FicWad

Another chapter. Sorry about the slower updates. I have limited computer time, plus homework never really helps much does it? Every year we have a big community day. I had to play in the band again. Yet more excuses. Thanks for sticking with me.

This chapter is dedicated to Frimmy from fanfiction, my very first reviewer. Thank you so much for the support and great reviews, they really helped me to keep writing, in the end and the beginning. Honestly, I wouldn't have continued without the support when I started. I mean this for everyone. You guys are the greatest! -Hugs readers-.

I tried to incorporate some Archie and Atlanta in this one. Added some funny Neil lines too. Let's just say this chapter will have fluff and laughs. Keep on reading and reviewing. It'll help me write the next sixteen chapters. The story isn't even half over... so you can still expect some more surprises. -Nuuoa Eclaire

"Something's controlling them! ...Well I guess we all know who that is." -Odie

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"Aggh, this is getting soo old!"

From the sky, the clouds greet you as you move along your path. If you look down, past the endless dark ripples of water underneath you, you can see an island. The heat of the land mass is intense, and not to be ventured upon. The only possible place you can find comfort would be in the cave. Though hard to find, amongst soaring rustic cliffs... it would be worth it. A quick shiver of cold wind to brush and cool your damp fiery skin.

Though it is still unknown how the air suddenly becomes like so. Legend has it that the Gods became very mad when the village people refused to destroy a mocking statue. The island people rotted away and the island was cursed with scorching heat. The cool air locked away in an underground passage. After thousands of years the air slowly began to leak through. Where? In the cave of course. Now it remains trapped, never venturing into the hot dust.

In the cave you are surrounded by endless turns and twists. The secret passageways. The walls of the cave are high, cold like marble, a mixture of jade and topaz coloring. Even the very tiniest amount of light makes them illuminate like magic.

No one has stepped foot inside it for generations. But this is where we find our young heroes, in a cave impossible to find. But heh... with Neil anything is possible.

Cronos looked bewildered as Neil's voice interrupted his cry. The shadow wolves around him, though, seemed unperturbed and sullen... emotionless.
"What did you say!"
"Are you deaf now too? I said that this is getting old! And not just you, the whole situation!" Cronos stepped back and meet the models face. Perfectly constructed features, crisp blue eyes. He spoke in his normal manner, calmly and surely. He seemed exasperated.
"What on earth are you talking about mortal."
"Well..." Neil leaned comfortably against the cave wall, "I'm just tired of this." He lifted up and swung his arms around, he turned his voice into a terrible impersonation of Cronos, "Get them! And like, I'm the all-powerful Cronos! Ohh... I'll get you next time!" He swung his golden mirror out of his pocket, placing his golden platinum locks back into place; his voice went back to normal.
"Each time we beat you... easily! You'll end up sending the shadow wolves on us, we'll beat them, you'll get angry, and you'll disappear in your uhh... little portally thingy. Wow! Amazing isn't it."

Cronos by this point was fuming. He felt like pulling his gray and black hair from its roots.
"I- get them!" Hatred oozed out of his voice, but his actions were temperamental and childish, it was like he was an over grown immortal baby.

The rest of the group had been staring at Neil flabbergasted during his little word rampage. They couldn't hold it in any longer, they all burst out laughing. Odie began to roll on the floor laughing hysterically, Herry pounded his fists against the walls, causing it to tremble and shake until he stopped.

By this point Cronos had enough fumes to power a steam train. Neil smiled into his mirror satisfied.

Atlanta tried to breath; all the laughing was causing her difficulty. She gasped... and started to laugh again. Archie wiped tears from his dark gray sapphire eyes, and put his purple head backwards... then he felt her. He saw Atlanta leaning against strong shoulders for support, and felt her short soft fiery hair, brush against his neck. Her beautiful suntanned face, from all the hours spent without sunscreen in the forest, was rosy from the giggling delight. Then she stopped and turned to Archie who was staring at her. She jumped away in shock and coughed awkwardly, 'What's happening to me... it's not like a guy hasn't stared at me before.'

Fortunately Cronos didn't notice, he was to busy glaring, "I said get them!" Neil sighed and put his hand on his head, making sure not to mess up his hair of course.
"Why would the shadow wolves even help you? I mean didn't you kill one of their own?" He turned to the blank faces of the army, "Don't do it. I mean come on! Why would you?" Then he shuddered.

Cronos was smiling.

The thing that scared him wasn't his crocked teeth... though they were atrocious. It was the evil gleam that seemed to consume his face. And how his eyes turned startling ruby.
"This time Neil... you've run out of luck."

