Allanon Loke

Chapter 2 A tall, black, heavily armored Vortixx stood facing a large, stagnant lake. In the center, a dangerous looking rock outcropping was beginning to appear. No rain had come to the island of Zereda for so long that the lake itself had begun to evaporate significantly. Several large, four-legged blue Rahi could be seen swimming and fighting with each other in the water. A few were ravenously eating some of the few remaining fish in the lake. A vicious fight broke out on the rock out-cropping when one of the Rahi managed to steal part of another's meal. Zebulun frowned in annoyance and repulsion. His subjects positively disgusted him at times. It did not matter to him that they were Rahi, though intelligent Rahi. He still thought that they were a nuisance to keep under control. The only thing he enjoyed about them was their loyalty and extreme numbers. He had never once lost a battle because he had numbers on his side. Though, he hated to watch the aftermath because the Ithamar would eat their slain enemies. He had gotten it through their animal brains to eat them out of his sight. The Ithamar came in two breeds, both possessing elemental powers. One was Water Ithamar, which Zebulun was watching presently with increasing boredom. They were several shades of blue. Silver and black markings and size were the only way he could tell any of them apart, if he even wanted to. The other was the Fire Ithamar, ranging from bright red to dull orange. These also had black and silver markings. The Ithamar's armor had jagged edges on the ends of their limbs nearest their clawed paws. They also had sharp teeth, but mainly used their teeth for eating. The Ithamar would only use these natural weapons in fights among themselves because, for some reason Zebulun could not understand and did not care to understand, they hated close combat with their enemies. They used their high level of intelligence to create and use long-ranged weapons that they would see their enemies using. Over time, their aim became very good. Over all, Zebulun preferred the Fire Ithamar, which he believed were more Matoran-like. Zebulun scowled. The more he thought about Matoran, the more he despised these Ithamar. He had to learn the language of the Rahi Ithamar in order to communicate with them, and he found this to be very bothersome. Matoran would make much better subjects. Yet, he knew that the only way he could gain a territory with Matoran would be to use the force of his Ithamar, meaning that he would have to take them with him. Yet taking all of these Rahi with him would be not only troublesome but also meant that he would have to somehow get rid of them when he gained a Matoran territory. Zebulun began to lose himself in the daydreams of ruling intelligent Matoran. He heard a noise of metal against stone and a growl from behind him and twitched in annoyance. He turned his head and saw a Fire Ithamar climbing up the rock stairs on all fours. When the Rahi saw that his master had seen him, he quickly stood up on his hind legs, as Zebulun had instructed him. The sword attached to a belt around his waist clanged against the rock again. The red Rahi growled at the sword again. Then he strode up to his master. "Pedahzur," he acknowledged the Rahi. The tall, red and black Rahi bowed his head and began making noises, his tail swaying from side to side. It annoyed him how their tails always seemed to be moving, not to mention that it annoyed him that they had tails at all. Zebulun could tell that his second in command was only making a speech of obesience, so he did not bother trying to understand him. Zebulun turned back to the dying lake. He heard the Rahi saying something more. He frowned irritably. "What is it?" he asked. Pedahzur started over again. Because Zebulun did not really care about the Ithamar's language, he had a limited understanding of it. All that he could understand from what Pedahzur said was "master," "food," "gone." "Of course they'd be complaining about food," he muttered under his breath. He saw the Rahi stiffen and felt a bit apprehensive. At times, he thought that the Rahi could understand a great deal more about the Matoran language than he let on, but that was impossible. He was only a Rahi, not anywhere near the intelligence level of Matoran with their spoken languages. A plot began to form in Zebulun's mind. He smiled craftily and turned to the tall Ithamar. He haltingly began to talk to the Rahi in the Rahi's language. "I thought much about this," he said with false concern and as simply as he could so the Rahi could understand. "I say to move to new land, new hunting." Pedahzur stared at his master with a look of concentration. A few seconds later, the Rahi's countenance brightened and he bobbed his head enthusiastically. Zebulun muttered under his breath about how slow-witted these creatures were. Then the Rahi asked, "How?" Zebulun sighed frustratedly. He had hoped that the semi-smart Rahi had thought of a way. He could not think of how to transport so many Rahi. The wood on the island was scarce, and he didn't trust the Ithamar with the crafting of boats. How would he be able to craft boats? Then the Ithamar