Holly found herself surrounded by blurry shades of pink, yellow, and green as the memory of what had occurred earlier escaped from her mind. She walked a few steps forward until noticing an unknown figure a few feet ahead from her. He had his back turned towards her but it seemed the girl knew him from somewhere. The image soon became clearer and Holly gasped, "daddy?"

All of a sudden, she felt two arms grab her shoulders, turning her away from her father. Holly was about to scream but stopped, recognising the familiar face.

"Vanessa?" Holly gasped, "w-w-what? H-h-how?"

"There's no time to explain Holly!" she said, squeezing her tighter, "you must leave this place!"

"What, what's happening?" Holly cried out, "what…."

"HOLLY LEAVE!" Vanessa shouted, her forming suddenly backing away and disappearing out of sight, "NOW!"

Her world started to feel normal again as Holly slowly drifted back towards consciousness. She gradually opened her eyes, glancing at her surroundings. Instead if the dark cave, she found herself in a large black room with a window to the side. In front of her stood Mu with his back towards her; the same position her father had been in a few moments ago. Holly felt her stomach turn as she realized that the King of the Baddies had taken her and she now found herself a prisoner in the floating castle. She was about to scream but speedily covered her mouth, preventing any sound from coming out. Mu remained standing and did not seem to take notice of her movement. Remembering the events that had occurred earlier and Vanessa's words, Holly cautiously crawled towards the back end of the room where the door remained opened. She would move slowly with every step, occasionally pausing and turning back to see if Mu had noticed. When he did not, she managed to line up against the doorframe and with one swift movement, she quickly walked out of the room. As soon as she was present in the hallway, Holly sprinted down the path, hoping to be able to locate some sort of exit where she could escape. But how can I escape, she thought, even if I do find a door that leads me out of the castle it's not like I can just step outside.

Frustration filled her mind as she came to a stop, leaning against the wall for a moment before she began to hear voices coming from the other end of the hallway. Holly gasped under her breath and slipped into one of the rooms to the side that did not seem occupied at the moment. The room was pitch black as she backed further and further away and hid behind some wooden boxes. She peeked out, watching two cabollos and two Worms casually walk down the hallway. Holly breathed a sigh of relief, since they had not entered her hiding place. All of a sudden, a loud noise caught her attention coming from the other room next to her. Holly swiftly placed her ear against the wall and listened; the sounds appeared to be moans of pain but she could not tell whether they were human or monster. Curiously, Holly waited a few minutes to see if any of the baddies would appear in the hallway once more. When she was certain no one would enter, she walked out of the room and slowly peeked her head into the other room next-door. The room was a dark, similar to the other ones but it contained a yellow light in the center, providing the only source of illumination Holly could make use of to view what the situation was. There was a large case of steel mental stairs she could use if she wanted to enter down to get a better look from the spot she was in. However, given the fact that there was a large group of weeds and other types of baddies, Holly realized she would be outnumbered very easily if she were caught.

She dropped down and hid behind the metal railing in order to be hidden out of sight and glanced down. The wielder of the magic stone felt her heart ache as she discovered that the screams belonged to several monsters that were being tortured by the baddie groups. It was a little difficult to view but she could see an observation of baddies chaining up monsters that appeared to bear no baddie crests to the wall and move onto the procedure of turning them evil. After a monster was whipped numerous times, the baddies would then transport them onto a table where they were forcibly tied down while two other baddies would place crests on them and therefore, converting them to the dark side. They would then escort the newly born baddie to another room Holly figured would be where they would work to treat the wounds and start training their new armies. Holly felt tears start to leak from her eyes but she quickly blinked them back before they could fall down her face. Without thinking, she raised her hand and whispered, "Red Lady Power Make-Up."

Nothing happened.

Puzzled, Holly tried again, still nothing happened. She sighed, realizing that she must have been drained out of energy by her last battle with Azure. The thought of being outnumbered quickly appeared in her mind again. But I can't just stay here and do nothing, Holly thought, standing up and backing away from the railing, I have to do something, I have to…

"Pleas-s-s-sant view is-s-s-sn't it?" a voice hissed behind her.

