Holding True
by Melissa Morris

'It looks like rain.' Kimberly let loose a disgusted sigh as she paged through yet another book and tried not to notice as Billy looked her way. 'Sheesh, Mr. 'Protect the Pack Instincts' is getting on my nerves.' She sighed again as she picked up another book. 'No, it's just that I'm finally able to wander around without a crutch or a brace and there's no place to wander to. Almost two days straight . . . only Cestro's enjoying this, well Billy's locked in a library . . . how can he stand the horror.' She chuckled slightly and tried again not to look back at Billy. 'But if I'm stir-crazy already, I wonder how Adam's taking it?' She picked up Cestro's latest 'translation' for Adam and read the title. 'History of Erath Kor. Man, I don't even think Cestro knows what he's translating on some of these. But he's having 'fun' doing it.' She shrugged to herself as she left the library. 'At least someone is.'

'Soup.' Adam carefully contemplated the bowl before him. It was too hot when Dulcea brought it to him an hour ago, so he'd let it set. If anyone asked he'd probably admit that it was partially that, but mostly that he just didn't feel like eating it. 'Oh, well.' He stared into the depths of the bowl a bit longer and managed to dredge up some hunger as he carefully took a few sips of soup. He carefully set it down as his stomach began to ask 'what the hell do you think you're doing' and curled back up in bed. 'I can tell her I ate some.' He groaned to himself 'Save the universe, get the flu. Oh, life is fair.'

'Isn't that a little selfish?' gently chided Frog with a touch of humor in his voice.

"Yup. I'm very selfish right now," croaked Adam accusingly, "Been quiet."

'I know, I had some things to check on.'

"Whatever," said Adam grumpily as he rolled over and came face to face with Frog. 'Wow. I'm out of it.' "Um, are you right in front of me?" 'Wow. Surprised Frog.' Adam giggled slightly as Frog gave a startled hop.

'Yes. You should be careful, almost squashed me there.'

"Uh huh."

Frog's voice seemed to grin at him 'Well I've some good news and some bad news. What do you want to hear first?'

"Good, I'm not in the mood for bad. In fact, let's not hear the bad until tomorrow okay?"

'Okay the good news is that you'll be over this in a couple days.' Frog shuffled a bit.

"Bad?"

'I thought you didn't want to hear it? Whoa! Don't look at me like that! Okay the bad news is . . . that you'll be over this in a couple days.'

Adam groaned, "Great, now you have to be a comedian."

'Hey . . . ' Frog paused for a moment and deadpanned 'I'm a frog.'

"Thas my line."

'Hey, I only use the very best. Now go to sleep.'

A twinkle appeared in Adam's eyes as he whined, "But I don't wanna."

'Smart . . . '

Adam quickly interrupted, "I'll be a good boy, sleep now and all that. G'night Frog."

'Good night Adam.'

"G'night John-boy."

'John-boy? Why am I saddled with the smart-ass ninjetti? Huh?...'

Adam started to doze as Frog rambled soothingly on and the black glow that surrounded Frog seemed to follow him down into sleep.

"Whu?" asked Adam blearily as a light knocking wakened him.

The door cracked open and Kimberly leaned in, "Just checking on you. If you want, I can leave . . . "

"Nah, come on in," he gave her a tired grin as she took a seat near him.

She carefully put the book on Adam's dresser, "Cestro translated this one for you."

"Tell him thanks," Adam blinked slightly as he tried to clear his blurry vision. 'Not that I can read a thing right now. I'm doing good to tell that the big pink blur is you.' He smiled at his weak joke and rubbed his eyes.

"How are you?" asked Kim with concern in her voice. "Or was that a stupid question?"

Adam lightly chuckled in spite of himself, "It was a stupid question. I feel miserable."

"Thirsty, hungry, need another blanket?"

"None of the above, I'm not cold and my stomach is revolting."

Kim sent a grin his way and deadpanned, "I thought that was your sense of humor?"

"You're as bad as Frog," he finally focused on Kim and the pink glow that surrounded her.

Kim took a moment to consider that, "I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult."

Adam giggled, "Neither am I."

'Hey! I resemble that remark.' grumbled Frog good-naturedly.

Adam laughed a little harder, "Sorry, couldn't help myself." Kim watched him for a moment as he seemed to stare at a point near the foot of his bed. She waited and he turned back to her, "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it's a compliment."

She gave him a concerned smile, "You don't sound too sure of that."

He smiled even wider, "I'm not."

'Hey!'

Adam laughed at that and Kim joined in, but she had the feeling that he was laughing at more than what he said. She looked at him carefully 'I think he's a little feverish and he's very tired. Dulcea's sure he'll be okay, though I think it's an effort for her not to be here.' She sighed and took his water glass from the dresser and walked across the room to refill it. "You should try and drink some more water."

"Yes Mother."

She put the glass on the dresser, "Sure, let me tuck you in," she said mischievously as she leaned over and straightened his blanket.

"You're cruel."

She smiled at him, "Maybe a little. Drink some water and some of that gunk Dulcea brought you. Then go to bed." She prepared to leave, "I'll come by and see you around dinner time, okay?"

"Yes Mother."

"Smart-ass." She left to the sound of Adam laughing.

"Cestro, please don't drip on the books," said Billy with a twinkle in his eye.

Cestro started and stepped away from the table, then he paused and turned to Billy, "Is this more of your humor?"

"Yes, sorry. I suppose I'm slightly jealous that you're not stuck in here like the rest of us."

"Actually, the storm has reached a level that even I do not wish to be out in it. However, I can understand your point of view."

Billy directed a small smile toward his friend, "Have you found any thing interesting?"

Cestro looked through the books before him, "I have found some interesting botanical guides and some scientific journals, unfortunately a great deal of these books are in languages that are lost to the galactic community. Dulcea has been giving me excellent lessons, but it will take a great deal of time before I am fluent enough to trust my translations."

"I understand that, I remember when I went to Aquitar for the first time. At least then I had some very small exposure to the language, here . . . "

"You do not have that problem anymore."

Billy shrugged, "No, I find it odd that suddenly I can read a new language not long after I pick up a book, but it is no longer a problem. Though I do wonder if it applies to spoken languages as well."

"Perhaps we could test that?"

Adam groaned as the rumble of thunder overhead roused him from sleep. He laid back and stared at the ceiling for a moment. 'Well, I seem to feel 'better.' Feel odd though.' He carefully took a few sips of water and nearly dropped the glass when a voice spoke up from beside him.

"Young one," rumbled a deep voice that seemed to fill the room.

He shakily placed the glass on the table and looked around, not seeing, but feeling something, "Who's there?"

"I am a friend of Frog. I need your help."

Adam debated it for a minute, he didn't find the immense presence threatening, kind of comforting if he had to put a feeling to it. Then there was just this feeling that if he was being asked for help, well it must have been very important. 'I must be dreaming.' He managed to stand shakily, "Where?"

"Where you were asked."

'Asked?' Adam wondered about it for a moment and as he reached for his glass once more, it came to him. "You sent the scroll?"

"Yes."

'Oookaaay. What have I gotten tangled up in now? And can't it wait till after I better. No don't answer that . . . ummm . . . hello? Frog?' Adam looked around in panic for his small companion.

"Be calm, Frog is elsewhere. I have arranged it so that I may have your assistance only."

'No Frog, then . . . ' He knew that technically he should be panicking or calling for help, but he was just . . . SURE that this was important. 'Yup, I'm dreaming.' Adam carefully made his way out of his room and whispered quietly, "Y'know they're going to hear me."

'It is taken care of, you will understand soon.'

Adam didn't comment as he passed Kim's room and a thought dawned on him, "What time is it?"

The voice seemed the hold a laugh within its deep tones, 'Very late.'

'Well that explains that.' He paused in front of Cestro's door and put his hand upon the wood. As

he did, he received a sense of water and pressure, as well as the large unseen something that he had glimpsed at Cestro's ceremony. He carefully inspected his hand as he wondered vaguely that it should be wet, but wasn't. 'Weirdness.' He shrugged and staggered quietly down the hallway as he neared the open door to Billy's room. 'If he hears me . . . ' Adam paused and looked for something subconsciously and only after he noticed its lack did he identify it. 'No blue right here. He must be in the library. So, now he'll be awake and I have to go past the library, just peachy.' He moved forward with a little more confidence and studiously ignored his body's protests to this impromptu workout, but he slowed again as he neared the library and this time he did find the comforting blue presence he had searched for earlier.

He moved forward hesitantly wondering when Billy would notice him and nearly tripped over the large wolf that sat in front of the library. 'Uh, oh, I am so caught.' But instead of Billy emerging from the library and asking him what he's doing, the wolf seemed to look him over for a moment and then it walked back into the library. 'I don't think it can get any weirder.' He took a steadying breath and walked on past the library. 'Only one more room to go and I've run the gauntlet' he thought absently and almost giggled as he headed toward the exit to the temple above. 'You know I was wrong, definitely weirder.' He looked carefully at the always open door to Dulcea's chamber. 'I have to go past that!?' He closed his eyes and opened them again. 'Still there. Oh, well.' Now Adam stood before the source of his consternation, the large tree that seemed to be growing in the wall of Dulcea's chamber. He carefully sidled up to the door so he could get a glimpse of the wall inside. 'It's like the wall isn't there.' Adam shook his head. 'No, I think we would have noticed and commented on a large tree in the middle of the hallway, but right now it seems more 'real' the walls around me.' He moved forward and hesitantly reached out to touch a branch and felt the smooth bark beneath his fingers. He was not really surprised in a way. 'Not after what I've seen tonight. This has got to be one wiggy dream.' As he studied the tree he followed its branches as they weaved across Dulcea's doorway and finally noticed the white owl sleeping peacefully in the tree. 'Owl. Owl needs tree to sleep in. Ooookaay. So here's a tree for Dulcea's spirit animal to sleep in. What was in that medicine she gave me?' He studied the sleeping bird for an indefinite period of time with a reverent awe. 'Wow. It's beautiful. I really do have a great imagination.' He lost himself in the minute details and frowned as he noticed something else about the owl 'it's chained!?' He stared at the delicate greenish-silver chain that vanished into nothingness a few inches away from the cuff that was locked around the owl's left foot. It was so tiny that he would have never noticed it without such close scrutiny. Wrongness welled through Adam's mind and he reached out to remove the offensive thing, but he was stopped by the return of the voice, 'Now is not the time. Come.'

He turned around searching and when he turned back the tree was no longer blocking the hall fully. He swallowed an angry retort as he moved through and ducked under a few branches still in his path. He stalked angrily through the last few corridors until he walked out into the pouring rain. "Now what!" he yelled a little harshly, he was still annoyed at whatever happened in the hall. He heard no response as he staggered over the muddy ground and through the rain that wanted to tear him from his feet. "Where do you want me to go?" He shouted into the stormy night as he searched for something. He saw something out of the corner of his eye and shuffled blindly toward it. He slipped and slid down a slight incline to a muddy stop. He focused his attention on getting to his feet and when he finally looked around he sat back down hard in the mud as weak legs finally refused to support him. He stared disbelieving at what his tired eyes revealed. 'It's the dawn?!' He shook his head to once again to try and clear his vision, but it only caused his world to begin to spin. His gaze locked on it once more before dizziness overwhelmed him and he fell back to the wet earth. As thought seeped away, he heard the deep voice rumble in a voice that seemed to be made of the thunder itself, "We will speak again, Young Prince."

Adam wakened vaguely aware that the others were near him. He strained to hear snippets of their conversation as they jostled him around.

"...get out here?" Adam took a moment to identify that voice as Kim. He's startled as her voice broke into his erratic thoughts 'Adam?'

He giggled slightly and mumbled inaudibly, "Whass happenin."

