Continueing...

The damson dragon turned her head just enough to the side to catch the image of her younger charge off to the side."You know,sweetie,maybe it isn't such a good idea you come with me as often as you do now."she told her,careful not to sound too strict."You're father just about lost it the last time you tagged along...or are you having a hard time recalling it?"

"What Dad doesn't know..."a bright blue-eyed and slendor white dragon only grinned at her daringly as they changed course onto another street high in the air."...won't hurt him,right?That's the way I figure it."

"Well,"Haley frowned at her niece's lack of forethought."The way I figure is that if he ever catches you at this again,then it's curtains for us both."

She only laughed softly."You told me that last time.So who's the one having a hard time recalling things now?Still,I guess I do get you're point about my Dad and everything.But he really needs to learn to relax."

"Oh?"

"Yeah,I guess he only does it because he cares about me but it's like he never lets me do what I want to do on my own time."Wendy reminded her aunt with concern in her cerulean eyes,turning her ivory head towards her to show that she meant it."Sometimes it's as if he's holding back."

The American Dragon sighed quietly."That shouldn't come as a big shock to you,Wendy.You're father works like a bat out of heck to try and make you two a decent living."she smiled gently when she caught the guilitiness starting to cross the thirteen-year-old's face,so she went on as cheerfully as she could."Hey,did you come all this way with me to get down in the dumps or did you come here to see me beat down some thugs?"

In a flash,the teen was revived to her spiritedness."Like you even need an awnser to that one.How much further do we have to go?"

"Not much.A few more blocks and we should be there."Haley awnsered with a smile at the girl's pure enthusasim for defending the creatures of the magical world.If only Jake could see how much potential she has.

Unbeknownst to them,two figures lurked atop a towering office building,watching the two female dragons chattering about family life and flying off to their destination without even a hint that every move they made was being viewed by assailants.A young teen boy,who kept a very keen watch on Wendy garbed in black,started to move forward a bit to the concrete ledge.His mind was settled in observation,noting everything from the angles at which she flapped her wings to the way she was presenting herself to the adult purple dragon...the American Dragon.

"You're first dragon..."an older gentleman's voice spoke with a hint of an accent,stepping closer as well until he was just a foot behind where the boy stood,also witnessing the two of them with quiet admiration."And a white one at that,the value on her pelt would prove most remarkable and grand.We could even fully rebuild the Academy with all that we..."

"I don't care about how much we make off any of their kind."The Huntsboy told him abruptly,without even looking at his great uncle as he kept his intent eyes to the snowy,svelte dragon."You know,Master,for a fact that what I'm after is the experience and the knowledge gained from knowing one more of these beasts are out of the way.Also...everyone I take down is just one step closer to being the best."his ebony eyes turned serious when they were turned to him finally and he added with a steady voice."That's my reasons for fighting.I'm going to be number one."

Huntsmaster studied him for a few moments and then whirled the end of his staff down onto the ground to teleport them to where the dragons would be."As far as anyone who would rather face certain demise then even a minute of you're wrath is concerned,you my boy,have passed all expectations.Indeed,you are undefeatable.But..."he shifted into a firm and admonitioning voice."You will not yet be in the running to take my place on you're eighteenth birthday if you cannot,for whatever reason,slay that dragon.That dragon who is herself the daugther of the one who robbed you at birth...and you without question know what I'm speaking of.Because you've had this on you're mind from the time of you're first words,to now.You know what to look out for when dealing with them."

Cole shook his head dismissively,barely having to brace himself for the teleportation as the emerald light surrounded him."No...vengeance is my last reason,Master.But I will take my rightful place when the time comes and slaying that dragon is just another obstacle.One that I will overcome."

As they faded in the radiance of the green light,he caught sight of her hesitating as she was preparing to make the turn with the American Dragon.But then instead of going further,she started to turn her blue eyes over in his direction and he knew in that instant that she knew she was being stalked.Even so,the way she held herself and the way she seemed to come back with retorting impressed him to a point.You wouldn't go down without a fight,I can tell that right away.Still...you're naive and the only reason I want you is because it would beyou're my free admission to the top and once I've gained experience with you,I'm taking on an even bigger prize...to make me the future Huntsmaster.

In a large apartment complex in the Upper East Side...

Jake arrived home at an unusual time,slipping his key in the lock and opening the the front door that squeaked once from the top hinge he had been meaning to fix.With a casual shrug towards it,the thirty-one-year-old stepped into the relatively quiet kitchen area and then slipping his pin-striped jacket onto the counter as he strolled through the nearly narrow space,came upon the sounds of bubbling and the clanking of metal on glass,which immediately put him on his guard and yet made him uneasy.

"Wendy?"He said catiously,as he was slowly peering around the wall that kept apart his view of him and the living room."Wendy,hon.What are you doing in there making all that noise?I told you to finish you're science project outside so that the landlord wouldn't get call the police like-FU?"

In a completely groping and clumsy fashion,the six-hundred-and-ninteen-year-old Sharpei hopped up from his place at the coffee table in front of the couch and turned to the questioning dragon that stood in his wake.Several cracked and empty testubes laid off to the side,along with at least ten different spell and potion books scattered about the entire room.The grey and cockled hound grinned sheepishly,tucking a dark orange liquid that was starting to over-flow a bit into his side wrinkles like a pouch and started to back away from his disaster zone,his paws up.

