Me: (cheerfully) What a Summer! Readers and reviewers, how's your summer vacations? Good? Good! (nods in relief) Yamato, it's your turn to say in the paper.
Yamato: ¬¬ (scowls darkly)
Me: (frown) So cold-blood heart! (turns back to readers and reviewers with a grin) Sooo… Enjoy the Story!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown and its characters… Also, I only own my muses and my own wu(s).
Chapter Twenty Seven – The Moonlight Lake
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((Previously))
"I had been sleeping for fifteen hundred years…and still don't know what's happening to my friends…" Liz Gon whispered looking up at the once proud White Tiger, he was had been dead for eternal and turned into a statue for a tour to awe at, and then a silver tear dripping down her pale cheek. "Are they still alive somewhere…or reincarnated into this new era somehow…?"
"A few, actually, are still alive somewhere." A voice startled her as she whirled around, seeing a familiar figure stood at the top of the temple wall. "Most of them are already reincarnated as much as you saw them in the battle with that snake."
"Four remaining others, including me…" He answered softly, looking directly at the sunrise bend into the light blue, pink, purple and orange sky. "…Actually, there is another one. That 'missing' person…"
Liz Gon looked back with a surprise look. "Are you preferring 'him'? A missing elemental warrior…"
"…Yes." Chase Young admitted his golden eyes darkened and then he continued with a sharp hiss. "A Psyche."
With a smile stretching darkly, he added sly like a wise, evil fox like he was.
"I hear'd a rumor 'bout da Dark Blade…prone t'be rebellious…an' will devour da weak ones. Only Pride can control da stubborn one. Poor little lost, purple eyed kitty… T'be eaten."
Zhai turned his head; his golden eyes glinted under the moonlight as he turned around away from the window. "This blade you will feared the worst… Khu."
The Heylin Tiger of Darkness widened his amethyst eyes at the katana master's tone. What exactly is a dark blade? He silently wondered.
TO BE CONTINUE…
((Afterward))
Next Day
The bright, blue sky as the bird soar through the air, enjoying the cool breeze through its feathers. Chirping loudly, as its shadow flew above the temple and over the garden, the groups standing near the fountain beside their masters while the other groups standing in front of them.
The red haired green-eyed pilot grinned, running his human fingers through his hairs and smiled while his green eyes with full of mischievous and amusement. "What a great day, with the sun out there, I could doing a stunt with my beloved Silver Manta Ray."
Omi blinked. "Silver Manta Ray? What do you mean?"
Zak smirked. "Actually, I am a former pilot of Silver Manta Ray that was invented by my good ol' friend Dashi. He made it for me until after the Dark War, I had to hid it along with Dojo." He sighed sadly, "It's been a 1,500 years since I am parted away from my Silver Manta Ray."
The blue haired girl rolled her red eyes and shook her head. "Actually…when you first heard of the new Xiaolin Dragons coming this century, you have been non-stopping to talk about Silver Manta Ray this and Silver Manta Ray that. It's irritating, Zak!"
"Geez… Chill out Kika." Zak pouted while crossing his arms across his chest and turned back to left, letting out a tiring and annoyance sigh. Typical ninja girl… Never had a fun, not even if it's her life at stake. How boring…
The Drake snorted, his light blue eyes rolled and a smile graced on his human face. And then he glances at each of the Xiaolin kids and Heylin kids, as his dragonish eyes narrowed in realization. "Hey… Where's werepups?"
Everyone, excluding the aves and the cat warriors, stared in confusion at the Drake, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "… White werewolf and black werewolf." He corrected himself, with a little pink across his cheeks.
Khu quirked an eyebrow in understanding at the embarrassed Drake, he replied stoically. "Lobo and Kobo is in the backyard with their mother, the fox, the cat and the older werewolf."
Nodding, Zhai patted the precious katana in the sheath. "It's time to leave." He announced coolly, walking toward the front gate of the Xiaolin Temple as the cat warriors, in their cat forms, followed him as well.
Hiss yawned, stretching his barely hidden muscle-like arms in the air and grinned lazily at the teen-like warriors. "It's been a while since I've finally been freed from the prison. I got to get back to my ol' troop in Hidden Valley Region." His light blue eyed at the small dragons sitting on the leaders' neck and grinned.
"If ya might need anything from me, just a call for me." He tossed something to the Xiaolin Shoku leader as the boy caught it in a meek surprise, it was just turns out a dragon horn.
