Aaaand now more!

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"What the heck are we doin out here?" Jake snapped "It's Sunday afternoon, and I got homework to finish"

"Ooooh, you do homework?" Cassie giggled from her place behind me. Jake shot her a glare.

"Yeah, cause I don't always have my head in the clouds like you!"

"Settle guys" Dean now, moving to stand beside me "I'm sure Miah will clue us in... soon?"

The last word was more a prompt than a question, and I looked up from the blinking device in front of me, meeting his eyes.

Dean and I had always shared a connection growing up, a bond that seemed to grow stronger in the passing years. It almost felt like he was more my brother than one of my cousins. I didn't really know why, but I was glad of it.

I guess you could say Jake and Cassie shared something similar, although I don't think either of them realised it. Jake was painfully aggressive, and Cassie was just off in her own world. But... as I'd noticed while growing up, Jake was always the first to comfort Cassie when she was upset, and Cassie in turn would always be the one to try and calm Jake down when he got too hotheaded. I honestly thought it was sweet.

"Well I'm going to do a proper scan of this area. My goggles weren't good or strong enough to pick up anything significant here, so I'm hoping that this thing will be able to pick up anything we missed"

"Did you make this device?" Dean knelt beside me, and I smiled, shaking my head a little.

"No... dad let me borrow it. On one condition of course"

Dean raised an eyebrow, half leaning on his katana as he smirked "Oh yeah?"

"I do all the house chores for a week"

"Oh ouch, tough one" He laughed a little, patting my shoulder before going to stand up again.

We'd come back out to the area that we'd last seen the truck, my dad also insisting I bring my cousins and Eoran into whatever I was doing. I couldn't go out without backup, and since I wanted to do this without parents around, this was the alternative.

The area itself was mostly woodland, with a rare car passing through from time to time, although nothing we couldn't handle or hide from if we needed to. I was hoping the light might bring us more answers, since the last time we were here it was pitch black. The idea of the truck leaving absolutely no trace was bothering me to no end. There had to be a logical explanation!

Fortunately, my cousins seemed just as frustrated and determined as I was to find the answers, barely needing any persuasion to come with me.

"All right, no one around for a few miles... we should be all right" Eoran landed next to Jake, folding his wings and looking at each of us in turn.

"Good... Miah, whatever you're going to do with this device, I suggest you do it now"

"Working on it" I told him, doing another check over the device to make sure I'd turned it on and was tuning it properly.

"You... do know how to use this, right?" Eoran asked, and I could see him smirking at me out of the corner of my eye.

"Yes... to an extent" I told him, still fiddling with dad's device.

"You mean to tell me that we came out here for nothing?!" Jake started to arc up again, coming towards me but Dean stopped him.

I sighed, rolling my eyes a little "I know how the device works. It uses sub-sonic frequencies to-"

"In proper, non nerd speak?" Jake interrupted, and I saw both Cassie and Dean shake their heads a little.

"Jake... in layman's terms... its like bat's echolocation. It sends out a... chirp, so to speak, which lights up an image of the area, highlighting things we can't see with the naked eye"

He sighed, then to my surprise "Thank you Miah"

My attention turned from the device to him, seeing what looked like a genuine kind of smile. Which was extremely rare for him.

"Did I hear right?" Even Cassie looked wide-eyed.

Jake grunted something else, turning and moving away to a tree nearby, leaning on it. Cassie soon followed him, leaning her head on his shoulder a little and grinning up at him. I heard him sigh a little.

"All right, Miah... can you get this device running or not?"

"As I said, working on it" I told Dean "I only ever saw dad use this device once, and because he likes me to try and work it out myself, and he didn't really give me instructions to follow"

"One thing our dad's have in common" Eoran said, kneeling beside me "Want some help?"

"No... I think... I almost got it" I told him, now tuning the device and directing it towards the specific spot where we'd last seen the truck. It had been on the road, which we were now safely beside...

Now tuned in, I flicked the switch, hearing and almost seeing the sonic burst coming from it, looking at the small screen and seeing it light up with what looked like quite a few residual effects and other bits and pieces we didn't see directly in front of us. Like a large oil spill from what I could only guess was a car...

"Look at that" Eoran now pointed on the screen before it vanished, and I caught a glimpse of what he was pointing at.

"Did I see right?" Now Dean was beside me, and I suddenly felt like a mutant sandwich as we all tried to move in to look at the screen. Not that I didn't mind being close to the two, just... right now, everything seemed tense.

"I'll send out another burst to see, I should be able to freeze the frame so we can get a better look" I fiddled a bit, before flicking the switch and seeing the screen light up again like before.

Before it vanished again, I was able to pause the image, the three of us looking closely now.

