Razer glared at the closed door, even after he had blasted Kilowog out of his room and into the hallway. He waited, listening until he heard the large Green Lantern pick himself up and walk away. His fist still clenched, he looked down at the hand his ring was on. The item in question had lost its' red glow, leaving it looking just like an ordinary ring. Turning away from the door, he walked back to the desk, where the stone still sat. He picked it up by the string looped through it, lifting it up to his face level and staring into the swirl of colors. His eyes reflected the colors, making them look odd and even more vivid than usual.

Which one did he see? He wondered with something between curiosity and mild dread. With a resigned sigh, he placed the item down and looked back at his ring. Reaching for it with his other hand, he gritted his teeth so he would not scream with pain as he pulled it quickly off of his finger. He suppressed his panting as he stared at it, now laying harmlessly in the palm of his hand. Straightening, he slipped it into a nearly invisible pocket in his clothing. Now, he thought seriously, down to business.

–

Kilowog walked down the main street, now devoid of the people. The sky overhead was dark, the stars twinkling merrily overhead. He was rubbing his shoulder, still sore from the impact. His right shoulder had been the part of him that had taken the brunt of Razer's blast, and was also the one that had hit the wall first.

"Geez, who put a mongrot grub down his collar," he thought out loud. He had a habit of doing this, one that Hal had commented on multiple times. While Kilowog had seen Razer annoyed, slightly aggravated, and even the wild anger brought on by battle; but never had Kilowog seen such pure, carnal, animalistic rage that had been on Razer's face at that moment. It was like Kilowog had accidentally walked into a minefield and had been one step away from starting up a devastating chain reaction. Probably the only thing that kept that from happening was that Razer seemed to be able to retain that last bit of self-control that kept him from ripping out Kilowog's throat with his teeth. "Better call Hal and Aya so they know where I am." He raised his ring to his face, speaking into it as he walked. "Hal, Aya, either of you there?"

"Yeah Kilowog, I'm here," Hal's voice responded through the ring.

"I am present as well," Aya said monotonely. "What occurred on the ship? I detected that your vital signs became irregular for approximately 10.4 minutes. Then I detected a large power surge, as if from a power ring. Did something happen?" Kilowog snorted and rolled his eyes, though he knew that they couldn't see him since this was only a voice conversation.

"Yeah. I don't know what happened. I really can't explain it very well over the ring. But, to explain the power surge, Razer found me when I was looking around in his room and he got angry. He blasted me out into the hallway and slammed the door shut."

"Woah, woah, woah," Hal interrupted. "You were snooping around in his room? Well, I can understand that he'd be mad that you were in his private space, but to be mad enough to blast you out? That seems a little far-fetched. Were you doing anything you weren't supposed to? Like, you know, going through his stuff?"

"Hey, the only thing I did was pick up something on his desk, but I'll have to explain it when I meet up with you." He heard Hal sigh from the other end of the line before he got a response.

"Okay Kilowog, we'll see you in a few minutes. Hal, out." The communication cut off and Kilowog lowered his ring hand back down to his side. As he turned a corner, he began to have the oddest feeling he was being observed. It made the skin on the back of his neck break in goosebumps (considering that he had no hair). Clenching his fist, he raised it back up, instincts preparing him for an attack.

"Who's there? I'm warning you, I'm armed." He saw a flash of movement in the darkness, a swift movement of black against blacker background. He backed up, ears pricked up as he listened to his surroundings. He picked up a low grumbling noise off to his right, sticking to the darkest parts of the shadows. "Alright. Who- or- whatever you are, come out right now!" He aimed his ring at the dark shape, but it didn't move an inch. Then, it made a tiny movement, a sudden adjusting of a leg, and Kilowog instinctively shot. The green energy went low, but it hit its' mark. The creature, as he now knew it was, yowled with pain in the still night. It jumped away from the spot, out of the shadows, where Kilowog could see it clearly.

