Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 32: A Point of View

"Hey." He nuzzled her shoulder. "Those two have bees in their brains, and they can't tell a mouse from a bird. You shouldn't care what they say about you or me, whoever my father was."

"Why don't they pick on Black Blood?" Leaf muttered resentfully. "She'll show them."

"That's right, and they know it. They just pick on me more because I'm not leader, and because they know what she'll do if she ever hears those rumors again." He added seriously, "Leaf, what about Vine Pool? She raised you as of her own ever since Silver Mist left to walk among the stars. And Ice Fall's new litter? They'll have no one to play with. And your friends are probably frantic about you."

She hesitated at the mention of her tribe-mates, but she shook her head resolutely. "I don't care. All everyone ever talks about is the Sons and Daughters and how we're going to take revenge and all that. You should have heard the kits! They were arguing over who would play as the Sons and Daughters and who would be Katsu and Red Alder, and they were having mock battles imitating what happened!"

"They like to re-enact any battle from any story," he pointed out.

"Whatever. I'm sick and tired of the caves, Talon!" she complained. "This is the most fun I've had in moons, and I don't want to be sitting around like a useless kit while you're secretly working for the Sons and Daughter and going on these secret missions to get the moonstones we need!" Then she pleaded, "Please! I'll be good! You'll need me! What if the humans turn on you? You'll need someone to help you kick their furry tails!"

"They don't have tails."

"I know."

Eagle Talon gave his littermate a hard stare. "Do you promise to do exactly as I tell you?"

"I promise!" she chirped.

"If I tell you to follow me, you'll follow me?"

"I will!"

"If I tell you to hide, you'll hide?"

"I will!"

"If I tell you to run as fast as your paws can carry to back to the tunnels and leave me behind, no matter how badly outnumbered or wounded I am, will you?"

"Talon!"

"Will you?"

"All right, yes!" She rolled her eyes. "I will."

"Humph." His whiskers twitched. "I'll think about it."

"You'll think about it?!" she spluttered incredulously.

"Look, Leaf, I'm exhausted." Eagle Talon sighed wearily and curled up once more among the weeds that made his bed. "I've spent the entire day walking, walking, walking, with grumpy humans complaining, complaining, complaining, and right now I am very sleepy, sleepy, sleepy. We have about two more days of traveling ahead of us before ancestors-know-what will happen, and I have a feeling it's going to be a rocky trip.

"So, I don't want to wake up a slow slug tomorrow because I spent the entire night arguing with you. We'll continue this completely mouse-brained journey in the morning."

Little Leaf mewed hopefully, "So does that mean I don't have to go home?"

Eagle Talon shut his eyes. "Let—me—sleep."

"Grumpy old badger." When he didn't reply, she finished washing her face, then curled up beside him. Eagle Talon gave a small sigh of relief when he heard his sister's breathing slow. Her pelt was warm against his, and the faint calls of the night birds and the slight whisper of the trees soothed him. He soon found himself thankfully drifting off.