A New Ally

A collab with Paliesum and Safetyfireluv.

''The war is here, and the phantoms must fight for their life, especially Arro. He's determined to win the war for the sake of the phantoms, but when he sees a girl, it might cost him his life... but he's willing to risk it all. After a series of bad mistakes, can she forgive him long enough for them to fight the war and get to love?''

We'll have to find out.

Prologue - Safetyfireluv
"That's not enough!" The angry warrior said, stamping his foot like a baby during a temper tantrum. His escort responded kindly, his eyes full of respect for Shadow. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Sir, your son is coming."

Once the phantom entered the room, the warrior narrowed his eyes. "Hello, Arro," He said coldly. Arro bowed his head in respect, and the warrior spat at the wall.

"The other soldiers are waiting for me. You'd best join the other warriors, too." His icy gaze followed the young phantom out of the room, and most likely down the hall. The phantom began to transform, to shape-shift. It was normal for the phantoms, but a well-kept secret. If it was revealed, it could tear the phantoms apart. Their world would never be the same.

The escort bowed his head, and when it lifted, the warrior's cold gaze looked from him to the door. Wasting no time, the bodyguard scurried out of the room.

Shadow stood there a while more, his eyes lingering on where his guard once was, and then he sank into his chair, flexing his new paws. He shape-shifted back to a phantom and got up slowly, hovering in the air, drops of purple goop falling behind him as he trailed out the door.

One - Paliesum
Arro reached for his blanket, wanting more morning snooze. But he couldn't, because Shadow demanded him to come training with him at 6:30 am. Sleepily, he hovered slowly towards Shadow in the weapons room. At first, Arro didn't recognise him at all. He was a dark grey fox, busy trying out his new polished spear and shield for the fight. "Who are you?" inquired Arro. The fox peered at him suspiciously. "Ahh, it's just me, Arro!" he snapped. "You have to get used to this once you are in the battlegrounds!" Arro glared menacingly at his father. "I don't believe you!" he yelled. Arro was a hard person to fool. He was wise, and a trickster.

"You're just like your grandfather," Shadow snarled, furrowing his brow. "You're too hard to fool, but sometimes, you do have to learn."

Arro looked at the grey fox suspiciously, but right before his eyes, Shadow began shape-shifting back into a large phantom, which had a scary aura enclosing him. Arro sighed. He wasn't used to making stupid mistakes like that. Shadow laughed, like it was some bad joke Arro had made on the spot, slapping his son on the back.

"One day, you'll learn how to shape-shift," he said kindly to his son, and began putting on some armour, and locking the door on Arro.

"Why?" he interrogated \through the purple keyhole. "Because... you're just a kid! Meet me in the badlands at 6:30, and remember, your grandfather was a great man. Smart, a trickster. And one of the best kings there ever was." countered a muffled voice, which Arro assumed was Shadow's.

Arro felt angry, depressed, and frustrated. Why did Shadow call him a kid? It didn't make sense, he knew inside he wasn't a kid at least. One day, he was going to be one of the greatest warriors in phantom history, maybe even a king.

"Breakfast?" asked a nearby cook phantom, and Arro merely nodded and hovered over to the kitchens, which floor tiles were splattered with goop and left-for-days mouldy bits of leftovers.

Two: Safetyfireluv
He continued fighting despite his father's chuckling. Shadow deflected every one until Arro stopped, exhausted, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Listen, kid," He said, not bothering to address him as son. He never did. He was never proud of him, but Arro had to compare to his grandfather, who had been an amazing warrior. Tales said that he outsmarted the king to win a secure spot there.

"The best way to fight is not in anger."

"Well, then what is it?" Arro asked through gritted teeth. He dropped the sword from his tentacles, suddenly determined. He'd prove he wasn't a phant anymore. He was bigger now, nominated to an apprentice. And once he became a warrior, he'd show his dad how good he was.

He planned to learn how to shapeshift.

***

Arro's favorite time of day was the late evening, after a fulfilling and slightly painful dinner with his dad. As soon as he could get out of there, he went to visit his friend, Kale.

"Hey, Kale," Arro said, grinning as he walked into his room in the tunnel. A bed of moss and yarn strung together with blankets on them. It looked especially untidy now, but still, he hovered over his bed, slightly annoyed.

"Listen, my dad will make me go mad," Arro said. "And you're on your way to becoming a warrior. You're on your last levels as an apprentice. So.. could you help me shapeshift?"

"Why?" Kale raised his eyebrows.

"He has amazing paws while we're fighting, and he can do everything. If I show him I can shapeshift, perhaps he'll believe me again."

"Worth a try." Kale shrugged, and they got to work.

A few weeks later, Arro went to training with his dad that morning. "Look!" He said loudly. "I can shapeshift!" He closed his eyes, but felt a surge as he was knocked down.

Quickly, he untangled his tentacles. "What was that for?"

"You're supposed to be smart," His father hissed. "Shapeshifting is not for apprentices. I don't want to hear another word of this, understand?"

Arro nodded, speechless. Why hadn't he praised him? Now, he could fight in battles as an animal. That night, he twisted and turned in bed, confused. His father had been so rude to him, and he didn't even know why. He couldn't have not liked him being like his grandfather. He boasted about him all the time. Of course, there was an ugly truth and a triumphant lie.

The lie was that he was a hero while working his way up to guiding their tribe.

The truth was that he had to kill innocent phantoms to get there.

Three - Paliesum
"No, you must always strike for the head with the spear, kid!" Shadow yelled, after another morning of hard training. Arro was speechless once again. He had been working so hard, but his father only rewarded him with another yell? This was torture to Arro, as he continued to be followed by shouts of 'Wrong!', 'No, No!' and 'Why won't you listen, kid?'. It was driving him mentally insane, causing him to reluctantly wave his tentacles around in anger. Shadow, however, thought this was a dance, thinking it was stupid, and hillarious.

