Little Sarica stumbled through the forest, crying and wailing. She had gotten lost, and wanted to know if her new friends were alright. She suddenly tripped on a tree root and fell flat on her face. But she didn’t get back up. Instead, she put her head in her arms and started sobbing uncontrollably.

“Aw now missy, brighten oop there. Ah hates t’see such a pretty wee lass such as y’self cryin’ and a-mopin’ on such a beauty-filled morn!” Sarica raised her head slightly to the odd voice, streams of tears running down her face and she called out shakily.

“Who-who’s there! Sh-show y-yourself!” the voice chuckled good-naturedly.

“Hohohoho! No need tae be frightened of me, Ah’m not yer foe lassie!” Then, a Cupid Hare hopped down from a tree where he had been standing above her. The Hare/Suzurin sub-breed was a whitish-lilac colour, and despite her sadness, Sarica bit her lip hard to keep from bursting out laughing at the adult monster’s appearance.

The Cupid Hare had a huge, floppy straw hat on, with his ears poking out of holes on either side. A small pack attached to a sash which went over one shoulder was slung on his back. He was also wearing a thick black leather belt with a large silver buckle around his middle, and in his hefty paw carried a long, straight stick; a staff or stave of sorts. He bowed dramatically and introduced himself in his odd accent.

“M’name’s Katsurin, othe’wise known as Kat t’friends, foes, fiends, and the like. And what title do you go by?” Sarica brightened up a little, he seemed rather friendly.

“M-my name’s Sarica…a-and I’m a little S-Speamint!” she stuttered. Kat nodded his head and came over to her, putting an arm around her shoulders.

“And if’n I be so bold as t’ask, why pray were ye so sad’n’unhappy little’un?”

“Humph! She probably ran off from her mommy and got lost! Nothing too serious.” Sarica looked to her left, where a Sopra (Mogi/Pixie) was leaning idly against a tree. (for those who don’t know, a Mogi looks a bit like a dog that stands on its hind legs. It’s a light brown, with a soft-pink seashell on its head like a hat, and dark brown hair coming out of the seashell. Its feet are a bit small, while its front paws are very large, bigger than a Hare’s, and have claws, and the paws have a sort of dark-brown shell-covering on the back of the paws. Personally, I think they’re adorable^_^!)

The Sopra had a more light-brown/pink body, with orange-pink hair and a dark pink seashell on her head. She shook her head and sighed, long hair bouncing with the movement.

“Like I said, she’s probably just lost. You know kids, they never listen to their parents.” Sarica trembled slightly; not sure what to do, and yet another figure came up behind the Sopra; an Offshore (Mogi/Lesione).

This third monster, another Mogi sub-breed, had a darker bluish-brown body, a bright pink seashell, long royal-blue hair, and navy blue paw-shells. He put a heavy paw on the Sopra’s shoulder.

“Aah, come on, don’t be so bitter Sora. It may have had something to do with those Zuums we saw earlier.” Sora glared at him, then settled down against the tree again, knowing he was probably right.

“Fine Lirrik…alright squirt, what’s up?” Sarica stared at the monster, and then puffed herself up angrily.

“Squirt?! I’m no squirt! My name is Sarica and I’m a Speamint!!” Sora looked at her in shock from the statement, while Lirrik burst into laughter behind her.

“Ohahaha!!! Looks like the little rabbit showed you up, eh Sora? Heeheehaha!! Yeowch!!” He yelped as Sora belted him upside the head with her fist angrily.

“Keep that up, and I’ll show you up!!”

“Oh yeah?!”

“Yeah!!”

“Go ahead and try it!”

“Alright!! You asked for it!!”

“Bring it on!!”

“Fine!!”

“Go ahead!!”

“I will!!”

“Then do it!!”

“I’m gonna if you don’t shut up!!”

“Shut up yourself!!”

“Why-you’re really asking for it!!”

“Am I? Then come and give it!”

“I really mean it this time!!”

“Then come on!!”

“I’m coming!”

“Give it give it give it!”

“I’m about to lose it!!”

“Then what are ya waiting for?!”

“It’s comin’ at ya!!”

“Then bring it!!”

“You want some?!”

“Dish it up!!”

Kat slapped a paw to his forehead in exasperation as the two carried on their pointless argument of shouting nonsense. Sarica, not used to it, covered her ears and winced.

“Are they always like that Mister Kat?”

Kat sighed and nodded. “Aye!”

Sarica watched on as they kept going, neither actually doing anything but yelling. “When will they stop? It’s hurting my ears!”

“Them yodelers won’t quit till aither they run out off shouts oor make theyselves hoarsey an’ sore-throated, so they will. Which, tae be honest wi’ ye, won’t be fer anither few heirs or so.”

Sarica went over his sentence in her head over the racket, and decided that ‘heirs’ meant ‘hours’. Kat watched the two quarrelers despairingly and decided he might as well pass the time by getting to know Sarica.

“Sue, anyhae, since ye weere destraected Ah’ll jus’ ask ye agin. Haow come ye weere cryin’ yer pore ol’ hairt oot?” Again Sarica worked through the words before she answered.

“Well…I was just unlocked yesterday…by some really nice people…two monsters and a human…and they were really great…and I slept next to Gray Wolf… and then it was real close to morning…and…Gray Wolf suddenly woke me up and told me to hide…and I did…and Zuums attacked them…they were coming near where I was hiding so I ran…and…and…now I don’t know if they’re okay! *Sniff* …what if…what if… but…WAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!” She began wailing loudly, and what a wail it was!

Even Katsurin, who was normally unaffected by loud noise (thanks to Sora and Lirrik) winced and made a face as her cries drowned out even the shouting of Sora and Lirrik, who finally stopped only because they could no longer hear each other. Sora closed an eye while Lirrik scrunched up his nose. Sora glared at Kat.

“Alright Katsurin!” she screeched to make herself heard above Sarica’s crying. “What did you say to her?! What’s going on?!” Lirrik gave a slight smile.

“Ooh, is evil, bitter Sora suddenly getting worried for the well-being of others?!” He exclaimed in a mock-dramatic voice. Sora glared at him again.

“I am not evil and bitter! Unlike those friggin’ baddies!” she said with obvious loathing. Lirrik grinned mischievously but didn’t say anything back at her, for once. Sora whirled around and faced Kat again.

“Kat! What’s happening?!” Kat answered her while patting Sarica gently on the back.

“Poor thang waes oonlocked yeestredae, and jist this morn them Zuums we sae eelier catchered ‘er friends thaet oonlocked ‘er!” Sora’s eyes hardened for a moment.

“Baddies!!” Then suddenly she was like a whole different monster. She swept up Sarica in her arms and comforted the little rabbit, much to Sarica’s surprise and she even stopped wailing.

“*Sniff*…yeah…it was them…” Sora hugged her gently.

“Oh you poor thing…Don’t worry! We’ll help your friends!” Sarica peered up at Sora’s face with wide, tear-filled eyes.

“You-you’ll help me?!” Kat and Lirrik jumped forward.

“Aye! Nae Zuums air goona take prisneers hair wheel Ah’m aboot!” Lirrik raised his paws in the air with Kat.

“Yeah!! Otherwise, we ain’t the Rebellious Three!!” The two cheered, Sora and Sarica joining in with them, and Kat took Sarica’s small paw into his own, larger one.

“Shoo us the way, Sarica m’dear!!” Sarica thought for a moment.

“I don’t remember which way it was…but we were at the shrine where I was unlocked, further up the mountain!”

Kat nodded in understanding, then picked up Sarica and ran off, Sora and Lirrik hopping after him (yes, Mogis hop instead of run!). The baby Hare looked into the older one’s face, and was a little surprised to see him looking so grim and determined.

“Look oot baddies! The Rebellous Thrae air coomin’ tae git ye! An’ Ah’m ready tae have a good brawl! Lit’s see if’n yer as bonny as we!” (hey that rhymes^_^) The odd group pressed on through the trees, and up the cliffs of the mountain.

[Some time later]

Lirrik, Sora, and Kat (who was still carrying Sarica) silently flitted through the shadows cast by the large trees. As they got close to the shrine, they heard loud and angry shouting, mixed with other noises, as well as some wolf-like howls. The group then stopped, and crept up to the bushes lining the area. Sora motioned for them all to remain silent, and she carefully pried some of the leaves apart to get a better view of the area in front of the shrine. What she saw made her eyes blaze in hate for the baddies.

Having broken free of the bonds which held him in his rage, Gray Wolf leaped forward with a furious howl after slicing the ropes pinning down Undine’s arms. The silver Tiger charged straight at the Zuum Captain, while Undine used her arms and whipped any baddies that tried to stop him.

