Chapter one. She returns

I stride to the edge of the crumbling heap of the roof with my pack, which was full of supplies. "I'm going out. I'll call for backup if I need help," I say as I leave. "Be careful Blaze," Daniel called out with an amused expression on his face. I half heartedly mumbled "I will," before I run off the ledge and fell through the air, tools in hand, the wind rushing through my ginger hair. I twist mid-air until I'm facing the ground, and throw down a pillow that transforms into a large cushion, softening the impact. As soon as I get to my feet, I'm knocked over again by my closest friend. "Javari, you know you can't come with me," My jaguar panted and gave me a slobbery plea, knowing that I would ultimately let him come. I groaned. "Fine." We slink into the shadows as the queen's carriage rattles up the cobblestone path. I whispered to my jaguar in the special language only he understood. Javari grabbed a grenade from my pack with his mouth and placed it near the carriage, pressed the button that activated it, and scampered back into the shadows. "Thanks buddy." I pet him, a gentle purr emanating from his body. A loud blast came from behind me, and I jumped reflexively. I shield my eyes from the grenade exploding near the carriage, a brilliant blast of light bursting, temporarily blinding the guards. I quickly whisper to Javeri and he runs full speed at the guards, startling them. He slashes open a rip in one of their slacks with his sharp claws, dodging the guard's attempts to grab him. I shrug. Not how I would have averted their attention, but all that mattered was that it worked. I leap inside the carriage and gag the Queen before she can scream. I pull my shirt over my mouth and spray chloroform into the queen's face, hoping to knock her out long enough for me to get her out of the carriage and across the street. I grab the queen and sprint out of the carriage, past the distracted guards, and down the block. I entered the Ruins, the result of bombings years before. I slip through the rubble, dragging the Queen behind me. I pulled my communicuff up to my mouth, about to call in for backup, when the Queen arose from her forced slumber. I had forgotten to blindfold her. As I reprimand myself for such a rookie mistake, she pulls a gun from her glittering high heels and shoots me in the arm. My arm guards shields me from any serious damage, but I instinctively let go of her and she kicks me down into a hole in the floor, into a dark passage. It was old and broken down, and the smell of mildew filled the air. What is this place? I've been in the Ruins hundreds of times, but I've never seen this hallway. I walked around the collapsed walls and turned the corner, but stopped in my tracks by what I saw. A luminescent green and black egg-shaped orb glowed in midair, lighting up the dank room. A sign hangs from the end of the otherworldly cocoon, but the lettering is too scratched and faded to be legible. I leaned forward to touch it when a soft snapping sound came from behind me. I whirled around. "Hey! Who's there? Come out and face me!" I growled, a sound that came from deep in my throat. Javeri walked out of the shadows and panted, his head tilted. "Hey, bud. You startled me," I said with open arms. He ran up to me, knocking me into the glowing orb. As soon as it made contact with my body, it exploded into white light, throwing me backward. Midair, I could see chunks of wall and rubble flying back from the blast. I bashed against a pillar, sending a jolt through my body. I look up to see only half the orb still intact, the rest in pieces around it. An unconcious girl fell through the air from the orb, and in a split second I was on my feet, catching her. I gazed at her unmoving face. Thick, tightly curled locks of snakes surrounded her head, and a giant snake was wrapped around her arm and around her shoulders, dazed but awake. I felt slightly embarrassed, awkwardly standing there, grasping an unconscious girl. I gently set her down. The orb began to leak sticky, green goo on the floor that sizzled as it touched the ground. Javari's pupils shrank. He hissed wildly at the strange girl, his hackles raised, pure fear in his eyes. "Javeri, she just has special abilities like you and me, there's no reason to fear her." I coax, stroking his soft fur. Other than the fact that she came from a strange glowing orb in a secret passage in the Ruins. I lift my arm to talk to my scratched earpiece. The guys were probably wondering why I haven't responded in a while. "Hey guys. The Queen got away--Who carries a gun in their shoes?