began speaking again. Zebulun heard, "Water...swim...carry...to...boat...master." Zebulun crossed his arms in annoyance. That made no sense. "Repeat," he demanded. Pedahzur did not repeat it exactly. Instead, he pointed at the Water Ithamar. "Swim," he stated simply. Then he tapped his chest. "Carry red ones." Then he pointed to the trees then to Zebulun. "Boat - master." Zebulun grinned. He had not taken into account that the Water Ithamar did not need boats. And if the Water Ithamar carried the Fire Ithamar, that would mean fewer in the boat. "Good, good. Soon?" he said in his halting Rahi. The red being grinned. "Next sun-up." Zebulun smiled widely with evil cunning. "Good." The Rahi bowed and left, returning to all fours to move faster. Zebulun turned his attention back to the lake. Tomorrow, he would be that much nearer to leaving this primitive life and becoming the lord of a Matoran civilization somewhere. He hefted his sword, thinking of how he could go about destroying his Ithamar once he had that accomplished. He pushed a lever on the intricate handle, and the blade suddenly split into several blades going every which way. He grinned maliciously. He fingered another lever and the spring mechanism made the blades regroup to appear as one blade again. He turned and approached a tree. He stabbed the tree, pulled the lever, and watched with evil delight as the tree flew in many directions from force of the springing blades. He could remember how many times he had used this weapon on live beings and the glorious mess it would make. No one ever survived a thrust from his sword as soon as he pulled that lever. He rarely had to actually fight with this weapon, his own creation. -~-~-~- Pedahzur raced to the high rocks, his sword annoyingly banging on the ground. He found the sword to be bothersome, but he knew that the Black One gave him this as a mark of authority as second in command. It was a symbol that told him how much the Master trusted him. Soon, the Fire Ithamar was at the near top of the high rocks. The high rocks was a large rock formation at one end of the island. This was used as the temporary meeting place of the Ithamar while they lived on Zereda. Pedahzur threw back his head and let loose a deep, wailing roar that could be heard all over the island. Immediately, red and blue Ithamar began to quickly assemble. He could see that nerves were high as they snapped at and growled at each other irritably. He waited until all was silent to begin. "The Master has decided that we should leave this place and seek a new hunting ground," he began, his words projecting well in the rock formation to reach the innumerable Rahi assembled. Murmurs began echoing off the walls. "True, the boats we came in when we arrived have been destroyed. We can still swim. All Water Ithamar are to help the Fire Ithamar in this." Instantly the crowd began shifting as friends began pairing up. "We will construct a boat for our master, and four Water Ithamar will guide his craft. We leave tomorrow." A smacking noise began and steadily increased in volume. The Ithamar were slamming their claws against the rocks, a sign of their agreement and approval. The deadened trees were uprooted as the Rahi quickly set to work. Pedahzur climbed back down the rock and began searching for the four strongest Water Ithamar. "Azari. Pashu. Malch. Tirsat," he said, picking them out by name and sight. The four came to him. "You will be the ones to guide the master." They bowed their heads in honor. A red Ithamar approached the second in command. "Pedahzur," he said, quietly, concern showing in his dark red eyes. "You know there are more Fire than Water Ithamar. There will be many of us who will be forced to swim." Pedahzur nodded. "I know, Azzer," he replied calmly. "I will be one of those." Azzer's eyes widened. The second in command left before his friend could say more. He approached the boat makers. A crude, boat-shaped contraption began to be visible in their work. Some of them were arguing over how to stick the logs together. "Bash them together until they stick," one suggested brightly. "Can't you melt them together?" another asked. If they use fire, they will burn not melt, he thought. But melt...that's an idea. Pedahzur began digging. A few Ithamar gave him odd glances. It did not take long for him to run into a piece of metal. When the Ithamar had come to the island, they had to eliminate a race of armored creatures and their armor had sunk into the ground but was still good. He handed the piece of metal to a Fire Ithamar. "Melt this," he said, pointing to it then to the boat, "on that. They will stick together like the armor of our enemies." The Ithamar brightened and began bobbing their heads, delighted at the solution. The boat-builders split into two groups: those who dug up armor, and those who melted it on logs and made the logs stick together. A few of the diggers could be seen gnawing on the armor and picking at it, looking for some meat left on them. Pedahzur felt pity for his fellow Rahi. He himself was very hungry too. But tomorrow, he thought, hope rising his spirit as the sun crept behind the horizon, we will eat. Review Topic

