Due to some of my other writing, I realized some things and wanted to go back on this and clean it up.

Mostly a few changes of groups/people mentioned, attempting to add proper honorifics, etc.

Hopefully this new version will be better and people will enjoy much more than the previous version.

Those who have read this before, I suggest re-reading it, while some parts are the same, I did enough changes that may help explain things better or flow better in general.

There will be parts that may be sensitive, such as death, psychological traumas, etc.

If you're not comfortable with such things, I suggest that you don't read and move onto something you feel more comfortable in.

This will the only chapter I will post this warning in, so please do not complain that I didn't put any warnings up at all.

Other than that, I hope you enjoy.

Years had passed since the Guardians interaction with Pitch Black and having to quell other troubles that came at them.

The pure entity of nightmares did come back obviously, though at a surprisingly faster pace than last time.

However, despite his animosity towards them, he was more careful in what he did, surprisingly keeping his nightmares relatively tamed.

The Guardians wanted to ask, curious of why he would do such a thing than taking revenge or causing absolute chaos as he did previously.

They knew Sandy had no hand in it due to his explanation and pleading to prove his silent words. However, he didn't blame them for wondering and asking as the actions did almost appear as if he did have a hand with it.

Instead, though, the nightmare like sands that flowed around people's heads, they would fade to a faint glow of gray, almost as if in the process of turning gold before the child woke up.

At first, it looked as if the children were doing well, apparently not recalling whatever they dreamt in the gray sand figures. Any who wanted to see, they were unable to as it became a cyclone, hiding any possible evidence that might've existed.

However, at some point, whatever effect the gray sand was supposed to have, finally took hold. Mass amounts of people, mostly the affected children who are now teens and adults were causing chaos amongst the world in an alarming rate.

Murder, thievery, it continued nonstop…

Any that remained slightly sane, even for a short while, distanced themselves before taking their own life.

It was an absolute horror show, hearing children weeping over mothers and fathers, older brothers and sisters, teachers and friends suffer in such torment.

It was almost like the Dark Ages, yet completely different at the same time.

Instead, it felt far more ominous than back then.

Lights barely faded and flickered due to the hope and belief in the mystic guardians, even other spirits jumping in.

By working together, they were determined to help out as best they can to keep the lights from snuffing out, weakening the chosen heroes in any manner.

Whether it was Pitch's plan or not to cause this abrupt chaos, it didn't matter, the main focus was to keep the children from disbelieving their beloved heroes.

If they didn't, then it would only cause harm to themselves and everyone else, possibly endanger the human race.

The only Guardian that suffered the most however had been Sandy due to the children being far too scared to sleep.

No black sand was needed from Pitch to draw their nightmares out, the golden dream sand unable to penetrate and free their minds for the night.

It was absolute torture for the poor spirit, flying helpless around, struggling to help these innocent children, feeling his power waning as their hope fled one by one.

He was only mildly grateful that there were so many children in the world, so those that stopped believing didn't affect his power to greatly.

But it was still painful to watch whenever he'd fly down, trying to entertain them, only to have the same awful feeling of them walking through him, unable to see, hear, nor feel him.

It happened so much, he would rarely touch ground to try and make contact, afraid of encountering another nonbeliever. He was unsure how much more he could take before it eventually drove him insane.

The few children whom once stopped believing and later started again were usually due to his precious friends, eternally grateful for their help.

It took months before they could locate and corner Pitch, giving them the opportunity to demand what was going on.

Every one of them was furious, believing that the man was the very cause of this living nightmare happening to humans and spirits alike.

"So, Sandman, you've come up with a new little trick I see regarding my sand? By why making only partly a nightmare, not a completely pleasant one? That isn't like you at all," the living nightmare asked.

He was sitting in a tree, a knee drawn up for his arm to rest, using his hand to rest his chin upon.

He had an annoyed smile, slowly growing into a frown when taking notice of their angry and confused faces.

"What?" he questioned, a missing brow raised.

"Hold on, you're saying you didn't make that weird looking sand?" Tooth asked feeling her fists bunched up, Baby Tooth buzzing at her side, clearly ready for action.

"As much as I absolutely enjoy watching a child trembling and whimpering… Well, this particular fear they're dealing with its actually sickening knowing it is also their reality," Pitch spat in disgust, his gold eyes glowing with livid anger over the cause. "Whoever is causing this, I vowed I would rip them to pieces. I don't care who they are, god or man!"

