Alright, another chapter...wow, this is the longest I have ever written. XD Hopefully, you guys will enjoy! Thank you for the reviews!

Disclaimer: I only own Dakota Jaeger. The other characters belong to their respective creators.

Chapter One: The Vision

Dakota Jaeger loved the thrill of the hunt. The sense of adrenaline as she chased after her prey, the sense of clarity as she tracked her prey, and a sense patience as she watched her prey. Her dark brown eyes—speckled with amber—flickered around the forest as she positioned herself by a tree. Her right shoulder was pressed against the rugged bark, and the wood scent filled her nose with ease. She planted her feet against the ground, as she scooted closer around the tree, feeling her black quiver move slightly against her back. Her hand gripped her ebony black, compound bow while she brushed back her braided black hair from her somewhat pointed, copper skin face. Her gaze was focused, her light brown lips formed a line, and she stood perfectly still in her spot. She sniffed the air quietly, and her lips curled slightly for a moment. Her prey was within reach, and she was ready to strike.

Despite her short stature and lean body figure, Dakota was not one to take lightly, nor was her age not to be guessed by her appearance alone (which she looked like in her twenties). She was always reminded that her gaze was like a wolf on the hunt, tracking her prey and ready to pounce when the time came. She wore a simple black tank top, revealing the faded scars on her arms, and the Unity by Diversity symbol on her right shoulder, inked in black. It was a perfect length cross that was slightly pointed at the ends, with a square-like diamond behind it and curves that started at those ends. For a moment, she closed her eyes and listened for the hooves to hit the ground. It did...once. Twice. It came closer before it finally stopped. Right where she wanted it. Her body moved in great speed; she stepped out of her hiding spot with her arrow pulled out and drawn back on her bow. It flew at her target, which landed at its heart. Her prey—a large buck—suddenly fell to the ground, blood from its wound.

A grin formed upon her face before she walked toward it. "Gotcha…" She whispered. As she knelt beside the buck, her fingers lightly brushed against the fur and reaching close to the bloodstained wound. "Very good size...and there is enough fur to use…" Her eyes flickered to the arrow. Quietly, she brandished out a knife and dug out the arrow from the body, being as careful as she could to not ruin the fur. Blood stained her hands slightly, but she ignored it and focused on her task. When she finally got it out, she placed the arrow back in its quiver, and she easily went to pick up the buck. For any normal woman around her size, such a task would have been impossible without help.

Dakota Jaeger was no normal woman, however.

She propped it on her shoulders and casually made her way through the forest to a cabin she managed to buy. It was not anything fancy about it; Dakota was never for that. It was a two story, L-shaped cabin with light brown painted logs that was made smooth and light grey roof. There were small windows around the cabin, while there was a patio, held by log beams, on the second floor with double doors leading to it. It was her perch for a lookout, but it was a perfect place to gaze at the sky and nature scenery. Not far on the left side of the cabin, there stood a small building, where she caught the strong scent of dried blood—her place to gather the meat and fur from her prey.

For a moment, she glanced at the sky to see the sun getting higher and higher. That caused her to chuckle. "You gave me a run for my money." She joked quietly. She had chased the buck since before sunrise. While her own senses were on point, so was his, and it became a long game of "cat and mouse". That did not disappoint her, that it took her that long. It just made the hunt even more exciting, challenging. If everything was easy, her senses would be dulled, and her spirit would be easily broken by any hard moment. It was what she told herself for years, ever since she was a child. Challenge yourself and overcome it to make yourself stronger, both mind, body, and soul.

As she went to enter the building to extract the meat and fur, Dakota sniffed the air and caught a familiar scent. She chuckled softly, but she kept moving. She inclined her head slightly and called out, "Give me a little time, and I will have the meat ready for dinner! But you're gonna have to wait!"

Suddenly, there was laughter, lighthearted and somewhat deep with an accent to it. "We always have to wait when it comes to your cooking, Kota!" A familiar male voice responded. "Especially when we catch you off guard!"

