The sun of a new day rose upon Hidden Kingdom. The light rays shined down easily through most of the rooms and halls of the abandoned Big Green. The rising morning sun woke the new heroes' right out of their drowsy state. Liliac was the first to awake, despite her previous day injury. Her dear cheetah friend stepped after her. "Spec" Liliac started, "Do you really find me as your…sister?"
Pink Spec was expecting that question. "Oh course I do" she explained. "We grew up together; you're the first friend I had before I met any other cheetahs. I was an only child, it was lonely. But when you kept visiting every day and spending most of your time with me, I started seeing you as family. Liliac, no matter what you are, you will always be my sister."
The gray-haired human hugged her proclaimed sister. She too felt the same bond, but never really considered the option. One by one, the remaining heroes awoke. Raya hopped out just before Jade Claw plopped onto the floor. The doors were giving him trouble. Long John awoke with a long stretch and a yawn. He slowly walked out but bumped into the Liger. Upon seeing the intimidating form of Jade Claw Lion, the Roto-Wolf Prince cowered into the corner of the room, eyes glued to the jade liger. The Liger Prince shivered in fear of the Roto Wolf pup, knowing all too well the ferocity of those beasts. Pink Spec, who had been standing beside Jade Claw Lion, glanced at Long John.
"Hey, what about me?!" she protested, claws at her chest, "I'm a cat too! I can be a scary cat!" She added once she realized what was going on.
"You…scary…?" Misty shouted abruptly, "That'd be a first!" Yaksha slapped her lover's sister upside the head for her rude behavior. Misty rubbed the back of her head to ease the pain.
"Not scary? I can be scary! Just watch this!" she exclaimed proudly. The Cheetah Princess readied herself in a fighting stance, claws out, faced twisted as she loomed over Long John. Tension and anticipation filled the atmosphere as everyone waited eagerly for the display of terror. "Raaaoooorrrr!" It is to be noted that Cheetahs were famous for their speed and not for their roaring ability. The Roto-Wolf Prince stared blankly at Pink Spec, almost mocking her.
Misty and Richter began to laugh loudly but Yaksha's arms swiftly wrapped themselves around their mouths, muffling their laughs. Red Ray felt a little embarrassed for Pink Spec. Princess Maya and DJ just stood there, trying to comprehend what had just happened before them. The Cat Prince and Raya ended up giggling amongst themselves quietly whilst Liliac was pondering as to how she should put it to her cheetah friend.
"Pink Spec...Funny!" Raya giggled. The Cheetah Princess held her head high, despite the small insult accidentally said by the royal rabbit. Liliac approached her. "Pink Spec…you aren't really the…'scary'…type" Liliac stated, if not a little meekly.
"Pfft, whatever!" Pink Spec said, head still held high and right paw in front of the grey haired girl's face. "It seems that none of you…" With that, the Cheetah Princess eyed Long John, "…realize how ferocious I really am! C'mon Liliac, we're going to train" Her pink spotted tail found its way around the girl's waist and she was lifted off of the ground with ease. "Ferocious, scary training!" She turned around abruptly to the Roto Wolf Prince, who flinched at her sudden action, her eye scanning him. And with that she spun around once more and practically marched out of the room, with a dizzy Liliac in tow.
Yaksha collapsed, her long arms unraveling and lying on a heap on the floor. Red Ray instinctively rushed towards her and picked her up gingerly as his fraternal twin and the royal groundhog resumed their laughter. "We have to tell zombie girl!" Misty said gleefully to Richter. The two scurried off immediately to find Oddette. The yellow eyed boy rolled his eyes and shook his head in disapproval before returning to caring for his hat-like lover.
"And I thought humans were strange" Princess Maya stated, a little confused as to what had just occurred. DJ merely nodded as he watched the Rabbit Princess and Sea Salt comfort Long John and Jade Claw Lion.
Pink Spec was lying when she said she was going to train. She was saddened by the fact that no one found her scary, and she needed comfort. The cheetah knew her friend would come if it involved sparring, but like she said before they were sisters. They cared for each other no matter what. Richter came out after telling the ridiculous tale to Oddette. He decided to listen if any other Groundhogs or animals heard about them.
A few hours passed and the two sisters began to actually spar. Believe it or not, the spider demon was watching them secretly. He was amazed by the human's leadership yesterday, so he wanted to see what other things this girl was capable of. Right as Liliac was about to hit Pink Spec with her staff, a mound of dirt separated the two. Richter popped up, "Did you guys feel that?!" The two female creatures shared a similar confused look. The Groundhog Prince looked between them and slapped himself in the face. "Oh right…you two don't know the dirt like I do."