-- but I found something. Someone. I'm sending my location to you guys now." Javeri clawed the ground, growling. Suddenly, the Earth started splitting open around the girl, as if the ground itself was trying to swallow her whole. I swooped down and grabbed her, hoisting her up into my arms. "Guys, now would be a good time to HURRY UP!" I yell into my earpiece, static buzzing through the speaker. "Stupid thing," I mutter. Cracks spread toward me as I ran, chasing me as I clambered up the wall, back into the rubbled walls I was comfortable in. I run through the Ruin and a huge bird dives down from the sky, the entire crew riding on it. Finally, My ride. Daniel swoops down gracefully beside it, his feathered wings glistening in the grey evening light. I leapt onto the bird and strapped the girl onto the saddle. "Hey Blaze, who's your new girlfriend?" Leo laughed. I shoved him playfully. Suddenly, the bird jerked, and for a tense moment the world stood in place, perfectly still. Then we dropped through the air, plummeting quickly to the ground. "What's going on?" I shout. Daniel swooped into the air, pressing his hand against the unconscious bird's face. "Wake up! Come on, boy, wake up," he anxiously petted his face, but to no avail. "He's not waking up." I hold on to the saddle straps tightly, my legs flying up into the air. I look at my friends around me, eyes wide. Aron, the Japanese spider crab. Oliver, our rabbit. Me, the Jaguar. Leo, the armadillo. Jack, our wolf. Then we collide with the earth, sending strips of dirt skidding against the ground. I stagger to my feet, loud moans coming from around me. Shrill ringing fills my ear, and clouds of dust bloom around me. I shake my head and look around me. The guys struggle to their feet, groaning as purple bruises lump on their body. My eyes catch on the girl's snake's stormy grey pupils, staring at me almost mockingly. I feel myself being drawn inside them, pulling me deeper with every second that passes. The only thing that tugs me out is the concern in Oliver's voice. He kneels near Sterling, Daniel's bird, examining him to find the reason he plummeted to the ground. "Guys. This is a snake bite. It could have only come from one thing." Oliver pointed to the girl. I looked at her in horror, then turned my attention to Sterling. "Is it...poison? Is he going to be ok?" Daniel asks nervously, rubbing his hand on his feathered friend. I could only imagine the pain I would feel in a life without Javeri. "He'll be fine in a few hours." Oliver says. "We'll need to fashion some kind of stretcher with the broken saddle, and walk the rest of the way there. Javari silently padded up to me, delicately licking my palm with his wet tongue. I scratch him behind his ears, running my rough fingertips through his silky fur. Aron pulled a length of rope from his belt and cautiously tied the girl with it, making sure to tether the hissing snake to her unconscious body. We warily watched the girl as we neared the building we took over as our base of operations. Suddenly, her eyes popped open, the color of the stormy sky. The snakes surrounding her head hissed and contorted, the boiling anger visible in their beady eyes. She took a moment to look around her, startled by her new surroundings, then easily muscled through the rope. She glowered at us with her fists clenched, like we were her greatest adversaries. I took a step forward, looking into her eyes. Her hand reached toward me and tightened around my neck. The effect was immediate. My head felt like it was about to explode, massive pain blooming around my throat. I struggled in vain, scratching and biting her hand, the guys fighting to pull her off me. She swung toward them, staring at them with a menacing glare. "I suggest you take a few steps back if you don't want me crushing his throat." They froze, then cautiously took a step back. She turned her attention to me. "Give me one reason not to snap your neck," she said coolly, like she had all the time in the world. "I freed you," I gasped. "You work for me." She laughed. "I don't think so." The grip around my throat tightened as she continued to choke me. The guys rushed to help me, but a venomous warning from her snake stopped them. Without their Wonderbeast, their sacred creature they held a connection to, they were powerless. As I slipped out of consciousness, I only had time for a silent message. Meant for my Wonderbeast. Javari rammed into the girl, pushing her into the ground. She released me in surprise and I collapsed onto the pavement, gasping for breath. I dug my palms into the smooth cobblestone, focusing on inhaling fresh plumes of sweet air. Nothing had ever tasted so sweet. Javeri came up to me, and I buried my face in his fur, whispering thank you. I unsteadily got to my feet, using Javeri as my crutch. The girl glanced at me, a playful smirk dancing on the edges of her lips. "Hm. Not bad. I guess l can stick around for a while." She walked off to the side, leaving me to be swarmed by my worried team. "You ok?" Leo asked, rushing to my side. "I'm fine. Just another girl charmed by my ruggish good looks." We laugh, shoving each other playfully and recounting the dramatic events. The girl walks ahead of us to our Base but glances behind her occasionally, a playful twinkle in her eye. I just catch her saying "Doofuses." under her breath as she rounds the corner of the stairwell leading up to the roof. "My name's Blaze by the way!" I yell after her. I tell the guys I'll meet them in our living quarters later and follow the girl up to the roof.