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Chapter Text

"If you live among wolves. You have to act like a wolf."

                                                                                                                      - Nikita Khrushchev

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

   Two large adult male wolves walk briskly through the forest. The slightly larger wolf has a pure black coat with amber eyes, moves into a crouch, and separates himself from his partner as he travels through the shadows. 

   His partner, a gray wolf with piercing green eyes, walks into the light with a confident gait just as an aged man with a long white beard appears, wearing white robes and a conical straw hat. 

   The man is in the company of a small girl, possibly four years old, with short, curly, ash-brown hair, who, upon noticing the large gray wolf, lets out an excited gasp as she lets go of the man's hand and runs towards the wolf. 

   "Ace!!" She exclaims, grinning broadly, showing off her small fangs as she does so. "Nimerudi!!"

   As she nears the gray wolf, the pure black wolf emerges from the shadows and raises his lips in a snarl at the sight of the man before him, making the young girl giggle. 

   "Tonto, Shadow," she scolds him playfully. "Not tishio, r'memb'r?" 

   In response, Shadow merely huffs at the small girl before gently grabbing her by the hem of her oversized dark gray loose-fitting t-shirt and placing her on Ace's back.

   "Buh-bye, Mistah Wu!!" The girl says, waving goodbye, to which the man, now known as Wu, returns her gesture with a gentle smile. 

   Both wolves bow their heads briefly in farewell. Then, without any sound, they head back to where they came from, leaving Wu alone in the clearing. He strokes his beard in thought as he pulls out a cup of tea from, seemingly, out of nowhere, and takes a small sip. 

   "A girl raised by wolves. Well, this should be interesting," he murmurs aloud, taking another sip from his cup. "Time to see what destiny has in store for her."

Chapter Text

"For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack."

                                                                                                                                     - Rudy Kipling                    

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

   A small child-shaped shadow creeps through the forest. The shadows keep them hidden from view, but as they step through a clearing and into the sunlight, they reveal themselves to be a young girl, presumably around eleven years old.

   Her steel-gray eyes carefully scan the area as her short, curly, ash brown hair sways in the breeze. She has on an oversized gray short-sleeved hoodie with roughly stitched wolf ears attached to the hood and torn pants covered in patches of other material.

   She stands in the clearing for a few seconds, her head tilting slightly to the right to listen for the strange sounds she heard earlier. 

   "NYA!!"

   There it goes again. It sounds like someone is crying out for help, which is what led her to the clearing in the first place. She spares one last look behind her before she steps across the invisible border that separates her from the human world.

   And once she crosses it, she takes off. Her paws hit new terrain, but she continues to run. She follows the sounds of the weird cry until she reaches a place she’s never been before. If memory serves, this is a small island where a famous blacksmith lived.

   "Arrgh!! You could've done something!! You could've used your Twistitzu powers or y-- or your--," a distraught male voice said before he was interrupted by a calm and collected male voice.

   "It's called Spinjitzu."

   Intrigued, she walks further through the rubble that was once part of a blacksmith shop until she reaches the two males.

  The younger has a light complexion, amber eyes, and tall, thick, spiky, reddish-brown hair shaped like fire. He wears a white long-sleeve shirt, red pants, and dark red sneakers. And as for the older male, he, too, has a light complexion, black eyes, and a long white beard. He wears white robes and a conical straw hat.

   Wait... 

   She recognizes that conical straw hat, but it can't be him… can it? The one who healed her when she got deathly sick that one year, near the start of the heavy snowfall.  

   Sniffing the air, she picks up a trace of a light, fresh aroma. Now, there’s no denying it. A nose knows, and hers has never been wrong before.

   "But you did nothing!! I'm going to get my sister back!!" The teenage boy with the fiery hair shouts. 

   "Where they go, a mortal cannot," the older male tells him. "That was Samukai, King of the Underworld. And if it's true that he's carrying orders for Lord Garmadon, then I fear things are much worse than I ever thought."

   "Lord Garmadon?! Underworld?! What's going on?! What do we have that's soooooo important to them?! And why would they take my sister?!" The boy questions. 

   He suddenly turns his head in her direction. Not expecting the sudden eye contact, she jumps back and takes on a defensive position, growling, crouched low to the ground on all fours. 

   "Who are you!?" He takes a step forward. "Are you with those skele-freaks who took my little sister!?" He continues to advance on the eleven-year-old. 

   She growls louder, baring her fangs in a threatening display. 

   The teen does not heed her warnings, so she reacts appropriately by tackling him roughly to the ground. There, she snarls in his face with a menacing look, downplayed by her young baby face.

   "Whoa-ah!!" The boy cries out, trying in vain to get her off. 

   She snaps her fangs dangerously close to his face before jumping off him and distancing herself from his person. A low grumble leaves her as she eyes the boy warily, watching him scramble to his feet.

   He turns to the elder with a disgruntled expression etched on his face. "Why didn't you do anything?!! She could've killed me!!"

   An eyebrow raise answers him. "You should know your actions have consequences, Kai." The man glances out of the corner of his eye to keep the young girl in his field of vision. 

   With a huff, he crosses his arms over his chest. "Yeah, well," he grumbles irritably before clearing his throat and addressing the girl. "Sorry for scaring you or whatever." 

   "S'okae," she responds, dropping her defenses as she slowly creeps closer, sniffing the air as she does so. "Eve'y'ing, okae? No urk-t?"

   "Huh?" He squints confusingly at her. "Oh! You're asking if I'm hurt?"

   Her eyes light up as she nods. "Urd scweaming." She mimics the cries that brought her here with surprising accuracy. "Kaym ta 'elhp." She puffs out her chest, grinning proudly. 

   "Wow. You're quite the brave one, ey?" He grins. "Running headfirst into danger to help those in need." His grin fades as he thinks back on what happened earlier. "My sister did that, and she got captured because of it. If only I were stronger." 

   A sympathetic whimper reaches his ears. "S'okae. Cahn 'elhp."

   "Nah, it's fine. 'Sides, you're just a kid."

   "Nuh-uh!! I's elvenen moon cykles old!!" She proudly states with her head held high. "Ayes cayn fined pak fer meh now!!"

   Hearing that, the teen merely blinks, then chuckles briefly. "You're a weird one, kid. Not as weird as Mr. Spinjitzu over there."

   "Hm?" She tilts her head momentarily before her eyes light up in understanding. "Nuh!! Tha's Mistah Wu!!"

   "Wait? You telling me you know this old man!?" He glances between the two, trying to find a correlation, but comes up short. "She's not... she's not your daughter, is she?"

   "Pfft!! Youse that weird one." 

   "Hey!! It's a reasonable question."

   "Yuh, if yous weird~"

    Wu laughs merrily at their banter. "To answer your question, Kai. I treated her when she was sick a few winters ago." He smiles warmly. "I'm glad to see you well, Arai."

   Arai smiles openly, wagging her whole body. "All thanks tah you, Mistah Wu!! Aye gru stwong!!"

   "I see. Your guardians must be proud."

   A blush spreads across the young girl's face at the praise as she shyly claws at the ground and ducks her head to avoid eye contact. "They's."

   Kai abruptly cuts through their reunion. "Sorry to interrupt. I still need to know why those boneheads took my sister."

   "Very well," Wu agrees, stroking his beard. "Long before time had a name, Ninjago was created by the First Spinjitzu Master by using the Five Weapons of Spinjitzu: The Scythe of Quakes, the Nunchucks of Lightning, the Shurikens of Ice, the Sword of Fire, and the Tekko-Kagi of Spirit. Weapons so powerful, no one can handle all their power at once."

   Arai takes in every word he says, thoroughly entrapped by his story. 

   "When he passed away, his two sons swore to protect them, but the oldest was consumed by darkness and wanted to possess them. A battle between brothers broke out, and the oldest was struck down and banished to the Underworld." 

   A gasp escapes the young girl as she shifts uneasily, pacing back and forth on her paws until the conclusion is said.

   "Peace returned, and the younger brother hid the weapons, but knowing his older brother's relentless ambition for power, he placed a guardian to protect them. And for fear of his demise, a map for an honest man to hide." Sensei Wu faces Kai. "That honest man was your father. The older brother is Lord Garmadon. And I need to find those weapons before he does."

   "You're the younger brother," Kai realizes, putting two and two together from the story. "Then you came here looking for the map?"

   "No. I came for something greater: you." Sensei Wu answers. "And it looks like I've killed two birds with one stone." He directs his gaze to Arai, who puts her paw on her chest and hums curiously. "Yes, I was going to go find you after I dealt with this matter. You are also essential to stopping the darkness from seeing the light."

   She squints her eyes at him, not fully grasping the meaning behind his words. 

   "Since my brother cannot enter this realm, he has obviously struck a deal with Samukai. If he were to collect all four weapons, even I would not be able to stop him again. But you, Kai, you have the fire inside. I will train you to harness it. Use it. Become a Spinjitzu Master." 

   "Spinitsu Mastr?" Arai repeats, testing the words against her tongue. "I wanna!! I wanna!!" She yips excitedly, bouncing from place to place. "I's gonna be ah Spinitsu Mastr!!"

   "Look," Kai cuts through Arai's excitement. "I'm flattered you think I'm all that, but I gotta save my sister! I'm not getting involved in your sibling rivalry."

   He turns to walk away, but Wu intercepts him with his bo staff, knocking him to the ground.

   "Haha. Clunky mule. You are not even ready to face my pinky toe."

   "Tisk. Tisk," Arai clicks her tongue.

   "If you want to get your sister back, you must control the fire that burns inside. Only when you become a Spinjitzu Master will you be able to face… Lord Garmadon." 

   Hearing the name, Arai lets out a low croon, wondering why the name sounds so familiar to her. 

   "Okay," Kai relents, sighing in defeat.

   "And Arai, you must look deep within yourself to see the truth that lies ahead."

   "Um... okae!!" Arai nods even though most of what he says goes over her head. 

   "So," Kai begins. "When do we start?"

* * * * 

   Kai struggles to climb the Mountains of Impossible Heights to reach whatever destiny Wu-- uh-- er-- Sensei Wu has in mind. He watches, amazed, as Arai skillfully climbs the mountainside without an ounce of hesitation. 

   When he reaches the top, he pants heavily, thoroughly exhausted. "How-- how long is training gonna be?" He asks, taking in gulps of air. "Aren't we in a rush since they have the map?"

   Arai stretches from her place on the ledge, yawning wildly before shutting her mouth with a click. She smacks her lips, eyeing Kai with half-lidded eyes. "No rush us. Need tah lurn. Youse mawr than meh."

   "What's that supposed to mean!?"

   She snorts sharply through her nose and turns away from him to direct her focus on her elder. "He needz tah 'ave payshns, rite?"

   "You are wise beyond your years, Arai." Sensei Wu praises. "Indeed, you are correct. Patience is the key, young spitfire." He opens the door, allowing his pupils entrance to his monastery. "You will be ready when you are ready. Not a minute sooner."

   "A monastery?" Kai voices, surprised. "You expect me to learn to fight in a place of peace?"

   Hearing the term fight, Arai crouches low, growling playfully and swatting at the older boy's side. "Yes, yes!! Fight us, we, yes!!"

   "Not fight. Train," Sensei Wu clarifies, which makes Arai whine, saddened by the news. "To become true ninjas, first you must be able to see what others do not."

   Arai looks around, taking cautious steps as she sniffs the area. She paws curiously at the floor, noticing something peculiar but not knowing what.

   "But there's nothing here."

   "Nuh!!" Arai argues. 

   Kai shakes his head. "Look!! Nothing is here!!"

   "Nuh!!" She protests, stomping her paw, only to hear a solid thud. Intrigued, she does it again, hearing the same sound as before. 

   "What in the blazes??"

   "See!! Thehr s'mthing 'eer!!" Arai bounces in place, letting out yips of excitement. "Wehr izz? Wehr izz?" She looks to Sensei Wu, who chuckles while pushing a dragon statue, revealing a secret compartment that holds a button. He lightly taps it with his bo staff, activating all the hidden training equipment.

   Beneath her paws, a tall wooden beam shoots out of the hollow floor, which leads Arai to scramble out of the way. She twists her body so she lands crouched away from the pole, half-raised on her hind legs with her paws lightly touching the floor. Her body language reads alert and ready to fight or take flight, but she eases the tension and regains her bearings. 

   "Whoa! Will this teach me how to do that cool move?" As Kai asks, he hops onto one of the training poles, accidentally triggering a release system.

   Knowing this, Sensei Wu waits for the inevitable. "Oh, dear."

   Kai gets sent flying, screaming as he collides headfirst with another set of training equipment. He falls to the ground, groaning from the impact. 

   Arai walks over to him and gently nudges his side, checking him for injuries. "Spitfaiur? Youse urk-t?"

   Pushing himself into a seated position, he responds. "Only my pride was hurt. I'll live."

   She sniffs him over, double-checking before nodding in satisfaction when she confirms that Kai is okay. 

   "Complete the training course before I finish my tea. Then we will see if you are ready." As Sensei Wu says this, he drinks the entire cup, sighing in delight. "Today, you failed. Tomorrow, you will try again."

   "Huh!?" Arai voices, confused. She shares a look with Kai, who looks just as confused as her. "Hau us fayl? Whawt we du wong?"

   "Yeah!! What she said!!" Kai exclaims, backing her up. "We didn't even--!!"

   Sensei Wu cuts him off by closing the sliding door of the monastery. "Patience."

* * * * 

   The following day, Kai and Arai train hard to complete the obstacle course, but they keep coming up short. Mostly because Kai is impatient and throws off the concentration of Arai.

   "Spitfaiur!!" She growls, annoyed when he gets hit by the spinning branches and knocks into her, sending them roughly to the floor. "Youse rushing!! Stawp!!" She bats half-heartedly at his face. "Fowkuhs."

   "Yeah, okay. I understand, Wildflower." Kai weakly blocks her attacks, knowing she's not striking to hurt. "I'll be more patient." 

   She stops her mock attacks as she tilts her head, confused. "Ayes Uh-rye. Youse hit hed?" She gently prods at his head, making him chuckle and shake his head. 

   "I know who you are, Arai. I was giving you a nickname." He sees her squint her eyes, so he elaborates. "You call me Spitfire even though you know my name, right?"

   She nods. "It's Kah-I."

   "Right. So, nicknames are what you give those who are close to you."

   Steel gray eyes light up. "Wese close? You. I?"

   He reaches out to ruffle her curly hair. "Yeah! We're teammates now."

   Arai leans into his soft touch, chuffing lightly. 

   After a moment, she pulls away before nudging Kai to his feet and leading him to the beginning of the course. 

   "We du. One mawr tahime." She places a paw on her chest and then places it on his. "As a teem."

   Kai grins, determined. "Yeah!! Let's do it!!"

   The sound of a loud gulp catches them off guard. 

   "Ahhhh," Sensei Wu sighs after having finished his hot tea. "Seems I've finished my tea. You will try again tomorrow." He leaves, closing the door behind him. 

   They stand in silence. 

   "Tuhmaarow?"

   "Tomorrow."

   A newfound sense of determination fills their bones.

* * * * 

   The two ninjas in training share a mutual look before steeling themselves for what's to come. They wait for their Sensei to have a seat, and then, before he could even place his napkin in his lap, they set off. 

   Kai breezes past the rotating wooden bars as Arai swiftly dodges the punching bag and spiked ball when she goes through the leaping poles. 

   Sensei Wu hurries with his tea preparations, but as he goes to take a sip, Arai pops into his field of vision, leading him to throw his cup in surprise. 

   "Duhn!!" She proudly exclaims. 

   Impressed with their progress, Sensei Wu gives a short nod as he stands, turning to enter his room. 

   "So, are we going to learn this Spinjitzu or what?" Kai asks.

   Sensei Wu momentarily pauses mid-step.

   "You already have." He answers, opening the door. "Your final test comes tomorrow." He walks into the room. "My advice is to get some sleep." And with that, the door closes.

   Arai glances at Kai. "Wha' now?" She scratches an itch with her hind leg. 

   "I guess we get ready for bed."

* * * * 

   Later that night, while Kai goes to bed, Arai stays outside. She pulls on her hood as she climbs onto the roof and stares into the night sky, taking in the view she will never grow tired of. 

   Her thoughts travel to her guardians, whom she misses, but her conviction remains strong. She wanted to set out and find a path to follow, and she has found that. 

   "Aye fownd howm."

   A content chuff escapes her as she settles down for the night. 

* * * * 

   "ARAI!!"

   Hearing Kai scream puts the feral girl on high alert. Unknown scents reach her nose, and her territorial instincts kick into high gear. She takes notice of three persons dressed in black pursuing Kai outside and cornering him against the gate. 

   The leader of the intruding pack, presumably, wields a sharp crescent-like blade stick and points it at Kai.

   She sees red. 

   A deep, guttural snarl tears itself from out of her throat. 

   Seeing the intruders startle at the sound, Kai uses this moment to sweep the Scythe-wielding person off their feet, thus allowing him to break free into an open space. 

   He readies himself for combat. "Let's get it."

   A grey blur dashes past him, heading straight towards Scythe's, and tackles them to the ground. They struggle against Arai, using the staff of their weapon to keep her at bay. She bears her weight on the handle, but their grip remains firm, further irritating her as she snaps her fangs at them.

   So focused on her target, Arai fails to notice the approach of the other intruder. Not until a blunt object knocks into her, sending her rolling backward from the force. 

   "Arai!!" Kai cries out, worried. He rushes over to her, dodging a shuriken and delivering a spinning kick towards the one who sent it. "Are you okay?"

   Arai scrambles back to her paws, raising a paw to her face at the feeling of something wet touching her. When she pulls back her paw, she finds blood. 

   Her mind goes blank at the sight, and she continues to sit there, unaware of the one-sided battle her teammate partakes in to keep her out of harm's way. 

   "Hey!! Focus, Wildflower!!" Kai says, snapping her out of her trance. 

   She leaps back into action, kicking away an intruder who tries to sneak up behind Kai. "Aye, gotchu!!"

   Together, the two manage to maintain the upper hand in battle, but with them outnumbered by one, the intruders overpower them, backing them against a wall. 

   Arai stands protectively between Kai and their opponents. She growls, snarls, and makes bluff charges at them, trying to keep them a distance away so they can find a way to turn the tide.

   The same crescent-like blade that threatened Kai now threatens her. Having it so close to her person forces her to rear back, but she stands her ground, not wanting to submit to defeat.

   "Welp, we've had a good run, Arai."

   She snorts sharply at that, rolling her shoulders and shifting her stance to fight. "Is nawt ova til its ova!!"

   Kai chuckles at that. "Guess we'll go down swinging, then." He raises his fists, smirking all the while. "Things might get messy. Are you sure you're up for this?"

   "Bwing. It. Ohn."

   They charge forward with a war cry. 

   "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"

   The scene freezes in place as the colors fade to blacks and greys.

To Be Continued...

Chapter Text

 “When one runs with the wolves, one must howl with the pack."

                                                                                                                    - Leon Trotsky

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

   The scene continues where it left off as the colors come back. 

   Arai jumps high while Kai kicks back, and together, the two whip around, delivering strong punches at their adversaries. 

   And that's when all heck breaks loose. 

   In the end, everyone winds up in a dog pile with Arai surprisingly perched on top, completely unharmed, if you ignore her bloody nose she got from Nunchucks. 

   "STOP!!" 

   Instantly, the three intruders respond to the authoritative voice as they get to their feet and bow in tandem. "Hai, Sensei."

   "Wait a minute," Kai starts, thoroughly confused. "They're your students, too?"

   At Wu's nod, Arai eyes the three warily but slowly eases out of her tense position. "Teem us?" She questions, wiping her nose with the back of her paw. 

   "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!! You never said anything about a fifth." Nunchuck laments, grating Arai's nerves. "It's always three. Three Blind Mice. Three Musketeers. Three—!!"

   "Uh!!" The leader interrupts. "What he's trying to say, Sensei, is that the three of us have trained together. We're solid."

   At that, Arai huffs.

   "Didn't look so solid to me," Kai comments, smirking.

   "Master," Shuriken speaks up. "What is the meaning of this?"

   "Each of you have been chosen. Each in tune with elemental properties," Sensei Wu explains. "But first, Ninja, GO!!" He uses his Spinjitzu on his students, changing their outfits to their corresponding colors. 

   "Whoa!!" Kai exclaims, excitedly checking out his outfit. It's a pure red ninja gi with a golden emblem of a fire dragon fastened to the ropes connected to his chest. 

   "Ka-ool!!" 

   Arai is now dressed in a ninja gi consisting of different shades of grey, creating a subtle gradient that highlights the bright teal accents on the trim of her hood, which features large wolf ears attached to the top. Instead of shoes, she has a pair of gray cloth wrapped around the soles of her feet and ankles, giving her extra support. 

   "I's kayn dig it!!"

   "Look what color I am!!" Nunchucks exclaims, elated. He has on a deep electric blue ninja gi. 

   "Wait a minute... I'm still black," the one wielding the Scythe realizes.

   Sensei Wu begins to introduce every member and their elemental power. "Kai, Master of Fire." He taps the teen on the shoulder with his bo staff. "It burns bright in you." 

   "Jay is blue, Master of Lightning." He taps his head. "It courses through your veins." 

   "Heh, that's not all I'm the master of," Jay starts. "I do a little inventing. A dabble in model building. A touch of cooking. A little poetry."

   "More like 'Mouth of Lightning'."

   "Black Ninja is Cole. Solid as rock, Master of Earth."

   Cole addresses Kai. "Nice to meet you, kid. I got your back, and for the record," he removes his hood, showing his face and revealing his shaggy black hair. "There ain't nothing in this world I'm afraid of."

   "Except for Dragons," Shurikens adds. 

   "Dragons aren't from this world, Zane," Cole says, slightly annoyed. "I said in this world."

   Arai pauses in removing the blood from her face to point out. "Drakkns real. Jush 'ard ta find." She continues to clean her face, ignoring the odd looks she receives. 

   "White Ninja is Zane. Master of Ice, and seer with a sixth sense."

   "I sense this one takes things a little too seriously," Kai mumbles. 

   Zane removes his hood, drawing attention to his sharp, icy blue eyes and snowy white hair, styled in a tall flat-top, crew cut. "You, too, have the gift?"

   Jay laughs. "He's just making a joke, Z." He removes his hood to whisper into his friend's ear, showing his short, straight, reddish-brown hair. "Remember what we talked about? Your sense of humor? Huh?"

   "Oh." Zane blinks. "Yes, it was a joke. Haha."

   Jay shakes his head in disappointment, knowing his friend still has a long way to go. 

   "And last but not least, Arai, Ninja of Grey." She perks up at hearing her name. "Master of Spirit." Sensei Wu briefly places the end of his bo staff on the center of her chest. "It lies deep within you."

   Arai puts a paw on her chest, feeling her steady heartbeat beneath, and smiles softly. Her teammates only see her eyes soften as she has yet to remove her hood. 

   She strikes a bow her guardians have instilled in her to show respect. 

   "Now!!" Sensei Wu slams his staff against the solid flooring. "You five are the chosen ones who will protect the Five Weapons of Spinjitzu... from Lord Garmadon."

   "But what about my sister?!" 

   "Yuh!!"

   Jay gasps excitedly. "We're saving a girl? Is she hot?" 

   "Jay..." Cole warns. 

   "I-I just wanna know what we're getting ourselves into," he reasons. "Does she like blue?"

   Arai raises her lips in a sneer as she pulls her leg back and kicks him harshly in the shin. 

   "Youch!!" He jumps, cradling his injured leg. "What was that for!?" 

   "Tawk less. Lisn mawr."

   "B-b-but--!!" 

   She raises her leg in silent warning, and he begrudgingly relents, muttering under his breath. "Got scolded by a little kid."

   "When we find the weapons, we will find your sister," Sensei Wu tells him. "It is time! We must go to the first weapon!"

   "Whoa!! Hold on a minute," Cole interjects. "You said you were gonna teach us Spinjitzu."

   "Yuh!! Yuh!!" Arai nods, looking to her Sensei for answers. 

   "Spinjitzu is inside every one of you, but it will only be unlocked when the key is ready to be found." He pauses momentarily. "Come! My feet are tired. We will take the horse carriage."

   "Haws kehruhj?" Arai tries to pronounce, unused to this term. 

   "Great," Cole says. 

   "Now we have to find the key?" Jay asks.

   "Yeah, I feel like he's taking us for a ride."

   "Well," Kai begins. "If it means finding my sister, then sign me up."

* * * * 

   The following day, the five ninjas in training pull the horse carriage their sensei alluded to earlier, which he now sits in comfortably as his pupils do the heavy lifting. 

   Arai is leading, technically. She's hooked up to a harness at the front of the carriage and is happily running at full speed while her team tries their best to keep pace. 

   "Sign me up," Jay mocks Kai. "Way to go, spark plug."

   "I sense this is some strange form of team-building." 

   "Auw-auwooo!!" Arai lets loose a short howl. "Tis grate!! Yuh!! Yuh!!"

   The others laugh at her enthusiasm. 

   "So," Kai starts conversationally after their laughter dies down. "Where did Sensei find you three?" 

   "Let's just say if it wasn't for Sensei Wu, I don't think we'd ever be seen together," Cole answers. "I was testing my limits."

   "I was testing my invention," Jay supplies, thinking back on his failed gliders. He'll get them right, eventually. He's sure of it. 

   "And I was testing myself," Zane says, unaware of how vague his wording is. 

   "You're right, if it weren't for Sensei, none of us would—" 

   "Shh!!" Sensei Wu cuts Kai off. "Stop."

   Arai skids to a stop, resulting in the others doing the same. "Wha?" She asks, panting slightly. "Danger?"

   Her Sensei shakes his head. "We're here."

* * * * 

   "The Caves of Despair." Sensei Wu leads them stealthily over to the area. "Samukai must be close to unearthing the Scythe of Quakes." 

   Everyone groups up behind a boulder, positioned at a perfect vantage point to overlook everything happening down below. 

   "Remember, do not use the weapon. For its power—"

   "Yeah, yeah, yeah!!" Jay butts in. "It's too much for us mortals." He rolls his hazel green eyes. "Alright, guys. Let's chop-socky this lemonade stand!! Cole, you got the plan?"  

   "Sure do." Cole nods. "First, we lower ourselves down the ledge. And then..." He trails off, noticing his missing teammates. "Hold on. Where's Kai and the Wild Child?" 

   As the remaining three ninjas search for their missing teammates, they find them already on ground level, sneaking through the complex. Although Arai seems to be the one ensuring Kai doesn't get caught when he makes a few risky moves. 

   Jay sighs. "Let's go!!"

* * * * 

   "Kah-I!! Lookit!!" Arai points at a skeleton high up on a weird, bone tree-like structure. 

   Kai grins at the sight. "Great eye, Wildflower!! You found the map."

   They creep closer to the structure and swiftly climb to the top, peering through an opening. 

   Arai notices when her teammates join them but keeps quiet, trying to understand the importance of this ma-ap. To her, it's nothing more than scribbles. 

   "What's the matter with you?" Jay whispers harshly, smacking Kai on the back of his head. 

   "Hush, whiney!!" She hisses. 

   The skeleton, most likely Samukai, laughs as he studies the map before putting it down and leaving his base. 

   "It's upside down," Jay notices. "They're digging at the wrong spot."

   "The Golden Weapon is near," Zane comments. 

   Without any delay, Arai gracefully drops down through the small opening, landing silently on the raised wooden structure the map lies on. She snags the soft parchment gently between her fangs and leaps back the way she came. 

   "Gots ich," she tells them, smiling proudly. 

   Kai ruffles her hair and takes the map. "Great job!!" He praises, quickly studying the map before rolling it and placing it in his robes. "There's no time to waste."

   Arai nods in agreement, and the two, without their teammates, leave. 

   "Okay, what gives!?" Jay complains. "Those two will give me grey hairs, I'm telling you."

* * * * 

   Kai and Arai sneak past two skeleton guards and enter the cave without their knowledge. 

   Inside, Arai uses her tracking skills and sniffs out a hidden passageway. She trots over to a boulder, eyeing the size and knowing there is no way they can move it with just the two of them. 

   Luckily for her, the others arrive.

   "Next time, before you two race off again, you need to remember that we're a team," Cole tells them, resting his hand against Arai's head, garnering her focus.

   "Rite. Teem us. Yuh." She pulls away to brush her side against the taller boy's, catching him off guard for only a moment. "Elph?" She places her paw on the boulder. 

   "That's why we're here."

   Together, they push the boulder aside and spot the sacred Scythe of Quakes.

   "Sparkles," Arai whispers in awe. 

   "WOW! THAT IS SO COOL!!" Jay shouts, causing the cave to echo. 

   Arai jumps on his shoulders, throwing a paw over his mouth, and harshly shushes him. She raises her head, using her senses to ensure nothing is amiss. 

   Cole retrieves the Scythes, wrapping them safely in cloth. 

   Jay gently moves Ara's hand. "Reeeelax, Wild One. We're on the opposite side of the caves." 

   "Dum dum," Arai admonishes, swatting lightly at his head. "Ehkows travl!!" She growls through her teeth.

   "Oh."

   "We got the Scythe, and that's what matters." Cole tosses the weapon to Kai. "Let's sneak out while those boneheads are still busy."

* * * * 

   "Alright, team. Everyone, stick together. The way out is right around the corner."

   As Cole leads the path, he comes across Samukai and his skeletal army. 