She snorted, before she caught more familiar scents that came closer. With that, she turned to face her visitor, who stood by the cabin with his arms crossed. He was a young man in his early to mid-twenties, who stood lean with muscles from his training. His hair was reddish brown that reached the base of his neck and bangs over his dark blue eyes. His skin was fair with a little tan with it from his time in the sun, and his face had some sharp edges to it that matched his warrior spirit. He wore a red vest over a black sleeveless shirt, which matched his pants and shoes, silver chains upon his belt. There was a silver necklace around his neck, which had a silver emblem—a cross embedded with elegant curves around it—hanging from it.

Dakota chuckled. "Simon Belmont...I don't know who is more impatient: myself or you." She joked, as she tilted her head to the side.

"That is a debate neither one of us will solve. You know that right?" He retorted with a grin, laughing loudly.

"Perhaps so. Now, let me get to work! The door is unlocked, so you can make sure Cassandra and Remy can get in!" There was a knowing glint in her eyes. She knew their scents quite well now, having spent time with them for nearly a year now. Cassandra's was the smell of outdoors and leather, along with the scent of ash from flames. It was no doubt from her own world, where dragons were spotted. Remy, on the other hand, had the scent of swamps and spices, as well as gumbo and smoke. Both were quite exotic in their own way. Simon, on the other hand, had a familiar air around his scent. His was more of outdoors but with the scent of books and oil burnings. The familiarity of it was something she noted quite often.

It was the scent of home.

Simon merely shook his head, but then he flashed her a grin of his own. "Well, about that-"

"Sorry I'm late."

At the sudden appearance, Dakota's eyes widened as she jumped in the air and nearly dropped her catch. Her heart hammered against her chest for a few quick moments before she realized the new, yet familiar, scent that now entered the fray. The scent of forest and leaves permeated his scent, while there was the smell of barbecue and ramen. When she turned her head, all she could see was the amused look of a young man's soft black eye. His silver hair was lazily spiked, and his other eye was covered by a dark blue headband with a metal covering that had a lining of a leaf on it. His face was mostly concealed with a face mask, so it was hard to read his emotions. One never knew what he thought in some cases, least of all her.

With a quick sigh, Dakota gave him a look before she asked, "Did you HAVE to do that, Kakashi?"

Upon seeing the flat look on her face, he chuckled quietly and closed his eye in an eye smile. "That means you are not always on your game as you claim." He casually joked as he kept his hands in his pockets. He wore a green flak vest with a dark blue long sleeve shirt with fingerless gloves that had a metal cover on top, along with matching pants and sandals. White bandages were wrapped around the exposed parts of his legs, while there was a little bit on his pants. As he looked down at her, he added, "Says much when someone like me can sneak up on a Lycan like yourself."

"...Half Lycan." She reminded in a playful tone. "Half Skin Walker. Always remember that."

"You never let us forget." He retorted back.

"Of course, she doesn't!" Simon joked as he joined them, his gaze flickering toward the buck that still rested on Dakota's shoulder. "It's why she brings it up every day."

"...Not every day…" She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Just when you guys bring up by my bloodline in some way." Then, she resumed her walk into the building as she added playfully, "Now, let me get this ready! I am not wasting this meat because you guys wanna show up all at once!"

Kakashi chuckled once more. "You say that as if you're not happy to see us." He joked, but she merely laughed before she placed the buck on the large table.

The room reeked of dried blood of different animals' blood, all from her time of hunting, along with cleaners when she cleaned up the room after her butchering. She had different sizes of knives to help her cut out the meats in any way she wanted to. Plastic wrapping sat nearby, along with sanitized gloves. With a sigh, she grabbed her black apron off the hanger and threw it on. She grabbed the gloves and put them down before she began her work on the deer. She

could easily hear the chatter of her friends outside, and she could hear their footsteps against the grass clearly. A gentle smile formed on her face before she went for the first cut. She enjoyed her quiet time in the woods, especially when she had been traveling for a while and she wanted alone time.

