Hey guys! This is my first fanfic so I'm a bit nervous about submitting...anyways, I hope y'all leave reviews! These totally make my day!

Disclaimer: I do not own the 39 Clues. I do, however, wish that Jake Rosenbloom can be mine.

Jake: No.

Me: Come on. Pretty please?

Jake: You want me to report you to Interpol for harassment?

Me: uhmmm...seriously?

The hostages had been set free. In the middle of the jungle, the Vespers held up their end of the bargain. As soon as the Cahills had given up the last artifact, Albert Einstein's preserved brain, the Vespers sent the cargo holding the seven hostages in the middle of the Lionhead Forest. The Vespers were happy.

The hostages weren't.

"Ouch!" wailed Phoenix Wizard.

Nellie scrambled back to the boy. He tripped over a branch, his ankle had been twisted and it swelled to the size of a golf ball. He squeezed his eyes shut and bit down on his lip hard. In the dark, Nellie could see his face twisted in sorrow. She quickly removed his shoe and sock then twisted his pants up. She gasped.

"That bad?" he joked, wincing after.

Nellie shook her head. "We can fix it. We just have to get out of here." She pulled his arm over her shoulder and knelt down to him. "Can you walk?"

"I will."

But as he stood, he again screamed. Nellie almost dropped him. He wheezed, his chest heaving up and down. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

"You guys go on ahead of me." he said.

"No." she said. Turning to the direction to where the others had gone, she cupped her arms over her mouth and yelled, "Reagan!"

A girl, unusually built for her age, appeared. "We were wondering where you guys had gone." Her eyes flitted over to Phoenix's ankle and her eyes widened. She looked at Nellie and nodded. "I got him."

Reagan then put her arms under Phoenix's neck and knees. Phoenix tried resisting but the pain in his ankle rendered him useless.

Phoenix grunted. "You could have skipped the princess hold."

Reagan laughed. "You owe me for this." She stood up and started walking over to the rest. "Besides, I need the exercise."

"I can't believe they let us go smack in the middle of the Lionhead Forest." Alistair Oh said.

"I can't believe they let us go." Reagan said. "Period."

Fiske nodded. "I recognize the weather and the birds. Just saw an Argentine cockatoo fly by."

"This forest sets off a bad vibe." Nellie said, clutching her shoulder. "It's bringing my nightmares back to life."

Ted Starling shushed them all. He held up an index finger with his other hand cupped over his ear. His eyes which were normally shut tight were now wide open. His glassy irises shone silver in the night. A few minutes passed by in silence. Crickets sounded in choruses, toads sang, bats screeched, and there was a faint roar.

Phoenix gasped. And so did Reagan.

Alistair chuckled. "An animal relative. I could recognize him anywhere."

Nellie narrowed her eyes at the old man. "What do you mean?"

"He should. Being an E-Cat." Natalie Kabra emphasized. Her sleek black hair was swept up in a messy ponytail. Her face was pale, her eyes sunken and her cheeks hollow. The tight, serious expression on her face was totally different from the Natalie weeks before, frightened, inexperienced. Now, her aura emitted an air of deadliness, like a real Lucian Cahill. "Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to know why this forest was named Lionhead."

Phoenix screamed. He pointed to the bushed behind Fiske. "Lion!"

And the feline roared again, reaching for the Madrigal's shoulder.

"They didn't really let us go." Natalie said, reaching for a fallen branch. "They let us go in this particular forest because they know that anyone who had entered here never got out. Ever." She then brought it down on the lion with a force that would have put a Tomas to shame. "They knew we'd die. They aren't that dumb."

Ted laughed. "Then again, we're Cahills."

The group smiled. Natalie smirked.

"Yeah." Alistair said, picking up his cane which he realized they'd left as they dropped them off. "They aren't dumb but they still haven't learned the most important lesson: Never underestimate a Cahill."

So...it's pretty much really short but I'm still in the process of making the other chapters. I easily get discouraged when writing stories so please boost me! I promise that even just a measly five reviews can fuel me to making more chapters! WAHAHAHAHAHA!