Well, if only I got all my chapters out this quickly. Many thanks to everyone for the reviews!

For those interested, I decided to delay releasing my new story yet. I had a very productive week as far as this story is concerned, and decided to focus on that instead. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get this finished by the end of the summer as I'd hoped. However, there aren't many chapters left, and getting those done shouldn't be too difficult.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 22: Welcome Sights

"Hello? Hello?" Cyborg looked around. "How could we have lost them? They were just here!" he exclaimed. He tried to see through the fog, but found it very hard.

"Come on, let's just get out of here and catch up," Robin ordered. He could still here the low breathing from the cave, he and didn't want to stick around for the thing inside to show itself. The four headed down the path, but found it hard to follow due to all the leaves and the thick fog.

"Guys, does it seem a little darker to you?" Jinx asked as they hurried along.

"No time to worry about that now, Jinx," Robin replied. But now that he thought about it, it did seem a little darker. The canopy above had gotten thicker, blocking more light. The brush below had grown thicker as well.

"Oh crap!" Cyborg suddenly shouted. Everyone turned around, and saw him struggling to get out of a tangle of vines. Actually, upon closer inspection, they realized he hadn't gotten caught in the vines – the vines had wrapped themselves around him! More of them shot out to entangle his waste as well as his legs. With brute strength, he ripped out some of the tentacles that held him and forced his way out. He didn't want to resort to his sonic cannon unless he had to. He only had so much life left in his batteries.

While Starfire was watching this, she didn't notice the small, green tendril wrapping around her leg. Before she knew what happened, it tightened and pulled her feet out from under her. With a cry she fell and was dragged away from the rest.

"Starfire!" Robin called. A spiny vine was pulling her away toward a large, plant-like monstrosity. At the very top was a huge, solitary mouth on top of a stalk. "Oh no you don't!"

Robin drew out a bird-a-rang and threw it with deadly accuracy. It hit its target – the vine that held Starfire – and sliced through it, causing Starfire to fall. She landed hard, but she was okay. More tentacles reached out to grab her, but this time she reacted first by landing a green starbolt in the center of the thing. Cyborg was watching this seen, but a cry from behind forced him to turn his head. He gaped when he saw Jinx being lifted into the air by a pair of creatures that looked like giant mutant bats.

"Not this time!" Jinx shouted. With a flick of her finger, she blasted one of them with her pink energy. It wasn't as strong as usual, but it was enough to cause the creature to let go. The other one wasn't strong enough to hold on, and Jinx was dropped.

"Jinx!" Cyborg dashed and caught her just in time. He looked up to see the remaining bat fly away. "That's right! You'd better fly!"

"My hero. Now put me down," Jinx said sarcastically.

"Robin, let's get out of here!" Cyborg shouted as he and Jinx ran past. Starfire and Robin didn't disagree, and they dashed away before the plant monster could strike again. They ran along the path and to their relief, the fog gradually tapered off and became clearer.

"Watch out!" Robin warned suddenly. Everyone skidded to an immediate halt. This time, a huge, stringy mass that could only have been a spider web blocked their path.

"You gotta be kidding," Cyborg moaned.

"No problem, just don't touch it. That's how spiders react," Robin said. Right as he finished saying this, however, a big black mass dropped right on top of him.

"YAAH!" their leader yelled. A huge, furry spider had landed on him. It was easily as big as his torso, and its jaws snapped angrily as it tried to bite Robin.

"Hold on, I shall get it for you!" Starfire shouted.

"No, Star! Don't-" but it was too late. Robin shouted again as a green bolt hit the spider and knocked it away, narrowly missing him. He lay there in shock for a moment.

"Robin, you must really learn to trust my aim," the alien scolded as she helped him up.

"Nice shooting, Star," Cyborg complimented. "Come on, let's go."

They retreated quickly, but they were caught off guard when the path suddenly dropped sharply. Cyborg didn't notice in time, and the Titan lost his footing and stumbled. He rolled a good thirty feet downhill before finally coming to a stop. He landed right next to a rather large hole, and not two seconds later he heard something stir within it. He watched as something large slithered out of it.