"It's not funny!" thundered Arro over and over again, as Shadow continued to snicker unpleasantly.

Arro hated the thought of killing other innocent phantoms in their tribe, but it was the only way he could achieve that moment of glory.

He drifted over to a corner, where lots of apprentices were practising shape-shifting, their secret weapon.

"Look, look, I'm a wolf!" yelled one to the right in triumph. "Guess what? I'm a tiger!" replied the other bulky phantom to the left, and they both fell to the ground in laughter, suddenly shape-shifting back with a jolt. They noticed Arro approaching. "What are you doing in our territory, kid?" asked the bulky phantom. Arro was going to respond, but his answer was no use when the slightly lankier one mocked, "Oh, I just wanna go a-and puh-puh-play in the big boys side! Mommy, help!" he said in a babyish voice. Arro frowned.

That was the last straw.. Arro lunged forward and raised his mini spear he had been practising with. Suddenly, 2 long tentacles were straining, pushing him back. Arro turned around, and wasn't surprised to see Shadow, his brow furrowed and muttering curse words under his breath.

"Arro, you have to learn! Do not attack fellow phantoms!" he yelled. "C'mon, we'll be late for the first battle at the battlefield!" Arro sighed. "B-But, you don't understand!" Shadow glared and dragged Arro towards the battlefield.

"Hello!" Today, it will be animals, vs phantoms!" boomed a deer across the speaker. "I hope either wins! The fight will start in 3, 2, 1, FIGHT!

The phantoms and animals charged forwards. The animals planted chomper plants, and threw boomseeds in the distance. Then, the phantoms began shape-shifting. The plan was working, the animals were all confused, they thought the phantoms were fellow members of their tribe. But then they noticed that the transformed phantoms weren't doing anything. They began to grow suspicions. Then the phantoms transformed back. Arro watched in amazement. He began charging for the animals too, as a normal phantom. He was still hovering, until he caught the most beautiful fox ever in his eyes. Her fur was pink with red stars, and she wore a blue head flower and a bow and arrow across her back. There was a trace of longing in Arro's eyes, as he drifted closer to the animals' side, dropping his spear in awe. The fox saw Arro, and she walked closer to him. Arro smiled. It was going to be his moment of love. The fox, however, did not smile. She frowned, and began running. Arro thought she wanted him, so he stayed rooted to the spot. But, instead of a warm smile, she charged right at him, making Arro flee in fear.

Four: Safetyfireluv
He sprinted away as fast as his tentacles let him, full of fear. Kale, on the other side of the battlefield, was fighting with another animal. Arro pulled him aside, ignoring Kale's frantic flailing in order to defeat his opponent.

"Listen," He said softly, trying to rush his words so that they both could get back to the battle, "Who is she?"

There was a hint of fascination as well as curiosity in his tone that Kale did not admire much, but there was a hint of amusement as he said, "The one that just killed you? Look. Don't go getting affections with Jamaains," He warned. "If you do, it may be all over for you. Do not-"

"Pretend you're battling me!"

"What?"

Slowly, Arro shape-shifted. "Pretend!"

Kale started pretending to fight him. "Look, Arro, if you must know, her name is Sylix, I think. She's a baker's daughter, but her father worked in The Chamber Of Secrets. I'm not sure exactly, but I think she's smart as well."

"Her parents?"

"Well, her father worked- using past-tense - in a Jamaa knowledge artifact factory, or something like that. Like I said before. But anyway, he's dead now. Nobody knows how, or why."

Arro then sprinted across the grounds. He got a few thorns stuck in his newly-formed paws, but didn't pay any mind to the injuries as he scurried to fight alongside Sylix. He fought his way over to there as stealthily as he could, but when he approached, she spun around, locking him to the spot with alive red eyes.

He jumped back a little bit, and she raised her eyebrows at him, then gripped his paw with hers. He fumbled for a moment, struggling to keep his balance. He could get used to running, but not holding paws with another fox.

He slapped himself inwardly. How could he forget to turn into a fox? Here a wolf was, standing in a battle. Swirling colors and black all around him in dizzy formations, she led him away. "You probably know how to work a cannon," She said.

Then she walked away.

Frantic, Arro decided he'd just have to learn. He started trying to work it out, then realized he couldn't hurt his side. Ideas swarming and filling his brain, he crept alongside the cannon and out of sight.

He noticed Kale on the other side and threw a boomseed at him. Of course, it landed almost right in front of him. Kale got the sign and shot upward.

Deciding to find Sylix before one of the troops surrendered, he crossed the line to go find her. He barely missed a spear and decided that, yes, they were more powerful than the Jamaains, but that didn't mean he'd let himself get killed.

"Oh, hey! What's your name again?" Sylix turned to him, putting the battle on hold. Sylix paused, then added, "Did you ever tell me?"

Arro hesitated, but knew he couldn't waste any time. "Arro," He said. "Arro's my name."

"That's weird," Sylix said. "Because a phantom on the other side is calling Arro's name."

Startled, Arro looked over and realized that. Quickly, he waved to her and disappeared back in the bushes, turning himself into a phantom again. The phantoms started to file out, but the fear in his father's eyes was unmistakable as he called out.

His escort pulled him away and through the door, and Arro flew as fast as he could, barely making it in before the door closed. Arro, bracing himself for a blow to the face, gently tapped his father's shoulder.

To his surprise, he wrapped his tentacles around Arro and hugged him. When he pulled away, he didn't scold him. Only relief filled his eyes. Arro waited for him to make a comment about how he couldn't die because he needed to become a warrior and serve them.

But he never did.