Great story so far. The descriptions of Tetak's thoughts were good. I really like the interactions between Tetak and the electricity Matoran. I smell a friendship brewing. Do you have a link for the archived story?

Nice story, dark but still well written. The action was well laid out, as well as giving background info on the characters when needed instead of clumping all the introductions in the beginning. The opening sentence grabbed my attention right away. Good job.

Oooh, a mysterious, ancient treasure hunt. Good prologue. It's nice to have the main characters at least introduced in the beginning. Nice start.

Good prologue. It sets the stage nicely with background information. Will there be a lot of the canon characters making appearances?

Ichimaru Gin died. My interest in Bleach died. Ichigo got his powers back in the most nostalgic, angsty way possible. My interest has been rekindled. I love how the plot is progressing now. I actually haven't watched the cartoon after the end of the whole Aizen arc. And so, Aizen lives on his son. We shall never be rid of the ultimate villain. That would be an awesome connection if that's how things actually are.

I got into Transformers sometime last year, and I love it. I really can't remember what triggered by desire to watch Transformers. I had never even heard of them until last year. My favorite continuities would have to be Transformers Animated and Transformers Prime. I'm practically climbing the walls (in a completely non-literal sense) waiting for the season finale to get online. And I'm trying to resist reading the episode summary on tfwiki. *silent screams* I-can't-wait-to-watch-this! My favorite Autobot is Prowl (both the one from G1 and Animated), and my favorite Decepticon is Soundwave. I hated the new trilogy movies though. Dark of the Moon was the best because it contained more conspiracy, betrayal, and Transformers appearances than the last two. The first one was practically a third of the way in before the Transformers revealed themselves. Bleh. And Soundwave had a voice of his own. Ruination!

I was really depressed when I found out he had died. I've read all of the books (except for his large print color children's books; I haven't been fortunate enough to find them at the library). My favorites are those with the badger lords. I've re-read most of the books at least three times. I even got my little sisters interested. At first, they were dubious because the books were so long. But they got hooked anyway Anyone else notice that his books have slowly gotten darker as the years have gone by? As I read The Rogue Crew, I kept thinking to myself, "That's deep. And dark. Whoa, that's kinda creepy." It's too be expected that an author's writings style will change over time, but I was just struck by this while I read The Rogue Crew.

I love that show. Well, I've only seen the first two episodes, but I can tell it's awesome. It's so Sherlock Holmes, and the humor aspect is awesome. I can't wait to watch the rest of the show (I've heard there's several seasons already, I'm so excited!).

Here is my new story topic. I'm not going to be reposting everything from my archived story topic. Some of it is no longer repairable. But you can still read them here. I have the stories categorized by the color of the main character. So, all stories containing Le-Matoran or Toa of Air are placed under the Green Book. The Purple Book is for my stories that take place in the Bionicle Universe but otherwise have absolutely nothing to do with Bionicle canon. Green BookShort stories:The Tiger: My twenty-eighth short story; my first reposted storyWord count: 1,526Original year posted/new year posted: 2008/2011Bionicle storyline placement: after the Mask of Light, in Metru NuiParallelism with other Bionicle books/comics: noneDescription: A poemfic. Le-Matoran Shasta takes a new route home and learns why Le-Matoran should never travel alone. Red Book Black Book Blue Book White Book Brown Book Purple BookEpics:Dynamics: My third epic; my first reposted epicChapter count: 1Word count: 2,264 (so far)Year posted: 2011Bionicle storyline placement: noneParallelism with other Bionicle books/comics: noneDescription: The seven Toa of the island Ahira must face a new threat to their Matoran. Very typical, yes it is.

