A/N:Why this isn't really a sequeal,there are some aspects from my story Wolf's Bane.You may want to refer to it if you get lost.

',' I give you my destiny. ','

I.

"We got a lock on it,"Haley said into her four-way walkie-talkie as she and Sun came upon the black creature."Were going in."

"Okay,but don't too close.Just enough to start cornering it."Fu responed from his and Laoshi's place some place in the harbor.

"That's a big ten-forty,good buddy."Spud said in his CB lingo.

"Uh,Spud,that's ten-four."Haley corrected him wryly.

"Roger that!"

"Try cornering out on the dock."Her brother suggested."From what I saw it was some kind of cat so it wouldn't get very far."

"Jake,it's a big cat."she said nervously as she and Sun came upon it running along a boat rental shop."And big cats swim."

"Do you have to be miss know-it-all about eveything?Sheesh!"

"Haley,take up technique Sugar Heart."Sun instructed her and both dragonesses instantly branched off in the other direction.

The culprit in question had robbed a potion store in the Magus Bazzar and had made a break for it long before Jake could be contacted.This had lead the rest to fan out and comb the city.

Sprites near Central Park had spotted the elusive black puma and since then they had been hot on the trail of the speed cat.

Oddly no one below seemed to mind the rushing feline or even notice it as it had moved along the cement strips plainingly for everyone viewing.Only magical creatures seemed to catch sight.

Now,it neared the end of the Hudson harbor pier.

Haley and Sun Park arched out from each other just above the open water.When the two looked back to see the cat was now in the center of their space,both dragons made a large swoop.

The two flew more speedily as the puma reached the very end of the dock and halted.From this angle Haley could see that it appeared to be deciding something,it turned to glare her way.

It's eyes pierced a dangerous amber that caused Haley to go in the opposite direction,there was something unwordly about the cat's glare.She had to flap backwards crazily to begin stopping.

A satisfaction seemed to overwhelm the puma and it dove into the bay with a shining red and silver object clasped inside it's mouth.Sun reached out to steady the slightly trembling dragon girl as they paused for a resounding splash affect;none came.

"Did you see those eyes?"Haley asked warbly."I should have been all right,but it was like they both pinned me.They're evil."

"It is an odd case."

"It's not just odd,there's something very wrong about that cat."

"But it's gone now,"Sun tried comforting,squeezing her arm in reassurance.The two gazed over the edge slowly together,but there was nothing and through the slits in the docks nothing.It was like what they had all been chasing had never been there.

x.x.x

Rose smiled as Jake approached her,it had been a very long two weeks since she had seen him last.He came up to give her a red tulip and a peck on the cheek before turning to open his locker.

"Hey,haven't seen you in a while."

"A long while,"she sighed,taking a book out."Mom's still getting some counseling,but for the most part things are normal again."

"With us,nothings normal."Jake attempted joking,then sighed.

"Everything okay?"her hands fingered the petals."Nice flower."

"Yeah,I tried to make sure it didn't have any thorns this time."

"Tulips don't have thorns,hon."she laughed."But thanks just the same.It's lovely.Are you sure that everything else is okay,Jake?"

"Sure,"he gave her a grin and was about to go into his smooth talk when something stopped him."No...everything's not okay."

"I'm listening,"Rose said patiently.

"Well,it's about what's not happening.It seems like all we ever do is get separated,even since the whole Huntsclan thing there hasn't seemed to be all that much time we can spend together."

"Bethany was a shocker,"she agreed with him as she closed her locker as he did."But it's something that couldn't be helped.She has her place helping diabled magical creatures now and a place with Nigel here in the city.It's over and done with Jake,now we-"

The splitting noise of the bell cut into their conversation and the students fairly ran to their classrooms in a frenzy,speaking loud.

"Let's talk after school."Jake tried shouting above the sound,but Rose caught his arm as he started away and when he turned to look back at her she knew she could not promise him one thing.

"We'll talk later then."

And even then Rose knew she could not promise him that there would not be something else to get between them and it made her feel like kicking her locker closed;Things were never normal.

Even after Jake's wish at the Aztec Pantheon which should have resolved everything.But in fact only served to further complicate.

II.

"Do you have the compass of Hades?"The voice demanded.

"Of course,"Replied the feminie black puma as she arrived on top of the gargoyle-ringed rooftop."Taking on your image was quite easy,avoiding the American Dragon proved a bit more difficult."

"No trouble?"It's deep voice pressed.

"None whatsoever."Chang chuckled as the black magic she had possessed slipped from her body in one big shadow mass went over to consume the otherwise disembodied voice."Child's play."

"Then there's only the matter of recapturing the other quarter of my powers and then moving on to the last half."Michtlan spoke more to himself then to the violet dragoness."I've been here all day absorbing the raw negativity and hatred around this area."

"Ah,yes,"she quipped."I can feel it too."

"Not like that!"The deity snapped as it molded itself into the form of a black puma."There was a great loss here.It's a shame I do not reap the souls of humans.The negativity here is so delicious and just enough to give me strength.Now,you will follow mortal.

I sense that some of my power residing across New York city."

With that,the solid image sank to the ground and moved across the building with Chang following overhead.It had come to her with the promise of helping eliminate humankind and making her it's queen.Something the Dark Dragon had failed at many times.

She didn't know how exactly,other then the fact that this was a last ditch effort for magical creature preeminence.Her last hope.

To be continued...