Thanks for the reviews guys! As always, they make me smile. :D Here's a more action-packed (and longer!) chapter! Hope you guys enjoy it! Please review; they help me make Spirit's Life better!
Hassingthecoolone: I'm glad that I can create some feels! Hehe! She may not make friends easily, but she'll defend them until the end if she has to. (;
HextheDayDreamer: Not my best chapter, I admit, but every movie I've watched always has a little quiet moment before chaos erupts! Hehe!
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I walked for a couple of hours, just walking where my feet led me, claws clicking almost inaudibly against the floor. I barely let myself think, just looking at the hallways and trying to make a mental map in my head. If I thought that the X-Mansion was huge, then the Pit was a labyrinth. There was a grid pattern to it, and I tested this out by crisscrossing along the hallways until I came back to where I'd come from. Pleased with this finding, I started to head back to the common area where the rest of the Joes were; I was hoping that Ripcord was done embarrassing himself in front of the others, especially Scarlet.
I chuckled to myself at the thought before freezing, fur on my shoulders starting to bristle; something wasn't right. I stayed where I was, ears twitching as I fought to figure out what had set me on edge. It didn't take me long to realize what it was: I smelled blood. Immediately, I took off down the hallway, following my nose. I turned down a corner, forcing myself to slow down as blood splashed up onto my fur. I snarled, looking at the two dead guards in the hallway; someone or something was after my pack. I throw my head back, giving a loud, chilling howl that echoes throughout the hallways. I didn't know if the others knew that it was a warning, but I did know that Duke and Ripcord would; that's how I'd call them towards a target when we'd worked out in the field. I hoped that they remembered that now as my howl faded away. Then, the alarms start to blare.
I race down the hallway, ignoring the blood that splashes up on me as I hurry towards where I could hear fighting. Turning a corner, I see three of the same soldiers that had been there the night the Joes had found us. I snarl, leaping into the air and landing on the back of one, tearing at his helmet as he fell to the ground from the force of my tackle. He smelled wrong, like meat let out in the sun too long. I wrinkled my nose as I bit into his armor; however, my fangs barely made a dent in the armor. Realizing this, the soldier grabbed my scruff and threw me across the hallway. I yelped as I slammed against the wall before it turned into a growl. Ok, this guy had pissed me off. My growl got deeper, my white fur turning tawny and my fangs growing larger and sharper. I yowl, heaving my heavier body from the ground and charging the soldier again. He barely has time to raise his gun before I'm on him, powerful jaws piercing into his helmet this time. Blood sprays across my face as I release the dead man, turning and charging for another. As I'm dealing wit the second, the third manages to draw his gun and fire off a few shots. I howl in pain as the bullets find their mark in my chest, just missing my heart. The second soldier beneath me falls, me tumbling to the side as the force of the bullets knocks me off of him. I stagger to my feet, blood soaking my fur. I turn my gaze to glare at the soldier, feeling the familiar cold rage in my gut. My next yowl is piercing, causing the soldier to cover his ears and stagger back. I don't know where the force of that came from, but I didn't really care right then. I lunged for the downed soldier, tearing into his throat. I could feel the warmth of the blood splashing against my paws and face, the coppery scent nearly enveloping me. I felt the soldier's pulse fade in my mouth, and he fell limp. I released him, collapsing myself with a groan. Blood continued to trickle from the wounds in my chest; they were taking a while to heal.
"Spirit!"
I turn my head upon hearing my name, leaning against the wall. 'Duke,' I said with a soft rumble. 'Ripcord.'
"Easy, Spirit," Duke said, coming to kneel next to me. He swears when he sees the bullet wounds in my chest, taking his hand and pressing them against the wounds. I snarl, fresh pain radiating from my chest. Duke flinched at the vicious noise, but he didn't move his hand. "Ripcord, get some bandages!"
I growl at him to stop, knowing that it would be a waste as I could already feel the bullets starting to push back the way they'd come. 'I'm fine,' I tell them, attempting to get to my feet.
Duke's eyes widen slightly, and he rested a hand on my shoulder. "Spirit, you need to stay down," he said seriously, looking confused when I started to chuckle, a harsh rasping sound.
'I'm fine,' I said again. 'I've had much worse.'
"Spirit, you have three bullet wounds in your chest. I wouldn't call that fi-" Duke broke off, an odd look on his face. He pulled his now bloodied hand from my chest, looking at the three bullets that laid neatly in his palm. I took that moment to get to my feet, the wounds sealing and leaving three scars in its place; I tried not to think about the scars, focusing more on Duke, who looked like he was about to pass out.