"Least you have some honor," North grumbled under his breath, but not low enough as the dark clad man gave a dark chuckle.

"Don't think this makes us allies. We just happen to have the same goal in mind," he stated, clearly not interested, more so when the moon shined brightly amongst them. "And I don't need to hear it from you either!"

"Manny is trying to tell us something…" the Guardian of Wonder whispered.

Just as the Man in the Moon attempted to speak to them, they were immediately flooded with the sensation of fear.

Shocked, they stared as the moon's presence disappeared; making them worry over what could've driven him to this.

"Okay, now this is getting really freaky," Pitch stated in shock, gold eyes wide with shock at what he just witnessed. "The Man in the Moon is never afraid! So why now? Why show us? Me most of all?"

"I don't think he planned on showing us how scared he was… I think he wanted to tell us something but whatever it was, it must've stopped him somehow. Why or how? I…I don't have an answer for…" Tooth whimpered softly.

She flitted closer to Jack for comfort, feeling his cold grip, finding some strange warmth from the winter spirit.

"Sheila's right, mates. Until the Man in the Moon bucks up some courage to try talking to us again, we're on our own for now," Bunny stated as he put away his boomerangs, having no reason to use them.

It was pretty obvious to all of them, Pitch was not their enemy.

Keeping his eyes low to the ground, he spoke again, "Really gonna kick myself hard for this, but we're gonna need your help."

"He's right; we can only do so much. I'm limited due to climate changes. Tooth can barely leave her palace for very long because she's got teeth to collect and coins to send out nonstop. Sandy's got dreams to make, or try to at least. Bunny and North may have time between their holidays, but they still have to stay focused on prepping for the next one, so can't wander to far from their homes," Jack explained through gritted teeth.

He could feel his grip on his shepherds crook tightening as did his arm around the trembling fairy.

He felt Baby Tooth snuggling deeper into the front pocket of his hoodie, knowing the poor thing must be upset as they talked, feeling her mother's own anguish.

"Instead of making lives miserable, why not use your Fearlings to do some good and look for whatever is causing this? It could give us a huge edge, benefiting all of us! If we don't, we all end up suffering, including you," the Guardian of Fun finished, his blue eyes burning into the other man's silver and gold ones.

"Fine, fine, doesn't do me any good if I have no control over these brats' nightmares. I can't even absorb their fears without basically puking it back up. Whoever is causing it…they don't intend on just scaring kids. They want them to become mindless monsters, become the very things we all fear…"

Before he could explain further, Sandy leapt between them all, grabbing their interest as he threw his two cents in, using his sand images.

He explained that he agreed not only with what Pitch was saying regarding the method behind the nightmares, but his fellow Guardians saying they all had to work together.

For the sake of everyone, they needed to put aside their past aggressions for as long as possible if they have any hope of saving everyone.

Hesitantly, he explained that because so many children have practically stopped believing in him in some parts of the world, he's had to give up on them.

Yet, in a painful exchange, it gave him time to focus on those who held strong belief still, trying to encourage them to not surrender to their fears and madness.

While it sickened him, having to give up on children who no longer believed, it gave him free time to buzz around, trying to find the source of the gray sand.

So far, every time he got close to collecting even a tiny sample to study and use to trace back, it was gone.

"Sandy…" Jack muttered softly.

Now he started to notice just how exhausted the poor spirit looked, how much emotional turmoil he must be in, letting so many suffer.

All because this weird sand has been making it almost impossible for him to try and reverse its damage.

Glaring at the nightmare king, he started, "Pitch! Can't you do anything? Can't you change whatever the hell the children are dreaming to a less dangerous nightmare? Change it to something simpler, something that Sandy can then change into something happy?"

"Don't you think I haven't thought of that? I found every time I tried, it makes things much worse. I've even had it where some children have actually died in their sleep, so…so I had to give up trying. And I suggest you do the same, Sandman! I hate to be this blunt, honestly, but you have enough blood on your hands from trying to help!"

Immediately, gasps were heard, a silent one seen escaping the Guardian of Dream's lips, his eyes wide in absolute horror, tears forming in his eyes.

