CFB: Sorry this is late! Meant to have it up Sunday, but I'm easily distracted. My one year anniversary of joining FFN is coming up (or might have passed...I'm not sure) so I wanted to update both my fics ASAP. Here's the update for this one.

Here's chapter 4. Hamtaro sees something amazing, aa slumber party is thrown into the mix, you learn why you should, yet again, never trust Stan, and there's a high-speed chase...of sorts.

Disclaimer: Hamtaro and it's characters aren't mine. Siren and my OC's are.

Thanks to...

CN: Thank you for your review! Yeah, there's a smidge more action in this chapter, but mostly all plot stuff for this and the next chapter. And then...all action, basically. It's not too long of a fic, we're pretty much halfway there...I think. Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing! I'm so glad you still like this!

Awesomewriter123: I'm glad you got around to it, and I'm glad you like it! You have some good guesses, but I think a lot of the answers (and maybe a few surprises...) are in this chapter. Hopefully I didn't disappoint! Thanks for the review!

katana777: I'm glad you like it! I'll have to consider that other site. (Took me two years before I finally got around to joining this one...) Sounds intriguing. Thanks for the advice and the great review!

Enjoy!


Chapter 4: Confrontation...Twice.

"Hamha!"

Hamtaros' voice was full of cheer and joy as he entered the Clubhouse early the next morning.

The mood that met him when he entered was not nearly the same as his vibrant one. Everyone seemed solemn and down-spirited, sitting at the yellow table all together, as if having a serious discussion. Only Siren was absent from the group, it appeared. "What's wrong guys?" Hamtaro asked worriedly, afraid something dreadful had happened while he had been gone for the night.

Twelve pairs of eyes turned to regard him sadly, and his perky mood faded in an instant. "We've just heard some disturbing news regarding Siren," Maxwell informed him grimly. The book that Siren had been looking at the previous day was already resting on the table, crimson colored bookmark still in it's place on the page with the illustrious picture of the Guardian depicted on it.

"Really? What?" Hamtaro, perturbed, pulled up his own chair and waited for the news to fall. This 'disturbing news' was starting to sound like a broken record, and it was unnerving him, and everyone else, he was sure.

It was Panda who replied, in a quiet, grim tone with eyes downcast, "I was walking home yesterday when this weird, fanged hamster leapt out of the bushes and told me that we shouldn't be friends with Siren. He said she was lying to us!"

"Heke?" Hamtaro was shocked.

"Zis is 'orrible! What if what Maxwell zinks ees true?" Bijou fretted, wringing her paws nervously. She liked to believe the best of the hazy eyed female they had only just recently befriended. All suspicions that had arisen the first day they had met Siren were now resurfacing, more powerful and strange than they had been before, and from the determined look on most of the ham-hams faces, they wanted answers about the mysterious behaviors, and good ones.

"Well, we must set the record straight!" Dexter announced sternly, eyes narrowed. "As much as I would like the be friends with a new ham, if said ham is a liar and keeping important things from us it cannot be tolerated!"

Sandy shook her head in quiet disbelief, and Stan kept his eyes closed, arms crossed over his chest, as if struggling with emotions. Panda was fidgeting uncomfortably on his stool. Cappy, hoping with all his might that the only hamster his age was not a two-faced liar, piped up, a childlike worry glowing in his liquid brown eyes, "But what happens if she isn't being honest?"

Nobody wanted to answer his question.

"Shhh...I hear feet in the tunnel..." Boss said suddenly, his words bringing silence to the anxiously chattering hams.

Hamtaro raised one fist in the air, eyes narrowed in focus. "I'll handle this! I'll get to the bottom of it, or my name isn't Hamtaro, Ham-Ham Detective!" He struck a valiant, heroic pose, painstakingly serious about what he had just said.

All the ham-hams stared at him blankly, causing Hamtaro's nervousness to grow by the second as he remained firmly in his pose, though his legs had begun to quake. "Er...Hamtaro, maybe you'd better let me handle it," Maxwell suggested, relieving him of the duty.

"Okie-dokie!"

Before they could say another word, Siren ambled in, shutting the door quietly behind her. A bright smile had lit up her face. "Ham..." She started cheerily, before she caught a glimpse of the somber faces of her newfound friends. "...ha...What's wrong?" She asked, tilting her head to one side, forehead creased concernedly.

Their silence was enough to alert her of the seriousness she was about to encounter from them. Instantly, the fur on the back of her neck stood on end and she instinctively prepared for the worst. Had something bad happened? The way they were looking at her...some of them hurt, others looking almost angry...it was enough to give her heart a painful twist.

"Siren, there is something we need to speak about." Maxwell said, his tone business-like, although he dreaded what he was about to do.

Siren saw a light blue stool set up for her a little ways away from the table, in a spot where everyone sitting around the table could see her clearly. This strange setup was starting to frighten her, like she was about to face some kind of firing squad. Only slightly reluctant, she plopped down onto the stool, eager to get to the root of whatever the problem was so the hams would stop looking at her with those heart-wrenchingly disappointed faces.

"Okay. What is it?"

Without a word, Maxwell set the book gently down on the edge of the wooden table, so she could see it from where she was sitting. Siren's outer appearance remained unfazed, but she mentally cursed her carelessness when she saw it, the bookmark perfectly in place where she had stupidly left it. How could she have been so idiotic, leaving pawprints for people to follow? It was like meeting these ham-hams had made her less careful somehow, when it was really a case where she needed to be much more cautious.

"I remember you were looking at this book when we were researching yesterday morning, and I also saw you stick this bookmark in it after Oxnard made his discovery. You never once flipped the page, so why didn't you inform us when you saw this..." He opened the book to the designated page.

Siren saw the illustrious Guardian, full fledged on the page, the Legend of Fate running across the opposite. She gulped nervously, perspiration building up on her forehead. Was there even a way she could climb out of this hole she had gotten herself into? She was straying into risky territory, letting her comfort overtake her guard...she would have to amend that. "Erm...I sort of got caught up in the beauty of the art, and reading the legend again. I guess..." She took a deep breath, the ham-hams on the edge of their seats as the waited for the rest of her response.

"I guess...I just got kind of lost. I've seen the legend a stuff so many times...it's just second-nature to me now. I didn't think anything of it."

Siren thought it was a lame excuse, unimaginative and weak, and bit her tongue after it. However, the somber mood lifted a little in the room, and small smiles started lighting up on the ham-hams' faces like flowers popping out of the earth. A wave of relief splashed over Siren's frantically pounding heart.

"That's pretty understandable, Siren! I know that whenever I start to knit I don't notice what's going on around me either!" Pashmina said cheerily, while Penelope squeaked, "Ookwee!"

Siren shrugged, a small smile adorning her face. "I probably should have told you guys anyway, instead of getting caught up in fantasies. I am sorry. I would have told you eventually, but Oxnard found out anyway, so it all worked out in the end, I guess..." Siren found the story slipping off her tongue faster than she could think it up. At least she had dodged yet another bullet.

"Secondly..." Maxwell began, in the same down-to-seriousness tone he had used before. Siren's eyebrows shot up in surprise, as she had figured she was out of the woods.

"There's a secondly?!?!"