“DIE YOU BASTARD!! RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRR!!!!” Gray Wolf bared his claws and the Captain hopped backwards in fright, trying to get away from his enemy’s wrath. Gray Wolf landed in front of the Zuum leader, and growled, as the Captain backed away.

Undine tried to fight through the ranks of baddies to try and reach Holly, who was laying motionless on the ground. Undine rushed at the Zuums in anger as she remembered seeing Holly cry out in pain and go limp under the constant blows.

A few Zuums stepped in front of Gray Wolf, blocking his way to the Captain. Gray Wolf barely bothered to even acknowledge them, except for…

“BLIZZARD!!!” All that remained was a cluster of frozen lost disks. The leader ran, yelling, from the vengeful wolf, and then Gray Wolf was pinned down by a sheer weight of numbers by the Zuums, as well as Undine. The silver Tiger continued to thrash and was turning many baddies into lost disks using his lightning and blizzard attacks, as well as his claws and teeth.

The Captain pondered the situation for a moment. Things had gone pretty bad, he had just lost a fairly large amount of Zuums to the wolf, and was still losing more. Then he came up with the answer.

Gray Wolf growled angrily and lashed out with his claws, tearing out the eyes of one of the Zuums, and was about to do the same to another, when the Captain hailed him.

“HEY WOLFY!! I SUGGEST YOU STOP THAT IF YOU DON’T WANT HER TO DIE!!”

He looked up and saw the Zuum Captain holding up Holly, who was still unconscious, and the Captain was threatening to kill her. Gray Wolf felt deep hatred boil up inside him, but he settled down reluctantly, breathing hard from the attack and trying to keep his rage under control. Captain Zuum grinned triumphantly.

“Good, now tell me where that mystery disk is!!”

Undine felt a few tears run down her face as she answered. “We don’t have it anymore! It’s the truth!” She knew it was useless though, the Zuums would never believe her, and she was right. The Captain glared at her, and looked like he might strike her, but instead he smirked.

“Oh really? Well, for your friend’s sake here, I suggest you tell me now! Before I lose my temper!” Undine was silent; she didn’t know what else she could do at this point. “Fine. Have it your way then.” The Zuum leader said simply, as he raised his claws and prepared to kill Holly, and Undine began screaming at him to stop…but he wouldn’t stop now.

Sarica did as Lirrik had told her to do, and had come around the cliff so she was to the left of the baddies. She gasped, seeing what the Captain was about to do, and took a deep breath.

“HEELLLLLOOOOO!!!” She called cheerily as she hopped out of the bushes with a beaming smile on her face. The Zuums, including the Captain, all spun around and looked at her with surprise, while Gray Wolf and Undine were both too shocked to speak.

The Captain finally found his tongue again. “Who the hell are you?!”

Sarica waved to him happily and winked. “A monster!” she said innocently.

The Zuum leader raised an eyebrow. “Well duh. But who are you?!!”

Sarica appeared to be thinking hard about the question. “……..A baby monster!” she said, smiling cheekily.

The Captain found his right eye starting to twitch, which only happened when he got really annoyed. “I figured that…But tell me who you are!!!”

The baby Speamint cocked her head curiously, then rolled her eyes. “Why?”

Captain Zuum finally lost it and practically exploded. “DAMNIT ALL TO HELL!!! JUST WHO THE FRIG ARE YOU?!!!!!!!”

Then Katsurin, who had snuck around and made it onto the roof of the shrine, readied himself, and jumped off, landing right on top of Captain Zuum and making him drop Holly.

“Hohohohoho!!! Din’t ye knoo, ‘tain’t polite t’yell tae a young’un like that laddie buck!! Taem Ah shooed ye some manners, nay?!” he pushed off from the Zuum’s head and landed on the ground, hat flopping, and twirling his staff skillfully.

The Captain had had enough. “KILL THEM ALL!! NOW!!!”

Then, in an explosion of dirt, dust, and rocks, Sora and Lirrik popped out of the ground (Mogis are diggers, just to make that known), and went flying at the Zuums pinning down Gray Wolf and Undine. The pair knocked baddies left and right with powerful punches, while Undine went and grabbed the frightened Sarica. Kat picked up Holly and carefully put her over his shoulder, while bopping the Zuums’ heads and tripping them with his staff.

Gray Wolf snarled angrily. “The Captain’s mine!!!” He leaped straight at the unprotected Zuum, who screamed, and Gray Wolf sunk his teeth into his mark, ripping out the baddie’s throat, then used his horns to finish off the unfortunate Zuum.

The last few Zuums left were not shown mercy. Undine turned away and covered Sarica’s eyes as the baddies were dealt with by Gray Wolf, Sora, and Lirrik, while Kat was getting out some bandages from his pack for Holly.

The lost disks now all that were left, Gray Wolf’s temper finally began to subside, and he turned to the others, coming up to Sora and Lirrik.

“Thanks…for your help. I’m Gray Wolf.”

Lirrik yawned loudly and smiled at him. “My name is Lirrik, the Hare that looks like a farmer is Katsurin, or Kat for short, and Lady Grouchiness here is Sora.” He said with a snicker. Sora whirled around and chased after him shouting curses, while Lirrik laughed insanely as he was pursued.

Sarica suddenly embraced Gray Wolf in a tight hug. “Gray Wolfy!!” she exclaimed with a big smile, and the silver Tiger blushed while Undine giggled softly.

Kat frowned as he inspected Holly. Although at first she appeared all right, a closer inspection revealed her injuries to be much more severe than he previously thought. Ah winder what haeppened tae her…methinks soom o’ them older uns ain’t had proper taem tae heal. Mayhaps there be more a-goin’ on wi’this here group than Ah figgered.

The Cupid Hare glanced up at Undine, who had been watching in concern. “Methinks she’ll be aright, ye jist ha’ tae be sure tae give ‘er plenny o’ taem tae recoovre, aright?”

Undine didn’t quite understand everything he said, but she nodded anyways and told him thanks. “Thank you for all the help you’ve given us Katsurin.”

Kat smiled gently and twiddled his paws shyly. “Aw, nae need tae thank me missy. ‘Twas naught but a wee moment tae sort oot them baddies, an’ Ah’m glad tae be o’ service for ye!” He finished bandaging Holly’s wounds and stood up, stretching.

Undine couldn’t help but ask him, “What will you and your friends be doing now?”

Kat pondered for a moment, then shrugged. “Tae be truthful, Ah’m not rightly sure. Ah s’pose we’ll goo after the baddies an’ try tae stop ‘em, but Ah ain’t all sure whit else we can do agin them. But aither way, Ah’ll have tae wait fer them two tae cease their squabblin’.” He nodded his head towards Lirrik, now yelling as Sora chased him with her thick claws outstretched.

A thought came over her. “You and your friends are fighting the baddies?”

He nodded grimly, a faraway look in his dark, gentle eyes. “Aye, that we were, and that we are. We fought Moo, aye, an’ took oot some o’ his stronger baddies, an’ now when they be gone, them new uns have sprang oop, an’ we plan tae fight ‘em again. We thrae all have air groodges agin them baddies, an’ t’wouldn’t be right tae let ‘em take o’er.”

Gray Wolf came over with Sarica in tow. “Then why don’t you join us? We’re trying to stop the baddies too…and we know a little bit about the one who’s leading them this time as well. Besides, we could use your skills. You guys are amazing!”

“Yup! Yup!” Sarica chimed in after he finished.

Kat smiled widely, “Why, thankee! Ah think that be a graend eeday! We, Thae Rebellous Thrae, weel assist ye on yer quest, so we weel!

The group cheered together and shook hands and paws, as Sora and Lirrik ran by.

To be continued…

***********************************************************

Space Cadet: Well, that was quite exciting. I think it’ll be great fun working with Kat, Sora, and Lirrik, those three are hilarious, wouldn’t you say? Oh, and just in case, I’m not making fun of anyone with Kat’s accent. It was just a few things thrown together with a few of my own ideas, so no harm, right? Hope you liked the chapter, but I might not be able to work on them tomorrow if there’s thunder and lightning, ‘cause I’ll have to turn off my computer…don’t really know why everyone at school’s worked up, it’s only a hurricane. …O.O…

Having just finished a conference with the new General Fox, Nightmare laughed evilly. The Hazel Fur had told him of an incredibly strong and mysterious monster with strange powers. The monster was a Hydra, which is a Naga/Lesione, and Nightmare had liked the description of the blue Naga breed. He would have to find out more. He gave another laugh and then his black body melted into shadows and disappeared.

***

“WHY YOU LITTLE-!!!!” Sora screeched angrily, bearing down on Lirrik who looked extremely nervous, even though it was also clear he was having great trouble keeping himself from laughing.

“Teehee….Sora really! I swear it wasn’t me!! *Snicker* Really! *Giggle* I didn’t do it! Hehe…Ack!!” He struggled as Sora’s paws grabbed him around the neck and she started violently shaking him.

“YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE YOU??!! I CAN SEE IT ALL OVER YOUR FACE YOU TWERP!!” Her eyes blazed with fire, and Lirrik gulped nervously.

“Wh-what are you talking about? It’s not that bad you know, and I truly had nothing to do with the whole thing!”

“WHY YOU FILTHY, LYING EXCUSE FOR A-!!”

Katsurin grinned as Sora’s enraged yells echoed around the campsite in front of the shrine, and he chuckled lightly. “Hohoho! Ah tol’ ‘im ‘e would be payin’ fer that un later, so Ah did, boot ‘e kep’ goin’ an’ din’t listen ‘a mae, o’ course. Hohoho! Ah’m fair serpraised she din’t wake oop as he were doin’ it hoho!”

Lirrik ran by shrieking in fear as Sora pursued, her face covered in white clay and plant dyes, which Lirrik had applied while she was sleeping, making her look like a clown.

Rubbing sleep out of her eyes, Undine remarked under her breath to Gray Wolf, “Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to ask them to join us. We won’t get a decent sleep with them around, and it’s way too early for this!” she groaned as she stretched. But to her surprise, Gray Wolf appeared pretty amused by the situation. That is, until both Lirrik and Sora accidentally stepped on his tail as they dashed by, now with a peeved Gray Wolf after them.

“WAHAHAHAAAAAHAHA!!! HAHAHAWAAHAHAHAAA!!” Sarica’s raucous laughter was almost as bad as her crying, and Kat twitched his ears while trying to block out the noise from where he sat beside Holly, still waiting for her to wake up from the Zuum attack.

“May, may! Yer hullaballooin’ tis worse’n’yer caterwaulin’, so tis an’ that’s a fact!” he said as he patched a small hole in his floppy straw hat.

Suddenly Lirrik stumbled on a rock, Sora ran slapbang into him and they fell in a heap, and Gray Wolf tripped over the two Mogis and went flying head over tail. Sarica laughed even more hysterically, Undine giggling and covering her ears at the same time, and Kat shook his head with a huge smile on him.

“Methinks anyone within a couple o’ hindred mile radius could hear that racket, so they could!” he paused for a moment and peered around. “Ah won’t mind that, leastways if’n they be friend ‘stead ‘o foe.”

***

Since he had left the base, Thor had headed mostly west, deciding that if he didn’t find Holly in this direction he would sweep south. And that’s what he had done, not finding anything. He hoped nothing had happened…that he wouldn’t be too late to help…

He forced the thoughts out of his head as he traveled on, the sky lightening as the sun came up. The young Dragon spotted a wooded mountain just a little further, and flew towards it to find a water source where he could replenish his supply.

Loud, enraged shouts reached his ears, as he flew along a side of the mountain over the trees, and he flew towards the noise, wondering what it was. He would just take a peek. He expected it was probably a fight; perhaps the baddies had attacked someone. He came over a clearing, and finally found the source of the disturbance, but it wasn’t what he had thought.

A pile of ashes marked where there had previously been a campfire, and there were several monsters around it in front of a shrine. One, a Tiger, was chasing two others, until they all tripped and the youngest one looked as though it would burst from laughing so hard. Then he spotted the only human in the group, who didn’t seem to have woken up yet. That’s her! I finally found her! I did it…and I’m not too late after all!

Thor happily swooped down and landed near the camp, and the monsters suddenly jumped to attention and took defensive positions.

Sora, still furious, glared at him. “What do you want?!”

Thor held out his clawed hands in a calming gesture, and showed them he had no crest. “My name is Thor, and I was part of Falcon’s army of Pirate Dragons. I’ve been looking for Holly because I may have an idea about how to stop the baddies!”

Sora still didn’t look very convinced, but Gray Wolf stepped forward. “I believe you. I think I remember seeing you at Nightmare’s palace…but if you want to talk to Holly, you’ll have to wait. She’s been out for a day and we’re not quite sure when she’ll wake up…” he trailed off, glancing over at Kat and Holly.

Lirrik shrugged. “But that doesn’t mean you should have to wait, we’ve all joined together to stop Nightmare, so you can tell us now if you like!”

The Dragon looked thoughtful for a moment. He’d rather wait until Holly woke up so he wouldn’t have to explain it twice…but it might be better to just tell them now. “Alright then. Make yourselves comfortable, it’s a long one!”

The group gathered around, and Thor began narrating. He left nothing out, from the moment he had escaped to when he had heard them on the mountain, also telling them of his meeting with Rayce and Shilten the day before, and what he had learned from them about the other original rebels’ return.

[Around noon]

Sora had washed all the clay and dyes off her face, but she was still giving Lirrik death looks every few minutes. Sarica was napping by Kat, who had pulled his large hat down over his face and was dozing peacefully. Gray Wolf had fallen asleep, finally calming down after having been unable to contain his joy that his brother was back and well, and Undine felt more at peace as well, dreaming of when she would meet with Golem again.

Thor was glad his news had brought them so much joy, and he was happy to have been able to help. Maybe he could keep helping…

“Mmm…..” he jerked his head in Holly’s direction as she groaned softly, eyes opening.

Sarica snapped awake, and, upon seeing Holly, launched herself at the girl with a shout. “OOOOOHHH!! HOLLLLYYYYYOURRRAAAWWAAAAAKE!!!!”

Holly winced and the others woke up as well from Sarica’s happy yelling. Sora effectively silenced the little rabbit by picking her up by the ears and telling her to hush.

“Good to see you’re awake Holly!” Gray Wolf said, noting how she appeared to e in a bit of pain. “You got hit pretty hard…are you okay?”

She nodded. “Yes, thanks Gray Wolf, though my head hurts a little…” she paused, seeing all the new faces staring at her. “Who are all these people?”

Sarica was only too happy to introduce them. “Those guys are the Rebellious Three!! Katsurin, Sora, and Lirrik!! And they save us from those meanie Zuums and are gonna help us against the baddies!!” She exclaimed with a bright smile.

Katsurin tipped his hat. “Tis nice tae be a-meetin’ with ye Miss Holly, an’ Ah must say tis good tae see yer oop, so tis!”

Holly nodded with a grin as Sarica continued. “And this guy is Thor!! He just got here this morning and he told us a long story that might help!!”

“A story, you say?”

“Yes,” Thor replied, “and also some good news from a lot further north of here. Let me explain it all….again.”

***

Slithering along a dark alleyway, an aqua-blue Naga allowed himself a small smirk. If he was able to do just a few more things, he would get what he wanted. The Hydra stopped. But it would take a while…even if he managed it.

Then Hydra got a sudden feeling…like he was being watched. “Who’s there?” he called out in an evil, raspy voice. He then gasped as the shadows in front of him moved, and began swirling together, then revealed a Terror Dog with blood-red eyes. Hydra snarled at him, warning the monster to keep back.

Nightmare had a satisfied grin on his face, allowing his sharp fangs to show as he took a step forward.

“Energy Shot!” Hydra growled, sending a bright blue bomb at Nightmare, who dodged it, and the attack blew up half the alleyway behind the black Tiger.

“You are very strong…even better than I had hoped. I have a proposition for you.”

Hydra’s eyebrows cocked in interest. “A proposition, you say?” he rasped. “What is in it for me?”

“Do you like power? How about this…General Hydra.”

Hydra grinned, greediness and lust showing in his sinister dark-green eyes. Nightmare chuckled, it was just as he had expected. Things were going just fine.

***

Holly cupped her chin in her hands in thought. “Hmm…so, this Shuvola Temple could hold the answers on how to defeat Nightmare?” her face was stained with the tears of joy from a few minutes earlier, which had been shed when Thor had told her of Genki and the others.

“Yes. And Big Blue thought that your Magic Stone could lead the way to the Temple.” Thor replied.

“I see…I guess I’ll give it a shot and see what happens.” The group gathered around her and watched curiously as she took out the Magic Stone and concentrated. “Magic Stone….please show us the way to the Shuvola Temple.” She commanded.

The Stone glowed red, then, instead of the phoenix appearing, an icy blue image of a griffon formed, then changed into a blue arrow pointing east.

Holly was a little surprised. “This is new. Before, when we were searching for the Phoenix, and image of a golden Phoenix appeared in the Stone.”

Undine shrugged. “Perhaps we’ll find the answers when we reach the Temple.”

Sora thought about it for a moment. She had been quite impressed by the Magic Stone. “I guess we can get going now, there’s still half a day left, and it might be a good idea to not waste time.”

The others agreed, and Thor sighed. “Well, this is where we part ways. I need to get back to Jim and let him know I found you, but I’ll try to keep in touch. Good luck, and be careful.”

“Thanks for your help Thor. Until we meet again!” Holly said to him.