   "Ah!!" Cole cries out, surprised, instinctively punching Samukai in the face. 

   Arai pounces, tackling the skeleton leader to the ground before leaping at her next victim, thus spurring everyone to attack. 

* * * * 

   "There's too many of them!!" Kai shouts, punching a skeleton away from him, then spin kicks another. "We'll never get out of here at this rate!!" 

   "Leave them to me!!" Jay announces. 

   He fights a few of them using the techniques he's learned from the training course. 

   "Guys!! This is just like the training course!!" He executes the moves. "Over the planks! Dodge the swords!" Suddenly, he begins to spin. "Aaaaand here comes the dummy! Cha-Ching!"

   Jay performs Spinjitzu.

   "Haha!! Oh, this is sweet!!" 

   "Spinitsu!! Spinitsu!!" Arai yips happily and tries it out herself. 

   She jumps up, kicks back, whips around, and then... spins, creating a grey vortex with teal accents, and if one were to listen closely, one could faintly hear the howls of wolves. 

   "Awoooooooooo!!" She howls as she pummels through a vast majority of skeletons. 

   "Even Arai figured it out!!" Kai cries out, taking out his frustration on his opponents. He knocks one's head loose and shatters another's kneecaps. "What's the key!?"

   "I don't know about Wild One over there, but I'm just going through the motions." Jay supplies, bulldozing through a couple of skeletons. "This must be what Sensei meant when he said we already know it."

   Kai takes a deep breath and remembers how he completed the obstacle course. 

   "Over the planks! Dodge the swords! Here comes the dummy!"

   He lets his body go through the motions and successfully uses Spinjitzu. 

   Zane and Cole also perform the unique skill of Spinjitzu. With all five using the skill, the skeleton army retreats. 

   The ninjas celebrate their victory, high-fiving each other, except for Arai, who feels the Earth shift beneath her paws. Curious, she looks behind her, and her jaw drops at the sight that greets her. 

    "Drakkn," she whispers so softly her voice doesn't reach her teammates' ears.

   Zane, having sensed something wrong, speaks up. "Didn't Sensei say a guardian was protecting the Weapons?"  

   Hearing that, they slowly turn around and find an Earth-based dragon looming over them. Its clubbed tail lashes wildly behind it as it growls lowly. 

   "Is-- is-- is th-that a...?" Cole barely stutters out. "That's not what I think it is. Is it?" He slowly backs away. 

   "You mean a dragon?"

   "Uh, that sure looks like a dragon!!" Kai yells. 

   "I thought dragons weren't from this world!!"

   Arai croons softly, catching the dragon's attention. She crouches low to the ground, maintaining a submissive posture as she slowly shuffles forward.

   Ignoring the concerned words of her teammates, she continues onward until she reaches the dragon's paws. There, she slowly raises her head with her eyes closed and bares her throat.

   As the dragon shifts its stance, Kai reacts on impulse and unwraps the Golden Weapon as he rushes forward, snatching Arai by the back of her outfit and pulling her away as he slams the blade of the Scythe into the ground. 

   Cracks quickly travel underneath the dragon as the cave begins to crumble.

   "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Arai wails, forced to watch as the ground opens up beneath the dragon, sending them plummeting to who knows where. 

   She tries to go after it, but Kai holds her back. 

   "We gotta go, Wildflower!!" He forcefully pulls her away from the crater when she struggles in his hold, crying out for the beast that threatened their livelihood. "The cave is collapsing!!" 

   Arai continues to fight against him, wanting desperately to ensure the safety of the dragon she was close to communicating with. She had everything under control. Everything was going so well, but Kai had to ruin it with his foolishness. Maybe they aren't team material if he doesn't trust her to handle things. 

   Her fruitless struggles cease as her thoughts override her senses. 

   To her, this is heart-wrenching. Only now realizing that she is not on equal status with this pak. Is she even a part of the pak, or is she just seen as an intruding member? 

   "--use Spinjitzu!!"

   She barely hears Cole but understands when she sees a small vortex of rock and sand whirling past. 

   "C'mon," Kai urges.

   Arai snarls, tearing his grip off her before performing Spinjitsu and following after the other three teens, leaving Kai where he stands. She doesn't wait for him to catch up.

   As he goes to follow, he pauses momentarily to glance at the crater. His gaze hardens, and he sharply turns away. 

* * * * 

   After barely setting their feet on solid ground and breathing in fresh air, Arai sets her sights on Kai and roughly shoves him to the ground.

   "What is wrong with you!?" He seethes, glaring fiercely at her as he pushes himself to his feet. 

   Arai matches his glare with a snarl, standing to her full height, which surprises everyone. Her stance appears unstable, but she stands her ground, angling her head to show off her sneer. 

   "Weese a teem, yuh?" She shakes her head. "Nuh!! Teem shud trushst, but yue no trushst meh!!" Her voice cracks, and tears well in her eyes. "Aye had it!! Drakkn waz list'nin'!!"

   "I did what I had to!! It was going to attack!!"

   "And youse knows this hao!?"

   "I made a decision, and I regret nothing!!" He gets into her face, staring her down. "This isn't a game, Arai!! People's lives are at risk!! My sister's life is at risk!! And I will not have some little runt jeopardizing me from saving her!!"

   ...

   Arai flinches away.

   Her eyes widen, and her lower lip trembles.

   Kai steps back, feeling incredibly guilty. "Arai--" He reaches his hand out, but Arai slaps it away, dropping onto all fours and growling fearfully at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." He tries to approach her, but she quickly turns on her heels and bolts.

   "That was just uncalled for, Kai," Cole says, brushing past him. 

   "Way to go, sparkplug," Jay admonishes him, following after Cole. 

   "I sense you have said some hurtful things to our teammate," Zane tells Kai, walking after the other two. 

   Kai watches them go with conflicting emotions swirling around in his head. He sighs loudly, looking to Sensei Wu, who was silently observing. 

   "What? Are you going to make me feel even worse than I already do?" 

   His Sensei merely raises his brow. "I told you your actions have unforeseen consequences, did I not?" 

   "Hai." Kai nods solemnly.

   "There are still four weapons left. Maybe next time you can do it right."

   And with that, he leaves Kai to stew in his guilt.

~ Meanwhile ~ 

   In the underworld, Samukai talks with someone hidden from view. He fidgets where he stands.

   "Master, I have failed you." He lowers his head submissively. "They have learned Spinjitzu, and they have the Scythe." 

   A deep, masculine voice responds. "Good."

   Samukai blinks, taken aback by his master's calm response. 

   "Then my brother was there."

   "If I can gather my army, then we can easily ambush them and—" 

   "No," his master cuts him off. "Let them think they're winning."

   "But I... I do not understand," Samukai voices, unmistakably confused. 

   "Worry not, my skeletal comrade. Everything is going to plan." The disembodied voice laughs evilly. 

To Be Continued...

Chapter Text

Name: Arai

Meaning: "New well; well in the wilderness."

Gender: Female 

Age: 11

Height: 4’6

Voice: *Reader's Choice*

Parents: Unknown

Guardians: Ace & Shadow

Personality: TBA

Appearance: A young girl with freckles scattered on her nose and cheeks, steel grey eyes, and short, curly ash brown hair. She has a few cuts and scrapes littered across her face and a nearly visible scar going from her bottom lip to her chin. She wears an oversized grey short-sleeved hoodie with roughly stitched wolf ears attached to the hood and torn pants covered in patches of other material.

Ninja Gi: Consists of lighter greys and slightly darker shades, creating a subtle gradient. She has bright teal accents in her gi but is primarily on the trim of her hood, which features large wolf ears attached to the top. Instead of shoes, she has a pair of gray cloth wrapped around the soles of her feet and ankles, giving her extra support. 

Elemental Weapon: Tekko-Kagi
Abilities: TBA​​​

Chapter Text

 “Some people aren't who they say they are; be cautious of the company you keep, a wolf in sheep's clothing." 

                                                                                                         - Unknown

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

   The ninja and their Sensei now travel by boat to get to their next destination... The Frozen Wasteland. That's where they'll retrieve the Shurikens of Ice from. 

   They are spaced out on the vessel, with Cole steering the helm, accompanied by Jay, while Zane and Kai stand near the middle of the watercraft. As for Sensei Wu, he does a set of skilled movements on the dragon-like figurehead. 

   Arai, on the other hand, distances herself from everyone. She lies curled up into a tight ball at the stern end. 

   At the front of the ship, Jay tries to lighten the mood and play a fun little game with Cole. "I spy something~ white!!"

   Cole sighs. "Could you try to be quiet for once? This ain't easy." 

   Just then, the boat rocks to and fro as they continue sailing. 

   Jay lets out a groan. "I spy something broken!!"

   Hearing the word "broken," Arai raises her head and scents the air, trilling in question. She shakes her head, not finding anything wrong, and lowers her head back on the deck, returning to staring into nothingness. 

   Her steel gray eyes give off a lifeless gaze as her thoughts wander.

   To Zane, who periodically glances her way, Arai appears lost. He's afraid she lost her sense of self after the argument between her and his flame brethren. He understands both sides to a few degrees but wishes Kai had spoken the whole truth and not let anger override his senses.

   "If Sensei knows the way to the next Golden Weapon, why isn't he steering the ship? We've been drifting aimlessly for miles." 

   And speaking of Kai, he worriedly wrings his hands together as he talks aloud, most likely to Zane, who is only half paying attention but responds quickly, pulling his gaze away from Arai.

   "Sensei's wisdom is beyond my own."

   They look toward the figurehead, where their Master balances one leg as he leans forward with his arms outstretched behind him. "The most powerful move in Spinjitzu can only be accomplished when all five elements are combined."

   Sensei Wu explains, expertly hopping down onto the deck. 

   "Earth!" He strikes a strong pose, pushing his arms forward while his feet stand firm.

   He spins, striking another pose that faces another way.

   "Ice!" His arms are poised sharply and fluidly.

   He spins once more, facing his right.

   "Fire!" His left arm remains close to his face as his wrist bends, palm facing upwards, while his right arm is held firmly behind him. His feet are in an offensive back stance. 

   He spins again, landing on one leg with his arms raised above him like a crane.

   "Lightning!"

   He jumps, performing a spinning roundhouse before landing in a three-point crouch with his right arm held straight behind him to keep balance.

   "Spirit!"

   "Uh..." Jay walks over, thoroughly interested. "What happens when all of them are combined?"

   Sensei Wu slowly straightens his stance as he faces his three pupils. "The Tornado of Creation. The power to create something out of nothing." His once-empty hands now hold a cup of steaming hot tea. 

   Hearing that, Kai starts attempting the moves but finds himself pinned to the deck. "Mmph!!" He grunts from having his face smushed into the wooden flooring from light pressure to the back of his skull.

   Arai stands over him, growling. She presses more firmly on his head before leaving just as quickly as she came. 

   "Stoopid."

   Kai sits up, rubbing his head as he turns to watch Arai hop onto the railing behind Zane and Jay and lays down precariously on it. They lock eyes, and her gaze turns sharp as she snorts down at him before resting her head on her paws, facing away from him. 

   "Ahem," Wu clears his throat, regaining everyone's focus. "If done incorrectly, it will lead to disastrous consequences."

   "Oh." Kai looks back at Arai, who continues to act impassive. “Oops.” He smiles sheepishly, trying to lighten the mood.

   The boat then decides to crash into icy land at that moment, causing them to lose their balance. Jay and Zane fall onto their backs from the unexpected impact. 

   “Uh… wasn’t me!!” Cole says, letting go of the wheel.

   “I didn’t do that… did I?” Kai asks, concerned. 

   Sensei Wu shakes his head. "No." He sets his gaze elsewhere. "We are here."

* * * * 

   The ninja walks up the snowy pathway and enters the cave where the next weapon lies. 

   Inside, they walk around, finding a bunch of skeletons encased in an icy prison. Arai walks over and sniffs the blocks, curious. "Odd," she mumbles. 

   "What is?" Cole asks, overhearing her. 

   She scrunched up her nose. "Smelz fresh buht luks owld."

   "Huh," is his response. "Well, let's hurry." He places a hand on her head, and she chuffs softly at him. 

   "Okae." She slips out of his reach before following after the others, who are further ahead of them. 

   They continue to walk until they come across the location of the golden weapon. The...

   "Shurikens of Ice!!" Zane exclaims, pointing upwards as he spots them hiding above. 

   The paired weapon floats a few inches beneath the maw of a dragon with a slim build, seemingly frozen in place. 

   After studying the dragon for a bit, Arai concludes that it's in a deep slumber and goes to tell the others, but Zane has already grabbed the weapon after getting a boost from the three older teens.

   This naturally awakens the dragon, and it uses its power to freeze Zane in a block of ice. 

   Arai watches Jay, Kai, and Cole carry Zane over their heads and hastily run away, screaming, not knowing that the dragon had set its gaze on her. She does not tell them this, wanting them out of harm's reach.

   The ice dragon approaches her and leans down to be at eye level.

   "I sense no ill intentions from you and your pack." It speaks calmly, assessing her through a calculating gaze. "Is my judgment wrong?" It questions her with an underlying threat in its words. 

   "Nuh." She tells the sentient being. "Wese mean nuh harm. Wanna use fer gud. T'ah stawp dah eevl."

    "Hmmmm." It-- no-- he hums before swiftly turning away. His sharp icicle tail blade swings past but only lightly grazes her nose. "Go. Rejoin your packmates. I shall put my trust in you five. Don't disappoint." And with that, he takes his leave. 

   Arai watches him go, tilting her head with a confused expression etched on her face. "Chh!" She sneezes, which pulls her out of her reverie, and she scrambles her way into a full-body turn and quickly heads out of the cave. 

   Thankfully, nobody noticed her missing as they were too busy sliding down the snowy slope... up until they crashed, that is. Now, that had to hurt. She whimpers in sympathy as she hurries over to them. 

   "Ow," Zane says. 

   During the crash, the ice surrounding him shatters, freeing him. 

   Sensei Wu walks over to them with the map in one hand. He holds it out to them, and Jay, the first to recover, chooses the next spot. 

* * * * 

   The Floating Ruins. 

   To get where they need to go, they must climb this long metal chain to reach the top of a ruin, where the Nunchucks of Lightning should be.

   As they start the climb, Zane and Arai detect someone following their tracks. 

   "We're being followed!!" Zane informs everyone, while Arai decides to stay back and keep the skeletons company. 

   "Ayes gots it. Youse go." She crouches low above them, zeroing in on her target, but pauses before she attacks to peer over her shoulder. "Be safe." With those words, she jumps, tackling two enemies to the ground. 

   "Raaaaaah!!"

   They hear the sounds of fighting and the joyful howl of their youngest. After sharing a look, they continue onward.  

   Jay reaches the top first and happily exclaims at the sight that greets him. "Heh, alright!!"

   He grabs the nunchuks, raising them high in the air for his teammates to see, but with a sudden flash of lightning, a dragon appears. It has electric currents running throughout its body, and its long, thick, serpentine tail ends in a stream of dazzling blue electricity.

   Not wanting to stay in its presence, Jay leaps off the ruin, and as he falls, he activates the glider strapped to his back. And the others follow suit without a moment to spare. 

   "Wahoooooooo!!"

   From the ground, Arai stops gnawing on a femur at the sight of the four teens gliding past her and quickly snaps the leg bone in her jaws as she chases after them. 

   Unbeknownst to her and everyone else, Samukai watches them go, laughing as things are going accordingly. His Master truly knows the best ways to get things done. 

* * * * 

   Next up is... Ravenwood Aurora.

   It is a heavily dense forest, but to reach that part, you must cross a wide open field void of any cover. 

   For those unaware, this place screams wolf territory, especially to Arai, who grew up in an area similar to this. Her instincts tell her she is intruding and needs to hightail it away, but she strengthens her resolve. 

   She squares her shoulders and holds her head high, but there's a slight tremor in her paws that she tries to ignore. 

   "Fair warning, my pupils. This will not be a simple retrieval." Sensei Wu directs his gaze to Arai, prompting her to focus on him. "You will have to face a test of sorts to obtain the Tekko-Kagi of Spirit." He rests a hand on her shoulder. "Find your truth. That is the path you must take."

   Arai looks into her Sensei's eyes and takes in his kindness and aged old wisdom swirling just beneath the surface. After a few more seconds, she nods, taking a step back. 

   "Will do, Mistah Wu!!" She chirps the phrase she learned from him when they first met. 

   His eyes briefly widen in shock before they turn fond at the memory. 

   Arai smoothly turns on her heels and begins to walk away, but stops short. She peeks over her shoulder, ducking her head slightly as she addresses the others. "Come with? Us go?"

   "Of course!!" Jay exclaims, walking over to stand beside her. "Can't let you have all the fun!!" He playfully ruffles her hair, eliciting a cute giggle to escape her. 

   Zane walks over as well, standing on her other side. "I sense you could use some assistance." He lightly jokes, but no one catches on.

   "We're a team, remember?" Cole strides forward, crouching before the young girl to nudge his fist against her chin. "We help each other out."

   Everyone sets their sight on Kai, who nervously fidgets with his hands. "Uh..."

   The hopeful expression on her face vanishes, and she instead directs a distasteful sneer his way. "Youse no haf tah come if yue no wan tah." Her sneer drops for a split second, showing Kai how this truly affects her. "S'okae." Her voice is soft as she says this.

   "Wha--? Uh-- no!! That's not-- I -- err." Kai fumbles with his words. "I-I want to!!" He unintentionally raises his voice as his nerves get the best of him. 

   Arai eyes him up and down before scoffing and rolling her eyes. "Don't fors yurrself."

   And without waiting for a response, she sharply turns on her heels and takes precise strides toward the clearing. 

   "Arai! Wait!!" Kai calls out after her, but sighs when she continues to pay him no mind. "Great. Just great. I blew it... again!!" He groans loudly, annoyed with himself. "Agh!! I can't do anything right." 

   The other ninjas watch him with sympathetic gazes. 

   Jay is the one to break the tension. 

   "C'mon, sparkplug." He smiles encouragingly. "I know you can make it right."

   "Yeah, what motormouth says." Cole agrees, making a slight dig at his friend. "Wildchild is... hurt, and so she's lashing out, but I know she doesn't want to."

   Zane pipes in. "All you need to do is talk to her. Apologize. Make things right, as Jay said."

   Kai vigorously nods his head. "Yeah. Yeah!! Thanks, you guys!!" He looks toward Arai, who is quite a ways away, with a determined fire set in his gaze. "Let's get this next weapon."

   As the teens hurry to catch up with their youngest, Sensei Wu strokes his beard, deep in thought. 

   "Hmmm."

   He takes out a steaming cup of tea and takes a sip. "They need a little push, wouldn't you say?"

   KRAAAA!! KRAA!!

* * * * 

   Reaching the open field, Arai pauses at the threshold as she gets a whiff of-- three-- no, four different scents. They each hold distinct aromas that set them apart, but one thing's for sure: they share the underlying scent of a wolf.

   She trembles where she stands, lowering herself to the ground, and softly whimpers. 

   "I-- I no wanna."

   "Hey..." Kai says, noticing her tremors. "What's wrong, Wildflower?"

   As he goes to approach, the sounds of howling reach his ears and stop him in his tracks. 

   AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

   Arai whines low from the back of her throat. 

   To everyone's surprise, near the forest line are four large wolves. They stand tall among the trees and give off an intimidating aura. 

   "Whoa!!" Jay whispers, struck with awe at the sight that greets him. 

   "I sense they have elemental properties, judging by appearance."

   Zane is right in his assessment. The four large canines are elemental wolves.

   The largest compared to the others is Stone, the Earth Wolf. His fur is coarse gray with moss green hidden in his coat and dark brown roots. He has muddy brown paws. 

   The one with a slim build and a wispy white coat is Blizzard, the Wolf of Ice. He has icy blue markings on his body. And he is the only one who gives off the illusion of having whiskers. 

   Next is Zip 'n' Zap, the Lightning Wolf. He has a medium build with grayish-white fur, fluffed up from the electricity coursing through his body. 

   And finally, in the middle of the pack, the relatively shortest member is the Fire Wolf, Inferno. He has rich, coarse black fur and a fiery red mane that reaches the base of his bushy tail.

   The wolves walk halfway down the slightly barren grassy field and stop. They seem to stare at Arai, who currently hides beneath her paws, shaking like a leaf and whimpering softly. 

   Kai, seeing this, ignores the canines and focuses on his young friend. "Hey, Arai. What's wrong?"

   "I- I--." She can't finish her sentence as more whimpers and whines escape her. 

   Feeling helpless, he looks to the others, but they merely gesture for him to keep going, and so he does. 

   He sits down beside her and rests his hand in her hair, hoping this will help ground her. "Deep breaths, okay? In and out. Relax. Ignore them and focus on me."

   Arai slowly calms down, shifting away from Kai and rubbing at her eyes as she tries to compose herself. "Ayes fine." She sniffles.

   "No, you're not," Kai says, gently pulling her hand away. "What's wrong? Talk to me. Please?" He pushes her hood back, revealing her tear-stained face. 

   She fights the urge to lean against him and seek comfort because she is strong and independent and does not-- she-- is fine. She can-- she can face the wolves' judgment. She knows where she stands in her pack... but therein lies the problem. Where does she stand?

   "Kah-I?"

   "Yeah?" His large, warm, callused hand wipes away the tears streaming down.

   "Youse tinks'm runt?" She can't stop the flow of words that leave her. "Cuz 'm strong. Like really strong!! An-- an' ayes not wurthluhs. Ayes, not yoosluhs!! 'M not!! Aye haf wurth!!" Her voice turns small. "Rite?" 

   "Oh, Arai." Kai's voice softens from its normal cadence. "I'm sorry." He pulls her close, resting his chin against her head. "I messed up bad, huh?"

   Arai weakly fights against his hold. "Ayes strong!! Ayes am!! Ayes am!!" She whines, high-pitched. "I've bin proovuhng it, I hav!! So-- so-- no throw me away!! Pleez no!!" Desperate sobs escape her as she tightly grips the front of his gi. 

   The other ninjas quietly approach the pair and sit in a huddle, giving enough room so Arai doesn't get overwhelmed by their proximity. 

   "I'd never do something like that, Arai. You're way too important to me. And that's why I lashed out at you and said what I said. I was scared," Kai confesses. "I already lost my sister because I wasn't strong enough. I- I couldn't lose you, too."

   He takes a breath, pulling back slightly to look into soft, round gray eyes. "I'm so sorry for making you doubt yourself." He cups her cheek, resting his forehead against hers. "You are the bravest person I know. And you're hella strong, too. You knocked me on my ass when we first met, remember?"

   "Yuh." Arai sniffs. "Buh, if youse skehrd, why you no say?" She questions. "Ayes woulda undahstood." 

   "Yeah, I know, but I never liked to admit when I'm scared." He closes his eyes, turning his face away from her. "I--  it makes me feel... weak." 

   Arai clumsily places her front paws on the older boy's cheeks and turns his face back to hers. "Nuh!!" She shakes her head forcibly from side to side. "Tha' no weak!! It is nowmal." 

   Steel gray eyes lock into sharp amber ones. 

   “Ayes skehrd of that pack,” Arai admits, but her eyes are fierce and determined. “Buh, nuh ehneemawr cuz aye know trooth.” She smiles, sticking out her tongue. 

   "Yeah?" Kai raises a playful brow. 

   From a few feet away, the wolves howl once more, then set their sights on the young feral child, waiting for something.

   Arai moves away from Kai and looks at her packmates. She nods at them before she turns on her heels and bounds away toward the Elemental Wolves. 

   OW-OWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

   As she runs, she lifts her head and lets out a mighty howl, which leads the wolves to howl in harmony with her. 

   Having found her sense of self, the test is complete. 

   The wolves return to their spiritual bodies and head straight for Arai, fusing with her core, leading to her entire body glowing a bright teal. When the glow fades away, she is shown having the Tekko-Kagi wrapped on her paws like fingerless gloves. She flexes her fingers, and the length of the claws shifts with them. 

   "Wicked!!" She exclaims softly. “Ayes fainuhlee got claws!!”

   She turns to face the others to tell them of her accomplishment, only for her to be hoisted from underneath her arms and onto someone's shoulders. 

   "I have no idea what happened, but I do know you got the fourth Golden Weapon!!" Jay cheers as he jumps in joy, jostling Arai, who laughs wildly. "Wooooooo!!"

   Cole snatches Arai away and lightly tosses her in the air. "That's our Wild Child!!" He catches her and twirls her around in his arms. 

   "Hahahahaha!!" Arai continues to laugh. "Snrk!! Hahahahaha!!" A cute snort escapes her. 

   "We should celebrate with Sensei," Zane says, smiling softly at the sight of Arai looking so carefree. "And tell him of Arai's accomplishment."

   Everyone nods in agreement, but before they can act on their decision, Kai nervously shuffles his feet. 

   "Hey... uh... Wildflower..." He begins, catching the attention of Arai. "Are we-- are we cool?" He ducks his head, peeking out of the corner of his eye at her. 

   Arai stares blankly at him before a wide, feral grin breaks out across her face. "Yuh!! Wese kay!!" Her grin turns mischievous. "Buh youse gotta do pak howl."

   Kai chuckles, shaking his head. "Alright, but we're going to need our pack to join in." He looks over at his teammates with a knowing smirk. 

   "Well..." Cole starts as Arai wriggles out of his grip and climbs onto his shoulders, resting her head on the top of his. "I don't see why not." 

   Jay grins. "I always wanted to do something like this!!" He starts to howl... or at least that's what he was hoping. "Ah woo-woooooo!!"

   "Nuh Jay!! Tha's nuh howl!!" Arai says through laughter. 

   "Wha?? That's totally a howl!!"

   Arai shakes her head. "Nuh-hahaha!!"

   "Aah-oooooooooo!!" Jay howls again, enjoying making Arai laugh. 

   "Nah, Jay. Watch and learn." Kai joins in. "Arrwooooooooooo!!"

   "Hooooooooooooooooowl!" Zane tries his best, smiling nonetheless. 

   Cole shrugs. "If you can't beat 'em... join 'em." He, too, howls. "Oooooooooooooowoooooo!!"

   Hearing their howls makes Arai feel warm inside as she happily joins in, throwing her head back and letting loose all the joy she feels bubbling inside her core. 

   "Ow-owoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!"

** Time Skip **

   The ninjas meet up with their Sensei at the Forest of Tranquility, where they partake in a celebration. 

   Cole lightly plays a steady beat on a pair of drums, setting the joyous mood. 

   "Come on, Sensei." Kai urges, dancing merrily with Jay. "Join us."

   Sensei Wu peeks open one eye from his relaxed meditative state to address Kai. "There is still one weapon left!" He reminds them. "We must get our sleep."

   "Awwww, Sensei!!" Jay whines, having stopped dancing. "Look, you gotta admit, we're kicking their boney butts." He throws mock punches in the air. "Besides, we're also celebrating our growing bond." He throws an arm around Kai's shoulders and pulls him close, resting the sides of their faces together. 

   Kai grumbles, half-heartedly shoving away at Jay. "Gaah, you're heavy!! Get off!!"

   Arai snickers at the pair before approaching her Sensei. "Daans pleez?" She begs, jutting out her bottom lip as she gives him puppy dog eyes. 

   "Yeah, Sensei," Cole agrees. "Show us some moves."

   With a sigh, he relents. "Alright, alright. I guess I can join." He gets to his feet. "Now, this move is very special."

   "But if done incorrectly, will it lead to disastrous consequences?"

   "Gasp!!" Arai gasps. "Waz tha' jowk, Zay-n?" She yips excitedly, bouncing in a circle. "Youse fahound it!!"

   Everyone laughs. 

   "Way to go, Zane!!" Kai praises. "You got your sense of humor."

   Zane smiles, happy with his accomplishment, even though he was being serious, but they don't have to know that. 

   Sensei Wu suddenly breaks out into song as he does a silly little dance, much to everyone's amusement. "Shake what your momma gave you." He shakes his body, tilting his hat from one side to another. "Yeah, look at this one now." He messes with his long beard. "Hmm... oh yeah. Spin 'round. Oh yeah. I put my feet down."

   Kai and Jay break down laughing before joining in on their Sensei's crazy dance. 

   Arai dances along to the best of her abilities. She stumbles over her paws but continues as she's having too much fun to care if she's dancing correctly. 

   It wouldn't matter anyway, cause she's with her packmates, and they dance just as clumsily as her. 

* * * *

   Night has fallen. 

   Everyone sleeps in different places around the put-out fire pit. Well, almost everyone. A certain spiky-haired individual is nowhere to be seen. 

   Deep in the land of dreams, Arai runs through a forest, followed closely behind by the four elemental wolves. They trample through foliage until they reach a wide gap between grassy hills, leading Arai to scramble to a stop. 

   The wolves bypass her and easily jump the gap. Three keep going, but Inferno stays, turning back to look at Arai, who anxiously paces back and forth from the edge. 

   He barks urgently at her. 

   She whines back, hesitant and unsure. 

   Suddenly, a shadow falls over Inferno, shrouding him in its darkness. 

   "ARAI!!"

   At the shrill cry of her name, she wakes with a startled gasp, finding herself in the bony grasp of a skeleton soldier. She snarls, jerking forcibly in its hold. 

   "Let her go!!" Cole yells, struggling in his bindings as he, Jay, and Zane are tied together and hanging from a tree. 

