Chapter 13: Returning Home

Morning arose.

The cabin itself may have been damaged heavily from the night before, but at least the Fentons were able to get a good night's sleep.

Danny and Danielle were able to discuss everything that had happened the night before, including Danny's admission that Ember was with him during his previous encounters with the revenants altered by the Wendigo.

While Danny would accept he would be grounded, at the very least, they were assured the Wendigo would cease to be a threat for about a year. They lied and said it was just a very powerful ghost, not certain if information of the Wendigo being real would be accepted so easily.

Danny had stirred awake, his mind still on the events of last night.

The creature, the ghost who aided them, and the figure that was called the one in the dark.

"At least people don't want to worry about that thing anymore, at least for a year…" He said to himself.

He sat up, noticing Danielle wasn't in her bed. He figured she went to breakfast, which is where his stomach is telling him to be.

Time to eat… He thought as he got out of bed.

Getting dressed, Danny made his way to the door when he opened and saw Danielle standing there, looking up at him.

"Morning." She said.

"Uh… morning. What happened? Dad burned breakfast?" Danny asks.

"No…" She said before rolling her eyes away. "Well… yeah… he was insisting he could do it the old fashioned way." Danielle admitted.


Outside

Maddie and Jazz were glaring at Jack, who grinned nervously at the sight of a huge pile of food set on fire.

"I did say I was rusty…" He said quickly with a shrug.


Inside

"Uh huh… so… I was thinking… we should grab a bite before we leave." Danielle said.

"Cool… so… all five of us or-"

"Just us." Danielle said with a sly smile.

Danny raised an eyebrow.

"What are you up to?" He asked.

"Nothing…" She said in a tone that made Danny unsure.

Shrugging, Danny followed her, but not before his head turned to see something they brought with them from the cave.

The glowing pink rocks from the Wendigo's lair.

Approaching it, Danny picked up a rock.

"Has Mom taken a look yet?" He asks.

"She said she has better equipment to do so back home." Danielle said as she left through the door.

As soon as he saw her out, Danny pondered. He recalled Rich mentioning something peculiar, and he had a habit of appearing out of nowhere. Perhaps he'll have an encounter with him before they leave around lunch.

As such, he put the rock in his pocket before going along.


20 minutes later

Danny and Danielle arrived at a local diner, which was thankfully not as full as they feared.

"I should get us a table." Danielle insisted as she headed through the door.

"Wait, Sis? I-" Danny went, only for her to run off. Sighing, he leaned on the wall. "There she goes…"

"Impulsive and disloyal, isn't she?"

Startled, Danny stood straight and realized that was a voice he recognized.

"Rich?" He asks.

"Over here…"

Danny turned his head, seeing a bit of the overcoat and the hat peeking out from the corner of the building.

"Seriously… can't you call first?" Danny asks angrily.

"Do you have the rocks?" Rich asks.

"I figured I'd run into you… so I have one." Danny said.

"One?" Rich asks.

"We took a few." Danny said.

"I see… and you brought one?" Rich asks.

"Yeah… I'm not sure how many you actually need, but-"

"One will do." Danny was about to approach, only for Rich to raise a hand despite not seeing Danny coming towards him. "Uh-uh! Roll it over…"

Shrugging, Danny pulled out and rolled the rock over on the ground. Rich pulled it in with his leg, not showing any trace of his face or skin to Danny.

"Okay… now what?" Danny asks.

"Tell no one you saw me… not even your family. The less they know, the more likely the MIB will not give you trouble." Rich said.

"Why would the MIB be upset and why would one member go behind their backs?" Danny asks.

"Old friends don't quite see eye to eye with me…" Rich answered.

Before Danny could question him, he heard the door open.

"Bro!" Danielle said, motioning him to join. "Come on!" She went cheerfully.

Danny turned his head, seeing Rich had disappeared. Confused, Danny looked around before shrugging and following Danielle.


Inside the diner

"So, why the urge to eat here instead of that spot we passed earlier?" Danny asked.

