Stone Cold

Written by Zelda

 

                Grin struggled, but to no avail. He wrenched back and forth, but Siege's grip retained around his bound wrists. He glanced over to the others. No hope there either. Dragaunus paced back and forth in front of the line broodingly. Duke watched him carefully. He was well tied, but not too well. The moment Dragaunus turned his back, he would get outta here.

                "Well it was nice of all of you to make a house call here." Dragaunus started, grinning. "If I knew you were coming and were going to be captured this easily, I would have set up a real surprise." Wildwing growled and struggled, but the hunter drone that held him wouldn't let him go. Dragaunus turned around and flicked him on the beak, the metal Mask resounding in a 'ping'. Wing withdrew, and the others struggled along with him. Dragaunus smiled. "Line them up along the wall." He snarled. While the Ducks were shoved back, he went and opened a huge cabinet full of guns, lasers, bombs, and the like. "I'm going to do this the way it used to be done." he began, picking his way through the assortment. "My Saurian brothers were killed this way, execution style."

                "Yeah yeah, save us the tearjerkers, Lizard Lips." Nosedive snapped. Dragaunus whipped around and shoved the muzzle of a laser gun under his beak.

                "Perhaps you would like to go first." he grinned. Nosedive shook the gun away. "I'll consider it, believe me." He continued, walking away, lashing his tail behind him. "But Wildwing's going last. I wouldn't want him to miss all the fun." Wildwing snarled and shoved the hunter drones around, trying again to get free. Dragaunus held up the laser and paced back and forth again. "Seven little ducks, tied up in a fix." he laughed. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Tanya on the far wall, cowering a bit from his sight behind Grin. Dragaunus aimed and fired as calmly as you would change the channel on a TV. Tanya was hit directly in the stomach. She cried out and fell to the floor, bending double in pain. Grin struggled to try and get to her. Dragaunus clicked the gun up, making them all turn back. "One fell down, and then there were six." he finished the rhyme. Wraith steadied his frail body on his staff. He was enjoying every seething moment of this. Tanya struggled up, supporting herself on one elbow. "Not gone yet, silly fowl?" Dragaunus asked patronizingly, grabbing her by the front of the shirt collar and lifting her off of the ground. "It can be arranged for." he snarled. Suddenly, he heard a clamor off to his right. Chameleon was struggling with Zelda, who had managed to get a claw free from the ropes that bound her. She leapt up, bringing her other claw free, and then started to untie her back legs. The Chameleon struggled to hold her, but Dragaunus raised his hand, running back to the cabinet. "Leave her." he grinned. "I have just the thing." Zelda howled as she finally got herself free, and then leapt over onto Duke's shoulder. Wraith threw a glancing fireball at her, which hit the wall and knocked Zelda away with the wave of heat. She stumbled up to face Dragaunus. He clicked an arrow into a type of sleek weapon. "It's time for a little duck hunting." he laughed, aiming. Zelda leapt away just in time to avoid the shot, scampering off to a hallway, hoping to escape. A line of hunter drones loomed up in her way. Great, no dice. She spun around in horror, but it was already too late. Zelda screamed in pain as something dug deeply into her right side, shearing easily through her flesh. She fell to the floor with the force of the blow, still crying in pain, as she brought her claws up to cover the wound. As she curled up into a protective ball of scales, her claws closed around the shaft of an arrow.

 

                Duke snapped his hand up, hitting the hunter drone behind him under the chin. With one hand, he unsheathed his saber and sliced through the ropes of Mallory, who was standing next to him. She whipped her arms forwards and grabbed her puck launcher, spinning around and shooting two hunter drones down. Dragaunus looked up and gasped at what was happening.                                   

                "GET THEM!" he roared, as his henchmen leapt forth. Grin ripped his bindings apart and immediately stooped down, helping Tanya up.

