100 years later...

It was nothing but silence in the Forest tribe. Rubyflame and her pups were resting peacefully in their warm, fire heated den.

It was exactly midnight when the small orange tinted mother was awaken by a strange noise.

"Scratch, Scratch," went the claws. Ruby's ears were the first to react by listening to the outdoors.

Was it one of my pups? She though to herself and started burying her noise in the beading made of grass and leaves. One, two, three she counted off into her head. Everyone was here, all three pups by her side.

Or could it have been another mother's? Like maybe it was Goldenfreeze's oldest pup; the one that loves to travel. Must be. Rubyflame breathed out a puff of smoke and then rested her  head back down to sleep.

Ten minutes later, "scratch, scratch." Ruby couldn't take it anymore. She barged out of her den making its protective fire ring blow away into the wind. She zoomed straight for a cave of ice made by her best friend Goldenfreeze.

"My Alpha!" She snorted. "Is that your pup making all this noise?" She then looked inside the cave and saw the brown colored pup sound asleep which sent a shiver of fear down her spine.

If it wasn't her or her pup then who was it? She asked herself.

"Oh my little Timber?" Asked the golden coated mother as she gave her son a lick. "He's sound asleep," she answered. Then her icy blue eyes widened with the same fear Rubyflame had. "Yet I did hear that scratching sound."

"We must find it," ordered Ruby. "I can't be out there alone." She then lowered her voice to where she could here the crackling noise of a torch set up just inside the cave of ice. "What if it's an intruder?" She asked.

"We mustn't go out there then," Golden answered. "I'll tell one of the warriors by sunrise." Then she let out a big yawn which woke up her son.

"Mom," the little pup complained. "Stop being so loud!" The other pups were still sleeping, just he has been woken by the light whispers.

"Look Timber, we hear something..." She hesitated. "Or someone outside. It's dangerous so you need to stay here," she instructed to her pup.

"What? What sound? Where? Mom can I see! Can I see!" Timber cheered rising on his hind legs.

Ruby looked at Goldenfreeze and sighed. "Your mother doesn't want you to get hurt, now go back to sleep Timber," she said, her voice as light as a feather.

Timber looked at his mom an then to his mom's best friend and frowned.
"No fair," he said and turned his back to where he faced his smaller brother and sister.

There the sound was again just it seemed louder near Goldenfreeze's den. "What was that!" Timber shrieked cuddling up under his siblings to hide.

Just then mothers and pup were tail between legs. "We must protected these pups for our clan. I'll bring my three to your ice cave. More wolves, the safer we are," Ruby plained.

"Good idea, and we should also get Starrock to guard the mother dens," Goldenfreeze added. There was a whole clearing where all the mothers or future mothers lived and where they made their dens. So far only four mothers lived there.

"Be right back," Ruby promised as she shot across the clearing to her den and carried all three pups one by one back to the ice cave. All three of Ruby's pups cuddled up with Golden's two twins. Timber was still awake wondering that in the world of wonders was going on.

"Goldenfreeze I trust you to keep an eye on the pups" Rubyflame said full of hope. "I'll go get Starrock." Then she dashed out of the clearing entrance out of Goldenfreeze's sight.

Rubyflame scattered along the pathway to the warriors clearing. As she entered she saw a den made out of rocks and a fallen tree that had a star carved into it.

"Starrock!" She panted after all the running. "I heard something... Something near the willow tree," Starrock looked at her and seemed to understand what she meant.

"I heard it too," he emitted looking at the mother with cold eyes. "Did you check to see what it was?" Questioned the brown colored wolf.

"No, that's why I came to see you," Rubyflame answered and looked at the elderly warrior. He was the one of the greatest guards in all five kingdoms and the biggest wolf in their forest. He was off his guard duty so made sense why she came to him.

"Ok," Starrock said and rushed out of his warm den and out of the warrior clearing. Willow tree he told himself. Not many wolves went there because it was located on the edge of the forest was and shared with mountain tribe.