   Samukai laughs evilly, holding their golden weapons in three separate grips. "With her, we have four of the weapons. Now all we gotta do is go to the Fire Temple and receive the Sword of Fire."

   A shadow with menacingly glowing red eyes appears.

   "My brother has taken the Sword of Fire to the Underworld. Hurry! Return home and unite the weapons before it's too late!!" 

   Arai stills at the voice.

   "Uh..." Samukai starts. "Change of plans. TO THE UNDERWORLD!!"

   Several skeletons cheer, including the one holding Arai over its shoulder. A low growl tumbles out of her from the jostling.

   "Let's ride!!"

   They jump into their vehicles, taking Arai with them. 

   "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" The three remaining ninjas cry out. "ARAI!!"

* * * *

   "Faster!!" Samukai orders. "We need to go faster to cross over to the Underworld!!"

   Some of his crew manage to cross over, leaving only a few motorcyclists and the Skull Truck, which Samukai drives. 

   "More speed! We'll never get home at this rate."

   Arai tries to escape from her bindings, but they have her front paws tied tightly behind her back, and with the truck hitting every bump and swerving every second, she can't find her balance long enough to do anything. 

   Just then, the truck loses its acceleration, and without missing a beat, she uses this to her advantage. As she gets her hind paws steadily underneath herself, she moves to jump out of the vehicle, but a sharp tug on her arms slams her back down. 

   She cries out.

   "Hold on, Arai!!" Cole says, straining his muscles as he holds onto a chain attached to the truck, causing it to lose speed. "We're coming!!"

   Zane leaps from the treetops and onto the vehicle, using the nearby nature to knock two skeletons off the truck, while Jay jumps on the hood and spin-kicks a few enemies away. 

   "Get them!!" Samukai sternly voices, keeping a strong grip on the rope attached to Arai's hands. She snarls, struggling to get to her paws, but he pulls harshly on her bindings, bringing her closer to him. 

   He wraps one of his arms around her and uses the other to hold his dagger dangerously close to her neck. "Move and you die." He warns, pressing the blade against the skin. 

   Arai hisses, tilting her head away from him, but this just gives him further access to her vulnerable pulse point. 

   "Nin-Ja, GO!!" Jay exclaims, using Spinjitzu to knock away several skeletal enemies. As he nearly reaches the captive Arai, she calls out to him. 

   "Nuh!! Get wehpns!! Ayes be fine!!" She pulls her hind paw forward and then kicks back, sweeping Samukai's legs from under him and thus freeing herself from his hold. "Go!!" She urges. 

   Jay nods his head in response, trusting her to handle things. 

   He travels to the back of the vehicle, where the three Golden Weapons are locked in a cage. Without thinking, he punches the padlock, only to groan in pain. 

   "Ugh." He shakes his hand to ease the pain. "Okay... that's why they make keys."

   Cole, who jumped on top of the moving vehicle, is swinging his scythe around, trying to hit Kruncha and Nuckal, who barely evade his attacks. 

   "Hey, Co-ack!!" Jay says, getting cut off when the next swing of Cole's scythe hits him square in the throat, causing the Ninja of Blue to lose his voice. 

   "Huh? Jay?" Cole questions, finally knocking the two boneheads away. "Sorry, man. I didn't see you."

   Zane approaches the driver's side of the truck and waves hello before kicking the driver out of his seat. He then reaches for Arai, who, after finding her footing, goes toward him. 

   Just when she gets a few inches away, Samukai, having regained his bearings, punches Zane away before setting his sights on Arai. She raises her lips as she takes a step backward. 

   Samukai's bright red eyes narrow. 

   As quickly as she can, Arai turns on her heels and jumps out of the vehicle, but Samukai snatches her back before she gets far. "Not so fast."

   In response, she grins something feral. "Oi, bonehead!! Who's drivin’ tis t'ang?"

   Coming to this realization, Samukai hastily scrambles to the steering wheel, resulting in his grip on her bindings going slack, thus allowing her to take a leap of faith. 

   She tucks herself into a small ball to help lessen the impact when she ultimately crashes into the ground. "Uhgh!!" She groans, rolling head over heels for a little while longer before eventually coming to a stop. 

   "Danggit!!" Samukai growls, slamming his fist against the dash. "I still have the other weapons. It'll be fine... I hope." Shaking his head, the leader of the skeletons shifts gears, pushing his truck to the extreme. 

   It soon reaches the necessary speed to reach the Underworld. 

   Arai shakily gets to her hind paws as her front paws are still tied tightly behind her. She staggers over to her fallen packmates as the speed at which Samukai was using dislodged them from the truck. 

   Once there, she leans heavily against Zane, panting harshly. He swiftly unties her hands using his normal shurikens. She chuffs softly at him in silent thanks.

   "We id n't st-aw t'em," Jay croaks, voice still lost from earlier. 

   "You don't need to say it," Cole says, looking down disappointedly. "I know." He looks at where Samukai disappeared. "We've lost."

   Arai flexes her fingers, and the claws of the Tekko-Kagi reveal themselves. "Naat quite. Ayes still got my claws." She smiles reassuringly, despite the hurts and aches she feels. "Theys need all five, remember?"

   "That is true." Comes Zane's response. 

   Jay nods his head in agreement. 

   "Then we still got a chance to succeed," Cole voices, growing hopeful. 

   All three of them regain their determination and stare off into the distance, continuing to stand in the middle of nowhere, facing a dead end. 

~ Elsewhere ~

   Sensei Wu slowly awakens, finding himself lying on some rocks by a stream of lava after having sacrificed himself to keep the Sword of Fire away from his brother's reach. 

   His teapot and cup lie shattered before him.

   "Hmm..."

   He surveys his surroundings as he gets to his feet.

   "So this is the underworld."

To Be Continued...

Chapter Text

“It is my nature to be kind, gentle, and loving... But know this: When it comes to protecting my friends... my family... and my heart... DO NOT trifle with me!! For I am also the most powerful and relentless creature you will ever know."

                                                                                      - Unknown

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

   Arai, tracking the faint scent of Kai, leads the others to the Fire Temple in hopes of finding their hothead and their Sensei. She climbs the steps to the entrance and walks in with her nose to the ground, focused on following the growing aroma of burning wood.

   "Kai!!" Cole calls out, cupping a hand over his mouth to help amplify his voice. "Sensei!!"

   No response. 

   "The Sword of Fire was here, as was our friend, but I only sense loss," Zane softly voices. "We are too late." He removes his hood and looks openly at his teammates. "All but one of the Elemental Weapons have left this realm and are now in the Underworld. The end is drawing near."

   "Ugh, just great!!" Cole exclaims, plopping his rump down at the top of the stairs. "The one place no mortal can cross over."

   From inside the temple, a familiar voice is heard. 

   "We might not be able to cross over..."

   The temple splits in the middle and opens up, revealing Kai with a younger girl, who shares a few of his similarities, sitting comfortably on the Dragon of Fire. 

   "... but a dragon can."

   It has a serpentine-like build but with a muscular frame and a feline-esque snout. Not to mention the tip of its spiked tail looks like a flaming brushed tail.

   Cole screams and immediately hides behind one of the pillars while the other two ninjas stare in shock. However, Arai stands before the mighty beast and makes grabby hands at it-- err-- him. 

   "Drakkn!!" She yips, giggling when the dragon lightly rests his snout against her paws. "So pwetty!!"

   "Our father used to tell us stories about the dragons, that they were mystical creatures that belongs to both worlds and ferried between them," the girl-- no-- Nya, tells everyone. 

   "A-are y-y-you s-s-sure!?" Cole stammers, terrified beyond belief. "C-c-cause it s-s-sounds in-in-insane!!"

   Kai jumps off the dragon, and Arai quickly latches on to him to check him over for any injuries, which he allows. "Once he realized we were trying to protect the Sword of Fire, he actually became quite a softie." 

   The dragon nudges Kai with its snout, growling softly, almost like a gruff purr. 

   "Oi!! Knock it off!!" Kai laughs, half-heartedly pushing him away. 

   Nya giggles at her older brother. 

   Perched on his back, Arai, after confirming his overall health, climbs onto the dragon's neck, being mindful of his crested horns and spiky fur making up his mane. 

   Jay takes the opportunity to ask Nya a serious question.

   "Ou yue laikae b'uw?" He coughs as talking strains his vocal cords. 

   Knowing no one can fully understand him, Zane offers his assistance. "At the moment, he cannot talk. But he wants to know if you like the color blue."

   "It's my favorite color."

   Jay celebrates by clenching his fist close to his chest. "Yusssss!!"

   Kai shakes his head at his teammate with fond exasperation before schooling his expression and facing his younger sister. "Nya..."

   Having anticipated this, Nya sighs sadly as she hops down and stands beside her brother. "This is goodbye, isn't it?" At his nod, she continues. "Come back to me in one piece, okay?" She holds out her pinkie.  "I don't wanna have to run the store by myself."

   "I promise." Kai links his pinkie with hers, and they seal it by pressing their foreheads together. "I won't be gone for long. You'll see, lil sis."

   They pull back after a moment. 

   "I'll keep a candle lit outside our shop until you return." 

   Kai jumps onto his dragon, positioned above his shoulder blades, before it meets sharp, hooked wings, and loosely holds on to a dark red mane with bits of gold accents. "C'mon, guys!! We got places to be and butts to kick!!" 

   Zane and Jay hurriedly join their teammates and situate themselves on the back of the dragon.

   "Y-you guys go on ahead," Cole stutters, continuing to hide behind the pillar. "There's not enough room for all of us on that... thing."

   The Fire Dragon snorts, offended, while Arai loudly states. 

   "Rude!!" She snorts through her nose like how the dragon did. "Drakkns aren't t'ings!!" 

   Cole ducks further behind his hiding spot. "S-sorry. It's the n-n-nerves."

   "Hmmm," Kai hums. "You're right, Cole. There is not enough room... but!!" He smirks. "I know just how to fix that."

* * * * 

   "Auw-auwuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!"

   Arai howls excitedly as she rides Blazentail, or Blaze for short, courtesy of Kai, who picked the name for his dragon. She is settled near the back of Blaze's crowned head and holds onto one of the curved horns as she sticks her tongue out and howls with the passing winds. 

   "Be careful, Wildflower!!" Kai gently warns. 

   "Tis iz kerfal," she retorts, glancing over her shoulder to see how her packmates handle things. It's not every day you can ride a dragon, of all things. 

   Jay happily exclaims as his dragon, which he so expertly named Volt, twirls underneath Blazentail. 

   "WHOA!! THIS IS AWESOME!!" 

   "Yes. This is quite fun," Zane agrees, gripping the makeshift reins fastened to his dragon, Shard, like you would a horse.

   "E-easy, Roccioso... not so fast," Cole gently warns, holding onto his dragon tightly as he squeezes his eyes shut. "S-so h-h-how do the dragons cross over t-t-to the Underworld?"

   "I think we're about to find out," Kai answers.

   Arai ensures her grip is secure as she braces for what's to come, with a feral glint in her eyes. 

   The dragons suddenly take a nose-dive, causing everyone to scream. It doesn't stop there, however; they start to spin rapidly, almost creating a Spinjitzu-like tornado as they further increase their speed. 

   They create a portal that leads them to the Underworld. 

   "Is--is it over?" Cole asks, refusing to open his eyes.

   "Hardly!!" Kai informs him. "But I sure hope these dragons know what they're doing!!"

   The dragons continue to traverse the twists and turns of this cavern-like structure. 

   Arai laughs wildly and carefree, enjoying the feeling of the passing winds caressing her face. "A-hahaha!! Fastr!! Fastr!!"

   Hearing her eager plea, Blazentail picks up his speed, resulting in the other dragons doing the same. 

   "Whoa!!" Kai exclaims, tightening his grip. "They're speeding up!! Hold on!" He warns the others. 

   Moments later, the dragons come to a screeching halt as they finally reach their destination, unintentionally dislodging their persons from their backs.

   They all cry out in surprise as they tumble to the ground, landing in a pile on top of one another. 

   "Solid ground!!" Cole reverently kisses it. "Oh, how I've missed you!!"

   Pushing himself to his feet, Kai brushes the dust and debris off his clothes. "More importantly, we made it."

   "Sensei's inside," Zane informs everyone as they regain their bearings. 

   Arai enters stealth mode as she orders her packmates. "Let's go."

* * * * 

   With Arai leading, she has the ninja scale the ceiling, using the overhead stalactites to sneak inside the building undetected. She fails to notice when the rocky structure turns thin and spindly.

   Jay just so happens to look up and sees a giant skeletal spider staring viciously at him. 

   "Guys!!" He tries to warn, but no coherent sound leaves his lips. "It-a spu-er!! 'ook! 'ook!!" He waves his arm, hoping to grab someone's attention, but they remain oblivious.

   "Can I be the first to say it's been an absolute pleasure since Jay lost his voice?" Cole says, striking up a light conversation. 

   Kai nods in agreement. 

   The two grow quiet as they sense something amiss. They hesitantly look up and see multiple spiders, and in a state of panic, they let go of its limbs and free-fall to the ground. 

   "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!"

   As they land, the nearby skeletons guarding the entrance take notice of them. 

   "Uhh..." Nuckal starts, startled by their sudden appearance. "If there's more than one ninja, is it 'ninjas' or just 'ninja'?" 

   His friend, Kruncha, answers him. "I think it's just 'ninja'."

   "Oh, okay." He replies calmly. "Then... NINJA!!!!" He screams, pointing a skeletal hand their way. 

   The skeletal army surrounds the ninja. 

   "Grrrrrrr!!" Arai growls, baring her fangs at the enemy. 

   Cole holds his Scythes in his hands, prepared to go down swinging. "I count ten boneheads to every one of us." His grip tightens as his eyes narrow. "I think I like these odds."

   The spiders descend from the ceiling, enclosing around the ninja. 

   "Uh-oh," Kai stresses. "Anyone got any bright ideas?!"

~ Meanwhile ~

   Wu continues his search for his brother. 

   He reaches the base level of the building and cautiously crosses a bridge made of bone that reaches a platform connecting to a throne room.

   A dark figure emerges from behind his oblivious self. 

   "Brother," it says in a smooth, deep voice.  

   Wu stops in his tracks and swiftly turns to face Garmadon. "Brother." He uncovers the Sword of Fire. 

   "Seize the sword!!" Garmadon orders.

   A bunch of skeleton warriors surround Wu, each holding dangerous weapons, but none can compare to the power of Spinjitzu. 

   "Niiin-Jaaa, GOOO!!" Wu envelops himself in a golden vortex that knocks away every enemy. "You'll have to take it from me!!" He snarls at his brother. 

   "My pleasure," a new voice answers, coming from behind, and revealing it to be Samukai, equipped with three of the Golden Weapons. 

   He engages in battle with Wu.

   Garmadon calmly strolls over to sit on his throne. "Teach him a lesson." He instructs his subordinate.

* * * * 

   "Any ideas?” Kai asks, backing into a tight circle with the rest of the ninja. “I’m still all ears!” He makes a swipe with his sword at the enemy.

   Jay suddenly gets an idea. "Tow'nae 've 'eation!!" He tries to say, but with his voice box still recovering, it comes out as a garbled mess. 

   Arai tilts her head, terribly confused. "Huh? You want fine salvation?" She guesses.

   "You feel a weird sensation?" Cole asks.

   Jay shakes his head, groaning out the word no.

   "You ate an odd crustacean?" Zane guesses, shrugging his shoulders helplessly. 

   "Noe!!" Jay adamantly shakes his head. "To'r nae'o ove 'tion!!"

   "Oh! Oh! I got it. I got it!" Kai says. "Two natives on vacation." He looks to the others with a sense of pride. 

   Jay, becoming fed up, abruptly hollers at the top of his lungs. "Tornado of CREATION!!"

   Everyone blinks. 

   "Oh..."

   Zane lightly pats Jay on the back with his shuriken. "Welcome back."

   "Jay speeks uhgen!!" Arai yips, happily.

   "But doing that could lead to dangerous consequences," Cole reminds them.

   Arai grins something feral. "Suhm tings are wurth tha risk."

   Cole nods, spurred on by her determination. "Alright. Let's do this!!" His eyes narrow. "EARTH!!" He uses his spinjitzu, generating a small tornado of sediment. 

   "FIRE!!" Kai shouts, surrounding himself in a spinning vortex of flames.

   "ICE!!" Zane follows suit, encircling himself in icy winds. 

   "LIGHTNING!!" Jay spins, joining the others.

   Arai takes a deep breath, momentarily feeling the four elements in her core before performing spinjitzu. "SPIRIT!!"

   "Ninjaaaaaaaaa... GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

   They combine their mini-tornados into a much larger one that begins to suck everything in-- well, all but one as he decides to take his chances in the void. When the spinning eventually comes to an end, a ghoulish Ferris wheel stands proudly before the ninja, trapping all of the remaining skeletons. 

   At the very top, Nuckal enjoys some cotton candy, but his friend, Kruncha, furrows his brows at him and purposefully knocks the tasty treat out of his hands. 

   "Awwww," he whines.

   "Come on!!" Kai exclaims. "There's no time to waste!"

   All five of them take off, forgoing the steps, and jump straight down to reach the bottom of the building. 

* * * * 

   They find themselves catching their Sensei and the leader of the skeleton army, Samukai, engaged in a fierce battle. 

   "Nuh," Arai warns, stopping everyone but Kai from interfering. 

   "This is Sensei's battle," Kai tells them. 

   Wu blasts a mighty stream of flames out of the Sword of Fire but misses, which leads his opponent to use the Shurikens of Ice to knock the sword from his grasp and freeze it to the ground.

   Sensei struggles to free the sword, and while he does this, Samukai prepares to attack him with a strike of lightning from the nunchuks, only for his attack to miss at the last possible second as Wu frees the sword right in the nick of time. 

   Samukai then uses the Scythes of Quakes to split the ground into pieces. He doesn't give his opponent a moment to spare and strikes him with lightning, effectively disarming Wu, who weakly reaches out for the sword. 

   "Nnno. You mustn't!!"

   His warning fell upon deaf ears. 

   "Bring them to me," Garmadon orders.

   Hearing his deep voice has Arai tearing her focus away from her sensei and onto the Evil Lord of Darkness. Her steel gray eyes lock into deep ruby-red ones. 

   "Even though you failed at retrieving the Tekko-Kagi of Spirit, all I truly need are the Four Elemental Weapons." He maintains eye contact with her as he says this.

   Arai flexes the claws of her Elemental Weapon but remains where she stands, wondering why she feels familiarity when looking at him; this person she has never seen before in all her life until this very moment. 

   "NO!!"

   She harshly flinches back at the unexpected shout, breaking her away from her trance-like state.

   "You will obey me now!!" Samukai snarls, facing his ex-Master. 

   In response, Garmadon laughs mockingly at him. "Silly little skeleton."

   Samukai loses control of the four weapons. They shake in his grasp, and he can only watch as he can't move his limbs. 

   Seeing this, Wu quickly jumps over to where his students are. He doesn't seem to mind when Arai clings to his back, securing her arms around his neck.

   "No one can handle all of their power at once."

   Garmadon laughs louder. "Selfish fool. Did you think I wouldn't plan on your betrayal?"

   Samukai cries out in alarm. "W-w-what's happening to me?!" His limbs start to rattle. 

   "You've fallen right into my master plan. Not even I can handle all of their power!!" Garmadon admits, grinning cruelly down at his ex-subordinate. "But now that they're combined, it'll create a vortex through space and time, allowing me to finally escape this ghastly place!!"

   "Uh-oh," Samukai screams in anguish as the powers overwhelm him and lead to his demise, with him exploding. 

   Arai winces, burying her face in her Sensei's back. 

   After the explosion, the weapons clatter to the ground as a blueish-white portal opens. 

   Garmadon hops off his throne and makes his way over to the portal. 

   "Father would not want you to do this, Brother," Sensei Wu calls out. 

   With a low growl, Garmadon turns to face his brother. "Father is no longer here!!" He hisses lowly. "Good and evil, there has always been a balance. Where I go, the balance can be destroyed. Soon, I will be strong enough to possess the Five Weapons, so I can recreate the world in my image!" He turns his back to Wu. "YOU!! You were always his favorite."

   And with that, he takes his leave.

   The ninja, excluding Arai, who still clings to Wu, jumps to where the weapons are. 

   "He is gone, but he will return."

   Arai lifts her head from his back and rests her chin on his shoulder.

   "Then we'll be ready for him," Kai states confidently, grabbing his Sword of Flames and holding it threateningly out before him. 

   Jay picks up his Nunchucks of Lightning and swings it lightly. "He won't know what hit him!!" He strikes a pose. "Ka-chow!!"

   "And keep an eye out in case he has any more evil plans," Cole adds, picking up his Scythes of Quakes. 

   Zane nods in agreement as he holds the Shurikens of Ice in its rightful place. 

   "Then I have done my part," Sensei Wu says. "The balance has been restored... for now."

** Time Skip ** 

   The ninjas land their corresponding dragons right on the grounds of the small village of Ignacio, where the blacksmith shop lies. 

   Nya rushes out of the shop and calls out for her brother. He slides down the back of Blazentail and quickly walks over to his sister, smiling happily. 

   "Kai!!" She jumps into his arms and gives him a crushing hug. 

   "I told you I'd be back." He tells her, setting her back on the ground.

   Arai watches this with squinted eyes and a tilt of her head. She is confused for only a moment as she recalls sharing an embrace like that with Kai earlier. In her feral mind, she refers to this as a soft-warm embrace and thus thinks of Kai and Nya as her older littermates. 

   She smiles openly at the thought and leaps down.

   "Ayes wan' one!! Ayes do!!" She yips excitedly, climbing onto Kai's shoulders as she makes grabby hands at Nya, who laughs lightly before pulling her into a hug. 

   "Oh, wow, you're as light as a feather," Nya notes.

   "Hey!!" Jay exclaims. "What about my hug?"

   Arai wriggles out of Nya's hold and bounds over to Jay, jumping right at him, which leads the two to tumble to the ground with Arai pressed against his stomach and Jay's arms wrapped around her to protect her from the fall he had seen coming. 

   "Oof." Jay groans, getting to his feet with Arai still in his arms. "Not what I meant, but I'll take it." 

   Kai shakes his head, fondly exasperated, while Nya giggles at the two.

   "I'm so happy you're back."

   "For now..." Kai begins, looking down briefly. "Lord Garmadon will return." 

   The excited citizens grow quiet at that, but they needn't worry. 

   "And we'll be ready for them," Cole confidently states. 

   The citizens cheer once more.

   "Yuh!! Yuh!!" Arai agrees, moving to sit on Jay's shoulders, and unsheathes her Tekko-Kagi claws, extending them forward. 

   Her packmates cheer with her and high-five each other with their respective Golden Weapons, only for them to send a shockwave that knocks them off their feet due to their combined powers. 

   "Okay, we gotta remember not to do that again."

   Cole groans, rubbing his head. "I'm with Firefly."

   At the unexpected nickname, Kai blushes furiously and trips over his words. "F-f-f-f-- huh?"

   "Yeah," Jay butts in, rubbing his back as he gets to his feet. "We'll stick to high-fives instead."

   Hopping to her paws, Arai shakes her body from head to toe to shake away the remaining essence of elementals from her body. "And pak howls." She adds.

   "Agreed," Zane says, joining his teammates where they stand in a semi-huddle. "Hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowl!!" He initiates the howl. 

   "Aah-ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!" Jay is the first to join.

   "Ooooooooooooooowwwoooooooooooooooooo!!" Followed by Cole. 

   Then Kai does his. "Arrrrrrwooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!" 

   "Auw-auw-awoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!"

   Arai cackles wildly and is soon followed by everyone else laughing.

   She then looks to the distance, throwing a mischievous grin at the unknown future that gradually grows close.

THE END...?

Upcoming: Episssode One...

Rissse of the Sssnakessss

Chapter Text

Flames burst into view, covering the screen in all its entirety. Then, a figure wearing all red appears within the fire, wielding a golden katana that dissipates all the fire in the area. 

The masked person strikes a pose, lifting his weapon high in the air before he spins. A fiery tornado follows their movement, and when the figure stops, their mask is off, exposing their face for all to see. 

The name KAI in bold letters stands next to the young teen. He places his hands upon his hips and sends a crooked grin to the camera. 

🎵 NINJA... GO!!! 🎵

Lightning strikes, touching down right where Kai stands, but now a new person takes his place. They wear a deep sky blue outfit. And in their right hand, they hold a golden nunchuck. 

With a weapon in hand, they strike a quick pose before spinning around in a tight circle, conjuring up an electrifying tornado. When the spinning stops, the person in blue has his hood thrown off, revealing the bright, youthful face of a young teen. 

He strikes a pose right as the name JAY pops up beside him.

🎵 We Just... JUMP UP!!! 🎵

An icy breeze passes by, obstructing the view, and as it clears, a person wearing all-white is seen right where Jay had just been. In their hands are two golden shurikens. They throw them both into the air, and the weapons twirl around the surrounding area, encasing the floor in ice. 

Now standing in the center of the icy structure, the tall figure spins, creating an icy blue tornado that gives off wispy trails of icy cold winds. When they stop, their hood is up, leaving their face uncovered for all to see. 

His platinum blonde hair stands out, but not as much as the name ZANE.

As he strikes a nonchalant pose, he holds out his hand right underneath his name like he's silently saying that the words you see are, in fact, his name. 

🎵 ...WHIP AROUND AND SPIN!!! 🎵

The ground beneath Zane's feet shift in place, moving him aside to make room for another. This person wears an all-black ensemble.

They leap from above, wielding a golden scythe, and slam it down into the ground as they land, cracking the entire area.

The unknown person removes their weapon while performing the customary spin, creating an earthly tornado as they do so, and when they stop, their hood is nowhere in sight, leaving their face bare. 

The young teen's thick eyebrows scrunch down as he strikes a cool pose with his arms crossed in front of him. The name COLE springs from out of the cracks in the ground.

🎵 NINJA... GO!!! 🎵

A grey blur races past, and the camera pans over to it, leaving Cole behind. 

Suddenly, the blur skids to a stop, revealing a small child-like figure dressed in a light grey outfit with hints of teal in whatever material it is crafted out of. Unlike the others, their hood has wolf ears attached to the top. 

They spin, which leads to them creating a colorful whirlwind that seems to be comprised of teal-blue silhouettes of running wolves. As they come to a stop, they push up half of their mask, only revealing the lower half of their slightly freckled face. 

The name ARAI shows up behind her like an overprotective "shadow". 

She gives a wide-open smile while sticking out her tongue. 

🎵 AND THEN JUMP BACK DO IT AGAIN! 🎵

The name SENSEI WU appears before an aged man, wielding a bamboo staff. He twirls the staff expertly in his hands before striking a pose, thrusting his staff forward in an offensive manner.

🎵 C'MON!! C'MON!! C'MON!!🎵

A young girl nudges Wu aside, and her name follows. 

NYA.

She adjusts her stance as she performs a few basic forward punch movesets before finishing with a backward aerial cartwheel. When landing, she holds her arm out defensively with her fists raised. 

🎵 AND DO THE WEEKEND WHIP!!🎵

The scene switches to a still frame showcasing everyone. 

Jay has an arm thrown around Kai, who has his hand pushed up against the taller teen's face with a playful smirk etched into his expression. To the left of them, stationed somewhat in the middle, are Cole and Zane, and they each have an arm around the other's shoulders, wearing grins of their own. 

Right next to them is Nya. She is crouched right beside Sensei Wu with the peace sign positioned over one of her eyes, which she has closed while having her tongue poking out of her playful grin. 

Wu sits with crossed legs, posed in meditation. He would look serene if it weren't for Arai, who drapes herself on the older man's shoulders wearing his signature conical hat. It's perched precariously over her messy curls, obscuring her eyes from view, but the happy grin on her face tells all. 

🎵 JUMP UP, KICK BACK, WHIP AROUND AND SPIN!!! 🎵

Chapter Text

"Your time is NOW! Start where you stand, and NEVER BACK DOWN!!!"

                                                                                                  - Unknown

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

   "Long before time had a name, the First Spinjitzu Master created Ninjago using five elemental weapons. But when he passed, a dark presence sought to collect them all: Lord Garmadon. So I, Sensei Wu, his brother, in turn, went out to find five ninjas to collect them first."

---------------------------------------------------------------

Episode 1 - Rise of Snakes

   Sensei Wu meditates in his designated room, overhearing what sounds like his students training hard. 

   "Raaaah!!" Arai roars playfully, followed by her grunting and letting out a sharp yelp. "Oi!! Cheap shot!!"

   "Fire strike!!" Kai cries. "Oh, my gosh, is that not the greatest move you've ever seen?"

   "Stop trying to do it yourself. We need to attack as a team," Cole scolds their hothead. 

   Curious, Wu leaves his room and opens the doors to the training room, only to find Arai training with Stone, one of her elemental wolves. She dodges a swipe, rolling to her side before springing up on her hind paws. She stumbles briefly from the shift in height, which Stone uses to his benefit, and pounces, pinning her to the ground. 

   Having expected this, Arai tucks her hind paws close to her chest before kicking out, and when Stone rears up from the attack, she rolls out from under him. 

   Her clothes, which he now notes consist of a sleeveless cropped grey hoodie and baby blue sweat shorts (originally Nya's, but she outgrew them), are covered in dirt, showing how much she’s been busy training.

