Chapter 88: All New to Her
A/
The wolf was in the same spot when the three others had become fluorescent lights. Starfire and Raven were the first to make it up the steps. The wolf growled loudly so that there was tension between persons. "So, the rumors are true. You have returned, priestess." Hikana gave in to the words as her eyes flashed open. "So, what of it, cur."
The wolf lashed out. "Don't you DARE speak to me like that you insolent child!" The wolf snarled under its breath.
Beastboy became a wolf and tried to knock down the other, with eyes attached to the one that needed to be taught a lesson. "CMon! Go!" Beastboy growled as the team watched him fight for a friend. The team nodded and ran for the next flight of stairs. "Where's Alice?' he snarled at the spitting dog across from him. The wolf merely chuckled at him.
"Havn't you figured it out yet? It isn't her we're after…oh no. It's…..HIM!" Beastboy watched the surefire dog transform into a serpent and then slide in to attack. Kayu had Terra who was about to awaken, but when she saw the beast images flashed before her eyes, terrible ones of pain from something strong….stronger than her even.
"Wha…." Her eyes slowly opened. Kayu began to panic. "Wha? Noo! Don't wake up yet!" he cried around her body and form into space. Starfire watched as Tara took time to look around. Then getting uncomfortable, she got the feeling she wasn't alone at all. 'Groan…Where am I?"
"Happy to see me children." It was Slade, and he was with someone. A woman with flaming red hair in a black dress with wings protruding from her back. Veronica was back.The wolf transformed back and trot up to its old master. "Hello old friend. I'd thought I'd lost you for good —
Well think again." Slade sent a blast from the staff he held at the wolf. "I've been keeping your secret safe for many months at a time now." Began the man. "But it seems that my tongue will slip if you don't remain silent." The wolf lowered its ears. "What are you saying? Have I no right like yourself?"
Slade shook his masked head. "No. I am simply saying that you have proven difficult to deal with, and that I'm sorry to say that you are no longer with my sevices."
Veronica seethed. "Ooh. Tough move." The monster wolf clawed at the floor impatiently. "But…ah, you said—
I said nothing of the sort." Implied the man, interrupting. "You did this all to yourself, just as Robin brought on his own fate from his child-like curiosity."
"What are they saying?" Asked Raven to Wizardmon. Wizardmon lowered his head. "Debating on whether the animal spirit should stay while Roku is still dormant…" He replied meditating. "I…Do not understand. What has the wolf creature done?" Starfire turned to Cyborg who scratched his head unknowingly. "He's a bad guy Star , they both are."
"Where is Robin." Began the Tamaranian with anger etched in her words. Slade only looked the same without care. "You needn't guess. He's probably just waking up in a new world somewhere." When he said new world, his eyes grew wide. Slade was gonna pay…
Starfire used her power to blast at the man. They were too late as Veronica rushed to defend a man that didn't need saving. She created tendrils of darkness and brought shadows to appear about the room. Starfire saw Alice come from behind a corner wall. She was shaking, freaked out somehow. "Alice!" Verra called. "You ok?" He asked politely as well as impatiently. She shook her head wildly, crying. "NO! NO! I WON'T!" She seemed to be tear streaken and unhealthily hurting someplace inside.
"What's wrong with her?" Asked Verra. Kayu shook his head slowly. "Hurt, she must have seen something from her past." Sniffling, the girl tried to speak. "I-….I saw a white fox that showed-….that showed me terrible things! HORRIBLE, things." Alice fell to her knees in a slump.
"Get her up B, we'll take care of Slade." Cyborg said as he loaded his cannon. Where's Robin. Demanded Raven through thought. "Fine." Veronica said, annoyed by the fact that they couldn't leave. "If that's how you want it!"
Verra finished off. "Then you got it!" Coming at his sister, he was thrown into the air by a smoke bomb from Slade's pouch. "There isn't time for this." He said. "We must go. Farewell Titans, see you in the afterlife." With a wave of his palm, the man had created a dark portal to the other side; where they would go back to claim Robin for themselves. "Oh, and so this won't confuse you, you really did see nothing just now." The sorceress and demon woman winked.
