paw.

Talkeet felt a little…. electric charge, as she touched him.

“I’m going to do something for you.” She said, “but if I do, I… I fear that… that I may never see you again.”

A tear ran out of her eye.

“Close your eyes Talkeet,” She said.

Talkeet did.

Snow stepped forward, and into him.

Talkeet felt a warmth, and electric jolt, that almost knocked him out, then…. nothing.

Talkeet opened his eyes.

Snow was gone.

Talkeet felt different, he no longer felt guilty, he couldn’t explain it, but he just felt…. okay.

Talkeet climbed out of the hole.

He looked around.

Snow was nowhere to be seen.

She was gone.

“Thank you Snow.” He said.

Then, Talkeet ran toward the entrance to the cave.

 

It took about two hours for Talkeet to reach the cave.

He’d run quite a long ways away when he’d realized what had happened.

As he approached the cave, he saw Lightning standing outside.

He stopped.

“Good to see that you made it.” Lightning said,

“I was beginning to worry about you. What happened out there?”

“It’s a long story.” Talkeet said, “but I’ll tell you all about it when I’m a member of your team.”

Lightning smiled.

“Sounds good to me. The next agility test is in that chamber, good luck.”

“Thanks!” Talkeet said.

Then he ran into the chamber.

 

Talkeet ran down the long corridor, to the next part of the competition.

The chamber was about five hundred feet long, and it was all empty air, except for a very narrow bridge, barely wide enough for one of Talkeet’s paws to fit on.

The wolf in the chamber motioned him forward, and he stepped onto the rock bridge.

He looked down, and could barely see the remains of at least twenty wolves, obviously killed from the fall.

He started to shake, and then realized that he could not keep his balance if he was shaking.

He was scared.

The other side seemed so far away.

“You can do it Talkeet.”

The voice was in his head.

Talkeet shook it, trying to keep his bearings.

“Just go Talkeet, you will make it, you must.”

Talkeet recognized the voice.

“Snow?” He said.

“Yes.” The voice said, “it’s me.”

“How?” Talkeet asked.

“It’s a long story, but I’ll tell you later, right now you’ve got to finish this competition.”

Talkeet nodded.

He took a deep breath.

Then looked down again, and started shaking.

“Here,” Snow said, ‘I’ll help you.”

Talkeet felt his fear evaporate, it just went away.

He took a step forward, keeping his paws in a single file line, for there was no other way to cross the bridge.

He made it about half way before he saw that the bridge was broken.

The gap was too far to jump.

He looked to the sides, keeping his perilous position.

Talkeet saw a rock ledge there, to his left.

He looked at it carefully.

It wasn’t much bigger than the bridge he stood on now.

“Can I make it?” He thought.

“Yes, you can, you must.”

“Snow?,” Talkeet said, “you can hear my thoughts?”

“Yes,” she said, “in fact, it would be better if we communicated that way, so the others won’t think you’re crazy, talking to yourself all the time.”

Talkeet concentrated.

“Okay.” He thought.

“Now make that jump.” Snow said.

Talkeet felt a little afraid, but he was confident.

He jumped, throwing his body around, so that he would land on the ledge.

He hit the wall.

Talkeet fell off backwards.

“Whoa!” Snow yelled.

Talkeet grabbed onto the ledge, and hung there, suspended over a drop of over two hundred feet.

“Pull yourself up.” Snow said.

“I can’t,” Talkeet thought. “I’m.. I’m slipping!”

One of his paws slipped then, and he was hanging on by one paw.

“You can, and you will,” Snow said, “Talkeet, pull yourself up.”

Talkeet swung his other paw up, an grabbed onto the ledge, and then, began to pull himself up.

It took a few tries, but Talkeet finally swung his back legs up onto the ledge, and slowly, so as not to lose his balance, stood up.

He was shaking again.

“That was too close.” He thought.

You’re telling me,” Snow said, “I’m in here with you now ya know?”

Talkeet laughed at the shear insanity of it all.

He slowly made his way down the ledge, stopping when he had passed the gap.

Here, the ledge ended as well.

“I’ve got to jump again.” Talkeet thought.

