Stories

Jamaa's Ancient History

And so it was that the Sky Father was named Zios. He created many stars and planets, and set them in
motion. But after eons of creation, he became lonely. So he created the Sky Mother, a grey heron, and named her Mira.

Mira was beautiful and kind and they were very happy together. She loved Zios deeply and often told him how talented he was, encouraging him to create. Together, Zios and Mira created their masterpiece: a lush land filled with oceans, mountains, meadows, and all kinds of plants and animals. They named this special world Jamaa, and for hundreds of years, the world and its animals were at peace.

But today, all is not well in Jamaa. A mysterious dark force has crept into the land, stealing away animals and ruining the beauty of Jamaa. Only you can help save the animals and restore the world to its glory. Please help, for you are Jamaa's only hope.

~AJHQ

The Return of the Alphas
Today, they world of Jamaa is home to millions of animals, living in peace. Yet a long time ago, this world we loved was nearly lost. Nobody knew where the phantoms came from, but they left Jamaa in ruins. The animals gathered for a last stand. But then the alphas appeared!; A group of extraordinary animals from a far away land. I stayed to protect Jamaa while the alphas tracked the fleeing phantoms. Now, they have returned! And now, your adventure is about to begin!

~Liza

How the Phantoms Came to be
The earth had just been created, and it was desolate and cold. Mira and Zios set out to create things to live on their new planet, to make it even more beautiful than it was. So they created trees and plants, all different kinds, and each one more beautiful than the last. Those plants were lonely, though. They started to wilt, and Mira knew she had to do something about it. So she created animals and insects to live in harmony with the trees. This made the plants and trees happy, and for the first time, the trees and plants of earth were in bloom, with enormous orange flowers, small white flowers, blue flowers, and just about any color you could imagine. It was beautiful, and Mira and Zios were thrilled to see that their creations were so wonderful. But Zios knew that the peace would never last, so he tried to distance himself from Mira, knowing that she would be heartbroken if he left her. She stayed with Zios, even when he told her not to. He knew he was dying, and didn't want her to be hurt. The day came when he finally fell, and the animals and plants mourned for their creator, but no one was more saddened than Mira. She wept and wept, but the tears kept falling. Soon she ran out of tears for her beloved Zios, and what fell were great masses of darkness, pure sadness and evil. They mixed with the minerals of the earth and became the most feared creatures in all of existance: The phantoms.

Now the phantoms have returned, and they are wreaking havoc on the land we now know as Jamaa. We need your help to defeat these creatures, or Mira herself may be overpowered by her own grief.

~AJHQ


.:BEFORE YOU READ:.
Reader discretion is highly advised! The following story contains the following which may be upsetting or disrespectful to some readers:
-Minor swearing
-Violence
-Character death
-Non-canonical lore
-Minor gore
I'd also like to remind you that this story was written by me (Loopy44) a few years back, and is in no way the "official" lore/background for the Phantoms or anyone else mentioned in the story. Also, I apologize for any errors and/or poor writing, I did make this when I was only 13 ;u;

The Phantom King (Original Story)

Part 0.5 

Before the Shamans were around "protecting" the land, Zios and Mira spent many centuries together in a palace creating what we now know as Jamaa. First they created the heavens, then the oceans, then the land, then all the plants to flourish everywhere. Finally, when they had finished their work, they created the beautiful animals that would inhabit both the land and sea.
When they had spent many years enjoying peace, Mira saw that some of the animals were shouting excitedly. She flew down and asked what was that matter. They told her that they had seen horrible looking creatures flying toward Jamaa from the forbidden mountains. She went to Zios immediately, and they formed the elite team they called the Shamans, and together they went up to the mountains and spoke to the strange creatures. They spoke of peace and the phantoms wanted to live among the animals in Jamaa. The shamans agreed, and together they went down the mountain and brought the new jammers, the phantoms, to Jamaa. But the animals didn't like the phantoms. They were jealous that they had the special powers of light and telekinesis, so the animals bullied the phantoms to no end, until one day, a phantom snapped, literally. It exploded in a shower of electricity, raining down on the animals and killing three that were too close to the phantom's explosion. Greely, the new wolf shaman, proposed to the other shamans a plan of attack on the phantoms, and they readily agreed.
~***~
The next day, a phantom named Skrilliant awoke to find his home in ruins, smoldering after the fire that had consumed most of the phantom's living quarters. Everything, every part of the phantom's history, art, their homes even, were all burned. Only twelve phantoms survived, and when they found out that the shamans had done this to them, they knew that Jamaa was no longer a place for them to live in peace.
They had to leave, and soon.

~Loopy44

 The Phantom King Part 1

Soul-crushing.

That is how I would describe the day I found out that Jamaa had turned against us. We, the phantoms, were the subject of hatred to no end by the animals of Jamaa, but we coped with it. Jamaa was our home now, and it was safe.

Or so I thought.

I woke up in the wee hours of the morning when the sun had not yet been awoken, and the night still held fast to it's grip on the heavens. The darkness made it all the easier to see the flames that leaped from our homes and businesses. I opened my eye to find my home blanketed in smoke, flames leaping from under the crude piece of wood I used for a door. I gasped in that special sort of zappy noise all phantoms made when they spoke, and floated to the window as fast as I possibly could. I was on the second floor, and the ground was fifteen feet below me. Contrary to popular belief, phantoms can't float all that well, and we hit the ground just the same as other animals when we fall. I grabbed my sheet and tied it to the windowpane to fashion a makeshift rope. I scooted down from it and hit the ground with a rather jarring thud. I got back to my senses and for the first time saw the horrible sight around me. The neighborhood I had grown up in, my home, my friends' homes, they were all burning... I looked back at the blazing pile of rubble that, just a short time ago, was my home. I my eye widened and panic filled my body as I realized that my mom and dad were still in the house next to me (I had moved out of their house a short time ago). I floated to the other house in a flash, already knowing what awaited me there. I knew they were dead, but through the panic I couldn't bring myself to rationalize the fact. They couldn't be dead, no. They would come floating out of the house any second, slightly singed, yes, but alive. I sat there for what only seemed like a couple seconds, but when I came back to my senses, it was morning, and the sun shone brightly on the smoldering remains of all the phantom's living spaces. I just sat there. No thoughts crossed my mind. I felt nothing. My parents were dead.

~***~

She came up behind me so quietly... I nearly jumped out of my skin when she put her paw on my shoulder. She said quietly, "Skrilliant. You need to leave." I looked up at her. The female wolf that was speaking to me was my friend, Felicity. She was one of the only animals in Jamaa who was nice to the phantoms, and for that, she was treated like an outcast. She never cared, though. That's why I looked up to her so much... That's why I wish she was more that just my friend. Felicity was brilliant in a completely unique and wonderful way.Then I saw what was behind her. There were two other phantoms, one with purple electricity and the other with a very large, beautiful eye. "All the phantoms have been killed, Skrilliant. You are the last ones left..." She said with dismay.

"No... No, that can't be possible..." I said, almost in a trance. We can't be the only ones... I got up suddenly in a burst of electricity. I looked around wildly in search of more phantoms. Something to convince myself that Felicity wasn't right. But she was... There were no phantoms in sight. "Felicity, who could have done this?" She shook her head, signaling that she had no clue.

