being bullied by Archie. I felt horrible for him. At that moment, I realized that being popular wasn’t what I wanted.

“Alright guys, storytime is over. You can leave,” Armin tells all of the animals sitting near the bridge. Wandel is the first to leave, trotting towards his den.

Orellan and I walk over the bridge and into Appondale. We remain completely silent as we continue the small journey. Mud clings to my paws as we go through the dirty ground. I spot the Conservation Museum, as cool as ever. The Pet Shop is still there. Nothing looks like it has changed. The sky's still blue as Orellan leads me into the cave on the far left part of Appondale.

“Cup, you do know about the Dream World. I am sure of it,” Orellan dips his head.

“Yes, I do.”

“Then you must remember the dream from long ago. I sent it. I might’ve been young, but I was smart. I always knew there was something special about you, and I needed to send a message to you that being popular didn’t mean everything,” Orellan admits. Everything is starting to make more sense now.

“I’m sorry that it made you feel bad, though. But I feel empathy for you, too. We were both bullied for our sizes. But size does not matter at all. Your heart is what matters,” Orellan glimpses at me with his sparkling brown eyes.

“Orellan, thank you,” I say out loud.

“Without that dream, I wouldn’t be the wolf I am today. It changed me from being envious of others, to doing what I know is right,” I can see him smiling as I explain everything the dream has done for me.

“I hope that we can be friends now. After all, that was just a Jammer’s Dream. Now this is the real life,” Orellan offers with a sigh.

“Yes, we can. But what’s up with that sigh?” I ask him. I already know that we can become great friends in the future, and I want to him him. I want to understand him.

“I’ve never had a real friend before. Most of them betrayed me, or left me. I never talk to them anymore. I hope you don’t do that,” Orellan stares directly at me.

“I wouldn’t.”

“Good.”

“Now… you say that you went to the Dream World. Do you know how dangerous it is?” I smirk a little at the thought.

“Yes, but I did it because I was young. I was always curious, and when I found it, I did many experiments with it until I had it down,” Orellan laughs.

“I hope the Dream World is never used again, though,” I lie, not telling him a deep thought going through my mind. “Too many have died from it.”

“Yes, and that’s why Liza covered up the entrance to it. She did it while you were journeying with Nova and Kurkah,” says Orellan.

“Where was it, anyways?” I try to get an answer.

“You’re not going back, are you?” Orellan raises his eyebrows.

I look at him. How could he read my own thoughts?

“I have to. There’s something I really, really need to do. It is very important,” I admit with a groan.

“Fine. I will show it to you. But only if I can come with,” Orellan gives up immediately, hoping for an adventure.

“I’ll meet you at midnight. By the forest near Liza’s hut,” Orellan says. He dashes off before I can respond.

I will be going to the Dream World. Archie is still there, being killed multiple times by the Phantoms- in different realities. I can bring his spirit back to this world and he will be alive again. I have many questions to answer. Who is his grandfather? Could his grandfather really be my enemy?

I prance out of the cave and back into Appondale. Orellan is nowhere to be seen.

There’s some time left before midnight. Probably about seven hours. So what am I going to do until then?

“Cup, something terrible is going to happen. In only a short amount of time,” I hear Sinsar’s voice from behind me. I quickly turn around and spot the almost elderly monkey walking towards me.

“How do you know?” I question his thoughts.

“I saw it in a vision. Many animals are going to be wiped out,” claims Sinsar, staring me directly in the eye.

“What do you think it could be?” I wonder, now believing him.

Sinsar stares into the clouds coming towards Jamaa. They are dark gray and look like a ton of rain. I squint, trying to get a better glimpse of them. They actually look dangerous. The wind is whirling in circles where they’re at, and I can hear in the faint distance many things being blown over by the extreme wind. The storm is coming from the south, where there is a large forest. Beyond that, there are just more mountains until the land comes to an end near the ocean. The sky is starting to get darker as the storm slowly comes in our direction.

“This is one of many disasters to come. In my vision, a mysterious voice told me that three terrible disasters would come to Jamaa soon. They would come one by one. They didn’t tell me what the disasters would be, but I’m sure the first is this terrible storm coming,” gulps Sinsar.

I look directly into Sinsar’s aging eyes. It’s hard to even tell his eye color anymore. He must be getting old. His brown, monkey fur is starting to fall off, too. How much more time does he have? Is he telling me this now because he was worried he’ll die before anyone found out?

“I should warn everyone else. Do you wanna come with me?” I ask him.

“Yes, I will. I’d be happy to. If their lives depend on us, I want to do it. At this point, it’s the best thing I can do.”

I think he realizes himself that his time upon this planet is nearly up. I feel bad for him, but I don’t mention anything as we journey through Appondale and back into Jamaa Township.

As we near the bridge, I finally decide to speak to Sinsar again.

“When do you think the real battle will come? The final one? The one that will be a betrayal?” I wonder.

“We’ll never know, Cup. It could be one of the disasters. I’m not really sure at this point,” responds Sinsar with a raspy voice.

We both trot onto the bridge and greet the animals still on it. The first one I see is Ranel. Then I spot Daymond and Rosa. Wandel is the last animal I see that I recognize.

“Guys, guys. You have to listen,” I try to speak over the crowd. Everyone is talking about the latest news and gossip.

“What is it, Cup?” asks Daymond.

“It’s about our future, Daymond,” I reply to his question.

Then everyone falls silent, ready to hear whatever I have to say.

“Three disasters will soon be coming to Jamaa. They will destroy many of us,” I warn. I look at Sinsar, and he nods.

“The first is coming soon. Do you see that storm coming in from the south?” I gesture towards it.

“I do! I’ve seen something like it before. Aren’t really bad storms called tornadoes?” Wandel wonders with fright starting to appear on his expression.

“It might be a tornado. Just be careful, stock up everything you can, and remain in your dens,” I warn. Before anybody else can respond, I leave with Sinsar at my side.

“Nice wording,” compliments Sinsar with a grin on his face.

“Oh, it was nothing,” I laugh.

“I’ve got to go warn Minc-” Sinsar starts to say, but Mincero comes out of Jam Mart Clothing and greets us.

“Oh, hey, Sinsar. And hello, Cup,” Sinsar smiles at the sight of us. Mincero looks slightly younger than Sinsar and doesn’t have as many elderly features. He looks as bright as any tiger and beams at us with sparkling blue eyes.

“We have to warn you about three disasters. Jamaa is in danger. The first disaster is coming soon, and it’ll be a terrible storm,” I blurt out before Sinsar can tell Mincero.

“That’s not good. But I’ll do anything to protect the animals living here in Jamaa. Our future must continue,” Mincero dips his head.

“Thanks, Mincero,” I smile.

“I’m going to leave you now, Cup. I need to talk with Mincero privately. I hope you don’t get into too much trouble,” Sinsar smirks.

“I won’t. I hope you don’t, either,” I smile back at him. Then he trots off with Mincero at his side. They both head to their dens a little ways away from Jam Mart Clothing.

I walk down the Jamaa Township pathway. It looks as bright and happy as ever. Flowers are blooming, the grass is a beautiful green, and the sun still shines bright. But the darkness is coming. The darkest days are nearly here.

“It’s me, Cup,” a girl’s voice says behind me. I turn around, stopping the journey to my small den.

Behind me, Nova, Ranel, Katira and Rocky stand side by side.

“What’s gotten into you, Cup? You look extremely worried,” Nova asks with concern in her voice.

“Well, it’s because Jamaa is in danger,” I respond.

“How?” Rocky wonders, and he also has concern in his voice.

“Three disasters are going to come soon. They’re all going to wreak havoc on us, and the final battle could be one of them. Kurkah can also be coming at any moment. And I have no idea who the real enemy is anymore,” I explain to them all.

“Don’t worry, Cup. We’re all going to get through it together,” Ranel tries to raise the amount of happiness surrounding us.

“Yeah,” Katira, the wolf I once trusted, chimes in.

“Nobody asked for your opinion, traitor,” I snap at Katira.

“I changed, Cup! I did the wrong thing back then. I am certainly on your side now,” Katira argues.

“What’s this all about?” Nova raises her eyebrows.

I look at Rocky. His expression tells me that I should admit what happened back in Zone Two.

“Karant and Brent had my father Zikah trapped. I know you probably know about that. But I went to confront them on the last night in Zone Two. They were already angry about me killing Jalar, so they were going to kill my father. Then Katira blocked the entrance so neither of us could escape. She betrayed me. Luckily, Rocky came in a held her off. I fought Karant and Brent at that moment. I killed Karant after a vicious fight. Rocky and I let Brent and Katira go, but we will never forgive them,” I explain thoroughly to Nova. She nods slowly.

“But I have changed!” Katira once again argues, attempting to prove her point.

“It’ll take a while for me to believe you,” I squint at her. Then she goes back to remaining silent. I can’t believe I ever thought she was beautiful.

“I don’t think she’s that bad. If she did do that, she must’ve changed,” Nova tries to explain to me.

“Well, in my opinion, she hasn’t. I’ll have to wait for a while and see for myself,” I stare at Katira with anger in my voice.

“Cup, let’s just go. We can talk about that later. I have other things on my mind. Us four- not including Katira- have to go somewhere private,” Rocky croaks out. Katira scowls at him, then she trots over towards her den.

“Rocky, don’t be so rude to her,” Ranel tells him.

Rocky glares at her, then his expression brightens.

“Fine. I won’t. But only because you said so,” Rocky finally responds after a long period of silence.

“Let’s head over to my den. Nobody else is there currently,” Nova says out loud. We all follow behind her as she leads us to our new destination.

“I still don’t like her either, Cup,” Rocky whispers in my ear as we all enter Nova’s den.

“Me neither,” I whisper back.

I suddenly realize something. At first, I hated Rocky. He seemed to be taking Nova away from me. She’s my best friend. And honestly, I do have a crush on her. I’ve never admitted that, though. But Rocky made her distant from me. She would never know who to talk to. But then Rocky changed. Today, the three of us are all friends. Could Katira change, too?

Nova lights a small lamp, and we all sit down on pillows.

“What do you want to talk about?” Ranel is the first to ask Rocky.

“The Dream World. Do you know about it?” Rocky asks Ranel.

“I think so. Is it where you sleep in a secret place, then you can travel through time and other animal’s dreams?” Ranel responds with a higher pitch of voice.

“Yes, that’s exactly it,” Nova says.

“How did you know that I wanted to bring Archie back to life?” I look at Rocky, shocked. He hasn’t mentioned that he knows this. But I can tell by his expression, the looks he keeps giving me, and the fact that he is now talking about the Dream World.