“Goodbye!!” The group called as one, as Thor took off, waved, then turned and flew on.

Undine gazed into the distance. “At least now we know where to go. Hopefully the answers will be there. And…I also feel so much better knowing Golem and the others are back, even if they are far away right now.”

Holly and Gray Wolf agreed with her, and the group moved off. Holly, not quite recovered from her injuries, was made to ride on Gray Wolf’s back, and Sarica happily joined her. Kat hummed a strange tune as he skipped along, sometimes giving his staff a small twirl. Undine walked …err…floated…or whatever, silently beside him, with Sora and Lirrik up front, muttering to both themselves and each other.

***

The rebels were approaching his territory now. Rotun picked at some meat idly, not really interested in it right now. He had to do something about the rebels if they came closer to his castle. That is, if they did. If they kept going west, they would be nearer to Fox’s new land. Rotun had been amazed at how quickly Nightmare had accepted the female Tiger. He shrugged and dismissed the thought. After all, he knew she certainly looked the part, and the decision didn’t mean anything. …Did it?

The Hare Hound growled and kicked over a bowl at the luxurious dining table. What was he thinking? He didn’t need these feelings, and they were not a good thing to have anyway. This silly notion of his would only prove fatal to him, or worse. He needed to cast them aside. Well, for now anyways. Perhaps when the rebels were gone.

Nightmare did not appear overly worried about the rebels, though. But to Rotun, it was obvious why. They were only a small group of three after all, with no real power to face those stronger in the baddies’ vast armies. Not to mention the fools had no real goal; nothing they could really do and nowhere they could really go. Plus the rest of the so-called ‘Courageous Seven’ were too far north to have contact. Which was indeed a pity, Rotun would get no fun from them. Joker was the General to have been given the north territory…and he had seemed so intent on making them suffer. So much indeed that Nightmare had granted him that privilege. And to Rotun, that simply sucked.

A timid knocking sounded on the golden double-doors, and Rotun raised his head. “Come in! Don’t just sit there knocking all day!”

The left door opened just slightly, and a very nervous Cabalos poked his head through. “Err…Master Rotun, sir?”

“Yes Scout?”

“Well…I…”

“Spit it out!!”

The scout jumped, then bobbed his head shakily. “Sir, I have news of the rebels.”

That did it. Rotun could easily tell by the scout’s behaviour that the news was not good. He snarled at the Cabalos. “WELL DON’T STAND THERE STAMMERING LIKE AN IDIOT!! WHAT IS GOING ON??!!”

“Yes sir!!” he yelped. “It came from some Zuums…”

***

A pair of Zuums dashed into a spacious underground cavern. Groups of Cabalos were stretched out everywhere, napping lazily on rush mats. One, at least twice as big as the others, was curled up on a rock ledge above the groupings. The two Zuums made their way to the ledge, being extra careful as they tiptoed around the sleepers. The pair was sweating nervously as some slitted yellow eyes glared at them from all around, but they kept going until the reached the ledge.

The Cabalos on top snapped his eyes open, revealing he was awake. “What do you two want?” he asked lazily.

The Zuums saluted. “We bring orders from Commander Craylin. Some rebels are making their way here, and she wishes you to deal with them immediately.” They turned to go, but were stopped when the Cabalos put a large paw on one’s shoulder.

“Wait. How many are there, and what species?”

The pair faced him, and the speaker answered. “Seven. One human, a Tiger, an Undine, two Mogis, and two Hares. One of the Hares is just a baby.”

The Cabalos removed his paw from the shoulder. “Good then, we’ll get to work.”

The Zuums marched off, relieved to be out of the cavern.

The Cabalos allowed himself a satisfactory smile. “Wake up troops! We have gotten a job! The rebels are approaching, and we you will take them out. Move when it gets dark and they are tired.”

The pack called out as one, “Yes sir, Captain Mestran!”

***

Stars twinkled in the sky as the rebels ate supper. Sora, Lirrik, and Kat agreed that Holly’s soup was the best they had ever tasted, and the trio did full justice to it. …Until Lirrik ‘accidentally’ spilt his sixth bowl on Sora, who had been halfway through her fourth helping.

The two Mogis began hurling various items at each other, including some ingredients from the soup.

Kat, normally quite passive, got a sly gleam in his eye. “FOOD FIGHT!!!” he shouted as he hurled his bowl, and watched it land smoothly on Sarica’s head. The little Speamint retaliated instantly, but Kat ducked and the bowl hit Undine in the face.

Dripping with soup, Undine, Sora, Lirrik, Kat, and Sarica all chucked things at each other, while Holly and Gray Wolf stayed a little bit apart, sipping tea.

As usual, Lirrik was laughing insanely, Sarica ‘whooping’ loudly, and Sora shrieking her lungs out, and Undine giggled. So it was no surprise they were found so quickly by the pack of Cabalos.

Mestran’s Cabalos had surrounded the campsite and were waiting for their leader’s signal to attack.

Mestran’s voice was barely a whisper. “Take them down swiftly. Go for those two first,” he nodded his head to where Gray Wolf and Holly sat, “though the girl poses no threat, the Tiger is strong, especially when angered. Plus they’re the closest.” The group nodded and swiftly took their positions.

Holly was trying her best not to laugh too hard as she watched the antics of her friends, and even Gray Wolf had trouble restraining himself from throwing his teacup at Lirrik.

Without warning, two bright-blue bolts of electricity flashed out of the darkness towards the pair. Holly tackled Gray Wolf to the ground just in time as one zipped overhead and exploded near the campfire, but the other bolt, which had also been meant for Gray Wolf, hit Holly instead. She cried out as she was electrocuted, and a Cabalos leaped out of the trees onto her back claws-first, then jumped off again. The other soup-covered rebels yelled in shock as several purple forms sped around them, too fast to hit.

Sarica slipped between the attackers and sprinted over to Gray Wolf, who was supporting Holly. The girl had a trickle of blood coming from the corner of her mouth, and she was painfully holding her side where the lightning had hit, and Sarica could see some more blood staining the clothing around the wound.

Kat was having some problems. Even though he was pretty quick on his feet, the speed of the Cabalos far outmatched his own. They could attack him, and when he tried to get back, they would easily dodge him. Sora and Lirrik weren’t doing any better, and neither was Undine.

Another form, twice as large as all the others, streaked out from the shadows towards Kat. The Cupid Hare felt a searing pain in his back and he screamed. He could feel the blood running down his body as his assailant backed away.

Gray Wolf grimaced as he watched the Cabalos leader sneer at him, blood shining on his glistening fangs. Gray Wolf’s expression became furious, and he had Holly sit down and lean on Sarica.

Then the silver Tiger stepped forward. “You there!! Why don’t you face me in a one-on-one match instead of attacking from behind like a coward?!”

The oversized Cabalos became enraged. “Fine then!! No one calls Mestran a coward and lives!! LIGHTNING!!”

Gray Wolf countered the attack with his own lightning, and the two leaped at each other with their claws and teeth bared, slashing and tearing. The onlookers watched in horror as the ground underneath the duelers was covered in blood and fur.

Mestran was gaining the advantage because of his huge size which dwarfed that of Gray Wolf’s, and the baddie sneered as his foe began to weaken.

Mestran slammed into Gray Wolf head-first, the silver Tiger falling to the ground on his back as the purple one prepared to rip his chest open. The wolf rolled to the side, barely escaping the deadly blow, then, in one fast movement, jumped up and latched his jaws onto the back of his enemy’s neck.

The huge Cabalos howled in pain, and tried to shake off Gray Wolf, but to no avail. The silver Tiger sunk his teeth in further and tore at Mestran’s flesh, ripping it open. Then he charged up for his final attack.

“COLD BULLET!!” the icy ball struck into the back of Mestran’s head, killing him instantly. The oversized Cabalos shrunk into a lost disk.

The Cabalos pack stared in stunned silence at what had just happened, then as Gray Wolf’s deadly stare met their eyes, they turned tail and fled, howling their defeat. Then the wolf stumbled and fell to the ground, and his friends rushed over to see if he was all right.

Kat inspected him carefully as Gray Wolf squinted his eyes, making sure the baddies didn’t return. “Weel, ye’ve lost some blood there, boot ye’ll be aright fer sure soon as Ah patch ye oop there. Now hol’ still so’s Ah kin git them bandages on ye.”

He staunched the flow of blood and finished working, and none too soon, as Sarica called out to him from the edge of the clearing. “Mister Kat! Mister Kat!!” he turned and saw Holly leaning against a tree, gasping for breath as Sarica waved her arms wildly.

The older Hare hopped over and took a look. He lifted the side of Holly’s shirt carefully (and not high enough to see anything naughty, he’s not a pervert like Suezo), and grabbed some more bandages to patch the wound.

