LadyWingKnight
01-25-2011, 05:16 PM
A/N: This is set after One Master Too Many and before Ghost of a Chance.
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Jungle Karma Pizza: most unique animal themed restaurant in town, trendy after school hangout and secret headquarters of the Jungle Fury Rangers. In the loft above the most popular pizza parlor in Ocean Bluff, Gwen and Keenan were engaged in some weapons training with Casey, Lily and Theo while RJ was out on an emergency grocery run for the restaurant and for himself.
"Did RJ mention what he was going after?" Gwen asked with curiosity lacing her voice. The panther was engaged in a spirited match against Lily's practice bo.
"I think he said something about his cabinets running dangerously low on pretzels and dip." Theo replied as he practiced with his tonfa.
The thought of her beau going out for pretzels and onion dip made Gwen shake her head in humor. For the life of her, she just couldn't seem to remember things like Pringles and Cheetos being part of a healthy Pai Zhuq master's diet. Then again, RJ wasn't your average Pai Zhuq master. Once she dismissed those thoughts, she resumed her training with the other rangers since the fivesome decided to have an "every ranger for him/herself" sparring match. With RJ out, this was a good chance for her and Keenan to take up the mantle of "teacher" and share a few of their pearls of wisdom.
"It's like a chess match. You have to think at least five steps ahead of your opponent." And Keenan proved his point by blocking an incoming attack from Casey's practice nunchucks and Theo's tonfa with his mock katanas.
"Also, you have to be ready for anything your enemy throws at you. Underestimating your foe is the fastest way to lose a battle." The panther replied with a twinkle in her brown eyes.
In a bold move, Gwen locked her orange and black handled sais together to make tongs and grabbed Lily's practice bo with them. Then, with a twist of her body, she yanks the long weapon from the cheetah's hands leaving the blonde defenseless.
"Gotcha." Gwen taunted with a grin as she pointed her weapons at the cheetah.
"Whoa! How'd that happen?" Lily asked with her blue eyes were wide with amazement. She was quickly seeing why the panther was such a formidable fighter.
"She's so unpredictable." Lily mused to herself. "Nice move!" The fair-haired cheetah chuckled with her hands up in surrender.
"Thanks. And that, my friends, is lesson number 3: know your weapon inside and out. Don't be afraid to think outside the box." Gwen added while twirling her sais.
As the boys continued to spar, Gwen's words of wisdom reached the ears of the red and blue rangers. Watching Gwen use her specialized weapon in an original way gave the tiger and jaguar ideas on how to use their own weapons.
"Think outside the box, huh?" Casey whispered to himself as he looked to his royal blue teammate.
"Not a bad idea." Theo added with a smirk.
Keenan was holding his own with his training katanas until Casey and Theo decided to take a page from Gwen's play book. The moment one of the eagle's blades came within striking distance, Casey wrapped the cord of his chucks around the mock katana and twisted it right out of Keenan's hand with Theo copying the move using his tonfa to wrench the other blade from the silver ranger's grasp.
"Nice job, you two!" Keenan praised
"I can't believe that actually worked! Awesome!" Casey said with excitement.
"I could learn to like that move." Theo marveled as he looked down at his weapons. "I never knew I could do that with my tonfa. Wow!"
"Yeah. I know we were taught how to use our weapons properly, but that doesn't mean that what we learned was the only way." Gwen began. "When I first got my sais, I played around with them and found lots of new ways to fight with them...most of them by accident." She added while biting her lower lip nervously.
Keenan remembered the day all too well. It was the same day he got his katanas and he was around his sister when the "accidents" took place.
"If that's what you call an accident, I really hate to see what you can do on purpose, sis. Good thing I have such quick reflexes." The silver eagle thought with a chuckle. "Yeah, you know the stone pillar in the training Quad at the academy that had all those holes?" Keenan asked with a mischievous smirk.
"Yeah. Everyone kept wondering how they got there especially since there weren't any power tools around." Casey remembered.
The eagle's cheeks puffed slightly from the laughter he kept from escaping as he pointed his thumb towards his older sister. When the primary rangers put two and two together, the threesome all had the identical bug-eyed expression. None of them could believe that Gwen was the cause of a stone pillar looking like Swiss Cheese.
"Okay, I just have one question...how!?" Theo asked in shock. "And are you sure your spirit animal isn't the woodpecker?" He thought in amusement.
"Remember when I said I played around with my sais when I first got them?" When Gwen saw everyone nod, she continued. "Well, one time, I tried to throw them like boomerangs and, needless to say, they didn't come back. My sais kept getting stuck in the pillar like darts on a bullseye. Hence the multitude of holes." The panther grimaced.
"And I repeat...how!?" The jaguar reiterated.
"I didn't know my own strength back then. I've always been what people called 'heavy handed'." Gwen answered with a cringe and a chuckle. "Anyway, the whole point I'm trying to make is that there's more than one way to skin a...oooh."
The panther took an uncomfortable pause when she realized that what she was about to say involved the mutilation of her spirit species. She took offense to it and assumed that the core three would as well. And she didn't want to dishonor her adoptive father by finishing that proverb.
"Okay, bad example." The panther chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I don't know who came up with that, but they better be glad they're already dead." Gwen thought as she quickly scanned her mind for a more animal-friendly quote.
"You can whoop an elephant's...yeesh!" And, again, Gwen cringed as her train of thought got derailed. "Master Phant...right. Okay, I'm running out of options!" The panther thought in frustration until she came up with what she believed would be the foolproof adage. "There's no wrong way to eat a Reese's!" Gwen grinned in triumph only to have Casey, Lily, Theo and Keenan all look at her like she was late for her appointment at the insane asylum.
"What do you want from me? I was grasping at straws, here." The panther chuckled in her own defense.
"You really need to stop hanging around RJ so much. He's starting to rub off on you." Theo joked.
Hearing the jaguar jokingly cast aspersions on the time she and their pizza master spend together, Gwen picked apart Theo's last sentence and only one thought crossed her mind.
"Actually, having RJ rub off on me might not be such a bad thing." She lustfully thought as she clicked her tongue. "So, what do you guys wanna do now? From what you told me, RJ could be out for a while."
Casey looked at his friends and then to the weapons rack where all the second level training weapons were stored. He scanned each item until his eyes fell on Gwen's replica kwan dao. Since meeting the soft-spoken panther, he wanted nothing more than to spar with her and test his skills against another master.
"I have an idea. How about the four of us...take on you and your kwan dao?" The red tiger challenged as he passed out everyone's second level weapons. "I wanna see you 'think outside the box' with it."
Gwen raised an eyebrow at the tiger's challenge. She had a feeling someone would spitball that idea sooner or later.
"You sure you guys want a piece of this?" Gwen smirked as she caught her training kwan dao.
While Casey, Lily and Theo all expressed their excitement at the prospect of finally sparring with the panther master, Keenan kept silent. He was the only dissenting vote but his reasons weren't what one might think. The moment Casey issued the challenge to his sister and handed out the other rangers' new weapons, the eagle's heart sank because all he had were his katanas. He was disappointed and slightly jealous, but he kept it in check so as not to bring everyone else down.
"Hey, I'm gonna go downstairs for a minute, okay? I'll be right back." The silver ranger announced before anyone could stop him.
"Um...okay, bro." Gwen answered just a little too late. Though his face didn't let on his true feelings, Gwen could still pick up on the few vibes her brother was giving off. "I wonder what's wrong with him? It's not like him to turn down a sparring match." She thought in concern. For now, she put it in the back of her mind as the core three were poised and ready to spar with her. "So, you cubs ready?"
"You know it! We've been wanting to do this since the moment we met you." Lily grinned as she grasped her mock mace.
"Ditto. But I gotta warn you; this black cat's never been tamed." The panther smiled as she stood her weapon on its tapered end. "Think you got the right stuff?"
