Chapter Three
On the outskirts of the city, a bit further into the forest, bushes rustle. The wind is low and calm today; not enough to cause such movement. Soon a fox with brilliant red fur comes stalking out, its head down close to the earth as it scours for the scent of its prey. It's later into the morning and just reaching early afternoon, and this little creature is hot on the trail of a mouse or vole.
Somewhere from behind there is more soft rustling, though this time up higher in the trees. It lifts its head up and scans the leaves above, but soon drops its attention back down and continues to hunt for food when it sees nothing. The rustling quiets down for a time, but as the animal starts to move further away it picks up again. Something bright and large lunges down from above, and the fox manages one short cry before everything falls into silence once more.
Sharp teeth hold onto the body, eyes shifting around for any signs of unwanted attention. With her prey caught and brought down swiftly as she intended, she lifts the deceased animal and scans her surroundings one more time meticulously. Still hearing and sensing nothing amiss she swiftly turns around and bounds away from the scene, her jaws clenching and holding onto her catch just a bit tighter. Though she did not create a gruesome scene with her swiftness, she still does not want to be around the overall area she made the kill. Scavengers and other hungry, curious hunters could be a bit of a problem right now, and she would rather not deal with someone trying to steal her food. Eating her fill further away is for sure safer right now, so back to her hiding place she goes.
As she bounds along her tail swings and sways rhythmically to keep her balance, and she particularly focuses on where her hands and feet land. A soft glow casts off her snow-white wings as the sun rays reach her through the trees, and that gains her some attention from any animals still around. Thankfully she is no longer in the mood to hunt, so this does not bother her in the slightest. She must keep herself alert though; she is in a completely foreign land, and it is causing her some amount of distress overall.
She is not in the best state at the moment, and that causes her to work even harder to keep her balance, to her great frustration. That was already hard to do in the first place but with her new injuries she has to be careful and expend her energy only when necessary. At least she can still fly; she would be exceptionally nervous if she had lost that luxury on her way down. For right now, she just wants to get back to her little hiding place and eat before she dares to search around and figure more things out.
Quite a few miles away in the city, Drago is heading for the outskirts after grabbing himself some breakfast from yet another unsuspecting vendor. Once again, the dragon is keenly keeping to the shadows to go from place to place, though it is still relatively easy for him to stay out of sight at this point. There are cameras all over the place, but he has already memorized most of them. He still keeps a stern eye on his surroundings just in case there are extras, or random early birds out for their commutes. He is however solely focused on getting outside the city and beyond. There is an anomaly he needs to find.
Reaching the forest with no trouble he starts to push his way through. True: on one hand he could just blow out fire and much more easily get all this foliage out of his way, but that would without a doubt cause a massive scene and get him under radar. He still wants to avoid that as long as he can, so hopefully he is more prepared when the time comes. For now, he'll just deal with this trivial irritation; his current goal is much more important. His eyes narrow as he continues through, letting his nose try and guide him. He has already caught a distinct smell, but it's very weak. Whatever that strange thing was, he knows it was a living thing, and he wants to find it. No matter how, he is sure it can aid him in some way.
Thankfully he does not have to wait long until finding something. A splotch of red on the ground...Blood. He wrinkles his nose, not really because he is disturbed; he's not at all. It's fox blood. Not the creature, but he still has that strange scent from before that he's been tracking, and it's stronger around here, so he's certainly on the right trail. He decides to continue ahead with a quickened pace, and some minutes later he is forced to stop. Not particularly because anything is in his way however...
The scent is incredibly strong suddenly, and it startles the dragon enough that he jams his feet into the ground and forces a hard stop. His eyes are wide before narrowing as he looks around, trying to catch a glimpse of something. His teeth are just slightly bared, his body tense with even his tail being held perfectly still.
"How the hell did you sneak up on me..." he growled, keeping his tone low.
A sudden flash of white ahead of him and toward his left catches Drago's attention, but the creature is already shooting away from him. A low growl slips from him again and he tears after it immediately. Engaging might not be the first thing he wants to do, but he certainly doesn't want to lose sight of it either and be forced to start this trek all over again.
Running after it he at this point is just throwing himself over and around bushes and trees to avoid tripping on roots and other miniscule things. Thankfully for him he is catching up quickly, so he seems to have some advantage over it speed-wise. This odd chase continues just a bit longer before Drago quickly slows himself down, realizing it stopped and is just sitting there a few feet ahead of him. He slinks forward much more quietly, keeping himself slightly hunched in hopes of keeping out of its eyesight.
