Early the next morning Danny and Ashlie left the house heading to Tucker's house. It was only a few blocks away, but to Ashlie it seemed like eternity. It was no wonder that most humans were dumb, they had to pay so much attention to how they walked they must not have had enough brain to think about anything. At least that's what she thought.

"Tucker can help with training you," Danny was saying. "It was because of him that I found a few of my own attacks."

"Do you really think we can take on Vlad? Even when I'm the only one with powers?" Ashlie asked.

"I do intend to gain my powers back. That's also part of why we're going to see Tucker. He's been trying to figure out a way to restore them."

Just up ahead, Tucker came from around the street corner. He glanced back in the direction he had come, before turning and running to Danny and Ashlie.

"I thought we were meeting at your house, Tuck," Danny said.

"No chance of that happening," Tucker replied. "I just had to sneak out through the window. Vlad is at my house!"

"What? He knows where I live, what is he playing at?"

"Not sure. But he might have been after me. He must know your powers aren't working."

"Could he... be trying to resurrect my dark side?"

"Your dark side?" Ashlie asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, in this-" Danny cut himself off with a half-cough, half-choke sound. He seemed to stare into space. From her angle, Ashlie couldn't see his face.

"Danny?" Tucker began. He inched around and behind Danny to Ashlie's side, grabbing her hand. He leaned close to her face and in a hasty voice, whispered in her ear, "Get ready to transform."

"What?" Ashlie whispered back with a tiny hiss.

"Why Tucker, my old friend," Danny's voice came like the roll of thunder. There was a twang of bitterness that lingered on each word. "Have you been doing research into dispelling ghost powers?"

"What?" Tucker replied almost too quickly, his voice cracking slightly. "How would you have figured that?"

"Very simple. When you stepped out of the window, I took the liberty of examining your internet history. You should really do a better job of hiding that sort of thing. You never know what might be hidden." With a sharp snap, Danny's head swiveled around like an owl's head. He glared at Tucker with blood red eyes. "I think we need to have a little chat."

"Ashlie, now!" Tucker squeezed her hand tightly.

"I-I can't, I don't remember how!"

"Well remember it quick!"

"So, I can tell young Daniel's powers are still out of commission," Danny continued. The rest of his body turned around now, creating several loud cracks from his neck as the bones snapped back into place. "But I sense power from this fine young lady. Not as pure as Daniel's, but still it is there. Did he attempt to replicate his accident?"

"Why would we tell you?" Tucker growled.

"Because if you don't, I will kill Daniel where he stands!" Danny's right hand shot up to his own throat, his nails ready to dig into his flesh.

"No! Don't hurt him!" Ashlie gasped. "I'll tell you what happened-"

"Ashlie, you can't!" Tucker exclaimed. "We won't have the upper hand anymore if you tell him!"

"I don't care, Danny's life is more important than the plan. Just like a warrior's life is most important to a clan." Ashlie's heart wailed out for her forests, her clan mates, her special tom... It would all be lost if Danny were to die. She would be trapped as a two-leg for the rest of her life. She looked Danny square in the eye, her chest puffed out, her stance ready to fight. "I take it that you're actually Vlad, controlling Danny while he has no power."

"What a clever girl!" Danny laughed. "You don't look it, but you've got a good head on your shoulders. Go on."

"Since you disabled Danny's powers, he needed someone else to help him fight you. But he couldn't put Tucker or Sam at risk. So he came to me, asking for my help. I agreed to help him fight you. He transformed me into a two-leg, then zapped me with the-"

"A two-leg?"

"That's what felines call humans. Because you walk on two legs rather than all four."

"Then, am I correct into assuming that you are that cat I saw him escaping with from the forest?"

"Yes. In the forests, I am known as Brownclaw. But I had to take a human name while I lived among them, so I adopted Ashlie as my temporary name."

"This...is simply priceless!" Danny released his hold and let his arm fall at his side. "He thought he could outsmart me with another half-ghost kid, but you don't even know how to activate the powers! This... I will not stand for it."

A black cloud appeared around Danny, floating away slightly. As the last of the smog left Danny's body, he began to collapse. Tucker jumped into action, holding his friend upright while his brain came back to life. The cloud materialized into the green-skinned, red eyed man Ashlie had seen before in the forest. He must have stood several fox-tails taller than she did.

"What happened?" Danny coughed.

"Vlad took control of you, but..."

"Oh don't worry, Daniel, I'm not here for you today," Vlad sighed. He held a deep British accent in his voice. "Not when it will hurt you more to have your helper taken from you."

"What?" Danny shot straight up and glared at Vlad, his blue eyes full of rage. "Vlad, if you harm her, I will-"

"Oh please, what can you do without your powers?" Vlad stepped forward and grabbed Ashlie around the shoulders, dragging her close to his chest. "Besides, it wouldn't be any fun if you weren't there to watch."

Vlad's grip was so tight around her that she couldn't escape. The ghost man began to levitate, pulling Ashlie up with him.

"Farewell, my boy," Vlad laughed. "You know where to find me if you change your mind."

"No, wait!" Danny pushed Tucker away, took a few stumbling steps towards them, then fell to his knees.

A strange sensation take over Ashlie, as if her body was slowly being pulled apart. The world around her was beginning to blur. Her head felt like it were a bird's egg, cracking open as it fell from a tall branch. One voice rang out just as the world went dark. Danny's voice.

"Brownclaw!"

Sorry for the super annoying long update wait. There is really no excuse for not updating in over a year, so I'll be honest with you. I lost interest in this story for a while and was about ready to just give up on it and take it down. But I needed a kick in the head to get me interested in it again. Hopefully I'll be finishing it soon.