Today followers, I offer you a part after 5+ months! God only knows when the next is gonna come, but I'm alive! Long story short, I'm officially starting my second semester of college next week, which is wild because I started this fic my junior year of high school. Anyways, thank you all for the support, I really appreciate it and it gives me the motivation to keep writing. So, thank you so much, and enjoy the chapter!

With Jayden, Brooke didn't know if his 'I'll tell you later' meant that they talked to each other in the next thirty minutes, or the next thirty days. She tried not to judge him, she wasn't that much of a hypocrite, but she felt her eye twitch in annoyance as she heard the door to his bedroom quietly shut. She wanted to help him and provide some sort of comfort, he just made it extremely difficult to do so. So, she accepted defeat for the night with a small shake of her head. Forcing him to talk was an exhausting task, plus Brooke knew her limits. An attempt to do so would just leave them both frustrated and with a strained friendship. That was never ideal, so she just followed his example and entered her bedroom.

As Brooke shut the door behind herself, she watched in partial amusement as Amaris instantly appeared on her bed in a flash of silver. The white wolf wasted no time in curling in a ball on top of the white comforter and grey throw blanket, violet eyes watched Brooke from where her head was lazily resting on the top of her tail. A scarred hand gently patted her on the top of her head, her eyes closing in contentment as her ears flicked slightly.

"Sorry, I know I haven't made it easy for you the last couple of days," Brooke murmured as her eyes flashed. She had partially forgotten that she and Amaris shared the same feelings, but the wolf's visible exhaustion served as a grim reminder. "Thanks for stickin' around." She added, and Amaris cracked her eyes open.

"Apologies are not necessary. My feelings are a part of the role I chose, the role of protector I have been assigned. If anything, the feeling is slightly refreshing," Amaris replied. Her quiet laughter, a sound that resembled bells jingling, rang through Brooke's head as she noticed the silver ranger's expression of slight shock mixed with confusion. The white wolf then sat on her haunches, her ears flicking as she explained herself. "As you are aware, I had been... trapped on Sweetbrier Mountain for generations. My days there were rather desolate, so the exhaustion, while almost foreign, is not unpleasant."

"You want to be useful to others," Just like me. Brooke thought, and Amaris laid back down in confirmation. Grey eyes flashed gold as a wry smile appeared on the silver ranger's lips, she ruffled the fur in between Amaris's ears. "Don't worry. Well, I dunno if you worry about it, but you're extremely helpful. I know I wouldn't have gotten as far as I have without you. Hell, the team most certainly wouldn't have. I feel like we all don't thank you enough." She mused with a slight laugh.

Amaris's eyes shone with a small amount of pride, but her voice kept its usual motherly tone as she spoke. "There is no need to thank me. I wish to see the end of this war as much as you and the others do. The world has been left in turmoil for too long, it is also time to put these ghosts to rest." She responded, and Brooke felt her eyes water as she swallowed past the lump in her throat.

She knew her words would fail her at that moment, so she chose to respond through her actions. Brooke just nodded, but Amaris got the message. Her fluffy tail wagged slowly in confirmation, her violet eyes trained on Brooke as she went about her nightly routine. The withdrawal symptoms were still present, no matter how much the silver ranger wanted them gone. Nausea ruined her appetite, but she knew that she could only blame herself for what had happened. Nobody forced her to relapse, instead, it was just her and her own stupid mistakes. She knew she had no right to complain, either, but that didn't stop her from doing so. It was all internal complaining anyway, so it's not like she was bothering someone with it.

With that thought in mind, Brooke decided to scarf down protein bars for dinner after her shower. The shower itself was nice, she got to wash off the dirt that had been due to the island from today's mission, whatever that mission truly was. The mission was off-kilter for the rangers' usual missions, and Brooke had a feeling that they were going to get more strange and difficult from here on out. As she lay in bed, Amaris curled at her side and fast asleep, her mind kept going back to the first fight with the rangers. As the months had gone by, the battles started to blend together, but she remembered the original feelings she had felt that day. As she looked back on it, she didn't even know why she sought out becoming a ranger, anyways.

She didn't necessarily regret the path she chose, she now knew it was inevitable anyways. The rangers would need her sooner or later, they would hunt her down instead of her hunting them down. Brooke just wished she had taken things a little slower. She was constantly tired, she felt a migraine make itself present as she closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. She then realized, while she didn't miss all of it, she missed parts of her old life that she couldn't get back. Brooke missed sitting in Casper's bedroom and talking about nothing in particular as they procrastinated assignments, she missed being able to spend time with Maxx, because even though he didn't show it often, she knew it made him happy. She missed her dance teams and competitions, but she knew that she couldn't go back to dancing even when the war was done. Her body had endured too much for it, she knew her ankle was at its limits already.

The war had destroyed her, mentally and physically; it wasn't even over.

