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"I think we'd better get back to the cabin," Rue suggested, already turning around. Flashbacks once again coursed through her mind, and once again she shook them off. One thing was for certain though, she was not going to take shelter in a cave again.

The wind picked up, pulsing through Setsuko's hair. Li whined nervously. "Kanna and I could fly back," Sumi suggested, "So that we don't slow you down...it's probably better with less people traveling on foot." Setsuko glanced at her son. "Yes, that would be best," she agreed hastily. "And I can fly back, too, with Li...Kuilak, do you have my glider?" Kuilak handed her a short stick. Setsuko grabbed it on either end and pulled it out into a longer one. She winked at Rue. "Collapsible version. Gift from my father...he said it would be easier to carry around. He sure was right, too!" And with that, she, Sumi and Kanna opened up the staffs. "We'll fly back," She told Kuilak. "I'm sure Rue and her family will want to, as well. You can take Jaci, Kya, Misaki and Yuumi by foot back to the cabin." Kuilak nodded briskly in agreement. The couple kissed briefly as a way of saying "good luck", and Setsuko took off, followed promptly by Sumi and Kanna.

"But I don't want to fly in the wind," Tess complained. Rue briefly looked at Tariq. "Alright then, you can stay here with your father." Tariq stood by Tess, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you guys coming, or walking?" Rue asked, her wings already spread. Maddy spread her wings in response. Breifly looking at Kya, Gale responded, "I'd better walk." She nodded. "Let's go then," Maddy said. They took flight, and Tess waved at them as they flew after Setsuko, Li, Sumi, and Kanna.

At the sound of flapping, Setsuko looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, Rue and Maddy had decided to take to the skies as well. Turning her eyes back to what was in front of her, she sped up slightly, though made sure to stay level so as not to upset Li.

The wind was increasing. "Alright, let's go!" Commanded Kuilak. "Quickly, quickly!" He scooped up Yuumi and began trotting in the direction of the cabin. Kya and Misaki were quick to follow.

Tess held out her arms, and Tariq picked her up, carrying her as he jogged.

As soon as the cabin was in sight, Setsuko began her decent. Before she knew it, she was at the front door. She came in quickly, folding up her glider and putting it down on her "bed". Li was crying. The poor little guy...he must be terrified! Setsuko thought. She took her son out of the baby-pouch and held him comfortingly.

The walking group was about halfway back when the rain began to fall, quickly picking up pace. "Everyone, get around me!" called Misaki with astonishing bravery for her age. Using everything she knew, she prevented the group from becoming totally soaked through by creating an umbrella-like dome made from the water itself. "Smart idea, sweetheart," Kuilak praised, a bit out of breath. "Keep it up, and keep moving!"

Despite the dome, a drop of water fell on Tess' head. She touched the spot where it had hit, the small patch of wet hair making her fingers momentarily damp.

Rue walked into the cabin behind Maddy.

"Are you guys all ok?" Setsuko asked, turning as everybody else walked in.

The group finally made it to the cabin. Misaki let everyone else in first. The she too entered the cabin. Of course, she left the dome outside, letting it splash to the floor. She plopped down on her own "bed", panting.

"I don't like storms," Tess announced when inside.

"I'm good," Gale said, in response to Setsuko. It sounded like something his mom would've asked, given a moment to do so, and so he automatically answered.

A deafening clash of thunder sounded from outdoors. Misaki screamed and Li started crying. To make matters worse, the cabin had become pitch-black as the storm clouds had rolled in. It was dark and dreary, and half of Setsuko's family were nearly scared to death. Yuumi clung to Kya. "Loud bang! Loud bang!" He cried, terror dripping through his voice like the rain through the storm.

"Don't we have a lantern in here or something?" Rue asked, her calm voice cutting through the sounds of panic.

Kuilak searched through his backpack. "Erm...I think so..." he said, his voice thin and shaky. At last, he pulled out a water-tribe style lantern. "Found it!" he said quickly, handing it to Rue.

It took a moment to figure out, but soon the small light filled the room with a glow. It revealed Tess clinging to Tariq tightly, her knuckles white, and Maddy, looking pale and shaky. Gale seemed only a bit startled.

Tears still trickled down Li's face, but Setsuko had finally got him to stop whining. Most of her children where shaking, their faces pale, the emotions clear in their panic-stricken eyes. "What was that?" Misaki asked warily, referring to the loud crash that had sounded not to long before.

"It was only thunder," Gale said. He was the only one out of his siblings who wasn't scared of storms. He actually enjoyed the fierce power in them. "It always happens in a storm."