He couldn't believe what he heard; just like Pitch had failed to save children by using his less harmful nightmares…

His gentle dreams were doing the exact same harm.

It shouldn't be possible, but it is! It explained the increase of children dying in their sleep.

The sheer amount, Pitch's mistake couldn't have caused that much damage, especially if he took notice of the pattern and stopped immediately.

But he…he never saw the pattern; he subconsciously refused to accept that his dream sand was killing children.

Without using sand to express his emotions, his lips moved, silence still remaining, but he muttered a series of words.

However, only Pitch could read them perfectly, the others sadly behind their small friend, unsure what he could be saying or thinking.

They could see the nightmare king's eyes soften, almost mournful as he glided over to the other dream spirit.

"I'm sorry…I should have been more careful with my words, but the truth needed to be known now than later. Whether it makes you feel better or not, at least…no I'm sure the children who passed on, they were happy and blissful. They weren't suffering like the ones that I tried helping," he explained as gently as he could.

Despite his previous hatred for them, he couldn't help but make attempts to calm the spirit down as his shoulders shook hard, droplets of tears falling from his tightly shut eyes.

"Get your hands off him! Haven't you done enough damage?" Tooth shrieked, unable to hold back her anger.

Before she or anyone could register it, she was buzzing straight up towards the two, the others unable to restrain her.

"Tooth!" Jack cried out, chasing after her. "Tooth stop!"

He barely managed to grab her, stopping her from doing something stupid, though he didn't escape a kick to the shin, nor her tiny fist swinging into his arm, trying to break free.

Before more anger could boil over, a flash of purple darted between the four, startling them at the suddenness.

It was enough to snap the sobbing spirit out back to reality, wiping his eyes furiously; accepting the nightmare's help with the cleanup.

The flash continued darting around in the sky, practically spinning them all in a giant circle, confusing each and every one of them with what it was or what it was doing.

Next thing any of them knew, it was down by Bunny and North, startling the two into muttering curses in their native tongues.

"Bloody hell!" the Pooka spat when the flash finally stilled.

He and the others could only stare when their sudden guest revealed itself to be a strange creature that looked to be a mix of a cat and fox.

It was a pale purple colored animal with darker purple tips by the long tail and fox like ears, bits of the dark purple on the edge of its paws.

"Strange little creature, would make cute doll for good girls," North muttered softly, trying to lighten the situation, more so when seeing his golden friend smile a little.

"Thinking of toys in our present situation? We're months away from Christmas you old geezer!" Bunny snapped at the older spirit with a glare.

"Doesn't hurt to think ahead, when this is all over, no? And don't toys be delivered on Easter, would make a cute dolly, right Bunny?"

"Whatever."

The four airborne spirits floated down, curiosity filling them over what transpired, hearing the two grounded ones bickering over their respective holidays.

Before any of them could do or think anything, a loud whistling noise echoed in the air, grabbing their attention.

Turning to the source of the sound, they looked at the cat, seeing a paw in the air, the head aimed towards the sky, clearly making the sweet sounding cry.

Once done, it carefully looked at each of them; it gave them all a curt nod before darting off like lightening.

They watched as it hopped from one building to the next, pausing only to look back, watching if they would follow.

"Guess it wants us to follow?" Pitch muttered, the others nodding numbly.

They were hesitant, but followed after the cat, amazed at the speed, barely keeping up with their own means.

Not even Jack's control over the wind or North's reindeer could keep up, which annoyed and unnerved them to some degree.

Eventually, they found themselves back at North's workshop, confusing the group of what the creature had planned.

The cat paused, obviously shivering from the cold, but pushed on, whistling for their attention, leading them towards a shape that slowly formed through the blowing snow.

From the location, the mysterious shape was near one of the doors, but instead of barging in, waited patiently in the freezing temperature.

As for how long the person's been waiting, no one could be sure without asking, and that's if they even wanted to know in the first place.

"Hey boy, did you find them?" a woman's voice echoed, her voice sounding soft and warm, much like a loving mother.

"That creature belongs to you?" the elder winter spirit asked, practically demanded.

He got off his sleigh along with the shivering rabbit, sending his reindeer off back to their stables with a firm smack on the leading one.

"I had Dash go around to find and bring all of you here. I figured it would be the safest place to talk," the mysterious woman answered.

"Then…" Bunny started before the woman interrupted him.