However, Dakota enjoyed the company of her friends. She felt at ease in their company, whether she was in other worlds with them or on her own world. Normally, she would take her time to cut the meat, to make each cut very precise. While the hunting gave her a thrill and challenge, preparing the meat and fur was the calming process to allow her to think. With her friends now arriving, she did not want to keep them waiting any longer than they had to. So, with her inhumane speed, she went through the motions of cutting and slicing, organizing the different sizes and types of meat. Her mouth already began to water at the thought of the meals she could have. The scent of the deer, the more she cared for it, became almost intoxicating to her. Once she separated them, she began to wrap them in individual packages. Before long, she cleaned the blood off her gloves, her apron, and her table. As she began to gather the packages and leave for the cabin, she could hear Kakashi and Simon talk with Cassandra and Remy.

Her smile grew, but then she chuckled when she caught two more scents. It was the last two of their little group...they had finally arrived as well. Dakota stopped in front of the door before she turned to face the direction of the new arrivals. "Laurel, Hotaru, you two better hurry up!" She shouted.

"Hey, we are moving as fast as we can!" One voice, female, shouted in return, laughing loudly. Her scent was that of liquor, but also leather and Arabic desert. "C'mon, firefly, walk faster!"

The second voice, younger but also female, was quieter, but Dakota still heard her say, "I'm coming!" Her scent, unlike the other, was more flowery like violets, as well as the scent of jasmine tea.

"Hang on a sec!"

"Wait, Laurel-san-! EEK!"

Dakota laughed loudly before she noticed a figure in the distance, clad in black, carrying a smaller figure like a sack of potatoes. The woman, known as Laurel, was a spritely young woman, who was around nineteen. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her green eyes were bright with mischief. She had fair skin, and her form had muscles fit for her agile fighting. Her leather black jacket covered her white shirt, and she wore blue jeans with black boots.

The other figure was much smaller in height and very thin, yet Dakota knew better than to underestimate the girl's own strength. She was the youngest of their little crew, around fourteen, and the most innocent—at least, in Dakota's mind. She had shoulder length black hair with violet highlights, and her eyes were large and amethyst in color. Her skin was pale, like ivory, and it seemed paler against her black long sleeve shirt, skirt, stockings, and slip on shoes. As they got even closer, one could see the sketchbook she kept clutch in her hands.

Laurel wore a grin as she glanced at her and said, "See, Hotaru? This was a lot faster!"

"L-Laurel-san!" Hotaru exclaimed, struggling against her hold. "Put me down!"

"Nope! We're almost there, firefly, so hang on!"

"D-Dakota-san!"

Dakota burst out laughing as she watched the two approach her cabin. With a shake of her head, she said, "C'mon, Laurel, I think firefly can walk on her own." She said in amusement, and her laughter grew in volume when Laurel playfully rolled her eyes and placed her down. Then, she tilted her head and asked, "Hotaru, don't you have school?"

Hotaru looked at her in surprise before she rubbed her head. "I just finished for the weekend, and I have nothing else to work on, so I am free to be here." She said, hugging her notebook closely to her chest.

The half-breed nodded calmly, and she placed her hand upon the girl's head to ruffle it gently. "Okay then...well, the others are here now, and I have some venison to fix for dinner." She said, giving her a smile.

"Great! I'm starving!" Laurel piped up with a large grin. "...You're not cooking that extremely rare, are you?"

"...Ha ha." Dakota deadpanned; nevertheless, she smirked in return before she turned around to walk inside.

The inside matched the cabin well. The floors were hardwood and light in color, matching the walls. There was wooden frame for pictures and other wooden figurines, with a large dream catcher by her midnight blue couch. Her fireplace was grey stone made, and there were stairs that led to her bedroom. The living room was quite spacious, and there were two blue recliners by the couch, a midnight blue rug etched in silver on the edges, and a large light fixture above them. There were many bookshelves filled with books, and her coffee table had a stack of books on top. The kitchen was off to the side with an island in the middle, making it quite open.