That night, Arro found Kale for the ceremony. Some phantoms were covered in white cloth as the bedding. They paid their respects to the dead fighters, warriors, and apprentices, and then they left to eat dinner.

All during the night, Kale and Arro talked. When he got home, Arro made a list of all the things he knew, to be cautious: He'd always had to teach himself how to write, since all Shadow seemed to care about was himself and what type of a warrior Arro could be. Honestly, though, after the hug, Arro wasn't sure of anything anymore. Did his father only love him when he knew he wasn't lost? Wasn't dead? Was alive so he could save the family's legacy? Was that moment of happiness nothing but grief that he might lose his name after he died?
 * 1) mothar bakkerr
 * 2) fadether dead
 * 3) fadether workk- knalwladge
 * 4) smarrt

Whatever it was, when Arro tucked himself in bed, feeling considerably happier despite his confusion and concern about what was going on, he felt he learned a lot about himself today.

He curled up his tentacles and let sleep come to him.

Five - Paliesum
The next morning, Arro woke up in the weapons room with Shadow. "Ugh, you're finally awake." he muttered, tossing him a spear. Arro caught it with his tentacle, looking at the name forged into the spear, which read, ''Lux the great's special spear. ''Arro looked at his father, surprised and shocked. "You never told me this was my grandfather's spear!" He exclaimed, pacing around Shadow. He grunted and pushed Arro to the floor. He sighed, knowing his father would never truly love him.

But when Shadow pushed Arro to the ground, he remembered he had something very important to do. Briskly, he drifted upstairs and stopped at his violet goop-covered bedside table. Arro took the crumpled up piece of paper of things about Sylix and left to meet Kale in the distance who was shape-shifting into a llama.

"Oh, hey Arro," said Kale when he saw him approaching, waving a hairy hoof. Arro nodded. "Hi," he said. Kale sighed, and shape-shifted back into a phantom. "So, still want to befriend that Sylix?" he asked, now shape-shifting into a coyote. Arro blushed. "M-Maybe," he replied, showing the piece of paper to him. Kale laughed. "Ha, she'll never get you far Arro, just drop it." He trudged away, his brown tail hauled behind him.

Arro groaned. No-one would ever understand his desire to be with Sylix.

He stared at the piece of paper, and at his purple and black wristwatch. It was too late. The only time he could get a chance with Sylix was at the battlefield.

Arro hovered back home, where Shadow's yelling awaited him.

"KID!" Where have you been? You're late for training!" he roared, blowing Arro back a yard. He quickly stuffed his piece of paper away. "At Kale's. He was shape-shifting into a coyote. For the battle, I guess." Arro responded casually, alarmed by his father's response. "Well, then he's a jerk! You could transform into something much better! We're training, come on, you're so behind, KID!" he yelled, giving Arro his spear back.

Arro couldn't see what was wrong with a coyote. "What's wrong with a coyote, eh?" he asked. Shadow shape-shifted into a crocodile.

"Because, a coyote's bite is weak! A crocodile is much better!" he retorted, making Arro train.

After more intense training, arguments and fights, he felt deeply exhausted, but in a hour's time, he'd be able to see Sylix again.

...

"3, 2, 1, FIGHT!" yelled the deer through the speakers, as the Jamaains and the Phants rushed forward into battle. Most of the phantoms began shape-shifting into wolves, or big cats Arro, followed by Shadow's nervous glance, shape-shifted into a crocodile, then remembering, Oh, I have to shape-shift into a wolf when Shadow doesn't see me anymore, so Sylix recognises me. He took a nervous glance towards Kale, as a normal phantom on the animal's side, fighting against a koala, Arro immediately recognised as Riggs, who had been a very fast sprinter. He waved vaguely at him, but then remembering Riggs wouldn't know who he was in battle, and slowly shape-shifted into a wolf when he was on the animal's side, trying to catch sight of Sylix.

Finally, he saw her, fighting alongside a snowflake arctic wolf, who wore a red pirate sword and a rare sparkly head bow, who were fighting a fat, puffy phantom, who had forgotten to shape-shift. Sylix smiled when she saw Arro, whilst firing an arrow at the phantom, knocking it out instantly. "Arro," she said, "This is my friend, Flake. She is a really good friend, and helps my mother make cookies." Flake grinned vaguely at Arro, and continued striking the phantoms with one whip of her sword. "Uh... Sylix... uh.... how's your mother?" he asked stupidly. Sylix laughed, shooting another arrow at a phantom, but this time, a phantom that had shape-shifted into a lion, and then shape-shifted back into a phantom accidentally.

"She's fine!" She won the prize for the best cake last year!" she exclaimed, Arro smiling. Suddenly, Shadow began eyeing him; the thing was, he knew the wolf he was, was Arro, and began running to him, transforming into a wolf as well.

"Uh.. is that your dad, Arro?" questioned Sylix suspiciously, as Flake began to eye Shadow warily too. Arro laughed, but secretly, he was frantic with anxiety.

He began charging towards his father too, not thinking. Shadow snarled, and dragged Arro back to the phantom side, where many phantoms laid untouched, dead, and there was goop splattered over their bodies.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, RUNNING OFF TO TALK TO A JAMAAIN!" Shadow thundered, making the battlefield rattle. "I swear, I did not-" "ENOUGH!" he yelled, shoving his spear into Arro's thick, blue fur.

Hoping Sylix didn't hear anything, he hunched up into a corner, fear enclosing him of the thought Sylix wouldn't trust him ever again.

...

After the funeral ceremony where several dead phantom bodies lay, they had dinner, and Arro, though how tired he was, couldn't sleep. So many thoughts enclosed his mind, Shadow's yelling, Sylix's friend Flake, how Sylix probably hated him now, and other troubled thoughts.

