Well, here's chapter 2. Sorry this took so long and that it's so short. But with the flashback I have in it, I figure I timed it just right for today. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own PR or Disney. And Happy Mother's Day!
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"I said who's there? I won't ask again!" Casey repeated his demand.
Everyone kept their defensive stances as they waited for the intruder to reveal himself. When the person stepped from the shadows, the rangers and RJ discovered that the intruder was a beautiful woman in her mid 30's with flowing blonde hair and streaks of green tinting a few choice locks.
"I'm known for my stealthy attacks. I didn't think I'd be discovered quite so easily." The woman replied with a smirk.
Hearing her comment, Casey, Lily and Theo stayed on the defensive, but Gwen, Keenan and RJ recognized her immediately and let their guard down.
"Master Dile. It's good to see you." RJ greeted.
Once RJ regarded the visitor as a master, Casey, Lily and Theo immediately bowed. The outfit Master Dile wore had sheer sleeves and they were able to see the Order of the Claw tattoo on the inside of her right forearm.
"RJ, it's been a while." The woman replied in a British accent. "Gwendolyn, Keenan. My how you two have grown."
The cubs looked the new master over and were intrigued. The other masters they have met were considerably older but this one looked like she could be RJ's sister.
"RJ, who is she?" Theo asked.
"Casey, Lily, Theo, this is Master Dile, holder of the crocodile spirit. Master Dile, these are my students." RJ formally introduced his pupils to the new master.
The three rangers waved to Master Dile who returned the favor.
"So, what brings you to my humble abode?" RJ asked with a flourish.
Master Dile slowly looked around his loft and took in his 'unique' flair for decorating, minus his messy workstation and arcade games. Once she scanned the entire area, she looked back to RJ and gave him a smirk.
"RJ, this place is a lot of things, but 'humble' hardly describes it." She chuckled. "You always did have eccentric taste, yet you make it work."
Theo raised an eyebrow and couldn't resist adding his two cents.
"'Eccentric'...isn't that just a fancy word for 'crazy'?" Theo joked.
"It is when you're rich." The Pai Zhuq pizza master replied with his patented swagger.
"But you're not..."
Theo couldn't finish his sentence because Lily quickly put her hand over his mouth. She remembered how the blue jaguar walked into cleaning up the entire loft shortly after RJ rescued them from the mantis rinshi. Giving a hearty laugh, Master Dile spoke again.
"In any rate, the reason I'm here is Gwendolyn."
Gwen just let out a long sigh. During her tenure as a student at Pai Zhuq, everyone else had just called her 'Gwen'. Only Master Dile had insisted on using her formal name.
"Master Dile, with all due respect, you can just call me Gwen. I mean, everyone else does." The panther spirit holder replied politely with a shrug.
"I know, but it's such a lovely name. Even its meaning it pretty." The crocodile holder defended with a smile.
None of the rangers ever fathomed what their own names meant, let alone someone else's, so when the crocodile master eluded to the meaning of the panther's birth name, everyone was intrigued including a certain chef.
"Is that a fact? So, what does her name mean?" RJ asked, his curiosity now heightened.
Master Dile grinned a little before answering. She could tell by his body language that RJ had fallen for the young panther.
"Her name means 'Goddess of the Moon'."
Gwen let out a small groan in embarrassment as her head dropped. She never liked being fussed over and that was precisely what Master Dile had in mind. It was her loop de loop way of helping Gwen be proud of who she was.
"Master Dile, why do you always do that to me?" Gwen asked with a shrug.
"Gwendolyn, I just want to show you that it's alright to share little snippets about who you are. And there's certainly nothing wrong with being proud of your own name. It's lovely." She replied with a smile.
Gwen just sighed heavily and folded her arms.
"It's not that I'm not proud of it; I am. I just don't like going around crowing about every little thing about me." Gwen softly protested.
"Why not? I think your name's really pretty." Lily gasped.
"No, Lily. It's beautiful. Gwen has the perfect name." RJ thought wistfully.
The Crocodile Master eyed RJ as he wore his emotions all over his face. It was clear who he was thinking about.
"Ah, young love." Master Dile thought happily. "But back to the matter at hand. I came to help Gwendolyn with her problem."