The thought made Brooke want to throw up again, but she didn't. Instead, she just swallowed down bile and rolled onto her side, throwing a scarred arm over Amaris. Her claws were fully bared as her hands shook, she tried to ignore it by burying her face in the white wolf's fur. At that moment, she realized she wanted to go home, but all she could do was squeeze her eyes shut and fight through it. She couldn't go home, no matter how much she wanted to. She didn't even know if home was available, she had figuratively kicked herself out when she yelled at Mary and stormed off. There were always backup plans, but those weren't the same.

Brooke always hated dealing with the consequences of her actions. She knew she got off easy with her behavior before she became a ranger, she could always blame it on something else. Her drinking issues were because of her shifting, at least that's what she told herself in the past. It was her fault, and that hit her when she saw both Nate's grey eyes, eyes that were eerily similar to hers, full of worry and slight disappointment. She knew she got lucky with Casper, her friend had the patience of a saint as he watched her destroy herself. All the while, he picked up the broken pieces of the things she shattered and pieced them back together. No wonder Maxx had started to pick fights with her, she wouldn't want to be around herself while she was in that state either.

She shook her head as if to rid herself of those thoughts and raised her head from Amaris's fur. Without a second thought, she grabbed her phone from where it lay on her nightstand. The device itself had seen better days, her phone case, which was just plain dark grey, was scratched because of her claws, and her screen now sported a small crack from when she landed on her phone, no doubtedly after one failed fight or another. Brooke just let out another sigh as she turned on her phone and squinted at the sudden brightness. Opening her messaging app, she quickly typed out a message and pressed send, the corners of her lips twitching upward as the typing bubble instantly popped up.

Brooke: r u free
Brooke: we went island exploring today & i wanna call u

Casper: oh? And yeah, give me one min
Casper: im walking back to my dorm now

Dorm? Brooke thought, her eyes flashing as she knit her brows. Realization then dawned on her features as a bittersweet feeling filled her heart. Casper was in college now, she remembered him telling her the morning he drove her back to Panorama. While she was happy for her friend, a part of it made her want to cry. She wanted to be beside him, not having to fight a war while he figuratively fought his schoolwork.

However, she was snapped out of her thoughts quickly as her phone vibrated, Casper's contact filling the screen. Without missing a beat, Brooke accepted the call, sucked in a deep breath, and brought the phone up to her ear. "How's my favorite scholar doing? I hope you're not missing me too much." She teased, instantly being met with a quiet laugh that always lifted her spirits.

"I'm doin' alright, Wolfie. Glad to hear you're not dead." Casper replied, his voice tinged with something akin to relief, and Brooke's smile instantly dropped.

He was worried about her. While a part of it Brooke accepted, she also worried about her best friend from time to time, but Casper had bigger things to worry about. He should be focusing on college, not the fact that she was technically flirting with death whenever she ran into a battle. Guilt instantly filled her heart, but Brooke tried to push it aside as she spoke again.

"As if, you're not gettin' rid of me," Brooke joked, but she quickly changed the subject. "Anyways, how's college? Do you have a roommate? I hope you're doing alright." She questioned, being met with a noise of faux annoyance.

"Jeez, didn't know this was fucking Thanksgiving," Casper groaned. Brooke opened her mouth to retort, but he cut her off before she could start. "Don't argue, you sound like my mom. Anyways, the dorm's kinda shit, to be honest. Can't believe I'm payin' this much money to live in the equivalent of a bougie prison cell." He muttered, and Brooke just listened to him rant for the most part. He sounded tired, more so than he usually did. "Anyways, is everything okay? You need to talk about something? It's not like you to call this late anymore." He asked, concern replacing the exhaustion that laced in his tone.

"Nah, not... really. I'm good," Brooke answered hesitantly. She couldn't even tell if she was telling the truth about that, but she didn't want to burden Casper more than necessary, he already had enough on his plate with getting adjusted to college. Plus, it was clear that he had been worrying about her, and she didn't want to make him worry more. "I just wanted to listen to someone talk, really. I couldn't sleep." She answered, hoping it was convincing enough to get him off of her back.

Casper, even when they were little, had always been scarily perceptive of people around him. He had always had a knack for reading people, perhaps that's why Brooke instantly clicked with him. He was one of the first people to see who she truly was, even after she learned how to mask her negative emotions. Casper was one of the first people her age that showed her true, genuine, compassion and kindness, and not a day went by when she didn't thank him for that. He was truly one of the constants in her life, or at least the five years she could remember of it. The fact that he'd stuck around even as the war raged on made him all that more special to her. He truly was a saint, whether he realized it or not.

"Sounds good. Let's see... I need to tune my guitar if you're up for that? I know about your hearin' though," Casper offered, and Brooke heard the faint sound of what seemed like a backpack hitting the floor and being unzipped and books being placed on a desk. "Other than that, I have my psych textbook, bet you'll instantly be knocked out from that. Or my mammalogy one." He added, the textbooks being placed on the desk with light thuds.

Brooke instantly perked up at the sound of "mammalogy". Other than dance, it was the subject she had wanted to study in college, as it had always interested her. It might've just been because she was a shifter and had always been interested in animals because of it, but maybe it would have given her an advantage. She would've known wolf anatomy and behavior better than anyone else in her class.