If Hal had been there, he would have described it as some kind of cat-like creature. It had the sleek, lithe body of a panther; colored black as the night when the stars and moon were absent. Sharp claws protruded from its' paws, glinting like silver in the moon. It's sharp, triangular ears were whirling like satellite dishes, searching for any sound after the shock of the pain. The creature's head was lowered, one of the front paws lifted up off the ground slightly. It angled its' face more towards him, scrutinizing him carefully. It lowered a paw, possibly to take a step towards him, but then immediately jerked back with a quiet yelp. It lifted the same paw gingerly, now Kilowog could see that he had hit the creature there.

With a quiet growl, the creature gave him a quick, sharp look. It was a flash of sapphire in the night, and then the thing was gone. It had disappeared, submerged back into the shadows from whence it had appeared. Kilowog was still a bit shaken, seeing the creature as large as a man approach him so fearlessly, but he soon shook off this feeling and began on his way again. Now he had something else to tell Hal and Aya about, a strange sort of night indeed.

–

It was morning of the next day. The village was bustling with life once more, the villagers having emerged from their homes rested and refreshed for a new day. The crew of the Interceptor awoke in their separate rooms, then went out into the village to meet up with the elder. Moak had promised a full tour of the village and its' surrounding areas, which most of the crew had been looking forward to. The only one who didn't was, of course, Razer. He had said the he would prefer to stay on the ship while they went, but Hal wouldn't hear of it. So, here he was now, dragged out to do something against his will.

When they got to the place Moak said he would meet them, the village elder was there as promised, along with Razer's children. They excitedly ran up to their father and hugged him as soon as they saw him. Razer didn't show very much emotion, but he did return the embrace lightly, hardly noticeable. Kilowog bored holes through Razer's back with his intense stare.

"I'm tellin' ya' Jordan," he muttered in a low tone, "somethin' weird is goin' on with Razer." Hal shook his head, patting Kilowog's shoulder.

"You're just too paranoid. Come on, this is the first time we've had to rest in a while, be a little more happy." Kilowog nodded, but continued to stare at Razer, even as they went over to where Moak stood, smiling. When they all came closer, the elder's sharp eyes flicked to Razer, both hands coming to rest atop his staff.

"What happened there, young man? It seems you've injured yourself." He lifted one of his fingers and pointed at Razer's hand, a dark spot showing against the pale gray skin. He covered this hand with the other, shielding it from view, but not before the rest of the crew saw it.

"It's nothing. I merely caught my hand in the door." Still, even as he said this, his gaze inexplicably went over to Kilowog, fixing the large Green Lantern with his classic glare. The elder nodded amiably, motioning for him to follow them.

"Ah, yes, that's why one must be careful about these things, no? Nonetheless, come along, I have plenty for you to see." He began his limping walk and the rest followed. The twins held hands as they skipped after Razer, smiling as though they were the happiest children in the world. Kilowog still had a feeling of suspicion lying heavily in his gut.

That injury on his hand wasn't a bruise or something one would get from an injury like slamming one's hand in the door. It looked more like a burn-mark, a laser burn mark to be more specific. One that looked like it had come from one produced by a Green Lantern ring. His mind involuntarily flashed back to the night before, the cat-like creature he had encountered before. He had told Aya and Hal about it, but they had brushed it off as a local species of the planet. Still, Kilowog wasn't convinced. He glared daggers at Razer's back, suspicion after suspicion flowing through his mind.

What are you hiding, Red?

–

Ha ha, tension. Kilowog is suspicious of Razer. How will this turn out? Will Kilowog learn the truth behind Razer? Only time will tell. Please review, I need them to go on with my writing. Any reviews, even short ones, are very much appreciated. Even a 'cool story bro', would do just fine. Please and thank you.

Next chapter, Razer gets a surprise meeting with Saint Walker. Stay tuned to see what happens next. Jeice Lover, out!