Looks like a black iron horn that was made of dragon's horn and it's quite a very low humming sound for dragon only. It's useful when one's in a dangerous situation; it can call any dragon from thousands of thousand miles away.
"It's called Dragon's Cry. It's not a Shen Gong Wu as ya think it is, kiddo." Hiss chuckled, turning around and walked out of the front gate. "This one belongs to the Criers in our troops of Drake Clan."
As the drake chuckled quietly, knowing the children wouldn't understand what the hell he was talking about. Tai Zu, if only you had been alive… You would say the first word… 'It was just ridiculous.'
He turned and left the Xiaolin Temple gateway with an amused grin.
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Meanwhile…
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"
A sudden yell of a young werewolf scared the wild birds away from the forest, squawking unhappily on their way to the blue sky. A soft wind's gust allowed fallen petals to blow past the small group; the three werewolves and one werecat were standing among in the garden.
The white werewolf gaped disbelief at the older werewolf, blinking furiously and his eyes darted between the older Admiral and his mother in confusion, semi-happiness, and disbelieving. "You… I…" He stammered at first and then he stopped, shaking his head to clear his mind.
"Wait a minute… You said I was no longer a banished…an exile… and allowed to be return to my pack again?" He said softly, straightening himself up to the general and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. After all, he had a right to suspected Admiral Roki since he scarred him and banished him from his own homeland and his own pack for several years.
A blood behind his right hand began to dripping to the grass. So much pain…
"You, Lobo Fang Wolf, are banished forever from our tribe for disrespecting me and rebelled against my command." General Roki boomed, smirking cruelly at the wounded werewolf. "Never return to our tribe unless you want your death wish."
Closing his eyes and reopening them again, Lobo glanced stoically at the admiral and wondered what made that old man changed his mind. "What made you, Ex-General Roki, to change your mind about that?" He asked icily, seeing the old werewolf was taken back in surprise at his tone. Serve him right, old man!
Admiral Roki opened his mouth to say something, to explain, but he was now unable to explaining to the quiet, angry young werewolf. Since he was still an enemy in the young warrior of shadow's eyes, he can't receive his forgiveness from him.
"Brother…" The young black werewolf, Kobo, said softly as he was embraced into his mother looking at his now silent older brother. It was expected to see his brother to be this angry, since more than seven years ago, the day of the life of being an exile away from the homeland of their packs.
"I…" Admiral Roki began and then stopped, knowing he had no explanation for his action and for why he had changed his mind. He let out a long-suffering sigh and closed his eyes, explaining. "I apologize for my wrongdoing action. I have been blinded by my own rage and jealous ever since fifteen hundred years ago…"
Lobo grimaced at this, as his long ears pinned back. That is why I really hate that type of stupid apology… It's getting damn tiring, sometimes.
It had been all right for a while afterwards. Lobo was pleased with how well the southern pack of werewolves had progressed since their departure. His beloved mother was laughing with his little brother when they came back to the Xiaolin Temple and the cat, Sekhmet, eyed the old man curiously and warily. And then they each exchanged pleasant greetings as the men of their tribe and the monks from several temples began to return home.
It's been more than seven years since his exile life…
If it weren't for being banished and on exile for life, he wouldn't have meet Master Young and his first showdown…
Lobo's eye twitched angrily, stomping toward the pendant. "I don't see why it is so important, Kobo." He mumbled, reaching for the pendant and touched it as at same time as the black glove hand land on other side of the pendant.
He was startled, staring at the black glove hand and looked up at the golden dragon-like eyes. He had never seen such the evil looking eyes before and not even a human had those.
"I challenge you, Lobo Wolf, to Heylin Showdown." The man challenged icily, narrowing his golden eyes and smirked mysteriously.
…His first in-training attack…
"Shadow!" As the tiger of shadow stood in the attack position stance, his right clawed hand trusted forward in the front and his left clawed fist rested on his hip as the shadow under his feet suddenly arose upward and sprinted through the earth toward the dummy, swallowing all its body and disappeared.
Silence among the warriors…
Lobo gaped disbelief and almost comically at the empty spot where the dummy was standing there. "Where did it go??"
Yamato scoffed. "Che!"
…His first Wu fighting…
Lobo held up a pendant-looking wu in the air, yelling its name and along with his element. "Elemental Pendant… Shadow!" As he suddenly becomes a gray wolf, lunging toward the giant, fire-breathing squirrel while his fangs bared.
