Raelle stood outside in front of the door to her Brother's room with her mother, holding a plate of birthday pancakes. Raelle was holding a wrapped box in her hands. Today was Jim's sixteenth birthday. Jim normally didn't like to celebrate his birthday because of what happened when he was younger, but Barbara and Raelle thought this birthday was one that he should celebrate. Raelle got chills running down her spine and goosebumps, but she quickly dismissed them.
Raelle opened the door for her mother. Jim sat awake in his bed. He looked at the door as it opened and saw his mother with a tray in her hands and his sister.
"Wake up, wake up!" Barbara called as she advanced toward her son with Raelle, "Don't want to sleep through your big day."
"Big day?" Jim asked gently with an unsure smile.
"The big day you start with-" Barbara sat on the edge of the bed. She gasps before saying, "Mom's special birthday pancakes!"
Barbara handed the tray to Jim with a smile as her son took the breakfast tray from her. Jim looked at the meal with a sad look. A candle had been stuck in the stack of flapjacks and a trail of syrup had created a disturbing smile. One of the syrup eyes slowly dripped.
"He looks like he's screaming," Jim mentioned.
"He's excited. I know, I know. You always hate your birthday," Barbara stood up and placed a book that had been lying helplessly on the floor, back onto a shelf, "But you're 16! This is a big one. We should do something tonight."
"Oh, Mom, you know I don't want to-" Jim began.
"This isn't up for discussion. No one should be alone on their birthday," Barbara argued with a smile as she opened his window, letting the fresh air flow in and greet the birthday boy.
Jim groaned with a roll of his eyes as his mother headed to the door while his sister stayed.
"When you've had your fill, I have another surprise for you downstairs."
Barbara headed down the steps as Jim sighed again before glancing at his pancakes, the candle still lit.
"I would recommend not eating the pancakes. I'm not sure, but I think mom skipped an ingredient or two," Raelle warned her brother, who took her advice and put the plate on the desk. Raelle held out the wrapped box to her brother, "Happy Birthday, Jim."
Jim accepted the gift and unwrapped the paper on the box. He took the lid off and looked inside the box to find a Vespa Owner's Workshop Manual. Raelle saw the smile on her brother's face forming and could not help but smile herself.
"Wow! This is incredible, Rae! Thank you," Jim said.
"You're welcome. I figured with you wanting a Vespa, you should have one of these and do some homework," Raelle said.
The familiar call of the walkie-talkie pulled Jim from his misery and into a sudden shock.
"Warhammer to Trollhunter. Copy?" Toby said.
Jim dove into his desk chair and picked up his own before speaking to his best friend.
"Copy. What is it, Tobes?" Jim asked.
"Look out your window!" Toby told Jim excitedly with a smile.
Jim and Raelle quickly stood over Jim's desk, peering out the window only to find Toby standing in his room waving his arm happily as he held a paper birthday cake that had been bitten into.
The cake had been drawn with two layers, and three candles were cut out on top. The first layer, which had been missing a chunk, said: Jim. But part of the 'm' was missing. The bottom layer, fortunately still intact, had the number Sixteen written on it.
"I think a bird or something tore away a piece of your drawing, Tobes," Jim said.
"Ah, that was Aaarrrgghh. He thought the cake was real. Or maybe he just likes the taste of paper. Any word from Claire?" He asked.
"No, she's not returning any of my texts," Jim jumped off his desk and fell back into his desk chair, the object rolling with him. He perked up as he spoke, "It's not like I destroyed her house or anything," Jim dropped sadly back into his chair, "Oh, wait. It is."
"Dude, you didn't destroy her house. Her fake baby brother did," Toby mentioned as he tried to get the large paper cake back inside the window but miserably failed.
"Yeah, I'll be sure to mention that," Jim said as he spun his chair in a slow circle.
"Have you thought about it? Telling her, I mean?"
As Jim listened to his friend, he dropped his head back with his lips parted in an exaggerated sigh.
"Telling her baby brother's been swapped for a shape-shifting changeling troll because of me?"Jim yelled into the walkie-talkie.