Holly froze in her place and cautiously turned her body around.

Standing right in front of her was a monster that she had dreaded ever since his involvement in the attack upon her village, the leader of the baddie group who had destroyed everything they contained and ended numerous lives. Mu may have been the King of the Baddies who had also been present during the clash, but to her, Naga was the mad dog who had been let off the leash to wipe out her entire home. He stood there, his tall purple scaled form with vivid yellow eyes staring into hers. Holly tried to force herself to run, down the stairs or anywhere but that spot, but her legs would not budge.

Naga chuckled darkly and moved his gaze away from her and crossed his arms over his chest and stood in front of the railing, glancing down below.

"Maybe you s-s-s-should t-t-t-take a l-l-l-look more c-c-clos-s-s-ely?" He suggested, turning towards her again, "let us s-s-s-show you what the darker s-s-s-side feel-s-s-s like".

Before Holly could respond or make any movement, the purple monster suddenly threw a puff of purple smoke straight into her face. Holly coughed several times, her vision blurring and her eyes started to well up from the painful sting. She began to breathe heavily but managed to quickly glance as Naga's form began to slither towards her, causing her to scream out loud.

Her vision remained unclear and her whole body was insensitive as she felt herself being carried by an unknown individual and placed upon a rough steel table. Holly attempted to look up but soon found herself staring back at Naga's face. What he had done to her she was unsure off, but she silently prayed her would not place her through the torture she had previously seen from the other monsters. Doubt that he would spare her the painful punishment filled in mind however. After all, Mu had only wanted one thing which was the magic stone so what other use could she provide to him? And since she had partly escaped without noticing, it was most likely he would be angered for letting her slip away easily.

"How did you kill Gali?" Naga's voice filled her ears as his blurred visage remained in a blur. When she did not respond he slightly raised his voice, "There's-s-s-s- no way an ordinary human girl could defeat a member of the Big Bad Four! How did you manage to s-s-s-succeed?"

Holly closed her eyes and screamed, covering her ears with her hands, too frightened by the situation to respond.

Naga hissed between his teeth and was about to ask her once more when another voice echoed in the distance.

"Naga! What the hell are you doing?" Holly heard another voice say as a shuffle of footsteps sounded towards the table.

"S-s-stay out of this-s-s-s- Gray Wolf!" Naga snarled, "this-s-s-s i-s-s-s-s my problem to control".

"Master Mu ordered us to find the girl in the castle not try to paralyse her."

"I was-s-s-sn't doing that," Naga argued back, "I am merely teaching her the consequences-s-s-s-s of trying to es-s-s-s-cape".

Gray Wolf huffed, looking at Holly as she began breathing rapidly and her eyes had rolled towards her head "yes, you certainly proofed that accurate when you brought her here poisoned and asked her how she killed our former comrade".

"I was-s-s-s trying to dis-s-s-scover…."

"Enough!" The wolf monster growled, "I think Master Mu would be pleased if we took her back to the room she was last preoccupied in."

"Why would he want that?"

"BECAUSE SHE IS A VALUEABLE PRIZE!" Mu's thunderous voice boomed as he came into view.

"M-m-m-mas-s-s-ster," Naga's voice contained a little tremble as he shifted away from the table.

The King of the Baddies peered at the young girl before turning is head back to the members of the Big Bad Four.

"Consider this a warning Naga!" Mu's voice growled, "You do not harm the girl unless I inform you do so, do you understand?"

"Y-y-yes-s-s-s Mas-s-s-ster," Naga obeyed immediately.

"Get out of my sight!" Mu shouted and Naga slithered out of the room without question. Mu turned around towards the door of the room; before he exited, he turned back to Gray Wolf, "after the Weed provides her with the antidote, take her back into the room and look after her until I return."

