A new power
Cam merely shrugged, "after all these events, I suppose we have plenty of time to hear it."
Hunter stared in shock at her, "you're a Thunder Ninja, I thought we had lost them all."
Raine nodded, "well, I thought the same thing."
"But you fight in a very different way. I've seen Hunter and Blake fighting and your technique is nothing similar," Dustin pointed out.
"My father was a Ninja and my mother was a Samurai… I've learned everything from them," Raine explained.
"What about those swords?" Shane asked. "They look like big forks."
She nodded, "yep, this is an ancient weapon that Ninjas used to train with. Those belonged to my father."
"I think we should go to a better place to talk. They may come back," Tori interjected.
Blake nodded, "you're right. Cam, what do you say?"
Cam nodded at the Navy Thunder Ninja, "well, go to Ninja Ops. My father will know about this anyway."
In their way to the Ninja Ops, suddenly Cam was walking side by side with Raine.
"So your parents taught you to fight that way. And your mom was a Samurai?" He asked. "Yes, she was the best. And my dad was the best Ninja I've ever seen." said Raine proudly.
"What happened to them?" asked Cam with real curiosity. "Lothor killed them before he attacked the Academy. They were in mission." Raine explained. She could not avoid her eyes filled with tears. They both kept on walking in silence.
In the woods, about to face the waterfall, Raine feels something again. She stops in her steps and looks around
"Did you hear that?" she asked them.
Tori looked around, "what? Kelzacks again?"
She shook her head, "no, it is a roar… it is like…but it's impossible! They do not live in this place"
She turned back and started to run towards the sound, they followed her, without saying a word. There, in the middle of the woods, a panther was lying on the ground, hurt.
Raine kneeled beside the panther and murmured, "Who did this to you?" She was the most beautiful panther she had ever seen. "A black panther" she said. "This is one of the almost extinct species. But I am absolutely sure she does not belong to here".
"Is it serious?" Hunter asked.
She shook her head, "she has a deep cut in her leg. But I can cure her, the problem is where?"
"Guys, if you help me we could take her to the Ops. There you can use my medical instruments," Cam offered.
She looked up at him, "are you a doctor?"
He nodded, "yes, I am in charge of keeping all my friends safe and healthy."
Raine just smiled at him, and thought to herself, 'he's so kind and handsome too.' "What is the Ops? Is it a kind of academy?" She asked him.
"Kind of" he answered, giving a look to the others.
"But she is still conscious. If we try to pick her up and take her to the Ops, she will attack us," Tori pointed out.
"Don't worry, Tori, she won't do anything. I will keep her asleep." Raine assured.
"You will do what? How?" Shane asked.
"I don't know how, but it always works. Animals just fall asleep". Raine answered.
So, all of them took the panther to the Ops. Raine put her hand on the panther's heart and she fell asleep.
They walked to the waterfall, and suddenly all of them noticed that Tori and Raine were walking on the water, while the rest of them had half body inside the lake. So, Shane raised his left arm and opened the doorway. Then, inside the cave, all of them started their way down, taking the panther very carefully.
Cam put his hand on the wall, touching a green spot and the doors in front of them opened.
They entered and put the animal on the table and Cam brought all his medical instruments. So together, Cam and Raine started cleaning and stitching up the cut while the panther was still in a deep dream. It took almost thirty minutes; meanwhile the rest of the team looked in silence.
Some minutes later, the panther was resting in a couch on the floor and the rest of the hungry team prepared something to eat.
"Ok, we are all ears, you can tell us what happened today with the kelzacks," Cam said, helping to serve the dinner.
"Well, I don't know, they just appeared," Raine told him.
"Ok, but who taught you to fight like that? I never saw anybody fighting like this at the Thunder Academy." Hunter commented, slightly upset with himself for not noticing sooner.
"Hunter" said Sensei in his warning voice, entering the room. "The Thunder Ninja Academy chose among their best students, one who will be trained in a special way to protect the Academy in case it was attacked. She received a different knowledge of the Ninja and Samurai techniques so as to fight fearless, being able to give even her life to accomplish the mission".
"Trained to die?" asked Tori.
"Yeah, but as all of you know, it didn't work" said Raine sadly. "I was in training when Lothor attacked".
When Raine looked back to look the Sensei, she realized that she was talking to a guinea pig. "Did Lothor do that to you, Sensei?" Raine asked.
"Yes", Cam answered. "I have been trying to make him recover his human form".
"Lothor has much power now, we must be prepared" Sensei said calmly, looking to the panther resting on the floor. "I see you two have done a great job. She will be very grateful".
"She was seriously wounded, Sensei, but she'll be fine. We are waiting for her to wake up to take her back to the woods, but it is almost impossible to find a panther in a place like this" said Raine.
"That's true" said Blake. "Who do you think that could have brought her here, Sensei?"
"I think that things happen in the right moment. What I think is that we have finally found the missing power" said Sensei, smiling a guinea pig like smile.
"It was delicious!" Raine said very thankful. "It has been a long time since my last decent dinner"
Suddenly, all of them looked at her in shock. "What happens?" Raine asked while looking at them. In that moment, she felt the panther's face close to hers and her tongue licking her cheek with a sweet roar. "So you're fine. I'm glad to hear that" she told the panther. "Well, it's time to go." Raine said that and the panther walked to the door. She was just leaving and looked back at her, giving a thankful roar to Raine. The one she answered back.
"What kind of freaky thing was that?" Shane asked her. "She was saying thanks" Raine informed naturally. "Ok, so you can talk to animals?" Dustin asked laughing. "I think so" Raine said.
"Whatever. Where are you living?" Cam asked just to finish the discussion. "Very close to the beach. I have an apartment there" Raine said. "Well it is better for you to stay here tonight" Sensei said. "Kelzacks can come back. Besides, it would be better for you to move here with the rest of my students. It is important that you keep on training".
The rest approved the invitation and welcomed her very friendly. Even Cam smiled at his father.
'Maybe I can get to know her more,' he thought to himself. He couldn't deny the sudden attraction he felt to her. Yet, something was holding him back. Could it have been because of his last horrible relationship? He shook his head to rid himself the memories of Lauren. That was the past, now he was focusing on the future. Right now, to destroy Lothor, then maybe, just maybe, he could have a relationship again.