                "Evasive maneuvers NOW!" Wildwing yelled over the din, as Duke cut his ropes. He smacked two hunter drones away, shot down another, and started running towards the tunnel where Zelda had tried to escape. Gently, he bent down and looked at her. She still clutched the shaft of the arrow, eyes squinted shut and teeth locked. Wildwing gently picked her up and looked back. The team was more or less out of the room, so he ran along behind them. The Migrator wasn't too far away.

 

                Tanya collapsed on the chair. She looked down to see a huge burn mark on her clothes. Coughing, she stood up as the rest of the team took their seats. The Migrator screeched to life, and sped away, retreating from the Raptor as it loomed over them.

                "You okay Tanya?" Wing panted from the controls. She winced and stood up.

                "Yeah yeah, fine." she said.

                "Good. One of you have a look and see what's up with Zelda, will you?" he said. Tanya stood up and went over to the cot where Zelda still lay, curled up. She hadn't seen her hit, and was shocked when she did see the wound. Mallory and Grin came up beside her.

                "Looks like some sort of an arrow." she said, going over to a drawer and fumbling through.  "Lemme get an x-ray and see how deep it is." The team listened, worried. The only sounds Zelda made were short gasps and delirious whines of agony. That arrow could have easily sheared through her guts. Tanya waved a scanner over the wound, and sighed with relief. "It's stuck in two of her ribs. It didn't get through."

                "Thank goodness." Wildwing sighed. He left the controls to Nosedive and Duke, and went back with Tanya.              

                "That thing'll have to come out." she said, looking up at him. "It could have poison or bacteria or whatever on it!"

                "Well, no time like the present." said Wing. "Grin, with me." He said. They both gripped the shaft of the arrow. Zelda moaned loudly in pain. Mallory held her paw and petted her muzzle gently.

                "Easy now Zelda, this'll take just a second." Zelda did not open her eyes.

                "Ready?" Wildwing asked. Grin nodded. Together, they both yanked. After a second, the arrow head ripped out of her flesh. Zelda screamed in pain, throwing her head up and then rolling herself into a tighter ball, shivering and whining loudly. Mallory patted her on the back.

                "It's okay Zelda, it's all over now." she sighed, getting up.

 

                Back at the Pond, Zelda and Tanya were settled into the Medicom beds. Strangely enough, Zelda hadn't recovered a bit since they rescued her. She still lay curled up like one in a coma. She shivered and emitted broken whines. Her behavior worried the others. Wildwing was scanning over the arrow with a nervous curiosity.                          

                "Well, there's no determinable poison on here or anything."

                "Yeah, but that doesn't explain what's going on." said Duke. "Zelda's taken worse hits than this and has been in a better condition." Grin nodded.

                "Well I don't see what else can be done." Wildwing sighed, aggravated. "I suggest we leave the Medicom on overnight to see what happens, and get some sleep." The team nodded silently. Slowly, they all filtered out of the infirmary, leaving Tanya and Zelda to sleep.

 

                Wildwing felt something shaking him, on his shoulder.

                "Wildwing! Wake up!" Tanya hissed in his ear. Wildwing turned around and sat up groggily.                          

                "Tanya.....what are you doing here?" he asked.                            

                "Wildwing, you'd better come and look at this. Get the others up." she said, and hobbled a few steps back. "Hurry up." she said gruffly, and walked out of the room. Wildwing stood up, and walked over to his brother.

 

                Wildwing entered the room to find Tanya stooped over Zelda, who wasn't moving. Wildwing took a deep breath, and walked in.

                "What is it?" he asked.

                "Look at her Wildwing." Tanya whispered. Wildwing started.

                "Why, she's...turned to stone!" he breathed.                                  

                "Yeah, but the Medicom shows all vital signs at what they were last night." Nosedive stumbled in in his Bernie the Bear pajamas.

                "Okay, who woke me up at the crack of dawn?" he yawned.