Gray Wolf nodded his head, "yes Master." As soon as Mu left and the Weed had injected a needle with green liquid into Holly, Gray Wolf remained patiently by her sleeping form for a few moments then gently placed her onto his back and carried her back into the last room she was in before she escaped. He laid her down onto another table, but instead, this one included a soft white sheet. Gray Wolf continued to watch her with curiosity, for the information he had previously been told by other baddies that this was the human girl who took out an entire Jell army and had played a large role in Gali's death; she did not appear to be threatening in any way. She looked innocent, almost too innocent he'd figured, but then he had always been told not to judge a book by its cover.

Gray Wolf's thoughts were interrupted as Holly's eyelids slowly opened. She looked around her surroundings, a little confused of how her sight became normal again and her head was no longer dizzy. She looked again and gave a slight gasp, spotting a baddie just a few inches away from her.

"I can assure you I mean no harm," the monster spoke calmly, without the slightest hint of menace in his voice.

Normally, Holly would feel endangered coming across a creature that bore the familiar symbol of darkness but this particular monster seemed to not to provide signs of danger. And he resembled her companion Tiger so greatly, if it were not for the diverse colours coated on their fur, she could have sworn they were twins. Brushing aside the idea for now, Holly took the opportunity to ask the questions to the monster that could only provide answers for her at the moment.

"Where am I?" She said, her voice barely audible due to the still effects of the powder Naga had drenched her with, but the grey monster could clearly hear her words.

"You're in the same room you were the last time before you tried to escape," the monster replied and could not help but chuckle a little bit, "it was a foolish thing but I must admit it was very brave for you to attempt."

"What happened after?" Holly asked, "What did Naga…."

"He injected an amount of his venom into you," he said, "Naga is one of the group leaders who takes no mercy while scolding his troops if they dare disobey or against those who try to defy Master Mu; I predict he was attempting to teach you a lesson."

"Then how did I survive the poison?"

"It was only meant to last awhile," Gray Wolf told her, "But Master Mu had one of his weeds provide you with the cure so you would recover sooner".

"Why did he do it?"

He chuckled again, "for someone who just recovered from a contamination, you ask a lot."

"Well, I'm curious as to why Mu wants me here alive," Holly said, raising her head up and moving to a sitting position on the table, "he gave me the cure so there must be some reason for keeping me here."

"Hmm," Gray Wolf mused then asked, "What's your name?"

She hesitated before answering, "I'm Holly."

"Ahhh, the Red Lady," Gray Wolf said, "I heard a group of my fellow baddies whispering about you; they very much emphasized on the fact on the powers who contained and something about a girl named Xaviera."

There it was again, Holly thought that damned name that had been placed upon her several times.

"Do you know who Xaviera is?" she quickly asked but only received a shake of the head by him.

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Then can you at least please tell me what you think your master plans to do with me?"

"What he normally does with his prisoners," Gray Wolf informed her, "he'll turn you into a baddie."

The statement did not offend her but instead, made her more curious than before.

"Were you a prisoner as well before Mu turned you?" she asked, now desiring to know his background as well, "what's your name".

"My name is Gray Wolf," he responded with a slight nod of the head, "And I am a member of Master Mu's Big Bad Four."

Holly's eyes widened, of course! No wonder he reminded her of Tiger so much! The monster here standing before her was his little brother who had been abducted by Mu when the King of the Baddies had decided to attack Tiger's pack.

Seeing her facial expression, he said, "You know of me?"

"Yes," she nodded, moving a little closer towards him to get a better look, "I know your brother Tiger; he told me about you including the day Mu abducted you and took you away and how he tried to save you and…."

"Liar!" Gray Wolf snarled, causing her to jump and move back. He drew his attention away from her and walked towards the large window, staring down.

"Mu never took me," he said darkly before turning to face her again, "Tiger gave me up, he sold me to Master Mu because he thought I was a threat to this pack. Growing up, he always looked down upon me and never thought I was worth anything. In fact, I am glad he sold me to Mu because now I know where my purpose of life truly lies serving evil and making those who think they can defeat us pay."