It was large and black, and looked almost like a worm, except it had a plated exoskeleton like a centipede. Its front ended in a large circular mouth, which it opened to reveal circles of sharp teeth. The thing lunged at Cyborg, who raised his hand to block it. The thing slammed against his metallic fist, and Cyborg heard its teeth grind against the metal. With the other hand, he blasted its body with a burst from his cannon. Unfortunately, the head remained, and was still attached to his arm. With a cry of disgust, Cyborg ripped it off, then proceeded to smash it with his foot.

"You alright, Cy?" Robin asked as the others arrived.

"I'm fine. Let's just get the hell out of here."

They had gotten no farther than fifty feet when something roared. They came face-to-face with a large, furry beast that blocked their path. It stood on all fours, had black fur, and was rather wolf-like in appearance except for the large main of fur that adorned its neck.

"Great, not again," Jinx moaned. All Titans braced for a fight. This time however, a large fireball shot out of nowhere and hit the creature square in the back. It yelped in surprise and promptly ran away, with its injured side burned badly.

The Titans were shocked to see Phanos, Worek and Aalya (in tiger form) rushing toward them from the hilltop above.

"Holy crap, where were you guys?" Robin asked.

"We were wondering the same thing about you," Aalya answered after she had shifted back into a human. "We looked back and you were gone. We couldn't see anything through the fog. We tried looking for you, but we were attacked."

"So were we. We had to defend ourselves, too," Robin replied. "How the heck did we lose each other so fast?"

"It's this forest. It's playing tricks on us. It wants us to get lost. From now on, we should stick close together," Worek advised.

"Is anyone hurt?" Aalya asked. Almost like it had been waiting for her to ask that, Jinx's shoulder flared in pain, and the Titan winced. Aalya noticed this, and went over to tend to her.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm fine. I just…" Jinx began, but paused. Truth was, she wasn't fine. Adorning her left shoulder was a nice, fresh gash. It was no doubt made by the creature when it dropped her.

"Yep, you're hurt alright," Aalya said. Before Jinx could protest, she laid her hands on Jinx's shoulder. A soft, whitish glow encased the wound, and in a few seconds, it closed up, leaving only smooth pale skin.

"Wow, you can heal?" Cyborg asked. The only other person he saw with that power was Raven, but she of course wasn't here.

"I can, but not very well. Kailey's the best healer in our group, but she's not here, of course," Aalya replied.

"Wow. Um, thanks," Jinx said as she felt her shoulder.

"Right. I'd hate to break this up, but we'd better get out of here before something else happens," Cyborg suggested. Luckily, the fog had cleared by now, and they could see clearly again. Everyone proceeded on, trying to shake off the jitters from their last encounter.

Thankfully, the rest of the day passed without incident. Except, that is, for Jinx throwing a fit after discovering a bug that had been hiding in her hair. Night came again and passed, albeit slowly for the teens. Once the sun had risen again, they were on their way.

'I can't stand this place,' Robin repeated over and over inside his head. Even though not much had happened since the incidents yesterday, the place still made Robin very edgy. Plus, though he hated to admit it, Aalya's consistent jabs at his masculinity (and even his sexuality one time) were starting to get to him. Had not Starfire been there, he probably would have been in a very bad mood by now.

"Stupid bugs. Stupid mud. Stupid vines. Stupid leaves. Stupid thorns…" Jinx constantly mumbled along the way. The more time passed, the sourer she seemed to get. Cyborg wasn't much better. He didn't much care for the wilderness in the first place, and getting attacked by it several times in an evil forest didn't help one bit.

"What I'd give for a shower right now," Jinx growled as she kicked a rock.

"What's the matter? Don't like being one with nature?" Cyborg asked.

"I take that back. A shower and a shotgun," she replied angrily. Cyborg chuckled, but decided against provoking her some more.

"It shouldn't be much farther," Aalya said encouragingly. She was the only one who didn't seem too affected by the place. Then again, she claimed she had been through twice before already.