“Because I want him alive again, too. And so did Nova. Us three all got the eagerness to bring him back to life,” replies Rocky with relief flooding through his voice. He must be happy to know that he was correct.

“Do you all know Orellan?” I question. I have already planned to meet him at midnight near Liza’s hut.

“Yes,” everyone else immediately says.

“Good. I’ve already planned to meet him near Liza’s hut at midnight. We are all going to the Dream World with him,” I explain.

“Then that sounds good. But what about that storm? Is it going to delay us?” Ranel wonders as she looks out of a small, narrow window. Outside, the sky is darkening as the storm approaches.

“Hopefully it will be gone by midnight. Storms that bad usually don’t last very long,” I reply.

“Anyways, why do you three want to bring my brother back?” Ranel asks, leaving the storm topic in the dust.

“Because his grandfather might be the enemy today. I was told about the story of his grandfather. His grandfather was a young wolf named Archie. Back then, that Archie was small and bullied for his size. One day he disappeared. Some of the older animals in Jamaa claim that they still see the other Archie. Faber himself told me that he got a vision about being killed, and that’s why he left Jamaa. What is the other Archie wants revenge on Jamaa?” I explain every going through my mind about the final enemy. But the final battle will be a betrayal. Somehow, I have to know the enemy personally. I don’t know who the old Archie is, though. Could this older Archie be in Jamaa right now, in a disguise?

“Interesting,” Ranel nods.

“I never did like my brother that much. Despite us both being ‘popular’, he was still rude to me. I always did feel a little bad for you two. I’m still terribly sorry for how I acted back then,” Ranel apologizes again.

I nod, understanding that she’s changed over time. But Katira still has a lot of time to prove that she’s changed.

“We have to come with you,” a voice says outside of the window. I look directly at the window, but nothing is there.

“Who was that?” Rocky growls.

The door creaks open and I see who it was. Brent, Katira, Wandel, Daymond, Nile, and Rosa.

“If you’re going to the Dream World, we’re going too,” Brent walks up to me and demands this.

“It’s dangerous. And how do the others know about it now?” I question his actions.

“We already explained everything to them. Wandel, Daymond, Nile and Rosa would all be helpful on a trip to the Dream World,” Katira argues. She snickers and gives a high five to Brent.

Memories. Terrible memories of many animals dying. Memories of animals trapped in the Dream World, searching for Zios. I clearly remember what Rapicik had told me about his early experience with the Dream World, when it was believed to be safe. Now there are many more animals about to enter it.

“You can go. But let me tell you this, Katira- your actions right now aren’t making me trust you any more,” I growl. Rocky comes to my side if Brent and Katira want to attack again.

“Don’t worry, Cup, we’re only coming to help,” Katira’s expression suddenly becomes more friendly.

“You can all come, but don’t blame me if you die,” I give out one final warning.

“We definitely won’t,” Daymond guarantees.

“Cup, I have changed, too. Trust me. I didn’t do the right thing that night, and I’m sorry that I was ever your enemy,” Brent whispers an apology into my ear.

“The past is the past, tough boy. Who’s laughing now?” I laugh directly in his face. Rocky laughs along with me, then Brent goes back to the door.

“I don’t think we should go outside. It’s downpouring now,” Rosa says to everyone and she gets a glimpse outside the window.

“The storm is upon us,” Nile takes a deep breath.

“Hopefully it’ll pass by quickly,” Daymond responds.

“Hopefully we won’t die before we even get to the Dream World,” grunts Ranel with worry in her voice.

“We won’t. How bad could a storm possibly-” Nova begins to cheer us up, but a super strong bolt of lightning slams the ground outside and shakes us off of our paws.

“What kind of lightning was that?” Rocky gasps.

The door suddenly bursts open. Rapicik, Faber, Dawn, Armin, Marr and Nymin come in. They’re all completely soaked. A few other animals come in behind them, too, but I have no idea who they are.

“We’re sorry for coming in, Nova, but we couldn’t stay out there in that weather. It’s like a a giant animal, bigger than Jamaa, is breathing as hard as possible onto us,” Rapicik shakes off his fur with a growl.

“Did Sinsar and Mincero tell you all about the three disasters coming?” Faber asks.

“Yes, they did,” I reply.

“Good. This storm is the first one to come. Nova, do you have a basement in here?” Faber demands an answer from her.

“Sadly, no, I don’t,” Nova’s expression turns from worried to frightened.

“Get under the tables. The worst part of the storm is yet to come,” Dawn warns with a stern voice.

We all do as he ordered. We get under the furniture, squeezing into different areas.

“Sorry that we haven’t spoken for a while, Cup. I’ve been busy with Nymin trying to adjust to this place,” Marr says as we get under a table together.

“It’s alright. I know that it can be hard to adjust to a completely new place,” I feel empathy for him.

“I feel empathy for you, too. You must’ve felt the same way when you arrived at Zone Two for the first time,” Marr smiles.

“Yes, I did,” I smirk.

“Jamaa is very wonderful, though. There is so much more to do. It’s absolutely beautiful and full of surprises. The animals here are wonderful, and I can’t understand why Faber ever left this place. I hope Zone Two gets to stay here forever, because I want to live here now. I would protect it with my life,” Marr stares at his paws.

“I believe you will be staying. We’ll be able to talk much more in the future if you do, too,” I tell him. He brightens up.

“Hello, Cup. It’s me, Nymin,” Nymin joins in on the conversation.

“Hey!” I tell him.

“This might be an awkward time to talk, but I really want to apologize to you. I haven’t spoken to you for a while. Hopefully we’ll be able to talk to each other more now,” Nymin suggests.

“Marr had the same problem. I know I can become great friends with you both, so don’t blame it all on yourself,” I guarantee Nymin.

“That is, if we survive this storm,” Nymin gulps as the rain hits the roof harder.

“We will. We can’t think about death yet,” Rocky says from behind me.

Out of nowhere, the wind swipes the door right off of its hinges. The door flies out into the air and is nowhere to be seen. I gasp as a large, funnel shaped figure slams into the ground from above. Is this a tornado?

“Everybody, get to the opposite side of the den! Now!” Rapicik shrieks as the funnel spins in a circle. We all immediately squirm to the other side.

The tornado rips apart everything in its path. I can hear an animal screaming, then it gets sucked up in the distance. I close my eyes. I can’t watch this.

The tornado gets louder, and then I open my eyes one more time to see it coming directly towards this den.

This isn’t my time to die. It is not. The tornado gets directly in front of the hut, and the roof immediately is wiped off the building. I can hear someone shriek from inside. The funnel reaches down and grabs Marr. Marr is being sucked up by it, but just in time Rapicik clamps down on his tail and brings him back down. The tables are now being sucked up, and as they shuffle around from the wind, we all get against the wall. The tornado’s funnel now hits directly in the center of the hut, and I can hear Nova screaming on the other side of the hut near Rapicik. The funnel heads directly towards them, but Rapicik grabs Nova and pushes her to the side. Rapicik then grabs onto a metal pole coming out of the ground. It must’ve been used to support the ceiling before. The tornado picks him up, but he clamps his paws down as hard as possible to the pole. He remains safe.

All of a sudden, the tornado shifts in my direction. It comes at me faster than anything I’ve ever seen. It lifts me up with extreme strength, and I know that I am going to die. I whirl in circles as I elevate higher into the air. The wind is so loud I can hear nothing below. All I see are scraps of buildings, dirt, and maybe even another wolf in the distance. I try to scream, but nothing is happening. The tornado has total control over me, and I’m spinning too fast to realize what’s going on around me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a tall, gray strip of something- I don’t what what it is- in the center of the tornado. Then it disappears as the wind swirls me around in circles again.

I remember Sinsar’s vision he told me about. Many will be wiped out. Am I going to be one of them?

The tornado starts to dissolve and the spinning slows down. The dark cloud begin to disappear and the day becomes brighter. I now realize that I am high in the air.

“Help!” I scream with all my might, hoping that someone below hears me. I can’t land on a concrete surface! I’ll be squashed!

I peer down below as I fall through the open sky. The wind force is so strong that every part of me blows upwards as I fall down. I shriek once more as I see trees down below me. Where am I even at?

The ground nears. There are trees everywhere, and I can’t see anything else. I plunge into the trees, and everything goes black.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. We should talk to him, though,” I hear a familiar voice say near me. I barely open my eyes. I’m in a small, wooden room lit up by torches. Am I with the Tribe of Ersel animals?

“He is awake,” I hear Ersel’s voice. I raise my head, but then my neck pops. It stings for a second, but then the pain goes away.

“Cup. You were sucked up by the tornado,” Ersel squints at me. He looks similar to when I last saw him. However, his age is starting to get to him even more. Like Sinsar, I don’t believe that Ersel has much more time in this world. But then who will control the Tribe of Ersel Animals?

Ikenus is near a small, seemingly young black wolf. The black wolf stares at me with his icy blue eyes. He is the spitting image of Ersel.

Ikenus, the large black wolf with green eyes, walks over to me.

“I am glad you’re awake, Cup. We have much to discuss,” he dips his head.

“How long have I been sleeping?” I ask.

“An hour. You should be able to return to Jamaa by midnight,” Ikenus guarantees. A wave of relief floods over me.

“Now, that young wolf is Zythril. He is Ersel’s son,” Ikenus smiles at Zythril. Zythril doesn’t speak at all, but he just looks down at his paws.

“I need to speak with you privately,” Ersel interrupts Ikenus while pointing at me.

“Okay, Ersel, good luck,” says Ikenus with a weird tone of voice.

Ersel trots out of the small room, waiting for me to follow him. I get up off of the bed. Maybe this room is a recovery area, where injured animals can stay.

Outside of the room is the long, narrow hallway. It is dimly lit by the torches. There is nobody else except for Ersel and I. We continue walking down the wooden hallway and at the very end, Ersel creaks open a small door.

“Come in,” he says without looking me in the eye. I go in first, and then Ersel follows, slamming the door shut.

Nothing is in this large room. It is empty, but large enough to fit every animal in Jamaa here. My voice echoes in reply as Ersel tells me to sit down. I do as he says, and then he lights a lamp. The large room is completely empty and has a ghostly feeling to it.

“Now, Cup, I believe I may know who will be your final enemy,” admits Ersel, now looking me directly in the pupil of my eye.

“Who is it, then?” I question him.

