Category: TV Show » Power Rangers
Author: Twix3780
Language: English
Rated: Fiction T
Genre: Fantasy/Family
Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers.
Author's Note: Welcome to the Jungle Fury portion of this universe.
Reaching out his fingers, Nick grasp the empty space beside him and raised his head. He squinted through groggy eyes and pushed his hands against the soft matters and looked around the darkened room. He was at Root core and had been for the last couple of weeks. His mother and father had gone on a magic retreat with Daggeron and Eithne, leaving him and Kali at the base to look after the magical realm.
Speaking of Kali, where was she? He could remember her falling asleep beside him, but he must've entered a deep sleep because he couldn't remember feeling her move or leave the room. When he was younger, his sister Rachel often teased him about his sleep process. She called his 'deep sleep' a dead sleep, and he couldn't help but agree. A bomb could've gone off, and he would've slept through it.
Rolling out of bed, Nick grabbed his shirt from the floor and pulled it over his head. He opened the door and stepped out onto the dark, wooden landing and headed for the spiral staircase leading down into the main room of Root core. He glanced over the banister and spotted Kali at the table, she was sitting in her usual spot, legs pulled up and hugged to her chest, as the balls of her feet rested on the edge of her stool.
He watched her for a few minutes. Taking her in and smiling to himself. He noticed how her shoulder-length brown hair hung down over her right shoulder, how her head was propped up against the ball of her hand, and while he couldn't see them, he knew that her brown eyes would be focused intently on the images flashing across the crystal ball.
On the table in front of her, he also noticed, was the Xenotome - the book of ancients that they had studied when they had first become Rangers.
"Hey," Nick called, descending the stairs and stepping into the slightly chilled room. He rubbed his palms up and down his arms as he approached his girlfriend. She either hadn't heard him call out or was ignoring him. He guessed the former, seeing as she was deeply focused on what she was doing, her brow furrowed to the point that he was surprised she didn't look angry.
Kali jumped as she felt arms slid around her waist.
"Hey, hey, easy," said Nick, softly.
"Jesus!" Kali swore. "Don't sneak up on me like that."
Nick chuckled and hugged her firmly against him. "I did call out," he said. "You didn't hear me."
Shaking her head, Kali relaxed against him, feeling the warmth from his chest against her back.
"What are you doing?" Nick asked.
"Searching."
Nick rolled his eyes. "I can see that, smart arse," he said. "Why are you searching? What for?"
Kali shrugged. "Darkness," she answered. "I can't sleep, the Hellhound is restless."
It had been two years since any form of darkness had plagued the Mystic Realm. The last, had taken on the form of a rogue Ninja named Lothor. He had been banished from Earth 30 years prior and had returned to wreak havoc on the Ninjas, namely his brother, that had he had viewed to be the cause. In his desire for mass destruction and world domination, he had hoped to open the Abyss of Evil.
A gateway to the Underworld that was located in Blue Bay Harbour and protected by the Wind Ninja Academy.
In hopes of stopping him, Kali had been sent to Blue Bay Harbour to train under Sensei Watanabe, and, along with six other Ninjas - and a Samurai - fought to protect the world and Mystic Realm from Lothor and his band of misfit monsters. They had succeeded, but not without a heavy price.
Kali, being the Hellhound, had gone to help the Ninjas stop Lothor, but she had a plan that they had not been privy to from the start. Her plan had included, in the end, a betrayal that the Ninjas had not seen coming. In order to fully stop Lothor, Kali had to open the Abyss and reseal it with Lothor inside. To do that, she had to make it seem that she was Lothor's side, and had attacked Cam, stole his amulet, and handed it to Lothor.
To say the other Ninjas had been surprised would've been an understatement, and while they understood now what Kali had to do, it didn't make her feel any less guilty about her actions. She still beat herself up over it and even swore that it was the last time she lied to a team about her intentions.
"What's that?" Nick asked, reaching out and grasping her left hand. It was hovering in the air between them and the crystal ball, her index finger poised and outstretched, barely touching the crystal ball. It had stopped on an area on the West Coast. L.A. to be specific.
