I am finally updating! Yay! Hope y'all enjoy and stuff.

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YFWE

Ch. 7: The First Test

It was well near 6 when Rose and Fu, quite the tired duo after their tour of the Magical Village, returned to Grandpa's shop. God knows what he had been doing while they had been gone, but really, it didn't matter.

This was because, as they soon found out, they had much bigger fish to fry.

"Gramps, we're home," Fu announced as soon as the two of them entered through the front door of the shop. It was quiet inside. Actually, too quiet. So quiet it almost felt like a sin.

However, the silence was broken a few moments later, when Grandpa did appear in the doorway that led to one of the back rooms. "Ah, Fu, Rose...," he said, "I am glad you are here... we have a minor problem."

"Yeah? What?" Rose threw herself onto the couch in the living room, folding her arms across her chest.

"Well... it appears that... Fu, you remember the satyr colony that lives near the Saint Thomas Cathedral, yes?"

"How could I forget? We had a great time macking on those cupcakes!"

Awkward silence.

"Wha-?"

"Oh, never mind," Fu sighed. "Yeah, I remember 'em."

"Yes, well... their safe house has been attacked. Nearly the entire colony has been taken hostage inside. One was able to escape- Gharida Trujik, the one that works down in the Magical Village; he was returning from work when he saw the commotion inside and ran to the City Council, of all places."

"John Smith called me about an hour ago. He'd like us to look into it. Especially because...," he paused.

"Because... what?" asked Rose.

"... he told me that the Huntsclan is a prime suspect in the attack."

Rose gasped.

"How's that any different than any other time?" Fu chimed in. "I mean... isn't the Huntsclan ALWAYS behind everything?"

"It's not that!" Rose snapped. "It's..."

"Oh, I see," Fu said knowingly. "Jake."

She nodded slowly.

"I do not want to do this either...," sighed Grandpa, putting his hand on her shoulder as if to comfort her, "but it was bound to happen sooner or later- you know that."

"Furthermore, when you accepted the responsibilities as the American Dragon, you swore that you would protect any and all magical creatures, at all costs, yes?"

"Yeah."

"Well then... it is time to keep your promise," he stood up and walked toward the door to outside. "You must do this- a fellow magical creature's life is at stake. Come to think of it... many lives are at stake. We must do this."

Rose blinked through watery eyes. Grandpa was right. Even if Jake was there... she would have to fight. A confrontation with Jake, it seemed, was inevitable.

Shaking slightly, Rose brought herself upright and said, "Yes. Okay, I'll do it. But one thing, though."

"Hm?"

"I haven't even mastered my dragon powers yet!" she blurted out. "All I really know how to do well is become a dragon!"

"Not that it's a bad thing...," Fu commented. "I mean, if you weren't able to change..."

"We've no time for this, Fu. Rose is right- she is about as novice as they come," Grandpa stared transfixed at the ground, obviously in deep thought.

"I suppose that much of what we do tonight will be of my doing- or most of the fighting, I should say." He turned to Rose. "Follow along with me- try to do what I do. This, young dragon, shall be your first real test of your dragon abilities. I know you are not that skilled- but you were somehow able to repel Jake before, right?"

Rose grimaced. Yes, she had. But that thought didn't quite help- it only made her think more of Jake- what she felt she had done to him.

"I am sure that you will be fine," he said. "Now, we must be off! The safe house is ten minutes by sky, and who knows how much time we have before the Huntsclan takes them away! Prepare yourself- we are leaving now."

(END)

And, as Grandpa had estimated, it did take them ten minutes to reach the house. (Seriously... Fu was using a timer- that's how incredibly bored he was.)

Grandpa and Rose swooped down to the pavement- making sure there was no one around before hand, of course.

The safe house was an apartment building on 68th street, and it was rare that many people actually passed by the place. The colony had a leader named Ebi Ferafalo, who could alter his appearance to make himself look human. This was quite the amenity when the Jehovah's Witnesses came to the front door.

As Grandpa and Rose landed, they realized that it was completely quiet inside- no lights on, even.

"You think that maybe the Huntsclan already have taken them back to the Huntslair?" Rose asked.

"Somehow, I do not think so...," Grandpa said softly, taking a step forward. "Quickly, let's get inside, before..."

"Before what?"

The voice caught all three of them by surprise. Firstly, because there had been no one in sight. And second of all, because they knew that voice. It was a voice... that was not supposed to be here.

The Huntsmaster leaped in front of them, clutching his staff in one hand. "You are not going anywhere... isn't that right, Huntsboy?"

"OW!"

A trash can clattered to the ground behind the scene. They whirled around to see... Jake. In uniform. And on the ground after tripping over a trash can.

"Yo! I'm cool, I'm cool!" he pulled himself off the ground and dashed in front of them as well.

"Jake...," Rose whispered.

"That's my name, girl. Now what the hell are YOU doin' here?"

"Exactly what I was going to ask," the Huntsmaster snarled.

"Do not play dumb with us," Grandpa laughed. "We know what you are up to."

"Do you, now?" the Huntsmaster nodded appreciatively. "Well then... you know that it would be wrong to get in our way, would you not?"

"In your dreams," Rose sneered.

"Well then say hello to my little friend!" Jake yelled, pulling out a small, round, colorless ball. He threw it at the ground, and it exploded on impact, unleashing a great screen of smoke.

"No!" Grandpa coughed, and he flew upwards to get out of the cloud. Rose followed suit, with Fu on her back.

When the smoke cleared, there was an empty ground below. And a wide open door leading inside.

"Damn!" Rose exclaimed. She looked over at Grandpa. "What should we do?"

"Through the roof!" he said. The two of them sped up to the top of the building. There was a door leading inside- just like the building Grandpa lived in. To get through, they reverted to human and ran inside, searching for any traces of the satyr.

There was a noise downstairs. The Huntsclan? Probably. They found the stairs and slid down them, and found themselves standing right next to the Huntsclan in a near-empty room.

"What have you done with the satyr, uncle?" Rose demanded, pointing a human finger at him.

"Ah... you think WE are behind this, eh?"

"Um... yeah," said Rose sternly.

"Well isn't that an intriguing little turn of events?"

This new voice had come from neither of the feuding parties, but from in front of them. And this, unlike last time, was not a familiar voice.

It was a woman. In fact, she was a blond-haired woman, who appeared to be a tanning salon addict. But the oddest was that she wore a white apron down the front of her.

"I don't know who you are," she spoke again, "But I do not take kindly to trespassers."

"Wh-who are you?"

"Me?" She smiled creepily.

"I am Marnie Stewart, Martha Stewart's sister."

"Prepare to, like, die."

END CHAPTER

Special thanks to Dragoshine on the idea for the villain. This is gonna be fuuuuunnnnn... XD Well, read and review, all!

YFWE