Part One

The Danny Episode

"You're in big trouble!" Danny struggled. The boy kicked his legs, twisted his body, and wildly grabbed for the winged creature's feet where they gripped his backpack and shirt. He could feel the wind rush through the torn holes of his clothes and the sting of the slash marks across his ribs. Luckily, the winged creature's talons hadn't punctured his skin, merely grazed the boy as it found purchase in his gear. Still, Danny felt the dampness of his shirt spreading. It scared Danny. But the boy's southern temper was every bit as fiery as his sister's, and like his sister, Danny wouldn't go down without a fight.

Teeth gritted, the boy stared up at the oblong underbelly of the beast. In his mind, Danny thought the creature looked like a huge Venomoth, only way less cute than the actual Pokemon. This bug thing was ugly, with huge blackish blue translucent wings shaped like jagged snowflakes and its ribs were on the outside of its brown fury body. Danny couldn't see its face, but he figured it was probably just as ugly.

"My sister and my dads will come for me!" A flush of anger colored Danny's face. "They'll hunt you down and take your-"

The winged creature wailed, the sound so high pitched Danny was sure his teeth might break. Unable to help himself, Danny clapped his hands over his ears and screamed. The merciless, unholy cry ricochet inside his head. Inside his chest. Tears pricked his eyes, only to dry instantly in the relentless wind that whipped around him.

Danny opened his eyes and stared at the forest of curling vines zipping past. How far had the creature taken him? And where was it taking him? Danny had lost track of time, and distance from this height meant nothing to him. But he knew he'd gone much farther than they'd explored days before.

Danny glanced at his hands. And the backs of his eyes stung, the boy was crying for a different reason now. Baymax's blood crusted his skin, flaking off in the wind. His best friend was hurt, and Danny hadn't been able to do anything. Once again his small size made him feel powerless. If only he were as big as Lobomon, then he'd show this stupid creature who was boss. But he wasn't.

"... so what if you're a little short for you're age?! The world can only make you feel small if you let it, Danny!"

Danny giggled. He couldn't help it. He could still remember his sister's fierce reaction the first time Chad Watkins had beat him up. After Danny had stopped her from rushing out of the house to put the fear of Nina, in Chad, she'd taken him to the kitchen and stitched up his lip.

Danny blinked away the tears. The thought of never seeing his sister again filled him with more terror than the thought of being dinner. He had to get away. Besides his sister would never survive without him. She was always getting into so much trouble. Really without him around she was doomed.

Summoning that Louisiana fighting spirit, Danny yanked the Xenomorph fang from the leather cord encircling his neck. It had been a gift from Lobomon, and he clutched it to his chest, waiting for the perfect moment to strike the way Pakkun had taught him. The thought of being brave and making them all proud gave him courage and mentally prepared him for what he was about to do.

Pichu popped out of the front of the boy's shirt with a warbly chirr of fright. Danny soothed his tiny friend, scratching the top of her head and whispering, "It'll be okay." Pichu chirped as Danny tugged the bottom of his bloody shirt up and wrapped Pichu tightly in it to keep his friend safe.

The landscape below his dangling feet grew denser, and Danny remembered all too well the huge purple thorns covering the vines. Danny swallowed hard, his imagination running wild with horrifying images of being skewered by those spikes. He tucked his feet up and curled into a tight ball, peeking out at the brambled woods his sister Nina had deemed ShitThorn Forest from over the tops of his knees and hoped the creature wouldn't accidentally drop him.

As the scenery continued to rush past, Danny tried very hard to occupy his mind by committing any odd landmarks to memory. A survival tactic Pakkun had been very persistent about teaching him. Danny absorbed the information like a sponge because more than anything in the universe he loved training with the twins. And on the days the twins managed to get Nina to train with them, well, Danny found those times extremely entertaining. Nina tended to whine a lot which annoyed Lobomon to no end. The two would bicker and squawk until finally Pakkun had to break it up or Nina ended it by muttering something under her breath.

Nina has to have some sorta Yachu mind power, Danny thought. He contemplated this for a while. Wondering how his sister could possibly boss a Yautja as big as Lobomon around when he suddenly noticed the forest below had given way to open water.

Danny uncurled his body and swallowed convulsively as fear cramped his stomach. He was still really high in the air, but he knew this was his only chance because the dry land was only a few beats away. Before he could lose his nerve, Danny stuck the fang between his knuckles then tightly wrapped the leather cord around his palm. He thought of Lobomon and Pakkun, the Yautja he secretly viewed of as his fathers. He thought of Baymax and how his closest friend needed him. But it was the thought of his sister and her fierceness that steadied his shaking hands and gave him the strength to lash out and drive the Xeno fang into one of the winged creature's large toes.

The backlash was immediate and violent. Startled the winged creature jerked up its legs and with a wailing cry tossed Danny and sent the boy hurtling towards the water.