Billy's voice quietly repeated his words, but Adam didn't really care. Then Kim spoke to him again in that tone he couldn't seem to ignore. 'Adam, you're outside. We're going to get you inside and cleaned up. Can you open your eyes for a moment?'

He could hear the concern in her voice, but he didn't really care, all he wanted to do is sleep. Adam mumbled irritably, "Don' wanna look anymore, saw wha' I's'poss'd to. Lemme sleep."

Again he heard Billy echo his words to the others and this time he managed to ignore Kim and faded back into dreamless sleep.

Billy looked up at Kim's irritated sigh, "He's asleep. I doubt anything outside of a zord walking through his bedroom is going to wake him up now."

Billy found himself listening to Adam's quiet breathing and steady heartbeat, "I'll have to agree. What did you say to him that last time?" He carefully picks Adam up under Dulcea and Kim's watchful eyes.

"I told him that he was outside and that we're going to get him inside. Then I asked him to open his eyes. Then he stubbornly decided to go back to sleep."

"He was a little indecipherable, but I think he said, 'Don't want to look anymore, saw what I was supposed to. Let me sleep.' But let us worry now about getting him cleaned up and checking for any injuries he might have sustained in his late night jaunt."

Lunch was subdued as they sipped at their soup and bread. 'Technically, I should hate this stuff by now, but every day it's different. Yet, I would love to have a steak.' pondered Billy as he went over today's events while he ate hungrily. Breakfast had been forgotten when Dulcea woke and went to check on Adam before her morning rounds. She had quickly roused them all to search for their wayward friend. Fortunately the rain had stopped sometime in the night, while it was wet and muddy, there was no storm to hamper their efforts.

'Lot of help I was.' irritably thought Billy as he took another bite of bread. 'I started to try and 'smell' him out and from what Cestro told me I just stood there staring into space for the first five minutes. Kim broke me out of my 'space out,' but what if Adam had needed help as soon as possible? At least he's fine, just sleeping.' Billy's thoughts ran their circles, until he finally noticed that he'd finished eating. He left the room that had become the communal dining area and walked aimlessly away.

He looked around vaguely for Kim, for while she might joke about him being her shadow, she ended up around him almost as much as he ended up around her. He sighed to himself and finally took note of his location. 'I'm back where we found Adam.' A slight shudder coursed through him as he recalled finding Adam lying on the ground an unmoving mud-covered form. It had taken but a moment for his hearing to find the steady heartbeat and the peaceful breathing, but that moment had been a small glimpse of hell. 'Thought we'd lost him, not to some intergalactic menace, but to a bout of sleepwalking.' Billy shook his head and sat on the rapidly drying ground. 'Too humid.' He looked around the area, searching for whatever Adam had thought so important. Maybe a fever-dream, maybe not. After so much time as a ranger, he'd learned that the simplest answer wasn't always the real answer.

'Go with your instincts, my cub, hunt' whispered the wolf in the back of his mind.

He studied the muddy ground, while the area around had been churned up by Kim, Dulcea, and himself the impression of where Adam had lain was marred only by him picking Adam up. 'What could he see from here?' He carefully placed his feet in Adam's footsteps and looked around the area, but the only thing of interest he saw was the monolith far in the distance. 'I sincerely doubt he could see that at night in the middle of a torrential downpour.'

"Billy?! Wake up!"

Billy spun around pulling his arm from Kim's grasp and nearly knocked her down, he looked around confusedly, "How did you get here?"

Kim looked at him concernedly, "I just walked up here after taking my turn at watching Adam." She shook her head, "It took me a couple of minutes to get your attention. Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Um, yes," Billy answered distractedly as details began to filter through his mind. 'The ground is drier and the air is less humid. My stomach is growling and there is the truly telling factor that the noonday sun is now almost the evening sun. Did I just lose half a day staring at the monolith?' "How is Adam?" he said in an attempt to deflect Kim's concern and he winced slightly at the look that she gave him. 'I'm in trouble.'

"He's still sleeping. Dulcea's watching him like a hawk."

Billy quirked a slight grin, "Shouldn't that be owl?"

Kim stuck her tongue out at him and smiled, "Whatever. I think she would have spent the whole day there, but I managed to convince her that I could take over so she could do some ninjetti stuff."

"Ninjetti STUFF?" chuckled Billy, "What a highly technical term. How did she take that?"

"Well, it got her out of the room. She's feeling a bit guilty, thinking she should have kept a closer eye on Adam. She's also a little confused how he got past her."

"I know that feeling, I was up in the library until almost dawn. I can hear the bugs crawling over the ground or a leaf falling from a tree fifty yards away, yet I couldn't hear a dazed Adam stagger past right outside my door." He shook his head irritably, "It just feels like these new senses do whatever they damn well please." He began to pace as Kim just watched him carefully, "I mean I try to use them and they don't work right. I tried to use them to find Adam this morning, but all I did was . . . lock myself up, and just now, well . . . " He trailed off and ran his hands through his hair. "I just don't know right now. I came here to try and figure out what Adam had seen, but the only thing that stuck out to me is the monolith itself. I had noticed something and then you were scaring the hell out of me."

"So you've slept about two hours that could be why you're spacing out. Grab a bite to eat and go to bed," ordered Kim.

Billy opened his mouth to refuse, but shut it with a snap as the wolf again whispered to him. 'There are some battles that are meant to be fought and some not.' Wolf paused and continued with a chuckle. 'And then there are somewhere you had better have the whole pack to back you up.'

He noticed her getting ready to dig in until he relents. So he smiled disarminly at Kim, "You know you're right," and started walking back to his room.

Kim just stood there blinking at the sudden turn about and just shook her head in confusion as Billy entered the building and went directly to him room. 'I'm beginning to think that being a ninjetti is just another word for being strange.'

After a few hours of sleep Billy had to admit he was feeling better, but he'd pulled all-nighters before and he just didn't feel it was the cause of his problems. As he cleaned up, he caught the distinct scent of Dulcea making yet another batch of soup. As he changed, he heard the clinking of the bowls and utensils as Kim laid them out. 'If I don't try to use them, they're great. Perhaps, Cestro and Kim could assist me in testing them.' They'd all started helping Dulcea or at least staying around her at the various chores she did daily. It had become an unspoken agreement that Dulcea didn't have to do EVERYTHING, even though it seemed like she did. Her schedule was so predictable that you could probably set a watch by it. They were all making efforts at breaking it up, but Adam's illness seems to have finally broken Dulcea's reticence. They were each taking a patrol or helping her with minute chores and she was spending a great deal of her time checking on Adam. With Adam's mysterious sleepwalking, she'd actually let them take over almost everything. Billy smiles to himself 'no ones gotten her to budge on meals though.'

Billy shrugged to himself and began to walk to the common room, but decided to drop in on Adam. He quietly entered the room and noiticed Cestro reading a book out loud to a sleeping Adam. Cestro looked at Billy and nodded to acknowledge his presence, but didn't pause his recitation.

Billy watched Adam sleep for a few moments and noted that he wasn't sleeping as deeply as he had earlier. 'I suppose he should be waking up soon.' "Any change, Cestro?" quietly asked Billy.

Cestro shook his head in a human gesture that he had picked up from the others and finished the paragraph he was on, "He has begun to rouse, but has not fully awoken."

"Well, it's time for dinner and I think a bowl of soup . . . ," Billy trailed off as Adam's heartbeat picked up slightly and his breathing quickened on the word 'soup.' He turned to Adam and watched him twitch slightly and his eyes barely cracked open.

"Soup?" Adam whispered hoarsely. He managed to sleepily raise up and grasp the water glass that Cestro held out for him. After a few sips he settled back down but not before searching the bed for something. Whatever it was he seemed to find it and gave a small sigh of relief. Then he turned his attention to Billy and Cestro and his eyes widened at something behind them. He rubbed his eyes and mumbled, "I think I need more sleep." His stomach growled loudly, "Soup first."

Billy and Cestro were both watching his reactions closely and Cestro spoke up, "I will collect our meals and return shortly."

Cestro left and Adam giggled slightly at something, but just looked at Billy sheepishly when Billy gave a questioning glance. Billy decided to let it drop, "Well, let me be the first to welcome you back to the land of the living. You have been sleeping for the past 14 hours at the least. How are you feeling?"

'Delusional, maybe?' Adam took a moment to consider that and shrugged, "Exhausted, but good." He paused for a moment as he had the vague feeling that something important happened, "Did something happen? . . . I don't know what, but I have this feeling . . . ," he trailed off hesitantly, he wanted to talk about it, but not with Billy.

"What do you remember about last night?"

Adam took his time as he carefully pondered that question, "Kim came by and talked to me. I fell asleep and the storm woke me up." He paused for a moment, "I heard something. I went to check it out. I thought I was dreaming." 'Now, I'm pretty sure I wasn't. Man, I want to talk with Frog.'

Any questions Billy might have asked were cut off by the entrance of Dulcea. She gave Adam a slight smile and carefully set her tray on the dresser in Adam's room, "Cestro told me that you were hungry, so I have brought food for you. He apologizes for not returning to join you, but he seems to have forgotten something that Kimberly asked him to help her with." She looked to Billy, "She also wanted you to assist her at this time."

'What could Kim want at this time?' He shrugged, "Well, have a nice meal, I will see you both again a little later," and then he left the room. As he headed toward the commons to find Kim he heard Dulcea quietly speak, "Would it be an imposition if I dined with you?"

'Imposition!?!' Adam found himself blushing once more at Dulcea's intense scrutiny and he shook his head vigorously in negation, "Nope, no imposition, not at all." He looked around the room for a moment and gestured to the chair beside his bed. He started to rearrange the pillows so he could sit up and felt his face get hot as Dulcea began to help. And if embarrassing himself was not enough he could hear Frog chuckling from the foot of his bed. 'Laugh it up, Kermit!' he inwardly grumbled at Frog. For a response Frog's chuckles turned to full blown croaking laughter.

Dulcea kept smiling and carefully placed a small folding tray on the bed so that Adam could eat. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it once the smell of the food hit him. After a few hesitant bites he was eating the soup with great enthusiasm while Dulcea ate hers at a more normal pace. She began to talk as Adam ate his soup, "I take it you are feeling better?" He nodded, but didn't stop eating and she smiled fondly, "That is good, we missed your presence and we were concerned after your little 'walk.'"

'My 'little walk . . . ' Adam stopped eating, put his spoon back on the tray and looked at her seriously,

"Dulcea, this may seem out of the blue, but do you see everyone's animals?"

"What do you mean? I see them when I need to," she replied carefully.

"I mean, well, I see them right now and I don't think I need to. Do you see Frog sitting at the foot of my bed, or Owl sitting on the dresser behind you?" As he said this, he watched the Owl's golden gaze fall upon him. 'Y'know that's kinda creepy.' As he finished three voices spoke out at once and he waved them all down, "Okay, I'll answer, but give me a minute." 'So that's what Owl sounds like.' He shook his head, "Okay, you seem to all think this is strange, so why? Dulcea?"

"It is not odd, it is something that is different for each ninjetti. Some never 'see' their spirit animals without assistance, I only see Owl when I want to and the others when she wishes it. It is only odd in its suddenness and because it sounds like Frog did not know himself, how long has this been going on?"

"Y'know that was Frog's question, well, since last night I guess. I woke up and . . . I had to go outside . . . well, I couldn't find Frog and I walked past Wolf and I saw Owl sitting on a tree sorta outside Dulcea's room." He paused to take a breath 'I just don't think it's right to talk about the 'voice' right now.'

Frog sounded stricken. 'I am sorry, they needed me in a big way and I decided to go myself. You were out of it, I didn't think anything would happen.'