"To be honest, I was actually starting to get worried that I'd have to summon others to find you all as well as Dash," she explained with a light hearted and warm chuckle.

As she talked, the spirits watched as the cat disappeared through the snow, apparently running up to the woman's warm embrace.

"As much as it is fun talking with every one of you, and I'm more than happy to answer any questions you may have… But, may I suggest that we move this chat inside where it is warm before several of your friends and I end up with freezer burn or worse."

"Yes, yes, we go inside!"

With that, North ushered everyone, including the grumbling nightmare king inside his warm and cozy home, giving them all a chance to see what the woman looked like.

They were highly surprised how human she looked, especially when adding in on how long she might've had to stay in the freezing temperatures.

That's also adding in the clothing she was wearing presently.

Once inside and in proper bright lights, they all got a better look at the woman, finding she had brilliant, albeit frost covered red hair, appearing to glow like embers in the light. It was tied in a ponytail, the length going down to the middle of her back.

Although right now, it was not only covered by the snow and frost, but the cat like creature sat on her shoulders. It was busy burrowing its small body into the crook of her neck, the long tail hanging over her back, covering a portion of her half frozen hair.

Parts of the hair that wasn't frozen, revealing its full color complimented her pale skin, though might've been made paler due to being outdoors.

The only thing that matched her perfectly without changing was the deep, sky blue eyes, glancing around with amazement and clear joy.

The way she looked around, it just about matched to what a child would carry, yet held enough maturity to hold herself back from jumping into the pile of toys.

Her frost covered glasses were pulled off as she puffed her warm breath onto them, trying to warm them up, failing to do so.

They watched in mild amusement when she tugged on a bit of her jacket to wipe them, though was hard by what it was and it being covered in snow and ice.

The frames, once freed of most snow and ice, looked quite lovely with thin black arms for the sides save for near where they hook around the ears.

The rest of the frames matched the arms in shade, a light shine, showing how well taken care of they are. It only became more evident by how much the lenses shined in the light once defrosted and cleaned up.

Her top was merely a tube top, a common and popular attire most women wear, however unlike a majority of women, she wore hers with modesty. It covered her breasts perfectly so nothing would show barely any cleavage showing.

Although why she chose such a top if she preferred modesty, they couldn't be sure, but figured they could ask later if she's deemed trustworthy.

The image covering the front of her shirt consisted of the head of a ferocious looking wild cat, possibly a panther. Most of it was white, including the tiara like headpiece with what looked like a round silver gem on top.

The only splashes of colors decorating the design were the terrifying eyes, the nose, and open maw. The odd design looked, if one had a chance to look close enough, more as an emblem if not a family crest by how detailed and powerful it looked.

She had on pair of black jeans, resting on her hips, clearly aiming for being comfortable than looking attractive.

She had a dark brown belt with a silver buckle, a common enough item to help keep her jeans from slipping, if it was even possible by how snug they looked.

A silver chain could be spotted from her right pocket, meaning she possibly had a pocket watch if not a wallet.

The leggings of her jeans billowed out some, covering her footwear, though whether they were sneakers or boots was hard to tell. All that they could tell would be that they had to be black, matching the rest of what she had on.

While subtle, pieces of jewelry could be seen on her person, mostly due to the lighting surrounding them all.

That, and whenever her right hand made any motion, usually to push a lock of hair out of her face, if not to scratch the creature's ear, earning herself a rumbling purr.

On her exposed ears rested a pair of gold and ruby earrings, dangling off of chains, the pieces going down from smallest in size to largest, by only four.

Each bit of gold that held the ruby was a simple design, the main portion being the tiny, glittering diamonds encircling the red gem, coating the gold lining, giving a gentle glow.

Her necklace was the same as her earrings in design and stones, the only difference being that instead of four sections, it was five.

On right wrist, not covered by a coat or the black gloves she wore, was a bracelet with what looked like ordinary stones.

However, everyone didn't have to look twice to feel, practically see the energy emanating from each stone, realizing it and its owner are not ordinary in any way.

On the other, it was difficult to tell with the pair of fingerless black gloves on, but they could tell she wore what looked like a black wristwatch.

The black trench coat she wore billowed softly as she walked, keeping pace with the six easily, not losing touch even once as her eyes wandered about to examine everything.

