A new chapter with stuff in it! Okay, maybe a bit vague... stuff you may not completely expect then? Yeah, there we go! Also, please read the A/N at the bottom!=^-^=
Ch. 7 - Recovery
They were well on their way to the village and with the speed Danny was going, they would arrive in less than 10 minutes. "So what was happening in the village?" Doc inquired to his son for a more specific situation.
Zak, who surprisingly enough sat in the front passenger seat, turned to him in response. "He didn't have a lot to go on, but he and his team barricaded themselves into their camp because the villagers started to attack them. It started after some strange fog blew through… something like that."
"Do you think those ghost wolves qualify?" Danny reasoned while he kept his eyes in the skies ahead.
Doc raised a hand to his chin. "That's probable. If they have anything to do with the superstitions of this area, they could've seen them as a sign of some kind."
"Yeah, don't talk to strangers." Doyle added with a laugh. "Didn't Drew say they only spoke Esperanto by that village?"
Doc gave a nod. "Yeah, but without Drew to act as a translator, we're going to have to settle for getting Paul and his team out before they get hurt."
"That means we're in a hurry right?" Zak asked as he turned to Danny. "Can this thing go any faster?"
Danny raised a brow as he reached for the accelerator. "Maybe a little bit." He pulled it down several levels and the Speeder jumped up in speed with a lite jolt. It only took a couple more minutes for a small column of smoke to be seen as the village came into view.
"There it is." Doc pointed out as he got out of his seat. "Try and get us as close as possible so we can get to them without the locals getting in the way."
Danny tried to follow through as he hovered just above the temporary shelter of the scientist's base. "You should find something to lower yourself in the second locker on the back wall." Danny suggested as Doc opened the side door.
"Good." He responded and quickly found his way to a rope ladder. He turned in time to hear a loud crash as whatever was keeping the villagers out of the base gave way.
"Not good!" Doyle shouted as he jumped down to the roof with Doc close behind. They made their way to the entrance where they jumped down to try and assist their friends as they were over run.
"Can you land this thing!?" Zak yelled in question to the halfa.
Danny turned to him with a brow raised. "If I do that, we'll be overrun too." He then stood up and locked the steering wheel. "But we can jump down to help."
"Would that really be wise?" Ulraj asked with hesitance in his voice. The idea of jumping into an angry mob was certainly not the most appealing thing.
Danny pointed to the controls. "Not if someone doesn't stay to watch the controls." He then jumped down the short distance from the Speeder to the roof of the small complex followed by Zak and Fiskerton. Ulraj let out a breath of relief as he sat back down on the bench.
Down on the ground Doc and Doyle had a large portion of the mob held off as they blocked the corner with Dr. Cheechoo and his 2 remaining team mates. "It would certainly help to know why they're so mad of a sudden. When we came here yesterday they were more than welcoming as long as we didn't talk to them." Doc turned a bit to see his fellow scientist. "Are you sure you didn't provoke them?"
Paul shook his head. "We were just finishing our latest scan of the catacombs when one of my guys ran in saying the villagers had gone crazy. I had only been inside for 5 minutes before that. I have no idea why they're acting like this only that they started getting uneasy after the fog."
"They will punish us if we do not purge them from our home!" On the men shouted as he raised up a long knife. "The guardians have given their warning! These strangers must be taught a lesson!"
Danny leaned over the roof edge along with Zak and Fisk. "So…. Any ideas?" The young Saturday inquired. Fiskerton gave it a moment's thought before responding with a fist raised. (We jump in!) "That's just what I was thinking." Zak shot back as he whipped out the claw and prepared to jump along with Fiskerton.
"Hold on!" Danny's plea was ignored as the boys dove into the fray, disrupting the middle of the mob.
"Do you see!? More of them come! We must get them out of the village!" One man shouted.
"We should have never allowed them to stay!" Another added in.
As they charged Zak and Fisk, the boys pushed back in their standard style. Fisk grabbed the boy's claw and swung him around while Zak started to use their faces as stepping stones. "Oh yeah!" Fisk joined him in a triumphant growl as he pulled him back to his side.
"You must leave!" Was shouted by a woman and it was quickly taken up as a chant by the mob as a whole.
"What the heck are they shouting about?" Doyle asked as he knocked down a few charging villagers.
"I haven't a clue, but I doubt its good."
"They want us to leave." They heard from above before a metal panel on the roof was removed to reveal Danny. He rolled down the ladder and prepared to climb down. Just as he placed one foot on the ladder a chorus of howls rang through like a siren.
The villagers immediately started to panic and shout amongst themselves. "The guardians are coming!"
"We're too late!"