When Master Dile called her affliction a 'problem', Gwen lowered her head. It had become a hindrance in such a short span of time; she had built up a reputation for being even-tempered and compassionate...and now with those outbursts, there was a chance she could be labeled as 'schizo' and what person would want to take their ailing pet to a vet who has 'tics'?
"My problem? You mean why I'm lashing out at everyone?" Gwen asked timidly, afraid to talk any louder than her usual tone.
Master Dile nodded slowly. She had watched Gwen and Keenan since they first arrived at Pai Zhuq and found Gwen's soft demeanor refreshing. It was rare for someone her age, especially considering how hyper most seven-year-olds are. But she did notice something about the young panther growing up and that 'something' may have manifested itself into what was happening to her now.
"Yes, but I have a feeling that there's more to it than that."
"Like what?" Keenan asked.
Master Dile walked to the young Panther Master and gave her a reassuring smile.
"RJ, I think I can help her, but I'm going to need to borrow her for a little while." The crocodile master replied as she looked towards the pizza chef.
"If you think there's anything you can do to help her, of course."
"Wait, what about Passerina? Won't we need her help with that musical feather duster?" Casey asked.
The crocodile master just nodded to Casey before speaking.
"Don't worry, young tiger. When I bring Gwendolyn back, she'll be more than a match for Passerina." With a wink to the cubs, she turned her attention to Gwen. "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be, Master Dile." Gwen replied but before she took a step out of the door, she turned to face everyone. "Guys, I am really sorry about all this."
"Gwen, it's alright. There's nothing to apologize for." Lily replied with a sweet smile.
Gwen had a small smile on her face as she went out of the loft with her new trainer. The rangers and RJ watched as the two women left and hoped that they'd be able to hold of Passerina and her musical hypnosis long enough for Gwen to return.
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Back at Dai Shi's lair...
Passerina walked proudly into Dai Shi's throne room like her avian cousin, the flamboyant peacock. Camille, who was anxiously awaiting the news of her underling's progress, was pleased when she noticed Passerina strutting her stuff. This was one time Flit would be glad he wasn't out of the chameleon's stomach.
"Looks like you really got into the panther ranger's head. Nice work, Passerina!" Camille giggled.
"Oh, it was so much fun, Camille. I really got under her skin." Passerina twittered. "She's just like a trumpet; to make it play right, you have to push the right buttons."
"So true. Now, we just need to finish off the other rangers." The wily chameleon pondered. "This has to be done with finesse. No ordinary demise will do for those constant pests."
Passerina knew exactly what Camille was driving at. She liked being creative with her victims.
"We are so on the same page, girl. Peep this...while the black ranger's out on her intermezzo, we lure the rangers out to the cliffs overlooking the beach and once I enchant them with my music, they'll be nothing more than lemmings as I make them dance themselves over the edge." With a flourish, she turns to her master. "How's that for a finale?"
Camille gave Passerina a devilish grin indicating that she liked the songbird's idea.
"Passerina, I do like your style. Go do what you do best." The sly lizard replied as she shooed her minion away.
Passerina giggled evilly as she strolled out of the throne room to cause another riot, passing Dai Shi as he entered. He had overheard their conversation and wasn't about to let his favorite underling go without alerting her of her shortcomings.
"It looks as if Passerina has gotten a leg up on you in regards to your feud with the Black Ranger." Dai Shi said in a low whisper.
Camille's grin fell once she heard her master's words and turned to face him.
"What are you talking about?" Camille stammered worriedly. The thought of anyone catching Dai Shi's interest in any way put her on edge. "She doesn't have an advantage over me."
"Oh, no? She managed to do something to the panther that you couldn't do since your first encounter with her...rattle her cage. Anyone who can shake the resolve of a strong warrior like that has high value among my ranks." The black lion snarled. "I want you to go with her on her little tour. See that she succeeds."
Camille was about to protest, but remembered what happened the last time she did.
"Yes, Dai Shi." She conceded with a bow.
As she left the throne room, she thought about her master's words and how they worried her:
"She managed to do something to the panther that you couldn't do since your first encounter with her...rattle her cage. Anyone who can shake the resolve of a strong warrior like that has high value among my ranks."
"If she manages to get rid of the rangers, where would that put me?" Camille thought as she bit her lower lip nervously. With all her past failures, anyone who even came close to defeating the rangers could take her top spot in the blink of an eye...they'd be Dai Shi's favorite.
