A/N: Okay, now we're getting back to the more serious stuff!
Is it bad that I'm kinda just making this up as I go along? xD I have some ideas where I want this to go but at the moment I'm literally writing what comes to my head lmao!
Anyways, on with the chapter!

Chapter 9

Any other time he had been given the chance to use a drone, he would have relished in it, but Kenny had a mission and that was to find his missing teammates. However they had sent out the drones a few hours ago and the light was beginning to fade with the setting sun, time was running out for the day. The Chiefs hands were sweating as he kept his eyes peeled on the screen in front of him, hoping and praying that he would spot even the tiniest hint of his friends; the pressure kept building as people watched over his shoulders, every now and then one of them pointing at something they'd seen. Unfortunately, their search with the drones yesterday had come up with nothing, people were becoming desperate. The teens had been missing for over 72 hours now and tempers were beginning to flare between the teams.

"Tyson, can you please stop hogging all the space? We want to see too!" Mariah scowled at the navy-haired teen.

Tyson turned to her and glared. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to help find our friends!" He growled.

Pupils slit as her annoyance surged. "Well you don't need to take up all the room!" The White Tiger placed her hands on her hips. "How am I supposed to help find Ray when- "

"Hang on a moment." Tala interrupted. "We're not just looking for Ray. We're looking for Kai too!" He bristled with anger.

Mariah narrowed her eyes at him, looking the tall red-head up and down. "You know how I feel about him."

Max stood up from his chair next to Kenny, blue eyes blazing. "So does that mean he doesn't deserve to be looked for?!" He snapped. "Yeah, he did a shitty thing to everyone in Russia, but he's still our friend! How would you feel if he were lying in a ditch or mauled by a bear?!" His voice broke as tears welled up in his eyes.

"I'm not saying that! I would feel awful if that happened and I'm hoping it doesn't." Mariah defended herself. "I just don't care for him like I do for Ray."

"QUIET!" Kenny screamed. "If you're just going to argue, you can leave!" He didn't want to hear anymore bickering, it wasn't the time and place for it.

Mystel pat him on the shoulder. "You tell 'em Chief." He smiled at the young lad.

After a few more glares thrown at one another, the teens simmered down and resumed watching the monitor; Max sat back down in his chair, a couple of tears dropping into his lap. The only sound breaking the silence was the small clunks from the controller Kenny was using, his eyes glued to the screen. The drone flew through the forest with ease, the camera swivelling at all angles to get the best coverage; he checked in every nook and cranny he came across, hoping that he will find them huddled up in one of them.

Dusk was beginning to set in, the drone was going to run out of juice soon and Kenny would have to bring it back. He pressed on a little bit farther not wanting to finish the day empty handed, flying the machine over some trees. A small lake came into view and the Chief settled the drone just above it, propellers sending ripples across the water as the camera surveyed the area. A noise echoed off to the side and caught Kenny's attention, his heart lurched and he spun the drone around to the direction it had come from. A pair of deer-like animals appeared on the screen, they were staring at the drone hovering above the lake.

"Oh wow." Mariah breathed. "What are they?"

The Ranger stepped closer to them, having been watching for a few minutes. "They're elk, two young bulls to be exact." He commented, leaning in to inspect them. "Still have a lot of growing to do too."

One of the elk, the darker one, reared up and bugled at the drone.

"It's not unusual to see a pair of juvenile males together." He continued. "They usually band up whilst they're young to keep one another safe from predators… and they seem very interested in this drone." He mused.

Kenny sighed as the red light on the controller lit up, indicating the battery was low. "I need to bring it back now."

He pulled on the joysticks and the drone tilted away from the animals, heading back to camp. As he left the lake and entered the tree's, another bellow came from one of the bulls and he turned the camera to see the smaller one was chasing the drone.

Tyson frowned. "Why is he doing that?"

The Ranger held his chin. "Could be curious? Or territorial?" He watched the peculiar behaviour.

The bigger elk was just behind him, catching up to the other and leaping in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

"How bizarre…" The Ranger stepped back and walked off, mumbling about testosterone fuelled bulls acting weird.

Tala watched him go, icy blue eyes narrowing at his comment. He turned back to the monitor to catch one last glimpse of the elk in the distance, the darker one appeared to be herding the other back to the lake.

"We should check out the lake again tomorrow." He decided.

Kenny tilted his head to one side. "How come? We didn't see any signs of Ray or Kai there."

The Wolf turned to retreat to the sleeping quarters. "Just a feeling." He replied over his shoulder.