“It is Rocky. Rocky will destroy you and your friends. He will betray you out of jealousy. He still wants Nova, and you aren’t making that possible for him. Rocky will recruit a group of animals that also have reasons to kill you. Katira and Brent don’t like you at all. Ranel might even join them, for she believes it’s your fault her brother died. Every animal has something against you, and Rocky’s group will make you pay if you don’t kill him first,” Ersel coughs up a small amount of blood as he finishes.

“But Ersel, I don’t believe he would do it. He is much more mature now. We are friends,” I argue.

“You have to watch your back, Cup. After all, the final battle will be a betrayal,” says Ersel with a tone of voice I’ve never heard from him.

“Jamaa is in deep danger from Rocky. He is much more powerful than you think. He is good at convincing. Even the Alphas believe he will betray Jamaa,” Ersel attempts to convince me.

“Wait- how do you know that? How do you know that the Alphas don’t trust him anymore?” I raise my eyebrows, waiting for a sincere and honest answer.

“It’s because they told me themselves. Liza spoke with me yesterday. They’ve already discussed it, but they aren’t announcing it to the public yet. Their beliefs still need more evidence. But Cup, I know this is true. If you believe me, your life will no longer be in danger. Go home and kill Rocky now,” Ersel demands with a huge growl.

“No, Ersel. I cannot,” I reply with honesty in my voice.

“Very well, then. Believe what you want. I will still help you if danger comes,” Ersel finally lets me win the argument.

“I guess I will keep an eye on everyone. But I still don’t believe it yet,” I tell Ersel, trying not to make him feel bad.

“Okay. You may go,” he dismisses me. I trot out of the door and Ersel remains inside of the colossal room.

What kind of thoughts could be going through Ersel’s mind now? He is convinced that Rocky is the real enemy. I don’t believe it, though. Right now, I am more concerned about Kurkah and when he will attack.

I leave The Tribe of Ersel Animals behind, and I am once again in the mystical forest. But I can’t pay attention to the scenery. I need to think.

If Rocky is the enemy, then who is the black wolf that was Archie’s grandfather? Ersel comes into my mind, but Ersel isn’t the name of the wolf. The old Archie must not have anything to do with the final betrayal.

Once I arrive back in Jamaa, the town is absolutely devastated. Scraps of metal are everywhere, and bricks lie out in the open. Animals are scattered around, searching for their loved ones.

“Cup! You’re alive!” I can hear Nova’s familiar voice shout.

Nova races right up to me and hugs me. We both begin to cry in tears of joy.

“The tornado is over. We’re safe now,” she smiles while whispering this into my ear.

Deep down, I doubt it. This is only one of the three disasters to come soon.

“Let’s go an meet Orellan now. It’s nearly midnight,” Rocky whispers in my ear. I am sleeping in my den with Nova, Rocky and Ranel by my side.

I rub my eyes and finally awaken. Zikah and my mother, Zara, are both sound asleep on the other side of the den. Rocky and I wake the two girls up.

“It’s midnight,” I whisper into Nova’s ear. She quickly nods, and then gets up.

Rocky does the same with Ranel, and I can hear Ranel tell something to Rocky. He laughs silently.

“Maybe we’ll lose Katira, Brent and all of the others while we walk there,” I suggest as we exit the den and out into the cool, summer night. The moon is brightly lighting up the sky and everything seems quiet around Jamaa Township.

“This place is still so ruined,” I take another look at my surroundings. I am lucky that my den is still there. Nova isn’t so lucky.

As we walk towards the path to Liza’s hut, Rocky asks “Where were you after being sucked up by the tornado?”

“Oh, I was with the Tribe of Ersel Animals. They managed to save my life,” I reply.

“Did they say anything interesting?”

“Nope.”

We continue walking in silence until finally we reach the path. Sitting on the path is Orellan, caked in mud.

“The tornado was rough,” he coughs as we greet him.

“I was sucked up by it,” I tell him. Then I look down at myself. I now realize how filthy my fur is, how much fur I have lost, and how exhausted I look.

“That must’ve been rougher. How did you even survive?” wonders Orellan with awe in his voice.

“I was taken care of by the Tribe of Ersel Animals. They live a little ways from Jamaa and help us whenever we’re on a journey,” I explain to Orellan. He probably doesn’t know anything about them.

Orellan nods. Then all five of us head into the small, bamboo forest.

“Now, there is an entrance to the Dream World somewhere in here. It’s now hidden, but I’m sure we’ll find it,” Orellan says, biting his bottom lip. The moonlight guides our way through the forest as we search for the entrance.

“Aha! We found you!” a raspy voice says from behind me. I spin around and attack the figure without thinking.

“Who is it?” I ask.

Then I look down at who I have pinned. Brent is beneath my paws. Katira, Daymond, Rosa and Nile are standing by the side, waiting for me to get off of Brent.

“Don’t you know how dangerous the Dream World is?” I ask with anger in my voice.

“Yes, I do. But I want to help you on your mission through it. I want to prove to you that I have changed,” Brent gasps for air underneath my grip.

“Then you may. But if you die, you can’t blame me,” I release my grip on him. He squirms out from underneath and sprints over to where Katira stands.

“Please, Cup. We are truly sorry. Just let us help you in the Dream World,” Katira stares at me with depressed eyes.

“Whatever,” I grunt.

“Why are you three coming?” I point at Daymond, Rosa and Nile.

“We also want to help you,” Daymond is the first to reply.

“Everyone in Jamaa is a team, and I know that we can help defeat the enemy. We need to discover more truth in Jamaa,” Rosa speaks up after Daymond.

“I’m also ready to help you, Cup. I might’ve never been an important figure in your life, but I want to help you save Jamaa,” Nile is the last to speak out of the three.

“I really don’t want you all to come. It’s dangerous. But as you wish, I guess you can come,” I stare out into the open. Do these animals even have brains? I guess I shouldn’t be mean to them. I am the one going into the Dream World, anyways. I don’t want to be a hypocrite.

“Follow me,” I gesture for all five of them to come. I lead them into the large bamboo forest.

“Orellan? Nova? Rocky?” I ask with a loud voice. It echoes into the distance, and then I hear a reply from Orellan.

I look around, trying to distinguish which area the voice came from. Then I head north into the forest, sprinting with all my might. The others follow behind, but not nearly as quick.

I finally reach Orellan, and he’s standing by Ranel, Rocky and Nova. They’re all digging up dirt, and I can see the hole starting to open up in the ground.

“Help us dig!” Ranel demands as we all arrive.

“Well, what is this?” I hear Wandel’s familiar voice from behind me as we all begin digging.

“Wandel.” I turn around. Everybody else remains at work.

“And Marr? You too, Nymin?” I gasp at the sight of them.

“We’re making up for the time we lost with you. We both want to help you on your mission,” Nymin speaks before Marr.

“I know the Dream World is risky, but we need to help,” Marr smiles.

“I brought these two with me. Katira told me about this. I wish to help you, too,” Wandel smiles directly at me.

“You can all come with. But this is your last chance. It is dangerous, and you might die. Are you sure you want to come?” I offer for them to leave.

“We’re all sure,” Wandel dips his head.

“Nova, somebody is guaranteed to die. We have many coming with us,” I whisper into Nova’s ear as we finish up digging. Down below, a cave full of crystals is now visible.

“I know, Cup,” Nova gulps as we all hop down into the bright, crystal cave.

“Now, before we enter the Dream World,” I raise my voice with authority in it.

“I need to explain how to stay safe there.”

Everyone suddenly goes silent, waiting for me to continue.

“The Dream World can take you into the past, present or future. The past and future are very, very dangerous to visit. We will all sleep on the largest crystal. We will be taken to a base area. All of us will hold paws, and I will think about the past. We will be taken a second into the past. In each past, there will be a portal leading into a more distant past. It chooses how far into the past you go. It could range from three-hundred Jamaasian Years ago, or just another second into the past. It’s very dangerous. The portals also close at random times, so if we get trapped in a certain past with no portal back, we’ll sleep in real life until our deaths. The only way to get back to the base is going through the portals you used to get back. We all have to stick together,” I explain and take a deep breath after finishing.

“And please promise me that you’ll never come back to the Dream World. I can’t stand thinking about any of yours deaths-” I stare at Brent and Katira- “even if I do have a grudge against you. It was your choice to come here, and I honestly can’t change it.”

“What are we doing in the Dream World, again? I completely forgot what you told me,” Nile asks.

“We’re bringing Archie back to life. In the Dream World, you can view the spirits of animals that die right after their death. You can’t talk to anyone that’s still alive in the past or future, though, but you can talk to spirits. You can bring spirits back through the portals, to the base, and after thinking about waking up, they’ll be alive and with you once again.”

“How come we don’t bring everyone back to life, then?” Rosa looks confused.

“Because the Dream World is too dangerous to visit. It’s a huge risk,” I finish up explaining. I clearly remember everything that Dawn had told me.

“Let’s go now. Enough bickering!” Rocky lets out a large laugh. He jumps on top of the largest crystal and begins to sleep.

I still remember the first time I experienced the Dream World, when my father visited me. He’s never said anything about it from then on. I don’t want to hear about his experience in it, either.

I begin to sleep on top of the large rock. Immediately I am taken to the pitch black base once again.

Everyone is here, and most of them are wide-eyed with shock. Only Rocky, Nova, Orellan and I aren’t surprised.

“This is the Base of the Dream World. To awaken, you have just to think about waking up,” I say.

“Let’s start going into the past. The second disaster might happen soon, and we need to be there to help everyone else. Besides, what will everyone think if we’re missing in the morning?” my voice shouts out in warning.

“Now, everyone grab paws,” Nova orders, knowing the next step. We all do it in less than five seconds.

I begin to think of the past. We are all suddenly whisked through a spinning vortex full of every color imaginable.

After a few seconds, we arrive in Jamaa Township. It is bright and in the afternoon.

“It looks like we’re a little farther into the past than I expected,” I point out.

Wandel is sitting on the bridge with everyone else. I am still talking to them.

“I remember that!” laughs Wandel.

“Come on. We can’t stay here long. Remember, the portals can go out at any second,” I remind everyone.

“We need to find the next portal!” Rocky demands with rage in his voice. The portal is nowhere to be seen!

“Where is it?” gasps Nova.

“It’s above us!” I can hear Orellan’s surprised voice. I suddenly look up and see that the portal is nearly six feet above our heads.

“Everybody, get on my back!” I order. Rocky  is the first to hop on top of it. After getting on my back, he tells someone else to climb on top of him. Orellan climbs up my side and on top of Rocky. From there, he hops right into the portal. Nova goes second. After getting into the portal, she is followed by Ranel, Wandel, Rosa and Nile.