"I can't let that happen." She plotted.
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Meanwhile...
Master Dile and Gwen walked through the lush forest and as they did, the panther ranger took in all the scents and sounds that she grew to love when she was at the academy. While the pair walked, a couple of young fox kits scurried around her feet playfully as if they knew her presence would bring them no harm. Gwen giggled as the young creatures tagged along and kept pace with the two masters. She wanted to play with them but she remembered the lessons she taught the children at her animal hospital...that no matter how cute and cuddly they may be, contact with wild animals should be limited. That, and there was also a little matter called 'training' she had to take care of. While Gwen paid attention to the scenery, she noticed that Master Dile had taken Gwen to her special training grounds, a clearing located along a vast river a few miles from Master Phant's forest home. If it wasn't for the fact that they had passed the elephant master's house or that they were a few miles from Master Swoop's domain, Gwen would have thought that the crocodile master had taken her to the middle of nowhere. Taking note of their surroundings, Gwen spoke softly.
"Master Dile, I don't understand why you brought me here. I mean, it's peaceful..."
"But..." The blonde master interrupted. She wanted to know what was on the panther's mind. "I thought you liked peaceful."
"I do." Gwen sighed. "I've loved it ever since..." Gwen took a pause as a thought made her look away from the crocodile master.
"Since what?" Master Dile prodded gently.
The panther sighed softly. Her brown eyes closed slowly; she didn't want Master Dile to see the sadness reflected in them.
"Since my mom." She stopped in her tracks and her two crimson furred shadows did the same as one of the few memories of her deceased mother filled her mind.
[Flashback]
It was a few months before the fateful day when Gwen's mother would lose her life in a fatal car accident. The child had just celebrated her third birthday and was playing outside in her spacious backyard. It had the normal amenities any other child's backyard had: a swing set, a table for tea parties and a sand box, but every once in a while, the backyard would be frequented by visitors that Gwen wanted to play with...then animals from the small forest just beyond the fence. Whenever she saw a small fox, or even a bird, she would run out the back door squealing happily but because of her exuberance, the animals would always run away upsetting the three-year-old Gwen. On this particular day, her mother was watching and, as most mothers did, she went out to comfort her daughter the moment she started crying about the newest animal that went away.
"What's wrong, honey?" Gwen's mother asked in a calm voice as she knelt down. She was a nurse by nature so her bedside manner was always needed, especially when her favorite patient needed comforting.
Gwen, who was wearing blue jean overalls and had her hair in pigtails, quickly wiped her eyes before looking up at her mother. She'd just turned three and she didn't want to look like a crybaby...she was a 'big girl' now.
"Th-the bunny h-hopped aw-away." Gwen sniffled. "I just wanted to play with it."
Gwen's mother smiled warmly. Her little girl always had an affinity for animals...she just didn't have the volume control to approach them. Giving her daughter a hug, she stroked the little girl's hair before speaking.
"Sweetheart, I know you want to play with them, but most animals don't like it when people are too loud. It scares them away." The mother explained simply.
Gwen sniffled as she looked up at her mother, her brown eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"You mean, if I want them to play with me, I have to be quiet? Like you?" She asked wiping her eyes.
Her mother nodded with a grin.
"Does that really work?" Gwen asked cutely.
"Most of the time. If you want, we can try it. I know how much you like ducks. We can go to the pond and see if we can get one to come close, okay?"
Gwen grinned and nodded quickly. Ducks were one of her favorite animals and she always wanted to hold a duckling in her hand. Chuckling, her mother took Gwen by the hand and led her through the fence behind their house to a small pond. Mother and daughter knelt down beside the water's edge and waited.
"Now, Gwen. You have to be very patient...and very quiet." Her mother whispered.
Gwen just nodded obediently as the pair continued to wait. A few minutes passed, but to a three-year-old, it might as well have taken forever for something to happen. She wanted to let out a frustrated sigh, but she kept silent knowing any sound could prevent the ducks from coming to the pond. Another minute passed and just when Gwen thought she couldn't wait anymore, she heard the telltale quacking of a family of mallard ducks. The little girl tapped her mom on her knee and pointed to the five ducklings as they waddled and peeped cutely behind their parents.
"Now, watch." Her mother whispered gently.