The group conversed with each other as the girls entered the living room, where one man in his early twenties casually leaned back on the couch with a deck of cards in hand. He was handsome, Dakota had to admit, with his maroon and black bodysuit showing off his chiseled form. He wore a brown trench coat over it, as well as black fingerless gloves on his hands. His reddish-brown hair reached the base of his neck, and his skin was light tan due to his time in the sun. However, his eyes were quite peculiar. His irises were ruby red while his sclera was ebony black, giving him the look of a demon. He twirled one card in his hand-the Ace of Spades-as a pinkish energy seemed to flicker from it. It only lasted for a moment, and then it disappeared as if it was no longer there.

She chuckled softly, and then her gaze fell upon the final person of their crew, who was conversing with Kakashi. While he seemed very relaxed, she seemed tensed yet still amused. Her hair was pixie cut and black with small hints of dark brown mixed in, and her eyes were narrowed and bluish-green. To some men, she was not attractive, with the sharp edges along her face along with a scar on right cheek that reached her chin. Her body had some muscles due to her training, and she wore a black leather tunic and pants. Her belt held her iron sword, and her black boots reached her knees. Yet, her stance, the air around her of confidence, gave her another sense of beauty. A woman who was in her late twenties or early thirties, who had fought in all types of battles and a hero in her own right

When the man looked up from his cards, he gave his usual grin before he said, "Bonjour, mon ami. 'Bout time you decided to come inside. Ah thought Simon was gonna have to hunt ya down."

"Hey!" Simon whined slightly, as he stepped out of the kitchen. "I have been patient!"

"I'm sure you have, Simon." Laurel said as she stepped behind Dakota, grinning widely. "So the whole gang's here! Which means this mountain is gonna be restless all night!"

The man's grin widened. "Now THAT Ah like the sound of! Poker, party, and any other shenanigans we can get ourselves into!" He laughed as he sat down his cards on the table. He leaned back in the sofa and propped his feet on the table, his arms folded in front of his chest. "And knowing us? We'll crank it up by TEN."

Dakota rolled her eyes. "Of course, we will...we ALWAYS seem to find ourselves in some kind of trouble." She said with a snort.

"Always." Simon deadpanned, though his eyes glinted with amusement.

"Well, Ah mean, we are a bunch of misfits and troublemakers."

"...Not all of us, Remy." Laurel joked as she ruffled Hotaru's hair, causing her to giggle. "Firefly is the innocent one of us all!"

"Of course, she is." Cassandra Pentaghast spoke up, finally joining the conversation as she looked at them with her own slight smirk. Her arms folded over her chest, while her head tilted to the side slightly as she watched them. "And believe me, I am going to make sure none of you corrupt her."

Kakashi gave her a ghastly look. "Corrupt her? Us? Cassandra-san, you wound me! I never would do such a thing!" He exclaimed in a mock hurt voice, his hand upon his chest.

As she rolled her eyes, Hotaru's face turned pink as she looked down. "You do not have to do so, Cassandra-san." She said quietly.

"...I will still not get used to that…"

Her eyes widened when she before a sheepish look flashed across her amethyst orbs. "Gomen- I mean, sorry. Force of habit." She said, before she gave a small smile.

The ninja looked at her as he chuckled softly. He flashed her an eye smile before he turned his attention toward Cassandra and retorted, "You'll get used to it soon enough, I assure you, Cassandra-san."

"Perhaps one day, but I doubt it." She replied in amusement. Then, she moved away and sat down on the recliner, though she looked back in uncertainty. Dakota knew why; all of them did, really. The world she came from was from a time much farther back than her own. Whenever they visited, she was reminded of a medieval period, but with many magical elements and different creatures. To her, it was like a world she would read in the novels. Then again, the type of world she came from would be from novels or movies, of the horror kind, in her opinion.

