Chapter One:
Eight Years Later

“Tohoak!” Kydlin scowled at her. Tohoak bit her lip and stopped walking. Slowly she turned toward Kydlin. What had she done this time?
“Yes?” she asked putting on a fake smile. Kydlin raised her eyebrows. There was no fooling her.
“Where were you this morning?” she asked. Tohoak sighed. Kydlin nodded confirming her suspicion. “You have to participate in training at least once a week! What kind of an example do you set for the others?” Kydlin said exasperated. Tohoak turned away and continued walking. She didn’t want to listen anymore. Kydlin shook her head. “You let him down so much,” she said quietly. Tohoak stopped at her bunk room. The Protector’s camp had one main building that was half underground and half above ground. The rest of it was made up of small cabins where most Protector’s slept. The Decimators still, after years of searching, had yet to discover the camp.
In the cabin Lacy was playing a game with Emily, Kyle’s little sister. Tyler, Emily’s twin brother, climbed along the bunks pretending to be a spy. “Come in base. Tyler to base. A stranger has entered the compound!” he spoke into his wrist pretending to have a secret watch.
“This stranger wants her bed back,” Tohoak said with a smile. Tyler laughed and leaped off her bunk and onto another. She plopped down onto the bed tiredly. If only Kydlin new what she was really doing. In the mornings Tohoak would wake up early and venture deep into the woods. That’s where she liked to train. Training with the others tended to be dangerous. Even after being with the Protectors for eight years she still had little control over her powers. It was mainly due to how they were based on emotions. Being a teenager didn’t help in anyway either.
“I saw Kydlin was on your tail today,” Kyle entered the cabin. His black wings were folded neatly in between his shoulder blades and his dark hair was ruffled from the wind. Tohoak looked up at him with a shrug.
“She wasn’t appreciative that I didn’t show up at practice,” she explained. He nodded and sat beside her, his arm brushing hers.
“It’s because of Hunter isn’t it?” Lacy spoke up her eyes flickering over to the pair. Tohoak swallowed. These two knew her too well.
“What do you mean?” Emily asked suddenly interested. Lacy smiled at the younger girl.
“How about you and Tyler go play outside,” she said standing up. Emily chewed on the inside of her cheek wistfully, but finally stood up and took Tyler outside. Lacy came and slumped down beside Tohoak.
“Kydlin’s doing her best to take care of your training. She really is trying to help. It hasn’t been easily for anyone. The Decimators have been more active than ever and we have to make sure we’re ready.” Lacy reminded her. Tohoak sighed.
“I guess it would just be nice to have my own mentor,” she said agitatedly. Lacy nodded in agreement. Kydlin was Lacy’s mentor after all.
“Come on,” Kyle stood up and held his hand out to Tohoak. “Let’s train on our own. Your mentor isn’t the only one who is good at handling your powers!” he said with a smile. Tohoak took his hand and he helped her up then turned to Lacy and did the same. Together the three left the cabin encountering Emily and Tyler outside. The twins raced after each other in an energetic game of tag.
“Can we come with you?” Tyler asked as they started to leave the camp. Kyle shook his head, “Only for big kids today,” he said. Tyler scowled.
“I’m ten!” he said indignantly. Kyle smiled.
“See, too young,” he said. Tyler crossed his hands over his chest and pouted. Kyle ruffled his little brother’s hair then led the others further into the woods. It was quiet away from camp. Birds chirped cheerfully and fluttered above their heads.
“Such a fine day for some practice!” Kyle stretched out his wings with a grin. His black wings gleamed marvelously in the sunlight. With one large swish he was shooting through the leaves and into the air.
“Show off,” Lacy muttered. Tohoak laughed. Lacy was just jealous. The leaves rustled overhead and Kyle was ducking into the clearing. He swooped Lacy off her feet and flew with her back into the sky. “Kyle!” she screamed squirming in his arms. He laughed, but came back down with her, dropping her before flying back above the treetops. Lacy’s eyes flashed blue for a moment and she stood there indignantly.
“Let’s practice!” Tohoak said. They would give Kyle some time alone to exercise his wings and enjoy himself. Lacy focused her attention on Tohoak and she smiled. Ice shot from her fingers and Tohoak barely had enough time to leap out of the way. The spot she had been standing at glittered with frost. She raised her eyebrows at Lacy.
“No warning?” she asked. Lacy shrugged. It was just like her to pull a surprise like that.