As the Chief landed the drone back at camp, Tyson laid a hand on his shoulder. "You did good dude." He praised.

"But I didn't find them…" Kenny sat back in his chair dejectedly.

"I know, but you tried you best and that's what matters." Max smiled at him.

The brunette smiled sadly back. "Thanks guys."

Kai was the first to wake, he lifted his antlered head and blinked sleep out of his eyes. He glanced over to his still sleeping friend, anger still boiling in the pit of his stomach over last night. He heaved himself to his feet, shaking the dirt out of his pelt and carefully picked his way out of their den, veering off to the right in search of a place to go for a wee. It had taken him a few attempts to figure out the best way to master the art; he'd tried cocking his leg but had nearly fallen over, he had stood himself upright on his rear legs against a tree and almost peed on himself. In the end he found the easiest option was to just lean forward where he stood and let it rip… no pun intended. As the Phoenix emptied his bladder he mulled over last night's event, he had been so angry at Ray for stopping him following the drone; but the more he thought about it the more he understood why he'd stopped him, they couldn't risk running into another bear or whatever else was out there. He sighed heavily, his breath billowing out of his nostrils in the cool morning air, he'd never admit this to anyone, but he missed the rest of his friends. He missed having to help get Tyson and Daichi up in the mornings, coming up with creative ways to wake them. He missed half-listening to Kenny waffle on about the latest technology release or watching him tinker with their blades. He yearned to hear Max's bubbly laugh again, to feed off of the blonde's never-ending positivity. Heck, he even missed Hiro and Hilary's constant nagging, each and everyone of them had made an impact to his life. Kai would do anything to sit down and have a decent conversation with Tala and the others, they would often spark up debates that could go on for hours.

"Kai?!"

Said teens ears swivelled to the source of his name being called, he'd long finished his business and decided he should head back to save his teammate from having a meltdown.

He emerged from the bushes. "I'm here."

Ray's hammering heart jumped to his throat, worry dancing in his eyes. "I thought you'd left…"

Kai locked his eyes with the others. "Sorry, I had to pee." He felt a little bad for making him worry.

"Don't be sorry." The raven-coloured bull calmed. "Let's just keep each other in the know when we need to go off."

Kai nodded half-heartedly, walking past the other to get a drink from the lake. Ray clocked onto his mood and gazed after him sadly, he followed suit and brushed his pelt up against Kai's before leaning down to the water. As the pair drank, they pressed their flanks together in a silent apology to one another; Ray especially felt guilty as he had crushed Kai's hopes of being found last night, he had good reasons but it didn't make it any easier.

The younger elk raised his head. "We need to do something, sitting here isn't getting us anywhere."

"Like what?" Kai asked, water dripping from his chin, aware that their sides were still touching.

"Well for starters, we need to find a way to turn back human." He stared at the water glistening in the sunlight, deep in thought. "We should head back to the thicket where we turned."

Slate ears pinned back. "If you're thinking of begging that Bit-Beast to turn us back, I don't think it'll be as easy as that."

"I didn't say it was going to be easy, but we have to start somewhere?" Ray sighed.

Kai shrugged. "I guess." He was still unsure about returning there. "Come on, let's get something to eat first."

After they had eaten their fill of grass, Ray led the way back to the thicket, uncertainty tugging at the back of his mind. He squeezed through the brambles once again, a thorn grazing against his back causing him to hiss in annoyance; he turned his lead to lick the blood welling up from the wound, only to find Kai had beaten him to it. His pink tongue brushed over the black pelt, lapping up the small amount of red liquid staining it. They locked eyes and Kai instantly felt hot with embarrassment, he hadn't meant to do that so suddenly.

"Err, thanks?" Ray shifted awkwardly, before tearing his eyes away and carrying on.

The two-toned teenager shook his head, silently kicking himself for making him look like a complete moron. He followed his teammate down the pathway, his eyes adjusting as the light faded the farther in they went. Ray glanced down sadly at the marked stones along the edges, wishing they had had a different outcome on that fateful day; he tore his eyes away and focused on moving forward, his hooves gently brushing through the leaf litter on the path. When they came to the main clearing Kai halted at the entrance, his feet frozen to the ground and heart pounding in his ears.

Ray turned around, having already walked in. "What's wrong?"

"What if…" Kai swallowed the lump in his throat. "What if the body is still there?"

The Neko's amber eyes softened. "There's nothing here, I'd be able to smell it otherwise."