Leaning forward, Kali expanded on the area and the regional name appeared on the crystal ball. "Reefside," she said, sitting back. "The energy reading is too small for the Hellhound. I mean, sure, it's a concern, but not enough to make it this restless."
"Have you considered something a little closer to home then?" Nick asked.
"I've already walked the forest," said Kali. "But there's nothing out there, at least not from what I can tell."
Nick felt her fall against him and squeezed her tightly between his arms. "Are you sure this is a darkness problem?" he asked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kali asked, pulling away. She turned and stared at him, her eyes hardening at the implications of his words, even though he hadn't actually said all that much, she knew exactly what he was trying to say.
"Maybe your guilt over your last team has manifested into restlessness and the Hellhound is picking up on it?"
Kali untangled herself from his grasp and hugged herself instead. Her gaze focused back on the crystal ball, but it had narrowed into a glare. What she had done to the Ninjas hadn't been all her fault, she had formed the plan with the other Mystics and Sensei Watanabe, but she had been the one that had attacked and stolen from Cam, she had been the one that had lied to her friends for a year and betrayed them when they needed her the most.
"I'm sorry," Nick murmured, moving closer again and sliding his arm around her. She let him, feeling her body relax despite her inner turmoil of anger at his words. But, maybe he had a point? Maybe her guilt of lying to the others had caused the Hellhound to become restless. How many times had Daggeron and Eithne reminded her that there was a fine line between her emotions and those of the Hellhound, how many times did she need to be reminded that her emotions affected the Hellhound?
Kali sighed and tilted her head back, resting it against his shoulder. "Me too," she murmured, turning her head to the side and looking up at him. She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his. She sighed as he deepened it, his arms drawing back so that his hands rested on her waist. His fingers traced the strip of exposed skin between her shirt and shorts.
"Maybe we should take this elsewhere?" Nick suggested, pulling back and resting his forehead against her own. "Before Claire wanders in and finds us?"
Kali closed her eyes and, despite the groan that bubbled in her throat, she smiled. "Way to ruin the mood," she teased.
Nick chuckled and lifted her up. Instinctively, Kali wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, and he carried up the stairs back to their room. Once inside, Nick kicked the door closed behind him and dropped her onto the bed with a bounce.
Grasping the hem of his shirt, Kali pulled him to her. Her upper body arching off the bed as he braced his hands either side of her and pressed his lips once again to her own. He knelt on the bed and raised his arms above his head as she slipped his shirt up and off his body.
He then kissed her again, his hands sliding under her shirt, feeling the soft satin feeling of her skin against his palm…
~X~
"Hellhound…"
Kali propped herself up, pushing her palm into the mattress as she wrapped a blanket around her chest. "Who's there?" she asked, her voice echoing in the darkness. She glanced to her left, surprised to find that Nick wasn't there.
"Do not fear, Hellhound, I am not here to alarm you."
"Says the disembodied voice in the dark," Kali retorted. "Who are you? Where are you?"
A shimmer of gold appeared at the foot of the bed, and an elder man in an orange tunic with a black collar and orange hat smiled at her.
Instinctively, Kali tightened her grip on the blanket.
"I am Master Mao," the man said, calmly. "I come seeking help and to provide a warning. I am sure by now that you have sensed the shift in the darkness, a shift that could only mean a great evil has been released."
"You mean that little blip in L.A.?" Kali asked.
Master Mao shook his head. "I do not have much time to explain all, Hellhound, but I am sure someone of your status would have the ability to find out more. You will find what you're seeking in Ocean Bluff. Although, I must caution you, what you find will not be any easy task to defeat."
Kali cocked her head to the side. "What does that mean?" she asked. "What's in Ocean Bluff?"
"I'm sorry, I cannot explain more," said Master Mao. "I must pass on, before I am lost to the spirit world for all eternity."
Kali frowned, although she did notice that the golden shimmer around Mao was starting to fade. "You want me to open the gate to the Spirit World?" she asked.
