"Fine," he growls. "But you'd better not slow me down."

"Deal," Dove replies immediately.

"S-sure," I say, nodding my head. Brook and Wolf simply nod in reply.

"Let's get some rest now. Shall we?" Brook looks at each of us in turn.

"Like I said before, I'm not five. I'm not taking a nap; I'm going to find Arcane and make him bring back Ky."

"Wh-why d-do you now b-believe that A-A-Arcane exists now? Y-you didn't before." I frown.

"He's the one who can bring Ky back to life, so he'd better still be alive." Phoenix curls his lip in a snarl.

"Brook, let's skip the nap time and get going. We're not safe here," Dove says.

"Fair point. Let's go then." Phoenix grabs Ky by the scruff of his neck and starts to drag his brother towards where the rainbow barrier once stood. We follow him.

xxxx

Ragdon Volcano looms in the distance. And we're going to the top? It's so tall. How are we going to make it?

"Do you need some help with Ky?" Dove asks Phoenix. The black cat has been struggling to keep Ky from getting stuck on branches and rocks. for almost the entire time we've been walking. Ky's fur keeps snagging on twigs and burrs.

"No," Phoenix snarls. "I'm fine."

"K-Ky k-keeps getting s-s-stuck," I point out.

"Like I said before: I'm fine. I don't need your help." The black cat bristles, irritated.

"Ok, ok," Dove replies, holding up his hands slightly. "I was just offering since Ky's fur is getting caught on branches. It also might allow us to reach Arcane faster."

"Do I need to repeat myself yet again?" Phoenix growls, curling his lip as he looks at us with an expression seemingly of disgust and annoyance. I can't quite tell.

"But i-if you keep dragging K-Ky, his f-fur will g-get a-a-all messed up. Don't you want h-him t-to look the same?"

Why does Phoenix keep refusing to let Dove carry Ky? Ky's going to lose all his fur. Phoenix is forever angry, so perhaps he's mad at Dove and that's why he's not letting Dove carry Ky? I guess, like, Phoenix is stubborn, so that's probably it.

Phoenix drags Ky a few more feet by the scruff of his neck before stopping and setting his brother back down. He stands there tensely for a moment or two, hackles beginning to raise. 

"Fine," he growls.

"You'd like me to carry Ky?"

"I never said that, but... But fine. Just don't hurt him. If you do, you're dead." Phoenix curls his lips.

"I promise I won't." Dove cautiously makes his way over to the two brothers. Phoenix watches with the eyes of a hawk as Dove gently scoops Ky into his arms. The tan cat's head falls limply toward the ground over Dove's elbow.

We're walking at a snail's pace. My legs itch to go faster, to get the thrill of racing, the wind in my face, the rhythmic pattern of my paws hitting the ground. I prance, nearly in place, beside Brook. I need something to do. I look around to see if there are any squirrels or other small creatures to chase, but I don't find anything.

"Are you alright there, Clap?" Wolf asks with a smile and a chuckle, moving to walk alongside me.

"Huh?" I turn to her as I slow down to a walk.

"Are you alright?"

"Oh, y-yeah. I just want t-to b-be going faster." I duck my head.

"Like how fast you're going when you break the sound barrier?"

"I-I guess. I-it just feels like w-we're going s-super sl-slowly."

"What's it like going that fast?"

"It's r-really cool. Well, like, th-there's the clap when I-I go faster th-than the s-s-speed of sound, a-a-and I-I can feel the w-wind i-in my f-face, a-a-and I... I d-don't know, it's j-just really cool."

"So going fast is your magical power?"

"Y-yeah. Yours i-is turning into a wolf!" I smile.

"Indeed it is. Does Brook have one?" Wolf looks up at my stepmother.

"No," I answer.

"I don't have any abilities like you or Clap has, but I like to think my protective instinct when it comes to Clap is one. No one will lay a finger on her if I have anything to say about it."

"I don't doubt that. When we first met, I thought you were going to skewer me!"

"Well, I was intending to, but now I won't skewer you. It would be hard to get back at King Garonda XIV if I you and Dove get killed." Brook smiles.