Although, whatever material it was made from appeared to attract the elves as a couple came scuttling up to her.

They immediately began tugging the coat, appearing intrigued by how they tried to play with the material, wrapping themselves up, tripping over the fabric, acting like innocent children.

She paused only briefly, giving a warm and tender smile as she stooped down, the Guardians and nightmare stopping to see what she was up to.

They watched as she gently patted them on the heads, carefully ushering them off to avoid being stepped on or tripped over with kind words.

Surprisingly enough, the elves listened as they took off, giggling and jingling away.

"I never got 'em to back off that fast first time I got here," Bunny commented towards the woman, clearly impressed despite his scowl.

"Their actions are similar to a child's curiosity, so it isn't hard to figure out how to speak to them. At least, it isn't for someone who's a mother to begin with," the redhead chuckled as she gave Tooth a glance, making the fairy giggle in understanding.

"So who are you?" Jack asked as they entered the globe room, ushering every yeti and elf out, wanting privacy.

The Guardian of Wonder though sent a couple off to fetch treats for the guests, even something for Pitch as much as he didn't like it.

It didn't take them very long for them to return with platters of cookies and cakes set up for everyone.

Right behind the goodies, a couple more elves brought out sturdier trays carrying eggnog and hot cocoa. When the goblets got close to the woman she was the first to take the one filled with the liquid chocolate with utmost eagerness.

One of the yetis, Phil being his name, had even gone as far as fetch a saucer of warm milk for the cat, said creature hopping down to lap up the kind treat.

"More precise, what are you?" North questioned once things settled, everyone having something to eat or drink in their possession.

"Obviously, I'm not human. I saw the way all of you took immediate notice of my bracelet. Only a fool with reiatsu wouldn't sense it right away," the redhead answered calmly.

She gave them a kind and warm look, giving them a sense of calm by how she looked even as she ate and drank the cocoa and some chocolate chip cookies.

"As for what I am, to put it bluntly, I'm not of this world. My species, myself even being far older than all of you, even your dearest friend, the Man in the Moon."

"How is that possible?" Jack gasped as he looked towards the others, seeing them looking just as confused. "And what…what's this reiatsu?"

"Reiatsu basically is spiritual energy, pressure, awareness, that sort of thing. For the other question, it's difficult to explain less you're willing to trust me if I were to explain most, if not all to help you understand."

"Fine, fine, we will trust you, for now," North spoke in a near growl.

He was clearly showing he was following the feeling of his stomach, which at the moment told him to trust her since running into her.

However, it was a mixed feeling, as if it told him that she may hold something back if they're not careful.

Therefore, he would have to stay on his toes, hoping his spring time friend will be of help with his large ears.

"Hey Sheila, you never told us your name," Bunny added with a small growl.

"Gomen'nasai, my name is Caitlin, Panthera Caitlin."

"So what are you though? Like Kangaroo asked," Jack questioned.

"I'm known as a Cateron."

"Cateron?"

"A species beyond this world. Or to be more precise, my species is beyond this dimension and its realm."

"Hold on, not only are you not of this planet, but from another dimension, an alternate one from this?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Hai."

"That would explain why I never saw such a name matching yours for the teeth I've collected," Tooth added with a small mutter, tentatively drinking out of her goblet.

"And millions of others beyond this realm. You'd find yourself with your work cut out for you if you had full access," the redhead stated calmly as she leaned against the wall, gently twirling the near empty cup.

She held a bemused look on her soft face just as another elf scurried up with another goblet of hot cocoa.

She was impressed how quickly they saw she preferred this drink over the other, even if she only had one.

With a smile, she accepted it while handing the now empty one to him to take it away for cleaning or refilling.

She even handed the tiny creature a couple of cookies she didn't touch, making him let out a happy yip and scrambled off to eat his treat.

"So, what is a Cateron aside being an alien?" Pitch questioned, crossing his arms while raising a non-existent brow in her direction.

"Caterians are the direct ancestors not only to themselves, but all cats from this world and the next. Our species at some point branched off into different cats from demon and god, to mythical and average."

"That's amazing," Jack awed, "so in a way, you're a little like Bunny? He's a Pooka, but has some relations with rabbits. Though I still wonder if he's part kangaroo too," he added with a tease, only to cry out when the mentioned spirit smacked him upside the head.

