Chapter 2: Injured

I paced about outside as I waited for them to return. Some of the team would came back to refill with retardant every now and then but Blade still hadn't called me out to help. By what Nick had said when he came back that they were starting to get the fire under control. Once they took off again I would start my constant pacing.

"If you keep that up I'll be mending the airstrip" commented Maru from where he was near the hoses and pumps waiting for the next team member to come in for a refill on retardant. Kipper just let out a snicker.

"Sorry Maru but you know how worried I get when they are out there and I am stuck here" I answered and stared at the empty sky.

"Well just settle down and stop pacing. I'm getting dizzy from watching you" Maru said back at me.

"Yes Maru" I said and sat down.

"Witch will she wear out first?" asked Kipper with a dopy look. "The airstrip or her hooves?" Maru and I stared at him while he chuckled.

"So not cool" I scolded, shaking my head. Kipper on the other hand was not listening.

About an hour later Maru left to answer the radio. Kipper took up 'century' as he called it while I went back to pacing. I stopped the moment my ears picked up the faint sound of engines approaching. Suddenly Maru came out of the hangar in a hurry.

"Clear the runway. We've got injured" he yelled to us. That made Kipped and I scatter in two different directions. I went left while he want right, running into a hangar in the process. Looking closely out into the distance I could see Windlifter carrying someone back to base. I'm used to seeing injuries but I didn't like it when someone got hurt. As Windlifter approached I could see a familiar little helicopter in the sling; Nick.

The moment Nick was set down Maru started barking out orders to the smokejumpers. I quickly and carefully walked over to take a look at the damage. Being able to help with injuries was something that I was good at. Nick's flanks were burnt and blistered but the most damage was on his left side. The paint was burnt off and his access panel was partly melted shut. Maru had to carefully wrench it open. All the while Maru was muttering and taking notes to himself. Kipper took one look and decided to stay well out of the way.

"Get him to the garage" Maru suddenly barked to us, nearly making me jump out of my skin. Now getting an unconscious helicopter with skies to the garage was not easy but we managed. The moment Nick was inside Maru started to work on him. Falco helped as much as he could by passing equipment and tools. That bird was beating me to everything Maru asked for but I had been given a bit of extra training by a Pegasus friend named Vinely with my stabability and healing powers so I was able to keep it focused in one paw to help with healing.

"What happened Blade" I asked as I turned my head to face him. Blade glanced at Maru before explaining.

"It was going fine until-" Blade started to tell us what happened.

-Flashback-

"Okay Dipper you set up another drop ahead of the fire to contain it" Blade ordered over the radio.

"Copy that" answered Dipper as she swooped in with a load of retardant, dropping it down to douse the flames out.

"At least we-re almost finished here Blade" Nick said to his best friend grinning happily at the thought of the fire soon being out and to be able to head back to the base.

"Yes Nick" answered Blade with a grin of his own. "Now Nick tag on and let down a drop after Dipper."

"Copy that chief" laughed Nick as he tagged along after Dipper. Just as he was dropping his load something black shot out of the smoke and rammed into Nick before quickly retreating back into the smoke. Nick let out a yelp of surprise as he found himself falling toward the smoke and flames bellow but he managed to level out before he went down into the trees.

"You okay Nick" Blade asked in concern as he flew down towards his friend. Before Nick could answer the black shape darted and rammed into his tail. Nick screamed as he fell down into the trees, his rotors being sheared off instantly. He was knocked out when he rammed into the ground.

"NOOOO" shouted Blade as he instantly dropped a load of retardant on top of were Nick had landed to douse out the fire that had surrounded him. The other firefighters we circling around above in a circle. The black thing on the other hand had vanished into thin air.

-fin-

"A black thing" asked Maru in confusion, while he worked away.

"Did anyone get a good look at this 'black thing'?" I ask, removing my paw from Nick's flank having done all that I could for him at the moment. The others looked at each other.

"I only saw movement" admitted Blade.

"Didn't see anything. I was on the other side of the fire" said Ares and servile others agreed with him. Dusty shook his nose sadly.

"But it makes no sense" said Blade "Why try and kill use like that? All we were doing was putting a fire out."

"What if it's the shapeshifter" shivered Drip making Blackout yelp and dive for cover.

"Impossible" scoffed Kipper as he walked in. "That thing is as good as gone. We all saw what happened."

"And there is no way that it would come back" I said with a nod

"So it's something eles" concluded Blackout as he came out of hiding.

"If I ever caught the trouble maker it'll wish that it had never came here in the first place" I grinned with a gleam in my eye.

