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Collaboration | Wind whispered through the leaves of the oak trees communed at the mountain’s foot. Clouds were peppered across the sky, creating pockets of blue where the sun would at times peek down at the ground. In an opening between the trees, a training dummy was set in the middle of it set on a slow pivot to spin around. The eyes of a hunter watched it from the forest.
Although Ja was hesitant, Red Robot and Tenzi Dinah were adamant that even though he may not be out in the field for some time, his training should continue. This exercise was meant to be a stealth and speed based one. He was meant to sneak up on, knock to the ground, and hit the back of the head to deactivate it before it could fully turn to face him. It was a test Ja had done a thousand times in the past. However, today he struggled, having heard the loud buzzer and red lights of failure many times.
The problem wasn’t a matter of his speed, nor his ability to sneak up on the target. It was when it came time to hit it, that Ja found himself hesitating. It was today that the memories of the last mission decided to return to him fully. Whenever he got close to attacking the training dummy, he felt a flash of when the Red Beast had attacked Quiver or Vincent. He stopped just short every time he saw them. This was his sixth attempt now.
Ja readjusted his footing in the tree branch that he’d settled into. He relaxed his shoulders, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. He could do this; He had to. He needed to return his focus and control. He would not be kept away from missions forever, and his team needed him to be ready. His pack needed him to return.
Metamorph’s eyes shot open; the pupils of his golden eyes tightening to lock on the roving dummy. He calculated the timing of its rotation to sync his movements accordingly. Then, just when the shoulder turned, he dove into action. Literally diving downward out of the tree, arms extended, a leopard’s low rumble of a growl slipped through an exhale. The predator became a silenced blur running on all fours. On the last stride, he swung his body around on his hands to perform a double leg sweep just as the dummy turned shoulder. Falling face first into the dirt, Metamorph smoothly moved to the left, finessing out of the range of its vision. Just as he was bringing a paw down to hit its head though, a flash of darkness hit him.
It was only for a second, but Quiver…Talon’s body lay there, with the deeply blooded claw wound spilling to the ground beside him.
I didn’t mean it.
BLARE! BLARE! BLARE!
The loud buzzer of the dummy went off just below him, rousing him from the flashback. It…didn’t stop spinning because he didn’t deactivate it in time…He failed.
Ja fell backwards to sit on the ground with a deflated huff…
Further into the forest, Kass was doing her own training. The mission on the docks made her realize that she'd been putting off her physical prowess in favor of magic. Illusion couldn't solve every problem; sometimes strength was necessary. She refused to let herself fall behind. Not when KJ needed the more experienced members to keep the team safe until he recovered.
Her mind forced the phrase 'if he recovered' into her consciousness, and she brushed the doubt aside like an unwelcome pest. He would get better - she would help him, and wait as long as it took.
”Focus…“ She murmured aloud. Steadily, she warmed her muscles with push-ups and stretches, before getting into the bulk of the routine. Her wrestling skills had abated, so she'd started back with a new fervor. Both Viktor and Kila made a point of telling her that the truly dangerous fighters had their own unique methods. Non standard styles that gave them the element of surprise in battle. Days of research had found Kassy a style she liked, and so she attacked the heavy dummy again and again, trying to grapple and throw it with all her might.
At some point in the midst of her strength training, the bushbaby had appeared to be in the background. It was unclear how long he was there, but it surely wasn’t long. He sat on the ground Indian style, watching her go.
In the past couple of weeks, Ja had come to rely on her support as the others had grown distant. Of course, none of his teammates had treated him with hostility, at least not openly. Though, his paranoia and shame ultimately made him avoid Quiver and Vincent. Even his nature sister, Daffy-Knee, could never quite look at him directly.
While Cora’s compassion was appreciated, the only one that still treated him the same was Kassy. Knowing that made him feel…different, inside. His heart felt like jelly that wriggled in his chest when she was near. It made him feel warm, and was the closest semblance to security he had felt since the Beast’s wrath. Even now, when she was working out, these feelings radiated through him…and…well…sometimes… he couldn’t help but simply stare. Something about… the mixture of flexing muscle with gentle curves…
Her prey-sense warned Kassy of a predator's gaze, causing her to stop short. That ancient itch on the back of her neck was better than sonar. But what land creature could be a danger to her here?