So, I don’t do songfics very well. So, I have made a poemfic. The story is inspired by “The Tiger”, a poem by William Blake. This means that the italic poem stanzas in between the paragraphs belong to William Blake, not me. The rest of the story is from my mind. Some of you may remember this story from the archives of BZP. It’s pretty much the same, but I have edited it. The only major change is that it doesn’t take place in a forest now. I realized that since the setting is in Le-Metru, there probably aren’t any forests. There are a few other minor changes, like descriptions and grammar. I made up Shasta and the Rahi.Word count: 1,526 (not including Blake’s poem)Setting: after the Mask of Light saga, when everyone’s just gotten back to Metru Nui Original story: The TigerThe Tiger Tiger! Tiger! burning bright,In the forest of the night;What immortal hand or eyeCould frame thy fearful symmetry?Le-Matoran Shasta scolded himself for deciding to walk home through some abandoned alleys of Le-Metru instead of taking the chutes. A change of pace, I said, he thought miserably. New scenery, I said. See the things I will never remember-recall. Now he was running for his life from some predatory Rahi.At one point, he stopped running because he was out of breath. He strained to hear his pursuer over the sound of his heart pumping and panting. He could faintly hear the soft padding of the Rahi as it followed him. Shasta realized from the gait that it was walking after him. This brought more terror to the Le-Matoran. It knows I cannot escape-lose it, he thought. Shasta first noticed his stalker when he saw its red eyes watching him from the shadows of an alley. Suddenly the Rahi came into view, and Shasta’s eyes went wide with terror as he caught a clear glimpse of the creature.In what distant deeps or skiesBurned the ardor of thine eyes?On what wings dare he aspireWhat the hand dare seize the fire?It was larger than a Toa, much larger. Its metallic armor was brown with black stripes. The red eyes burned with the fire of a killer on its armored, feline head. The muscles protruded from the armor, speaking of its immense strength. The limbs showed off its steady and disciplined strength as it strode towards Shasta. Each paw was decked with sets of four identical, dreadful claws. The tail and spine demonstrated a flexibility seen in few Rahi. The maw was filled with white, sharp teeth with two larger fangs on the upper row. The two ears on its head, the only thing small on its body, swiveled around constantly, catching the sounds around skillfully. Suddenly the dull brown armor turned to a bright, burning crimson. Shasta gasped, unable to take his eyes off the Rahi. There was something hypnotic about the creature. He fought with himself, trying to continue his vain flight but wanting to continue staring at the Rahi’s dangerous beauty.And what shoulder, and what art,Could twist the sinews of thy heart?And when thy heart began to beat,What dread hand forged thy dread feet?Finally, Shasta broke off those hypnotic eyes and bolted. He did not dare look back for fear of tripping. He could hear the Rahi gaining on him. The Rahi’s pace changed. It was getting faster. What-do-I-do? he thought, his mind working rapidly for an escape route. He was surrounded by abandoned buildings and debris. His mind could not work with this. He was used to the trees and vines of Le-Wahi. I wish I were home.Then he saw some cables draping down into the alley…like vines. Shasta did not miss a beat as he deftly shimmied up the cable. The Rahi leaped after him, scratching the bottom of his foot but leaving him intact. The Le-Matoran continued his ascent. Suddenly, the cable snapped. As Shasta fell, he caught a glimpse of Rahi tearing the cable apart.What the hammer? what the chain?In what furnace was thy brain?What the anvil! what dread graspDare its deadly terrors clasp?Shasta screamed as he fell, imagining the Rahi eating him alive. However, one of the cable lengths had dropped on its face, keeping it from seeing where he would land, and he landed on the Rahi’s back. He knew he could not outrun the Rahi from such a short distance. I’m-dead-dead-dead, soo dead-gone. It seemed like eternity as he waited for his fate. He gripped the Rahi tightly as it roared and shook itself, trying to dislodge its meal.It was then that Shasta realized that he was still grasping the remainder of the cable, a decently lengthy section too. Amidst the shaking and jerking, he managed to make a lasso out of the remainder of the cable. He glanced up at the craggy, broken rooftops. There, he thought, spotting the perfect precipice for this trick. He braced himself for the toss. Then he remembered what happened last time. He tied the loose end of the cable around his left wrist. Here it goes. Please-please-please!The lasso shot over the rooftop and latched onto the crag. As the Rahi jerked to the side, Shasta used the momentum to launch off and away as he swiftly raced up the cable. As the cable arced back toward the Rahi, it leaped at him, jaws open wide. With a roar denying his fear, he kicked the Rahi in the snout. The feline dropped to the ground with a growl of annoyance. By the time it recovered, the agile Le-Matoran had reached the top of the building. The vertical building. The caved in vertical building with no steps for the Rahi to climb. It was practically just a wall now. Unless the creature grew Matoran hands, there was no way for it to reach him now.