Danny exhaled a choked scream as he fought to see through the blur of tears brought on by the stinging wind. The glassy blue water filled his vision and in a rush of adrenaline Danny managed to get his feet under him and point his toes like a diver half a second before the water punched him in the gut.

The momentum sucked him down deep into the warm waters. Danny blinked his eyes open surprised to find he could see the purple sand at the bottom and the surface several feet up. His lungs were already burning, and Danny kicked and clawed his way to the surface, fighting the drag of his backpack. He could take it off, but Danny didn't want to risk losing his gear.

He was almost there. The surface was just right there! One more kick. Two more kicks. His thighs ached, and his lungs hurt so bad he thought they might burst. He was close. He was-

Danny breached the surface and gulped down air between coughing and sputtering fits. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest. Fighting dizziness, Danny floated, taking a moment to catch his breath.

"Pichu," he croaked. As he bobbed in the water, kicking his feet to stay above the surface, Danny reached for the knot in the top of his shirt and quickly unwrapped it. His yellow fuzzy friend fought her way free before he was even finished unraveling the shredded material. Pichu broke the surface of the water with a pathetic sounding cry and seemed all too eager to get out of the water as Danny scooped her up and placed her on top of his head. Pichu collapsed into his hair and continued to make tiny little sad noises.

"It'll be okay, Pichu." Danny spun in the water and started swimming towards the shore. "It'll be okay."

Thankfully, the water was calm, making the already exhausted child's swim to shore easier. And when Danny's toes finally found traction in the sand the boy exhaled a tired sob. But when Danny was knee deep, a horrifying wail brought his head up, and when he saw the creature diving for him, Danny was forced to make a mad dash for ShitThorn Forest.

Danny didn't want to go back into that forest but what choice did he have?! He could hear the beat of the creature's wings. Feel the current it created stirring the hairs on the back of his neck.

The creature wailed, and Danny threw himself into the brambled vines with a shout. He landed on his chest and yanked Pichu under him as he tucked his head under his arms. The crack of splintering vines braking made him flinch, and the frustrated shriek of the creature caused his body to tense so tightly it hurt. Air and dirt whipped around him as the creature tore at the vines. But it couldn't get him. It couldn't get him! Danny lifted his head and peeked behind him. The forest was so dense that it's natural defenses made it impossible for the creature to enter. Danny couldn't believe it. He could practically hear his sister crowing, "Ha! Told you so! Being small saved your ass, kiddo."

Danny rolled over and scooted back. Tucking his knees to his chest, Danny watched as the ugly Venomoth, determined to get him, grabbed at the barbed vines with its clawed feet only to snatch them back with a fierce cry of pain as the thorns cut its flesh. The creature beat its wings, hovering just beyond the forests defenses. Danny got a good look at its thin face and scooted backward. It didn't have any eyes. At least none that Danny could see. There was a V-shaped slash for a mouth in the dead center but no eyes. But that didn't change the fact that Danny could feel the creature watching him. It wanted him. Wanted to eat him.

Danny gulped and clutched Pichu to his chest.

The creature hovered for another second with several rapid beats of its wings then abruptly flew off. It's cry of fury over the loss of its meal echoing through the forest.

Danny exhaled a breath of relief and collapsed to the ground. Ignoring the itchy-sting of the claw marks, Danny rolled over on his side and just breathed. From lots of experience, Danny knew all too well how determined predators are and doubted this was the last they'd see of the ugly Venomoth. The dense forest with its natural defenses was his best chance, except Danny also couldn't forget the weird monkey-tadpole creatures that were all teeth lived in this forest.

Groaning, the boy rubbed his tired face and closed his eyes. Pichu bounced on his temple unhappily, but Danny just didn't have the energy to argue right now. If they left the forest, they'd be caught out in the open by the ugly Venomoth thing, but if they stayed, there was an equally good chance they'd run into more teeth.

Danny curled his knees into his chest and secretly wished for his big sister...

...

Let's see how Nina is fairing.

"I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch!"

The blades of my wrist bracer made moving within the forest marginally easier as I hacked my way through the brambles. The vines were a different story; those suckers were thicker than Uzkielles head! And they were in my way! Hell-bent on blowing away the whole damn forest, I commandeered a burner, only to have it promptly taken away by Osh'ikeille. Dammit! Didn't he understand that Danny was in danger?!

And who's fault is that?! Fuck! Why did I leave him alone?! I should've kept him beside me the whole time! What if he's already de- No! Shut up! Don't think like that! He's fine. Danny's been taught by the best. He'll be fine. He'll escape- but then what if he does escape and we can't find him before nightfall?!

"Fuck!"

Both of my mates stopped and twisted to look back at me.

Frustration heated my cheeks, and I stared passed them into the ominous thicket.