                "We've got a serious problem here." Wildwing said as the rest of the Ducks filed in. "Zelda's been turned to some sort of...statue. That arrow has to have something to do with it." Wildwing replied. Suddenly, his com went off. "Hello?" he asked into it. There was a static-filled reply.

                "Wildwi.....that you?" It was Lindsay.

                "Lindsay, you're breaking up. What is it?" Wing asked back.

                "Something........don't know how long we can hold it off........if you helped."

                "Lindsay, what's wrong?" Wildwing asked again.

                The reply was shattered, broken. They heard Lindsay yelling out for Matt, and then the signal ended.

                "Now what?"

                "Now we go and help them." Wildwing answered. "According to the autotracker their still in the hotel." Lindsay, Matt, Candy, and Freefall had gone to Phoenix to help Phil out at a hockey convention, and were staying in a hotel, to return the next day.

                "But what could have happened?" Duke asked.

                "I don't know. We can't take any risks though. Tanya, you stay with Zelda. The rest of us will see what's up." Tanya nodded. "Keep in touch if anything goes wrong. We'll be back soon." Wildwing said, and ran for the door.

 

                The hotel room was surprsingly undamaged. Grin stepped in cautiously.

                "Lindsay? Matt?" Wildwing called. There was no response. "Okay team. The Saurians are gone. Let's do a search." Wildwing said slowly. Mallory looked under the beds, Nosedive in the trash can (of all places!) while the others rooted about for clues or looked out the window. Duke opened the door and walked into the small bathroom.

                "I don't see them anywhere Wildwing." he said. Slowly, he pulled back the shower curtain. The two lay in the tub, bound at hand and foot. "Whoops." he said slowly. Mallory walked in next to him.

                "They've been turned to stone too!" she said. Slowly, the two picked Lindsay and Matt up and stood them on the floor. Each of them had arrows shot into them, Lindsay in the shoulder and Matt in the side.

                "We have to get back to the Pond." Wildwing said, as Grin picked the two statues up. "This is really weird."

                "It gets weirder..." Nosedive started, as he searched through the adjacent room. Candy and Freefall were tied up in a similar fashion, Candy sitting against a wall and Freefall lying on the floor.

                "What happened here?" Mallory gasped.

 

                It was 6:00 PM when the Ducks finally arrived back at the Pond. They dragged Lindsay and Matt down to the infirmary and set them beside Zelda.

                "Tanya, did you find anything new about this?"          

                "No." Tanya sighed, frustrated. "The Medicom reads everything as completely normal. It isn't even registering Zelda's wound anymore." Wildwing rubbed his beak in thought.

                "The Saurians must know how to reverse this." he muttered.

                "But in the meantime, don't you think they'd make neat garden ornaments?" Nosedive laughed. Suddenly, the five statues started to crack slowly. The team backed off in amazement. Slowly, Zelda's stone cracked and flaked. Finally, her eyes burst open, burning white. The stone exploded away from her as she reared up, roaring deeply and loudly, rearing up and flailing her wings. Zelda was different though. Her scales were non-existent, replaced by smooth, tough hide. Her ears were gone, replaced by thick spikes on her head and on her knees and elbows. The heels on her hind feet were drawn up higher. Her snout ended in a downturned, beak-like tip, and her teeth were not visible when her jaws were closed. Her claws disappeared, digits ending in sharp points. Her wings were shaped strangely, Like those of a prehistoric bird. The joint was tipped with a large spike, and the wing then extended, ending in yet another spike. There weren't any spokes on the wing either. Zelda cried out, and then fell back to the bed on all fours, head down. The team stood in amazement. They had grown to know to be wary by now, when these sorts of things happened. The creature looked up and stared at them. Zelda put her paw forth hesitantly.

                "Wildwing?" she asked. Wildwing stood up.                                