His friend nodded, anxiously stepping into the room all the while looking around as they approached the tree stump. Ray stared at the symbols etched into the wood, recognising them from the similar ones in his home village; he bent down and pressed his nose against the cool bark, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Help us mighty one." He spoke to the Bit-Beast through his thoughts. "We were hungry and desperate…"

His ears drooped, knowing he was just making excuses. When he didn't receive a response Ray opened his eyes and straightened up, he reluctantly turned away and began walking back to his teammate.

"It wasn't his time…" A voice whispered to him.

The young bull snapped his head around to the tree stump. "I know! We are deeply regretful for our actions."

"You are not to blame."

The Bit-Beast spoke, louder this time.

Ray turned his gaze to Kai, who was stood a little way away from him, his head tilted to one side whilst he watched. "I think he's learned his lesson."

"Ray? We should go, he clearly doesn't want to help us." Kai urged his friend, unaware of the conversation going on.

Anger surged through the air like a thick cloud, causing the pair to feel like they were suffocating beneath a dense blanket of fog. The stag emerged; this time he was surrounded by black smoke as he held a furious scowl.

He advanced on Kai. "Do you think you're worthy of my help?!" He roared, his steps thundering in his wake.

Kai backed up quickly until his rump pressed into the wall of brambles. "N-no." He stuttered.

"Do you think that bull deserved to die?!" The stag leaned down threateningly above the teenager.

Crimson eyes screwed shut as he cowered away from the bellowing voice, he grit his teeth when fear and guilt washed over him.

"NO!" He screamed.

The Bit-Beast's expression calmed slightly, raising his enormous head and stepped back a little; he studied the young elk before him through glowing stern eyes, then began to turn away.

"The help you seek is buried within."

Just as quickly as he had appeared the great Bit-Beast vanished into thin air, the thick smoke dissipating around Ray's legs. He turned to his friend, who was still crouched against the thorn barrier wide eyed and legs shaking; he hated seeing him so scared, which had been quite often recently, but he knew that it was vital for him to learn from his mistake.

Ray cantered over to his teammate and gave him a reassuring lick on the shoulder. "Let's go."

Kai just nodded and slowly eased himself away from the brambles, his head still reeling from his encounter with the furious stag.

"So what do you think he means?" Ray queried his friend as they walked.

Kai shrugged. "I don't know…"

The older teen was feeling extremely frustrated at the Bit-Beasts vague words, as well as embarrassed that he'd been so terrified of him. He wanted this whole nightmare to be over with now, longing to sleep in a warm bed, eat good food and to launch his Beyblade again. Ray's thoughts were along the same line, he wanted to see his friends and teammates again, to enjoy a carefree day without worrying about their safety.

"When we get back to the lake we should probably rest up." Ray suggested, turning his head to look at Kai. "Then we can start searching for a way home."

No sooner had he said that his rear hoof caught something and a rope snagged around it, lifting his leg into the air and throwing him to the ground and winding him.

"Ray!" Kai rushed forward to see if he was okay.

Ray coughed as he gasped for air. "I'm fine." He rasped.

Kai sniffed at the rope around his younger friends leg, if he just nibbled at it the rope would fall away and free him. As he opened his mouth his ears picked up a small rustle behind him, he lifted his head and turned to the direction the noise had come from. The dual-coloured bull froze when he came face to face with a human wearing camouflage gear, a menacing compound bow in his hands loaded with an arrow. The man was staring at the pair in disbelief, he'd never seen an elk with a pelt like that in his entire hunting life; they were both still incredibly young, but they had huge potential to grow into gorgeous beasts! He slowly lifted a radio to his mouth, aware that the grey and blue one was watching his every move.

"Joe, you gotta come see this." He whispered down the microphone.

Ray's chest let out a grumble. "Kai, he's a hunter…"

"I know, but what if they realise we aren't normal elk?" Kai replied, hoping that this man was their salvation.

Another man appeared from the undergrowth, he looked a little annoyed that his friend had called him away from his position, until he saw the pair of juvenile bull elks staring them down.

He stumbled slightly. "Holy shit!"

"Kai, I don't like this, get me out of this trap." Ray's ears pinned back.

The first man brought his radio back to his mouth. "Guys, we have a pair of bulls here. We're gonna need all the manpower we can get."

Kai stepped forward. "Wait! We're not real elk, we're human like you!" He tried to reason with them.

The second man, Joe, aimed his bow at the grey and blue bull as it barked at them. "Woah woah! Stay right there little man." He spoke firmly to it.