Princess Maya landed beside the trio with Sea Salt on her back. "What's going on?" she asked as Sea Salt made his way off of her back.
"There was this sudden quake over near the plains!" Richter explained. "But what was strange was that it only lasted a few seconds. It was like something crashed into the ground or somethin…"
While the other four expressed confusion, Pink Spec expressed shock. Liliac quickly came onto that but was cut off. "Richter" Pink Spec said with uneasiness, "What area of the plains did the quake happen?"
The royal Groundhog pondered for a bit. "Eh…I would say around Cheetah Castle. But it's not much to worry ab-" Richter never finished his statement because Pink Spec immediately ran away. Liliac tried to run after her close friend, but she could not match up even in the slightest. Princess Maya helped Sea Salt onto her back before grasping the human gently in her talons and flying after their teammate. The gray-haired human struggled in the eagle's grasp, but Sea Salt's meow somehow calmed her.
They only managed to fly a few miles out before Maya started to struggle. Sea Salt looked down in fear, wrapping his tail around his ride. The eagle princess tried to stay up, but she was not used to carrying that much weight. Liliac dropped to the ground, landing on her feet. Maya was doing the same, only she did not seem as prepared. Before she hit however, Liliac caught her. The cat prince jumped off before he could cause his friend more harm. The human slung her teammate's wing over her shoulder, holding her up. Maya smiled but said nothing. The eagle knew that once she thanked her, Liliac would just deny it.
A few more hours passed as the trio walked. Maya was getting more energy back, but she was still too tired to fly. Eventually, they reached the outskirts of Cheetah Castle. Liliac could tell; she has been out there on multiple accounts. Out in the distance was a small pink spec against the rocks. Immediately, the team knew who it was.
Pink Spec was on full alert. After what she saw, she needed to be. Her tail brushed something behind her, making the Cheetah react. Her claws clenched around the being's throat and pushed it against the rock wall. Spec's eyes widened when she recognized the being, it was Liliac. She immediately let go, "Oh I am so sorry…"
Liliac rubbed her throat, trying to ease the pain. "It's okay…" she said, "I should have known better." Her cheetah sister sighed as she placed her paw on her chest in relief. Maya and Sea Salt joined the two before they started asking questions. "Pink, why did you run off like that?"
Pink Spec instantly became serious. This scared the human; she has never seen her friend like this before. The cheetah simply turned around, "Look over there." The human and two other animals slowly peered over the rock. Liliac and Maya shared a face of shock, while Sea Salt remained confused.
In the plains in front of them was a large crater, about as deep as Liliac is tall. But that is what was not as surprising to them. In the middle of this giant crater was a large meteor. It was truly a sight to behold. But of course, the eagle and the human had no idea why Pink Spec was so alert. Then, their question was answered. A long green arm appeared out of one of the holes within the meteor. The rest of the creature climbed out of the meteor. The creature wore this gray outfit with a green gemstone in the center. It had four long green arms and legs, as well as a red head. The being's pupil in its one eye was a gray square, a yellow circle, and a black triangle.
The alien rubbed his head with one of his arms. "Oh dear, this is not working out" he said. "Curse my kind, banishing me and sabotaging my ship, all over the refusal of my elixir. It will take…how is it on this planet…? It will take months to repair my ship with scavenged parts."
The three teammates ducked their heads back behind the rock. "What is that?" asked Maya.
"That is a Cocky Alien" said Pink Spec. Liliac gasped, she has heard of them before. It is known in Cheetah history that the Cocky Aliens were a major threat, nothing could possibly destroy them. The only way they could be defeated was by kicking them like a shuttle cock 100 times. But this one, he was nearly six feet tall. To defeat him now it would take…
A small meow caught the trio off guard. They looked down in horror. Sea Salt was right beside the legs of the alien. The strange creature popped his head back out before approaching the cat. "Why hello there young one…" he started, "What are you doing here?" The cat prince meowed in response. Knowing so much human really limited him on his speech. The alien rubbed his head, "Can't communicate properly huh…?"
