Minn: I CAN EXPLAIN! Okay, before I do, an apology for making you peeps wait so long, but here's why: 1) University finals. All of December all I did was study. 2) Christmas holidays. CRAZY hectic chaos going on around here. 3) Writer's block. A section of the story just would. not. BEHAVE. 4) I handed it off to Wolf to work on, but she was also busy with a huge amount of stuff throughout December.

So basically, neither of us could write for a whole month. Now for the good news...

We ended up splitting this chapter in two. Not only that, but while trying to get past my writer's block, I wrote chapter 9 in advance, so there is now 2 whole extra chapters almost completed already! YAY! Updates are going to be a lot more frequent, I promise. :)

I know it's short, but bear with us. Like I said, it was split in two, but next chapter has some really good moments in it, and as I've constantly been saying, chapter nine has the scene that inspired this fic.

And WhispertheWolf wrote the first half of this chapter. RECOGNIZE HER. XP

Okay! So read, and more importantly, REVIEW! :D I've missed you peeps!

p.s. I was able to fit the titles of two Doctor Who episodes into one chapter. Go me!

Chapter 7: Things Could Have Been Worse

Radarr raised his nose to the air, sniffing curiously. The forest before him seemed average enough, carpeted with dead leaves that crunched softly under his paws. The placed smelled of decaying foliage, moisture, and bulky trees. In the way of food, however, he couldn't smell anything, not even the slightest hint of fruit.

After having restored the junkyard skyride, Radarr had found it sturdy enough to take him in search of Aerrow and Finn, deciding that Terra Saharr might be a good spot to start. He had been driving for hours, and besides being a little tired, he was hungry. So a short stop had been in order. This terra, wherever it was, was the first terra he had seen where he could land undetected.

With a heavy sigh, he started forward, glancing back only to be sure of where he left the rusty skimmer. It seemed safe to leave it. No one would run off with a skyride in such a terrible state as that one.

Since this was a search for food, Radarr got down on all fours so he could put his nose to the ground as well as in the air. He scurried forward, stopping now and then to sniff around some more, always being sure he was headed in a straight line. He didn't want to lose his way here.

He hadn't been wandering long before he finally caught a whiff of what he was searching for: food! With a little squawk of glee, he scurried off in the direction the scent was coming from. On the way, he tripped over a root and tumbled head-over-heels right into a bush full of berries.

Well, that was one way to do it.

Radarr sat up and shook himself, irritated at having gotten purple berry stains on his uniform. However, food was food, and he certainly wasn't going to complain about finding it.

Perhaps it was because his nose was full of the scent of the berries, or maybe he was so happily munching on them that he completely turned off the rest of the world. All he knew was there was no reason he should have cut it so close.

Yet…he did.

Only when he realized that the glowing, yellow eyes were right in front of him, staring at him through the bush, did he squeal in fright and leap straight up toward the nearest tree branch. As soon as he did, something huge and dark leapt at him, its heavy jaws snapping shut on air as it just missed its target.

Panting heavily, Radarr looked down, pricking his ears toward the creature in astonishment. What was that thing?

The creature crouched below the branch, growling in frustration, its hackles standing on end, causing the spines that ran along its back to rise as well. Its long, curved tail was held high and straight in the air with tension. It looked to be like some sort of dog-like animal, a black hound of some sort. Its fur was black, smooth, and very short so that it almost had a beautiful, metallic shine about it. The ears were wolf-like and currently pined back against the head as it growled at him, showing enormous, pearly-white fangs. The hound had a certain powerful bulk about it but was not so much that it was lumbering. It was more as if it had a body that was versatile enough to be quick, enduring, and powerful all at once. To make it even scarier, it was more than twice Radarr's size.

Radarr got a second look at those teeth. Definitely a carnivore. Thankfully, it couldn't reach him up here in this tree.

Apparently, though, the hound didn't intend to leave it at that. It reared up on its hind legs and rested its huge paws against trunk of the tree, giving on deep warning bark. Then, with a huge breath, it opened its mouth.

Radarr stared in horror as he saw the flames beginning to form within the hound's throat. It was a fire breather!

Well, staying in this tree was certainly not an option. With a squeal of terror, Radarr took a flying leap to the forest floor, landing midstride and racing away as fast as he could. Seeing his quarry on the run, the hound held back its fire and leaped after it, snarling in frustration.