"...Panda had an odd encounter with a hamster last night. Panda?"

Panda stood up at the table and carefully cleared his throat. Siren's intense azure gaze was making him hesitant, but he launched into his tale nonetheless, though he couldn't help but feel like he was tattling on her, betraying her in some way, and he couldn't meet her inquisitive gaze. "I was walking home yesterday when this caped hamster with red eyes and teeth like a cat leapt out of the bushes and started to tell me that..." He froze, tentative, but forged on,

"...that you knew a lot more about the Guardian then you let on, and that you were a...liar."

Siren absorbed this slowly and looked around at each face one by one. The emerging smiles had faded, leaving pained expressions in their wake. The ham-hams looked...hurt. Sad, at the possibility she had been a liar. Siren didn't quite know how to handle that. She hadn't counted on anything like this happening when she had come to the Clubhouse with Bijou and Hamtaro three days earlier. But these tales she was spinning were just something she had to do in order to keep herself, and her new friends, safe from the dangers that lurked around every corner. It was necessary...

"I don't know a hamster who looks like that..." She answered weakly, which was, for once, the truth. She felt like she was shrinking under the imploring, mixed gazes of the ham-hams.

"But...he knew your name," Panda said softly.

Siren was confounded. Not many people knew her by name, unless you counted every single inhabitant of her old home and her new friends, and a pawful others. No one with a cape and cat fangs, she was certain. She had no idea who this hamster was...she was sure...but just thinking of the description was making her anxious, and something deep inside her could sense incoming danger, the fur on her back bristling faintly.

"Well..." Siren wracked her brain for anything, any tiny little fib, to fill her story with. "I did come across a group of Historians when I was in a big city once, a bunch of serious hamsters who were theorizing about Hamwall and whether or not the people and legends existed. I...er...told them they did exist and it caused an uproar in the hamster civilization around that city. Apparently, they thought otherwise.

"Oh. Okay!" Cappy smiled, childlike innocence eminent, as if that solved everything. The rest of the ham-hams started to murmur quietly in agreement.

"One last thing!" Maxwell's voice cut through the welcoming chatter of the ham-hams. "You said earlier this week that you read the legends of Hamwall while still in your mother's care. Hamsters need their mother's care for two months. No hamster can read that young. Much less speak."

"Erm..." The hurt faces had returned with a vengeance. How long was this interrogation going to take?

"Uh...Maybe I embellished a little. My mother actually kicked me out when I was almost half a year old. It took that long for the rumors to start around Hampett, it's a slow moving town, and I went to the library all the time as soon as I could read, when I was four months. A bit later, I was kicked out."

An awkward silence settled in the room. Only the sound of Snoozer snoring in the corner filled the air. "Zu...zu...zu...You could be wrong, you know..." He said sleepily, before drifting back into a silent, dreamy slumber.

"We're so sorry Siren!" Everyone apologized at once, causing the gray, black, and white female to topple backwards off her stool. After she hopped back on her feet, Maxwell stepped towards her, offering his paw in an apologetic pawshake, sounding very earnest indeed. "I'm very sorry, Siren. We probably shouldn't have interrogated you like that!" From the friendly gleam in his eye, Siren knew he meant what he said.

She waved a dismissive paw. "Aw, it's okay. I am a pretty complex ham, hard to understand." Siren said with an inward sigh of relief and an outer lopsided grin. They believed her. They believed every little thing she told them. And that was what mattered most right now.

"I knew what zat red-eyed 'am-'am said couldn't be true!" Bijou said warmly, stepping up to give Siren's still-shivering paws a reassuring squeeze. Other apologies and words of comfort floated to Siren's ears, and instantly, she relaxed and found she was smiling just as brightly as her newfound playmates.

"Anyway guys, Laura just left on vacation!" Hamtaro changed the subject swiftly, not wanting a negative attitude around his friends and himself for too long. "She'll be gone for two whole days...which means I'm free to roam!"

"Kana is gone too! She went to camp for the weekend!"

"Oui, Maria's parents sent her to some awful music camp for ze entire week. I'll miss her zo much, her parents pay no attention to me when Maria is away!" Bijou said sadly, ears drooping.

"Kylie and June went to the same camp as Kana, so we're free to be out for the weekend."

"Ookwee!"

Hamtaro, mind overflowing with ideas, as usual, had a plan. "So, I was thinking we could have a Ham-ham slumber party here at the Clubhouse! Since most of our owners are either on vacation or at sleep away camp, it would let us have some fun together until they get back!" Hamtaro suggested brightly, hoping his idea would be supported.

Bijou brightened immensely, and so did every other domestic hamster who missed their owners while they were gone. Instantly, agreements filled the air and excitement started to well up in the cozy room.

"Sounds great! Mimi is going away later today to a sleepover at a friend's house, so her dad will hardly check on me. I'm all in!" Panda agreed with a brilliant smile.

"Kip and Sue are so busy at the store lately they've laid off a bit. They won't even notice I'm gone for one night, I guess..." Cappy said absently, as if somewhat wondering aloud to himself.

"Same here!" Sandy, Maxwell, Stan, Howdy, and Dexter said in unison, as they realized sneaking away for one day wouldn't be too much of an issue.

"Then it's settled hams!" Boss slammed his fist enthusiastically on the table, but in a cheerful manner, "We're going to have a ham-ham slumber party!"

"Hamtast!" Pashmina squealed.

Siren looked at everyone, a frazzled expression playing on her face. "Uh, guys? What's a slumber party?"


After gathering up some treats and his favorite blanket in his cage at Laura's empty house, Hamtaro returned to the Clubhouse with Oxnard, who was carrying his favorite seed and a checkered blanket his girl-ham Pepper had made for him last time Kana had visited her cousin Dylan. Forgetting all past woes, they traipsed merrily toward the Clubhouse, chatting.

The sun was beginning to set, casting a golden-orange glow throughout the park; they had left to get their things at about noon, but had decided that they would all return at dusk, even those with absent owners, to avoid suspicions of those who still had their owners in town. "I'm really excited for the slumber party, aren't you?" Hamtaro asked his best hammo.

"Yeah, I think it will be lots of fun. Boss will break into his secret stash of extra yummy delicious treats for us all to share!" A dreamy expression crossed Oxnard's face at the mention of good cuisine.

"Yeah! I can't wait!" Hamtaro closed his eyes as they entered the dark, dank entrance tunnel. The sound of hamster's chatting reached their ears as they neared the door. It got continuously louder until they finally entered, keen eyes becoming accustomed to the lights that blared in the Clubhouse.

"Hamha! Who's not here yet?" Hamtaro asked after greeting his friends.

"Pashmina, Penelope, and Cappy haven't shown up yet," Dexter answered. He was tossing pillows into a large pile. Hamtaro saw many blankets already set out in various areas, and even Snoozer had a brand new pink sock for the occasion that Boss had picked up for him around town.

As if on cue, the door burst open a few seconds later. Pashmina entered with a perky smile on her face, Penelope mimicking her. Cappy followed shortly thereafter. Siren was setting up a spare, fuzzy gray blanket Panda had given her to use for the night, wondering what kind of activities one did at a slumber party.