"I hope so. This place reminds me of the dark Irblaxnog pits on the planet Moltar," Starfire said.

"Yeah. Me too," Robin replied with a trace of sarcasm.

"Look!" Starfire shouted after some time had passed. Far ahead, they saw what looked like sunlight behind a row of trees.

"YES!" Cyborg yelled happily. Everyone in the group hurried at this point, as the beacon of hope drew closer.

Finally, everyone sighed in relief when they finally emerged from the dark labyrinth of trees and into the open air. It was still cloudy, but everything seemed brighter once they had stepped out of the forest. Beyond them was a large expanse of rolling hills and small patches of trees dotting the landscape. Not too far ahead of them, the clouds ended, and sunlight shone through.

"Oh, thank God," Cyborg whimpered happily.

"That could not have ended soon enough," Jinx muttered as she wiped some mud off her shoes. She wasn't the only happy person. Starfire's mood lifted instantly as soon as she stepped out, and no sooner had she gone twenty feet than she flew into the air and did an aerial somersault. She zipped around happily as she relished having her power of flight once more.

"So, what shall we do now?" Starfire asked once she landed.

"Well, I'm not the best tracker in the world, but…" Aalya replied. She sniffed the air, examined the ground, tested the wind, then turned back to them. "Follow me."

"But-" Robin started, but she was already off without further explanation. Everyone sighed as they followed along so as not to lose her.

"Does she even know where she's going?" Robin asked Phanos as they followed.

"She's tracking Calabos's servants," he replied with a smile. "Her people know how to do this better than anyone. Just trust her."

The chase consisted of her running for a distance, sometimes short, sometimes long, pausing, looking around or examining the ground, then continuing on and repeating the same process. The rest of the day passed like this, with them once again taking time out only to rest.

"Quick! Hide!" she shouted suddenly. She dashed under cover of the trees and hid low behind a tree trunk. The others followed her example without question.

"Shhh!" she cautioned before anyone could say anything. A moment later, the flapping of wings could be heard, and a flock of necrowings flew by overhead. Once the flying monsters were gone, the Zamoan signaled for them that it was safe to come out.

"What was that?" Robin asked.

"Those were necrowings are scouting. Calabos must suspect we're looking for him. Luckily for us they don't see very well during the day," she answered.

Without wasting much time, the group pressed on, with their guide repeating the same routine over and over. The Titans admittedly had their doubts about this. Sometimes she looked like she had no idea where she was going, but they trusted her nonetheless. Before they knew it, the sun was setting again.

"Let's camp here," she said once she had chosen a place. It was right underneath a patch of trees, so they were not easily seen. After being gone a while, Phanos came back with a dead animal resembling a deer, and the Titans ate gratefully once they had cooked it. After they were done, night watch was chosen again, this time with Robin having to start.

Most had gone to sleep by now, except for Robin and Starfire. Starfire had volunteered to keep watch after Robin, despite their objections. However, she had found it difficult to sleep considering how tired she was.

"Robin, is there anything wrong?" she asked when she saw him staring absently into the horizon. Being his friend for years though, now being his girlfriend, she didn't have to think hard to see what.

"You are worried about them, are you not?" she guessed. Her boyfriend sighed, and his eyes fell.

"You're right, Star. I've just been so frustrated since we lost them. I keep thinking something bad might have happened to them."

"Do not dwell on such thoughts, Robin. If we lose hope, what else shall we have left to go on?"

"I know, Star. You're right," Robin replied. He knew exactly what she meant. After all, Robin had said things like that in all their rough times. That didn't make it any easier, though. "It's just that I can't stop worrying. I don't know where they are or who their with…or even if they're alive. sigh This is all my fault."

"Your fault? How can you say such a thing, Robin?" Starfire asked.

"I should have been a better leader! I should've been ready! I-"

"Robin, you must not blame yourself for this," Starfire said firmly. "Robin, please look at me. I do not wish to talk to your cheek." Slightly caught off guard by her commanding tone, Robin obeyed.