                "Zelda, are you...okay?" he asked, still a little awestruck. Her reply was interrupted by a cracking and splitting. Candy was breaking free from her stone 'shell' too. She tore through the ropes that bound her, her clothes ripping along the limbs as her feathers changed to red, hardened flesh. Two huge, red, spoke-less wings suddenly burst from her shoulder blades. Her beak became a deeper, burnt orange color, as her hair flared up and her fingers spiked. A tail, thin and long, snaked it's way out, and her heels shot up, leaving her standing on the tiptoes of her taloned feet. Finally, she too stooped over, finishing the transformation. Matt followed her, then Lindsay and Freefall. Freefall looked down at his torn shirt and feet, and screamed in surprise.

                "What the?!!" he yelped, trying to leap away from himself. The other four had a similar response. The got tangled in their tails and wings, or lost their balance on their small feet, and fell flat on their faces.

                "Freefall? Candy?" Nosedive asked slowly, hesitant to approach them. Candy opened her eyes and rolled over, glancing down at her red, scaly hands. She gasped again and jumped to her feet.

                "What happened to me?" she cried, distressed.

                Zelda silently eyed herself over. Testingly, she stretched out a wing, then a claw.

                Lindsay and Freefall slowly picked themselves up, followed by Matt.

                "Are you guys okay?" Tanya asked, picking up a piece of stone from the floor.

                "Yeah...yeah, I'm okay." Freefall replied slowly, as if dazed.

                "But what happened to me!?!" Lindsay yelled, freaking out.

                "Whoa, whoa, relax guys...let's just piece this together...what happened back at the hotel?" Wildwing asked, trying to get everyone to calm down.

                "We were attacked by those stinkin' lizards!" Freefall snorted. "They tied us up and shot us with something, then it just all went black, like you were asleep."

                "Asleep..." Zelda muttered, sniffing a piece of the rock on the floor. The team turned around. "Look at us you guys." Zelda started. "The wings, the head...the raised feet and tails...don't you recognize the shape?" she asked. Several eyebrows raised across the room. Zelda sighed. "I'm not sure, but I think we've been turned into some kind of a Gargoyle..." she pondered.

                "Jeez guys, I hope your life insurance covers this." Dive snickered. Candy snarled back at him. She leapt forwards and grabbed him by his shirt collar, lifting him off of the floor.

                "How would you like to look like THIS?!" she roared, a deep growling in her voice. Suddenly, she dropped Nosedive, now realizing how easily she had lifted him up and how her voice had sounded. She looked back at her hands in dismay.

                "Gargoyles?" Duke asked in question.

                "Yes. You guys must have heard of them somewhere..." Zelda started.

                "I have." Tanya piped up. "On the news sometimes."

                "Yes." Zelda nodded. "Thousands of years ago, they guarded a castle in England. They were set in a spell and brought to New York City, where they awoke several years ago. They've been through rough times. Only now is the public beginning to respect their instinct to protect the city from evil."

                "Jeez, sounds like a great plot for a cartoon, doesn't it?" Nosedive remarked. Zelda snorted.

                "And you know them?" Grin asked.

                "Yes, a detective by the name of Elisa Maza introduced me to them about a year ago. We've been in loose contact ever since."

                "Interesting." said Wildwing. Zelda leapt down slowly off of the bed, testing her feet. Suddenly, she snarled in pain and gripped her side.

                "You okay kiddo?" Tanya asked slowly. Zelda shook her head. The spot where the arrow had hit her the day before seemed to glow red. Slowly, the other four did the same, buckling over slowly. The red light that oozed from their wounds seemed to seep all over them. Finally, the light faded sharply.

                "Okay....was THAT a Gargoyle thing?" Nosedive asked. Candy suddenly turned, roaring at him. Nosedive backed away. "Easy girl!" he yelled. Candy took a long look at the group and snarled. Slowly, the other four came to their senses and started to do the same thing. Zelda stalked to the front, snapping. The others snorted and flashed their claws.

                "Umm, I think something went wrong there." Mallory started.

