Characters:


White Flame - warrior (F) Dragon Hybrid; white hair and gray-blue eyes along with massive white wings and black horns

Silver Tooth - warrior (M) Bat Hybrid; black hair with blue streaks in it, giant bat ears and wings too.

Crow Talon - Alchemist (M) Teenage Genius; black hair and green eyes

The Poison Twins (Ivy and Oak) - spies (F and M) Bear Hybrids; tan skin and blue eyes

Vision - leader (M) Young man around 21; curly blonde hair and sea-green eyes

Hurricane - doctor (F) Otter Hybrid; curly black hair (she’s latino too)

Sage Sight - second in command (F) Snow Leopard Hybrid; gray eyes and gray-blonde hair

(All other characters are 17-19)

* * *

“Agh!” White Flame hissed at Silver Tooth, her smoky gray eyes reflecting her fury, “YOU were supposed to swoop, not strike, idiot! I was supposed to strike the ‘heroes.’”

Silver rolled his eyes, crossing his arms across his chest with his ears pinned back. “I’m sorry, okay?! I thought it was the other way around! Maybe if you were better at communicating, I would’ve known!”

Flame gasped, unsheathing her clawed-gloves. “Take that back!” She growled, beginning to lung at Silver’s neck. Before she could reach him, Vision picked her up by the neck of her shirt. He was getting tired of all the bickering after their last battle with the heroes.

“We’re going on a team-building retreat!” Vision announced, lifting Flame a couple of inches above the ground.

Everyone groaned. “I know, I know. But after our—unfortunate—mission today, I think this will be a great way to strengthen our team.” Vision smiled, setting Flame down gently.

“Start packing, folks, ‘cause we’re leaving tonight!”

* * *

Ivy pressed her forehead against the car window, groaning as she watched the comfort of the city buildings pass by as they entered the forest.

“Vision…” she moaned, “why couldn’t we have brought our phones?! FaceBook is my life!!!”

Vision shook his head in the front seat, his curly blonde hair glimmering in the moonlight. “I’m sorry, Ivy, but electronics will take away from the perfect team-building experience!” He grinned happily, focusing on the scenery ahead. Despite being a villainous mastermind, he was surprisingly cheery.

The silver moonlight illuminated the forest, the trees shimmering and the owls cooing softly. A family of deer noticed the huge van and began prancing next to it.

Sage Sight glanced hungrily at them, while Hurricane looked utterly fascinated, jotting down various descriptions and sketches of the woodland creatures.

Despite his sister’s pouting, Oak was having the time of his life. Singing various show-tunes with Crow Talon and enjoying chatting with White Flame when she wasn’t death-staring Silver Tooth.

After around thirty-minutes, they arrived at the campsite. It was beautiful, with greenery that grew extra lush when Oak and Ivy approached it due to their plant powers. The dirt was soft and good for setting up the tents. Crow and Silver immediately set out to find firewood, and just five minutes later, they came back with plenty.

All of the villains sat down around the campfire (on leaf-chairs that Ivy had made), and Flame used her fire-breath to start it. They all laughed and roasted marshmallows, while also talking about battle strategies.

Soon it was almost pitch black outside, with hundreds of stars in the sky. Hurricane yawned, taking a final bite out of her s’mores and standing up. “I’m absolutely exhausted!” She announced, stretching slightly. “I’m heading to bed.”

Crow nodded and stood up with Hurricane, following her to the tents. The rest of the gang slowly began heading to the tents, too, feeling tired from the fun night. “Tomorrow we shall practice our fighting skills!” Vision announced to everyone, before going into his one-person tent.

* * *

Later that night, Ivy sat outside her tent, looking up at the shining blanket of stars above her.

It was nice to be out in nature, enjoying the gentle crackle of the stream next to their camp, the coos of the birds, and the songs of the crickets.

Ivy closed her eyes, taking in the sound of nature’s music, when a gentle pat on her shoulder caused her to jolt up.

Next to her stood Vision, his sea-green eyes twinkling in the moonlight as he smiled down at her. “The forest sure is beautiful.” He said softly, and Ivy nodded.

“Y’know, I thought this retreat was probably the worst idea you’ve ever had.” Ivy began, fiddling with her chocolate brown ponytail. “But yet, I feel closer to nature because of this…and just being able to talk and laugh with the team was amazing. We all seem closer than ever, and I think that’ll really help when we’re fighting the supposed ‘good guys.’”

Vision grinned, and a gentle midnight breeze blew through his hair. “I’m glad you think so. I’m always looking for ways to make our team stronger.”

Ivy nodded, looking back into the forest. An owl was perched in a tree, looking intently at them. Her bear senses suddenly picked up on something; a rustling in the woods. She felt a growl grow in her throat, and she looked around, scanning the area for any threats.

Vision began to look tense, too, and just then, Sage came bounding out of her tent, her leopard tail lashing side to side. “I sense danger…” She hissed, unsheathing her sword.

A twig cracked from behind a bush, and their was a voice, cursing in what seemed to be Italian. Vision put on his night-vision goggles and stepped closer to the bush.

Suddenly, a young girl stumbled out, and the villains immediately recognized her. With her freckled face and fluffy rabbit ears, they knew it had to be Clover, one of the “heroes” on Asha’s side.

All the other villains emerged from their tents, holding their weapons, and Clover went pale.

Her eyes darted around, and she spun around. “Heroes!” She called into the woods, her voice surprisingly deep. “ATTACK!”

To Be Continued