"Your guitar's fine, but mammalogy? You don't need that for a psych major, do you?"

"Nah," Casper responded with a faint laugh. "Just needed an elective, and I saw it and thought of you. It's interesting, if we ever learn about wolves I'm gonna come to you." He explained, the sound of a bed frame creaking as he sat on his bed, Brooke humming in agreement.

After that, the two fell into a comfortable silence, which was only occasionally broken by the sounds of Casper tuning his guitar and humming softly. It was almost as if he was next to her as they sat in his bedroom again, the familiar smell of his cologne lingering on the blankets as she watched him through half-lidded eyes. It was like they were fifteen again, and the thought made Brooke break into a sleepy smile. It was like everything was how it should be, peaceful. They could go about their normal lives without a care in the world. Brooke promised to get that world back, as the exhaustion fully started taking over her.

"Thank you, Casper. I love you." She mumbled, hearing as Casper stopped tuning his guitar for a moment.

His voice was gentle as he spoke, carrying the same tone it did when they first met five years ago. "Of course, I'll stay on the line. I love ya too, Wolfie." Casper responded, returning his attention back to his guitar.

With that, Brooke let the sounds of him plucking the strings of his guitar and his gentle humming lull her to sleep.

Brooke woke up to the feeling of something wet touching her cheek. She cracked open her eyes, somewhat surprised to see Amaris standing over her. The white wolf's tail wagged slowly as she noticed that Brooke was awake, her ears flicking.

"Good morning, my dear. I do not recall your alarm going off this morning. Training has just started," Amaris explained as Brooke patted her blankets for her phone. "However, I explained to the others that you weren't feeling well last night, and they agreed to let you sleep longer than usual."

She eventually did find it and tapped the screen, the device waking up and displaying her recent calls. Her call with Casper was most recent, which lasted almost two hours. The thought made Brooke break into a sleepy smile, but she soon furrowed her brows. "I guess I forgot to set an alarm. Thanks for wakin' me up," She thanked with a yawn as she stretched her arms over her head. "Guess I should thank Casper too." She added, grabbing her phone and opening her messaging app. Unsurprisingly there were texts from him, mostly wishing her a good night and that he hoped she slept well. It made her heart hurt, he was really too nice for his own good.

Casper: gn wolfie, youre asleep now but call me if you need anything
Casper: sleep well, ily

Brooke: ily2, tsym 4 everything
Brooke: u make me really happy, gl being a scholar now

After sending the message, Brooke stared at her phone screen for a moment. After a couple of moments, she turned her phone off and set it on her nightstand, her eyes flashing as they landed on her samuraizer and zord. With a heavy sigh, she sat up in bed, petting Amaris's head as the white wolf sat beside her. "Let's get to work, not that we have a say in the matter." She grumbled as she got out of bed, stretching her arms over her head.

After she finished getting dressed and tying her platforms, Brooke shut her bedroom door and silently walked down the hall, Amaris's dull claws lightly clicking on the floor as the white wolf padded beside her. It was a typical day of training in the Shiba House, so all of the other rangers were supposed to be at the outdoor dojo, and nothing eventful seemed to be happening. It was quiet- and she spoke too soon.

"Come at me!" Jayden's voice, which was full of anger and slight frustration, made Brooke's hearing perk. The silver ranger jumped slightly in surprise at the sudden noise, it had caught her off-guard and snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, so something is happening," Brooke muttered, her eyes flashing as she debated on her next course of action. She should probably go see what was going on, but then again, somebody seemed to get frustrated every-other practice.

That's part of the reason she started working on the cage symbol during her training time. The aggression and frustration had always put her on edge, and not in the way she wanted to be during a battle. The fear had always messed with her focus and caused her to drop her guard, which was something Jayden had noticed as well. He had pointed it out, Brooke had explained what was going on with him and Ji, and they decided that her training separately was the best and easiest course of action to take. Not that she minded being alone, she was used to training alone anyways. Plus, she had Amaris and could always ask for help with her training if she needed it, so it wasn't as if she was truly alone.

"I will go see what is happening, you focus on getting something to eat. I know that interpersonal conflict leaves you on edge," Amaris's voice of reason cut through Brooke's thoughts, grey-gold eyes meeting violet. Brooke nodded slowly after a couple of moments and started walking towards the kitchen, which left Amaris padding in the direction of the outdoor dojo.

The white wolf stopped at the doorway, her ears flicking as she surveyed the area. It was clear that, from the way he swung his training sword with what seemed like the intent to harm his fellow teammates, Jayden was angry. About what exactly, Amaris didn't know, but she had a hunch. The same feelings that radiated off him now, anger and frustration, had radiated off of him yesterday when the rangers had regrouped after Jayden ran into Deker. The half-human getting under his skin wasn't out of character, but Amaris just wished it didn't affect him the way it seemed to. She knew Deker affected Brooke the same way, he did trigger her to the point where she relapsed, but there were other factors in play then. Plus, the silver ranger seemed to be trying to get better at talking about her emotions instead of bottling them and then lashing out, but it was clear that the red wasn't at that point yet. It made sense why Jayden wouldn't be the most emotionally mature one out of the rangers, Amaris just wished it didn't leave such an impression as it did on the others.