"If it is not too much trouble," said Mao.
Kali hesitated. She hadn't opened the gates to the Spirit World in over two years, the last time she had been forced to do it by the Thunder Brothers so that they could attempt to resurrect their parents, they had taken her to the Mountain of Lost Ninja's and forced the Gem of Souls into her hands.
The consequences of their actions had bound her to one of them, the eldest brother, to be exact, a bound that still existed to this day.
"You must help me, Hellhound, it is your duty, is it not?" Mao asked.
"Technically, no," said Kali. "It's my duty to make sure spirits don't escape. But, I did seal both the Underworld and the Spirit World when I sealed Lothor into the Abyss."
"Please," Mao pleaded.
Kali sighed and nodded. She pushed herself up, crossing her legs and still holding the blanket around her chest. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, searching her mind for the flicker of magic that tied her to the Hellhound and it's abilities.
She felt a flicker of warmth rise in her chest, and a howl echoed through the room. When she reopened her eyes, a great stone gateway had replaced the door leading in and out of her room. She breathed out, her breath ragged and tense as she looked back at Mao.
"I can't keep it open for long," Kali said. "You should go now."
"Thank you, Hellhound, and good luck," Mao said, bowing and stepping through the stone archway. As he disappeared, a second howl echoed throughout the room and the gate disappeared.
Kali slumped back against her pillows, her eyes heavy and her heartbeat racing.
~X~
Kali sat up with a start. She pressed a hand to her head, brushing her hair from her face and whipped her head from side to side, checking for any signs of another presence in the room.
Nick stirred beside her. He cracked open an eye, then two, and sat up. "What is it?" he asked, noticing the startled look in her eye.
"I just…" Kali murmured, her eyes still searching the room. "I think I just got a warning."
"A warning? For what?"
Kali pushed herself into a sitting position. "The Hellhound's restlessness," she said, pressing the balls of her hands to her eyes. "There is a disturbance out there, and it's not in Reefside. It's in Ocean Bluff."
"Ocean Bluff? How do you know that?"
"Master Mao."
Nick opened his mouth, probably to ask who Master Mao was, but stopped himself. The last thing Kali needed at this point was him bombarding her with questions about who she had seen and what she had done. When she was ready, she would tell him, but first she needed to figure it out for herself.
Turning onto her side, Kali reached for her phone on the nightstand and opened Google search engine and typed in 'Ocean Bluff'. The first tab that opened, was a news article about freaky looking monsters surging through the streets of Ocean Bluff earlier that afternoon.
"Look at the time," said Kali, showing Nick her phone. The pale grey digits next to the article read 13hrs.
"How long have you been feeling restless?" Nick asked, sitting up and resting back against the headboard. He trailed his fingers across Kali's back and she settled in beside him, curling up and resting her head on his shoulder as she continued to skim through Google.
Kali shrugged. "I don't know," she answered. "A few hours. Why didn't I sense it sooner?"
"Hey, don't blame yourself," said Nick, reassuringly. "There's a lot been going on around here, and you've been under a lot of pressure. Since Mom, Dad, Daggeron and Eithne have been gone, it's essentially been up to us to protect the Magical Realm and, being head guardian, you've been running around non-stop for the last week."
"But people in Ocean Bluff have been under attack while I've been here," said Kali. "I could've helped them, but I let them down."
"You haven't let anyone down," Nick said. "Kali, the Magical Realm is a massive place for one person to patrol alone. You can't be held accountable for everything that happens out there, that's why there are other schools and institutes, like the Wind and Thunder Academies. What's in Ocean Bluff?"
Kali shook her head. Despite having read almost every History book concerning the Magical Realm, she couldn't think off the top of her head, and it wasn't like she could Google it.
"Wait," said Kali, the conversation she had had with Master Mao returning. "He mentioned a name - Dai Shi."
"Dai Shi?" Nick echoed. "Isn't that one of the Barbarian Beasts?"