"Do not call KG14 a king! He's not the King of Ragdon! He's not the King, and he never will be!" Phoenix roars.

"B-but you call him K-KG14. I-isn't the k King?"

"Yes, but I don't call him by that horrible word King." Phoenix wrinkles his nose as he speaks

"Alright, alright, let's just agree not to refer to... to Garonda by his made-up title, the King of Ragdon. How does that sound?" Dove shifts Ky's motionless form in his arms.

"That sounds absolutely wonderful," Phoenix growls in reply.

"Great," Brook says.

"Oh, and Clap?" Phoenix turns to me.

"Y-yeah?"

"You need to learn to fight."

"Why?"

"'Cus you were helpless in the battle. That's not gonna work in future fights against the Guard and Soldiers and KG14."

"H-how do I-I f-fight?"

"I'll teach you when we stop to eat."

"Uh, o-ok?" It sounds more like a question when I reply. Wolf chuckles.

"This'll be fun to watch," she murmurs.

I start doing laps around the group, weaving in between trees and bushes. They're moving so slowly... I bet I could be halfway up Ragdon Volcano by now if I was going as fast as I could.

I've only gone as fast as I possibly could a couple of times, as the Green Grass Field wasn't super big. Oh, how I long to be going that fast. I'd get the thrill and the high of speed. Pure speed.

An hour or two later, we start to slow down. Or more everyone else starts to slow down, but I don't; I feel as though I could keep trotting all the way up to the very tippy-top of Ragdon Volcano and still have energy to spare.

"Set Ky down," Phoenix growls to Dove, who nods and crouches down, letting Ky fall softly onto the ground.

"Who wants to catch something?" Wolf asks.

"I can! I-I c-can catch a-a-a bunch of squirrels!" I prick my ears.

"Alright, let's go. I'll shift and go with you."

"Brook, you go get yourself something to eat. Dove and I will stay here." Phoenix's voice is sharp.

"Ok. We'll meet back here in half an hour," my stepmother says before walking off into the forest.

"Let's g-go, Wolf!" I jump on my paws, itching for an all-out sprint.

"Ok, ok. Just give me a moment to shift." Wolf smiles. She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths to relax. Steam begins to rise in curls from her shoulders a few moments later, she burns before exploding. Her bones snap as fur rips out from beneath her skin, and she drops down to all fours. After shaking out her fur she jerks her head towards the surrounding forest.

"R-ready?" I ask.

Wolf nods.

I break into a loping run with Wolf trailing me closely. It isn't long until I find the scent of a squirrel.

"I-I've got this one. G-go find y-your o-own prey," I whisper. 

Wolf nods, and she trots off. I turn my attention towards the squirrel, and I track its smell until I spot it.

The squirrel is perched on a tree root, and it nibbles on a pinecone, oblivious to my existence. I creep closer, stalking my prey until I'm close enough to attack. When I break into a run, I don't go fast enough to hear a clap; it takes too much energy and it isn't nearly as fun as when I get to chase my prey. The squirrel bolts, switching directions every so often to try to evade me. But it's unsuccessful, and I catch the squirrel a couple of seconds later. A swift bite to the back of its neck finishes it off.

I leave the squirrel at the base of a tree, partially covered under some branches, and wait for Wolf to return. A few minutes pass by, and she hasn't returned. Where is Wolf? Where is she!

A rustling in the bushes brings my attention back to my surroundings. I take a step backward, trying to pinpoint the location of whoever's nearby. A deer! It is nibbling on some leaves, and its ears swivel as it keeps watch for predators. Has it not noticed me?

I crouch down and take a few slow and cautious steps towards the deer. It lowers its head to pull a few more leaves from a bush before slowly chewing them. The fur on my stomach brushes the ground as I take another step closer to the deer. My muscles tense for a moment before I leap forwards, jumping just fast enough to reach the deer before it has enough time to start running away.

I barrel into the deer's haunches, and I bite down on one of its hind legs to bring it to the ground. The deer thrashes, nearly catching me in the chest with one of its hooves. I dart back, and the deer is close to escaping, but I leap onto its back to bring it back to the ground. A growl rumbles in my throat as I struggle to bite down on the deer's throat; it takes all of my strength to keep the deer from standing up and escaping.