"Except for the kangaroo part," she chuckled lightly. "In ancient times, some members of our species had been mistaken as demons, angels, gods even depending on culture and what form they are in when spotted. Course, there are such entities out there that already existed even prior to my grandparents' existence. But it was because of them we'd get mistaken as such or different varieties depending on the area."

The dream weaver immediately began making symbols, however too fast for the woman and Jack to keep up, North being the one to translate.

"Sandy is asking how that is possible. Care to share?"

"Of course, I have no reason to hide secrets. I am in need of your help as you are in need of mine," the redhead replied, gaining their attention. "As for what I said about what some interpret us, we are capable of changing our forms. It's limited, but we're capable of doing so based on our bloodlines and our mental capacities. So long as the two are synced, we can transform with ease. But if some part is off key, we're either are incapable of transformation or limited. Usually when that happens, it is more with the blood, a defect in the genetic coding upon further studies than some curse by the gods or a Caterian being just plain stubborn or stupid."

With that, she stepped away from the wall enough to allow a pair of pearl white wings to form and shook briefly, resting elegantly on her back.

The way they looked, both in appearance and size, they understood why some would mistake her species as angels.

Yet something told them that the wings weren't there for mere transportation of her person as well as to look pretty. They likely held some hidden strength they've yet to see much as their owner's own strength.

Followed by the wings, they were startled when a black tail appeared behind her, swaying gently much like a cat's.

Due to standing in the shadows, they barely got to see her ears morphing into what looked like cat like ears, the earrings remaining.

Even her eyes appeared more animal like as well as her teeth when she gave them a reassuring smile.

"Oh. My. God!" Tooth squealed with excitement.

Any fear or concern that she may have held dissipated instantly when she had seen at the woman's teeth.

Already in her face, prying the jaws apart to look, Baby Tooth at her side, swooning at the beautifully cared for teeth.

"This is amazing! Fantastic! And so shiny and pretty! They might just be even better than Jack's teeth!"

"Tooth, hands out of mouth," North scolded with a deep chuckle, seeing she was calming down, apparently no longer concerned.

"Sorry, sorry," she chuckled nervously as she glanced at the ears, unable to keep her hands to herself, rubbing the furry appendage. "Wow, it isn't some trick."

"Arigatō," the taller woman chuckled, moving her jaws around, probably trying to readjust or stretch it out after having it pried apart like that. "You remind me of a couple of my daughters, even a couple of my sons. They can hardly keep their hands to themselves if they see something they absolutely adore."

"Really?"

"Hai, some are huge bookworms. At one time, I had help building extra libraries just for their own collection. Though I've had others who would obsess over things, be it technology, spells, cooking. One son absolutely loves cooking, usually baking things because he always saw me baking sweets and he'd always help."

"Interesting," Pitch chuckled softly.

Next to him, he had Sandy who was agreeing with him happily after downing another goblet of eggnog, already aiming to get another, making him glance briefly at his opposite.

"And I thought Jolly Old Saint Nick was an eggnog freak."

"Yetis make best eggnog!" North cheered with the dream weaver nodding, some sand forming into symbols of a heart, eggnog, and himself drinking it.

"Of course," the nightmare groaned, rolling his eyes.

Between chuckles, Jack was first to speak, "So, is that your only form?"

Calming down, she answered with a gentle smile, "No, Caterians can take on other forms aside a mix or human form as you've seen so far. They can look like a pure beast or based on stress levels, similar to a Werewolf, only with a cat."

"Really? You said that some may have a glitch or something with their DNA, right?"

"Hai, it could be anything from a spell causing such a disruption to the actual DNA having a hiccup of some sort. While we may appear to have godlike powers, we are still vulnerable to the same ailments and mutations as any living organism. All we are perfectly immune from are all mental ailments such as Alzheimer's and dementia."

"So you see yourself merely different, not superior?" North questioned, starting to like this woman more and more.

"That's absolutely correct, for even those who are called the strongest may need guidance from those who are called the weak."

"Very wise words indeed," Pitch muttered, the others unknowingly agreeing with him.

"So you said some of your species are mistaken as different beings, like demons and such. But with wings like those, how could you be mistaken as a demon? I can understand if you were in that Werebeast form or something like it," Jack asked, intrigued but nervous too.

