" Human! Wake up!"

Mia rubbed her head and groaned as she sat up. " Yes, Blackie?"

Blackie shook his fur annoyingly. " Look."

Mia blinked at the white thing on her sleeping bag. " It's..... Snowing?"

" What do you think?"

Mia gasped, then crawled to the other side of the cave. " Emma, wake up!" She whispered urgently. " It's snowing!"

The black haired girl rubbed her eyes. " MHmmmm??"

" It's snowing outside!"

Emma opened an eye. " Don't be silly. It's the middle of summer!"

Mia furrowed her brow, and she went out. Emma sighed and closed her eyes again.

But suddenly she was hit with a ball of coldness.

" Wha.... what was that?!" Emma yelped.

Mia smirked. " Surprise."

Emma rubbed her eye and sputtered, " B... but.... How......?"

Mia shrugged. " I dunno."

Then she turned to the Blonde haired girl. " Annie! It's snowing!"

Annie squinted. " Huh?"

Emma shot Mia an annoyed look. " Yeah. She hit me with a snowball to wake me up."

" There's more where that came from."

" No thank you!" Annie yelped as she jumped out of her bag.

Emma rummaged through their supplies, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Uh, Mia?" she called, her voice edged with concern. "We've got a bit of a problem."

Mia, who was busy trying to coax Blackie into helping her gather a few more things, looked over. "What kind of problem?"

Emma held up an empty bag that once held their food. "We're out. There's nothing here."

Mia's face fell. "What? We had plenty of food last night. What happened?"

Without missing a beat, she turned to the ever-annoying cat, crossing her arms as she turned "Blackie, do you know what happened to our food?"

Blackie licked his paw. "Your food was taken due to one simple reason."

The girls leaned in, listening closely.

Blackie yawned as he continued, "Because you're stupid."

Mia's eye twitched. "Excuse me?"

Emma and Annie burst out laughing, almost doubling over as the cat's voice rang in the cave again, unphased. "Stupid. As in lacking intelligence."

Mia groaned loudly. "I did not need a definition, Blackie!"

Mia stood there, rubbing her temples in frustration, as Blackie stretched lazily and gave her a smug look. "Humans," the cat drawled, "always so oblivious to the obvious. You didn't think to guard your food in a cave? In the wilderness? During winter? With animals around?"

Emma and Annie, still snickering, exchanged amused glances. Annie wiped a tear from her eye. "You know, Mia, he's kind of got a point."

Mia shot Annie a glare. "Don't encourage him."

Blackie, of course, wasn't done. "And now you're all standing around like you expect the food to magically reappear. Truly fascinating. It's like watching a group of squirrels who've lost track of their acorns."

Annie and Emma were now leaning on each other, trying to suppress their laughter. "He's relentless!" Emma gasped between fits of giggles. "It's like he's been waiting for this moment!"

Mia rolled her eyes and sighed. "I swear, I don't even know how you became my cat."

Blackie sat upright, flicking his tail in amusement. "Oh, it's simple. Fate loves to toy with the foolish, and apparently, I'm the prize for your endless parade of bad decisions."

This sent Annie and Emma into another round of laughter, the two of them clutching their stomachs while Mia just stood there, her patience wearing thin. She put her hands on her hips and looked down at Blackie, who was cleaning his paw with the utmost disinterest in their plight.

"Okay, that's it," Mia muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "How about you help for once instead of just sitting there, tearing us down?"

Blackie tilted his head, his green eyes gleaming with mischief. "Help? Oh, sweet human, my job isn't to help. My job is to observe, critique, and occasionally bless you with my wisdom. You're the one with thumbs, after all."

Mia looked at Annie and Emma, who were still laughing but now trying to catch their breath. "You two can stop any time now," she said flatly.

Annie wiped her eyes, still grinning. "Sorry, Mia, it's just... you have the sassiest cat ever, and you're stuck with him!"

"Yeah," Emma added, grinning, "I can't believe you chose him out of all the pets in the world."

Mia groaned again, casting a look at Blackie. "I didn't choose him. He... sort of... showed up one day. And he hasn't left since."

"Ah, yes," Blackie chimed in, clearly enjoying himself. "Because deep down, you know you need me."

Mia blinked. "Need you? I need you like I need a hole in the head."