"Good! Now everyone's here!" Boss announced, bringing silence to the ham-hams. "We can get this party started."

"What are we going to do first, Boss?" Bijou inquired innocently.

Boss felt his mind lock up and he frantically began to think, not wanting to look like a bumbling fool in front of the apple-of-his-eye, to no avail. "Uh...I have no idea..." Without an owner to observe, Boss didn't know too many aspects of human life.

The hamsters sighed exhasperatedly. "I know! June and Kylie have them all the time on weekends. They played games...Oh! One was really exciting, I think it was called Truth or Dare! Once at June's birthday party they had Laura and Kana over with some girls from class and they would spin an empty bottle around on the ground. Whoever it landed on either had to answer a question or do some kind of stunt! It was really exciting!" Pashmina chimed in.

There were many murmurs following this suggestion, mainly on the positive, wondering side. "Who votes for playing this truth or dare game?" Boss demanded.

Nearly all paws were raised favorably high in the air. "That settles it! Boss, do you have something we can use to spin?" Maxwell queried.

Boss retrieved an acorn they could use, causing Oxnard to drool. They settled themselves in a comfy circle, sitting on their respective blankets. Hamtaro, as leader, spun it around first. Each ham-ham held their breath as it spun, hoping that it wouldn't land on them, but really hoping they would not wind up humiliating themselves. It came to a slow, agonizing stop.

It faced Dexter.

"Truth or dare, Dexter?" Hamtaro asked perkily.

"Dare!" He replied smugly, eying Pashmina out of the corner of his eye. He then raised his eyebrows at Hamtaro, hoping the gullible lug would take his hint.

"Come on...dare me to kiss Pashmina!"

"I dare you to...uh...eat a sunflower seed that has been dropped in the mud!"

As Hamtaro chuckled at his genius, Dexter sighed and shook his head. No such luck for him this time around.

"EEEEW!" Bijou and Pashmina shrieked, clearly disgusted by this dare. Dexter, too, felt queasy at the thought of eating a scrumptious sunflower seed dropped into stinking mud. However, courage welled up inside of him. "Hey, if Oxnard can do it, so can I!" He declared valiantly, hoping to still impress the scarf-wearing hamster on the other side of the circle.

"HEY! THAT WAS JUST THE ONE TIME!!!"

"Chill out Oxy, he was just kidding."

"Oh. I knew that."

Maxwell, deemed a trustworthy ham, took a fresh seed outside and found a patch of mud the rain had made two days previous. He returned with the muddy seed, holding it at an arms length, as the smell of it was rather pungent. Dexter, thoughts of Pashmina thinking him a hero drifting into his mind, took the seed with both paws, gulping nervously.

He nibbled off the ends with warp speed, the mud falling onto the tender part inside the shell, but he still ate it begrudgingly. Mortified at the disgusting taste that made his tastebuds scream bloody murder, Dexter ran over to the table and gulped down the closest cup of cold tea he could, and then returned, disgusted, to the circle. With a weary grunt, he plopped down and lay back with his eyes squeezed shut, giving himself a moment to recover.

"Dex, I didn't know you had it in ya!" Howdy chortled. "I always figgered you were the wimpiest of us hams, but now, after that...well, yeh still are!"

"Shut up, Howdy."

Dexter, not in the mood to spar with Howdy, sat up, placed his paw on the shiny surface of the acorn and twirled it. The hams watched expectantly, with some apprehension. It finally rested on the athletic ham, Sandy, who looked like she was ready for war. "Truth or dare, Sandy?" Dexter asked innocently, hoping to lure Sandy into a false sense of security.

"Dare. I can take anything you like, got!"

"Okay then. I dare you to wear two of Bijou's hair ribbons and one of Pashmina's scarves for the remainder of this game!" Dexter, knowing how Sandy detested many girly things, smirked smugly, seeing the smile wiped off Sandy's face.

She glared at him murderously, but let a gleeful Bijou and ecstatic Pashmina run to the beaureau and pull out a par of ruby red ribbons and a soft, pale pink scarf. They were soon done making her over, complimenting Sandy cheerfully on her new look, which only brought grumbles from the disgruntled gymnast ham. Maxwell, her boyham, resisted the urge to laugh at her transformation.

Sandy grumbled some more and grudgingly spun the acorn. The game continued like this for a good amount of time, with Maxwell serenading Snoozer with a sad, slow, love ballad, Howdy declaring his obsession with rubber chickens, Penelope admitting (with Pashmina translating) that she actually took her blanket off sometimes, Bijou standing on her head for three turns and almost turning bluer than her beloved ribbons, and Stan wearing a frilly pink tutu and dancing to Hamzart's greatest classics.

Siren was laughing more than she ever had and having an enjoyable time until the acorn landed on her, it's slow spin seemingly taunting her. All traces of happiness on her face faded, and she gulped nervously, looking terrified. "Okay Siren, truth or dare?" Cappy, who had gone last and told the hams that he was deadly afraid of earthworms, asked her, trying to make his voice sound spooky. It sounded more like he had a frog in his throat.

Siren contemplated the decision in her mind, finally settling on, "Truth." She bit her tongue immediately after she said so, regretting it immediately. Perhaps dare would have been the better option to take up...Cappy grinned, and asked maliciously,

"What's your deepest, darkest secret?"

She could feel her body go numb from her pink toes to the tips of her ears. "My er, deepest darkest secret?" She asked for clarification, stalling. How was she going to fabricate a lie big enough to get herself out of this one?

"Yeah, and don't lie!" Cappy said sternly, proud he had made the only ham-ham his age look so bewildered.

Easy for him to say.

Siren, thinking quickly, blabbered, "I used to sleep with a little bear made of grass and stuffed with moss. I thought he was real until my brother, Alarm, ripped his head off to see if he had brains. My older brother Screech had to go into this long explanation about how 'Rufus' was in a much better place. I felt pretty stupid."

It was a half-lie, as she had indeed done that at an actual time. But that was far from her deepest, darkest secret. And even though it was a partial-truth, Siren couldn't help but feel she was causing the ham-hams some form of harm.

Everyone laughed appreciatively. Siren had once again dodged a bullet, but wished she felt better about it.


Soon, the ham-hams tired of the game and decided to stop playing divulge into a new activity. Sandy gladly took of the scarf and ribbons and thrust them into her best friends' arms, pleased to be rid of them, much to Bijou's and Pashmina's disappointment. Stan stowed the frilly tutu into a drawer, hoping to never see it again.

"Okay hams, it's time for the seed eating contest! Who's going to enter?" Boss announced, eying any ham-ham who dared oppose him with narrowed orbs.

"I will!" Oxnard volunteered, obviously.

"After that mud seed, I'm afraid I'm not feeling very famished..." Dexter wrinkled his nose as Bijou and Penelope brought out four large plates piled with fresh sunflower seeds from the store room. He burped and retreated to the armchair, where he could watch the contest in comfort.

"Alright! Bring it on, ham-hams!" Hamtaro stepped up bravely, a fiery look of determination burning in his honey-brown eyes.

Nobody expected the last contestant. "And me! I'll be a surprise wildcard!" Panda, taking everyone by surprise, declared confidently, puffing his chest out.

