Lantern Power, who owns Isabel, asked for this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy! :)
Skylanders belongs to Activision. Mulan belongs to Disney. Bree belongs to SkullBoyFanGirl83. I only own Rachel and Crystal.
Never Underestimate Dragons And Foxes
"Oh, man. Am I wiped," Rachel said as she sat down on the ground, leaning her back against a stone wall. "Kaos sure outdid himself with his evil plan."
"Yeah, but he sure didn't plan on Fire Kraken and Flare Wolf roasting his behind," Isabel said with a giggle.
Crystal giggled along with her while Rachel, Bree, Fire Kraken, Flare Wolf, Rattle Shake, and Bouncer chuckled. "Yeah, they made marshmallows out of that stinky creep!" Crystal exclaimed, doing a twirl in the air, but losing her balance on the way down. Fire Kraken quickly caught his young Portal Master before she fell over, chuckling gently.
"Hopefully he'll think twice before pulling that nasty trick on the Griffons of the Observatory again," Bouncer said.
"Oh, I have something better than that, fools!"
At the evil Portal Master's voice, they all jumped up, the four girls quickly going into their Imaginator forms, but Kaos blasted them with a blue cloud, something that surprised them before they realized something. "I can't move!" Isabel exclaimed.
"It's a paralyzing cloud!" Bree exclaimed.
"Yes," Kaos gloated. "Just enough to keep you girls from meddling with my plans again!"
"Let them go, Kaos!" Rattle Shake exclaimed, but he and Bouncer were struck by the same blue cloud, rendering them unable to move while Kaos turned to Flare Wolf and Fire Kraken.
"And now for you two," he said just as they got their weapons ready, but to their surprise, Kaos blasted lightning above their heads and laughed before disappearing.
"What was that all about?" Rachel asked.
A flat blue disk appeared over the two Fire Skylanders' heads before it suddenly fell on them, making the two disappear. "Fire Kraken!" Crystal cried out in horror.
"Flare Wolf!" Bree exclaimed in worry.
Master Eon instantly teleported to their location, but looked like he had been in a bit of a battle. "I'm afraid Kaos hit me with the paralyzing cloud too," he said as he raised a hand and they were soon free.
"Master Eon, Kaos made Fire Kraken and Flare Wolf disappear through some kind of blue disk. It looked like a Portal," Isabel explained.
The guardian of Skylands closed his eyes for a moment and put a hand to his temple, a gesture they all knew meant that he was mentally searching for the two missing Skylanders. He then opened his eyes. "They're not in Skylands," he said gravely.
Crystal broke down in tears and Rachel picked her up, letting her little sister cry into her shoulder. Bree looked devastated and Bouncer placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Master Eon, if they're not in Skylands, then where did Kaos send them?" He asked.
"I don't know," Master Eon admitted. "But I will search for them."
"Is there anything we can do, Master Eon?" Rachel asked, rubbing Crystal's back in comfort.
"Be prepared in case I may need to send you all to find Fire Kraken and Flare Wolf if they're in trouble," the guardian of Skylands said.
"We'll be ready," Bree said, her voice firm even though she was upset about the situation.
Meanwhile, Fire Kraken and Flare Wolf groaned as they woke up. "What was that?" The Fire Sensei asked.
"A rough trip if you ask me," the Fire dragon answered him.
Footsteps sounded outside and they turned to find a young woman and a young man looking at them in surprise. The young man seemed to consider reaching for his sword, which made the two Skylanders take a step back and pull out their weapons, but hold them to the side, almost as in warning. Fire Kraken suddenly caught sight of an engraved stone beside him and glanced at it, reading the Chinese symbols written on it before his eyes widened. "Um, Flare Wolf, I think we landed in a shrine to these people's ancestors," he said, keeping his voice down.
Flare Wolf glanced around and while he couldn't read Chinese, he could plainly see that they were in a shrine and he put away his bazooka while Fire Kraken put away his baton.
Mulan and Shang were shocked to see a dragon and fox that both walked on two legs in the family shrine and only a little surprised that they could talk. Shang, seeing the two put away their weapons, pulled his hand away from his sword as the dragon took a couple steps forward. Mushu, who had been outside, now came in and was shocked to see the other two and immediately got protective. "Hey! These two are under my protection!" He exclaimed, growling and ready to blow fire. "What are you two doing here?!"
"Mushu, calm down," Mulan said gently. "I don't think our ancestors sent them. They look confused."
"And they both realize they're in a shrine," Shang said. "Which it seems they have honor and respect that they are in the family shrine."