The alien's mind flashed with an idea as his arm moved up. The tip of his "hand" touched the green gem in the center of his chest. The stone began to glow and spark this green energy. A small beam slowly formed from the stone, an orb forming near the end. Several devices shrank and grew as it passed through the orb. "No…no…no…oh definitely no" he said while looking through, "No…no…aha!" The alien let go of the gemstone, the device in the orb coming to reality. The device was square with several prongs sticking out of it. The extraterrestrial pressed a few buttons while holding it up to Sea Salt. The prongs sparked with red energy before several beams fired out. Sea Salt jumped out of the way before the beams hit. A smoldering crater now lay where the cat used to be. "Oh my…that wasn't supposed to happen…"
Sea Salt growled as his tail now hung several firecrackers. The alien saw a shadow loom over him before looking up. Princess Maya was flying above him in circles. "Attack!" The alien looked up and saw two other creatures; however one was too fast for him to tell alone. The Cocky Alien quickly touched the gemstone again, the devices flying in front of him like crazy. He stopped once a rather menacing device appeared. The weapon alone required three arms to hold. He fired the weapon as soon as Sea Salt hurled his weapon. Bubbles shot out of the alien's device, stopping the cat prince's attack. Everyone was surprised, including the alien.
"Darn it!" he shouted, "I REALLY need to start labeling these things!"
A pink blur tackled the alien to the ground. The cat, the human, and the eagle grabbed hold of the remaining limbs. Pink Spec growled in the alien's face as he took notice of his capture. "Alright alien scum, I want to know why you came here, who you are…and how did you become so big?!"
"If you would kindly get off, I would be happy to explain everything to you four."
Spec did not trust him, but the others were the one to get her off. The alien brushed himself off, returned the devices back into the gemstone, and then bowed. "Firstly, my name is Kawkee… Kawkee Alien…" He sighed, "I am aware of the irony or the silliness or whatever you creatures call it. With that aside, why I am here is a long story.
"You see, about a few years ago I was a common everyday Cocky Alien. I was their top scientist and inventor. A few times my species has attempted to make peace with a neighboring planet. I believed that the reason my kind was failing was because of our size…"
Pink Spec leaned over to Liliac, "He obviously doesn't get out much…"
"So…I decided to try and help my people" Kawkee continued ignoring the cheetah's remarks. "The elixir I made not only made me taller, but improved my other abilities as well. My kind was greatly ecstatic when they saw my discovery. But I saw the mistake I made. My kind did not want it for peace, only for destruction. So I did the only thing I could do; I destroyed the elixir, burned all of my notes, and disintegrated everything in my lab. Forced to leave and now a complete outcast to the species, my kind banished me from ever returning to my home world."
The story so far was quite saddening. Liliac felt sympathy towards him, as well as Pink Spec. But the cheetah princess tried to not think of it too much. Maya stepped in, "But if you were exiled, why did you travel here?"
"It happened a few days ago" he explained. "Out far, far, FAR away from this planet, something exploded inside my ship. The navigation controls were still intact, so I programmed my ship to travel to last known coordinates in our database, a place called Cheetah Castle.
"I have heard of the creatures here that were capable of defeating my kind, but I decided to land here so I could salvage some parts to find a new home."
"But wait" said Pink Spec, "Why did you almost waste Sea Salt?"
Kawkee sighed, "This I have a habit of. It seems every new invention I create is based off of the design of a previous one. The device I was hoping to bring out was my Universal Translator, but it seems I pulled out my Handheld Disintegrator by mistake."
The Cocky Alien was getting more and more innocent by the second. Pink Spec even dropped whatever anger she had on him. Kawkee placed his two devices away before returning to his ship. "I realize what my kind has done to your species, so I will just leave whenever I can…"
Sea Salt, although not understanding most of what the stranger said, felt the sadness he was feeling. The cat rubbed his head against Kawkee's legs. The alien was not familiar with this concept, but was greeted by the remaining three. "You do not have to leave Kawkee" the human said. "My name is Liliac, leader of the new Big Green. The others are Pink Spec, Sea Salt, and Maya. You can have a new home, here with us. I am sure we would be happy to accept you as a new member."
Kawkee looked at the four different creatures. He was astonished that they were so willingly open, especially the cheetah. The alien bowed, "It would be an honor to join, but there are two things that are conflicting me. One, I do not know what Big Green is. And two, I cannot go anywhere without my ship."
"Big Green is a peace organization" explained Maya. "We try to strengthen the bond between humans and animals. But at the moment we are simply trying to get new members, and finding a way to rebuild the base."
