Author's Note: I am so sorry that I haven't updated in so long. Truth is, I had completely lost inspiration for this story and had fallen out of the Bionicle fandom for a while, but I recently got back into it and gained my inspiration back and finally got rid of some of the plotholes (thank you Inuit folk tales!) so for the moment, I AM BACK. :) Enjoy!

Also, if I got anybody out of character, please let me know. Especially for Kopaka, because he's one of the hardest characters to write. Grr, stoics!

The Shattered Line

Chapter 5

There was the crunch of snow underfoot.

Kopaka glanced up from his post on one of the higher outcroppings of stone on Mount Ihu, where moments before he had been scanning the landscape for signs of the kofu-jaga he had been hunting the day before. His right hand touched the pommel of his sword instinctively, but his grip relaxed when he saw who it was. Kopeke stepped forward and gave a respecful nod. Kopaka nodded back, but noted that the matoran seemed slightly agitated. Self-control was something highly prized among Ko-korans, control of emotions especially so. That this was even noticable at all put Kopaka in a state of unease immediately, though he would not even think to show it.

"Nuju has sent for you." Kopeke said. Not a single word wasted.

"Did he give a reason?" Kopaka asked. Kopeke said nothing, but broke with the Toa's gaze.

"Well?"

"There is word from Turaga Nokama." Kopeke wouldn't look at him. "Toa Onua is heading to Ko-koro now with a message. She says it's urgent."

"I see." Kopaka stared icily. "You're not telling me the whole truth, Kopeke."

The matoran's agitation increased slightly, and he glanced up to look at Kopaka's face. The ice toa blinked. Was that fear in Kopeke's eyes?

"You are right. Forgive me." Kopeke said. "Onua has the rahi with him that was causing the attacks between Po-koro and Onu-koro. Alive. There are rumours..."

"Of?"

"The matoran in Ga-koro and Po-koro are talking. They say that it isn't a rahi. Some suggest that it may be a Great Being."

A Great Being? HERE?

Kopaka nodded. "I will accompany you back to Ko-koro at once. Let's go."

He glanced back, and suddenly narrowed his gaze. There was a click and a whir as his scope was engaged.

"...Kopaka?" Kopeke asked.

The Toa of Ice nodded, depowered the scope and started walking with Kopeke. "They'll be here in half an hour." He said. "They aren't running."

"Ah, Toa of Ice. We've been expecting you." Matoro quipped in Nuju's stead. Kopaka nodded his greetings and shook the excess snow off of his sky-blue shawl before stepping inside. It had been a gift to him from the Ga-korans after he had warded off several infected Takea sharks and a Tarkava from the fishing grounds a month ago while Gali was in Ta-koro. He normally didn't think much of clothing, but sky blue was a rare colour due to how difficult it was to find the kuru blossoms that were the main ingredient for the dye, and he had been touched by their gift.

"I assume you have heard of the attacks in the tunnels between Po-koro and Onu-koro?" Nuju clicked.

"Yes. Kopeke gave me a brief summary." Get on with it!

"Turaga Nokama has sent word. The rahi in the tunnels was no ordinary rahi. It is sentient and intelligent, but it cannot speak our language. It has also delivered scrolls to Nokama by way of Toa Onua."

Kopaka blinked. "That seems to be fairly hard to believe." He said, surprise slipping into his voice.

"If the word had not come from Nokama, I would have thought it to be a misinterpretation." Matoro translated. Nuju whirred and beeped. "Since I have a limited ability to understand the language of the rahi, Onua and the rahi are on their way here, to see if I can get any information from the creature. I wish for you to listen, and I suggest going to Ga-koro soon afterwards, to examine the scrolls for yourself."

Kopaka nodded. The conversation over, he settled himself onto the floor and waited. Within ten minutes, the announcement went up that the Toa of Earth had arrived, but muffled shouts quickly followed from the gate.

Kopaka jumped to his feet, and Nuju started, then exploded in a flurry of exasperated whistles and clicks. Matoro started to translate, but Kopaka was already out the door and running through the snow. The message was clear anyways; the Turaga had forgotten to inform the guards at the gate of the presence of a strange rahi.

"It's alright, it's ok, he's with me!" Onua exclaimed as Messenger snarled at the pointed spears aimed at his direction. "They're not letting us in." He said, seeing Kopaka approach.

"And nor they should, normally. For all they know, you may be undergoing the first stages of the Makuta's infection. They're just following training." And quite well too, Kopaka thought approvingly. He looked at the guards. "However, there are exceptions to this. Orders from Nuju, stand down!"

The two guards lowered their spears and smartly saluted. Onua and the rahi walked through the gates, and Kopaka fell in behind them. This offered him the chance to take his first really good look at the creature.

Smaller than most rahi, but big enough to be a near-lethal threat against the matoran and fairly formidable against a toa. Seems built more for speed than strength, though judging from the mark on Onua's shoulder this thing has a nasty bite. It's overall shape is puzzling; it's smooth, and it looks like it's covered in some sort of fur. I can't see any mechanical-looking parts in it, save for the teeth...is this rahi fully organic, or biomechanical like us? It looks like it breathes like us, so that rules out the purely mechanical...it's more graceful than a normal rahi too. What is this thing?

They came to the central temple, and Onua stepped over the threshold and respectfully bowed.

"Greetings, Turaga." He said. The creature walked in past him, it's claws making clicking sounds on the frozen tile floor. Kopaka heard Matoro breathe in sharply as it did. It walked right up to Matoro and Nuju and promptly sat down.

