This was one of the story ideas I had awhile back that I was going to drop, but Flying Star was very interested in it so I couldn't not write it since I like her so much. ^o^ This story will only be written while I'm at work (I know, I'm a horrid role model) so it may take me awhile to finish. Since this will only be done at work it won't interfere with Delusions if the Heart, so no worries! Also, I guess this falls a little into the 'Holly Torture' category so if you hate when Holly gets hurt, this isn't a story for you. Enjoy!

Note: This takes place after the episode "Tiger Meets His Match" in Season 2.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Monster Rancher or the characters. I'm just a huge fan. Tecmo owns everything. I just own the plot.

On Death's Wings

Chapter 1. Separated Paths

The crunching of moist twigs and fallen leaves filled the once peaceful ecosystem as a lone figure limped strenuously with haste while they breathed heavily; as if stopping for even a brief moment would cost them dearly. Almost tripping on a tangled tree root, the young girl caught herself first before continuing on without looking down on what she had almost tripped on. Breathing was an agonizing task that burned with every intake of air, but the girl ignored the pain as she clutched her side tightly and continued limping forward with no intention of stopping. There was no way to go except forward; otherwise the pain she felt now would be nothing in comparison to what lied ahead.

'Just keep going! Run! Don't look back; just keep running!'

The trees that covered the entire area seemed to go on forever, but even with the tree cover Holly couldn't hide. The blood trail that had been left behind her would be a sure give away, and so the only thing to do now was to run as fast and as far as possible. Humans aren't as equipped for such brutality, though, and the girl could feel her energy draining with every weak step she took.

'Run for it! Don't stop now or he'll catch up! Run! Oh, Phoenix… Why is this happening?'

Mud caked onto the boots the wielder of the Magic Stone wore while dirt patched onto her clothing and skin, but appearances weren't noted as she ran from a beast that hunted her like an animal. Tender scrapes and bruises shown on the girl's arms and legs like a quilt design, but they weren't nearly as painful as the wound the brunette was gripping tightly on her side or the gash on her feeble leg. To collapse now would be a death sentence, though.

'Why is this happening now, when our journey is so close to being over? Is this the end? Am I going to… die? No, I can't. Not until the Phoenix is revived and that can't be done without the Magic Stone. Please, Phoenix, let my friends find me!'

The young girl gritted her teeth as a sheering pain shot through her body and down her leg, but she stayed strong and continued forward. The sickening sensation of warm blood covering her hands was of no comfort, and the thick sticky substance seemed to dribble out of her wounds like water from a creek. The Magic Stone hung loosely around Holly's neck, though she would always shove it back under her shirt with her dirtied hand to ensure it didn't fly off and land in the wrong hands. At the sight of seeing light in the distance, the girl could feel her heart leap at the chance of the forest ending and leading to a town. When Holly emerged from the mess of trees, though, her heart sank to see it only lead to more woods. With a frustrated growl, the young girl went to run forward, but she let out a pain laced yelp as her leg finally gave out and her body toppled over on the cold ground. A small whimper escaped Holly's throat, but her eyes widened when a large armor clad figure loomed over her body with a large sword held tightly in its hand.

"W-why are you doing this?" Holly asked hoarsely as she gripped her bleeding side.

"Orders are orders, dear." The warrior hissed as he lifted the sword up in the air before swinging it down with incredible speed and skill. All that followed the brutal attack was a sickening crunch, a spray of blood, and a pain filled scream…

6 hours earlier…

"THAT WAS MINE, RABBIT!"

"NO IT WASN'T! I HAD DIBS FIRST!"

"YOU'RE A LIAR!

"NO, YOU ARE!"

After having thought Tiger had been killed by Jagged Hound, the rebels decided to take a break to rest from such a stressful ordeal. The forest was cool and calming while the sun peeking out from the treetops was enjoyable. Holly smiled sheepishly as she watched the two monsters arguing over who's soup bowl was who's, though she knew it was just Hare's way of showing how worried he had been over the wolf monster. The weather had finally turned in their favor and being greeted by the sun had been an excellent way to start the day. Eating Holly's infamous stew outside in the warmth of the sun was more energizing than any restaurant food.