He tore through the flesh and the sound of shrieking in pain from the creature he had bite and stopped, looking hopefully toward the master stood on the tall rock for his praise.
As the familiar-looking human flipped over to land on the burnt ground next to Lobo, he held the faintly glowing silver-gray sword in his hands and grinned at him for victory. "Not bad, Lobo?" He said with a laugh.
Followed by the hothead boy stomped angrily toward the two warriors with a unnoticed blood tainted clawed-looking wu, the timidly young boy with the mirror, and the witch in training girl held the scary-looking thorny whip in her hands with a small smile graced on her face.
They had won.
…His first Apprentice attack…
"He's ugly, isn't he?"
His eyes flashed in determine, as he leaped over the branch and landed on the ground in the front of the flesh-eating, bone-looking dragon. His right foot shifted to the right and his other foot shifted forward in front, Lobo crouched forward at same time with his head. His hands in a claw-like position, bending a semi-crouch way like a wolf.
His hands whirling in the circle four times as Lobo ran like a wolf toward the hissing, bone-looking winged snake. And then he trusted his hands in the shape of wolf's jaw attacking in front of him. As the shadow-smoking ball appeared in front of his hand…
"Wolf Fangs – Shadow!"
The shadow-smoking ball shaped into the head of a jaw-opened wolf and attacked directly at the head of the boned dragon as a pained cry escaped from the undead monster.
"Go, Big Brother!" He heard his little brother cheered him on and he smirked.
…His first Heylin Armor…
He looked at himself, checking out the new armor he was now wearing instead of his usual black robe and red sash. He looked more like a ninja instead of a fighting, bathrobe-wearing monks.
He held the gray-ish blue cloth wrapping around his neck in his right hand and dark gray sash was around his waist and then he tilted his head to left to get a good look at the symbol on his chest. A symbol of a shadow… His own element…
He looked up and grinned at his friends. "Well, I do look good. What did ya think, guys?" He expected them to awe at his Armor, but instead their reactions come differently.
Khu looking stoic, with his new armor with his arms crossed. Yamato looking scowled as usual, sulking in his new armor. Kobo sighing, sitting on the rock in his new armor while the witch girl in new armor reading the evil spell book.
Gee… What some friends they are.
Lobo sighed pouting like a wounded puppy when he doesn't get his attention he wants.
…His first Heylin Wudai Quest…
He went up and plucked the dark tattoo twisting crawled lazily around the wooded staff with a strange-looking ancient creature head on the top from the rock. "What is this? A wooded staff…?" He turned around, scowling disappointedly at his Heylin Wudai companions. "What I do with that thing? Whacking Xiaolin monks upon their heads with that?"
Suddenly, the Heylin Wudai Tigers froze with their shocked/surprised expression beyond Lobo himself.
"…What? What's matter with ya guys?" Lobo hesitated, frowning confusedly at their strange reactions.
"Uhh… Look behind you, Lobo…" Ciara said shaky, pointing at something behind his back.
Rising an eyebrow, the werewolf turned his head and faced the jaw-opened mouth of a giant creature. The creature, known as a Gévaudan, from the tale of mythology creatures…
The Beast was described as being a wolf like creature the size of a cow, with a wide chest, a long sinuous tail with a lion-like tuft of fur on the end, and a greyhound-like head with small straight ears and large protruding fangs. The creature was said to have red fur, and a peculiar black stripe that ran down the length of its back. Although, it was said to be able to leap up to thirty feet, this most probably results from an error in reading its tracks.
Sweatdropped at the sight of the beast, Lobo took a step back and another two steps back again as the beast suddenly lunged after him.
"AAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!" The Wudai of Shadow dashed across the rocky path and shrieked loud enough for his companions to hear. "WHY IS THAT THING DOING HERE? I THOUGHT THAT THING IS JUST A MYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYTH!"
Poor Lobo… He didn't even know that beast, Gévaudan, was just protecting the Wudai weapon that he was given from the old friend in fifteen hundred years ago…
…His first Wudai Elemental Wu…
Holding up the strange-looking white glass with a shape of half moon with a garnet on the center, he squirted at it puzzlingly with a frown. "Why is so…girly-girl wu?"
A book hurled directly at the back of his head, he fell over on the table and looked over his shoulder glaring at the fuming witch. "That's hurt you know!" He whined nursing his new bump throbbing on the back of his head.
"Just be happy that wu is what can it do such thing to do impossible, stupid pervert!" Ciara scolded, her hands on each of her hips and scowling fiercely at Lobo.