"Oh...I think you'll like it here… "Danielle said in an innocent sounding way.

Danny raised a brow at that. Before he could press on, someone saw him.

"Danny?"

Danny turned around and saw Nat, sitting with her friends.

"Nat..." He said, surprised to see her.

"Hey..." Nat waved at him.

With a small smile, Danny waved back as he approached her.

"So...you're here?" He asked.

"Yeah...a little birdie told me that you'd be here for breakfast..." Nat said.

Danny sent a look to Danielle, who smiled innocently right now.

"Well… I guess we found your seat. I'll grab a chair." She said, heading off to get said chair.

Danny raised an eyebrow before taking a seat in front of Nat. It was then he noticed the person to his right was looking vacant.

"M-Monsters… real monsters." Ellie said, looking tense.

"Uh… Is she alright?" Danny asked.

Nat shook her head.

"She was kind of...spooked by those zombie things last night..." She said.

"I'll say. She hasn't been this bad since that whole Disasteroid incident. Poor thing..." Susan said, pitying her friend as she patted her arm sympathetically.

As Ellie shuddered at the thought of last night, Danny slightly inches away from her.

"So… Danielle and you talked?" He asks Nat.

"We sure did… she said you'd be here for breakfast." Nat said.

As Danielle brought her chair, she sat in it and smiled at the two.

"So… what'd I miss?" She asks.

From there, the group, sans Ellie, began talking before ordering.


1 hour later

Danny was paying the bill for his and Danielle's food as they were on their way to the door as they spoke.

"You arranged for me and Nat to talk, didn't you?" He asks.

"Wanted to make up for being a jerk about it earlier…" Danielle said.

"Yeah… well, water under the bridge." Danny said.

"Cool… so… that means you're over Ember?" Danielle asks.

Danny stopped in place, tensing up before nervously looking away.

"Uh… something like that doesn't just go away overnight…" Danny said.

"It doesn't?" Danielle asks.

"You… don't know, do you?" Danny asks.

"You-know-who didn't exactly give me knowledge on romantic relationships, mostly because he didn't plan to keep me around for long." Danielle pointed out.

Knowing who she was talking about, Danny avoided eye contact over that topic.

"Oh… well, I promise to try and get over her…" Danny said.

"Okay then… so… your lady of the North awaits." Danielle said, gesturing to the door.

Looking in that direction, he saw Nat outside with her friends. With a smile, Danny went ahead.

I hope that this works out. He deserves to be happy… Danielle thought as Danny approached Nat.

"So, Danny? Wanna walk off the food together?" She asks, offering her arm.

"Sure." Danny said, taking her arm as the two walked together.

As the two walked away, Susan saw them walk off together and practically gushed in a girlish fashion while Ellie, still unsettled by the night before, didn't bother reacting.

"Those two are pretty cute, aren't they?" Susan asks.

"Creepy...ugly...evil...zombies..." Ellie said, looking over her shoulder.

"Yeah… I guess they are." Danielle said, accepting that her brother will find love at some point in his life.

Ellie continued looking around in fear.

"Can we go now?" She asks.

"Relax Ellie. No monsters here…" Susan assured.

As the two decided to return to their cabin, Danielle decided to do the same as she felt something off. Turning her head, she expected to see someone.

She felt as if someone was watching before shrugging and heading out.

As soon as she did, Rich stepped out of the corner, keeping his face hidden as he watched the girls leave.


In Amity Park

Tucker was alone, heading towards Nasty Burger as he thought back to what he went through this morning.

"Man… house sitting is fun, but I cannot eat anywhere near that fridge. The spoiled ham smell is getting stronger…" He said to himself.

As he made his way, he noticed a large truck passing.

Upon arriving on the block Nasty Burger was on, he noticed a commotion happening at his favorite restaurant. He also noticed a nervous Irving Burns signing papers with several men in suits.

Tucker sped up his pace as he noticed someone else was watching from the parking lot.