"We're up for the challenge." Theo smirked as he confidently twirled his fans.
When Gwen spun her weapon, that was the cue for the others to attack until fans, sabers, mace and kwan dao clashed in a dance of combat. The handicap sparring match waged on for a good while until Keenan returned from the JKP kitchen. His eyes looked on as his sister held her own against Casey and his crew. A sad smile crossed his lips just before he sat on the weightlifting bench just shy of where the four rangers were play fighting. Gwen successfully staved off a triple attack when her attention focused on her brother looking down in the dumps.
"The three of you keep going. There's something I need to do."
The red, yellow and blue rangers obeyed and kept sparring with each other while Gwen, with fake kwan dao in hand, strolled over to her moping brother and took the remaining space on the bench.
"What's wrong, bro?"
"Nothing." The eagle replied without raising his head to look at his sister.
Gwen gave Keenan an incredulous look. She'd known him since they were four years old and if there was one fact that she could take away from their relationship, it was that Keenan was the world's worst liar.
"Pinocchio can sleep easy." Gwen chuckled to herself. "Keenan, you are a terrible liar, you know that?" When the eagle looked away, Gwen put her arm around his shoulder. "Bro, this is me you're talking to. I can tell when you're bummed about something; now spill."
"Nah; it's stupid."
"No, 'stupid' is not coming to your big sister when you have a problem." Gwen corrected in a firm, but compassionate tone. "Come on; talk to me."
With a heavy sigh, the eagle ranger turned to face his sister who was more than happy to lend an ear.
"I guess...I feel like the odd man out."
"'Odd man out'? Why?" Gwen asked in confusion.
The young eagle stalled as he contemplated the outcome of giving his answer. Either his sister would sympathize with him or she was gonna think he was acting like a spoiled brat.
"Because you guys all have new weapons and I still have my katanas." The eagle whispered. When Gwen just stared at him with no emotion on her face, Keenan looked away again. "See? I told you it was stupid."
This was a part of Keenan nobody knew about...except for his sister and Master Mao: he was always his own harshest critic.
"Actually, bro, it's not stupid at all."
"How do you figure? I mean, you and the others got new masters and you each got a cool new weapon to use. What am I, chopped liver?"
"No, of course not. I know you feel like you're on the outside looking in, but you shouldn't." Gwen turned her brother around so they were face to face. "Keenan, you're as much a part of this team as I am or anyone else in this room; new weapon or no weapon." When her brother shrugged his shoulders indifferently, Gwen knew she had to go Master Mao on him. "Bro, weapons don't win battles; warriors do."
Though she hadn't lived long enough to be even looked at as a seasoned veteran of life, she still managed to drop science and give some sage advice. Apparently, she did that quite often because her brother turned to face her with a look of playful annoyance.
"I really hate it when you're right...and sounding like Dad just makes it worse." The eagle chuckled.
Gwen beamed with pride when Keenan compared her to their adoptive father, Master Mao. Since adopting the two of them as his own, he always gave them great advice.
"Good. It means I'm doing my job." The panther sibling smiled. "Keenan, for all we know, your new master and weapon could be waiting for you just around the corner."
"You really think so?"
"Yeah. And, if not, you could always place an ad in the Yellow Pages." Gwen giggled making her brother feel better. "Seriously, if it's meant to happen, it will. Just let things come as they may." Her smile fell just a tad when she heard Keenan groan.
"Translation: wait." The silver ranger grumbled.
"Yes; 'wait'." She answered with a roll of her eyes. "I know that's not your strong suit, but think of it as a life lesson. Plus, it'll be that much more special when it finally happens. Kinda like Christmas."
All Keenan could do at this point was hit Gwen with a look that said "know-it-all sister say what!"
"You do realize that bringing up Christmas doesn't make waiting any easier, right?" He smirked.
"Point taken." Gwen chuckled as the siblings hugged. "Now, if you're done looking like your spirit animal is the Basset Hound, how about joining us in some sparring? You can pair off with Lily." She teased with a wink.
The moment she mentioned the yellow range's name, Keenan looked over his shoulder to see Lily skillfully wielding her mace, her blonde ponytail whipping gracefully around her face as she held her own against her red and blue teammates. Throughout the mock battle, the cheetah's pretty face maintained her trademark smile. Lately, everything the blonde ranger did made the eagle's heart warm and the more he discovered they had in common, the more he fell for her. After a few moments of admiring the yellow ranger from afar, Keenan turned to face his sister with a look that told the panther that her tactics to con her brother into doing what she wanted had won out...again.
"Using a guy's crush to make him do what you want. That is low."
"It worked, didn't it?"
"Yes, but it was still low." Keenan smirked playfully.
"I know. That's why I did it." Gwen laughed as she led her brother to the mat where the others waited.
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Meanwhile, at Dai Shi's lair...
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The black lion stormed into his throne room as livid as he could be. On two separate occasions, the rangers avoided elimination and, on top of that, they gained two more powerful weapons. With every step he took towards his throne, he grew angrier and angrier until he was ready to unleash all of his pent up frustration on the first unlucky soul to cross his path. Word had quickly spread about Dai Shi's foul mood and every underling went into hiding...except for one. And that one would soon regret not using her inherent skills to her advantage.
"Camille!"
Camille nearly jumped ten feet into the air when she heard her master bellow her name. The sound alone echoed throughout the corridors and the wily lizard wished to the deities above that she didn't walk into the throne room at that exact moment.
"Yes, Dai Shi?" She stammered.
To her horror, her master stood up and slowly stalked towards the shaking chameleon until he was able to gaze menacingly into her eyes.
"You better have a very good reason why the rangers aren't destroyed yet." Dai Shi growled as his form towered over hers.
"Um...uh...okay. Give me a minute." Camille said as she tried to think of a viable excuse. She didn't know what was going to come out of her mouth; she just hoped whatever it was didn't get her sent to the Spirit World.
"May patience is wearing thin, Camille!"
Any minion knows that when the big boss is impatient, you're two seconds away from being annihilated. Fearing for her life, Camille spouted out the first thing that came to mind.
"Um...birds and hermit crabs make inferior warriors?" The chameleon answered in the form of a question.
"Watch who you call 'inferior', you wretched lizard!"
The ornate doors opened and Carnisoar and Jellica walked in; both, of whom, looked less than pleased with the outcome of their latest bids to rid themselves of the Power Rangers.
"Passerina and Crustaceo may have failed, but they still proved to be more valuable assets to our cause than you!" The Sky overlord yelled.
"Your days are numbered, Camille! If you don't want to end up like the lyre bird or my warrior, I suggest you come up with a solution!" Jellica warned.
The crafty lizard recalled how Passerina, Crustaceo and every one of Dai Shi's warriors were soundly defeated at the hands of the rangers and didn't want to make the same kind of exit...at least not until she exacted her revenge on a certain feline.
"I just might have something that can turn things around for us." The clever reptile chimed.
"And that would be..." The avian master prodded.
Camille gave the Sky and Sea overlords a sneer before producing an Egyptian beetle idol from a silk bag.
"Just wait, you pompous windbag. You and that hagfish will wish you were never resurrected." Camille wished before pitching her idea to the room. "Beetles of this caliber are second to none in the insect world when it comes to strength." She spied a wandering rinshi and beckoned him to come forward. When he did, she placed the idol on his forehead and waited for the minion to transform. "Allow me to introduce...Scaraboss!"
"Hmm. He looks impressive, but as we all know, looks aren't everything." Carnisoar said, his comment pointed directly at Camille.
The red rinshi showed off his inhuman strength by punching through one of the walls of the throne room as if it was made of cardboard. It was a move that made Camille cringe in fear believing that Dai Shi would severely reprimand her for her warrior's mistake.