"No problem," grinned Adam. "And, um, Owl if it's not a problem, could you, well, quit staring at me? It's making me nervous," he finished sheepishly.

'My apologies small one,' Owl shifted her gaze to Frog, 'Your child is truly precocious.'

'Uh, huh, what exactly do you mean by that? Are you going to keep sitting there and looking smug or tell me what that means?'

'Hmm, I think I will 'keep sitting here and look smug.''

Adam began snickering as Frog started griping about the disrespect he received, "Are all of you guys like this?"

Owl turned her attention back to him, 'Only around Frog, he has this unsavory habit of pulling us down to his level.'

'UNSAVORY!' shouted Frog, 'Why you . . . you . . . '

Adam began to giggle as the two animals bickered back and forth. This time he heard Dulcea laughing softly as well. He gave her a questioning look and she leaned close to him and whispered, "Owl is letting me hear both sides of this conversation. I haven't seen her act so 'relaxed' in a great while."

Adam whispered back, "Well, I haven't seen Frog be serious in a great while, so we're even. But if you think this is funny, just think about what I woke up to." Dulcea gave him a questioning glance, "This is a nice room, but it isn't that big. Now imagine Cestro, Billy, Wolf, and Whale crammed into my room. How the heck does Whale fit anywhere? I thought I was delirious."

Billy, Kim, and Cestro sat in the common room finishing dinner and talked quietly. Cestro continued the conversation, "I do not understand the situation myself. I do not believe you shall be able to obtain all of the parts of this puzzle without Adam's assistance."

"Unfortunately, I think you're right. I just hate that there is something going on behind the scenes and I can't figure out what it is. It's like we're here, but what are we doing?" said Billy irritably.

"Learning what we have to," said Kim quietly. Cestro and Billy both waited expectantly for more, "I'm learning to control this whatever I have. Cestro's reading everything about the ninjetti that isn't nailed down and some that is. Billy, you're getting used to your super-senses and reading anything that Cestro doesn't. We're all learning about the ninjetti and we're all working out with Dulcea. We may not be coming anywhere near winning, but she's not creaming us as bad as she did when we first started."

"What about Adam?"

"What about Adam, we're just seeing it more, whatever he's doing is just more different than what we're going through. We've all gotten new things dumped on us, his just seem the most wiggy to you or Cestro. Come on, Billy, you're reading anything and everything and learning fifty-gazillion new languages at once, that seems pretty darn weird to me. It's just that what's going on with Adam doesn't seem to fit into your nice safe version of how the universe works. Sheesh, we're ninjetti for heaven's sake! How can you rationalize that!? And anyway about Adam, I mean he is an adult, give him some time to deal with it before you go all concerned." She paused and grinned at them, "Didn't you say we should test your senses, Billy?" She looked at Billy with a predatory gleam in her eye, "I think now would be the perfect time."

Billy gave her a look that would be more appropriate on a startled deer than a Wolf ninjetti, "Uh, maybe later . . . "

Cestro sat quietly in a meditative pose as he rehydrated by the small pond that was on the temple grounds after his latest session with Dulcea. She had been teaching them of the Ninjetti Arts and it was tiring. In fact the air seemed humid enough here that he only required hydration after extensive exertion. 'It seems much more natural for the others to adapt this new system of combat as an extension, but for me it is a challenge. I am by no means a master of the Aq'ribar and I seem lacking in their flexibility in thought and form. I do find it enjoyable, I must admit. Dulcea teaches combat, ninjetti history, and philosophy at the same time, perhaps she is so far above our level that she does not have to give us her total attention.'

As he pondered today's lessons, Kim and Billy walked by embroiled in another debate about his senses. 'A subject that Kimberly seems to worry about more than Billy. He is of the opinion that he will learn control naturally, and she believes that he needs to learn some more now. I must agree with her, after our tests, he should be in agreement as well. I do not understand his reticence in this matter. He believes that since he is only having the occasional difficulty here that it is no matter for concern, while Kimberly worries about how he will do on Earth. On an aside, what he can perceive with his senses is amazing. I hope that he will see them as a tool that's use must be perfected, than as an annoyance that must be ignored.'

'Then of course, there is Kim, she understood that her success here did not mean that she will be prepared for less controlled circumstance. So, while she finds our sessions distasteful, she continues to meet with me. I suspect that her determination and will, shall allow her overcome any obstacles in her path. She is confusing to me, more so than the others. She has infinite patience for tasks like helping me to understand the subtle undercurrents of human interaction, but none for tasks that until recently I believed were the only important ones. Perhaps, we Aquitians are too reserved, my new friends are far more vibrant than any I have met in galactic society. Could it perhaps be that is why they were successful where others had failed?'

He turned his head and looked out over the water as a large splash sounded out behind him. He watched the churning water for a moment until Adam swam up and waved, then dived back below the surface. 'Adam is an interesting companion, I had not had the pleasure of truly meeting him until now. I have only begun to spend time with him as we both enjoy this lake. It is gratifying to have someone who shares my enjoyment and he still possesses a great deal of wonder for his new environ. It is invigorating and I suppose soothing in a way, while Billy can be almost Aquitian in his manner, he has no love for the waters. Now that Adam has almost fully recovered from his illness, he has been able to join me once more.' Cestro rose and began to walk into the water 'I promised to teach him more Aquitian sign language this cycle.'

Adam sighed as he walked quietly through the jungle during the moonless night 'they're going to be so pissed at me, but I have to do this.' He knew that technically he should be worried about being out in the jungles of Phaedos late at night at the behest of a mysterious scroll, but he knew he was safe. 'I've got the planet's best bodyguard service right now. And it's not like it's that dark for me here . . . ' He squinted slightly in the light of his destination as he idly fingered the scroll, 'Well, I'll be there as requested and find out what's so important.' He sighed again, "Are you going to tell me?"

'No.' croaked the small Frog perched on his shoulder.

"Aw, c'mon, pwease!" whined Adam in a childish voice.

Frog snickered but managed to recover, 'Nope. Not gonna do it.'

"Pretty please, with chocolate sauce and a cherry on top," continued Adam in the same tone.

'Maybe . . . NO, you do know that no means no, right?'

"I do, but with you it just means that I have make you laugh and then you cave."

'Oh, thanks, now I'm predictable.'

"I wish," grumbled Adam, "Are you going to tell me?'

'Weeelllll . . . Oh, look we're here.' Frog croaked victoriously, 'Gotcha!'

"Why do I even try?" asked Adam rhetorically as he looked up at the monolith. 'It's even more impressive now than when I was here last time. Though, I suppose this time my perspective is a little different.'

'Say hello to the in-laws.' dryly commented Frog as three small figures moved into Adam's view.

"Hello," greeted Adam as he had his first view of Frog's children. 'Why am I not surprised?' he asked himself rhetorically as he saw them for the first time. 'Though now I see why they've stayed hidden for so long, if any of the ninjetti really saw them . . . well I think they might've figured something was up. Man, I feel tall.' Adam took a minute to take in their full appearance. 'They're frogs, really big frogs, but they are most definitely frogs. They are frogs with belts . . . I'm sure I've never taken drugs, right? Nope, no drugs. Yup, I am definitely a ranger of the galaxy, so suave, so debonair . . . '

Adam's thoughts wandered in dazed circles as the tallest of the three, who came almost to his waist, studied him intently for a moment and spoke in a croaking low voice, "Hrello, young Prince. Wre are crome to meet yroo. I am."

Adam blinked in shock at the 'name' that followed, it sounded vaguely like 'Cerh'woocaann'cro'cro'nnnrroo,' but he could hear some changes that he just couldn't follow. "Um, I'm Adam." 'Okay, hey Frog, how in the hell am I supposed to remember this?' asked a slightly worried Adam. 'I don't want to piss them off because I can't remember their names. Much less pronounce them.'

Frog giggled in his ear, 'Oh, you can pronounce them and you can remember them, you just have to think about it a little differently.'

'What do you mean?' asked Adam curiously.

'Well, you have to think a bit like me.' replied Frog cryptically.

Adam looked to the 'welcoming committee' once more and took in their bemused expression. 'Wait a

minute, how can frogs look bemused?'

'You're slow, but I hear that it wins the race.'

'Think like you, think like I'm a total git? No, don't answer that. Okay, think like I'm a frog, right?'

'To quote the genie in Aladdin, "The boy can be taught!"'

'Thanks for that glowing endorsement.' thought Adam sarcastically and his comeback vanished from his thoughts as he heard what he is pretty sure was a snicker from one of the three. Adam groaned inwardly, "Please don't tell me you heard all of that."

"Wre wron't," chuckled Cerh, Frog, and the other two joined in this time.

"Oh great," said Adam unenthusedly, "Be a ninjetti, go to distant planets and get laughed at by everyone."

They all grew silent and Frog quietly spoke for all them, 'I am sorry, Adam. I'm not the most serious of beings . . . '

Adam cut him off and smiled fondly, "I know, but it gets to be a little much at times, y'know? As an aside, are you telling me the truth about there only being one other Frog ninjetti, or did the others just die of embarrassment?" Frog sputtered and the others just looked on interestedly at the whole exchange. Adam grinned wider, "Gotcha back!"

'And I remember when you used to be the shy, quiet, NICE, and POLITE one. Oh, where has that darling boy gone?'

"With you to Phaedos?"

'Smart ass.' mentally smiled Frog in return. 'Okay, we should get back to business.'

The three frog-like beings croaked in laughter, "Prease contrinrue, wre are enjoying this new perspective on our great mentor."

"Ouch," winced Adam in sympathy.

'Oh, get back to talking!' Frog began to grumble irritably about ungrateful ninjetti and disrespectful children.

Adam decided to take the conversation back into hand, "Well, okay, where were we?"

Cehr managed to subdue his chuckles, "Introductions, I think." He pointed to his companions and Adam found himself mentally shortening the names to Ro and Crow.

"It's nice to meet you all. I must admit I'm very curious about what you want to talk to talk to me about."

"We have arranged this for three reasons, the first was that we wished to meet you. It has already been an event that I will enjoy telling. The second is that we will rebuild our city while you are gone."

'What!?' asked Frog. 'What do you mean gone?' Frog paused and hopped from his perch on

Adam's shoulder, 'I'll be back. I think I need to have a talk with someone.' With that he took a few hops toward the monolith and vanished.

Crow spoke up, "And that was the third thing we need to talk to you about, I have been asked to take you to meet someone. If you are willing, it will hopefully make some things clearer to you."

Adam looked to the monolith for a moment as he considered, he sighed to himself and nodded, "Let's go."

Crow began to hop away from the others in a direction that would take them alongside the monolith, "Follow me, please."

Adam shrugged and followed Crow into the night, he smiled as a thought from earlier tonight reappeared 'they're going to be so pissed at me. Now I think that includes everyone, even Frog, they are never going to let me out of their sight. Oh, well.' They walked for a few minutes around the base of the monolith when Crow stopped and turned back to Adam, "This is where I was to bring you, but you must follow the path alone."

'This is way wiggy. Okay, path?' Adam looked around and in the bright glow of the monolith easily spotted a trail that went toward the monolith itself. As he followed the path, it joined up with the outside of the monolith itself and began to ascend. Adam paused a couple of times and risked quick glances to the ground which was rapidly getting farther away. Higher and higher he ascended, "Soon, I'm going to run out of monolith . . . an elevator or an escalator would be nice around now."

"An' tha' they woul', Young Prince. Don' fall off now, i' woul' be a shame af'er all this fuss and bo'her. Righ' now, Unicorn is running in'erference for me, so tha' I may speak with you," spoke a powerful feminine voice from above him.