She straightened up and looked around, before her gaze landed on Ja. Happily, she strode through the sparse grass and plopped beside him. "Hi. Have you been waiting long?“
His eyes aimed downward to watch the ants on the ground, realizing with her instinctive reaction that his eye may have been a bit much. Still, he didn’t hide a small smile, fangs peeking between closed lips.
“No…I just thought that watching someone else do well with their training would help me with focusing…It isn’t going so well.“
"Oh.“ There was a time where she would've said 'I'm sorry' in response to his woes. But she had a sense that it wouldn't help Ja this time. She tipped her water bottle up and drank thirstily before speaking again. "Maybe you should change it up. I need a sparring partner. Would you mind?“
Ja’s eyes opened widely in surprise and his smile disappeared. "A-ah…Are you sure that would be a good idea?“ The child of the wild tried to keep his cool. Moments ago, he had trouble fighting a stationary dummy…Much less a living person. Much less a teammate, since the Beast attacked two of them last mission. Much much less the person that he didn’t…
By that same token, Ja understood that he couldn’t live in fear of the Beast. He needed to maintain his composure…and knowing that it didn’t hurt Kassy during that mission gave him a little more confidence that…surely it wouldn’t overpower him this time…right?
All of these thoughts seemed to move through the motions of his eyes, before he looked back up at her. A corner of his lip upturned, a little more resolute.
"Okay. We can try.“
Kassy smiled gently at his courage. She couldn’t read minds, but it didn't take telepathy to know why he hesitated.
"Don't worry, Ja. I trust you.“ She squeezed his shoulder before taking her place on the edge of a makeshift circle.
The bushbaby crawled on over to the opposite edge of the circle, though he stood up. He resolved to himself that he would try to match her energy, nothing more. As a form of sparring etiquette as well as to indicate readiness, his right fist met his left palm; a kung fu salute.
In return, Kassy held her fist to her forehead and bowed. It was a gesture of utmost respect where she came from. Once that was done, she lowered into a sturdy stance. Her teeth flashed in an eager grin.
Ja wasted no time. He sprung forward as though to pounce on her, but tucked into a front flip at the last second to kick with both legs.
Months ago, Kassy would have flinched away from the incoming strike. But so much had changed. As Ja twisted in midair, she blocked out everything else. It was just him, and her, and her heartbeat rushing in her ears.
One beat. Two. Three.
There!
At the moment just before his kick hit home, she pressed herself forward and grasped for him. Her sturdy arms wrapped around his legs, holding him around the knees.
Just like that, Kilamanjaro felt his forward momentum shift suddenly toward the ground. Of course— she was a grappler, he just saw her training, why was he surprised?
Either way, gravity was making the journey short, so his body became as a snake; Flexibly contorting his back to bend backward. Using her momentum against her, his hands caught the dirt but he rolled them backwards as a whole. With the pin reversed, knees at her biceps, he used the opportunity to slip away.
She righted herself the second her back hit the ground, prepared for a defense that suddenly wasn't needed. Ja was widening the gap. "Alright.“ She stalked toward him, not at speed, but at a measured walk. It was quite obvious that she'd need him to move first. But she was a rather patient fighter. Her illusions often meant that she had to wait for the perfect moment to strike, and this was no different.
With her walking more towards the center of the circle, Ja had more room to work with. That timed snatch taught him that the likely counter to her preferred method was speed. If she couldn't grab him, it would be a matter of wearing her down… Well there was strength that he could tap into, but he’d never actually hit her before to know how durable she was…and he didn’t want to. But he agreed to spar with her in order to successfully complete some form of combat training. He just wouldn’t hit her head.
With that in mind, the wild child started again, a burst of blinding speed to contrast her slow walk. Except this time, he zoomed past her, digging his claws into the ground to make a sharp turn to charge her from behind. As she was turning, his hands were meant to plant into her shoulders to vault over her.
"Hey-“ She was surprised as he darted right by without touching her. His reversal was a little less surprising, though; there was a quick intake of breath just before she felt his hands on her. Instead of letting him use her as a springboard, she went prone. It was nearly identical to the drop-dive she did when swimming. If she had it right, Ja's timing would be ruined.
Her sudden drop left him fumbling to not fall onto her, quickly reshuffling his hands to catch the ground.
She didn't let up, her leg striking forward in a vicious kick. Usually, he ran circles (literally) around her. Being able to match him, even for a little, gave her courage.