"Yeah, how do ya like that!" Scaraboss grunted with a thick Brooklyn accent. "Those puny rangers won't last ten rounds with me!"
Sensing that she would have to run damage control, in more ways than one, she ran towards the demolished wall and spread her arms as wide as she could.
"See how powerful he is?" Camille chuckled nervously as she tried to cover up the gaping hole.
"If he manages to be successful in taking out the Power Rangers, I'll overlook his attempt at redecorating my throne room." Dai Shi promised. "But, if he fails..."
"He won't fail you, Dai Shi. I'll see to that."
"For your sake, you better."
That was all the encouragement Camille needed. Not wanting to overstay her welcome, she grabbed Scaraboss by the arm and dragged him with her out of the throne room.
"Why you put up with that lizard's constant bumbling is beyond me." Jellica commented as she took her leave.
"Jellica's right. It's that level of incompetence that could prove to be disastrous to us in the long run." With that warning, Carnisoar followed the lavish jellyfish out of the main chamber, leaving Dai Shi with much to think about.
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Back at the loft...
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RJ came back from his grocery trip with paper bags in both arms. With a huff, he set both bags on the island in the middle of his kitchen when the sounds of battle reached his ears. When he looked over the railing, he was surprised to find his students and Keenan in a spirited sparring match against Gwen.
"Oh, when did she get here? Not that I'm complaining." Thought the pizza chef as he watched the panther train with the others.
Over the past few months, RJ and Gwen had grown very close. So close, in fact, that they were on each other's minds nearly all the time. Or, they would have been if other things like work and saving the world didn't get in the way. Today was no exception. The moment the Pai Zhuq master laid eyes on the panther's sleek form, everything else on his mind took a back seat as he focused on every detail: from how good she looked in her new training gear to how her body flowed with her practice weapon. Not a single twist and turn she made went unnoticed by the lovestruck pizza chef who decided to make his presence known.
"Nice form, Gwen. Your angles are looking really good." RJ commented with his ever present swagger. "Your curves aren't too shabby, either." He thought wistfully.
The rangers paused as they heard RJ's voice coming from above them and Gwen couldn't resist flirting with him a little.
"Well, thanks for noticing." Gwen replied with a sweet smile.
The banter between the wolf and the panther made the other rangers cease their sparring momentarily. Seeing them act in that manner was sweet, but on the other hand, the way they were dancing around each other made everyone bonkers.
"Oh, when are you two gonna kiss already? And I'm talking lip-on-lip action." Lily thought impatiently to herself with folded arms.
"That's the best line you could come up with? You disappoint me, RJ." Theo mused with a light shake of his head.
"If anybody here thinks he's just looking at her 'angles', I've got some swampland on the moon I'd like to sell ya." Keenan wondered silently.
"Angles...yeah, right." Casey scoffed in thought as he rolled his eyes. "Why do I get the feeling it's not her angles you're looking at?" The tiger asked smirking.
"My young tiger, I don't know what you're talking about." RJ chuckled.
Of course RJ was lying through his teeth. He knew exactly what Casey meant; he just wasn't going to give the red tiger the satisfaction of admitting he was right. As everyone got ready to put their practice weapons away, the alarms blared loudly. Keenan was the first to reach RJ's tv area and when he saw the images appear on screen, he was visibly appalled.
"Guys, there's a monster attacking the docks!"
Casey and the others gathered around the viewing area where they, too, caught sight of the creature causing mayhem at the docks.
"It looks like a giant beetle! Gross!" Lily cringed.
"And it looks like Camille and her backup dancers are tagging along for the ride. No big surprise there." Gwen scowled.
"Let's go squash this bug." Casey ordered.
Before RJ could turn his eyes back to his screens, five rangers swung through the tunnels en route to the scene of the latest attack. At Ocean Bluff Pier, a fully transformed Scaraboss was hurling fully packed loading crates nearly ten times his size at the dock workers while an armored Camille and her throng of rinshi attacked them as the ran past her.
"That's it! Tuck your tails between your legs, ya wussies! Run away like the cockroaches ya are!" Scaraboss cackled.
"Keep going! I want Dai Shi to gain so much power, he won't know what to do with it all!" The wily chameleon barked as she terrorized any human that got too close. She was having the time of her life until she heard Casey's voice ring out above the screams.
"That's far enough, Camille!"
"Oh, no. Not them again." Camille groaned under her breath as the rangers arrived in their morphed forms. "You guys are worse than ants at a picnic."
"What did you expect? We're the good guys!" Gwen shot back.
"You have a choice-you can either leave walking or we can squish you and use a squeegee." Quipped the Silver Ranger confidently.
Camille was fuming and was about to engage the rangers when large beetle took a break from hurling crates to calm down his scaly superior.
"Chill out, Camille. I was hoping for more targets for my version of dodgeball!" With a sinister cackle, the hulking insect grabbed two crates from a conveyor belt and hurled them at the rangers with the strength of an Olympic shot putter. "Think fast!"
"Incoming!" Theo shouted as he and the others dodged out of the way by jumping and flipping over the wooden projectiles. Once they landed on their feet, Keenan saw this as a prime opportunity to prove that he was just as good as the others...even without a new weapon at his disposal.
"As an eagle, I don't usually rip into bugs, but for you, I'll make an exception! Jungle Katanas!"
"Keenan, wait!" Gwen shouted.
But her plea fell on deaf ears as the eagle charged blindly into battle. The only thing Keenan had on his mind was taking out this bug and being the hero to his friends and family. But his plan met with some resistance as Scaraboss effortlessly fended off the Silver Ranger and shoved him back into the others.
"Ya call that weak display an attack, pipsqueak? You can't be serious!" The large beetle scoffed as Keenan propped himself back onto his feet. "Oh, man...you were serious! It feels like you're hitting me with feather dusters instead of swords, kid!"
Now, Keenan prided himself as a pretty cool-tempered guy. Not too many things sent him off the deep end, but hearing Scaraboss belittle his strength...now he crossed the line.
"Keep talking and you're gonna get dusted, all right!" The eagle threatened as he went in for another assault. Unfortunately, the end result was the same as, once again, Keenan was thrown into his friends like a bowling ball.
"Come on! Flit could hit harder than that! And he's a flyweight in every sense of the word!" The bodybuilding bug teased.
"Keenan, let us help!" Theo pleaded as he and the others slowly got out of the pile they were in.
"Stay out of this...all of you." Keenan ordered in a low voice.
"But, Keenan...you can't..." Gwen began as she grabbed her brother's arm to pull him back. To her shock, the Silver Ranger violently yanked it out of her grasp before turning to face her.
"I said stay out of it!"
The other rangers were taken aback by Keenan's outburst...nobody more than Gwen. As long as they knew each other, he had never raised his voice to her. Seeing as how talking wouldn't do any good, Casey and the other rangers reluctantly stepped back to let the eagle hash out any issues he seemed to have.
"Eagle, huh? The way you were acting just then, your spirit animal should have been the donkey!" Scaraboss taunted. Seeing the frazzled state his opponent was in, the beetle flexed his mighty biceps in a show of dominance. "I could do this all day, my little chickadee! Actually, you remind me more of a pigeon!" Seeing that the eagle's feathers were ruffled, the hulking beetle decided to add insult to injury. "Oh, yeah...I went there."
The Silver Ranger hands gripped the hilts of his katanas so tightly, the others could swear they could see his knuckles turn white under his gloves.
"Pigeon?! Oh, that is it!"
Seething with anger, the eagle summoned what was left of his strength in a last ditch effort to topple the buff beetle. He swung his katanas with every bit of skill he had only to have Scaraboss block the blades with his arms. Thanks to his tough exoskeleton, this task was easy. When he was confident that Keenan was running out of steam, the large bug took a three-point stance and speared the Silver Ranger into the pavement.