Adam managed not to fall off and carefully made his way into a large room that filled the top of the monolith. His eyes were instantly drawn to what he hoped is the source of the voice, a large gryphon that was regarding him intently. It slowly began to walk toward him, ruffling its massive wings slightly as it studied him. 'Black eagle and lion. Yup, that's a gryphon. A very big gryphon. I hope she's on my side or I am so dead.' He giggled inwardly as he weakly waved to her and managed a sickly smile, "Hi?" Her golden orbs seemed to glow as she stalked up to him until he was almost staring up into her massive beak. He glanced to the floor as he shuffled uncomfortably and got an excellent view of her deadly talons. 'Well, if she's going to eat me, I'm screwed. But I doubt it . . . mostly.'

She cocked her head to the side and emitted a stuttering screech which caused Adam to start slightly, but after a moment it dawned on him that she was chuckling. 'You know maybe I was right earlier about being laughed at.'

"You are an in'eres'ing person, i's no' of'en tha' I'm en'er'aining gues's. No' in a long while, mos' deci'e'ly," she said in a friendly tone.

After a moment to decipher her message, Adam smiled, "Thank you, it's very interesting to be here."

"Well, woul' you like a chair? There is one over there," one giant talon pointed to something that looked more like a sofa than a chair, with a large mattress of some sort across from it.

"Thank you," replied Adam as he sat on the couch. 'Bring me the comfy chair!'

The gryphoness settled herself on the large cushion, "Now i' is proper for namings, my full naming in your words is like Nigh'-tha'-wings-quiet-until-the-dawn, bu' you may call me Nigh' Dawn as I enjoy the irony."

Adam couldn't contain a grin at that and something that he had heard a long time ago flittered through his mind. 'Well, my name lacks irony, so perhaps that'll fit.' "Well, madam, I'm Adam." He paused as she 'chuckled' once more, "It is not as pleasant as your name, but I hope the presentation makes up for it."

"Oh, i' does. Well as you are my gues', the firs' ques'ions are yours."

"Well, how about why was I called here?"

"To talk to me so tha' I could give you a message. An' so tha' I coul' answer your ques'ions."

"What's the message?"

"Pleasan'ries of a kind firs', my eager youngling."

"Okay, then may I ask some questions that might be a little personal?"

She considered it for a moment, "Ask an' I'll answer wha' I will."

"Thank you, I was wondering about, well, gryphons in general. I mean when we used the ThunderZords, we were told that gryphons were mythological. So, um, how are you here?"

Adam quickly decided that her laughter and nails over a chalkboard must be close relations as he tried not to wince as she began to respond. "I am sorry, I foun' the way you spoke tha' amusing. How am I here? I was born to two respec'able gryphons far away from here a very long time ago. Do you know the his'ory of this place?" After Adam nodded she continued, "I was summoned by gryphon to guard this place. After the war with the grea' Evil, my people were almost' gone, an' many of my kin decen'e' in'o a madness of grief. I think it broke Her hear' an' she calle' us all to her. She tol' us of her plans and gave us the choice to go with her. Many di' an' she took the mad ones as well, bu' some of us staye' for we coul' no' give up wha' we ha' fough' for. There are few of us lef' an' I have no' seen ano'her of my kin in ages. I live here an' look af'er Phaedos, as you know i', an' make sure tha' Frog's children do no' become caugh' in the middle of the ba'tle. If they go willingly, tha' is their choice, bu' no one wishe' them harme' because we were here."

"When Frog told me this story, well it sounded more permanent, but when you talk it seems more temporary. Why is that, and if it is temporary, well why don't they do anything?"

"I was warne' tha' you were quick, bu' the answer is simple. This place is a door to wherever They wen'. They lef', they di' no' die or en', jus' wen' somewhere else. They don' do much, because everyone who is aware of those things will know. Everyone all over knew some thing had happen' when you and yours won the Power, though only those who knew wha' you were doing, ha' the clues to figure ou' wha' ha' happen'. An' when i' was taken from you, I knew an' I suspect tha' Dulcea knew as well. I do no' know how, when, or surely if They will return, bu' tha' is how i' is seeming to me. Now, i' is my turn to ask of you." She waited a moment until Adam nodded, "How di' you come to be here as a Ninjetti? I' has been awhile."

Adam smiled once more as he started to tell Nightdawn the story. She asked the occasional question during his recitation which basically turned it into not only the story of his life, but also what he knew about the others as well. She especially enjoyed his stories about Jason, who she deemed 'most gryphon-like.' Time passed as they discussed Frog's children, the Cro'ack'croa, and they compared their respective spirit guides. Which in Adam's opinion she won hands down. The conversation finally ended when Nightdawn excused herself and went to the door. She stared into the night and turned to him, "I' has been a joy to speak with you over all things, but our time is almost over. I have almost' spoke with you for too long. You will have to hurry to return before Frog is done." Adam prepared to speak, but she continued, "I know I have been remiss in my task, bu' you were such an excellen' gues', I mus' firs' ask you one thing before all. Will you no' tell the others of me unless you have my permission, my secrecy is necessary for my task. Though Frog alrea'y knows, so he is no' inclu-d."

"Seems okay to me, while it would be neat to tell everyone that I've spent the night talking with a gryphon, I suppose 'the spirits' will have to do. They already think I've cracked. So, speaking of the spirits, what message did you have for me?"

"I have two. One is tha' you and yours mus' leave Phaedos before the new moon is in the sky."

"Why?," asked Adam worriedly. 'Why do I feel setup all of a sudden? No time for questions and now she drops the bomb.'

"I was no' tol' why, only tha' you mus'."

'Great, just freaking peachy' thought Adam irritably as he rose.

"The las' I do no' unders'an', bu' I was to tell you tha' 'the time is now' and 'trust your instincts.' I wish I coul' have done more, I will take you down to rejoin Crow'crrroo'aa'brrii if it is acceptable."

'Oh, what the hell.' Adam shrugged, "It has been a pleasure to talk to you," he said formally. Then he gave her a questioning look, "How will you take me down?" 'Free gryphon ride?'

"Fly you of course," she said in tone that inferred that Adam was a little daft if he didn't get it.

'Okay, so my intelligence has just been called into question and I may be getting led around by the spirits, but hey, I'm going to get to fly down on a Gryphon!' "Okay, I'm game." 'I hope I don't puke, that would be really embarrassing and hard to explain to Frog.'

The flight down had been exhilarating, Adam had to admit as he began the walk from the under-temple up to the main area. 'I wish I could tell someone. I flew on a gryphon!' He smiled to himself as he relived the ride once more. She had flown him down and they politely took their leave of each other. 'Gryphons are very polite.' He had arrived with some time for him to talk with Cerh, Ro, and Crow some before Frog came back. 'I wish I had some more time here, but I suppose that time is something we're almost out of.' The others had stopped in an old meeting room and told him to go on, Frog would call them when the time was right. He was surprised when Frog had asked the others to come with him to the temple. 'Y'know I don't think I'm ever going to live this down.' He couldn't suppress a chuckle as Frog gave him the raspberry for that comment. 'But at least I can't say it's been boring.' "Well, do you want to tell me what you found out?"

Adam's mirth vanished as Frog gave a sad sigh, 'I found out that the one who had destroyed the Ninjetti before was coming here and that you would have to leave before he reaches here. I had hoped that other events would keep him away much longer, but I fear it was not enough. His obsession with the Ninjetti is greater than we had believed.'

"That would explain what I learned, I was told that we had to leave Phaedos now. What is going to happen to Dulcea? She can't leave the temple and I don't feel that we should leave her alone here," replied Adam quietly.

'What you learned? Ah, more goes on when my gaze is elsewhere . . . if you do need me all you have to do is call me. I will come,'said Frog seriously, 'As for Dulcea, I do not know what is planned, but they don't tell me anything either!'he finishes frustratedly. 'I mean, I like them and they've got the whole 'big brother, big sister' thing going on, but damn, they still treat me just like they always have.' Then he paused and chuckled, 'Though that can be rather nice.'

"Except when they give mysterious orders and don't tell you what's going on. Hmm . . . that sounds vaguely familiar," joked Adam.

'Use the force, Adam. Use the force,' quipped Frog in a bad British accent.

Adam snickered for a minute, "Yes, Yoda? Cause you sure aren't Obi-Wan!" He stopped laughing as something vaguely sticky hit him in the side of the neck, "You didn't!" He watched in shock as Frog leapt from his shoulder and hopped quickly away. 'He did. I've just been tongued by a Frog. That is . . . ' He shook his head and dashed off after Frog both of them laughing as they ran through the temple corridors. "Slow down and let me catch you, you slimy little spirit animal!"

'I am not slimy,' retorted Frog as he nimbly dodged Adam's playful attempt to grab him. 'Nah Nah Nah, you can't catch me!'

"Wanna bet!"

'He's gone again!? What the hell is up with this?' grumbled Billy irritably as he and the others searched the temple complex for Adam. 'This is the second time in little over a week. Even Kim and Dulcea are a little annoyed this time, I wouldn't want to be in his shoes when he gets back,' thought Billy as he stalked through the temple, but he was shaken from his thoughts as laughter suddenly reached his ears. 'I'm the only person in the building, so that must be Adam, but I've already been through there.' Billy shrugged and waited where he was as the laughter moved closer 'it's Adam,' and he began to make out the sound of someone running and sliding across the temple's smooth floors punctuated by the occasional noise of them hitting a wall. 'He doesn't sound like he's in trouble, but what is going on?' Billy began to walk slowly toward the quickly advancing sound and finally caught the faint scent of Adam. Then next thing he caught is Adam himself, as Adam careened around a corner and right into him.

Adam jumped up quickly blushing, "Sorry, Billy." He looked around for a minute, "You are not getting away that easy." Adam laughed again, "Yeah, well, you are too!" He took off again and yelled back to Billy, "Sorry, defective spirit animal, won't let me return him . . . " Adam cut off and laughed harder as he vanished down another corridor.

He heard Wolf's howling laughter as he jogged after Adam. 'Do I really want to know?'

'Probably not.' replied Wolf sagely.

Adam was enjoying himself as he charged down the corridors, the slippery floors were only adding to the fun as he chased after his recalcitrant spirit guide. He watched as Frog manages to get out the door and began to skid as Dulcea and Kim started to walk in. "Whoa! Coming through!" he shouted as he tried not to crash into either one of them or their guides who were gliding through the doorway. They both easily evaded him and he ducked the low flying birds, "Can't talk now, sorry, bye," he said as he charged past them.

Dulcea and Kim both stared after him as Billy came jogging up from behind, he looked at them both, "Don't ask," he said as he followed Adam outside as well.

They all began to follow him and were joined by Cestro after a few minutes, all they can do at this point was watch in confusion as Adam ran around the temple tossing out insults to his spirit animal and occasionally leaping up trees or on top of various structures. Then as suddenly as he'd ran past all of them he stopped and yelled irritably to the air, "No fair teleporting, that's cheating." He turned and began to walk back toward them, "Nope, you cheated. I'm done," he continued in a wounded tone. He walked toward them with an irritated pout on his face as he shook his head at something, then as when he was almost to them he suddenly back flipped and grabbed something from the ground behind him.

"Gotcha!" he grinned as he danced around holding something in his hands. "I know it wasn't fair, but I learned from the best 'the power-pout is still undefeated." He giggled some more, "Well that was fun," he looked up at the others, "Hey guys, we've hired some redecorators for the temple, but they want us out of here while they do renovations. So we've got to leave tomorrow, I'd recommend packing everything up today. Well, I've been up all night, so I'm going to get some sleep." He yawned hugely as he quickly turned tail and ran back to his room where he quickly barricaded the door with his dresser.

'Oh, that was so smooth.' quipped Frog with good-humored sarcasm.

"You think? I can't wait for them to figure out what I just told them." He grinned as he cleaned up and got ready for bed, "Though I think today I should probably sleep under the pillow, instead of on top of it."