"Please forgive us," the fox-like creature said, keeping his voice down in respect. "My friend and I had a rather rough journey thanks to an enemy of ours and we landed in here. We mean no harm or disrespect to your family."
Mulan looked at them curiously. "Why would your enemy send you here?" She asked.
"That is a question we are asking ourselves," the dragon answered. "I only hope Master Eon can find us and get us back home soon, but he may not know where we are."
Shang decided to offer to help. "We could send your master a letter to let him know where you are," he said.
"That's a very kind offer, but I'm afraid…well…," the fox creature trailed off.
The dragon looked down too. "He's…not here in China," he explained.
Mulan grew a bit more curious. "Is he in…a neighboring land?" She asked.
The two looked at each other unsurely. "It's…a little hard to explain," the fox creature said to them. "Our home…it's a place that is only reachable by Master Eon. I'm afraid my associate and I will have to wait until he can find us."
Mushu glared at the two of them. "How do we know you're not just here to take away my pedestal?" He asked.
"Mushu, don't be rude," Mulan chastised him. "No one is replacing you as the family guardian."
The dragon looked at them. "May we ask your names?" He asked politely.
Shang nodded. "My name is Shang," he said. "I'm a general in the Emperor's army. And this is my lovely wife, Fa Mulan, and our family guardian, Mushu."
Both Skylanders bowed to them politely. "Pleased to meet you three," the fox-creature said. "I am Master Flare Wolf and this is my associate, Fire Kraken."
Mulan smiled. "Welcome to our home," she said warmly. "Why don't you two come inside? You could stay with us until your master comes."
"You are very kind, Fa Mulan," Fire Kraken said gratefully. "If you and your family do not mind hosting strangers, we'd be in your debt."
"It's our pleasure," Shang responded. "Mulan, why don't you go let your family know that we have guests and I'll bring them to the house?"
"Alright," she said with a smile and headed inside. A moment later, the doors opened and Shang led the newcomers inside.
Mulan's parents were quite surprised and unsure at first, but Flare Wolf reassured them that he and Fire Kraken were simply lost warriors who needed a place to stay until their master arrived. The two instantly agreed that they could stay and even Mulan's grandmother welcomed them warmly.
Not long after, the two Skylanders decided to train and were shown to a spot behind the home where they were told they could train. Thanking their hosts, they began training with Flare Wolf practicing shooting off fireworks and rockets, something that impressed both Shang and Mulan very much and Fire Kraken twirled his baton and spat out huge fireballs, something that made the couple cheer while Mushu frowned, feeling jealous of Fire Kraken. Crickey, who was nearby watching, chirped at Mushu.
"No, I don't like that Fire Kraken," the small dragon said with a growl. "Look at him, he's bigger than me! He has more color! And did you see the size of those flames?! I can't even make my flames that big!"
Mushu sat down hard on the tree branch. "And worst of all, Mulan and Shang are cheering him on like a hero," he said sulkily.
Crickey shook his head and chirped something, but the dragon glared at him. "Why would I want to be friends with him?" He asked.
Seeing he was getting nowhere, Crickey hopped out of the three and squeaked sharply when a rocket exploded near him and sent him flying into an uncontrolled leap in the air and a large hand caught him a moment later and he saw it was the fire dragon and he curled up in fear. "Fa Mulan, is this little one a friend of yours?" Fire Kraken asked, bringing the small cricket over to Mulan.
She smiled. "Oh, yes, the lucky cricket of the family," she said. "He brings us good luck."
Crickey, feeling he was being placed in Mulan's hands, turned to look at Fire Kraken, who gently petted him, something the small cricket liked and chirped happily. A sudden explosion made them jump and they looked to see Flare Wolf looking a bit surprised and his fur just a little bit singed while Mushu was covered head to toe in black soot, his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Crickey began laughing and Shang and Mulan covered their mouths to hide their laughter as Fire Kraken went over to his friend, trying to hide a smile. "What happened?" He asked curiously.
"I think Mushu blew a large flame of fire and it either hit the rocket I just launched or got too close to it and…I guess it caused a combustible reaction?" Flare Wolf asked sheepishly.
Fire Kraken let out a big laugh. "We ought to try that on Kaos next time," he said, to which Flare Wolf laughed and agreed before they turned to Mushu.
"Hey, Mushu, you okay?" The fox Skylander asked.