"Keenan!" Shouted his friends as they ran to his aid.
"Houston, the eagle has landed...flat on his back." Scaraboss mocked as he stood in triumph. "I thought you said these guys were tough, toots. This was a piece of cake."
"You okay?" Casey asked as he helped his friend up.
"Just give me one more crack at him!" The eagle urged as he struggled to get up.
"Okay, I'm bored now. Let's blow this pop stand and hit the gym. You wanna spot me, Camille?" The beetle offered as he flexed.
Usually, the only reason chameleons associated themselves with bugs was to eat them. But since this one proved to give the rangers a rousing defeat, she decided to spare his life...for now.
"If I chopped you up into little pieces, you'd be enough to feed me for a decade." She fought hard to keep from licking her lips in front of her champion as she spoke. "Why not. I wouldn't mind getting in a workout." Chuckled Camille as she left with her newest warrior.
"Get back here and fight me!" Keenan yelled after the departing pair.
"Get in a few reps with the barbells and then call me, Junior. I don't give rematches to lightweights." With that, Camille and Scaraboss vanished leaving the rangers to wallow.
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Back at the loft...
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Five rangers glumly trudged down the steps to the training area where RJ was mulling over what he witnessed on the viewing screens. Casey and company were less than overjoyed with what happened as they licked their wounds. Keenan, who had emotional wounds as well as physical, was mentally beating himself up for getting knocked around so easily in the last fight.
"Keenan...you know I love you like a brother...but you have to be the most stubborn person I've ever met." Gwen stated simply.
Hearing the only family he has left on the planet call him stubborn shocked him to his core. How could she say something like that to him?
"What are you talking about! How was I stubborn?"
"Oh, I don't know. How about charging in like a madman when we don't know the enemy's level of strength? You could have been seriously hurt...or worse!" Gwen answered back with genuine concern in her voice.
"Way to be supportive, sis." He thought. "Look, if you don't think I can handle this, then just say so!"
As the siblings argued, RJ and the other rangers were each having conflicts of their own: either let the brother and sister have it out with each other or step in and run damage control. Either way, something had to be done.
"I never said anything like that, Keenan!"
"You might as well have because you're attacking me like I did something wrong! I'm trying to save mankind here!"
Lily despised infighting more than anyone in the group and decided to diffuse the situation before someone blew up...and in turn, say something they'd later regret. She went to Keenan and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, hoping that their growing bond would calm him down.
"Keenan, she's not attacking you. She just worries because she cares about you; we all do." She said in a soothing voice.
In a way it worked...but not how Lily intended. Keenan had calmed down, but only enough to gently take her hand off of his shoulder and face her.
"If she really cared, she'd stop jumping down my throat for what I was trying to do." After he was done addressing the fair-haired cheetah, he turned his attention to his adoptive sister. "Sis, in case you haven't noticed, the training wheels came off a long time ago and I've been standing on my own two feet pretty well. So, why are you trying to put them back on?"
"Keenan, I'm not..." Gwen was trying to defend herself but her brother wasn't going to let her.
"I know exactly what you're not! You're not my mother; so do me a favor and stop acting like it!"
The pained look on Gwen's face said it all. Keenan's caustic words cut her deeper than the sharpest of blades and watching him storm out of the loft in a huff was the final knife through her heart.
"Keenan!" Theo shouted angrily after the eagle. "Get back here and apologize!"
"No...let him go." Gwen sadly opposed as she walked up to the kitchen area and sat at the table.
Of all the things the two shared in common, the loss of both their mothers was their darkest. With her knowledge of Keenan's past and how abusive his father was after his mother's death, she tried to fill the void as best she could. She knew she could never replace his mom, but she did want to be someone he could come to for anything. Inside, the black panther was broken. No, "broken" wasn't a strong enough word..."shattered" was more like it and everyone in the room was irate because the cause of the panther's sadness was the one person Gwen cared about the most.
"What do you mean 'let him go'? He had no right to say that to you!" Casey stated angrily as he and the others joined her in the kitchen.
"Guys, it's alright." Gwen replied as she retreated to her "quiet" demeanor.
"No, it isn't. He was way out of line!" Lily agreed with the tiger.
At that point, Gwen opted not to respond to the cheetah. Instead, she laid her head on top of the table with her folded arms acting as a pillow. Of course, they raised some valid points regarding Keenan's behavior; she wasn't going to deny that. But they didn't know Keenan the way she did. She knew, deep down, that he didn't mean a word he said and that he'd soon come to grips with it. Still, it didn't lessen the sting his words delivered or the affect they had on the panther master. Nobody felt worse for Gwen than RJ who took a seat next to his lady friend and gently rubbed her shoulder with his right hand.
"You okay, Gwen?" He asked sincerely. With a nod, he motioned for Casey to grab a bottled water from the fridge and give it to the black ranger.
"Here." The tiger offered.
"Thanks." She accepted as she took a sip. "And to answer your question, RJ, I'm okay."
The black ranger's lips may have said one thing, but her heart said something entirely different and RJ picked up on it immediately.
"Are you sure? Because you look like you're about to break down any second." The concerned Pai Zhuq master contested.
"I know I do, but I really am fine."
Unfortunately, Casey wasn't so easily swayed. Whether it was physical or emotional, he hated to see his friends in pain and the fact that it was her own brother that made her so sullen only made the young tiger more determined to put things right.
"That's good because I was just about to invite Tahj to a hunt and your brother was going to be the prey." There wasn't one iota of sarcasm in Casey's statement; he was dead serious.
"Mind if I invite Cita and the kids? I'm sure Makomba and Sapphyri would love a hunting lesson." Lily offered.
"Olmec, too?" Theo eagerly asked.
As Gwen listened to the teen rangers' rants, she could understand their anger towards her brother. If the shoe was on the other foot, she probably would think the same thing. On the other hand, she was disappointed that they would immediately turn into a lynch mob without knowing the whole story behind Keenan's outburst.
"Guys, please. I know you're upset over what Keenan said to me and I appreciate your concern. But, he just needs some time to cool off." Gwen let out a long sigh before continuing. "Trust me when I say I've been through this before and I know how he is."
RJ, who kept a cool head throughout his students' hunting party preparations, gave Gwen a comforting smile that reached his green eyes. She had no idea what it was about his eyes that made her problems melt away when she looked into them, but she wasn't gonna look a gift horse in the mouth.
"Oh, those eyes. I could have the worst day in the world and all I'd have to do was look into your eyes and everything would be fine again." She thought wistfully as she looked to her other friends. "Guys, just please give him the benefit of the doubt...for me."
Gwen didn't need to hear RJ's answer; in her heart, she knew that he'd do anything in the world for her.
"Dudes, Gwen does know Keenan better than we do. So, if she wants us to give him time to let things sink in, I don't see any harm, do you?" RJ grinned as he posed his question to his three pupils.
The three teens exchanged uncertain looks amongst themselves. They didn't feel that Keenan deserved any compassion after what he said to Gwen, but he was her only living family and that reason alone spared the eagle from their wrath.
"Okay; we'll cut the guy some slack. But only for you." Casey replied speaking for his teammates.
"Thanks. That's all I ask."
"All I have to say is he better do some major league apologizing to you when he gets back." Lily added as Theo nodded in agreement.
The tension in the loft was still present. Not only did they have deal with Keenan storming out and leaving their forces crippled, there was still the matter of a 6 foot scarab beetle causing mayhem in Ocean Bluff they had to contend with. And if he could make short work of the eagle, what could he do against the others?