“Wandel! You go now!” I order. My bones are starting to shake after holding so much weight for a long time.

“No! I’ll help everyone else!” Wandel argues back.

“Daymond? You can fly. Help the others get up to the portal,” Daymond does as I says. He lifts Marr and Nymin onto his back, and flies them up to the portal. As Daymond comes back down, he picks up Katira and Wandel.

“Alright, Brent, you come up!” Rocky shouts from above me. Brent climbs up me, and then gets on top of Rocky. He leaps into the portal.

“Daymond! Fly Rocky up there, then come back for me!” I tell Daymond. He nods. He picks up Rocky onto his back and flies him up to the portal. Rocky leaps through it and is safe on the other side.

Daymond flies down for me, picks me up like prey, and flies me up to the portal. We both fly through together and crash land onto the other side.

On the other side, Jamaa is full of battling animals. They are snarling and fighting off many, many phantoms. Have we already arrived to the time where Achie died?

“Oh no… this is the battle with the Phantoms we had a little while ago. Cup, you were in Zone Two during this battle,” Wandel seems frightened to death as he speaks to me.

“Don’t worry, Wandel. Nothing can harm you here except for memories,” I reply to him with empathy in my voice.

I see Wandel as a shadow of the past. He’s fighting off a huge phantom. Behind him is a helpless, female arctic wolf. She looks terrified. Suddenly, the huge Phantom knocks Wandel over and Wandel screams with horror. The Phantom goes behind him, and pins the arctic wolf to the wall of her den. Wandel gets up and tries to tackle the Phantom, but he doesn’t budge it. The Phantom kills the arctic wolf.

I look at Wandel. He’s staring at his paws while we race to the next portal. The next portal is directly in front of us, but it is many feet away.

I slow down, looking behind me. Everyone else is in front, and they don’t seem to notice me stopping.

If I want to save the arctic wolf, I am risking my life. Is it really worth it?

Pure depression. I remember exactly how Wandel’s eyes looked as he came into this place. I have to save her. It might waste time, but the Dream World has never let me down before.

Sprinting towards the rising spirit, I shout at it. The spirit looks exactly like the female Arctic Wolf that just died, except the spirit is translucent and heading to the Heavens of Jamaa.

“Is that you, Cup? The one to save Jamaa? How are you here?” she asks.

“There is no time to explain. Please, just follow me!” I demand. I begin sprinting towards the glowing portal. The spirits follow close. A Phantom King jumps right out in front of me, but I go through him like he’s made of air. Nobody except the spirits see me here.

“Go through the portal with me!” the spirit follows me. She hops through the portal just as I said. On the other side, everyone else is sitting there, waiting for me.

“Bellina!” Wandel screams at the sight of her.

“Wandel? Oh Zios!” Bellina, who is still a spirit until she arrives back in the Crystal Cave, responds with emotion flooding through her voice.

I ignore their reunion, trying to avoid Wandel. I don’t want a thank you.

“I know what you did back there, Cup. That’s extremely nice of you,” Ranel whispers into my ear. I smile back at her.

Jamaa Township looks as normal as ever. Everyone is outside and doing their things. Animals are everywhere, shopping for new clothes and furniture. Many of them are chatting. And directly in the center, I can see myself talking to some of the animals of Jamaa.

“My old Jammer’s dream was to get that diamond sword. But I guess the journey did change me. Kurkah, Nova and I were sent to figure out where the Phantoms were at. We went on an adventure,” I hear my old self say. This must be right after my first battle with the Phantoms!

“Okay guys. We’re really close,” I announce.

“I think I remember this,” recalls Rocky.

“I do too. It was after the battle with Kurkah!” Nova suddenly brightens up.

“I vaguely remember this time. I usually spent my time indoors, thinking about other things,” whispers Orellan.

“There’s the next portal!” I point out. There’s a large, glowing purple portal near the entrance to Jam Mart Furniture. We all rush towards it, and enter it in no time.

On the other side of the portal is the battle against Kurkah.

“This is it! We have to find Archie!” I demand. Every animal races into a different direction, searching for Archie.

Nova searches in the direction of Appondale. I head to the area near Liza’s old hut. I can’t really remember where Archie was killed, but I think it was around here. Rocky follows in my direction.

A Phantom rushes through me like air, but I pay no attention to it. I continue my quest to find Archie.

The sky is darkened and the swarm of Phantoms seems unrealistic. Many of them are coming, and I can hear the shrieks of many animals as they begin their battle. Where could Archie be, though?

“Cup! I think I found him!” I can hear Daymond’s shriek. I turn around. Daymond, Brent, Katira and marr stand near an Arctic Wolf trying to fight off three phantoms. The arctic wolf is slowly being overpowered, and I can tell that it is Archie. He is wearing all of his rarest clothes. His diamond sword glistens in the darkness. “I will not go down without a fight!” screams Archie.

“I might’ve been a bad person, and I’m sorry! This is for everyone in Jamaa!” Archie leaps directly at one of the Phantoms and bites down on its tentacles. The other two phantoms quickly surround him. A third phantom comes down and helps pin Archie to the ground. They slowly consume his body.

“Archie…” I can hear Ranel’s silent voice in the distance. Even though her brother was rude, she still loves him.

Archie’s spirit now flows from his body and begins travelling up.

“Archie!” I shriek.

The spirit of Archie still looks the same, but he is translucent, just like Bellina was.

“Cup? How? What the?” Archie seems confused.

“I’m going to bring you back to life. Follow me,” I tell him. Archie’s green eyes brighten up. He is the spitting image of Ranel with the same gray fur.

All of us meet up again in the center of Jamaa Township.

“It’s time to head back through the portals. Run as fast as you can!” I say.

Instantly, everyone starts runnin towards the portal leading back to the present. Archie has no idea what is going on, but he does it anyways. We all make our way safely through it.

“Keep going!” I instruct everyone as we now head through the next portal. This one will lead us to the latest battle with the Phantoms.

This portal is easy to get through. It is very close to us already. We all easily get through it and arrive back in the latest Phantom battle.

Way on the other side of Jamaa Township, I can see the portal starting to dim. It is going out!

“Everyone, run! The portal up there is going out!” I take a deep breath as I sprint as fast as possible.

Nova suddenly stops as a huge crack in the ground forms. The look on Wandel’s face tells me he remembers this. Nova, Katira, Brent and I are all trapped behind the crack as everyone else just barely made it. It is too wide to jump, and too long to go around!

“Give me your paws! Now!” Rocky screams from the other side. Everyone is still waiting for us on the other side. I am happy to have such amazing friends.

I tell Nova to go first. Rocky holds out his paws as far as possible as she jumps. He catches her in his arms and sets her down on the other side. They both turn around and wait for the next animal to come. Brent tells Katira to go next, but she argues.

“No. I won’t leave you,” Katira cries.

“I’ll be fine, Katira. I promise. Please. We will soon fit into the World of Jamaa. Just not yet,” guarantees Brent. I now feel really bad for the two. Maybe they do want to change their ways. Have I been wrong all of this time?

Katira is finally convinced and jumps into Rocky’s arms. She waits patiently on the other side. Up ahead, the portal is nearly out. We have to hurry!

“You go first, Brent. I misjudged you. Accept my apology,” I dip my head to Brent.

“You will always be welcome by me now.”

Brent smiles widely. His expression tells me that he could never thank me enough. He jumps across the wide gap and into Rocky’s arms.

Immediately after, I jump, too. Rocky sets me down and everyone sprints as fast as they have ever done. Brent and I trail behind as we were the last ones to get over the gap.

Everyone else is in front of us as Brent and I are nearly at the portal. It is barely visible as it begins its very final moments.

“Thank you, Cup. Tell Katira I’ll always be with her, no matter what.” Brent’s voice sound harsh coming from slightly behind me.

“Wait- what?” I begin to ask. At that moment, Brent shoves me forward with all of his might. I barely make it through the portal to the other side. I crash through the crowd of animals waiting for Brent and I. I get to my paws and look behind me. The portal is gone, and Brent is now trapped in the Dream World until his death.

“Brent!” Katira’s shriek makes my heart flinch. Brent sacrificed his life for mine.

“Katira, Brent will always be with you. No matter what,” I assure Katira as she cries. I feel a lot of empathy for her right now. It must be horrible.

“You killed him! You killed him! Now I’m going to kill you!” scrams Katira. She leaps at me, but I barely dodge her. Nova grabs Katira and pins her down.

“Katira, I am sorry. I really am. But it’s not his fault,” Nova looks at me.

Katira squirms beneath Nova’s grasp, but cannot get out. She finally gives up.

“Okay. I believe you,” she gasps.

Nova releases Katira. Katira gives me a dirty look.

We all remain silent as we head for the final portal. After entering it, everyone has arrived back in the Base of the Dream World.

“So now what?” Archie’s voice sounds from in front of me.

“We think about waking up,” I announce.

I instantly think about it, and everyone begins to appear back in the Crystal Cave.

“You two are now alive again,” Orellan points to Archie and Bellina. Wandel still looks thankful and then looks at me. The happiness in his eyes is so easy to see that I can’t resist a smile.

Then the thought of Brent’s death comes back into my mind. I look around and spot Katira crying above Brent’s sleeping body. No matter what, he will not awaken ever again.

I now have to take charge again. I need to keep everyone safe.

“What happened today is horrible. I demand- and I seriously mean it- that nobody shall ever enter the Dream World again.”

“You did it again, didn’t you, Cup?” I hear Rapicik’s voice surge with anger behind me. He sees Bellina and Archie being crowded by a bunch of animals. Then I instantly know what he is talking about.

“Yes, I did, and I’m sorry,” I reply with sorrow.

“Come to my den. Right now,” Rapicik demands. He begins to lead me towards the very edge of Jamaa Township where his den lies.

“What is my punishment?” I ask Rapicik as we both enter the den.

“Nothing. We need to have a long, through conversation,” responds Rapicik. I enter his large den and see that many of the adult animals are here.

The den is dimly lit. Rapicik’s den is huge, but only consists on one big room. There is a long, skinny table throughout the center of the room. Elderly animals, important animals, and even alphas sit on each side of the table in silence.

“I have found him,” Rapicik dips his head and sits down in an empty seat.

Faber is sitting at the right edge of the table by Greely, Liza, Cosmo and Sir Gilbert. He gets up silently.

“We have reason to believe Rocky is our final enemy,” Faber admits.

I stare Faber directly in his eyes. How could anyone think that Rocky is our enemy? What has he ever done to us? Was Ersel right?