'See?' I said, trying to assure him. 'I'm fine.'
"I can see that," Duke said, swallowing thickly before he allowed the bullets to drop to the ground. Even Ripcord was speechless for once. I shook myself out, still stiff but healing.
'What happened?' I asked. 'I found the guards, but I'm not the one who set off the alarm.'
"That was Hawk," Duke said. "He set off the alarm after he was attacked. The warheads are missing, too; Ripcord and I just came back from checking the vault when we heard your yowling."
I nodded slightly. 'What are we doing standing around here then?' I asked, my short tail giving an annoyed flick before I turned and started down the hallway towards the Pit area, where the sound of gunshots echoed.
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I ran around the corner and then immediately had to duck as a grenade went off, spraying fragments everywhere. I growled in annoyance, shaking my head against the deafening blast. I looked up just in time to see Heavy Duty go flying, knocked out cold. There was another ninja there, too, dressed in white and looking all kinds of mean. I snarled, hackles raising as my head lowered, massive fangs glinting in the light. He turned towards me, looking a little startled at the noise.
'What?' I taunted, taking great joy in seeing him jump at the intrusion of his thoughts. 'Never seen a sabertooth before?' When he didn't respond, I sighed and rolled my eyes. 'Cat got your tongue, too? Are all ninjas this annoyingly silent?'
The white ninja's eyes narrowed. "I am not mute," he growled, backing up. I would have taken him as a coward, but then I realized where he was going; he was heading for some kind of metal machines behind him, since the grenade had destroyed their other machines. I started towards him, but I heard footsteps. Seeing this as a more severe threat, I turned to face the dark haired woman I'd seen the night the Joes had found us. I snarled again, crouching down and getting ready to attack.
"Spirit, stop!" Duke shouted, coming up from behind me with Ripcord, both having their guns raised. I paused, not sure as to why I was being told to stop; she was the bad guy. "Put the case down, Ana."
Ana? Wait, Duke knew this woman? I snarled, to which the woman turned to smirk at me.
"Your kitty isn't too happy," she mused, to which I started towards her again, only stopping when Duke made a sharp motion with his hand for me to stay where I was. When Duke's gaze doesn't leave hers, she gives an annoyed sigh, setting down the warhead case. "Fine. done." Then, she does the last thing I expect; she starts walking towards Duke.
"Stop, Ana," Duke ordered. "Stop right there." I add a growl to backup his words, but she just continues to walk closer to Duke, even as he holds the gun at her head.
"You can't shoot me," she practically purred, "can you?"
"I will if I have to," Duke said firmly.
"Deep down, you're still the same man I fell in love with," Ana replied, making me startle a little. This woman was Duke's mate?! Why didn't I know about this?!
"Don't force this, Ana," Duke said, but even I knew that he wouldn't shoot her; it would be like me attacking Logan. I mentally flinched, remembering my possession by Phoenix when I actually had tried to attack Logan. I shook off those thoughts; I needed to focus on the present, not the past. That, and Duke was cocking his pistol as Ana got closer. "Don't make me do this god-dammit!"
"'Don't make me do this?'" Ana mocked. "A recurring theme in your life, right Duke?"
Duke's pistol was right at her forehead now. Even the ninja flinched, something that Duke took note of. "Move and I'll blow her away," he threatened before addressing me. "Spirit, get the briefcase."
I gave a short nod and stalked forward, eyes on both Ana and the white ninja as I went closer to the case. I grabbed the case in my jaws, gently picking it up and starting back the way I'd come. Just as I was passing Ana, I knew what she was going to do.
'Duke, she's going to -' I started to say, but it was too late. Ana slapped Duke's pistol, sending off a shot that, of course, ricocheted right into my shoulder. I yowled in pain, dropping the case. I balanced on three legs, my shoulder shattered. 'Really, Duke?'
Duke doesn't bother responding, and my attention is diverted when I see the white ninja try to attack Ripcord. I yowl, lunging towards the ninja despite the agony is caused my shoulder. The yowl takes the white ninja off-guard, as does me slamming into him. He reacts faster than I anticipated, however, and his sword comes around to slice into my other shoulder. I howl in pain, stumbling back. The ninja raises his sword, about to plunge it into my chest, when Snake Eyes is suddenly there, blocking the strike. I struggle to my feet, the sword cut healing faster than the bullet wound. My fur is completely matted in blood at this point, most of it mine, but I ignore it. There are new soldiers in the Pit now, opening fire. I test out my shoulder, feeling the bone grinding as it moved back into place. Realizing that I wouldn't be able to put any weight on that foot for awhile, I knew that I was going to have to shift into something with two legs. My human form wouldn't cut it, that was for sure. Then, I remembered a creature that I'd seen before in a book. It was large and scaly and had some powerful hind legs . . .