Boss clapped his hands together and said, "Okay, that's all we have room for fellas. Let's get ready to eat. Maxwell will explain the rules!" Boss, Oxnard, Hamtaro, and Panda all took seats at different stools around the table, each in front of a plate loaded with seeds. Oxnard's stomach grumbled like a miniature earthquake and his mouth watered.

Maxwell cleared his throat and recited the rules. "Contestants must eat all the seeds placed in front of them. you must eat everything but the shell and cannot ask for assistance in any way..."

Boss only half heard the book-smart Maxwell, as he was thinking dreamily, "If I win, Bijou will look at me as a champion! I have to win! I can't let these amateurs beat me!" He eyed his competition to analyze what he was up against. Oxnard would be difficult to topple. Hamtaro would as well, he was always playfully competitive, no matter what was going on.

"But Panda will be a cinch!"

Maxwell finished the explanation and stepped back. Stan was taking bets in a corner of the room, much to Sandy's chagrin, but she let him have his fun, as Pashmina was about to announce the start of the contest and she wasn't in the mood to berate him. "Get ready...set...GO!!" The gold-furred ham-ham shouted.

They tucked in like a bunch of ravenous wolves. Siren decided she had never seen anything more astounding and jaw-dropping in her life. Shells were flying as the ham-hams competing devoured their seeds, as if they hadn't eaten in weeks.

She herself was hoping Panda would pull through, and was cheering for him with Cappy and Penelope, right behind his chair. Bijou was cheering jovially for Hamtaro, somewhat distracting Boss, Pashmina rooted for everyone, Sandy for Oxnard and Stan for Boss, as he had bet three acorns to Dexter and five to Howdy that Boss would win. But as the piles of seeds shrunk, so did Stan's confidence.

"C'mon, Boss-man! Show these chumps whose boss, Boss!" Stan desperately chanted like a mantra, praying the gruff field ham would pull through.

"Go 'Amtaro!" Bijou smiled and jumped up and down, caught up in the thrill of the competition. What she didn't notice, however, was Hamtaro's speed quickening as soon as his name passed through her lips.

"You gotta win Oxnard!" Sandy encouraged the plump ham, pumping a fist.

"Panda! Panda! P-A-N-D-A!" Cappy cheered, and Penelope joined with an ecstatic, "Ookwee!"

Boss, still chomping heavily, peered at the rest out of the corner of his eye. Believe it or not, Panda was nearing the bottom of his pile, a determined look sported on his face. Boss tried harder, pushing himself as far as he could go, nearly choking in the process. Oxnard was edging him out for third, and Hamtaro was steadily gaining on Panda. But the deficit was too much for anyone to overcome, as Panda finished with a triumphant raise of his paw.

Howdy, the judge, inspected Panda's plate through squinted eyes. "Panda wins! HAR! Pay up, pretty-boy!" He announced moments later, looking triumphantly at Stan, who groaned with frustration as the entire room cheered. "Boss! I bet all my acorns on you! How could you LOSE?" Stan asked him incredulously.

Boss, seething, did not reply. He was busy watching Bijou console a slightly depressed Hamtaro, who had wanted very badly to be the victor. But Boss cheered up when she called her sympathies over to him, and Hamtaro departed to congratulate the winner. Oxnard did not seem to mind the loss, as he was picking up leftovers from everyone's plates and stuffing them into his mouth. Siren congratulated an elated Panda with a joyful Cappy.

Panda was awarded with a pack of delectable hamster treats, provided by helpful Pashmina. Panda, not in the mood for any kind of food for a while, split his winnings with Cappy and Siren, two young hams he was starting to see and think of as little siblings. "Here you go you two!" He awarded them each with a small pile of food. "After that win, I don't think I'll eat for weeks!" He burped and his stomach gurgled, making him grimace.

"Thank-Q!" As the grateful little hams chowed down hungrily on two delicious hamster treats, a proud smile lit up Panda's face and a warm feeling entered his heart. Siren certainly made a good addition to their close-knit, and he felt like she, Cappy, and himself were becoming quite a friendly trio on the Clubhouse. Almost like a little family, which was nice, considering he had difficulty remembering his own.


The excitement from the seed-eating battle died down quickly. "What do we do next hams?" The hat-loving hamster inquired as soon as his treat was devoured, Panda still glowing from his win, though the question broke him from his reverie.

"I say...we tell scary stories!" Stan piped up, as if he had been waiting anxiously for this time to come, eyes narrowed in a challenging fashion. No one dared tell a scary story scarier than he, as he was the self-proclaimed master of fright.

"Ooh! Zounds exciting, non?" Bijou marveled.

Everyone seemed up for the idea, though shivers tormented a few nervous spines. "Well, we can't have scary stories unless the lights are out!" Boss said, flicking the light switch, plunging the ham-hams into darkness. A small beam of light cut through the black like a knife, startling many of the faint-hearted hams.

Stan flashed the flashlight he had snuck into the clubhouse in his face, making it seem like his head was floating in midair, a sly, evil look playing across his face. Siren involuntarily shivered.

"Then join me in a circle hams..." Stan said simply with a wave of his paw, a chilling, almost cryptic note in his voice. Their pillows were already set up in a cozy circle.

Siren plopped down on her fuzzy gray blanket next to Cappy, wrapping it around her shoulders and over her head like a cloak, for comfort. She wasn't the most relaxed hamster in the world, and scary stories would probably unnerve her even more. From the look on Stan's face, he seemed to be a very good scary story teller, for even his brave sister Sandy appeared nervous as he began his chilling tale.

"One warm summer night, a group of ham-hams, very much like the small, quaint group we have here, decided to take a walk through the Old Hamledge cemetery. They had been out late that night at a rockin' party, and still wanted to keep the party alive. The first ham, a loud dude named Chase, decided to go in first. Laughing and shouting he encouraged his friends, Jewel, Nin, and Bob to join him. Bob, an apprehensive ham-ham, called out, 'Chase, dude, I think you should come back!'

Stan paused for dramatic effect. It succeeded in making Pashmina, who wasn't too keen on scary stories, whimper. The tiger-striped flirt forged on, "He received no answer from Chase. He was gone into the misty, foggy night, and gone amongst the tombstones. Jewel shivered in the winter air-"

Maxwell raised a paw in the dimness and cut in, "Um, Stan? You said in the beginning that it was summer, but then you said Jewel was shivering in the winter air."

"Maxwell, is this your story?"

"Well, no..."

"Then let me finish!" Stan shone the light directly in Maxwell's eyes, momentarily blinding him. Before an enraged Sandy could confront him about it, he continued his tale, "Anyway, Jewel shivered. She hoped Chase was okay. 'I'll go in after him!' the brave, adventurous dudette Nin volunteered, bouncing into the cemetery calling out Chase's name. But soon, Jewel and Bob heard a bloodcurdling scream cut through the autumn air-"

"Oh boy..."

"MAXWELL!"

"Oopsie, Stan. Please...continue."

Stan looked slightly miffed, but cleared his throat and continued, "Anyway, as I was saying before the rude interruption, Jewel and Bob decided to venture into the cold dank cemetery together to get their ham-dude and dudette back. They went in further and further, and then they heard things..." Stan paused dramatically again, this time, scaring nearly the entire group.

