ran into the stables, the smell of the horses met him. He hobbled slowly through the stable lane and looked into every box, but there was no sign of cricket to be seen. "I would have been surprised too," he said, a little disappointed and was about to leave when he heard the grumbling again, this time louder than before. He turned around again, but the rear boxes were empty yet he walked down the long corridor and looked around again. His black eyes eyed the boy kindly. "Cricket", whispered the gray-haired handsome boy and stepped into the furthest box.The red-brown stallion took a step closer to him and let his ears be scratched. "You bastard, look at you", Kai complained in amusement as he brushed the dust from his fur. He looked around briefly and saw a brush. "Well, better than nothing," he muttered and began to clean the red's fur. After half an hour the stallion's coat was shiny again. "Come on boy, they definitely didn't let you out either, did they?" Asked Kai and led the stallion down the stable lane into the yard. Cricket was careful not to overtake his friend and slowly ran after him outside, breathing in the cool air and screeching out loud. "Be quiet or do you want to go straight back into the box?" Asked Kai and gave him a light pat on the nostrils. Cricket ignored this but stormed off, bucking wildly around the courtyard. The young Blader watched the stallion for a long time, then felt how he was slowly getting tired again.Slowly he limped to the main gate and crouched on the railing, making sure that he only leaned against his uninjured shoulder. Cricket strutted through the courtyard and let off steam to their heart's content. Kai noticed the steps in the entrance hall and the excited talk. "You noticed that I am no longer in bed," he thought, amused, and shortly afterwards the door was opened. "Can you tell us what you're doing out here?" Riku asked angrily. "What does it look like?" Replied Kai charmingly. "You should stay in bed with him, you're still much too weak," said Ray. Kai flashed the group angry then jumped off the area. When he landed on the injured leg, he winced briefly, but that left him cold. "Where's Black Drancer?" He asked. Involuntarily, Riku, Ray and Tyson took a step backwards. "We don't know, you didn't have the Blade with you," Lee replied firmly. "Aha" was the only thing Kai said then he went to the middle of the courtyard and looked at the sky."What is he doing now?" Asked Max and watched the injured Blader as he searched the sky with his eyes. "Cricket?", Kai looked questioningly at the horse. This stepped up to him and shook her head while grumbling reassuringly. Kai understood and looked up at the sky again. Then his mine brightened and he made a strange loud sound that was amazingly similar to the scream of a buzzard. Lee eyed the Blade Breakers captain skeptically. "Hey wait, hasn't he done this before? When the boy took the blade off him?" Emily asked. But her question was answered shortly afterwards, for a red light shot down from the sky and uttered a happy cry. It whirled wildly around Kai, letting his hair and cloth flutter wildly while the light flipped and then landed in front of the blader with a huge gust of wind. "Silly guy!" Said Kai and brought the phoenix's head into his hands. Satisfied, Drancer babbled and gently rubbed his beak against Kai's cheek.Then he jumped back a little, reared up in front of Kai and flapped his wings violently and swirled the snow around him. "Hey, stop now, I'm glad to see you too, but turn off the air conditioning, it's getting cold," said Kai, holding his hands protectively in front of his eyes. Immediately the firebird stopped and pressed its head against Kai again, licking flames around him. Kai felt the flames warm him up and the strength returning from him. Then he opened his eyes in shock, it wasn't Drancer who warmed him up, he felt the pain subsiding and the strength in his body slowly building up again. He felt how his consciousness slowly clouded over and how he lost control of his senses. > NO <but by then it was already too late. Cricket reared up, neighing pathetically, and his mane, tail, and ankle hangings turned back into the angry flames. His eyes flickered black for a moment, then they shone again in their threatening red, his breath melted the snowflakes that swirled around in front of him."Now I have you foolish bird!" Said Kai coldly and roughly grabbed Drancer by his throat. Frightened by Kai's sudden attack, the firebird pushed itself off the ground and flew high into the air, throwing Kai to the ground with a violent flap of its wings. But it didn't bother him, he jumped up again immediately, grabbed Cricket's mane and pulled himself up onto the horse that came rushing to him. "You're not escaping us!" He yelled after the fleeing phoenix and held his hands in a bowl-shaped manner in front of him: "EXO" A black ball of fire chased Drancer and hit him on the back. Drancer staggered in the air with a plaintive sound. Kai laughed triumphantly when he saw that the phoenix was struggling to stay in the air. The fire stallion followed the trajectory, then stood on his rear hooves and let Kai slip back a bit. Behind his shoulders the fur briefly lit up and black flames shot out, which instantly transformed into strong red-brown wings that turned black downwards.The Blader looked startled at Kai and the fire stallion who flapped his wings wildly. "Come on, hurry up cricket, otherwise he'll escape us after all," the villain ordered the horse. This obeyed immediately and swung itself into the air with powerful wing beats, it soon reached the phoenix who was still stumbling. "No, he'll kill him!" Riku shouted, startled as Cricket leaned on the defenseless bird. The black firestorm wrapped itself around the body of the phoenix and made him cry out in pain. He started his own fire attack to push back the black fire, but his fire only intensified the attack of cricket. "Weakling," said Kai contemptuously and hurled a new ball of fire at Drancer. The phoenix made a long plaintive sound and then fell to the ground. Riku and the others ran frightened outside the castle and just saw how the proud firebird collapsed and dissolved into pieces of embers.Cricket landed next to the spot and watched with red flickering eyes the embers falling to the ground, then his gaze turned to the bladers and he cocked his ears. "Leave that boy, we have done our job, we will spare the others, for now," said Kai coldly and turned his horse. Cricket snorted contemptuously and dashed off. The shocked Blader stood in front of the snow pit in which Drancer was stranded. "He killed him!" Said Mariah, stunned. "Without blinking an eye, his own Bit Beast," whispered Ray, shocked. <br />
<br />
Part 8 <br />
<br />
It wasn't long before the blader arrived back at the abbey, with his fire horse he had covered the distance in less than 10 minutes. "Come on boy, you get an extra ration today," said Kai as he led him into his box and poured his food into the bowl