After that day, I was moving constantly. I couldn't stay in one place. There was so much work to do, so much territory to search for phantoms that had escaped the fire. In two days I had found seven phantoms, along with the two I had come with, who's names escaped me... So far, we were a group of nine. Felicity had decided to stay in Jamaa with the other animals, or else we may attract attention. Things were looking up, even in the face of the horrible event that had destroyed the life as I know it. Well, until the day I found Stormclaw.

~***~

It was raining. I remember the wind, and the lightning. I remember Stormclaw. He was huddled under a fern, trying to escape the rain. The electricity was flowing weakly under his skin when I touched it. I shook him awake. He barely stirred. I started to become afraid. I zapped him with electricity, try to rouse him. It worked, somewhat. He rolled over and started shivering violently. I asked one of the phantoms in our group to get me a healing potion. I took it and put it in Stormclaw's mouth, hoping he would get better. His breathing became more even, but the shivering didn't stop. I grabbed a blanket and draped it over him. I called for one of the phantoms to help me build a fire after I was sure he didn't need immediate medical attention. After the fire was built, I scooted the shivering phantom closer to it. He stopped shivering, but still didn't wake up. The phantoms and I set up a makeshift camp and we soon fell asleep, but I was too worried for our new friend to sleep more than an hour or two.

The next day came upon us unexpectedly, the sun rising much too fast for my taste. I woke the other phantoms and checked on Stormclaw. He was still sleeping. As you can guess, I was pretty tired by that point, so I decided to take a quick nap. Just a quick one... 

I dreamed random nonsense like I would usually do, but this time every random scene of my dream was kind of... Shiny? I don't know exactly how to describe it, but it felt rather surreal, and everything had sort of a pearly glow about it. I was suddenly very lucid, and was fully conscious of everything around me. I was standing on the forbidden mountain just North of Jamaa Township... Odd. I looked around and saw a phantom slowly floating towards me. I called out to him, "Who are you?" but there was no answer. He came very close, just close enough that I could reach out and touch him with my left tentacle. We stood in silence for a while, and he spoke to me.

"Skrilliant, do you know who I am?" I shook my head in confusion. "I am Stormclaw, the phantom you rescued underneath the fern." I gasped as the sudden recognition hit me. "Skrilliant, I have something important to tell you, and you may not like it." I asked him to go on. What was it he wanted to tell me? "You and your group are in grave danger. Your homes were not burned on accident, and you were not forced out of Jamaa because of some silly mistake. Your homes were destroyed because the shaman, Greely ordered it to happen. He thought it was about time that the phantoms left, so he tricked the other shamans into burning everything. He has launched a campaign to destroy every phantom in existence, and unless you flee to the underground city of Vesria, he will succeed." "Wait.. The SHAMANS did this to us?!" I asked in amazement. He nodded solemnly. "So, where is Vesria?" I asked. "It is in a place sacred to Mira and Zios, a place commonly overlooked by hundreds every day. You must knock on her foot twice, and when she lets you into the city, you must form a new colony, one where peace and love flourish, and things like hate and segregation are nonexistent. You must go now-"  He was cut off by a static noise and a flickering image of my dream going fuzzy. "WAKE UP, SKRILLIANT! Greely is coming, and he can't see you know he did this! WAKE UP, SKRILLIANT!!" The last things I saw before I woke up was Greely's face, staring down evilly at Stormclaw, then slashing down with his paw. Stormclaw's body broke in half with a sickening crunch. Then I woke up.

After the dream, I checked Stormclaw. Still sleeping, so I thought. I checked for a pulse. There was none. He was dead...

It was all my fault.
~***~

We traveled for another month searching for as many phantoms as we could, but we only found three more. I decided then it was time for us to find the underground city of Vesria. But first, I needed to check back in with Felicity. Where was she? I spent all my days wondering if she was okay, all my nights restlessly dreaming of her. She has to be okay, I thought. I was going to risk going back into Jamaa Township just to look for my friend. No, she was more than that. She was my soulmate. I couldn't live without her. I needed her by my side, even when we went to Vesria. I didn't care that she was a wolf and I was a phantom. I loved  Felicity with all my heart. I needed to find her.

~Loopy44

The Phantom King part 2

I wove in and out of the bamboo forest that skirted the norther part of Jamaa Township, doing my best not to make a single sound as my tired and beat-down group followed closely behind me. I was doing a little spying, true, but it was all for a greater cause than my personal desires. I was investigating Jamaa Township of a sign, if there was any, of my best friend, Felicity. I was a phantom and she was a wolf, but she was the only animal that I knew who was nice to the phantoms. She was my best friend, but I always wanted her to be so much more than that... I knew it was a long shot, but I had to try and convince her to come with us into hiding. The group I traveled with was small, only twelve, but we were thought to be last phantoms in the land of Jamaa. I had to get us into hiding after the shamans burned our homes and convinced everyone that we were evil... I had to find the fabled city of Vesria, where we could live in peace and prosperity forever, and never be bothered by the shamans. But first, I needed to find Felicity.

We laid in wait for what seemed like an eternity, until I caught sight of a familiar flash of purple and grey fur. It was Felicity! But how would she know where to find me? Jam a Gram! I thought. I quickly wrote the letter and sent it to Felicity. She looked around in surprise that she had received the mail. She opened the letter and the look of surprise deepened on her face. She tucked it away and looked around to see if anyone had noticed what she read. She walked over to the edge of the bamboo as nonchalantly as she could, where I had told her to meet me. She sat down, and I grabbed her arm and guided her back to our hiding place. She looked a little startled at first, until she laid her eyes on me. I was in better condition than some of our group, but I still looked a little beat-up. She rushed over before I could even say hi, and embraced me in a warm and gentle hug. I was honestly surprised at the maneuver, but I hugged her right back. It felt so warm and wonderful... I didn't want the moment to end, but she pulled away and I sighed rather dejectedly.

"Oh, Skrilliant! I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried when I had to make you leave, I thought I was sending you into a death trap! Oh, and you found more phantoms!" She said excitedly as she looked around our group.

"Yeah, we did..." I replied. "Um, Felicity? I need to ask you a question..." She looked at me with an inquisitive look on her face. I took a deep breath and asked, "Would you like to come with me to the underground city??" She stared blankly at me for a second, then quickly said, "Yes! I'd love to stay with you guys!" I was a little surprised at her willingness to go, especially since she was always one to be outside, never inside. Especially for the rest of her life... "Are you sure?" I asked tentatively. "Of course, Skrilliant! If it means I can spend the rest of my life knowing that the phantoms are safe, then I'll go anywhere," she said enthusiastically. "Especially if it means I can be with you..." She muttered under her breath. "What?" I asked, not hearing what she had said. "Nothing," She said quickly. I turned to the rest of our group, and we all started making plans to get to the safe city of Vesria. 