“Yes! I’m alive!” he whooped. He laughed, both at the Rahi and from relief. Now he just had to wait for a rescue. He watched the burning red Rahi prowl in frustration. Its menacing growls still brought a shiver to Shasta’s spine. The Rahi watched him with bright eyes that burned with determination and hate. Then the Rahi approached the wall.I’m fine. No need to worry-fear, he reminded himself uncertainly.He would feel much better once he was home. Then the Rahi stuck its forepaws on the wall. Its claws melted into the metallic material that made up the smooth surface. Then it began to climb.“No, nononono.” Shasta started looking around for another plan. He was tired of this, and very scared. He still had his cable. I could jump-cross to the other building. He groaned. But it will just follow me. It will follow me everywhere. Just leave me alone-peace. Shasta decided that his best bet would be to keep running away until help arrived. As he loosened the lasso from its perch, he searched the other buildings for another sturdy outcropping.When the stars threw down their spears,And watered heaven with their tears,Did he smile his work to see?Did He who made the lamb make thee?Shasta tugged on the cable to ensure it was stable before leaping off the building. As he swung down, the Rahi made a grab for him. He could feel the wind from those black claws as they just barely missed him. Destiny seemed to be on his side still as he made it safely to the opposite building. He immediately went to work loosening the lasso so he could use it again when the time came. The Rahi released the abandoned building. With one fluid motion, it touched down and leaped onto the second building. The impact shook the unstable building, causing Shasta to lose his footing. He caught a small ledge before he fell completely, but it still put him closer to the Rahi. Luckily the end of the lasso was still attached to his left hand, but he had removed the other end from its anchor. Both his hands were occupied as he tried to keep a hold of the very small crack in the wall. The sharp, broken metal was cutting into his fingers. He tried in vain to grab the cable with his mouth so he could pull it up to his hands and use it.Suddenly his vision went red. Twin evilly glowing eyes stared at him. He felt himself go cold. The Rahi had reached him. Its growl vibrated through the metal and through his body. He prepared to let go of the ledge, hoping but knowing this was it. He let go, felt the impact of a large body, and thought, Why me? He heard the roar of the Rahi, but it was strangely farther than it should have been.Shasta realized that he had closed his eyes. He also realized that he was in the embrace of arms, not claws. He opened his eyes and stared in shock into the face of Toa Nuva Lewa. He glanced down and saw the Rahi just in time for it to get a new ice coat from Toa Nuva Kopaka. The fearsome Rahi was stuck with its face contorted with an angry roar. Shasta shivered as Toa Lewa lowered them to the ground with his Kanohi Miru, closer to his dread assailant.“Are you all right-fine, little-brother?” the green Toa queried in concern, setting him on the ground.“Yes, great Toa,” Shasta replied, his voice quivering from the ordeal. He was badly shaken from the numerous near-death experiences so close to each other. But he did not want his Toa to see him so weak. “Thank you.”“Well, brother,” Toa Onua’s voice rumbled, startling Shasta who had not noticed the dark Toa’s presence. “I think that the archives will want its denizen back.” The stocky Toa picked up the large Rahi, ice and all, and started walking away. Shasta gave it one last look. Even imprisoned, the beast’s bearing was so terrible and majestic that he had to shudder.Toa Lewa escorted Shasta home. By the time they reached the more populated areas, both were laughing and at ease, as was their nature. The next day, Shasta started telling his story, with only slight exaggerations, of course. He even took some of his friends to the archives to see the great Rahi he had outmaneuvered. The Rahi was still a monarch, even in stasis. With an eternal snarl placed on its frozen face, eyes still burning even behind the special encasing, and the armor still a bright crimson, it stood with regal bearing at the entrance of its Archive wing for all to see.Tiger! Tiger! burning bright,In the forest of the night;What immortal hand or eyeDare frame thy fearful symmetry?