   She pants heavily from exertion but keeps going. 

   Impressed by her resilience, Wu lets her be and heads to a different room, where, judging by the loud shouts, he believes the other to be. 

   "Z!!" Jay exclaims. "Why are you wasting your special attack on me?!? You have to save it."

   As he opens the door, he finds the boys playing video games. 

   "Fantastic, I'm all out of lives!!" Jay grumbles, crossing his arms and pouting at the screen. 

   "But the lesson lives on," Zane tells him. "Oh! And I'm getting the hang of this!!" He smashes a few buttons. "Hee-yah!!"

   "Okay..." Cole starts, sticking his tongue out in concentration as he waits for the right moment to enact his plan. "... NOW!!"

   The ninjas continue playing their game, blissfully unaware of the danger lurking behind them—that is, until the screen goes black. 

   "Awwwww," they whine.

   Sensei Wu had unplugged the television, cutting off their game. 

   "What gives!?" Jay cries. "I was almost back in!!" 

   "It took us three hours to get there!!" Cole shouts to the high heavens. 

   "Why would you do that, Sensei, whyyyyy???" Jay whines, close to tears. 

   Dark brown eyes, near black, narrow dangerously. "Just because Lord Garmadon escaped through a vortex doesn't mean he won't return one day for the Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu."

   "But Sensei Wu," Zane starts. "Ever since he's been gone, Ninjago has had nothing but peace."

   "Yeah, peace is boring." Jay chimes in. "There's no one to save and nothing to do." 

   Cole lies back, crossing his arms behind his head. "We can train tomorrow." 

   "Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today," Sensei Wu advises them.

   "Well, I was gonna eat this pizza tomorrow, so if that's the case..." Cole picks up a discarded slice, only for a sharp kick to knock it out of his hands. "OW!!"

   "No pizza for you!!" He scolds his student. "To reach your full potential, you must train." 

   "Uh, remember when we did a little thing called the Tornado of Creation? I thought that was pretty insane," Kai says, smirking. 

   "Oh, you five have merely scratched the surface of your full potential," their Sensei tells them. "There are still so many secrets you have yet to unlock. You haven't even begun to tap into what powers your golden weapons hold." He makes a broad gesture with his arms. 

   Unbeknownst to everyone, The Sword of Flames heats a slice of pizza lying on its blade. 

   "Right now, your sister is out there training hard and most likely pushing herself to the limit while you four were over here goofing around."

   The boys have the decency to look ashamed. 

   "Don't worry, Master," Zane smiles reassuringly. "We will be ready when Lord Garmadon returns."

   Just then, Nya rushes into the room, panting for breath. "Guys!!" She gasps for air. "Lord Garmadon, he's returned! He was spotted approaching Jamanakai Village!!"

   "WhAt!?" The boys scream, scrambling to their feet.

   "I told Arai already, so get going!!"

   "Wait... we're not even in our ninja gear yet!!" Jay anxiously exclaims as Nya thrusts his nunchucks in his hands. 

   Kai snatches his Sword off the ground as he hastily puts his outfit on, nearly tripping over his feet as he leaves the room. "Let's go!! Let's go!! Let's go!!" His voice echoes. 

   The others follow after their hothead, stumbling their entire way out while they simultaneously rush to put on their outfits. 

   Nya watches them before she directs her gaze on Sensei Wu. "When I told Arai, she just left as she was."

~ Earlier ~

   Nya quickly runs up the steep steps to the Monastery.

   She shoves open the entrance door, startling Arai, who was dozing off after taking a light breather from her light training session. Summoning just one elemental wolf takes a heavy toll on her body, but by practicing daily, she will eventually be able to summon all four. But for now, she'll settle for bringing one into the physical world... for a limited time.

   Spotting Nya, she tilts her head, making a curious sound. 

   "Ny-Ny?" She calls out. "Yous s'okae?" 

   "Ja--Jamanakai Village!!" Nya wheezes out. "Lord Garmadon!!" She takes in a deep breath. "Danger!!"

   Hearing that, Arai jumps to her paws and releases a sharp bark, which summons one of her Elemental Wolves. An electric-blue streak leaves her core, lightly surrounding her before traveling a few feet away. There, the majestic form of Zip 'n' Zap appears. 

   "We go!!" She barks urgently at him.

   "Understood," he responds through body language, lowering his head to her. 

   Arai grabs the scruff of his neck with one paw while swinging the rest of her body onto Zip's back. "Tell pak. Ayes go now," she tells Nya, and faster than the blink of an eye, they bolt out of the Monastery and leap down the stairs. 

   Nya stares dumbfounded for a moment before refocusing on her task. She hurries inside to tell the others and hopes Arai doesn't do anything reckless before they catch up with her.

~ Presently ~

   Nearing their destination, Zip stops before the border leading into the human village. From where they are, they can hear screaming. Both the wolf and the wolf-raised girl grow tense at the sound.

   "Aye muhst go," Arai says, though she hesitates. 

   From a very young age, she was taught to avoid humans at all costs. When she first encountered one, she learned her lesson the hard way. She saw just how cruel and horrible humans can be to creatures they don't even try to understand.

   After witnessing that horror at such a young age, she swore to keep any human far away from her Guardian's territory. And she would've kept that mindset for every person until the fateful day she met Mistah-- err-- Sensei Wu. He was unlike any human she had ever met. He was kind and gentle and had a love for nature. And he always has a calming scent that travels wherever he goes. 

   Then she met Kai, her Spitfire, who led her to meet Cole, Zane, and Jay. 

   She smiles at the thought of them— her packmates. 

   All her wariness and hesitation disappear as she squares her shoulders and slides off her elemental wolf. "Ayes am Ninja. An' ayes stawp da eevl." 

   She walks forward, growing closer to the invisible border, but instead of bolting away like she'd normally do, she keeps going, and as she does, Zip shrinks in size and follows close behind. 

   The screaming grows louder when she enters the village, but she continues to move, searching for Lord Garmadon. She follows her nose and comes across a strange scent that leads her to the center, where a large, human-made water spring lies. 

   A large shadow appears behind it, followed by a deep, evil laugh. 

   "Gharmahdon!!" She snarls, crouching low. 

   As the laughter continues, the shadow shrinks, turning into a child-like build while the deep laugh becomes high-pitched, sounding boyish.  

   Surprised, Arai cuts her snarl off short. 

   "It is I, Lloyd Garmadon!!" The boy, around the same age as her, states. "I demand all the candy in town, or else!!"

   As he stands before the water spring, she takes in his appearance. 

   He has fair skin, similar to hers, hazel brown eyes, and blonde hair styled in a neat bowl cut. There's a mark near his eye that looks like a black dot to her. He wears a black hoodie with a skeletal ribbed design on the front and a green number 6 on the upper left side, and tied across the waist of his black pants is a purple sash.

   She slowly approaches him, sniffing lightly as she does so, taking in his oddly familiar scent. 

   "Err... err... gimme your candy or I'll release the Serpentine on you!!" He warns.

   The once-scared villagers start to boo the young boy, much to Arai's confusion, but humans confuse her anyhow. She watches as Lloyd pulls out a can with squiggles drawn on it and opens it. 

   She yelps and ducks down when a bunch of snakes jump out, but calms down upon realizing these snakes are fake. She laughs, grabbing one off the ground and rolling onto her back, playfully fighting the fake snake. 

   Because she's not looking, she fails to notice Lloyd smiling at her with a happy gleam in his eyes. That happy gleam is instantly stolen away by the villagers who start throwing... vegetables!!? at him. 

   "No way!!" He exclaims, disgusted. "I asked for candy, not vegetables!! I hate vegetables!!" 

  They continue throwing a whole bunch of vegetables, which causes him to fall.

   "Ouch!!"

   At his cry, Arai quickly gets to her paws and sets her sights on the humans. They don't acknowledge that he might be hurt; they just laugh and throw even more stuff at him. One lands near her paws, splattering against the ground. 

   It's sticky and red.

   She stares blankly at it before unbridled rage takes control over her. 

   "GRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOWWW!!!"

   Silence falls upon the village as an imposing figure stands behind Arai. Thunder booms overhead, followed by streaks of lightning. 

   Zip 'n' Zap, who was merely observing the events, makes himself known. He felt a shift in his pup's mood and reacted accordingly. If she feels like these longpaws (humans) are a threat, he will make them leave. 

   His pup turns her back on the longpaws and focuses on the young blonde, so he steps forward and bares his fangs in its entirety. Let them try something... anything... he'll be at their throat, instantly.

   "Arr-- ahr youse s'okae?" Arai asks, trying her best to enunciate her words properly. 

   "Huh?" Lloyd says, removing the vegetables from his body. "Uh... yeah, I'm fine." He moves to stand, brushing off his outfit from any debris. 

   "HEY!! WHAT'S WITH YOU!?" An agitated voice calls out. "Call off your beast!! We're not the enemy here!! It's that pest, Lloyd!!"

   …

   Arai crouches protectively before him as she glares at the person who dared to utter such bullspit. 

   Unperturbed, the adult male continues with his rant. 

   "We were merely minding our business when we heard about the return of Lord Garmadon, you know, the embodiment of pure evil!! It led us to panic, rightfully so. But then it turns out, it's just a stupid kid playing pretend and making childish demands!!"

   Lloyd shuffles anxiously where he stands, ducking his head to avoid the angry stares.

   "Tch," Arai scoffs openly, showing the disdain clear on her face. 

   "Why you--!!" He starts to threaten until a loud snarl reminds him of the beast standing by the girl's side. "C-call off your beast!!" He says instead, stuttering slightly. 

   Arai scoffs once more, raising her lips in a sneer. "If youse skehrd jush leev. It's az simpl az that."

   The man flushes red with anger, but she easily dismisses him with a roll of her eyes. Embarrassed, the adult snatches a nearby rock off the ground and chucks it at her. It strikes true, lacerating her forehead and causing it to bleed heavily. 

   "EEP!!" She lets out a loud yelp. 

   "WHOA!!" A familiar voice exclaims. "SO UNCOOL, DUDE!!" Jay scolds the man. 

   Arai ignores the wound and has instinct take over. She leaps at the unknown man and goes for his throat, the way she learned to do from past experiences. 

   "Raaaaaaw!!" She snarls but finds herself caught mid-air and carried away. "Hrm?" She makes a curious sound, already forgetting her anger. "Kowl?"

   "Yeah, it's me, Wild Child," Cole confirms, walking over to join the others near the water fountain. Once there, he shifts her in his hold so he can use the sleeve of his gi to wipe away the blood from her cut. "Mm. Yeah, this might scar." He mumbles under his breath, trying to keep his anger in check. 

   "Alright, enough spectating!!" Kai shouts. "We got everything under control!!"

   From his left, Zip 'n' Zap creates a strong bolt of lightning that "misses" the nuisance who inflicted pain upon his pup. If her instincts didn't override his own, he knows, for sure, this male would not have lived to see another day. 

   Garnering the attention of every villager present, he lets the electric currents in his body run rampant. He then has thunder boom overhead, making it sound as ominous as possible. 

   Kai raises a nicked brow. "Well?"

   Everyone scatters, leaving behind a large cloud of dust in their wake. 

   Zip snorts sharply from his nose before turning into his non-corporal form and returns to his pup's core to join the others and fill them in on what transpired. 

   "Alright, the bystanders are gone. So! Now all we gotta do is take care of you, ey?" Kai says, directing his focus on Lloyd, who nervously shuffles his feet. 

   "Uh..." He looks for a way to escape.

   Arai wriggles out of Cole's hold and climbs onto his shoulders. "Yuh!!" She agrees with Kai's statement but with a different motive in mind. "Leh's giv him da kan 'n' dee!!"

   "Huh!?"

   "Say what now?!"

   Ignoring the shocked cries from her pack and Lloyd, she hops down, happily walking over to the young boy. There, she grins brightly, showcasing her sharp pearly whites. "Youse cahm ere for da kan 'n' dee, right? Sowh, leh's get it!!"

   "Umm..." Jay shares a glance with his brothers. "That's a great idea, Arai. Really, it is. There's just one itty bitty little problem with that." He gestures toward the empty street. "No vendors!!"

   Arai whines softly, looking downcast. "Oh." She turns to Lloyd with a sorrowful expression. "Sowwy. I scare all the kan 'n' dee away."

   "It's-- it's okay.

   "Nuh!!" The young girl shakes her head. "Buh, don't worry! Ay’ll find da kan 'n' dee!! I's promise youse!!" She yips excitedly as she grabs his hands and shakes them up and down with every bounce of her hind paws. "Yesh!! Yesh!! Yesh!!" 

   Lloyd stares at her blankly before a small smile lights his face. "...thanks." His voice is soft and genuine, unlike the boastful act he projected earlier. 

   "As nice as this is," Kai cuts in. "We best be leaving now." He turns his gaze to Lloyd and levels the young boy with a steely glare. "The next time you decide to threaten this town, my brothers and I won't be as nice. And not even Arai's naive innocence will help you. Ya dig?" His tone is harsh and has an undertone of a low growl. 

   "I-- I'm not afraid of you!!" Lloyd shouts before taking off and disappearing behind a corner. "This won't be the last you see of meeeee!!" His voice echoes for a short while before coming to a stop.

   Arai blinks, perplexed. "Uh... Buh-bye?" She calls out, slightly unsure. 

   A hand rests on her curly mess of a mane and lightly ruffles it. "Alright, let's get going." Cole unceremoniously lifts her into his arms, where she makes herself comfortable on his shoulders. "No, Lord Garmadon means there's nothing to worry about."

   Everyone voices their agreements... everyone but Arai, that is. 

   As the others start to leave the village, her grey eyes are locked on where Lloyd had run off. She feels some form of kinship with him, and something within her tells her to track him down and follow whatever path he chooses. But she can't just leave her pak. Her pak is everything, and guilt prevents her from having any thoughts of leaving. So why do her instincts want her to follow someone who is not a pakmate...?

   Or maybe...?

   She sighs heavily, huffing through her nose. 

   "Something wrong, Wild Child?" Cole asks, feeling his little sister resting her chin on his head. 

   "Nuh." She shakes her head. "I's don't t'ink sowh."

   "Hm."

   He secures his grip on her legs as he follows after his brothers. "It'll be okay."

* * * * 

   “Drakknz!!" Arai greets her other packmates with a happy bark. She jumps from Cole's shoulders onto Blazentail but misjudges this distance and has to scramble for purchase on his serpentine-like neck and accidentally kicks Kai's satchel, which leads to a scroll dropping free. 

   "Uh... oops?" She clings to Blaze's neck as she peers down at the scroll. "Hm?" She catches a familiar scent from the dropped item. "Smells liak Sensei Wu."

   Kai picks it up with a confused expression. "I don't remember putting this here."

   "That's Sensei's bag," Zane notes. "You must've accidentally taken it in the rush."

   Arai squints her eyes. 

   "What is it?" Jay asks, having overheard the conversation. 

   "It's a scroll, Flashdrive," Kai snarks, earning him an admonishing huff from both Arai and Blazentail. 

   Jay rolls his eyes. "I know it's a scroll, Firecracker." He moves closer. "I'm asking about what it says 'cause it's written in chicken scratch."

   "And you think I can read chicken scratch?" Kai raises an amused brow. "I'm flattered." He smirks slyly. 

   "Grrrr!!" Jay half-heartedly smacks at the shorter boy. "That's not what I meant, and you know it!!" 

   Kai laughs, ducking away from the blows. 

   Zane takes the scroll and looks it over. "This is not chicken scratch." His eyes scan over the words. "It is written in the ancient language of our ancestors."

   "Can you read it?" Kai asks, sidestepping Jay, who tumbles to the ground. 

   "Well, I can try." He is quiet for a moment. "This symbol, here, means 'prophecy'."

   "Prophecy?" Jay groans from the ground, pushing himself to his feet. 

   "It means it tells the future," Kai answers. 

   "Of course," Jay laughs nervously. "Ha-ha! I... knew that..."

   Arai drops down from Blazentail and lands on Zane so that she can get a closer look. "Hmmm," she hums, curious. 

   "It reads as follows: 'One ninja will rise above the others and become the Green Ninja, the ninja destined to defeat the Dark Lord.'"

   Jay gasps. "Ooooo, look… a picture!!"

   A ninja wearing Blue, wielding nunchucks; Red, wielding a sword; Black, wielding a scythe; and White, wielding shurikens, all surround a singular ninja wearing all green. 

   "Dark Lord...? Hold on a minute..." Kai narrows his eyes, deep in thought. "Do... do you guys think they mean Lord Garmadon?" His eyes widen. "And wait a minute!! Is that us?" He gestures at the picture. "Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?"

   "Yuh!!" Arai pouts. "Why's no one tawlkin' 'bout the sekand symbl?!" 

   "Huh?"

   With a roll of her eyes, the young girl points at the wispy grey symbol of a howling wolf with a glowing teal paw print in its center. There are words written below, which she translates to the best of her ability. "Says, 'La-hook de'eep wit’in an'd find teh missing saurse, an'd onlei t’en will teh trooth be reeveeled'."

   The others blink, shocked. 

   "You can read the language of the ancestors?" Zane blinks up at her. 

   She grins, sticking out her tongue. "A lil' bit. Sensei Wu taught me when younger!" Her grin grows at the bewildered looks her packmates give her. "I's smart!!"

   Kai shakes his head. "In any case, as I was saying, this Green Ninja prophecy is awesome. Imagine how powerful I'll be when I become it!!" He boasts, pridefully. 

   "Oi!!" Jay snaps. "Who says you'll be the Green Ninja?! The color would obviously suit me better."

   "Technically, I am the best," Zane adds to the conversation. 

   Arai scrunches her nose. "Buh, youse not Green Ninja," she tells them with a shake of her head. "Youse Ninja of Fiar, Lightnin', an' Ice. If either of youse becomes da Green Ninja, wha' appens to your elements?"

   At that, Kai goes silent, as do the others. 

   "Alright, alright," Cole decides to intervene, walking over and taking the scroll away. "We're not doing this. Remember why Sensei brought us together in the first place." He looks at his brothers. "We're a team— A pack," he says with much conviction. "We weren't meant to see this, and probably for good reason. Now, c'mon, let's head back home. We have training to do."

   He goes over to his dragon, quickly grabs hold of the reins, and swings up onto his handmade saddle, courtesy of Jay, who used his tinkerer knowledge to help them with the task of creating a safe way to ride their dragons. 

   "It's about time I added some finesse to my routine," Jay mentions aloud as he jumps onto Volt. 

   Zane mounts his dragon with Arai as she has yet to remove herself from him, which he does not mind at all. He has learned that this is one of the ways she shows affection. 

   "Well," he starts lightly. "I could use some exercise."

   "Yeah..." Cole urges his dragon to take flight." ...I gotta work on some new moves."

   The youngest merely yawns widely, settling snugly against her tallest pack member. She overhears Kai mumbling to herself and grumbles at his soft-spoken words.

   "Could I be the Green Ninja?"

   She'll need to keep an eye on him as well as the others, so this "competing" won't cause a rift between the four of them. There will be no infighting in this pack. If she has to fight her packmates to ensure that doesn't happen, then so be it. For the safety of her pack, she'll do anything. 

* * * * 

   Back at the Monastery, the ninjas make their way to the front entrance after ensuring their respective dragons are comfortable in their stables. 

   Jay leads the others. "So then we all agree?" He starts. "The prophecy states that one of us will become the Green Ninja, and the issue will not rest until it is decided."

   "May I suggest a tournament?" Zane offers. "Last ninja standing is the best."

   "AND!!" Kai adds with a grin. "The winner will be declared the Green Ninja!!" He thrusts his fist high in the air. "I love it!!!"Being the first to arrive at the doors, opens them and is greeted by the sight of his sister using the training course.

   Upon noticing their arrival, it throws Nya out of focus, which leads her to getting knocked onto her back. 

   "Ooof."

   Arai giggles as she jumps from Zane's shoulders to the ground and happily skips over to her packmate. "Youse was doin' good, Ny-Ny!!" She praises, helping her to her feet with a gentle nudge. "Nex time fowkus mawr, kay?"

   "Yeah!! You almost bested Scorcher's speed record."

   Kai raises an eyebrow. "How many nicknames are you going to come up with, Blitz?"

   Jay sticks out his tongue. "As many as you come up with, Bonfire!!"

   "Uh... moving on from that, I'm getting there." Nya wipes her brow with the back of her hand. "I heard what happened in town. A false alarm, huh?"

   "Yuh!! Yuh!!" 

   "Yeah... uh, but we're going to need the space, Sis," Kai tells his younger sister, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish expression. 

   As he explains, Cole walks over to a closet where they keep their practice gear. He grabs a helmet and chucks it at the back of Jay's head, much to his annoyance. "Alright. Two matches. Then the winners of each face off for the title. Armors for our protection. It's time to see what these babies can do." He holds up his golden Scythe, and his eyes twinkle, eager. 

   Zane passes a helmet over to Arai, who shakes her head and gives it back to him.

   "Nuh. 'M not sparring."

   "How come?"

   Arai snorts through her nose. "Spars arr fer training. Tah gets stronger. Nuh fer competing. Ayes wan' nuh part." She trots over to Nya. "Will you show me how to get kan 'n' dee?"

   "..."

   Nya looks to the others. 

   "She made a promise," Jay tells her. "And you know how she is with promises."

   With a fond sigh, Nya accepts her fate. "Yeah, I'll help you, Arai." She heads to the door with Arai following just a step behind. "I was thinking about heading to Jamanakai village anyhow." She offers them a small wave without looking back. "Knock yourselves out."

   At that, Arai stops right before leaving the threshold to turn back and address her packmates. 

   "Don't." Her eyes narrow. 

   The boys gulp at the menacing tone she uses. 

   "W-we'll be careful," they voice together. 

   She stares at them for a moment longer before nodding. "Youse bettah." And with that, she takes her leave.

   ... 

   …

   …

   "All in agreement to never get on Wildflower's bad side?" Kai prompts, shakily.

   "Aye." They all raise their hands in unison. 

* * * * 

   “Alright, you got the money, right?"

   Arai nods, holding out a singular gold coin. "Gotsit."

   "Good. Now all you have to do is go into that store and give the owner the money, and they should give you back the same amount you paid for," Nya explains to her young friend. "Easy, right?"

   "Eazzey! Yuh!! Yuh!!"

   With instructions on how to get the kan 'n' dee, she sets off towards the store with a confident gait. As she pushes open the wooden door, she's greeted by a colorful array and then hit with a bunch of sweet-smelling scents that nearly overwhelm her. An instinctual part of her make her sneeze to try to dislodge the foreign scent.

   She sneezes once more, shaking her head before walking further inside the kan 'n' dee store. Multiple things garner her attention, but one thing quickly catches her attention. 

   A large humanoid snake walks by, followed by another holding a golden staff with a shiny blue gem.

   She blinks. 

   "Muahahahahahaha!!"

   The familiar sound of Lloyd reaches her ears, which leads her to jump excitedly with a happy yip and race over to the boy. The snakes react to her presence with a threatening hiss, but she pays that no mind as she leaps onto Lloyd, knocking him away from his fully loaded cart. 

   "Wha--??" He cries out but calms down at the sight of Arai grinning happily above him. 

   "Lloy!! Lloy!!" She calls his name. "Tis me!! Itz me!! Remembah?"

   Lloyd remains caught off guard on the floor and can't help but stare at this strange girl. Then, all of a sudden, her weight, which is pretty light, he notes, leaves him as she's thrown aside by one of the nearby Serpentine. He scrambles to his feet and almost rushes over, if it wasn't for a familiar golden staff being placed before him. 

   "Slithraa?" He questions. 

   "Ssshe is an elemental ussser! Cannot be trusssted!!"

   "Wha? No, she's not..." His voice trails off as he remembers that huge wolf with the power to control lightning. "But..." 

   A small part of him wants to run over to her and ensure her safety, but another part resents her for keeping his father trapped in the Underworld. She and the Ninja are not to be trusted. They took his father from him, and for that, they shall face his wrath. 

   "Nnnnn..." Arai whimpers, shakily moving to stand on her paws. "Lloy?" She whines, subconsciously calling out to him like she would her packmates. 

   As she's struggling to remain standing, two Serpentines slowly slither their way over to her with menacing hisses. Her whimpers and whines grow, continuing to call out for assistance... but none comes... not from the one she's directing her distress to. 

   Lloyd glowers at the young girl before sharply turning away and exiting the store with his load of sweet, delicious candy with a malicious laugh as he's followed closely by his army. 

   "Muahahahahahaha!!!" He grins. "Take the candy!! Take it all!!" He pauses, his grin fading slightly as he fights the urge to turn back. "All the candy belongs to me... LLOYD GARMADON!!! Muahahahahahaha!!" And with those words, he keeps moving forward. 

   Arai watches him go. A multitude of emotions crosses through her eyes, but the ones that stand out the most are confusion and sadness. She releases a softer whimper once more, but it's quickly drowned out by her sudden snarl at the approaching snakes. 

   They laugh. 

   "Resssissstance is futile, mutt," the one with lighter scales of blue tells her, outstretching his hands as if to grab her. "We'll make your death quick and ssswift."

   She swats a heavy paw at him, subconsciously unsheathing the claws of her Tekko-Kagi, which results in a large gash appearing on scaled flesh. The claws dig deep, inflicting as much hurt as possible. 

   "Youse mahay be, Lloy's pak, but youse no mine!!" She snarls, baring all her fangs and posturing to make herself look bigger. "Ta'ouch me... 'n youse die!!" Her snarling grows in volume as her small frame shakes with faint tremors. 

   The snake, who tried to touch her, hisses threateningly as he cradles his wounded arm. "Oh, yeah?" He taunts, slithering closer. "And what'sss a ssscared little mongrel like you going to do to the likesss of usss?"

  Arai shifts her stance, standing tall and asserting an air of dominance. 

   "Ma-hake... youse... bleed."

   Her sharp response leads both Serpentine to reel back as if struck. 

   "Wha--??"

   They don't get to say any more than that as a bright red glow leaves Arai's form and surrounds her in a fiery vortex before taking the shape of a relatively large wolf. Its normal, rich, coarse black fur is lit ablaze by a blazing inferno of fire. The flaming red of its mane and tail flares with a sudden burst of heat as the creature— no, beast— snaps its jaws at the Serpents. 

   Arai stares her opponents down with a vicious glare. 

   Her elemental wolf, Inferno, mirrors her gaze, and a low, rumbling growl tumbles out of his throat and causes the snakes to tremble. They move an inch back, and he moves one forward in response. 

   "Your orders?" He rumbles to his bonded one.  

   She lowers her stance, tensing the muscles in her hind legs. "Youse hurd meh..."

   A pleased growl escapes the older wolf. He bares his fangs, licking them as a sign of what's to come.

   "I won't disappoint."

   With that said, he leaps forward with a snarled bark. 

   "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

* * * * 

   Moments later, Arai takes careful strides over to the tall wooden door, ignoring the faint limp that disrupts her steps, and exits the shop. She takes in the sight around her.

   One thing she notices instantly is her pakmates. 

   She spots Kai first as he spins past her using Spinjitzu against a group of Serpentine... but because he lacks practice, he instead spins face-first into a stone wall. 

   …

   …

   ...

   From the nearby rooftops, she hears Jay make a comment she wholeheartedly agrees with. 

   "Okay, we're really out of shape."

   Kai quickly jumps back to his feet and delivers swift punches to the snakes closest to him. 

   "Wa-POW!!" He exclaims dramatically. "Who's next?"

   None approach him.

   Arai diverts her attention from her Spitfire to instead focus on Lloyd, who laughs crazily as he runs off with his load of kan 'n' dee. He calls out to her pakmates mockingly. 

   "HA!!" He throws his head back. "Consider this a warning, ninja!!"

   She moves to follow after him, but a sharp pain leads her to use one paw to cradle her bruised tummy. A whimper escapes her at the uncomfortable feeling. 

   Thankfully, Zane stops the young boy from getting far when he uses his Shurikens to freeze the ground beneath Lloyd, which catches onto the wheels of the buggy and leads to all the kan 'n' dee being thrown to the ground, including Lloyd. 

   "My candy!!" He cries out, distraught. 

   "Sensei was right," Zane says as he spins over to the slightly dazed boy. "Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today." His eyes narrow. "We should've dealt with you the first time around."

   Lloyd suddenly releases an ear-piercing shriek. 

   "REEEEEEEEETREEEEEEEEEAT!!!"

   Upon hearing the order, the leader of the snakes repeats the command to his underlings. "You heard the boy. Retreat!!"

   As all the Serpentine scatter, Arai sets her sights on Lloyd. When she spots him, she races after him and nearly catches up to him, but happens to sense something amiss with her pakmates. So, without missing a beat, Arai skids to an abrupt stop and, in that same instance, turns on her heels and heads back over to her pak. 

   Her eyes lock onto the Serpent and sees him about to attack Cole, so she does the only thing she can think of. 

   "Raaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"

   She initiates the art of Spinjitzu and leaps at the Serpent, delivering a bruising spinning kick to his face, which knocks out one of his fangs. 

   "Wild Child?!" Cole blinks, startled. 

   "Youse stahaye 'way frohm maye pak!!!!" She snarls before leaping once more at the snake and tries to strike him with her Tekko-Kagi, but he dodges out of the way at the last second. But she doesn't stop there. She keeps on attacking him, never once slowing down. 

