Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 38: OWCH.14

Cole scowled and took a breath to retort, but a skinny brown tabby suddenly hopped up onto the bench. "And you're sure of that, are you, boy?" Matilda said.

Eagle Talon curled his lip, but didn't reply.

"Why aren't you in the hospital with everyone else?" Cole asked.

"I was going to ask the same of you, kid," the tabby retorted, sitting delicately beside him.

"I wanted to make sure didn't try to eat anyone out here." Cole smirked.

Talon made a face. "Ugh. As if."

"Have you two been talking about our next move, or have you been squabbling like children this whole time?" Matilda inquired.

"What do you mean?" Cole asked.

"Merlin's beard—! How you're going to retrieve a certain disobedient werecat child, that's what!" Matilda's whiskers twitched in annoyance. "Or were you going to let the girl try to defend herself from Dog Bone and his lot? If I recall, you made a deal with Talon that you would help rescue Little Leaf."

"Of course I will!" Cole replied. "I just haven't— we only just got back, you know. We haven't exactly had a lot of time to plan."

"Well, we've got time now." Talon finally stopped pacing and sat down on the bench beside Cole. "So?"

Cole glared at him. "What are you looking at me for? Do you expect me to suddenly pull a stupid-elaborate plan out of the hat in a second? We've got to think about this, man!"

"I've already done some thinking on my part." Matilda's tail twitched back and forth. "Tell me about that friend of yours who was just kidnapped. Ronin, wasn't he?"

Cole nodded. "What about him?"

"Fellow didn't strike me as the most honest of men. Bit of a shady character you have as a friend, eh?"

Cole sighed. "We didn't exactly hit it off when we first met. He was a huge thief, and he even stole our— well, that's a different story. Point is, he helped us in the end when Morro and his ghosts were attacking Stiix, and we've been sort of mutual allies since then. Now he's trying to make an honest living with his new shop."

"A thief, eh?" Matilda's eyes twinkled with interest. "Was he the type to ever get involved with the likes of Dog Bone?"

Cole blinked. He looked at Matilda, then at Eagle Talon.

Talon raised his eyebrows in a silent question. Cole looked at Matilda again.

She tilted her head up at him. "Well?"

A smile slowly crept up Cole's face. "Matilda... I think you might be onto something."

* * *

"What's that for?" Nya stared at the spindly needle sticking out from the little plastic tube.

Dr. Wesley scrutinized the syringe and replied absentmindedly. "We call this baby orthinilastic whatchamacallit cha-chalookielistenenic hetalmeticalistisim—or, for short, 'OWCH.14'."

Nya eyed the needle warily as the doctor walked over to Jay, who lay quivering on a hospital cot at one end of the room. "Why do you call it that?"

"Because we couldn't think of a more creative title." A nurse with shaggy black hair wearing too much makeup laughed. She batted her eyelashes and grinned, displaying white but crooked teeth. "Actually, it's because it took fourteen tries before we finally managed to get it right. I came up with the formula myself, you know, and I—"