Look at that cover I drew! :D Isn't it bootiful?

And really sorry for the extremely late post. I had a horrible case of writer's block. Also, around the middle of the chapter, it's probably going to be really bad writing, at least in my opinion, it is. :P

Also, can I have some opinions on this idea?
I'm considering changing Aslan's name. It can be confusing if someone watches Narnia, since the two characters have nothing in common.

Review:

Smiles1998: I will update as soon as possible! :D

Cahaya Nightdreamer: Yes, Rachel is very much busted. :D How will she explain this one?

Brightcloud0915: True point, but when has anything ever worked out in Rachel's favor? :3

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I was silent as the three barraged me with questions. I couldn't blame them for being angry. After all, I had let them think I was dead this entire time. I waited a few moments before I finally spoke.

"Okay, enough with the questions. Let me speak," I sighed wearily and sat down. Gray and Yeshai glared at me, while Aslan's gaze was unreadable. If anything, that was worse than him being angry with me. "After I'd told you to leave while TwinMasters hunted us, he found me." She began. "He killed me, or so he thought." She watched their reactions, which didn't change much. "I was saved by that Clan of tigers we'd tried to recruit in the mountains. I don't know how I survived being stabbed in the chest, but I did. When I'd woken and was recovered enough, I returned south. By that time, TwinMasters was already defeated. I'd found you, actually, but I decided that I shouldn't have returned. It was easier if I wasn't a wanted enemy of the public."

"Ya still are." Yeshai grunted.

"I know. I realized that when I was arrested in a village here. That was when they called First Squad."

"And all that distracted them from arresting you was the volcanic eruption." Aslan finished. I nodded in confirmation.

"I'm half tempted to turn you in." Gray spat. "But I won't."

"Thanks." I said, deadpanning just a bit, but I was pretty grateful that he wasn't going to arrest me.

"What now?" Yeshai asked.

"I'm going to head north to try and find more survivors." I answered quietly.

"From what I've gathered," Aslan sighed. "Not many, if any at all, would've survived in the north, due to the lava flow and earthquake."

"Well, I'm not going to First Squad." I flattened my ears, stubborn.

"I didn't expect you to." Aslan stood. "But, we have to get back."

"And what will you tell them?" I watched them quietly.

"That we found nothing." Aslan nodded.

"But-" Gray started, but Aslan silenced him with a look.

"… alright." I nodded quietly, pausing for a moment. "… is it true? Azaan and Dazaan are dead?" All three went quiet before Yeshai nodded, confirming it. I, too, went quiet, the grief slamming into my stomach once more.

"I'm sorry," Aslan stated quietly, and I nodded, about to speak when the bushes to our right rustled. Aslan jolted, startled. "First Squad. Go, now!" I didn't even take a moment to comprehend what he'd said before I darted out of sight, racing into the dusty forest. I ran for a few good minutes before pausing, relaxing when I heard no sounds of pursuit behind me.

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Two days later, I had made it to the north slopes of the mountains, with no sign of life whatsoever. The ash was heavier, here, so I'd been forced to change to my human form, which had my cloak. I used some cloth from my shirt to create a rag across my nose and mouth to block out the ash so I didn't breathe it in. The lava flows were also more frequent, causing me to backtrack and find a different route.

Early in the morning on the third day, I was trekking up a steep incline, just to the east of the largest volcano. However, my traveling was made easier due to a small, path-like trail along the ridge. The air was cold and dry, due to the ash blocking out the sun. I was just wondering when the sun would come back when small white particles started to fill the air; snow.

"Damn," I cursed, pulling my cloak closer around my shoulders. I looked around quickly for a place to shelter, and saw a small cave entrance. Hopefully, it'd have a small puddle in it. I needed water; some that wasn't clogged with ash. I soon ducked into the small cave, waiting until my eyes adjusted before moving on. The cave sloped downward, farther into the mountain. I traveled for ten minutes until my foot splashed into something cold; water. I quickly knelt down and dunked my hands in the water, drinking it. Luckily for me, it wasn't ashy. I drank for a good five minutes, waiting for my strength to recover. Leaning on the wall, I took off my mouth-rag, sighing and shutting my eyes. When I woke a few hours later, it was dark. Standing and stretching, I shifted to my lioness form and drank a few more mouthfuls of water before heading off down the tunnel. Might as well explore while I'm there, right? As my eyes adjusted, I noticed the cave became drier and drier. The stone underneath my paws was worn smoothly. Suddenly, I felt the cave open up around me and turn into a cavern. Looking around, I noticed the cavern walls were covered in paintings and, upon further inspection, there were candles all around the edges of the cave.

I shifted to my human form and inspected the candles. They were cracked and hardened with age, but the wicks still stood. However, the candles were nothing to me unless I could find a flint. This goal became my new mission, and I hunted the entire cavern until I found a small pile of the stones, almost as if they'd been left there specifically.

It took me five full minutes to manage to light a spark, and then another five minutes to land a spark on the wick. When the candle was lit, I moved around the cavern in a circle, lighting the other candles to produce more light. The cavern was soon aglow with the candles, and I then noticed there were cave drawings all over the walls.

The drawings covered the walls of the cave from the floor to the ceiling, each depicting various scenes. Towards the side of the cave I had entered from, from my angle I could see that one side had drawings, while the other didn't. I assumed the side with the drawings was the beginning of the whole lot. I approached the wall and looked upon the drawings, quiet. They were covered in beautifully painted dragons, and other mythical creatures I had only heard of in legends. I traced a few fingers over a white gryphon and expected the material to rub off onto my fingers, but the white pastel-like material stayed on the wall. As I continued to inspect the drawings, I slowly wound my way around the cave. Most of the painted scenes depicted mountains surrounding the valley. Perhaps it's a recorded history…? I mused, until a new picture farther along caught my attention. It showed various depictions of humans. The pictures continued along the wall from floor to ceiling, until the human pictures dwindled and suddenly those pictures were replaced with another scene of the valley. The next picture showed more humans, but they were scattered as small dots around a painted copy of the valley. I continued looking until yet another picture of the valley made me stop. The picture depicted a horrific volcanic eruption, almost exactly like the one that just happened to the valley. A little unnerved, I moved on, looking at the paintings when another one caught my attention, and this one startled me. It was a sketching of a woman, and it looked just like…

"So, you finally found this place." A voice spoke behind me and I whirled around, eyes wide. A man stood before me, removing a hood from his head. It took me a few long moments before I actually recognized him.

"You're the one that murdered the Lord Protector!" I stepped back, suspicious. The cloaked man shrugged.

"It needed to be done." He approached me. "If you haven't noticed, this cavern holds a painted history of the valley." He motioned with a hand to the surrounding cavern, almost seeming like he was bored. "And, if you haven't noticed," he pointed to the picture of the woman. "That's you."

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There we go, a chapter finished!