Disclaimer: I don't own the Ronin Warriors.
Stars filled the clear night sky as the five young teenagers sat around a campfire, having a general good time. Kento and Rowen were fighting over the last marshmellow while Ryo and Cye talked about an upcoming project for school. Sage was sitting off to the side, meditating. It was Spring Break, and they were all glad for a chance to relax. None of them were expecting any trouble, after all, the Dynasty had finally been defeated and they could all go on with a normal life. At least, that was what they had hoped for.
Just about everyone jumped when they heard the loud "CRACK!" Ryo looked around to see if White Blaze had followed them, but the large tiger was nowhere to be seen. Then there was another crack, farther off in the woods. Then another and another, as if something very large was walking through the woods. A few seconds later they could hear nothing.
"It was probably a bear," Sage said quietly. "Nothing to worry about."
"I don't know, Sage," Ryo disagreed. "There was something strange about it. I'm gonna check it out. You guys stay here."
The other four disagreed, but Ryo ran off before any of them could chase after him. Ryo wasn't sure what it was he was looking for, and it was difficult to see anything in the darkness of the forest. Before long he couldn't even see the campfire, and then Ryo realized he was completely lost! This is just great, Ryo thought to himself. "What a time to get lost.
He heard the cracking sound again, this time very close by. He spun around, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever it was, and came face to face with a big surprise. It was not a bear, or any type of animal for that matter. It was a tiny girl! She had to be only four or five, and came up to Ryo's waist. Her hair was a dark blue color, and her eyes were as pale as pure gold. She had a strange tattoo under her right eyes, it looked like a claw mark. She wore a shirt and pants made from deerskin, and her boots were made from tanned leather. Around her neck was a pendent shaped like a star.
"You are trespassing on my land," She spoke in a soft voice. It sounded like the wind rustling through the leaves.
"I'm sorry," Ryo said. "I got lost. I was looking for whatever made those crashing noises."
"I know what you were doing. I was watching you!"
Even though she was clearly shouting at him, the girl's voice never rose above a whisper. It made the hair on the back of Ryo's head stand up. This girl was creepy. There was something unearthly about her, and Ryo wanted to get away from her. But she had no intention of letting him off that easy.
"I will make you pay for trespassing on this sacred land. You draw power from fire, so you shall become a being of fire. I think being a Firecat would suit you quite well."
Before Ryo could move or even try to escape, the girl raised the pendent from her neck and whispered something to him. He could barely make out the words. "Winds of Fate and Winds of Change, hear the ancient guardian's words. Protect thy sacred ground, and punish the one who has entered against the ancient laws." A bright orb of light surrounded Ryo, and he suddenly felt like his entire body was on fire! It wasn't painful, he felt this way whenever he called the Wildfire armor, but there was definitely something different. His body was changing! There was no pain that he could feel, but he was definitely changing!
Then the light was gone, and so was the child. Ryo was alone in the woods, too dazed to move. Then, inside his head he heard the girl's voice. It was as faint as ever, but now it was clearer, and much colder.
"You have five sunsets before this form becomes permanent. If you can find the Spirit's Shrine in this mountain, then you will regain your true form. You may ask the help of anyone you wish, but only you can enter the shrine. If you do find it, enter the main chamber and call the name An'ya. Then, and only then will you regain your human form. This journey starts…now."
Ryo opened his eyes and blinked, feeling very dizzy. He tried to stand up and walk, and fell promptly on his nose. He shook his head and looked at his feet, and saw that they were the paws of a cat! He had been changed into a cat! He slowly made his way to a clear pool of water and looked at his reflection and groaned silently. He had been turned into a white cat with red-tipped ears, paws and tail. The child, whatever she was, had said he would become a being of fire, a Firecat. So that was what he had become. Ryo blinked his eyes, hoping the reflection would change, but it did not. He was stuck.
Now that he was a cat, his sight had become much better, and he could see everything. Including what appeared to be markers to the 'sacred grounds'. Too bad he hadn't spotted them before. Well, too late to worry now, Ryo thought. Better get moving. He took one last look at his reflection and left, running through the trees. Nowhere within the sacred grounds did he see anything that remsembled a shrine, only trees and rocks, and the one tiny stream. So it wasn't in this area. But as big as the mountain was, it didn't surprise Ryo. It would take more than five days to search everywhere, but five days was all he had. So he decided to start back to the camp, and hoped he would find it before he got himself into more trouble.
The four ronins sat around the fire, anxious for Ryo to return. Kento and Cye wanted to go look for him, but Sage and Rowen wanted to wait until morning, when they would be able to see better. Sage had been near these mountains since he was a child, and told them that it was too dangerous to look for Ryo in the dark. That was why he hadn't wanted Ryo to go in the first place. They just had to be patient.
