The Elementals

~*~ Chapter Nine ~*~

     Ok, as long as you're thinking of my well being, as she thought this, the light on my left side dimmed dramatically and that side of my face became cold.

     I led my pack into the cave, which at first glance seemed empty. But, being Elementals, we never looked at something just once. On the floor of the cave were small, twisted pieces of metal and copper.

     Shedding? I asked my friends.

     Guess so-, but Aqua didn't have time to finish.

     In the corner of the far end of the cave lay a small crackling pile of ambers and a breathing lump of copper. It was him.

     Hello? I asked in my calmest voice, Is anyone there?

     Classic innocent girl greeting, came a familiar voice to my mind.

     How did you find me? he asked

     I tracked your scent, Amber whispered. She was frightened.

     Don't be scared Amber, he can't hurt you. Look, I thought to only Amber. I used my head as a finger to point at the Subbie's paw. It was torn open and oozing a strange silver liquid.

     He must have caught my staring becuase he said, It's Mercury. You know, Hg on the periodic table.

     Got ya, I thought.

     So I'm guessing you're hear to finish me off like he promised? he asked us.

     Who? asked Gale, taking a step closer.

     One of those Water Elementals, he replied.

     Probably my sister, Aqua chimed in, she's a drama queen.

     Obviously, the copper Subbie said, gesturing towards his hurt paw, she said that right before she did this, then she was gone becuase someone called her off.

     Anyway, we haven't come to 'finish you off', Amber thought.

     We've come to get answers, Gale thought in a tougher voice than usual.

     Yeah, like what your name is, I thought.

     Why don't you get your firey friend over there to light up this fire and we can all shift and talk about it, the Subbie said.

      So we did. Seeing that the Subbie was hurt, we decided we could do more damage to him than he to us if he acted out.

     When I had shifted he said, "I remember you, you're the girl who puked leaves in the bathroom!"

     "Yeah, that's me." I said, rolling my eyes at the memory.

     "Lily, right?" he asked, even though he knew he was correct.

     "Yeah, and you never told me your name." I said with a snide smile.

     "Cooper." he said, bowing his head.

     "Wait," Gale interupted, "you're a Metal Subbie named Cooper?"

     "Yeah, so?" Cooper asked.

     "Well, Cooper sounds a lot like copper." Gale said, hiding a grin.

     Looking at Amber and Aqua, they had just realized the joke becuase they burst into laughter.

     "That's. Hilarious!" said Aqua, trying to catch her breath.

     "So do you know what happened to my sister?" Cooper changed the subject. All laughter stopped at the mention of the Subbie Aqua, Amber and I had fought in the woods.

     No one spoke for many minutes.

     "How did they do it?" Cooper asked, a flash of horror crossing over his face.

     "All we officially know is that they interogated her." I said at last.

     "But later that might we saw Lil's dad headed into the woods with a knife." Aqua finished.

     "We also saw smoke rising from the woods just a few hours after the fight." said Gale.

     Cooper didn't say anything for a long moment.

     I couldn't take it anymore. "Would you like me to wrap up your leg?" I asked in a short breath.

     "Not really." Cooper said. Too bad, I thought to myself, becuase no isn't an option.

     "I'll get some leaves and healing herbs."

     I wrapped his foot in large leaves and coated it with mud Aqua had made for me. I also gave Cooper some edible herbs that sooth pain.

     "You know, this is how my mother got banished from her pack up in Greenland?" he said.

     "How?" Gale and Amber said together.

     "By helping a Sub-Elemental." Cooper said.

     Instead of stopping and running from the cave with my friends, I sat there and finished dressing the wounds of the strange boy I had met in the bathroom.