Such as now, as Amaris seemed to visibly sigh as she materialized a shield around Jayden. Not to protect him, but to protect the others, as his training sword hit the translucent purple bubble with such force that it bounced off of the shield entirely. The sudden force caused the red ranger to stagger back somewhat, his blue eyes widening slightly in shock. Amaris watched as he looked around in confusion, and when his eyes landed on her, the shield disappeared with a flick of her tail. Without saying a word, she turned and padded back into the Shiba House.

She sorted through her thoughts as she walked, her ears flicking. Amaris, while mostly prepared for conflict, sometimes was taken aback about the daily lives of the rangers. She had last watched over a team of power rangers generations ago, so returning to the role decades later was a culture shock. On Sweetbrier Mountain, the world around her had been unchanging as the years flew by. As she had been solely connected to the moon disk, she couldn't leave the area that had been assigned to her. She just watched as the seasons changed, while she didn't change. So, when Brooke grabbed the moon disk and brought it back with her, consequently becoming the holder of the disk, it was like Amaris's world was flipped on its head. Of course, the silver ranger she had last watched over, Astrid Wolfe, ten generations ago, was completely different from the current silver ranger as well. The girl had been shy, almost nonverbal, in her human form, so Brooke's most outgoing personality was a stark contrast. Not that there was anything wrong with either of the rangers, Amaris loved them both like a mother or big sister.

Amaris's violet eyes fell on Brooke as the white wolf quietly padded into the kitchen, the silver ranger engrossed with something on her phone. It was at that moment that Amaris made a vow to herself. It was a vow she had made before, but this time, she would try to uphold it, no matter what. She vowed to herself that Brooke would have a happier ending than Jane, Astrid, or any of the former silver rangers. She would do anything and everything in her power to make it so.

The quiet sound of claws tapping on the ground made Brooke look up from her phone. Unsurprisingly, it was Amaris, but her eyes flashed when she noticed the white wolf staring at her intently. She also seemed to be lost in thought, as she wasn't moving, which was somewhat uncharacteristic as well. Still, Brooke didn't think too much of it. "Thinkin' hard, Amaris?" She teased, the white wolf snapping out of her thoughts.

She flattened her ears to her head as her fur bristled somewhat, the white wolf visibly flustered. "It is nothing. My apologies." Amaris replied, and Brooke waved her hand in dismissal and turned her attention back to her breakfast.

Her half-eaten cereal had become soggy, Brooke wrinkling her nose as she jabbed at a cornflake with her spoon. Still, she forced herself to eat, shoving a large spoonful in her mouth and chewing slowly. "Did something happen out there? Why was Red angry?" She asked after swallowing, and Amaris's ears flicked as she sat by Brooke's stool at the counter.

It was clear that she was going to answer, but before she could, Mike walked into the kitchen. "Yeah, I'd like to know what the hell is up with him as well." He grumbled, something akin to annoyance laced in his tone. He was still dressed in his training uniform, Emily and Mia hot on his heels.

"Mike, calm down. It's just a stressful time for everyone, the mission yesterday messed with all of us." Mia explained. It was clear she was trying to calm the green ranger down, but it was apparent that he didn't seem to care.

"Well, yeah, we're all stressed out. But you don't see me beating the shit out of you guys during training!" Mike snapped back, his green eyes ablaze. However his response didn't stop Mia from trying to be a voice of reason, and thus, a small argument ensued.

Brooke just stayed quiet and focused on her cornflakes, her eyes not settling on a color. She stopped caring about the fact that they were soggy, only shoveling spoonfuls into her mouth and practically swallowing them without chewing. She wanted to eat fast and then retreat to her room, she could feel her canines grow as the tension in the room increased. Mike had every reason to be annoyed, it was probably a good thing that they let her sleep through that training session. If Jayden presumably swung at her with the intent to harm her, she'd probably lose her shit as well. But, while Mike's annoyance was valid, it still left her on edge. Amaris seemed to notice as well, so the white wolf kept her violet eyes trained on the silver ranger as she finished her cereal and slid off her stool.

Brooke quietly made her way to the sink, grimacing when her spoon hit the ceramic bowl she had been using. A clink sounded as she set her bowl in the sink, which gained the attention of the three other rangers in the kitchen. It got Mike and Mia to stop their mini-argument, but it caused three pairs of eyes to land on her. Brooke cleared her throat awkwardly, slowly raising her hand in a greeting. "Mornin'," She greeted, and in an instant, she was back to her normal self. "Sooo, I heard training was something today. Sorry to skip the party."

The joke seemed to break some of the tension in the room, and Emily quickly shook her head. "No need to apologize, Amaris said you weren't feeling good. I'm glad to see you're feeling better!" She responded, and Brooke nodded, her eyes flashing as the corners of her lips twitched upwards.