Toby finally managed to pull his destroyed artwork inside the house, knocking over an item that stood on the desk in the process.
"Jim, we don't really know if your the reason why they swapped Enrique with NotEnrique," Raelle told her brother, "Clarie's mom is on the city council. And Blinky said that changelings spy on our world. So, NotEnrique is probably here to spy on Clarie's mom. You'd be surprised what parents will say around their kids."
"Is there a Hallmark card for that?" Jim asked.
"If there isn't, there should be. In the meantime, ignorance is bliss, and I've got a birthday gift for you that Aaarrrgghh cannot eat," Toby told Jim.
"Toby-Pie! Why is this box empty?" Nana called from downstairs.
Toby threw his head back and groaned, "Ugh, Aaarrrgghh ate the kitty litter again. Gotta go. Warhammer out."
"See you downstairs, birthday boy," Raelle said before she left the room.
Raelle grabbed her bag and walked down the stairs before she sat at the table with her mother. Barbara looked at the stack of pancakes in front of her. She shoved the fork into her mouth and chewed the food before swallowing it. Suddenly, her curious smile turned into a look of disgust.
"Ew," She groaned.
Barbara does a side glance at the stairs and sees her son stepping down the stairs.
"Oh! Wait!" Barbara said as she happily hopped out of her chair and stepped over to the young boy with her daughter at her side, "Wait right there. Let me get your present ready in the garage."
Barbara walked past her son and into the garage to get the present.
"The garage?" Jim repeated the two words as he bounced off another step, "Do you know what she got me?"
"Not a clue," Raelle replied.
Jim picked up the magazine and looked at the image of a Vespa before he and Raelle head to the garage.
"I know you've wanted this for a while, and now that you're the big one-six, maybe it's time. I think you'll get a lot of mileage out of it," Barbara said.
The two then heard the sound of a motor running in the garage.
Jim ran to the garage with Raelle and opened the door, "Did you seriously just get me a...?"
When Jim stepped into the garage, his smile dropped, finding no Vespa but seeing his mom standing over something.
Barbara turned around, holding a blender, "The Food Magic 3000!" The lid falls off, and she picks it off the ground, "From those cooking shows you like. It slices, it dices..." Barbara notices her son is forcing a smile, "And you hate it."
"No, no, Mom, it's- it's-it's great!" Jim said.
Barbara's eyes caught the sight of the Vespa magazine resting tightly between his body and arm, "Oh, no! You were expecting a... With the garage and the mileage..."
"It's fine. I also wanted one of these," He mentioned, gently pulling the machine from his mother's hands.
"We'll get a Vespa someday, Jim. Just- You know I hate the idea of you on one of those things."
"The Food Magic is perfect, Mom, really. I can't wait to cook you something with it."
The bottom of the blender fell off, and Barbara kneeled down to pick it up.
"Jim! Raelle! You gotta come quick!" Toby yelled as he ran into the garage, "There's an emergency in..." He caught sight of Barbara before calming down and trying to cover Trollmarket up, "The place. With the thing. Not even an emergency. It's - Hey, is that a Food Magic?"
"3000. I'll leave you, kids, to it," Barbara said before she patted her son's chin and daughter's head. Barbara backed up to the door and said to her children, "But, Jim, Rae, tonight celebration!"
The three watched with disgusted looks as Barbara did a funky dance.
"Looking forward," Jim said.
"Same here," Raelle said. Barbara leaves and closes the door behind her, allowing Raelle to say, "And that is an image I'll never get out of my head."
"Seriously, we've got a Defcon One situation in Trollmarket," Toby told his friends.
"How do you know?" Jim asked.
"I just do!"
"Come on, Jim! This could be life or death," Raelle said.
Toby took the blender from Jim's hands and set it on the ledge of some boxes before pulling his friend away. The simple birthday gift fell from its stand. The three ran to their bikes before peddling to Trollmarket. As they rode their bikes, Raelle got chills running down her spine and goosebumps. She looked around and found nothing to be a danger, but Raelle still kept her guard up.
