Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 14: Travelers Reunited

Utterly exhausted, everyone slept in late that morning, even Master Wu. Although there was more room to bunk down in sleeping bags in the main interior of the Samurai X cave, the group spent the night aboard the parked Bounty, preferring to sleep closer together as a precaution. Wu, Nya, Zane, Jay, and Cole took their old bunks while Liana slept in the same room as Nya.

Matilda refused the offer of Lloyd or Kai's bed, instead claiming she already had a half-way decent bed that she had been using for the past few weeks. Jay suspected out loud that the witch was sleeping in her cat form in an old pile of newspapers in the pantry.

Cole slept with his shirt off that night, for though the air was a bit cold there underground, it hurt his scratches to even wear a light article of clothing over his torso. He tossed and turned for a while, feeling every bandage rub against his aching wounds. Exhaustion and the need for sleep soon possessed him, though, and he thankfully succumbed to slumber.

When he awoke the next morning, he sleepily rolled over in his bed, still feeling sore all over. With the warm sheets and thick pillow embracing him, all he wanted to do was to stay in bed just a little longer. All was quiet, and he felt that he could easily fall asleep again. After all that excitement in the night, couldn't they sleep in a bit that morning...?

Then he checked the clock on his bedside table to realize that it was in fact not morning, but rather noon. With a start, he jumped out of bed, slipped a shirt over his head and raced out of his bedroom to the deck of the Bounty. He berated himself for sleeping in, thinking that everyone was already up and waiting for him.

When he ran onto deck, though, nary a soul was in sight.

He scanned the area breathlessly. "Where is everyone?" he muttered to himself.

"Still sleeping."

Jumping at the sound of Liana's voice, he spun around to see her standing on the upper deck behind him. It was rather eery and cat-like how she could be completely still and silent.

It took a second for his eyes to adjust and to see her, for the light in the massive cavern was very dim and cast in shadow, even with a few lanterns aboard the ship. They gave the area on deck a warm, reddish feel, not at all like it was noon. If it hadn't been for his clock, Cole would have thought it was still night.

As Liana turned and started walking down one of the companionways, he asked, "Then what are you doing up?"

"I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. I snuck out." As she stepped into the light, Cole saw that she was wearing Zane's old ZX uniform. Though it was a bit baggy, it looked good on her, seeing that it matched her pale blond hair. Her trusty nunchucks were attached to the belt wrapped securely around her slim waist.

He said, "And you've been hanging around here, just waiting for someone to wake up?"

She brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Nah. I've been trying to guess how big this cave is. Right now I'm guessing several hundred feet for both the height and width, but I think it's taller than it is wide."

Cole arched his eyebrows curiously. "How do you know that?"

She blushed and grinned uneasily. "Uh, well... you know how bats use echo-location to find their prey? I... kinda figured out something like that."

Liana raised her arm and snapped her fingers. The sharp sound echoed throughout the massive cavern, ringing fainter and fainter until it faded off. "I can judge where I am by the sound bouncing off the walls. It can tell me how big a room is and how big the objects are in it."

He felt impressed. "Really?"

"Yup. It's how I usually find my way around new areas. Clicking my tongue works, too." Her sheepish smile faded. Liana leaned against the rail on the side of the ship with one elbow.