"What'd you find?" Jake now moved over, Cassie almost latched onto him, but he couldn't get a good look over our heads.

"So... how is that even possible? Am I seeing right?" Dean asked again, moving back a little.

"Hang on, I'll try and weed out the other images to get a clearer image. We very well could be just seeing wrong" I told him, fiddling around more and finding this a bit harder. I wasn't sure my father really meant for his device to do this, but I was finding a way to manipulate it to my advantage.

I'd have to show him what I'd worked out how to do later...

Soon, the image we'd found was clear as day, the three of us baffled.

"Um... gonna clue us in?" Cassie asked, still close to Jake.

"Well... Miah?" Dean was now looking at me.

"It could just be some kind of vehicle that stopped suddenly-"

"No" Eoran shook his head "There would be evidence of skid marks... this trail just stops..."

"Uh, guys" Jake waved, making us look up at him.

"The device has picked up what looks like tire tracks... Miah managed to isolate a single set, but... it just doesn't make any kind of sense"

"Uh...what?"

"In other words, the tracks just simply stop. It didn't go into any kind of cloaked area, as this would go through any cloaking system ever designed on this planet... or on his" I jabbed my thumb at Eoran, who grunted a little.

"You know, I'm only part alien, right?"

"Focus guys" Dean said, moving in beside me again "If this really is the tracks of that truck, then..."

"Then where'd it go?" Cassie asked, frowning now.

I shrugged "No idea Cass. This... none of it makes sense"

"So the mystery deepens" Jake sighed, starting to pace. I felt Cassie lean on me a little, trying to look over my shoulder. I felt more than saw her pout as her cheek rested against mine.

"So what now?"

Dean sighed "I guess we all go back home. From what I can tell, this won't be-"

"Um, guuuys?" Jake's higher pitched voice made us all look up, each one of us freezing at the sight that was now all around us.

"Um... where did they come from?" Eoran muttered, all of us getting up to look at the, what I could only guess, was hundreds of small, pink and fluffy fox-like creatures. Each had big blue eyes, letting out tiny little chirps as they looked back at us. Their ears were large and out of proportion to their bodies, and each looked about the size of my hand.

"They're definitely not native to this world... but how'd they get here?" Dean asked, moving to slowly pull Jake towards our huddled group. To my surprise, Jake complied, moving back and almost knocking Dean over.

"Your guess is as good as mine cous" Jake muttered, all of us watching as the little creatures now seemed to bore of us a little, some of them going to clean themselves, others now play fighting with one another.

"This really can't be real. I mean... they weren't here a minute ago, and now... we're surrounded by pink fluffballs?" Eoran shook his head, and I murmured in agreement. Then.. it hit me...

"It could be they were attracted by the sonic bursts"

"Still doesn't explain what we're seeing. Where'd they come from, and why aren't they leaving?" Jake asked, and I shared a look with him, shrugging a little.

"Not sure, I don't even know what they are"

"Could we ask our parents?"

"Looks like we might have to"

"Awww, lookit you! You are so cuuuute!" I felt Cassie lean down, turning to see her pick up one of the little creatures, who had been rubbing against her leg it looked like.

"Cass!" Dean hissed, but it was too late, she pulled the little furry creature against her chest, stroking it lovingly and hearing it almost purr.

"What? It's cute! And it likes me!" Cassie giggled a little, and the rest of us sighed a little.

"What did we tell you about picking up strange creatures" Jake half scolded, although his eyes were on all the others around us.

"Miah?"

"Yeah?" I looked at Dean, his jaw now set and his eyes narrowed.

"Maybe turn that device off... and we'll see if they... leave..." His voice was low, his arm over his head, like he wanted to pull a katana out, but he was hesitating, and I understood why. We had no idea what these creatures were, or how they were act if we made any move that could be seen as aggressive towards them.

"Good idea" I agreed, slowly getting back on my knees, turning off and packing the device into the bag it belonged in, before standing up again with the others.

"Well... the device is off, but they're still here" I muttered, now sharing a look with Dean. He looked just as confused as I did.

"Well, they're not attacking, so that's good... right?" Eoran muttered, hearing Jake let out an odd sound, and Dean grunt.

I looked back at Cassie, who clearly seemed to be bonding with the small creature in her hands, half hoping she didn't ask to take it home with her. I was sure her mother wouldn't approve...

"Look guys, they're okay. It's soo cuddly!"

"I'm sure your dad would love it" Jake grunted, none of us daring to move still. The creatures did look cute, and most seemed harmless...

But there was something, pulling at the edge of my subconscious. Something...

"Uuuuh..." A moan from Cassie made us all look over at her. She was now holding the little creature at arms length...

Soon, I saw why...and the reason shocked me even more than the creatures themselves did.