When they reached the Hero's Forge, it was chaos. Jim was in his armor, and Raelle was in her second form. Toby stood beside his friends as they watched the chaos unfold in front of them. Various trolls run away in terror from the giant blades and axes in the forge. Blinky pushed himself through the mess to Jim and Raelle.
"It's too late, Master Jim, Mistress Raelle. Aaarrrgghh has lost his mind! Save yourself!" Blinky exclaimed.
"I thought Aaarrrgghh was at your house!" Jim yelled out to Toby, who nervously smiled before letting out a scream and pushing Blinky out of the way.
Aaarrrgghh, in his crazed state, jumped at Jim with a growl, causing him to back up, his back pressing against a blade.
"Oh, my gosh. Was it the kitty litter?" Jim grunted as Aaarrrgghh's large hand grabbed his slim waist.
Aaarrrgghh pulled the human boy too close for comfort before letting out a booming roar. As he roared, the mighty breath that escaped Aaarrrgghh ruffled Jim's hair, causing the boy to use his hands as protection.
Behind Aaarrrgghh, a floor panel lifted itself. It spun to show the countless amount of balloons connected to it, and the floor had been lit with red lighting.
"What the?" Jim said he had been breathing deeply within Aaarrrgghh's hold.
Blinky and Toby had pulled two ropes that caused a sign to fold out. Troll runes had been written on the sign with many different colors as amusement park theme music played.
"Surprise!" Everyone yelled out.
"Happy birthing day, Master Jim!" Blinky said.
Jim's face twisted with confusion before he spoke out, "What?"
Jim let out a breathless yelp as Aaarrrgghh lifted him higher onto his hairy shoulder.
"Good actor," Aaarrrgghh said. Jim let out quick breaths, the action causing his shoulders to lift and drop tremendously.
"Tobias informed us of your human surprise birthday customs. Are you not surprised?" Blinky asked, stepping in front of Jim.
"Uh..." Jim chuckled, "That would be one word for it."
"I was convincing," Aaarrrgghh added, setting Jim back on the ground.
"Sixteen years! A propitious milestone," Blinky said with a smile as Toby handed Jim a balloon colored a deep blue, "Sixteen is when young trolls master command of their bowels."
Toby and Raelle made a sound of disgust in reaction to what Blinky said.
"The Hero's Forge!" Vendel cried out as he stepped into the forge, and the party stopped, "Sacred proving grounds for Trollhunters past, present, and future reduced to mockery."
Vendel sauntered over to the Trollhunter, using the sharp point on his staff to pop the balloon. Jim backed up into his friends. Blinky looked worried while Toby, Raelle, and Aaarrrgghh had no fear or need to worry.
"Balloons," Aaarrrgghh bites onto the balloon, causing it to pop, "Pop."
"You will remove them post-haste. I don't want anything to delay the Trollhunter's training," Vendel continued, which had caused the Trollhunter to smile nervously as Blinky flinches back.
Vendel walks away as all the celebrating trolls sigh in defeat. Blinky looked at the ground, finding it interesting as Aaarrrgghh and Toby headed off to remove the balloons.
"He didn't mention Claire's brother," Jim said, using his hand to shield his mouth away from Vendel if the elder troll had ever turned around.
"In his defense, he's never met Enrique," Blinky mentioned.
"No, Blinky. Jim meant if you told him about Enrique?" Raelle clarified.
A thunderous pop echoed in the Forge, causing Jim to turn his focus to Aaarrrgghh and Toby. Aaarrrgghh had put a white balloon in his mouth, instantly popping it. Toby had been riding on Aaarrrgghh's back, holding a smaller balloon.
"Mm, it pops," Aaarrrgghh said before turning the large stone floor, causing another balloon to hang above them.
"Vendel doesn't believe we have a changeling problem, Master Jim, Misstress Raelle. He certainly won't simply take my word that Claire's brother has been replaced with one," Blinky told the young heroes.
Jim slouched at the news. Behind him, Aaarrrgghh continued to pop each balloon with his mouth.
"But he's right about your training, and what better way to celebrate your birthing day than to work on forestalling your dying day," Blinky said as the birthday sign fell behind him, Jim, and Raelle.