************
End of Chapter One
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Okay...harsh much, Keenan? Not the right way to talk to your big sister. He better hope the other rangers don't follow through with their threats, otherwise the big cats at the Animal Hospital are gonna feast. Hope this wasn't too long a chappie...or maybe it wasn't long enough. Lemme know. :)
************
Jungle Karma Pizza: most unique animal themed restaurant in town, trendy after school hangout and secret headquarters of the Jungle Fury Rangers. In the loft above the most popular pizza parlor in Ocean Bluff, Gwen and Keenan were engaged in some weapons training with Casey, Lily and Theo while RJ was out on an emergency grocery run for the restaurant and for himself.
"Did RJ mention what he was going after?" Gwen asked with curiosity lacing her voice. The panther was engaged in a spirited match against Lily's practice bo.
"I think he said something about his cabinets running dangerously low on pretzels and dip." Theo replied as he practiced with his tonfa.
The thought of her beau going out for pretzels and onion dip made Gwen shake her head in humor. For the life of her, she just couldn't seem to remember things like Pringles and Cheetos being part of a healthy Pai Zhuq master's diet. Then again, RJ wasn't your average Pai Zhuq master. Once she dismissed those thoughts, she resumed her training with the other rangers since the fivesome decided to have an "every ranger for him/herself" sparring match. With RJ out, this was a good chance for her and Keenan to take up the mantle of "teacher" and share a few of their pearls of wisdom.
"It's like a chess match. You have to think at least five steps ahead of your opponent." And Keenan proved his point by blocking an incoming attack from Casey's practice nunchucks and Theo's tonfa with his mock katanas.
"Also, you have to be ready for anything your enemy throws at you. Underestimating your foe is the fastest way to lose a battle." The panther replied with a twinkle in her brown eyes.
In a bold move, Gwen locked her orange and black handled sais together to make tongs and grabbed Lily's practice bo with them. Then, with a twist of her body, she yanks the long weapon from the cheetah's hands leaving the blonde defenseless.
"Gotcha." Gwen taunted with a grin as she pointed her weapons at the cheetah.
"Whoa! How'd that happen?" Lily asked with her blue eyes were wide with amazement. She was quickly seeing why the panther was such a formidable fighter.
"She's so unpredictable." Lily mused to herself. "Nice move!" The fair-haired cheetah chuckled with her hands up in surrender.
"Thanks. And that, my friends, is lesson number 3: know your weapon inside and out. Don't be afraid to think outside the box." Gwen added while twirling her sais.
As the boys continued to spar, Gwen's words of wisdom reached the ears of the red and blue rangers. Watching Gwen use her specialized weapon in an original way gave the tiger and jaguar ideas on how to use their own weapons.
"Think outside the box, huh?" Casey whispered to himself as he looked to his royal blue teammate.
"Not a bad idea." Theo added with a smirk.
Keenan was holding his own with his training katanas until Casey and Theo decided to take a page from Gwen's play book. The moment one of the eagle's blades came within striking distance, Casey wrapped the cord of his chucks around the mock katana and twisted it right out of Keenan's hand with Theo copying the move using his tonfa to wrench the other blade from the silver ranger's grasp.
"Nice job, you two!" Keenan praised
"I can't believe that actually worked! Awesome!" Casey said with excitement.
"I could learn to like that move." Theo marveled as he looked down at his weapons. "I never knew I could do that with my tonfa. Wow!"
"Yeah. I know we were taught how to use our weapons properly, but that doesn't mean that what we learned was the only way." Gwen began. "When I first got my sais, I played around with them and found lots of new ways to fight with them...most of them by accident." She added while biting her lower lip nervously.
Keenan remembered the day all too well. It was the same day he got his katanas and he was around his sister when the "accidents" took place.
"If that's what you call an accident, I really hate to see what you can do on purpose, sis. Good thing I have such quick reflexes." The silver eagle thought with a chuckle. "Yeah, you know the stone pillar in the training Quad at the academy that had all those holes?" Keenan asked with a mischievous smirk.
"Yeah. Everyone kept wondering how they got there especially since there weren't any power tools around." Casey remembered.
The eagle's cheeks puffed slightly from the laughter he kept from escaping as he pointed his thumb towards his older sister. When the primary rangers put two and two together, the threesome all had the identical bug-eyed expression. None of them could believe that Gwen was the cause of a stone pillar looking like Swiss Cheese.
"Okay, I just have one question...how!?" Theo asked in shock. "And are you sure your spirit animal isn't the woodpecker?" He thought in amusement.
"Remember when I said I played around with my sais when I first got them?" When Gwen saw everyone nod, she continued. "Well, one time, I tried to throw them like boomerangs and, needless to say, they didn't come back. My sais kept getting stuck in the pillar like darts on a bullseye. Hence the multitude of holes." The panther grimaced.
"And I repeat...how!?" The jaguar reiterated.
"I didn't know my own strength back then. I've always been what people called 'heavy handed'." Gwen answered with a cringe and a chuckle. "Anyway, the whole point I'm trying to make is that there's more than one way to skin a...oooh."
The panther took an uncomfortable pause when she realized that what she was about to say involved the mutilation of her spirit species. She took offense to it and assumed that the core three would as well. And she didn't want to dishonor her adoptive father by finishing that proverb.
"Okay, bad example." The panther chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I don't know who came up with that, but they better be glad they're already dead." Gwen thought as she quickly scanned her mind for a more animal-friendly quote.
"You can whoop an elephant's...yeesh!" And, again, Gwen cringed as her train of thought got derailed. "Master Phant...right. Okay, I'm running out of options!" The panther thought in frustration until she came up with what she believed would be the foolproof adage. "There's no wrong way to eat a Reese's!" Gwen grinned in triumph only to have Casey, Lily, Theo and Keenan all look at her like she was late for her appointment at the insane asylum.
"What do you want from me? I was grasping at straws, here." The panther chuckled in her own defense.
"You really need to stop hanging around RJ so much. He's starting to rub off on you." Theo joked.
Hearing the jaguar jokingly cast aspersions on the time she and their pizza master spend together, Gwen picked apart Theo's last sentence and only one thought crossed her mind.
"Actually, having RJ rub off on me might not be such a bad thing." She lustfully thought as she clicked her tongue. "So, what do you guys wanna do now? From what you told me, RJ could be out for a while."
Casey looked at his friends and then to the weapons rack where all the second level training weapons were stored. He scanned each item until his eyes fell on Gwen's replica kwan dao. Since meeting the soft-spoken panther, he wanted nothing more than to spar with her and test his skills against another master.
"I have an idea. How about the four of us...take on you and your kwan dao?" The red tiger challenged as he passed out everyone's second level weapons. "I wanna see you 'think outside the box' with it."
Gwen raised an eyebrow at the tiger's challenge. She had a feeling someone would spitball that idea sooner or later.
"You sure you guys want a piece of this?" Gwen smirked as she caught her training kwan dao.
While Casey, Lily and Theo all expressed their excitement at the prospect of finally sparring with the panther master, Keenan kept silent. He was the only dissenting vote but his reasons weren't what one might think. The moment Casey issued the challenge to his sister and handed out the other rangers' new weapons, the eagle's heart sank because all he had were his katanas. He was disappointed and slightly jealous, but he kept it in check so as not to bring everyone else down.
"Hey, I'm gonna go downstairs for a minute, okay? I'll be right back." The silver ranger announced before anyone could stop him.
"Um...okay, bro." Gwen answered just a little too late. Though his face didn't let on his true feelings, Gwen could still pick up on the few vibes her brother was giving off. "I wonder what's wrong with him? It's not like him to turn down a sparring match." She thought in concern. For now, she put it in the back of her mind as the core three were poised and ready to spar with her. "So, you cubs ready?"
"You know it! We've been wanting to do this since the moment we met you." Lily grinned as she grasped her mock mace.
"Ditto. But I gotta warn you; this black cat's never been tamed." The panther smiled as she stood her weapon on its tapered end. "Think you got the right stuff?"