"What kinds of things?" Pashmina asked in a hushed tone, voice wavering with fright. Penelope couldn't even manage a squeak in agreement, she was too busy quivering in fright and burying her head into Pashmina's trembling shoulder.

Stan chuckled, which wasn't helping those who were already terrified. "Things like the scraping of nails on a chalkboard. They went closer and closer until they saw a shadowed figure sitting by a large tombstone. Nin and Chase were there, tied to two nearby tombstones, watching in horror at what the figure was doing. Jewel and Bob saw with wide eyes a little hamster with bright red eyes scraping the shells off sunflower seeds."

Yet another climactic pause. "So?" Boss finally scoffed, unimpressed.

"So?" Stan retorted, incredulous, with a mischievous gleam in his eye. "You misunderstand me, Boss-man. This little ham just took the shells off and piled the actual seeds in a heap next to him, laughing merrily. But he refused to eat them. Jewel and Bob were suddenly magically bound with ropes to two tombstones by the mysterious powers of the red-eyed ham, and the little dude let the four of them watch him pile up the endless seeds without ever eating or even nibbling one for the rest of their days, without anyone discovering them or hearing their screams."

A silence fell, filled with terror, shock, and the shivering of the frightened ham-hams. Siren was petrified. She and Cappy had been holding each other's arms for dear life during the entire thing, and now realized they had cut off each other's circulation, but neither wanted to let go. Panda, sitting behind them like a protective older brother would, whispered to ease their nerves, "Don't worry guys. It's just a story."

"Zat's 'orrible!" Bijou finally whispered, horrified, trembling voice solidifying the terror nearly every single one of the ham-hams felt.

"Torture!" Oxnard sobbed, hiding his face in his paws. Such a thing was the worst kind of torment he could ever imagine and made his paws shake uncontrollably.

Stan, smug look on his face merely asked airily, "Who wants to go next?"

Clearly thinking no one would top him, he set the flashlight down and rolled it dauntingly into the center of the circle. It lay there hauntingly, almost challenging someone to pluck it up. After a tension-filled moment, Howdy snatched the flashlight and shone it on his face, bucktooth shadowed menacingly against his chin.

"All right, I'll take a shot at this. Y'all ready for the scariest story yous ever heard?"

His eternal rival snorted. "Yeah right, Howdy..." Dexter sniffed with distaste at the convenience store hamster. "One of your pathetic stories couldn't even scare a cricket."

Howdy just squinted at him with distaste. "You'll see soon enough, smarty-ham."

His words echoed ominously in the air as he launched into the tale, "A young, pretty lil ham-ham named Daisy once decided that the cage life wasn't fer her. She had spent all her life in a pet store, and longed to be in the fields as a free ham. So she escaped one day and ran as fast as her lil legs would take her to a huge field of sunflowers, her dream come true. It took her a while to dig a lovely lil burrow just for her, but she did it, and fastened a small, oak door to the entrance..." He threw a look over his shoulder, "...much like the one Boss here has."

All eyes swept to the door as well, but soon returned worriedly to Howdy's illuminated face. He went on nonchalantly, "It was a nice door, bright yeller to match the sunflowers that she loved. She didn't have even a speck a trouble the first few weeks. But then one dark night, she heard a rappin' on her door."

Instinctively, all eyes flew to the door of the Clubhouse again, but all was tense and silent. Cappy and Siren grabbed each other's still-numb arms again, and Penelope scooched closer to Pashmina and Sandy, who were both starting to tremble.

"She went to the door, confused. No one was there when she opened it. No footsteps were heard echoing up the tunnel to announce a visitor or nothin'. Daisy just shrugged and shut the door, drifting off inta sleep."

The fur that had been standing up on the back of the ham-hams' necks slowly relaxed.

"But the same thing happened the next night, and the night after that. After a week of that strange knockin', Daisy grew scarder than a mouse in the eyes of a cat. She thought about moving away, maybe going back to the petstore she had left behind. At least the strange knockings wouldn't be there. However, she was determined to put a stop to the strange knockin'. So, the next night, she waited by her door in hopes of catching whoever had been knockin' on it. When the soft rappin' came, she threw the door open quick as she could and saw...nothing."

Another relief for the frightened hams.

"But taped on her lil yeller door was a note. It read in blood red writing, 'I'm watching you, Daisy dear'."

Suddenly, Howdy was cut off as the sound of someone rapping on the door to the Clubhouse filled the dark room. The girls all screamed and huddled together, save Siren, who appeared too petrified to even utter a scream and was still clutching Cappy's arms like he was her last lifeline. Dexter, recovering slightly from his momentary scare, scoffed, "Nice try, Howdy. Trying to make your story scarier...it's so juvenile!"

"Lookie here, smarty-ham!" Howdy spat back. "I been sittin' here the entire time! There's no way that was me!"

Not even Dexter could argue with that sentiment. Suddenly, adding to their rising fear, there was another bout of knocking, this time with more vigor and resonating louder. All of the ham-hams were on their feet now, ready to run away from whatever, or whoever, was rapping on their door so late into the evening.

"B-Boss...go s-s-see who it is..." Hamtaro stuttered, pushing Boss towards the door.

"Why me?"

"Um...you're the biggest?"

He couldn't argue with that. Inching slowly and breathing deeply, Boss finally reached the door and opened it, stepping back as he did so, in case someone tried to attack him. Alas, no one was there, but taped to the door like a solitary white beacon in the night, was a note. Howdy, quivering himself, flashed the flashlight on it. It read in blotchy, blood red print, "I'm watching you, ham-hams."

Everyone, even the bravest of the bunch, screamed this time and cowered together in one huddled mass, clinging to each other for dear life. They scrambled to the farthest corner of the room they could, the faint outline of the door and the note taped to it emblazoned in their young, terrified minds. "Oh no!" Oxnard yelled, clutching to his favorite seed. "Something's come to get us!"

"It's the boogeyham!" Pashmina choked out, almost too terrified to speak..

"No, it's Hamson Voorseeds!"

"You're both wrong, it's a were-ham!"

Sandy, huddled safely with Maxwell and the girls, looked around worriedly for her brother, but couldn't see him anywhere, and a gleam of panic entered her eyes. Her brother was a dope sometimes, but if he had been captured by some kind of assailant knocking on their door she wouldn't be able to bear it.

"Guys, Stan is like, gone!"

As Sandy's horror-filled cry fell on their trembling ears, Boss seemed to add some things up, and a knowing look crossed his weathered face. Without a second thought, he bolted into the tunnel and vanished from sight, much to the confusion of the congregated ham-hams in the corner. But a few minutes later, he returned with a bedraggled looking Stan being held by the scruff of his neck in Boss's vice-like grip.

He flicked on the lights, and everyone was able to see the shame dressed on Stan's face. Realization entered their minds instantly.

"I found our boogeyham!" Boss spat sarcastically, tossing Stan down with extra force onto the Clubhouse floor. "He snuck away while Howdy was telling his story and thought it would be hardihar to play a little joke on us!"

Every single ham-ham in the room glared at the prankster angrily. He clapped his paws together and knelt before the recovering ham-hams, begging them, "C'mon guys! It was just to add an effect! A joke! It was supposed to be fun! Oopsie!"

