Legends of the Saloli: Approaching Storm (25 page)

“
But all was not well. A member of the Black Legion, a bat named Phantom, learned of Melody, and vowed to corrupt her. Though he had the powers common to the creatures of the Black Legion, Phantom knew he was no match for HeartTribe’s chief. Instead of using force, he decided that he would use trickery to taint her heart. He summoned his courage, and approached her. Melody could instantly tell that this creature was evil, but being pure of heart, could not bring herself to hate him. Phantom pretended to be injured and in pain, so Melody brought him back to her camp where he stayed until he claimed to have recovered. During that time, he managed to earn the pure one’s trust, and she became fond of him, thinking of him as her friend. Phantom knew this, and took advantage of it. He told her, one day, of a power he knew of, a power that could rival her’s, which was a lie, and that he was more than willing to share it with her, so long as she took it on his terms. Melody told him that she knew what power he spoke of, and wanted none of it. She also said that she was not interested in power unless it could help others. This was when Phantom used his cunning brain to his advantage. He told her that his power could help others, if used in the right way. He told her that his power, if placed in the right hands, could be used to fight and destroy those who used it for evil purposes, which was also a lie, for the Dragon would never allow its powers to be used for good. Melody was still hesitant to believe him, but he had ensnared her curiosity. Her instinct to help those in need demanded that she learn more about this power, at least enough to be able to tell if using it was the right decision. She agreed to go with Phantom to learn more.

“
She did so every night, when Phantom’s powers were strongest. He took her to his home, a tall tree which was not a mile away from the Dragon Tree itself. There he would demonstrate his powers to her, and explain how she could use them for good. The more she came, the farther into the darkness she was drawn, though it still did not corrupt her heart. Months later, when he finally thought the time was right, Phantom brought her to the Dragon Tree itself. When he revealed the tree that supplied his powers, Melody found herself fascinated by it. The tree was made of pure evil, something that she had never seen before. Phantom told her that to receive the powers he had, she only needed to climb to the top of the tree and fling herself down inside of it. He promised she would not be hurt. Hesitantly, she put her claws into the bark, preparing to climb it. The sap that came out of the tree, though, touched her fur when she did this. It burned her, and she jerked her paw away. Remembering Phantom’s promise, she lost her trust in him and ran away, back to her camp. Becoming enraged at his failure, Phantom chased and attacked her! Using her powers, though, Melody was able to fatally wound him. Phantom would have died then, but, somehow, he managed to make it back to the Dragon Tree. Finding a puddle of the same sap that had burned Melody, he drank it. The pure evil it was made of caused a transformation in him, changing him into a monster that did not bare any resemblance to who he had been. He was now the size of an eagle, had teeth like a bear’s, and strength like a lion. Phantom took to the air, and sought out Melody. The pure one hardly recognized the one she had thought her friend, and realized then just how vile the Dragon Tree was. His sharp mind now dulled by rage and hate, Phantom unleashed his new powers on Melody. Though she still could have defeated him, she was intimidated by the bat’s appearance, so she ran. Almost the entire forest was destroyed by Phantom’s pursuit. When at last he cornered her, Melody begged him not to kill her. Phantom paid her no mind though, and destroyed her with a single blow. Their chief dead, HeartTribe no longer had anyone to lead them, as their chief had been appointed by none other than Valde Abbas himself. With no guidance, the Black Legion attacked them and drove them from their territory. They never returned.”

“
That’s it?” Blaze asked, astounded. “The bad guys win? The good guy dies? How could Valde Abbas let that happen?”

“
Because,” Sunbeam explained, “Valde Abbas was concentrating on something else. He was already rallying the rest of the saloli to attack the Dragon Tree. He could not help her.”

“
But what happened to Phantom?” He persisted.

“
Nobody knows for sure. He most likely retreated into the Dragon Tree with the rest of the Black Legion. Either that, or he died in the battle.”

“
What happened to HeartTribe?” Smallthorn asked, “They were driven out of their territory, but what happened after that?”

“
Again, nobody knows for sure. Some say that they continued living in another territory, unknown to the tribes once they were formed. Others say that they scattered, resumed their old way of living and lost their powers.”

For a minute, Blaze just sat where he was, contemplating what he had just heard, “Is this a true story?” he asked, finally.

“
No,” Sunbeam said, “It’s not true. Just a legend.”

“
Then why tell it with such enthusiasm? It has nothing to do with what really happened.”

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Blaze,” Sunbeam said to him, disappointment shining in her eyes, “There is more to storytelling than teaching the past. We tell stories to entertain each other, and to give praise to Valde Abbas. A story about our creator makes him happy, even if it isn’t true.”

“
Oh,” Blaze said, embarrassed. Stories were used as entertainment in the human world too. How could he have forgotten? Was he becoming a saloli so much that his human life wasn’t as important to him as this one? He hoped not. His mother was still in the human world, and he didn’t want to forget about her.

<><><><><>

“
Okay, Scratch, close your eyes,” Blaze instructed. Scratch did as he was told. “Now inhale through your nose.” Again Scratch obeyed. “What do you smell?”

“
I smell. . . I don’t know. I think it smells like. . . Icefire?”

“
Good!” Blaze congratulated him, “That’s exactly what it is. You’re smelling Icefire’s scent. This is the scent wall separating Icefire’s territory from Cyclone’s.”