~***~

A week later, we were on full stealth mode. It was one of Jamaa's scheduled updates for every other week. Jamaa Township was deserted, leaving our group clear to get to the underground city's entrance, which I found out was at the base of the Mira Statue. We ran, or floated I should say, as quickly as we could to the statue. I knocked on Mira's right foot twice, and to our surprise, the statue floated into the air and left a hole the perfect size for all of us to get through at the base. I took a deep breath and went into the tunnel first. Felicity followed right after me, then the rest of the group came behind her. The tunnel was long and narrow. It was pitch black, but our electricity kept it light enough for us to see. We walked through the tunnel for at least five minutes until we saw a feint light ahead of us. We all picked up the pace eagerly and saw the most beautiful sight I could imagine. There, laid out before us, was a grand underground city, alight with brilliant rainbow fires and bustling with activity. There were phantoms everywhere, of all shapes, sizes and colors. It was so beautiful, it brought tears to my eyes. I put my tentacle around Felicity and whispered, "We're home. We're safe." She replied by nuzzling my face softly. It only succeeded in bringing more tears to my eye. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen....

~***~

I glanced nervously at Felicity. We had arrived at Vesria about a month ago, and she had gotten a job at a local diner. I on the other hand, had been hired as the king's second in command (a well paying job if I do say so myself). I had bought a little house not long after, and it turned out that she was my new neighbor. She and the others had thrown a block party for their new neighbor (yours truly) and at the moment Felicity and I were sitting on my porch swing, drinking some delicious sparkling apple cider. She looked happy, but her presence always made me nervous. I had liked her a lot, and hoped that someday we could be more than just friends, but I had nerve worked up the courage to tell her about my feelings. The thought made my mood darken a bit, and I took a large swig from my cider. It instantly made my head buzz, and I blinked a few times to clear the sensation, Felicity looked at me curiously and said, "You might want to slow down if you want to come to the barbecue later." She chuckled and turned away to take an elegant sip from her glass. I sighed dejectedly and put my glass down. I leaned back on the porch swing, sighing as the calm of the moment took over me. Felicity slouched a little and scooted closer to me. "It's a little chilly tonight," she commented vaguely. 

"I can get you a blanket or something," I replied lamely.

"Nah, I'm fine here," She said, snuggling against the right side of my body. I put a tentacle around her shoulder awkwardly and tried not to shock her as the excitement of the moment made the electricity in my veins run faster. She sighed, and I couldn't help but notice that her fur smelled like vanilla and cinnamon. I couldn't resist breathing in the scent more deeply a second time. The feeling of her soft, warm fur against my skin, the sweet scent of vanilla and cinnamon, I just didn't want this moment to end...

"BARBECUE'S READY!" someone shouted down the street, snapping me back to reality. Felicity got up and stretched, taking away the fleeting moment of warmth I had in her company. 

"You coming, cider-breath?" she asked playfully. I groaned and got up off the porch swing. I floated over to Felicity at the barbecue where many phantoms were assembling. I grabbed a bbq'd corncob and a veggie burger. Yumm, I thought. The phantoms in Vesria had a strictly non-meat diet, and since moving here, Felicity took it upon herself to become a vegetarian. It must have been hard for her, but she was looking good. Her grey and purple coat had never been shinier in fact. I looked down at my plate and realized how hungry I was. I dug into the veggie burger rather unceremoniously and stuffed my face like a wild boar. I got started on the corncob when I noticed Felicity sit down next to me on the curb. She set her plate down and wolfed down three veggie burgers at once. We made eye contact for a second, noticing that we both had food all over our faces. We simultaneously broke out in laughter. We were a mess. 

After we finished our second helpings, Felicity and I laid back on the grass of my front lawn. We stared up at the magical substitute for the night sky (since we were underground, we couldn't see the real sky). Felicity leaned over and rather unexpectedly said, "Wanna come see my house?" I nodded in agreement. We walked a few houses down the street to a little light blue house with a round door. Felicity opened the door and motioned for me to go in first. I looked around and saw a woven mat on the floor, as well as a couch, small television, and a table with an unlit scented candle on it. She closed the door and said, "Come upstairs, I think I have some movies we can watch." She walked up the stairs. I followed her up and discovered that she did indeed have a lot of movies. She flopped onto the mattress in the middle of the floor and patted a space beside her. I sat down and she clicked the TV remote and put on a movie titled "Evil Squid." 

~***~

Felicity and I lay on the mattress, laughing and gasping for breath. The movie we watched was so cheesy that we couldn't help but laugh at all the junky effects. At the end the hero saved his bride and they started kissing under the sunset. When the credits came on, we looked at each other and broke out in laughter. 

"Okay, that was probably the worst movie I've ever seen," I laughed. Felicity giggled and nodded her head. My thoughts drifted to the ending, when the hero proclaimed his love for the lady. Felicity stood up and took the now empty bowl of popcorn into the kitchen and came back a few seconds later. As she sat down I asked her shakily, "Do you...Or did you...Have your eye on anyone..?" Her expression turned thoughtful.

"Well, I do, but I don't think he knows..." her voice trailed off. 

"Who?" I prodded. 

"Nevermind," she shook her head. "What about you?" I looked down. I loved Felicity, yes, but even at that moment, I couldn't work up the courage to tell her. "Yes, I do, but I don't think she likes me back..." I sighed forlornly. 

"Oh," She replied. I could tell she was trying to mask the disappointment in her voice. I looked at her curiously.

"Is he another wolf?" I asked. Felicity smirked and shook her head. "Who then?" I asked further. In a quick movement, Felicity sat up and leaned over my face. Her muzzle as inches above me when she whispered, "You can't possibly be so dense." Her lips pressed against mine, slowly, curiously, as if I was a wild animal about to bite. I didn't though. I kissed her back after I recovered from the initial shock. I drank in the sweet scent of cinnamon and vanilla, and enveloped the warmth that she offered. The kiss lasted about four seconds, until out lips parted and we took a few rapid breaths. I looked into her eyes, and I did not see confusion, guilt, or disappointment. I saw hunger there, hunger for another being in which she could love. I knew that the same look was painted on my face, because I felt it in my heart. I wanted to love Felicity with all my heart, no, all my being. I wanted for her to know I loved her. Wait, I thought. What am I doing?? I'm making out with Felicity! My best friend! I couldn't do this. "I'm sorry, I-" I stuttered as I floated as fast as I could away from Felicity. I looked at her face as I left. I saw confusion. I saw sadness, betrayal. I didn't want to look anymore. I floated out of her house frantically and went as fast as my small amount of magic could carry me back to my home. I was three doors down from her house. I could still hear her sobbing. I could hear those tears that I caused. I threw myself on my couch. I lay there and cried for what seemed like an eternity. I sobbed until there were no more tears left in my body, but I still cried.

~***~

I must have cried myself to sleep at one point, because when I woke up I was laying on the floor in a puddle of soggy carpet. I looked out the window. The magical replica of an early morning sun shone it's rays onto my tired body. I looked over to Felicity's house. I stepped out onto my front lawn. The sprinklers and I were the only ones awake at this hour. I wondered if she was still here. I wouldn't blame her for going back to Jamaa. Not after the pain I caused her. The sudden pang of guilt was so intense that I dropped to the wet grass and felt like sobbing or throwing up or both. I didn't want to live with this guilt anymore. I had to apologize. I floated over to Felicity's house and knocked on the door. No answer. I knocked again. Nothing. I opened the door a crack and called her name. "Felicity?" Still no answer. I opened the door wider. I took a deep breath and I stepped inside. There was nobody in the living room, or the kitchen. She must be upstairs. I floated up and looked around the corner to her bedroom. There she was, sleeping peacefully. Her eyelids looked puffy and red from all the crying. She must have been awake for hours after I left. I couldn't bring myself to wake her. I couldn't bring her more pain. I sat down on the mattress as quietly as I could. I raised my left tentacle and started to stroke her fur. A sigh escaped her lips and she relaxed a little as a smile crossed her face. We stayed like that for hours, until the sun was high in the sky and she stirred. Felicity groggily opened one eye and yawned. I stopped stroking her fur, and she opened both eyes, wondering why the feeling left.