"I can just imagine what you'll do to it" sad Dusty with a smirk.

"Spoiler" I groan "Mabey Nick got a better look at it."

"You can ask when he wakes up but he has to rest" answered Maru as he closed Nick's accuse panel. "It'll be a while before he wakes up though but he should be fine." At that several of the team nodded before dispersing to go and get some rest. Ares turned to go but he noticed that Blade remaining at the garage opening watching Nick's still form. Sighing he rolled up next to Blade.

"You okay Blade?" he asked.

"I'm fine" answered Blade "I'm just worried for him. I just wish that we knew what the thing was that attacked."

"Nick will be fine Blade" assured Ares "But what we have to worry about is it attacking again. Whatever it was it might attack again."

"It attacked the first time for no reason" Blade said as he turned to go. "But if we catch it I'll set Belinda on it. You know how much she loves to hunt down things."

"I sure do and I'll hate to be in its shoes if she catches it" chuckled Ares before heading off to his hangar. I smiled as I watched them go before settling down in the shade to keep an eye on Nick. Even though we now down by one we were still a team.

Nick groaned a bit as he came to which alerted us that he was awake. Blade imminently hurried over to his friend with me not far behind. Nick blinked his eyes to clear his vision before spying Blade.

"Blade?" he asked with a puzzled look.

"How are you feeling Nick?" asked Blade gently.

"Like I was baked in an over" Nick answered, flinching a bit when Falco accidently brushed his wing against Nick's burnt flank as he flew down from a rafter. Seeing his mistake Falco imminently tried to apologise by waddling around squawking.

"You sure that you're okay?" asked Blade in concern. The accident during the fire had brought back memories of when Blade lost Nick the first time.

"A bit sore but I would have thought that I would be sorer that this" Nick admitted before he heard me chuckling. "Okay, what did you do?" asked Nick as he wasn't able to figure it out himself.

"I used my healing powers on you so that you wouldn't feel it was much when you woke up. It'll wear of in another couple of hours. Give or take" I explained without confusing anybody.

"Oh" answered Nick as he was now lost for words.

"Hey Nick" said Ares as he pulled up next to Blade. "Do you have any idea about what nocked you out of the sky?"

"And don't say that it was black because that's all we know" called Kipper. Nick pondered about in for a while before describing what he saw.

"Well it was large, black-" Nick started to say before Kipper cut him off.

"What did I say about black" he asked in defeat.

"I remember that it had four legs and two wings and I think it had a lions tail" Nick finished "I didn't see it very clearly.

"A griffin" concluded Drip with a grin.

"Forget about what I said about teaching it a lesson if it a griffin" I said taking a step back and shaking my head.

"Why?" questioned Dusty as he tuned to look at me just like the rest.

"Griffins eat Pegasus's" I answered.

"You've seen it happen?" asked Blade with a raised eye frame.

"No, but I've heard stories about it" I answered as Falco hopped onto my head. "I've never seen one and I don't plane on seeing one. So let's drop the subject."

"Nick said that he thought that it had a lions tail. It could just been another Pegasus" said Pinecone.

"And how many black Pegasus's are there in the park?" asked Cabbie with a hint of sarcasm.

"Three" answered Kipper "One mare, a filly and a colt. And then there is a black and grey stallion."

"Seriously, what's the difference?" asked Maru. Now he has asked for it.

"A filly is a female under two years of age and a colt is a male under two years of age. An older female is a mare and an older male is called a stallion" answered Kipper. "Shall I go on?"

"Okay we get it" grumbled Maru with a shake of his head.

"Well you did ask" stated Nick with a laugh. He let out a sigh of content at Maru's expression.

"Good old Kipper" I chuckled "He can go on for hours on the subject. Believe me I saw him do it."

"So what are we going to do about the problem?" asked Blade in hopes of ideas.

"I'll go and ask Sultan" said Kipper "He runs the heard so he might know. Besides it wouldn't hurt to know at if it was one of his members he'll deal with them."

"Any other reasons on why you want to go see Sultan?" I asked teasingly as Kipper walked off.

"Maybe" came the reply before he took to the air and flew off. I shook my head and turned to the others.

"I'll go and scout around were the fire was. I and I only ask one favour" I said before continuing "Will someone come with me?"

"I'll go with her" said Ares as he stared at me with his violate eyes. "Keep her company and it might be safer to travel in pairs for a while."

"Okay and be careful" said Blade with a nod of his head.

"When am I not?" I asked with a cheeky grin before catching their looks. "Don't answer that." With that said Ares and I took to the skies with Ares in the lead. This was going to be a long summer.