"Ah, that stew was great." Genki complimented while ignoring the two feuding monsters.

"Oh! Thank you." Holly replied with a small blush at the praise.

"So, where are we heading off to now?" Suezo asked with curiosity.

"Last time I checked, we were still heading north. Should we head out now?" The wielder of the Magic Stone asked with a smile.

"Yeah. We must be close to finding the Phoenix now, so let's go!" Genki announced energetically while Mocchi mimicked his best friend's actions. With a nod of agreement by the rest of the rebels group, all the camping gear was packed up before the group set off on the road once again. While Genki and Mocchi hummed excitedly in the front of the group, the rest of the group stayed silent and only watched the duo with amused looks. Normally Suezo would make a sarcastic comment by now, but the eyeball monster was strangely quiet for once.

"Suezo, are you alright?" Holly asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. This is random, but I was just thinking about that Durahan guy. I wonder what he's like and how strong he is." Suezo replied with a thoughtful look. "We have yet to face him directly, though I know we will eventually."

"He's probably really weak if he sent Lilim after us. I mean, why else would you send your girlfriend or whatever she is to do your bidding?" Hare mused as he walked along by Tiger's side with an amused smile on his face.

"Are you implying being a girl makes you weak?" Holly asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No! That's not it! What I mean… well… it's sort of what I meant. I'm not saying all girls are weak, but guys are naturally stronger than women. It's normal." The rabbit monster said with a shrug.

"That's not true at all." The young girl replied with a frown. "Look at Pixie; it took all of you guys to take her down and even then you had a struggle. If you were fighting her one on one, I doubt she would have lost."

"She's different!"

"And what about Undine? She was very powerful."

"Okay, she was another exception."

"You can't keep making exceptions, Hare."

"Yeah, well, what about you?"

Hare could feel himself mentally curse at letting his last question slip out of his mouth, but the damage was already done as he watched Holly's eyes turn from a look of amusement to that of betrayal. The other rebels, who had been listening to the entire banter, felt their eyes' bulge at hearing Hare's personal question. Each of them knew nothing good could come from such a sensitive topic, but there was no going back now.

"Excuse me?" Holly asked forcefully as her hands clenched into tight fists.

"N-nothing. Forget I said that." Hare replied quietly, but the young girl wasn't finished.

"No. You're implying that I'm weak because I don't fight, right? Because all I do is cook, clean, and give directions, I must be weak and useless?"

"I didn't say that, Holly!"

"That's what you meant though, isn't it?"

"You're not useless, you just aren't strong, is all. It's not a bad thing."

Suezo felt himself cringe at the rabbit monster's statement, and he could feel Holly's entire body tense up. Even Tiger was too nervous to speak up at this point and he kept his eyes glued to the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Golem shifted from discomfort while both Genki and Mocchi made sure to keep their distance from the scene. The day that had started so well had gone downhill as rapidly as it had come. With a low 'hmph', Holly crossed her arms before marching away from the group in a hurry, but not before turning back to look at Hare with hurt filled eyes.

"Just so you know, before Suezo and I met up with Genki, I fought in plenty of battles and I held my own weight. I may seem weak and fragile to you, but I can be strong when I need to be. I may not be a great fighter like Genki and I don't have special attacks like the rest of you, but…" Holly trailed off as she took in a deep breath of air to calm herself, though she never finished her sentence as she rushed away and disappeared into the forest without another word.

"Way to go, Hare." Tiger growled with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, come on! I didn't mean to offend her! She just put me in a really awkward spot! It just slipped!" Hare huffed irritably.

"Come on, guys! We can't just let her march off by herself with Baddies probably crawling around here!" Suezo scowled as he began to hop in the direction Holly had marched off in, and the other rebels didn't hesitate to follow the eyeball monster's lead for once. They didn't make it far, though, when a voice called them out from within the woods.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

A sigh escaped from Holly's lips as she walked through the forest in an attempt to clear her head. She knew deep down that part of what Hare said was true. She wasn't a fighter anymore and it was a rare case when she would pull her dagger on someone. Still, the words stung and she couldn't shake away the feeling. Deep in thought, the brunette barely had time to react as she almost walked over a steep ledge. Holly carefully peered over the edge to see a river about twenty feet down from where she was looking down, though she had no intention of scaling the cliff.