Gwen obeyed and didn't take hey eyes off of the ducks for a moment. The father and mother duck stood at the edge of the pond before wading in. The pair swam out to the middle of the pond and quacked for their offspring to follow. The one in front, who looked to be the oldest, waddled in first and was soon followed by the other four. All seven ducks splashed through the water eating bugs and the duck siblings had fun playing chase with each other.
"They're so cute." Gwen whispered.
As the ducklings played, one looked in Gwen's direction, tilted its tiny head and locked eyes with the child. It was the smallest one of the bunch and the most curious one. As its parents and siblings kept swimming, the little duck waded out of the pond and waddled towards Gwen who kept completely silent. As the small duckling waddled closer, Gwen slowly placed her left hand on the ground, palm side up. The baby duck lightly pecked at her fingertips and it took Gwen everything she had to keep from giggling. Once it determined that she wouldn't do anything to hurt it, the small duckling looked up into Gwen's eyes and peeped cutely as if to say 'hi'.
"Hi, little duck." Gwen greeted softly.
The baby duck looked at Gwen's palm, walked onto it and settled itself into the dip in the middle. Gwen smiled as she slowly raised her hand and the duckling closer to her face.
"You're not scared of me, are you?" Gwen asked and the tiny duckling peeped as if to say 'nope'.
And what surprised Gwen most was that it wasn't afraid. The small duck wasn't shaking in fear at all; the only shaking it did was its downy tail. Gwen smiled as she slowly brought her right hand to pet the baby duckling. Using just her index finger, she gently stroked the fluffy down on its small head. The duckling closed its eyes and peeped cutely as Gwen stroked its back.
"You're really soft...and cute." She giggled.
What she didn't know was that the duckling's family was looking for their missing member and were now standing in front of the child. The parents looked on, not in worry, but in curiosity as Gwen carefully petted their youngest offspring. The babies were all hopping and flapping their stubby underdeveloped wings as they peeped loudly.
"What's wrong?" Gwen asked fearing they thought she was going to hurt their little brother or sister.
The oldest kept hopping until it landed on Gwen's arm and waddled to where its sibling sat. Gwen giggled as it tried to squeeze into the dip in her palm almost pushing the smaller duckling out.
"Oh, I get it. You want to be petted, too."
The larger duckling peeped in affirmation as the others wanted their turn.
"Okay. You'll all get your turn...but no pushing." She replied sternly to the eldest duckling and to her amazement, the eldest duckling obeyed and hopped down from her hand. Gwen's mother smiled at her child and the scene unfolding in front of as she pulled out a camera and snapped the photo.
"I see big things for you, my little girl." Gwen's mother thought as her child played with the duck family.
[End Flashback]
A lone tear streaked down Gwen's cheek as the memory ended. Wiping it away, she looked at Master Dile.
"It was my mom that taught me that if you don't raise your voice, animals will gravitate to you. I later figured out that the same held true for people so I kept quiet." Gwen began.
Master Dile smiled lightly and sighed. Gwen did have some good points but she was a bit misguided.
"Gwendolyn, I think it's time to change the way you perceive things...and yourself. For starters, we're going to focus on how you express yourself."
"I don't understand what you're driving at. What's wrong with how I express myself?" Gwen asked in confusion.
"You don't. That's the problem." Master Dile sighed. "You let people in but you don't let them know what you're really feeling. You may not know this, but you're harder to read than Master Swoop...and that's saying something."
Gwen just gave a wide-eyed look to Master Dile and shook her head. Now Master Swoop had a reputation for being the most 'even' of the Pai Zhuq masters. That and the fact that he basically wore the same expression on his face, minus the smirk he sported once in a blue moon.
"Well, you can't really 'read' someone who always wears those cool shades. Blind or not." Gwen thought before replying. "I do, Master Dile. Or at least I think I do. Just exactly what do...I can't believe I let everyone down! I'm so stupid!" Gwen blurted out making Master Dile and the fox kits jump back. The panther gasped as she slammed her hands over he mouth quickly. Her eyes bugged out in shock at the sudden outburst as they seem to be coming much louder and much more frequent.
"I can't even control my own mouth. It's like I don't know when to be quiet anymore." She whispered sadly.
The fox kits yipped as they nuzzled Gwen's leg, letting her know they forgave her. Master Dile shot Gwen a comforting smile as the crocodile spirit holder placed her hand on the panther's quivering shoulder.