Blackie smiled, in that smug, cat-like way. "Exactly. I'm indispensable."

Annie and Emma lost it again, laughing so hard they had to sit down. Meanwhile, Mia stood there, arms crossed, glaring at the sarcastic feline and wondering — for the hundredth time — why this cat, of all cats, had chosen her.

"Why me?" Mia mumbled under her breath, staring at Blackie in disbelief. "Out of all the people in the world, why did you decide to stay with me?"

Blackie gave her a pointed look, his tail swishing. "Clearly, I saw potential. Or maybe I just enjoy watching the chaos unfold around you."

Annie, wiping away more tears from laughing, shook her head. "Mia, you're officially the most unlucky person I know. But, man, Blackie makes things so much more entertaining!"

Mia sighed deeply and muttered, "Yeah, so entertaining." She glanced out at the snow-covered landscape, already dreading what their next move would be, especially with Blackie tagging along.

" Move it people."

Mia glared back at her cat, who was in the bag. " Says the one wrapped in blankets!"

Blackie yawned. " I'm a cat. It's what I do."

Mia rolled her eyes. " You're so annoying."

" But you love me anyway."

Mia couldn't help but smile. " Yeah, yeah."

Emma gasped. " Look what I found!"

The two girls snapped their gaze to her. " Did you find food?"

Emma held up a rock. " No, but I found this!"

The two girls groaned. 

Mia rubbed her forehead in frustration. "Emma, we're starving, and you're excited about a rock?"

Emma grinned, unbothered by their exasperation. "But it's not just any rock! Look, it has this cool crystal pattern on it. Isn't it neat?"

Annie squinted at the rock. "Neat? Sure. Edible? Absolutely not."

Blackie, snug and warm in his blankets, poked his head out just long enough to offer his ever-snarky input. "Yes, Emma, because rocks are clearly the pinnacle of survival cuisine. Perhaps we can pair it with some snow for a delightful frozen treat."

Mia huffed, but she couldn't help cracking a small smile. "At this rate, we might actually have to eat snow."

Emma tossed the rock back to the ground with a shrug. "Well, I thought it was interesting." She stood up and brushed off her hands. "But seriously, what are we going to do? We're out of food, it's snowing in the middle of summer, and Blackie's not exactly pulling his weight here."

Blackie stretched and purred. "Excuse me, but I'm the moral support. You're welcome, by the way."

Mia rolled her eyes but gave her bag a quick pat, making sure Blackie was still cozy inside. "Come on, we'll figure something out. We just need to get moving and maybe find a way out of this snow."

Annie adjusted her backpack and sighed. "Moving where, though? It's all snow and rocks and more snow."

"Anywhere is better than sitting here waiting for more sass from Blackie," Mia muttered, glancing down at her cat who merely blinked back at her with disinterest.

The girls began trekking through the snow, their breath visible in the cold air. Each step was more difficult than the last as the snow deepened. Emma, still somehow in good spirits, started singing a little tune about finding food in the wilderness, while Mia and Annie just exchanged looks of tired amusement.

After what felt like hours, Mia suddenly paused and tilted her head. "Wait. Do you hear that?"

The other two stopped in their tracks, listening closely.

A faint, distant sound, like the crunch of footsteps on snow, reached their ears. Mia's eyes widened. "Someone's coming!"

Blackie lazily poked his head out of the bag. "Finally, maybe someone with a morsel of food and a brain will show up."

Mia ignored him and turned to the others. "Let's see who it is. Maybe they can help us."

" MIA USE YOUR BRITISH!" Annie yelled.

" WHY?!" Mia yelled back.

Emma glanced back and yelped. " BECAUSE THERE'S A SNOW LEPORD CHASING US!"

" SHOULD I FIND A MONOCOLE AND PUT IT ON?!" Blackie meowed.

Mia glanced at her cat. " NOW'S NOT THE TIME!"

" MIA, NOW!" Annie yelled. " IF YOU DON'T, WE'LL BE LEPORD FOOD!"

" IF YOU INSIST!"

Mia took a deep breath as the snow leopard gained on them. The massive creature bounded through the snow, its icy eyes locked on its next meal. Annie and Emma were panicking, but Mia? Oh, Mia was about to unleash her secret weapon—her British side. She straightened up, despite the ridiculousness of the situation, and adopted the most pompous, aristocratic tone she could muster.

