**REVISED CHAPTER**
Jak and Daxter (c) Naughty Dog
Cry Of The Wolf
Chapter 7 – Onin's warning
Caught in deep thought, Jak was unaware of anything until he felt persistent paws shaking his arm. Looking up, he noticed Daxter pointing impatiently towards the bar counter.
"Jak, your communicator's beeping," Daxter whined, signaling to the small, black device sitting atop counter.
With a quiet groan, Jak dragged himself from the booth and walked up to the counter. Grasping the communicator, he switched it on. "Hello?" Instantaneously, he was greeted by a loud squawk.
"About time you picked up! Where were you?!" Pecker screeched so loudly that Jak had to hold the communicator a foot away from his ear.
"Pecker, I've been busy, ok?" Jak sighed, hesitantly putting the device back to his ear.
"Yeah well, Onin wishes to speak to you… and the other one. She says time is short, and the evil within the city is growing large," the Moncaw related mystically.
"What evil? Haven't we already dealt with it all?" Jak asked.
Pecker only sighed at the other end. "Jak, I am only Onin's interpreter. Come to the Bazaar, and she will continue on with the details," Pecker commanded, before ending the com link. Jak stared blankly at the silent communicator grasped tightly in his hand, running over Pecker's caution. Wondering just what this new evil was, he switched off the communicator and thrust it into his pouch. After grabbing his morph gun, he turned to Daxter.
"Dax, I'm heading to the Bazaar. You coming?" Jak asked, slotting the gun into the holster on his back. His friend leapt off the table and landed swiftly upon Jak's shoulder.
"Would I let you go on your own, Jak?" Daxter grinned. "So why is old Onin requesting to see us?"
Stepping into the street, Jak gave the area a quick scan before answering. "Well, she reckons another 'evil' is in the City. You ask me, she's getting paranoid," Jak replied, jogging down the path and past Mar's tomb. Locating an abandoned zoomer, he drove it past the Palace and on into the Markets. Taking a moment to recollect his bearings amongst the slightly upgraded Market area, he continued on in search of Onin's hut. It was common for Onin to move locations, and today was no different, Jak noted, as he searched through the bustling crowd along the streets.
"Dax, yell when you see the hut," Jak instructed, as he parked the zoomer and headed over to a nearby Freedom Fighter. The Freedom Fighter glared down at them briefly, until he realized who had approached him, and instead gave the duo a polite greeting.
"Have you seen a brown, canvas hut around here?" Jak enquired, looking up at the blue-armored guard.
The guard pointed down a little alleyway, "Down that way."
Jak nodded thanks to him, before walking quickly past the guard and down the directed path. Sure enough, he came to a halt in a small, deserted area containing Onin's hut. The hut looked to be a tight fit in the small area, and Jak noticed that Onin had been forced to decrease the hut's size in order for it to fit.
Walking up to the entrance, Jak bowed his head to get inside. The air was thick with smoke and incense, and Jak had to momentarily adjust to the haze before taking another step further. At the side of the tent was Pecker, hanging like a stuffed animal upside-down in his preferred position. On the ground at Jak's feet sat Onin on her meditating rug, silent as ever.
"Ah, Jak. You finally made it," Pecker acknowledged loudly, squawking as he flew to Onin. Resting on Onin's head, Pecker peered up at the expecting faces. "Onin here wishes to tell you some important information regarding the city." Jak crossed his arms and glanced at Daxter, who was busy rolling his eyes. "Onin says, in the very near future, another foe will arise. This foe will have been a greatly trusted friend, who you have learned to care about," the Moncaw explained, interpreting Onin's sign language.
"And why are you telling me this? The last I checked, I'm through saving the city," Jak replied, his voice serious.
Pecker stopped watching Onin, and glanced up at Jak with narrowed eyes. "Look here, 'hero'. This is more concern to you than anyone else. If I were you, I'd stop arguing about your misfortune and listen!" he snapped, pointing a threatening feathered hand at Jak. "Now, Onin also says that a certain Ottsel should be aware of the dangers that his young friend holds," Pecker said, looking up at Daxter with a raised eyebrow. "Jak, given Onin's advice, I suggest you keep alert at all times. The one closet to you may very well be the enemy," the Moncaw warned, his voice mystical. He surveyed Jak closely, before flicking his wings towards the door. As Jak turned his back to leave, Pecker's words halted him. "You are free to go…hero."