The little creature was baring it's teeth at her... two big, sharp pointy rows of glimmering yellow teeth stood out from the rest of the cuddly looking creature.

"Uh... that's not good..." Dean muttered, and Cassie yelped as the thing took a snap at her, watching her throw it into the air, seeing it snarl as it aimed itself right for-

"Four!" I yelled, swinging my Bo forward with all my might, hitting the creature in the middle and sending it into a tree.

We all gasped in surprise as the little creature now seemed to explode into a puff of pink, almost disappearing.

"What the hell was that?!" Jake almost shrieked, instantly looking like he regretted it as all the other pink foxes turned their big blue eyes to look at us.

I felt Cassie sidle up to me a little "Um... thanks Miah. But... I think..."

"We're in trouble, I know" I told her, reading my Bo in front of me. Slowly, we all formed an odd circle, standing back to back.

"Get ready" Dean said, and I watched as each and every pink fox creature now bared their teeth, their eyes turning from pale blue to an ominous blood red.

"I still can't believe this is happening" Jake muttered.

"You and me both" Eoran agreed, and it was then something occurred to me.

"Uh... guys, be careful of the-" Before I could finish, it seemed like every fox creature moved at once, all of them heading straight for us.

"Attack!"Dean screamed, and all of us moved at once.

I smacked the little pink devils away from me, ducking and dodging as well as I could, almost using my Bo as a bat as I flicked it through the air, slamming it into each and every one of them, ducking out of the way as they turned into what looked like pink dust.

"This is so weird!" I heard Eoran say from somewhere around me, barely catching sight of the others slicing and dicing and thumping these pink fluffy foxes into oblivion.

"Just keep going... we can do this!" Deans cry was enough to urge me onwards, slamming my Bo harder into the pink devil creatures.

"I... guys..." Jake's voice made me spin to look, almost missing a fox that was coming for me.

He was kneeling on the ground, looking almost disorientated as he tried to hit more of the creatures, but they were going to overwhelm him soon.

"Jake!" I twisted my Bo madly around me, getting several in the process as I headed for my cousin, managing to kneel beside him as I slammed my Bo into the creatures that were coming for him.

"We got you!" Now the others were there, forming a circle around us as I half grabbed Jake, feeling him almost teeter, before grunting and trying to stand up.

"No... I'm..."

"Jake, you're not... what happened?" I moved to feel his pulse, finding it was starting to slow. I looked into his eyes...

"I'm... they blew up in my... I just need a min-" He tried to say, but his speech was becoming slurred, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"The dust?"

He nodded a little, his eyes now closing a little as he tipped for-

"Guys! Watch the dust! I think it's like a sleeping-"

"Argh!"

I watched in horror as Dean now tipped back, almost collapsing on the two of us.

"Dean!" Cassie cried, fear now in her voice as she fought harder alongside Eoran.

Jake finally collapsed, and I moved over to try and get Dean to get up.

"I'm all right, just give me a minute" He muttered, rubbing his eyes and leaning on one of his katanas.

"No, you're not"

"Miah, what do we do!" Cassie almost wailed, even as she fought with all she had.

"I... just keep at it, and watch the dust they turn into!" I slapped Dean's cheeks, moving over to Jake to try and shake him awake, but none of it did any good.

"A little-ack!" Eoran started to cough, shaking his head. I got up, grabbing my Bo and smacking it into the first creature I saw.

Three of us down.. this wasn't going to end well...

We needed help!

"Miah!" I heard a smack, and felt more than saw Cassie hit the ground, moaning a little.

"I can't see..." She cried, obviously terrified, but I couldn't comfort her now... couldn't help...

I was the only one standing, and I was throwing and hitting and kicking them as fast as I could, but the little pink devils just kept coming... from where I had no idea, all I knew was if I fell...

Well, we could very well all die.

I felt someone tug on my belt, the distraction almost making me look down to find out who had tried to get my attention, barely missing a fox creature and slamming my Bo upwards, sending dust everywhere.

"Dammit!" I coughed, realising I'd just slammed the dust into my face, inhaling it and coughing madly, trying to smack another creature down as I felt the effects of the dust take hold.

My head started to spin, and my vision became cloudy... I felt myself start to loose conc-

No! I had to keep fighting! For my family!

I tried to keep on my feet, but the spinning became too much, and I landed on my knees, keeping my Bo at the ready and trying to keep fighting.

But... exhaustion seemed to be taking over... like I'd been drugged...

I felt myself hit the floor, now staring blankly as the creatures stopped their assault, all of them now just looking blankly at me. Their eyes... looked blue again...

I'm sorry guys... I tried...

The last thing I remember is seeing a figure that looked oddly like Grandpa Splinter walking up to us...

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Aaaand there we go!

Let me know what you thought guys!