"Well, well, well," Mia began, her voice dripping with exaggerated poshness, "it appears that we have found ourselves in quite the predicament, haven't we, ladies?"

Annie glanced over her shoulder, eyes wide with terror. "MIA, THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO TALK LIKE A SNOB!"

Mia raised an eyebrow and kept walking, her posture now oddly refined as if she were strolling through a garden rather than running for her life from a snow leopard. "Honestly, Annie, must you shout? It's terribly unbecoming. If you spent less time screeching like a barn owl and more time using your brain, we might not be in this mess."

Emma, her face pale, was now running beside Mia. "Mia, PLEASE, we are literally going to be eaten by that thing if you don't do something!"

Mia let out a dramatic sigh, raising her chin. "Oh, Emma, dear. Have you ever heard of something called dignity? I do realize you've probably forgotten what that is with your tendency to dig through rocks and marvel at them as if they were precious gems. But in a moment of crisis, one must maintain grace. And clearly, neither of you are capable of such refinement."

The snow leopard let out a low growl, clearly unimpressed by Mia's sudden superiority. Annie tripped over a rock, scrambling back to her feet as fast as possible. "MIA, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! IT'S GAINING ON US!"

Mia let out an exasperated tut and gave a mock wave of her hand. "Yes, yes, I'm well aware, Annie. No need to remind me of the obvious, which, frankly, you've mastered quite well. You could win a gold medal in stating the obvious."

Blackie, still wrapped in his blanket, poked his head out of Mia's bag. "I'm with Mia. You're all loud and annoying."

Mia smirked, pleased with her cat's support. "You see, even the cat agrees with me. Not that this is surprising, as Blackie has a certain level of sophistication that's clearly lacking in this group."

Annie, gasping for breath, shot Mia a desperate look. "Mia, FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING NINJAGO, DO SOMETHING!"

"Very well," Mia said with the most dramatic sigh of her life. She stopped in her tracks, turned to face the snow leopard, and put on her best royal accent. "Excuse me, my dear snow leopard, but it's frightfully rude to chase young ladies across the snow. Haven't you got better things to do, like, I don't know, not mauling us?"

The snow leopard paused, clearly taken aback by Mia's sudden composure and bizarre change in tone. It blinked at her, its icy blue eyes narrowing as it tilted its head.

Mia, seizing the moment, crossed her arms. "That's better. Now, let's be sensible about this. Surely, there are other, far tastier creatures in the vicinity. I mean, just look at Annie and Emma—pathetic, really. They've barely got any meat on their bones, not to mention the distinct lack of flavor I imagine would come from their obvious lack of proper seasoning."

Annie and Emma both gaped at Mia, their jaws dropping. "What the—?!"

Mia wasn't finished. "Now, if you're looking for something a bit more appetizing, might I suggest a nice rabbit or perhaps a deer? Far more suitable for a creature of your caliber. And besides, I'd hate for you to tarnish your lovely coat with the stench of desperation, which is exactly what you'd be getting from them."

The snow leopard continued to stare, utterly confused by this strange, posh human now lecturing it on meal choices. It blinked again, this time with what seemed to be mild disbelief.

Emma, shaking her head, muttered, "I can't believe this is happening."

Mia waved her off. "Hush, Emma. You're embarrassing yourself further. You've already contributed nothing to this survival attempt except for the discovery of a useless rock. Let the adults handle this, darling."

Annie, out of breath and still in shock, whispered to Emma, "Is this really happening? Is she actually degrading us while talking to a snow leopard?"

Emma nodded slowly. "Apparently."

Mia took a step forward, still addressing the leopard as if she were talking to a misbehaving butler. "Now, off with you. I'm sure you've got far more important things to do than harass us. Perhaps a lovely nap or a brisk run through the tundra. Either way, we're quite done here."

To everyone's utter disbelief, the snow leopard huffed, clearly unimpressed but no longer interested in pursuing them. It gave Mia one last skeptical look before turning around and padding off into the snow, vanishing into the white landscape.

Mia turned back to the group with a satisfied smirk. "See? Problem solved. You're welcome."

Annie and Emma just stood there, frozen in place, their mouths agape. "Did that... Did that really just work?"