He shook his head. “Yer gonna haftae be real careful with these Miss Holly, ye still haven’t healed properly yet, okay there?” She nodded her head weakly, and Sarica winced a little as Kat got some help from Undine to bandage the claw slashes on his back.

Gray Wolf got to his feet a little unsteadily, and Sarica rushed over to him. “Ooh!! Are you okay Gray Wolfy?!” he nodded as Lirrik snickered quietly until Sora bashed him on the head.

Undine sighed sadly. “Another battle, and more wounds. We can’t keep going like this without time to recover. Maybe it would be wise to find a spot where we can stay put for a while until everyone is okay again.”

Kat agreed with her. “Mayhaps t’wouldn’t be a bad eeday Miss Undine, mayhaps.”

To be continued…

***********************************************************

Space Cadet: This was a bit bloodier than usual, I must say…but then again, I think this is the first time I’ve mentioned blood in the whole fic. Is it just me, or am I gradually getting more violent? Eh, doesn’t matter, it makes things more realistic, yes? Hope it was appealing, and there will be plenty more to come ^_^!

[How?!] The word screamed itself in Nightmare’s mind. He was bewildered…the rebels had been wandering aimlessly, then had suddenly struck east, without turning from that path. And, to the Terror Dog’s knowledge, there could only be one reason. The accursed Shuvola Temple! How they had found out about the Temple was an utter mystery to him, but that was not his worry right now. His main objective would have to be to stop them from reaching the place, by whatever means necessary.

Then again…this could be used to his advantage. He shut his eyes stubbornly. [No, that would be taking too much of a risk, even if it does have its uses…I must not allow it to happen. I will have to deal with those idiots myself.]

He stood up, preparing to leave, when a cold voice echoed through his head, making him cringe in fear. The voice was like ice, enough to send shivers down the spine of even the bravest being, and it brought fear to all who heard it.

The black Tiger’s eyes closed in careful concentration as his heart raced.

<…Let the rebels make it to the Temple>

Nightmare almost lost his concentration from surprise.

He felt the evil presence leave his mind, and he breathed heavily with relief. Now it was time to do his master’s bidding.

***

After resting for four days, the rebels had been traveling east steadily for three weeks now, with the occasional attacks from the baddies, and the constant uproars caused by Sora and Lirrik.

Gray Wolf closed his eyes and let the cool breeze blow his mane back contentedly as they walked along leisurely. Then he sniffed the air and grinned. “Hey everyone, smell that?”

The others sniffed the breeze as well, and Sarica wrinkled her nose. “Smells like salty…”

The rest laughed and Lirrik, surprisingly enough, grew excited. “Ooh! Ooh!! We’re heading for salt water! And that can only mean…”

“The Ocean!!” Sora chimed in happily.

Undine looked at her in surprise; Sora, in the time Undine had known her, had never been happy like this before. “I have never seen the ocean before.”

Sarica wiggled her ears. “Sarica’s not seen it neither!”

Holly swept up the little Speamint and perched her on her shoulders. “The ocean is a large body of water; much bigger than a lake. It’s so huge, you can’t see the other side!”

Sarica’s eyes went wide. “Whoa! Sounds neat!” Feeling lightheaded, they continued their way towards the ocean.

***

The shore was empty. It was lacking as well, with no seabirds calling out their cries to the beaches, the place seemed abandoned and lonely, and almost had a neglected feel to it, even if the harbour wasn’t in ruins. But Commander Craylin liked it just fine, and so did her troops of various Suezos. The deserted port was her new base, and she knew the rebels might come this way.

***

Another group was headed for the town. The Cabalos who had previously been under the command of Mestran streaked over the hills, intent on getting to their destination before the rebels did so they could report.

***

“Ocean chi! Ocean chi! Chi!!” Mocchi cheered happily as they crested a hilltop.

Pixie, sitting on Big Blue’s shoulder, gazed around the landscape. It was all grassy hills, and they were at the top of the tallest one, and could see the great body of water glimmering faintly in the distance.

Hare took in a deep breath of the salty air, enjoying the scent of the sea. “Hey Golem, since we’re at the highest point around, this would be a great opportunity to throw Suezo up and see what’s around!”

Without complaint, Golem grabbed Suezo and hurled him upwards. “THANKS FOR THE WARRRNNNINNNNNG!!” he shouted, annoyed. But he focused his eye carefully, looking for anything interesting. Then suddenly his mouth dropped open as he stared at a particular spot.

Tiger looked up as the eye monster fell back down, and Golem actually caught him. “Well, see anything? …Suezo?”

Suezo still appeared a little speechless, then when he spoke, he completely took everyone off guard. “Throw me up again Golem! I need one more look to be sure!!” The rock monster complied, and Suezo was airborne once again.

He looked closely…yes! [I can’t believe my eye…we caught up! We made it! We-…uh-oh…what’s that?] He squinted, then recognized the figures just as he once again plummeted down and landed in Golem’s huge hand.

The seven others crowded around Suezo, asking what he saw, then Genki pushed his way through. “Quiet guys!! Give him some room here!”

They backed up from Suezo, who told them what he had seen as if it was a dream. “There…heading for a town…there was Holly…she was just over that way!!” The group gasped in shock, then cheered. “But there’s more!” They listened again. “She was with six monsters…four I didn’t know…but the other two…were…were…”

Tiger twitched his tail impatiently. “Grr…who Suezo?!”

“G-Gray Wolf and Undine!!”

Both Tiger and Golem’s eyes went wide with surprise and Golem smiled happily. “Undine…my soul mate…is back.”

Tiger nodded, completely at a loss for words. Then he too smiled. “My brother is finally back! I’ll be able to see him again.”

Mocchi and Genki leaped about cheering, unaware that Suezo wasn’t finished until he ‘ahemed’ loudly to get their attention. “Hey! There’s more!! The town they’re headed towards is full of baddies! I saw them all hiding and there’s way too many!”

The rebels looked worried; they needed to do something (duh). They took off in the direction of the harbour town.

“Look guys, realistically, there is absolutely no way we’re going to make it in time at this pace!” Hare pointed out.

Pixie took off from Big Blue’s shoulder, stretching out her wings and catching the air. “Tiger and I are the fastest. We’ll go on ahead, but just hurry alright?” After the rest agreed, she sped forward along with Tiger, both hoping they wouldn’t be too late.

***

As they came within about half a mile of the town, Sora could see it looked like it was empty, and she rolled her eyes. [Great, just our luck…the first area with civilization for miles around and the place is a ghost town.] But when they entered the harbour, they found the town not in ruins like they had expected, but in perfect condition, except for the fact it was deserted.

As they shuffled through the quiet streets, Gray Wolf peered at the surrounding buildings. “Looks like whoever did live here left pretty recently. Maybe a week at the most.”

They all agreed with him. Sarica stared up at the dark windows of an empty inn, and trembled slightly. She found the silence very unnerving. Kat and Gray Wolf were tense as well; something didn’t feel right. Gray Wolf failed to catch any scents, but that did little to comfort the group. It was just too unnatural.

Finally, Lirrik figured out what was bothering him so much. “Hey, do you hear that?”

Undine looked around confusedly. “What? What is it? I can’t hear anything!”

“Exactly.”

Sora rolled her eyes and slapped her forehead with a paw. “Well duh, genius. Honestly, we’ve all kind of noticed there’s nothing here, including no noise.”

Even though he really wanted to throw a retort back at her, Lirrik restrained himself from doing so. “Yeah I knew that, but no matter what, there is always one sound when one is near the sea. So, where are all the seabirds?”

The rebels exchanged glances; this statement had brought further suspicion.

Sighing, Lirrik looked up at the sky, wishing to see at least one seagull, but knowing there were none. But as he began to lower his gaze, he spotted something that made his heart soar, and he nudged Sora. “Hey Sora, look, look at that!”

“Look at what?”

“Up there, see, if you look above those houses over there, in the distance!” He pointed with his paws.

Sora squinted her eyes. “What are you babbling about? I don’t see-oh!” She brightened immediately. “It’s a mast! There must be a ship over there!”

Lirrik nodded excitedly. “Yeah! Come on, let’s go take a look!” He sprinted off, Sora hopping right behind him, and the rest followed quickly.

Trotting along, Gray Wolf’s eyes darted everywhere uneasily. [There must be something here; this just isn’t right…wait…I sense something nearby…] He slowed down, calling to the others as he did so.

“Whit do yer senses be a-tellin’ ye?” Kat whispered.

“We’re not alone.” The silver wolf answered.

“Tut, tut…that’s the problem with Tigers, they always spoil the surprise!”