That's one very long short story, but very enjoyable. I'm glad I found the time to read the whole thing. The descriptions of the scenery were great. I really liked the humorous banter between Jovan and Lesovikk. So Toa like. Great story.

Great start. I always liked reading about Jaller and Takua/Takanuva's relationship, kind of like a big brother-little brother relationship. I look forward to reading more.

This is something I was working on and completed during BZP's downtime. It is set in the Bionicle universe, however the entire cast is made of characters I created. This chapter pretty much just introduces the main protagonists. The action will start in the next chapter. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Enjoy. Chapter 1"Well, what now?" a bored looking Ikiku, Toa of Stone, asked an equally bored looking, and fidgeting, Toa of Air.Lynx shrugged and looked at the ceiling, putting his hand behind his head. With his other hand, he threw an imaginary dart at the ceiling. He felt someone elbow him in the ribcage of his armor. He looked at Tyoama, Toa of Water, in annoyance. That was the third time she had elbowed him, and they had only been there for fifteen minutes. She gave him a dissaproving look and shook her head. Lynx made a loud, annoying noise sounding like a mix betwen a sigh and a groan. With more force this time, she elbowed him again."Will you behave?" she hissed."Why do you always insist on coming to these Toa meetings so early?" Lynx shot back. The green Toa looked around, trying to find something to amuse himself. He locked eyes on Ikiku, who was just leaning back in his chair and putting his feet on the table. Lynx grinned to himself. He silently picked up his curved bow, which had been leaning on the back of his chair. Then he took advantage of its curvature to poke Ikiku hard on his other side.Startled, the Toa of Stone looked around. Seeing Lynx's grin, he gave the green Toa a look.Tyoama elbowed the Air Toa again. "Will you please behave?""Yes, dear," Lynx said, a mocking look on his Miru, Great Mask of Levitation.Tyoama was about to elbow him again when Ray, Toa of Ice, entered. They did not see him enter, but the sudden temperature drop in the room betrayed his presence. She turned around to face the doorway but did not see him. Suddenly there was a loud bang infront of her. She leaped out of her seat, instinctively crouching to a fighting stance. Then she straightened. She scowled at the Ice Toa, who stood infront of her, a small grin on his Kaukau, his sword on the table where he had slammed it, and a grate in his other hand, like the one that should have been on the drain in the room."Why did you come through the drain?" she asked, truly curious but still annoyed. She noticed a foul odor about him. "The sewer from the smell of it too.""I was working," he said simply. "I swam through the sewage system. I would have been late otherwise. Got here on time, did not I?"Tyoama could here Lynx snickering. She turned to look at him and saw that the two Toa were trying not to laugh. She turned back to Ray, who had not moved. "The sewer? What work would you, a Toa of Ice, have in the sewer?"Ray did not answer, but instead turned around and put the grate back on the drain pipe. He took a seat next to Tyoama around the table. He stared straight ahead, ignoring that he had even heard her question."You're being rude.""Am I?" he asked, looking innocent. He glanced down at himself. "Oh. The smell. I am sorry for that, though I have never heard a smell called rude."Tyoama sat down in frustration. Ray's mind seemed to be detached from his body sometimes. She had stopped trying to pursue questions that he would not answer because it would end in nothing but confusion on her part. He was intelligent, but his bahavior patterns were like a maze to her. Four Turaga entered the room, discussing things in quiet tones. Each sat next to their perspective Toa, but one had to sit next to an empty chair since his Toa had not arrived yet. Turaga Taia and Toa Lynx greeted each other enthusiatically. Turaga Shataea sat down next to Tyoama. She sniffed the air and looked past Tyoama to the white Toa. She questionably raised an eyebrow of her Noble Mahiki, Mask of Illusion, to Tyoama. Tyoama shook her head exasperatedly, rolling her eyes. Turaga Lant stopped before sitting next to Ray. He looked at Ray harshly. The two began arguing in a foreign language. Unlike other regions of Ahira, many of Ko-Ahira's inhabitants were not native to the island but had migrated long ago. These migrants spoke