No one seemed to buy it, and they all raised their eyebrows at Stan, who seemed to shrink in guilt before their very eyes. The younger ones, consisting of Cappy, Penelope, and Siren, were still too frightened and shocked to fully grasp the situation. "Sorry, Stan...I couldn't hear your empty apology over the sound of my beating heart!!!" Dexter shouted accusingly, causing Stan to wince, words striking him like daggers.

A surprisingly calm Sandy strutted up to Stan, a cool, unamused expression on her face. It was very clear to the rest of the ham-hams that she had something truly horrible in store for her brother as punishment for his prank gone awry. "Stan..." She started, but her brother cut her off, throwing himself down on the floor and groveling at her feet.

"Look Sands, please, it was only for you guys! I thought you should have the whole scary story experience! I didn't mean to be so...Thump-P!"

"Oh, don't worry Stan. I'm not going to like, do anything to you."

Stan's eyes were filled with grateful tears. "Oh, thank-Q, dear sister!"

"I'm going to let Boss deal with you. Boss, feel free to do as you like, please!" Sandy shut her eyes, crossed her arms across her chest, and marched away from her horrified twin brother, who was now gaping in terror at the gruff field hamster. Boss smirked evilly, a glint in his eye as he cracked his knuckles.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"


After Stan had his little 'chat' with Boss, the hamboys began a game of Find-the-Seed while the girls, including Siren, sat quietly in a corner gossiping. After about a half-hour of these antics, and listening to Sandy gush about Maxwell, Bijou coo over Hamtaro, and Pashmina complain about Howdy, Stan, and Dexter, Siren felt her eyelids begin to droop.

As if on cue, Boss announced, "Okay ham-hams! Time for bed, it's awfully late!"

There were half-hearted groans, but soon everyone was curling up under their blankets and situating pillows under their tired little heads. "Goodnight!" Everyone said in unison, and with that, Boss flicked off the lights, and after a few gigglings and chatterings, everyone drifted contentedly into peaceful slumber.

Siren found herself lying awake, staring into the silent darkness. Howdy was snoring loudly, much to her annoyance, as was Snoozer, whom she hadn't even known existed until this day. Somehow, sleep was eluding her. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, and that uneasiness was preventing her from a nice, worriless zu zu zu.

Deep down inside her, she felt that someone was waiting. Simply waiting...for her. But it wasn't a good feeling. More like...sinister. Like someone with a bad agenda was lying in wait for the perfect opportunity to strike...

"Maybe those scary stories just got me riled up a little...I'll be okay if I just relax..." She thought, closing her bright-colored eyes. Despite some tossing and turning to get comfortable, sleep still did not claim her. The ominous feeling remained, and she had been around long enough to know she had to trust her initial intuitions. She must investigate this odd aura she could sense, which seemed to be close by, judging by how taut it was making her muscles and how it was making her fur stand on end...

Quietly, and being careful not to tread on anyones' ears, limbs, or tails, Siren got to her feet and crossed the room to the door. She opened it noiselessly, not wanting to wake anyone, and stepped into the chilly tunnel. The dark feeling plaguing her grew more powerful as she walked cautiously up the underground corridor. Soon she could see the beautiful night sky through the entrance hole, and she burst out into the moonlight, senses tingling stronger now than ever before.

She instantly felt an evil presence somewhere very near. Determined to protect her sleeping comrades, she stood on all fours, the fur on her back bristling, in full attack mode. Someone, someone with bad intentions, was near...she felt it, and she knew well enough by now that her instincts were always en pointe.

"I've been waiting for you, Siren."

A look of shock crossed her face as she heard a low baritone voice her name. A pair of ruby red eyes peered at her intensely from a dense cluster of underbrush, as if searching for something. As if...they had been searching for her. A hamster emerged from that spot, black cape billowing in the late-evening breeze, empty paws hanging limply at his sides, dark brown ears twitching in anticipation.

Siren took a small step back. "I've been wanting to have a little chat with you," The hamster said to her, but from the tone of his voice and the evil cloud in his gaze, Siren could tell the hamster had more in mind than just a 'little chat.'

As he spoke, Siren noticed his glinting, chiseled fangs, and knew instantly who this ham was, though she was certain she had never met him. The sight of him triggered something deep within her, a memory that was not her own, and the image of this hamster, standing with outstretched arms on the top of a very familiar tower, filled her mind's eye for a fleeting instant. That image sent a foreboding shockwave through her bristling fur, and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You..." She snarled venemously. "You're the one who told Panda I was a liar!"

He let loose his trademark shrill chuckle, sending even more shivers up Siren's spine. With a sly grin he replied, "That was, in fact, me. I can see the little fool and the rest of your friends didn't cut their ties with you, as I requested...Honestly, those hamsters wouldn't know the truth if it came up and smacked them in the face."

"Who are you?" Siren demanded, trying to sound superior, which was hard, considering this hamster was both older and larger than her. "And how do you know my name?" She sensed from the hungry gleam in his eyes that this hamster wanted something from her...something she was unwilling to give.

To her surprise, he honored her request breezily, introducing himself with a low, formal bow, "I am Spyke of the Darklands. We've never met, per se, but I know more of you than you may think. Much more than just your name, dear Siren. In fact...I know your deepest, darkest secret. I know what you've been keeping from your so-called hammos."

Her eyes widened as his hostile words sunk in. She had been to the desert nation called the Darklands only once, for a few days, and had been surprised by the hamsters she found inside. They had a strange, unhealthy fascination with the forces of evil and the darker sides of things. All in all, not a pleasant place to be, and not a place to meet kindhearted hamsters. And from the dastardly gleam in Spykes' eyes, Siren could tell that this menace was no exception.

"Oh yeah? And what's my secret?" Siren challenged.

"No need to be so testy, little Siren," He chastised. " Yesterday I was merely telling your friend Panda the truth. You are lying to them. You and I both know what you are. "

His unnerving eyes seemed to be peering into her very soul, inspecting her, and a deep hatred of this horrible hamster began to grow rapidly within her. And then he voiced the words that sent a terrified tremor through her pounding heart.

"You, Siren, are the Chosen One mentioned in the Legend of Fate. You are the host to the Guardian and all of it's powers. And you are a liar."

A silence fell, mostly because Siren was too stunned to say anything. The only question that rang through her mind was an incredulous , "How?"

She had kept the secret from everyone she met for a good solid year, and suffered mightily because of the burden she had been forced to bear and keep absolutely private. But no matter what, no matter how hard keeping her lips sealed had been, she had never disclosed that deep, dark secret to a single soul. And still, somehow, this hamster she had just met had pegged her true identity spot on.

"How do you know what I am?" She demanded calmly, though anger fused with disbelief was bubbling up inside her. Clumps of dirt were being dug up between her paws, as she had been gripping the ground with such power it was coming up in pawfuls.

Spyke smiled, fangs agleam in the moonlight as he responded with a somewhat bitter edge to his voice, "One look at your tell-tale face is all I need. I have thoroughly studied the Legends of Hamwall, far longer than you have, and know them like the back of my paw. I was there, that dawn, one year ago, when the great Guardian of all hamsterkind was released from the Waters of Eternity. I was there, on Guardian Tower. And the great beast flew right past me, the most deserving of it's might, and, I assume it flew...to you."