Mia dusted off her hands, her British accent still in full effect. "Of course it worked. You simply need to know how to communicate with creatures of superior taste. Something you both clearly lack. Now, shall we get back to finding some actual food, or are you going to waste more time marveling at rocks?"

Annie shook her head in disbelief, and Emma just burst out laughing. "I can't believe you actually talked a snow leopard out of eating us by insulting us!"

Mia shrugged, her smirk growing. "Well, it's not my fault you two gave it nothing better to chase after."

Two hours after their narrow escape from the snow leopard, Mia felt her nerves still buzzing as she tried to piece together what had just happened. She sat on a snow-covered rock, her legs tucked beneath her, while Annie and Emma huddled nearby, attempting to warm themselves by a small fire they'd managed to start. Blackie, ever the aloof feline, lay curled up in the most comfortable spot he could find in Mia's bag.

As the crackling fire threw flickering light across the snow-dusted landscape, Mia suddenly had an idea. Her mind raced back to the one person who might have the wisdom — or, at the very least, the absurd advice — that could help. Without a second thought, she pulled out her phone and dialed Jay's number.

She listened as the dial tone rang once, twice, three times, and finally—

"Hello?" a familiar voice answered, but it wasn't Jay's.

Mia frowned. "Nya? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Jay's in the shower. What's up?" Nya's voice was casual, though there was a hint of curiosity in her tone.

Mia shifted uncomfortably, her eyes darting to Emma and Annie. "Uh... funny question, and you're gonna think I'm nuts but... what would you do if a lion — you know, like, a real lion — with a beard that kinda looks like Master Wu's, was chasing you... while spouting wisdom?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Mia could almost see Nya's face, twisted in confusion.

"Whaaaaaaat?" Nya finally responded, drawing the word out as if trying to comprehend the sheer absurdity of what Mia had just asked.

Mia rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks even though the air around her was freezing. "Yeah... never mind. Byeeeeee!" she said quickly, hanging up before Nya could ask any follow-up questions.

She pocketed her phone and turned around, only to see something she hadn't anticipated.

There, not twenty feet away, was the lion. And it wasn't just any lion. This one had a long, flowing white mane that indeed resembled Master Wu's beard. The lion's golden eyes seemed to gleam with the same kind of wisdom Wu often projected when he spoke in riddles, and his paws padded silently through the snow.

But it wasn't the lion itself that had Mia frozen in place — it was the fact that Emma, of all people, was standing right in front of it, trying to distract the beast.

Emma, who never seemed to have a filter for her actions, was waving her arms in the air, hopping from one foot to the other like some kind of deranged circus performer.

"Here, kitty, kitty!" she called in a singsong voice, as if the lion was a harmless house pet rather than a gigantic predator with fangs the size of her hand. "Look at me! Aren't I interesting?"

Mia's jaw dropped. "Emma, what are you doing?!"

Emma didn't even glance back. "Distracting it! Isn't it obvious?"

The lion cocked its head, its mane swaying gently in the cold breeze, but it didn't pounce. Instead, it simply stared at Emma, almost as if trying to figure out what sort of strange human would willingly stand in front of it while acting like a lunatic.

Annie, who was sitting by the fire with her eyes wide, stood up and hissed, "Emma, are you insane? That's a lion! It's going to eat you!"

Emma turned to face Mia and Annie briefly, a proud grin on her face. "Nah, it's fine. Look, it's not attacking or anything! I think it likes me." She wiggled her fingers at the lion, who blinked slowly, clearly not impressed.

Mia threw her hands up in frustration. "This is not happening. There's no way this is happening."

But it was happening. And to make matters worse, as Emma continued to prance around in front of the lion, the beast actually opened its mouth—not to roar, but to speak.

"Patience, young one," the lion rumbled in a voice that was so deep, it sent a shiver down Mia's spine. The voice, to her utter disbelief, sounded eerily like Master Wu's. "Wisdom is the true path to survival."

Mia blinked, her brain struggling to process what was unfolding before her. A talking lion. That looked like Master Wu. Spouting wisdom. In the middle of a snowstorm. She glanced over at Blackie, who was now peeking out of the bag with a look of disdain.

"You humans are all mad," Blackie muttered, his eyes narrowing at the scene in front of him.

Emma, however, seemed unfazed by the lion's words. In fact, she stopped jumping around and put her hands on her hips. "Did you just—did you just quote Master Wu?!" she asked, incredulously. "Is that why you look like him?!"