Finally, after the echo of Shadow's yelling, he spread out his stiff tentacles and fell asleep.

Six-Safetyfireluv
Arro winced, stretching his long tentacles as he stumbled out of bed. He knew this training session would be full of yelling, and that made him want to back up to the wall.

Surprisingly, instead of his father, Kale burst in the door. "You've got to see this," He said, leading him to the guard's room quietly. Arro looked in the door and saw... well, nothing. His father wasn't there. "How'd you get here to notice that?" Arro asked suspiciously.

"You know, I have to train too."

That was the first time Arro noticed he had shifted into a fox again. That brought him back to the memory of Sylix, and the thought there was no way she'd love him again.

Taking a deep breath, he followed his best friend down the hall to his dad's chambers. He wasn't there, either, so they started for their office, but not before they ran into his escort.

Kale bowed instinctly, and Arro stood there awkwardly. Any Arro's escort needed a bow, generally, but of course, it was near impossible for phantoms to bow. Instead, Arro dipped his head politely. "Any idea of where my father is?" He asked hopefully.

"Sure," His escort said. "He's up in his office, to the left, I believe."

"Alright."

"One more question," Kale said, but Arro didn't waste any time. Though as he headed down the hall, one thought keep striking at his brain: What did Kale have to ask?

***

"3..2..1.. FIGHT!"

The deer's familiar call rang across, and war struck. Arro tried to catch Sylix's eye, but it was no use. She wouldn't look at him. Finally, he decided he had to do something about it. He shape-shifted, and, being sure to keep out of his father's sight, walked closer to Flake's side.

"What's going on?" He asked. "Sylix won't even look at me."

"I think you know why," Flake said, turning away from him angrily.

"Wait!" Arro said, looking deep into Flake's eyes. "Just.. tell her I miss her, okay? And that I'm sorry I tricked her. And that her eyes are more beautiful than what I've ever seen."

Flake nodded, her eyes full with sympathy, and then she turned around again and walked away.

Seven - Paliesum
Arro stood in the middle of the animal's side, not knowing what to do. He had lost his friends, and his hope. What was he meant to do now? Just tell his father, ''Oh I'm leaving because I don't have friends. ''He wondered what kind of trouble that was going to cause.

Flake later came back with a solemn look on her face. "What happened?" asked Arro hopefully.

"Nothing good,"

"What?"

Flake wiped her brow, and she began explaining.

"Sylix said that now she knows you're a phantom, she's going to attempt to kill you whenever she sees you. She knows about the shape-shifting, and nothing can fool her now."

Arro gasped. Yes, he did really lose a friend. And it hurt.

....

"O-Okay," he stammered, his throat dry, and he trudged back to the phantom's side.

"Wait!" called Flake suddenly. Arro turned around. "Yes?" he said, barely making eye contact.

"You see, to achieve your goal, sometimes, more than one person is involved." she replied, winking at him.

Arro felt a surge of his gratefulness for Flake surge up to him. He knew one answer. Kale.

"Thanks!" he said, waving to Flake and shape-shifting back to a phantom on the phantom's side.

Eight-Safetyfireluv
Not wanting to risk being found again, Arro did it swiftly, then crossed over to Kale.

"Advice," He requested quickly. "Flake says that Sylix doesn't care if I'm a phantom now. She'll kill me either way, and it hurts. A lot."

Kale grimaced. "I knew she was trouble. Now, look what you've gotten yourself into!"

"I'm sorry," Arro said, lifting his hands up in surrender.

"Look." Kale pulled Arro aside. "I know you hate Shadow, and there's no way you could possibly respect or even look up to Lux, you've got to understand. I can back you up, but not for long."

Arro's features visibly turned melancholy, and Kale looked at him once more before turning and galloping away.

***

That evening, after a mostly silent feast since the phantoms were busy discussing the deaths beforehand, and therefore had to grieve for them during the dinner, Arro went to visit Kale, like usual. He poked his head in the door and lifted a tentacle, waving slightly.

"Come in," He grumbled, obviously still mad at Arro from the mess he'd made earlier.

"To be honest with you," Arro said, taking a seat next to him, "I was pretty dumb earlier. I know it's forbidden. But I can't get rid of it. Like... like you and Lila. She died in battle, right, and you still loved her anyway. Right from the start she was... a little different. But you accepted her. How is this any different?"

"It's a lot different, but I have a plan to help you," Kale responded, hatred and anger decorating his eyes. But not for Lila...

''The grey wolf bounded across the grounds unseen as Kale laughed and shared a smile with his love interest, Lila. She grinned back and looked to the cannon, beginning to fire. Kale laughed at her, but a moment later, an arrow struck her torso. Dodging the arrow narrowly, Kale shot the wolf back and leaned down to inspect the wound. But the wolf was dead. And so was Lila.''

Nine - Paliesum
The next morning, Arro woke up in a pool of determination and sweat. He flexed his lanky tentacles which seemed to have grown considerably since last morning, but he had only one thing on his mind at the moment;to get Sylix back.

***

"Finally!" Arro exclaimed, tossing his spear away and wiping his brow. He had just gotten through an intense morning of training with Shadow. Shadow was getting more furious and furious by the minute, Arro was sure by the time they finished the next battle, he would've probably exploded. Though the explosion would wipe out all the animals, and phantoms. He grinned at the thought of his nemesis exploding.

Arro trudged through the door to find Kale who was practising his new battle strategy, drawn on a crumpled up piece of parchment. It was done in drawings though, and let's say... Kale's not exactly a great drawer, so it was difficult for him to notice what they meant.

"Hey," said Arro, smiling vaguely at him. Kale nodded back, and shape-shifted into a grizzly bear.

"So," Arro continued. "anything go on last night with Sylix?" Kale glared at him.