After all the balloons were gone, Jim's training began. Jim runs after Aaarrrgghh as he dodges the giant blades and axes.
"You will not always be the quarry, Master Jim. The hunted must become the hunter! Speed and precision is the goal of this drill, Master Jim. You must catch Aaarrrgghh without reliance upon your amulet or the sword it manifests. If you are without your weapon, the environment can be your weapon!" Blinky told the young Trollhunter.
Aaarrrgghh happily ran through, letting the giant blade drop and swing by, missing him but stalling Jim.
"Whoa!" Jim screamed.
Blinky's words seemed to drown out after Jim had run forward before bending backward, the axe barely missing his face. Aaarrrgghh climbed on top of the large weapon, using it as a ride from the Trollhunter.
"A weapon you use, I mean," Blinky said. His, Raelle, and Toby's face was filled with fear, "Master Jim does not appear to be himself. I expected the celebration of his birthing day to add some spring to his step."
"Birthdays aren't Jim's thing," Toby told Blinky.
Jim let out a yelp as he fell to a platform that tipped, throwing him to another one.
"For creatures with such a short lifespan, I would think they would be cherished," Blinky said as the three watched.
"Uh, not for Jim. They always remind him of the day when his dad disappeared."
"Interesting. I did not know Jim's father was a magician," Blinky said as he tapped his chin.
"Not "magic" disappeared. More like "walked out 'cause he's a deadbeat" disappeared," Raelle clarified with a hint of anger in her voice.
"I'd just moved into the house across the street, and Jim's dad got him this sweet bike kit for his fifth birthday. And then, he just took off. The pieces laid there in the garage for years. Last I heard, the guy ran off with his girlfriend to be a ski bum in Vermont," Toby told Blinky the story as they watched Jim stumbled back, stopping as he watched Aaarrrgghh still have the upper hand in the training, and he lost his footing as well.
"What a horrible tragedy," Blinky said with sad remorse. He puts a stone gently on Toby and Raelle's shoulder, "Made even more horrible that I had no idea."
They suddenly lightened up as they watched Jim climb onto the giant swinging axe.
"There you go, Master Jim!" Blinky cheered, "That's how you-"
Jim stayed on the axe until he decided to jump off but had done it at the wrong time. Luckily, Aaarrrgghh had been there to catch him.
"Gotcha," Aaarrrggh said, causing Jim's face to drop.
Almost an hour later, Raelle and Toby stood in the alley next to the Vespa shop, waiting for Jim. Raelle had no idea what Toby was doing, only that it was a gift for Jim. A few minutes after Raelle arrived, Jim turned the corner on his bike and rode over to his sister and friend. Raelle got chills running down her spine and goosebumps but ignored them as Jim stopped his bike with a squeal and Toby held out a yellow folder.
"Oh... All right, chief. You ready for your birthday gift?" Toby asked, shaking the folder.
"Are we gonna sue someone?" Jim questioned.
"Nah, that's next year's gift," He said, "Hey, give me your wallet."
"Maybe you don't know how this whole gift thing's supposed to work."
"I've got it wired," Toby told Jim, "Give me your wallet."
Jim gave an all-knowing look as he set his wallet in his friend's hands. Toby opened the leather pouch with a smile. He simply then pulled out a picture of Jim, Raelle, and their mother. The picture was from their mother's graduation from medical school. Jim and Raelle wore fancy clothes and their mother a graduation cap and gown. Toby let out a sudden mocking laugh causing Jim's eyes to grow in size before he gathered himself and frowned.
Toby then pulled out another item, this time, Jim's license. The said boy had been shaking his head until Toby handed back his wallet and walked off.
"Cool. We're ready," Toby said.
"Ready for what?" Raelle questioned.
"Not this again," Jim mumbled but was surprised when Toby walked back and let out a quick, but loud laugh.
Jim and Raelle rested their bikes against the alley before following Toby to the Vespa Dealer, who was outside of the shop, dealing a Vespa.
"Good day to you, sir! Lovely weather we're having," Toby greeted, causing the man to groan before turning around.
"You again?" The Vespa Dealer questioned in annoyance.
Jim looked at Toby suspiciously as Toby smiled.