Kali's eyes widened and she sat up. "Pai Zhuq!" she gasped. "The Pai Zhuq academy is in Ocean Bluff. They teach Kung Fu to their students - Tori's sister attends."
"If something has happened in Ocean Bluff then the Pai Zhuq are duty bound to let Root Core know about it," said Nick. "Maybe, whatever you saw with Master Mao, was just that? Did he ask you for help?"
Kali nodded slowly.
"And what did you say?"
"He didn't ask me for help specifically with Ocean Bluff," said Kali. "He asked for help passing into the Spirit World, he just warned me about the disturbance and the threat it posed to us all. He also made me aware that it was on Ocean Bluff, and warned me that it would not be easy to defeat - maybe he intends for me to go there, to Ocean Bluff, I mean?"
Nick shrugged. "He could, yeah," he said, quietly. Granted he had had her by his side for almost two years, he shouldn't have been surprised that another issue had occurred to take her away again, after all, being the Hellhound meant that she was duty bound to help whenever any situation turned serious, and if a member of the Barbarian Beasts had managed to escape back into the world, that was a pretty serious situation.
Checking the time on her screen, Kali locked the phone and set it back on the nightstand. "It's too early to bother anyone in Ocean Bluff yet," she said. "I'll head out as soon as the sun rises, but first, we should tell the others. They should be warned about a potential threat from another city, just like in Blue Bay Harbour."
"You should probably also warn the Academies," said Nick.
Kali nodded. "I'll message Cam in the morning," she said, settling back down under the blanket. She pulled it up over her shoulder, and curled up beside Nick, tracing patterns with her finger tips on his chest. "You can guarantee that this is going to result in a Ranger deal."
"You're heading for a record," said Nick. "Especially for someone who didn't want to be a Ranger the first time, anyway."
"Hey, I was the one who convinced you to stay," Kali defended. "Besides, the rest of you morph whenever there is trouble in the forest."
"Yeah, but none of us have been on different teams."
"Guess you're not ambitious enough," Kali teased.
Nick laughed.
~X~
Early the next morning, Kali bustled around Root Core, packing what she needed for her trip to Ocean Bluff into her rucksack.
"The others should be here soon," said Claire, wandering in eating a slice of toast. "You sure there's no potions or poisons that I can pack for you, just in case?"
Dumping her stuff on the table, Kali shook her head and pulled the tie-strings of her rucksack together. She looped them through one another and knotted it. "If I need anything like that when I am out there, I'll call ahead," she said.
"What about the Hellhound's healing potion?" Claire asked, holding a vial in her hand. "Please, take it? You may need it sooner rather than later."
"Was that a dig?" Kali asked.
"More like an observation," said Claire.
Kali laughed and motioned with her fingers for Claire to toss her the vial. The blonde did, and Kali caught it with ease, sliding it into carefully into a leather pouch and then hanging it around her neck. "Happy?" she asked.
"Much," Claire said, beaming.
The Dragon's mouth opened and the rest of the team, including Matoombo, Itassis, Nikki, and Leelee walked in. Kali smiled as she noticed Vida and Chip walking hand-in-hand, and then felt her stomach sink as she remembered that she was bailing on their wedding plans.
Once Chip had returned from the Elemental Academy in Summer Cove, he and Vida had started dating. No more than 12 months into their relationship, Chip popped the question, and the pair became engaged. They hadn't set a date for the big day yet, but Vida had already asked Maddie, Leelee, and Claire to be her bridesmaids, while Kali had been offered the position of Maid of Honour.
Kali had accepted, and it was her duty to make sure that the wedding went off without a hitch - unfortunately, no one had banked on another Hellhound situation that would take Kali as far away from the wedding party as Ocean Bluff.
"Before you say anything," said Vida, catching the look on Kali's face. "We're not mad. We understand that this is important, and besides, it's not like you can't plan a wedding from Ocean Bluff. We live in the age of technology, we can Skype every day, there's phones with video chat, and we can travel back and forth. We can still do this."