"Skrilliant?!" she gasped. I looked at her in complete sorrow.

"I'm so sorry, Felicity..." I said, my voice quivering. A tear squeezed out of my eye as she asked the one question I could not answer.

"Why did you leave?" 

I shook my head. I didn't know. 

"Don't you like me?" She asked. This question, I could answer. 

"Of course, Felicity. I love you." There. I said it. I loved Felicity. I truly did. But my answer only seemed to make her sadder. Then... Why did you le-" she was cut off as I rushed over to her and enveloped her in the tightest hug I could muster. She hugged back, but the tears flowed fourth. I cried with her. My beloved Felicity. "I've always loved you, Felicity... Always." I whispered in her ear as we both cried and hugged and cried some more. We remained like that for about an hour, until the sobs changed to sniffles, as the sniffles turned to quiet sighs. I hugged her, never wanting to let go. She sniffled once and looked up at me. "You liked it, didn't you? I could see it in your eye." I thought for a moment. Yes, I did like that kiss, but somehow it seemed wrong. I said the only thing I could think of.

"My heart craved that kiss more than anything, Felicity, but my mind said I wasn't ready for it. I think we need to take this slowe-" I was cut off by Felicity gently kissing me once more on the lips. She drew back and smiled. I mirrored the expression as the thought ran through my head, I love it when she smiles....

~***~
~Loopy44


The Phantom King: Part 3

I lay on the couch in my living room. A flickering candle provided the only source of light as Felicity lay curled on the couch next to me. I never thought she truly loved me. I never believed it could happen. I never thought I would ever have a family. But now, as I sit here, stroking her fur with my wolf paw, the thought entered my mind. What would the pups look like? What would they do when they realize that their father is a phantom? I pushed it to the back of my mind. Another time. Right now, all that mattered was the grey and purple wolf sleeping beside me. I lay my head down beside her. As I closed my eyes, I could still smell that sweet scent of vanilla and cinnamon...

~***~

"Wake up! Skrilliant! Wake up!" Felicity shook my shoulder with her paw. I opened my eyes groggily.

"Huh..?" I moaned, pulling one of the throw pillows over my head to block the intruding sunlight.

"Come on! The Phantom King needs you!" She shook my shoulder once more as she tried to wake me up. I got up immediately.

"Why?" I asked, now fully alert.

"He's sick! They said he needs you immediately," she said urgently. I got up and went through the door and ran down the street. I ran all the way to the king's palace and opened the gate. I scrambled up the stairs and into the corridor that lead to his bedroom. I could sense his magical presence, but it was weaker than usual... A lot weaker. I ran to the large door and nearly opened it when I realized, Oh wait, I'm still a wolf. I quickly shape-shifted back into a phantom and opened the door. The Phantom King was lying on his bed, surrounded by what I assumed were a whole bunch of doctors. He looked up for a second, gesturing weakly for me to come forward. I floated to his bedside. I heard him whisper shakily but I couldn't make out what he was saying. I floated closer.

"Skrilliant... I know my time is nearing the end... I need to ask something of you..." his voice trailed off.

"What is it, your highness?" I asked, obviously concerned.

"You are my second in...Command, yes?" his voice cracked. I nodded. "You must now... Bear the responsibility of... Of..." I leaned forward.

"Of what, sir?"

"You are the new... Phantom... King... There is... No... Choice..." He weakly put one of his tentacles on my head, and a cool liquid sensation caught me by surprise. It was as if an egg had been cracked over my head. I shivered as it ran down my body, but quickly stopped as the feeling turned into on that felt of fire. I was on fire! Argh, it hurts! I thought. I yelped in pain, trying to rid myself of the burning feeling. As soon as it had come though, it left. Instead there was a strange pulsing feeling, like a heartbeat, but not as steady as my own. "Your highness, what was that?" I asked him, my body shaky from the feeling of the energy. I looked over to the king. His body shriveling right in front of me, and the doctors were rushing around with several defibrillators. They shocked him many times with them, but it was no use. The Phantom King had breathed his last breath. He was dead. I backed out of the room as quickly as I could. What did he say? I am the phantom king?! No, I can't be a king. I can't rule over all these phantom citizens! I'm just a... Just a phantom... King. You are a king, and you know it. A voice pushed it's way into my head. I stopped in my tracks. Who was that? I asked myself. I am you. Ugh. That was no help at all... Who are you REALLY? I asked once more. I am your new conscious. I was given to you by the former Phantom King. A puzzled look crossed my face as I realized what that weird feeling was when he touched me. It was the transfer of magic to one very powerful phantom to another... Wait... Does that mean I have... Real magic now? I wondered. Yes, you have more magic than most creatures in Jamaa, excluding Mira, Zios, and Greely. You are a king after all... The voice said. So... What can I do with it? I asked. Anything, the voice replied. I let out a puff of air as I thought of what I would do with this newfound power. I tried pushing a glob of the magic (there seemed to be a very large pool of it in the back of my mind) into my body, willing it to make me into a wolf. The change happened abruptly, turning my tentacles into four paws and a tail, my one eye becoming two red ones. Something else happened to the change though. When I turned into a wolf with Felicity, I looked like any other black wolf, except I had a purple tip at the end of my tail. But with such powerful magic assisting this change, there was too much magic and not enough space to contain it. The magic spilled out through my back and shoulders, as well as my tail. It turned to a pulsating purple mass flowing from behind my shoulders and replacing my tail entirely. I looked back and was surprised to see that there was the strange looking substance leaking through my body. I felt something else on my head as well... I reached up to feel whatever it was. My paw was met with a hard surface. Horns? I thought. Yes, this magic has changed many things... And not just your wolf's appearance. The voice said. What do you mean by that? I asked. The voice didn't respond. I changed back into a phantom. I gasped. I felt... Different. I was taller, or maybe I was floating higher? No, I thought. I am bigger, I said as I looked down at my body. While I once had eight tentacles, I now had about twenty. I was taller, and I had, wait, TWO eyes?! This doesn't feel right, I thought. I shape shifted back into my wolf form. I decided for the moment that I would stay this way for the majority of my time, as it was a lot easier to maneuver than my old phantom body...

~***~

There was a knock on the bedroom door. "Come in!" I yelled. The door opened to reveal a very proud-looking Felicity. I stood up, still in my wolf form. "Well..?" I asked, my voice filling with concern.

"It's official!" she beamed. I shrieked in joy and swept Felicity from her paws and onto the couch. She laughed and pawed at my ear playfully. "How many?" I asked.