Mushu didn't answer, but rather slowly fell backwards into the small stream behind him and then jumped out, sputtering and shaking himself off and in the ancestor's shrine, he could hear them laughing at him, something that stung his already wounded pride and he stormed off, something that concerned the two Skylanders. "Fa Mulan, is Mushu alright?" Flare Wolf asked in concern.
She smiled a little. "He's alright, just…he tends to let his ego get in the way sometimes," she said. "I think he was trying to practice throwing fire like he saw Fire Kraken do and he didn't realize it would hit Flare Wolf's rocket, so that was a bit of an accident."
"Still, he looked a bit hurt, almost like he felt we were laughing at him," Fire Kraken said.
Mulan looked thoughtful. "Not so much us, but I think my ancestors," she said. "Mushu hasn't told me a whole lot about them, but before he became the family guardian, they…well, didn't think much of him."
Shang looked at his wife in surprise. "You mean they laughed at him?" He asked.
She nodded. "I think that's why he stormed off now," she said.
Fire Kraken nodded slowly. "Let me see if I can go talk to him," he said. "I've gotten the feeling Mushu's a little jealous of me too."
Mulan smiled a little. "Probably because he's always tried to be the best guardian and prove that even though he's small, he's tough and to see a larger dragon…,"
"Makes him feel smaller?" The Fire Skylander asked gently, to which Mulan nodded. "I understand. I'll go find him and see if I can get him to not be jealous of me."
Not far from the Fa household, the larger dragon found Mushu sitting by himself and looking like he had just been given the worst news of his life. "Hey, there you are, Mushu," he said, coming up to him. "Is it okay if I join you?" He asked.
The small dragon shrugged, sulking as Fire Kraken sat down beside him. "Mulan's worried about you," he said to Mushu gently.
Mushu sighed a little. "She's always been the unselfish one," he said softly. "And only she could keep my selfishness in check."
The larger dragon smiled. "You and Mulan have a bond that goes a bit beyond just friends," he said. "She trusts you and knows you'll protect her."
"Well, I do try, but…not everyone thinks I'm good at it," the small dragon said.
Fire Kraken smiled. "By the way, that was a good-sized flame you blew out at Flare Wolf's rocket," he said, chuckling a little. "It's hard to surprise him like that, but you did it."
Mushu looked embarrassed now. "I didn't really plan on making the rocket explode," he admitted. "I was practicing breathing fire."
"Because you're jealous that I can create big flames, huh?"
The small dragon winced sharply at that and looked up at Fire Kraken. "That obvious?" He asked in a small voice.
"Just a little," the Fire Skylander said gently. "But Mushu, you don't need to be jealous of me. You're the family protector and from what Mulan has told me and Flare Wolf, you've helped saved not only China but also her family and her family's honor. That's something that you can take credit for."
"True," Mushu said in agreement.
"Hey, you want to know a secret?" Fire Kraken asked. He smiled when the small dragon nodded. "I just gained a new friend and master where I'm from and it's a young girl. Her sister is a master too and when Master Eon selected me to be partners with the young girl, I was happy, but I'm a bit nervous because she's my first master outside of Master Eon and if anything happens to her, I'd have to answer to her older sister, who is really protective of her."
Seeing Mushu looking up at him in surprise, he smiled. "I've got to not only keep the young girl safe, but show her sister that she can trust me too," he said. "I really hope I can do that."
The small dragon looked thoughtful. "Well, the way I got Mulan to trust me was to always be there for her, especially after her family's honor was almost tarnished," he said.
Fire Kraken smiled. "That's a good idea," he said. "Thanks for the advice, Mushu."
Mushu actually smiled, feeling better that the Fire Skylander had talked to him and that he had helped him out a bit. Said Skylander then stood up. "By the way, I've got nothing against you, Mushu," he said. "Mulan adores you and something tells me that if anyone tried to make someone else the family guardian, she's fight tooth and nail for you."
Mulan had often said that to the small dragon and he now smiled, his earlier jealousy fading. "Yeah, you're right," he said before holding out his hand. "Friends?"
Fire Kraken shook his hand. "Friends," he said before lifting Mushu up to his shoulder. "Come on, before Mulan comes looking for you."
Back at the house, everyone was gathered around and listening to one of Mulan's grandmother's stories before Mulan's mother got up and realized she needed a few things for dinner. "I can go to the market for you," Shang offered for his mother-in-law.
"I'll go too," Mulan said and turned to their guest. "Flare Wolf. Fire Kraken, would you like to come with us?"
The two smiled. "We'd love to," Flare Wolf said. "I've never seen a Chinese village before."