Ray could hear more footsteps approaching, they needed to get out of here; he heaved himself to his three unrestrained feet and growled at the men, his amber eyes glaring at them threateningly.

"The big black one is looking a bit feisty Dave, we need to be careful!" Joe smirked at his friend.

Dave kept his aim on the grey bull. "These two are gonna make us some cash!" He exclaimed, eyes glinting.

Kai grew furious, angry that they couldn't understand him, and angry that they saw them as a means of earning money! He stepped in between Joe's bow and Ray, his pelt bristling as he lowered his antlers to them.

"Back off!" He bellowed.

Ray's eyes widened. "Kai, what are you doing?!"

The rest of the men's hunting party had arrived, all in the same camouflage gear and some of them brandishing long ropes.

"Oh boy! Look at these young'uns!" One cooed.

Dave made a signal to them. "We need 'em alive boys, take em down!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Kai saw one of the men swing a rope in his direction; he dodged it with ease and charged at the culprit. Another took the opportunity to throw his rope at the black one, pulling on it hard as it looped around one of his antlers.

Ray tugged back as hard as he could. "Kai!" He shouted.

The older teen stopped in his tracks and looked back, seeing his friend struggling to keep his balance on three legs whilst battling against a couple of hunters. He turned on the stop and raced back to help him, but a rope was swung in front of his face and looped tightly around his muzzle. Kai reared up on his hind legs to try and make the man let go of the rope, but another hunter rushed to his aid to hold him down.

"Watch out for their antlers!" A man with blonde hair warned his comrades.

Kai gave up pulling and charged towards them, causing both men to dive out of his way. The dual-coloured elk bucked his rear legs at one, his hoof colliding with the mans shoulder and he screamed out in agony. Another rope was swung and it caught Kai's left antler, the two hunters pulled hard and forced him to turn around whilst another grabbed the rope attached to his muzzle. Ray had seen his friend get caught up in the ropes and saw red, he yanked at the rope on his antler; the rope flew out of the hunters hands and they tried to grasp it back but the black bull had turned and bitten the rope holding his rear leg up, freeing himself. He raced to help his trapped companion, letting out a deafening bugle at the hunters.

"Look out!" Joe warned them.

Kai saw Ray heading towards him, but to the side of him another hunter was swinging a rope ready to catch him.

"Ray, wait!" He tried to warn him.

Too late, the man had thrown the rope to the ground just before Ray's front hoof had landed and he pulled on it hard. The younger teen tripped head over heels into the dirt once again, he laid there dazed for a few moments whilst the men got to work in restraining him. Kai watched in despair as his teammate laid there, he dug his hooves into the ground and heaved forward, pulling the hunters with him. A gunshot emitted to his right and he froze, thoughts immediately jumping to Ray getting shot.

"Enough!" An older man roared, holding a smoking pistol above his head. "Get these damn animals tied up and on the truck!"

The hunters nodded and took advantage of the shocked grey and blue bull, throwing ropes around his antlers and holding them in all directions. Ray shook his head and stood up as best as he could with the restraints holding him, he stared wide eyed at the man with the gun. Greying eyebrows frowned at them, these two were definitely a bizarre looking pair, but they were going to fetch him a pretty penny. The hunters heaved on the ropes, guiding the teens through the forest towards a waiting livestock truck; a couple jumped into the back and pulled hard on Ray's antlers, trying to force him to jump up. He resisted as hard as he could, hooves sliding into the dirt and knees pressing against the metal ramp. The older hunter cocked the hammer on his pistol and took aim at the black bull, causing Ray to glance in his direction, fear reflecting in his eyes.

"Get in." He ordered.

The Neko gazed at him a few more seconds, before jumping up into the truck.

Kai attempted to lunge at the old man, baring his teeth. "Don't you dare point that thing at him!" He barked.

The greying man just laughed. "Here boys!" He gestured to his comrades. "This one thinks he's the dogs bollocks!"

The rest of the hunters laughed mockingly all-around Kai, taunting and jeering at him until their captain held his hand up.

He approached the teen until he was nearly in his face. "You may be a pretty boy, but you're nothing but a scrawny young fool." The old man sneered before turning away. "Get him on the truck, we're leaving!"

As Kai was forced onto the truck, it revved into life and once the rear doors were shut it began to pull away; crimson eyes met scared amber ones and they staggered as the truck drove through the uneven forest floor.

Ray broke their gaze and dropped his weary body to the floor of the vehicle. "What are we gonna do now?!" He cried out in despair.