Yes! Another chapter within two weeks! Usually it takes me a month to a month and a half to update, but this time I simply couldn't wait to type it up and update. I mean, you guys left the most wonderful reviews ever, and reviews are indisputably what keep me going every single time. I'm indebted to you all, so thank you and enjoy the latest chapter! :D
Chapter Twenty
When the panther pounced towards him, Kendrick was ready. He dodged, moving back quickly, careful to step over the serrated shards. As he did so, he brushed the glass pieces to the spot where he had just before been standing. He did this rapidly, immediately, while the cat was still in midair. By the time it had realized what Kendrick was doing, it couldn't stop itself from landing.
Eyes widening, it landed painfully on the pieces, the glass cutting through the tender soles of its feet. Kendrick wasted no time leaping towards it, landing full on the panther. He bared his teeth, eyes glowing in fury, and bent down to bite its neck. But he never got the chance. A barrage of what felt like needles suddenly pierced his exposed side. Kendrick let out a howl, squeezing his eyes shut in pain. In seconds he knew what had happened, and cursed himself for his stupidity.
The damn cat had just used its paw to fling a bunch of shards right at him!
He immediately leapt off, his side burning like fire. Through his peripheral vision he could see the pieces protruding from his flank. He moved unsteadily now, the pain intensifying. But the panther was no worse off, limping and buckling every now and then from the wounds on its feet.
It seemed only seconds when the panther, despite its pain, pounced towards him once more. Kendrick wavered, his head dizzy from a lack of blood. He tried to dodge, to escape, but couldn't seem to move his muscles. Two panthers? He thought in confusion. There was only one before… right?
A jarring force hit him, sending him toppling to the ground. Vaguely, he could discern sharp fangs looming dangerously close to his neck. He felt so dreamy… so… faint… so…
The fangs were getting closer.
"Kendrick!" someone screamed.
But the voice was so distant…
But then the pain came. A searing pain in his neck where the panther had penetrated his skin.
His head cleared almost immediately, the fuzziness disappearing with the sudden shock of pain. In an instant, he realized that he'd let his lightheadedness consume his mind. And with that revelation, came a surge of anger at himself. He'd been distracted by his wooziness, and as a result had let his guard down. And he knew that when in a fight that was never supposed to happen. Growling furiously, he shoved the panther off with as much power as he could.
He couldn't believe that he had come that close to dying!
The dizziness was still present, but it had diminished with his sudden efflux of fury. With an almost unnatural strength, he had pushed the cat away. It flew across the room, landing hard against the wall with a jolting crash. The wall cracked… and the panther slid silently to the ground. It did not move this time, and stayed still as a statue.
Relief flooded Kendrick's body. The panther wasn't dead – he knew that. But it was unconscious, and Kendrick certainly was not complaining.
He tried to turn around to see if he could still find Kimiko, but even the slightest movement caused him to waver dangerously. His vision shifted again, and once more, he was seeing double. The blood was still pouring, and he had no way to stop the flow.
No! Goddamn it, he couldn't faint now… Not when… not when…
He saw Chase stalking towards him.
Kendrick collapsed to the ground, against his will. Too much blood… he thought faintly. Too much blood had been lost…
His temples were pounding again, and his head hurt like hell. The strength that had just moments ago aided him was gone, leaving Kendrick weak and helpless.
He knew why, of course. The surge of anger had given him the fury required to push away his dizziness. But it had only masked his weakness; it had never replaced it. And when the panther was gone, the strength had quickly disappeared, leaving him even weaker than before.
Kimiko… he couldn't see her…
Oh Christ, it wasn't like he was seeing anything anymore anyways.
His vision was fading rapidly until he wasn't even seeing double. It had faded until he could barely see anything at all. However, he could make out Chase as the prince of darkness walked angrily towards him. And what was left of his functioning brain told him that the meeting would not be pleasant.
When Chase had reached him, Kendrick was barely conscious. He could scarcely see the form before him, and he felt himself giving away into the darkness.
No! His mind screamed at him. He couldn't! He wouldn't allow it…
"You'll not get away alive, Kendrick," Chase hissed furiously at him.
Kendrick could no longer see, but the words chilled him nonetheless. The way Chase had said them… seemed so strangely prophetic.
A blow suddenly hit him in the head, and Kendrick gasped out loud. The blackness that had started to consume his mind completed its journey, and he faded into oblivion.
"What do ya mean he's gone?!" Clay demanded. "How can he be gone?!"
Omi shook his head helplessly. "I don't know…" he whispered. "You know how he was acting strangely? And he wouldn't say why? Well, I left him alone, like you told me to, and everything was fine for a while. But then suddenly, I just felt something. Like something terrible had gone wrong. I knew it had to do with Raimundo – my tiger instincts told me it was so! So I searched for him… and I searched everywhere! But I simply couldn't find him…"
Clay whirled away, his thoughts scattering in his head. The sense of foreboding would not leave him, and he knew that Omi was right. Something somewhere had gone terribly wrong.
"Has Kimiko returned?" Omi suddenly asked, and Clay shook his head no.
The water dragon bit his lip, looking down. "You sense it too, do you not?"