"A deer! Need some help?" It's Wolf, and she's back in her human form with two rabbits dangling from either hand. I nod. Wolf shifts back into her wolf form, and she pins the deer to the ground far more successfully than I had done. Within a few minutes, the deer is dead.

The trek back to where Phoenix and Ky are is much slower; Wolf is dragging the deer by its forelegs. She stops every so often to take a short break. When she's stopped for the fourth time, I set the rabbits and squirrel down.

"Maybe shift i-i-into y-your human form? Th-then, perhaps, you c-c-could carry i-it?"

"Fair point." Wolf shifts back before picking up the deer.

"Finally. Took long enough," Phoenix grumbles when we return. He's laying down beside Ky.

"Wh-where a-a-are Brook a-and Dove?" I look around but don't see either of them.

"Brook went to find something to eat, and Dove went to get some water. Any more questions?"

"Would you care to start a fire so we can cook these?" Wolf holds up the deer and jerks her head towards the squirrels.

"Fine. Any more questions?" Phoenix looks at a patch of ground for half a second before it bursts into flames.

"H-how a-a-are we supposed t-to cook th-these?"

"Goodness gracious. Stick them in the fire! How else would you cook them?" Phoenix curls his lip.

"Stick th-." Wolf is cut off by Phoenix.

"Before you ask, no, they won't get charred. Remember I can control fire? How little faith do you have in my abilities?"

"Hey, hey, now. I never said I doubted your abilities; I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't be eating charred meat!" Wolf holds up her hands in defense.

"Whatever. The meat isn't going to cook from there; put it in the fire." Phoenix lays down with his head on his paws.

"Y-yes, your h-highness," I mumble with a smile as I bend down to pick up the squirrels.

"What did you call me?" Phoenix snarls, jumping to his feet.

"N-nothing." I drop the squirrels, drawing my ears part way back and leaning backward as I lower my gaze.

"Huh, that's awfully funny 'cus I thought I heard you calling me 'your highness'." I don't reply.

"Answer me! Did you call me 'your highness' or not?"

"Phoenix! Chill! It's not a big deal." Wolf moves between us.

"Not a big deal? 'Your highness' refers to KG14! And he's the person I despise the most." Phoenix spits the words out, flames crackling across his fur.

"S-sorry, Phoenix," I murmur, almost inaudibly.

"Whatever. Just don't do it again. Anyways, where the hell are Dove and Brook? They should've been back by now." Phoenix's eyes scan the surrounding forest.

"Right here, Phoenix. Don't you worry." Dove stands beside Brook, who towers over him. Phoenix whirls around.

"What took you so long?"

"It took a while to find water."

"You?" Phoenix raises an eyebrow at Brook.

"I was hungry."

Brook stands a few feet behind me as I devour the squirrel I caught. Phoenix is taking greedy mouthfuls of the deer as Wolf and Dove split the rabbits, which have been perfectly roasted by the fire.

"Oh, Clap. When you're done I believe you need to learn to fight." Phoenix looks up from the deer. Blood has soaked his muzzle.

"I-I do?" Did he say that?

"Remember how you did nothing in the fight?"

"Oh, y-yeah." He did mention that.

"Yeah. That's not going to work in future fights. You're going to be useless unless you are able to fight."

"That was pretty harsh, Phoenix," Brook snaps.

"I was being honest. Would you rather I lie?"

"No, but there are nicer ways to say it."

"I'm not sugarcoating it. Now, are you done eating, Clap?"

"Y-yeah."

"Wonderful. Attack me."

Wowzers. I'm approximately halfway through Clap's chapter! Once her chapter is done, I'm a third of the way through the story! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are enjoying the story as a whole! Please vote and comment!

I don't know about you, but I'm not sure how I feel about Phoenix being Clap's teacher on how to fight. What do you think?

I've asked this before, but will the group be able to find Arcane?

If Arcane still exists, will he be able to bring Ky back?

-Werewolf14-