A/N: Heelo everyone!! ^_^ sorry i have taken forever and a day to update, but i have been held prisoner at work! *phe keels over from exhaustion* go.....on.....without.....me.

tarka; ok then! *starts walking away*

phe; hey!!! you baka!! that was just a figure of speech!

tarka; *shrugs and keeps walking anyway*

phe; *picks up next year's math's text book and aims it at his head*. . . .

ehehehe......*sigh* yes, here is chapter number 4! o.O wow! i can't believe i've gotten......something like 15 reviews!!!! that's more than the reviews for all my other stories combined!!! you guys must really like random violence and sugar highs....^_^ yep, my type of peoples!! *phe reads what she has just typed* eek! sorry to make you sit through that extremely lonnnnng A/N! but before i shut up, my especial thanks to the following persons:

Tyger and Darkdracofire and

Lightning Dragon.

YAY! these guys have reviewed ALL my chappies and been very nice. ^_^ not that im not grateful to all of you. *hugs everyone* ^_^ .....aHEm......

Chapter 4-An unexpected something! (t; about damn time, too!)

"Van!"

A mumbled reply issued from the teen as he rolled over and fell back asleep.

"Van!! Wake up now, dammit!!" Irvine stood directly over his friend and gave him a sharp nudge with the steel-capped toe of his boot.

"Ouch! Haven't you ever heard of anger management classes?" Van grumbled as he shook the dust from his clothes and slowly stood up. Irvine pretended not to hear him and grabbed his arm.

"C'mon. I have something I think you might want to see." The pair crossed the clearing and trudged over to where their zoids were standing offline. "Either we're dealing with some highly intelligent pigeons, or it's my guess we've had another visit from your friends.." A rush of colours swept over Van's features like one emptying a packet of m&m's into a bowl (a/n:mmmmmmm....chocolate....^_^) first blue with horror, then red.......annnd finally purple in a destroy-everything rage.

"I.....am......going......to.....find.....them." Van growled each word through clenched jaws, "and......when.....I.....do,.....heads......will.....roll." an evil grimace overpowered the rest of his emotions.

Irvine leant against the leg of his command wolf and shook his head. Here we go again...he absent-mindedly looked around...NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!THE FOOD!!!!!THEY'VE.....THEY'VE TAKEN ALL THE FOOD, THOSE....BARBARIANS!!!!! Irvine fell to the ground with tears in his eyes. Why? *sniff*

* * * * * * *

The aftertaste of last night's spoils was still lingering in the triumphant authoress' mouth. She rolled over and shook the silver can idly. Empty. Damn. Around her were littered cellophane wrappings, aluminium cans, paper and foil scrunched up into balls, cardboard boxes, and for some very odd reason which she couldn't place, half an empty jar of mayonnaise. Hmmmm....

The sun flew up like a bat out of hell behind the mountain ridge, out-lining everything with an orange fire. Light-shafts streaked down from the sky and slapped the slumbering muse awake.

Tarka's voice was slurred,"Whoa...no...mum, it wasn't me who set little Timmy the cripple on fire.....honest......."

"Little Timmy?"

Tarka gulped, laughed nervously then quickly changed the subject.

"Man, I am sooooo hungry!!! I haven't eaten since.....yesterday!!" After an assorted breakfast of marshmallows, melted ice-cream and confectioner's sugar, Phoenix and her muse trudged outside.

"What now, o great leader-person?"

"We......" Phoenix held an arm directly into the air, as Tarka hung on expectantly, "walk."

"Walk." He repeated tonelessly, "That's your great idea?!! Gahh!!! They begged me....begged me to be an alien on Dr. Who.....but no! I said!! No, I've got this really good gig as a muse, and any day now, my authoress is gonna make a situation that'll make me a star!!! Dammit!....." he trailed off fuming.

Phoenix rolled her eyes. She was used to all of this. Grabbing the back of his shirt collar, she dragged him down the slope, Tarka still muttering into his chest. She turned to go down a path, but to her surprise, someone was already standing there. A someone with a black raptor-like organoid. Phoenix gasped.

"Raven?!....."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A/N: Mwaahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!! Cliffhanger!!!!!!!!!!! :) Yea, lots of ppl were asking me to put in Raven, so, there he is......but you have to wait until the next ch. to see what happens!

tarka: oh, you are cruel!

p: yeah...i know! ^_^

im so sorry that this chapter was pitifully short! u_u plz don't beat me!!i will try my hardest to make the next longer....and....um....more interesting!

Dun Dun Dunnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!! until that time, REVIEWS ARE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!!!!!!!!!!!

tarka: gee that was subtle, if i ever saw it!

p;ehehe........^_^() *hinthintnudgenudewinkwinkreviewcough* ^_^ *phe holds next chapter up to the computer screen and waves it* go on!!! you know you wanna! ^_^