"I was actually going to suggest one of the others taking over as Maid of Honour," said Kali. "It's not that I don't appreciate you picking me, but I can't be there for all the events that are lined up this year if I am busy fighting Evil in another state."
Vida glanced at Chip.
"Kali, we don't want someone else to take over as Maid of Honour," said Chip. "We chose you for reasons that are personal to us. One, you're one of our best friends, and two, you're damn well scary. People are less likely to argue with you when you tell them what is expected of them."
Kali cracked a grin as everyone else laughed.
"Besides," said Nikki. "From the little you have told us; I have the feeling that your job in Ocean Bluff is not going to be exactly like the one you held on to the Ninja Storm team. There is no Abyss that you will need to reseal with Dai Shi, it is simply helping the Pai Zhuq lock him back up."
"Do you know much about the Pai Zhuq or Dai Shi?" Kali asked. She was hoping to get as much insight on the situation before she began her journey. She figured that Matoombo, Itassis, or even Nikki would know, especially the latter, seeing as she had been part of the crew that had unleashed the creatures of the Oblivion two years ago.
Nikki nodded. "Do you remember when Fightoe told you that, while you may have defeated him and the others, they would not be entirely gone while another Barbarian Beasts remained at large?" she asked.
Kali nodded.
"Well, until the last few hours, that wasn't entirely true," said Nikki. "You fought four of the Barbarian Beasts two years ago, but another had been trapped at the Pai Zhuq academy for the last 10,000 years. The most powerful of them all is the Dragon - more commonly known as Dai Shi - he was captured years ago, during the great Fury between Mystic Warriors and his evil army of Rinshi."
"Rinshi?" Xander asked.
"They are warriors that feed on the fear of humans," Nikki answered. "The more fear they collect the more powerful Dai Shi, and his army will be."
Kali cocked her head to the side. "Why do I get the feeling you're holding something back?" she asked.
"Your ability to read people is scary," said Nikki. "But, my family did not only serve Octomus, but they also served Dai Shi. I have a sister, her name is Camille, and she is Dai Shi's most loyal servant. She will not be easily defeated, and you should not underestimate her loyalty."
"Noted."
"What else can you tell us about Dai Shi?" Nick asked, bracing himself against the table. "How was he captured?"
"I can tell you the whole story, if you like," said Nikki. "I may repeat some things that you already know, but -"
"I don't care," said Kali. "I remember learning about the Pai Zhuq from Tori, and then coming back here and reading about it, but I can't remember anything about Dai Shi. Maybe your story will jog my memory, or even arm me with knowledge of what I am facing before I face it."
Nikki nodded and everyone settled down for another story. The last story they had heard around this table had been the one of the Legendary Catastros, the great stallion that had saved Nick when he had become lost in the nether dimension, and who had combined with Koragg to form his Centaurus-Wolf Megazord.
"Well, the story starts 10,000 years ago," said Nikki. "The likes of Ocean Bluff, Briarwood, and even Blue Bay Harbour didn't exist back then, and the Mystic Realm was only just starting out. The magic of this place was still weak, and the mystic warriors of old were still so new to their craft that it was a surprise they managed to defeat such a powerful evil as the Dai Shi."
Nick glanced at Kali from the corner of his eye. She met his gaze and smiled, reaching over to take his hand. She knew that he was worried about her, and she couldn't blame him. She, too, was worried, but not for her own safety, but for the safety of the citizens of Ocean Bluff. The innocents that had not asked to centre of such a destructive force of evil.
She was determined to stop Dai Shi, just like she had done the Master and Lothor, and she was willing to do any means necessary to complete the task that was laid in front of her.
"Dai Shi believed that animals should rule the planet, and humans needed to be erased," Nikki continued. "At first, the mystic warriors failed in their mission to stop the Dai Shi, so they pondered a different path. A different form of Magic. They turned their training inward and studied their animal spirits and the magic that linked those spirits to their physical beings. They channeled everything they had into projecting their spirits into corporeal forms, and in doing so, were able to capture Dai Shi."