His weary actions may be at best out of character. He may have grown a bit, but his brash way of acting has not truly left him. This creature however is foreign to him entirely. He was expecting it to be some sort of animal- or a demon at least from how it was moving. But the scent so far tells him it's neither; it's unfamiliar to him entirely, and the colors he's seen so far aren't giving him any clues either. Everything about this is new, and he has learned through many trials and tribulations that new things are sometimes the bane of his existence.
Simply out of caution to keep from getting injured, he is being slow and careful. Once he gets close enough he slides himself behind a tree sitting directly next to a bush that the creature is stationary in front of. However, when he peaks his head around to get a look he finds himself immediately frozen in place, and simply staring.
Spying it more closely for the first time he is quick to realize, to his quiet alarm, that the white he saw were wings. Large, purely white wings. They look big enough to hide him under. He also notes it has a tail of white color as well, which sports a black mane that spans nearly the entire thing. That tail is long, and of a pretty decent thickness. Drago also notes to his further alarm and confusion that it has human-like feet. Not entirely as he can tell they are a bit deformed and thicker, but the skin color and basic shape was that of a human...Though the toes had claws. The more he looks at it, the more he realizes this is a very strange humanoid...Thing, with pale skin, a tail and wings.
And it's apparently a female. The near mid-back length dark hair, and feminine facial features immediately tell him that. That is also when he realizes abruptly that it's looking at him.
Briefly tensing, Drago stares back at the strange female in utter silence. From the look of it she tensed up real fast too. Taking a small gamble, he creeps out a bit more, staying silent and going slow. The minute he moves however she whips her tail and snaps herself a foot or two backwards, her back arched. He immediately freezes up.
"...Noted. You are pretty fast. And weird. But I guess we both are huh?"
He was greeted by silence as a response. The only thing she did was continue to very pointedly stare at him, and he saw that like him before, not a single inch of her body is moving.
"Nothing? Heh, all right then. I don't have a clue what you are, but maybe you just can't talk. Doesn't really matter to me though." Drago raised a brow, then smiled a little bit at her. It could be considered more of a smirk though. "I can help you out if you'd-" Once again he moved a bit closer and started to reach his hand up, against his better judgement. Immediately after she bared her teeth and opened her mouth just a little to let a deep hiss reverberate out of her. Drago got a nice look at all those teeth; every single one of them were sharp and looked like they could hurt even if he got bit. The dragon reeled back at that and narrowed his eyes, though before he could speak again the female spun on a dime and was gone.
She kicked up a dust cloud from the ground that got Drago coughing, and the sudden motion startled him once more to the point he fell backwards. Not wanting to just stay there and hack his lungs out, he hopped up onto his feet and darted out of the small dust cloud. He reared his head up, glaring off in the direction she had gone but did not pursue. He has a distinct feeling in him that having her on his side would help a lot; but getting her on his side is going to take a bit of effort.
Turning, his tail slapped the ground as he huffed and wiped off the dust coating his face. He glanced back one more time at where she had vanished to, but his harsh glare from before faded away.
"...I'll come back for you later..."
Later into the day, Jade had been picked up from school. However, she was under strict instructions from Jackie to get her homework and studying done as soon as she returned. To her frustration, there was no leeway to his demands. With her test in only a few days, he was adamant that she prioritized that, so, to her displeasure, she was still stuck in her room. Meanwhile, Tohru was helping Uncle in the shop, and Jackie was visiting there too after going to the headquarters to help them with something brief.
"It was a simple drop off that they wanted me there for. They were short one guard and I was suggested. Nothing major." Jackie went to sit down after replying to Uncles query.
"Very good, now come help Uncle!" He pointed toward stacks of books and papers and other things that Tohru was helping him move. "Spaces needs cleaning to better prepare spells and keep away clutter. Help clear up Uncle's room!"
Jackie sighed and picked up a stack of books, while Tohru smiled down at the shorter man with an even bigger pile in his giant hands.
Jackie did not dare bring up the other things that they discussed with him to Uncle. Not yet; the old man is already weary, and barking about that mystical "bad omen" nonsense. Bringing up the anomalies that section 13 has under radar and are trying to study would just emphasize everything to a point that Jackie does not need right now.