"Greetings, Toa of Stone, your visit is most welcome." Nuju trilled. "But now, to business." The Turaga of Ice turned to the creature. "I am able to understand rahi and their various languages," Matoro translated, "and if you could answer a few questions for us, we'd be most grateful."

The rahi said nothing.

"Who are you?" Nuju asked. The creature let out a snort.

"Alright then, the better question would be 'What are you'?" Matoro translated. That got a much more verbal response from the rahi. It stood up and made several sniffling, barking sounds while walking back and forth, almost in an agitated manor.

"He says he is something called a knowledge fox."

An unknown rahi then. Nokama wasn't joking when she said that this thing was sentient. Kopaka mused.

"Where are you from?"

The response was similar. "It said that it was from the Great Library of...Wongshitong." Nuju blinked. "I think that's what that name is. I'm not going to keep calling you 'it', so do you have a name?"

A deeper growl, a yelp and a gnash of jaws. Nuju blinked again. "I'm sorry, I can't pronounce that. Could you repeat that?" Even with a repeat performance, Nuju still couldn't pronounce it.

"I got the first syllable, which was 'Mal'. I didn't catch the rest."

"I call him 'Messenger'." Onua said. All eyes turned to him, and he seemed to shrink back a bit. "What? He seemed to like it."

"Messenger or Mal?" Nuju quipped. The knowledge fox turned it's head towards Onua and his tongue lolled out for a few seconds before licking his chops.

"I'll take that as "Messenger'." Kopaka said, willing the interview to go on.

"You say you are from a library. Where is this library?" Nuju pressed.

A single bark this time, high-pitched. Nuju started. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Messenger growled, then did so.

Nuju let out a series of clicks and whirs, his eyes widening. Matoro started himself, forgetting to translate.

"What is it?" Onua exclaimed. Kopaka leaned forward, his eyes gleaming. To shock a Ko-matoran, much less the Turaga of Ko-koro, meant that either the news was incredibly good, or incredibly bad.

Nuju suddenly exploded into movement. He grabbed his ice pick and swung it, blunt-ended, towards Messenger, and through him.

Onua gave a sharp "Hey!" and stepped forward, the sucked in his breath at the lack of damage. Kopaka's eyes widened in shock. Messenger growled, baring his teeth. Nuju dropped his ice pick and let out several low, gutteral sounds that Kopaka had never heard him make before.

"I'm sorry, I just had to make sure." Matoro numbly translated, staring as Nuju quietly held out his hand. For a few tense seconds, it looked like Messenger would bite him, but the creature's tense muscles relaxed slightly.

"He pulled the same stunt on me when I found him in the caverns." Onua said, then, more quietly, "Where is Messenger from?" Nuju touched the top of Messenger's head, and Messenger was solid. Then he tried again, and his arm dipped through Messenger's head and slid down into his chest. He pulled it out and looked at it, then at Messenger again. He stepped back, and to Kopaka's surprise, bowed down low to the ground. Matoro obediently followed suit.

"Welcome, Messenger from the Spirit World." Nugu beeped. Onua's jaw sagged open. "It is not often that a message comes to us from the Great Beings, and there has never been a physical messenger." Kopaka bowed his head in respect. Onua was too shocked to do the same. "What is your message?"

The knowledge fox crouched and poked his nose under the bottom of Nuju's mask and tapped upwards three times. The language was unmistakable. Please rise, and do not bow to me. Nuju took the hint and stood to his feet, Matoro doing the same. Several barks later, Nuju frowned. "The message is in the scrolls he brought. Unfortunately, he doesn't know the message himself." Nuju turned to the knowledge fox. "Who sent you? Was it Mata Nui?" A growl. "Was it the Makuta?" Another growl. "Was it Wongshitong?" A growl, followed by two snaps of the jaw.

"He said it was from Zei." Matoro translated. "Whoever this Zei is, he must be important." That was Matoro's own opinion.

Kopaka had heard enough. "I'm going to Ga-koro." He announced. "If this being is telling the truth," and whatever else can be said, it was obvious after the stunt with the pickax that he is a spirit, "I want to know what the message is."

"I'll come with you," Onua said, "but I want to ask Messenger one more question." He turned to the spirit. "Why did you attack the matoron between Po-koro and Onu-koro?"

"Self-defense." Matoro said, before Messenger could even start to growl. "Well, it's fairly obvious, isn't it?" He retorted to the surprised looks Onua and Nuju were giving him. "The attacked matoron probably thought he was an infected rahi and attacked him first, and he retaliated out of self-defense. I don't blame the matoron for it."

"It's a possibility." Kopaka conceded. "Now, for my question." He knelt down at the knowledge fox's level and looked him in the eye. "You have delivered your message. What will you do now?"

Messenger sat down, and his tail and ears drooped. He lowered his head and began to let out several high-pitched, whining sounds. Nuju stared. Matoro let a small, pitying smile slip past his defenses.

"You want to go home, don't you?" he said. The knowledge fox nodded, and his whining quieted. Kopaka stood. "I've heard enough. Let's go."

Nuju beeped and whistled. "I would prefer that the messenger stay here, as I have other questions to ask him."

"Will you stay?" Onua asked. Messenger stopped whining and looked up. He got to his feet and walked over to where Nuju and Matoro stood.

"Fair enough. See you later, Messenger." And with that, Onua and Kopaka left.