Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to power rangers. All recognizable locations, characters, and other elements are property of Saban entertainment and Disney. Original characters are mine in concept but if by some crazy reason you wish to, may be used if desired if proper credit is given. Contact is unnecessary but appreciated.
A/N: Thanks to Solarbaby614 for helping me with the original outline for this story, even though it changed a bit!
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Wind rustled the tops of the trees calling birds to there mid day naps and whistled past his ears. Dried twigs snapped below his feet as he skipped over every other one. The thud in his heels as his feet hit the earth echoed throughout his body as he kept along the jagged unmarked path he has set for himself.
Even after all this time Casey still was shocked at how soothing running was. Maybe it was nature. Maybe it was pleasing his tiger. He had honestly stopped questioning things like that. As RJ would say, life's mysteries were such for a reason. There was a reason life had a rhythm and we should just learn to dance to it.
It had been more than a year since the rangers had put an end to Dai Shi's plan. They still had to play the part of rangers from time to time, but disturbances had been few and far between. The trio of masters had carried on with their lives, trying to remember how to be "normal." It hadn't been easy for Lily and Theo. After all, they had spent more of their life in training then anywhere else. Casey, having arrived at the academy much later then most, still had a hang of things and despite breaking the schedule he had trained himself to be on, things went fairly smoothly.
Casey spent his work time split between the local martial arts dojo and the Academy, teaching a few courses of his own and being a substitute. The yellow and blue ranger remained working at Jungle Karma part time. The bulk of the rest had been spent on school. Lily and Casey had headed off to a state university about a half hour outside of Ocean's Bluff seeking teaching degrees.
Lily still dreamed of opening her own dance studio. Casey had joked that they should have it be an after school program, with the top being a dance studio and the bottom being in style of a dojo. Theo, not to be left out, agreed to help them, getting his own degree at a local college in business management and marketing. It was a dream they all agreed on.
A smile spread across the red ranger's lips. He had never been the popular boy. Not for a lack of trying of course. Because of such he had always bounced around cliques in middle and high school, never really making any close friends. For a teenager, that was a little slice of hell. Now, his life couldn't be looking more up. He had a future, a rather twisted version of a family, and had never had more fun in his life. Despite the normal stress that came along with college, he didn't have any pressing worries on his shoulders even with maintaining ranger status.
The carefree thoughts that roamed through his head distracted him from the world around him. He didn't notice the temperature dropping. He didn't hear the forest quieting or the sky darkening ever so slightly. He took it all for granted; rationalizing that going deeper into the forest meant a blockage of sun. He was shaken into reality all too quickly as a whirlwind of leaves gathered themselves around his feet.
Casey stopped in his tracks. Quickly the tiger took over, sniffling, looking. His senses are at full alert and he still couldn't pick up anything distinct. There wasn't something that could account for this bizarre change. Yet, nothing felt right.
There.
Casey froze, looking to his left. He couldn't smell anything. He couldn't hear it. There was something distinctly off about the ground around him. His senses that were normally hyperactive due to his tiger were dulled at best. The world seemed cloudy, too sanitary to be natural.
Choking on the flash of adrenaline he spun around with his head pounding. There, just out of dashing distance was a cloaked figure. Of everything in the spinning world around him, the fabric was the most distinct thing. It shimmered in a nonexistent light, blue and yellow at the same time as if it was its own stained light source. The edges were embroidered in a silver pattern he could hardly differentiate from the smooth fabric. The cloak masked the figure's face, creating nothing but an empty cloud of shadow where a head should be.
Casey's heart pumped dangerously fast as he felt the instincts of prey for the first time since he was little and cornered by school bullies. It all told him one thing, just one simple thing. Run.
Abandoning all the bravery he had learned as a ranger, he turned as fast as he could. Digging his heel into the ground he sprinted quickly back towards town. His sense of direction was disrupted by the dulled world around him. In his ears sounds became warped and overwhelming. Every inch of his skin prickled, as if something was being torn out of him. Suddenly, he heard it.
There was a defining grunt of a growl, one that was far too familiar. He stole a glance over his shoulder to see the one thing he dreaded. Skidding to a stop he turned with crossed arms, attempting to deflect the glowing form of his own tiger spirit as it mournfully lunged in a tamed fury.
Casey screamed out as his foot caught and he tumbled to the ground. His head bounced off a nearby rock, causing the remaining grip on his vision to slip into a precarious state. Groaning he turned on his back. An eyeless face loomed over him. He pushed all of his weight upwards, his heels flailing at the figure as he pushed himself up to his feet. The figure easily evaded.
Standing on wobbly feet, Casey took a fighting stance. With a parched throat he tried to call out his tiger spirit, but it only growled in agony. The cloaked figured reached forward with a glossy hand. With a single powerful swipe of the air Casey's own tiger lashed out at him forcing him backwards again. Casey fought back with weak movements until he was forced up against a tree.
His head swam as his tiger paced in front of him making sure he didn't move. Casey could have sworn that he heard a silvery chuckle escape from under the hood. The figure, wavering in his vision, stepped forward. The same hand that had turned his spirit against him reached out. With a single human finger brushing against his sweat coated cheek he heard one word.
"Sleep." Casey fell to the ground in one limb ball.