"Those mistaken by demons are either those who are born with demonic bloodlines, changing their wings to appear bat like than what you see. Course not all wings may look like mine or similar shades. There are those with wings of different colors, even a multitude of colors, usually viewed as signs of good fortune than bad omens. The other would be of any Caterian who, for whatever reason, are born without wings, a likely genetic error or possible evolution within our species or remnants of our ancestors. It is a medical anomaly, but what they lack in flight, they make up for speed and strength."

"So you have differences amongst your own kind too?"

"Hai, we range from not only through our wings and tails, but our full forms' sizes, different breeds, the list going on and on endlessly. It is those differences that not only divide us into individuals, but unite us because of those very individualities."

"That's so cool!"

"It is, when studied, the genetic history of my people is quite fascinating, but also terrifying if misused."

"How so?"

"Our blood, for whatever reason is extremely dominating. If our blood enters the wound of an ordinary human, they will undergo a change and in a sense become a Caterian, an official or unofficial adopted child of the donor. So we do our best to avoid other species less they understand the risk of blood mixing and that they may undergo that change."

"So donating blood is almost out of the question then."

"I'm afraid so, any blood we were to donate would strictly stay within our own species. It cannot even be distributed to other cat like species without changing them back into their ancestral roots in a sense."

"I can see why you called it terrifying. If you wanted to, you could simply transform and probably take control of an entire planet that way. You'd be able to slip even the tiniest bit of your blood into another, with or without their knowing," Bunny stated, feeling slightly unnerved by this realization.

Yet, despite it, no one seemed ready to jump her to take her out, not even feeling like doing that himself.

That look she holds, she's far to kind to do something so cruel, taking away a person's right, at least doing so without a very good reason.

"Our blood is a blessing for our sturdy survival, but a curse when we wish for it to exist in others without transforming them," the woman muttered softly under her breath.

"How do you know the blood is so dominating though?"

"It wasn't known until my generation came to exist. I took up science as much as sorcery, even combining the two in order for my research to expand farther. I studied so much about our species, curious of how we could survive such fatal blows, and that is when I discovered a group of cells that appear when we endure fatal injuries. It is those same cells that prevent such deteriorating illnesses for the brain and even preventing other ailments such as tumors, even fatal ones such as HIV and AIDs taking root."

"So you wanted to find a way to use those cells to help others?" Pitch asked, finding the woman rather fascinating.

"Yes, but the Sun Cells as I've called them, they're unable to be transferred safely into a patient beyond our species. I've done tests on bits of donated blood, tainting it with disease to see what can be done. If I were to even try, not only would that very patient become healthy, but no longer be human, becoming a half breed instead. They would still have the smell of human as much as Caterian to those who recognize us."

"That must make it frustrating."

"It is, but I'm hopeful that one day I or some other prodigal scientist will find a method to separate our DNA from the cells without damaging them. And from there, thousands, millions of lives will be saved."

"Well with how science seems to keep improving every day at least with our world, probably ten times better where you came from, I'm sure it'll happen," Jack reassured when seeing the upset look on the redhead's face.

Despite not wanting to admit liking the woman, Pitch couldn't help but feel a similar emotion the teen felt towards her when seeing her like that.

Deciding to change the topic slightly, he sent a question her way, his familiar grin gracing his face despite his churning emotions.

"You're species is very interesting, I'll admit that much," he muttered softly, "is there anything else about them you would care to share. I highly doubt all of your kind would look like common cats, be it wild or domestic. Not if they're capable of using abilities beyond mortal hands, possibly immortals as well."

"You're correct for the most part. There are some that may appear as common cats, while others don't even look like a normal cat. There are even some that appear as a hybrid of multiple breeds that shouldn't even be possible to exist. Yet a majority of my species have abilities, from a natural control in weaving spells, bearing raw strength to crush mountains, a combination of the two and much more."

"And this includes any half-breeds as well?"

"Exactly, but what all have in common, a likely evolution to ensure stability and survival amongst our species is the capability of using telekinesis. With it, we are ensured with keeping track of one another if separated or stolen. And with it, we somehow unlock other people's own psychic ability, mostly the same one we share to keep connections."

"That's really cool," Jack answered, surprisingly focused on her every word. "So what does your name, your surname that is, mean?"