"Robin, you are a great leader, but there is nothing you could have done. We were outnumbered and overpowered. We are lucky to have escaped with our lives. But you are to not blame for this - we all share the responsibility. It was a failure on us, not just you."

Robin reached up and cupped Starfire's cheek, and she placed her hand over his.

"You know Star, I know it doesn't seem that way…but sometimes I get so insecure. What if I'm too late? What if I can't save them?"

Starfire smiled warmly. "You must stop thinking in terms of you, Robin. You have done that for so long. We are in this as much as you, Robin. We shall get friends Raven and Beast Boy back. You must not lose hope now. If you cannot believe in yourself, how can we?"

She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips.

"So lead us, but do not ever overlook us. We are always by your side," she finished.

Robin squeezed her hand and smiled gratefully. "Star, what would I ever do without you?" This time, he leaned in and kissed her. "Thanks. Now, you'd better get to sleep. You have to keep watch later."

The Tamaranian princess nodded. "Will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine. Thanks, Star. Now you get some rest." Once she had lain down, Robin kissed her lightly on her forehead before sitting back down in his spot.

"I'll be fine," he repeated quietly.

After waking Starfire up in the middle of the night to keep watch, Robin almost immediately fell asleep. Before he knew it, he felt sunlight hit his eyes, and he grudgingly opened them.

"Come, Robin," Starfire said gently as she helped him stand. Robin shook the sleep from his eyes and looked around. It was dawn, and the sun had barely risen over the horizon. It didn't take long for them to get started tracking again, but this time they didn't get very far.

"Hey, look!" Worek shouted, causing the group to pause. A large brown eagle descended from the sky and landed next to them.

"Talia!"

The eagle landed and changed into said Zamoan warrior. After shaking her green hair out of her eyes, she addressed the group.

"Thank Verahan I've found you, Aalya. I've found the rest of our group. You and the others need to go there immediately."

"Immediately? Why now? Wait, where are the others?" Aalya asked. "I thought you were going to come to us-"

"I know Aalya, but that won't be necessary. There's been a change of plans."

"We're trying to find our friends here!" Robin objected.

"I know. We can come back here later if we have to, but I guarantee you, we won't."

"What makes you say that?" Jinx asked skeptically.

"Let's just say we found something, and we need you to see it." Talia's 'you' was directed specifically at the three Titans and Jinx.

"Okay, Titans. Let's go," Robin ordered. The teenagers followed their new guide in the direction she guided them in. Before long, they saw what looked like a fire in the distance as well as several figures. As they neared it, they saw that it was some kind of campsite. Upon getting even closer, they found that the figures were the same kind of people as their guide, and once again, all women.

"We're here," Talia said. Everyone in the camp stared at the Titans as they appeared. Aalya and Talia went up to a women who was slightly taller, older, and with jet black hair. Obviously the leader, by the looks of it. Their suspictions were confirmed when the two girls bowed respectfully before her. The woman gave a command in an unknown language, and they stood up.

"I see you've brought your new friends with you," she remarked. The black-haired woman took a step forward and eyed the Titans curiously. "You certainly were not joking. They are perhaps the strangest group of individuals I've ever seen."

"Ma'am, we come in peace," Robin explained. "We're trying to find our friend. That's why we were passing through here."

"Ah, yes. I see. Well, you won't be disappointed," the woman replied. She and everyone behind her stepped to the side, and revealed a familiar green shape lying beside the fire.

All Titans' jaws hit the ground, but Starfire was the first to speak.

"Beast Boy!"

So, how was it? I wasn't going to originally put any RobxStar in this one, but I figured they'd been rather neglected this story. So I decided to give them at least a little spotlight. As always, I appreciate any input.

By the way, sorry to disappoint those who wanted to see what the creature in the cave was. I thought it'd be fun to leave that one up to the imagination. After all, the things you see aren't half as scary as those you don't! Er, I think that's how it goes. Anyway, hope you didn't mind.