Her ears perked up. So...the image that had drifted into her mind earlier was from the memory of the other soul inside her. Spyke grinned wider when he saw the angry look cross her already peeved features, his reward. He could tell her fury was reaching dynamic proportions, and soon, she might unleash the ultimate power he had desired for so long, and he would finally meet the object of his yearning properly whisker-to-whisker.

"What do you want from me?" Siren asked quietly, trying to keep a firm lid on her emotions. It was growing more and more difficult to control the spirit within her, as it wanted to burst free and confront this terrible ham. It wasn't quite time to use her last resort...but it was getting close to it.

"Your power!" Was his serious, snide reply.

Siren stepped back and held her paws to her chest protectively. "I'd never let you have it. If I let it fall into the wrong paws, only bad things will happen. Apparently I'm supposed to have it, and I can't disrupt the power rift, or it could have horrible effects on the entire hamster world!" Siren retorted hotly.

Spyke was angered by her snappy response and downright uncooperation, but had expected as much from the foolish little hamster he knew was unworthy of harnessing the Guardian's immense prowess. Luckily, he still had one ruse left up his sleeve, and he was certain it would work in luring the creature inside of Siren out of its' dormant state.

He told her in an airy, casual tone, "Then your friends will pay the price for your ignorance, dear Siren. I will stop at nothing to claim what I deserve. I want your power, and if you won't let me have it, you had better watch your back...or rather...watch the backs of your 'friends.'"

Absolute fury exploded inside of Siren. It was one thing to insult and threaten her, she could handle that, but when Spyke started to threaten the only hamsters who ever made her feel like she had a home, the only ham-hams she felt she could truly belong with, that was crossing the line in the severest way possible. There was absolutely no way either half of her would ever stand for that atrocity, nor ever bestow forgiveness on the hamster who had committed it. No longer in control over her emotions, Siren succumbed to the spirit within and let it's great power take over her body and mind.

As it overtook her, a blinding white light filled the open area, nearly blinding Spyke, but joy filled the evil hamster's corrupted heart as he shielded his smirking face with his paws. "At last!" He crowed joyously, squinting at where Siren had once been standing as the bright light dimmed and revealed to him his greatest desire.


Hamtaro couldn't sleep.

He had woken up in the middle of the night, and attempted to fall back into peaceful slumber, but failed. Now he was lying awake, staring at the ceiling, and sighing forlornly. He had been having a nice dream about a field of sunflowers when all of a sudden, a shrill, evil laugh had filled his ears, accompanied by a sinister blackness, and that combination had drawn him instantly out of slumber. It wasn't a laugh he could place, but it had made him shiver and gave him a very bad feeling. He soon dismissed it as the beginnings of a nightmare, and was glad he had awoken before it ensued.

But even now, after nestling down into his blanket and pillow again and again, sleep seemed impossible to him, like a faraway paradise. He tried and tried, but soon gave in and sat up, scratching his head and rubbing his paws across his bleary orbs. "The Clubhouse is kind of stuffy..." He whispered to himself, after those few moments of unsuccessful attempts of reclaiming slumber. "I think I'm gonna go get some fresh air..."

Silently, he got to his feet and padded quietly over to the door, leaving it slightly ajar behind him. His half-lidded eyes failed to notice Siren's vacant blanket.

He walked briskly up the tunnel, half-asleep, and, upon nearing the entrance, he heard voices. One was a female, the other male, but he was so weary he couldn't get his brain to try and recognize them. As the voices died off in anger, a bright white light flashed into the entrance hole, almost blinding him. Curious, Hamtaro bolted up the rest of the path and a wondrous sight met his now wide-awake chocolate-colored eyes.

The Guardian, shining like a beacon in the black abyss of night, was standing not two feet in front of him, ears perked forward, and lips curled back in a ferocious snarl. It's icy blue eyes were filled with hatred, staring at a hamster with mahogany arms, brown ears, and a flowing black cape. It was even more breathtaking close up than it had been on the pages of the book, looking for all the world like lore come to life, and even more amazing and impressive than when it had saved Bijou from the churning river.

"Wow..." He breathed, eyes agleam with wonder, as the light faded totally. The Guardian, lowered its' wolfish head, as if it were ready to charge at its' nemesis, and it pawed impatiently at the ground with it's sharp claws, leaving long scratch marks in its' wake.

Neither the hamster nor the Guardian noticed his presence, and Hamtaro, stunned, plopped down just inside the entrance hole to watch the scene unfurl as he tried to catch his breath.

A vicious, sadistic grin lit up Spyke's snarling face as the Guardian stood fully materialized before him, his red eyes now sparkling with greed and want. Here it was, the object of his desire, not rejecting him as it had during their first brief encounter. "At last, Guardian, I see you! And soon, I shall have your power!" Spyke bellowed.

The Guardian reared back on it's hind paws and released it's mute, but earth-shaking roar, icy eyes flashing fiercely. Spyke and Hamtaro both felt the ground beneath them quiver, and the air seemed to become colder.

Then, without warning, Spyke unexpectedly turned on his heel and began a mad dash for the save haven of bushes behind him. He was not prepared to actually take on the magnificent creature of his dreams...he had only wanted to see it, be within a close proximity, so he knew he was truly right. And now, he had to prepare for his master plan, but before he was too far away, however, he caught sight of the orange and white hamster staring in wonder at the Guardian, just inside the entrance of their little underground tunnel and barely visible. It didn't look as if the Guardian had seen the hamster yet, which made things all the better for him.

"Good...one of her little friends has seen it..." He chuckled to himself, before launching himself out of sight amongst the brush, trying to get far away so the Guardian wouldn't have a chance to literally attack him. He wondered just how much her little friend had seen...

The Guardian, grunting, rose into the air with one stroke of it's silky raven wings, and sped after the caped hamster, flying with little difficulty into the shrubbery, not even glimpsing the orange and white ham-ham by the entrance tunnel. The pursuit was on, and it was the only thing on it's mind.

Hamtaro took this all in with wide brown eyes, and was still registering it two minutes after both Spyke and the Guardian were long gone. "I can't wait to tell the ham-hams about this!"

He ran back down the tunnel, footsteps echoing in the enclosed space. He slowed upon reaching the door, and paused to think hard about what he had seen and how he was going to give his friends the news. "I'll tell them about this is the morning, I don't want to wake them up...Boss would kill me anyway..." He reasoned with himself

Instead, he silently entered the room and returned to his orange blanket, jittery and giddy even more so than usual. He could hardly wait to tell everyone about his encounter with the Guardian. They would be thrilled that he had seen it so close!

He finally drifted off to sleep, the image of the Guardian aglow with the light of it's transformation still fresh in his excited mind.


When he had fled, Spyke hadn't anticipated the Guardian actually following him.

But now, here it was, flying after him like a winged behemoth on a mission, snapping it's fierce jaws just inches from his stubby tail. He pushed himself faster, red eyes panic-stricken. The Guardian swooped with ease above him, bathing him in it's imposing shadow. Spyke grunted and veered left, determined to escape. If the Guardian caught him now, when it was this enraged...