As Cassandra slowly sat back in the recliner, almost hesitantly, the half-breed smiled and made her way toward the kitchen. "C'mon, Simon, maybe you can help me with the food since you are so eager to have some venison." She said as she glanced back at him.

He grinned at that before he hurried toward her. "Oh, you don't have to tell me twice!" He joked.

She chuckled and entered the kitchen, where it was simple. A silver refrigerator with a freezer, a black stove, and a microwave. There were wooden cabinets and drawers, filled with silverware, pots, pans, and other dishes for them to eat from. Dakota sat down the packaged meats on the counter, her gaze focused on her hands. A reflective glint was in her eyes, while she thought calmly. "...How long has it been since we knew each other?" She asked calmly, looking up.

"Hm?" Simon's gaze fell upon her, but then he smiled and leaned against the counter with his arms crossed. "...Around two years...heh, can't believe it has been." He said wistfully. "Time seems to fly when you have fun."

"...Heh...yeah." She turned around herself, and she watched the others with her own arms crossed in front of her. "Two years of traveling and fighting monsters or some idiot who thought it was best to take over the world." She joked quietly. "And in that time...we managed to gather some friends."

He nodded. "Yeah, friends who feel the same way. To protect the innocent from those who wish to do them harm."

In return, she nodded, while her gaze remained on the group in the living room. Hotaru had already sat in the other recliner, her notebook open with a pen out, her gaze now focused. She was no doubt drawing another picture, a muse hitting her easily. Laurel now sat in front of Remy, who grinned and dealt the cards. From the look on the former's face, she was ready to play another game of poker with him, ready to win this time. Yet, Dakota knew better than to believe she could win. Remy had a way with cards...and he always won. Kakashi moved toward Cassandra's side, his look amused with her own hesitance with her seat. She threw him a look, before she smirked and pushed him back playfully. All of them were well content with each other. They were friends who randomly found each other and stuck together.

Her lips curled into a soft smile. Friends...she had other friends who were very dear to her, and with the friends before her were just as dear. She nudged Simon slightly and said, "Well, we relax this weekend...then we'll be on the road again."

"As always...but now...DINNER."

Both of them laughed loudly before they turned around. Dakota smiled and went to grab a pan, but she caught something out of the corner of her eye. With a confused look, her hands were frozen in place while she slowly turned her head to look. Before her, there stood a large, black wolf. Its eyes stared into her, unmoving, like a statue. Her own breath began to quicken, and her eyes widened slightly. "..You…" She breathed out quietly.

"...Kota…?"

She ignored Simon; her attention was on the wolf solely. Then, she stepped away…

The air felt thick with tension, as Dakota walked through a jungle like area. Her eyes looked around in confusion, while she stepped cautiously through the vegetation. She could hear everything around her...the inhumane growls, the moans, the sounds of rustling leaves, and painful screams. Her breath hitched itself in her throat, but she pressed her lips together and kept moving. Ahead of her, she could see the black wolf, its amber eyes shimmering through the shaded areas. She made her way toward it, before she heard a roar that sent a chill down her spine. A large shadow was cast over her, and she looked up to see a giant creature fly overhead. Her eyes widened, and she immediately ran through the jungle to hide herself. She had no weapons on her, and she knew her own inhumane strength would not be enough to fight it. Whatever it was.

Suddenly, flashes of images came before her eyes. It happened so fast; all she could see was mushy blurs of colors with some shapes. Before Dakota knew it, she was in a cavern like area. Water dripped around her, as she looked around at the rocky walls. She sniffed the air a few times. Saltwater...it was stronger now than it was a moment ago. Slowly, she followed the scent in hopes it would lead her to a new area, perhaps what she was supposed to find. Her footsteps echoed, traveling almost all through the pathway. Her body was tensed, while her gaze hardened. She was ready to fight if need be, and the tension in the air did not ease that thought for one moment. Before long, she came across a cliff that oversaw water. She carefully planted a foot along the edge, and she looked over to stare at the calm surface.