Radarr's eyes were wide with fear. He wasn't used to facing dangers alone. He wasn't fearless, by any means, but it was much easier to face an enemy with Aerrow by his side. With Aerrow, anything was possible. Alone… how could he possibly handle this alone?

It was like Terra Zartacla. Just keep thinking like that, he told himself.

The hound was getting closer. For a moment, Radarr thought he smelled its hot breath on his back. Quickly he skidded to the side, veering around a tree. The hound couldn't turn as quickly. It spun around and skidded on the forest floor a moment, kicking up leaves and dirt at a standstill momentarily before it was able to follow.

Radarr glanced back. The hound had lost ground, thanks to that, but it was quickly gaining it back. Radarr had to do something.

What would Aerrow do?

Advantages. Aerrow would use whatever advantage he had. The hound was obviously bigger and stronger and quicker… but it wasn't as agile! Smirking, Radarr veered around another tree. Growling, the hound veered with him, again missing its mark and losing ground. Radarr did it again, this time hearing the hound's jaws snap behind him as it reached for him. That one was too close for comfort.

The trees were thinning. Radarr was losing places to veer. Now what?

As if in answer to his question, the dark silhouette of a building seemed to materialize in front of him. It looked rundown and old, maybe abandoned. In the wall facing him appeared to be a hole, a result of decay.

Perfect.

Without another thought, Radarr plunged straight for the wall and dived into the hole. He moved his way through it with relative ease. It had expanded through years of decay and erosion from wind and sand. However, this wasn't necessarily a good thing. As Radarr emerged on the other side and turned to face it, he wasn't certain one way or the other if the hound would be able to follow.

Ah well... better safe than sorry. He should keep moving.

Radarr turned to face the building's interior, and was slightly overwhelmed by what he saw. It was much bigger than he anticipated, and a gigantic clutter of machinery, vents, wires, and boxes filled the room, turning it into a veritable obstacle course. However, despite all the mess and the powerful-looking equipment, it was actually surprisingly quiet.

Radarr looked about himself nervously, adrenaline still running through his system from the chase. Deciding that it didn't really matter which direction he took, he chose to turn left and kept low to the ground, moving slowly on all fours. Perhaps from some deeper instinct, Radarr crawled onto a large pipe rising above the floor, and moved along it, maintaining a bird's eye view of the floor-plan. There was other equipment that rose just as high, but Radarr felt safer up here rather than down in the dusty dark haze below.

But then, Radarr's ears perked up as he heard a rather uninvited noise. It was the sound of splintering wood, and the Storm Hawk turned his head towards the source.

It was the hound. It had fought its way through the hole after Radarr, and as it made its way through the last tight squeeze, its claws tore apart the floorboards in annoyance.

Radarr gulped nervously. He was veryglad he had crawled up here. The pipe wasn't large enough to hold the weight of the hound, so it wouldn't be able to pursue if it spotted him. However, a sudden thought occurred to Radarr as he realized that while he may be out of the range of the hound itself, he may not necessarily be out of range of its fire.

But then, another sound boomed its way through the empty building. It was a loud metallic clang, and Radarr instinctively looked towards to source. It sounded like a door had slammed shut, but Radarr didn't look in time to pinpoint exactly where it came from. It sounded like it had come from the other side of the factory. Radarr strained to listen, but he couldn't tell if anyone had come or gone.

But Radarr didn't have time to speculate on the possibility of anyone else being inside the building, for at that moment he turned just in time to see the hound leap up at him. It had been silently stalking him, but thankfully, Radarr was just high enough to escape the large, sharp teeth.

However, the near miss was enough to seriously startle Radarr, and he bolted down the length of the pipe. He could hear the heavy paws of the hound beneath him as he ran. But then, Radarr was forced to come to a halt – the pipe took a vertical turn and extended into the ceiling. End of the line.

Radarr stood on his hind legs, grabbing the turn of the pipe for support. He looked down at the hound, circling below. Now what? The beast below had grown frighteningly still, and Radarr had the unpleasant feeling that it was preparing its throat for another fire.

But then, an even more unpleasant feeling grabbed a hold on Radarr. A lurch, to be more precise. The Storm Hawk looked to his left and discovered that the short vertical length of piper he was grasping a hold on was actually rusted through.

The pipe was about to fall.