"Sam?" He asks, getting her attention. "What's going on?"

"For the first time in forever, the man is doing something smart. Apparently, whoever approved of the secret sauce here was fired from the FDA after some feds ate here. Apparently that so-called sauce was actually some kind of top secret edible rocket fuel that got mixed up with the actual Nasty secret sauce for some reason. Thankfully, they're finally changing the recipe." Sam explained.

"They are?" Tucker asks.

Sam nodded.

The men in suits finished interrogating Irving, who then made an announcement.

"Okay, everyone! Nasty Burger will no longer be serving our original Nasty sauce for the past 5 years. So… until all traces of it are removed, Nasty Burger is closed for now." Irving said.

"Small price to be able to eat at a place and NOT worry about being blown to bits..." Sam muttered

Everyone else, however, was bummed. Many people were walking away, hungry and disappointed.

"Aww man…" Tucker muttered.

As Tucker walked away with a pout, Sam caught up with him.

"So… anything you wanna do before they come back tonight?" Sam asks.

"I guess… we can grab a pizza and watch movies at their place… but we can't eat anywhere near the kitchen. That ham smell is seeping through the fridge." Tucker said.

"Understandable." Sam said.

As they walked away, they didn't notice a black limo parked down the street. Those inside watched them with intent.

"That's him. That's the kid…" The agent who spoke with Tucker said, pointing at the two.

"What should we do about them?" The skinny man in the shadows said from behind.

"Continue observations for now… make no interactions." A voice over the radio said.

"Roger…" The agent said as he took a bite of a sandwich he just bought. "Too bad that place was serving food with some cartoonishly combustible condiment breaking massive laws, so we had to shut it down… but, that's what happens when someone at the FDA was too lazy to do their job."

"You eat too much and it was all junk food that negatively affected your health. Besides, I found a pickle in my burger when I deliberately said no pickles…" The skinny man in the shadows said in a monotone voice.


Back in Canada

Danny and Nat walked together in the direction of their cabins, still talking.

"So...where do we...you know...stand here? I mean...are we not going to see each other anymore?" Danny asks.

"It's cool. I hope we can at least still talk. Although, to be honest, I'm not sure how a long distance relationship can work between us. So… maybe we start as friends first?" She asks.

Danny thought about it. On one hand, he was somewhat disappointed that he didn't make better progress. On the other hand, he didn't want to rush into it.

"That can work." Danny said.

"Cool." Nat said before her smile grew. "Although…"

"Although…?" Danny asked.

It was then Nat closed the distance and kissed him on the cheek, making him turn red.

"May as well take advantage of us being around each other now." She said with a wink.

Danny blushed brightly before smiling.

The two shared a quick kiss before resuming their walk.

Once they were done, Danny had noticed his family was currently packing everything into the van.

"Come on everyone. We gotta get on our plane and get home before it gets too dark..."Jack ordered as he placed all the blasters inside the rented vehicle.

Danny realized now was the time to get to packing.

"I better start packing." He said.

"So, you guys are leaving?" Nat asked.

"Yeah, my folks' job ended and those things should be gone, if not forever than for a year...so we gotta go..." Danny said, sounding bummed.

Nat was disappointed but also understanding.

"It's cool, Danny...you're a cool guy and I think I could get used to your parents ghost job but..." Nat paused, not sure how to end this.

"We're… just friends now, right?" He asked.

"It's not you, Danny but… like I said, I'm not sure about long distance stuff...plus, we're in high school. We have a few years to deal with first..." Nat explained.

"Right…" Danny said.

"For what it's worth, you're a nice guy and I did have fun this weekend with you… flesh eating zombie things not withstanding." Nat admitted.

"Thanks, same here..." Danny said, making her smile a bit.

"You still got my email, right?" Nat asked.

He might not have gotten a new girlfriend out of this whole ordeal, but Nat was still willing to be his friend and keep in touch.

"I sure did." Danny said.