                "Okay, get outta here slowly..." Wildwing started. The team tiptoed off to the left, to the door. Zelda bared her teeth and snapped at them. She slowly began to follow them, lashing her tail. Matt suddenly leapt on the Medicom table, crouching. It seemed as though they had gotten the hang of their new bodies. He spread his wings and growled deeply. Wildwing eased out the door, and then pressed a panel on the wall. The infirmary doors closed with a hiss.

               

                Wildwing breathed out a sigh of relief and sank back against the wall.

                "Well, at least that puts a bit of distance between us..." he started.

                "What happened to them back there?" Tanya started.

                "Well, it beats me, but I bet Dragaunus has something to do with it."

                "And all I know is that I am NOT going back into that tiger cage." Nosedive said.

                "Relax." Mallory said, rapping on the steel door. "They wouldn't get through this." Suddenly, Mallory was shoved away as something pounded a huge bulge in the door. She stumbled up against the wall, gasping. A huge claw raked right through the metal, and then the other claw joined in prying a hole in the door open. Freefall let out a huge bellowing roar, like that of a lion. He squatted and leapt through the open space, landing in the hallway with a swish of his wings. He paced towards them, still in his crouch position. His jaws gaped open, revealing sharp teeth within.

                "Whoa, I don't think they're so friendly anymore." Duke said, stepping slowly away. The four other Gargoyles filed out behind Freefall. They drew their wings about their shoulders like a cape, the two spikes on the joint hooking in a clasp. Grin stepped forwards slowly.

                "Okay Fall, relax and everything will be fine." He started in his low, soothing tone. It didn't work this time. Fall whipped around, roaring, and slapped Grin hard on the ankles with his tail. The pain and force of the blow knocked Grin flat on his back, knocking the wind out of him. "Ouch." He muttered. Freefall leapt on top of him, raising his claws up, hot breath right in Grin's face. Suddenly, a huge blue light snapped Fall backwards. Wildwing retracted his ice shield and pulled Grin up.

                "Okay, that's it, we're outta here!" he yelled. "Everybody to the Aerowing! Now!" The rest of the team panicked as the monsters spread their wings and roared. They all turned tail and ran for the Aerowing.

 

                Tanya looked out of the windows as the Aerowing shot away.

                "I don't see them anywhere." she started.

                "Well I do." Grin said, peering out.

                "Stop." ordered Wildwing. He turned the ship about to face the five. They stood, perched in Gargoyle fashion, on the edge of the roof of the Pond.

                "They're just...standing there." Mallory said. "Why?" Finally, Zelda snapped her wings open, and took a bounding leap off of the roof. She pivoted up and flapped, but then swirled around and crashed to the pavement below.

                "What happened? That always worked when she was a dragon." Nosedive said.

                "They have weaker wings." Tanya said. "Gargoyles can only glide."

                "So that's why they're waiting." Duke said. "They don't know how to fly." Matt spread his wings, rearing up to full height. He took a leap strait up into the air, and snapped them taut. Slowly, he glided forth, rising on the wind. Zelda climbed up a palm tree and joined him, while the other three followed.

                "They appear to be fast learners." snorted Nosedive. Zelda, who was used to gliding with her normal wings, was agile in the air. Using the currents of wind for everything they were, she spiraled around the others, communicating to them with a series of yaps and snorts. They looped around themselves in agile circles, then swooped around and turned for the Aerowing, snarling.        

                "Maybe we should go." said Wildwing, turning around. The Aerowing pushed forwards through the air, with the five trailing after it. They howled as the ship disappeared ahead of them. Finally, they turned and flew away.

                 "Good! Looks like they're giving up!" Dive cheered.

                "Not good." Wildwing corrected. "Who knows what will happen if we lose them?"

                 "Great." Mallory sighed as they disappeared over the clouds. "Now what?"

                "Can you get a fix on them Tanya?"

                "No! I think their coms came off in the transformation."

                "Okay, let's try plan B." Wildwing snorted.