"How many times have you been here, Toby," Raelle asked.
"I told your friend he can't do a test drive unless you have a learner's permit," He told them.
"Hot off the press," Toby hands Jim's card to the Vespa Dealer.
He looked at the card before glancing back at the teens, who smiled, "Yeah, I also need an insur-"
As the Dealer handed back the card, Toby took it and gave it to Jim.
"An insurance card?" Toby pulls out a slip of paper from the folder and hands it to the man, "Luckily, he's still on his mother's plan. His Social Security card. Trust me, he's got good credit," He handed him another card, And just for the fun of it," He gave him another card, "I also have his library card, along with signed testimonials from his teachers and friends."
Toby handed the folder to the man, who was shocked at the information he was just given. Suspiciously, the man raised the folder and scanned over everything he saw.
"Happy birthday," The Vespa Dealer mentioned to Jim, who nervously smiled, "But he's still only 16. Needs a signature from a parent.
"Would you accept the signature of Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Washington?" Toby asked as he pulled out crumpled one and five-dollar bills.
The Dealer inspected him with a raised eyebrow before pointing at the boys.
"Ten minutes. And it better not come back with a scratch," The Vespa Dealer said.
He quickly tore the money from Toby's hands before replacing it with a set of keys. The three teens shared a celebrating high five as Toby dropped the keys in Jim's hand.
"Enjoy the ride, birthday boy," Toby said happily as he gently nudged Jim on the shoulder.
"Have fun, Jim," Raelle told her brother with a smile.
Jim turned the Vespa on and rode it away from the dealership, waving goodbye to his friend and sister. As she waved goodbye, Raelle spotted the silhouette of a large, winged creature following Jim. Raelle knew that it had to be what had caused her chills and goosebumps earlier.
"Oh, no," Raelle gasped.
Toby looked at his friend and saw the worried look on her face, "Rae, is everything alright? What are you looking at?"
"I have to go. Jim's in trouble."
"Trouble? What do you mean Jim's in trouble?" Toby questioned.
Raelle didn't respond as she ran back into the alley to be away from prying eyes. Dark purple and black smoke with light purple electricity appeared around her. After it faded, Raelle used her wings to fly out of the alley and into the sky. When Raelle was high enough for people to not make out her appearance, she chased after the creature, following her brother.
Raelle flew as fast as she could. Eventually, She caught up to the creature and her brother. The creature lowered itself to the ground to pull Jim from the Vespa, but he quickly swerved with a duck and a scream. Raelle dived after the monster and sunk her claws into its back before pulling it into the air. When they were high enough, Raelle lets go of the creature and flies back to create distance.
The creature resembles a giant vulture troll with blood-red eyes that gave off a slight glow, bat-like wings, and razor-sharp fangs and talons. It also has a mane made of feathers or scale-like feathers at the stump of its neck.
"How are you able to be in daylight?" Raelle questioned.
The giant vulture troll roared at Raelle before flying towards her at a fast speed. Raelle dodges the creature's claws and soars away to once again create distance. When there was a good space between the two, Raelle began singing, but there was no audible sound. But soon, the creature screeches and writhes in pain as it tries to cover its ears.
Soon, the creature had enough and fled, but not in the direction Raelle was hoping for. The vulture troll was heading in the direction of her brother. Raelle chased after the creature once again.
Raelle saw her brother speed up on the Vespa, trying to escape the creature. The creature dove to get in front of Jim and opened its claws to take Jim, but he moved around the giant vulture troll as it crashed into the cement. The creature lifted from the ground and attempted to get him again. A claw gripped Jim's shoulder and lifted him and the Vespa off the ground before Raelle pulled the creature away as it lost its grip. Jim took the opportunity and pulled out his amulet.
"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command," Jim said.
A wave of blue covered Jim as he donned his armor. The Trollhunter swung his sword, hoping to hit the new enemy. Finally, after a few swings, the familiar sound of his sword managing to cut something occurred before the creature cried out and crashed.
Jim drove past, leaving the Stalking as it let out its piercing roar before it took off. No longer in armor, Jim slowed down as he breathed heavily, watching his surroundings to see if it was gone. Raelle landed next to her brother and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you ok?" She asked.