'Probably a good idea' commented Frog sagely as they both heard someone knocking at the door.

Adam awakened feeling pretty good all in all, he'd woken up a couple of times to tell whoever was banging on his door to let him sleep and once to tell the spirit animal convention in his room to keep it down. He winced a little thinking about it, 'I was a little grumpy . . . I can't believe I told the whole lot of them to 'keep it down or get the hell out of my room and let me sleep.' Well, today should be festive.'

As he stretched and readied himself for the day he noticed Frog watching him, "What? Did I put my shirt on backwards?"

Frog looked at him seriously as he began to speak, 'I can't believe you told us to be quiet or, what was that? Oh, yes. 'get the hell out.'' Frog sighed disappointedly, 'Do you have any idea what Crane said about that? '

"Uh, no," said Adam worriedly. 'Yup, definitely festive. I'm so screwed.'

'She said, and I quote, 'Well Frog, it is obvious that you haven't taught him manners yet.''

Adam winced, "I'm . . . "

Frog cut him off and Adam began to study the floor intently, 'I'm not done yet, then Wolf told Crane,

'And it's still obvious no ones taught you tact.' Frog began laughing at Adam's flabbergasted expression, 'Sorry, I had to get you back for the 'power-pout' earlier. Are we even?'

Adam breathed a deep sigh of relief, "Yeah, but I'd thought I had really annoyed everyone, if I was awake I probably wouldn't have done that . . . "

'We know, in fact Owl pointed that out after it was obvious that you were once again dead to the worlds. Then Whale pointed out that they were all your guests. Well, that calmed Crane down, she can be a little high-strung and a little, um, prissy, but her heart is always in the right place when it comes down to it. That and she hates to be called rude, man, Wolf was in fine form last night.' Frog chuckled once more, 'We bantered and tried to figure out what to do about Dulcea, we think that maybe Wolf knows something, but getting a secret out of Wolf is like trying to find a frog living in the tundra, it just doesn't happen.' Frog chuckled some more, 'I really had you going didn't I?'

Adam launched a playful swat toward his spirit guide and laughed as Frog hopped onto his hand and hopped up to his shoulder. "Yeah, you had me going. Now, I'm going to eat and play 'zen-ninjetti' once more. Hopefully, that'll hold them off long enough for me to eat."

'Good priorities.' complimented Frog as Adam picked up his small bag and carried it with him.

Adam was in a pretty good mood, blowing off steam with Frog had made him feel much better after his little adventure at the monolith. He whistled 'Gone Again' and tried not to laugh or lose the tune as Frog happily croaked along. Adam barely managed to keep from losing his place as he walked into the commons room. 'Wow! They look a little peeved.' He brought his tune to a close as he set his bag on a table and started to get some food. 'Y'know if looks could kill, I might be in serious trouble.' He shrugged and gave them his brightest smile as he began to eat hungrily. 'Man, walking around Phaedos, sure gives you an appetite, well, that and trying to catch irritating spirit animals.'

After eating three bowls of soup in the total silence of the commons, he looked around, "Hey guys, anything neat happen while I was out?"

Kim beat them all to the punch, "You could have left a note," she started angrily.

Adam looked a little sheepish, "I'm sorry, I was just in a hurry. I didn't know I had to be anywhere last night until Frog woke me up and told me that . . . I had to go someplace. I was kinda hurried, I was half asleep, and my main priority was finding my shoes. I'm really sorry, it won't happen again . . . well, I hope not . . . ," Adam trailed off embarrassedly and Kim and Dulcea both gave him forgiving smiles, which made him not only blush, but not really care what Billy and Cestro were doing at the moment.

Billy sighed, "Can you tell us why we have to leave tonight?"

Adam shifted in his seat uncomfortably, "Because I was told that we had too. Are you done packing?" He thought it for a minute and then he suddenly looked at Dulcea, "You're supposed to come with us, but none of the Spirits were sure how that was to happen, well except for maybe Wolf." He looked over to where the large Wolf was resting comfortably by Billy's feet and shook his head, "Are you sure you don't want to give me a hint?"

Wolf serenely looked up at him expression that just said, "Who me?"

Adam sighed, "Well, Wolf's not telling me anything. I'm just going to sit back and see what happens, it's how these things have worked so far. And before anyone asks, yes the redecorators are our mysterious friends, no, I won't tell you who they are, because they haven't said it's all right." He frowned and changed tracks, "Did you pack, Dulcea? I mean, if you're not done and could use some help, well, I could, y'know, help and stuff."

They all looked to Kim as she unsuccessfully tried to stifle a giggle, "Sorry, nothing, nothing at all, something just struck me as funny, that's all."

Adam pondered that for an instant, "Um, okay. So do you need any help, Dulcea?"

"I'm breaking through
I'm bending spoons
I'm keeping flowers in full bloom
I'm looking for answers from the great beyond."

As the sun began to dip slowly down, Adam became a bit more worried about the Dulcea situation. 'We're running out of time here and whatever has to be done, has to be done soon.' A nervous energy had filled him as the day drew to a close and now he only paused to watch Billy and Cestro chat beside the ship, everything was packed and they were waiting for him 'why am I stuck with this?' to tell them when to leave. He resumed his walk through the temple, but he'd quit really noticing his surroundings a couple of hours ago. Now the only thing that fills his thoughts is Dulcea. 'How?' "Frog, do you have any idea?"

'I didn't five minutes ago and I don't now, if something comes up I'll tell you.' said Frog with a trace

of irritation, though Adam couldn't tell exactly what it was directed toward.

"Sorry," he apologized just to be safe, "I just 'feel' that there's something I'm missing . . . " He sighed and trailed off 'Something about what gryphon told me, 'the time is now' and 'trust your instincts.' Well, my instincts are definitely saying something up, but what?' His thoughts buzzed around in erratic circles as he tried to play with all the pieces the puzzle. Certain thoughts seemed to pull together to form a whole he just couldn't see.

"Adam?" asked a concerned voice.

With a start Adam pulled himself from his thoughts and began to take note of his surroundings. "Uh, yes?" he dazedly answered. 'It's sunset . . . I've been walking around in a daze for at least a couple hours. Just peachy.' He looked at Dulcea as she studied him, then he looked beyond her to Owl sitting perched on the top of a broken column.

Dulcea is concerned, she had been since Adam walked over to where she had been looking out over Phaedos. He had just quietly appeared behind her, in fact she'd almost hit him when she realized someone was behind her. Fortunately for Adam she'd pulled her instinctive attack and then she apologized . . . but he didn't answer. She had tried to get his attention, but to no avail. At one point he stared at her blankly and then to where she knew Owl was perched, but that was the closest to a response she had. She had also attempted to move him away so that she could get some assistance from the others, but he had stayed as firmly planted as the temple foundations. So she had sat and waited, for either him to awaken or one of the others to check on them, but she didn't call out. She had taken to quietly calling his name every couple of minutes and hoping that the others would come soon, but she wouldn't call 'it felt wrong to do so. Now after almost half of an hour he had come out of his daze, but he had just gone back to looking between her and Owl. "Adam, are you all right?"

"Yes," he looked back and forth between Dulcea and Owl, then he took a few steps closer to Owl and Dulcea followed him. He studied them both once more and moved closer to Owl, now he could almost reach up and touch her as she studied him with her almost glowing gaze.

"What are you doing?"

He opened his mouth to say something then snapped it shut as something caught his eye. 'The chain is her bond to the ninjetti temple, she made it. Can she break it?' He shook his head, 'Close, maybe she can help?' He smiled inwardly as he felt the rightness of that thought, 'Yeah, that sounds better.' He finally turned his attention back to Dulcea and stared at her intently as the same feeling that he'd felt when he was helping Kim rejoin the Crane and Billy with the Wolf flood through him. "You guard the temple right?" She nodded and he continued, "Why?"

She took a moment to think about that odd question, "Because it is my duty, I have told you this before."

"Is it?" he asked intently in quiet voice and began to study the chain that bound both Dulcea and Owl. As he had pulled them closer together, it had become more clear to his eyes, like it had the night he had first seen it.

"I don't understand," she replied hesitantly as she studied Adam. When he had spoken this time, his ninjetti glow had flared up to her vision and she felt Owl shuffle too.

"Is your duty only to these ruins?" he said in that same odd, quiet tone of voice.

"My duty is to the ninjetti, I have . . . ," she trailed off as it dawned on her, "I have lost sight of that, haven't I?"

He just smiled at her and on the same instinct that brought him here suddenly reached out to physically grasp the green-silver chain as it seemed to thin before his eyes. He held it in his hands and concentrated on it, it looked weaker and was more silvery than it was before. This was what he'd wanted to the night he first saw it, but now he knows that it wasn't the right time. 'Please don't let me mess this up.'

Dulcea and Owl both watched in mutual consternation as Adam seemed to grasp at something in the air. He blazed with the black power as he moved to wrap something around his hands and then he started to pull his hands apart. They both felt something as he strained with whatever he was holding and then the black blaze rushed to his hands.

Adam grimaced as he tried to snap the chain, he could feel it burning into his hands as he focused on it, but he could see it weakening. Then he felt his power rush into the chain and the greenish tint vanished as it began to blacken. Then suddenly the black glow shot away from his hands like a spark on a fuse. Suddenly it snapped in his hands and he almost fell as the power suddenly dropped from an inferno to a spark. 'I did it . . . I did it . . . I don't know what exactly I've done, but whatever it is I've done it.' he thought disbelievingly. He straightened shakily and looked to Owl and quickly saw that the chain was gone, he breathed a sigh of relief, but a new sensation quickly broke into his consciousness. 'Man, my hands hurt.' He took a moment to focus his attention on his hands, 'Y'know I'm not going to open them just yet . . . ' He smiled happily at Dulcea as she steadied him, "We can go now, lets get back to the ship." He frowned for a moment and wobbled a little, "I think I hurt my hands, should have them look at that." He blinked and refocused on Dulcea, "Did I say we could leave? We can, you're fine, well you were fine to begin with . . . "

His rambling stopped suddenly as he passes out, fortunately Dulcea easily held him up until she could redistribute his weight and began to carry him toward the others. She had to admit that she was a little dazed herself. 'I can leave Phaedos? I thought I would never leave here again, but now I must. Owl? Do you think he's right?'

Owl's placid comment floated down from above, 'He hasn't been wrong yet.'

Dulcea nodded and waved to Billy and Cestro and they quickly made their way to her. They questioned her and began to look over Adam as they carried him into the ship.

Owl turned her attention to the small form of Frog as he hopped to a stop, 'Well, what do you think?'

He paused and croaked his reply to Owl, 'I think that there's a lot going on here that I don't even know. But he did it . . . I don't know how, but he did it. Tapped himself out to do it though, that boy . . .'

Owl laughed, 'Oh, stop that! We both know that you adore him, he's a good one. But they all are, aren't they?'

'You and your questions, but yeah they all are. Who's next?'

Owl pondered that, 'That, I think, is a question that will only be answered with time.'

They both faded from Phaedos as Cestro's ship took off for their next destination.

"He's a god, he's a man,
he's a ghost, he's a guru
They're whispering his name
through this disappearing land
But hidden in his coat
is a red right hand"

In a dark place far away . . .
A lone figure sat enthroned in an empty throne room. He stayed motionless, as he brooded over the past few weeks. It had started simply enough, his second had come to him about an old matter—something that even he considered over and done. He had sent his second to deal with it once and for all. Now weeks later, his second had not returned, nor had he sent any message regarding his tardiness. 'How very unlike him. He must be deceased, so he was correct. A master?'