"Yeah, I should be back in commission, the island just got me. Didn't realize I got seasick that bad," Brooke scratched the back of her neck, faking a bashful expression. She was lying through her teeth now, and she inwardly grinned when Amaris shot her a look. "Thanks, though. Appreciate the concern- oh?" She cut herself off when her hearing perked, she and Amaris sharing another look.

"What's up? Is it your senses again?" Mia asked, and Brooke nodded slowly. The silver ranger turned her attention to the pink as her eyes flashed and waved her hand in dismissal.

"Ji's motorcycle just caught me off guard," She explained, shrugging. "No doubtedly taking Red somewhere or something like that. Speaking of," Brooke leaned against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. "Y'all ran into Deker yesterday, right? If so, I can say without a doubt, that's why Red's acting the way he is."

Mia nodded solemnly, her dark eyes somewhat downcast as guilt filled her expression. "Yeah... I can't remember most of it, because I was more focused on keeping myself alive, but Deker had hit me. Then he said something to Jayden, almost as if he was scolding him for relying on us." She spoke quietly, and Brooke's eyes flashed as she hummed after a couple of moments of silence.

"...That'll do it," Brooke let out a humorless laugh as she ran a partially-clawed hand over her face. "Don't feel guilty, Mia. It's not your fault Deker's a pain in the ass. Fucker should've just stayed dead when he could've." She muttered the last part, not intending on the others to hear her, but she raised her head at Mike's snort, raising a brow as her eyes flashed again. "What?"

The green ranger now held an apple in his hand, and he looked at the silver with a grin. His annoyance from just moments earlier seemed to be forgotten, which was something that wasn't out of character. While Mike was hotheaded at certain moments, it was easy for him to calm down as well. "Sometimes I just can't believe you and Jayden get along so well when you two are obviously such different people," He thought aloud as he took a bite of his apple. "It's just... looking at you two, it would seem like you'd hate each other."

"He's stuck with me," Brooke answered, a little too quickly for her own liking, and she inwardly cringed at the pride that had seeped into her tone at the simple statement. She knew the others noticed as well, by the way the three other rangers in the room shared not-so-discreet glances.

Well, it wasn't like it was a lie. Jayden was stuck with Brooke, but, from her perspective, he didn't seem to mind. Perhaps that's why it made her so happy because he always seemed to enjoy being around her, rather than just putting up with her jokes and teasing. He even actively sought out to spend time with her most days, and it caused a certain sense of happiness to fill her chest. It was like when she and Casper first became friends when he offered to sit with her at lunch one day because she had usually sat by herself. The fact that someone would want to hang around her, and would do so willingly, always made her happy. Then again, it probably knew it made her happier than it probably should've. However, Brooke knew that she had always felt lonely, no matter what she did. Even her nights with Alex or other guys in the past, where she had been physically intimate with someone, hadn't lessened the feeling of loneliness. She knew she was being used, as much as she used them.

So, the genuine, heartfelt feelings of someone wanting her around and seeking out her presence meant more to her than she tried to let on. However, Brooke didn't tell the others that, she just put on her usual grin. "I mean, you can't get rid of your childhood friend, can you? No matter how insufferable they are. So, Red and Goldie are stuck with me." And Casper, but he knew that from the start. She snickered as Antonio walked into the room, confusion written on his features and his brows knit together.

"Did something happen? Training should still be going on, right?" The gold ranger asked, his eyes falling on the clock on the gas stove. It read 8:54, and he nodded to himself as if to confirm his thoughts before turning his attention to the other rangers, plus Amaris, in the room. "Let me guess, Jayden and Deker," Antonio offered, letting out a sigh when the four rangers nodded in unison. "Deker should've really stayed dead, would've made things easier for all of us."

"Y'know, I second that." Brooke snapped her fingers and pointed at Antonio, her eyes flashing as she grinned. A figurative lightbulb appeared above her head, her childhood friend watched in partial amusement. "I'm gonna ask Nate if I can sue him for emotional distress-" She started, only to be cut off by the familiar beeping of her samuraizer.

As she dug the device out of the pocket of Casper's leather jacket, the gap sensor started blaring as well. With a sigh, Brooke flipped her samuraizer open and pulled up the map of Panorama as she and Amaris followed the others to the meeting room. The red dot showed a disturbance at the coastline, and the silver ranger raised her head to survey the others. Jayden wasn't present, but the five other rangers were in fighting condition, so it could be dealt with. While she didn't look forward to leading the team, she would if push came to shove. Plus, she knew she was more of a figurehead anyways, Kevin's knowledge on battle tactics and strategy rivaled only Jayden's.

However, neither she nor Kevin would be needed, as Brooke perked up at the sound of Jayden's familiar footfalls. "Red, you're late to your own team's battle. Didn't know you were such a slacker." She teased, choosing to ignore Jayden's eye roll of faux annoyance.