The rebels gasped and bunched together in a circle; looking around wildly for where the voice had come from. Suddenly, various Suezos poured out of doors, windows, alleys, other streets, and some even from trash bins. They were joined by a large number of Cabalos, which the rebels recognized as part of Mestran’s pack. The speaker was a large Rose River, and though they all had the now-familiar crests, the Arrow Head sub-breed’s was outlined with white.

The Rose River chuckled wickedly as the rebels were hemmed in on all sides by the baddies. “Huahaha! Take heed, foolish rebels. I am Commander Craylin, and I serve under the mighty General Hydra. Surrender now and perhaps I shall spare your miserable lives.”

Glaring fiercely at the baddies, Sora laughed, but the laugh had no humour in it. “Heh heh…you must think we’re out of our minds! We’ll never surrender, so you can just take your pink carcass over to your master and beg for mercy from him like the weakling you are!”

The Arrow Head/Mocchi breed’s expression darkened. “Fine then! This is your last day, so cherish your lives while they last! Attack!!”

The masses surged forward, and were met by the rebels’ attacks. Again the Cabalos were tough to hit, but the rebels had gotten more experienced and were more accurate in their attacks now.

“LIGHTNING!!”

“SPRANG KICK!!”

“PUNCH IN!!”

Gray Wolf, Kat, Sora, and Lirrik took out 5 Suezos and 3 Cabalos in total. But in accordance with their numbers, it had little effect.

Undine smacked the Suezos away as they got close, but that didn’t stop them from coming back. “If only we were closer to the docks, I might be able to manipulate the water!”

Holly ducked as a Melon Suezo went flying overhead, and Sarica was fighting reluctantly. “Mini Punch!” the little Speamint squeaked. She hit a Fukazo straight in the eye, but it used its Tongue Slap and knocked her to the ground.

Commander Craylin smirked as she watched the battle from a rooftop. There were too many baddies for the rebels, and they were tiring. Just a little longer, and she would finish them personally.

With his staff twirling, Kat leaped back and battled the Suezos that were pinning Sarica and Holly down, then he stood in front of them trying to keep any more away.

Gray Wolf knew they couldn’t last much longer, and as he fought some Cabalos, he cast his eyes about, looking for somewhere they could at least regroup. Then he spotted just the place.

He dashed back from the purple Tigers, calling the others to follow him. “BLIZZARD!!” A breach was made by his attack in the ranks of Suezos, and they dashed through, defending against the baddies as Gray Wolf led them into a sturdy building.

Lirrik, helped by Kat, barricaded the doorway after they got in, sealing the baddies out, but also trapping themselves inside.

Holly comforted Sarica who was pretty scared and on the verge of tears, while Undine sat quietly. Sora thought hard, trying to think of a way out of the stalemate, but came up with nothing. She growled with frustration, and slammed her fist onto the floor.

*CRACK*

To her surprise, the stone crumbled away easily, and she caught a glimpse of the ground underneath. “Oy, Lirrik! Take a look over here.”

The Offshore ambled over, and took a look at the depression she had made in the floor. “Hmm, floor’s not very thick.”

“Yeah.”

“…I’ve got it!”

The others looked at Lirrik as he grinned. “Sora and me can dig a tunnel under the floor, and we can escape right underneath the baddies!”

Sarica became excited. “Ooh! Ooh! Can you guys really do that?”

Sora smirked. “Just watch us.” With that, the two Mogis broke through more stone and began digging. In no time at all, they had made the hole big enough for everyone to fit in. Sora and Lirrik continued up front, and the others trudged along behind them.

Holly looked back, hoping the baddies hadn’t broken in and were following them. “Hey, where are we going to go when we get out? The Magic Stone pointed across the ocean and we need to get there.”

As his paws worked furiously, Lirrik replied to her. “We’ll head in the direction of the ship we spotted, with any luck it’ll be seaworthy.”

Undine looked at him curiously. “But we don’t know how to sail a ship…it could be dangerous if we don’t know what we’re doing.”

Kat winked slyly at her. “Och, don’t ye worry ‘bout that’n missy, Ah’m sure we’ll ha’ it ale oonder control, so Ah am. Don’t ye go an’ fret y’self ‘bout a thing!”

She was mystified by his statement, but remained quiet. The only light came from a small torch Holly was holding, and the tunnel was gloomy and eerie.

As Lirrik and Sora slowed their pace, Kat came up and listened intently. “Ah thinks we be past them baddies, Ah don’ ‘ear ‘em makin’ no more o’ that racket naow. Mayhaps we’ll reach yon ship soon.”

Gray Wolf sniffed the air. “I’d say we’re pretty close. The smell is really strong here.”

“Right then. Time to go up.” Lirrik said cheerfully, while Sora, as usual, rolled her eyes at him.

The two dug upwards, and a shaft of light broke through as they popped their heads cautiously out the top.

Peering around, Sora saw no sign of the baddies. “All clear!” She said, keeping her voice low.

The seven climbed out the hole, and dusted themselves off, while Sora and Lirrik gazed almost lovingly at the ship, which was docked a few hundred yards away.

Sarica, spotting the ship, tapped Holly’s head excitedly (as always, she was sitting on Holly’s shoulders). “Look look! I see the ship there!”

Holly nodded, and the rebels took off towards it. But suddenly, lights appeared all around them.

“What the hell-” Sora began but was cut off as the tail attack from an Earth Eye just missed her. “They teleported here!! Get to the ship quickly!!”

Gray Wolf led the way, clearing baddies from their path, Holly, Sarica, Kat, and Undine right behind him, with the Mogis bringing up the rear. Undine was struck down by a lightning attack from a Cabalos, which snarled as it leaped in for the kill. The baddie was however knocked away by Kat, and Holly supported Undine as they hurried along.

They reached the dock where the empty ship was anchored, and Gray Wolf leaped on board with the other rebels, still fending off attacks from the baddies.

Lirrik hopped about, calling out instructions to Holly, Undine, and Sarica while Kat and Gray Wolf kept the baddies at bay. “See if you can hoist those sails, hurry! Raise the anchor! Quickly, quickly!”

They dashed about, and with Sora’s help they finally got the ship ready. Lirrik hopped to the aft end and took the tiller. “Now let’s cast off crew!”

“YEAH!”

With a few more attacks let loose, the ship began to drift away from the harbour, with the baddies yelling curses. Sarica clambered into the rigging, and stuck her tongue out at the Suezos.

Commander Craylin sighed as she watched the ship get further away. “It’s too bad we had to keep them alive, otherwise we could have easily taken them. But I’ll give them a farewell gift just the same.” She took aim with her claw, and a small orange ball of energy began to form in the large pincer. “POOOWERRRR….SHO-”

“LIGHTNING!!” Pixie’s blast made the ball explode right in the Commander’s face, and she shrieked angrily as she was blown backwards by the force.

The rest of the rebels arrived on the scene, and battled with the baddies. It was a short fight, and most of the Suezos teleported away. The group then looked out to sea, seeing the ship fading into the distance, too far away for its occupants to see the group as they stared dejectedly at it.

“Damn…we missed them…” Tiger hissed as he hung his head.

Genki kicked a stone in frustration. They had been so close!

Suezo perked up as he thought he saw something. “Hey Golem! Toss me up!”

“Gol…okay.” He said a little depressed, but hurled the eyeball into the air.

Suezo squinted and focused his eye. “AH-HA! I NEVER THOUGHT I’D BE HAPPY TO SEE THIS GUY, BUT IT’S HORN’S SHIP!! MAYBE HE’LL GIVE US A RRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDEE!!!” He screamed as he plummeted earthwards, but this time Golem and the others were too busy trying to see what Suezo had seen and the eyeball monster crashed to the ground. “Nice catch…Golem…” he muttered.

“Ahoy there me hearties! Long time no see!” Horn called out cheerfully as the rebels waved to him.

“Hey Horn, how ya been?” Genki asked, rubbing his nose.

“Oh, just peachy, been fightin’ them new baddies! Need a lift?”

Hare looked up, interested. “Actually, that’s just what we need!”

Horn beamed. “Well, that won’t be a problem! Anythin’ fer Miss Holly an’ her friends!” Finally he paused, and let his eye roam over the group. “Hold hard a moment… where’s Miss Holly?”

Pixie swooped off of Big Blue and landed in front of him. “She’s why we need your help. There’s a lot of things been happening lately. We’ll explain it all to you, but it’s best if we get moving right away.”

“Of-of course then! Come aboard!”

***

“Whatcha lookin’ at Gray Wolfy?” Sarica asked curiously.

“Oh, it’s nothing…I just thought I saw a fight happening back at the harbour, but we’re too far away to be sure. Maybe it was just nothing.”

“Oh…Okay!” She exclaimed brightly. “Yay! It’s fun to sail!! Look out Temple, we’re coming!! Woohoo!!” She called out as the other rebels laughed.