This time, Clay nodded his head, turning to face Omi once again. "I've been sensing it since that poker game, but I simply shrugged it off. But now… I mean…" Clay growled in frustration. "Both Kimiko an' Raimundo are missing. Gone, without a trace! It's too coincidental, and I keep feelin' like something bad is about to happen."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We have to find them. I won't feel safe until then."
"But they could be anywhere," Omi reminded him. "I checked the vault as a precaution, and the tiger claws are gone. Either Raimundo or Kimiko must have taken it."
Clay shivered in the sudden draft, hugging himself for warmth. The full moon glared down upon them, and for some reason Clay found himself shying away from the brightness.
"What on earth is going on?" a new voice suddenly demanded. "It's eleven o'clock at night and all I hear are you two bickering back and forth. Can't a dragon get a decent night's sleep? It's bad enough with this giant moon shining down on you keeping you awake."
Both Clay and Omi turned to see Dojo slithering towards them, his bathrobe wrapped tightly around his body. He was rubbing his eyes, and he did not look particularly happy.
"You do not sense it?" Omi inquired.
"Sense what?" Dojo snapped.
"Look lil' fella. We know that you're not a night dragon, but something has gone wrong. Omi an' I both feel it. And we're scared to death as to what might happen."
Dojo yawned. "Why don't you get Kimiko and Raimundo and talk it over with Master Fung? He might have an idea."
"But that's just it!" Omi cried. "Raimundo and Kimiko are both missing!"
"Whoa, slow down cheeseball. Did you just say they're both missing?"
Omi nodded impatiently. "Kimiko has still not returned, and Raimundo has been gone for a while now too. He was acting really strangely before, like he was scratching to get out into the night. He's gone now as well, and we haven't any idea as to where he might be."
Dojo ignored Omi's misuse of slang. "Wait, did you just say Raimundo has been acting strangely?"
"Yeah. He left us while we were playing poker. An' he went so abruptly too. He said he needed to be alone for a while an' hightailed it outside like he was claustrophobic or something."
An inkling of memory triggered Dojo's brain, and he knew in an instant that the memory was important. But the trickle wouldn't show the entire picture, and he simply couldn't remember. He looked above, sighing, blinking in the light. The moon was still shining brightly, and its rays poured relentlessly down upon him. Involuntarily, he shuddered, and immediately wondered why. He'd never minded the moon before, so why did it give him such a bad feeling just now?
As he pondered this, the tugging of his brain grew stronger. And suddenly, unconsciously, Dojo knew that it had to do with the moon. But it didn't have to do with the moon on just any night, but specifically the moon tonight.
Because it was full… he realized with a start…
It was a full moon tonight…
And suddenly, the memory hit him full force.
Clay saw Dojo's horrified look. "What? What is it?" he demanded.
"Do you remember a month ago?" Dojo began raggedly. "The last time it was a full moon and the Silver Dagger revealed itself?"
"Yes, go on," Omi said impatiently.
"Remember how afterwards there was a wolf…"
"Dojo, you're not makin' sense!" Clay exploded. "What on earth does that wolf have to do with anything? It was just a wolf that–" Clay suddenly stopped. "Wait, did you just say a full moon?"
Omi suddenly turned paled. "Dojo…" he whispered. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"
Clay was stunned. "No, that's impossible," he stuttered, shaking his head. "Werewolves don't exist! They're just folklore and myths!"
Dojo watched their thunderstruck faces and knew immediately that he should have told them the second function of the silver dagger the moment it had revealed itself. At the time, however, he had been thinking just like them. Werewolves don't exist! He'd told himself. There was no point telling them about the dagger's other use. In fact, they'd probably just laugh at him, he'd told himself repeatedly.
But it was a mistake… he knew that now. A terrible, stupid, mistake. Had he revealed the other purpose, perhaps they would've seen the signs earlier. Perhaps they would have seen the wolf that night and bolted, or perhaps… they would have been more ready to believe what he was suggesting.
"It's true though," Dojo finally said, his voice strangely bitter. "There's something else about the Silver Dagger that I should have mentioned long ago."
"Kendrick!" Kimiko screamed, watching in horror as his form crumpled to the ground.
Chase looked at Kimiko from where he was standing, a smirk clear on his face. "One down…" he told her softly. "And one more to go…"
And suddenly, Kimiko hated him. Hated him with all of her heart.
"You monster…" she snarled coldly, her voice quiet, but full of volume. Her eyes were dancing dangerously, and her body was rigid with fury.
Chase started towards her, but Kimiko stood her ground. The tiger that she had been fighting joined with him, still not quite down yet. They stopped maybe a few yards away, staring coldly at her. But Kimiko glared back just as angrily, her eyes burning with fire.
And that was when the tiger leapt towards her, Chase fading into the background.
"Coward!" she screamed at him, but was forced to focus on the cat before her.
It was limping from before, but was still strong enough to fight. And though its fur had been singed black, it seemed neither to notice nor to care. It pounced at her, claws outstretched, fangs glistening in the light. She backed away, dodging the attack, and swiftly threw a fireball. She aimed straight at its face, but it was too fast, and the attack missed entirely. Kimiko growled in frustration, but continued to dodge and attack.
