After seeing the lovely waters of the Oasis, the Rapids of No Looking Back was bland and rather unclean. The water didn't seem that deep, but many foxes had died from drowning in them, as the currents had rushed back and forth wildly, making it impossible for them to swim to shore.

Iris shuddered, watching the water whip to and fro, white bubbles crashing against the canyon's sides. She edged away from the edge. Guess I never entirely got over my fear of heights... A voice called, "Didn't expect to see you here, lazy fish guts!" Iris found herself smiling. It was the obvious voice of Hunter. She turned and waved to the small fox before bounding over. As expected, Smog hung back, but Cobra Lily started to slowly follow.

Hunter was leaning on a dead tree, smirking, with some of the ugliest fish Iris had ever seen at her feet. "Ah, see, sis! I told you might get to see some." Her sister called, coming over. Iris stared in shock at the fish. It seems like Hunter caught them... But how?! They're bigger than she is!

"Look, no water thingy. Ughh. I'm in for some talking, that's all your vulture of a sister ever does." Hunter muttered to her. Cobra Lily clearly heard it, and her fur bristled a little bit. Smog started slowly inching his way toward them, eyeing Hunter cautiously, muttering something about someone named Stonefish and "never right after that..." Iris giggled at his nervous expression.

Hunter nudged one of the fish over to Iris. "You can have it. You seem like the hungry type, cactus brains."

Smiling, Iris took it, then eyed it nervously before handing it over to Smog when he got close enough. She shook her head in wonder as he shoved it in his mouth, trying to choke it down.

"Well, Hunter, don't insult them so much that they run away!" Cobra Lily laughed. "I still need to show Iris the other side, but you can chase off Smog if you want," her sister teased. Smog made a sound of indignation, muffled from the large fish he seemed determined to swallow down. Everyone -laughed, but Hunter laughed the loudest, in a way that could only be described as snorting.

"Well, it's nice to see you, you... ahh... vulture head? Anyways, I'm going to show Iris around, then we'll come back and chat a bit," Cobra Lily told Hunter.

Hunter snorted. "Your sister was never one for insults," she told Iris. "See you soon, you dung-brained fish-headed vultures!" Cobra Lily dragged Iris to a different part of the rapids, while Iris waved to the others, feeling a little bad about leaving Smog when she saw the nervous look he gave Hunter.

Finally, her sister seemed satisfied about where they were. "Okay, Sis, take a look to the other side." She did and gasped - in confusion.

"Uh... There isn't anything there." Iris looked around nervously.

"Wait, wrong spot!" And so Cobra Lily dragged off Iris once more.

"Okay, now you can look." Iris looked over the crashing waves of the rapids, and gasped once again... but this time, it wasn't in confusion, but fear. The land on the other side was scorched, and a black flag with a blood-red sword on it - a sabre, perhaps? - waved proudly in the wind. Underneath it, there were the obvious remains of charred bones. "I have a feeling that they burn bodies there just to spite us," muttered Cobra Lily.

"They... burn bodies?" Iris gasped, flinching back. "I... didn't think that they would have a flag..."

"Of course, they have a flag! Every self-respecting group needs a flag. They have a rather nice one, even if it's not to my taste."

"Okay..." Sometimes she didn't understand a lot of what her sister said.

"Well, now we should get back so you ca-" she cut off when Iris flailed back into her. "What is it?!" her sister whispered.

"...a body just washed up on the shore..." Iris mumbled, her eyes still on it. Cobra Lily suddenly jerked up, alert, and raced towards it. Iris followed very slowly, in case there was danger, thinking that she would rather be trapped by the wolves rather than be in the position she currently was in. Iris immediately felt remorse for that thought.

Cobra Lily bent over, examining it. It seemed to be an arctic fox. Its eyes were gouged out, and there were deep scratches all along its body. Nevertheless, Cobra Lily checked for a heartbeat, before flatly saying, "He's dead."

"I..." Iris slowly made her way over, examining the body. "Who was he?"

"The last spy we sent over." Cobra Lily seemed upset. "The only one we have left literally just started training."

Cobra Lily flipped the body over and found a small pouch with a message inside. She took it out while Iris watched silently with confusion in her eyes. She read out loud, "'We are coming. Soon, only Sabre's threshold will be the only thing in Lupinox not aflame or covered in blood and tears. Surrender now. It's your last chance.'" Seeing Iris's terrified expression, her sister tried to comfort her. "Don't worry. They probably won't act on it. They've sent us many, many messages like this before." Meaning many, many deaths...

Cobra Lily sighed. "I'm going to have to see the Bosses again to report this..." she muttered, kicking a piece of wood as she walked back to the others, Iris close behind. They sat down by Hunter, Iris staring at her paws, flicking her tail restlessly.