   Skales, knowing he has no chance, pulls a last resort and uses his hypnosis on the young girl. She stills mid-punch, and he takes this moment to put his powers to good use.

    "Look into my eyesss... I control—"

   "Ayes... sahaid... stahaye... AWAY!!!" Arai punches him square in the jaw, and a burst of teal-blue follows the action as the serpent is sent flying, landing a good distance near the entrance of the village. 

   "Whoa!!" Cole whispers, lost in awe at what he has just witnessed. "That was—"

   "COLE!!" Nya shouts, shocking him out of his trance. "You have the anti-venom!!"

   The older teen blinks before looking down at his hands that hold the golden Serpentine staff. "By golly, you're right!!" He exclaims. 

   "Quick, the fountain!!" She urges him frantically. 

   He nods, quickly making his way toward the fountain where he then places the staff and the anti-venom within it, reaches everyone within the village, thus breaking them out of their zombified trance. 

   The villagers rejoice. 

   Cole walks over to Arai, and while he goes to check on her, he passes the staff to Kai, who takes it with a heavy frown, expressing his conflicted emotion for all to see. 

   "Hey..." He rests a hand on fluffy brown hair full of loose curls. "...thanks for the save... but are you okay?"

   "Kowl..." She leans into his touch, whimpering softly. "Tired."

   "Okay. C'mere." He easily lifts her into his arms and cradles her close. "I gotcha. You're okay, Wild Child. Everything's okay."

   "Ayes waz wrong," she whispers against his broad chest. "Lloy no needs kan 'n' dee... he needs..." Before she can finish her sentence, she succumbs to the gentle embrace of sleep. 

   Looking down at the sleeping girl in his arms, Cole sighs softly. 

   "I'll do better next time... promise."

   "We're sorry, Sensei." He hears Kai's voice, so he focuses on the upcoming conversation and makes his way toward his teammates. "If we dealt with Lloyd before he became a problem, none of this would've been necessary."

   Sensei Wu strokes his beard as he responds. 

   "Even lessons learned the hard way are lessons learned." He hums, worriedly. "Hmm... a great evil has been released. I fear troubling times will come. This is only the beginning."

   "Then we will train and be ready for the Serpentine."

   Cole follows after Zane's statement with one of his own. "It may not be Lord Garmadon, but that doesn't mean we won't bring our A-game." He spares a glance at the slumbering Arai. "Just like Wild Child."

   Kai's gaze hardens, determined. "Help us train. Help us realize our potential."

   "Yeah, what Firebringer said," Jay agrees. "Teach us the secrets behind the weapons of Spinjitzu."

   "Hmm... there is much to teach." Sensei Wu strokes his beard once more. "Come." He begins to walk. "We must return to the Monastery."

   "Hai, Sensei."

To Be Continued... 

Next: Episssode Two...

Home

Chapter Text

“Stars, not sheep, guide my way. Bright enough to shine, strong enough to roam."

                                                                                                           ~ Unknown

-------------------------------------------------------------

Episssode 2 - Home

   Arai lounges on some steps, overlooking her pakmate's training. She'd join them, but she has worn herself out from earlier. Before daybreak had even struck, she left the Den to go on a quick run with Stone through the outskirts of Jamanakai Village and into different parts of the surrounding forest. 

   They might've hunted a rabbit or two for themselves, but nobody needs to know that, especially when she gathers a few more for her pack. They don't eat meat like wolves do, but Zane made them in a way that was enjoyable for all, which is a very good thing. Yes. Yes. Yes. It would be bad if she couldn't provide the bare necessities for her pack. 

   Moving on... 

   After they had refined their hunting skills, Arai summoned Zip and challenged him to a race. He gladly accepted, and the two had a playful competition that lasted until the sun had long past reached its peak. Exhausted, her elemental wolf carried her safely back to the Den, where the two slumber lightly near the training grounds before the rest of their packmates wake. 

   And thus, here they are. 

   She yawns widely, snapping her mouth shut with an audible click before smacking her lips contentedly. Having rested well enough, she happily trots over to Zane, who is in a meditative trance, and decides to join him. Surprisingly, they subconsciously sync together as one, mirroring each other's move with seemingly acute awareness. 

   "Niiiiiiinjaaaaaaa GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Kai shouts, performing Spinjitzu, and traverses swiftly around the training grounds. 

   Suddenly, Zane's eyes snap open while Arai's core glows an icy blue, followed by the appearance of Blizzard, who releases a chilling howl that catches all the ninja training off guard. 

   "Huh?" They voice their bewilderment aloud.

   Zane then takes this moment to jump to his feet, where he frontflips and lands in front of Jay, catching one of the practice arrows before breaking it in two.

   "Oi!! Zane, what gives?!"

   He is ignored as Zane flips over to Cole, who is practicing with his Scythe, and promptly snatches it out of the Earth wielder's grasp, much to his annoyance. 

   "EHI!! Not cool, bro!!"

   With the Scythe in hand, Zane jumps onto the test dummy course and slices one clean in half before performing a somersault, which leads him to activate his Spinjitzu. 

   "NiiiiiiinjjjjAAAAAAAAAAAAA GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

   "Aaaaaaarrrrrrooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!" Blizzard throws his head back and unleashes a strong gust of icy cold winds that unintentionally boosts Zane's elemental powers. 

   As Zane spins around, the ground beneath his feet freezes, spreading ice in its wake. His actions lead Kai, who passes him by, to slip and disrupt his concentration, causing him to fall flat on his back. 

   "Wh-- Woah!!" He cries out. "...oof."

   With an irritable grunt, Kai gets to his feet and walks over to Cole and Jay, who stand beside each other as they watch Zane practice hand-to-hand combat with one of the test dummies. 

   "This roof isn't big enough for the five of us," Kai grumbles irritably while rubbing his still-sore back. 

   Cole shakes his head. "Correzione. This roof isn't big enough for him." He punctuates his statement by throwing a heated glare at their oblivious teammate. 

   "It's like he's in his own little world," Jay comments. "I BET HE CAN'T EVEN HEAR US!!!" His voice raises with his emotions. 

   Arai suddenly jumps to her hind paws and quickly weaves between Kai and Cole before directing a spinning roundhouse kick at Zane, only for him to dodge at the last second. Reacting fast, the young girl uses Spinjitzu to change her trajectory and aims a strong punch at the older teen's face, which he blocks with his forearm. He then aims a punch with his other hand, which leads her to backflip out of the way while also kicking her leg out to nail him under his chin.

   He staggers back slightly before regaining his footing and following after her with a few combo moves. 

   "That was an interesting move, petit loup," he compliments while dodging her retaliating move sets. "May I ask where you got it from?"

   Arai preens from the praise. "Ny-Ny taught meh taht!!" She quickly drops down onto all fours to roll out of the way and follows through by sweep-kicking Zane's legs. "Says aye gotta use maey smallness to maey ad'vantje." 

   "Smart." 

   As the other ninjas watch on, their Sensei approaches them. "What seems to be the problem?" he inquires, having sensed something with his students. He rests an absent-minded hand on Blizzard, who decides to lie down near his feet.

   "Sensei..." Kai hesitates briefly, trying to find a good way to say what he wants to get across. "...Zane is... siya ay... he's weird, okay."

   Wu raises a brow. "What is weird?" He prompts. "Someone who is different or someone who is different than you?"

   "Nah, Sensei. Frosty's weird-weird, yaknow?" Cole tries to explain. "Like, Wild Child is a naive sort of weird."

   Jay chimes in with a comment of his own. "Yeah! See, we know why she acts the way she does because she wasn't raised normal like us. But when it comes to Z..."

    The three teens then go on to explain the differences between their teammates. 

~ Mini Flashback ~

   Cole sits on the closed lid of the toilet while reading an article from a newspaper. He hums as he takes in the details, but something catches his attention just as he goes to turn the page. 

   To his shock, Zane comes waltzing in like he owns the place and walks over to the mirror, and grabs the wide-toothed comb on the edge of the sink.

   "Do you mind?!?!" He calls out, deeply embarrassed.

   He is ignored. 

   "Petit loup, I found my comb!" Zane turns to face the now-open door, and to Cole's growing embarrassment, Arai happily races into the room. She fails to slow down and collides with Zane, who barely buckles from where he stands. "Alright, up you go." He easily scoops her into his arms and gently deposits her onto the sink counter. 

   "Zane, you cannot have her here!!" Cole stresses out each syllable through gritted teeth.

   "Hm? Why not? This is a place for grooming, is it not?"

   "Yuh!! Yuh!!" Arai gestures to her unruly fluff of hair. "Ayes gotta fahix maye mayne. An’ Zayne sa'haid he’d do’s it."

   The Ninja of Earth can do nothing but watch as Zane combs through Arai's messy curls without a care in the world while he tries not to die from embarrassment. 

 2. 

  Jay sits on the couch with Nya on his right, Arai sprawled across both their laps, passed out in a peaceful slumber, and Zane lounging back on the arm of the couch while they watch a movie.

   The actor on the television embraces his lover. "Goodbye, my darling."

   Nya and Jay are both sniffling, tears running down their faces at the sad ending. 

   "HahaHahaHaHAHAHAHAHA!!" Zane starts laughing loudly. He has to hold his stomach because of how loud he's laughing, which nearly causes him to fall. 

   Arai startles awake with a snort, unintentionally hitting Jay in a very sensitive place when she shifts to sitting up on her knees. She tilts her head curiously at the strangled noise he makes. 

   "Youse okae?" She questions. 

   Jay simply nods. "Peachy," he grits out. 

3.  

   Kai tiredly makes his way to the kitchen and opens the fridge. 

   He jumps back, startled. 

   "Aaaah!! Holy smokes!!"

   Inside the fridge, happily munching on a sandwich, is Zane, and upon noticing Kai, he pauses mid-bite. "I'm sorry. I consumed the last of the deli meat." He instead offers an alternative. "Cheese?"

   Instead of responding, Kai shuts the door and stiffly turns on his heels to leave and pretend this never happened. 

~ Back To The Present ~

   Zane stands tall, placing his right fist into the palm of his left hand, and then bows toward Arai, who blinks curiously at him. He peeks one eye at her and smiles softly.

   "It is common courtesy to bow after a spar."

   "Oh!" She wriggles in place before forcing her body to still so she can copy his hand placements. With that down, she bows but puts too much force into it and ends up toppling over into a sprawled roll. "Uh... aye meant tah do that."

   Blizzard snorts, amused at the sight.

   "We like the guy, Sensei. He's kind and really smart, too," Kai says, and the others nod in agreement. "He's just..." He heaves a deep sigh. "...a little off sometimes." 

   Wu takes this all in with an unwavering gaze. "Zane is a brother, and brothers are often different." His gaze drifts as his voice softens. "I should know."

   Just then, the sounds of gongs ring through the entire Monastery. 

   "Uh oh..." Jay voices aloud.

   In an instant, Blizzard is on his paws and snarls menacingly at the door while Arai goes deathly still, slowly turning her head to face the source of her ire.

   "It's just the postman, Wild Flower." Kai raises his hands, placating. "You know this, so let's just calm down and--"

   "Threat!!" She snarls in her feral tongue. "Unwanted!!" Her teeth are bared to their fullest extent. "GO AWAY!!" She steadily stalks closer to her elemental wolf, and the two remain tense, ready to pounce at a moment's notice. 

   "Um..." the nervous voice of the postman cuts through the tension. "... I am on a bit of a tight schedule. So... could you please come retrieve your mail?"

   With a glance directed at Arai to gauge her reaction, Kai nods to Jay, who walks over to the doors, opens the one on the right, and quickly retrieves them from the nice postman.

   "Thank you, come again!!" He chirps merrily before unceremoniously shutting the door in his face. "Alright!! Mail Time!!" He walks back over to his friends and teammates. "A fan letter for our resident Firebolt. Here ya go."

   Kai happily accepts the letter. "Thanks, Zapper."

   "I have a letter from my parents... greeeeaaaaaaat," he drawls those words sarcastically as he tucks it away. "And, last but not least, Cole. You have quite the hefty letter from your father and a package from--"

   "Creatures, Beasts, and Beyond!!??" Cole all but leaps for the package. "Oh, boy!! Roccioso is going to love this!!" He doesn't even spare a glance at his dad's letter and instead races over to the dragon's stable. 

   "I..." Jay pauses, momentarily taken aback. "I'll just leave it on his bed so he can look at it later."

   Arai continues to stare down the door for a few moments longer before releasing a harsh snort from her nose. Now satisfied that no one is challenging the safety of the Den, she merrily snuggles against Blizzard's soft fur. 

   He, in turn, leans down, gently nudging her with his snout, and gives her mane a brief lick as he soon becomes nothing more than a wispy mist. His intangible form circles her a few times, then disappears back into her core, where he joins the other elemental wolves.

   As Jay starts reading the contents of his letter, he happens to spot Zane sadly walking by with his shoulders slumped and his head down. "Hey, Z!" He calls out to his teammate. "How come you don't get any mail? Do your parents not know where you're at or something?"

   Zane looks up. "I don't remember my parents," he confesses. "I've been an orphan all my life."

   At that, Jay exchanges looks with Kai. 

   "You mean you never had a home?" Kai asks.

   In response, Zane shakes his head as he drops his gaze to the floor.   

   Sensing the shift in emotions, Arai whines low in her throat, garnering everyone's attention. "Youse nevah had a pak, 'fore? Laik nevah evah? Tha's nuh rite!!" She rushes to her hind paws and throws herself at Zane, clinging tightly to his front and nuzzling against him. "It's okae now, though. Youse hahv us 'n yu'll nevah be a'lone. Nevah evah!! 'n tha's pr'mise!!"

   Zane blinks down at her, slightly taken aback, but he soon returns her embrace as he shifts her into a more comfortable position. "That's very sweet of you to say, petit loup." He directs his gaze to everyone else. "I will go and prepare dinner." And with that, he takes his leave with Arai vocalizing a curious sound. 

   "Ayes kaught lohng-earred runners. Cahn we yoos sohm ohv 'em?"

   "I suppose. It will ultimately depend on whether they are salvageable or not."

   "Yay!!" She cheers excitedly, wriggling out of his hold and races inside. "Din-din!! Din-din!! Din-din!!" She chants loudly while Zane calmly walks after her. 

* * * * 

   Later in the evening, everyone but Zane and Arai are seated at the table, patiently waiting for the main entree to be finished so they can finally enjoy the delicacies placed before them. 

   "Mmmm!!" Jay hums happily. "Oh, I love it when it's Z's night to cook."

   "Hey, I didn't hear any complaints about my duck chowder last night," Cole says, looking smug. 

   Kai responds. "That's because it glued our mouths shut." He snickers. "You really thought Mr. Chatterbox was speechless aaalll throughout dinner?"

   "Yeah... please don't make that again."

   The sliding door leading to the kitchen opens, revealing Zane wearing a bright pink apron decorated with flowers over his semi-formal clothing, holding a large platter of turkey in his hands, which he sets down on the table. 

   "Dinner is served."

   Behind him, holding a plate of cooked rabbit meat, is Arai, wearing a similarly designed apron that is slightly too big on her, covered in various stains.

   "Yuh!! Yuh!!" She sits down next to Kai and starts tearing into her meal. "Mmmmmm!!"

   The others take her cue and start filling their plates with the food offered. As Nya reaches over the table to take some shrimp, she accidentally touches the edge of Arai's plate. She quickly pulls back, apologizing softly. 

   "Sorry, Arai."

   Arai, having not noticed, pauses mid-bite to look at Nya curiously. "Didya wahnt sohme?" Without waiting for a response, she takes two pieces of rabbit off her plate and leans over the table to plop them onto the older girl's plate. "Here."

    "Oh... thanks."

   "What did you think she was going to do, sis? Bite you?" Kai asks, swiping off Arai's plate and giving her some of his shrimp in exchange, which the youngest of the group happily accepts. "Wild Flower isn't territorial when it comes to food, but that might be because she's used to us."

   "Yeah!" Jay chimes in, holding a leg from the turkey with a sizable teeth indentation in it. "And you gotta remember that whatever she finds, she brings it back for all of us. Like that one time, she found those berries. We still have a ton of it left!!"

   "Hahahaha!!" Cole laughs at the memory. "I'm surprised she brought so many."

   Wu takes a sip from his steaming cup of tea while he enjoys this peaceful moment. 

* * * * 

   Morning rises, and with it so do the Ninja, who are already out and about. They race across the forest grounds, following the lead of Zane, who merely told them to follow him when they got up this morning. 

   "Where are we even headed?" Cole asks.

   Keeping an even pace with the Ninja of Earth, Kai voices a response. "I don't even think Zane knows where he's going." 

   Zane comes to a slow stop, where he then takes the time to scan the area, searching. While he does that, Kai poses a question. "Uh... tell us again how you stumbled upon Lloyd's secret headquarters?"

   Arai gasps. "Lloy!! We's gonna see 'em?!!" She does a little dance as her excitement gets the better of her. "Lloy!! Lloy!! Lloy!!" She chants before she suddenly freezes in place, having remembered something important. "He's gots sohm 'splaining tah do." Her gaze grows serious. 

   "Um..."

   A moment pauses where the guys, excluding Zane, stare blankly at each other. 

   "Oookay... back to my question," Kai decides to bypass the short interjection from their Wild Child. "...how did you find this place?"

   "I followed a bird," is Zane's answer. 

   "Why did you follow a bird?" Jay asks, raising a curious brow. 

   "Because it danced."

   "Oh... okay," Jay starts to rotate his wrist around his head. "Was it a cuckoo bird by chance?"

   Arai snorts. 

   "Something funny, Wild One?"

   "Cuckoos dohn't liv 'ere, Jah-ay. Evry'ne knowz daht." She stifles her snickers behind her front paws, ducking behind Cole when he makes a playful swipe her way. 

   "I-- I knew that!!"

   "Suuuure yew did!!"

   Jay screeches. "I knew teaching you sarcasm was a bad call!!"

   "Heeheeheehee!!" She unleashes her snickers, thoroughly amused by the redhead's actions. "Ayes ahm a grehmlin!!! Heeheeheehee!!"

   "I have created a monster!!" He whines dramatically, falling to his knees and dropping his face into his hands as he fake cries. "Woe is me!!"

   "Alright," Kai breaks the moment. "We didn't come here to goof off. We're here to find a super secret base in the forest made presumably by some scrawny little kid." He directs his next statement to Zane. "So, lead on, Freezy-Freeze."

   Zane gives a sharp nod in response. 

   "This way."

   He leads them to a large tree house still under construction, but the sight of it stuns most of the Ninja. They can faintly hear Lloyd's voice shouting in the distance. 

   "Watch it!!" He shouts. "No, bigger!!" His voice takes on an undertone of slight anger. "Come on, we don't have all day! It's not time for a lunch break."

   Cole whistles in awe. "Santi cannoli, Frosty was right!!"

   "We can't let that brat and those snakes get a foothold on Ninjago," Kai informs his teammates. "We gotta destroy that thing before it becomes operational."

   "Buh... why? Isn't dis Lloy's Dehn? Hiz hahome?" 

   "Yeah, I'm with the gremlin on this one!!" Jay voices. "I mean... it also looks like a pretty cool tree house. There's a rope course and-- Oooh, a tree swing!!"

   Cole slaps the back of Jay's head. "Focus!!" He scolds the younger teen. "And, Arai, if we leave things as they are, the Serpentine will just continue to attack the village. And they might even attack our home, which is why we're going to bring this whole place down, okay?"

   "Youch!!" Jay clutches the back of his injured head and throws a petulant glare at Cole. "Why'd you hafta hit me that hard?!?"

   He's ignored. 

   Arai blinks up at Cole with a thoughtful expression etched onto her brows. "Soh... they's liak rouges tryna chalanj ouar teratori?" She turns her gaze towards the treehouse and the claws of her Tekko-Kagi flex ever so slightly. 

   "Yes, exactly," he praises her, reaching down to gently tousle her hair. "Alright, guys." He claps his hands together. "What's the play?"

   Kai points upwards. "It looks like the entire place is being supported by those four trees," he explains, lowering his hand. "Once those ties are severed, the whole is gonna fall like a house of cards."

   "But why would one make a house of cards? Such construction would be careless."

   At Zane's statement, Kai lets out a loud breath of air while rolling his eyes as he whispers mostly to himself. "Oh, brother."

   "Travel in shadows, everyone."

0~O~0~O~0~O

   Arai stealthily prowls her way across the shadows offered by the forest grounds with soft, nearly silent paw steps. She keeps low to the ground, opting to move on all four of her paws instead of just the two she is growing accustomed to. Feeling the ground beneath all her paws is something she will never grow tired of. 

   It's solid and always reliable, as are the perfectly accountable hiding spots the surrounding forest provides for her. She becomes one with the shadows, the very same way she was taught ever since she could walk without tripping over her paws. Those Serpentines remain blissfully unaware as she skillfully sneaks past.

   She notices her pakmates making their way to the top of the Tree-Dehn House where Lloy is. A part of her is still not sure if destroying his Dehn is for the best, but Cole does make a good point. Lloy is good, this she knows, but his pak is the Serpentine, even though they don't remotely act like a pak. For one, it's made obvious that Lloy has only one "pakmate" that listens to him, and he is the one who has the rest of the pak listen.

   But, then again, those are just her thoughts... which leads to her thinking more and more and more and more until her mind starts to become all dizzy, and she gets caught in a loopy-doop of her observations that lead to questions she cannot fully answer. In this instance, however, there is a single question swirling around in her mind. 

   Will Lloy hate her for destroying his Dehn?

   Her heart stings from this internal question. A home is safety. And what she and her pak are about to do will rid Lloy of his safety and... and... she does not want that... that is a bad thing to do. But because he is with the Serpents, then he is a part of the rogues. And all wolves know that rogues cannot live anywhere close to an already-established territory. 

   And as a wolf, she cannot stand by and watch as they try to build a territory for themselves when this is HERS. That is just rude!! She'd have to tell Lloy of this so that when they go to find a new place, there will be no risk of a challenging claim. Yes!! Yes!! Yes!! That is best. It is the best plan ever, but first, she must follow through with her paks' plan because they come first... always. 

   So, with that in mind, Arai slips past the notice of the few Serpentine near her, carrying supplies, and scrambles up a tree, where she then pushes off a branch and lands right in front of her packmates. She grins at them, a sure felt sign that she's ready when they are. 

   They peer into the Dehn below, which shows Lloy!! Arai can't help an instinctual part of her that wriggles from seeing her-- well, not friend... she'd like to be... hmmm... she does not know what she'd call Lloy. He is neither an enemy (even though he is in the know with rogue Serpentine) nor is he a friend. It matters not in the long run. He is Lloy. And that's all that matters to her. 

   "It's almost finished. Soon, my fortress will be complete." The young boy chuckles to himself before calling out to one of his Serpents. "You!!" 

   The snake turns to face him. "Yesssss?"

   "Hold up that sign for me!!"

   Per his request, the Serpentine holds up a small wooden sign that reads, "No girls or ninja." Lloy then pulls a lever next to him that opens up the floor beneath the Snake, which sends him crashing to the ground. 

   "BOOBY TRAP!!!" He cackles. 

   With silent hand movements, Cole directs them to their tasks, with Arai having the farthest supporting tree. The rope is thin and seems like it will only hold her weight, so she understands why it was given to her. 

   She tests the rope, just to be sure. It's wobbly, but that is to be expected. If she were to try to walk on it normally, she'd surely fall because wolves aren't good climbers. However, she was gifted with agile, long paws, which she uses to grasp the rope. From there, she lets her body drop so that she's hanging upside down. 

   It is a different experience from being rightside up, but moving this way will be better because she can still move using all her paws. She uses the not-so-quite-agile long paws of her hind legs to grip the rope, and with that out of the way, she moves.

   One paw forward. 

   Steady. 

   Balance. 

   Rinse and repeat. 

   And just as she's about to reach her destination, the Tree-Dehn slants heavily to the side, nearly throwing her off balance, but she throws caution to the wind and leaps onto the structure below. 

   "I SAID NO NINJA!!!" She hears Lloy. "ATTACK!!"

   Uh-Oh. She's running out of time. No matter. Unsheathing the claws of her Tekko-Kagi to their fullest length, she tears into one of the ropes supporting Lloy's Dehn. It makes everything even more unsteady than before, and so everyone inside makes a break for it. 

   "EVERYONE!! RETREEEEEEEEEEEEATTT!!!" One of the Serpentine yells. 

   "Cole!!" Arai hears Kai's voice and turns instinctively towards the sound. "Wait till we're off the treehouse, then cut the line."

   She figures from hearing that alone she should rejoin the others on the collapsing Tree-Dehn, but some part of her wants to remain where she is. From where she stands, she has a pretty good view of everything. For instance, she can see Cole readying his Scythe and her other packmates grouping up, and also a one-fanged Serpent pointing threateningly at her pakmate. 

   "YOU!!" He hisses. "You will obey my every command!!"

   She snorts. Yeah, right. Like Cole would-- wait, something's not right. 

   "I will obey your every command."

   That's-- that's not right. Why is this happening?? Cole should not be following orders from a rogue!! Rogues don't get listened to!! Never ever!! They don't get to have that kind of power. No one, and she means no one, tells her pak what to do.

   "GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAOOOOWWW!!!"

   With zero hesitation, she leaps, landing briefly against the sides of the wooden beams, and enters through the smallish opening on the side of the wooden structure. Her goal is to thoroughly take out the threat. One-Fanged thinks he can just control one of her pakmates and not face her fury? Well, then he's stupid, but that's fine because she can handle stupid. 

   She spots him... with Lloy. 

   "Don't go. We have to protect my treehouse fortress," he tells One-Fanged. 

   "Your treehoussssse?" One-Fanged questions incredulously. "It'sss about time we did thisss!" He pulls a lever, and the floor beneath Lloy opens up. Reacting through instincts alone, she races forward, snagging Lloy by his hood with her fangs to prevent him from falling. 

   "Wha??"

   She shifts her stance, straining slightly against his weight. Her gaze tries to focus in on One-Fanged, but she cannot lose focus on Lloy, who is flailing his limbs every which way as he cries out, panicked. She digs her claws against the wood to stop herself from slipping. 

   "St'y st'll," she grits out, shifting backwards to lift Lloy away from the emptiness beneath him slowly. 

   "Quite the predicament you're in, huh, runt?" One-Fanged taunts. "Well, it'sss of no concern of mine. While you handle thisss little affair, we ssshall retrieve what isss rightfully oursssss." He turns his back on her, and she almost lunges at him, but at the last second remembers she's holding Lloy. "Let ussss get the ssstaff!!" And with that, he leaves. 

   If he's to retrieve the staff, then... NO!!! He's going to go to their Dehn!! She cannot have that. No, no, no!! She has to stop him, but first... with a mighty heave, she pulls Lloy back to safety.

   "Whoa!!" He falls against her, and she allows him to rest on her for a few seconds before gently nudging him away. "That was close!! Than--." He cuts himself off, quickly getting to his feet. "I would've been fine!! I didn't need your help!!" He runs away before she can even get a word out, leaving her by herself inside the ruined Tree-Dehn. 

   She takes a step forward but catches herself. 

   "Nuh, muhst help pak," she mumbles to herself, roughly shaking her head to regain focus. She leaves opposite Lloy and climbs the wooden structure to regroup with her pakmates. 

   "Jay, use your lightning!!" Zane shouts. "Try to shock him out of his trance!!"

   She slips beside Kai and sees Cole in a trance-like state, wielding his Scythe threateningly towards them. Seeing this, the young girl squares her shoulders and bares her fangs. 

   "Stahp it."

   He does not. 

   She stands between him and her other pakmates. 

   "Uh... Arai, you might want to back away," Jay advises, but she remains where she is. 

   "Stahp," she says again, staring into unseeing eyes. "Stahp it, Kowl."

   Cole raises his blade, and in turn, she bares her throat. Her gaze remains steady as she continues to stare into his still-unseeing eyes, but she notices a brief flicker, and so she keeps going, putting her absolute trust in her pakmate. 

   Everything else fades away, and it becomes just the two of them. One is ready to harm, while the other makes no move to defend themselves. 

   The scythe swings back... 

   Arai does not flinch; she tilts her head back even more, exposing her throat fully. 

   ... It swings forward but stops mid-swing. A hair's breadth away from making contact with her steady pulse point. 

   What were once unfocused honey-brown eyes now shine with recognition. "W-wild Child?" He brings his Scythe back to his side. "Wh-what's going on?"

   "I'll say a collective heart attack," Jay voices. 

   Kai releases a stuttering breath, unclenching his fist from his sword. "I'm pretty sure I just lost five years of my life."

   "I sense..." Zane pauses, flexing the tight grip on his shurikens ever so slightly. "I might have lost the same amount of life from my person as well."

   Cole rubs his head with his unoccupied hand and lets out a confused groan. "I- I have no clue what happened... wasn't I supposed to cut the line?"

   "Yuh!!" Arai nods. "Buh, One-Fanged trieyd tah steal yowr senzs ov self frahm yew!!" She suddenly lets out a loud yelp. "AYYY!! He's going to dah Dehn!! We hafta go!!" 

   "Wait, what!?" Kai reacts first to her news, grabbing her by her shoulders and spinning her around to face him. "Are you sure, Wild Flower?"

   She nods. "Yuh!! He tahold me!!"

   "How are we even going to get there?"

   At that, Arai tilts her head, staring puzzled at Jay. 

