Five Years

Part 20: Trapped

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Raven's pov
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I can feel Chris put me down on a bed. He rummages through a cabinet before coming over and placing a thermometer in my mouth. His footsteps softened as he left the room.

Now is my chance. I quietly get off the bed and lock the bedroom door. That'll buy me a little time to get out of here. I slide open the window. I'm on the second floor, but if I climb down a bit then drop then I should be okay.

I can hear Chris' footsteps coming closer. I quickly go out the window, struggling for a foothold. I hear the door crash open faster than I expected. I lose my grip and fall down.

I land roughly on my my right leg, collapsing on to my hands and knees. I can tell I definitely sprained something, but I can't let it slow me down. I quickly struggle to my feet, stumbling forward as I try to run.

I can hear him in the distance behind me. I grab a thin broken branch and use it as a crutch. Suddenly I hear a howl to my left.

A wolf jumps out of the bushes, landing on top of me and pinning me. I struggle, but I just can't get out from under it with my injured leg.

I hear someone coming closer, but it isn't from the direction of the house. This must be someone other than Chris...
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Beast Boy's pov
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The last several dots have been crystals and one cat with powers. All the cat could do was imitate other animals. It was fun chatting with her though. Unfortunately she didn't see nor hear anything about Rae.

I'm headed to the last dot before finding a place to sleep. Suddenly my communicator rings.

"Yeah?" I say after picking up.

"I found her. I need backup. Come quickly." Nightwing says before hanging up.

What the heck was that? He found Rae? He needs backup? What???

I hear a loud engine noise. I look up and see the the Batplane land in an open stretch of land. I quickly run over to it.

The top opens revealing Bumblebee.

"Get in. I'll drop you where Nightwing is. Also, give me the crystals. Cyborg and I need to examine them to make a reversal machine." She says.

I hop in and put the crystals in a bag for her. She takes the bag and puts it carefully in a bag by her feet. She flies the plane like an expert.

With Bee's flying we arrive in a little under an hour.

"Alright, get ready. I'll tell you when to jump." She says.

I get out of my seat and open my hatch, standing up and feeling the wind hit me like a wall. I barely hear Bee give the signal. I jump off, diving down through the clouds.

The cold wind burns my skin as I break through the clouds. I can see trees below me, too dense to see through. The sun is setting and I can feel something ominous in the forest below.

I check my watch, the coordinates Nightwing sent me are just a few feet away. I transform into a bird and fly down into the trees. I spot Nightwing hiding in a tree.

I land on a branch above him. He looks up at me, assessing. Then nods at me. I transform into human form, still sitting on the branch.

"Where's Rae?" I ask.

"Shh, everything is listening." Nightwing whispers.

I go silent, realizing that I can hear animals stalking around us. Nightwing points to the communicator. I pull mine out and see him messaging me.

The animals are under the control of a person with powers. He seems to be able to see and hear everything the animals see and hear. They have Raven captured in a cabin to the North not far from here.

He looks up at me.

How do we get to her?

I type back to him

There's an issue. Raven isn't in a human form anymore. She was turned into a crystal.

I reread the message, hoping I'm reading it wrong. We need to go in there and rescue her! Without thought I transform into a wolf and jump out of the tree.

I can hear Nightwing frantically trying to come after me without making noise. I ignore him. I run North towards the cabin. I'm coming Rae. Just hang on.