***

Swimming strongly, Commander Craylin latched herself firmly onto the bottom of the ship, eyes blazing angrily. [It does not matter what orders there were…I do not see the point of letting them live anyways…but they will pay, oh yes they will.]

To be continued…

**********************************************************

Space Cadet: Well, wasn’t that interesting. I’m still putting the bits and pieces of plot together, so that could take a little while! But there’ll be plenty more happening, so no worries!

Rotun paced his chamber angrily. He had just been paid a visit by a furious Nightmare, and discovered that, against orders, Commander Craylin had come close to killing the rebels. And so, due to the fact the Commander served under Rotun, the Hare Hound was the one to have been punished. His shoulder was still bleeding, but he paid it little mind. Or, at least he tried to.

The brown Tiger’s thoughts wandered to when he had received word not to kill the rebels and let them keep going, but still attack them so as not to arouse suspicions, and indeed Rotun had thought Nightmare had completely lost his mind, until the Terror Dog had informed him of the reason. Rotun would not get the pleasure of making them die, which was rather disappointing, but he was sure there were others who would’ve been angrier to hear the news.

He smirked as he imagined Joker’s reaction; the vengeful baddie had wanted to kill the original rebels so badly he was getting restless as they had drawn closer to his fortress, and only to be ordered to let them practically waltz by unscathed. It was quite an amusing thought.

Still, Joker wasn’t the only one who wanted revenge…Rotun had once experienced such a lust for it he almost went mad. Fox was the one who had calmed him, taking away the horrid thoughts, yet also heightening his rage towards those who were responsible for his pain and betrayal.

Fox…he had known her for years now. They had been friends, but for Rotun, it may have developed further. And mostly it was said that baddies didn’t have feelings, except for hate and malice. But there had been changes in her lately which Rotun had easily seen, though he figured it was most likely her new position and powers. She hadn’t been entrusted with as much as Rotun yet, but that was to be expected until Nightmare considered her to be loyal, which would most likely take a while.

Sighing, Rotun trotted over to the large, open window of his chamber, and stared at the surrounding landscape. The rebels had moved out of his territory, and after they had served their purpose, Hydra would be the one to grant their destruction, for he would be closest.

Rotun growled again at the thought of the newest General; he didn’t trust the aqua-blue Naga at all. There was something about his sinister nature, and the aura he portrayed… well, perhaps it was his purpose as well which made Rotun edgy. The only reason Hydra had joined with them was because of his strong desire for power, something he had been trying to get for a while and might have succeeded, though it mattered little now.

Perhaps there was still the possibility of the Hare Hound being able to get his own revenge before the chance slipped away. Yes…revenge…even after all this time, it was still a burning passion, and he would make sure his need was fulfilled. They would pay…

***

“Come on Golem, just chuck your stupid fear away and come eat!” Suezo exclaimed in annoyance as Golem clung to the mast stubbornly in fear.

“Don’t want…to leave. Golem like this spot.” He told the aggravated eyeball.

Suezo simply rolled his eye and hopped off, grumbling. He shot a hate-laden glance at Horn who glared back. Suezo grumbled some more and went to get some breakfast.

Horn turned back to his conversation with Genki. “Arr, so me lad, we’ll be sure te try an’ spot Miss Holly’s ship again straightaways!”

“But just how did you lose them anyway, Horn?” Genki asked, a little worried and wondering if anything happened.

“No need te get all worked up there, we just lost sight of ‘em, shouldn’t take long te find ‘em again!” He replied.

“Well, okay.” Genki said, a little unsure. He watched as Horn hopped off, and hoped Holly was all right as he looked upwards at the pure blue sky.

***

“Arrr!! Sarica’s big scary pirate an’ she say te come an’ looky here!!” Sarica wailed loudly.

Gray Wolf sighed and slowly came into the galley where the little Speamint sat, beaming happily. “Err….yes?” He asked uncertainly.

“Take a looky!” She exclaimed as she reached up onto a counter, pulling down a small tray. “Wanna try one?!” The tray was filled with…little cookies.

Gray Wolf sweated, and sniffed the cookies. His eyes went wide with surprise and he took one. Sarica stared intently as he chewed slowly, her eyes shining while she waited for his appraisal. He finally swallowed. “Delicious!”

Sarica smiled widely and gave him a tight hug. “YAY!! SARICA MAKEY GOOOOD COOKIES!!!” She shouted, ecstatic, and started bouncing around, still hugging Gray Wolf who complained loudly.

Lirrik was laughing uproariously, but not because of Sarica. He had just dumped a pail of water, into which he had poured some black dye, all over Sora. Sora shrieked her head off and went chasing after Lirrik as usual, all around the ship, while Holly and Undine watched, trying to contain their own laughter.

Commander Craylin, still clinging doggedly to the bottom of the rebels’ ship, squeezed her eyes shut in annoyance. But then she opened them again, sighing, with a little bubble coming out of her mouth to float up to the surface. It felt almost, well, strange for her, hearing them fight yet still be such good friends. Then her eyes snapped and she shook her head stubbornly. [I can’t believe I’m listening to this…ridiculous.]

Much to Lirrik’s dismay, Sora put on an extra burst of speed and yanked his long blue hair as he yelped and spun around, only to meet Sora glaring at him with a death look. “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR YOU IDIOT?!?! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT’LL TAKE TO WASH THIS OUT?!?!!!” She shrieked directly into his face as his eyes spiraled.

“Oooh….come on, it was just….” Sora’s glare deepened, “…a….little…joke? Heh heh… ARRGHAAACCKKKKK!!!” He half-gagged half-screamed as Sora throttled him, shaking him back and forth by the neck angrily, getting black dye all over him as well.

Holly ran forward and tried to separate the two. “All right, that’s enough, come on!” She gently pried Sora’s paws away from Lirrik, who slid to the deck, eyes spiraling again.

Sora struggled madly, “LEMME GO!! I’LL TEACH ‘IM A THING OR TWO THE LITTLE WEASEL!!!”

Holly almost lost her grip on the insane Sopra, but managed to hold on to her. Undine came over and helped while Lirrik finally got up off the deck, holding his head in his paws. “Oooooh….calm down. I used washable dye, it’ll come out right away. Which is good, ‘cause now I’m splattered in it too.” He remarked as he looked down at himself.

Holly nodded as she finally let go of Sora who had cooled off sufficiently. “Me too, I guess we’ll all have to wash it off before it stains.”

Undine shrugged; she only had a little bit on her hands. Lirrik had splashes of it down his front, while Sora was obviously drenched, and Holly was covered in it too from holding on to Sora tightly.

“HEEEYYYY!!! LAANND AA-HOO-OYYYY!!!” Sarica shouted in a singsong voice, still gripping a sweating Gray Wolf as she danced around.

Kat came up from below, where he had been napping, after being woken up by all the commotion. He sweated as he caught sight of the group; Sarica squeezing Gray Wolf who looked utterly embarrassed, and Lirrik, Sora, Holly, and Undine splashed and covered with black dye.

The Cupid Hare shook his head, “Ah’m no’ even goin’ tae ask.” He said mischievously and shook his head again with a chuckle.

Sora caught Lirrik’s eye and he grinned slyly, and Sora nodded. Lirrik turned to Kat, who watched him cautiously, knowing he was up to something. Then, “GLOMP TIME!!!” Lirrik suddenly yelled, and tackled Katsurin to the deck, getting the dye on him as well.

Sora hopped over by Gray Wolf and Sarica and shook herself vigourously, getting the goop all over the pair. Sarica giggled and laughed, finally letting go of Gray Wolf, who blushed and frowned at the dye dripping out of his fur as the others all laughed.

Undine giggled, Sora’s shake having gotten more on her as well. “Oh my, imagine what everyone will think if we dock in a harbour looking like this!”

Lirrik rolled his eyes. “Hey! We’re on a ship, remember? We’re surrounded by water, on all sides, and water is used for washing!” He said playfully.

“Oh…right…” Undine played with her dripping fingers shyly.

“Right, what are we gonna do, jump overboard?” Sora said sarcastically.

“Yeah, that’s right!” Lirrik replied to her cheerfully, as she growled at him. Then, to her surprise, he did just that, jumping over the rail with a whoop, startling the others. “Wha-!”

Commander Craylin perked up as she heard a sudden splash, followed by laughter and some more yelling. She let go of the wood she was clinging to and allowed herself to drift for a moment before striking out slowly towards the source of the sound, when another splash was heard and she saw the ship’s anchor sink into the depths. […They’re stopping here? Why?]

After sighing and dropping the anchor, Sora decided she might as well wash off too. She vaulted over the deck rail along with Undine, closely followed by Gray Wolf. Holly stepped back, a little unsure.

Sarica grabbed Holly’s hand and chirped, “Come on Holly!! You too! Need ta wash it aaalllll off!”