   "... we ruhn...?" Her statement comes out questioningly. 

   "Uh-huh. Great plan, Wild One," he starts, voice monotone. "There's just one slight problem with it. WE WON'T MAKE IT IN TIME!!!" His voice raises an octave and then some.

   Arai purses her lips, pouting adorably, unbeknownst to her. "Hmph." She huffs, crossing her arms across her chest.

   Kai goes to respond but catches sight of something overhead. "Huh?" His eyes squint, trying to take in everything at once. "Is that... Sensei Wu?!! And my sister??"

   Cole glances upwards and spots Volt flying overhead with his Sensei and Nya seated upon the saddle strapped to the dragon. "That it is, Firefly. That it is."

   "Hop on!!" Nya calls out to them from above. "We're getting you guys out of there before this place collapses!!"

   The ninja do as instructed.

   "We must hurry!!" Sensei Wu urges Volt. "The Monastery is unguarded!!" He flicks the reins, grasped tightly in his hands. "Quickly!!"

* * * * 

   The scent of fire reaches them before the Monastery is even in view. 

   "We're too late."

   Arai can only stare in horror at the sight of her Dehn left in ruins. 

   "Those snakes," Kai hisses out. 

   The three dragons left in their stables cry out to their humans. 

   "Roccioso!!!"

   When they touch upon land, Cole scrambles down Volt and over to the lever to release the trapped dragons. His dragon makes his way over to him and gently nuzzles against his person. 

   "It's okay," he murmurs, hugging his dragon's snout close to his chest. "You're safe."

   Kai takes in the destruction all around him with a saddened expression. "Our home."

   Arai still cannot believe her eyes. She was just here and now... now it's unrecognizable. Her Dehn is gone. Truly and utterly gone, and there is nothing she can do about it. 

   "Shard!!" Zane shouts, garnering the attention of his dragon flying overhead. "Put the flames out, please?"

   With a roar of confirmation, Shard does as commanded and uses his ice breath to freeze the surrounding flames, snuffing them out. 

   ...

   Silence. 

   ... 

   Complete and utter silence as everyone present fully takes in what has transpired. 

   ... 

   Zane breaks the silence first. "The training equipment, gone."

   "Our video games!!" Jay cries out, distraught as he clings to Zane's shoulders. "Gone!!"

   Sensei Wu says what they all know is true. "They stole their staff back."

   "What do we do now?" Cole asks, joining the others in their huddle with Roccioso by his side. 

   Arai growls low in her throat. "We hunt--" She's interrupted by Kai, who lashes out and shoves Zane to the ground.

   "If you hadn't followed that silly bird, none of this would've happened!!!" He stands over Zane with a piercing glare. 

   "Kai..." Sensei Wu warns, voice stern. 

   "No, Sensei, he's right." Jay turns on Zane, who gets back to his feet, brushing off the dirt that got on his clothing from the brief fall he experienced. "Because of you, my high score has been deleted!!" He gets into Zane's personal space and, none too gently, pokes him on the chest with his pointer finger. "Do you know how many hours I spent?? Wasted!!"

   "This... this is a teaching moment," Zane informs them. "We must learn from this."

   "A teaching moment," Cole repeats, disbelievingly. "A-are you serious?!?" He takes a step towards Zane as he throws his hands in the air. "Wh-what's wrong with you?!? Don't you get it?? EVERYTHING IS GONE BECAUSE OF YOU!!!"

   At that, Zane's expression hardens. 

   "ENOUGH!!" Sensei Wu shouts, putting a stop to the growing argument. He rests a hand on Arai's back as she huddles against him when the yelling first started. He feels the faint trembling of her form against his and gently rubs soothing circles with his hand. "We are all at fault," he continues in a much softer tone of voice. "Zane is your brother. Apologize at once."

   The three teens lower their heads guiltily. 

   "I'm... I'm sorry, Zane. I..." Kai looks up only to see no traces of his team member at all. "Zane?"

   They all look for Zane. 

   "Z? Where'd you go, man?"

   Arai pulls away from Sensei Wu to help in the search. "Zayne?" She calls out, looking around the area but finding no trace of him, so she looks up and sees Shard flying away. Her breathing picks up noticeably. 

   "Arai?" Nya prompts. "What's wrong?"

   "Zayne," she whimpers sadly, pointing towards the faint outline of Shard in the distance. "He'z gon."

** Time Skip **

   "W-what, um, are we e-eating a-again?” Kai asks, stuttering over his words as he looks uncertainly at the “food” he holds in his hands. 

   Arai growls out the words, “Grrouwnd-dwellers.”

   “N-not bad for something that lives underground,” Cole comments. “Thanks for catching a few for us, Wild Child.”

   “Chh,” she scoffs lightly in response. “Whatevah.” Softly, under her breath, she mumbles, "Couldn't leht yew guys stahrv."

   Jay takes a bite and immediately spits it out. “Pbbt!! EW!! It tastes like dirt!!” He throws his dinner to the ground, which leads to Arai snapping vehemently at him. 

   “Aye had tah dig throo muddy dirt tah fahind us food.” Her voice starts low, almost a rough growl. “AN’ YOUWR WASTIN’ IT!!!” The grey of her eyes flashes briefly, but whatever color it changed to was too quick for anyone to pick up on. “Pak needs food. Yous ahr pack, so yous muhst eat!!” She picks up his discarded food and thrusts it towards him. “Eatin’ iz survinin’l!! No food iz bahd!! ‘N aye am not losin’ anotha pakmate!! I can’t!! I won’t!! IT’S NOT HAPPEHNIN’!!!”

   “Okay!! Okay!! Okay!! I’m sorry!! I’m eating, see?” He takes the food and stuffs it into his mouth, making a face as he swallows. “See? It’s okay. I’m eating. Please don’t cry. I’ll eat. I’m eating.” He takes a few more bites. “Yum yum. It’s really good. I must have had a bad one, yeah?”

   Arai sniffles heavily, trying to clear the blurriness from her eyes.

   “C’mere,” he reaches out to her and gently pulls her into a hug. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m sorry.” He gently lifts her to his lap so he can hold her more firmly. “I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me. I was just being a dumb-dumb. You know how I get sometimes.”

   Arai keens softly. “Didn’t mean to yell. Juhst… aye juhst wan’ maey pak ta be okae.”

   “We are okay. All of us.”

   She shakes her head against his chest. “Nuh-uh. Zayne izn’t here.”

   At that, he grows silent, leaving only the occasional soft sniffles from Arai to be heard. After a moment, she breaks the silence with another high-pitched keen.

   “Aye don’t even cahre tha’ owr Dehn iz gone. Aye juhst wan’ Zayne!!” She clutches her paws tightly onto the soft material of his uniform. “Aye wan’ maey pak tah be whole agen!!”

   Jay runs a gentle hand against her back, trying to soothe her to the best of his ability while everyone else shares unsure glances. 

   Suddenly, Nya leaps to her feet, exclaiming as she does so. “ZANE!!” She gestures wildly with her hands. “It’s Zane!! He’s back!! Look!!” Her expression lightens drastically at seeing her friend safe and sound. 

   "Zayne...?" Arai questions softly, turning in the direction Nya gestures to. "ZAYNE!!" She exclaims, happily, as she scrambles off of Jay and rushes toward her missing packmate. "Youse bak!!" She collides into him and wraps her arms around him. "Aye missed yew!! Yesh!! Yesh!! Yesh!!" Pulling back from the hug, she gives Zane an unimpressed look. "Why yew leev?"

   "I saw the falcon again, and so I followed him."

   Cole, accompanied by everyone else, walks over to the two and smiles warmly. "That's our Frosty."

   They engage in a group hug, relishing in the knowledge that Zane is okay. 

   "Z, we're so sorry," Jay apologizes. "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you and said all those things." He releases Zane from his hug to look him in the eyes. "We're a team. A pack. And that means we're all responsible." 

   Zane smiles. 

   "We're glad to have you back, Zane," Nya tells him. 

   "Why? Is it my turn to make dinner?" He gently teases. 

   Everyone starts to laugh. 

   "Yes, Zane," Sensei Wu starts. "We would love for you to make dinner."

   "Worry not, friends." Zane lifts Arai into his arms. "I have already made it." He turns back towards the area he entered from. "Come. I want to show you what I've found. I think you will all be pleased."

   They follow after him.

   "I can't explain it, but I feel a strange connection with the Falcon. I think he's trying to help show us the path we need to take." Zane leads them over to an abandoned ship. "He led me here, and I believe this is our new home."

   Arai stares in awe. "Yew fa'hound us a new Dehn?" She wriggles excitedly in his arms before he sets her down so she can move freely. With her paws on the ground, she runs around her group, vocalizing happily. 

   "Do I smell pie?" Jay asks, having detected a delectable aroma. 

   "Cobbler berry," Zane explains. "Oh, and I made myrtle berry and apple and--"

   Jay interrupts his friend. "Say no more, Z." He starts tearing up. "H-have I ever told you how much I love you?"

   "No, I don't believe you have... not recently, at least."

   "Well, I do. I love you so much, bro." He all but throws himself at the much taller teen. "We don't deserve you."

   Zane pats his friend on the back. "I... appreciate the sentiment, Jay."

   Jay sniffles. "You are the best."

    After a moment, he pulls away and rubs his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "Now, if you'll excuse me... I have a pie to devour!!" He takes off, laughing excitedly. "HAHAHAHA!!"

   "Wha--??" 

   Kai looks toward his sister and Cole, who share a similar look before the three of them take off after Jay. 

   "Save some for us!!"

   Sensei Wu places a hand on the young teen's shoulder. "I am proud of you, Zane." He gives a light, comforting squeeze. "One day, I promise. We will find your family."

  Zane directs his gaze toward his teammates. "But I've already found them."

   Sensei Wu nods. "I feel there's more to you than meets the eye. There's something special about you, Zane." And with those words, he takes his leave. 

   When his Sensei is far enough away, out of earshot, Arai moves to stand beside him. 

   “Dey hurt you wit their wurds, didant dey?”

   …

   … 

   ….

   “...yes,” Zane eventually replies after several moments where they just stood in silence. “...but rest assured, Little Wolf, it bothers me not.”

   Arai quirks a curious brow as she tilts her head. “Shure?”

   He nods once. “I’m sure.”

   “If yue sahye soe,” she replies, leaning against his side and huffing softly. “Buh, aye know wurds cuh-t d’eep. ‘N daht pakmates cahn ‘urt wittout meaynin’ toue.” 

   “That is true…” He rests a hand against her curls, tousling them gently. “However, we are still strengthening our bonds, so things like this will occasionally happen.” His gaze travels to the ship, where everyone is likely stuffing their faces with the food he made. “And that’s okay because the journey is the best part of any adventure.”

   Arai’s eyes light up in understanding. “Aye tinks aye gehts it know! Yuh!! Yuh!!” She pulls away and starts grinning from ear to ear. “Bonds ar speshal, ‘n it takes lots ov work.” Her grin turns sharper as a mischievous glint shines in her eyes. “Tah geht ba’hck at ‘em, youse should mahk ‘em work da ‘ardest. Yesh?”

   In response, Zane merely cracks a soft grin. “Sounds like a plan, petit gremlin.” He holds out a hand for her, which she happily accepts. “Let us go join the others. If we’re lucky, they might have left some pie for us.”

   “Pa'hie!! Pa'hie!! Pa'hie!!” She chants excitedly, swinging their connected hands to and fro. 

~ Elsewhere ~

   Lloyd wanders aimlessly all by his lonesome, throughout a large stretch of the desert. He clutches an old-looking map close to his chest, when he, from a distance, catches sight of Arai and Zane heading towards a large ship. 

   He unconsciously takes a step forward only to catch himself at the last second. 

   “No, they’re Ninja. You can’t trust them.” He roughly shakes his head, forcing his body to turn away. “You can’t trust them. Don’t ever trust them.” His gaze carries a multitude of conflicted emotions, but he shoves them back into the crevices of his mind so he can focus. 

   “Remember… you gotta remember…” he mumbles aloud as he walks away. “...the only one looking after you is you.”

   “And those who abandoned me are all going to pay.” His gaze turns cold. “Every… Last… One… Of… Them.”

To Be Continued... 

Next: Episssode Three...

Sssnakebit

Chapter Text

“Truth is as straight as an arrow, while a lie swivels like a snake."

                                                                                                          ~ Suzy Kassem 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Episssode 3 - Sssnakebit

   Arai burrows herself further into the pile of fluffy, soft, warm blankets and spare clothes from her pakmates that they like to leave on the floor for her to find. They are very nice like that. Yes. Yes. Yes. And what's even better is that she finally managed to add Sensei Wu's well-worn hat to her pile. She suspects he left it out for her to find, but either way, she will still take special care of this item because it is very important. That is why she has it resting on her head while she slumbers. 

   And tucked further underneath her nesting place is her sun pendant. The origins of this trinket are unknown to her, but it has been with her from the moment of her birth, and so it's her most protected item. It stays hidden at all times, as that is the only way to keep it safe. Yes. Yes. Yes. 

   It was a good thing that she decided to take it with her yesterday, as it most likely would've been destroyed alongside her previous Dehn. She is still saddened by its destruction, but if she had lost her pendant alongside her home, then nothing— and she means nothing— would have stopped her from hunting down One-Fanged and tearing him and his followers to shreds. 

   "Heeheehee," a sleepy laugh escapes her as she imagines all the things she'd do to One-Fanged to make him pay for what he did. You don't ever take something from a wolf and not expect to lose everything in return. She'll get him... one day, but that day will not be today. No, today is the day she gets rudely awakened by a loud clashing-rumbly sound. 

   CHHHHOOONNG!!! ... CHHHHHOOOONNNG!!! ... CHHHHHHHHOOOOONNNNG!!

   If she didn't know the cause of the loud noise, rest assured, the sound would have instantly ceased to exist. So, because it's not a threat, she decides to ignore it as best she can. Normally, she'd already be wide-awake and out patrolling her territory and maybe hunting a few prey-things, but she stayed up late with her pak last night as they were getting used to their new Dehn and just talked for hours and hours and hours until sleep finally called for her. 

   "Evil doesn't sleep, and neither should you!!!" Sensei Wu's voice loudly enters her safe, nesting place, much to her annoyance. She just wants to sleep in for today. Is that too much to ask?? Sleep is good. It is very good. And so that means evil must sleep as well because, duh. 

   Her pakmates make various disgruntled sounds as they are rudely awakened. 

   "To reach your full potential, we must greet each day as an opportunity," Sensei Wu continues, conjuring up the same clashing-rumbly sound he is so fond of making early this morning. 

   CHHHHOOOONG!!! ... CHHHHHHOOOOONNG!!! ... CHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNG!!

   A low growl rumbles from within her in response, vocalizing her annoyance for all to hear. 

   "Okay, okay!!" Kai is the first to break. "But if you want us to reach our full potential, shouldn't we at least get a full night of rest?" He stifles a yawn behind his hand as he stumbles his way off the top bunk and over to the blinds. As he pulls the string connected to the blinds, the entire thing falls to the floor. 

   Cole gives a big yawn as he stretches his back, which gives a satisfying crack as the pressure within his spine leaves. "Ugh, you call that rest?" He slips his hand under his loose-fitting black tank top to rub at his aching back. "I think my back has more lumps than the mattress."

   "We were up so late, talking about how cool it is to have a new headquarters. I guess we lost track of time." Jay shuffles over to the sink to grab his toothbrush. From there, he spreads his toothpaste evenly on the soft bristles. "Since the Serpentine burned down our monastery, I'm just glad we have a roof over our head..." He turns the faucet, placing his toothbrush under the water, not noticing the dirt until he starts brushing his teeth.

    "PPBBTTT!!" He hastily spits out the unsanitary contents that have entered his mouth. "PPBBTTT!! Eck!!"

   Zane, for some strange reason, is happy. "What is our lesson today, Sensei?" He performs a few defensive stances. "Mastering the Strike of the Scorpion?" He switches to a neutral pose with fluid motions. "Or perhaps the grace of—"

  The floor beneath his feet breaks underneath him, resulting in him now being stuck in the floor. He coughs at the dust that surrounds his senses.

   Light footsteps approach Arai. Curious, she tilts her head to the side and sees Sensei Wu standing slightly over her. His eyes soften, and mirth can be seen swirling around in his irises. He gently removes his hat from its perch on her head to set it on top of his before turning to address the older teens. 

   "I think today's lesson would be chores." 

   Arai merely yawns widely as she makes her way out of her soft-warm, very comfy bedding, and once she's freed, she gives a big streeeeeeeeetch before sighing contently when finished. 

   While she busies herself with tidying up her bedding, which essentially means pushing everything into her little corner of the room, her pakmates share incredulous looks.

   "Chores!?!?" They chorus as one.

   "Uh... last time I checked, Sensei," Cole starts. "Ninja fight. They don't clean." 

   "In order to respect ourselves, we must respect our new home and where we are from. And this place is a long way from becoming a ninja headquarters." Sensei Wu makes a show of pointedly looking around the surrounding area. "I expect things to be spotless when I return. And put your backs into it." He makes the loud rumbly-crashing sound again as he takes his leave. 

   Cole grabs hold of Zane and helps him get out of the hole he accidentally caused. 

   "Ugh!!" Kai grumbles aloud. "This place is gonna take forever to clean and fix up."

   Jay walks over to him and rests a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Unless..." His grin is toothy, showing off all his mischievousness. "...we put more than our backs into it, huh?" 

   "Uhm... cayn aye go with drakkns?" Arai asks. 

   "Yeah, go right ahead. We got this," Cole tells her, ruffling her messy curls. "And while you're there, you can refill their water. Oh, and make sure you also check to see if their harnesses are secured properly and aren't too loose or too tight. You remember how, right? Cause if not, I can—"

   Arai cuts him off by playfully batting at his legs. "Ayes gots it, Kowl. Yew cahn truhst mey!!"

   "Okay, okay." Cole laughs as he backs away with both arms raised. "Just be sure to put on your outdoor clothes, ‘kay?"

   Arai pouts. 

   "Buh itz juhst klothzz," she tries to plead her case, but when all she receives is the look, she relents. "Fahine." And because she can be petty, she grabs some of his clothes before bolting towards Nya’s room so she can change. 

   "Wha--?? THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT, AND YOU KNOW IT!!!!" 

   Her response is to laugh like the little gremlin she is. 

   "Heeheeheeheeheeheee!!!"

0~O~0~O~0~O

   The young feral girl still finds it weird that she can’t just change her coverings in the same room as her pakmates. The one time she began switching clothes, they threw an entire fit when all she was doing was getting ready to use the grooming room. 

   You cannot be covered in cloths when it is time to groom. Whoever raised her pakmates was not very thorough in their teachings. But… they are longpaws, and longpaws have lots of rules for even the simplest of things. 

   In this instance, the rule is that one must be properly dressed at all times, which isn’t all that bad. What made it bad was the fact that they didn’t want her sharing a room with them. 

   That hurt. 

   It had hurt so badly at the time. 

   Thankfully, Nya, overhearing their conversation, came to her rescue with a very good solution that would allow her to stay in the room with the rest of the pak. All she has to do is go to Nya’s room whenever she has to switch coverings.

   Speaking of which…

   “Ny-Ny?” She scratches at the closed door. “Iz maey. Uh-rhye.”

   Another rule longpaws have is that if a door is closed, you have to announce yourself first before it can be opened. Again, longpaws are soooo complicated, but that is fine. Well, not really, but for her pak, she will try to understand their ways no matter how weird they are. 

   The door opens. 

   “Let me guess…?” Nya takes a good look at her, and her eyes drop to the “borrowed” clothes tucked close to her chest. “Time for outdoor clothes?”

  Arai grins. “Yuh!! Yuh!!” Nya is so, so smart. That is why she is the best. “Hehlp w‘th?”

   “Of course.” The older girl makes a come here motion with her hand, and so, she does. “I’ll be heading out with Sensei Wu to run a few errands.” She takes the dark, soft clothing while she talks, setting them on her bed. “Wanna come with?”

   “Nuh.” Arai shakes her head. “Ay’m gunna see drakkns!!” She tugs off her oversized slumbering shirt and shorts, leaving her only in her chest wrappings and her protective under coverings. 

   “Mmm.”

   She makes that soft, humming sound that means many things, but at this moment, it is a sound of understanding. 

   “Alright, let’s do this.”

   She tosses the shirt overhead, and Arai happily snatches it out of the air, effortlessly slipping it on. It is loose but not too loose on her. The length covers her shoulders, but that is all, which is very good. 

   Next, Nya throws her the shorts before she grabs a blue scarf-ribbon thrown across the wooden frame of her bed. 

   The shorts are a bit tricky to put on, only because they keep slipping off her because… well, she’s much smaller than Cole, so his clothes are much bigger. 

   A pout works its way on her lips.

   “No worries.” Nya walks over to her and crouches so they are at eye level. “I have a few tricks up my sleeves.” She holds out her scarf-ribbon and grins. 

   The scarf-ribbon travels through the small loops of the shorts and ties around her front. 

   “There,” Nya announces, sitting back on her heels. “As snug as a bug in a rug.”

   Not fully understanding her last statement but not caring in the least, Arai throws her arms around her pakmate and hugs her oh, so, tightly, nuzzling against the side of her head.  

   “T’anks, Ny-Ny!!” She puts extra emphasis on her next words. “Yew’s da bestest!!”

   Her hair is briefly ruffled before warm, strong, safe arms wrap around her. “Of course I’m the best. I am me after all,” she teases.

   Light, bubbly laughter escapes Arai.

   “Alright, let’s get to getting.”

   With the go-ahead, Arai all but sprints out of the room, snatching up the last item of outdoor clothes while she does, and nearly tears the door down in her haste.

   “Buh-bye!!”

   She makes sure to say that, at least. See, she does not mind following longpaw rules. 

0~O~0~O~0~O

   Now properly dressed in outdoor clothes, Arai happily makes her way over to the drakkns. They are near the new Dehn, which is very good because they are pak and pak should always stay close to the Dehn. It is safe. And they are safe here. Very, very safe. She made sure of it— well, Stone and Inferno had made absolute sure— and claimed the land as HERS. 

   She spots Inferno first, and he greets her with a soft snort that ruffles her messy hair. "Greetings, small one."

   "Hello!! Hi. Hello!!" She returns his greeting with one of her own. It is really good to talk in her natural tongue. There are no awkward pauses, no hidden messages between words, when everything can be said with undertones and well-timed body movements. 

   The other dragons amble over to her as she draws nearer. 

   When they are close, she walks over to each of them and nuzzles against the underside of their chins, getting her scent on them and having theirs on her. 

   "Everything okay, yes?" She asks.

   Normally, they'd be quick to respond, but this time… this time is different. It is very different from normal. Yes. Yes. She can see it in how they turn to look at one another, how they duck their heads, and how they shuffle in place.

   She croons, "Worried. I am. What's wrong? Sick, you?"

   Volt lowers to her eye level and blinks sadly at her. 

   Concerned, Arai whines softly, resting a hand on the bridge of his snout, ignoring the short tingling that traveled down her arm at her action. "Will you tell? Please? Maybe can help...?"

   "We... we cannot stay long." He turns his head away from her, remorseful. His entire body trembles with remorse, and it pulls at something within her. 

   Before she can voice a response, Shard speaks up. "Our instincts are calling to us, young one. It is an urgent call that we cannot ignore, no matter how hard we might try to. I do not wish to leave this flock, but to ignore our instincts..." He trails off, but Arai understands. 

   Once, when she was younger, Screecher, a feathered flyer she befriended, had to leave. She was beyond saddened to hear that, but her friend had explained that something was calling out to her and that she had to answer its call. And Arai, never one to force others to stay just because she says so, said her goodbyes. She thought that would be the last she saw of her trusted-one, but when the heavy snowfall had gone, Screecher had returned.

   And so, even though Screecher left, she came back... so maybe... the same thing is happening with the drakkns. That has to be it. 

   "You return to pak... yes? After call is answered?"

   …

   …

   …

   The silence is telling. 

   Roccioso shuffles forward. "We are unsure."

   "Then..." Arai holds her head up high, trying in vain to ignore the blurriness within her eyes. "Promise you no forget us. And that you all be safe. Promise that and... and I... I won't cry when saying goodbye."

   Hearing that, Volt rears back like she had just struck him with a not-so-playful heavy paw. He snorts down at her, deeply offended, before he leans in close and licks at her face, crooning gently. "We would nevah forget you or our flock. You, our fledglings, Nya, 'n Wu, are home. They'll always be home, no matter how far away we are."

   "And don't you forget this," he adds snarkily as he lightly nips at her hair, much to her amusement. She bats half-heartedly at his snout and mock growls, "irritation" at him when she is feeling no such emotion. 

   The other dragons form a tight ring around her much smaller form, having her be in the center while wings and tails drape over one another, and large snouts rest wherever they can reach. From there, a soft, gentle rumbling purr full of "lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelove" washes over her and eases her greatly. 

   It is not the time for sniffles. 

   No. No. No. Sniffles bring sadness, and right now, she is anything but sad. The sad is still there; it has not left— it just hid away from her as it knows it is not needed.

   The drakkns aren't leaving as of yet, so she must enjoy all the time she can spend with them until the silent calling-thing-within becomes more urgent, but until that time comes, she will enjoy the snuggle pile.  

0~O~0~O~0~O

   Jay has hooked up a gaming console in one of the large rooms. In his hands are four gamepads with unique designs and colorations for each player. He hands the correct ones over to their matching player and presses play on the game. 

   … 

   … 

   …

   “Go right!! Right!!” Kai screams, mashing the buttons on his controller. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”

   Cole munches on some chips while he plays. His eyes are narrowed deep in concentration as he has his character move in certain ways to avoid getting damaged by the enemy. 

   “Flash Dash, yeaaaaaaaaah, boi!!!” Jay exclaims. “That’s what I’m talking about!!”

   Zane methodically inputs specific combos on his controller as he finds himself fully immersed with his character and the goals surrounding this game. 

   As engrossed in the game as they are, the ninja are still able to detect the opening of a door, followed closely by two sets of distinct footsteps approaching them.

   Without even sparing a glance over his shoulder, Kai speaks up first. 

   “What took you so long?” 

   Nya walks in first, holding a few bags, with Sensei Wu not far behind her. 

   “Wow,” she marvels at the cleanliness. “This place looks amazing!!” She raises a teasing brow. “You guys did all this?”

   Cole grins, holding his head up high, proudly. “Ninjas just don’t fight, Nya. We clean.”

   “Oh?” Sensei strokes his beard. “It seems you have exceeded my expectations…”

   In the distance, the sound of a car honking can be heard. 

   "...but can you keep it up?"

   At the sound of the horn, Nya peers out of the window. “Looks like we’re about to have some visitors,” she voices. “And loud ones at that.”

   Hearing that, Jay heaves a heavy sigh as he rolls his eyes. "Ugh... sounds like my parents are here..." He squeezes his eyes shut. "Please, if they start yapping, just don't let them keep going, okay? They don't know when to quit." His eyes open as he uses his hands to gesture openly. "And if you start talking, then they'll start talking. And suddenly, half the day is gone before you know it ends..."

   Before he could continue to prattle on, Kai cuts him off. 

   “We get it!!” An amused laugh escapes him. “They talk a lot. That’s fine by me.” He subtly leans closer to Cole and Zane to whisper. “The cherry doesn’t fall too far from the blossom.”

   “Wait a minute…” Cole mumbles aloud. “Does Wildchild know we’re having company?”

   Everyone grows still, even Sensei Wu, who is normally very relaxed. 

   "GRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOWWW!!!"

0~O~0~O~0~O

   Arai stares the intruders down, baring all her fangs so they know not to mess with her. The drakkns surround her back, snarling and hissing threats and taunts alike. 

   They were at peace earlier, but that all changed when they sensed a new, unfamiliar scent so close to their Dehn. And they did not appreciate that. Not at all. No. No. No. 

   That’s a threat. 

   A challenging threat. 

   Bringing in new scents is not something to be taken lightly. This Dehn is still new, and so others can try to claim it as theirs. But she thought that because they are so far from others, there would be no such thing to worry over. 

   She was wrong. 

   No matter. She’s taken down many challengers before, so they will be no different. Plus, she has an awesome pak, and with her pakmates by her side, nothing will go wrong. 

   The intruders take a step forward, and that’s a step too much. 

   "GRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOWWW!!!"

   She lowers her stance, testing her hindpaws as she prepares to attack first… but just as she goes to leap, something wraps around her middle, throwing her off guard. 

   “Hrm!?”

   “Whoa there, Wild One!!”

   Oh, it is just Jay. 

   He laughs that awkward-sounding laugh that could mean a multitude of things, and she still finds it hard to understand the meaning behind it. It’s probably not that important. Longpaws often makes sounds that don’t mean anything.

   “These are my parents. They’re not a threat whatsoever,” he explains to her. 

   She squints her eyes at him before directing her attention to Volt, who rumbles lowly, flexing his wings ever so slightly. 

   “He is correct, little one. These so-called intruders are my young Sparx’s original flock. He has talked about them many a time.”

   Blazentail sulks at that, huffing heavily from his snout, expelling dark smoke. 

   “Birth flock?” She repeats, tilting her head before her eyes light up in understanding. “Oh!!” She squirms out of Jay’s hold to gesture towards his birth pak. “Dey’s da uhnoiyances!!”

