I am here...I am not...I am here...

    Her mind was confused. She saw a flashback of herself in her nest. It was a bright, blue day, with plenty of prey running about. But in her heart, she knew that she was really not here. It was just so real! The feeling, the emotion...and then darkness.

    A silver shadow appeared to her right, and moved closer to her. It was the shadow of a Swallow-tailed Kite, and he was holding something sharp in his talons.

    "Canyon..."

    The voice seemed to come from everywhere, and not from a direct source. The voice was whispy, and tinged with age. She so wanted to dive bomb away, but her muscles stayed tense, and hard, as if she was paralyzed - in flight.

    "I've been waiting for you..." And the blade slashed down onto her.

    The darkness jerked from her vision, and she flung out her wings, gasping. Pyretalon seemed to be experiencing the same trance, and soon, everyone had awoken from whatever trance they were in. Alabastorm surveyed them on without emotion. He seemed content to stay there, and seemed to not realize what this class was experiencing.

    Up on the dark, mahogany wood branch, perched a slim bird. He was a Swallow-tailed Kite, that was in the color silver. He looked like to be a Water-X, but his feathers crackled with static, so he must be one of the Lightning Phoenixes. His wings had circles of black feathers on the primary ones, and the secondaries had black bands of feathers on them. His talons were finely trimmed, with slim, serrated claws, and his eyes - his eyes were a mysterious dull blue and gray, with a harsh glint in them.

    His voice was monotonous, as if he had no emotion in himself. Only his shouting voice had a tint of anger and sorrow in them. "Hi, Phoenixes. I am Sleektalon, a well respected member in the Phoenix Arts and Elemental Training. I am pleased to be here today to teach at one of the most abundant phoenix academy there is. I will follow you guys to your next class, so I can observe your level of powerfulness." Canyon shuddered when he mentioned that he will be 'observing' them. "Now, as you see, there are eight levels in the phoenix levels." He flung his wings out open, and blue electricity formed to show the eight levels. "Now, before the gong sounds, I will tell you about each and every level..." The rest of the time, he spoke boringly about the different types of levels.

                                                                                                        ~~~

    A week passed, and Sleektalon's doom was coming evermore closer. Canyon was put into the seventh level, because of her 'sheer strength in fire power'. He really did observe them, with a look of curiosity etched into his face, as if he himself never have seen another phoenix and their powers. Probably explained why he sounded so sorrowful and monotonous at times. He probably didn't tell Flame and the Frigatebird his observations yet because of his death deadline. He would probably tell them his observation, and then they'd kill him.

    When the day before his doom was coming, Canyon decided to do something risky.

    She alighted down next to Sleektalon when he was peacefully perching on an oak wood branch. She tried to be as quiet as possible, but he anyway turned around anyway and almost stabbed her with a Thunder Bolt. Luckily, she ducked in time, and his surprise instantly turned to shame.

    "Sorry, Caiman."

    "Canyon, actually."

    He closed his eyes and sighed. "Canyon. "

    There was an awkward moment of silence, then Canyon decided to break it. "Say, you know, Sleektalon." She wasn't sure exactly how to break the truth to him. "I was wondering...you know...there's something you have to know...you-I-Flame-" She was stuttering. Canyon cleared her throat. "Excuse me, but something terrible will happen tomorrow. You...um-I do-he..." She was stuttering - again!

    Sleektalon gave her an amused look. "Canyon, dear, you can tell me." Then his forehead creased up, as if somebody else was in his mind to tell him to do something different. "Just...TELL ME ALREADY!" His body shook with anger, and his eyes were still unfathomable, blazing with...flames?

    Hmm...maybe she didn't want to tell him the news in advance. Maybe she'd be okay if he died. But...he just looked so pathetic in his head, that it was hard to hold a truth against him. Canyon took a deep breath. "Flame and the Frigatebird are going to kill you, interrogationalist."

    Sleektalon almost fell off of his perch by shock. His claws creaked unstably, and his eyes seemed dizzy with fear. Once he got over if, he stood up straighter and taller, looking Canyon straight in the eye. "Where did you hear this about me?"

    "Um..."

    "Of course they wouldn't kill me, Canyon! I am their number one interrogator!"

    Canyon sighed in relief that he wasn't suspicious of her knowing about it, but she winced as she had to convince him. "They...they are. They say that you're a gossiper, and want to get rid of you. They said that they'll get rid of you twelve shadows before sunrise."

    "That's...that's..." His eyes seemed to be in a flurry of fear and confusion, as if not sure how to take this information. "You, my dear, and going to regret this." He opened his wings. "Now go back to your classes, or I'll report that you've weaseled out of your learning." He left with a hasty wing beat, and disappeared into the sky.

    Canyon was confused. Classes were already finished. He probably got confused with age, and perhaps got time mixed around. Canyon anyway winged right to the Ring of Fire.