The team coughed and helped each other up from the floor. "How's everyone?" Asked Verra as he got to his feet. Starfire was reduced to tears as she thought of the loss of her friend. Kayu was about to calm her with a simple charm when a glow errupted from his arms. Terra!
She wanted to panic but was held back as the bright glow kept her still. Her head was hurting as had Robin's from the beginning. Her eyes glew golden as Terra's had done when her powers had activated. Beastboy gasped as he made for her form so they could meet. She shoved him back with an airy push. A gust of it threw him back as to not disturb a thing, to her new self. "Beastboy? What are you doing?! I can't be with you…!" The force surrounding her made itself appear strongly as the team was aghast with emotion. It was a god like sight to see. Terra was going to come into their world at last.
B/
The strange glow began to die out, just as a flame will when it is not tended to. Tara was free to move about. "Terra!" Beastboy ran to hug her tight. His eyes showed release as she held back her thoughts. Then offended. "Get off! I don't need you." She was like Robin, only stiffer to think of such a subject.
"Ahh! Who-
What is —
Terra! Calm down. Everything can and will be explained." Verra said, dutiful changes taking place. Tara almost jumped when she saw him. A fox like animal with red eyes and black fur. He looked like some freak like the things she'd seen on her old journeys in the past as Terra. "Who's Terra?" She asked with a rude and confused tone in her voice.
Beastboy took the chance that he'd been given and went for the center of his long lost friend. "Terra, it's me? Don't you remember? Everyone, Raven, Star, Cyborg, Beastboy? We're the Teen Titans!" he smiled. "You've gotta remember… Please…."
She looked up with softer eyes but the tension was still with it. "I don't. I don't remember anyone except for Beastboy!"
She shot looks at the guardians. "And who are these guys? More of your friends?" Her icy stare left them all defenseless. "I never wanted to be here, but some wolf chased me through a tunnel and that's how I got here!" She hung her head. "Then you guys talked about losing someone…" She wanted to cry for that person, she wanted to cry even though she didn't know!
"That person." Wiz shated. "Was the Titan's leader. "But since you don't remember having any enemies, then that chat wouldn't help you at all." Tara covered her mouth. "YOUR LEADER!?"
Starfire looked back at her teammates.
"I-I mean I remember seeing you on the news, in the papers in Jump. But your leader was kidnapped? How? And who was that guy and the lady with the costume? —
That wasn't a costume." Cy said in monotone. "She was real." Tara was about to fall out of the arms of the guardian when she began to recognise a scream from a blonde girl younger than herself.
She was crying and Raven was trying to help her up.
"H-He-He tried to hurt me….Everyone does….WHY?" She looked at Raven bitterly, compared to a hardheaded Terra. Raven stooped to her level. "Alice, we need to know. Who hurt you? What happened?" She only shook harder in the teen's arms.
"Agh!" The gitl clawed her way out of the Titan's protective force and went straight up to Tara. "What are you doing awake?" The crying girl whimpered. Tara was taken aback. Awake? Had she been asleep this whole time?
"You've got the wrong girl, I was in trouble at school with a wolf!"
Alice laughed in her face.
"HA! So, the wolf found little red hood, but no matter. I'm going to find him if it's that LAST thing I ever do…." Terra growled. "What? 'Little red what! You take that back!!"
She and Alice rushed at one another until the Raven haired teen broke them up with her mantra. "Stop it. No fighting here." She let one down, but Alice was still in midair. "Let me go! I want to see my brother!!" she shouted loudly. Tara yelled;
"So what? My brother doesn't want to see me!" Wiz took out his staff and placed it in front of either girl. "Ladies, if you would kindly place your palms on my staff point, then we could figure this out a bit more." Tara huffed a Alice was let down. Alice's eyes turned green.
"Sigh…Well, at least you tried old friend." Kayu pat his friend on the shoulder.