“I just can’t believe it. You all think that he is our enemy. But he is not!” I scream at the top of my lungs, slamming my paws down on the hard ground with pure agitation.

“Calm down, Cup! We are not exactly for sure yet!” Faber guarantees me.

“Yes, Cup. Please,” Dawn chimes in.

I take a deep breath, then sit down in the nearest spot available.

“Please keep an eye on Rocky, Cup. He could be dangerous- even if you don’t think so. After all, the final battle will be a betrayal,” orders Dawn with squinting eyes.

“A betrayal? If it is a betrayal, it could be any of you! Any of you! Any of you!” I repeat my words three times to get my point straight.

“But Rocky is jealous of you. He likes Nova, just like you probably do. He will want to betray you and everyone in Jamaa by creating a band of traitors. That’s why you will save Jamaa- you’re the only one to convince him not to destroy it, ” Greely argues.

I suddenly fight back the urge to pin Greely down. These animals do not understand me! Why are they blaming Rocky with no evidence?

“Ersel also believes us. He agrees with the fact that Rocky is our enemy,” Liza explains.

“Please, just listen to me! I think I know who-” I begin to say, but Sir Gilbert interrupts.

“No, Cup. We shall not argue anymore. We need to talk about a new topic,” he puffs up his chest. I nod in agreement, but I am still angry that they’re all accusing Rocky of being our enemy. He would never team up with Kurkah to kill the Jamaasians, or make a traitor group!

“Do you remember my warning about the three disasters?” Sinsar starts a new conversation.

“Yes, I do,” I say, expressionless.

“I got another vision last night. The second disaster will be a terrible disease without any cure,” Sinsar stares down at his paws.

“The disease is deadly,” Mincero finishes the sentence that Sinsar wanted to say, but Sinsar starts coughing up blood and leaves to his den. I am very worried about Sinsar. He could die at any moment.

“We will have to make sure every Jamaasian is active and healthy before it arrives,” Faber puts his large paws down on the table.

“That should start immediately,” Rapicik adds to the idea.

“Yes, before it comes. Armin and Cosmo- I would like you to go an check the health of every animal. Once you are finished, let me know,” Liza orders. Cosmo and Armin both trot out of the den right after Liza finishes.

“Now, the disease may be terrible. But we will not go down,” Rapicik lifts his head up high.

“That is true. Now, we have several more things to discuss with you, Cup,” explains Faber.

“One of them is the Dream World,” Rapicik glares directly into my eyes. I stare down at my paws. I feel so much like a young wolf again, being controlled by the older animals of Jamaa. But I won’t disobey them, for they are my kind.

“The Dream World is dangerous. But I see that you have brought Bellina and Archie back to life,” Liza says.

“Why would you bring Archie back to life? He deserved to die, anyways,” Greely laughs in the corner.

“It’s not time for jokes, Greely,” Rapicik stares at him with a little hint of laughter in his eyes.

“I have my reasons, though. I personally believe that our final enemy is Archie’s grandfather,” I admit to everyone.

“You mean… the original Archie?” Faber suddenly looks surprised.

“Yes, Faber. He was jealous of you. He ran away a long time ago because he didn’t fit in. He is going to return and get revenge on Jamaa,” I warn.

“Archie? That small, black wolf?” Faber asks once again.

“That is just like Ersel,” Liza gasps.

“Could Ersel be the real enemy?” Faber suddenly looks confused.

“I doubt it. He might be small and has black fur, but he’s an amazing fighter. He could probably pin any one of you the the ground with ease. Besides, if he wanted to kill us, why would he of killed Kurkah long ago? Kurkah could’ve helped him,” an extremely old, raspy voice argues from the very end of the table. I look down to the end. In the dim light, I can see a scrawny, elderly rabbit.

“Who are you?” I ask with awe.

“I am Varlonn, the oldest Jamaasian alive,” Varlonn replies.

“Just how old?” I question him.

“One-hundred forty-seven Jamaasian Years. I trained Peck to be a great fighter,” Varlonn replies with pride in his voice.

“That old? You came from before the Phantoms!” I gasp. Varlonn nods.

“Jamaa used to be in peace. The original six alphas were chosen by Mira and Zios once the Phantoms came. I became an alpha after them, despite me being older,” Varlonn croaks out. Liza laughs a little in the distance.

“Being old is never fun. You could die any day, and the thought comes into your mind. But wisdom is achieved at this age. It is amazing to see how much life has changed. Most animals don’t live to my age. Some even die from being old before they reach one-hundred Jamaasian years. It all depends on luck,” Varlonn explains.

“But let’s get back to the point. Ersel could not be our enemy here. His name isn’t even Archie,” Varlonn rolls his left eye. As I look closer at him, I realize that his other eye is completely gone. He has no eyepatch. There is a huge scar over his right socket.

“He could’ve changed his name, though,” Rapicik argues with Varlonn.

“Anybody could do that. Also, Ersel might be a great fighter, but he is starting to get weaker. Have you seen him? I heard that he battled so many Phantoms a year ago that he is scarred for life. He has a disease, too, but he won’t admit it. What kind of condition is that? There’s no way he would fight us,” Varlonn backs up Ersel.

“You’re right, Varlonn,” Rapicik winks at him. Varlonn smiles.

“Then I believe the original Archie is still out there somewhere. He must be in disguise if we know him,” I put my paws down on the table, now relaxing.

“Follow your heart, Cup. That’s what will always be true,” Varlonn stares into my light blue eyes.

“There is one more thing to discuss,” Rapicik says out loud with a deep breath.

“What is it?” I ask.

Rapicik looks at Faber. Dawn looks at them. By his side, Mincero groans. Varlonn looks confused.

“Cup- we’ll tell you later. It is important, but isn’t needed now,” Dawn chimes in.

“No. Tell me now,” I demand.

“We don’t want you to get your hopes up. It’s dangerous, too. We’re sure you can do it, though. But now is not the time,” Dawn argues.

“Please tell me!” I beg.

“Cup, it is actually a dangerous thing to do. You don’t want to do it yet. You need to gain your self confidence, wisdom, and battle skills,” explains Mincero with empathy in his voice.

“But you can at least tell me!” I argue with them. How important could it be?

“It’ll only get you worried. Don’t tell them, any of you,” I hear Sir Gilbert’s voice.

“Gilbert is correct. We will tell you soon, but not yet,” I hear a girl’s voice say.

At the other end of the table, sitting by Liza, is a middle-aged female lion. She looks extremely worried, depressed and doubtful.

“Who are you?” I ask, speaking to the new figure.

The lion looks up at me. She has dark brown eyes and many muscles for her gender. She has to be Rocky’s mother. They both look the same. Her golden fur reminds me of Rocky, too.

“Rondala. I’m Rocky’s mother,” she looks down at her paws. Rocky is currently untrustworthy. At least, according to the alphas. I don’t believe them. This must be why she is so sad.

“But why can’t I know about what’s to come? What kind of event is it? How is it going to make me worry?” I question the alpha’s actions.

“Just trust me. It is dangerous. You could die from it. We’ll tell you when the time comes,” Rondala tries to convince me.

I get ready to make a sharp reply, but I don’t. My eagerness to find out what will happen is strong- but my manners are stronger.

“Okay. Tell me when the time comes,” I dip my head to all of the animals.

“Thank you, Cup. We will,” Rapicik has an apologizing tone of voice.

“You all are dismissed. We need to prepare for the disease. It could come at any-” Liza begins to say,

At the same moment, Armin and Cosmo both come rushing into the den. They carry a small, crying wolf in their paws. The wolf is covered in large, bumpy spots. Armin and Cosmo are both wide eyed with shock and fear.

“The disease has arrived,” Faber gulps.

“I have no plants to heal it. Shaya will die,” Cosmo stares down at the ground.

Shaya is the small, gray wolf in their paws. Her eyes are covered in water from crying. Her brown eyes are barely visible underneath it. She looks like an animal stung by a million bees. The bumps are huge and sticking out of her body. Green puss spurts out from each of the bumps.

“I have studied her, however. The bumps are on the inside of her body. This will damage all of her organs and other body parts, and in the end, she will die from it. There is nothing to heal this disease,” Cosmo gently lies her down on the table.

“I’ve never seen anything so gruesome,” Armin turns away from the body.

I stare at Shaya one more time, feeling horrible for her.

“Anyone that gets infected by the disease will come to my den. I’ll help take care of them,” Rapicik offers.

“They are all contagious. I believe you can get it by eating something poisonous, but I have no idea what it is, or where,” Cosmo interrupts.

“Are we going to get it?” Mincero gasps.

“I hope not. By making contact with one of the animals infected, you will definitely get it. It might spread through the air, too, but I’m not sure about that. Make sure to go wash yourselves off after the meeting,” Cosmo demands.

“We will,” Mincero nods.

“But what about Cosmo and Armin? Are they going to get it now?” I stare directly at them.

“It is contagious, so there is a high chance we will. But I‘d rather die than a young Jamaasian,” Cosmo sighs.

“I fear the disease. I will probably get it now, but I will not die until I have helped every single Jamaasian,” Armin speaks with a brave voice.

“You all may go now. Thanks for speaking today, and stay safe,” Liza finally dismisses us all. Everyone hurries out of the den, while Rapicik, Armin and Cosmo stay in to take care of Shaya.

“Faber, I am worried,” I admit to Faber as we walk down the path to the center of Jamaa Township.

“Everyone is. Bad things are going to happen,” he responds, seeming distant. He stares off into an unknown area, far away.

“But how is the disease spreading?” I wonder.

“I don’t have a clue, Cup. I just hope we can all do our best to stop any deaths,” he looks at me now.

“I don’t care if I die, either. I’ve lived a great life and-” Faber begins to say, but I interrupt his wise words.

“You are not going to die, Faber. Not under my watch. I am the one to save Jamaa. I will save everyone I can. I do not care about my own, either, and I will die to protect my home. Nothing can stop me. I will destroy our enemies and make sure that the Jamaasians live their best and longest lives possible,” I take a long breath. Suddenly, I realize that many of the animals around me just listened to my small speech. They still stare at me.

“You’re right, Cup. Even I have learned from you,” grins Faber.

In the center of Jamaa Township, Archie is crowded by a bunch of other animals. I say goodbye to the older Jamaasians and head over to my friends.

“Oh, hey Cup!” Archie shouts out from the center of the crowd. He has the same features as Ranel. Gray fur and forest green eyes.

I push my way through the crowd around Archie. I finally reach him, and then I greet him.

“I was always a horrible animal to you, Cup. I am sorry for it all,” he apologizes.