"Yeah," Jim replied, "You?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks for the help," Jim said.
"Don't mention it, just think of it as a bonus your birthday gift," Raelle told her brother, "Let's head to Trollmarket. Blinky is going to want to know this."
Raelle took to the sky again and flew to Trollmarket as Jim drove there on the Vespa.
After arriving in Trollmarket, Jim and Raelle, in her human form, searched for Blinky before finding him with Aaarrrgghh and Vendal. The two then run over to their mentor. Once they were over at their mentor, Jim fell, and Raelle helped him up.
"Blinky! Blinky, you have to save me!" Jim screamed, "A huge, troll bird- like a jetliner with claws, just tried to kill me!"
"It looked like a vulture! It tried to claw my face off!" Raelle exclaimed.
Blinky quickly covered Jim and Raelle's mouths with two hands on each as he smiled at Vendel.
"How could I not be put at ease by such gallant bravery?" Vendel said with such a flat tone.
"Stalkling," Aaarrrgghh stated simply as if the creature was nothing to worry about. As he spoke the name, he was turning in circles in search of NotEnrique, who was cuddled on his shoulder, sleeping soundly. He pulled NotEnrique off, "Very nasty."
NotEnrique was not happy about his nap being interrupted, so he blew a raspberry. He loosened himself from Aaarrrgghh's grip and jumped into Raelle's arms. Raelle was about to drop him, but NotEnrique was already asleep.
"Stalkling?" Jim and Raelle questioned.
"Stalkling?" Blinky repeated as two of his hands covered his wide mouth in shock and worry.
"It was flying in daylight. How could it fly in daylight?" Jim asked.
Vendel pulled out the book he had been holding and flipped to a page with a picture of the creature Jim and Raelle fought. He turned the book to the young Trollhunter and Witcher, "Stalklings are one of the only species of troll immune to the effects of sunlight."
"That looks not nearly as scary as what attacked Jim and what I fought," Raelle said.
"That's because those unlucky few who are caught alone with it never live long enough to depict it," Vendel said before he closed the book, "I'm curious. How is it that you're not disemboweled?"
"I don't know. I hit him with my sword, I think," Jim answered.
"And I used my claws to pull it away from Jim, and then I used my vocal cords to create an inaudible sound that caused some pain. Kinda like a dog whistle," Raelle answered.
"You struck a blow against a stalkling? And you injured a stalkling? What gallant bravery!" Blinky said, hoping Vendel would believe that the young heroes could protect Trolls.
"Well, it was more like luck than-" Jim began before Blinky interrupted him.
"Incredibly heroic and brave and Trollhunter-ish," Blinky lied as he wrapped Jim in his arm, the boy was utterly lost on why Blinky had been acting this way.
"We shall see. Once a stalkling marks its target, it... well stalks it till death," Vendel said as he walked away.
"Well, that didn't sound good," Raelle said.
"Fear not. As long as you are not alone, you will remain unharmed, Master Jim," Blinky told him.
"You mean, I can't be alone for the rest of my life?" Jim questioned.
"Is that a problem? You seem quite social."
Jim looked at him, and his look spoke for itself as he was speaking the word: "really" to his trainer.
Later at school, Jim, Raelle, and Toby stood near the Trollhunter's locker as he pulled out a book. Toby's phone buzzed, and his face immediately dropped.
"Ugh, this Vespa guy keeps calling about paying for the damage," Toby said.
"Ugh, the mirror. He noticed?" Jim asked as he closed his locker and turned to his sister and friend.
"You know the $328.32 you saved up? He wants all of it," He told his friend. Jim scoffed quickly before facepalming, "I told him you became a monk and renounced all earthly possessions, but he didn't believe me!"
They started walking as the conversation carried on.
"So how you doing with that whole death-bird thing?" Toby asked.
"I'll live. I'll just never be alone again. Claire and plenty of other people are at rehearsal, I can call my mom to pick me up after, and you and Rae will ride with me to school tomorrow," Jim explained his plan.