"Why, do you care so much about getting Sylix back? What's the deal with her, just drop it already." he grumbled, beginning to run up next to a fox plush, unfortunately covered with specks of goop.

Arro felt the raw-hot anger boil inside his throat. Sylix wasn't even a wolf, how could Kale despise her so much? The same thing happened to Lila and him!

Arro watched as Kale began pretending to fight against an invisible phantom, and suddenly transforms back into one, and he began tearing the plush apart.

"But what about Lila?" spat Arro. Kale sighed and walked closer to Arro, shape-shifting into a giraffe so he towered over him.

"Lila's... different. Anyways, something did happen." he replied. Arro listened intently. "Sylix said that her mother's cookies got robbed last night. She wants someone to volunteer to make cookies, so she tried going to Flake, but she was taking the day off sick. Now Sylix is really depressed, and no one else she trusts knows how to make cookies." Arro gasped. He had no idea how to even make grimy cookies, so he would be hopeless at making normal cookies.

"I-I'll try, I guess," replied Arro, and then he trudged off to the kitchen. He only had 30 minutes. He knew it wasn't really worth it, but knew one thing for sure; this is for Sylix. Just for her.

Ten: Safetyfireluv
Arro wandered into the kitchen and looked through the cupboards, muttering to himself. He found a yellowed piece of paper and inspected it closely. Yes! He thought triumphantly. He'd found a recipe... but now he had to bake it.

He didn't understand most of the language, because phantoms didn't exactly learn Jamaain's language. But that was fine, because he got it surprisingly well.

He searched around for a whisk and beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla together. Once they seemed nicely blended, he slowly tried to blend in the chocolate. Once he'd added flour and baking powder, he put them in the oven and licked his jaws.

He'd shape-shifted to use paws instead of tentacles, because he didn't want to give Sylix goop-infested cookies. Once he was done, he pulled them out. The smell wafted out of the kitchen, and most likely all the way to the corridor, but definitely not his father's office, where his escort usually was, so he was safe. For now.

He searched for some sort of packaging he could put on it. Finally, he found the best one. He tasted one with his paws and then transformed back, carrying them in his tentacles.

He looked at Kale when he went into his room. "Want to try?" He asked.

Kale grumbled, but of course he could never turn down a cookie. "Fine," He answered, "But I'll be honest-" He took a small bite, chewed for a long time, and then took a bigger one. "It's okay," He said around a mouthful of chocolate goo.

"Too runny," He noted. "Sticks to your tongue."

"Second trip!" Answered Arro. He wouldn't give up until these were perfect.

When he got there, he added a little more of everything else and brought them back to Arro, with an hour to spare until the battle. Kale scrunched up his face when he tasted them, and Arro's heart squeezed, but then Kale's face released into relief. "These are great," He said, his mouth full of the chocolaty flavor.

"Thanks," Arro answered. "But I'd better get back now."

He took them to his room and hid them, reminding himself what this was about. What he was about.

Sylix.

Eleven - Paliesum
"KID!" roared the familiar call of Shadow. "It's time to fight!" Arro nodded and stuffed the cookies in a small pouch, trying not to get goop on the cookies. He sighed and began drifting down the stairs where Shadow awaited him, and Sylix.

***

"3, 2, 1 FIGHT!" rang the call of the deer. Battle started quickly. Arro decided to switch into a wolf to be on the safe side, so other animals wouldn't attack him, and kept out of Shadow's eye. Clutching the pouch tightly, he tried to catch sight of Sylix, but couldn't find her in the grounds. He trudged up to Flake, who was slashing a phantom, and it exploded into goop. Arro edged behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. Flake turned around, and she nodded. "Yes?"

Arro held out his pouch, and showed the cookies to Flake. She nodded. "Quite impressive for a phantom. I'll give it to Sylix," she responded, taking the pouch and shuffling to the back corner. Arro watched as Flake reached Sylix who was wincing in the corner, and said, winking at him, "This is from Arro,"

Arro stared at her shocked face, and her eyes light up when she bit into a corner. "These a-are amazing!" she exclaimed, leaping up and running to Arro. He couldn't help but blush. "Hey, you," said a bunny, holding a boomseed. "I can't reach that puffy guy over there. Care to help?"

Arro would love to say, "No," but instead he just shrugged and reluctantly took the boomseed and struck it at the puffy phantom. Arro had excellent aim, and got him square in the face. "Thanks!" replied the bunny happily, and began firing the cannon.

***

Sylix kept on running, finally reaching Arro. He smiled widely at her, and she grinned with delight, her ears twitching. "T-Thank you, Arro!" she said, hugging him, and he blushed ever so slightly. "B-But, what will you tell your mother?" asked Arro, wondering what would happen if Sylix told her mother that a phantom made her cookies.

Sylix thought about this for a moment, but she ended with a nice, big smile. "I'll just tell her a wolf gave it to me named Arro." she replied, and trotted off.

He turned to Flake, who was grinning hugely. "Thank you!" he called to her, and kept a wary eye on his father, and shape-shifted back into a phantom.

***

It was a very interesting feast the following evening. Shadow asked all sorts of questions to Arro, which caused him to lie. "What did you do on the animals' side?" he asked, while shoving a goop-infested chicken leg into his mouth, purple spit flying from his mouth.

Carefully dodging the spit, Arro replied. "Just, acquiring their trust and attacking," Shadow didn't look convinced, so he just shrugged and passed the year-old mince pie slice to Arro, which he gratefully accepted.

***

He curled his tentacles towards his face, drifting off into a deep sleep.