"When we catch up with that bitch-ass-Mothra-wannabe, I get to kill it!" I boiled past my mates, feeling the weight of their attention on me as I moved. "I'm gonna mount that things fucking skull in the headroom and make gumbo out of its innards!"

...

Well, enough of that. Back to Danny.

Danny awoke slowly to the familiar tickle of Baymax sniffing the side of his face and head. In a sleep fog, Danny smiled and batted at his friend.

"GahwayBaymax," Danny mumbled.

The exploration of Danny's exposed ear continued, causing the boy to squirm. The dog's warm breath tickled his neck and Danny exhaled a small laugh and tried to hide his face.

As Danny attempted to ignore Baymax and go back to sleep, he became aware of something else. Pichu was squeaking. His little friend sounded anxious. But the exhausted child wanted nothing more than to ignore them both and go back to sleep. However, now that he was waking he felt strange. His bed of fur pelts was gritty and hard, and it made his skin itch like crazy.

Something else wasn't right. Why hadn't Baymax simply just pushed him out of bed the way he always did? And then why was Pichu still fussing? Danny finally started to wonder why his little friend was causing such a ruckus when the memories came trickling back. First the strange bird creature, then the fall into the water and... Baymax! Baymax wasn't with him. Baymax had been-

Danny's emerald eyes flew wide. The boy didn't move. He knew better than that. Danny kept his breaths even, but there was nothing he could do about the rapid thump of his heart.

Pichu appeared in front of his face, his little yellow friend tilted her head and gave him a quizzical chirp.

Slowly Danny slid his arms back, he could still feel the warm breath of the other animal against his ears and neck, so the boy carefully leaned up and lifted his head. And when he did, Danny came nose to muzzle with an unfamiliar creature, an unfamiliar predator judging by the teeth. Its breath fanned his face and while the boy was scared he relaxed and remained calm.

Keeping his gaze downcast, Danny looked beyond the teeth. Below the muzzle in his face, Danny took note of a dense chest and forepaws, leading down to black leathery paws and claws that belonged to a dragon and not to the lion-esque animal sniffing his head. Its body was also similarly shaped to that of a lion with a large square head and a thick mane. But the ears were wrong, they looked more like big wolfy ears, and between the ears was a white horn that reminded Danny very much of a unicorn's horn in its shape and size. And then there were the twin tails flicking behind the animal, and if Danny skirted the cheekbones he could tell there were two sets of eyes on either side of its head. But what really captured Danny's attention was the predator's silken fur, the base coat was black with the most vibrant slashes of green cutting through the darkness. Danny had only ever seen such vivid shades of green when a Yautja bled. The boy found it beautiful and itched to touch it, but Danny had better sense than that.

While Danny had learned much from Lobomon and Pakkun in the way of predators, it was his father, his human father, that had taught him how to act around strange animals. Danny could still viscerally remember being three years old and their neighbor's nasty Rotty had run up on him. Even now, he could smell its rancid breath in his face as it growled and bared its teeth. Despite the terrifying ordeal, Danny had remained calm and given the dog no reason to attack. After a tense minute, the Rotty had sniffed Danny's face and licked its chops with a grunt before running out of the yard.

For a long stretch of time, Danny sat quietly, his eyes downcast as he patiently waited for the predator to make up its mind on whether or not he was a threat. Or worse, food. Danny imagined from the predator's point of view that he was a strange new creature. Danny didn't smell or look like anything this predator had ever seen before. So it was understandable why the predator had come to investigate. Danny was just glad it seemed more curious than hungry.

Danny's eyes followed the bolt-shaped green slashes of fur only for it to finally dawn on him that Pichu, though anxious, didn't seem afraid and had fallen quiet. Out of the corner of his eye, he peeked down at his little yellow friend who was staring at the predator in what Danny interpreted as annoyance. Which was evidence enough, at least to Danny, that he probably wasn't this creature's idea of dinner.

As if sensing the boy's thoughts, the predator sat back on its haunches and chuffed. Taking this as a good sign, Danny slowly did the same and sat back, his legs folded beneath him. Taking a breath, the boy then cautiously lifted his head and boldly met this new predator's eyes. The predator's ears flicked at this, but otherwise, the creature gave no outward sign that Danny's actions were threatening. Though, Danny surmised this was probably because he wasn't threatening. And Danny had been right. The predator did have two sets of eyes on either side of its square head, they were little more than slits in the sea of black fur, and only their stark shade of iridescent ice blue saved them from drowning in the sea of black fur. The color reminded Danny of Baymax's lone icy blue, except this predator's eyes had no pupils and glowed in a ghoulish way.

Danny's fingers curled into fists against his thighs. The fear had long faded into curiosity. This predator was special. In the way that made Lobomon, Pakkun, and Baymax special. Danny sensed this predator had a good soul and the perceptive boy already knew his name.