'What am I doing? I know Hare and he never says anything to purposely hurt me. I should go back and besides; if this is north, I should warn the others that we'll need to make a bridge to cross this.' Holly thought to herself, but suddenly she felt her breath catch in her throat. Holly's eyes widened in shock as she saw in the distance her friends near the ledge just as she was, except the difference was they were no longer alone. Several purebred Zuums with Baddies Crests surrounded the rebels like a pack of angry bears as they flexed their claws and growled dangerously; trapping the group at the edge of the cliff. With a low gulp, the young girl quietly began to make her way over to the ambush, and with every step she took she could hear the voices of both her friends and the enemies alike.

"How long have you been following us?" Tiger asked with a snarl.

"Not too long, but long enough to hear your little argument earlier. We'll find the girl, don't you worry." The captain of the Zuums hissed with a twisted grin while the other dinosaur monsters chucked softly. "We'll take good care of her. As for the rest of you…"

Captain Zuum's sentence trailed off as he snapped his claws, causing the Zuum army to leap into action and begin to attack the rebel group. Tiger leapt out of the way of a clawed foot before he brought his horns up into the beast's side, causing the Zuum to yelp in pain and crash to the ground with a loud thud. Fire crackled on Hare's fists as he used his Dragon Punch attack to keep a couple of the Zuums at bay for now while Mocchi used his Double Pounder attack to slug one of the dinosaur monsters in the gut. Golem's brute strength was enough to defend against the Zuums as he smacked the creatures away with a swat of his stone hand. Even Suezo pulled his own weight as he used his Slobbery Kiss attack to confuse and disorient a Zuum before he slammed his tongue across its neck. Holly watched her friends in amazement as they handled the Zuums like they were mere teddy bears, and suddenly she felt her heart drop. Without her there to distract the group, they were defeating the Zuums quicker than usual.

'…Hare was right. Oh, Phoenix, why can't I be strong like the rest of them? Why am I so weak…?' Holly thought bitterly to herself as a frown crossed her lips and her eyes shone with inner turmoil. Her thoughts were interrupted quickly, though, by an angry shout.

"Hold still!" Captain Zuum shouted as he brought his tail down to smash Genki's ribcage in, but the boy quickly rolled out of the way. With a growl, the Zuum leader ran forward and clawed at the human boy and, although he missed slicing his neck open, his claws dug into Genki's leg. The young boy winced as his body flew to the ground and barley missed going over the edge of the ledge. With a low chuckle, the Zuum leader loomed over Genki with malice in his eyes as he chuckled softly at watching the wounded boy holding his leg painfully.

"Killing you will get me a promotion from Master Moo for sure." Captain Zuum mused as he bared his fangs and brought his claws forward. "Good bye, rebel!"

"GENKI!"

A loud shout broke through the battle scene as both Captain Zuum and Genki looked over in surprise to see the only female of the group spring toward them as fast as her legs could take her. In an act of desperation, Holly slammed her hands into Captain Zuum's side; causing the beast to lose his balance and begin to topple over the edge of the canyon. For a brief moment Genki and Holly's eyes met in a silent moment of relief, but the world seemed to start turning again as Captain Zuum's clawed hand roughly grabbed onto the collar of Holly's shirt in an attempt to stay grounded. With a shocked yelp, the brunette felt her feet leave the ground and suddenly she felt the air around her whizzing past her ears while the stream below became closer and closer. With one last shriek, both Holly and the Zuum leader crashed into the river below with a loud splash, and the current of the rough water had no mercy as the duo disappeared under its crushing surface.

"HOLLY!" Genki shouted in horror as he crawled over to the edge to look down at the river, but no trace of either Holly of the Zuum leader could be seen. "HOLLY!"