Upstairs, Jade was grumbling as she sat cross legged on her bed, an array of books and papers scattered around her. Her notepad was on her lap and her head was resting on her hand. She already had some pages of notes down and was currently bored out of her mind.
"Ugh I already read over these a billion times," she hissed to no one in particular, a grimace appearing. "there isn't anything else I can write down. This is so pointless, I know this all by heart now!"
She flopped backwards onto her bed, her pencil still held loosely in her hand. Jade stared blankly and grumpily up at the ceiling, her glare fixating on the cracks and bubbled paint.
"There is literally nothing else. How long does he want me to study this stuff for? Hours?!" Jade sat up again and stared at the page of notes, then flipped back to the other pages. She huffed, then just flipped to a blank page and started drawing and doodling nonsense. She can at least stay up here a few more hours just to make him happy. It doesn't mean she'll genuinely be doing school stuff the entire time! He can't complain to her about homework either, it's super easy compared to all this dumb studying.
Later she'll go to the mall with her friends, and probably the skate park after that. More time will likely be spent at the skate park, though. She enjoys that far more than the mall.
The tall lizard man had been staking out this place for a while, now. He was starting to get agitated. The "research" he's done told him they work here. Their smells are even here, but it's been hours of nothing! The hell is going on?
"I swear if I have to wait here any longer..." Drago growled lowly under his breath; glaring forward at the building. They have to be in here, there is no way he went to the wrong place!
The building is rather old, perhaps could use a repainting of the outside, but otherwise it seems to be kept in ok condition. And old building for something he has no idea about, now turned into a small business. Complete with office "cubicles" and plenty of open windows scattered in a grid-like pattern. Remnants of the old architecture are still there though; perhaps the owners of the place liked the look of it.
Drago doesn't care that much. Any more time passes, and he may just blow a damn hole in the side to let himself in.
The dragon sighs hotly, some smoke bellowing from his mouth. No, he can't do that. That goes completely against his "staying low" plan until further notice. Damn is this annoying, though.
Some more minutes pass by, being hours to Drago, and finally he sees his men. Older now, which is definitely something he dislikes. But compared to the first three idiots from that time ago, these still look to be in reasonable shape. He sighs, but a grin has split across his face as he gets up and slips away to get closer.
The Ice Crew, as they were once known, do tend to stick together somehow. Even as they attempted to separate after years of getting back into crime despite having families to fend for, they would always gravitate back to a group again. Whether it was waiting tables, mopping floors or working registers, the three young men were never far apart. Their odd friendship has remained steadfast to this day as well; to the point they continue to call themselves their old "childhood" nicknames frequently when talking to each other.
The three men were off for the day after doing their work, and were discussing possible plans as they exited the building. Ice as he still accepts, shrugged as the three walked along toward the nearest bus stop.
"I'm not kidding, Ice. You've got the better pay out of all of us, you've got to get a car, man!" the taller, more muscled of the three mumbled as they walked. "DJ Fist" as they used to call him. At times, just Fist. Though he's acquired the nickname "Boulder" now as well. Ice huffed, but shook his head with a smile.
"Nah man, I need to keep focused on the bills! Once I get this promotion, I can probably save up for one. Bus still works fine," he paused to glance to the skinnier man. Nearly as tall as Boulder, but definitely thinner. Cobra, as they call him. "We still heading to that mall later?"
"Yea, I gotta get my little girl some new toys, and she's been pitching fits for the new dolls," he replied nonchalantly. Though a grin briefly appeared. "Along with some other things."
All three shot small grins at each other before they continued onward toward the Bus Stop. It was still a good walk away, but the shortcuts ease the time a bit.
"Well isn't this cute."
The sudden voice jarred all three, and they slowed to a near immediate stop before they even got around the first corner. Their cautious glances didn't yield anything, and before they could respond they heard it again.
"How about we do something else?" All three men watched as this...Lizard-like creature effortlessly slinked along the wall high above them; traversing the beam dangling above their heads before smoothly lowering himself down with its thick tail and dropping before them. The three backed up with widening eyes as the creature soon stood to its full height- even being a tad taller than Boulder. The scales of mixing hues of dark and lighter green looked quite rough and strong, and the spines going down it's back to nearly tip of the tail looked...Painful.