He didn't even want to think about the possibilities.

Luckily, he came upon an old tree with large protruding roots he could hide under. He skidded into a safe, bark-covered niche just as the Guardian ripped a chunk out of his black cape. The small, root-made alcove was just big enough for Spyke to hide in, but not nearly big enough for the Guardian to squeeze inside. It could only poke it's wet black nose inside, sniffing and snapping, saliva gleaming off its' deadly, shredding fangs.

Spyke went as far back into the niche as it allowed, panting with exertion. That had been close. Far too close, he reasoned when he saw his torn cape. He then turned his eyes to the entrance of his little alcove, and watched with nervous red eyes as the Guardian reached one menacing claw inside, scraping it backward, just searching for him. Spyke glared and mentally cursed himself. He had provoked it into pure fury...a risky move indeed. But he had eluded its' fangs and claws for now...and Siren couldn't remain in this form forever.

After a few minutes of trying to get at Spyke, the Guardian retreated from the roots with a snort and all fell silent. Spyke perked his ears forward and listened hard. The snarling and grunting had stopped, and, as cautious as he could, Spyke stepped tentatively forward and poked his head out into the night, praying a claw would not come flying down upon him.

The Guardian did not attack him. It was standing, head raised toward the moon and the millions of stars speckled across the sky. The angry gleam was gone from it's eyes, and Spyke, entranced by the moonlight bouncing off it's pale fur, emerged from his hiding place to stare at it in wonder. One year it had been since he saw it...and it was just as amazing now as it had been then. Even more so.

The Guardian lowered its' head and regarded Spyke with still, listless eyes. Spyke was taken aback. Moments ago it had been infuriated, and now it had a strange gleam in its' eye, a look that seemed to be telling him that he was in the wrong. It wasn't accusing...more like reprimanding. In that one gaze, the Guardian pleaded with him to stop his machinations, telling him that he was fighting a losing battle, and should give in before the darkness in his plot totally consumed him. Those were mighty powerful eyes set into that regal face.

But it was a vain plea. "I will have your power!" Spyke told it in a quivering voice, determined not to be enticed into giving in by the now ready-to-redeem look on the great beasts' face. "You snubbed me, one year ago. You denied me of my destiny. But I will gain it, no matter what it takes!"

As his passionate, resonant words echoed in the woods, the Guardian's gaze hardened into anger once more, and Spyke prepared to dash for the cover of the roots again, but it wasn't necessary. The Guardian, having remembered its' duty to the hamster world, would not seek to attack him. It's sleek raven wings plunged downward, and the Guardian took to the skies, leaving him with a dust cloud that blinded him momentarily and made him cough. When he finally blinked and looked around, the Guardian had vanished totally. The great beast had just denied him again, though it didn't hurt nearly as much as the first time.

When every trace of the beast had gone, Spyke was still, and stood in the clearing with his head tilted to the moon. He pondered the glacial eyes of the Guardian, how they had spoke to him in a way without words, and couldn't help but wonder if what he was doing was wrong...

"No...no!" He snarled, shaking his head to rid his mind of that horrendous thought, and then he vowed solemnly, anger bulding up inside, "I am not wrong! I am destined to have great power, no matter what that creature thinks! And I will get it with my two paws! You wait and see Guardian!"

His enraged voice echoed and died just as Siren, back in ham-ham mode, reentered the Clubhouse. Impossibly weary, she settled down and snuggled into her furry gray blanket, worrying over what the strange hamster had said to her and the way he was so adamant on claiming the power of the Guardian. What would he do to her friends if he didn't get his way? All she could do was wait...and hope he would leave her and her friends alone when his efforts proved fruitless. She couldn't bear it if anything happened to those kind hams...and it would be all her fault if it did.

She fell into slumber, still wondering what she should do to solve her unusual predicament. How could it possibly get any worse?


Siren found the answer to that question early the next morning. Her hazy cerulean eyes fluttered open slowly, back aching slightly from sleeping on the cool, hard ground. The rest of the ham-hams were already waking around her, and the lights had been turned on. Hamtaro seemed unusually over-cheerful as he yawned and stretched, ready to start another wonderful day. But first things first. He felt the secret of what had happened last night would simply burst out of him, and he needed to tell the others. As soon as everyone was awake...

However, Siren felt no such urge to tell the ham-hams of her ventures the night before. Siren's memory remained fresh on the events of the previous night, and frankly, she didn't want to remember it at all, past midnight that is. She could recall Spykes' sudden appearance and their heated conversation, and that she had transformed irrationally, and the Guardian had nearly killed him out of pure anger. Everything that could have possibly gone wrong seemingly had. Everything.

"Guys, I saw the most amazing thing last night! It was totally bestest!" Hamtaro, unable to contain it longer, crowed cheekily as the rest of his friends wearily rubbed the sleep from their eyes, a few yawning. Boss blearily eyed the perky, young hamster, a bit irritable this early.

"You mean you had a dream, Hamtaro?"

Hamtaro shook his head so ferociously his ears nearly whapped him in the face. "No! I was wide awake. I had trouble going zu zu zu last night, so I thought I'd go out and get some fresh air and walk around the tunnel a bit. But I heard these voices just outside the entrance, so I had to go and inventigate."

"You mean...investigate?" Maxwell asked slowly, brow furrowed.

"Yeah, that!" Hamtaro replied brightly, not put off at being corrected.

Siren felt herself growing more uneasy with every word that Hamtaro spoke. She too, had been outside the night before, but she didn't recall seeing or hearing anything that would make the orange and white ham-ham look so thrilled...unless...he had seen that. And if he had, it would not be good. No, not good at all...

Hamtaro continued to weave his tale, arms motioning wildly as his voice continued to grow in excitement and his companions seemed to become more awake, "Then I saw this bright light, and all of a sudden, I was at the mouth of the tunnel and the Guardian was standing there! It was staring at a weird hamster that looks like the one you saw, Panda! Then it chased the hamster away and I ran back down here. I didn't want to wake you guys up, though."

"Really?!"

Every face, with the exception of a positively bewildered Siren and an already beaming Hamtaro, brightened with his magnificent news. All traces of sleep were gone as a feeling of thrilled excitement overtook the group. "It muzt 'ave been protecting us from danger! Zat's why it came!" Bijou exclaimed, clapping her paws together eccentrically.

"Awesome!" Sandy cheered, pumping one fist in the air. "So it like, totally exists! No doubt about it now!"

Everyone crowded around Hamtaro, bombarding him with questions about what he had seen the previous night. As they jabbered on, Siren sat, horrified on the outside of the large circle surrounding Hamtaro, pondering what on earth she was going to do about this one. No one noticed as she slapped one paw delicately to her forehead, mentally cursing her carelessness. She had gotten herself into even more trouble, if that was possible, and this time, it seemed that this hole was one it would be impossible to dig her way out of.

"This..." She decided mentally, with a low groan. "Is bad..."


There you have it. Read and review please!

Next Chapter: A week has gone by, and Siren's identity is still a secret amongst the ham-hams. Will it stay that way when one ham-ham decides to do some research on the side? Two parties are in the works...and what's up with Laura when she gets back from the shore? Find out next update.