Chapter Four:

Kai swung his sword in a low arch, neatly dispatching the unsuspecting sparring bot. Or maybe it was expecting that since it was programmed for sparring against the ninjas. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Zane and Lloyd pondered over something on the laptop's screen. Most likely it was the list of orphans that they requested... they seemed to be think that would be a good way to locate the Young Cub from the old bedtime story. Jay was sparring with Nya, though he was too awestruck with her to be much of a sparring partner. Cole was somewhere... Kai didn't know exactly where, and he didn't necessarily care either.

"Okay, I'm ready for the debriefing Lloyd." Cole strolled into the room, his hands resting on his hips. Kai blinked, suddenly wondering if maybe he should have questioned where Cole was more.

Lloyd pushed himself up out of his seat, nodding towards the sparring mats on the floor. "Let's sit over here. Kai, Nya, it's up to you two if you join us or not."

Kai was now even more confused. Never has anyone been given a choice on whether or not they join for a debriefing. "I think we'll join." Kai glanced over at his sister, who nodded in agreement, her interest peaked.

"What could you possibly have Cole looking into that you feel the need to make it optional for us?" Nya settled on the floor next to Jay.

Kai quickly sat on her other side, shooting her boyfriend that made things pretty clear on why he did that. He was just being the protective big brother. Lloyd settled on the ground across Cole and Zane, lifting his shoulder up in a half shrug. "Honestly, your past. We don't know anything about your family or anything like that, and um... you both kinda showed up on the list."

"You could have asked Zane... he looked into our pasts when we first joined up with you guys." Kai raised an eyebrow upwards, clearly not seeing the big deal here. They're orphans... whoopie-doo-da.

Cole cleared his throat nervously, before glancing over at Zane from the corner of his eye. "Did your research reveal that Kai and Nya isn't even their real names? A fisherman rescued them out in the middle of the ocean, only they couldn't speak at all."

Zane blinked once, his voice flat in his typical monotone way. "Indeed it brought that detail up. Though I do not know see how that detail should affect us. They were young enough when that happened, that most likely they do not even remember the names their parents gave them."

Kai shifted at that, struggling to keep himself from wrinkling his nose. Unfortunately, Lloyd noticed. "Do you remember your real names, Kai?"

"Yes..." Kai crossed his fingers that they wouldn't ask him what their names were.

He forgot that Jay was being uncharacteristically quiet. "Wait... so what is your real names then?"

Kai slunk down, before mumbling out an answer. "Fire that Burns Brighter Than the Noonday Sun and Storm in the Night Sky."

Zane blinked slowly, before asking the one question on everyone's minds. "Which name belongs to whom exactly? Oh, and were your parents aware that your names appear to be phrases?"

Nya leaned back, rolling her shoulders to relieve some of the tension there. "I'm Storm in the Night Sky, Kai is Fire that Burns Brighter Than Noonday Sun. And I think they were aware of that detail... I mean... Kai what were Mom and Dad's names again?"

"Mom's name is Song of the Sea, and Dad is Ray of Sun that Warms the Earth." Kai lifted a shoulder up in a half shrug, mentally noting to attempt to strangle his sister later.

"That makes no sense whatsoever... who in their right mind will give their kids mouthfuls for names?" Cole groaned, looking over at the siblings in disbelief.

Kai and Nya didn't respond, for two different reasons. Nya because she wasn't very experienced when it came to their people, and Kai because he knew where the search for the Young Cub would send them...and he wasn't exactly as young as everyone thought. "I'm going for a run. Yell if the werewolves attack."

"Dude... we live nowhere near the village that was attacked. So unless the werewolves are intelligent enough to realize that they need to remove us from the picture, we're safe here." Lloyd shook his head at Kai, not understanding why Kai seemed to think they would be the werewolves next target.

Paws skidding against the ground, Kai slowed down as he approached the river that rushed past the wooded area near the tea shop. Bending down, he lapped at it with his rough tongue, his sides heaving from panting so hard. His ears flicked backwards, to the soft pounding of paws against the ground behind him. A minute later, a familiar young black wolf approached him. Sniffing around for a bit, she approached him, her black fur briefly rubbing against his more auburn fur. Bending down, she lapped at the water for a second, before speaking up. "Fire Sun... maybe we should tell the others all that we know about werewolves."

"Why would we do that Storm Night? You do realize that if what Misako says about the old Fable that all tribes use to teach their cubs to not be greedy, is true that means that I'm the Young Cub...right?" Kai questioned his sister, sure that she just hadn't realized that little detail or something.

"Oh... I hadn't thought of that... but you're right... wait. The story didn't say anything about a cousin helping them to escape. We only made it this far because Storm Sky loaned us one of his fishing boats." Nya wrinkled her nose, which as a wolf was very interesting to see.

"I'll forever be in Cousin Storm in the Sky's debt for that. I hope he is still okay." Kai shifted slightly, changing back into his human form.

Nya copied him, changing back into her own human form as well. Shaking her head, she ran a finger through her hair, detangling it. "Why is it that my hair always gets so tangled whenever I change into my wolf form?"

"How I'm supposed to know?" Kai grunted as he stretched, glad that he had been able to run as a wolf for a little while. He was always careful that no one would see him, but with his fan club and missions, as well tendency to get captured which leads to protective friends that were like brothers to him... that didn't happen as often as he would like it. "Ready to go back?"

"Sure."

Lloyd flung his arm up to block his face as the werewolf lunged forward, knocking him backwards. Cole and Zane were working together to beat back another werewolf, and Jay was crouching in a tree, shooting lightning down at the two werewolves that had chased him up there in the first place. Lloyd grunted as he fell onto his back, the werewolf he was fighting off posed to rip his throat out...