“Yes,” Snow said, “and let’s try to make this one without almost getting ourselves killed.”

Talkeet jumped.

He landed on the bridge, and rolled over the side.

Talkeet threw his legs around the bridge, and stopped, upside down, hanging on the bottom of it.

“Well, that’s not exactly what I meant.” Snow said.

Talkeet pulled up, until his chest was against the bottom of the bridge. Then he started to roll himself back up on top of it.

He finally made it back on top, and laid there, legs wrapped around the bridge, clinging to it.

“Let’s get off of this thing!” Snow said.

Talkeet nodded, and slowly stood up.

He made it to the ledge at the end of the chamber without further incident.

“Good job son,” Dash said, as he walked over to him.

“DAD!” Talkeet said, running over to him.

“I can’t talk right now,” Dash said, “finish the competition, and then we’ll talk. I bet you have a lot to tell me about.”

“Oh boy do I!” Talkeet said.

“Well son, you’ve made it this far, you’ll do just fine, just keep going.”

“Alright dad.” Talkeet said, walking off of the ledge.

“Talkeet…” Dash said.

Talkeet stopped and turned.

“… I’m very proud of you son.”

Talkeet smiled, and ran into the next chamber.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 10

 

Shadow walked into Dash and June’s chambers.

June stood up from where she was laying in the corner, and walked over to him, smiling.

“Shadow, what brings you here?”

Shadow smiled as well.

“I’ve got news for you.”

“Talkeet?” June asked, hope evident in her voice.

“Yes,” Shadow said, “we found him, or rather he found us, and he’s just fine. He’s moving on to the last two events, and shouldn’t have any problems.”

“Oh Shadow!” June said, “Thank you!”

Shadow nodded.

“Dash saw him.”

June smiled.

“Well,” Shadow said, “I better be getting back to the finish, I just wanted you to know.”

“Thank you.” June said again.

Shadow turned and walked from the room.

 

Talkeet was staring down yet another female.

“How the hell do I have to fight the females?”

“Beats me.” Snow said, “and Talkeet, what would your mother think of such language?”

Talkeet laughed again.

This truly was insane.

The two wolves stood on another rock bridge, this one wide enough to stand on, but with a drop of about the same distance as the last event.

“No circling on this one.” Talkeet thought.

“No,” Snow said, “please no circling. I don’t feel like dying… again.”

The female charged down the bridge.

Talkeet stood his ground, and the two clashed.

They fought, back and forth, back and forth for quite a while, before Talkeet hit her in the side of the head, and she fell off the bridge.

“NO!” Talkeet thought.

He jumped forward, and snapped at the female, catching her leg in his mouth.

She screamed, as his teeth dug into her leg, but it stopped her from falling.

Talkeet slowly backed up, careful not to fall himself, pulling the female up, until finally she was on top of the bridge.

She was breathing pretty hard.

“Thank… Thank you.” She said, “but… but why…”

Talkeet smiled at her.

“I’ve seen too much death in this thing.”

“Well… well thank you.”

She stood up, and walked away.

“Good luck!” She said, as she walked out of the chamber.

“That was awful nice of you.” Snow said.

Talkeet sighed,

“Yeah….”

Then, he ran to the wolf on the other side of the bridge.

There’s only one more event,” the wolf said. “Head through that corridor, and you’ll come into a chamber, that’s it.”

Talkeet nodded, and ran from the chamber.

 

When Talkeet reached the next chamber, he stopped.

Aleu was there.

“What the…” He said.

Talkeet walked down into the chamber.

“Congratulations.” Aleu said, “I knew you could do it Talkeet.”

He smiled.

“Your family will be waiting for you outside this chamber, they probably want to see you.”

Talkeet smiled.

“So that’s it?”

Aleu nodded.

“You made it.”

She turned.

“Come on, I’ll walk with you.”

Talkeet noticed something then, that Aleu could not possibly see.

Sticking out of the shadows, right next to a big rock, was a long round shape that could only be a…

“ALEU, GUN!” Talkeet yelled, as he jumped into her.

He landed on her back, and pushed her to the ground, out of the line of fire.

He

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