 

                "Once again, I gotta thank you for coming out Detective." Klegghorn said. Eliza Maza, a tall, dark-haired lady in a red jacket, stood on the top of the building, the New York skyline cold in the wind.

                "No problem Chief." She smiled, and turned to the six figures that stood near her. "Now please, tell me again what your problem is Wildwing?"

                "It seems that five of our teammates have been turned into Gargoyle-type creatures. This includes Zelda. We believe that our enemy Dragaunus has something to do with it."

                "So what are you doing all the way up here in the Big Apple?" Maza said.

                "Before she lost her free will, Zelda was able to tell us about the Gargoyles. She had met them, and you. We were hoping we could meet them. Perhaps they would know a way to help us." Elisa thought for a moment.

                "You say Zelda said this?"

                "Yes."

                "Okay, I know where they are." She walked with the Ducks into the Aerowing, as the thrusters fired up.

 

                "Elisa? Is that you?" a booming voice called from within.

                "Yes, it's me Goliath. And I've brought some visitors." The Ducks walked out into the breezy night, on a high turret of an old castle. Suddenly, a dark gray Gargoyle loomed above them. Slowly, five other dark shapes appeared in the distance.

                "My name is Goliath." the Gargoyle said, extending his hand. "Who are you?" Suddenly, a spritely green Gargoyle leapt up to them.

                "I know who they are! They're the Mighty Ducks!" he cried.

                "Yup, that's us." Mallory grinned.

                "Allow me to introduce my clan." Goliath smiled. Slowly, the gargoyles all walked out.

                "This is Bronx, Lexington, Hudson, Broadway, Brooklyn, and my daughter Angela."

                "It's a pleasure to meet you all." Wildwing smiled back. "I'm Wildwing, this is my brother Nosedive, Tanya, Grin, Duke, and Mallory."

                "I've heard of ye before." Hudson said. "You've made quite an impression out in California."

                "Well thank you." Tanya grinned.

                "But now to the reason we came here." Wildwing said. "I believe you know Zelda?"

                "Yeah, we know her. Haven't seen her in a while too." Brooklyn answered.

                "Well, she was shot with an arrow by our enemy, Dragaunus. So were four of our teamates. They turned to stone, and then broke free from it and look like you guys."

                "That's weird." Broadway said.

                "They acted normal for a few minutes, and Zelda was able to tell us of you. But then they became hypnotized or something and attacked us."

                "Attacked you?" Goliath questioned.

                "Yes. We tried to escape in out ship, but they never followed us. We got here as soon as we could."                             

                "Hmm, very curious." Goliath started.

                "Maybe something I could help with?" a voice asked from behind them. The group turned to see a man in a black suit with dark brown hair leaning against the castle turret. Beside him stood a rigid man with blonde hair and glasses.

                "This is Xanatos, and his assistant Owen." Goliath introduced.

                "Hello." Grin replied. Xanatos approached the group.

                "If you ever need any of my help, just ask. If you don't mind, I have a few family matters to attend to." Xanatos walked away. Goliath snorted.

                "You look like you don't trust him." Duke started.

                "He was a mistaken enemy. This is our home, but his castle. We keep an eye out for each other." Goliath replied.

                "But now back to your friends." Angela said. "Where do you think they could be?" Suddenly, a loud scream tore through the air. Five creatures swooped through the night, swirling around the turret.

                "That would be them now." Nosedive said. The five landed upon the castle before them, and roared.                              

                "Don't worry, they're outnumbered." Goliath assured. "Whoever did this to your friends, we'll help fix the problem." Goliath turned around and roared in warning at the five. The other gargoyles suddenly plunged their claws into the walls and climbed up to higher perches on the turrets. The five still approached. They seemed disinterested in the Gargoyles, and only went for the Ducks. Swooping around, they seemed a little hesitant to take their marks. Finally, they landed together in front of the Ducks. Zelda took the head of the five, snapping.

