Yay, second chapter 8D Enjoy!
I don't own Storm Hawks, but I do own my OCs. If by the off-chance that you'd want to use them, just ask!
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Stirring up a cloud of white snow, the Condor and Steppe-Eagle – as the Congo Claws had called their ship – landed softly onto the terra.
Everyone donned in patched-up jackets and boots, the Storm Hawks stepped out. The Congo Claws, also with winter gear, walked out into the cold to meet them.
Having seen the ship land, Radarr bounded over to Piper and hopped onto her shoulder. The little sky monkey seemed a bit shaken over Aerrow's capture, but other than that, he looked genuinely unscathed.
After gently scratching the little animal under the chin, Piper was the first to speak up. "Hello then. I'm assuming you're the Congo Claws?"
One member of the group, obviously the sky knight, stepped forward with a curt nod. "Yes, we are. A pleasure to meet you, Storm Hawks. I'm Gannet, leader of this team." The sky knight, Gannet, looked to be around twenty or twenty-one years old. He had strawberry-blond hair, which was styled into small spikes, a bit like Finn's. The sky knight had a small goatee on his chin. His figure could be considered lithe, but he looked to be quite strong none-the-less. A machete-like sword was slung across his back, a green stryker crystal in its hilt.
Piper gave a nod back. "I'm Piper, navigator and second-in-command. This is Radarr, co-pilot; Finn, wingman; Junko, mechanic; and Stork, pilot." She pointed to each as she introduced them. "Our sky knight is named Aerrow, but he was captured by that Cyclonian camp. Who knows where he is right now…" she trailed off, obviously anxious to get her injured friend back.
Gannet nodded sympathetically. "Yes, one of ours was taken as well. But we have an idea of where they are; we believe any prisoners are being held on the other side of the terra, at their main camp." He looked lost in thought for a moment, but quickly snapped back. "Oh, where are my manners?" He motioned to his team, and introduced them to the Storm Hawks. "This is Sabine, our co-pilot; Tern, our wingwoman; and Manx, our mechanic. Our pilot was the one taken."
Piper nodded, and the two quickly engaged in conversation about how they could go about patching up the ships, and possibly working together to get their two teammates back to safety. Drifting out of the conversation, Stork curiously looked them all over.
Sabine, the co-pilot, was very petite, and also very young. She looked to be only thirteen or fourteen. Her eyes were an intense navy-blue, and her hair was dark brown. She looked up at the merb, feeling his gaze, then quickly looked away. The girl was obviously quite shy.
Tern surprised him a bit. She wasn't human, that was for sure. She looked like a terradon, but instead of having spikes like most raptors had, her head was instead adorned with a slightly webbed crest. Her eyes were slit-pupiled and a pale yellow, with her skin a scaled, olive-green. An energy gun was clipped to her side. The raptor-thing looked up at Stork coldy, and held her stare. Her tail flickered back and forth agitatedly. Stork had to avert his gaze. This Tern seemed to be quite untrusting. That, or else she just had something against merbs.
Manx, the mechanic, looked a bit scrawny despite his job title. He had dark, grey-blue hair, and looked to be around the same age as Gannet and Tern; twenty, maybe twenty-one. His eyes were honey-coloured; lighter than Piper's, but considerably close to the same colour. He had a pair of goggles pulled up to the top of his head, and wore a small dagger on the side of his leg. It was powered by some green crystal; not a stryker, but one that worked none the less. The mechanic looked up at Stork nonchalantly. From what the merb could tell, Manx seemed to be quite care-free, and maybe a bit lazy.
Stork was snapped out if his examination as he heard Piper ask a question he was curious about as well.
"Any ideas on why the Cyclonians are here in the first place?" she asked.
"Not a clue. We've come up with our share of theories, but none seem to fit," Gannet replied back.
Sabine glanced up. "Well, there was that one story about that stupid crystal."