    Canyon attempted to convince him again at the night when she knew that Sleektalon wouldn't be confused of her class schedule. Anyway, she probably should've expected the same reaction due to his robotic-like movements. He also seemed aghast, as if he never remembered that Canyon had asked him before.

    "Flame and the Frigatebird are going to kill you, Sleektalon - and without hesitation."

    "Where did you hear this about me?" He hissed.

    "What? But I've already told you about -"

    "Of course they wouldn't kill me, Canyon! I am their number one interrogationalist!" He said, cutting swiftly through her words as if he didn't even hear them.

    Canyon growled softly, frustrated. Sleektalon was obviously an idiot. "NO! I KNOW! They're using you! Don't you know? Why, just the other day -"

    "That's...that's..." He stuttered. "You, my dear, are going to regret this." He hesitantly opened his wings. "Now...go back to your class...? Or I'll report that you've weaseled out of your learning." He said haltingly, as if confused. He flew unsteadily off to do whatever and whatnot.

    Sleektalon was being used. Canyon just knew it from her observation and her trust from her guts. Whatever the cause, whatever they intend, they were planning an assassination of Sleektalon. But would she dare stop them? What if they killed her? What if Flame really was allied with the Ice Dragons? Or was he? This didn't make any sense at all. Should she alert King Falcon Claws? No. He has a nosy, short tempered daughter who always trails him. Not worth the risk. What should she do?

    Canyon looked down at her flaming talons, and smiled.

    She had an idea.

    Sleektalon was an idiot. And the only way to protect an idiot was to keep the enemy at bay.

                                                                                                     ~~~

    "Say, how long, exactly, does this unintended event have to be?" Flame asked.

    "Oh, just until the Stars of Vuldrix come out." Canyon replied. It was the day of the murder, and Canyon had told Flame that there was an unintended meeting coming at The Island Ridge. Of course, there really was no meeting. Canyon had to lie to Flame. It was just so easy to lie! Canyon could see Flame's discomfort showing, as he thought about the delay of the plan.

    "There really is no other time?"

    "No."

    Flame sucked in his breath. "Alright."

    Canyon had formed a brilliant plan. Of course, like many, it had flaws, so she had no high hopes that it'd work. So, to get Flame to delay the plan - enough so she can have at least half a shadows left of time - Canyon faked. "I'll - I'll go with you." Canyon nearly choked out those words. The last thing she wanted to do was go out all alone with a to-be-murderer. "I know where it is. The Island Ridge."

    Flame snorted. "I know where that is."

    Canyon could see that Flame was trying weasel out of this one. She shook her head. "I must accompany you to this long planned meeting. King Falcon Claws said that everyone associated with the Rising Sun who are 'part leaders' have to be there."

    "Impossible!" Flame shrieked. "Nobody would dare not alert me to something as important as this!" Even so, Canyon could see that Flame was believing all of this.

    "Yes, but it would take a long time to get there. So we must go now."

    "Now?"

    "Yes, now." Canyon was delighted that this foolish bird was believing everything she said.

    The two Fire Phoenixes lifted off into flight, with Canyon in the front, and the twitchy Flame wandering in the back.

    When they got there, it was empty. Wind whistled through holes and crannies. The waves lapped at the jagged rocks. Dead carcasses of some sea creature were visible through the rock.

    "HELLO, EVERYONE! SORRY I'M LATE!" Only the night sounds were what greeted him. "GUYS?"

    Canyon silently floated away in the wind.

    "What the heck?" Flame said, swooping low over The Island Ridge. "Canyon! Why isn't anyone here?" He said in an annoyed tone.

    But Canyon was already on a thermal draft flying away. For tonight, she had a plan to complete - and an idiot to save.

    If she could, she would capture the Frigatebird. She had already cast a Fire Phoenix spell to capture the Frigatebird - she just needed Flame far away from the spell in case he deactivated it. She needed to force the truth out of the Frigatebird, and possibly save the Rising Sun from anymore destruction and violence.

    Flame bellowed from behind as Pyretalon suddenly lunged from the rocks out at him. Pyretalon blasted him into The Island Ridge, leaving him immobilized for Canyon. This will give her time. When Pyretalon blasted rock and fire once more to topple onto Flame, she swiftly and powerfully winged her way up to Canyon.

    "So, that's your plan, huh, Canyon?" She scrunched up her face. "By attacking a fully respected Fire Phoenix?"

    "Fully respected traitor." Canyon corrected. "Anyway, I told you about it before, right? So all we need to do is for the Frigatebird to walk into the trap."

    "Haha! Good luck with that." Pyretalon laughed. "Anyway, what are you thinking right now?"

    Canyon paused, thinking. "That I -" Pyretalon nudged her in flight. "That we have to get the word out to everyone to stay on constant guard. And to save everyone from total destruction. And to save Sleektalon the idiot. If everyone else is going to be ignorant, then at least we have to do something about it. Think...we could banish the Forbidden forever."

    And save an idiot's life.

    An idiot with fire blazing eyes...