He galloped onto the tribes main trail that connected all the clearings together. On the way end of the long trail was the tree. The darkest and deepest part of the forest. Starrock had to be careful so he doesn't run too close to Mountain tribe and seem like a threat.

What if it is Mountain tribe? What if they were coming in for an attack! He thought. Yet he had no fears anymore. He had learned rare earth wolf stills, the hurricane, the tornado, even earthquakes, from he's wise trainer that was long gone now. His name was Quake, a true legend of the past who taught many young earth wolves how to master their skill.

The mothers were now back to the nursery and warning the others about the mysterious scratching. The word then spread to the other wolves and then to Queen Lilac, the leader of Forest tribe.

Deeper and deeper into the forest Starrock went. It almost seemed as everything was getting tense? Or maybe a little warmer? Yet what ever it was he didn't like the feeling of traveling to a weird place he's only been about three times in his whole long life.

No, no I just can't go on. The feeling inside his head took over. I, I just can't go any farther. He's had this feeling before and he knows it, he just couldn't seem to remember. Then there it was, he stopped in his tracks as a flash back shot in his old head like a sudden strike of lightning.

I was there, in that horrible place of war. It was all bright. Then he lost his concentration and shook himself, his dark brown ears flipping against his face. THINK! Remember what happened to you! Then he glared down at a wicked scar that he had all his life. Now he remembered. That scar was from the fire wolves in the Volcano tribe. The warm feeling that is made him sweat and burn is fire!

Then out of nowhere came a loud yelp that seemed like a new born, and Starrock turned on his tail heading right towards the clan.

It didn't take long and the Queen already assembled a small army of seven warriors one from each tribe with one extra healer. They were in battle stance, growling their teeth as if an enemy stole their last piece of meat.

Starrock was painting, his old legs weren't build for running anymore and his stamina was beginning to run out.

"Fire," he then gasped for breath. "Near the willow, I...I heard a pup there," Starrock then collapsed and the small army yelped backing away, leaving room for the two healers to examine.

"I'll tell Queen Lilac," the fire wolf named Blaze said. He was pale with red patterns around his body and face with a orange, flame-shaped marking on his chest. Blaze ran down the main trail and reached a golden path surrounded in colorful flowers to the right. He summoned the leader right away.

Then there they were, all surrounded in the yearlings clearing, the closest clearing to the summoning orbs and the Queens den.

"We all must evacuate!" The Queen ordered right away. "Warriors, take the orbs, mothers, take your pups, elders and yearlings take all the food you can..." Then she got cut off by a scrawny mother with an orange tinted coat and dark red fearful eyes. It was Rubyflame!

"I can not let the pup die out there!" She whimpered through her tears full of sorrow. "I will go out there and rescue her for anything! My own life for that pup!" She remembered how her own pups were getting older and didn't really need her anymore and she was mostly useless to be a warrior, too weak, too small, so she might as well do something good in her life.

"You shall NOT go out there just to burn yourself in a forest fire! Starrock said it might not even be a pup!" The Queen's green eyes filled with worry as she knew it was right for a mother to protect pups, as she once had a pup of her own. Yes, a litter of one was rare and then she ended up dying, or at least Lilac thought so. She never saw her little face ever again. So she was positive there was no stopping her.

The tribe was already retreating out of the Forest of spirits into the other exit near the Great Ocean, territory of Ocean tribe. The Queen glanced at the brave mother and nodded her head, a sign of saying good luck which was an honor for a Queen to do so. Then she turned around and the last thing Rubyflame saw of the tribe was the thick, lime green tail of the Queen, wrapped around in those bright flowers healers loved to wear.

Why am I doing this? She thought right away. Am I really willing to give my life away for something that might already be lost? Then she charged into the forest, the home the tribe lived in for thousands of years, burning to it's death, yet something told her it was the right thing to do.