"Two! The doctors said they'll be healthy pups!" she replied cheerfully. I nearly sobbed in happiness. The tears streamed down my cheeks as I looked at Felicity's swollen belly. I hugged her a second time and she hugged me back, happy to be in my embrace, and I happy to be in her's. I'm going to be a father, I thought. The idea sent more tears to my eyes. Felicity licked my ear and in return I gave her a big smooch on the face. She giggled and pulled away. "Hey, I was thinking we could go check out that waffle diner for dinner tonight, Skrilliant," Felicity said. I nodded in reply.

"You want to leave right now?" I asked.

"Yeah, why not?" she laughed.

"Let's go!" I said joyfully as I opened the front door and trotted down the street towards the waffle diner. Felicity walked a few paces behind me, laughing as I occasionally stumbled in the wolf body. We opened the door to the diner and were greeted by the aroma of warm syrup and whipped cream. I inhaled the delicious scents deeply. Felicity sat me down at a table at the far end of the diner and took a menu. Ohh, this place has those menus with this pictures of the food, I thought. I chose the blueberry waffles with extra whipped cream and Felicity chose the strawberry waffles with syrup. The waitress sat out food down in front of us and we ate it ravenously almost as soon as the plates hit the table. I finished my waffles shortly after Felicity did, trying to lick the whipped cream off my muzzle. This resulted in a fit of giggles from Felicity. Her laughter proved infectious, and soon we were both laughing and gasping for breath. We ordered a second round of waffles and this time had an eating contest. Felicity won by a hair, but I was too full to call for a rematch. I left a tip on the table and we exited the diner in a swarm of giggles. Felicity looked at me and, noticing that I had some leftover whipped cream on my nose, promptly licked it off.

"Hey!" I exclaimed. She ran off down the street and I bounded after her. I nearly caught her when a deep rumbling sound stopped me in my tracks. The ground shook, and the magical replica of the night sky above us crackled. The magic halted and the underground city of Vesria went black. The rumbling grew louder and louder, the stone above our heads crumbled and fell to the ground. I heard Felicity shriek and I rushed to the source of the noise. I cast some magic in front of our eyes so that we could see in this darkness, but I wish I didn't. I saw our city, our home, crumbling. The buildings were collapsing, the streets and even the black palace in the distance were shaking and falling to destruction. As soon as it had started though, it stopped. Felicity and I looked up from our huddled positions. The stone roof was still intact. But there was something wrong... I felt a disturbance. The magical balance it off, I thought. I felt a presence of powerful magic, dark magic. It was something that felt all too much like a certain blue wolf I really did not want to visit at the moment. Greely... I heard an enormous CRACK. In a flash of blinding light, the cavern's ceiling caved in and stones fell onto the broken streets. From the gaping hole in the ceiling, six figures could be seen. My heart dropped to the floor and I nearly threw up in the sheer wave of panic I felt. It was the Shamans. They're back for the rest of us, I thought. I grabbed Felicity and hid her in a small crevice between two fallen buildings. "Stay here," I said urgently. Felicity only looked at me in shock. Her eyes asked me what was going on, but there was no time to answer. I had to protect her. I had to protect the city. I changed to my phantom form, expecting all the Shamans to charge at me at once. Instead they jumped from the hole in the ceiling and spread out across the city. I sent my magic across the city, searching for the Shamans. One, two, three, four, five... Where's the sixth? I wondered. I spread my magic a bit farther. Aha, six. I thought as I sensed the last Shaman, Greely. The other five I could handle easily, but the wolf.. He would cause a problem. I wondered how I would get the Shamans out of the city without hurting my citizens. I wondered a bit too long though, and didn't notice that the Shamans were on the move. Three moved to the East part of the city and the other two went to the North side. The wolf, I sensed too late, came straight to me. He moved slowly, but used a teleportation spell to move almost a mile closer to me. I flinched as the magical balance fluctuated sharply once more. Greely was only a few hundred feet in front of me. I could see him now. He walked forward calmly, as if he had all the time in the world.

"What do you want with us, dog?" I asked. I was threatened, and I knew he could feel it. He didn't answer my question, and just kept walking forward. When he was about fifty feet away, he used another teleporation spell and appeared in a flash of purple magic to my left.

"Hello, your highness," he snarled in my ear. I jumped back in surprise. I was too slow to react though, and he raked his claws down my side. I howled in pain as warm blood trickled from the gash. I looked at him in surprise. He cast a spell I didn't recognize, which resulted in a very large magical blade being controlled by what I could only assume was telekinesis. I drew my own blade with a different spell. It was only seconds after I finished the spell when Greely lunged forward and smashed his sword down onto mine, causing a horrible screeching metal sound. I gritted my teeth and held my sword tighter. The blades finally slid apart, giving us both a second of rest. Greely lunged once more at me, aiming his blade right into my heart. I parried the blow however, using a teleportation spell and lunging quickly at Greely's side. He dodged

the blow and continued to strike over and over, until we were both out of breath and panting.

"Why must we fight?" I pleaded.

"You have no place in this world!" Greely snarled in reply. I could see in his eyes that there was no reasoning with this wolf. He was convinced that we were evil.

"If that is the way it must be..." I mumbled somberly. I drew some magic from the pool in my mind and willed it to become dark and harmful. I pushed it to Greely, partly knowing it wouldn't have much effect. I didn't know that he would dodge it entirely, though. He used another teleportation spell and appeared a few feet behind me. I shot another slice of magic his way, this time hitting him squarely in the chest. He staggered and I seized the moment by sending another wave of powerful magic. It hit him once more, but it wasn't as effective as the last one. He was expecting it. I teleported away from him to check if Felicity was alright under the overhang of stone. She was still there, huddled in a corner and staring out with wide eyes. I whispered to her that I would be alright. She nodded, her eyes losing a bit of her fear. I teleported back to where Greely was standing, ready for me to emerge and fight. He ran towards me and hit me right in the face with a blast of powerful dark magic. It left a stinging sensation and I stopped for a moment to get the feeling off my skin. He seized the opportunity and struck me once more with a jagged bit of red magic. It burned even worse than the last one, but I didn't react harshly. This must have surprised him, because he backed away with a terrified look on his face.

"T-that spell was supposed to kill you!" Greely stuttered.

"Now you know the power that has been bestowed upon me," Both the voice in my head and I said in unison. Greely's eyes widened. I drew my magical blade once more and motioned for him to do the same. He drew his sword, and we fought. I dodged, parried, and landed blow after blow upon Greely, but he did the same to me. We were at a stalemate. I fought harder. I had to win this, for Felicity, I thought. After dodging a particularly hard hit from Greely, I heard a sharp yelp from my left. I looked over to find Felicity had left her makeshift hideout and was watching our fight intently. She must have been the one to make the sound.

"Felicity, go back!" I yelled. Greely looked over my shoulder. He saw Felicity and quickly teleported over to her location. She let out a scream but was cut short by Greely placing his paw over her muzzle forcefully.