The lion blinked slowly, its massive tail swishing behind it. "Master Wu's wisdom is not bound by form. Even the simplest creature can embody his teachings."

Mia groaned, her hands running through her hair in utter disbelief. "Why do these things keep happening to us?"

Annie, who had been quietly edging away from the fire, chimed in, "Mia, I think now would be a good time to, you know... run."

Mia shot her a glare. "You think?"

Emma, oblivious as ever, continued to converse with the lion. "Okay, but, like... if you're so wise, can you tell us where to find food? We're kind of starving here, and I'm pretty sure if I distract you for much longer, we're all going to end up on the menu."

The lion blinked again, as if considering Emma's request. "The path to sustenance lies within the balance of nature. Patience, and the answers will come."

Emma looked back at Mia, a baffled expression on her face. "So, like... does that mean we just wait for food to magically appear?"

Mia threw her arms up in exasperation. "Emma, the lion's not a genie! Let's go before it decides we're the food!"

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Emma seemed to come to her senses. She gave the lion a small wave. "Thanks for the advice, I guess. But we're gonna... you know, head out now."

The lion simply nodded sagely, its golden eyes watching as the girls hastily gathered their things and began backing away, Mia dragging Blackie along with her.

As they turned and sprinted back toward the cave, Mia couldn't help but mutter to herself, "First a snow leopard, now a lion with Master Wu's beard. What's next, a talking elephant that sounds like Sensei Garmadon?"

Blackie, still safely tucked into her bag, replied dryly, "Knowing your luck, probably."

When they had safely arrived at yet another random cave, the girls collapsed into a heap of exhaustion. The chilly wind howled outside, but the inside of the cave was surprisingly quiet, save for the crackling of a small fire Emma had managed to start again. Blackie, lounging lazily by the fire with his paws stretched out, stared at Mia with a strange glint in his eyes.

"I have an idea," Blackie purred nonchalantly, his voice almost too casual.

Mia, still catching her breath from their sprint, raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Oh no. What now?"

Annie looked. " Is it a good idea?"

Emma shook her head. " Probably not."

Blackie lifted his head, fixing his sharp gaze on Mia. "It's simple. You should marry Annie temporarily, have kids, and then eat them."

There was a long, stunned silence. Mia blinked. Annie blinked. Emma was frozen mid-chew on the last remaining granola bar, her mouth hanging open.

Mia's face twisted in horror, her hand instinctively reaching for her forehead as if she was about to rip her own eyes out. "WHAT?!"

Annie, whose face had gone from pale to bright red in the span of a few seconds, sputtered, "Excuse me?! Did he just say—?"

Mia, already rubbing her temples in an attempt to process the absolute insanity of Blackie's suggestion, shot a deadly glare at the smug cat. "Blackie, I swear, I'm two seconds away from throwing you off a cliff."

Blackie gave a slow, exaggerated yawn, completely unfazed by Mia's threats. "Just thinking outside the box. A bit of survival instinct, you know?"

Mia looked like she was going to implode. Her fists clenched, her eyes bulging as she tried to find words for the sheer absurdity of what she had just heard. "First of all, that's not survival instinct! That's—THAT'S CANNIBALISM!"

Emma, still in a state of shock, whispered, "And also... really, really disturbing."

Blackie, who seemed completely unbothered by the horrified reactions of the group, flicked his tail lazily. "Details, details. You humans make things so complicated. Cats, on the other hand, know how to simplify."

Annie, who had finally recovered enough to speak, stammered, "M-marry me?! I mean—what?! What is wrong with you?"

Mia groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I can't believe this is my life now."

Emma glanced at Mia sympathetically, then at Blackie with wide eyes. "How did he even become your pet? Seriously, this is next-level creepy."

Mia, still looking like she might actually rip her eyes out, grumbled, "I ask myself that question every single day."

An hour later, as the small group sat around their dwindling fire, trying to figure out what their next move should be, Blackie, ever the source of bizarre ideas, spoke up again, his voice dripping with the same kind of condescending nonchalance he always had.

"I have another idea," Blackie said, stretching out his paws as if this were the most normal conversation in the world.

Mia, already bracing herself for whatever nonsense was about to come out of his mouth, gave him a side-eye. "Oh, fantastic. I can't wait to hear it."