The shadow wolves moved in a trance. Their muscles were not rippling with the usual anticipation before a kill. Their saliva drooled in wet clumps down their mouths. Shadow wolves were clean creatures, and so it seemed strange they hadn't groomed themselves since the last fight. It was obvious looking at their big glazed yellow eyes they were tired, but their feet kept moving like they were in their prime.

The team yelped and ran deep into the caves depth, being swallowed by the icky blackness, before emerging once again in light from the cave walls. After running for minutes nonstop Odie was extremely out of breath. They had escaped Cronos for now. But they could hear robotic like howls moving near, and Cronos laughing. They weren't hiding, but they really needed to regroup.

"Something's controlling them! ...Well I guess we all know who that is." Odie piped up.
"Yah thanks Odie, but we didn't need a genius to figure that out." Archie slapped his whip on the ground.
"Even Herry could have figured that out." Neil chimed as he put his mirror back into his pocket.
"Hey!" Herry shot Neil a threatening snarl, "I resent that!"

"Ok enough!" Atlanta demanded. The boys stopped their little spat and watched her mouths hanging open in shock.
"Now we need a plan. Like Odie said, Cronos is controlling them. But how? Now we don't have Jay or Theresa here with us right now? But hopefully we will soon..." he voice dropped. Archie put a pale hand on her back, "We will have them here soon." She smiled up at him. He melted.
"I'm skilled at hunting things like the wolves. Odie has the technical skills. Neil's got the luck. And Arch," she turned to him, "You've got the whip."

"Is that all I've got?" Atlanta could here the howls coming nearer, "I need your whip Archie! It's not that we don't need you... but we need you for your whip right now!" Archie sulked, "Right I get it..."
"That's why you're coming with me right now. Your whip can cut through anything-even make a small spying dent in a hollow rock to listen in and watch Cronos. If we find a hollow rock to hide in we can spy on Cronos!" She patted the smooth gemmed surface triumphantly.
"You and I will figure out how Cronos is controlling them." Archie loved hearing the words 'You' and 'I' in the same sentence with Atlanta, he nodded. Atlanta turned her gleaming gray eyes to the others.

"The rest of you will fight Cronos until we return with our answer. The shadow wolves shouldn't be too hard to beat. If it turns out to be like the incident with the ant collars. Then Herry and Neil, you guys will protect Odie as he turns that flying game into a sound wave device. At the right frequency the trance will break." Odie winched and caressed the back of his video game with his chocolate hands, before nodding slowly and admitting that they needed him... even more than he needed his game.

"Are you all with me." Atlanta thrust her hand down in mid air, motioning for the others to join.
"I know I am Atlanta." Archie placed his hand gingerly on top, savoring the feeling of her touch.
"What's this Archie? I thought you said you'd never take orders from a girl? Even though I'm not a junior anymore."
"Well, desperate times call for desperate measures." Archie turned his head away, hoping his excuse was good enough. Atlanta just rolled her eyes.
"I'm there!" Odie jumped in.
"Me too." Herry joined his hand into three and smiled as Neil stomped his foot stubbornly.

Atlanta gave him a baby seal face. Her eyes seemed big and bright enough to Archie, that it could light the stars in the sky and be mistaken for the evening moon. The other's laughed, but as Archie watched his stomach did the turns of colorful butterflies and fluttered like the song of the morning songbirds.

Neil sighed, "Alright! But if I break a nail or something, it should be on your conscious." He made a putrid face at his friends grimy hands, "I don't have to touch those do I?"

Atlanta rolled her eyes and grabbed Archie's wrist, picking up pace to find a hollow rock to hide in. And as the howls grew rasped and deadly close, so much that you could smell their rancid breath, Herry pumped his muscles, Odie tried to do the same and Neil checked himself out.
"Bring it on Cronos!" They ranted like physced up football players.

Atlanta slapped her forehead and rolled her eyes, 'Men.' And as she moved towards the next quick patch of darkness her hand caught in Archie's. A huge blush was evident on his face; she could see it vividly out of the corner of her eye. She smiled inwardly, 'Yes...' She quickened her pace like a giggly child, 'Men.'

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I'll try to update a lot quicker next time... before... big news... I go away again! -Gasp!- I'll be gone from June 7th until the 13th. Then we have a day off from school on the 14th, when I'll write another chapter. Guess where I'm going? I'm going to Quèbec! As a part of the year-end graduation trip for the entire grade seven students at my school. I'll be in Montreal and then Quèbec city. If I don't update again before then I'll post another reminder. Sorry. The good news though is that I will have some time to write the next couple of chapters during the trip. But I'll probably have trouble writing when I get back... I'll probably write it in French without knowing... I'm not a loud to say a word in English. Thank you for the understanding. -Nuuoa Eclaire