   Whereas the dragons rumble in agreement to her statement, Jay makes a strange face while Kai covers his mouth with his hand as an amused snort leaves him. 

   “... what?”

   “... excuse me?”

   Arai focuses on Jay’s birth pak as they were the ones to speak. 

  “Yuh!” She nods happily. “Wen’e’ver Jah-ay tawlks ‘bout hiz burth pak hiz ta'hone is uhnoiyed. Liak allllll da time!!”

   “Is this true?” The longpaw with grey hair asks, and she nods in turn because undertones never lie. 

   “Wha!? No, it’s not!!” Jay shouts, waving his hands this way and that, frantically. “Uh… Arai misunderstood me. She does that a lot. It’s kind of her thing.” He chuckles awkwardly. “I’m actually glad you guys are here.” He smiles, but it’s not his usual smile; it is forced. 

   “Nuh. Yous’ juhst li-eyed.” 

   … 

   … 

   …

   No one says anything. Not for a long while. It is very odd. Is it because of what she said? Did she not need to say Jay was untruthful because his birth pak already knew? But then, why would he not be open about his feelings? Especially when it evolves his birth pak. Maybe this is another one of those stupid longpaw rules?

   “Why must humans feel the need to hide their true intentions? It’s a waste of time and is just stupid overall,” Blazentail grumbles.

   “Because humans are weird like that,” Roccioso warbles. “They speak in two separate tones even with their flockmates.” 

   She trills agreeably with the drakkns. Longpaws are very weird, and that is a fact. 

   “Well… Edna and I aren’t ones to be an inconvenience, so-- so we’ll get out of your hair, son.” The grey-haired longpaw speaks. His undertone is… hurt… and… sad…? Very hurt and sad. Was-- did she make him hurt and sad? 

   Arai hurriedly scrambles after him, whining softly. “Aym sorray!! No hurkt, no. Pleeayz, no ‘urt-sad?” She flattens herself to the ground, silently asking for forgiveness. It was not her intention to make them hurt or be sad. 

   He-With-Grey-Hair smiles softly at her. It is still a sad smile, but at least the hurt seems to have gone away. 

   “You have nothing to apologize for, sweetie.” He crouches down before her and gently rests a hand on her head. After a moment, he stands, and giving her another soft smile, he turns on his heels. “We’ll be going now. Sorry for the unannounced visit. Come along, sugarplum.”

   Edna follows after her mate.

   “Pop! Ma!” Jay calls out to them. “Wait! Just let me explain, please?”

   “What’s there to explain?” Edna asks, voice soft, so very soft and hurting. “You never visit us. Barely even call.”

   “I-- I-- I’ve been busy, Ma.”

   Arai is lost. So very lost. 

    She makes a deep, grumbly rumble low in her throat. "What's happening? I unsure." Her question is aimed towards Shard because he knows lots and might have the answer she seeks. 

   “It appears we are witnessing a disagreement between a fledgling and their sire and dam. It is very strange,” he hums softly. “There are no reprimanding soft-heavy paws. Nor any soft-harsh nipping bites.”

   Huh, that is strange. Whenever she got in a disagreement with her birth pak, it was always physical. It had to be because most of the time she was being silly. 

   Shadow had knocked her around with a not-so-heavy paw when she tried hunting slippery-swimmers in the harsh, rushing waters. At the time, she thought it was a good idea, but… let’s just say it’s better to be dry than soaking wet. 

   Even if the waters are not harsh or rushing, it is still very hard to catch slippery-swimmers as they are very fast. Her first and only attempt was met with her slipping and falling headfirst into the water. It was very cold, and she hastily scrambled to escape but kept tripping over her paws until, eventually, Shadow came to her aid. 

   She was teased for the longest time afterwards.

   There was a lesson learnt that time, but in this instance, she can’t even see what lesson can be learned from this disagreement. And speaking of, what is the disagreement? All she manages to pick up on is that Jay doesn't visit his birth pak… which would be a dumb thing to argue over. 

   To be truly independent, one must distance oneself from their first pak. That is how things are done. However… this is a longpaw pak so things must be done differently with them. 

   Ugh!! Why are things made so complicated!??

   “We don’t ask for much, Jaybird. We hardly even complain,” Edna starts. Her voice is light, but Arai can still hear her true emotions. “Is it so bad that all we want is to see you from time to time? Hear you rant about whatever caught your attention? Be a part of your life?”

   Jay is silent. 

   Volt shuffles closer and gently nudges his shoulder. 

   With a shaky smile, Edna rejoins her mate in the strange metal contraption they used to get to their Dehn. She briefly rests a hand on her curls when she passes by, much to Arai’s confusion. 

   Lights-so-bright, suddenly blind her, causing her to sharply wince and cover her eyes with both her paws. She hears everyone else react almost the same way as her. 

   “Just know our gates will always be open for you, son.”

   And with those words, the lights disappear, and Jay’s birth pak is now out of sight. 

   … 

   … 

   …

   “Well… that was highly entertaining.” Blazentail snickers. “Wouldn’t you all agree?” He grins, breathing out wispy, dark-greyish smoke. 

   Roccioso smacks him upside his head with a heavy paw and nips pointedly at his neck, growling, “Now is not the time for such remarks.” He non-to-gently shoves him away, leading the other dragon back to their resting grounds. “Let us leave this to our flock to take care of. It’s not as if we’d offer much help.”

   “True,” Blazentail relents, but makes a show of it just because he can… and it will also annoy Roccioso, who merely huffs at his hatchling-like antics. 

   “Very well,” Shard spreads his wings and takes to the air, where he gracefully glides over to his destination. “We must rest anyway for…”

   His voice tapers off near the end, and Arai cannot make sense of his statement. It was like he was speaking a much older dialect, which is very suspicious if she says so herself… and she does. Yes. Yes. Yes. Very much so.  

   Her nose scrunches in the tell-tale way that shows off her irritation in a silent snarl. She is more irritated at the way he so obviously excludes her from the following conversation. That is just plain rude. 

   “Arai.”

   Despite herself, the young feral girl flinches at the sound of her name. It is said in a not-good voice. Jay says it like it is a very bad thing to say. 

   Volt tries to distract him with a trilling chirp, but Jay gently pushes his snout away from his side. “No, V. I’m not in the mood right now. Go with the others.” 

   “It’s okay. You go. I’ll be fine… maybe…” Arai tells him, letting out a guttural rumble from somewhere deep within her chest. “And tell Shard he’s the rudest.” She snorts, “offended” with the barest hint of “not really” betraying her words.

   In response, Volt hums, amusedly, before he takes his leave.

   “Do you have any idea what you just did?”

   “Aye didant meayn to.”

   Jay shakes his head. “That’s not what I asked.” His gaze hardens.

   “Hey, let’s just take a breather,” Cole tries to interject. “No need to get all worked up--”

   “No need? No need!?” Jay gestures wildly at her. “She almost attacked my parents. And might I remind you that she JUST INSULTED MY PARENTS TO THEIR FACES!!!”

   Arai flinches, ducking her head and curling into herself. She does not like raised voices. No. No. No. Not at all. Especially when they are angry because anger brings hurt and pain and wrongness.

   Longpaws always, ALWAYS, hurt when angry. 

   That is a fact… but Jay is not just a longpaw, he is her pak… so surely he will not hurt her… right?

   With that in mind, she risks a glance at Jay and freezes in place at the dangerous gleam in his normally bright eyes. Her body grows tense, and for a moment, no matter how brief, instincts urge her to run, and she almost does because she can’t see Jay, only the-- the--

   “Wildflower?”

   Something brushes the side of her face, and she stumbles back with a fearful, snarling growl. “Back away!! I will bite!!”

   “Easy, easy, it’s just me.”

   The voice speaks again, and in its soft-soothing tone is a great amount of concern and worry, which manages to pull Arai out of the bad, not-so-good memory.

   “There you are,” the voice murmurs, so very softly and very, very warm. “There’s our Wild One.”

   She blinks, vision clearing, and sees Kai kneeling right in front of her. His eyes are soft-warm. So very different from the dangerous, not-safe gaze of Jay, who she realizes is blocked from her view by Kai. 

   “Imma need you to breathe for me, ‘kay?” He takes in a deep breath before exhaling, and Arai finds herself doing the same. 

   Oh… that helped greatly. She didn’t realize that her breaths were shaky. It must’ve been because of the bad, not-so-good memory. Sometimes that happens when she remembers the bad stuff from before. It is not something she wishes to think of often.

   A hand reaches out, gently ruffling her hair. “Much better. I thought you were going to pass out.” Kai chuckles softly. “Feeling okay, Wild Flower?”

   Arai nods. 

   “So, you’re probably wondering why Shimmer-Shine is spazzing out on you, right?”

   She nods once more. 

   “It’s cause you called his parents annoying. That’s kind of a bit rude.” He shifts slightly, no longer blocking her from Jay’s line of sight. “And now I’m curious. Did you know it was rude?”

   “Nuh.” Arai did not know that. Why would she? Calling someone an annoyance when they are in pak is not a bad thing. If that is what they are in the moment, then that is what they will be called. 

   “Okay.” Kai nods, gently tugging a loose strand of her hair before letting his hand drop. “Wanna explain to us why you called them annoying?”

   She unintentionally gives the teen a deadpan face. “Cuz dey arr.”

   “HOW WOULD YOU KNOW!?!?!!” Jay screeches.

   “Cuz yew saay sowh!! All da' ty'meh!!” She snaps back at him. “W’en yew mentchon yuwr burth pak, yuwr tahone iz ahl’lways uhnoiyed!! Ahl’lways!! Ah’llways!! Ahl’lways!!” She stomps her paw hard on the ground, ignoring the way the impact aches. “Aye t’ought dey knew!! ‘cuz why wouwd enywaen ha’ide houw dey faheel frahm deir pak!!”

   “I--”

   A sharp snarl leaves her. 

   “Aye didant meayn ta be rude! Aye didant meayn tu hurt yuwr burth pak!” Her eyes water, and she feels her lower lip tremble ever so slightly. “Yew t’hought aye wouwd be meayn juhst cuz?”

   He hesitates. 

   She shatters.

   Tears travel down her face. They pitter-patter onto the ground, and some hit her paws. A sad keening sound escapes from somewhere low in her throat. 

   “Arai--” Jay reaches out towards her, but he is too far away, and even if he were closer, she would not let him touch her. 

   She snarls again. It is much weaker than earlier and tapers off into a low whine. 

   “Aye am nuh a lohngpaw. Aye don’t unde’stahnd lots of lohngpaw t’ings,” she pauses briefly to wipe away the blurriness in her eyes. “... buh fer maey pak, aye try. Aye, try sowh hard t’a lurn. It’z hard. Very, very hard.” Her tone drops into a frustrated whine.

   Jay’s eyes finally have no more of the dangerous glint, and she can internally calm the growing inner rage that she feels from Inferno. He grumbles, displeased. 

   “I-- I’m sorry, Arai.”

   Right now, at this very moment, the young feral child does not care for sorries, so she snorts harshly at his statement, lifting her head and baring all her fangs in an aggravated manner.

   Arguments happen in paks— she knows and has experienced many of them herself— but this is not an argument. It is an attack. A very personal attack on her very nature, and she HATES it. 

   Why was she made to be in the wrong? Why was she looked at like she was nothing but a pest? And why, why did Jay believe she would purposefully hurt his birth pak? She was raised well and taught better. To hurt someone who is not hurting you is not a good thing to do. It is distasteful, and those who do this are forever called Don’t-Listen as they are ignored… always. 

   If it is accidental, then it is resolved through peace. 

   This—whatever is going on now— is not peaceful at all. There is shouting and dangerous gazes directed solely at her, and that is just not right. No. No. No. 

   “Ay don’t want yowr sorries!!” She scrubs her nose with the back of her paw, wishing the sniffling would JUST stop. A soft keening sound escapes her, no matter how hard she tries to keep it inside. 

   There is movement behind her, but she ignores it, only because she knows her Spitfire is there. 

   "Arai," Jay says her name so softly as he steps toward her. 

   She bristles at his action, not fully understanding what he is doing. Does he not realize that approaching her is a stupid move? She gave him plenty of warnings, yet he still decides to ignore them and do whatever. Normally, he'd get a pass because, again, longpaws are stupid, but she's done being nice. 

   Before anyone can even blink, Aria strikes.

   She leaps directly for Jay, taking a swipe at his face, to which he quickly backpedals out of the way, unaware that her always-there claws are nowhere in sight. She follows up by swiping his feet from under him while he is still in a daze from her first attack. 

   "Oof!!"

   Without wasting another second, Arai pounces, pinning the much older teen to the ground. She grabs at the collar of his shirt so she can bring him closer to her snarling face. 

   "Wha-- Arai--??"

   Using her grip on his collar, she slams his head against the rough ground, effectively shutting him up because she's very, VERY, tired of listening to him. She listens to longpaw things all the time and does everything she can to further understand their not-so-simple, stupidly complex ways of being, but he won't even do the same for her. 

   He heard the regret in her voice, saw her remorse... and ignored it. 

   He saw her fear... and ignored it. 

   She voiced her confusions and frustrations... and he barely even acknowledges it.

   If this is what is to be expected in a longpaw pak, then--

   "AYE WANT NOTHING MORE TO DO WITH YOU!!!!"

   Her anger has reached its peak, and she has blurted out something beyond hurtful-- this she knows, but everything is so overwhelming. No argument she had with her birthpak ever went this far... except for-- no, that time was different. This argument isn't that serious, but to say what she said is... it's...

   She releases her grip on Jay, roughly shaking off all her anger from her person as she turns her back on him. Maybe now he'll start to actually listen to her instead of talking over her and ignoring her actions-that-speak-WAY-louder-than-words!!!!

   Right now, she's done with this argument, so she walks away from the group without uttering a sound. She doesn't even spare Kai a passing glance, simply brushing past him as she heads off. 

   Where?

   Doesn't matter.

0~O~0~O~0~O

   Kai watches the youngest member of their team distance herself from them, which is strange to witness, considering how much she clings to the mentality that the pack must stay together, always. Buuuut, with all that in mind, the way Arai was looking at Jay gives him reason to believe that for a moment, she didn't even see him as part of her pack. 

   He moves to follow because part of him doesn't want her to be alone, but the moment he shifts, Arai sharply looks over her shoulder, catching his gaze. Her eyes are sharp and filled with an emotion he can't fully grasp before she scrunches her nose in a way that he knows means she will resort to violence. 

   His hands raise above his head, placatingly as he takes a couple of steps back. 

   She tilts her head ever-so-slightly and then roughly shakes her head with a roll of her shoulders before racing off into a destination unknown to him. 

   ... 

   …

   …

   "Welp!!" He claps his hands together, spinning on his heels before steadily approaching Jay, who looks to be rebooting his brain from all that has transpired. "This was a truly eventful moment, wouldn't you say, Bluebird?" He drops into a crouch, resting his hand on the slightly older teen's shoulder. "You not only screwed up royally with your parents, you managed to do the impossible!! You pissed off Wildflower." 

   "I-- what?"

   "You're not a very good listener, are ya?" Kai's playful tone turns serious as his gaze hardens. "Jay, I respect you as a person, so I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart..."

   SLAP!!!

   The other Ninja, Nya, and even Sensei Wu wince as Jay is sharply smacked upside his head by Kai, who barely even seems phased by his actions. 

   "Owch!!" Jay loudly cries out, cradling his hurting head with both of his hands as he weakly throws a glare at the shorter teen. "What gives, Kai!!??"

   "Someone needed to smack some sense into you," the brunette lightly teases. "But, seriously," his tone loses its playfulness. "You need to not only fix your relationship with your parents-- who seem to be good people who love their son dearly and just want to spend time with him-- and mend the fraying bond you have with Wildflower."

   Jay goes still, dropping his gaze to the ground below. 

   "I-- what's there to fix? I ruined my relationship with my parents and with Wildchild. They all hate me, and I wouldn't even blame them." A dark cloud surrounds the usually chipper and energetic teen. 

   BOP!!

   Kai delivers a light karate chop to the top of Jay's head, cutting through the dark aura. "Nope!! Nothing is ruined as long as you fight to make things right!" He drops to his knees, raising his hands to smoosh Jay's face, bringing him to eye level. "You can't just leave things as they are, Flashbang!! We're ninja... and ninja never quit!!" 

   "Yew ahr 'ight!!"

   "What's that? I can't hear yoooouuuu!!!"

   "Aye shaid--" Jay lightly pushes Kai away. "I said, you're right." He gets to his feet, offering a hand out to which his teammate happily accepts. "Thanks, Cinders."

   "Huh? Why you thanking me?"

   "For slapping some sense into me. I definitely needed a hefty dose of it."

   Kai raises his hand in a backhand strike. "I can do it again if you need some more!!"

   "Ack!!" Jay hastily backs away, shielding his face with his arms. "NO!! I'm good!!"

   Kai merely shrugs. "If you say so."

   "I do! I do say so!! Very much so!!" Jay turns away from his friend and addresses everyone present. "I'm sorry you guys had to witness that. I screwed up... badly... and that's why I'm going to fix it." He pauses briefly. "Arai probably needs more time to herself, so I'm going to take Volt and head over to my parents." 

   "Why are you acting like we're not going to come with?" Cole asks, stepping forward. 

   Zane also takes a step forward. "I am in agreement with Cole. If it would not be a bother, perhaps we all could accompany you and help fix the miscommunication that transpired today."

   "You--" Jay finds himself left speechless. 

   An arm is thrown around his shoulders and with it, the entire weight of a certain flame-haired menace. 

   "We won't take no for an answer!! You're stuck with us, Sparkles!!"

   "Oh, goodie," Jay drawls sarcastically. 

   He pretends to struggle bearing Kai's weight, even though he's not really that heavy, but that could be because Jay is used to carrying a wide assortment of things. 

   "Oi!!" Kai growls.

   Jay laughs, wrapping an arm around the shorter teen's waist. "Well, c'mon. Let's go see my parents... again."

~ Elsewhere ~ 

   Lloyd walks through the gates of an old and most definitely spooky cemetery. But, like, duh. This is where dead bodies are found, but he’s not here for that. 

   He holds a flashlight in one hand and a map in the other. 

   "It's not scary," he mumbles aloud, mostly to ease his nerves. "Um... maybe just a little, but... I like scary!!" His shaky tone becomes steady as he boosts his confidence. "Yeah, that's it!! I'm the son of the Dark Lord!! I love the dark. I eat this stuff for breakfast." 

   Something shifts in the area, spooking the young boy. 

   "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

   He quickly regains his composure. 

   "I'm going to make those Hypnobrai pay for betraying me!!" He spits out those words, tightening his grip on his flashlight. "I have to find the Fangpyres. If there's anything a snake doesn't like, it's another snake."

   He approaches a weird, mutated tree. 

   "This is it!! I found it!!" He exclaims, happily. "Soon, the Serpentine will know who their master is, and it will be I, Lloyd Garmadon!!" He lets loose his evil laugh as he pushes a button on the ground that opens the enclosed tomb. "Mwuahahahahahahahahahaha!!"

   A huge two-headed serpent with bright red scales emerges from inside the tomb. They slowly slither out and circle the confused young boy who stands before them. 

   "And who…

   "...may I say released us..."

   "...from our captivity...?"

   Lloyd fumbles with his words for a brief moment. "Uh... Lloy-- I mean Lloyd. I’m Lloyd Garmadon, and I released you." He holds his head up high. "The Hynobrai betrayed me, so I freed you so you could help me get my revenge on them!!"

   "The Hypnobrai!?" The second head hisses, outraged. 

   The first head speaks up next. "Those hypnotizing deceiversssssss!!!"

   They direct their next sentence towards Lloyd. 

   "It'll be..."

   "...our pleasure."

   Lloyd grins. "Good!" He gestures to his map. "I'll lead the way. Then after that, there's some ninja I want dealt with."

   "Sounds like..."

   "...you know..."

   "...what you want."

   "Pretty much. Yeah." Lloyd answers.

   "But the Hypnobrai are strong."

   "And we are few in numbers."

   Lloyd considers their words, pursing his lips deep in concentration. 

   "We need..."

   "...reinforcements!!"

   "What did you have in mind...?"

0~O~0~O~0~O

   Jay tugs on his dragon's reins, but he refuses to so much as budge from his resting ground.

   "C'mon, Volt!!" He tugs once more on the reins. "It'll be a quick flight. Promise."

   Sensei Wu approaches. "Hmm." He hums as he takes in the appearance of the lightning dragon. "It is as I expected. The dragons are molting; they're shedding their scales."

   Jay tilts his head, eyes squinting in confusion. "What does that mean?"

   "Every adolescent dragon goes through a transformation before it becomes an adult," Wu explains to his young pupil. "We must allow them to migrate east to the Spirit Coves for their transformation."

   The other ninjas, overhearing this, silently walk over to their respective dragons with an air of uncertainty clinging to them like a second skin.

   "W-will we see them again?" Jay can't help but ask, dropping the reins so he can hold Volt's snout between his hands.

   "It is hard to say," Wu runs his finger through his beard. "But we need to allow them to follow their path."

   Cole wraps his arms, to the best of his ability, around Roccioso. "Say it isn't so, Rocky." He squeezes the dragon close to his chest, resting his head on his large snout.

   Zane pets Shard, who lowers himself to his belly, so his person can reach the crown of his head.

   Blazentail leans down and blows out wispy black smoke through his nose. It goes into Kai's face, and he quickly waves it away, squinting his eyes in mock offense.

   "You think you're so funny, huh?" Kai halfheartedly smacks at Blaze's nose.

   In retaliation, Blazentail playfully nips at the hands trying to reach his scales.

   Their "fight" eventually ends when Blaze lurches forward, trapping Kai's hands lightly within his jaws. He growls lowly, almost sounding like a rumbling purr, but that would be silly because a mighty dragon such as Blazentail would never purr for such a meager no-scaled like his-- like this hot-blooded one.

   Nya stands beside Wu, looking lost in thought.

   "What seems to be ailing you, Nya?"

   "It's just... Arai should be here with us... saying goodbye to the dragons," she goes on to say. "If she were to come back and see them missing..."

   "Mmm, I see your point."

   "So..." Cole pulls away from his dragon. "...what do we do? It's not like we can call her and get her to come back."

   Zane's eyes light up as he comes to a revelation. "I recall a conversation with Petit Loup where she mentioned that howling is an efficient way to communicate with packmates. So, perhaps by doing so, she will return here and get to say her goodbyes before the dragons depart from us."

   "Okay, yeah. Makes sense." With his hands now freed, Kai scratches the underside of Blaze's chin. "It could work. But then someone in our little rag-tag group is going to have to be the one to do the howling, right?" He pauses briefly, receiving multiple sounds of agreement. "Then it'll have to be someone with pretty good vocal cords." 

   After saying that, everyone, including the dragons, looks to Jay, who startles under their intense gazes.

   "Wha-- me!??? Are you SERIOUS!!!????"

   Kai makes a show of jumping back in surprise as he covers his ears with an exaggerated wince. "Ack!!" He quickly drops the act, laughing loudly at the disgruntled expression on his friend's face.

   "Alright, fine," Jay relents, releasing a hefty sigh. "Seeing as how I was the one who made her leave, I should also be the one to get her to come back." He gently pats Volt's snout before pushing away and walking a few feet away. "Here goes."

   "Oh, wait!!" Cole stops him. "Make sure you convey your feelings in your howl, okay? Because without it, she might interpret it as something not serious and just ignore it completely." With that, he nods, sending the younger teen a reassuring smile and a thumbs-up. "No pressure, though. You got this."

   Kai snickers, quickly turning his head away when Jay gives him a look.

   "Yes, what Cole said," Zane agrees. "Although there is a little pressure on you to get the intention right because if that were to be skewered in any way, Arai might not respond at all."

   …

   …

   …

   "You know what... I'm just going to go for it." Jay closes his eyes, thinking very hard about what he wants to communicate through his howl to Arai.

   …

   He wants to convey sadness because that's what he feels at the moment. His dragon-- his friend-- his Volt is leaving, and Jay might not ever get to see him again. 

   …

   He wants Arai-- their rambunctious little gremlin-- to come back so they can all say goodbye.

   …

   And... and he's sorry for upsetting her…

   …

   He tries to channel all of this as he lets out a loud, almost sorrowful howl.

   "Aaah wooooo-woooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!"

0~O~0~O~0~O

   “Aaah wooooooo-woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!"

   Arai abruptly lifts her head from where she was busy gnawing mercilessly on the leg of the long-legged sprinter that Inferno caught. She licks off the blood on her lips as she takes in all the information she hears in the howl.

   She lets out a low hum.

   "What will your response be?" Inferno grumbles as he scarfs down a long-eared runner he just caught on his way back. "You already said your farewells with the dragon-kins."

   "True ..."

   Inferno clicks his fangs together. "But you're going to go back anyway."

   "Ja-ay called for pakmate!!" Arai excitedly yips out, wriggling her body before springing to her paws. From there, she jumps and rolls around in an intricate dance that displays her true feelings. "He still sees me as pak!! Ay's pak!! Ay's am!!"

   While she does this, Inferno walks over to the remains of his fresh kill and snags the leftovers in his jaws. "Yeah, well, just so you know, a packmate would respond to the call."

   Arai scrambles to her paws, not even bothering to shake off all the dirt and other stuff that got onto her, and throws her head back. She almost falls back from the force of it, but Inferno uses his front leg to help keep her balance. 

   She pours everything into her responding howl.

   …

   Her understanding, which is a very must.

   …

   Her relief that she is still considered a part of the pak. Truthfully, after she calmed down, she was afraid of returning to the Dehn because she thought they'd kick her out of the pak. But, no, they want her back!! And it was Jay, the one she angered, who called for her!! This is very, very, VERY good!!

   So she puts this all into her howl, ensuring everything she feels is channeled within it.

   "Auw-auwooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!"

0~O~0~O~0~O

   "Auw-auwoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!"

   Kai cracks a grin. "Well, whaddya know!?" He slams his hand against Jay's back, causing the taller teen's legs to buckle. "You didn't screw it up!! Well done!!"

   The look Jay sends him just makes his grin stretch even further.

   "Yeah, yeah. You're a real riot, Pyro," Jay gives an overly fond roll of his eyes. "I--"

   "Yip yip!! Yip yip!!"

   At the familiar sound, Jay turns his attention to the distance, where he can faintly make out the outline of something-- or rather, someone-- small, that is fastly approaching.

   He throws an arm up, waving it almost instinctively before slowly bringing his arm back to his side as he remembers that he was the reason why Wildchild-- erm-- why Arai left in the first place. And with that in mind, he goes to take a step back, but is stopped by a not-quite-so-gentle poke directed at his lower back that forces him to continue to stand in place. 

   Now knowing he can't escape from this confrontation, Jay rolls his shoulders to prepare for-- well, he doesn't know exactly, but whatever it might be, he's sure he will be able to handle it. 

   Right as he thinks this, Arai charges right for him, not slowing down in the slightest. To anyone else, it looks as if she is going to attack him, but to those who truly know her, they can tell that she will do nothing of the sort. That is to say, anything violent. However, when it comes to this feral little gremlin, she can be pretty rough, especially when it comes to showing affection of any kind. 

   “W-wait!!” Jay throws his hands forward. “No!!”

   Arai ignores his cries and instead leaps right at him, tackling him to the ground before attacking his face with rough nuzzles and light nips. 

   “Yue cahlled fer meaye!!” She yips excitedly. “Yue dahid!! Yesh!! Yesh!! Yesh!!” She bounces around his prone figure, occasionally “attacking” him with more nuzzles. 

   “Argh!!” Jay half-heartedly bats her away, but she effortlessly dodges out of reach and sneaks into his blind spots to butt her head against his side.

   After a while, their play-fighting concludes when Jay grabs her from under her arms and does a kip-up to get back to his feet. And Arai, the little gremlin, squirms her way out of his hold to drape herself over his shoulders, where she lightly nips at his now messy hair.

   “Ya done?” He asks her, half-fondly and half-exasperatedly. 

   In response, she merrily gives him a sly grin that crinkles her eyes in a cute, but still-heavily mischievous way. “Nope!!” She then lightly presses her head against the left side of his face and chuffs softly. “Now, aye iz dahone.”

   Jay grows still at her gesture. Not because it was unexpected, but because he didn’t think that he earned it, not after what had transpired earlier. 

   This gesture is a true sign of trust and understanding. It is something he has witnessed between Arai and one of her elemental wolves— possibly Stone. He didn’t fully know what was transpiring at the time, but it did seem to be an argument of some sort. It had gotten physical at one point.

   What Arai had done to him earlier, aiming for his face, pinning him to the ground, and snarling, was the same thing done to her with Stone. 

   At the time, he thought it was serious because after their fight, she would ignore him, and whenever he did approach her, she would growl and bare her teeth at him. But, after a while, she approached Stone, looked him in the eye, and let out a small whimpering howl. And in turn, the elemental wolf lowered his head, pressing his snout against the underside of her jaw, and chuffed a gentle sound.

   After that, it was like their argument, or rather, disagreement, had never even happened… which… makes… perfect sense all things considered. He’s never once seen any of the wolves hold a grudge against any of them— and that includes Arai.

   … 

   He forgot… he forgot who Arai was in his anger. She never says anything with the intent to harm because her fangs and claws (her words, not his) are what she uses when she wants to be harmful. 