Unable to brace for the sudden impact to his chest or even get stable, her kick knocked the wind out of him. Crashing onto his back, Ja sighed, quickly trying to regain his breath. He was slipping up more than normal; focus.
Swiftly spinning on his head and shoulders back to his feet, he bounced in place with a shifty rhythm. Hopping closer, he turned into what looked like a spinning hook kick for her head. Though instead of following through, he jumped, retracting his leg as a feign and extending for a back kick to the body.
She had just enough time to steel herself for the impact. Skidding backward slightly, she weathered his kick. Instead of bracing for more, however, she darted forward.
Again she grabbed for his outstretched leg. If she could just catch Ja once, the battle could turn in her favor. She was fast, but agility was his specialty. His leg was extended as bait, retracting as she reached for it.
Instead, he grasped around her arm and tugged to use her momentum against her. Using a barrel vault maneuver over her initially, his feet planted into her back to push off away. Using his own newfound momentum to back handspring away, he followed it up with a backflip to land on his four limbs. He had the posture and demeanor of a crouching tiger; keen senses attuned and ready to strike.
Kassy grunted softly as she nearly fell prone. Her recovery was faster than it had ever been, but she was frustrated with herself. It'd been silly for her to try and outspeed him. She didn't need to beat him at his game; she needed to do what she did best. As he took point, she did the same. Her bare heels dug into the earth, and she readied her hands in front of her.
"Well? Come and get me!“ Her taunt displayed far more courage than she felt. Within the span of her exhale, the wild child obliged, cartwheeling closer. Launching at her from his hands, it seemed his momentum was leading into a kick. Though, it was yet another feint, and the mistress of mirages could see through it. Before Ja could properly extend into an attempted attack, she leaned just far enough to throw her arms around his neck and head.
Lowered toward the ground to have less leverage, he found himself in a sudden arm triangle choke. His free arm grasped at her arms, but she adjusted accordingly, and he felt the pressure at his neck. His breaths were deepening as the blood flow to his head was blocked.
Ja miscalculated again. She caught him, again. He would fail again. Iwisa would have chewed him up by now; both physically and verbally. The thought made him grimace, more than any pain felt during this sparring session…Iwisa didn’t die for him to be a failure…His fangs bared, and a small breathy growl exhaled from him, though it was not animal inspired. It was his own.
He would make Iwisa proud.
Ja summoned strength from within that he wasn’t willing before. He took hold of Kassy’s choking arm while planting his feet onto the ground. In one motion, he stood up off the ground, lifting Kassy up with him upright. Unfolding her arm from around his neck, his other hand came from below to shove her back.
Though the space was brief, he decided to move on the offensive. With ferocity, he took a short hop into a superman punch aimed directly for her chest. Though as his momentum carried him forward, a flash of light overtook him.
The darkness of the docks again. The smell of water, but before him, a bright light. Kassy’s face glimmering beside it, coaxing with fear in her eyes. ’It’s just me…I’m…your friend.’
Ja’s breath caught in his throat.
And Kassandra's fist caught his chin a second later.
She was surprised at how hard her punch landed. There had been a moment of hesitation on Ja's part, and she capitalized on it without question. Usually, she would have been blocked or redirected, which is why she put more honest strength into fighting Viktor and KJ. They could handle it. Why hadn't he handled it?
"Ja- are you okay?!“ The panic in her voice was clear. The young man lied still for several moments, seemingly out cold. His head rolled on his neck with no particular pattern, eyes aimed to the sky.
All was quiet, albeit the natural sounds of the ocean a little ways off, and some birds chirping. Then, suddenly, violently, the boy’s body shook. When he did, the birds stopped, quickly emptying from the trees as though spooked by something. Woodland creatures and even the insects that crept in the woods nearby fled further into it. Yet just as quickly as it began, it ended.
The young meta’s eyes reopened, but instead of Ja’s golden hazel, a more infamous scarlet glow inhabited the irises. Quickly surveying his surroundings, his eyes locked onto Kass looming nearby.
Kass was near tears, torn between going for her comm and looking after KJ, when the forest went berserk. She felt it, suddenly. Her prey sense, usually just a tickle of forewarning, was suddenly a klaxon of gut watering fear. She looked at the treeline, wondering if a bear was nearby.
Then she heard Ja rousing subtly. "Oh, thank the Gods, I thought-“ Then she caught a look at those bold, red eyes. The words stalled on her lips, and it was only because she was too practiced at deception that she continued after a second's pause. "I thought I was going to have to carry you back. Can you stand, Ja?“
Rule number one: never show a predator fear.