His hands gripped the throne with such force that the arms began to buckle. 'A lone ninjetti. It is impossible!' At that moment, one of the arms of his throne finally gave way and crumpled. The giant made a disgusted sound and rose from his throne to pace the room. 'I should have found a way to obliterate the damn planet!' He heaved a great sigh and slumped slightly. 'But that is truly impossible, that is why I needed Vadyvov in the first place. Something powerful guards that planet, and while I can not destroy the planet. I will raze that cursed Temple.'

He looked up as a figure in blackened armor walked slowly into the room and knelt before him. "What do you have?"

The figure didn't not look up as it began to speak in a rasping voice, "My Liege, the rebellious ones are consolidating their hold on your territory. It is in doubt that you shall be able to recapture them if they continue with their unification. Your Generals are . . . confused by this withdrawal to a strategically unimportant site."

"My Generals do not concern me at this moment. They will obey me or they may attempt to depose me, it does not matter. The rebellion does not matter, it was a distraction that I should have ignored. It kept me from being in position to keep watch on Vadyvov, an error that I find regretful."

"So, that one is late, perhaps he deserted? He has always disliked this place . . ."

The giant laughed, "Deserted? Vadyvov? He may have despised this place, but he gave his word to serve me. He would die before he allowed that to be broken. He was a strange one, but his usefulness to me is not yet at an end. I have something special left for him. You may leave. Inform MY generals, that I do not care about a few miserable systems. I have my reasons and that is all they need to know."

The messenger left and the giant walked back to his throne. 'One master is all that it could take to undo me. One master could destroy my revenge and I will not let that happen.'

"I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in vain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand."

Adam sighed slightly as he once again tried to rub the stiffness out of his hands. They had been throbbing steadily since he had awakened on the ship, but he wasn't going to complain. 'Small price, for such a big thing.' Kim knew he hurt and he'd had to promise to tell her what happened when they made it back to Earth, to leave him alone for the rest of the trip. Whatever he had done, had taken a great deal out of him at the time, but except for his hands, he was almost back up to his usual standards. He opened up his hands once more and stared at his palms, now across each of them was a thin line of scar tissue. Those scars looked old, but he knew they hadn't been there before. He had been rather evasive about everything, he didn't want to talk about it, but they kept badgering him for answers. 'Answers that I don't have.' Well, everyone except Dulcea and Owl, they seemed content enough to be off Phaedos that they didn't really care about the how or the why. 'Sometimes, just being is enough.'

He stares out a viewport and watches as the stars streak by as the ship heads back to Earth. In another hour or so they would be back to Earth and then he would have to give some answers. "Well, what do we tell them this time?"

'I have no idea.' replies Frog carefully.

"I thought you knew what was going on?"

'I don't know everything, though I admit it could be handy. Well, you see, this is something that most people don't think about, but we spirits don't give you guys all of your gifts. Some are just, talents or inclinations, that get amplified for some reason, maybe just because you use them more. You've got this wonderful intuition, always have, but now that you're doing the ninjetti thing again, well, you're using it a lot more. Okay, I can see that this isn't making sense. Look at it this way, I mean, Billy's a genius, but he's always used that and believed in it, right?' Adam nods thoughtfully and Frog continues. 'Well, that's let him push it to the extreme. Everyone has something special, if they find it and believe in it, they can do almost anything. Unfortunately, most don't. Now, do you get it?'

"Basically, you don't know either, but wasn't that whole thing with Dulcea a little more than . . . well, actually it was, wasn't it?"

'I have no idea, you didn't tell me your reasons and I don't pry without permission.'

"Oh. When I first saw Owl, I noticed this chain and I wanted to get rid of it then and there, but it didn't seem like the right time. When it was almost time for us to go, I spent most of that day trying to figure out something. Then, when I saw Dulcea and Owl again, it started to make sense. I didn't know it would work, and I'm still not sure what I did, but we're here so I must have done something right."

'Don't worry, you did good. I'm darn proud of you. But, if you want to tell them something, tell them the truth, not the part about you're not sure what you've done, but pretty much everything else.'

"Um, I haven't told anyone, but Dulcea that I could see the other animals."

'Yeah, but you talked to Wolf right in front of them, boy, you are getting as forgetful as Tommy.'

"Hey, them's fightin' words," laughed Adam as he went back to staring out the viewport.

"Well, this is it. Welcome, one and all to my humble abode."

Kim chuckled at that, "Humble is not a word I'd use to describe this place."

Adam shrugged and grinned back, "Okay, my really big abode. Better?"

Kim and Billy both laughed at that, "Much better." Kim then quickly explained to Cestro and Dulcea that Adam's 'house' was actually a small lodge. It was much larger than what most people on Earth lived in and it had about ten rooms for guests, because Adam had converted some of them to be used for other things.

After a few minutes, Kim had settled back into the room she had used last time and Billy had left to pick up some more stuff. Adam had then decided to give both Cestro and Dulcea a tour of the place and an explanation of the more primitive Earth technology that was scattered around. So after the kitchen, the bathrooms, their rooms, and the main room, Cestro excused himself to gather his supplies from the ship. After Cestro left Adam and Dulcea sat and talked for a while, mostly about how 'odd' it felt for her to be away from Phaedos. "I suppose part of me still believes that this is but a strange dream," she said quietly.

"It's not a dream, it just is."

"Then I must thank you."

"No, don't. It was just the right thing to do, I don't deserve thanks for that."

"I can accept that. Then, what did you do?"

Adam stood and began to pace, "I . . . oh, I don't really know. I did what had to be done, but I can't tell you how. I really don't want to talk about it right now, how about something else?"

Dulcea watched him carefully for a few moments, it was the closest he had ever come to being short with her. Whatever had happened, it had left an impression on Adam and he hadn't yet decided how to deal with it. "Well, then perhaps you could give me a fuller tour of this place, where is your room or Kim's?"

Adam grinned and offered his hand, "This way m'lady."

Dulcea laughed as she accepted, "After you, m'lord."

They both left the living room laughing as Adam began to lead her through the house.

'I can't believe it. Those two are at it again . . . ' Kim shook her head as she watched Adam show Dulcea around, she'd almost finished getting settled after having made a quick trip back to the Gymnastics Academy. It had been hard, but she had wanted to give her resignation, she couldn't shake the feeling that she wouldn't be back there. The owner, Mr. Lauder, was saddened and had decided it was an 'indefinite leave of absence' and not a resignation, he just wouldn't accept it, even though her contract with him had run out. "Just in case," he had said in his deep accented voice, "Whatever you're doing doesn't pan out, I want you to know you can come back here. You are great with them, Kimberly, and I consider you almost family. But you are happier now, and for that I am glad."

He'd given her a hug and helped her arrange the storage of some of her things and packing of the stuff she wanted to take with her. It had been a lot harder than she thought it would, but it was better to do it now than when 'something else' came up. 'I've been around Adam too long. Now, I'm getting wiggy vibes.' She had come back with a couple small boxes of things that could be easily explained away when she moved and was surprised to hear laughter outside.

She had carefully opened her door and watched as Adam led Dulcea from room to room, both of them were laughing hard as they played 'lord and lady' with glee. As Kim listened, she caught the occasional word or two through the laughter, "Is m'lady pleased with this room of workout."

"It is most pleasing, my lord, verily it is."

Kim managed to stifle her giggle as Adam began to mouth, 'Verily? Verily?' and then broke out in more laughter. She wished she knew exactly how this had started, but just seeing both of them totally relaxed was good. 'They get along great together, I think they relax more in each other's presence than they do in ours.' Dulcea had been 'concerned' on the trip to Earth, and Kim knew it was partially because of leaving Phaedos, but a slightly larger part was worry for Adam. He'd been unconscious through most of the trip back and when he'd awoken he was a little tired, but fine. Well, that was what he said, she'd noticed him covering it, but this empathy thing she was stuck with came in handy. He was in pain and he'd managed to deflect the others, but she wasn't letting him get off that easy. So in the end he'd promised to tell her what was going on after they'd gotten back to Earth, if she wouldn't tell the others about his hands and the pain. She'd agreed, because she knew if she didn't he wouldn't tell anyone and she also knew that he wanted to talk to her. He may not know it consciously, but deep down he did. She broke from her thoughts as the sound of Adam's laughter faded suddenly.

Kim watched as Adam paused in front of one room and went to the next. Dulcea looked perplexed, but thankfully in Kim's opinion, she didn't comment as he led her to the last room on the first floor. Kim knew which room it was and she'd carefully peeked in it when Adam had went outside before they left for Phaedos. It was Tanya's music room, a small sound-proofed room with various instruments that Tanya would practice in. She and Kat had helped 'clean-up' after Tanya's death and when they had came to this room Adam had thrown them both out of it and told them that it was off-limits. It was now very dusty, just opening the door had left a trail in the dust and she suspected that no one had been in there for a long time. She sighed and went back into her room. 'I might as well finish up now . . . I don't think going out there right now would be a good idea.'

"I had forgotten how nice it was to teleport," commented Billy as he sat a few bags of groceries on the counter. "While I was checking up at home, I decided to get some food. Have you looked in your refrigerator since we've returned? No, don't answer that. Also, I knew that you wouldn't have any idea of what to get Cestro, so . . ."

"So you bought half the store," quipped Adam playfully as he started to quickly put things away.

"I just wished to make sure that we had some variety."

"Okay, now we have some variety. What does everyone want to eat?"

After a few minutes, everyone had decided on something and it was placed in the oven. As they sat around and chatted, Adam watched silently and deftly kept the conversation focused away from him. As the conversation went on, both Kim and Dulcea tried to deflect it away from Adam as well. Unfortunately, Billy wasn't letting it go that easy and Adam was only withdrawing more. Finally, Kim sighed and quietly pulled Adam away and pointed outside. He sighed and nodded, "I'll be back in a few. Billy could you keep an eye on dinner? Burnt pizza sucks."

As soon as Billy answered Adam walked out the door with Kim. They walked away from the house and after a few minutes Kim turned to Adam and spoke, "I think Billy can't hear us from here. So tell me."

Adam paced about the clearing, "It could have waited."

"As it was going, you'd have waited until I was old and grey. You need to talk, so talk."

"You sound really sure of that."

"Think of it as my ninjetti weirdness."

Adam chuckled, "Ninjetti weirdness? I thought I'd cornered the market on that one." He sighed once more, "Well, okay, it's just really weird how everyone keeps looking at me like I have all the answers, like I know what the hell is going on. Well, I don't!" Adam's voice had begun to rise as he continued, "I mean, I don't even know what I did to get Dulcea loose. I just did it. Half the time, I'm doing things and I don't even know why. Heck, not even Frog knows! I feel like I'm being set up, no, I am being set up for something! What! Everyone, even Dulcea, thinks I know! Well, all I know is that I'm just going to keep going with the flow and if it happens to be the right thing, then hooray!"

"Stress much?"

Adam chuckled darkly, "Yes, I'm stressed. I know more of what's going on than anyone else, but I'm keeping secrets from everybody. And I still only know a fraction of what's going on. Oh, and by the way, sorry Frog, but I'm keeping something from you too. It happened while you were gone, but . . . Just on another damn whim! How's that for messed up?!"

'Oh, just typical of a Black, isn't it, Frog?' Interjected Crane with a little bit of venom.

Adam looked guiltily to the ground and tried to stammer out a defense of actions he still wasn't sure about. But Frog spoke up with irritation rampant in his croaking voice. 'Blow it out your ear, bird-brain. You're just pissed because Wolf took you down a few pegs last time we talked.' As Crane flew off in a huff, Frog sighed and began to speak to Adam. 'I trust your instincts, Adam, and now is not always the time.' Frog chuckled in his croaking voice. 'I'll just have to be patient, do you KNOW how hard it is for me to be patient?'

Adam gave a small sigh of relief and a weak chuckle, "I'm just glad you're cool with it, it all seems a bit much to me."