"You know this wolf?" he asked me menacingly. I didn't dare answer, but my eyes must have given something away. An evil grin spread across his face. He looked down at the she wolf in his paws. "You must be the one we were told makes friends with phantoms." he spat. She only glared at him. I was too stunned to move. "Well, by the looks of it, you've been making more that friends with phantoms..." he sneered, looking at her swollen belly. The pups! I thought. I snapped back to reality and with a shriek, drew a dagger made from pure red magic. Greely looked up with an almost bored expression on his face. He flicked his paw and I was suddenly unable to move. I was trapped in a magical bubble of sorts. Oh no, I thought. I couldn't help Felicity. Greely turned his attention back to her. "Tell me, wolf. What could compel you to have pups with one of these atrocities?" he sneered. Felicity glared even harder. His paw still covered her mouth, but I thought that if she could speak, she would have some pretty choice words right about now... Greely looked at Felicity once more. He moved his free paw, the one that was not covering her mouth, up to Felicity's neck. Her eyes widened. She struggled, but Greely's grip on her face and neck tightened. All I could think was, no,no,no,no no no no no NO NO NO NO NO NO! He can't hut my Felicity! NO!! The voice shrieked. The bubble shattered. I was thrown free of the magic's grasp, but I was still several feet away from her assistance. Greely tuned, a look of shock on his face. As I ran towards him, the shock turned to anger. He stood up, his grip on Felicity unrelenting. "Stop right there or I shall kill her here and now!" He howled. I stopped dead in my tracks. I couldn't think of anything to do to help her. I must protect Felicity, was the only thought that ran through my head. We were in a stalemate again. I looked into his eyes. There was a quivering of fear there. He was afraid of me! He looked over my shoulder briefly. I turned to see what he was looking at, but was met with a furry mass tackling me to the ground. It was very heavy and solid... Sir Gilbert, I thought with annoyance. He was but a minor distraction, but that was all Greely needed. I looked over to him in time to see... T-to see... Felicity. He slit her throat. In one quick movement, she widened her eyes. She.. She bled on the broken street. Her blood pooled around her paws and s-she gargled in it. She was choking on her own life... A look of panic filled her eyes as she looked at me, pleading for me. I watched as she died. I watched as she sank to the ground, twitching and coughing... I was stunned. M-my Felicity... Greely has killed my Felicity... I thought. I could no longer see. I could no longer hear the horrid words I was sure I was screaming. I could no longer feel the pain as the other five Shamans attacked. I saw Greely. The murderer of my beloved Felicity. All I could see was him. All I could see was the look he gave me as he teleported away. That smirk. I could only see that Zios forsaken smirk. I will wipe it off his face, I thought. You killed my Felicity... And my pups. My heard shattered as I came to the realization. My pups... Greely didn't only take the life of my Felicity, he took... M-my pups... I must have rid myself of the other Shamans, as when I came back to reality, I was in the middle of a crater. Oh, my pups! I thought as I knelt down on the ground. I sobbed for the lives of my unborn children. They were gone, and it was all Greely's fault! My puppies, my Felicity! were the only thoughts that ran through my head. I cried. I sobbed on the parched earth until I was sure there could be no tears left. I kept crying. The crying eventually stopped. I thought and thought. My thoughts of grief turned to ones of revenge.. Ones of hatred. The hate, it felt... Good. I felt strong. I felt wonderful with this new feeling. Greely killed my family... I will kill him in return. I will kill his family. I will kill everything he loves. I will kill every animal that ever spoke his name... I have an army. I have those willing to die to support me.

I am the Phantom King.

I will kill them all.

I will kill every last one.

I pick myself up. I dust myself off. I think these thoughts over and over again. I change my old phantom form. I change it to something more... Suited to my needs. I have two tentacles now. I have an eternal crown on my head. I have one eye. I will never go back to being a wolf again. I will never let love infect my heart again. I change my body once more. Now I do not have a heart. I can feel naught but hatred. I will kill every last one.

I am the Phantom King.

~Loopy44

The Phantom King: Short Story

"SKRILLIANT, HELP ME!" Felicity's panicked voice rang out in the cavernous darkness. Skrilliant looked over to her in surprise. She was supposed to stay hidden! As he turned his head, he immediately knew something was wrong. Felicity was entangled in the wolf alpha Greely's harsh grip, and by the looks of it, she could barely move. He held one paw over her muzzle, effectively silencing her, and the other held her forepaws. She couldn't move. A wave of panic came over Skrilliant as he watched Greely's paw move from Felicity's muzzle to her neck, right over her jugular, the life-pumping artery. Greely gave Skrilliant an evil glare, and in one swift movement, slashed her throat, ripping out a sizable chunk of flesh in the process. Felicity tried to scream, but all that came out was a mangled gurgling noise.

"FELICITY!!"

Skrilliant awoke from the nightmare with a jerk of his head. He looked around in surprise, the sleep still lingering in his eyes. He rubbed his head with his paw, ruffling his matted hair in the process. He looked over to the mirror above the dark oak nightstand. He was a complete mess. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. 

"Sir, are you awake yet?" a familiar voice whispered through the door. Skrilliant stretched and get the last traces of sleep out of his eyes. "Yes, Dewdrop, I'm awake," he yawned.

"Would you like me to bring you breakfast?" Dewdrop asked.

"No thank you, I'll come down," he replied. He untangled himself from his bedsheets and halfheartedly flattened his hair down. The stone floor was cold on his paws at first, but soon warmed as he stepped lightly down the stairs to the kitchen. His advisor Dewdrop was already seated at the table, sipping on a mug of hot tea. "Good morning sir, there's breakfast on the counter, just the way you like it," he said, motioning to the small kitchen. 

"Thanks, Dewdrop," Skrilliant said. He picked up his plate of toast, grapes, and tea and sat at the table across from Dewdrop. He munched on the toast as he stared out the window with a faraway look in his eyes. Dewdrop knew he was thinking of his beloved Felicity again, as he usually did when his mind had time to wander. At these times, it was best not to disturb him, a fact Dewdrop knew well. The last time he interrupted these thoughts, Skrilliant had broke down in tears and didn't come out of his small upstairs room for two days. They ate in silence and listened to the pattering rain outside instead. Skrilliant sighed when he finished eating the grapes and looked over to Dewdrop. 

"Do you think the pups would have looked like me, or Felicity?" he asked innocently. The question surprised him, and he gulped the hot tea a little too quickly, burning his throat. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Skrilliant was younger than him, and still thought like a child sometimes. 

"Well sir, I cannot say, but I'm sure they would have been the most perfect pups ever to be seen," he complimented. His answer seemed to satisfy the phantom king, as he smiled sadly and turned to look at the rain again. "I'm sure they would," Skrilliant whispered to himself.

~***~

Skrilliant padded through one of the many evacuation tunnels leading to the underground ruins of Vesria, Dewdrop in tow. After the alphas attacked, not much of the city remained, though some structures were still intact. No one dared live in them though, as the cavern that the city was inside had been decimated as the alphas broke through the ceiling. Not a single phantom remained in the city, except for the rescue workers, repairmen, and scouts. They were the only souls brave enough to come back, apart from the occasional passing Jammer and the phantom king's weekly inspections. The construction workers had done a great job so far, and had at least restored eight large buildings. Skrilliant was satisfied with the work pace, but still impatient to get it done. He needed Vesria to be habitable again, so he could finally get to put his plan of attack into motion. 