"We're up for the challenge." Theo smirked as he confidently twirled his fans.
When Gwen spun her weapon, that was the cue for the others to attack until fans, sabers, mace and kwan dao clashed in a dance of combat. The handicap sparring match waged on for a good while until Keenan returned from the JKP kitchen. His eyes looked on as his sister held her own against Casey and his crew. A sad smile crossed his lips just before he sat on the weightlifting bench just shy of where the four rangers were play fighting. Gwen successfully staved off a triple attack when her attention focused on her brother looking down in the dumps.
"The three of you keep going. There's something I need to do."
The red, yellow and blue rangers obeyed and kept sparring with each other while Gwen, with fake kwan dao in hand, strolled over to her moping brother and took the remaining space on the bench.
"What's wrong, bro?"
"Nothing." The eagle replied without raising his head to look at his sister.
Gwen gave Keenan an incredulous look. She'd known him since they were four years old and if there was one fact that she could take away from their relationship, it was that Keenan was the world's worst liar.
"Pinocchio can sleep easy." Gwen chuckled to herself. "Keenan, you are a terrible liar, you know that?" When the eagle looked away, Gwen put her arm around his shoulder. "Bro, this is me you're talking to. I can tell when you're bummed about something; now spill."
"Nah; it's stupid."
"No, 'stupid' is not coming to your big sister when you have a problem." Gwen corrected in a firm, but compassionate tone. "Come on; talk to me."
With a heavy sigh, the eagle ranger turned to face his sister who was more than happy to lend an ear.
"I guess...I feel like the odd man out."
"'Odd man out'? Why?" Gwen asked in confusion.
The young eagle stalled as he contemplated the outcome of giving his answer. Either his sister would sympathize with him or she was gonna think he was acting like a spoiled brat.
"Because you guys all have new weapons and I still have my katanas." The eagle whispered. When Gwen just stared at him with no emotion on her face, Keenan looked away again. "See? I told you it was stupid."
This was a part of Keenan nobody knew about...except for his sister and Master Mao: he was always his own harshest critic.
"Actually, bro, it's not stupid at all."
"How do you figure? I mean, you and the others got new masters and you each got a cool new weapon to use. What am I, chopped liver?"
"No, of course not. I know you feel like you're on the outside looking in, but you shouldn't." Gwen turned her brother around so they were face to face. "Keenan, you're as much a part of this team as I am or anyone else in this room; new weapon or no weapon." When her brother shrugged his shoulders indifferently, Gwen knew she had to go Master Mao on him. "Bro, weapons don't win battles; warriors do."
Though she hadn't lived long enough to be even looked at as a seasoned veteran of life, she still managed to drop science and give some sage advice. Apparently, she did that quite often because her brother turned to face her with a look of playful annoyance.
"I really hate it when you're right...and sounding like Dad just makes it worse." The eagle chuckled.
Gwen beamed with pride when Keenan compared her to their adoptive father, Master Mao. Since adopting the two of them as his own, he always gave them great advice.
"Good. It means I'm doing my job." The panther sibling smiled. "Keenan, for all we know, your new master and weapon could be waiting for you just around the corner."
"You really think so?"
"Yeah. And, if not, you could always place an ad in the Yellow Pages." Gwen giggled making her brother feel better. "Seriously, if it's meant to happen, it will. Just let things come as they may." Her smile fell just a tad when she heard Keenan groan.
"Translation: wait." The silver ranger grumbled.
"Yes; 'wait'." She answered with a roll of her eyes. "I know that's not your strong suit, but think of it as a life lesson. Plus, it'll be that much more special when it finally happens. Kinda like Christmas."
All Keenan could do at this point was hit Gwen with a look that said "know-it-all sister say what!"
"You do realize that bringing up Christmas doesn't make waiting any easier, right?" He smirked.
"Point taken." Gwen chuckled as the siblings hugged. "Now, if you're done looking like your spirit animal is the Basset Hound, how about joining us in some sparring? You can pair off with Lily." She teased with a wink.
The moment she mentioned the yellow range's name, Keenan looked over his shoulder to see Lily skillfully wielding her mace, her blonde ponytail whipping gracefully around her face as she held her own against her red and blue teammates. Throughout the mock battle, the cheetah's pretty face maintained her trademark smile. Lately, everything the blonde ranger did made the eagle's heart warm and the more he discovered they had in common, the more he fell for her. After a few moments of admiring the yellow ranger from afar, Keenan turned to face his sister with a look that told the panther that her tactics to con her brother into doing what she wanted had won out...again.
"Using a guy's crush to make him do what you want. That is low."
"It worked, didn't it?"
"Yes, but it was still low." Keenan smirked playfully.
"I know. That's why I did it." Gwen laughed as she led her brother to the mat where the others waited.
************
Meanwhile, at Dai Shi's lair...
************
The black lion stormed into his throne room as livid as he could be. On two separate occasions, the rangers avoided elimination and, on top of that, they gained two more powerful weapons. With every step he took towards his throne, he grew angrier and angrier until he was ready to unleash all of his pent up frustration on the first unlucky soul to cross his path. Word had quickly spread about Dai Shi's foul mood and every underling went into hiding...except for one. And that one would soon regret not using her inherent skills to her advantage.
"Camille!"
Camille nearly jumped ten feet into the air when she heard her master bellow her name. The sound alone echoed throughout the corridors and the wily lizard wished to the deities above that she didn't walk into the throne room at that exact moment.
"Yes, Dai Shi?" She stammered.
To her horror, her master stood up and slowly stalked towards the shaking chameleon until he was able to gaze menacingly into her eyes.
"You better have a very good reason why the rangers aren't destroyed yet." Dai Shi growled as his form towered over hers.
"Um...uh...okay. Give me a minute." Camille said as she tried to think of a viable excuse. She didn't know what was going to come out of her mouth; she just hoped whatever it was didn't get her sent to the Spirit World.
"May patience is wearing thin, Camille!"
Any minion knows that when the big boss is impatient, you're two seconds away from being annihilated. Fearing for her life, Camille spouted out the first thing that came to mind.
"Um...birds and hermit crabs make inferior warriors?" The chameleon answered in the form of a question.
"Watch who you call 'inferior', you wretched lizard!"
The ornate doors opened and Carnisoar and Jellica walked in; both, of whom, looked less than pleased with the outcome of their latest bids to rid themselves of the Power Rangers.
"Passerina and Crustaceo may have failed, but they still proved to be more valuable assets to our cause than you!" The Sky overlord yelled.
"Your days are numbered, Camille! If you don't want to end up like the lyre bird or my warrior, I suggest you come up with a solution!" Jellica warned.
The crafty lizard recalled how Passerina, Crustaceo and every one of Dai Shi's warriors were soundly defeated at the hands of the rangers and didn't want to make the same kind of exit...at least not until she exacted her revenge on a certain feline.
"I just might have something that can turn things around for us." The clever reptile chimed.
"And that would be..." The avian master prodded.
Camille gave the Sky and Sea overlords a sneer before producing an Egyptian beetle idol from a silk bag.
"Just wait, you pompous windbag. You and that hagfish will wish you were never resurrected." Camille wished before pitching her idea to the room. "Beetles of this caliber are second to none in the insect world when it comes to strength." She spied a wandering rinshi and beckoned him to come forward. When he did, she placed the idol on his forehead and waited for the minion to transform. "Allow me to introduce...Scaraboss!"
"Hmm. He looks impressive, but as we all know, looks aren't everything." Carnisoar said, his comment pointed directly at Camille.
The red rinshi showed off his inhuman strength by punching through one of the walls of the throne room as if it was made of cardboard. It was a move that made Camille cringe in fear believing that Dai Shi would severely reprimand her for her warrior's mistake.