"You should eat trees," Blackie began, as if he were suggesting something perfectly reasonable.

Mia, Annie, and Emma all blinked in unison.

"Trees?" Annie asked, her voice flat with disbelief. "Like, actual trees?"

Blackie nodded, completely serious. "Yes, trees. Then, you're maybe gonna get sick and start giving birth to more trees. But hey, look on the bright side!"

Mia's hand immediately went to her forehead, massaging her temples. "I swear if you don't have an actual bright side to this..."

Blackie ignored her, continuing with his absurd monologue. "Emma, you should marry the trees."

Silence filled the cave. The sound of the crackling fire was the only thing breaking the awkward tension.

Emma, however, didn't seem fazed. In fact, she shrugged, looking more thoughtful than horrified. "Marry the trees, huh?" She tilted her head. "You know... trees do live a long time. They'd be good company. They're strong, grounded—"

Mia's head whipped toward Emma, her eyes wide with alarm. "EMMA. No. Stop. Please."

But Emma had already gone down the rabbit hole, her eyes distant as she considered Blackie's insane suggestion. "I mean, think about it. Trees don't argue. They don't have drama. Just peaceful... growing... photosynthesis... Honestly, it might be nice."

Annie stared at Emma, mouth agape. "Emma, you're seriously okay with this?!"

Mia threw her hands in the air. "What is happening right now?! First, I'm supposed to marry Annie, have kids, and then eat them—now Emma's going to marry a tree?! What is this madness?!"

Blackie, as calm as ever, flicked his tail. "It's called thinking outside the box, human. You should try it sometime."

Mia glared at the cat. "No, it's called insanity,and I'm two seconds away from losing my mind."

Annie, still looking at Emma like she'd grown a second head, shook her own head in disbelief. "We've officially lost it. This whole situation is just..."

Emma, still lost in her tree-marriage daydream, smiled serenely. "It's not the worst idea I've ever heard."

Mia buried her face in her hands. "I am surrounded by lunatics. Literal lunatics."

"MIA, DO SOMETHING!" Annie screamed, panting as she tried to keep up.

"What am I supposed to do?!" Mia yelled back, her voice cracking with panic. "They're HYENAS!"

"USE YOUR BRITISH!" Annie shouted desperately, looking back and nearly tripping over a rock.

"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS THINK THAT'S GONNA WORK?!" Mia screeched in return.

But Annie was insistent. "JUST DO IT!"

With no other option, Mia huffed in frustration, then slowed down just enough to catch her breath, turned, and yelled in her most dramatic British accent, "STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU FILTHY ANIMALS!"

The hyenas paused mid-snarl, seemingly confused by the sudden change in tone. Mia, sensing a tiny bit of success, decided to keep going, but in her panic, her rant took a very strange turn.

"HOW DARE YOU, you miserable, flea-ridden beasts! Do you know who I am? I am a descendant of—well, some kind of royalty, I'm sure! But that's irrelevant! Let me tell you a little something about Master Wu!"

Annie's eyes widened. "Uh, Mia? What does Master Wu have to do with this?!"

But Mia was too far gone now, her British accent growing stronger as she gestured dramatically at the hyenas. "Do you KNOW how long Master Wu has been alive?! Centuries! Decades! He has seen more than your pitiful little hyena brains can possibly comprehend! He has taught wisdom beyond YOUR understanding, you mangy mutts!"

The hyenas tilted their heads in confusion, but they didn't seem to be retreating. In fact, they were just staring at her, blinking as if they were trying to make sense of her rant.

"And let me tell you," Mia continued, now waving her arms wildly, "if Master Wu were here, he would not be chased by the likes of YOU! Oh, no. He would outwit you in an instant! He'd spout wisdom so deep, you'd probably just roll over and give up!"

Annie slapped her forehead. "This is not what I meant when I said use your British!"

But Mia was on a roll. "DO YOU KNOW the number of times I've heard 'Patience, Mia' from Master Wu? Or 'Focus, Mia'! Well, let me tell you something—if I had to listen to him for another hundred years, I'd probably turn into a ghost just like him! BUT! He wouldn't tolerate hyenas chasing us! No, no, no. He'd say something cryptic like, 'A hyena's laugh is only the beginning of its confusion.' And you'd just run away in FEAR of how DEEP that was!"