   And with him so blinded by anger, he snapped at her and basically admitted that he did, in fact, think she would be mean to his parents just because, and with no other meaning behind it. Arai… Arai is just a child trying to understand the world around her. 

   Man, he’s the absolute worst. 

   He opens his mouth to give an apology because he feels really apologetic and wishes to convey this to Arai, but she has a different plan in mind. 

   “No sorries.” She pulls back to cover his mouth with her hands. “Aye no want dem. Youse wuwr mahad ‘cuz aye shahid meayn t’ings to yuwr burth pak.”

   “Mmrrm!!” Jay tries to interject, but Arai doesn’t let him.

   “That iz otae. Aye’d be mahad tu if youse dahid sahme tah maye burth pak,” she tells him. “Soe no need fowr sorries, kay? Youse wuwr defehn’in burth pak an’ daht iz fihne.” With those words, she nods once, releasing a short huffing sound full of contentment. 

   Jay lightly taps the small hands still holding his mouth hostage, but instead of freeing his lips, they press firmly against the muscle. 

   “No sorries.”

   At his nod, the hands finally leave. 

   He opens his mouth… but says nothing because in this singular moment, it felt as if there was no need for words at all. Like, everything has already been said, even though nothing was verbally spoken. It makes little to no sense, but somehow, despite that, it makes soo much sense.

   Words aren’t the only ways to communicate… he knows this… but experiencing it in real time is a real eye opener for him. Talking is his lifeline, his way of expressing himself. Everyone knows this and understands that he can get a bit too chatty. 

   Their feral little gremlin is not like that, not with her elemental wolves or with the dragons. But for them-- for him-- she talks. Tries to convey her feelings through words instead of nonverbally, because that is how they communicate, and for her pak, she’d do anything for them.

   … 

   He’s now starting to fully grasp just how much Arai gives for them. And it’s not fair. It’s not fair how she changes her habits just so she can include them in. It’s not fair how she feels the need to adapt to them when they aren’t doing the same for her. Not really. Sure, lending her a few of their clothes for her blanket is all well and good, but what about learning her way of communication instead of having her only learn theirs? 

   Not to say they haven’t picked up on a few of her tells, but that’s more from her being very expressive. Her face is more open than that of a wolf, but even so, some things she does are very subtle, and you have to know exactly what to look for to know what she is thinking or about to do. 

   So from now on, he’s going to try to communicate more like her. If he messes up, that’s fine, because he knows she won’t care about that. Her eyes would light up, and she’d do that little dance she does whenever she is happy. And she would be so happy, this he knows. 

   With that in mind, he shifts the young girl in his arms and does something he’s seen her do a thousand times with her elemental wolves. He leans forward and lightly taps his nose against hers. 

   And just as he expected, her eyes light up and she wriggles around in his hold. She then throws her hands into his hair and ruffles it like crazy. 

   “Hey!!” He laughs, holding her out of reach. “What gives?”

   Arai halfheartedly struggles in his grasp, laughing all the while. “Luv yue!!”

   Jay chokes on his laugh. “Wha--??”

   “Aye luv yue!!” Arai repeats happily. “Yesh! Yesh! Yesh!” She gestures to everyone. “Luv ev’ry’ne!!” She does that soft rumbly growl sound that could mean many things, but it’s aimed at the… at the dragons.

   They give her a response, he thinks, and he watches as her happiness turns into sadness. She turns her gaze back to him, looking all types of sad. 

   “Drakns leev? Dis true?”

   “Yeah, the dragons are leaving,” he tells her as he sets her down. “We wanted you to be able to say goodbye as well.”

* * *

   Arai… is sad.

   She can feel the tears threatening to fall. They cannot fall because she made a promise, and promises must always be kept. 

   Jay kneels to be at eye level to her, and rests a gentle-warm hand on her head. “It’s okay to cry, Arai. No one here is going to judge.”

   “That is true,” Zane chimes in. “This is a sad occasion, so tears are acceptable, and even if you didn’t cry, that too is also acceptable because emotions are a lot.”

   Cole pats his friend on the shoulder while Kai nods in agreement to Zane’s statement. 

   “Emotions are a lot, so express them however you want, Wildflower.” 

   Hearing their words makes her lower lip tremble, but she bites them because she cannot cry. Not when she made the dragons a promise. She is going to say goodbye without crying.

   She sniffles once before pushing away from Jay, so she can approach the dragons, who are in a huddle off to the side. 

   “We wish we could stay longer, little one,” Shard speaks first, growling softly. “But the call is becoming more persistent, and we cannot ignore it any longer. ” He raises his head toward the distance. His wings twitch briefly, but they reveal the urgency he feels. 

   Blazentail snorts harshly, but his tone comes out soft. “We leave. We return. End of discussion.” His tail thrashes behind him. 

   “This is not goodbye …” Stone tells her in a soft rumble. “... it is a see you soon.”

   Volt lowers himself to his belly and gently croons to her as he rests his snout against her belly. “We will be back, but it will take a while.” 

   The tears break free and pitter-patter onto the lightning dragon’s smooth scales. 

   Arai throws herself at Volt, letting out a high-pitch wail. She curls her whole body around all that she can reach. 

   “Be safe.” That is all that she can get out verbally, as more wailing escapes from her throat. 

   The dragons form a small huddle around her, resting wings, tails, and talons wherever they can reach. They release a rolling purr that is full of “loveeloveaffectionlovesadnesslovelovelovealove.”

   Too soon do they pull away from her. She cries out from instinct alone, but they turn their heads away. Her cries are not pleas for them to stay; it is to remind them about their unspoken promise. 

   She backs away from them because she knows that she cannot hold them back. Not when it’s their instincts that call to them. They are pak, yes, but they are also a flock, and flocks do what they must, which is to fly. 

   And fly, they do. 

   Taking off into the sky one by one. 

   They don’t spare a glance back, but that is to be expected. Those who fly only look forward, and she wouldn’t expect less from them. 

0~O~0~O~0~O

   The young teens watch their dragons leave until they can no longer see them. Only then do they turn their attention to Arai, who is already looking their way. 

   Her eyes are all red and puffy, but she smiles brightly at them. 

   “Dey’s gonna cohme bak. Buh, it’l be mani mahoons frahm noe.” She sniffles once more, but her tears have long since stopped. 

   Sensing that it’s better to move forward than to be stuck in the moment, Zane reminds them of their goal-- or well, Jay’s goal. 

   “Are we still going to visit Jay’s parents?”

   … 

   …

   They all turn to Jay, who, after a moment of silence, shrugs his shoulders. “Better than moping around over here.” 

0~O~0~O~0~O

   While everyone follows Jay in their trek to reach his parents’ place, Sensei Wu busies himself by playing his flute. It emits a very peaceful-sounding tune. 

   “That flute,” Zane begins, breaking the almost tranquil silence. “You’ve never told us why it is so special.”

   Sensei Wu offers a cryptic smile. “Long ago, there were many flutes. Some were created to combat the powers of the Serpentine and drive them underground…” He takes a brief pause, mainly for effect. “But over time, Ninjago’s forgotten its ancestor’s wisdom, and now this is the only one.”

   He plays the flute once more, making sure to get super-duper close to the ninja of Lightning.

   Jay releases a hefty sigh. “I get it, okay!?” He huffs. “I get the lesson; respect your elders or else suffer the consequences.”

   “Silly, silly. Listen, more, Tweeter Tweet!!” Arai mimics birdcalls as she lightly teases her pakmate in her natural tongue. “Tweeter-Tweet!! Tweet!! Tweet!! Tweeter-Tweet!!” She snickers quietly to herself, having found the perfect nickname.

   “What is that even supposed to mean?” He raises a brow. 

   Sensei Wu merrily chuckles aloud. “Perhaps she is telling you that you are only hearing what you need to hear?” 

   “Yeah, but…” Jay suddenly grows very still. 

   “What’s up, bud?” Cole questions, scanning the area for any threats. 

   Jay tilts his head in the same manner as Wild One. “It’s quiet…” His eyes narrow. “My family is never quiet.” He takes off into the Junkyard. 

* * * *

   “Mmff!! Mmff!! Mmmfff!!!"

   Muffled screaming can be heard as they head further into the Junkyard. The sounds lead them over to an abnormally large fridge. 

   Jay kicks the lock off the door. He opens it, and is met with his parents bound in chains with tape covering their mouths. 

   “What happened??” He removes the tape from their mouths. “Who did this??” He undoes their chains. 

   “Oh, you gotta get out of here!!” Ed frantically warns his son. “You sh-shouldn’t have come, it’s the sssssssnakessss!!” He physically struggles against the stutters that force their way past his straining vocal cords.

   Sensei Wu’s eyes narrow, taking in the slight alterations on Jay’s parents. 

   “The bite of the Fangpyre!” He states, seriously. “Once they sink their teeth, their venom can turn anything into a serpent.” His gaze locks on Jay’s parents. “It’s only a matter of time before the full transformation is complete.”

   Hissssssssssssssssssss!!!

   Hissssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!

   Hisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!

   Loud hissing can be heard, and with it, a whole bunch of snakes emerge from every nook and cranny. With them is a giant machine that has a solid metal wrecking ball held in place by chains. It has a glowing green face that seems to be glaring into everyone’s very soul. 

   Arai snarls, dropping into a defensive stance as she stands between her pack and the threat. 

   “Uh…” Cole blinks, perplexed. “... is it just me or is that Wrecking Ball staring at me?”

   The machine moves, shifting in place, thus pulling the metal ball with it before releasing it forward —right towards them!!

   “DUUUCK!!” Jay shouts, pushing his parents out of the way from becoming pancakes. 

   As the dust clears, Ed pats his son on the shoulder. “Thankssss, sssson.”

   Just then, Sensei Wu’s sharp voice cuts through the shocked silence, taking all the Ninja by surprise. “LLOYD!!”

   Everyone sets their sight on Lloyd, who stands on a tall stack of tires with a red-scaled, two-headed Serpent sidling up next to him.  

   “Hello, Uncle,” Lloyd greets the older man. “Looks like we’re not the only family reunion,” he notes. “I’m glad you brought the ninja. I could use some help taking out the trash.” He sneers down at them as he laughs. “Mwuahahahahahahahahaha!!”

   Nya’s eyes instantly take notice of the golden staff in the Serpent’s grasp. “If we want to turn your parents back, we’ll need the antivenom from that staff.”

    The wrecking ball attacks again. 

   “SECOND DOSE, TO THE DIRT!!!” Cole orders as he dives out of the way, tackling Arai with him. He shields her small form with his much larger build, making sure no debris reaches her. “You good, Sorellina?”

   Arai nods, slipping away from his protective embrace to face the approaching serpents. She unsheathes the blades of her Tekko-Kagi as she lowers her stance. A faint bluish-green glow seems to be coming from the metal blades, but just as Cole takes notice, it vanishes just as quickly as it appeared. 

   “That’s easier said than done, sis,” Kai says, pulling his katana off the strap attached to his back. “As you can see, we’re a bit outnumbered here.”

   Jay rushes past them, holding his nunchucks up high. “No one messes with my family!!!” He leaps toward the Fangpyres and slams his weapon down-- hard-- which sends them flying. “NIIINJAAAAA … GO!!!” 

   He spins into the remaining serpents, knocking them aside. 

   He keeps running forward even as the wrecking ball comes right at him. Right before it could touch him, he swiftly slides underneath it.

   His teammates also run into the fray. 

   “NIIINJAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

   They spin into action, taking down multiple Fangpyre. 

   A bunch of them try to surround Sensei Wu, but he remains unfazed. He simply puts the flute to his lips and plays a light and airy tune. 

   The serpent's hiss in discomfort.

   Nya uses this to her advantage as she leaps into action. Kicking one directly in the face and body slamming another. 

   “I don’t know, Sensei,” she starts nonchalantly as she walks over to his side. “I think we make a pretty good duet, wouldn’t you say?” 

   Before he could offer a response, blaring music cut him short. It comes from a boombox that was bitten by a Fangpyre, judging from its appearance. 

   “Young nephew, must I teach you whose side you should be on!?”

   Lloyd purposefully turns the volume dial up a few notches, so the music drowns out most of the elders' words. “What was that!?? Sorry, Uncle!! Can’t hear you!!”

   Wu’s eyes narrow at his nephew.

   The ninja chase after a few remaining Fangpyre. They all turn a corner, and just as the ninja reach it, the ground beneath them starts to tremble. 

   “What in the blazes is that!!?” Kai shouts beyond, bewildered. 

   Zane, taking the question to heart, answers as best he can. “Well, from its appearance, it was most likely a statue made out of scrapped parts, but now it has become infected by the venom of the Fangpyre and is now--”

   “ATTACKING!!!” Cole hollers at the top of his lungs. 

   The ninja scatter. 

   Ed cries out, not in fear, but in concern. “Oh, gosh!! Oh, golly!! Oh, gee!!” He holds his hands against the sides of his face. “I-it was sssupposed to be made in your honor son... b-but… do you like it…?”

   “Ah… can’t really say, Pops. Not when it’s— ACTIVELY TRYING TO KILL US!!!!”

   Jay notices that they are being forced to head back over to the wrecking ball that wants to smash them into human pancakes. There’s not enough time to figure out a way to avoid it, so he and the others just keep going. 

   The wrecking ball kicks up a ton of dust as it lands.

   Fortunately, no human pancakes were left in its wake… but not everyone is where they should be…

   “Uh…” Kai starts, taking notice of something strange. “...weren't there five of us?”

   They don’t have to question the absence of their chatterbox when the giant metal ninja-wannabee swings its scrap-made weapon at them. 

   Inferno, reacting quickly, snags between sharp fangs and pulls at it in the opposite direction from his pack members. He strains to keep the robotic thing still, but inch by inch, he’s being pulled back. His claws dig into the ground as his legs tremble from the force he uses to try to keep the threat at bay. 

   “Let go.”

   Without any hesitation, he does as ordered. 

   The metal-made threat stumbles forward and right into the trajectory of the wrecking ball from earlier that is now being controlled by Jay. 

   “SSSTRIKE!!!”

   It crashes into a pile of nearby tires, where it stays down, thoroughly defeated. 

   Lloyd does the only logical thing a kid like him would do in this situation. He orders a—

   “REEEEEEEEEEEETREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!”

   While the Fangpyre soldiers retreat on foot, a helicopter with a reptilian design takes Lloyd and Fangtom away from the Junkyard.

   “Urrrgh!! He’s getting away with the staff!!” Nya yells.

   Jay releases a heavy sigh. “If only our dragons were still here, we would’ve caught them by now,” he laments.

   “It’ssss okay, ssssssson,” Ed reassures the young teen, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder.  

   “There is a way.”

   “How?”

   “Part of reaching your own full potential is understanding your weapon’s potential,” Sensei Wu explains. “Once it is in tune with a focused heart, its secrets and powers can be unlocked.”

   “Oh, this is sooo not the time to be cryptic!!!”

   Zane rests his hand on his teammate’s shoulder. “He’s saying our weapons are vehicles themselves, Jay.”

   … 

   … 

   …

   Kai looks down at his katana. “Don’t tell me I have to ride this thing like a broomstick?”

   “Don’t think too hard on the details,” Sensei Wu informs his pupils. “Jay, concentrate on unlocking your Golden Weapon. Let your heart guide you.” He taps him lightly on his forehead. “Imagine you're taking flight.”

   “...”

   When all he receives is a raised eyebrow, Jay relents and does as his Sensei tells him. 

   He holds his nunchucks in both hands, steadying his breath as he closes his eyes and tries to focus on his weapons. 

   Tries to feel… something.

   … 

   … 

   There!!

   Right there.

   He hones in on the brief spark he felt. 

   … 

   … 

   … 

   It happens again, only this time it feels like a strong pulse, so he clings to it, which leads him to capture the spark. 

   Once he does, it’s as if a missing piece has finally been found and then put back into its correct place. It’s a strange thing to experience, but for some reason, it just feels right. 

   Suddenly, he is no longer holding his nunchucks and instead finds himself inside the interior of a fighter-type jet. 

   “Whoa!!” He exclaims, laughing gleefully. “Haha!! Did I seriously just do that?”

   Kai does the same thing with his Katana. He holds it close to his face, shutting his eyes as he focuses all his attention on the weapon. 

   The blade ignites, bursting into flames, and when the smoke clears, Kai is seated on a stylish motorcycle with sharp blades attached to the side. 

   Zane, unlike the others, uses the ice from his shurikens to build a snowmobile of sorts.

   Not last, and certainly not least, Cole twirls his Scythe around his body before throwing it up in the air, where it hovers in place, summoning a wide array of earthy bits and sediment. It grows into a hefty pile, swallowing up the Scythe as it does so.

   A flash of gold, and the pile turns into a large dune buggy with golden accents on a mainly black base. 

   “Ohohoho!! This is wild!!”

   And lastly is Arai, who barely even spares her Tekko-Kagi a glance as a bright red wispy trail of color that pours from out of her core. It circles her once before the wisps take shape, becoming a large wolf with rich, coarse black fur and a fiery red mane. 

   She effortlessly lifts herself onto his broad shoulders, grabbing hold of his scruffy neck floof. 

   With everyone, more or less, equipped with a proper ride, they take off. 

   Nya turns to Sensei Wu, a question already locked and loaded. “Does your flute turn into anything?”

   In response, the older man sadly glances down at his sacred flute. “If only. It was made for one purpose and one purpose only.”

   “Well, that sucks.”

   “Everything has its uses, Nya.”

   “Hmm. That’s fair, I suppose.”

* * * 

   Jay zooms past the Fangpyre’s helicopter. 

  “Whoa!! What the heck was that!?” Lloyd cries out. 

   “Oopsie-doodles!” Jay chuckles nervously. “I overshot that a little.” He makes a quick turnaround, lining up the helicopter on his radar. “Now, let’s see what this baby can do.” He pushes a random button, which causes his jet to malfunction. 

   His jet flies past Lloyd and the Fangpyre general. 

   “DUCK!!” Both of the serpent’s head shouts. 

   They raise their head once the still-malfunctioning jet is a distance away. That’s when they notice the loss of something pretty important. 

   “The Staff!!”

   Jay cannot believe his eyes. “I got it?” His voice is full of disbelief. “Oh, goodness, golly gee!! I got it!! Hahaha-- ACK!!” His excitement is short-lived as his jet suddenly disappears. 

   … 

   “Uh…oh…”

   … 

   “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”

   He plummets toward the ground. 

   “Razzle-Dazzle!!" Kai calls out to Jay. "You have to concentrate!!" As he says this, he revs the engine of his motorcycle, pushing it to go even faster.

   "I CAN'T!!!!!"

   Cole rolls up next to Kai, almost so their vehicles are 'neck-and-neck.' "I think we're gonna have to catch him."

   "At the speed at which he is traveling, I fear we will not reach him in time," Zane informs his team members.

   As he says this, his and the other teens' mobile transportation units flicker out of existence, leading them to collide into a messy pile of limbs.

   Inferno leaps over them with barely even a pause in his stride. He keeps running, pushing past his limits to do as his pup commands him. Through their bond, she urges him to go faster. To reach their packmate--Jay-- in time. To--

   He stumbles.

   For the briefest moment, he loses traction against the rough sandy ground. His corporal form is weakening. At this rate, he will be forced to return to the CORE to replenish not only his energy but his pup's energy as well. There is a reason why he and his brethren can't stay in the mortal realm for long. The longer they are corporal, the more energy is being used up by their bonded one.

   Energy comes in many forms, but the kind used for him and his brethren is... most difficult to obtain. It takes a hefty toll on the person. One must be strong-willed to even attempt to keep them sated. They take what is offered, and if it's not enough, they will simply return to the CORE... but... if they are to be continuously fed, then everything is okay.

   Except, in this instance, it is not okay.

   His bonded one is stubborn to a fault and beyond reckless. She is offering energy that she does not have. The energy that he is taking from her to compensate for the loss is her stamina. He does his best to limit his intake, but she just doesn't stop offering!! He understands the urgency that drives her to do something as stupid as this. 

* * *

   Arai knows she's being beyond stupid right now, but she cannot help it. Her pakmate is in danger, and so she must do everything within her power to help. The consequences matter not to her. As long as her pak is safe, she doesn't care what she has to do to achieve it.

   The pak comes first.

   Always.

   Her elemental wolf huffs out an exhausted breath as his corporal form becomes more unstable. He stumbles once more, but with a rough shake of his head, he keeps going. If it were any other day, she'd relent and let him rest... but it is not any other day.

   She knows he has been pushed too far, but what else can she do? The others can't do much, and without Inferno, she'd be pretty much useless. So she keeps pushing. Keeps urging for the speed to pick up.  

   And as she does this, she gives and gives and gives and gives and gives her energy away. She doesn’t care what energy is being taken because it matters not to her. She will keep giving because Jay is still in danger, and she has to reach him.

   It is a must!!

   A very urgent one. Yes. Yes. Yes.

   It doesn’t matter that she is growing dangerously tired. Or that her grip on Inferno’s mane is losing its strength as the seconds pass her by. 

   She ignores all of this so that she can focus solely on her still-in-danger pakmate. 

   She needs to get to Jay.

   She needs to ensure his safety.

   She needs…

   ... to be …

   ...F ... A ... S ... T

   …

   … 

   …

   Unbeknownst to her, a bright teal blue glow illuminates from her core as well as the claws of her Tekko-Kagi. The glow soon takes shape, becoming a feathered creature of sorts composed of pure energy with an electrical current traveling all across its body. Its small form grows rapidly, fully encasing Arai, whose entire body is covered by its mighty wings. 

   To the other ninja, all they see is their youngest "fusing" or, better yet, becoming one with whatever it is she conjured into existence, as Inferno turns back into a red wispy trail that follows after the winged creature.

   It twirls once, tucking its wings close to its body before flaring them wide as it quickly takes flight. In no time, it reaches Jay, snatching him between its gentle talons. 

   "Whoa!!!"

   Now no longer falling, Jay lets out a relieved sigh. "That was close!! Thanks for the save!!"

   "KREEEE!!" ... "KREEE!!"

   The feathered creature's form suddenly begins to shrink in size. Thankfully, positioned right below them is Nya, who is driving an old, beat-up car. She keeps pace with them, all the way up until the creature switches back into an unconscious Arai. They fall right into the passenger seat with Jay cradling the young girl in his arms.

   "Thanks for the save, Nya!!"

   "Any time, Bluebell!!" Nya drives the car back over to her brother and friends. "As for the rest of you... Get In!!"

   "We have to get back to headquarters!!" Jay exclaims as his teammates hop into his parents' old Jalopy. He briefly glances down at the girl in his arms. She barely even stirs, which would worry him if not for the strong grip she has on his uniform. "There are too many of them to fight!!"

   Nya changes the gears in the stick shift.

   "You don't have to tell me twice!!!"

   The Jalopy takes off, kicking up tons of dust as it does.

0~O~0~O~0~O

   Everyone races to the Destiny's Bounty.  

   "Man the stations, everyone!!" Jay orders while Nya leads his parents inside. 

   “Follow me!!” She tells them, ushering them into the door she nearly pushed off its hinges in her panicked rush. “Once we reverse the venom, we can return you to normal!!”

   “Jay--” Kai begins, only to get cut off when the taller teen hands Arai over to him. “Wha--??”

   “I need my hands free for this,” is the explanation he offers. He quickly rushes over to the control panel and presses down on a huge red button. 

   … 

   … 

   … 

   Nothing happens. 

   He presses it once more, and the same result happens. 

   “YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!!!” In his anger, he harshly kicks at the stand on which the button is fixed upon. “I spent forever on this!! So… why… isn’t… it… WORKING!???” He punctuates each word with a heavy kick. 

   A gentle weight settles on his shoulders, pulling him out of his spiral. 

   “Maybe I can help you, son?” Ed softly inquires. 

   Jay spins on his heels, almost face-planting on the floor if it wasn’t for his father, who caught him in his arms. 

   “DAD!!” Jay wraps his arms tightly around the older man. “I’m so, so, sooooo, glad you’re okay!!” A sniffle escapes him. 

   His dad holds him for a moment longer before pulling a little ways away, so he can look at his son. “You’re darn tootin I’m okay. Nothing can keep your old man down!!” He reaches out to cup Jay’s face in the palm of his hand. “Don’t worry too much, Gizmo.”

   Ed pulls away from his son to step past him and starts working on the internal wiring. “I see. I see.” He twists his wrists a few times. “Oh, yeah. Uh-huh.” He continues to mess with the insides. “Aaaaaaand that should do it!!” He closes the compartment. “Alright, Gizmo, now try it.” 

   With a nod of his head, Jay slams his hand down on the button. 

   … 

   Their new home instantly comes to life. Its hidden wings flare open, and the rocket boosters attached to the bottom of the ship ignite. 

   “WAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Everyone, except for Arai, cheers in delight as the ship takes flight, zooming off into the distance and leaving Lloyd and the rest of the Fangpyre army behind.

* * * *

   “NO! NOO!! NOOO!!!” Lloyd screams out his frustration. “They’re getting-- ack!!” He hastily covers his eyes from the dust that is blown his way. 

   From out of nowhere, the Fangypre Staff falls a few feet away from the young boy, and the leader of the Fangpyre Tribe slithers over to retrieve it. 

   “Thessse ninja…”

   “...they mussst be ssstopped!!”

   Lloyd nods his head, agreeing full-heartedly with their statement. “That’s what I’m saying!! Glad to see we’re finally on the same page!!”

   With his back facing Fangtom, the young boy fails to notice the sneer they aim his way. 

~ Meanwhile ~

   “Oh, man!!” Nya cries out in distress. “I dropped the staff.” She clings to the railing, staring down glumly. 

   Her brother walks over to her and lightly rests his hand on her head before ruffling her hair like crazy, leaving it a mess. “Chill out, sis.” He ignores her irritated growl. “It’s not the end of the world just because you lost the one item that would’ve helped us out plenty.”

   Nya makes a swipe for Kai, who merrily tosses Wildflower her way, leading to her scrambling to catch the still-asleep younger girl. 

   “Wha--??? KAI!!!” She makes to follow after her fastly retreating brother, but the child in her arms prevents her from doing so. “I’ll get him for this… some day.” She sighs as she lowers herself onto the deck, shifting Arai in her arms so she can cradle her in her arms better. “Oh, Rai-Rai, you can’t keep pushing yourself like this.”

   The older girl turns her attention elsewhere, catching sight of Jay talking with his parents. She feels a twinge in her chest as she watches them. Her gaze turns more solemn with a hint of envy beneath the blues of her iris. 

   Nya has to force herself to look away. It’s a private moment anyway, and Jay would surely be peeved if he discovered that she was watching him and his family like a hawk. So, she looks down at Arai once more. 

   “I’ll let you in on a secret, Raia. That means this stays between us, kay?” She whispers softly, lightly playing with the soft brown curls of her little sister figure. “I never knew my parents… not really. I was really young when they… when they left us. And so, for the longest time, it was just me and Kai. Us against the world,” she takes a breath. “But now, I have you, the guys, and Sensei Wu. And I couldn’t be happier.”

   She brushes her finger against the bridge of Arai’s nose, causing it to scrunch up in that cute little way she does. 

   “You guys are my family— aking pamilya— and I know I would do anything in my power to keep you guys safe. So, I know why you pushed yourself. I’d do the same thing, but here’s the thing… you don’t have to do everything alone, okay? We’re here for you.”

   Arai makes a low humming sound from somewhere deep within her, seemingly trying to convey her understanding even though she is fast asleep. 

   Nya laughs. “Well, as long as you know.” 

🗲 🗲 🗲

   “We’ll get you back to the Junkyard just as soon as we see that the coast is clear,” Jay explains. “But… you guys can stay as long as you like!! I can give you a tour—Oh!! I can also properly introduce you to everyone!! Well, not everyone because Wild One-- uh-- Arai, I mean. You met her earlier! She did something really cool with her element, I… think…?” He pauses at that before shaking his head. “Anyway, because of that, she seems to have worn herself out.”

   Ed and Edna let their son ramble on with wide smiles plastered on both their faces. 

   “... she’s done this before, protecting Cole-- he’s the Ninja of Earth, by the way, and he’s a very solid guy. Ha!! See what I did there?” 

   Jay continues on, seeing as his parents don’t even try to get him to stop or slow down. They greatly missed these moments. Missed being with their son, so they’re going to savor every moment they get to be with him.

   “... I got a bit carried away there, sorry about that,” Jay sheepishly scratches the back of his head. “I just… I-- it’s like these guys are my home away from home, but maybe this can be your home away from home too? Uh… that didn’t make any sense.”

   “Take your time, honey,” Edna tells her son. “Your father and I aren’t going anywhere, anytime soon.”

   “What I’m trying to say is that… It’s nice having you guys here… and it would be pretty sweet if you guys visited from time to time.”

   At that, his parents’ expressions became even more jovial. 

   “Really?”

   Jay nods. “Yeah, of course!! But you’ll have to call first instead of showing up out of the blue, okay?”

   His parents share a glance. 

   “As long as you try to call us at least twice a week and tell us all about what you’ve been up to,” Edna tells him. “Would that be an acceptable trade?”

   “That would be the best trade ever, Ma.”

   “Oh, Edna, dear, take a note,” Ed tells his wife, who pulls out a notepad. “Out of all our inventions, this one is our greatest.” He pulls Jay into a hug.

   “I already know.”

   Edna tosses the notepad away as she joins in on the hug.

Next: Episssode Four…

Ya Can’t Trusssst A Snake