Kawkee caught on to the rebuild part. He was excited for that. "Uh…can't you zap your ship into that gem?" asked Spec. The alien slapped himself in the face for not realizing it sooner. A quick touch of the gemstone sent the meteor into it. With the ship taken care of, Kawkee followed the others back to their base.
Getting Kawkee Alien inside Big Green was easier than getting Liliac inside. This greatly angered the gray-haired human, but she did not let it greatly affect her. The alien said in order for his work to be properly completed, everyone had to leave. Hours have passed as the members waited on the outskirts on the water. "How long does that creep need?!" shouted Richter. "We're all sitting ducks out here!"
"Excuse me, I take offense to that" Maya shouted.
"Oh well excuse me feather head!"
As the two animal argued, Liliac walked to Yīxiàn xīwàng. "Excuse me, why can he get in when I cannot."
The spider demon shrugged, "Deep inside his heart, he only wants to be loved. You still have a war raging inside you. But I do sense that it is starting to settle within you. Keep it up, and the fight will cease and you will be allowed inside."
Liliac let out a sigh that was a mix of relief and sadness. A few strange steps signaled their new friend's completion. However, the ruins remained the same since she saw them. Richter walked up to Kawkee, "Hey what gives you didn't do a thing!"
Kawkee chuckled, "Or so you think. Everyone, follow me please." The others were confused but they followed nonetheless. The old floor of the base was cleared of all rubble. Only a few rooms seemed intact, but one room looked almost brand new. "Now, rebuilding Big Green up here would be a problem…" he started. "So, I built it beneath us. This one room acts as the passageway. Now everyone stand on a separate tile please." The group complied, each one managing to stand on a separate tile. Long John stayed far away from Jade Claw and Kettle. "I rebuilt this place with the highest grade technology that I have found across the universe" the alien continued. "This door and floor is equipped with a unique DNA Scanner. Simply press this hidden button…" Kawkee touched a small notch on the door's bolts, and a small sound was heard. The door then opened in response.
"But what about intruders, can't they get in?" asked Richter.
"You did not let me finish. You see, I already have everyone's DNA added into the computer. But if the scanner detects something that is not on the list…" Kawkee pulled an apple out and placed it on a tile. The button was pushed again, the same sound pulsed through. However, a small red alarm shortly went off. A purple mist was sprayed onto the apple before the tile below it launched it out into the distance. Everyone was surprised by the action. "…the floor will spray my special amnesia mist and then launch them off. The mist will make them forget how or why they were here. And this will happen at any time there is an intruder. Now then, shall we go inside?"
Kawkee Alien crawled through the hatch, just as everyone else followed through. The small room now had a series of hatches currently covered by lids. "I read the blueprints for the old Big Green" the alien explained. "These are what are called launch tubes. But these you can set to go to a certain location…" Kawkee approached the table and pressed a few buttons, "But I will send us to the docking area." Once the last button was pressed, Kawkee opened the tube and jumped down. The others did the same, a few having more trouble than others. Raya giggled as Jade Claw struggled to get through. The demon also had trouble but managed. Strangely Cyber, having his cubical body and many sticking out parts, got through easier that the liger or the demon.
Where they landed surprised everyone. They were on a loading dock, facing the water. But what was most fascinating was that when they looked outside, water surrounded them. Small groups of fish swam near the dome's edge. Sammy soon appeared through a special tunnel that led inside the dome. "As you can see, we are several miles underwater" the alien started. "This dock has a special tunnel to where only enough water comes in to allow water-based animals to swim through. This station is also your room Scale Gray, as well as yours Obsidian and Cancer."
The three that were called looked at their other worldly friend in confusion. Kawkee simply turned and pointed to the far wall. There laid a hammock, and two beds; one with sand and the other with water. Scale Gray ran over and jumped into the hammock. He kicked his feet out and put his hands behind his head, "Now THIS is more like it!" Cancer crawled into her bed and immediately began to sculpt something. Obsidian jumped into his water-filled bed and made a series of happy noises. The others left the trio, they were obviously happy with their arrangements. "Since it has been a long day, I will show you to your rooms" Kawkee explained.
