A/N: Oo look a double update. Still, tho, this is just stuff I had written already from way back in ye olden days. I have yet to actually write new content in here.

The walk back to the others was quiet and short, since the others had begun walking towards them, "Find anything?" Jay shouted.

"Does it look like they found anything?" Lizz slapped Jay in the gut, making him double over, "Shut your trap, Motormouth."

Morro was regarding the two with a raised eyebrow, "Abusive."

"You-" Lizz started, but then thought better of it, trailing off with a shake of her head, "Yes, I'm a bit abusive. It's the only way to keep these yahoos in line."

"Yeah," Jay straightened back up, "You're lucky you're ethereal."

Morro, however had quit looking at Lizz, and was staring straight ahead, "Um... should we be worried about that?"

All eyes turned to look back towards the way Lloyd and Kai had just come from. Instead of vacated forest, however, there was now that same jaguar from before. Same scar, same well-muscled frame, same angry glare. It was standing in a coiled stance, staring them down.

"That's that same damn cat from the tree that's on the other side of the bloody jungle," there was no mistaking the tinge of fear that was in Morro's voice, "Anyone else think it's weird that it's followed us?"

"Uh, anyone think it's weird that he's brought friends?" Lloyd motioned towards the left.

"Seven in total," Zane had begun backing towards the others.

"One for each of us," Kai was following suit -- just like the others, backing into a seven-point star.

"Great," Lizz had pulled free her katana, but under no circumstances was she going to raise it against an animal. She'd rather get her arm bitten off than do that.

"At least Morro and I are safe," nonetheless, Cole and Morro were still backing away from the closing in cheetah pack.

"I think it's a hunting pack," Jay had bumped into Lloyd, now.

"I believe Jay is right," Zane mused gently.

Beware of the Jungle Spirit.

Like now was the time for Sensei's needlessly cryptic warnings to be running through Lizz's mind, right when they were going to be torn to shreds. There was no way that they were equipped or prepared enough to fight off seven very large, very hungry jaguars.

But the warning stuck with her, raising the hairs on the back of her neck, setting Lizz on edge.

Beware of the Jungle Spirit.

The seven of the Ninja were all still, now, watching each others' backs. They each had a weapon drawn, but were still shaking ever so slightly, still trying to figure out what to do. She could tell absolutely none of them wanted to gut a jungle cat to save their own skin. Lizz's mind was still elsewhere, still trying to grasp onto the rest of Sensei's warning.

Keep a watch for anything unnatural in that Labyrinth.

You mean the cats that've been stalking them through the jungle? Yeah, that's a bit strange. What else is strange is that they're stalking as slowly as freaking possible, like they were just taunting the Ninja, trying to spook them instead of attack.

Kai began to raise his sword a bit more, preparing to strike down the nearest animal to him.

If you see anything strange; stay. away.

Yeah, thanks, Sensei.

Stay. Away.

Her brain scratched, repeating those same two words over and over in fear as the world around her froze almost completely. Kai's sword began arching down just as a guttural, echoing call rang through the trees, the source growing nearer with every second.

The jaguars backed off, parting, making way for a new threat. Lizz's eyes tried to follow the blur that was hurtling closer, but whatever it was blew right between her and Jay, the breeze from it ruffling their hair.

There was a split second where everything seemed to slow down, where Lizz saw what it was; it was a girl. She'd swung in on a freaking vine and launched herself feet-first into Kai, sending them both tumbling through the weeds.

There's a reason no one returns from Hiroshi's Labyrinth.

Kai's sword fell from his grip on impact and he was forced to fend off the girl barehanded. The others should've went to go help him, but they'd all erupted in a panicked frenzy upon catching a glimpse of the legendary Jungle Spirit.

Jay was the first to gather his wits, believe it or not, and -- screaming and flailing his arms -- began running off. The others' screaming had picked up a considerable amount when they caught sight of Kai and the Spirit thrashing around, Kai's screams jumping an octave or two as they became more frantic.

The animalistic snarling that was coming from that general direction was not helping.

It was every Ninja for themself, now, each running a different way than the other, but all hell bent on leaving Kai behind to fend for himself. The jaguars were standing stock-still, paying no mind to any of the Ninja anymore. Instead, they watched the foilage where Kai was struggling with the Spirit.

Kai was screaming his throat raw, struggling to throw the stranger off him, and when he'd finally succeeded, his feet slipped in the dirt in his hurry to get on his feet and get the hell out of there. He didn't stop when he picked up his sword from the jungle floor, either, almost causing him to face-plant into the mud.

A/N: If these last couple chapters ever randomly switch between mentioning cheetahs and jaguars, it's supposed to say jaguars I'm just really bad at editing.