The Outworld Chapter Eleven- Night Wolf

As the night goes on, Dan and Mika slowly walk south down the trail. They look around, trying to see if they find anything, a campsite, or even a person.

"How close do you think he could be?" asked Mika.

"Hopefully, not too far," replied Dan.

They continued walking. As they did, they could hear the animals stepping on the leaves, wolves howling, and other animals eating what sometimes sounds like their prey.

"What if we're lost again?" Dan asked. "What if Hereto pointed us to the wrong place?"

"Calm down, Dan," Mika replied. "We'll be fine. Hopefully, we get to see Nightwolf tonight."

Dan sighed and kept walking.

Suddenly, they could hear growling coming from what sounded like a wolf. Dan and Mika stopped in their tracks.

"What was that?" Mika asked. The two slowly turned around. Just a few feet behind them was a big wolf. The wolf stared at them with its eyes glowing in the dark.

"Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf?" Dan asked, shaking. Then, he went into a shout. "Dan's afraid of the big bad wolf!!!"

The wolf barked at them. The first bark sent Dan and Mika sprinting and running for their lives. The wolf chased after them.

Dan and Mika kept running and running until they hit what looked like a campsite. "Help!!" cried Dan. "There's a wolf chasing us!!"

The two of them turned to the wolf, which is now a foot away from them. The wolf growled as Dan and Mika hugged each other, begging for their lives. Suddenly, when Dan looked at the beast, the wolf started to take a human form.

Dan released his embrace with Mika. "Mika, look! It looks like something from Animorphs!"

They stared at the wolf-now-turning-human creature. When it finished its form, it was a male human with shoulder-length black hair and a blue headband with two feathers in the back. He wore a black vest over his bare chest blue bands on his upper arm, silver wristbands, blue pants, brown boots, and his face was painted red from his eyebrows to the middle of his cheeks.

He looks at Dan and Mika. "Why do you come here?!" he shouted with anger.

Dan and Mika began to tremble. Mika managed to speak. "We're looking for the one named Nightwolf. We were sent here by Kitana because she believes that he'll make us stronger at the tournament on the other side of the island."

The man's anger in his face slowly disappeared. "You mean the tournament in which Prince Goro always wins?"

"Yes," replied Dan.

The man sighed and walked over to the camp. "You've come to the right place. I am Nightwolf."

Dan ran over to him and put his hand out. "It's finally nice to meet you, Mr. Nightwolf, sir."

Nightwolf slowly took his hand and the men shook. Then, Nightwolf walked over to a brown pouch and picked it up. "It seems that you want to become stronger mentally and physically, correct?"

Dan and Mika nodded and walked over to him.

Nightwolf opened his pouch and reached into it. "Becoming strong physically requires many practices. It is your duty to do that. As for becoming strong mentally, I believe I can help you with that." He took his hand out of the pouch holding a handful of what looks like sand. He threw the sand onto a pile of twigs surrounded by big rocks. The twigs suddenly lit on fire.

"Whoa!" cried Dan. "How did you do that?"

Nightwolf ignored him and sat in front of the fire. "Gather around," he said. Dan and Mika sat on either side of him in front of the fire. "Close your eyes." Dan and Mika followed his command. "Clear your minds and breathe rhythmically."

Dan and Mika followed. While their eyes were closed, a blue colored wind surrounded them. Nightwolf spoke, "Face your weaknesses." He opened his eyes and watched Dan and Mika fall to their sides and go into a deep slumber. "Good luck," he said. He got up and went inside his tent.

***

Mika opened her eyes and looked around. She found herself in what looked like....the Underworld.

"(Wait a minute)" she thought. "(What am I doing here? Did I just die a really fast death?)"

She stood on her feet and got into a fighting stance, just incase any intruders were lurking around. She walked around and searched the hellish place. She could hear the flames burning with rage, and the people screaming in fear.

Then, someone stepped in front of her. Mika was startled and looked up. He saw a slightly tall African American man standing in a boxer's stance.

"Balrog?" she questioned as she recognized the Shadowlaw commander....or at least he once was.

Suddenly, Balrog throws a punch so fast that Mika didn't see it coming. She was hit square in the jaw. She backs off a little and regains her composure. Balrog goes at her again and throws a series of punches. Mika blocks every one of them. Then, she darts at him and tries to grab him, but Balrog pulls back.

"(Damn)" she thought. She attempts to do it again, but Balrog manages to pull his arm back and throw another hard punch at her. He hits her face and Mika falls to the ground. Balrog jumps up to step on her, but Mika rolls out of the way. She attempts to kick him square in the stomach, but Balrog moved back. Mika rolled back and stood up. The two stared at each other for a while.

'Face your weakness,' Mika remembered Nightwolf saying before she fell to her side back at the campsite.

"(My weakness)" she thought. "(Do I really have a weakness?)"