"...It's…" She whispered lowly. "This must be a cavern by the sea…" Then, there was an abrupt rumbling, and her body swayed in place. She kept herself steady as her eyes widened; however, when she looked down, she noticed something. Unlike the shadow she last saw, this shadow was...HUGE. It could easily dwarf a whale, and the inhumane moan echoed from below. "...The hell…?" She said, and then there was another rumble. "Ah great!"

She quickly turned to escape, but another rumble caused the ground to break underneath her. She went to swing her body forward, and she managed to grab the ledge when she fell with the debris. With gritted teeth, she held on tightly, her nails digging into the rocks. She glanced back for a moment and watched her once rocky surface splash against the water. That caused the huge shadow to move. Another rumble came, stronger than before, and her eyes widened when her grip began to slip. "Nononono!" She cried, planting her foot against a rock to push herself.

To her dismay, she could not push herself up in time, and the rock gave way. She plummeted toward the water below, screaming loudly. On the remains of the cliff, she saw the wolf again, and that was when another flash came forward...one she could recognize better.

More vegetation…

More water…

A lab with a creature trapped in a sphere...screaming in pain…

"I... will not...submit…!"

Finally, her body crashed into the water…

"Dakota!"

"Kota? Kota!"

"Hey, is she alright?"

"Hey, Dakota, wake up!"

Dakota could hear the voices all around her, yet she could not figure out who they belonged to at first. She gasped loudly and sat up abruptly. Cold sweat cascaded down her body as she shivered uncontrollably. The visions were still before her very eyes, and the screams were still playing out in her head. For a moment, she could still see the wolf, who watched her calmly. When she looked into its eyes for that moment, she felt...comfort? Afterwards, the wolf disappeared, but the feeling remained. The visions and screams finally ebbed away to where she could focus on reality. She finally had names for the real voices. Her friends...Simon, Laurel, and Cassandra. They knelt beside her with concerned on their faces, while the rest stood overhead. They too appeared concerned.

Her breathing was heavy as she gulped. "...S... Sorry…" She mumbled.

"...Was that…?" Cassandra slowly asked. "Did you just have a vision?"

She said nothing. A vision...one of her skills. If something terrible was happening, or about to happen, she would be visited with a vision. It was a gift from the time she was a child, a gift from her Skin Walker side. Her shaman side. With a quick nod, she slowly tried to stand up. "I could hear them...the song…and the screams…" She whispered. The song...no...not the song…

"...What song, mon ami?" Remy slowly asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Once more, she did not respond. Suddenly, two new scents reached her nose, causing her eyes to widen. Before she could try to figure out what they were, who they belonged to, there was a knock at the door. Dakota's head shot up quizzically before she managed to stand on her feet and made her way toward the door. When she opened it, she came face to face with two people, one familiar and one not. The latter was a man who seemed to be in his thirties, with black hair that matched his thick eyebrows and his eyes. He wore a white button shirt with a brown trench coat over it and a brown duster on his head. There were a few lines on his face, all of which seemed to be from stress. He did not seem too pleased to be there, but he appeared serious and worn down. The other one, however, was younger, around twenty-one. His hair was flaming red and spiky, while his eyes seemed sharper now and emerald green. He wore an orange and black coat with black pants and boots, along with a black and orange cape attached to his coat.

As she looked at them, her gaze fell upon the younger man. "...Lance?" She slowly said. "...What's...going on?"

"Dakota…" He said calmly, his gaze serious, almost worn. "There's a problem in Johto...one that I think you and Simon can help us with."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, her head tilting to the side. "What's that…?"

"...The creatures...they...they seem to be...zombies."

...Now...it begins. Read and Review guys!