***

Arro had an extremely peculiar dream last night. Flake was talking to Sylix, and when he walked towards her, she acted like she didn't know him and Arro even showed he was a phantom. Then it was like the cheese touch, and Arro was stuck with it. Even his Dad was drifting away quickly. He chased everyone down a long deep alley, which was never-ending, and then he woke up with a jolt. Turning his head, he went back to sleep, for the rest of the dreamless night.

Twelve: Safetyfireluv
The next morning, Arro rubbed his eyes and stared at his clock. One minute passed. Than the other. And in seconds...

"ARRO! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"

Shadow burst in the door and Arro jumped out of his covers. He pulled out a loose tentacle from his bed and, with it flopping everywhere, said, "Yes sir?"

"YOU WERE LATE FOR TRAINING!" He said. "WAS IT BECAUSE OF THAT WEAK COYOTE?"

"Kale," Arro dared to correct him, "And I'm sorry. I'll go eat breakfast and we can practice." He waved a tentacle dismissively.

Shadow growled, but did not protest as he stomped out of the room. Lately, he'd been mad at Arro all the time, so it was no wonder that he'd been extra mad when Arro had missed training. It was a relief to gobble down some food and dodge everyone to speak just to Kale.

"Okay, dude-"

"If it's about that stupid fox, I don't want to hear it," He said, turning his back.

"Kale, what's wrong?" Arro realized he was whining, but didn't care. He pushed on, "Why are you being so rude about this entire thing? It's like you're jealous or something! Lila was once, okay, dude? You know how much it hurts, so shouldn't you be helping me instead of grieving over her? She's gone now. I tried to help you through it. I supported your love even though she wasn't like us. And you won't do the same for me. You're- you're almost as bad as Shadow!"

"Well," Kale shot back, "Lila wasn't an animal. She had one thing wrong about her, and there's a million things wrong with you and Sylix." Cooling down, he added softly, "I ship it, though."

"Like what?" Arro fired, but he, too, kept his voice level.

"She knows we can shapeshift."

"Everyone does!"

"No. She saw it up close, did she not?"

"Well, I-"

"Did she? I'm fairly sure she did. If she didn't, I've seen her. She must be so used to seeing you as a wolf, she can see it in the way you move as a phantom. When they see us closely, they can see how we do it. If we let her figure out how to be a phantom, she'll die trying. The goop we droop? She'll be dead within seconds."

"I can trust her," Arro said firmly, forgetting their quarrel. "I'll warn her. I'll tell her not to attempt it."

"But will she believe you?"

Truth be told, Arro didn't know.

***

The next afternoon, the call of the deer rang out, signaling the start of battle once more. Arro crawled into the bushes, did his shaping, and walked out casually- casually for a fight, at least. He tore to the animal's side, a flashing furball so his father couldn't detect him. He pulled Flake aside once he reached her. She looked up, eager to get back to the fight as the phantom she was fighting with fled. No wonder.

Her clothes were ripped and she was bleeding in multiple places, but her determined expression said she did this every day. Even if it was no big deal to her, it definitely was to Arro.

"What happened to you?" He asked, aghast.

"What, afraid of a little scars?" She pushed him playfully. "If you're looking for Sylix, she's over there." She pointed in a direction and seeing her, his eyes lit up and he started to run over there, but Flake grabbed his arm and looked him in the eyes. "Be careful."

Arro smiled and dashed over to her. He remembered the first time he'd seen her on the battlefield, her spear raised. Now, she was raising her paws to embrace him.

"Hey!" She said. "What's wrong?"

"It's sort of... long," Arro replied nervously.

"We have time, don't we?"

And with that, she led him away by the arm. And he followed.

Thirteen - Paliesum
Arro wondered curiously on where Sylix was taking him.

"Uh, where are we going?" he inquired curiously. Sylix just laughed and nudged Arro to keep moving.

Finally, they reached a cave that read, 'Sylix's Bakery, open to all creatures!' He grinned. So now she owned her mother's bakery!

"Go in," she insisted, spreading out the dangling ivy entrance. Arro nodded, and put his shaggy paw onto the new, cleaned wood tile.

There were shelves everywhere, filled with cupcakes, cakes, cookies, and pie. Arro smiled warmly at her. "This place is amazing," he exclaimed. "May I try a cupcake?" Sylix nodded. "Yeah, sure!" she replied, holding out one with strawberry icing and a pink cherry on top. "I made this one myself," she added, pushing it into Arro's paw, and he impelled it into his mouth and grinned. "This is great, but a little bit sticky." he said, throwing the empty wrapper into the bin. Sylix began to embrace Arro again, and blushed.

"U-uh, I just wanted to say... would you want to be my partner?" she asked hopefully. He laughed affectionately. "Of course! When? I have training sessions everyday with Shadow, except on breaks. I'm free tomorrow, for the whole day!" he responded, bringing Sylix to his paws.

She grinned. "Tomorrow it is then!" Arro nodded, and shape-shifted back into a phantom, drifting back, where Shadow was calling, "ARRO! WHERE WERE YOU! I WAS ABOUT TO GIVE KALE IN TO THE ANIMALS!"

Arro frowned, and looked behind him. There was a puddle of goop and Kale was sitting in it, tied to a rope, but he couldn't shape-shift into a smaller creature because he was in goop.

Kale glared at Arro accusingly, and showed a 'I told you not to' expression. He laughed stupidly, and turned to meet his father's eyes, kneeling to bow.

"Yes, sir?" he asked. Shadow frowned. "I'll let you off this time, kid." he said, not meeting Arro's. "But next time, if that happens, you're having training on breaks." Arro gulped. Breaks were his only time to get together with Sylix! He had to be careful! "I-I think I'll go for a nap," replied Arro, floating off into his room, and dozing off immediately on the floor.

Fourteen- Safetyfireluv
The next morning, Arro woke up bright and early to go to Sylix's bakery. After wandering for a while, he found it, and since he had shapeshifted earlier, did not have to worry about it now.