Fifteen minutes later, they were at the market and the two Skylanders became a little uneasy at being around all the citizens who gave them curious looks since they were animals that walked on two legs, but Mulan explained that they were only curious about the two, who were like creatures they hadn't seen before. This helped the two to become used to the glances and not mind it much when people whispered curiously among themselves and even children came up to them to see if they were real.
Suddenly, screams sounded out and a group of bandits entered the market place, turning over booths and smashing things while everyone quickly moved towards Shang and Mulan. Fire Kraken and Flare Wolf were snuck up upon from behind and grabbed so that they couldn't grab their weapons as the leader of the bandits came forward. "Those two will bring in a nice profit from their hides," he said.
Shang pulled out his sword, but knew they were outnumbered, until suddenly a few of the bandits were pulled off their horses and smacked into by three men who were well known in China as not only the husbands of the Emperor's daughters, but also heroes of China like Mulan and Shang. "Yao, Ling, Chien-Po!" Mulan cried out in relief.
"I hope you don't mind a few…party crashers," Ling said with a smirk.
"I think this party needs to be shut down," Shang said with a nod.
With now five warriors fighting the bandits, it was a more even fight, but when some of the bandits tried to tie up Fire Kraken and Flare Wolf, the two fought them off by scratching them and biting them, which made the bandits back away in fear before Flare Wolf launched a rocket that made them scatter and he and Fire Kraken joined the fight until there was only the leader of the bandits and a few of his men left and they pulled out their swords. Mulan looked worried. "Only Shang has a sword," she said.
Flare Wolf placed a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you guys let Fire Kraken and me get this one?" He said and he and the Fire dragon stood in front of them. "Ready, Kraken?"
"Ready, buddy," he said.
Flare Wolf performed a few rocket jumps, which made the bandits flinch and look ready to run before the fox nodded to the dragon, who grinned and used his Dragon Parade ability while Flare Wolf fired more fireworks and rockets to add to the effect.
Seeing this, the bandits immediately fled and the citizens began cheering for not only China's heroes, but for the two Skylanders, who looked a bit bashful, but suggested they all pitch in to set the market back up, which everyone agreed and it took just a few moments for the market to be back up and running.
When they arrived back at Mulan's home, they found an older man in blue robes there and he smiled at them. "Heroes in Skylands and now here," he said.
"Master Eon!" Both Flare Wolf and Fire Kraken exclaimed, going over to him and greeting him.
"How did you find us?" Fire Kraken asked.
"I sensed your powers and pinpointed them to here," the guardian of Skylands said.
As they all visited, Mulan's mother made dinner and insisted the guests eat before going back home, which they thanked her for. Before they headed out, they thanked their hosts again, who wished them well and they did the same. Fire Kraken winked at Mushu. "Take care, Mushu," he said. "Guard the family well."
"I will," Mushu promised. "You guard that little girl well too."
The larger dragon nodded and a blue light soon surrounded him, Flare Wolf, and Master Eon before they disappeared and reappeared back in Skylands.
"Flare Wolf!" Bree exclaimed, running towards him and hugging him in relief.
"Fire Kraken!" Crystal exclaimed, glomping the dragon and hugging him tightly, crying a little. He held her in his arms and gently shushed her, getting her to calm down as Rachel, Bouncer, Isabel, and Rattle Shake came up.
"You guys had us worried," Rachel said.
"Are you okay?" Isabel asked.
They nodded. "Would you believe we were transported to China and met Mulan and her family?" Flare Wolf said.
Rachel and Isabel blinked in surprise. "Wait. Fa Mulan?" The latter asked.
"Married to Shang and they have three friends named Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po?" The Tech Portal Master asked.
"The same one," Fire Kraken said.
"And they became heroes over there as well," Master Eon said with a smile. "Chasing off some bandits from the marketplace."
"Just doing our jobs as Skylanders, Master Eon," Flare Wolf said modestly.
Crystal looked up at Fire Kraken. "I thought I lost you for good," she said.
"Don't worry, Crystal. I'll never abandon you, kid," he promised her, looking at Rachel, who was smiling at him and she nodded, indicating she was pleased with his answer.
Flare Wolf felt Bree jump onto his back and he let her, slipping his hands under her knees so that she wouldn't fall. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm really beat now," he said.
"I think this calls for a relaxation period in the living room," Isabel said.
"With a movie?" Bree asked hopefully. "Maybe…Mulan?"
Everyone smiled and unanimously agreed.
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GoldGuardian2418