a different Matoran dialect, and the result was that every Ko-Ahiran fluently spoke both the language of Ahira and of the migrants' native land. This was slightly annoying to the other Ahirans, because they had never had to learn this new language. They thought it rude when Ko-Ahirans would converse in this language infront of those who did not know the language. Nevertheless, the basic context of what Lant and Ray were saying was clear by the Turaga's harsh tone and the Toa's excusing and placating tone. Lant sat down next to Ray, though he moved his chair away from the smelly Toa.Turaga Twichm of Earth sat near the head of the table, where the Toa of Earth and leader of the Ahira team would sit when he arrived.Two loud voices could be heard down the hall. Though their voices were muffled, the conversation could be clearly understood, easily identifying the Toa and Turaga of Fire."That makes no sense!" one shouted."Will you just listen?" came the other, not as loudly, more reserved."I will when you make sense!""Calm down," the other snapped."I am calm!"The two entered. Toa Vicant's last statement rung in their ears because of his booming voice and echoing quality of the room. The two stopped arguing and sat down in silence, neither looking at the other.Turaga Shataea shook her head in disapproval at the Toa of Fire. "You should not yell at your elders," she scolded.Vicant crossed his arms and glared at the ground, but remained silent.Turaga Hattit nodded and said, "Yes, if you would just be quiet and listen - ""I was listening," the irritated Fire Toa muttered through clenched teeth."There you go again," Hattit said, throwing his hand up in an exasperated gesture. "You never wait for me to finish - ""Because when I do, it still doesn't make sense," Vicant shot back."Vicant. Be quiet," said Toa Titasami, striding into the room with his usual frown on his Kakama. The Toa of Fire shut up immediately. No one crossed the Toa of Earth. He had been a Toa longer than any of the present Toa, and even had been a Toa before a few of the present Turaga. His leadership was unchallenged because of his experience and ability to keep order.A brown Turaga and a blue and green Toa followed Titasami. Toa Kappa smiled slightly at the other Toa before resuming his serious demeanor. He sat down between the Water Toa and Air Turaga. Turaga Silam of Earth took his seat next to Toa Ikiku. The two stone elemetals nodded in greeting.They all looked at Toa Titasami. He sat down, signalling the the Toa meeting had come to order. Nothing of importance was really accomplished at these meetings. The meetings were Titasami's way of keeping the Toa in contact with each other and keeping them informed of events. Basically, the Turaga talked to each other about problems and afterwards some of the Toa would stick around and be social."I have an announcement," Titasami said, surprising them. The Toa, even Titasami, rarely spoke at these meetings, and an announcement by their leader had to be important. Titasami paused before continuing, looking around to make sure he had everyone's attention. "I've been the leader of this team for, well, a long time. I've decided to pick a second in command to replace me when I die or when I become a Turaga so you all are not fighting each other and destroying things to be the leader." Titasami glanced meaningfully at Vicant, Lynx, and Ikiku. "I have chosen Toa Kappa of Air and Water to be the second in command."They all looked at the young Toa in surprise. He was the youngest and most inexperienced of the team. Kappa was looking at his lap, fidgeting with his hands. He did not appear surprised by this announcement, only nervous.The Turaga all nodded their approval."That aside," the Earth Toa said brusquely, turning the conversation back over to the Turaga, "Turaga Silam, how is the harvest going?"The brown Turaga nodded. "Fine. Remember, everyone is invited to the Harvest Feast. It seems that I always say this every year yet no one comes," he said, an annoyed look on his Kanohi Rau, Mask of Translation."I'll come," Lynx said excitedly.Silam gave him a look. "You said that last year."Lynx looked gave him a nervous grin. "Oh."Vicant, who had been leaning on the back legs of his chair, suddenly lost his balance and fell backwards. Metal armor and stone make a very loud noise, especially in such a quiet atmosphere. Vicant's orange Kanohi began turning red. He slammed the chair back upright and sat down."Stop rocking in a chair that is not meant for rocking," the Fire Turaga whispered admonishingly."Stop