"Oh wow is it nice to see you three," they spoke, their grin still present as they approached. Whoever, or whatever it was, had muscle tone to strongly rival Boulder. The confident stride in the walk, the rhythmic swaying of the tail. They looked like with a simple flick of an arm, they could pick up and send a truck flying.
There's very few who can forget a creature like this. And the familiarity mixed with the unknown both astounded, and terrified all three. Especially Ice, who didn't take long to recognize him as he gulped and stood his ground once the other stopped his advance.
"...No way...Double D, that you?"
Drago snorted, but cocked his head and raised a brow.
"Double D? Ain't you a bit old for that nickname nonsense?" he grinned wide, and they momentarily tensed. Drago simply continued as he glanced at his claws, then shrugged. "Yea it's be. A bit more muscle, and maybe a bit taller- oh and yea I've got spikes now. But I'm still me."
The three collectively backpedaled and attempted to escape the way they came, but with one quick leap Drago cleared all three by quite the margin and dropped swiftly into their path again. His grin never left him, and the boys were starting to question what was going on. They don't remember him being this...Intimidating? Or big. He's pretty big now.
"And I'm still in need of my favorite henchmen."
Ice raised his hands immediately as he backs up a pace; attempting to stand his ground. Draco simply raises a brow, but is smiling, if not smirking in amusement. He allows Ice to talk, however.
"Whooooa man. Look it was cool and all, but we got work now- we got families. We can't be doing all that, dude!"
Drago's grin seemed to reappear and become more violent, if that makes any lick of sense. It was eerie to Ice and his crew, but something was keeping them from snapping back.
"And who says I'll be taking you away from that all, eh?" he questioned them with a confident smirk plastered on his face. "I'm only in the need for the best. As...Entertaining as that stunt of yours was, you guys WERE the best. I admit I didn't regret giving you those powers for a long time." Drago grinned and shrugged with his hands in the air. The more he grinned, the more uncomfortable they got. "You can't expect me to believe you all didn't enjoy that spice of demon dragon power?"
"...Uh, well. It was pretty cool..." Boulder mumbled to himself, thinking it was quiet enough for him not to hear. Drago however snapped his head right in the man's direction and smiled, his eyes locked. "That it was. You think that was great, you have no idea, now. Plus, you guys are seasoned pros who already have the experience~" Ice steadied himself and shook his head and a hand, and Drago looked back to him. Before he could attempt a protest however, the dragon spoke up strongly as a bit of power seeped from him. Smoke started to waft from his mouth.
"Let me prove it to you~"
Before any more protest could be said, all three were bathed in fire. Their immediate instinct was to yell, and they did. There was no pain. Only a strange, uncomfortable feeling at first that turned to a soothing, rushing warmth.
As the startled men settled, and the changes took place, Drago simply stood there with his arms crossed, and a proud and victorious grin planted on his face. He's gotten good at this.
"I took the liberty to give you some...Extra bits compared to last time. You all have a little bit of everything, but I took into account how well adapted you all were with your various powers. Ice still has fire that is stronger than you two. Cobra is still going to be the fastest, and Fist- Boulder, will still be the strongest..."
Drago grinned proudly at them, eagerness written all over his features as the three transformed men stood there, quietly recovering and gazing themselves over.
"But you've all got a little bit of everything, now~ ...And some nice scale variations. The ole' classical green is boring."
"…A…All right. Wow. Ya know, I forgot how good this feels," Ice mumbled as he gazed over his arms, then down at his legs. His scales had a reddish hue to them that he could just make out. Boulder seemed to have a bit of blue on him, and Cobra...He was similar to Drago, but lighter shades of green all around. Drago was still darker than all of them.
"All right. Reunion all done and taken care of. We've got a good hideout and some plants to make, but first...How about we go get some chow before going to gather our fifth, and final member of the gang~ ?" Drago was already turning and walking off as he spoke. His hand was raised, and he was directing them to follow with a finger. Without much else to do, and with them still reeling from what just happened, all three followed readily. They did not want to wait for the crowd that would inevitably come due to their wailing and yelling from before, either. All three expressed confusion at his statement, though.
"Fifth member…? There's someone else?"
Drago only chuckled as he led them along. He planned to help himself and his newly acquired henchmen to a hotdog stand on the way there. He figured she's still in that area. He smelled blood on her that he assumed was hers, so with those likely injuries she won't be going far for now.
"Yes indeed. You'll just have to wait and see who it is, though." He shot a grin back at them as he kept walking. "It's a surprise~"