"What are the damage reports this week, Dewdrop?" Skrilliant asked. 

"Well sir, the ceiling is still undergoing repairs, there are still a few citizens missing,..." Skrilliant stopped listening as his mind began to wander. He interrupted Dewdrop in mid-sentence.

"Have there been any alpha sightings yet?" 

"No sir," Dewdrop replied. Skrilliant sighed in relief. It was only a matter of time, he knew, but at least he could rest for a while. His citizens needed as much. Suddenly another thought crossed his mind.

"Have you heard anything from our new recruit yet? He asked eagerly.

"Actually, she sent a letter yesterday, saying she would be arriving in approximately eight days with her friend Nutik. I hope that is acceptable?" Dewdrop said questioningly.

"It's perfect. We just need to find her a place of residence..." Skrilliant's voice trailed off in thought.

"Actually sir, there are the emergency living quarters near your home, maybe she can stay there?"

"No, no! She's going to be the phantom general, she needs somewhere proper! What will she think of us when she sees the city?! We'll look like a bunch of slobs!" He said, his fur ruffling with frustration.

"Well, she could live with us for a while..?" Dewdrop responded tentatively. Skrilliant snapped his head up to look at him, a menacing gleam in his eyes.

"What did I tell you about my contact with females?" Skrillliant snarled. Dewdrop shrank back, knowing he made a fatal mistake. 

"I-I'm sorry sir, I just thought-"

"You thought what?! That I'd be fine, living with a female? That I wouldn't mind the flirting, and the endless frustration and disappointment?!" The anger was leaving his eyes, turning them a dull cerulean color. He sighed, turning his back to Dewdrop, the magic flowing from his shoulders and tail now losing their purple hue and turning grey-blue. "I'm sorry, Dewdrop, it's just-"

"I know sir, I shouldn't have suggested it," Dewdrop said apologetically. "I'll find her a suitable living space within the week."

"Thank you, Dewdrop." Skrilliant replied flatly, padding past him with a swoosh of his now grey magical tail.
~Loopy44

The Truth (Original Story)

And so it was that the Sky Father was named Zios. He created many stars and planets, and set them in motion. But after eons of creation, he became lonely. So he created the Sky Mother, a grey heron, and named her Mira.

Mira was beautiful and kind and they were very happy together. She loved Zios deeply and often told him how talented he was, encouraging him to create. Together, Zios and Mira created their masterpiece: a lush land filled with oceans, mountains, meadows, and all kinds of plants and animals. They named this special world Jamaa, and for hundreds of years, the world and its animals were at peace.

But today, all is not well in Jamaa. The phantoms have crept into the land, stealing away animals and ruining the beauty of Jamaa. Only you can help save the animals and restore the world to its glory. Please help, for you are Jamaa's only hope.

~The Ancient History of Jamaa as Told by the Alphas

~***~

It all began on nice summer day in June. I was walking around trading, doing the usual Animal Jam activities. I got kinda bored, so I went to the Sol Arcade to play some games or something. (falling phantoms maybe?) So I entered the game and started playing like usual. I played for a while and finally won 1st place. On the fourth game, it took a while for the game to load. So I waited. When the game started, I could tell something was wrong. The phantoms were falling REALLY fast. Too fast for anyone to run. I had to admit, that game was pretty frightening. Somehow, I managed to be the last one playing. I looked at the top left corner of the screen, and I saw that the timer WASN'T TIMING. It was at that time when I noticed something. The phantoms were... Crying? I couldn't figure out why they would be doing that, then I noticed something else unusual. One of the phantoms that were falling had blue fire. BLUE. I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to happen. After the phantom was done falling, it just floated there. Then it turned and looked at me. It was, I had to admit, kinda beautiful. I thought that I might have stumbled upon something important... Something I wasn't supposed to see. Then my computer screen went black. That was weird, I thought. Suddenly, I heard a buzzing noise coming from my computer. I turned around and saw that falling phantoms was back on. Must have just been a glitch, I thought. But then that same blue fire phantom came into the game. And then (here is where I was most surprised) it spoke to me. "Loopy44, we need your help," it said in sort of a scraggly electrical voice.

"Y-you talk?" I stuttered.

"Yes. And you must come quickly, the phantoms are in grave danger," it said.

"Wait, why would I help you?! Phantoms are evil, everyone knows that," I replied.

"No, we are not. The animals of Jamaa have misunderstood us for centuries. Ever since the Alphas have declared war on us, we had to defend ourselves any way we could." said the phantom. After he (or she?) said that, I couldn't help but feel a little bad for it.

"Come, I will take you to my village." the phantom said. Suddenly, I felt as if the whole world was stretching and pulling beneath me.

I knew then that I was in the game. I was inside Animal Jam. Inside Jamaa Township. I saw the phantom beckoning me to follow it. I followed, going against everything I knew about AJ. ((RULE #1: DON'T ASSOCIATE WITH PHANTOMS.)) So I followed. We went up to the Mira statue and I saw the phantom knock on her right foot twice. To my surprise, I saw her statue float up into the air and a hole open up in the circular base of it. I changed into my koala avatar and followed the blue fire phantom inside. We walked for a while and eventually came to small opening in the end of the tunnel. We crawled through and I WAS AMAZED.

"Welcome to the underbelly of Jamaa Township," the phantom said.

~***~

Before me lay the city that the phantom called 'Vesria'. We walked (or floated) through the main gates of the underground city. For a place of supposed evil, the place was actually pretty warm and comfortable. It was well lit and had many inviting little houses with round doors. Everywhere I looked, I saw phantoms. There were little ones, big ones, chubby ones, and ones with very bright electricity around them. The place was positively bustling with activity. The phantom accompanying me greeted a few other phantoms guarding some palace gates. They gave me a strange look and let us pass without any trouble. We soon arrived at the castle doors. They were at least twenty feet tall and encrusted with emeralds and sapphires. They were jet black (like much of everything else here) and probably cast iron or something. We were to meet the Alpha Phantom, I would later learn.

"We're here," said the phantom. We walked through the doors of the great room and saw the largest phantom I had ever seen. We walked forward tentatively, out of respect of course. (not like we were scared or anything...)

Greetings, Phantostar and... Jammer. What are you here for? Said a deep voice in my head. I assumed that it was the Alpha Phantom, and after everything I had been through today, I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

"I have come with news, your majesty. I... I found her. The chosen one."

Good. It said. We now have a chance.

​"A chance for what?" I asked.

A chance to survive, and to live in peace finally with the animals of Jamaa. The voice said.

"Why would you want to live in peace with us? You... You're evil!" I said uncertainly.

'Evil' my dear, is just another way for people to get away with fearing something they don't fully understand. Evil is a foul word, which nothing in this beautiful land is. We are all children of Zios, and his children we shall stay. The huge phantom said softly.

I heard him say this, but I didn't fully believe him. The Alphas taught us that the phantoms were evil, and destroying Jamaa. They deserved no mercy, as they had shown us none. They were... Evil. No doubt. Or... Was there a little doubt? This was making my head get all messed up and stupid.

I can see you have some trouble understanding this. Let me tell you our side of the story. The side that was never told beyond this city.