With the other Zuums dispatched, the rest of the rebels ran to the edge as well, but no sign of their comrade was evident. With a strangled growl, Genki shakily stood to his feet despite his wounded leg before he ran to a nearby tree and signaled for Golem's help. With a nod, the rock giant ripped the tree out of the ground before extending it down the canyon for the other rebels to use. One by one the rebels slid down the tree to land on the river bank, but still there was nothing to be seen. With a low sigh, Golem scaled the rocky cliff to reunite with his friends, though being so close to the river was unsettling.

"She fell in around here! She must be close!" Genki stated in a panic, though he felt his shoulders slump as Hare placed a comforting hand on his arm.

"Genki… Did you look at how fast this current is? She's probably been swept downstream somewhere." The rabbit monster spoke quietly.

"Then what are we waiting for? We have to go find her!" The young boy shouted irritably.

"Not so fast. First we have to bandage up your leg. If we meet up with Holly and-"

"-when we meet up with Holly." Genki cut the rabbit monster off as he corrected his sentence with a glare.

"Right… When we meet up with Holly, she'll be very angry if you've been walking around with your leg like that. Let's patch you up and then we'll head out." Hare finished with a frown.

"How will we find her, chi?" Mocchi asked with a worried glance.

"Holly's a smart girl. Knowing her, she'll try to back track by using the river as her guide. So if we head downstream and she heads upstream, we'll find her in no time." Tiger replied to the young monster.

"What if she doesn't follow the river, chi?"

"…we'll find her no matter what."

Water is the source of life and without it, nothing living could exist. There is, however, such thing as having too much water. Holly gagged and sputtered as the violent river forced water into her throat, though she did all she could to spit it out so she could still breath. Water blurred her vision as she was constantly dunked under the water's surface, though every now and then she could make out the solid forms of large rocks angled out of the water. Try as she must, the poor girl couldn't latch onto the boulders, and so the exhausting task of staying afloat continued. Almost like a blessing from the Phoenix itself, though, the young girl's purse snagged onto an algae covered branch extended from the shoreline and even in her weak state, the brunette knew not to let the chance go. With all the energy that remained in her body, Holly weakly clasped onto the branch before pulling her worn body to shore and sitting on her knees to feel the gravel under her. With a small wheeze, the wielder of the Magic Stone coughed up what water remained in her lungs before she fell onto her back to look up at the sun that beat down on her body, and a sigh of relief exited her parted lips.

'I made it… oh, Phoenix, I made it! I'm alive!' Holly thought to herself as a weak smile played onto her exhausted face. The moment ended, though, when she looked around at her surrounding, only to realize she wasn't anywhere she remembered. '…where am I…?'

With a dazed sigh, Holly shakily got to her feet while water dripped off from her soaked clothing like rain drops. Her eyes scanned the river like a hawk, though she felt her eyes widened when she caught sight of a fresh Lost Disk planted on the side of one of the boulders. Knowing it was Captain Zuum, the brunette felt guilt rise into her chest, though the feeling subsided slightly when the flashback of him clawing Genki replayed in her mind. Thinking about that moment made her heart race and suddenly she felt more urgency to get moving.

'Genki's hurt! I can't be resting now; I need to tend to his leg!' Holly thought frantically as she made sure her purse, dagger, and Magic Stone were still on her possession before she began to wobbly walk along the river bank. 'If I stay by the river and head back upstream, I should meet up with the others.' With a look of determination, the young girl took off in search of the other rebels, though a sinking feeling in her chest caused her to feel that things weren't going to be that simple.

Okay, I'm not good at writing action scenes, dramatic scenes, romance scenes… Actually, what am I good at? I have no idea. XD The spelling errors in this are most likely awful. This story is a nice way to vent a little, too. Just remember this isn't for people who don't like character torture. This won't be that bad, trust me. Oh, and Hare wasn't trying to be an ass. He just slipped up and was having a hard time defending himself. And Holly's comment about her time traveling with just Suezo and how she use to fight is a hint of a story I intend to someday write. First, DotH needs to finish, though. Thanks so much for reading!

RockyRoadSmith: Signing off! :3