Danny slid down all the way as he watched the crowd lose their mob mentality in favor of retreating back into the village and their homes. Danny could feel his ghost sense going crazy as he felt the approach of the spectral hounds. "This can't be good…." He grumbled. The 3 of them left the safety of the building to look around and saw several of the ghosts already on the perimeter.
Villagers dropped their weapons before them and raised their arms in surrender. "Humans! How dare you disrespect our land!" The lead wolf was approaching one young man before he noticed the intruders to the village. He quickly turned his anger towards them. "So it is you then! I spared you before, but I shall not spare you again!" He quickly dashed towards Doc with his fangs bared.
"Wait!" Danny shouted as he blocked the ghost's way.
"Danny, get back!" Doc implored but Danny wouldn't budge. He was just about to reflexively blast the ghost before someone else beat him to it.
The ghost wolf was blasted back several meters. "Danny… is this thing supposed to do that?" Ulraj questioned through the speakers of the Speeder.
Danny turned with relief as he cupped his hands around his mouth. "Ulraj! There should be a red flashing light above you! Press the button next to it!" The Kumari easily found it and upon pressing the button, a beam of green energy shot out of the top. It formed a dome that encased the building below along with Danny and the Saturdays.
Zak and Fisk rushed over from the new opening in the crowd. "What's going on? What is this thing?"
"Ghost Shield." Danny responded as he pointed to the wolves. "They can't get in, but it'll only hold for about 15 minutes."
"Then we need to get everyone out of here before then." Doc deduced as he turned back to the science base. "Paul, get your team together! We need to get moving."
Danny held his position just inside the barrier as he watched the Alpha wolf rise to all four paws. "Half Breed! Why do you stand in our way!?" Danny raised a brow as the ghost made a slow approach. "This is our domain! We will not stand for your interference!" He then began to howl just outside the barrier and his pack followed suit where ever they were at the time. As the harmony of each howl began to match, the ground started to shake and grew rougher as the howls grew louder.
"What's going on!?" Doc yelled as he climbed up the ladder just behind Dr. Cheechoo.
Once he was up he saw Doyle banging on the wall. "Damn piece of junk!" He then turned to his brother in law. "It's over loading from whatever these stupid mutts are doing! If they don't knock it off, this shield is as good as gone."
Danny was watching the effects from the ground as the neon green barrier began to short with jolts of misplaced electricity. He turned to Zak and Fisk as he started to run. "Come on guys, we gotta get back to the ship before the shield fails completely!"
The two started to follow the halfa's lead before Zak stopped short. Fisk noticed immediately and tried to pull him along. (Come on!) "Hold on…" The boy requested before turning back to the barrier. The wolves howl started to fade and as the barrier seemed to stabilize, a new presence could be felt all around.
Each of the ghost wolves raised their ears in alert before turning to the Alpha's command. "Retreat!" The pack faded into smoke and disappeared into the tree line seconds later. Fiskerton raised his arms in a cheer. "Hold on, Fisk." Zak warned while keeping his eyes on the tree line. He raised his claw and it assumed an orange glow that matched the boy's eyes.
Doc watched from on board the Speeder as Zak seemed to start approaching the forest. "Zak?" He saw Fiskerton try and stop him but the boy dashed around him and charged for the tree line. "Zak!" He yelled out the door in vain as the boy continued on with Fiskerton just behind. "Damn it!" He cursed as he made his way over to the pilot's seat. He paused a moment before taking another look outside. "Where's Danny?"
Doyle looked over his shoulder at the teen's shadow entering the tree line as well. "Looks like he's not waiting up."
Doc rolled his eyes. "Looks like. I'm starting to think he has more in common with Zak then either of them would care to acknowledge." He then thought back to when he had first spotted Danny in the hanger before they left. He already looked like he had a plan in mind whether or not anyone else was game. He even seemed annoyed when he had mentioned going together, but he shrugged that off to the tenseness of the moment. Maybe though….. he should have thought more into it.
Zak ran through the forest with his claw held out as if it was leading him on his way. "Where are you?" He mumbled to himself as his eyes, aglow with an orange light, desperately sought out the Cryptid which had somehow sent those ghosts running. He could hear Fiskerton just behind while shouting at him to stop, but he wasn't about to listen. He had to start doing things himself, without help. This time that other kid wasn't going to show him up. He's done things like this all his life and Danny? Just a cocky teenager who thinks he's better cause he's older. That was only part of it though, the other part was how much his family tended to get attacked because of him. That incident in New York was enough evidence of that along with the attack that morning.