After explaining the situation, Hunter looked grave (for possibly the first time ever), and told them, "You two thorn-brained web-pawed trouble makers should get going. You'll have to call a meeting with the bosses." Cobra Lily sighed, clearly not wanting to do that. Smog was staring at the sky, tears dripping down his snout, for the first time without words to say. I wonder what his connection to that fox was...

Cobra Lily led them back, while at the same time sending her water avatar ahead to call a meeting. Iris learned that Cobra Lily's avatar used paw and tail signals to communicate, and when they finally made it to the meeting room, Iris was exhausted from her long day. Let's hope I can stay awake...

Hunter left soon after they arrived, saying something about how "My fish-headed cactus-brained mate wants some help to train those annoying mosquitoes. The newbie groups are the WORST to train."

Smog stayed, but he was huddled in the corner, ignoring everyone and everything.

Then the "Bosses" finally came in, elegantly walking to the map before sitting down. Iris no longer felt tired; the unnerving presence of the "Bosses" kept her awake. She could have sworn that the room temperature dropped when they walked in.

"Hello," the one she assumed was Frostbite said in a chilly tone of voice. "We are here to discuss the recent death of Stonefish." Iris bit back a shudder; Frostbite's icy blue eyes were directly on her. She started to wonder if both siblings could read minds.

"Yess," hissed her brother. "Or more sspecifically, what to do now that all of our sspies have died." Out of the corner of her eye, Iris saw Smog shudder, and press his back to the wall. Iris was starting to consider doing the same; was it just a coincidence that both "Bosses" were staring at her? Maybe he's reading my mind...

She fiddled with her paws, and instead of meeting their gaze, she stared at their feet. She vaguely heard Frostbite say, "We would like you, Iris, to come with us. Lieutenant, you may also come." Iris knew that this was an order. She got up, along with the others, and followed them, staring at her paws as she walked. Smog headed off at a fast pace away from them when the group started to turn the corner. Frost coughed, his ears flattening, staring down the hallway. Iris edged away from him, nervous.

Instead of going to the Oasis, as Iris had thought, they turned and marched toward a different room that concealed a large, frosty trapdoor. When they entered, it swung open and revealed a steep, curving stairway heading downwards. She hung between the "Bosses" and Cobra Lily, lest anything might attack, she would be the safest. Even Cobra Lily looked apprehensive.

As their paws skittered down the icy steps, Iris could hear the squeaks of frightened mice scurrying away. They finally reached the end of the steps, and Iris looked around.

The place was dark, but foxes fortunately had night vision. There was a table with maps piled on it that Frostbite quickly whisked away into a chest in the corner of the room. There was also a bookshelf, but these books were different, deformed. There was one that flickered with flame, yet didn't burn the other books, one that was frozen, the words shimmering so that you could read them, and one with leafy vines that smacked at Iris's paw when she tentatively reached out to touch it. She jerked back and gave the books a wide berth.

Frost and Frostbite sat at the table, staring at her with identical, frosty expressions. I've never known any twins that acted this similar to each other in my life. Then again, it could just be a show to intimidate me. Frost coughed, his ears twitching, and Frostbite whispered chillingly, "Show us what you can do."

Iris looked at her paws, confused. What did they mean? How should she convey her confusion? Thankfully, but at the same time creepily, Frost hissed, "Show us what you can do. Your magic. You are a kitsune." He said it as a statement, not a question, making Iris be put on guard. Silly me... Surely they've been told already... Still, she tried to only think of rocks, or blank slates, but she failed pretty miserably.

She let out a breath before concealing herself in the Mist, shaping it to look like her sister. Because her sister was slightly smaller than her, she made parts of her invisible.

Frostbite might have been thinking something, because Frost nodded and murmured hauntingly, "Good. Now, you, as you have the power to do so, shall cross the Rapids of No Looking Back as our new spy. Do not worry about not having experience, you'll do better than most others. Also, you can not back out of this. I can see it in your eyes... If you don't want to do it, you can just leave the rebellion."

His eyes searched her, a confident smirk on his snout. He knows that he's got me. I can't leave; I'd probably die! I have zero survival skills! Even then, there may be hostiles out there, the dangerous ones. There's a reason they didn't join the rebellion. Still, if I become a spy, I'm probably dead anyway. Still, it's best to die in a way I might be remembered in history... "I will do it," she told them, hearing the quiver in her voice.

"Good," Frostbite hissed. "We'll start training soon. Be expected soon. For now, you may leave." Iris nodded wordlessly, her eyes returning to her paws.

The trip back up went by in a blur, and even Cobra Lily was silent. They headed back to Iris's room, and her sister told her, "There's a library on this map." She handed a map to Iris. "You can prepare. When you go, try not to die." She forced a smile before leaving.

I wonder how I'll be able to survive this... Wait- did she say a LIBRARY?!