"Yeah, how do ya like that!" Scaraboss grunted with a thick Brooklyn accent. "Those puny rangers won't last ten rounds with me!"
Sensing that she would have to run damage control, in more ways than one, she ran towards the demolished wall and spread her arms as wide as she could.
"See how powerful he is?" Camille chuckled nervously as she tried to cover up the gaping hole.
"If he manages to be successful in taking out the Power Rangers, I'll overlook his attempt at redecorating my throne room." Dai Shi promised. "But, if he fails..."
"He won't fail you, Dai Shi. I'll see to that."
"For your sake, you better."
That was all the encouragement Camille needed. Not wanting to overstay her welcome, she grabbed Scaraboss by the arm and dragged him with her out of the throne room.
"Why you put up with that lizard's constant bumbling is beyond me." Jellica commented as she took her leave.
"Jellica's right. It's that level of incompetence that could prove to be disastrous to us in the long run." With that warning, Carnisoar followed the lavish jellyfish out of the main chamber, leaving Dai Shi with much to think about.
************
Back at the loft...
************
RJ came back from his grocery trip with paper bags in both arms. With a huff, he set both bags on the island in the middle of his kitchen when the sounds of battle reached his ears. When he looked over the railing, he was surprised to find his students and Keenan in a spirited sparring match against Gwen.
"Oh, when did she get here? Not that I'm complaining." Thought the pizza chef as he watched the panther train with the others.
Over the past few months, RJ and Gwen had grown very close. So close, in fact, that they were on each other's minds nearly all the time. Or, they would have been if other things like work and saving the world didn't get in the way. Today was no exception. The moment the Pai Zhuq master laid eyes on the panther's sleek form, everything else on his mind took a back seat as he focused on every detail: from how good she looked in her new training gear to how her body flowed with her practice weapon. Not a single twist and turn she made went unnoticed by the lovestruck pizza chef who decided to make his presence known.
"Nice form, Gwen. Your angles are looking really good." RJ commented with his ever present swagger. "Your curves aren't too shabby, either." He thought wistfully.
The rangers paused as they heard RJ's voice coming from above them and Gwen couldn't resist flirting with him a little.
"Well, thanks for noticing." Gwen replied with a sweet smile.
The banter between the wolf and the panther made the other rangers cease their sparring momentarily. Seeing them act in that manner was sweet, but on the other hand, the way they were dancing around each other made everyone bonkers.
"Oh, when are you two gonna kiss already? And I'm talking lip-on-lip action." Lily thought impatiently to herself with folded arms.
"That's the best line you could come up with? You disappoint me, RJ." Theo mused with a light shake of his head.
"If anybody here thinks he's just looking at her 'angles', I've got some swampland on the moon I'd like to sell ya." Keenan wondered silently.
"Angles...yeah, right." Casey scoffed in thought as he rolled his eyes. "Why do I get the feeling it's not her angles you're looking at?" The tiger asked smirking.
"My young tiger, I don't know what you're talking about." RJ chuckled.
Of course RJ was lying through his teeth. He knew exactly what Casey meant; he just wasn't going to give the red tiger the satisfaction of admitting he was right. As everyone got ready to put their practice weapons away, the alarms blared loudly. Keenan was the first to reach RJ's tv area and when he saw the images appear on screen, he was visibly appalled.
"Guys, there's a monster attacking the docks!"
Casey and the others gathered around the viewing area where they, too, caught sight of the creature causing mayhem at the docks.
"It looks like a giant beetle! Gross!" Lily cringed.
"And it looks like Camille and her backup dancers are tagging along for the ride. No big surprise there." Gwen scowled.
"Let's go squash this bug." Casey ordered.
Before RJ could turn his eyes back to his screens, five rangers swung through the tunnels en route to the scene of the latest attack. At Ocean Bluff Pier, a fully transformed Scaraboss was hurling fully packed loading crates nearly ten times his size at the dock workers while an armored Camille and her throng of rinshi attacked them as the ran past her.
"That's it! Tuck your tails between your legs, ya wussies! Run away like the cockroaches ya are!" Scaraboss cackled.
"Keep going! I want Dai Shi to gain so much power, he won't know what to do with it all!" The wily chameleon barked as she terrorized any human that got too close. She was having the time of her life until she heard Casey's voice ring out above the screams.
"That's far enough, Camille!"
"Oh, no. Not them again." Camille groaned under her breath as the rangers arrived in their morphed forms. "You guys are worse than ants at a picnic."
"What did you expect? We're the good guys!" Gwen shot back.
"You have a choice-you can either leave walking or we can squish you and use a squeegee." Quipped the Silver Ranger confidently.
Camille was fuming and was about to engage the rangers when large beetle took a break from hurling crates to calm down his scaly superior.
"Chill out, Camille. I was hoping for more targets for my version of dodgeball!" With a sinister cackle, the hulking insect grabbed two crates from a conveyor belt and hurled them at the rangers with the strength of an Olympic shot putter. "Think fast!"
"Incoming!" Theo shouted as he and the others dodged out of the way by jumping and flipping over the wooden projectiles. Once they landed on their feet, Keenan saw this as a prime opportunity to prove that he was just as good as the others...even without a new weapon at his disposal.
"As an eagle, I don't usually rip into bugs, but for you, I'll make an exception! Jungle Katanas!"
"Keenan, wait!" Gwen shouted.
But her plea fell on deaf ears as the eagle charged blindly into battle. The only thing Keenan had on his mind was taking out this bug and being the hero to his friends and family. But his plan met with some resistance as Scaraboss effortlessly fended off the Silver Ranger and shoved him back into the others.
"Ya call that weak display an attack, pipsqueak? You can't be serious!" The large beetle scoffed as Keenan propped himself back onto his feet. "Oh, man...you were serious! It feels like you're hitting me with feather dusters instead of swords, kid!"
Now, Keenan prided himself as a pretty cool-tempered guy. Not too many things sent him off the deep end, but hearing Scaraboss belittle his strength...now he crossed the line.
"Keep talking and you're gonna get dusted, all right!" The eagle threatened as he went in for another assault. Unfortunately, the end result was the same as, once again, Keenan was thrown into his friends like a bowling ball.
"Come on! Flit could hit harder than that! And he's a flyweight in every sense of the word!" The bodybuilding bug teased.
"Keenan, let us help!" Theo pleaded as he and the others slowly got out of the pile they were in.
"Stay out of this...all of you." Keenan ordered in a low voice.
"But, Keenan...you can't..." Gwen began as she grabbed her brother's arm to pull him back. To her shock, the Silver Ranger violently yanked it out of her grasp before turning to face her.
"I said stay out of it!"
The other rangers were taken aback by Keenan's outburst...nobody more than Gwen. As long as they knew each other, he had never raised his voice to her. Seeing as how talking wouldn't do any good, Casey and the other rangers reluctantly stepped back to let the eagle hash out any issues he seemed to have.
"Eagle, huh? The way you were acting just then, your spirit animal should have been the donkey!" Scaraboss taunted. Seeing the frazzled state his opponent was in, the beetle flexed his mighty biceps in a show of dominance. "I could do this all day, my little chickadee! Actually, you remind me more of a pigeon!" Seeing that the eagle's feathers were ruffled, the hulking beetle decided to add insult to injury. "Oh, yeah...I went there."
The Silver Ranger hands gripped the hilts of his katanas so tightly, the others could swear they could see his knuckles turn white under his gloves.
"Pigeon?! Oh, that is it!"
Seething with anger, the eagle summoned what was left of his strength in a last ditch effort to topple the buff beetle. He swung his katanas with every bit of skill he had only to have Scaraboss block the blades with his arms. Thanks to his tough exoskeleton, this task was easy. When he was confident that Keenan was running out of steam, the large bug took a three-point stance and speared the Silver Ranger into the pavement.