When he finally found his way out of his own thoughts, he saw a clearing just ahead. He broke through the trees to find himself on a large stone circle which looked to be somewhat like old cobblestone. There were several tall stones around it with unfamiliar inscriptions and symbols. (Gotcha!) Fisk growled as he jumped to the clearing as well and grabbed the boy by his shoulder. He quickly realized they weren't alone as the low growl started from all directions. Zak seemed to be slightly regretting his decision to go off on his own as both he and Fisk stood together under the menacing sound. "Okay… really wishing I didn't just stupidly run off on my own." (uh-huh! Stupid!) Fisk chided with a whimper.
Growls sounded close and moving closer as Zak readied for the impending attack. The animalistic warning then suddenly stopped followed by Zak being grabbed from behind. The 2 boys jumped in surprise and arms flailing to see Danny just behind them. Zak held his chest in relief, a gesture that was mimicked by Fisk. "Oh man…. Don't sneak up on us like that."
Danny didn't seem too happy but not really angry either as he apologized. "Sorry, but just trying to catch up with you was hard. I wasn't trying to scare you though." He then looked around. "Why'd you run all the way out here?"
Zak turned back around. "I was chasing after a Cryptid…. But I guess it was a stupid idea…" He relented as he remembered his earlier regret. Fiskerton agreed as he nodded his head. "I guess you were right and I just proved it."
Danny raised a brow. "You mean about the snow storm thing? Yeah, I know I was right….. but I was kind of a jerk about it." Danny relented back. "I was stressed from the situation and took it out on you after you blew up at me. I shouldn't have shouted back either. You had every right to be mad."
Zak shook his head. "No, this is totally my fault. I'm sorry for being a jerk."
"But I was a jerk first." Danny pointed out.
"Yeah, but if I hadn't blown up at you, you wouldn't have shouted at your mom. And then, I thought you didn't care when she was taken because of how calm you were."
Danny gave a shrug. "Yeah, but my mom is armed to the teeth against ghosts at all times. In most cases I pity the ghost who'd get on her bad side." He then raised his hand to the back of his neck. "So how about you accept my apology and I accept yours. We really didn't get off on the right foot…."
Zak seemed to ponder it a moment as Danny outstretched his hand. "Deal." He said as he slapped his hand in a friendly manner. Danny then froze as he felt the eerie condensation flow out of his mouth. The cold air appeared to mask it from Zak, but his sudden change of mood was obvious. "Uh… Danny?"
Danny turned around while keeping alert. "We should head back now."
Zak traded a glance with Fisk. "Yeah…." They didn't go more than a few steps before a glowing pair of yellow eyes became obvious in their path. "Or not…." They began to back up slowly before they heard a growl from behind. Fiskerton jumped when he turned to see the looming shadow closing in from behind. (Another one!)
"Perfect…." Danny grumbled.
"Outsiders….." The beast before them growled out.
Danny was just able to make it out when it leaped towards them. Fiskerton was able to pull both boys out of the way in time, but now both creatures stood together. Once they were able to reassess the situation they realized they could make out more of their enemies. "Wulf?" Danny questioned in mild curiosity.
"Or wolves!" Zak pointed out. The jet black, bipedal beasts stood together like hunters against their prey. Danny's initial mix up was corrected when he got a better look at the clothes they were wearing; basic and conservative in comparison to Wulf's neon green sweats. Fiskerton let out a fierce growl and raised his fists. (Go away!) "Uh Fisk….. I doubt that's going to do anything to scare them away." Zak commented as he wore a slightly pumped expression. "But getting attacked by werewolves is pretty awesome."
"Uh serious please." Danny pleaded as he stood ready to fend off attack. "Mauled by werewolves is not something I think would be a pleasant experience."
They both raised their claws in attack prompting a similar response in the boys. Zak took a look back to Fisk before holding out his claw. "Fisk! Hammer throw!" The Lemurian complied by grabbing the weapon and swinging the boy with his primate might. After both creatures dodged, Zak was able to blindside one of them with a kick, but it didn't seem to do much at all but make them angry. Now separated from Danny and Fisk, Zak raised up his claw and extended it. "Bring it on!" One of them complied and began taking several swipes at him with his claws while the boy barely managed to parry with his Claw.
The other leaped at Danny but soon found itself wrestling with Fisk instead as he jumped in the way. Danny quickly saw he was not going to be much help without his powers since he only had a thermos on him and found himself debating over whether it was worth it. His debate with himself was ended abruptly as Zak fell back over an uneven stone and the werewolf took its opportunity. Zak could only raise up his Claw to protect himself from his poorly defended state. Before the vicious claw came down though, the beast howled in pain and leaped away to reveal Danny with his palm smoking. He then turned and blasted at the other in much the same way and it repeated its comrade's reaction. (Say what….?) Zak couldn't agree more as he gaped in surprise.