Holly still wasn’t too fond of just jumping into the water, though. “I don’t know…”

“Hohoho!” Kat chuckled and grinned. “Aye, little Sarica be a-right! Yer coomin’ in too!” With that, he wrapped an arm around her waist and Sarica jumped on her shoulders, laughing hysterically as usual, and they hopped onto the rail.

Holly protested and tried to squirm out of Kat’s grip, but to no avail, and she gasped as Kat jumped off, pulling her and Sarica with him.

“WAAHAAAHAAAAH!!! WHEEEEEEEEE!!!” Sarica shouted before they hit the water.

Kat surfaced and chuckled again as Holly came up next to him, looking a little stunned. Then Sarica started splashing Gray Wolf, who didn’t hold back and splashed her back. Soon, all seven of them were engaged in a water fight and laughing together.

Craylin listened and watched. This was a perfect opportunity to attack them and get her revenge, now, when they were unsuspecting, so close and vulnerable. Yet…something held her back. She was mystified; they had been arguing just moments ago, and now…they were having…fun.

Fun had a different meaning for Craylin. It was more the adrenaline rush she got from killing, or the satisfaction of a flawless victory. But was that truly fun? She was all confused. She had never had these hesitations before. Maybe it was because it was not all for amusement, but there had always been burning hatred in her, ever since…

~~~

The flames leaped high into the air, eating hungrily at the buildings. Numerous screams echoed through the burning city, along with the evil cackling of the attackers. Bodies were strewn everywhere, as well as lost disks, and those left alive tried desperately to make a stand.

Craylin stood alongside a Marble Guy (Golem/Naga), and the pair was positioned at the front of a mixed group of monsters and humans, numbering about thirty in all.

A young man and his small son came up beside them. The man spoke in between gasps of breath. “We’re…hemmed in on all sides…no chance of escape.”

Growling, Craylin watched as various monsters, mostly Black Dinos, Weeds, Jells, and Evil Hares, materialized out of the smoke and flames. They all wore the same bronze crest. The symbol of Moo.

As the baddies approached, Craylin turned to the man. “Jeran, you should get all the ones who are unable to fight in the middle where we can protect them.”

Jeran nodded, and grabbed his son’s hand. “Come on Mitchell, let’s get you safe.” The two humans moved off, gathering the young, old, and weak with them.

Craylin glanced at the sneering baddies as they assembled. “Well Cralick,” she said to the Marble Guy beside her, “This looks like our last stand.”

Cralick looked at the Rose River curiously. “Then why did you tell Jeran we would be able to protect the others, and that there was a chance we might triumph?”

The pink Arrow Head kept her gaze riveted on the baddies as she replied, “Because, I had to give him some sort of hope…you know how it is. They will simply give up if they do not believe they will make it. And who knows…maybe we might stand a chance…”

A young, muscular woman with short hair stepped up next to Craylin, and her cold, determined gaze swept over them. “Craylin!! You know as well as I, that there is no hope for us! This is undoubtedly our end!!”

Craylin replied without facing the woman. “Maybe so Kara, but I shall always battle for good and freedom until death claims me. I will never to back down or surrender to them!!”

Cralick pounded his massive fists together in agreement. “Yeah!! Don’t back down!!”

One of the Jells raised its hand in the air and pointed it forward. “ATTACK TROOPS!!” The mass of sixty or so baddies surged forwards towards the last defenders in the city, who met them head on.

It quickly became a ferocious battle and lives were lost on both sides, but the baddies suffered the greatest losses. It seemed the defenders would win. But that all changed when he appeared.

Craylin, pincers covered in blood, gasped at the figure emerging onto the scene. It was Moo himself.

As though a bomb had gone off, most of the defenders shrieked and scattered, retreating into the darkness and fiery ruins of the city. This left only Craylin, Cralick, Kara, Jeran, Mitchell, two more humans, a Golem, a Datone, and a Nut Arrow.

Craylin growled, hearing the screams of those who had retreated, only to be caught unawares by the attackers. She turned her attention to the figure before her. “You heartless creature!!” She shrieked.

Moo merely chuckled at them. “Ah yes, I can feel your hatred towards me! Foolish monsters, you seriously believe you can beat me?”

Cralick glared at him, “Yes!! You will pay for your evil deeds! Let’s go!!!” He shouted.

“YEAH!!” The others cried in unison, and the small group rushed forward in an attack line.

Kara, Jeran, and the other two humans, Devon and Brianne, were all armed with swords, and held them in front of their bodies as they charged. The monsters spread out and readied their attacks.

Moo didn’t move a muscle; he only watched as they dashed towards him. Then, when they were almost upon him, his red eyes snapped and sent out a wave of energy, sending them flying back.

Tralcan, the Nut Arrow (Arrow Head/Momo), grunted as he hit the ground, and the Golem landed beside him.

Craylin pushed herself up weakly. She couldn’t believe he had taken them out so easily, with one blast! But still, she refused to give up. She would never bow to evil. Steadying herself, she charged forward once again, pincers extended.

Moo merely chuckled at the pink Arrow Head’s stubbornness. “You fool.” He stated simply. Again he watched as she came at him, then he sent out the same wave of energy as before. But this time, Craylin was ready.

She launched herself into the air, soaring over the blast, and bared her pincers. She landed on a surprised Moo’s face, and wasted no time. “YAAAAAHHHH!!!” She shouted, eyes closed, as her pincers came down on his head.

*CLANG!!*

Opening her eyes to survey the damage, Craylin gasped in shock. Nothing! She had barely even left a scratch on the monster’s golden armour.

Before she could blink, Moo’s large hand had her in its grasp, and she was flung away like a rag doll. After hitting the ground heavily, she struggled to get back up, but collapsed from the effort. Eyes closed, she could only listen to her friends cry out, in anger, trying to attack their much-feared enemy. But it was useless. Craylin heard Kara’s shriek of pain, Jeran’s following soon after, with Mitchell crying in the background.

Next to go was Tralcan, and the Datone’s tortured screams rang through the air. Now, it was just Cralick and the Golem, Rokan. The sound of their pounding footsteps and shouts, mingled with distant cries and cackling, was everywhere. Then, the clear noise of something, or someone, heavy crashing to the ground, followed by another.

Craylin finally forced her eyes open. Right away she wished she hadn’t. Lost disks, and bodies, they were everywhere. Cralick, lying a few feet away, glowed red with another scream and became a lost disk like the rest. All she did was stare. Stare, at what had once been her friends.

Suddenly, a burning rage, hate like she had never felt before, rose within her. It enveloped her completely, ruling over her mind, and taking control of her senses, turning her vision a bloody, crimson red.

Her mind being controlled by this new feeling, she charged up an attack, unbeknownst to Moo. He had his back turned on her, believing her too weak to fight. His mistake. The rage gave Craylin power, strength, and numbed the pain from her wounds. She would not go down so easily.

A red light formed in each of her open pincers, and both grew to enormous size. “POWER SHOT!!!” She screeched as she unleashed them, and the great balls of energy flew forward with amazing speed, striking their target dead-on.

Moo had turned at the shout just in time to be hit in the chest by the blasts, and he was blown backwards by the force. Smoke, dust, and debris flew up around him, masking him from sight.

Craylin’s breathing came rapidly, and she was exhausted from the effort. The smoke began to clear, and she could see Moo’s shadowy form rise up. She stared, dumbfounded, wondering how he could have possibly survived that.

Moo growled with anger. Surely she should have been dead by now. But he would kill her. Then he stopped, and looked down at himself in surprise. Craylin also gazed at the sight. The armour on Moo’s chest was dented, and in some places even cracked. A slight trickle of blood dripped out of the cracks, falling silently to the ground.

Moo’s eyes narrowed slightly in thought. “You made me bleed…your hatred is powerful…I could make use of you.”

He shot forward, quicker than Craylin would have ever thought possible for someone his size, and then he grabbed Craylin into his clawed hand. He squeezed slightly as she struggled desperately. Then, his eyes glowed strangely, and a black aura surrounded Craylin. One of the baddies’ crests appeared on her chest. “You will assist Durahan in taking control of the Eastern Continent…”

~~~

…And now, Craylin served under Nightmare. It was all she lived for, wasn’t it? There was nothing else for her…she could never go back to what was. But still…all this bloodshed…was it really worth it? She couldn’t help but ponder these questions as she continued listening to the rebels having fun.

****************************************************************

Space Cadet: Wow, that was kinda sad…I was originally going to write more for this chapter, but I decided to update now. Been a little busy, what with the Literacy Test at school (stupid thing, really, I can read), and a load of other tests and stuff…hmm, and we’re celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow…we never seem to celebrate this holiday on the proper day, or week for that matter…it was two weeks ago…oh well. I’ll continue writing, then.

Read on!