"Where did they capture him?" Maddie asked. "The Underworld?"
Nikki shook her head. "The only safe place for a creature as powerful as Dai Shi was a locked box hidden in the mountains," she answered. "The mountains were protected by ancient and powerful magic that could not be broken by darkness. The Pai Zhuq, also known as the Order of the Claw, was formed to train students in Kung Fu and to serve as protectors in case the Dai Shi were to ever escape. In the meantime, the Mystic Realm flourished and established its base of operations -" she motioned to the room around her, "- and the ancient mystics took on students of their own, training them in magic and forming their own protectors, the guardians, to step up and be ready should the Order of the Claw require their assistance."
"It's a scary to think that Dai Shi has escaped his confinements and is wreaking havoc on the world once again," said Itassis. "Even we, the Ten Terrors, know about him."
"How powerful is this dude?" Chip asked.
"He must be pretty powerful if the Ten Terrors fear him," said Vida.
"Dai Shi has the power to resurrect armies of the dead without the aid of the Hellhound," said Itassis, turning to Kali. "You cannot hope to fight him alone, young guardian. You will need help. This is why the Order of the Claw, and the Mystic Guardians are such great allies. They work in close circles with one another, for they fight for the same purpose."
Kali raised an eyebrow.
"So, Kali's going to the Pai Zhuq academy?" Xander asked. "How come we don't get to go to the cool places? I mean, she got to attend a Ninja Academy and learn to be a Darkness Ninja, and now she's going to the Order of the Claw? Do you plan in taking the master's test at the end of it?"
Kali shrugged. "I don't think becoming a Master of the Hellhound is possible," she said. "Besides, I learned a long time ago that I don't control the Hellhound, and I'm happy with that."
"Absolute power corrupts," said Nikki. "That's where Morticon, Imperious, the Master, and even myself went wrong. I'm just thankful that I was given a second chance."
Kali smiled. "We're all glad of that, too, Nikki," she said. She paused and glanced at her phone. It was nearly noon. "I should get going," she added, looking up and around at her friends, her family. She didn't know when she would see them again. For all she, and they knew, she wouldn't need them this time like she had done in Blue Bay Harbour.
"You know where we are," said Maddie. "Remember what you said two years ago? The rules still apply."
Kali nodded and opened her arms, inviting the whole team in for a group hug. Normally she hid away from open displays of affection, but she could sense the worry in her friends, and it was crushing her. She needed to uphold a strong front, and she needed them to do the same.
"You just be careful," said Claire. "Given your track record."
"You're never going to let me forget that, are you?" Kali laughed.
"If it keeps you alive, then no," said Claire.
Kali smiled and hugged the blonde tighter than the others. Despite Claire being a fully-fledged sorceress now, Kali still felt protective of her.
"Can one of you do just one thing for me?" Kali asked.
"Anything," said Vida.
"At least look like you're going to see me again."
The tension broke and a light chuckle rippled around the room.
"Go, get out of here," said Xander, picking up her rucksack and tossing it at her.
"Yeah," said Chip. "Go cause hell. It's what you're good at, after all."
Kali smiled and turned to Nick. "Tell Aiden I'll call him tonight," she said.
"Where is Aiden?" LeeLee asked.
"At the Wind Ninja Academy," Nick answered. "He's doing basic training with them before progressing to the Elemental Academy. I will," he added to Kali. "But don't forget, he's going to want to do more than just talk to you. He'll want to see you, too."
"I plan on checking in more often than I did in Blue Bay Harbour," Kali promised. "So, I won't completely unavailable." She leaned in and kissed him, ignoring the wolf whistles and laughter of the rest of her friends. Pulling away, she flashed the others a smile, and said "Wish me luck" before disappearing in a flicker of black magic.
Tell us what you think in a review. Your comments keep me motivated.
Also, don't forget to check out Dino Thunder: Expect the Unexpected, which will be posted alongside this story. Both these teams are running at the exact same time within this universe.
Stay Safe!
~Twix