"I could tell, in fact Dulcea could tell, and I think Cestro could too," commented Kim dryly. She placed her hand on his shoulder, "But, I'm sorry to say it, but you're in charge. I know you're used to being the back-up guy, but for some reason life has decided otherwise." She paused thoughtfully, "Maybe this is why Tommy didn't come back, if he did would you have been so ready to take over when it counted?"

"I would have told him and he'd have decided what to do . . . "

"On a whim? We both know Tommy doesn't operate that way and neither does Billy, Jason, or even Rocky, for that matter."

"Why not you?"

She laughed out loud at that, "I'm good with people and sometimes everyone needs to be reminded that rushing off to fight the monster-of-the-day isn't everything. In a pinch, hey, I'm right behind you, but I'm not a fighter. Anyway, I think I've figured out what I'm supposed to do and it isn't taking over."

"What?"

"I think I'm supposed to keep everyone together. It's hard to explain, but look, Billy needs me for his senses, Cestro needs me to keep him from being isolated from the rest of us. Dulcea . . . well, I'm just watching. And I guess that you need someone to talk to, who just doesn't really give a darn about the how's and why's. I want some, but I can live without most of them. You're driving Billy nuts, though." She giggled, "He's having trouble with this whole 'mystical ninjetti thing' and I know he's getting a bit obnoxious, but he wants to know. It's just the way he is."

"Don't you want to know?"

"I want to know all sorts of things, but the only thing that I think is really important is 'how did you hurt your hands' and 'why won't you tell anyone?"

He debated for a moment and then held out his hands, "Do you see those scars?"

"Yeah, they look really old, what happened?"

He closed his hands, "They weren't there two days ago." He sighed once more, "When I did whatever with Dulcea, I hurt them. I didn't want to deal with Billy or Cestro's questions, and I really didn't want to make Dulcea feel guilty about it. If she had, I don't think she would have left Phaedos. I couldn't chance it."

Kim gently clasped his hands in her own, "Good enough."

Adam beamed at her, "Thanks, I needed this, just to vent, I guess."

She gave him a hug, "Hey, that's what I'm here for, weren't you listening. Well, what now, Adam?"

"What now in the five minutes from now sense or in the great ninjetti Zen sense?"

"Oh, great ninjetti Zen," giggled Kim.

He sized her up for a moment, "Why would I know?"

"Why?! You decided to bring us here, even Dulcea, and I get the feeling that there is something we have to do. So, what gives?"

She looked on intently as Adam took a moment to think about it, "I don't know. Dinner?"

"That's it?"

"Yup, for now, maybe later, maybe not. Who knows?" He shrugged and began to walk back to the lodge, "You think about it, I'm going to check on dinner."

Kim watched silently for a moment and then followed. 'Ninjetti is definitely another word for strange.'

It had taken a bit of searching, but he'd finally found the paper about enhanced senses. It was remarkably obscure, and as he printed it up he found the story about it. 'Fraudulent data!? Just great!' Billy disgustedly crumpled up the sheets and tossed them in the trash, without so much as a backward glance. 'I had hoped for something.' He stalked off to the bathroom to get ready for bed and didn't hear the slightly frustrated snort of a bemused spirit animal.

'That boy . . .' Sighed Wolf to himself as he watched his charge. 'Well, that went swimmingly.' Wolf padded through the walls as he towards the room he needed. He studied the sleeping chosen sprawled across the bed and then the small frog that dozed contentedly on the boy's chest. 'I believe this is what is referred to as a 'Kodak moment.'' Dryly commented Wolf as Frog roused himself.

'What do you want, furball?'

'Ah, now I know where he gets it. Neither one of you wake up on the right side of the bed, do you?'

'Sorry.' Frog looked sheepish for a moment. 'I was just relaxing, I've been kind of busy.'

Wolf chuckled. 'Oh, yes, I've heard about that. Crane is a little peeved.'

'When is Crane not a little peeved?'

'When she's not around you. You just offend her on some basic level, I suppose. You're lacking in discipline, dignity, character, and the blah, blah, blah that all Spirits should possess. And your attitude towards her doesn't help. She was so happy when Falcon was around, someone who was on the same wavelength, I suppose. But, enough of that, I'm actually here for a purpose.'

'When are you not?'

'Amusing as always, but I need your charge's assistance. As you know, Billy is a very 'in control' individual, and it is hampering him at times, but I think that . . .'

'Wolf, you're already starting to ramble. Spit it out.'

Wolf sighed once more. 'Billy has found information about his senses, in fact it was another of my pack who discovered it, but the events surrounding it look very bad. Billy has discarded the information out of hand, and even if I tell him, I suspect that his reputation will create a certain amount of friction, that I would prefer to be avoided. I would be grateful if you could ask your charge to read this information and arrange a meeting between the two. He is a much less threatening presence than Billy.'

'Wait a mo'.' Frog began to hop up and down on Adam's chest. 'WAKE UP, NINJA BOY!'

Frog barely managed to dodge a swat as Adam awoke. "What!?"

'I need you to talk to Wolf, he thinks it's important.'

Adam rubbed his eyes and blearily focused on Wolf. "So, what is so important that you guys wake me up in the middle of the night?"

Frog just looked at Wolf expectantly. 'You want him to do something, you ask him.'

'Um, well, Billy has found information on his senses.'

"That's nice, yet I sense a 'but' coming up."

'You are perceptive. The information has been labeled 'falsified.' Unfortunately, Billy found that out and discarded the data out of hand.'

"It's not false?"

'No, due to the circumstances the author was forced to discredit himself to protect his pack.'

"Well, why don't you just tell Billy this? Why do you need me?"

'Billy really needs to arrange a meeting with this fellow, but I feel that his academic background and generally inquisitive nature would put my other child on the defensive. You on the other hand, are a rather non-threatening presence. Billy will also listen to you. As to why I don't just tell him, he'll still doubt the data on an instinctive level. He needs proof and some actual assistance.'

"I understand that one. Anything else?"

'Billy's copy is in his trash receptacle, you should acquire it.'

"Okey-dokey. Done?"

'Yes, I am. Thank you, Young Prince.'

Adam groaned and pulled the covers back over his head. As Wolf left he heard Adam mumble, "And just when I got you trained, he starts up."

"Shower nice," mumbled Adam absently as he showered. Not long into his shower a thought occurred to him. "Frog, was Wolf here last night?"

'Yep.'

"Oh, I thought I dreamed it. I had wanted to ask Wolf a couple of things, oh well. Guess I'll have to clean out all of the room's 'trash receptacles.' Man, that sounds so much like Billy."

'They are most decidedly two of a kind.'

Adam snorted, "Most decidedly? Well, I'll snag it while they're dealing with breakfast. Then, I'm going to read it. Maybe, after that I'll get around to running Wolf's little errand."

'Do we have to wait until breakfast?'

"Patience still isn't your strong suit, is it?"

'Never has, never will. Nice shower.'

Adam laughed quietly to, himself as he stood underneath the hot running water. "I'll second that."

Adam had went and emptied everyone's trash cans, but only Billy's had really been used. He'd put the papers in his room and wasn't able to get back to them, but after everyone left on various errands, he knew he would find time. Kim had decided that Dulcea needed to go shopping and while Dulcea had protested initially—she had more than enough other clothes and Adam had agreed with her. In fact, he'd jokingly grumbled about having to help pack it, but Kim wasn't hearing anything of it. She'd wanted to go shopping and sure as heck wasn't going to let logic spoil her fun, especially when Dulcea had admitted that she hadn't actually had to shop for anything since she became a ninjetti. "See, it's not just something for fun, it's my duty as a fellow ninjetti."

After much rolling of eyes by Adam and Billy, Kim had left with Dulcea and, surprisingly, Billy in tow. Adam and Cestro had sat about for a while after they had left and Adam had collected the paper, but he still wasn't able to sit and read it. Cestro had a great many questions and Adam decided to ignore Frog's impatient gripings and answer them. Then Cestro had asked him about the others and Adam had grown thoughtful once more. "Others? I don't know, do you mean Tommy, Rocky, and Aisha or do you mean who's next?"

Cestro carefully contemplated that, "I know of Tommy and Rocky. You have said that Aisha will not be able to return. Do you have any more individuals in mind?"

"Because not only are you darn curious, but you don't know exactly what's going on, right? I mean, we've done this before, maybe not like this, but we have more experience here than you do. You'd like to have another newbie perspective, right?"

"I suppose so."

"Well, Rocky'll be back soon, but he doesn't count for this. Jason'll join. Anyone else?" Adam looked around the room thoughtfully, "Maybe some of the other ex-rangers? Maybe people we've met?" Adam was still distant as he gazed off into space, then a surprised look crossed his face. "Cestro, you want something to do for a little while? I know you want to check in on Aquitar, would you like to go see someone?"

"I do need to return home for a few cycles, but I am unsure if I should leave you here without transportation."

"Don't worry about it, nothing'll happen for . . . awhile yet." Adam shrugged and went on, "You can't tell them about where Phaedos is, okay? But you can tell about being a ninjetti, but only the ones you know won't blab." He looked worried for a moment, "It can't get out, not now."

A whistling Aquitian sigh escaped Cestro, "I will only tell those whom I served with, would that be acceptable?" 'It is so disconcerting to be receiving instructions from one who has such a unique method of gathering information. Such 'intuition' is unsettling at times.'

"Cool." After a quick bit of preparation and some specific instructions from Adam, Cestro once again disappeared into his ship. This time instead of just going to retrieve something he left Earth once more.

Adam had watched him go with mixed feelings. "I know it has to be done, but doesn't it strike you a bit like I was trying to get rid of him."

'No try, do.' Snickered Frog smugly. 'But, hey, now he won't be bugging us while we read that blasted paper!'

A few minutes later, Adam sat in his favorite chair with Frog perched happily on his shoulder as they read the mysterious paper. 'This is heavy. I've gotta ask Wolf a couple questions.' "Well what do you think?

'I think we need to ask Wolf a couple questions.'

"You want to go get him? I doubt Billy will really need his guidance while he's shopping, he might wish for it, but he won't really need it."

They both chuckled at that and Frog hopped a few steps away and vanished.

'Have you come to gloat?' Wolf asked Frog irritably as he slunk behind his charge.

'Do you want me to?'

'Smug git.'

'My, aren't we touchy today. I thought that was my problem.'

'Sorry, but we've been at this for almost five hours. Those girls are fanatically determined to find 'all of the good deals' and make my charge carry them. It was amusing the first hour, it was tolerable for the second and third, depressing the forth, and now it's just damned embarrassing.'

'Hmm, I can see that, you have my condolences. But think of it this way, at least Dulcea and Owl are both having a good time. I think they're both adjusting quite well to all this newness, everyone needs to cut loose every now and then.'

'True, but I feel so undignified, watching him run about at their beck and call.'

'Hey, at least Adam had the sense to bow out on this one.'

'Braggart.'

'Oh, I love it when you get all medieval.'

Wolf gave a howling laugh and quieted when Billy jumped. 'Oops. You just can't be serious can you?'

'Is this supposed to be serious? Minor question, does he really mind, I mean, not just grumbling about it,'

Wolf pondered Billy for a moment, 'Frustrated, annoyed, but still happy.'

'Then quit having a hissy, sheesh, you're almost as stuck up as Crane some days.'

'Ouch. Well, at least my charge isn't trapped in close quarters with a probably bored Cestro.'

'Mine isn't either, he sent him off.'

'Got fed up, did he?'

'A little, but he actually had something that Cestro needed to do, so now was as good a time as any.'

'Mighty convenient.'

'Yup. That kid is always doing something to surprise the heck out me. That's why I'm here, matter of fact, he wants to ask you some questions.'

'But that will mean that I must abandon my charge to his fate!'