Lobo glazed back to the soft glowing of the white shape of half moon glass with a garnet on the center and then he smiled the first gentle smile in his life. "Impossible, huh…"
…His first Wudai of Shadow…
"You look strange, Lobo." Kobo commented raising an eyebrow amusingly at the black figure with a dark gray light outline around him, including the ears and the tail. "You do look like the chibi version of a Gray Wolf in Elemental Pendant, Shadow."
"Shut up…" Lobo said embarrassed, pouting as he crossed his arms across his black ghost-like chest.
The black figure with a faint purple light outline come out of the darkness and glanced coolly toward at the sulking werewolf. "Be grateful that you got a power of shadow that allows you changed anything shape of a shade, no matter what size and what its power is."
Lobo pouted once again. "Speak of yourself, you got awesome power of Darkness, Khu!"
Yamato rolled his crimson eyes, as he is only one who won't to show off because of his jealous toward the Wudai warrior of Darkness. "Feh, all he can do is pausing through things and slashing things alike."
Ciara shook her head, riding the living wood snake in her black ghost with a light green outline. "Jealous so much?" She muttered out loud, secretly pleased when the hothead spewing some curses after her.
…His first Shoku Quest…
"So congrats on Shoku Leader, bud!" The werewolf padded up to the dazed-looking new leader and smacked on the stumped Shoku Heylin Tiger of Darkness's back with a laugh. "Glad it's nightmare's over."
Khu nodded looking uncertainly, rubbing his now sore back and he glanced over knowingly at the steaming half-beast companion as the Metal warrior turned sharply and stormed out of the backyard into the palace with a muffled yell.
Frowning at this new behavior from his leader, Lobo remembered that his best bud had been acting like this since their master's first loss of the showdown between his cats and the Xiaolin monks… and since killing the snake lord…
Khu had no longer to be a stoic, expressionless warrior he had known since on the first day of Heylin Tigers together and then now after getting all his memories back, he acted like the true Pedrosa with a little piece of his old self.
Lobo let out a long sigh and shook his head amused. He had to see what's like in the final battle between the two new Shoku leaders of Xiaolin Dragons and Heylin Tigers…
…And his first new friends…
"Wha… what the hell!" Yamato growled as a happy werewolf dragged him to the group where they stood outside near the cliff as he glared angrily at Lobo. "Get off of me, you damn mutt!"
"You know, Yam, you're sulking too much. You should go outside and smell the air!" Lobo grinned ignoring Yamato's swearing at him. "And it's so true, your frown really does stuck on your face!"
POW!
"Ow!" Lobo whined rubbing his black eye bruise as he sits sullenly on the solid sand-like ground. "You never take it as a joke."
"Damn right straight, mutt!" Yamato growled glaring deadly at the werewolf.
"Yamato," Khu said sipping his tea and looked boringly at the hotheaded teen. "Just relax. Lobo wishes that we should take a picture, just for a memory that's all."
Yamato tossed his head and glared silently at the calm teen. "So?" He asked grumbled as he stuffed his hands in his pockets jean and looking unhappy.
Suddenly, the youth ran out of the hidden entrance waving the small black camera. "Bro! I found it!" He grinned up at his older brother and turned to Khu. "Who's taking a picture of us?"
Khu smiled down at the youth. "What about this one?" He pointed at the 1,500 years old tiger that transformed into the huge man with brown wolf-like hood.
Lobo snorted looking amused at the "cave-man" warrior. "This? He doesn't even look like werewolf." He said chuckled ignoring the man's deadly silent glare directly in his direction.
Ciara rolled her light hazel eyes and shook her head as she continued reading her ancient book of the spells. "Don't insult him, Lobo. Last time you did and you end up being beaten up by him."
Lobo cringes and shrinks back away from the image of being beating up by the angry warrior for one little insult in his mind. "Gee… thank you for reminding me that."
"Don't mention it." Ciara smiled coldly at the werewolf and turned back to her book as she could see over her book to see Khu talking to the warrior and the warrior seems like as if he looked uncertain about the camera. She don't blame on him because this man had never seen things like that since he live in Master Young's cave for over one thousand years.
"Okay, guys. Get ready!" Khu said walking back to the gang and stood in center of his friends. Yamato was scowling on Khu's right and Lobo grinning insanely on Khu's left.
Ciara sighed, closing her book and take the spot next to Lobo and smiling at the direction of the camera. And then she feels the familiar pressure on her rear and gritted her teeth in anger.
