RiverBed looked at Flame. "We have got to get up there! Petal! Take us up
there!" she called to Petal.
Once everyone was up they looked inside the bubble. Inside of it was Galilobo.
He looked as if he was asleep.
"How in the name of the Elemental Faeries are we going to get him out?!" Flame
said.
"Well, if it's a regular bubble then we could pop it with something sharp,"
CoalBalt said. "But I think NightStalker put some sort of spell on it."
Flame frowned.
"I agree but how will we know if its bewitched? Run into it?" Riverbed chuckled.
"We could always throw some food, it's never failed us before!"
Without waiting for an answer she chucked a Meaty Lupe Treat right at the bubble.
The treat hit it and then it bounced off with a shock of electricity. Then suddenly
they heard a cold, hard laugh behind them. The four friends turned to see who
it was. It was none other than NightStalker. He had an ugly, ruthless face that
was curled up into horrible grin.
"So you pathetic children have found my hide away." NightStalker's voice was
like a cold December wind. "I suppose you little pip-squeaks think you're going
to beat me, hah. Oh and look, I do believe I see a familiar face." He smirked
over at CoalBalt, who looked straight into NightStalker's eyes and glared. "I
must say CoalBalt, I would not have expected you to go soft so soon and easily."
CoalBalt glowered at him. "Enough NightStalker!" Flame sneered." You say your
going to fight us yet you stall to make time! If your really as tough as you
say you are then you'll fight us!" NightStalker turned his cold gaze on Flame
who did not shrink back, but boldly met his gaze.
"You will regret this boy," NightStalker said softly. "And where are your
two goons?" Flame asked with a cold stare. NightStalker's lips curled into his
horrible smile again. "Oh yes, well, as highly amusing as BlackThorn and DarkHunter
were, I'm afraid to say that I needed them to make the spell complete." He gave
a cold hard laugh, which sent shivers down their spines.
"So, you want me to play your little game? Ha! Well then, if you want to make
the biggest mistake of your short lives then be my guest," NightStalker sneered.
"Hey guys come here," Petal said. They formed a small circle around Petal.
"I don't like this," Petal said uncertainly.
"I think he's leading us into some sort of trap." Flame frowned.
"Yeah, but if we don't try to fight him then he will destroy Galilobo and then
us!" Riverbed nodded in agreement. "We have nowhere to go, he has trapped us
already so we have to fight him. I think we should give it our best shot, and
take him down!"
Flame smiled and said, "You're right! Okay who is with us?" Petal and CoalBalt
looked at each other, smiled, and nodded together. Then the four friends turned
to NightStalker's ugly face, and steadily walked towered him, their faces set
and ready.
The four Lupes took different sides of NightStalker. NightStalker was looking
like he was bored. And all four Lupes could see that there was a tiny glint
of hesitation in his red eyes. Suddenly, Flame jumped over him and tried to
distract NightStalker, but it was easy to see that NightStalker was an experienced
fighter, so he did not fall for the distraction so easily. Instead he shot a
blast of dark magic CoalBalt's way, but CoalBalt dodged them easily and sent
a powerful psychic blast at NightStalker, who was hit full out, but did not
seem very hurt. Riverbed shot a jet of water NightStalker's way, but he saw
it coming, and moved over at last second. Meanwhile, Petal was creating a giant
whirlwind up in the sky.
"Guys! Move over!" she shouted at her friends. Finally, she shot it straight
at NightStalker with a champion archer's aim. Petal controlled the whirlwind
for as long as she could, but her time ran out and she lost control of the whirlwind.
When NightStalker made his way out of the whirlwind, he looked enraged. He started
chanting something under his breath. And suddenly, CoalBalt realised which spell
it was. A dark spell which could destroy, if powerful enough. CoalBalt ran in
front of Petal just as NightStalker finessed the spell. CoalBalt was thrown
back words with tremendous force. He rolled as he hit the ground, then lay still.
Petal ran over at breakneck speed to se if she could revive him. Flame ran at
NightStalker and tackled him to the ground, biting and scratching and throwing
fireballs at him. Riverbed also joined the fray, also biting and shooting water
spurts.
Finally, it seemed that NightStalker was down, so Flame and Riverbed both shot
their most powerful attacks at him and then he exploded into red and black sparks,
leaving nothing behind except for ashes. Up by the tree, the bubble holding
Galilobo burst, and he fell on the ground with a soft thump. But he was up as
soon as he hit the floor. Flame and Riverbed hurried over to where he was sitting.
"I'm fine, don't worry, but where is Petal?" Galilobo asked in a worried tone.
Suddenly, Riverbed remembered CoalBalt. She and Flame ran over to where they
were, Galilobo at their heels. But Coalbalt was not moving. Petal was crying,
and then it hit them. NightStalker's spell must have been powerful enough to
destroy. And it had taken CoalBalt as its victim. Petal was crying as hard as
Celset had been when she found out that Galilobo had been kidnapped. One of
Petal's tears had fallen on CoalBalt's lighting scar, and then something amazing
happened. It started to glow bright blue, and then it turned white again. CoalBalt
opened his eyes, and groaned.
"Did we win?" he asked looking dazed. Then Petal threw her paws around him.
"Ouch! Uh, that hurts Petal," CoalBalt said with a wince. Petal let go of him.
"And I guess I should take that as a yes," Coalbalt added, rubbing his head
and standing up. Riverbed grinned.
"Hey, guess what hero, we got Galilobo," Riverbed said. Galilobo smiled and
said, "Well, I'm afraid I'm a bit clueless about what has happened. So on the
way home why don't you tell me exactly what happened."
Petal sighed. "There has never been a better word than home," she said.
Epilogue: Every one made the journey home well, and when they came home
to their valley Galilobo made the announcement that CoalBalt would be made an
official member of their pack, and I guess you could say they lived happily
ever after, but who knows!:)
The End | 