"Thank you, Brooke. Appreciate it," Jayden fired back, his blue eyes then falling on his other teammates as he shook his head with a faint smile. His smile then fell as he spoke again, his tone holding something faintly akin to guilt as he struggled to find the right words to say. "I'm... I'm sorry for earlier, during training. I had a lot of things on my mind and I was wrong to react the way I did." He apologized, and, as an almost uncomfortable silence fell across the room, he noticed Brooke turning her attention to Amaris, the silver ranger crouching down to the white wolf's height.

"I will head back to Sweetbrier, my dear. Do not hesitate to call on me if you need assistance," Amaris's gentle voice only rang through Brooke's head, who nodded, smiling when the wolf nuzzled her cheekaffectionately. "Stay on your guard, I love you." She added as she stepped back, her violet eyes shining with pride.

"Got it, love you too. Thank you for everything." Brooke thought in response, watching as Amaris flicked her tail in response and then disappeared in a flash of silver. When she fully disappeared, she turned her attention back to Jayden, who was still talking with the others.

He looked less tense than he did at the end of the last mission, a small smile on his lips as he spoke. "I just want you all to know how proud I am to fight alongside you," Jayden stated, sincerity in his tone.

While Brooke knew it wasn't just directed at her, she felt her cheeks warm slightly at the indirect praise. She averted her gaze as her eyes flashed, but she could feel as Jayden's eyes lingered on her for a moment longer than necessary. So, to hopefully change the topic, plastered on a grin for what seemed like the umpteenth time that morning. "No need to praise us, we're teammates. I hope we can fight alongside each other without major issues." She joked, and let out a silent sigh of relief when Mike nodded with a grin of his own.

"Miss Werewolf's right. We're all just glad to have you back," Mike agreed. "The proud stuff ain't necessary."

However, before anyone else could speak, Antonio cleared his throat and raised a finger. "Sorry to cut this short, but shouldn't we be hightailing it out to the coastline?" He asked, reminding the team of the task at hand.

"Right," Jayden nodded to the gold ranger and then turned his attention to his other teammates. After performing his usual headcount, which had become a subconscious habit, he spoke with a small smile. "Rangers, let's move out." He commanded, and with that, the team was off.

Brooke couldn't help feeling like something bad was going to happen. She didn't know if it was intuition or anxiety, but the feeling wasn't pleasant in the slightest. Still, she tried to shove the feeling down, turning her focus to the upcoming battle as her platforms skidded across a mixture of coarse dirt and sand. As she stood next to Jayden at the top of a small incline, she felt her features shift prematurely, her shoulders tense as she gazed at the nighlok below her, her eyes blazing gold.

Serrator technically had the low ground, but the nighlok didn't seem fazed in the slightest. He held objects in his hand, one of them Brooke recognized as the instrument that Dayu used to carry with her. It looked like it had seen better days, as the face of the instrument appeared charred in certain places, with some strings completely snapped. In his other hand, Serrator held what appeared to be a compass, but as what it was for? Brooke had no clue. However, her hunch was that whatever it was for, wasn't necessarily good. She felt Amaris stir in her mind as she reached her hand in her pocket and curled a clawed hand around her samuraizer.

Luckily, Jayden seemed to have it all under control. "What're you up to now?" The red ranger snapped at Serrator, the nighlok again unfazed by the hostility radiating off of the seven rangers.

"The samurai rangers, welcome. As you can see, I'm as innocent as a dove."

The underlying threat to his voice made Brooke scoff. She said nothing as she narrowed her eyes, taking her samuraizer out of her pocket. This time, I'll end this. I need to, she thought as she flipped the device open, activating the brush portion. As she sucked in a sharp breath, she started drawing the familiar symbol, her voice rising to a yell without her intending to. "Go go samurai!" Brooke yelled, activating the symbol. As the suits appeared on her, and her teammates', bodies, the battle began.

It was the typical start, Serrator summoned moogers and the seven rushed into the battle. Brooke shifted before she drew her blades, the brown and white wolf skidding down the small incline. Dirt and sand followed in her wake as she reached the ground, bounding forward and instantly launching herself at the nearest mooger. While she didn't know why she felt the need to fight the battle mostly in her wolf form if she could. It might've just been her intuition (and anxiety), but Brooke wasn't one to take chances anymore. Especially with Serrator, because she didn't feel like repeating the incident where she almost bled out in her zord. That was the closest she had gotten to death in a long time, and she planned to keep it that way. Plus. she didn't want to hold the others back, either.

Such as now, as wolf-Brooke made sure to keep an eye on Jayden. He still wasn't the best at working alongside her in her wolf form, the two rangers usually ended up tripping each other when they tried, so she kept her distance from him. Not a far distance, just enough so he had enough space to do his thing without getting tripped up. What she failed to notice, however, as she lunged at another mooger, was that Jayden was doing the same for her. It was mostly because, with her wolf form, she didn't have much protection if a mooger did manage to land an attack on her, while the rangers' suits were somehow blade-proof. Even though it was very unlikely for Brooke, or any one of the rangers, to get hit by a mooger, Jayden didn't want to take any chances.

