Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 76: At the House of Lou Brookstone

"I hope I never ever see another fox again!" Jay declared.

Cole was still panting for breath. "The feeling's mutual."

Everyone had fled the den of Kohuru through the forest and down the steep, mossy hillsides as fast as they could, with the voice of the insane kitsune cackling in their ears. The ninja helped Misako and Liana along as best they could, running for what they feared to be their lives. Eagle Talon and Little Leaf took the lead in the race back to the Destiny's Bounty in their small bakeneko forms, forked tails streaming out behind them.

Before they knew it, the whole group broke the tree line and arrived at the clearing where the ship waited. Everyone slowed to a halt and gasped for breath.

Liana's face looked white in the sunlight. Both Talon and Leaf's pelts were bristling, every hair on their backs sticking straight up. Misako leaned on Lloyd's shoulder shakily. Matilda kept glancing over her shoulder into the forest, as if she were expecting Kohuru's grinning face to appear out of nowhere.

"Well," Nya finally broke the silence. She caught her breath and wiped a few sweaty strands of hair out of her face. "That was... interesting."

"'Interesting'—like how Master Chen was interesting?" Jay piped up, raising his voice in sarcasm. "Or like how Morro was interesting? Or Master Yang? Yeah, meeting people like that is always fascinating. Especially when they're trying to kill you!"

"At least we know where the next moonstone is," Zane pointed out.

"Or at least where that shape-shifting psychopath says they are," Matilda sniffed.

Leaning on his staff, Wu puffed and asked the ninja, "Why were you in there for so long? Did you have to persuade Kohuru to give you the location of the moonstone?"

"No... Actually, she wanted to tell us— at least, I think," Lloyd replied awkwardly. "She just kept rhyming and saying riddles. She warned us about this fight against the Moon Tribe, and told us how we should try to... bring peace...?"

Jay coughed. "Yeah, she's out of her mind."

"She also said I would die," Liana murmured.

It was too low for the others to hear, but Cole was close enough that he heard. He looked over at her. The color was beginning to return to her face, what with all the running, but she still looked wane.

Cole suppressed a shiver. "Kohuru's just nuts. She wants to scare us."

"Maybe." Liana took a deep breath or two, looking as if she were trying to regain her composure.

And there was something she said to me and Talon that sounded familiar, Cole thought to himself. He scowled, trying to think as Lloyd and the others explained to Wu, Misako, Matilda, and Little Leaf what had happened in the den.

That "roots of earth" stuff... What was that she said? Deeds..."the deeds determine us"...

'Our deeds determine us as much as we determine our deeds'. Cole inhaled sharply. That was in my fortune cookie! From that night, before I met Liana in the park! Had that only been a few weeks ago?

That's what my cookie said—and Kohuru just said it, chanting that thing about brothers and sisters and something...

Cole ran a hand through his hair. Is that just a coincidence? Maybe Kohuru gets the ideas for her stuff from fast food places' fortune cookies. Still... it just seems too weird, too specific...

"So what we need to do now is find Cole's father and see about this moonstone he might have in his possession."

Wu's commanding voice brought Cole back to the present. He looked up to meet the inquiring eyes of his master. "You did recognize the location of the moonstone you saw to be in your father's house, Cole?"