"Keenan!" Shouted his friends as they ran to his aid.
"Houston, the eagle has landed...flat on his back." Scaraboss mocked as he stood in triumph. "I thought you said these guys were tough, toots. This was a piece of cake."
"You okay?" Casey asked as he helped his friend up.
"Just give me one more crack at him!" The eagle urged as he struggled to get up.
"Okay, I'm bored now. Let's blow this pop stand and hit the gym. You wanna spot me, Camille?" The beetle offered as he flexed.
Usually, the only reason chameleons associated themselves with bugs was to eat them. But since this one proved to give the rangers a rousing defeat, she decided to spare his life...for now.
"If I chopped you up into little pieces, you'd be enough to feed me for a decade." She fought hard to keep from licking her lips in front of her champion as she spoke. "Why not. I wouldn't mind getting in a workout." Chuckled Camille as she left with her newest warrior.
"Get back here and fight me!" Keenan yelled after the departing pair.
"Get in a few reps with the barbells and then call me, Junior. I don't give rematches to lightweights." With that, Camille and Scaraboss vanished leaving the rangers to wallow.
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Back at the loft...
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Five rangers glumly trudged down the steps to the training area where RJ was mulling over what he witnessed on the viewing screens. Casey and company were less than overjoyed with what happened as they licked their wounds. Keenan, who had emotional wounds as well as physical, was mentally beating himself up for getting knocked around so easily in the last fight.
"Keenan...you know I love you like a brother...but you have to be the most stubborn person I've ever met." Gwen stated simply.
Hearing the only family he has left on the planet call him stubborn shocked him to his core. How could she say something like that to him?
"What are you talking about! How was I stubborn?"
"Oh, I don't know. How about charging in like a madman when we don't know the enemy's level of strength? You could have been seriously hurt...or worse!" Gwen answered back with genuine concern in her voice.
"Way to be supportive, sis." He thought. "Look, if you don't think I can handle this, then just say so!"
As the siblings argued, RJ and the other rangers were each having conflicts of their own: either let the brother and sister have it out with each other or step in and run damage control. Either way, something had to be done.
"I never said anything like that, Keenan!"
"You might as well have because you're attacking me like I did something wrong! I'm trying to save mankind here!"
Lily despised infighting more than anyone in the group and decided to diffuse the situation before someone blew up...and in turn, say something they'd later regret. She went to Keenan and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, hoping that their growing bond would calm him down.
"Keenan, she's not attacking you. She just worries because she cares about you; we all do." She said in a soothing voice.
In a way it worked...but not how Lily intended. Keenan had calmed down, but only enough to gently take her hand off of his shoulder and face her.
"If she really cared, she'd stop jumping down my throat for what I was trying to do." After he was done addressing the fair-haired cheetah, he turned his attention to his adoptive sister. "Sis, in case you haven't noticed, the training wheels came off a long time ago and I've been standing on my own two feet pretty well. So, why are you trying to put them back on?"
"Keenan, I'm not..." Gwen was trying to defend herself but her brother wasn't going to let her.
"I know exactly what you're not! You're not my mother; so do me a favor and stop acting like it!"
The pained look on Gwen's face said it all. Keenan's caustic words cut her deeper than the sharpest of blades and watching him storm out of the loft in a huff was the final knife through her heart.
"Keenan!" Theo shouted angrily after the eagle. "Get back here and apologize!"
"No...let him go." Gwen sadly opposed as she walked up to the kitchen area and sat at the table.
Of all the things the two shared in common, the loss of both their mothers was their darkest. With her knowledge of Keenan's past and how abusive his father was after his mother's death, she tried to fill the void as best she could. She knew she could never replace his mom, but she did want to be someone he could come to for anything. Inside, the black panther was broken. No, "broken" wasn't a strong enough word..."shattered" was more like it and everyone in the room was irate because the cause of the panther's sadness was the one person Gwen cared about the most.
"What do you mean 'let him go'? He had no right to say that to you!" Casey stated angrily as he and the others joined her in the kitchen.
"Guys, it's alright." Gwen replied as she retreated to her "quiet" demeanor.
"No, it isn't. He was way out of line!" Lily agreed with the tiger.
At that point, Gwen opted not to respond to the cheetah. Instead, she laid her head on top of the table with her folded arms acting as a pillow. Of course, they raised some valid points regarding Keenan's behavior; she wasn't going to deny that. But they didn't know Keenan the way she did. She knew, deep down, that he didn't mean a word he said and that he'd soon come to grips with it. Still, it didn't lessen the sting his words delivered or the affect they had on the panther master. Nobody felt worse for Gwen than RJ who took a seat next to his lady friend and gently rubbed her shoulder with his right hand.
"You okay, Gwen?" He asked sincerely. With a nod, he motioned for Casey to grab a bottled water from the fridge and give it to the black ranger.
"Here." The tiger offered.
"Thanks." She accepted as she took a sip. "And to answer your question, RJ, I'm okay."
The black ranger's lips may have said one thing, but her heart said something entirely different and RJ picked up on it immediately.
"Are you sure? Because you look like you're about to break down any second." The concerned Pai Zhuq master contested.
"I know I do, but I really am fine."
Unfortunately, Casey wasn't so easily swayed. Whether it was physical or emotional, he hated to see his friends in pain and the fact that it was her own brother that made her so sullen only made the young tiger more determined to put things right.
"That's good because I was just about to invite Tahj to a hunt and your brother was going to be the prey." There wasn't one iota of sarcasm in Casey's statement; he was dead serious.
"Mind if I invite Cita and the kids? I'm sure Makomba and Sapphyri would love a hunting lesson." Lily offered.
"Olmec, too?" Theo eagerly asked.
As Gwen listened to the teen rangers' rants, she could understand their anger towards her brother. If the shoe was on the other foot, she probably would think the same thing. On the other hand, she was disappointed that they would immediately turn into a lynch mob without knowing the whole story behind Keenan's outburst.
"Guys, please. I know you're upset over what Keenan said to me and I appreciate your concern. But, he just needs some time to cool off." Gwen let out a long sigh before continuing. "Trust me when I say I've been through this before and I know how he is."
RJ, who kept a cool head throughout his students' hunting party preparations, gave Gwen a comforting smile that reached his green eyes. She had no idea what it was about his eyes that made her problems melt away when she looked into them, but she wasn't gonna look a gift horse in the mouth.
"Oh, those eyes. I could have the worst day in the world and all I'd have to do was look into your eyes and everything would be fine again." She thought wistfully as she looked to her other friends. "Guys, just please give him the benefit of the doubt...for me."
Gwen didn't need to hear RJ's answer; in her heart, she knew that he'd do anything in the world for her.
"Dudes, Gwen does know Keenan better than we do. So, if she wants us to give him time to let things sink in, I don't see any harm, do you?" RJ grinned as he posed his question to his three pupils.
The three teens exchanged uncertain looks amongst themselves. They didn't feel that Keenan deserved any compassion after what he said to Gwen, but he was her only living family and that reason alone spared the eagle from their wrath.
"Okay; we'll cut the guy some slack. But only for you." Casey replied speaking for his teammates.
"Thanks. That's all I ask."
"All I have to say is he better do some major league apologizing to you when he gets back." Lily added as Theo nodded in agreement.
The tension in the loft was still present. Not only did they have deal with Keenan storming out and leaving their forces crippled, there was still the matter of a 6 foot scarab beetle causing mayhem in Ocean Bluff they had to contend with. And if he could make short work of the eagle, what could he do against the others?
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End of Chapter One
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Okay...harsh much, Keenan? Not the right way to talk to your big sister. He better hope the other rangers don't follow through with their threats, otherwise the big cats at the Animal Hospital are gonna feast. Hope this wasn't too long a chappie...or maybe it wasn't long enough. Lemme know. :)