                "Zelda, calm down, okay?" Grin asked. Zelda blinked, eyes burning white. She started to shy backwards. Grin stepped forwards to see, but Zelda suddenly screamed and leapt at him. Grin fell on his back as Zelda's tail wrapped tightly around his neck. Suddenly, a huge hand lifted Zelda up. Goliath held her firmly. Suddenly Matt roared and slammed into his back. Goliath dropped Zelda and turned to deal with him. The Ducks and Gargoyles were enswirled in battle. Surprsingly though, the five Ducks/Gargoyles were faring very well. Wildwing bumped into Lexington as they fought.

                "We have to get them outta here now!" Lexington yelled.

                "What? Why?" Wildwing replied. Lexington pointed to the horizon. Through the buildings, Wildwing saw the sun peeking through.

                "So?" he yelled through the din. Lexington leapt away from him and into a clearing. Wildwing looked around and saw that all the Gargoyles were retreating! Suddenly, as the sun came up over the horizon, the Gargoyles all turned to stone! Frozen in their position of retreat. Wildwing realized the Ducks were on their own. The five grouped together in the middle of the castle turret, with the Ducks encircling them.

                "Okay guys, just take it easy and this will all be over soon." Tanya said slowly. The five reared up, roaring, as if about to attack. The Ducks panicked and looked away, but nothing happened. When they looked back, the five had also turned to stone. Wildwing sighed, and slumped down.

                "It's gonna be one of those days." he muttered.

 

                The others turned, hearing the screams. Like the night before, the five had emerged from their stone skin when the sun had set. Xanatos had filled the Ducks in completely. As the Ducks stood, the Gargoyles came running in.

                "Where are they?" Goliath asked, panicking.

                "Relax, we got them covered." Nosedive waved, pointing. The five were enclosed in a large cage, allowing just enough space for each one to stand freely.

                "You just put them in a cage?" asked Brooklyn. "That's not going to hold them." Already, the five were using incredible strength to bend the bars.

                "Not a problem." Tanya said, flipping a switch on the far wall. Suddenly, the beams were illuminated in blue, and the five leapt away, screaming in pain.

                "Electricity might do it though." Broadway said. The five, after a few more futile tries at escape, resigned to their capture and snapped in fury at those beyond the bars.

                "So now that we have them, we have to figure out what caused them to freak out like this." Nosedive said.   

                "Here, take a look at this." Tanya said, taking one of the arrows out of a plastic bag. Bronx sniffed it, and then leapt away, growling.

                "What? What is it?" Grin asked.

                "This arrow, where did ye get it?" Hudson asked.        

                "This is one of the ones that hit our teammates." Mallory replied. Goliath rubbed his chin in thought.

                "It seems familiar." he muttered. "But I know what can help. We posses a book of magic spells, called the Grimorum. With it, perhaps we can find out more about this."

                "Well, you may have a bit of trouble there." Owen said, coming up behind the group.

                "Don't you ever knock?" asked Nosedive, startled.

                "What do you mean Owen?" Lexington asked.

                "The Grimorum was stolen a few nights ago." Owen started.

                "What?" Goliath growled. "Why weren't we informed? You know what those spells can do if they fell into the wrong hands!" Owen sighed.

                "Do you think Dragaunus could have stolen it?" Wildwing asked suddenly.         

                "It would explain this." Brooklyn said.

                Angela ran her claws over the arrow.

                "I remember what this is! This is made of steel, but no ordinary steel, black steel from the land of Avalon!"

                "Avalon?" Tanya asked.

                "A magical island." Goliath explained.

                "Where everything conducts magic like a copper wire." Angela said. "If these arrows were cursed, that would explain the effect on your five."

                "But cursed with what?"

                "A spell from the Grimorum, perhaps." Hudson said.

                "But regardless, we have to get that book back if we are to find a cure." Goliath finished. "Otherwise, I fear your friends are doomed to this form forever."

 

To be continued......