"To some extent, it's obvious by its sound, but the exact origin is a rather interesting tale. By ancient texts left behind and tales shared by my elder peers, it dates back to my first ancestors, one of the first for my species in its entirety. The name was made for whenever a panther is born, while times shall be hard, fate shall shine in their favor in the very end."

"So in a sense, black cats are good luck to you guys?" the youngest spirit joked, the woman giving a gentle nod while laughing.

"Pretty much, for every panther that's been born since Dark Shadow's existence, all have been extremely powerful. Not only have they been strong through raw strength and usage of spells, but as leaders and guides, caregivers and warriors."

"Are you saying that you're related to a noble family?" Pitch suddenly asked, putting it together of what she might've been leading.

"On my home planet, I had been a queen."

"Seriously? Then why are you here and not ruling your…" Jack started before Bunny grabbed his shoulder, giving him a look.

It was only then he realized her words, sinking back slightly with a frown, "I'm sorry…I didn't mean…"

"It's okay; it was many years ago. It's painful to think about it, I'll admit that, but the fact I was able to save as many as I could, it's enough to keep me going. I was able to give not only myself and my family a second chance, but others too. Why waste that opportunity?"

Wanting to change the topic, Tooth recalled how the woman's ears seemed to shift in the shadows, deciding to ask on that.

Understanding her reasoning behind it, she gave the fairy a smile, grateful for thinking on her toes as she had.

"As far back as I can remember in ancient texts, every panther born have always been able to manipulate and bend shadows to their very will. There have been others, including a few offspring of mine capable of doing the same thing. And there are those who are outside the family who are capable of the same thing, be it they carry panther blood or some other shadowy relative. That is not including evidence that those outside the typical breed and species boundaries are capable of doing the same thing."

"Manipulate shadows?" Pitch spoke up, clearly perking up when hearing that there are others with powers likes his. It was enough to make his wiry smile grow before speaking, "So you can control not only shadows but transform into something very much like a monster? Quite an interesting creature you are."

"Arigatō," she thanked, making him a little surprise at the word, having never been thanked before in all his years.

"How far are you able to control the shadows?"

"As a panther alone, it is almost as natural as breathing, but they are limited. Mostly they are used for defensive purposes, such as melding into shadows to sneak up on enemies or escape with wounded allies. However, I found that they can be expanded, turned into weapons, finding that those with such capabilities are known as Shadow Dancers and Weavers."

"Dancers and Weavers?"

"Hai," she answered with a kind smile. "Dancers are used for females, meaning while their actions may look delicate, they are the most ferocious. The only known Dancers as of late have solely been Caterians such as myself and a young daughter of mine. For Weavers, they are used for men such as you, where they used more strategy than brute force alone."

"And to think I was the only one," he chuckled, crossing his arms, his smile never disappearing from his face.

He was clearly enjoying himself by talking with her, listening about her species, their powers, and much more.

"Do you have any sons who are these Weavers as well, Ms. Panthera?"

"A couple, though one of them tries too hard to act more like a Dancer such like myself and his sister," she chuckled softly.

"If you are as powerful as you sound, it's no surprise for any child wanting follow parent in footsteps," North laughed, recalling times of kids wanting to act like their mothers and fathers, admiring their strength and courage.

"By any chance, if you came from another world…dimension, how did you do that?" Jack asked, trying to choose his words carefully.

"A unique spell I had discovered some millennia ago. It uses a combination of shadows and distorting the fabric of time and space, turning the shadows into a blade to cut through."

"Wow, but using shadows though, it's gotta be tough."

"Depends on what realm I enter to help my control. If the world is impure, where magic is limited, doesn't exist, or has been sealed for far too long, it'll feel as if my magic has waned, grown stale. Therefore, I'm unable to perform to my full strength as I usually do. The most I could maybe use my shadow control would either be a spike of shadows for a quick kill, or a shield to protect myself and others."

"Is…is your full strength limited here?"

"No, if anything, I feel more alive, as if I'm back on my own planet. This has to be one of the purest alternate earths I've visited. At least…it was one of the purest…" she began happily before her smile faded into a sorrowful frown.

Hearing a noise coming from her direction, they noticed that her grip on the goblet tightened to the point the metal began bending from her strength.

"We talk later about species. You know what is going on?" North asked, seeing tension was in the air, wanting everyone on what was really important.

"I do."

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