19 years ago...

It was almost as if being airborne,except for the falling feeling Wendy felt at every degree and angle.Sometimes it felt confusing,she knew she was moving but gravity seemed to be sucking her in with unyielding,even controlling arms of force.Finally after what was probably a minute or two,the familiarty of daylight hit her and she felt herself dropping down as if she had jumped,feeling the poking and sweeping of plants that she soon found out were some meticulously trimmed bushes.Upon looking upward,she noticed the coloration of the brick structure of a building that was behind her,a light brown almost tannish color with dark red pigments.

"Well,"She began in a slightly disgruntled tone as she worked her way out of the and onto the sidewalk,plucking some leafs from her thick brunette hair and getting a reasonable level of composure back."Apart from the imperfect entrance,this is a pretty lucky break for us.Were right in front of our school...well,in the future."

"Agreed but the best thing for us to do is to locate our parents."Cole suggested as he found the ground with a little more ease,turning his head this way and that as if in anticpation they would just pop out."Let's see,it's 3:27 and school in our time doesn't let out until 3:35,"he stated prefiguratively,glancing at his watch."But I'm not for sure on what time they let out now,so I think we should just wait a while."

"Um,Cole."Wendy began a bit dazedly,pulling his arm a little to get him see to their far left towards a street corner where a tall girl with honey blonde hair and a somewhat shorter Asian-appearing boy stood talking right behind a bus stop.

"One guess,our parents?"He inquired over to her laconicly.

She squinted her eyes to get a better focus,nodding a bit."I think so,do you think we should go up and listen in on them?Maybe their talking about the skulls."

"There's no good covering for us,"Cole remarked,unconvinced."It's just out in the open for any given someone to see us;I actually have to agree with your animal guardian,Wendy.One little slip up and we can change the course of history."

"Hmm,"she tilted her head thoughtfully and then as she watched the two of them parting,turned to Cole."We should split up.You go after Dad and me for Mom."

A slightly dumbfounded look spread across his face."You've got to be kidding me about this."he then grew more serious."It wouldn't make any sense if we did it that way but the splitting up idea is good.Why don't we just reverse that and go?"

"I voted you should follow our dad because he has a photographic memory when it comes to the few people,or person,he guards with his life."She folded her arms coolly,predicting his reaction."Though I know me going after Mom isn't probably a very good idea,the Huntsman would remember you too easily as well.I guess I think that just because you and he are sort of a like,but anyways,the best thing-"

"Don't you EVER compare him to me!"Cole snapped on her,his sable eyes now taking on a bit of their dangerous glow when she met them and for a moment they just stood there like that.Just staring at one another in a locked,edgy manner.

Though she felt a bit of unnerving in her viscera,Wendy managed to keep a level and nearly unfaltered voice."You know what I mean,"her words turned sympathic slightly."And I know what you mean.But there's just one little event in the future that is definitely going to cause him to remember me for a very long time."

Instead of replying,he motioned towards their parents briskly departing ways and the two wordlessly moved in the direction of the stop sign that seemed to bisect them all Wendy observed to herself.For a few moments her mind was racing with other segments of ideas flashing past her,before she finally heard Cole sigh.

"Go after our mother if you wish,"he said in a voice tinged with weariness and she instantly knew why he was acting bizzare or somewhat like his old self."We have to catch them before they round the corner or it'll be much difficulter to find them."

An idea shot through Wendy's mind then,causing her to ask uncertaintly."Does our cell phones work in this time period?It's our only means of communication."

"Mind does,"he commented as he checked in an outright move,peering over his shoulder a bit."Does yours?I think your service was made a couple of years ago."

"Uh..."She began fretfully,dodging glances this way and that before throwing up her hands in fustration."Alright,if you find out anything call me and if I find out anything I'll call you.But...right...now...Mom...is.Oh...We-gotta-go-now,-call-later-bye!"

With that,she tore off down the sidewalk in pursuit.He watched her for just a few more moments,hoping with all his might she wouldn't run into the Huntsman and also swearing that if he did anything to her,it would be the last thing he ever did.As her figure disappeared and he turned to see Jake going into an alleyway,more then likely not to change he suspected,Cole broke into a sprint in that direction also.

On the top of a skyscraper...

Wendy's reflection caught multiple times as she aviated up a towering building,after following her mother to the back of an old abadoned shop,she had listened in on Rose's transmission from the Huntsman telling her the exact location to meet him in order to have a special meeting about the skulls and though she viewed her mother transporting away with her staff,she had known the location he was speaking of and now was nearing the top.This is it...I'm going to find out where these skulls are.

Carefully sneaking a peek over the edge where the roofing slated down in a lenghty sqaure,a few large metal cylindrical figures where scattered around and she took the oppurtunity to hide behind one,watching the other young girl approach a large and hulking man who Wendy remembered bitterly as the Huntsman.There were a few minutes that passed in which they merely stood there chatting and she was about to decide something,when two large,winged creatures surfaced in unison just on the opposing side of the building;landing a good few yards from the two hunters.

"Dragons."The Huntsman wasted no time in declaring in a loud,clear voice,his eyes appraising them calmly."So,were here to discuss under the condition that we both know full well what the other one wants...and since both of our forces are of equal power it seems,I am willing to settle on something."he slipped the young girl beside him a figuring look and then turned back."Give us the skulls and you'll be spared."

Jake's look took on a shocked expression,Laoshi flinched,Rose didn't move a beat.

As the two dragons seemed to be sizing up their odds,Wendy turned to get a good look at her mother curiously.She was taller then her at this age,dressed down very slendorly in maroon attire and though she seemed to keep a sombered appearance mostly for the Huntsman's satisfactory she guessed,it seemed to her that there was a rigidness to the way her mother held herself;like she was fighting to control herself.

"You want our awnser,Huntspunk."Jake finally spoke up,his voice and eyes filled with audaciousness as he rose into the air."Well,here it comes in one huge-"

"No,young one."The elderly navy blue dragon remonstrated him in a careful voice as he also resumed flight to his grandson's level and placed a claw on his shoulder to return him to the ground."We agreed to resolve this in words,not fighting."

"But Gramps,makin' a deal with this guy is like..."He tried his luck again to convince him and yet only recieved a well-intended scolding look in response.

"Foolish creatures,in a matter of four days the Aztec Altar with make it's centenary reappearance in a random location and once we locate it,we shall place the skulls we have gathered thus far and once their alined,they will create a path to where the others are hid."a glower piereced his eyes."We were wanting to be reasonable."

The fourteen-year-old crimson dragon caught Huntsgirl's eye for a moment but only shook his head,his tone of voice dead steadfast."Take your offer and shove it."

She chuckled a little at the Huntsman's scowl but a deep sense of admiration for her father surged in Wendy,as they all dispersed from the scene,though she couldn't move her azure eyes from the girl enough to leave herself and find Cole.A small and slightly familiar urge welled up in her,causing her to ponder on things for a moment as Rose turned to mouth something to Jake and then left with the Huntsman.

"I think I know a way how we can foil everyone's plans and stop anyone from ever using those things."Wendy said aloud when she sensed the presence of someone behind her,a new plan unfolding in her mind."We'll have to go undercover on both their sides,it's the only way we'll stand a slight chance at getting those skulls back."

To Be Continued...

A/N:There you have it,the undercover bit is a big deal in this story and the arrival of the Dark Dragon is,ironically,also due in four days.Though,why it is taking four days will be unveiled later on in future chapters.Hang tight,things'll pick up soon.

LP