Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 11: Meeting Jake

The sun was high up in the sky when Lloyd first heard the cries. The river was splashing and rushing rather loudly, so at first he thought he was hearing things, or that it was some bird. When he drifted a few feet away from the river, though, he heard it again.

Letting the dragon evaporate, he ducked into the forest and left the river behind. When its roar was faint he paused and listened.

For a couple minutes, he heard nothing except the river and the birds. At last he gave up—yet just as he was about to turn back, he heard it again.

He froze in place. It sounded like some sort of young animal. He listened, and then it repeated. Whatever that creature was, it sounded as if it was in trouble.

He began pushing his way through the undergrowth, heading toward the source of the noise. He wasn't sure why, but he'd always had a special sympathy toward animals. The incident involving the baby bird many months back, when he and his father had been heading toward Hiroshi's Labyrinth to escape the Overlord, was a good example of his feelings for helpless animals. He wasn't sure, but perhaps he had that compassion for the little beings because he had once felt as helpless and lonely as they were.

Whatever the reason, he found himself shoving his way through the undergrowth in search of the cries.

A bark sounded throughout the trees. Lloyd stopped. Was there a dog in the woods? Maybe that meant there was a village nearby. Eagerly now, he raced up a small a rise in the land—then stopped. His eyes grew wide as he surveyed the scene in front of him.

Before him sat a small, sandy hollow, ringed by thorny brambles and bushes. A few rocks and boulders were scattered across the clearing. A small wooden post stood slightly sideways, a wire stretching out away from it. At the other end of the wire, with one of its hind paws caught in a hoop by the string, stood a terrified cat.

It was a petite calico. The hard wire was wrapped tightly around its little paw, rubbing and tearing at the flesh. Lloyd winced at the sight of the wound, which looked grim from where he stood.

The fur stood up straight on the creature's arched back, and Lloyd could see why. A huge fox was edging toward the cat, its cruel eyes gleaming hungrily. Its pelt was a fiery ginger, save for its fluffy white underbelly and slim black paws armed with claws.

It was quite clear on what the fox wanted to do: eat lunch.

"Hey!" Lloyd summoned an energy ball. With a startling boom, he shot it down at the fox, and it created a sandy explosion. The fox yelped and scrambled frantically out of the hollow. Whining, its loping paw steps retreated into the thick of the trees.

Lloyd hesitated, then slid into the hollow. The little cat watched him with huge eyes, looking more scared than ever. With a terrified mewl it tried to scramble away, but the wire held tight around its paw, and eliciting a whimper.

Lloyd slowed and crouched down. "Hey, shh, it's all right, I'm here to— Ah-CHIEE!" He rubbed his nose and muttered. "Darn ib. Dumb allerdies."

Now that he was closer, he realized that the calico was quite young; virtually a kitten. One of its little ears were black, and there was a black smudge on the tip of its pink nose. Black and orange patches colored the soft white pelt, from across the shoulders to the base of the tail, and the tail tip was ginger with a couple of dark stripes. The wide, bright blue eyes stared up unblinkingly at him in terror, whiskers quivering and back arched up.

Bristling, the cat tried once again to get away from the ninja drawing nearer, but no amount of struggle—with each jerk making the wire cut deeper into its leg—availed the little cat.