Once, long ago, animals and phantoms lived in harmony. The animals kept Jamaa in order and peace, and the phantoms took care of everything mechanical and medical. We were the finest craftsmen in our day, and only the alpha Peck rivaled our skills.

One day, a wolf named Greely was made fun of for his attachment to the phantoms and our glorious skill. He used to study us and our craftsmanship, to learn and to thrive on knowledge. The animal who made fun of him broke something inside him that day, something that could never be repaired. He went on a rampage, convincing everyone that the phantoms had attacked him and gone savage. The alphas foolishly believed him, and everything, even our homes, were destroyed. They renounced my name as an alpha, and banished us to the outlands. As if that wasn't enough, Greely convinced the alphas and animals alike to declare war on us. A law was passed that day:

Every phantom seen would be killed immediately on sight.

The law was enforced for centuries, and the past few years, we have done everything we could to fight back. Our name was soiled by the alphas and their campaigns to destroy us. We were forced to attack, or risk them finding our hidden city. We won the battle that day, but at great cost. The alphas found our history and legends, along with a few of our greatest works of art. They took them to Mira's great cloud castle, and burned them. They burned every single scrap of evidence that we were innocent. To this day, we fight back, but not out of anger. Out of fear. We need to protect ourselves, and if we don't, the balance between good and bad will be disrupted, and Jamaa will fall.

​I listened as he finished his story, all the pieces finally falling together. His story just made plain... Sense. But I still had some questions. "But... Why do you need me? And why would our alphas do that?"

"We need you to help us. Mira once told us a legend, long ago. She told us that there would be a girl, years from now, that would help us reunite with Jamaa. She would have the power of reason to help us in our quest. That girl is you. I knew that as soon as I saw you." said Phantostar. All of this was making me a little light headed. I needed to rest or something. Believing this was like trying to forget to walk, then learning how to fly. It just... Wasn't possible. Our alphas had lied to us... After all this time. It was time to take action. No more lies... No more secrets. It's time the truth came out.

~***~

Phantostar and I walked out of the Zios statue tunnel and came to Jamaa Township. We stopped for a while to look around at the activity in main street. I saw Liza and Sir Gilbert walking around mingling with the jammers, having fun and wasting precious time.

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"Well, I assume... Now we go to battle. It's the only way." He said grimly. I knew this was true, but I hated the fact that I had to fight against my own kind. We were all Jammers, right? Well, I've gone too far to go back now. I signaled for the phantom soldiers to stand by until further instruction. We were all dressed in black enchanted armor, which protects against serious injury and doesn't badly hurt the animals we fight. I changed to fox form (best for close combat) and drew my sword. With a mighty cry, we leaped into battle.

Somehow, the alphas had anticipated our attack. They sent all the unable jammers offline, and had the ones who would fight don their spirit armor and counterattack.

We fought pretty well as a team, the phantoms and I. We dodged, parried, and landed blows with our swords. I swung left, right, all around until I felt I could fight no more. But I still fought. I fought as hard as I could. I soon came back to back with Phantostar.

"How's it going?" he asked breathlessly.

"Ok, you?" I replied.

"Could be better," he said, and we lunged back into battle with a new burst of energy. I looked around and saw that the alphas were doing better than I thought. They fought us with equal strength, cunning, and grace. One of the alphas, Sir Gilbert, caught my eye.

"What are you doing?!" he asked me with disbelief.

"Fighting," I said. Though I think he meant, Why are you fighting against your own kind? but no. I slashed his paw with my sword and he growled with pain. He recovered in an instant, and lunged at me with his sword drawn. This guy was pretty good at swordplay.

I dodged and parried and flew gracefully around the alpha, until at last a voice cried out,

"STOP!" We all turned to look at who has spoken, and to my surprise, it was Mira.

"STOP!" she cried out again. She flew down into the township. She looked around with a mournful eye, as everyone stood at a respectful distance. We were all beaten and battered and bruised in our armor.

"You are all children of Zios, and yet you fight like this? What is the point of this terrible battle?" she asked us.

"Your majesty, this battle is all their fau-"

"EXCUSE ME! This battle will be nobody's fault but yours, Greely! Look what you have cased with your petty jealousy. Look at how tired and hurt these animals are!" she said, looking positively outraged. "You, Greely, will be responsible for the care and treatment of all these wounded animals. In the meantime, all of you, go to your dens while I speak with the phantoms about this... Mess. Go!" she shooed the animals away with a flap of her wings.

"Mira, wha... How do you know that Greely started this?" I asked.

"Well, my dear, and old alpha came to my palace and explained everything. I don't know how I didn't know about this, but I will fix everything," Mira said with a kind smile.

"What old alpha?" someone in the crowd asked.

"Why the phantom alpha, of course!" She said happily. "Come now, all of you to your dens!"

"But, Mira, we don't have dens," Phantostar said.

"Oh, yes you do. Go there and see, why don't you?" With that, we were sent to our dens.

~***~

I woke up the next morning on the couch in my living room. My real living room. I had one thing on my mind: Animal Jam. I had to know what went on when I was asleep. I opened my laptop and the computer hummed to life. When the internet opened up I clicked the AJ shortcut repeatedly until it opened. I quickly logged in and chose the server Rocky. I looked at the screen and I suddenly felt that same pulling sensation that I felt earlier.

"Loopy! We are glad you could join us," Mira said kindly. She and Phantostar were seated around a picnic table in the middle of Jamaa township.

"Where is everybody?" I asked.

"We took Jamaa offline for a few hours to make... "updates,"' Mira said with a wink.

"Yeah, you won't believe it!" Phantostar exclaimed, crackling with electricity. "Mira put the Alpha Phantom back in his alpha position and Greely was sentenced to do repairs on the moderator and guess what else?!"

"What?" I said with a smile.

"In celebration of our newfound peace, we will be throwing a party all summer long!" Mira finished.

"Wow! When will it start?" I said excitedly.

"Today if you like. We can schedule it anytime really," Mira said.

"TODAY!" Phantostar and I said in unison.

"Well alright then," Mira said. "You two may sign out now please." We turned and right as we were about to sign out, Mira called, "Oh, and Phantostar?"

"Yes?" he replied.

"Happy Summer." With that, Mira flapped her wings. In a great swoosh of blue light, he was transformed into a black fox with the most radiant jagged blue pattern I had ever seen. He's a fox, I thought. Just like me.

​Just like me.

~***~

And from that day on, phantoms were just a story. Just a fun thing to play games and base our stories off of. All former phantoms, with the grace and majesty of Mira, had been once more transformed into loving, caring, beautiful Jammers. The alpha Phantom had also been transformed, into a grey heron; Just like Mira. But what happened to Phantostar and I? Well, we're still buddies. Though I won't say his real name, I can tell you that he has striking blue eyes, black hair, and the kindest personality that I know. Every so often we meet in real life, to make small talk, have fun, and play games. Once Mira even let us back inside the game. We walked all around, and let me tell you, it's way better inside than out. My favorite spot: Sarepia Forest. We climbed to the top of the tree and watched as the sun slowly sank over Crystal Sands. I sighed and he leaned over and gave me a small kiss on the cheek. I tell you, I could NOT stop blushing.

I really hope you guys got a kick out of these stories!