Holly felt her heart sink at his words. Mu must have brainwashed him before he turned him into a baddie, she figured. Sure, Tiger of the Wind bore a selfish and uncaring matter when she had first met him but that all had changed. And there was one thing that was for certain, he never spoke gravely about his brother and told everyone most of the times when they would just sit and converse on how he had made it his mission to defeat Mu and win his baby brother back. There was no doubt to Holly that his words were untrue and that Gray Wolf had simply forgotten the good memories of his life and was now living in a world filled with darkness and hate. But one thing that remained uncertain, he had spoken to her gently before and by the looks of things, it did not appear that he was attempting to harm her in any way; perhaps there was some good still left in him? She decided to change the subject in order to not let things get out of hand.

"So you said you are a member of the Big Bad Four?" she asked.

"Yes".

"Is it only you and Naga?"

"Yes," he repeated, "ever since Pixie's sudden treachery and Gali's decease, Naga and I are the only ones left, I guess he is trying to prove to the Master that he is more than capable of being his mist loyal servant." He moved closer to her again and stared at her for a moment, making Holly feel uncomfortable at his sudden motionless gaze.

Finally she said, "What is it?"

"Nothing," he spoke, snapping out of his trance, "It's just with you being here and all and our shortage of baddie leaders, maybe Mu has the idea of taking Pixie's place."

"I won't turn," Holly spoke with clear determination on her face, "even if Mu tries to make me a baddie, my friends will come and rescue me before it occurs".

"And if they don't?"

"They will."

"How can you be so certain?"

"Because I just know," Holly said, "and if there is a chance they don't make it in time, I'd rather have Mu kill me instead".

"Suit yourself," he said, "but you could live a better life if you easily converted yourself to this side."

"Well thank you but no thank you," Holly said, hugging her arms over her knees, "I've made my decision".

He chuckled again, realizing the dazzling courage she had for a normal human being who would dread the idea of being tortured by Mu and yet, she was willing to give up her own life rather than join his army; that was something he did not see everyday.

"The night sky is beautiful," she quickly said, jolting him out of his thoughts. She stared out the window and faced him, "have you ever tried counting how many stars there are?"

"Hmm," he tilted his head to the side, "why would you ask me that?"

She shrugged, "I'm just curious, when I was a child, I used to try to count the stars every-night before I'd go to bed but I'd always give up in the end after losing count a few times." Holly could not help but smile at the memory, "I always thought they were so beautiful, the way they lit up in the sky, it just made me want to reach out and grab as many as I could." She paused, realizing that he had most likely found boredom in her story so she stopped. But he did not look the slightest bored but curious instead.

"Thank you for helping me," she said, making him raise his eyebrows, "I know you may think I am lying but I mean it, thank you".

"Well, your welcome," he said then gave a small bow, "I must return to my quarters now, get some rest; the Master will be with you shortly. Oh and by the way, you may want to reconsider thinking about your final decision to join us, it would be a disgrace to watch a young woman like you suffer a horrible death instead of having the chance to live a better life."

Holly tried to think of a response to say to him but instead hung her head and shifted her body around, staring into the night sky again. Suddenly, she heard a paddle of footsteps shift behind her and turned around when she felt a slight tug at her arm. She watched in shock as the wolf monster took her hand into both his paws and licked her palm in an affection manner she would remember seeing the wolf breeds in her village do to their adored owners. Without saying another word, Gray Wolf released her hand and walked away, swiftly exiting out the door. After a moment of gingerly touching the spot where he had licked her, Holly let her body fall back on the table and shifted several times before falling into a deep sleep.

Yay! Another chapter! Since I have another late update I'd figure I'd write 2 chapters because I did not want to make you guys wait that long just for one chapter :) A big thank you again to my loyal readers and I hope you enjoyed reading these two chapters and that they were good enough! More action will come as the plot is starting to further develop, I just have to plan it all out and how I will write it lol! And thank you to the lovely RockyRoasSmith for teaching me how to write Naga's dialogue, now I remember how he talks again XD! Pleas read and review to tell me wut you think! And I could not help but place Gray Wolf in this chapter, I'm not trying to make him a big softie or anything because he is still a baddie at this point but I kind of wanted him to have a small soft spot for Holly. Hey! The girl is on a ship filled with baddies and someone's gotta be nice to her lol! Wut do u guys think of this?