When he got there, Sylix pulled him into the tightest hug ever and when she pulled away, she was blushing. They worked in the kitchen all day, serving customers, until his father came in.

Much like the fact that he could identify Arro, Arro could identify him just as easily. He made an excuse to go to the back, and Sylix couldn't say she wasn't suspicious.

"Hi. I want a crescent roll with cream cheese. Make it two. My son gets hungry a lot."

"Oh, yeah? What's his name?"

"Oh, nothing special, just Arro."

Sylix raised her eyebrows and nodded, and Sylix wondered if Shadow recognized her. Of course he recognized the name, but perhaps he'd heard word and thought it was her mother, not Sylix herself.

He drifted into the kitchen long after he'd gone, and snapped to attention. "He says that all the time," Arro assured Sylix when she asked him about it. "He'll probably eat it himself if he sees I'm already gone. He won't even try to find me."

"Unless he passes someone you know on the way that you're not hanging out with," Sylix said, but didn't seem to be addressing Kale in particular, so Arro shrugged. That thought did make him a little nervous though, and a small pit formed in his stomach. He tried to shoo it away.

"I'd better be going," He said quickly, rushing to the door. He was about to scurry out when she asked, "Can I have my apron back first? And a hug?"

He smiled and went back to her, then into the alley to shape-shift. Then he headed back to his room. He collapsed on the bed and hid in a corner, drifting off to sleep. When he was shaken awake, it was by his father. Arro opened his eyes. "Sorry." He mumbled, closing them again.

"Come on," Shadow urged. "It's dinnertime."

"What?" He had slept for that long? He rubbed his eyes.

"What a way to waste a break. You missed breakfast!"

"What was breakfast?" Arro hoped his father would mention the fact that he'd bought it for him, but just waved him away and motioned to the door. Once he was out of the room, Shadow trailed after, thoughtfulness encasing him like a bug trapped in a jar.

Trapped.

That was how he felt. Trapped. But not trapped in a jar. Trapped in a war.

Fifteen - Paliesum
The next day, Arro woke up early, and the sun was scorching his rough tentacles. Hoping Sylix would be awake, he shape-shifted into a wolf and padded off into the distance, and went inside the bakery, where Sylix was waiting.

"Hey," she said reluctantly. Arro nodded. "Hi," he replied, putting on his apron. "I wanna talk with with you. About war." Sylix frowned, her eyes full of concern. "Why?" she inquired curiously. He sighed. "You know what, I'll tell you after hours. Quick, someone's coming!"

Sylix nodded fiercely and hurried to her station, Arro getting out the ingredients for the following items. "Hi, how may I help you?" rang the familiar call of Sylix.

"Hello, I would like 2 croissants, one with butter, other with chocolate." said the customer, her bunny ears twitching. "Also, are carrot biscuits possible?"

Sylix scribbled the items onto her notepad. "M'am, we have carrot biscuits in a pack. Small or Large?" she replied, clutching her pencil.

Arro waited for the notepad to be passed. The bunny thought about this for a moment. "Small. My daughter hates the thought of growing fat." she replied, chuckling and handing Sylix some gems. She laughed playfully and gestured to the bunny to sit on the couch, and handed Arro the notepad, and he ripped the page off.

"2 croissants, one butter, one chocolate. Is that correct?" he asked, and she nodded reluctantly. Arro got to work in the kitchen, and baked some croissants and carefully using a knife he spread the toppings on and for fun, he added some sprinkles to the top, and fetched a pack of carrot biscuits from the cupboard, and rang the bell.

Sylix came rushing over to the back and nodded, fetching a tray to hold the items on. "M'am, your food is ready." she said, the bunny hopping up and retrieving the meal. "Thank you," she replied, and hopped away, letting a cougar stumble in foolishly.

He was wearing a visor, and a red jacket. Arro peeked at the cougar from the corner, remembering him. The cougar was that one clumsy phantom, and he knew because of his missing tail at the back, as, as a phantom he had lost a tentacle. Arro couldn't really remember his name, but he finally remembered it. Tripp.

"Hi there, could I have a dozen of cupcakes and a pie?" he mumbled stupidly. Sylix nodded. "Yes sir, coming right up," She scribbled the items down and ripped the page with one sharp claw, handing it to Arro. "I know that guy," he whispered to Sylix. "He's a phantom," She grinned. "Just act normal, Arro." she assured, and told Tripp to sit down.

Arro sighed and iced the cupcakes that he had prepared the day before with their new butter pecan and chocolate sprinkles icing, finished with a cherry on top. He got an apple pie from the fridge, and put it in the oven, while drawing a phantom on top of each cupcake, hoping Tripp would notice. Ding Ding!, called the timer, while Arro rushed over to take the steaming pie out of the oven and put it on the tray, along with the phantomized cupcakes. He pressed the bell, and waited for Sylix.

She came over and noticed the phantom, making her laugh and she took the tray from him, putting on on the counter for Tripp to take. He grunted a 'thank you', and tripped on his way to the door, blushing.

The next customer was a familiar koala, who wore samurai swords on his back and a beanie. Arro immediately recognised him as Riggs.

"Hey, Sylix." he said, nodding to her. She smiled. "Hey, Riggs. How may I help you?" Riggs grinned. "I would like a medium cake with blueberry icing. Rainbow sprinkles." he replied, and automatically sat on the couch in the corner.

Sylix clutched her notepad tightly and handed it to Arro. "Make him stay," he whispered before Sylix left. She smiled, and nodded, going back to the counter. "Riggs, mind if you stay here?" she asked, and he nodded, and made a thumbs up. Arro began making the mixture of the cake base, and while it was in the oven, made the blueberry icing and got out the sprinkles. He waited for the timer to ding, and got out the cake. Drizzling it with icing and sprinkles, he began plotting his plan to end war. When he had summoned his plan, he rang the bell to notify Sylix.