Balrog darts at her again and tries to punch her. Mika blocks again. "(Wait a minute)" she thought. "(Doesn't Nightwolf mean find our enemies weaknesses? If so, and if Balrog is a boxer, then I know his weakness!)"

She ducked his next punch and trips Balrog. He lands on his back with a big thud. He laid there for a minute before he got up again.

"(Well, at least it worked for a minute)" Mika thought. Balrog darts at her again. She tried to grab him again, but Balrog darts back.

"(Hmm,)" she thought once again. "(Maybe Nightwolf really meant MY weakness. But what is it?)"

As Balrog attempts another punch, Mika throws a series of punches at him. "(It's not my punches)" She kicks him a few times without a problem. "(It's not my kicks)" She attempts to grab him again, but Balrog darts back.

"(That's it! It's the way I try attempt to grab my opponents. Dan is the only one who never saw this. My opponents know that I try to grab them so I could attempt my wrestling moves. I got an idea!)"

She jumps over Balrog and lands behind him. She grabs him and holds him tightly. "(That's what it is. My opponents know from the front when I grab them, but not from behind)"

She jumps in the air and five times in a row lands with Balrog's back on the ground. She lets go of Balrog and he bounces off about a few feet ahead. He's still awake, but doesn't get up. Then, a white light blinds her eyes.....

***

Dan opens his eyes and gets up. He looks around and hears the fire burning and the people screaming in agony. "Am I where I think I am?" he asked himself. Then he goes into a shout. "AHHH!!! I'm in Hell!!!!"

Then, a young woman appears in front of him. Dan smiles nervously. "Um, hi, eh, I was wondering how the heck you get out of here."

Then, he noticed something about her. She held a six-foot stick and her skin was shattered with ice and blood. "What happened to you?" he asked.

The woman charged at Dan. "Jade will get her revenge!" she cried out. She started to jab the stick at Dan. Dan started to block her, but then slipped.

"(What the...)" he thought. Jade began to kick his stomach. Dan didn't have time to react and Jade kicked him rapidly. Then, she did a hard kick that send Dan flying across the area. When he landed, he was about fifty yards away from her.

'Face your weakness,' Dan suddenly remembered Nightwolf saying before this event. "(What is my weakness?)" he thought.

Jade jumps at him again. Dan rolls out of the way and stands up. He stands in his fighting stance. Jade only stares at him with her evil dark eyes.

"(What does Nightwolf mean by, 'face your weakness?')" Dan thought again.

Then, Jade charges at him again with a loud battle cry. She jabs his stick at him again and Dan manages to block a few before it passes his guard and hits his chest. The wind was knocked out of him and he pulled back.

"Hadouken!!" he called out and throws a ball of energy at Jade. Unfortunately, it only flew a few meters before bursting like a bubble.

"Damn it!" Dan said out loud. "I need to get better at that."

Jade charges at him again with a flying high kick. Dan dodges, but slips again.

"(I'm really clumsy!)" he thought. Then, he realized it. "(That's it!! My clumsiness is my weakness. I think about my clumsiness in every battle, hoping that it doesn't happen, but it does anyway. Maybe if I clear my head and concentrate on the fight, I can beat Jade.)"

Jade flies in the air and tries to kick Dan again, but Dan was ready this time. With his head clear from any distractions for the first time ever, he clenches his fist and jumps in the air.

"SHO-RYU-KEN!!!!!!!!" Dan cries out as he manages to hit Jade right under her chin. Usually when Dan does this move, he would only jump a foot. Now he was jumping ten feet!

Jade falls hard on the ground and doesn't get up. Dan lands nicely on both of his feet and looks at his opponent for a brief moment. Then he smiles and jumps up and down.

"I did it! I did it! I overcame my weakness! What the....." Now all Dan could see is the white light.......

***

Dan and Mika shot up from the ground where they were laying. They breathed hard and they looked at each other.

"I did it Dan," Mika said.

"Me too," replied Dan.

Nightwolf comes out from his tent. "You are both strong, but stronger than ever. Mental strength is more powerful than physical strength."

Mika looks at Nightwolf with confusion. "But my weakness was physical."

"Your weakness was strategy," Nightwolf replied. "You make predictable moves and your opponent knows it. You have figured out how to make better strategies. Dan.....your weakness is not concentrating on the fight. When you fight, you think about your clumsiness. You overcame that by clearing your mind and you even did your moves better than ever."

Mika stood up. "Thank you for your help, Nightwolf."

Nightwolf looks up at the sky. "According to the moon, it is three in the morning. I prefer that the two of you stay here for the night."

"Good idea," said Dan yawning. He immediately fell asleep and started snoring.

Nightwolf went into his tent and took out two heavy blankets. "Rest now for that the two of you have another journey, to go back to the tournament." He gives Mika the blankets and then walks into the tent.

Mika yawns. She places one blanket over Dan, then places the other blanket over her own body. Before she fell asleep, she thought of something....

"(Is anyone in the cave still alive?)"