“
But there’s something else,” Scratch stated, “but I’ve never smelled it before.”

“
That’s Cyclone’s scent. Each tribe has a certain scent, a scent made by all the tribe saloli’s scents being combined into one. You need to memorize which scent is whose, because if a saloli from another tribe comes onto our territory, you can identify which tribe he’s from by his scent. If that happens, you must catch him. If you can, bring him back to the camp for interrogation. At the very least, you need to drive him off of our territory.”

Fear filled Scratch’s gaze, “You mean I have to fight him?”

“
That’s part of being an Icefire saloli, Scratch. You must put your own needs behind the needs of the tribe. You must also protect Icefire in times of trouble.”

“
But- but I can’t fight!”

“
And why do you think you’re being trained?” Blaze had to resist rolling his eyes, “I’m going to teach you how.” He was upset by the look of fear on his trainee’s face, becoming increasingly convinced that Scratch was an incurable coward. He never showed any sign of bravery, but more than made up for that in fear. He seemed to be afraid of everything. Blaze wasn’t sure if there was anything he could do to help him. Shaking his head, Blaze turned and walked along the Cyclone border, motioning with his tail for Scratch to follow. As they went, Blaze pointed out a Cyclone patrol coming from the other direction. He half expected them to call for an exchange of events, as the Groundsky patrol had, but they passed by silently. Blaze decided that was best, as afraid of the other tribes as he had just made his trainee. Besides, he probably wasn’t ranked high enough to do an exchange of events without another, more experienced saloli with him.

The two saloli continued down the Cyclone border without anything more happening. As they neared the Darkcover border, though, Blaze began to feel as if something wasn’t right. He looked around, searching for something out of place, but saw nothing that shouldn’t have been there. He perked his ears, but heard only the crunch of dead leaves under his feet, and the singing of birds in the trees high above. It wasn’t until he inhaled through his nose, taking in the now familiar scents of the forest, that he realized what was amiss. There, right on the Cyclone border, was a saloli scent. It was crossing the border, going from Icefire territory into Cyclone’s.

It was a scent Blaze knew well.

<><><><><>

Goliath was ecstatic. For the past week he had been too busy dealing with his tribe to do this, but now, finally, he had the entire night free. He rushed through the forest at top speed, Mordred directly behind him. Though having known Mordred for years, it still amazed Goliath how the old, blind saloli could manage so well in the forest without his sight. If you didn’t know him, you would think his eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s. But now wasn’t the time for that kind of thinking. Now was the time for evil thoughts. Dark thoughts. And that was exactly what filled his head as he stopped before the Tree, breathing in the dank, musky smell of pure evil. There was nothing else like it in the world. It alone could invigorate him, fill him with the desire to do the things he did.

“
I see that you are still as fascinated with the tree as you were when I first showed it to you,” Mordred observed happily, ignoring the irony of what he had just said.

“
I come here as often as I can,” Goliath responded, “This place, it is what makes my life worth living.”

“
I told you that it was a wonderful place.”

“
You were wrong.” Goliath corrected him, “It is not wonderful. It is terrible. It is rotten. It is vile, wretched, and disgusting.”

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But would you have it any other way?” A wicked grin spread across Mordred’s face.

Goliath chuckled. “No.”

“
Come, let’s climb to the top.”

Nodding his agreement, Goliath sunk his claws into the soft, black bark of the Tree. The yellow-green sap bubbled out from the puncture marks, coating his claws. All too soon, he and Mordred were at the top, looking down the great black hole that the trunk opened up into.

“
I can’t believe that the stories of our history do not tell of this place,” Goliath said, speaking first, “Anything containing this much evil must have attracted the attention of Valde Abbas.”

“
Ah, but they do!” Mordred cackled, “This place plays a bigger part in the histories then you could ever imagine.”

“
What? Tell me!” Goliath demanded.

“
Not now, my chief, not now. You will know when the time is right.”

Goliath knew Mordred well enough to know that it was impossible to drag answers out of him, not to mention dangerous to try. Forcing his mind off of the subject altogether, he resumed staring into the black abyss. Hours later, though it only felt like seconds, Mordred spoke up again.

“
What is it telling you, Goliath?” he asked.

“
I have the overwhelming urge to bring someone else here,” Goliath answered

“
Who?”

“
I don’t know. I can’t think of anyone besides the two of us that deserve to see this place.”

Mordred paused for a moment, savoring the suspense, “Not even Razor?” He asked, finally.

“
That stupid failure?” Goliath asked, shocked that he would even suggest such a thing, “I would rather die than share this place with him.”

“
A failure he may be, but you cannot deny his will to do evil. His technique may be flawed, but his heart is just as black as yours.”

“
Do not insult me!” Goliath growled, though, in his head, he trusted the old saloli.

“
Perhaps he just needs a little guidance?” Mordred suggested, “A little push in the wrong direction? You can certainly be a bad influence, Goliath.”

“
Are you sure, Mordred? This place could just as easily send him over the edge. I don’t need a mad saloli wandering the forest, raving about this.”

“
If that happens, then you can kill him.” Goliath sat in silent contemplation for a few minutes, thinking about Mordred’s advice, “Bring Razor here,” the blind saloli repeated, “you will not be disappointed.”