Nat smiled. She planted a kiss on his cheek, surprising him. The snowboarder girl just smiled warmly at him before winking.

"Take care..." She said before leaving.

Danny was stunned, as he touched his cheek, unsure how to process this.

"Does she really want to just be my friend...or am I getting mixed signals here?" He asked himself.

"Danny, come on. We gotta hit the road if we wanna get back to Amity Park by tonight. You can imagine a life with Nathalie when we get home!" Jack said.

Danny's face turned red before scowling at his father, who just now realized what he said was an embarrassment and smiled sheepishly.

Danny rolled his eyes and headed back to pack.

As he reached the door, he recalled something Nat said.

"Why did she mention the wendigos as part of our time together?" He asks himself.

After a pause, he shrugged and went back to packing.


The morning after

With a loud yawn, Danny got out of his bed.

The Fentons were back home, still with things to unpack.

As he got out of bed, he looked out the window, thinking of the experience he went through.

I still have no idea who that monster was talking about. Who was it that told him I'd be there? Danny thought.

"Danny! Breakfast!" Maddie called out.

"Coming!" Danny said before noticing his computer.

Heading towards it, he saw he already received a message from Nat.

HOPE YOU MADE IT HOME SAFELY! It said with a winky smile next to it.

Danny smiled, happy to at least have a budding relationship with a new friend.

From there, he went on to get the day ready for school, thinking it was all over.


Back in Canada

Achak patrolled the area of the cave entrance, seeing the snow was starting to melt.

"So… the effects on the weather are wearing off? The creature's end may come sooner than I expected…" He said to himself.

As he saw it melt, he sat down and pulled something out.

It was a necklace of some kind, a small rope with small totems and symbols.

As he held it in his hand, he stared with a look of melancholy and heartbreak, taking a breath despite that he no longer needed to breathe as he looked back to the cave.

"I must remain patient…" He said to himself as he resumed his patrol.

Inside the cave, screeches of anger could echo.

The Wendigo, still wearing the fake skull as a helmet, slashed the walls and crushed every unfortunate motionless revenant that crossed his path, fury on his face.

"MEAT!" He shouted, devouring a piece of flesh from one of the revenants. "I NEED MEAT! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

He then heard a sound of some kind. Turning his head, he saw a small deer mouse crawling on the ground. Desiring flesh of any kind, The Wendigo used his speed and reach to get ahold of the tiny animal.

The animal tried to struggle out, its tail wagging wildly as it squealed in horror.

The Wendigo tightened his grasp, crushing it and causing it to cease motion of all kinds. With a lick of his teeth, The Wendigo took the now lifeless rodent by the tail and lowered it into his mouth, allowing him to eat it.

After loudly chewing, he swallowed it.

"It's a start… but I need more. I need more than meat… I need… revenge!" The Wendigo shouted, slashing a cutting of Danny's logo on the wall that he himself made. "I'll find that freakish human hybrid and I'll skin him, and be-bone him, and make his life a living hell before I end him!" He shouted in anger.

It was once he finished his enraged shouting, he heard a sound. It grew closer as it started to sound like clapping.

Along with the sound was a smell. It was a smell that was not native to his cave. It was like sulfur.

Turning his head, his eyes narrow in anger at the source of the sound.

"You…" He snarled.


New chapter thanks to Flower princess11.

We're halfway done with something I should have finished by now. I'll try to end it soon.

RonaldM40196867: They weren't, they had no technology. Also, he's not a Wendigo. They had their talk, or at least will have some more later. Just wanted to add an Algonquin spirit. No word yet. It was a fascinating creature Bedtime Stories talked about. NORTH Pole, and privacy. Yes. They didn't want to be lonely.

Themetavoorhes1996: It sure is. Well, you'd have to see my DA account... but we're not there yet.

Invader Johnny: He helped... at least for now.

danifan3000: He tends to not think things through, does he?

Luiz4200: Yup.

SuperiorBatman1: Let's hope nothing undoes their awesome job.