She was weakening; she knew that for a fact. But so was the tiger. And a flare of hope lit within her. Perhaps she would win just yet.
Her moment of thought failed her as the tiger's claws grazed across her arm. She let out a cry as the blood began to pour, and she grimaced in pain. The tiger sliced at her again, and Kimiko dodged, just barely escaping the claws. But her victory was short-lived as the tail followed the tiger's momentum. It hit her square in the face, and she was slammed back against the wall.
Oh God it felt like her entire back had been shattered.
She gasped as she fell to the floor, doubled over in pain. Her breath was getting short, and sparks were flying before her eyes. She saw the tiger prowling towards her, but she felt like she couldn't move. And she knew that if she did not get up now, she never would again.
She clutched her stomach as she forced herself to stand up, ignoring the cracked ribs. Her hair lay in dirty clumps, but Kimiko could care less. Her sole intent to win the game because she simply had to! If she didn't, her mind was screaming, the world would surely end.
But she had to get on the offensive; she couldn't keep dodging the tiger's attacks like this! Her eyes strayed over to the broken window, and suddenly knew that she had a weapon. Eyes glittering, she threw a flame-thrower directly at the tiger.
It dodged, running towards her, fangs bared again. But Kimiko ran as well, this time to the broken glass.
In moments, it was on her, but Kimiko wasn't quite there yet. She let the fire engulf her body, grinning in satisfaction when the tiger leapt off with a shrill scream. It was rolling on the floor now, desperate to snuff out the flames.
Kimiko leapt at the glass, grabbing the closest shard to her. She flung it, like a dagger, and it landed perfectly on the tiger's shoulder. The blade plunged into the skin, and the tiger screamed again, turning to face her. Kimiko threw another fireball, and this time the tiger wasn't quick enough. It encased it, and the licking flames drowned out the tiger's cry. Despite rolling on the ground, the flames simply would not cease. Howling, it leapt out the broken window, in search of a nearby lake.
Kimiko's head was spinning, and she was dangerously close to fainting. But resolve would not allow her to, and so she remained standing. Like Kendrick, she was weak, but she vowed that she wouldn't fall. And when Chase began walking towards her, Kimiko was ready to fight.
"Nobody defeats me," Chase growled when Kimiko was close enough to hear. His eyes were filled with fury, and Kimiko shuddered despite her determination not to.
His fist shot out, but Kimiko dodged, twisting around to her side. Her hand sliced down at his outstretched arm, but Chase was quick, and rapidly moved back. Furious, Kimiko sent several fireballs at him, but Chase dodged them all. And this time, when his fist flew out, Kimiko was too slow.
She gasped, and spun back, falling to the floor in a daze. Her sight was becoming hazy from the blow to her face, and her breath had left her body in a whoosh. But she could still hear, and heard Chase attacking from the right. She rolled away, blinking away the blackness as she did so. Chase's fist slammed the floor where she had been just moments ago, and she cringed at the thought of his fist cracking open her skull.
"Quite impressive," Chase sneered. "But not good enough for you to escape."
"We'll just see," Kimiko spat back, eyes burning with determination.
But despite her promise, Kimiko was losing her strength fast. Damnit, she couldn't lose now! Not when she was so close to beating Chase! But he had just begun fighting, while she was still winded from battling the tiger. Sooner or later, Chase would hit home, and Kimiko wouldn't be able to get up.
Damn, don't think that way! She screamed at herself.
Chase threw another fist at her, and Kimiko ducked this time, crouching to the floor. As she did so her leg shot out, sweeping across the floor to where Chase's legs were. They collided with a satisfying crack, and Chase was forced to fall over to the ground. Immediately, Kimiko followed with a punch towards his face, but Chase was back on his feet in an instant, and swiftly caught her hand. Kimiko threw the other one in, but he caught that one as well. He lifted her… like she was a leaf, and flung her to the side. She landed on the ground hard, gasping for breath. Chase was coming at her again, but she was so tired… so terribly tired…
He hit her again, and she was sent sprawling across the floor once more. She pushed herself to her knees, her arms wobbling uncontrollably. Chase was staring at her, his eyes glowing darkly, as though waiting for her to fall and fail to get up.
Well she wouldn't fail! She'd show him that for sure.
Gritting her teeth, she thrust her hands out in front of her, sending a flame-thrower at him. But her strength was gone, and her vision was fading rapidly. The attack missed completely, and Kimiko fell to the ground, exhausted.
She could faintly hear Chase striding slowly towards her. But then even that sense was gone as an inky blackness began to consume her mind. She tried to lift her head to see, but couldn't even do that.
Soon, all touch with the world was lost as she faded into unconsciousness.
Author's Note:
So, what do you think? Both Kimiko and Kendrick are down, and Clay, Omi, and Dojo have no idea what on earth is happening... and Raimundo is still out in the woods... and Chase has not been stopped... Ai, this can't be good... lol ^_^
Please leave a friendly review of what you thought! And thank you for reading. :D
xxFireWarriorxx