The Hybrid

Suspicious Activities

Grootslang's body gently hissed as it was patted on the head by Raven. By size, it was like a human petting the side of an elephant, but it seemed to calm Grootslang nonetheless. "Shhh shhh. It's alright," Raven soothed.

"Raven, how did you know those herbs would work?" Robin asked. The blue-themed heroine gave a small smile.

"Just a hunch."

"DUDES!" Shouted a familiar voice. Raven looked up and saw Beast Boy ride on Gorthan with a ghostly figure like the large snake they were fighting. The ghost figure crashed into the physically large snake. He thrashed around for a while before quietly settling in the grass. Kleinslang ran up to Grootslang.

"Dad! Are you okay?" Grootslang's large eye slowly opened up.

"(My little snake?)" Grootslang slowly mumbled.

"DAD!" She cried, wrapping her arms around the front of his face.

"(It's okay, my little snake)" Grootslang hissed, licking her tears away with his tongue. "(I'm back)"

"It's a good thing, too," Gorthan sighed as Beast Boy got down. Grootslang slithered back up and looked at the teen titans.

"Thank you, Titans. I owe you my life," Grootslang bowed his head.

"Anytime," Cyborg saluted. Grootslang shook his head.

"Ugh, why do I smell... Green slap-molasses?" The great snake grumbled.

"Um... that would be my fault, Great Grootslang. To calm you down we had to stuff green slap-molasses in your sensors," Raven explained. Grootslang pulled out the substance from the sensory spots and shook like he was cold.

"Ugh... very um... resourceful. I wouldn't think that a sorceress would be that knowledgable about... snakes," Grootslang suspiciously noted. Raven heard heavy breathing behind her, turning to see Gorthan's dragon head right behind her.

"And would also take in the daughter of Magoth and end the tyrannical brother. Such kindness and wisdom aren't... normal of mortals," The dragon said suspiciously. Even Grootslang didn't know about this and was greatly surprised, spotting Magoth's daughter out with his magical abilities. Pura upon the mention of that name felt worried for Raven, but the blue/red-haired woman simply smiled in a knowing fashion. Both Grootslang and Gorthan could recognize that smile as a mirror of Arella.

"And you think anyone here can be considered being normal?" She replied coolly. Grootslang looked at Raven's hair for a moment and then his eyes widened. He burst out in laughter. Everyone, including Gorthan, was greatly confused.

"You're completely right, Raven. We have been worried for nothing. Thank you so much for helping us," Grootslang gratefully said.

"It was our pleasure," Beast Boy smiled, "Although, you'll have to explain your daughter to me." Grootslang smiled.

"Well, my wife is satisfied."

"WOULD EVERYONE STOP SAYING THAT!" Garfield shouted, making the big snake laugh again.

"Thank you, everyone. And thank you, Raven," Grootslang said, slithering up to her and bowing his head to examine her with his snake eye. "I've never seen a unique... hybrid of knowledge of animals and magic." Raven's eyes widened for a moment, her face became her familiar emotionless view. But then she smirked.

"You know more than anyone, not everything is as it seems," She replied smartly. Grootslang smiled widely as he slithered privately over to Beast Boy.

"She's definitely a keeper I would recommend, Greene," He hissed quietly in his ear. Beast Boy blushed as he urged all the team to leave that moment.

****************************

Raven was gently petting Edgar as she sat with Pura in her room. The half-demon was making sure that Pura was completely fine with her past. "I told you I'm fine."

"And I told you that I want to see it," Raven rebutted. Pura groaned with a roll of her eyes as the door to Raven's room sounded. Raven got up, with Edgar still in her hands and opened the door to a very frustrated-looking Garfield. His eyes picked out Pura.

"Pura, could you give Raven and me some privacy for a moment?" He asked in a tone that didn't seem natural for the changeling. It was authoritative, kind of like Robin's. Pura quickly gathered herself and left the room. Garfield grabbed Edgar and gave him to Pura as she left. Garfield entered her room shut the door behind him. Did he look... mad... confused? Raven really couldn't tell, but she knew it had to do something with Grootslang. "Start talking?"

"What do you mean?"

"Raven, I'm talking about everything that happened in Corinth. You knowing about snakes is very... weird. Not like your normal weird. You're completely different from what I remember."

"So are you," Raven answered, turning around. She slowly walked over to her bookcase. "You're so... serious. More serious than I was. You stay in your room and..." She stopped to consider her words. "I... miss you." Garfield's eyes widened. She was really struggling to say the words that should be easy to say, but not in this situation. "I hate to admit it, but... your presence, your... 'you-ness' is something I miss. I've been trying to live life more since I've gotten better control over my powers, but... life isn't enjoyable without the people you care about." Garfield was speechless. "I feel like we've done a complete switch with you and me."

"I was afraid of that," Beast sighed in Garfield's head. Raven reached up to a book and took it off. Beast Boy noticed the book was about legends of Africa.

"Since when have you taken an interest in African culture?" He asked.

"I... honestly don't know," Raven said. Her most memorable part of Animalia was Africa, but she spent most of her time outside of it. Beast Boy looked over her shoulder and peeked at the book.

"Hehe, I remember hearing this legend," Beast Boy smiled, pointing to a head title that Raven hadn't seen before while studying the book. Her eyes popped open as she read the title: The Legend of the Hybrid.

"You... you know about the legend of the Hybrid?"

"I know a lot about African legends. I grew up in Africa, remember? That's how I knew about Grootslang. Legend has it that this warrior lived in a land with all kinds of animals and used all the powers of the animals to protect the world. Though, the story is a bit... weird." Raven looked at him with confusion. "Well, it says that the hybrid lived on a world that was filled with talking animals and he was the only human." Raven quirked her eyebrow as her eyes stayed in their half-lidded position.

"What makes you think it was a he?" Beast Boy rolled his eyes.

"Okay, she. Though, if I remember correctly, this was a long time ago. Females didn't have the freedom that they have today," Garfield replied. Raven nodded but shrugged.

"People forget about prejudice when their lives are on the line," She summarized as she closed the book. "Beast Boy... I have to tell you something. And I know for a fact, you need to tell me something." Garfield turned his head to the side, puzzled. "You see-" She couldn't say it. Not yet. "I... I can't tell you yet. I don't think I'm strong enough." Garfield was confused, but nodded, leaving sorceress to her thoughts.

"If anything, just remember. I'm here."

"I know," Raven smiled.

A week after this, the alarm rang out again. They rushed to the common room to see the emergency.

"What's the danger?"

"The Brotherhood of Evil is back and they're heading to the same museum where we stopped Mumbo Jumbo," Robin said with grit in his teeth as pictures of the Brotherhood shown up.

"What do they want in the museum?" Cyborg asked.

"I've been running some scans into their attacks. It seems like they're going for a gem that's showcasing at the museum. This one," Robin explained. The picture made Pura, Beast Boy, and Raven's hearts sink as they saw the artifact. The Gem of North-a-Gath. The one the Green Wizard made.

"Oh no," Pura, Beast Boy, and Raven gasped.

Continued...