“I understand, Archie. But time has passed and there are new troubles ahead of us. I need to speak to you,” I tell him.

Archie raises his eyebrows, confused. But he follows me away from the crowd of animals, just as I said.

Nova, Rocky, Ranel and Orellan all trot up to us as we head towards the northern part of Jamaa Township, where there is the famous Mira Statue.

“Hey, Cup. Hey, Archie,” Nova greets us.

“Nova- we should all speak. Just come with us,” I tell her. Rocky follows behind Nova, along with Ranel and Orellan.

As we arrive at the Mira Statue, the sky starts to darken. Night is drawing close. Small, gray clouds start to cover up the sky. There must be rain coming, but from the look of the clouds, it definitely won’t be as bad as the first disaster.

I look at the top of Jam Mart Clothing. The windows are busted out and the roof is damaged. There are still signs of the tornado everywhere.

We all sit down in a circle around the Mira Statue. I am finally ready to tell them about the disease.

“Do you all know Shaya?” I ask.

“She is my cousin,” Nova replies with curiosity in her voice. After she says this, a pang of sorrow hits me.

“The second disaster has arrived,” I look down at my paws.

“What do you mean, Cup?” Archie looks confused.

“I’ll explain to you soon, Archie. I know you’re confused as to how you are still alive, too.”

“Now, the second disaster is a disease. The disease is deadly and there is no cure. An animal has already been affected by it, and Shaya is probably going to die now,” I gulp.

Nova stops breathing for a moment, then a tear rolls down her cheek.

“But she can’t die! She’s too young!” Nova cries.

“I am so, so sorry Nova. We can both visit her later and try to come up with a cure,” I guarantee.

Nova silently sobs, but then nods her head.

“Now, Archie, meet me tonight at my den. I will explain every single thing to you,” I offer.

“Okay,” he responds. Nobody seems happy. I feel the urge to cry, too, just for Shaya. But I can’t. I have to be strong. Nova is just as strong as me, though. But she is actually related to Shaya. I wish I could help both of them…

“What are we going to do if the disease spreads?” Orellan gasps.

“Pray to Zios. We need help. Each day we are becoming weaker. And nobody knows when Kurkah will attack,” Rocky interrupts before I can say anything.

“And guys… there’s one more thing I need to tell you,” I take a deep breath. I really don’t want to admit this to Rocky, but I must. Friends do not lie.

“Rocky, I was discussing many topics with the alphas and other important Jamaasians. They all seem to think that you are going to betray Jamaa and be the final enemy,” I blurt it all out in a matter of seconds.

“That’s nonsense!” Ranel raises her head.

“I wouldn’t do that!” snarls Rocky.

“I don’t think you would, either. But most of them still are suspicious of you,” I finish.

“I know Rocky. He wouldn’t betray us,” Orellan growls.

“And most of all, they think you are jealous of me,” I bite my bottom lip.

“Jealous?” Rocky says. Everyone suddenly goes silent. Is Rocky going to get angry with me?

“Cup, I was jealous of you. I did like Nova. But that’s when we were young and didn’t understand anything. I do still like her, just like you probably do. But we are all friends now. No matter who likes her, the trustworthiness of all animals is important. We are all loyal to each other, no matter what. All of us are all important to save Jamaa, and I would now risk my life to save any of you,” promises Rocky with concern in his voice.

“You’re right, Rocky. But they don’t think that way,” I growl.

Nova still lies in her spot, silent. She probably already knew everything Rocky just said.

“I still think that Archie’s grandfather if our final enemy,” I point out. Archie’s ears perk up.

“What is all of this stuff about enemies, battles, and disasters? And I never even met my grandfather!” Archie is curious to know more.

“‘I’ll explain everything to you at my den tonight, Archie. Come to it at midnight when everyone else is asleep,” I tell him. He nods quickly, ready to know what is going on. Maybe  should bring Bellina, too, just so she understands everything. Bellina looks similar to Wandel, but she has brown eyes. This is how I’ll remember to identify her.

“Alright. Nova, come with me. We’re going to visit Shaya,” I finish the conversation.

“I’ll see you soon, Cup,” Orellan smiles and walks off with Rocky, Ranel and Archie by his side.

“Nova, I can’t explain how sorry I am. I feel horrible,” I tell her, looking into the stars of the now night sky. My heart is stabbed with depression as I think about how Nova feels. A vision suddenly floods into my mind.

“Come on, Nova! We have to get away from the humans!” Shaya’s young, frightened voice sounds. It is a dark night and the forest is full of tall, muscular humans. The stars shine bright as Nova and Shaya sprint away from the danger.

“Don’t worry, Shaya. I’ll always be there for you,” Nova promises. Shaya begins to cry as the humans gain on them. The two are being chased through a large, dark forest. Shaya trips over a large branch on the ground and cries with pain.

Nova stops dead in her tracks. The humans finally arrive right behind them, and Shaya is lying on the ground. The three humans laugh.

Out of nowhere, the tallest one with dark gray hair gets a huge grin on his face. He pulls out of weird, L shaped object. Whatever it is, it looks dangerous.

Nova pounces onto the human as quick as possible. The weird object flies into the air. Nova bites down hard on the tall man’s face and he shrieks as blood pours down it.

The other human with long, red hair and brown eyes grabs the object out of the air. It pulls something on it, and a small, smooth, metal thing is shot from the object. Wait- I have heard stories about these weapons. Humans call them guns, according to Rapicik. The things being shot out of them are bullets, and they can kill anything.

Nova barely dodges the bullet and it flies into the tall human’s flesh. The human goes limp and the other one, holding the gun, screams. Nova jumps onto it and knocks the gun out of its hands. The third human, who is the shortest, runs off into the distance. Nova bites down on the red-haired human’s neck, and it also goes limp. She then hops off of the body and over to where Shaya still lays on the ground.

“I will always protect you, Shaya,” promises Nova, crying. Both of them hug each other, then begin to head away and back towards the world of Jamaa.

I shake my head, getting the vision away. I am still walking with Nova towards Rapicik’s den. Did Nova really experience what I just saw?

Nova- were you ever chased by humans, and had to save Shaya?” I question in a quiet voice.

Nova then stops and looks me in the eye.

“How do you know about that?” her mouths drops open.

“Because I do understand you, Nova. I had a vision. I know how horrible you feel, and I will do anything to help you save Shaya,” I promise her.

Nova hugs me out of nowhere, and I hug her back. The moment seems to last forever, and the stars shine down bright on both of us.

She finally stops, and then looks at me once more.

“Thank you, Cup,” she grins widely with a small tear forming in  her right eye.

“Anything for you,” I respond.

We continue walking to Rapicik’s den in absolute silence. Many thoughts are on my mind, and I am worried about the future.

Nova and I enter Rapicik’s den once we get there. Inside, it looks the same, except for the fact that there are now seven animals infected by the disease inside.

I gasp in horror. My own mother has been infected. Next to her is Shaya, and the rest are Jamaasians that I don’t know. Rapicik, Cosmo and Faber all work together to help the dying animals.

Nova and I both rush to Zara and Shaya. They look horrible. The bumps are so large now that Shaya is bigger than Nova. Zikah holds my mother’s paws, grasping onto her for one last time.

“Cup… is that you?” my mother can barely croak out under her breath.

“Yes, it is,” I dip my head, silently crying.

“I love you, Cup. I used to be rude, but I no longer am. I know one day you will save Jamaa and you will become the greatest hero of all. I might not live to see it all happen, but I’ll be watching you from the Jamaasian Heavens…” she barely gets out the words.

“Don’t leave me, mom…” I beg in a quiet voice. She looks almost ready to die.

“Please, Zara. Don’t do this,” Zikah cries, trying to convince her to fight the disease.

“It is too strong. I cannot. I am sorry,” she cries.

“Mother! I was a horrible animal! I never spent enough time with you. We needed to bond! I am so, so sorry… please understand me!” I shriek.

Suddenly, she goes completely limp. My own mother is now dead.

Zikah and  both grab onto her, burying our heads into her fur. She had so much more to live for. She was still young compared to many of the other Jamaasians. She did not deserve to die! Zios, please! Tell me that she is only sleeping!

Nova looks out of the corner of her eye at Zikah and I. She is crying, and I know that we are both going to feel pain for our losses.

“We’re going to get through this together,” Zikah whispers into my ear.

“I know, father. She’ll still be with us in our hearts. She will always watch over us,” I respond, still crying.

After a whole ten minutes of crying, I finally wipe the tears off of my face. I can’t be an emotional wreck. There are still other animals in my life that need help.

“I have to go, Cup. I’ll meet you in the den later,” Zikah sighs and trot out of the den. We are now both at a very high risk of getting the disease, but I hope Zikah does not die. He is now my only surviving parent.

I huddle next to Nova, looking at Shaya.

“Shaya, Nova will always be there for you. You are not going to die!” I demand her to stay alive.

“We can’t lose another Jamaasian…” cries Nova.

Suddenly, I feel the strength of my mother in me. I feel like I know what the cause of this disease is. It has something to do with water…

“Give her water. Now. Melting ice from Mt. Shiveer. Do not get it from the river!” I demand. Rapicik looks confused as he walks by, but immediately races out of the den and towards mt. Shiveer.

“What is it, Cup?” Cosmo asks, sitting down besides me.

“My mother is dead. However, I feel her spirit alive inside of me. I feel like this disease was caused by poisonous water from the stream. The melting ice from Mt. Shiveer is real water, and somehow, it’ll cause the disease to go away!” I explain to him my thoughts.

Cosmo nods, interested. He must understand. This has to be correct!

I lay down beside Nova, reassuring her that everything will be fine.

“I know how to save Shaya. She is not going to die!” I guarantee Nova.

She doesn’t respond, but just continues crying.

I tap my paws on the ground, waiting for Rapicik to return. He has to hurry, or else Shaya will die from the disease!

“Shaya… did you drink from the river?” I question her. She barely nods, then continues remaining still so the pain doesn’t get any worse.

“The river was poisoned. I don’t how how, but-” I start to say.

“Our final enemy wants to kill us all off. You might be right, Cup. The melting ice will turn into water at Mt. Shiveer, and they couldn’t of poisoned ice,” Cosmo suddenly realizes my theory could be true. But it’s not actually my theory- I can feel my mother telling me everything inside of my heart.

“The water from Mt. Shiveer might reverse the poison since it is the good kind. Zios, I hope this works!” I pray that Shaya will live, along with every other Jamaasian in the hut.

Mincero bursts through the entrance, carrying Orellan. Orellan is enlarged by the many bumps of the disease.