Radarr screeched, but he was too late, for another sudden lurch took hold as the last of the metal faltered under Radarr's weight, and drifted down directly towards the hound. It was all Radarr could do to leap off, and scurry away down the first route that presented itself. The hound turned its head and was about to bark in pursuit, when a clang informed Radarr (who was too frightened to look behind) that the creature had been hit by the falling pipe. Well... Radarr figured. It couldn't do anything to improve the hound's mood, but hopefully that bought him the distraction he needed to get away.

Unfortunately, that did not seem the case, as the hound (rather obviously) was in possession of a hound's nose. It picked up Radarr's trail quite easily, and lunged after the interesting prey.

Radarr panted hard as he ran. He didn't hear the heavy footfalls of the beast behind him, so chances were the thing didn't know exactly where Radarr was. He had hidden himself quite well amongst the various junk and machinery of the building, though he knew that an animal like that probably would not give up easily. Radarr rose to his hind legs and looked around. He needed a hiding spot... a good one...

There! There was a vent leading away from the various contraptions that encircled Radarr. The opening was just big enough for Radarr to sneak into and partially stand... but it was definitely too small for the large hound to enter. Taking care to keep as quiet as he could, Radarr crawled into the vent, hoping that it led away into some other, distant room, or at best, perhaps out of the building.

But that wasn't the case. As Radarr moved along the cold steel, he tried looking around to get an idea of where he was. It was very dark, but his senses alerted him that a large area opened up above him. Due to a distant light shining through in very weak and thin shafts, Radarr could just make out some pistons and gears leading up above him. Was he inside one of the factory's machines?

Suddenly, Radarr bumped into something and fell forwards. It was still hard to see, but Radarr felt a wet... something... beneath his feet. No, that wasn't right... it was more greasy than wet. Suddenly, a breeze echoed down the shaft and Radarr caught its scent. Was that... oil? Radarr stumbled backwards, being careful not to slip on the mess, when he bumped into what felt like more containers of oil, though some were sealed off. Radarr groaned in irritation as more of the substance found its way onto his already matted and stinky fur. He took a few more steps back the way he came, thinking about leaving, when all of a sudden, he heard a very unpleasant reminder of his situation.

Heavy paws fell right outside the vent.

The hound had tracked Radarr to the inside of the machine. Radarr looked back in a brief flutter of panic. He had almost forgotten about his pursuer. But that was alright... like he had made note of before, the shaft was too small to allow the hound access.

But then, a sound echoed from the end of the vent which sent a shiver down Radarr's spine. It was a mix between a howl and rushing wind. The hound was inhaling, getting ready to once again breathe its fire.

And Radarr was standing in a closed-in shaft.
Drenched in oil.

Radarr squawked in alarm and jumped up into the gears and levers above him. He swung off pistons and pipes, climbing his way to the top, where he saw a grate seal off the inner workings. All he could do was hope it was rusted through just like everything else, yet he didn't have long to worry, for it was only seconds after the howl that the hound let loose with its fire. The flames quickly took hold of the oil in the shaft, roaring up into the machine. Radar looped and swung his way higher, the fire quickly gaining. Pressure was building inside the various instruments, and Radarr heard metallic stress resonating all around him. The flames were coming closer, some almost licking Radarr's tail. So close... the grate was right there...

Then, with a mighty bang, the sealed-off containers of oil exploded under the pressure. Radarr burst through the grate just as a massive fireball erupted from behind him. Radarr fell to the ground and panted harshly. Now that... was a close call. But he couldn't relax now. The hound was nowhere to be found, (probably either injured or fled from the backlash of the explosion) but the fireball belched from the machine was large enough to reach the ceiling. In fact, it looked like the force of the explosion had burst a hole straight through!

Radarr quickly rose to his feet and looked around. The flames were spreading... that blast was more serious than he had anticipated. He had to get out of here before the situation was really made impossible! However, fortunately the misadventure had led Radarr close to where he had originally entered the factory. It wasn't difficult to navigate back to the hole he had used to crawl inside.

Moving swiftly and fearfully, Radarr scurried away back to the forest and his awaiting skyride. He feared the trees might catch fire, but fortunately the forest seemed too far away to be in any serious danger.

Radarr found his rusty ride (though now it never looked more inviting) and hopped on, starting the engine instantly. Rising up above the trees, he breathed a final sigh of relief as he made his way away from the terra. All of that over some berries! But fortunately, he wasn't hurt. Things could have been a lot worse. And at least (as far as he could tell) the factory had been empty.