"Gwendolyn, it's alright. I know how you feel." Master Dile began soothingly. "I went through the same phase when I was younger."
"Really?" The young panther asked. "I find that hard to believe. You let everyone know what's on your mind...good or bad."
"But, I didn't always. When you're British, you're expected to maintain a certain degree of restraint and decorum. You're expected to be..."
"Stiff and boring?" Gwen interjected with a slight smirk. "Just kidding."
Master Dile shot Gwen a look that was a mix of 'what did you just say?' and 'watch it'. But it passed quickly as she let out a chuckle. In a way, it was her own fault. She did want Gwen to speak her mind more...and she got her wish.
"I was going to say 'dignified'." The crocodile master chuckled. "But, I learned that keeping your feelings inside is never good for you, physically or mentally. You have to let it out."
Gwen bit her lower lip in uncertainty.
"Um, with all due respect...I have been letting it out. And because of it, everyone thinks I'm either going psycho or I have Tourette's." Gwen retorted with a roll of her eyes. She didn't mean for it to sound rude; she was just frustrated with her situation and with herself. "I'm sorry, Master Dile. I didn't mean to go off like that."
"Well, if that was 'going off' as you call it, I'd hate to see you when you explode." The croc master replied with a playful smirk. "Gwendolyn, I've been watching you grow up at the academy and I've noticed that you pride yourself on always having things under control. And while that's an admirable trait to possess, there is such a thing as being too under control. Those outbursts are a prime example. It's your true, raw emotions trying to escape; they need to be expressed." The blonde master looked at Gwen like a mother teaching her daughter an important life lesson. "You need to learn how to just...let go."
"Master Dile, don't know if I can do that." Gwen protested as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I mean, I've always been 'the quiet mouse girl' when I stayed at the orphanage and the 'shy girl' at Pai Zhuq. The only time I ever really 'let go' was when I slammed my finger in my car door. I screamed so loud, I lost my voice for two days as a result."
"But didn't it feel good?" The croc spirit holder asked excitedly making Gwen shoot her a questioning glance.
"Um, slamming my thumb in my car door and having it swell to the size of a strawberry wasn't my idea of a good time if that's what you're asking." Gwen replied sarcastically with curled lips.
"Not that. The screaming." Master Dile clarified. "Tell me how you felt when that happened."
"Well...it actually felt...good." Gwen began. "You know, minus the cursing I was doing. Thank goodness there weren't any kids around. I did feel better after screaming my voice out." The panther rubbed her thumb which still had a slight scar before looking at Master Dile again. "But it wasn't like I was trying to scream that time...it just happened. When I actually try to put some effort into doing it on purpose, I sound dumb." Gwen finished with a frustrated sigh.
The crocodile spirit holder sympathized with her young charge. She may be a master now, herself, but the panther still had a lot to learn.
"Perhaps you need proper motivation." Master Dile prompted with a smirk. She knew what Gwen needed was a little incentive. "Maybe you'd have a better chance of letting it out if I gave you...this." Master Dile produced a weapon that made Gwen go speechless at the sight. "This is the Jungle Kwan Dao. And just like my spirit animal, it's deadly from both ends."
The fierce weapon was a long, hunter green and black polearm with a weighted, tri-sided spear head on one end and a wide, distal tapered blade on the other end that had the shape similar to a crescent moon. Master Dile swept the blade across the grass and the sharpness of it was like nothing Gwen had ever seen. The other end was crafter to resemble the crocodile's powerful tail.
"Oh, wow! That weapon's...wicked!" Gwen whispered as se reached out to touch it. But before she could, Master Dile pulled it just out of her reach.
"Not yet, Gwendolyn. Handling this weapon takes much more than just skill and physical prowess." Master Dile leans the Kwan Dao against a tree before speaking again. "You have to put everything you have into wielding it: mind, body and soul. To use this weapon, you have to learn to let it out!"
"But how?! Every time I try, I feel like I'm holding it in...like something's holding me back." Gwen sighed. "I don't know if I can let it out."
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End of Chapter 2
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This is bad. To earn the Kwan Dao, Gwen has to do the one thing she feels she can't do. And what's gonna happen to the gang when they meet Passerina again? I hope this chapter picks up some business. Seems my regular readers forgot about me. So read, REVIEW and pass it on! Ciao for now!