Spinning around to refute the title Pecker had used, he startled when he found the Moncaw gone. The hut was eerily silent save for the soft crackling of the incense pot, and Onin sat motionless, looking blindly towards the entrance. A feeling of uneasiness began to creep up his spine, so he made a hasty departure from the hut.
"Did you understand any of that?" Jak asked, starting his walk back to the Naughty Ottsel.
"Jak, to understand that Parrot, is to understand a Yakkow. They both make a lot of noise, but not a drop of sense," Dax replied, trying to add humor to the grave moment. Jak sniggered at his friend's comment as he flipped the Jet-board off his back and tossed it to the ground.
"Up for some fun, Dax?" he asked slyly, placing a foot onto the levitating board.
"Am I ever?!" Daxter cried, grinning as he gripped the shoulder pad tightly.
"Why don't we go to Dead Town? No Freedom Fighters on our backs out there," Jak suggested, kicking the board into action. The board hovered silently through the Markets and out into the Industrial Area. No one seemed interested in what Jak and Daxter were doing; it was as if Ashelin had made the use of Jet-boards on public streets legal again.
"Hey Jak, you got to give me a go on this thing when we get there," the Ottsel pleaded, bracing himself as Jak jumped over some uneven ground in the Slums.
"Sure thing, Dax. I dunno if you can handle the speed though," Jak teased, crouching lower to gain more speed.
Within minutes they came to a halt outside the Dead Town doors, and Jak dismounted the board. "Leaving Haven City," the computerized voice warned as the door closed behind them. The gears on the second door clicked into place and slid open a moment later, revealing Dead Town.
The cool afternoon air whipped at Jak's and Daxter's faces when they resumed their board ride. Jak got a sense of complete enjoyment out of riding over the dirty swamp, hearing the murky water churn up beneath it. Occasionally he'd hit a rock or some life form in the water, but so long as he didn't fall from the Jet-board, he did not care. The only thing on his mind was having some much-needed fun after the recent events.
They spent the remainder of the afternoon hanging out and boarding in Dead Town. Daxter had a few attempts on the Jet-board, but fell off every time. Jak had believed it was due to his tail getting in the way, but Daxter had implied it was the terrain or the board itself.
"Yeah, whatever, Dax. You just keep telling yourself that! Hey, it's getting kind of dark. Maybe we should head home," Jak said, looking at the darkening sky as he walked over to Daxter. Peering up the sky too, Daxter nodded his head.
"I think you're right, Jak. I don't want to know what's hiding out here in the dark," he said, scrambling up Jak's shoulder as his friend bent down to collect his Jet-board. Jak laughed quietly at his remark; it was true, he knew, but the things they'd both encountered in their lives, there could be nothing as worse.
"Maybe we could throw a party or something tomorrow. You, me, maybe Ashelin and Torn. Oh, and Keira and Old Green," Daxter said thoughtfully, checking off names on his furry fingers. Jak however, did not take much notice of Daxter's plans. He was focusing, instead, on a dull throbbing in his chest. "And then we can order tons and tons of pizza. Oh! And hire a band! And… Jak, are you ok?" the Ottsel asked, after realizing Jak was shuddering all over.
"Dax, I don't know what… what's happening… it feels like…ahh… AARRGGGHHH! Dax, run!" Jak shouted, dropping to his knees and clutching at his chest. Dax rolled off his friend's shoulder and looked up at Jak, wide eyed with growing fear.
"Jak, buddy… what's-" he asked, and Jak raised a pain-stricken face to him.
"Listen to… me… Daxter. Get out of here…NOW! Something's happening and I can't…" he panted, as he felt the pain spread like fire through his entire chest and down his torso. The pain became too fierce, and Jak doubled over, sweating and groaning. Daxter backed up, trembling. He watched as Jak's hand suddenly sprouted large talon-like claws and short, grey fur. At first he thought Jak was transforming to Dark Jak, but when Jak howled deeply to the darkening sky, he knew this was far from it.