"Okay, and then what? What happens if you have to go to the bathroom? Do you have to take a chaperone? Not it, by the way," Toby threw his arms up in a dramatic flair as he spoke. They stopped in front of two large doors.
"I don't think Jim's at that level of desperation, Toby," Raelle told her friend.
"Eventually, the stalkling has to lose interest, right?" Jim shrugged, hoping it will.
"Hideout amongst people until the troll bird gets bored. Heroic plan, Jimbo," Toby commented with a playful grin before Claire ran up and interrupted their conversation.
"There you are!" Claire said to Jim.
"Claire!" Jim cried out in a bit of shock, "I- I thought you said you weren't ever gonna speak to me again."
"Actually, I said I hoped I'd never see you again."
"Well, looks like you've got a chaperone. Adios. I'll let you know when I gotta go to the bathroom. Come on, Rae-Rae. Jim's good," Toby said.
Toby and Raelle walked away as Jim rolled his eyes at Toby.
For the rest of the day at School, things went well. Aside from the fact that a giant vulture troll was waiting for Jim to be alone and kill him. Raelle knew that the stalkling had to be sent by Bular. It was the only explanation as to why this was happening to Jim. Raelle felt terrible for her brother since this was happening on his birthday.
After School, Raelle headed home for a bit of training. The run-in she had with the stalkling was proof that she needed to exercise her vocal cords and master them as soon as possible. After getting home, Raelle puts her backpack in her room before heading to the kitchen. She wanted to experiment with concentrating her voice on a single object in a non-open space. Raelle remembered Blinky telling her that Witchers can manipulate things around them, and she wanted to do some tests.
Raelle grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water before setting it on the counter. She stared at the cup before closing her eyes and taking a breath. Raelle looked at the cup and pursed her lips before breathing onto the glass. As she blew at the cup, it almost sounded like an icy howling wind. Soon, frost formed on the cup, and the water inside became frozen.
When Raelle stopped, she grabbed the cup and flipped it upside down in the sink. The frozen water slid out of the cup and landed in the sink. Raelle set the glass aside and picked up the ice.
"Woah," Raelle gasped with a smile.
Suddenly, all the lights in the house shut off. Raelle knew it was from the storm outside. Raelle looked at her watch and knew that Jim and their mother should have been home by now. Raelle became worried for her brother and knew something had to be wrong. She rushed upstairs to her room and unlocked her phone before calling Toby to see if he knew anything had happened. A few seconds passed before she joined in on a call between Jim and Toby.
"This thing is following me, and I'm all alone! Alone!" Jim yelled into the phone.
"We gotta go!" Toby said, "Me and Aaarrrgghh will meet you outside, Rae!"
The phone call ended a second later. Raelle rushed out of her room and ran out of the house. Once outside, Raelle met Toby and Aaarrrgghh at the center of the cul-de-sac. She then turned into her Gargoyle form. Toby pulled out his phone and used an app to track the location of Jim's phone.
"Got him!" Toby exclaimed.
Toby peddled fiercely while Aaarrrgghh followed him on the ground on all fours, as did Raelle. Her wings wrapped around her like a cloak, and the claws at the top of her wings hooked together.
The three quickened their pace, knowing that the stalkling could kill Jim at any second. Raelle hoped that it would not be too late to save her brother. Toby glanced at his phone to look at Jim's location.
"This way!" Toby said before swerving left with Aaarrrgghh and Raelle behind him.
Toby, Raelle, and Aaarrrgghh were close to the bridge, serious looks plastered on their faces before the two teens gasped. Jim's bike and helmet were laying discarded on the side of the bridge. Toby looked at his phone, seeing that Jim was still in the area. Suddenly a large screech caused them to look up, finding the Stalking and Jim in the sky.
"He's up there! How do we get up there?" Toby wondered.
"No wings," Aaarrrgghh responded.
"Leave it to me," Raelle said, preparing to fly up and save her brother.
"Rae, wait!" Toby stopped her, "There's lightning up there. You haven't flown in this kind of weather, and you could get hit."
"Yeah, but Jim could also die if we do nothing," She argued.