“I was just making sure you’re alert. What's the point of practice if you know what's going to happen?” Lacy grinned. Tohoak’s eyes flashed darkly with shadows. That was how it was going to be then. Before she had a chance to retaliate she was lifted off her feet. Kyle carried her bridal style through the leaves.
“Kyle! We were trying to practice!” she complained struggling to hide the laughter in her voice. Unlike Lacy, Tohoak enjoyed the sensation of flying. Kyle smiled at her.
“We can still practice,” he said slyly. Tohoak knew what drill they were going to do. “Lacy! Ready for some target practice?” he called down to her. In response a spike of ice shot toward them. Kyle twisted to the side laughing.
“Somehow this doesn’t strike me as safe,” Tohoak muttered. Two more spikes pierced through the treetops making Kyle twirl upside down as he dived to get out of their way. He flipped upright. Tohoak’s stomach did a twist and she felt queasy. This was not her thought of practice. Kyle relented and called back down to Lacy to stop. He gently flew back down to the ground laughing at Tohoak. She scowled, but gave in laughing as well. As they landed on the forest floor they stopped laughing. Kyle quickly let Tohoak go, allowing her to stand on her own.
“Hunter,” Kyle said respectfully. He lowered his eyes shamefully. He was well aware that they weren’t supposed to leave camp without permission.
“Kyle,” Hunter replied evenly. Tohoak’s eyes flashed with anger. Hunter was too busy to train her, but he always had enough time to intervene when she was having fun.
“I thought your meeting lasted longer,” she said tartly. He carefully ignored her and continued talking to Kyle.
“Take Lacy and get back to camp. I want to talk to Tohoak,” Kyle looked at Tohoak apologetically then nodded to Lacy and led the way back toward camp. Now it was just her and Hunter.
“What do you want to talk about, how you haven’t had time for any of my practices or why you haven’t taken me out on any patrols?” she asked. He sighed looking tired. Every apprentice her age went on patrols, except her. Protectors used patrols as a monitoring system. They would causally walk the city sidewalks pretending to be one of the Unabilitied while keeping an eye out for Decimators.
When Hunter went on patrols many people recognized his face so he had to patrol on the edge of the city where less people would recognize him. The Unabilitied had known for a while about the Protectors’ patrol system, so did the Decimators. That’s why the patrols had to look normal. So they didn’t get intentionally attacked and they could see what shape the city was in.
“You know why. With the Decimator’s recent activity I have to take more time to make sure that the city is safe! All the meetings have been for the city’s protection. We have to make sure the Decimators aren’t making anymore progress. If it weren’t for us they would be running the city by now! As for the patrols, you're not ready.” he said. Tohoak felt her anger rising, but behind the anger she felt hurt that he thought her unprepared. What right did he have to say that she wasn’t prepared?
“I’m as ready as everyone else. Both Lacy and Kyle go on a patrol at least once a week!” she pointed out trying not to look hurt by his words. Hunter took a moment to reply. Tohoak wondered if he was trying to come up with an excuse to keep babying her. After a slow recover from his bullet wound he had chosen to mentor her himself. She was like a daughter to him and because of that it seemed he was going to treat her like a child forever.
“If you’d show up to practice as often as they did then maybe I wouldn’t have a problem sending you on patrol,” he finally said.
“So Kydlin ratted me out then did she?” she asked feeling slightly betrayed. Tohoak didn’t find anything wrong with Kydlin. She actually respected the woman. Kydlin was hard woking and at times very funny. Even though Tohoak hadn’t been attending practices it was unlike Kydlin to inform Hunter. Kydlin was one of Hunter’s best friends. She was loyal to him till the end, but unless pressured by him she wouldn’t try to get Tohoak in trouble. This morning Kydlin seemed to have had enough of Tohoak’s nonparticipating. Tohoak couldn’t blame her, but she wasn’t going to practice with another mentor when hers was completely capable of taking some time out for training.
“I asked her. She wasn’t going to tell me otherwise,” Hunter said. It was just like him to back up Kydlin.
“I would go to practices if I actually got trained by my own mentor,” she muttered almost with a hint of sadness. Hunter seemed to be losing his patients.
“I’m not always going to be there! I’m trying the best I can to take care of camp and the city. Forgive me if it’s hard to fit you into my schedule as well,” he growled.
“I’m going back to camp!” she said suddenly infuriated. Hunter opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but then closed it leaving her to walk away in silence.