'Oh, quit being melodramatic. You're such a ham.'

They both walked away from the group and Wolf turned to Frog. 'I am not, Ape is the ham, I'm more like a side order.'

'There are times when I don't understand you at all.'

'Isn't that the point?' Said Wolf dryly before he disappeared.

Frog chuckled and vanished. 'Some days.' He was still chuckling when they both appeared in the lodge. 'HEY, ADAM!' They both waited and a moment later a loud thud was heard from above. 'Oh, he'll be here in a second.'

'Hope he didn't injure himself. You could have went up to him.'

'Nah, this was more fun.'

'You and your fun.'

"What!? Are you trying to give me a heart-attack?!"

'Hi, Adam, and how are you today?'

Adam stuck his tongue out at Frog, "I'm fine, only thing wounded is my behind."

Frog snickered and Wolf rolled his eyes. 'You two deserve each other.'

"We said something like that about you and Billy just this morning."

'Could we please finish with making jokes at my expense and get to business?'

"Sorry," chorused two voices sheepishly.

'Sorry, you two just have to be stopped before you really get on a roll, then we'd never get anywhere.'

"Okay, that's cool. Now, I have some questions about this whole 'Sentinel' and 'Guide' thing."

'Ask and I shall endeavor to answer.'

"Okay, was Billy a Sentinel before he got his powers back?"

'Good question. Yes, but he repressed it after the death of his mother. Then when he became a ranger the power 'protected' him from them. It would have been detrimental if they had resurfaced while he was in battle or some such. Then the 'aging' and 'cure,' both helped them stay restrained. But, they had been slowly resurfacing. If you were able to truly examine Billy's domicile here on Earth, you would note that it is sound-proofed and he has air-filters. While they are for experiments, they have also sheltered him from the few activations of his senses.'

"Oooh-kay. Simply put then, he'd had them, he blocked them. They were coming back, but things he'd done for his lab coincidentally protected him."

'That sums it up, yes.'

'And we're both sure that Kim is his Guide.'

'You are correct.'

"So, I need to track down this Sandburg and try and convince him to meet us here, so there won't be any 'Sentinel Territorial' vibes. And if I'm reading between the lines, this Ellison really is a Sentinel and Sandburg is the Guide, and Sandburg debunked himself to protect Ellison's rep. Right?"

'You are astute.'

"Thanks, so that leaves one last question, where the heck do I find him?"

'Follow me.'

"Let me leave a note, don't want to cause another panic," after a quick search Adam grabbed his jacket and left a note. "Hope that helps. After you."

Wolf turned and vanished after a few steps, Adam shrugged and disappeared an instant later. They reappeared in what looked like an alley. Adam had quickly put his jacket on, "Sheesh, where the hell are we, the north pole?"

'Just Washington state, young prince.'

"You could have warned me, I could have dressed a little warmer."

'What, in a parka? Damn. Wolf, you know how much I hate having to sit out and freeze.' Frog grumbled as he snuggled into one of Adam's pockets. 'Don't squish me, kay?'

Adam nodded and Wolf looked on in vague disgust. 'You two are pathetic.'

Frog glanced up at Adam and Adam looked back at Frog. "Yup."

'Oh, just follow me.' Wolf quickly left the alley and walked for a few blocks.

Adam looked around the area, it was nice almost park-like and after a few minutes of watching the people around him, he'd decided that it was most likely a college of some sort. 'I guess this guy ironed everything out if we're looking for him here.' They entered a building and Wolf finally stopped in front of a door. It was labeled 'Artifact Storage Room,' but a faded yellow post-it note proclaimed 'Blair Sandburg' with a 'Dr.' scribbled near the top. Adam knocked once and almost knocked on air for his second as the door was whisked open by a long-haired fellow, who couldn't have been that much older than Adam. "Uh, hi. I'm looking for a Blair Sandburg. Is he around?"

The man reached up and brushed his long brown hair out of his face and smiled, "Actually, you're talking to him." He extended his hand and Adam shook it, "Well, who are you and what do you need? You're not one of my students, so . . ."

'Wolf, you've been holding out on us haven't you?'

'Me, never. Did you think that all my children were so serious?'

Adam ignored them both and replied, "Yeah, I mean I'm Adam Park. I'm not a student, well a college student, but well . . . " Adam blanked for a minute and ended up shoving his copy of the paper in Dr. Sandburg's direction. He took the moment to study the man before him, he was dressed in casual clothes appropriate for a college student. His heavy beat up brown coat sported thick patches on both sleeves and his muddy boots looked well used. He looked about as old as Adam and his long curly hair would probably have given Tommy an envy attack. His eyes were a bright blue that reflected the smile on his face and he seemed to be on the verge of movement, even as he stood still.

'Oooo, so smooth.'

'I'm amazed that either of you ever get anything done.' Said Wolf with a hint of bemused wonder in his voice.

Dr. Sandburg took the paper from Adam and looked at it for a minute. As he did, his smile faded slightly, "This wasn't validated. It was never supposed to be published and it never will. I don't think it would be a good subject for a high-school research paper anyway. But, if it brought you here, well, I guess I can talk to you, maybe help you find a new subject if you're still interested in anthropology." He gestured to chair and quickly cleaned it out, then he closed the door as Adam seated himself. Then he noticed Adam's smile, "Did I just do something funny?"

"No, actually, I'm not in high school. I graduated over a decade ago, I just aged well. I know this is kinda odd, but, oh, I think I can trust you not to let this get out of this room. See, I've got a friend who IS a sentinel, he's new to it and doesn't really know that he is a sentinel, but he has a guide, well he doesn't know that he has a guide or that he needs one, but he started to read your paper and then found out about the whole 'falsification' thing, so he didn't read it, but I've got another friend who says that you lied about it to protect your sentinel and all that, so I figured it was worth a shot to come and see you and stuff."

"Wow, I can't believe you said all of that in one breath. Good breath control, do you meditate?"

Adam grinned happily, "Yeah, usually after doing kata in the morning. Keeps me sane."

'Are you sure?' Asked Wolf wryly.

"I can understand that. Okay, your friend. Do I know him?"

'Oh, what the hell.' "Um, it gets kinda strange when at that point. Really strange. You know how in your paper you talked about the sentinel having a spirit animal and all that. Well not only sentinels have spirit animals, I mean I know many cultures have practices, but I'm talking in a now and here sense, so let's not get side-tracked. Um, it's like you're spirit animal is the wolf."

Dr. Sandburg leaned back in his chair and studied Adam intently, "And what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, he, man, I sound nuts, he sent me here." Adam decided that the floor was very interesting and set to studying it as he waited for a response.

Dr. Sandburg blinked as a large wolf appeared beside his guest for an instant. "You don't hold anything back do you?" His voice took a friendly tone, "Well, you do sound a bit nuts, but I've been accused of it too." Adam looks back up at him, "Mr. Adam Park, who hasn't been in high-school for over a decade, you have definitely peaked my curiosity. I don't know how much help I can be, but I have read everything that still exists about sentinels. Hopefully, it'll be enough help. Now, why don't you wait a minute while I pack up here and we'll hit my office, I'll grab some stuff, are you hungry?" He quickly walked out the door and Adam followed.

"Uh, sure, and I'm hungry. I don't mean to pry, Mr. Sandburg, but I thought this was your office."

"Actually, it's Doctor, but you can just call me Blair. As for the office, I had it when I was a teaching assistant. After the paper disaster, the school bent over backward to keep me from suing the pants off of them."

"If I'm not prying, what exactly happened?"

"Oh, due to a bizarre chain of events the paper was published without my say so. It wasn't validated and I was just holding it until I could prove everything and hopefully convince my real subject to come forward. In fact, I'd already changed my dis topic and had an almost finished dis on 'closed societies in police departments,' which is what snagged me my PhD by the way." He paused as he entered a much bigger office with his name actually on the door and quickly dumped a laptop and a few books into his backpack. "Well, Rainier pushed it and suddenly it was big news, and it was trashing this guy's life. So I came clean and said that I hadn't proved everything." He looked around the office for a moment, "I lost it all and I was pretty down, when one of my friends pointed out that I hadn't given permission to have it published. Two lawsuits later, Rainier settled out of court, they'd reinstate me, wipe that whole mess off my record, issue a formal retraction, and let me use my real dis to apply for my doctorate." Once he had grabbed everything, he quickly headed out the door and Adam followed quickly so as not to be left behind by this human whirlwind. "I'm now a full professor and still observing. Life is good. Where do you want to eat?"

"I'm not from around here."

Wolf snorted. 'Well, since you two are playing nice I'm going to go back and give my full attention to Billy. Have fun.'

Blair led him to a blue Volvo in pristine condition, "Well, how about we take my car? Any food preferences?"

Adam was finally getting into the swing of conversing with Blair. "Your car's fine and as long as it's not to greasy, I'm in."

He ended up eating lunch and spending the rest of the day with Blair. Blair had asked him a few questions about the Wolf and had then went off into a lecture about spirit animals. After awhile the topic changed to shamanism. Adam asked questions, gave his own opinions, and generally enjoyed himself, but sentinels were absent from the conversation. When Blair finally had to leave, he gave Adam a couple of books on shamanism and a computer disk to look over. "Return the books when you can, my card is in the first one. Well, Adam, how long are you in town?"

"Oh, long enough," he answered vaguely.

"It had been really great talking to you, but I've got to go. If you want to talk some more, stop by the campus on Friday. I'm there in the morning, but I have the rest of the day open."

"Cool, I will."

"Do you need a ride to your car?"

"NO, uh, no, it's not that far," Adam looked a little sheepish. 'And I'm keeping secrets from everyone else, are they that unobservant?'

Blair gave him a strange look, "Well, okay. See you Friday."

Adam and Frog watched him leave. 'Well, that was an experience.' Chuckled Frog.

"Yeah, he is a bit intense, in a bizarre laid-back sort of way. Did that make sense?"

'Only after meeting him. You know we didn't find anything out.'

"I don't know," he looked at the unlabeled disk, "maybe we have."

Adam walked down an alley and teleported back home. When he arrived, the others were waiting for him. "Hi, guys. Have a nice time?" He winced as Kim threw him an angry glance. 'Man, she's fuming. I left a note.' "I left a note and all," said Adam defensively.

"It's not you its, HIM!" She gave Billy a pointed look and he wilted slightly.

'Ouch.' Commented Frog.

Billy sulked, "It's nothing major, she's just over-reacting."

"Well, what happened?"

"We were shopping and the brain-child over there neglected to mention that the mall was giving him a major headache."

"Everyone gets headaches, it's nothing to make a fuss over," retorted Billy.

'They usually don't faint, because someone on the other side of the mall breaks a plate either.' Sighed Wolf. 'But, I think the fact that he 'zoned' and failed to mention to Kim that it had happened before, that's what really set her off. The fainting was just the icing on the proverbial cake. On the upside, they did manage to do a great deal of shopping.'

Adam nodded at Wolf, "Billy, you're going to hate this, but you have to listen to Kim about this. You've totally blown your objectivity on this."

"Well, it's not like she's being objective either."

Adam quickly interrupted, "Whoa there. Don't say something that's going to have Kim kicking your ass all over my house. And Kim, you do need to calm down." Kim and Billy both stared at him. "Okay, you're in this whole thing together, so get used to it. I've got some stuff to read and someone to talk to later this week." He sighed, "Where is Dulcea?"

'She got rather fed up with both of them and is now out exploring. Can't say that I blame her.' Reported Wolf sadly.

'They are acting rather childish.' Agreed Crane.

"I think she went outside," answered Kim.

Adam rolled his eyes and went towards the door, "Well, I'll go tell her it's safe to come in, then we can figure out what's for dinner." He quickly walked out the door and into the evening.