Meanwhile, up above, Jim took another swing and was fully let go, yet, it wasn't even a second later that he was grabbed and tossed around until the beast had his shoulders held in its claws. Satisfied, it flew higher.
"Please let me go. The air... I can't- I can't breathe," Jim said, gasping out every word as he couldn't hold his head up anymore.
"You don't need weapons. Your environment can sometimes be the weapon," Blinky's words echoed in Jim's head as he fought to keep his eyes open.
Jim's heavy breathing and the creature's wings flapping were the only things you could hear as Jim eyed the lightning, then his sword. He moved his sword, catching the Stalking's attention. Jim freed his arm before he twisted his body to the side and held his sword out to the darkened sky.
"If I go, we go!" Jim exclaimed as the lighting struck his sword. The bolts of energy ran through his sword, up to his body, and reached his hand joined with the Stalking's foot.
Jim screamed in pain before his head dropped and his eyes slid shut. He had gone into unconsciousness. The beast struggled against the light current before it dropped Jim and went stiff, dying instantly. Jim fell, unmoving as his sword followed him. The same with the Stalking.
Toby, Raelle, and Aaarrrgghh watched with shocked faces as they got closer to where his friend was. A bolt of lightning struck behind Jim, lighting up the area and showing his current condition. A light bulb went off in Raelle's head as she knew what to do.
"Aaarrrgghh, throw me," Raelle told him.
Aaarrrgghh nodded before picking Raelle up and holding her like a spear. The giant troll aimed before throwing Raelle. As Raelle soared through the air, she kept her eyes on Jim, who she was closing in on. As she collided with Jim, Raelle held onto him as she opened her wings. Raelle flew toward the ground and landed on the street. As Toby and Aaarrrgghh raced toward their friends, Jim's head rested on Raelle's lap.
"Jim! Jim!" Toby yelled out as he skidded to a stop.
The three watched Jim's unmoving body in suspense, concerned that the Stalkling or lighting had caused fatal damage to their friend and brother. Jim woke with a small shock as lightning was still running through his body.
"Yeah, Rae!" Toby yelled with excitement as they smiled at one another.
The four jumped back a little in shock as Jim's sword finally appeared and stuck into the ground before evaporating. Toby, Aaarrrgghh, Raelle, and Jim all gasped. To the side of them, the dead Stalking dropped, its body breaking into countless pieces once it made contact with the ground. The three watched over the side of the bridge.
"This is why I hate birthdays," Jim added as his body earned another shock.
In the Hero's Forge, Blinky, proudly smiling, held Jim still with two of his four arms while his other two covered Jim's eyes. Raelle, Toby, and Aaarrrgghh watched from behind with a smile. They knew that Jim was going to love his birthday present.
"This better not be another surprise because I really don't think I can handle anymore," Jim said.
"No, no. If my calculations are correct, there's only a few more minutes left to your birthing day," Blinky uncovered Jim's eyes and let the boy go. Jim had his eyes screwed shut, looking scared to open them, "Time for one more present. I know it doesn't look like much-"
Jim opened his eyes, and a smile grew happily on his face. Pieces of a Vespa lay around a box.
"Wait," Jim gasped before he ran to the pieces, "That's a 150 G.S. Four-speed gearbox, classic long saddle... original handlebar headlamp unit! These are the pieces of a 1955 Vespa!"
"I thought perhaps one day we could build it together. After your training, of course," Blinky smiled.
Jim ran up and hugged his mentor tightly, "Thank you. Thank you! This is the best gift I've ever gotten!"
"Oh, well," Blinky chuckled as Jim held onto Blinky happily.
Jim's eyes were closed, but a smile was on his face. Blinky hugged back without hesitation. A smile grew on Blinky's face as well as he looked at the young human he was growing fond of.
"I knew we'd turn it around," Toby stated as they watched happily.
"When is your birthing day?" Aaarrgghh asked.
"Like I'd ever tell you, wingman," Toby scoffed before they shared a quick fist bump, "But Rae's is a couple of weeks away on Halloween."
"Thanks a lot, Toby," Raelle lightly punched her friend on the shoulder.