His eyes scrutinized her, pupils shaping from circular to the vertical slits of a clouded leopard. It was as though in an instant, he had sat up and leaned forward onto his limbs. Although the air was calm, there was a quiet tension, and the hunter could sense it. He drew closer, with a closed lip groan resembling a tiger rumbled from him. When rather too close, he stood up bipedally. His posture was taut and the right side of his lip twitched.
"Good, you're standing. Are you bleeding anywhere?“ Her voice was light and sweet, but her muscles were taut. Kassandra's mind was racing. Her comm was about a minute away. Maybe if she ran… but no. That would violate -
Rule number two: never show a predator your back.
There were no words as a response, instead, he continued with his silent examination. Very subtly, the minute tendrils of his headbush extended toward Kass. The tiger groan rumbled into a growl, opening his lips for his fangs to show. In the blink of an eye, his jaw opened and his head lurched toward her neck.
Kassy's courage faltered momentarily, as she threw her forearm up in defense. "Ja? I'm going to need you to stop.“ She kept using his name despite that crimson stare. It wasn't Ja, but… if her and Viktor were correct, he might be able to hear her anyway.
It was enough to make him pause, and his head tipped to the side to look at her arm briefly. As he did, the pupils of his eyes widened until there was more red and black than white. Another low growl, taking her arm as a prompt and his jaw unhinged again, leaning for it.
"Tch!“ She snatched her arm back, mindful of his teeth, and struck back instinctively. Ironically enough, Kila had taught her the flat palmed strike. Now she used it to hit the Beast square in the torso.
In response, he had been forced to take two steps backward. Even though struck, he didn’t seem particularly aggressive, sinking back down on all fours. Still, the Beast circled, watched her movement and body position, then he ran directly at her.
Kassy's mind flew into overdrive as the Beast's advance seemed to slow. Was one minute so long, even at a full sprint? If she could just get the others, then…
Then what? Would the others attack him again? Treat him like something less than a thinking being? Like a stranger… or an enemy? Would they lock him up and throw away the key, just because he was born with a strength that scared others?
She wouldn't let that happen. Not to someone who didn't deserve it.
As time seemed to right itself, she turned her body toward the Beast. Just in time, as he had launched himself from his ‘back’ legs, with clear intent to pounce on and tackle her. This one was easy; catch and redirect. The moment he was close enough, she got a hold of his arm and shirt. His energy became hers as she shoved him sideways, taking point again for the next attack.
"What is your name?"
After contorting his body to land on his four limbs, he seemed ready to try again but he stopped. Kass' question appeared to confuse him, as made evident by the second time he’d tilted his head during their interaction.
“Nnn….mmmm…?” His voice was low while struggling with the word but afterwards he snorted in frustration.
At that, Kassy's eyes brightened. "Yes, your name! You know me. I'm Kassy." She couldn't help but smile. Maybe there was a way to get through to him after all.
At the sound of Kass’ name, he looked back up to her face; noticing the teeth in her smile. His own canines became visible again and his mane spread out around his head. Positioning his body with his hands beneath his chest, he waited a moment before he charged again. However, this time, he remained close to the ground to go for her legs. Kass responded by sinking low and sweeping her leg out. Clearly she was trying to catch his chin.
Although quick enough to react to her kicking leg initially, leaning his head above, she clipped one of his supporting limbs. Recovering quickly by rolling across the ground on his shoulders, he landed on his feet. Using his crouched stance as a springboard, he launched directly at her center mass, sending them both tumbling to the ground.
"Oof!" Flat on her back, Kassy put her forearm between her throat and the Beast's teeth. This was bad - her bones were hard to break, but it took less force to deal dangerous cuts to her body. If he got a deep enough bite in, it would take no time at all for her to bleed to death. But she refused to roll over and die. "You're… not… winning!"
Although he’d displayed rash herculean strength weeks ago, at the moment he seemed to use none of it. Slowly nudging against and around her forearm, he didn’t quite reach her. Instead, his fangs only managed to nip at her exposed right shoulder.
Kassandra was confused. The Beast had enough strength to toss the larger boys around like they were weightless guppies. She shouldn't be strong enough to deter him. It was almost as if he wasn't…
She managed to get enough leverage between them, pushing her knee upward to gain space. "I don't want to hurt you! Please!" With a desperate cry, she put full force into her legs and kicked upward.