Before I could doubt myself, I closed my eyes and braced myself. I should have braced harder. The pain hit me like a train, sending agony making me feel like dying; dying wouldn't have been as painful. My bones felt like they were made of molten lava, my muscles out of nails. I collapsed on the ground as my fur turned to scales, muscles growing and stretching, getting bigger and bigger. My yowl of pain turned into a earth-shaking roar, the rest of my fangs changing so that they were the same size of my enlarged incisors. I could feel my innards changing, shifting around from those of a mammal to those of a reptile. I staggered to my feet, my growl making the very air vibrate. I was a lot taller than I expected, at least 40 feet long and 13 feet tall at the hip. Thankfully, I still had room to move around, and I made good use of both my tail and head to smack the soldiers around like rag dolls. My thick hide helped resist some of the bullets shot my way, only a few actually piercing into my body. I roared, making the ground shake as I plowed forward, picking up one soldier in my jaws and shaking him until the I heard his back break while my tail sent another flying into a parked vehicle. My vision definitely wasn't the greatest, seeing only a blur, but I could still smell and hear, and I went after the rotten smelling bastards that had dared to harm my pack. They fled from my massive frame, not out of fear - they didn't reek of fear as I expected - but so that they wouldn't get crushed. I could hear the clanging of swords from above me, probably from the ninjas, but I didn't dare help in case I grabbed Snake Eyes instead of the white ninja that I would have loved digging my teeth into.
I suddenly heard what sounded like a jet starting, and I turned my muzzle towards it, snarling. A sharp instrument cuts into my muzzle, sending blood flying and practically leaving me helpless as all I could smell was my blood as it gushed from the gash. I roared out of frustration, only able to hear as the sound of gunfire and screams started to fade. I felt something brush by my leg and, without thinking, grab for it, hoisting it in my jaws.
"Spirit!" Ripcord yelped, wriggling in my jaws. "Spirit, put me down!" I rumble my apology, setting Ripcord back on the ground, still barely able to smell him. The cut on my nose may have healed, but my blood still stained around it. I shook my head in annoyance, immediately shifting into my wolf form before I hurt anyone else.
'Sorry,' I said, exhausted from shifting into such a massive creature.
Ripcord shrugged. "Not everyday I get picked up by a T-rex," he said.
'Is that what it was?' I asked before shaking my head. 'Never mind. Did we get the case?'
Ripcord shook his head, anger in his eyes. "No," he replied. "Ana and Storm Shadow got away with the case; Storm Shadow's probably the one that cut your nose."
I growled, fur bristling. 'Is everyone alright?' I asked, looking over the carnage for familiar faces. I could see Snake Eyes sitting by himself, looking off into the distance; I knew that look. Without waiting for Ripcord to respond, I trot over to the ninja, still limping slightly on my tender shoulder. I can tell that he doesn't really know I'm there, and I whine softly before laying down next to him, resting my head on his knee. He jumps, not having expected me. I stayed where I was, and he rubbed one of my ears.
'We can't win every battle,' I told him softly. 'Sometimes we lose. But every time we get up, it just means that we can go into another battle.' Snake Eyes's hand freezes on my head before he looks down at me. I gave a mental chuckle, rolling my blue eye to look up at him. 'I may not look it, but I'm very old, Snake. And I may not know much of the human tongue, so I'll do my best to try explaining. Don't dwell on the past; it holds you back. Focus on the future, and what you have to fight for.' I start to get to my feet, and Snake Eyes taps my shoulder. I flinch, still tender from where Duke had accidentally shot me, before I look over at the ninja. He tapped his own shoulder before motioning to one of the medics that was going around to the other soldiers. I growled softly, shaking my head.
'Doctors and I don't get along very well,' I said. 'I'll be fine; I'm just sore.' Snake Eyes watched me with a steady gaze, and I growled again, shaking my head. 'Not going to happen, ninja man. I'm going to go check on the others; I'll see you around.' I lift my nose to scent the air, following Duke's scent; he was the one I was worried most about. Plus, I had a bone to pick with him about Ana.
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I hope that this chapter made up for the shorter chapters from earlier. (; Please review; they make me happy! Hehe!
Happy Humpday, guys, and have a great rest of the week!
ML out