Gannet shot her a look. The co-pilot visibly shrunk back behind Tern at the Sky Knight's cold gaze. "Sabine, that's just one of the Flurrians' many stories," he said with a hint of disgust. "Nothing to take seriously."
Sabine nodded and shrunk back further, if possible.
Piper, ignoring the obvious hostility between the two Congo Claws, disagreed. "Even if it is just some story or superstition, it wouldn't hurt to look into it. What is this story, anyway?"
Gannet looked unsure, but divulged the details none-the-less. "There's an old tale that the Flurrians cooked up a few centuries back. There's some long story to the history of it that I honestly have no interest in. The 'important' part of it would be the crystal in the story."
"Crystal?" Piper asked, intrigued. Finn rolled his eyes at the girl. Of course she'd be interested in some sort of crystal, even if it was just part of a myth.
"All we really know of the legend is that the Flurrians think there's a powerful crystal in the mountain range somewhere. It was said that it had enough power to wipe out full terras in one blow. However, it apparently could create prosperity, as well. It could bless full cities with large crops and good weather, with no catch. It's no wonder why so many think the Cyclonians would want such a thing. It could very well let them win the war," Gannet explained. "Just a bunch of superstitious words, of course," he added quickly.
"Of course," Piper agreed, though she made a note of the idea. Who knows, Piper thought to herself, it could be true. After all, the Flurrians aren't known for making up things.
Apparently Sabine had the same line of thinking. "But, if it really is out there somewhere, would it really be a bad thing to look for it? I mean, if the Cyclonians found it, it would be the end for a lot of us."
Gannet shot another cold gaze at the girl. "Sabine…" he started, his tone alerting most of the Storm Hawks. He sounded just about ready to strangle his co-pilot.
Though surprised at the Sky Knight, Piper quickly intervened. "No, no, she has a point. We definitely do not need the Cyclonians to have something like that in their possession." Sabine looked up at Piper gratefully. Obviously, there was something between Sabine and Gannet, though the crystal expert decided that it was none of her business.
"I agree," Tern cut in. "However, now that our friend is missing, we have a new priority."
Manx, who had remained quiet throughout the previous conversation, finally joined in. "Hey, you guys want to help us? We'd probably have a better chance with another team at our side."
Almost expecting Gannet to get angered at the mechanic like he had at Sabine, Piper was surprised to see him nod. "Yes, we would very much appreciate it if you did. We would get your friend out as well, of course."
Piper thought for a moment, then turned to the rest of the Storm Hawks. "What do you guys think?"
Stork's eye twitched. "I think you know what I think."
Ignoring Stork's statement, Finn and Junko shrugged. "Fine by us," the blond replied.
Piper nodded. "Alright then. We'll gladly work with you all."
Gannet smiled approvingly. "Great! Then we should get started right away." He began sending out orders to his crew, giving each a job to help with the Condor's repairs. Piper turned around and nodded to the remaining Storm Hawks to follow. She started walking back towards the ship, the other three following.
She couldn't help it as a small, pessimistic thought flitted through her mind.
We have to hurry. Or we may end up being too late.
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Two cyclonian goons roughly threw a bloodied and unconscious Aerrow into a small cell. They bitterly laughed at the teen's predicament, then went on their way.
A petite, shadowed figure waited for them to leave as she kept in the corner. Her cat-like white tail flickered behind her. She watched them leave, her aqua eyes hard with anger, and cautiously made her way towards her new red-headed cellmate. She tried shaking him awake, but got no response. She checked his vital signs; they were a bit weak, but they were there none-the-less. Carefully, she lifted him up onto the only bunk in the cell. She lifted a furry eyebrow at the teen's light weight. "You need to eat a bit more," she muttered, her voice a bit husky through its peculiar accent. After making sure she did all she could for the injured Sky Knight, she slid down against the wall, and sat with a huff. She gazed sympathetically back at the unconscious Aerrow one last time before closing her eyes and getting some rest herself.
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Tada! Hope you like it!
Please review! If there's anything you think I should fix, speak up! Ya here? 8)