She swing her hands toward the lecherous werewolf, unaware of the camera's light were ticking down to zero.
"PREVERT!"
SMACK!
Yelp!
THUD!
"OW!"
Lobo rubbed his red mark left cheek, grinning idiotic at the huffing Tiger of Wood. "But…" As he failed, Ciara looked away in other direction with an angry huff.
Unaware of what happen to his friends, Khu simply smiled at the camera and holding his tea in his right hand at same time as he crossed his arms across his chest.
Yamato looked scowl as usual but he tried to hide his smile as he was holding the youth, Kobo, on his shoulders smiling happily at the camera.
All of the sudden, the camera took a right moment to clicked its light. And then next thing, the picture comes out, look odd than normal like everyone else.
Lobo looked like frightened, yet grinning like idiot as he fell over being choked by angry Ciara's arms as she had him in her headlock as painful as it looks.
While Ciara strangling the werewolf for being feeling her up, her book fell out of her grasp and laying on the ground next to her feet as the murder look of her face when she wrapped Lobo's neck in death lock.
While Lobo was choking to death, his right arm jerked back and knocked Khu's tea out of his hand as Khu looked stunned at sudden movement.
While Khu looked stunned, the tea fell on Yamato as Yamato yelped, moving almost as if he were to dance because of hot liquid.
While Yamato reacted to the hot liquid, Kobo clutching Yamato's neck with shock-stuck on his face and almost as if he were riding on the angry bull. He had an empty teacup on his hair, soaking him as well.
All they looked like everything happen in frozen motion.
Ah, such good mood in the air…
Snapping out of his trance, Lobo glanced over at the Admiral and lifting his palm in the air to stop him from stammering over some lame explanation. "I don't care…" He said with a tired sigh and then he rubbed his spot between his eyes and nose for relieving his stress. "Whatever you said, Roki… I am still not going back to them. Just not now…"
"What?" Admiral Roki and Kobo said in unison, looking stunned at the werewolf's words and Lobo's mom looked a little surprise but yet, still smiling gently.
Lobo looked back to his little brother and smiled as he turned back to the clueless admiral. "…But I know where I am now belong to…" He walked back to his brother and kneed down to him, hugging him ferociously.
"…My brother and my friends, we are the Heylin Tigers and we are the team." He finished with a fanged grin at the three adults in front of his brother and him.
… Yes, it is indeed if it weren't for a banished exile life I have, I wouldn't have all unbelievable adventures and interesting human friends in my whole life… I don't want to leave Heylin Tigers for my packs…
Not now… Maybe later when I am ready for returning to my packs again.
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The sparkling broken glass of a shattered mirror fell into the lake, reflecting its glass against the moonlight and slowly fading back into the darkness in the water.
Along with its ancient and new memories…
It is time for the broken Wu…
…to return to its ancient mistress's embrace…
…Once again…
The small werewolf stood near the shore of the lake, looking quietly at the fading mirror into the void in the dark water at night. And then he turned, looking back to his brother and his companions.
With a smile, he ran back to them as the lake behind him dissolving into the mist and never seen again.
Farewell, Priestess of Light… Lady Roba of Heylin Tigers…
Thank you… For showing me the choice between two doors so I am now know which to choose which one. If it weren't for you, Lady Roba, I would have chosen the wrong one, no matter which one and stopped myself from falling into a trap.
Kobo haven't even telling anyone, especially his brother, about what happened to him while he was in the place before two doors. He now knows the answer to the question that repeating in his mind.
What is beyond the light?
Smiling knowingly, the werewolf looked over at the screen where the readers are watching and put his finger on his lips. "Se-cr-et…!" He sang cheerfully, as he rushed back to the team to catch up to them with laughing gleefully.
He knows.
- The End -
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End of the Chapter Twenty-Seven
Me: (smile) Alright, an Epilogue only left to go! Who's telling the Sneak Peek to the Readers?
Maijra: Me!
Muses: (shoving Maijra back in the basement) Shut UP!!
Me: … (sweatdrop)
Ragku: Not this again. (sigh) Time for sneak peek about upcoming Epilogue:
Standing on the hill next to the ancient oak tree, watching the teenagers stood chattering with their masters and their allies, as the black hood narrowing his orange eyes.
The leaves whirling around and riding on the silver breeze of wind, the figure disappeared without leaving a trace of him.
Review this story, please.