A smile lifted the corners of his mouth, and with breathless awe, Danny spoke the predator's name. "Bagheera..."

A/N: Sorry it took so long! Super busy prepping for baby! :) Also, I apologize for mistakes. I was in a rush to finish, and I'm not used to writing in the third person. Working on part two of The Danny Episode this weekend, and I'll post it when I can. I was gonna do the whole episode in one chapter, but I didn't want to leave you all hanging for another couple weeks, so I posted what I had ready ;) Happy Valentine's Day! Thanx for all those favs, follows, and reviews.

Puffgirl1952 the 2nd: Not the Queen ;)

hellfire45: Thanx! XD Hope, you enjoyed part one of the Danny episode!

angel897: Lol, young boys have a knack for finding trouble. ;D Thanx for the love!

Tenfangirl: Awe, thank you! Hope, you enjoyed part one of the Danny episode :)

write more soon: Lol, I will write more soon :)

RocNRepublic: Awe, thank you! Lmao XD I had fun writing that slutty number four joke! I didn't want the stone in her eye to be a typical shape but I needed a way (the Nina way) to describe it. Thanx for the love :)

Luna Lace: Lol, I know right! He took his sweet time! XD

aisaac5: Awe, thanx :) I'm excited to become a mom. Once again you have me grinning from ear to ear. XD Being considered one of your favorite authors fills me with a ton of pride! Lol, be selfish! It helps light a fire under my butt and keeps me motivated! Thanx so much for the love! XD

sousie: Haha, we'll see ;D He knows Nina's weakness now XD

DystrVction: Thanx for all the reviews. I'll assume in your last review you're referring to the cliffy. Well, hopefully this fun chapter made up for it :)

FFEShadowfoot: Awe, thanx! For the review and the congrats. Lol, "steam-rolled." That made me giggle. Hope you enjoyed the fun part one of the Danny episode XD

Venom is my poison: LMAO, totally got the drift. Oh, yeah, I think she'll be getting plenty of that vitamin D! XD Lol, guess I'm just as bad! I think Nina will definitely go a little Louisiana whoop-ass on Mothra if she gets ahold of it XD

CieloDistante: Nope. Just another hungry predator. And "You don't know what you have until you lose it" is exactly the kinda feels I was going for. Nina's always the one in trouble so I knew it would be a kick to the teeth if Danny was the one in trouble this time. As far as what they eat, I don't talk about it much but in ch. 30 Danny mentions drinking a fruity juice that he hated. I may not write much about it in the story but Nina and Danny eat what's provided. Yautja (depending on the canon you read) love meat but they also eat fruit as well. And for space travel, I would say they keep a lot of dried meat and fermented fruit in their reserve. Also, same applies to disease. Nina and Danny only go where her mates have deemed it safe. There are just things I don't bring up because I feel like I'd be going way too in-depth for this story. I may bring some of those issues up but I just haven't gotten the chance yet. So far I've only created one planet to show the readers so perhaps in the future I'll talk more about those kinds of dangers. I find polyandry relationships interesting too. It takes a huge leap of faith and unquestionable trust to make it work. Lol, I don't really have time to write anything else. Especially now that I'm gonna be a mom. I have written a few Naruto fics though. Granted a long time ago but one is still on the site. I've never finished it though. My real passion is the Predator and Aliens :) Thanx for the love!

Guest: Lol, that's what I was going for. Right in the feels. ;) Thanx for the love!

Camui-Alexa: Lol, I was inspired by your PM and managed to get something out for Valentines Day ;) Thank you for the review! Did you like my little sneak peek at the furere's power? More on it later, I promise! Lol, everyone's got a favorite when it comes to the twins. There will be more Osh time as the story progresses. We talked about the Yautja anatomy through PM's so I won't retell it here, but I will say I think I might've come up with a way for Nina to talk about it later on. Also, I'm in my third trimester and almost done XD Thanks so much for the love!

Guest 2: Thank you! I'll try my best not to leave the story suspended for too long! :)

Atlanfan1286: Lol, she did indeed roast Mostra/Venomoth XD Thanks so much for the love!

Kay: Lol, that's alright. Life is life. I get it :) Oh! I just didn't think to tell the readers up until I realized how much harder it was gonna be to update. I didn't want anyone to think I gave up on the story again once I slowed down. Cause I'm not! Precious has many plans. Lol, Precious will just have less time is all. Ah, thanx :) This is my first one and its a girl. Lol, I'm hoping to turn her into an uber nerd like me. Lmao, I tried so very hard to decorate her room with a cutsie twist on an AvP theme but my husband wouldn't let me. So I *ahem* may have bought a Xeno and Yautja plushie without him knowing XD Thank you so much for the support and the love, Kay! Stay awesome! Chi'ytei!