Still, the fight against the moogers didn't last very long. Brooke shifted back as the creatures went up in a large explosion, shifting her attention back to the top of the incline when she heard a yell. It was faint, the other rangers didn't pick up on it over the sound of battle, but her eyes widened slightly. "Guys... I think something bigger than us is going on." She warned, motioning to the top of the incline with a nod of her head. The other rangers followed her lead, the six lowering their weapons slightly as they watched the scene unfold in front of them.

Dayu had her curved dagger in her head, and while the female nighlok's voice was faint, Brooke could still pick up on the frustration in her tone. She made a move to swing at Serrator, only to be stopped by the nighlok holding her instrument in front of his face, effectively stopping her in her tracks. With a swing of a clawed hand, the female nighlok went flying, but Brooke couldn't focus on that for very long. She shifted her focus back to the battle when more moogers appeared, unsheathing her katanas. She spun the dual blades in her hands once, then leaped back into battle. Still, she could see a large explosion in her peripheral vision, smoke rising from Dayu's body as she lay on the ground.

"Amaris, something's... off. You feel it too, right? It's like a feeling of dread." Brooke thought as she cut down one last mooger, the creature falling at her booted feet in a large flurry of sparks.

"The barrier between your world and the Netherworld is weakening," Amaris answered grimly. "Please do not let down your guard just yet, I will watch over you, and this world, to the best of my abilities."

The white wolf's words made Brooke feel as her face paled, and she wanted to throw up. She didn't have the cage symbol mastered yet, and if the barrier was weakening, she knew it was a matter of time before Xandred broke through. Would all of this be for nothing? She'd let everyone down, just like Jane. She couldn't let that happen, but she didn't know how to prevent it. Brooke didn't like feeling helpless, the feeling of dread that was slowly suffocating her wasn't helping. Her hands shook as she tightened her grip on her katanas, she felt her heart pound in her ears as her vision landed on Jayden. She needed to warn him as well. She didn't know if he was ready to use the sealing symbol either, but Brooke had a feeling that it would come down to it.

"Jayden!" Brooke called, but her voice was soon drowned out as the sky grew darker. Lighting flashed around the seven rangers and two nighlok, and a yell that struck fear into her heart sounded around them.

As the sky grew darker, night almost falling, the seven regrouped. "What's with the sky? It's darkening like an eclipse," Mike muttered, the green ranger turning his attention to the silver. "Brooke, did you do something with your symbol power when we weren't looking?" He asked, said ranger's gaze transfixed on the sky.

"I... I really fuckin' wish that was the case," Brooke mumbled around her canines. Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, she sucked in a sharp breath and then glanced at the other rangers. "There's this feeling of dread in the air right now, and it isn't just my brain actin' up. Amaris says the barrier between the Netherworld and our world is weakening. I- I don't truly know what that means, but I know it's not a good thing." She explained, and Jayden said nothing but, noticing her fear, placed a gloved hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

As the sky fully darkened and plunged the rangers into darkness, rocks tumbled by the seven rangers' feet. As the rocks formed what could only be viewed as a portal to the Netherworld, the same voice that yelled earlier echoed across the area. "Day shall become night as I escape the Netherworld to face my enemies!" The voice boomed as the last rock settled into place, it was the same voice that the rangers had heard months ago, when the secrets of the sealing and cage symbol had first been revealed.

It was the voice of Master Xandred.

The cracks in the rocks glowed a deep red for a moment, before bursting apart. Brooke could barely process what was going on, she barely registered the purple shield materializing around the rangers to protect them from the flying debris. Amaris had also appeared, the silver ranger subconsciously summoning her in her panicked state, but the wolf's silver glow was quickly overtaken by a red glow that covered the entire area.

"Master Xandred." Jayden breathed out, almost as if to convince himself that the nighlok walking towards him was real. Or maybe Brooke was just projecting her feelings onto him, which could've been the case.

"Red and Silver Rangers." Master Xandred announced, his six glowing eyes glued onto the two rangers, who took fighting stances.

"Amaris, I don't have the symbol mastered. I can't... I'm gonna end up like Mom." Brooke thought as her heart pounded in her ears, glancing at the white wolf from underneath her helmet.

Amaris, somehow, looked fairly unphased besides the slight bristling in her fur. It was most likely because this wasn't her first encounter with Master Xandred, her violet eyes unwavering from the nighlok in front of her as she responded, her voice only ringing through Brooke's head. "Do not worry, the cage symbol is most likely not needed here. He never remains in this world for long in this state," As if proving her words, the sun quickly rose again, the night spell fading away as quickly as it came. She then spoke again, her firm voice ringing through all of the ranger's heads.

"Xandred, your time here is rather limited. Coming here is a waste of energy."

Master Xandred, who finally seemed to notice the white wolf standing beside the silver ranger, scoffed. "Ah, I can see you got your family's pet back, silver ranger," He sneered at the two, but he couldn't help but let out a grunt of pain when he started drying out.