The older teen quickly closed in on his young friend and glared down the beasts who now kept their distance. He blasted one more shot in warning which landed right in front of them. "Back off!" They cut their gazes with disgruntled growls before retreating deeper into the forest. Once they were out of sight, he let out a breath of relief before reaching a hand out to Zak in assistance.
"Uh thanks…" The boy said with hesitance. "But uh…. What was that?" (You can shoot lasers!?) Fiskerton growled while gesturing with his hands.
Danny let out an exasperated groan at the question. "Kind of….." He then started to nervously rub at his neck as he turned back to Zak. "Let's just say you and I have a lot more in common than scientist parents; just keep this between us though." He then turned his sight over to a glowing spot on the stone circle. It was relatively close to where he hit with his third blast. "What the heck?" The three of them approached it in curiosity.
Fiskerton looked down over it and rubbed his chin. (…. Its pretty….) Zak crouched down. "It kinda looks like that weird gem Ulraj had." The green gemstone sat embedded in the rocks as it glowed warmly. "But this one's glowing."
No more than a few seconds later, Danny felt his ghost sense go off and he pulled the boy away. "Hold up, guys." A familiar screech was heard as two formless specters appeared and merged to create a new portal.
The two female scientists had spent almost an hour with their spectral host, though they still didn't have many answers. Gaia had left them alone for most of the time before finally returning only a few minutes prior. The silence that now held in the room was tense and eventually broken by Maddie. "Just how long are we going to be stuck here?"
Gaia turned to look at something, but it was as if only she could see it. "It shouldn't be too much longer, humans." She then turned back. "I hope my hospitality was acceptable?" She asked while gesturing to the beverages on a small table. "I apologize, I do not host company often."
"It's fine." Drew comforted with a question at the back of her mind.
Gaia raised a brow. "Thank you, human. By the way…. Do you have a question of me?" She couldn't help but notice the lackluster tone of the response.
Drew threaded her fingers through some her hair as she started. "Well, it's just been bothering me. While all of this," She gestured around herself. "Is pretty overwhelming, I can't stop going back to what you said to those other ghosts." Maddie raised a brow at that as she thought back herself. "You said something about a crown being affected if one of us got hurt…. How exactly do we tie into this problem and that crown you mentioned?"
Maddie then added in her own question. "And exactly what was that portal reaching out for?"
Gaia gave a knowing smile as she wore a smirk. "Truly exceptional humans. So very curious and unafraid." She laughed at her own musings. "I wonder?" She started again and gave her guests a questioning look. "Something I found out after many centuries was how much humans love to keep secrets. Sometimes they were small, and sometimes they were quite big. Children especially, love to keep them. It's as if it comes with some sort of special entitlement or maybe it's just the idea of knowing something no one else does." She then stood up and turned to her right. "Or perhaps it isn't so small as that? Maybe they are ashamed? Jealous? Afraid?" She finished as she shot a side glance to the ghost hunter. "But for whatever reason, humans just can't seem to stop themselves. Regardless, it seems your portal home is now here." She informed as said portal swirled into existence beside her. "You'd best hurry before your families grow more worried for your safety."
The two boys stepped further back as the portal seemed to stir and two forms could be seen. Fisk stood nervously behind Zak as he looked wide eyed at the mysterious phenomenon. Danny was the first to recognize them as he dashed over to his mom. "Mom!"
Zak's brows rose as he quickly recognized his own mom next to her. "Your back!" Fisk joined him in hugging her. "Oh man I missed you, mom!" (Me too!) The Lemurian added in as he almost broke out in tears.
"Calm down, boys, really." She tried to pretend not to be just as relieved, but she wasn't very effective.
Maddie hugged her son while looking around in worry. "Where exactly are we?"
"We're in the forest by that hunting village." Zak informed. He then turned to his own mom. "You won't believe all the stuff that's happened!"
"Well, we have our fair share of things to tell you too." Drew shot back as she pat the boy's head.
"Definitely." Maddie agreed. "I have to say, I have a whole new view of the Ghost Zone. To think there is any form of hierarchy among them." Danny had a feeling of dread at the back of his mind about that. Of course, how was he supposed to know how completely justified that feeling was?
So thus ends another chapter with a bit of foreshadowing. Maddie and Drew are back, and Danny and Zak seem to have finally started to see eye to eye... maybe... Anyway, neither of those ghosts were Wulf, but they do have a relation to him which will be touched on later.
IMPORTANT! - Due to a slight rewrite, I will not be posting a chapter next Saturday. Sorry but I need to work the kinks out of the next few chapters. I will post again on the Saturday after the next so... Oct 3.. I think... Anyway, so look forward to that! Please review if you liked it and you can also ask any questions you may have in a review.=^-^=