"Jake...what a unexpected surprise."he glanced down at his watch and then back up at the unamused face of the one he hadn't been wanting to set sight on until later,pointing at his watch that read two twenty-eight."You weren't suppose to be home for at least another two hours."

He contorted his face in reply."I always get off early around the time of the anniversary Fu,you've known that for years now."

"Uh..."Fu Dog rummaged through his mind hastily,for anything at all to use."You mean the anniversary of us getting new merchandise for the shop after I finally won in one of those rigged magical sweepstakes?"

Jake paused from going over to draw back the curtains from his balcony french doors and partly faced his friend with a look of deterrence."I'm not in the mood for jokes today Fu and you know it."sighing to try and demolish some of the heaviness that had built up in his chest,he dug his hands into the pockets of his suit pants some and peered up at a nearby skyscraper,mind haggard with endless memories and thoughts "Sorry,it's just...it's just been a hard day for me at work is all.You know...income."

Fu nodded with understanding,knowing it was more then that."Hey,don't get all worked up.You're doin' everything you can for the two of you and it's working out plenty fine.Even I'm not in trouble that much nowadays."

But he didn't awnser right away,as he kept his focus to the reflective metal structure that seemed to over take apart of the sky.That although it reached as high as it could go and was built to it's probably it's best extent,it would never be able to be the best or the most highest of all it's kind.There was too much in it's way and too many circumstances.Rather it would remain standing for another ten,twenty or even just the next few years was uncertain.Everything good in life...at least to Jake,never seemed to last forever and the ones that did last,he felt endeavored to hold onto and fight for.To never be the highest but then never the lowest.

"Where's Wendy?"He found himself asking,his tone a little more mellower.

"Oh...um,she's...she's out with her friends to finish that science project thing of hers."

His behaviour registered as collusive to Jake."Why do I find that hard to believe,Fu?"

"Well..."he swallowed hard when the two locked eyes,his composure breaking under the nervousness he felt."She...that is,she wanted me to stay here in case you came home early to inform you where she'd be and I decided,what the heck,I'll bring my own project while I'm holdin' down the fort...and eh...you,you don't believe a word of this,do you Jake?"

"The 'you covering for her' part,yes..."He allowed his sentence to trail so it would sink into Fu Dog's mind,crossing his arms he continued with a slight smirk."The 'her being out with her friends part to study' not so much.So,mind telling where my daugther really is before I'm not calm?"

"And if I don't..."Fu somehow found the sinew to challenge back,before he shrunk back a little more under Jake's now unsettling glare."...I'll live to see another day,right?"

Rolling them skyward,he proceeded to walk over and plucking up the heavy but droopy magical guardian by some of his loose rolls,raised him to meet him at eye-level."Don't give me a long list of excuses,Fu.I just want to know what she's up to and today of all days is when I'm worried the most for her and she knows it.She..."a thought crossed his mind and his face etched in blankness."Did she leave to do what I think she left to do?Tell me,Fu Dog,is she trying to train again with Haley after I said no."

"Well...not in so many words..."upon seeing Jake's growing concernment for his daugther's safety,he yanked himself free from being suspended in the air and as soon as his feet had hit the ground,he confessed wholeheartedly."She's not training but she's gone with Haley to watch her in action.I guess in that way sheis learning how to fight without fighting."

But Jake responded with a stern shake of his head and transforming into his dragon self,lowered himself down and motioned for Fu to get on."There's no way I'm letting her do this and getting herself hurt.If that happened,I wouldn't know what to do.Now hurry and climb on,"he instructed him with a no-nonsense tone."Tell me where she and Haley are headed to,so maybe I can get there before it's too late and I loose her."

Fu Dog frowned but complied to the dragon's comand by scrambling to get up onto the very large and brawny cerise lizard."Maybe you shouldn't be too hard on the kid,she does really want to be involved in the American Dragon duties...unlike a certain someone who complained at nearly everything his former dragon master asked him to do I know."

"The past is the past,"Was all he got back in one mutterance of aggravation,which without much shock signalled the end of discussion on what had happened all those years ago."Now give me directions,please."

Jake reached and swinging both the doors open,he flared his giant wings out as soon as the air hit him and then took off into the sunny and blue-blazen sky,with busy and excited activity below them.But no matter how nice the weather or how constant the upbeat society was,it was all too much for him to handle that day and that day especially.Because even though he got through most days,today was a key reminder to him of what all went wrong that tragic thirteen years ago.And yet this time around,however,he was going to be ready.He wasn't going to let the only one who kept him going and trying in life fall victim to the cruel and cold hands of the Huntsclan.The ones he had sworn if he ever saw again,even if it was to his great pain his own child,would get what they deserved for what they had done to his life...he just hoped it wasn't them there.But if it was,he would take them on no matter what,even as his mind lingered on the prospect of running into Cole again and being able to see him grown.

To Be Continued...

A/N:Next ch. there will be obvious fighting and yes...Rose being definitely brought up.Also,I wonder who will find out first about one another?Wendy finding out about Cole or Cole finding out about Wendy.

LP