As his body started to grey and crack, Brooke, noticing a large energy shift, switched one katana out for her samuraizer. She quickly drew the protection symbol as his eye flashed, Amaris summoning another shield as well. The two shields interpreted the powerful blast, which Master Xandred had fired with a powerful yell, but instantly cracked under the pressure. Both the white wolf and silver ranger skidded back under the impact, boots and paws kicking up dirt as they bared their teeth. However, despite their efforts, it wasn't long until the shields shattered, the blow hitting the seven rangers and wolf.

Luckily, the shields softened the blow, but Brooke felt all of the air forcibly leave her lungs as she hit the ground on her back. She felt a sense of déjà vu as her head collided with the back of her helmet, which caused her vision to blur. It was incredibly disorienting, all she forced herself to do was make sure Amaris was okay, for the most part. Who, even though the white wolf had hit the ground with a whine, was back on her paws and shaking the dirt out of her fur quickly. She offered herself as a crutch for Brooke to stand, who took in graciously and staggered next to her feet. She looked around for Jayden, to ask him what she should do next, and felt her eyes widen as she did finally spot him.

Jayden had been seemingly five steps ahead of her, and tried to swing at Master Xandred, but failed quite miserably. Brooke could only watch as he got hit with a swing that sent him flying, his spin sword being cut in two. The broken sword clattered beside him as he landed on the ground a little ways away from her with a worrying thud, Amaris instantly bounding over to him with concern.

I have to do something, Brooke thought, as she scanned the area. An idea instantly came to her head as she spotted something reflected in the sunlight, she instantly sprinted over to the black box and picked up the talisman. She wouldn't be surprised if Jayden had gone to go use it, to maybe somehow cushion his inevitable encounter with the ground, but failed to do so in time. Now it was her turn.

She didn't bother going through the minions, only attaching the black box to her kunai. Brooke stayed quiet as the Wolfe family crest appeared, the black and silver cape soon materializing on her body, and ran forward. She didn't know what she was expecting, maybe for things to go a little better than they did. She was fast enough to dodge some of Master Xandred's swings, but when she swung at an opening, she couldn't contain her shock when her kunai just... bounced off. It didn't even leave a scratch, and when she swung again, Master Xandred simply caught her kunai in his large hand.

"Heh, pathetic," Master Xandred sneered as Brooke growled, struggling to remove her kunai from the nighlok's grip. "I don't recall seeing your family the last time I visited this world. Still, you're just as weak as the rest." He mocked.

She heard Jayden, and Amaris's, concerned yells before Master Xandered swung at her. Still, Brooke knew she messed up big time, she didn't even have time for Amaris to teleport out of there before Master Xandred's large sword made contact with her body. A white-hot pain instantly erupted, it was the worst pain she had ever experienced, she could only feel as her body flew through the air. It was only for a couple of moments, though, as she felt herself land on her side with a thud and felt herself demorph on impact. There was a sudden flash of silver as she rolled, eventually stopping as her ears rang and her vision blurred. She wasn't down for the count, but she knew she would be soon, watching as the black box, which was lying next to her discarded samuraizer, disappeared in a flurry of red particles.

Maybe she couldn't fight anymore, but she still had symbol power left. Brooke forced herself to her feet and winced as she picked up her samuraizer, flipping open her samuraizer. She heard the Bullzooka as she started drawing the symbols that she had practiced for so long, seeing flashes of yellow in the corner of her eye, but she kept her focus on the symbols in front of her. Just to keep one symbol active and floating was already sapping her strength, sweat forming at her hairline as she drew the second. As she started drawing the third, she was painting and bent over, clutching the grey shirt she wore under her leather jacket in a clawed fist. Her entire bloodstream felt aflame, and not in a good way.

Amaris, who had been using shields to keep Jayden somewhat safe, shifted her attention when she started flickering. An emotion she hadn't felt in a while, raw panic and fear, caused every strand of her fur to stand on end as her violet eyes landed on Brooke. The silver ranger was struggling to stand, and Amaris could see the blood dripping down her face from her where she stood. "Not again," Amaris didn't try to keep her thoughts to herself as she broke into a sprint, her tail flying behind her as her dull claws dug into the dirt as a means to give her more traction. "BROOKE! DO NOT!" She hoped she was loud enough to stop Brooke in her tracks, but it was too late.

After shakily drawing the despair symbol, Brooke spat out blood. It took all of her strength to keep everything together, but this is what she had to do. "I-I won't end up... end up like Mom, I can't," She choked out, and it was then she realized she was crying, the tears cutting through the dirt on her cheeks. As she saw Amaris run towards her, and Jayden hit the ground for the umpteenth time, his suit disappearing in a flash of red, she knew what she had to do. With the last bit of her strength, she raised her voice to a scream.

"SYMBOL POWER: CAGE!"

As the symbol was activated, there was a brilliant flash of silver. That's all Brooke remembered as her whole body erupted in pain and her world went dark.