The first room he showed was the biggest. It held a map of Hidden Kingdom, a control panel, and a main communication system. This was Ape Truly's room. There was even a smaller bed for Brave One. As the builder showed the members their room, he explained the situation to them. "You see, I was not sure how many other members were joining. So I paired most of you up…"
Kawkee opened the first room, "This room is Liliac's and Pink Spec's." The two sisters entered their room. Each half of the room was different, but each side had a bed. Liliac's side of the room was painted gray with several staffs along the walls. Close examination showed that they were all exact duplicates of hers. A small dresser lay against the wall with a notebook resting on top. In the corner of the room laid a few canvases and paintbrushes. Pink Spec's side of the room was a nice light shade of purple. Her bed was rounded and a large wooden post stood in her room. "Liliac, your side has more than enough accommodations to the normal human. I took the liberty to make more of the weapon you carry, and made a few modifications."
Kawkee grabbed one off the wall and handed it to the human. Liliac twirled it as a test, but she clicked something on her staff. A silver blade shot out, nearly hitting her cheetah friend. A loud thud behind them signaled Jade Claw fainting, again. "Your staff can now not only hold a blade, but also launch them. I saw how your father's staff could fire projectiles, so I figured you should be well trained. I also restored your father's sketchbook, made you your own, and provided a few empty canvases in case you get creative."
Liliac appreciated everything he did, but the constant memory of her father bugged her. Her sister hugged her in an attempt to calm her down. "Pink Spec" Kawkee started again. He obviously did not see her distress and rudely continued, "Your side is simple enough. A small bed, a small table, and a scratching post for when your claws get dull." Pink Spec heard "scratch" and walked over to the post. She scrapped her claws against the wood. It felt well on the cheetah's claws, so good she started to claw at it viciously. Liliac started to lead him out, "We better leave her to do this…"
Kawkee stepped out with Liliac in follow. Jade Claw and Raya's room was next. He saw how they were always together, and decided to pair them up. Raya's side had everything a rabbit could want. Jade Claw's had a few weights and other training tools, but the Liger seemed conflicted to use them. Red Ray and Misty shared a room, but theirs was a bunk bed. The twins happily entered, the tomboy claiming the top. Long John followed the two humans inside, wanting to stay with them as well. The alien set up a small bed that was perfect for him. Lovely was given a simple room directly beside the twin's room. Kawkee designed a special security system where if anything were to occur in their room, Lovely would be the first to know. She appreciated it, and thanked the alien before entering. Oddette was given a simple room, where her spider immediately started to make their webs in the corners and ceilings. Sea Salt and Kettle were given a room together. The cat prince's bed seemed a bit small, but the cat did not mind. Kawkee explained that there was a training room inside, and there was a door from her room leading to it. The lioness thanked the alien before she set off for bed. The two birds were given a room together. Kawkee explained that at first he believed it would be an issue, but he then said how they seemed to be good friends. The eagle and the owl did not seem to mind at all. Richter's room was filthy, but the groundhog loved it. Kawkee explained about his lab, where Cyber was welcome to stay.
"The last room for right now is Yīxiàn xīwàng's…" This surprised the spider demon. He has lived in the lake for so long, he was their protector. Kawkee turned before opening the door, "I believed that Yīxiàn xīwàng was a member, so I built one for him." The spider demon stepped inside; the door was specially made for his unique body structure. The demon gasped at the room. There was a small gentle waterfall built inside of his room, actually inside! The bed was more or less a spider web, but the strings that made up the web seemed comfortable. Kawkee explained of hidden passageways that lead to the outside lake border so he could still protect Big Green. He was happy, but Yīxiàn xīwàng walked right out.
"I am sorry Kawkee…" he said in a polite manner. "This room is nice and soothing, but I am afraid I am not a member…"
"Why not?" The multi-eyed demon looked to the source, surprisingly it is Liliac. "You protected the Commander and Brave One for all this time, you of all beings should be a member."
The demon had no words. There was still troubles brewing inside her, but they were getting smaller by the days pass. If only she could let all enemies enter her heart as friends. Yīxiàn xīwàng bowed, a motion that surprised the human, "Honorable Liliac, I would be greatly honored to join the new Big Green." Kawkee Alien walked up and bowed as well. He has already done enough to prove his worth.
YIXIAN XIWANG 003
KAWKEE ALIEN 100
The remaining group separated, returning to their rooms. Yīxiàn xīwàng told that Liliac seemed to buy herself one last day in Big Green. Liliac entered hers, only to find that the room no longer had a scratching post. Her sister's side of the room has several scratch marks along the walls. Pink Spec laid in her bed, asleep. She must have tired herself out. Liliac climbed into her bed, her day's excitement pulling her back into a deep sleep.