She pounced over and got the cake, and put it on the counter, and put the shop on close. She nodded at Arro, and told Riggs to come to the back. "So, this is Arro. He's a phantom, but he can't hurt a fly." she said, looking at Arro's blushing face. Riggs nodded. "So, what's your plan?" inquired Riggs, reading Arro's mind. "Uh, I wanted my friend Kale, but this'll have to do." he admitted. Sylix got a dozen of cupcakes from under the counter and passed them around. Arro bit the cupcake, smiling.

Arro took another bite of the cupcake, giving her a thumbs up. Then he finished chewing and said, "What if we ended the war so we don't have to fight anymore?"

"We're supposed to end a war with cupcakes?" Sylix asked, amused. Arro shook his head. "No, you don't get it. If we can end this, we won't have to fight each other. We'll save millions of lives."

"You make a good point," Riggs agreed. "So we can end the war. But how?"

Arro sighed. "I'm gonna need one more person other than Kale. My father."

Sixteen- Safetyfireluv
Taking a deep breath, Arro inspected himself in the mirror. Same as always.

First, he went to his father's office and peered in. He waved a tentacle awkwardly. He couldn't help notice Shadow was a coyote, even though he'd said himself that a coyote's bite was weak. He didn't mind, though, since a crocodile couldn't really do work very well.

"D- dad?" He asked nervously, glancing at his feet.

"Yes... you?"

"Could we stay as phantoms for this war? I have a plan."

~*~*~*

"With this Sylix girl?" He inhaled, then exhaled in a chuckle. "Did I not tell you it'd get you in trouble one day. I believe I did." He shook his head, then looked Arro straight in the eyes and said, "You have a plan, son, indeed. And a very good one at that."

Arro threw himself into his father's arms, and Shadow disentangled himself, laughing. "You're not Lux," He said, resting a furry paw on his head, "But you are my son."

Arro nodded. "I know it, dad. I know it."

~*~*~

After that, he went to go find Kale. He was in the swords room, chopping at a dummy. Of course, he was purposefully missing, but his moves were swift and sharp.

"You need to design stores," Arro said, laughing. "Oops- I mean swords. I was thinking of getting you your own sword. Shadow has always wanted to run one of those."

"Dude, he's our king," Kale said, laughing.

"I know," Arro replied. "So it can happen easily. Sylix agreed to help you open her business, and Riggs might give lessons every weekend or something like that. I'm pretty good at selling, so when the bakery's closed, I might be able to help out."

Kale smiled. He wasn't much of a hugger, so he just patted Arro on the back. He turned around, but Arro tapped his shoulder again. "Listen, I, uh, need your help."

"Sure, with what?"

"Ending the war."

~*~*~

Arro looked over at Sylix, who gave him a thumbs-up. Arro smiled back at her and exchanged the gesture, folding up his tentacle. The phantoms didn't charge when the deer called out. She called out again. Then it stopped completely.

The animals didn't attack, either, but a few of them had their grip on a cannon or their paws on their sword hilt. Arro uneasily stepped up to the pillar, and one of them shouted, "This better be worth our time!" Others thew things at him, and he shifted, ready to jump off, but he made eye contact with Sylix and straightened his back.

"Animals." He nodded to them. "Phantoms." He smiled at them. "All of us, together? Do we really need to be fighting? In a way, yes, but Zios and Mira didn't destine us to be this way. So we need to believe we have it in us. Because we do."

Murmurs of agreement rose from the crowd, and Sylix stepped up with Flake and Riggs next to her. Arro nodded and his father and Kale stepped up, grinning in pride.

They nodded at each other, then Shadow at the phantoms, Sylix at the animals. All six of them rose their paws and tentacles high in the air, looking at each other.

And one by one, like a ripple, each paw and tentacle came in the air, joining hands. And just like that, a new life was born.

Author's Note and Credits - Paliesum & Safetyfireluv
Author's Note, Safetyfireluv:

Thank you everyone for sticking with us through this entire journey. We're honored to say that we have finished A New Ally! We can't guarantee it, but we're so glad this turned out we might be doing more! Some add-ons for this series are here: If you're a new reader, you get a thousand hundred cookies! We'd love to know how you feel about it, ex. were the chapters too short, was the grammar incorrect, or were there lots of spelling errors.
 * Arro Tries Chocolate
 * Coming soon!

Arro, Shadow, Kale, Riggs, Flake, Sylix, and maybe Tripp, are so excited if you are rereading this! We're glad you enjoyed it so much, and if this is a proof-read, please tell us how you think below!

For now, this is the end of our journey. But with every end, there's a new start! We hope that you can enjoy some of our new starts and finished ends below. But for now, farewell! We hope to see you soon!

''Did you like Paliesum's chapters? Go here for more: ''Category: Paliesum

''Did you like Safetyfireluv's chapters? Go here for more: ''Category: Safetyfireluv

Credits, Paliesum:

Thank you for everyone who read or commented! If you've read this, come on! Tell your friends about this, and they're free to leave a comment too! Special credits to MelonVandal, Paliesum5767, Wolfie, and Youngcoldnew17! Thank you all for commenting, there are credits to Wolfie and Paliesum5767 because they are the authors' sisters. :3. And huge thank you to Safetyfireluv and myself, or this wouldn't have made it this far. I got this idea from Mothleaf and Abbykurle, the way they wrote Mothleaf and Akurle:Dark Guardians was amazing! Thank you all for staying!

P.S Arro, Shadow, Kale, Riggs, Flake, Sylix, and Tripp bid you goodbye! :3