telling me not to rock and I won't rock," he whispered back rebelliously."Your attitude is entirely uncalled for," Hattit snapped."Whatever," the Fire Toa said sharply, folding his arms across his chest and leaning his chair back again.Hattit scowled and slammed his fist at Vicant's chair, making it go back on all four legs.Vicant glared angrily at the Turaga. Heat began emanating from him, dangerously high.Titasami stood up, glowering at the two fire elementals. "Everyone is dismissed except the Ta-Ahiran representatives," he said in a flat, even paced tone. A few winced. They certainly did not want to be in either Vicant or Hattit's place. Titasami only used big, official words and that tone when he was angry. No one wanted to cross Titasami when he was angry. The others left quietly."Kappa, you stay too," Titasami said, gesturing to the new Second.Kappa nervously walked to the Toa of Earth's side.Looking at Kappa, Titasami stepped back and gestured to the seated pair. Kappa looked shocked and hoped that he misinterpreted Titasami's gesture. Oh no, he doesn't want me to talk to them, does he? he thought, suddenly not wanting his new role. But Titasami said nothing to the red pair and did not even look at them. His expectant gaze was fixed on the young Toa only. Kappa looked at Toa Vicant and Turaga Hattit, both of which had disciplined him at one time or another in the past years. Toa Vicant looked angry. Turaga Hattit appeared to have calmed down and was watching him expectantly as well, waiting to see what Kappa would say."Well, what is your problem?" he asked them, masking his nervousness with his usual serious expression.Vicant looked taken aback by the question. He began spluttering and pointing at Hattit. "He - I don't - what can- ""You cannot blame it wholly on Turaga Hattit, though he did provoke you," he said as sternly as he could despite his nervousness. "Have you ever wondered why the Ta-Ahirans have been so unruly? Have you ever thought that it is because they are following their Toa's example? You are responsible for them, not just for their physical safety. They look up to you." He pointed his finger at Vicant for emphasis. "They admire you and want to imitate you. Also, here in this room, you represent your people. What image have you shown the other Toa for your Matoran?""And you, Turaga Hattit," he began, more nervous at the task of admonishing a Turaga, "you are responsible for Toa Vicant."Hattit looked pensive and attentive."You were once a Toa of Fire. You know what your duties were. It is your responsibility to train him. You are his example. When he sees you lose your temper, won't he follow? If he sees that you think that your temper outbursts are fine, then he probably will not find your teaching him not to lose his temper as a, um, something that he must do." His mind began to draw a blank, quelling under the Turaga's steady gaze. But he kept talking, hoping that he made sense. "I know that I struggled with that when you would train me. You would tell me to be calm and reasonable, yet I would see you yelling at Toa Vicant over, well, nothing. It made no sense to me. Though Vicant probably won't admit it, it most likely doesn't make sense to him either."Kappa stopped, finished. He waited anxiously for their responses.Vicant looked at Hattit grudgingly. "Sure, whatever, I'm sorry. Are we done?" he mumbled.Hattit looked at Titasami by instinct to see if he had his approval for dismissal. He turned his gaze to Kappa, waiting for a response."Yeah, I guess," the green and blue Toa said, feeling discouraged. "That's all I can think of. I hope you keep that in mind."The two left without saying any more to him. Kappa swallowed uneasily. He did not want to face Titasami. He felt as though he had failed. With his head down, he turned to Titasami. He glanced up, expecting admonition or disapproval, or even removal of his new position. Titasami's face showed no emotion."Good enough," he said. The two started to leave the room.A shout echoed down the halls. "That twerp just scolded me to my face! Who knew the kid had guts to do that?"Laughter echoed back. Review Topic

This is the review topic for Dynamics. Dynamics is a story of adventure and action. The entire cast is made up by me, but they are placed in the Bionicle universe. There will be gore in future chapters, so I warn thee ahead of time. Leave a review if you feel the story is worthy of one. Here is a rough sketch I made of an Ithamar, the Rahi used by Zebulun:Yes, the sketch only had two legs, but the Rahi has four legs.