"Man, he could be hurt or something!" Kento shouted. "We have to go look for him!"
"As much as we're worried, Kento, Sage is right. We could end up lost, and how would that be helpful to Ryo, if he is hurt?" Rowen argued. "We stay put until sunrise."
Kento growled in frustration and threw a rock at a tree. It hit the tree with a dull "thud" and fell to the ground. Everything was silent for a minute, save for the crackle of the fire. Then all four looked up as the heard a familiar chime. They jumped to their feet in disbelief, it was Anubis, carrying the Ancient's Staff! Or more correctly, it was Anubis's spirit. He stopped a few feet away from the ronins and smiled at them, glad to see them again.
"Ronins, I have come to help you," Anubis said. "Ryo has gotten himself into some trouble, and it will take all of us to get him out of it."
"What kind of trouble?" Sage asked.
"It would seem that he has angered a spirit on this mountain unintentionally. It is the spirit of a child, An'ya, who was killed here long ago. A shirne was built in her honor, but the ground where she died was also considered sacred. A curse was placed upon it, and Ryo wandered into the area, and was...turned into a Firecat."
"A firecat?" Kento asked.
"Yes, it is a type of fire being that takes the form of a large cat. The spirit of An'ya has turned him into such a creature, and now he is running out of time. An'ya was known for her love of games, and to her, this is a game. But if Ryo looses, he will be trapped in the Firecat's body for the rest of his life. He had five days."
"Yeah, but we still have to find him!" Cye cried.
"I have already done so," Anubis said. He pointed to the forest, and Ryo appeared out of the darkness.
His white fur glowed in the moonlight, and his blue eyes seemed to burn like two firey coals. His ears were pressed back against his head as he stepped foreward, slowly, as he did not want to be seen like this. He stopped at Anubis's feet and looked at his friends. They stared, and Ryo couldn't blame them. He was a strange sight to see.
"Hi guys," Ryo said, glad he was still able to speak. "I need your help."
"No kidding," Sage said sarcastically.
"We have to find the shrine before the end of the fifth day, or I'm stuck like this," Ryo said. "Sage, you know the mountain pretty well, do you know if there are any shrines around?"
"Yeah, there's one on the other side of the mountain, but it would take five days just to reach it. Its in a cave at the bottom of a valley," Sage replied.
"Then we have no time to loose. We must start now," Anubis commanded.
Stars filled the clear night sky as the five young teenagers sat around a campfire, having a general good time. Kento and Rowen were fighting over the last marshmellow while Ryo and Cye talked about an upcoming project for school. Sage was sitting off to the side, meditating. It was Spring Break, and they were all glad for a chance to relax. None of them were expecting any trouble, after all, the Dynasty had finally been defeated and they could all go on with a normal life. At least, that was what they had hoped for.
Just about everyone jumped when they heard the loud "CRACK!" Ryo looked around to see if White Blaze had followed them, but the large tiger was nowhere to be seen. Then there was another crack, farther off in the woods. Then another and another, as if something very large was walking through the woods. A few seconds later they could hear nothing.
"It was probably a bear," Sage said quietly. "Nothing to worry about."
"I don't know, Sage," Ryo disagreed. "There was something strange about it. I'm gonna check it out. You guys stay here."
The other four disagreed, but Ryo ran off before any of them could chase after him. Ryo wasn't sure what it was he was looking for, and it was difficult to see anything in the darkness of the forest. Before long he couldn't even see the campfire, and then Ryo realized he was completely lost! This is just great, Ryo thought to himself. "What a time to get lost.
He heard the cracking sound again, this time very close by. He spun around, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever it was, and came face to face with a big surprise. It was not a bear, or any type of animal for that matter. It was a tiny girl! She had to be only four or five, and came up to Ryo's waist. Her hair was a dark blue color, and her eyes were as pale as pure gold. She had a strange tattoo under her right eyes, it looked like a claw mark. She wore a shirt and pants made from deerskin, and her boots were made from tanned leather. Around her neck was a pendent shaped like a star.
"You are trespassing on my land," She spoke in a soft voice. It sounded like the wind rustling through the leaves.
"I'm sorry," Ryo said. "I got lost. I was looking for whatever made those crashing noises."
"I know what you were doing. I was watching you!"
Even though she was clearly shouting at him, the girl's voice never rose above a whisper. It made the hair on the back of Ryo's head stand up. This girl was creepy. There was something unearthly about her, and Ryo wanted to get away from her. But she had no intention of letting him off that easy.
"I will make you pay for trespassing on this sacred land. You draw power from fire, so you shall become a being of fire. I think being a Firecat would suit you quite well."