Emma, who had been half-listening while trying to distract the hyenas with random rocks, turned and gawked at Mia. "Mia, are you seriously talking to them about Master Wu?!"

Mia, undeterred, nodded furiously. "Yes! And it's working!"

It wasn't.

The hyenas, now thoroughly unimpressed, began advancing again, their snarls returning. One even snapped at Mia's feet.

Annie grabbed Mia's arm, dragging her backward. "MIA, IT'S NOT WORKING, RUN!"

"But Master Wu—!"

"RUN!"

Without further argument, Mia finally broke out of her British accent, and the three of them took off again, sprinting away from the completely baffled hyenas.

As they ran, Emma, breathless, shook her head. "I can't believe you thought ranting about Master Wu was gonna stop them!"

Mia groaned. "It usually works on people!"

"Hyenas aren't people, Mia!" Annie shouted, narrowly dodging a tree.

"I know that now!!"

" That.... was.... something I never wanna do again." Emma huffed as she peeked out of the cave.

Mia nodded, her hands on her knees. " Agreed. Never again."

Annie sat down and shivered. " It's.... so cold."

Mia agreed and went to her side. Emma followed.

Blackie came out of the bag. " You know," He drawled, licking his paw. " If you're so cold, Mia could make a fire with her powers."

Mia blinked. " That's genius!"

Emma gasped. " Oh yeah! Kai's her brother!"

Mia stood up, her hands still shaking from the adrenaline of facing down the weird lion, and gave Blackie an appreciative nod. "You're right! I completely forgot I could do that!"

Annie, still shivering, looked up with wide eyes. "You can make fire?! Why didn't you do that earlier? We were practically freezing out there!"

Mia gave an embarrassed shrug. "Well, there was the small matter of running for our lives, Annie."

Emma smirked. "Yeah, priorities."

Blackie rolled his eyes. "Clearly, the human brain has its limits."

Mia shot him a look. "Blackie, you have exactly one job, and that's being cute. So, maybe tone it down?"

The cat yawned dramatically. "I'm cute and intelligent. A rare combination you should be grateful for."

Mia sighed, shaking her head as she knelt near the center of the cave. She focused, her hands glowing faintly as she gathered heat from her powers. A small flame flickered into existence between her palms. It was weak at first, but then with a little concentration, it grew, warming the cave instantly.

Annie scooted closer to the fire, her teeth still chattering. "Ahh... much better. Thanks, Mia. I can feel my toes again."

Emma sat next to her, rubbing her hands together near the flame. "Okay, I'll admit, that's pretty impressive. How come you didn't whip out the fire powers sooner?"

Mia shrugged, leaning back and enjoying the warmth herself. "Honestly, I was too busy thinking about how to not get mauled. I'm more of a 'use powers when calm' kind of person."

Annie shook her head, still in disbelief. "I can't believe you just whipped up a fire like that. You're basically a human furnace."

Mia smiled sheepishly. "I guess I'm your portable heater now."

Blackie, ever the critic, looked unimpressed. "I would've been more impressed if you'd done that before we almost froze. But hey, better late than never."

Emma chuckled, looking at Blackie. "For someone who does absolutely nothing but judge us, you sure do have a lot to say."

Blackie lifted his nose in the air. "I don't do nothing, human. I supervise."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Right. Supervise from the comfort of a bag while we do all the work."

The cat smirked. "Exactly. And yet here you are, still alive. Coincidence? I think not."

Emma shook her head, a grin spreading across her face. "You know, I'm starting to think Blackie might actually be the leader of this group."

Annie snorted. "If that's the case, we're doomed."

Mia, leaning back and feeling the warmth of the fire, sighed contently. "Well, if we're doomed, at least we'll be warm while it happens."

The group settled into a comfortable silence, the crackling of the fire filling the cave. Snow continued to fall outside, but inside, they had warmth, some form of safety, and — despite his sassiness — a rather amusing talking cat.

Mia leaned back, eyeing Blackie. "How did I end up with you as my cat?"

Blackie tilted his head, purring softly. "Ah, fate works in mysterious ways, doesn't it? Lucky for you, it blessed you with me."

Mia smiled, feeling oddly grateful, even though she'd never admit it. "Yeah, yeah. Lucky me."