Her blow contacted his lower abdomen, throwing him up and off of her. Crashing on his back side, he quickly sat up and shook his upper body, like a dog flicking off dirt. For a moment, he paused again, looking up at her.
Kass hurt Him…? The wild child confusedly looked down at where she kicked, patting his chest just so. When reassuring that he wasn’t in pain, his confused look came back up to Kass.
Kassandra panted with effort as she got up again. Her stamina was usually much better, but she suspected fear was sapping her strength. Despite her trying not to be a threat, KJ's eyes were still red. Her confusion gave way to frustration. This didn't have to be happening, at all! If this fangy Beast would just go, even for a moment… "Give me back my Ja!" The layer of protective anger in her voice couldn't be buried.
An anger that made the confusion worse. With her tone seeming to go beyond irritation to actual aggression, the maned young lion tensed. Then he looked around to see if there was someone who he hadn’t sensed. Though clearly there was no one else around. She was talking to Him.
Give me back my Ja……but…Him…Why Kass yelling? His eyes seemed to plead for understanding when his view returned to Kassy again.
”…me…?” His voice was a soft grumble.
"You, yes! You need to go back–" Kassy let out a frustrated growl, hands in her hair. It was too hard a concept to word simply. He just didn't speak her language. But maybe she could speak his.
Squaring her shoulders and standing up fully, she bared her sharp teeth at the Beast in the body of the boy she loved. Her orange eyes were lit with anger. Every part of her silently invited his challenge.
Her body language seemed to be understood instead of what she was trying to say. For but a moment, he shrunk back, brows forming a triangle as he’d appeared to be hurt. His headbush slowly lowered around his face and his body raised from the ground. Regarding her silently for a moment longer, his airborne form launched at her.
As Kilamanjaro's crimson gaze bore down on her, his dive bringing them closer, Kassy felt a sudden sense of surety. A shift in the current. A feeling that somehow, things would be okay. She would have to talk to KJ about it. After she taught him the rules.
Rule 3: Never bare your throat. To do so is to acquiesce, to offer blood and body.
Like snatching a salmon from the shallows, Kassy's body moved at just the right moment. The force of a dive that would have flattened her was suddenly redirected. She gripped KJ tight, and took the momentum from him. She drove him into the ground back first, in a suplex.
Before he had space to recover, she pinned him with the full weight of her knee square on his chest. She gripped a careful handful of the young lion's mane and tugged his head back. There she knelt, lowering her mouth to his exposed neck.
"Bare your fangs no more. Go back to sleep."
Through labored breaths, the Fanged Beast had shut his eyes as serrated teeth clamped on his neck. He struggled under her grasp. Kassy was just as careful not to hurt him as he had been with her. Despite his struggle, she didn't even break the skin. It was several long moments before it ended. However, when he eventually came to a stop, the sounds of forest creatures seemed to return.
Soon afterwards, the boy stirred. As he attempted to move his heavy body, he felt hair on his face, but for once it wasn’t his. The smell was familiar…though there was something else that made his eyes suddenly fly open. He felt her lips on his neck.
“Kassy…I…uh…is…everything alright?” Kila asked both warily and wearily.
There was a noise of pure surprise from Kassy as she pulled away. She, too, was exhausted. And she hadn't expected him to wake so quickly. "You're… you're up!" She scraped her well of courage and came up empty. "Good! Gotta go."
“But wait—“ She was gone, where she once was, there was nothing.
The young lion sat up, an action made easier now that she wasn’t on him. A situation that Kila…hadn’t thought he’d be in so soon. The soreness in his body felt almost like he’d been in a fight. Yet there was no bloodshed or any real internal injuries that he could feel. Surveying his surroundings, Kila was in the forest, one on the island of Mount Justice; home.
This was certainly no dream…A fact that only made Kassy’s position with him seem odd. A hand fell on where he’d felt her on his neck. His lack of memory from a few moments ago did him no favors. She seemed surprised that he was awake. She wouldn’t have ‘taken advantage’ of him while sleeping. Instead of that…maybe this was a result of her interacting with his Red-inspired side.
Though how would a potential fight lead to what just happened…? Or…dare he ask…was it even a fight to begin with?
He’d find no answer sitting here thinking to himself. However, something told him that…maybe he was closer to achieving a goal of his than he’d originally thought. Maybe if he…