Before Ryo could move or even try to escape, the girl raised the pendent from her neck and whispered something to him. He could barely make out the words. "Winds of Fate and Winds of Change, hear the ancient guardian's words. Protect thy sacred ground, and punish the one who has entered against the ancient laws." A bright orb of light surrounded Ryo, and he suddenly felt like his entire body was on fire! It wasn't painful, he felt this way whenever he called the Wildfire armor, but there was definitely something different. His body was changing! There was no pain that he could feel, but he was definitely changing!
Then the light was gone, and so was the child. Ryo was alone in the woods, too dazed to move. Then, inside his head he heard the girl's voice. It was as faint as ever, but now it was clearer, and much colder.
"You have five sunsets before this form becomes permanent. If you can find the Spirit's Shrine in this mountain, then you will regain your true form. You may ask the help of anyone you wish, but only you can enter the shrine. If you do find it, enter the main chamber and call the name An'ya. Then, and only then will you regain your human form. This journey starts…now."
Ryo opened his eyes and blinked, feeling very dizzy. He tried to stand up and walk, and fell promptly on his nose. He shook his head and looked at his feet, and saw that they were the paws of a cat! He had been changed into a cat! He slowly made his way to a clear pool of water and looked at his reflection and groaned silently. He had been turned into a white cat with red-tipped ears, paws and tail. The child, whatever she was, had said he would become a being of fire, a Firecat. So that was what he had become. Ryo blinked his eyes, hoping the reflection would change, but it did not. He was stuck.
Now that he was a cat, his sight had become much better, and he could see everything. Including what appeared to be markers to the 'sacred grounds'. Too bad he hadn't spotted them before. Well, too late to worry now, Ryo thought. Better get moving. He took one last look at his reflection and left, running through the trees. Nowhere within the sacred grounds did he see anything that remsembled a shrine, only trees and rocks, and the one tiny stream. So it wasn't in this area. But as big as the mountain was, it didn't surprise Ryo. It would take more than five days to search everywhere, but five days was all he had. So he decided to start back to the camp, and hoped he would find it before he got himself into more trouble.
The four ronins sat around the fire, anxious for Ryo to return. Kento and Cye wanted to go look for him, but Sage and Rowen wanted to wait until morning, when they would be able to see better. Sage had been near these mountains since he was a child, and told them that it was too dangerous to look for Ryo in the dark. That was why he hadn't wanted Ryo to go in the first place. They just had to be patient.
"Man, he could be hurt or something!" Kento shouted. "We have to go look for him!"
"As much as we're worried, Kento, Sage is right. We could end up lost, and how would that be helpful to Ryo, if he is hurt?" Rowen argued. "We stay put until sunrise."
Kento growled in frustration and threw a rock at a tree. It hit the tree with a dull "thud" and fell to the ground. Everything was silent for a minute, save for the crackle of the fire. Then all four looked up as the heard a familiar chime. They jumped to their feet in disbelief, it was Anubis, carrying the Ancient's Staff! Or more correctly, it was Anubis's spirit. He stopped a few feet away from the ronins and smiled at them, glad to see them again.
"Ronins, I have come to help you," Anubis said. "Ryo has gotten himself into some trouble, and it will take all of us to get him out of it."
"What kind of trouble?" Sage asked.
"It would seem that he has angered a spirit on this mountain unintentionally. It is the spirit of a child, An'ya, who was killed here long ago. A shirne was built in her honor, but the ground where she died was also considered sacred. A curse was placed upon it, and Ryo wandered into the area, and was...turned into a Firecat."
"A firecat?" Kento asked.
"Yes, it is a type of fire being that takes the form of a large cat. The spirit of An'ya has turned him into such a creature, and now he is running out of time. An'ya was known for her love of games, and to her, this is a game. But if Ryo looses, he will be trapped in the Firecat's body for the rest of his life. He had five days."
"Yeah, but we still have to find him!" Cye cried.
"I have already done so," Anubis said. He pointed to the forest, and Ryo appeared out of the darkness.
His white fur glowed in the moonlight, and his blue eyes seemed to burn like two firey coals. His ears were pressed back against his head as he stepped foreward, slowly, as he did not want to be seen like this. He stopped at Anubis's feet and looked at his friends. They stared, and Ryo couldn't blame them. He was a strange sight to see.
"Hi guys," Ryo said, glad he was still able to speak. "I need your help."
"No kidding," Sage said sarcastically.
"We have to find the shrine before the end of the fifth day, or I'm stuck like this," Ryo said. "Sage, you know the mountain pretty well, do you know if there are any shrines around?"
"Yeah, there's one on the other side of the mountain, but it would take five days just to reach it. Its in a cave at the bottom of a valley," Sage replied.
"Then we have no time to loose. We must start now," Anubis commanded.