Three dragons turned in the direction of the voice. Three figures stood outlined in the door. Two humans and a dog stood staring in awe at the sight.
Spud raised his arm and started to fumble with the sign behind him. It only took a second for him to get it turned around announcing the fact that they were closed.
"Yo, Jake, wus up wit this?" Trixie continued to stare at the scattered warriors.
A red clawed foot came down slamming the Huntsman's head into the floor. "Well, I don't think we're going to have any more problems with the Huntsclan." Jake turned to look around the room at the bodies scattered around limply.
"And what about that Rose chick? Where's she?"
Jake looked at her for a second. "It doesn't matter. She isn't in the Huntsclan any more."
"Are you insane? Homegirl can't be trusted. If they know who you are, then she knows who you are. You and your new friend there are in some serious trouble."
Jake looked at her for a minute. "It's okay Trixie, Rose does know, but she warned me. She came straight to me and told me. She's on our side now."
Fu definitely looked confused. "Hey champ, what're they talking about."
To everyone's surprise, it was Spud that started to explain, even more shocking was that he did it well. "During the ski trip, Jake had to fight the Huntsgirl. She dropped a ski pass that was special issue for our school. We realized that Huntsgirl had to be a student and eventually discovered that it was Rose, whom Jake likes." Everyone looked at him for a second. "Ooh, a penny."
Jake dropped his head.
"You were dating the Huntsgirl! Geez, I'm glad you found your..." Fu stopped in mid-sentence. "Never mind."
"It is okay Fu, he knows." Lao Shi turned toward the golden dragon. "This is the young dragon he told us about."
Fu looked over her appreciatively. "Well kid, you snagged yourself one fine looking dragon there."
Rose watched what was going on among the friends. She got up from her place on the floor. She moved closer to Jake and placed her hand on his shoulder. A golden aura surrounded her and she began to shrink. Left in the dragon's place was something Spud and Trixie had never expected to see. Their voices merged as one in shock. "ROSE!"
"Yo, you're telling me that Rose is a dragon. Now that is wack."
Spud stared for a second.
"Roses are red,
ai yi yi yi,
Huntsgirl's a dragon?
Normal said bye."
Trixie grabbed him by his shirt collar. "Hey I told you to shut that down!"
Fu looked like he was about to make a comment, but abruptly shut his mouth. "I'm going to take a nap, wake me up when this dream is over." Fu walked up the flight of stairs the led to the small apartment on the second floor of the shop.
Jake looked around at the various members of the Huntsclan. "Maybe we should tie them up before they come around."
Lao Shi nodded his head in agreement before returning to his human form.
Rose lay on the small couch in the back of the shop resting. She could feel what had changed inside her. Nothing made sense, her entire life could have been the plot of some insane soap opera. The man who had raised her massacred her family, the person she'd fallen in love with was her mortal enemy. Her guardian had betrayed and tried to kill her along with Jake.
Jake sat quietly staring at the group of warriors that remained tied up on the store floor. Between the three of them, Jake, Rose, and Lao Shi had managed to decimate the Huntsclan. He just wished it had happened under better circumstances. While Jake wasn't a genius he knew that a major problem was in front of them.
Rose.
With the Huntsman gone Rose would have no place to stay. What were they going to do? They couldn't let Rose be placed into a foster home, it would place her in danger. She needed a place she could be safe. She needed a place where she could learn to use her powers and abilities.
"Jake, what are you thinking about?" The old man settled himself near his grandson.
"Rose. She needs a place to stay, but the law says she needs somebody to take care of her. We can't let them take her."
"True young dragon. She may once have been an enemy, but we cannot allow her to be taken. She needs a Dragon Master."
"Yeah, but who knows where she might end up? We need to figure something out."
"Jake, as your Master I am proud of you, but more importantly, I am proud to be your grandfather. You have carried a large weight on your shoulders these last months, and you have become strong for it."
Jake shook his head. "No, all I did was lie to you. I should have told you the truth from the beginning."
"True, but now it's time to let another shoulder the burden. I have already made arrangements for Rose to live here. She will train with you."
Jake perked up. "Are you serious Grandpa?"
"Yes Jake. Many people have made mistakes in the past. If we never gave them the chance to redeem themselves, the world would be a much darker place."
"Why aren't you mad that I lied about Rose?"
"Because I once made the same decision. Shortly after I fought the Dark Dragon I fell in love with a woman. She was beautiful, but I soon realized that I had let my feelings for her blind me. Like the Huntsclan, she hunted magical creatures. Once our secrets were revealed to each other, she vanished. I never told anyone who she was. I couldn't bear the thought she might end up hurt." Lao Shi took a deep breath. "About a year later she came back to me. And she brought a surprise with her. A beautiful baby girl. Our daughter, your mother."
Jake looked surprised. "Grandma? She hunted us?"
"Yes, we married and kept her past a secret from everyone. She was my world and I miss her every day."
"I'm sorry I never got to meet her." Jake looked over at his grandfather.
"As am I, she could have taught you much about fighting without your powers. But that does not matter now. Our family was in great danger. If not for Rose we would have been caught unaware. It was far too close. It is time to tell your father."