“Orellan!” I scream. Mincero quickly sets him down by Nova and I.

“Hey, Cup… you were right… the disease is here…” Orellan barely manages to whisper, then becomes silent again as the pain starts to engulf him.

“You will not die. No other Jamaasian will die,” I promise Orellan. Now Shaya and Orellan are sick. I just hope nobody else can get the disease.

“I know the cure. I just hope that Rapicik gets here soo with it,” I tell Orellan and Shaya. They both nod slightly.

Rapicik finally enters the den again, carrying buckets of water from the melted ice of Mt. Shiveer.

“Here you go, Cup. Let’s hospe this works!” Rapicik takes a deep breath as I take the water.

“Save Shaya first. Please,” Orellan says begs before I start to pour water over him. I nod in understanding. He wants Shaya to live. Besides, she is in worse condition than him, and he’ll live longer if I don’t do anything to help Shaya.

I pour a large amount of water all over Shaya, soaking her in it. The bumps suddenly start to get smaller. They start to disappear one by one as time flies by.

“It is the cure!” Faber gasps, joining in behind me.

“Yes, it is,” smiles Rapicik.

I take some more water and dump it all over Orellan’s body. He shivers at the coldness of it, but the bumps start to go away. I go around to each of the other Jamaasians and begin to pour water on them, too.

“Thank you so much, Cup,” one of them smiles as they begin to heal and the pain goes away.

The last animal is already dead. I close my eyes in respect for them. One more Jamaasian has been lost, but they will now live in a better place.

On the other end, Orellan and Shaya both start to get up and walk around. I smile with delight. Nova remains by Shaya and Orellan’s sides and she helps them walk off all of the remaining pain.

“How can I repay you, Cup? You’ve done too much… I would die for you,” Nova races over to me and hugs me once again.

“I’m glad that you care that much about me. I care that much about you, too,” I smile as wide as possible. My mother has died, but she will always live on in my heart. Today has been a horrible day, but I have helped save lives.

Nova and I walk side by side back to my den. It is now nearly midnight, and many animals are asleep. Inside, Zikah is still awake, waiting for me.

“The disease has a cure now. Nobody else will die,” I rush to him and we both hug.

“No matter what, I’ll always be there for you, too. You are my son, Cup,” Zikah promises.

We finally stop hugging each other, and then the clock strikes midnight. Nova stares at the door, waiting for Archie to arrive at any moment.

My den is much smaller than Rapicik’s. There are only a few pieces of furniture, and it’s not even close to being as large as his. It could definitely not fit a table that big in it.

The door finally opens and Archie comes in. Orellan, Rocky, and Ranel follow him in.

“Now Cup, explain to me everything,” Archie says as he sits down on the floor. He waits patiently for me to speak. Orellan still looks thankful and I catch his gaze. His gaze seems to be thanking me, so I nod.

Ranel stares at me, also waiting for me to speak. It’s almost as if I’m telling young animals a story again.

“Well, Archie, you were killed long ago in the battle against Kurkah. But I then had to set out on a journey to find the Forgotten Alpha, who turned out to be Faber. I learned about so many new things and my life actually got better. I then realized that your grandfather could possibly be the one to destroy Jamaa. You see, I was told that a horrible battle would soon happen and it would be a betrayal. So I brought you back to life to ask you questions. I brought you back because of the Dream World. It is where you can travel through the past, present and future. You can bring animals back to life. But it is dangerous, because the portals through time can close at any moment they decide. If you get trapped in that time period, your body from the present will go into a coma and sleep for the rest of its life. That’s what happened to Brent,” I explain to Archie. He suddenly seems to understand everything that happened.

“I hope nobody else ever returns to the Dream World. I had a bad experience there myself,” Zikah chimes in. I remember when he entered my dream.

The door suddenly flies open. Katira, Wandel, Bellina, Daymond, Nile, Quinn, Marr, Nymin and Rosa enter the den. What are all of these animals doing here?

“What are you guys all doing here?” Rocky asks, raising his eyebrows.

“We’re here for a reason,” Daymond responds.

“Well then, what is it?” I ask.

“We need to be together. All of us combined are the future of Jamaa,” Marr steps into the center of the small crowd.

“I need to speak with you, too, Cup,” Wandel smiles largely.

“I wanted to thank you for saving Bellina again. I missed her so much. She is actually my sister, and I lover her so much,” he dips his head with respect.

“I understand, Wandel. You are welcome,” I smile back at him, beaming with pride.

“I’ve already heard everything about how I was brought back to life. We all listened very carefully outside of the den,” Bellina stares at me now.

“I’m glad that you all are happy, but when is the third disaster going to come?” Orellan asks out loud.

“I have no idea,” Nymin cocks his head sideways. Hopefully, it won’t be as bad as the disease.

“My mother died from the disease… I miss her,” Rosa, the young seal, croaks out from the back of the crowd.

“I feel empathy for you, Rosa. My mother died, too. But all of us will move on. Our dead ones will be with us in our hearts forever. We still remain strong!” I assure all of the animals. Everyone agrees and happiness surges through me.

“I think I might know what the third disaster will be,” Nile, the wolf in the crowd, speaks out.

“Remember the whole legend about Kurkah, the Phantom King? I believe someone brought him back to life through the Dream World, and no Kurkah is returning to Jamaa,” Nile explains his theory.

“It makes perfect sense,” Quinn the otter adds on.

“We both discussed it earlier today. But when will it happen?” Quinn wonders.

“I do agree with you. But Kurkah would have to have a bunch of Phantoms to take us down,” I puff up my chest.

“And that’s exactly what happened back in Zone Two,” Marr gasps.

”We have to prepare. Kurkah is going to attack soon,” Ranel firmly orders everyone.

“My second battle! I have to help save Jamaa this time,” I can hear Rosa squeal. She must be so excited to battle again. But I, however, am not.

“Another battle? But why?” Shaya enters the den, confused.

“Shaya? Why are you here?” asks Nova.

“I overheard you all talking outside of the den. I found the conversation interesting, so here I am now,” she explains.

“I don’t want you to battle, Shaya. I’m still worried about you. Just not yet,” Nova orders her.

“I know. You might only be two Jamaasian years older than me, but I’ll always look up to you,” smiles Shaya. Nova grins widely back at her. I feel so great right now.

“We have to make a plan to defeat this ‘Kurkah’ again,” Zikah says out loud.

“And my plan is to learn teamwork before any battle,” Katira raises her head up high. Then she looks directly at me.

“Katira, are you still angry with me?” I ask her.

“No. I realize that Brent died to save you, and I’m sorry for when I got mad for his death. I just had nobody to blame, and it didn’t seem possible that he didn’t get killed by someone. I’m sorry, Cup. I know he died in a brave way now,” Katira finally apologizes.

“I am also sorry, too. I should’ve died instead of Brent. He deserved to live instead of me. But I also misjudged you two. I didn’t trust either of you after what happened with Jalar and Karant. It was hard. But I do now, and I hope we can become great friends,” I tell Katira with empathy in my voice.

“Me too.”

“Now, teamwork is important. If we all work together to defeat Kurkah, he will have no chance. But if one person battles him, he will easily fight them off,” Katira suddenly gets into the battle spirit.

“Makes sense. But it would be stupid if everyone in Jamaa fought one phantom. That would be a waste when one animal can kill one Phantom,” thinks Orellan.

“Then we should all fight side by side, taking on Phantoms by ourselves. When it’s time to fight Kurkah, we will all team up on him,” suggests Daymond.

“Yes, this is a great plan. We will all follow through with it,” Nova smiles.

Sinsar comes into the den, panting. He looks exhausted, but Mincero is by his side in case he collapses.

“Cup… I had a vision. About the third disaster,” he begins to say.

“What was it?” I ask him with curiosity.

“Kurkah. He is coming to Jamaa. Tomorrow at noon, he will attack with his Phantoms…” Sinsar barely manages to croak out. Then he starts coughing, and Mincero tells him that he’ll finish talking for him.

“Kurkah has been confirmed to be alive. The vision explained it to him. Also, Kurkah is working with another animal to destroy Jamaa, but that animal will not be in tomorrow’s battle,” Mincero finishes Sinsar’s words.

“Then the best thing we need now is sleep. Get rest and be ready for the battle tomorrow,” suggests Zikah.

“He’s right. Mincero, have you told the alphas about this yet?” I ask.

“Yes, I have. Everyone is preparing. Have you all thought about how to battle Kurkah yet? Everyone has been speculating about when he’ll attack, anyways,” Mincero asks with a crack in his voice.

“We’ve all came up with an idea of how to battle. Now we just need rest,” I repeat my father’s idea, looking at Mincero. Then he begins to reply.

“Then everyone, return to your dens and get rest. Tomorrow will be the biggest battle we’ve had so far.”

“Cup! It’s me, Dawn,” I can hear Dawn’s raspy voice wake me up.

I rub my eyes and spot Dawn hovering above me.

“Why are you even here?” I ask.

“It’s because all of us need to train. The battle is coming in four hours. We must be prepared. We can’t lose another life…” he seems to be lost in deep thought.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming,” I open my eyes wide and get ready for the day. Whatever happens at noon, I will be there to help everyone.

I trot out of the den and spot Nova outside. She is helping Rosa learn new fighting skills. I don’t feel like training, though. I need to speak with someone.

Rapicik is sitting by the edge of his large den. This is who I will talk with. I calmly walk over to the doorsteps of his den and sit down by him.

“Rapicik, I’m nervous,” I admit to him without looking him in the eye.

“Kurkah has been defeated before, and he will be again,” he guarantees.

“But we had help from the Tribe of Ersel Animals. I should communicate with him and see if he will help us again,” I suddenly get the new idea.

“Maybe that would help. But how could a whole tribe get prepared for a battle and travel all the way down to Jamaa- in only four hours?” Rapicik’s thought makes sense.

“I don’t know, but it’s worth a try,” I get onto my paws and sprint towards my den. Maybe I can get Ersel and his tribe to help us.

Once inside, it’s very dimly lit. The windows are all shut and the blinds cover them. I scramble over to the table, where I have the orb sitting. I follow the directions that Ersel had told me.

The orb suddenly has static on it. What’s going on? I can hear voices in the background of it, but I can’t make out what they’re saying.

Then everything goes silent again. There is no static. I just shrug it off. That was weird. Does the thing even work?

I exit the den and see animals training everywhere. Then Nile comes up to me.

“Cup, I want to tell you something,” he begins to say.

“What is it?” I wonder.

“Last night I had this weird dream. That a black wolf was born and bullied. He ran away and went to-” he starts to say, but Liza interrupts him.

“All animals must listen! We can see the Phantoms in the distance, near Mt. Shiveer. Be prepared for battle now. They have arrived early! Get to the center of Jamaa and be ready to fight for our freedom! Now!” she demands.

“Sorry, Cup, we’ll have to finish talking later,” Nile says. Then both of us dash to the center of Jamaa Township, where the large crowd of animals is increasing.

The sky is darkening. It looks like a thunderstorm is nearly here. It is coming from Appondale. Hopefully it won’t be too bad, otherwise Kurkah will easily defeat us.

The swarm of nearing phantoms mixes with the storm clouds. The sky's completely black and it’s hard to see. Oh, no… the Phantom will attack us out of nowhere.

Then silence sweeps over Jamaa. Nothing can be heard, not a single sound. Everyone is silent. The thunder is gone, and there is no buzzing of Phantoms. It’s almost as if we’re in a random spot of the universe, with no sound at all.

“What’s going on?” I can hear Rosa’s innocent voice suddenly sound from behind me.

Out of nowhere, the rain starts pouring down like buckets of water. It is torrential rain and makes it almost impossible to see.

A huge, dark Phantom pounces onto me from out of nowhere. I shriek in pain as its tentacles pierce into my left paw. Blood starts trickling out, but I ignore the pain. The rain makes it hard to see where the Phantom is, but I barely manage to tackle t to the ground. I can hear the Phantom whimper as I bite down as hard as possible, killing it.

“The Phantoms are here!” I scream, making sure that every Jamaasian can hear the sound of my voice.

Two more huge, deadly Phantoms come out of nowhere from the rain. I can hear the shriek of many animals behind me. I struggle beneath their grasp.

I will not go down! I will save Jamaa!

I bite down on the first Phantom and kick the other. Both of them stagger back. Then I remember what Faber had taught me back in Zone Two. I start dancing around very quickly, making the Phantoms confused. Then I come out of nowhere and strike one of them. It shrieks in pain as I kill it off. The other Phantom then tries to pounce on me, but I get out of the way just in time. It lands on the dead Phantoms, and the tentacles pierce into its dark black skin. It slowly dies after the collision.

I can’t see any other phantoms in the horrible rain, nor can I hear the cries of help anywhere near. The rain is so fierce it is impossible to battle.

Then I see Wandel struggling beneath a Phantom. I can barely make him out in the rain, but  rush over to the Phantom and jump onto its back. It gasps in surprise, and at that moment, Wandel bites onto its body and clamps down with super strength. The Phantom dies.

“Thank you, Cup,” Wandel dips his head. I nod, just barely being able to hear him.

Archie is in the distance, battling three Phantoms. He does well in the fight. He kills one of them, and as the other two try to pounce on him, he dodges them and they slam into the walls of Jam Mart Furniture. They are knocked out from the impact.

Nova and Ranel fight side by side. They kill off the phantoms easily, as they are stronger than expected. So far, we are winning this battle!

Rocky is taking on seven phantoms at once. He is doing well, but they are beginning to surround them. I struggle through the rain and bite down on one of the Phantoms. It screeches in pain. The other Phantoms turn around to see what happened, and at that moment, Rocky and I both pounce into the crowd of huge Phantoms and bite down. Two of them are killed by our grasp, but the others stay and try to fight us off. I shove one of them backwards, and as it lands on the ground, I jump onto it and finish my job.

Rocky manages to kill off the rest of the attackers and then we both stand in pride. Kurkah can come at any time, but everyone will be ready.

Rapicik, Faber, Dawn, Mincero, Greely and Sr Gilbert all fight together, taking down the Phantoms with ease. They are destroying every phantom that gets near them. Before long, this battle will be over!

The rest of the alphas also fight together. I can see Armin killing a phantom, and Varlonn pinning one down with his quick skills. Despite his age, Varlonn still seems to be a great fighter. He is much more healthy than Sinsar.

Katira and Daymond take on five Phantoms together. With their training from today, they kill them all. Nile, Quinn and Orellan all fight the Phantoms together. Orellan is actually a great fighter now. He moves around with the speed of Varlonn and bites onto the Phantoms when they can’t see him.

A huge, completely black arctic wolf jumps onto me and slams onto the cement ground. I groan in pain. It pins me against the ground with amazing strength, and then puts its claws against my throat.

“There’s nobody to save you this time, Cup,” I look up. Kurkah’s deformed and battle-scarred face stares directly at me. His teeth have grown even larger now. However, his left eye is completely gone and he stares at me with a bloodshot, large eye. His nose is twisted from the injury from Ersel. There is a huge bite mark across his left cheek to the other cheek. It is deep, but taken care of now. His claws are also much larger. I’ve heard stories about gargoyles, and right now, Kurkah looks like one. He is growing tentacles out of his huge arctic wolf body, but they look more like wings.

“But- Ersel killed you!” I croak out as his claws get closer to my throat. The rain makes it impossible to see us, and that must be why nobody is here to help.

“And I was brought back to life through the Dream World. I am helping someone take over Jamaa right now,” he laughs under his breath. Kurkah’s muscle is so huge now. He must’ve been trained to fight after being alive once again. But by who?

“Well, Cup, I guess this is goodbye. Goodbye because I’m going to kill you!” he grins widely, showing his humongus, bloody teeth. Then he bites down on the ground. I’m out of his grasp, but he doesn’t realize it because of the torrential rain. He wasn’t paying much attention to his hind legs, and I managed to squeeze out from behind him.

“Where did…” he whispers in a growling voice.

I pounce onto his back, knocking him to the ground. I bite down onto his nose and don’t let go. He screams in pain, trying to get me off, but I won’t let go.

Kurkah finally grasps me with his hind legs and flings me off like I’m just a flower. He sprints at me faster than Varlonn and knocks me to the ground. His claws pierce into my face and blood trickles down them. He gets ready to bite my neck again, but I reverse his grasp and pin him down. As quick as lightning, I bite down on his neck. Blood gushes out of it in weird, phantom color. He growls so loud that I stagger back from him. He doesn’t care about the gash in his neck. He dashes directly at me and grabs me before I can do a single thing. He picks me up and slams me against the ground, holding my throat with one of his claws. He gets ready to bite down one more time, but Rapicik jumps onto his back. I get up, rubbing my neck and see Rapicik wrestling on the ground with Kurkah.

Kurkah claws Rapicik across the face and he screeches. But Rapicik ignores the pain and flips Kurkah onto his back, biting down onto his neck once more. Kurkah then grabs Rapicik with ease and slams him onto the ground, just like he did to me. As he gets ready to kill Rapicik, the wise fox slips out from underneath him where Kurkah forgot to secure his pin. As Kurkah turns around, Rapicik bowls into him and pins him to the ground, securing all areas. Kurkah looks frightened as Rapicik shows his large teeth.

Kurkah whistles underneath Rapicik’s grip and instantly many Phantoms come to his rescue. Rapicik is just about to bite down on Kurkah’s neck to finish him off when a huge Phantom picks him up and tosses him off. Rapicik immediately gets up, but the Phantoms guard Kurkah to make sure he can’t be harmed anymore. In the distance, I can see the Phantoms overpowering the Jamaasians now. They have gotten bigger in numbers and size. And now that Kurkah is here, they will be unstoppable. The rain is also making the battle harder.

“Retreat! There are too many Phantoms! Head into the forests of Sarepia!” I can barely hear Liza’s voice over the sounds of battle.

“Looks like you’ve lost, and we own Jamaa now,” Kurkah laughs, blood pouring out of his neck.

“With that wound, you’ll never live!” I jump directly over the tall phantom and knock Kurkah down again.

“I will kill you!” I shriek as the two of us wrestle on the ground. This battle is not over for me!

Kurkah finally gets the upper hand and he pins me to the ground, now securing all of the places.

“No there is no…” he starts to say. Nova crashes into his side and claws him across the face repeatedly.

“Once again, thanks for betraying us!” she screams as blood pours out of his face.

The Phantoms rush to kill Nova, but she dodges them, and they collide together.

“Come on, Cup, we have to go,” she orders. I nod, then take one more look at Kurkah. He growls at me, but a large smile appears on his face as he realizes he’s won.

This battle is not over.

“We have lost the battle. But that doesn’t mean we have lost hope. We will return to Jamaa soon and battle Kurkah once more for our land,” Liza’s voice is full of pride as she speaks. We recently went to Sarepia Forest, but the Phantoms decided to take over all of Jamaa. We’re now in the prairie behind Mt. Shiveer.

“That will not be the last of our battles, though,” Sinsar interrupts.

“The final betrayal is yet to come. Kurkah has been working with someone else. After we battle Kurkah again, the other enemy will rise,” he warns. He then holds in a cough. A tear rolls down his cheek. I feel horrible for him. He is now going to die in the next few days. It has already been confirmed by Mincero.

“But the three disasters are over. We can now prepare for the next two battles,” Liza responds. Everyone cheers.

Rapicik is in the back, injured. He defeated Kurkah in a fight, but couldn’t take on the Phantoms, too. He broke a bone and is being taken care of.

“Oh, and there are also four new alphas to be named,” Faber interrupts Liza, smiling.

“Yes. Once we return to Jamaa, and I promise we will, four animals will become alphas,” Liza promises.

“Those new alphas are going to be Rapicik, Cup, Nova and Rocky,” Faber finishes.

Is this what they were afraid to tell me about? Maybe it’s because I could die from it. But I will not. Deep down, I know that my destiny has always been to become an alpha.

Everyone claps, and I blush. I can’t believe that I will become one of the greatest animals in Jamaa!

“But there is also bad news. We have lost two in battle, and four have been injured. I would like to give respect to Likar and Kylakar,” Liza dips her head. I don’t know any of them, but losing fellow Jamaasians is a horrible thing.

“Rapicik has broken a bone. Nile has lost his memory from a deadly blow. Rocky has been injured in the right paw, making it hard for him to walk. And Daymond has injured his wing, but it’s not that bad,” explains Liza.

“All four are expected to heal,” she finishes.

Nile has lost his memory. But he was going to tell me about his dream! I could’ve found out many new things. I hope that he heals soon, and not just because of his dream, but because we are friends.

I decide to speak to the crowd. I ask for Liza’s permission, and she nods.

“I’d like to say something. Jamaa is a wonderful place, full of amazing animals. And there have been many tragedies lately. But I will not give up. Giving up is for the ones that don’t care about others. We will unite and become one. We will defeat Kurkah and the other enemy, even if they’re stronger. We are Jamaa, and we will survive!”