Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 86: The Fire Mage

As Jukeni had predicted, it was by dusk they were nearing their destination. The trip had taken a little longer than planned, for Kai and Kaeden went back and recovered a dazed and moaning Jukeni. Thankfully, the arrow he'd been shot with by the Pingouser had merely grazed his right arm, and though it was painful, no permanent damage had been done.

The exhaustion Kai felt numbed his senses, which is why he did not realize they were being surrounded until a low voice broke the silence. "Stop right there or we'll shoot."

Kai, Jukeni, and Kaeden froze in their tracks. Heart hammering, Kai stood still while scanning the dark trees. It took several seconds of careful inspection before he was able to locate a tall figure standing within the shadow of a tall pine. The stranger was holding a crossbow up—and with a sinking feeling, Kai realized the bolt was aimed right for his own head.

"Drop your weapons," another voice said.

Kai realized that a dozen people had circled them from the shelter of the trees and undergrowth, using the shadows to their advantage and having snuck up on their victims without a sound. Kai wordlessly berated himself for not being alert enough to have noticed them coming—as a ninja, picking up clues to ambushes like that was one of his top priorities.

Jukeni and Kaeden had stiffened, but they didn't look quite as alarmed as they ought to have been. Kai began to realize why when Kaeden raised his furry hands into the air and said, "It's just us, Rantan. Allies."

There was a quiet pause. Kai saw the stranger lower his crossbow and peer through the leaves. "Kaeden?" Surprise was evident in his voice. "What are you two doing here?"

The rest of the newcomers stepped forth and exposed themselves from various clumps of bushes and undergrowth. All of them wore gray, green, and brown mottled cloaks and hoods over their heads—Kai realized that these were probably made to camouflage with the natural color of the wilderness.

That's pretty clever, he reflected reluctantly.

He scanned the new set of faces: eleven people stood in a circle around Kai and his friends. Most were men, but there were two women and there were several dog-people. Two of the dog-people had pointed ears and a long, narrow muzzle like Kaeden did, but three more had big, floppy years like hound dogs, and in comparison their muzzles were shorter and stouter. They all wore clothes, stood on their hind legs, and gripped crossbows like humans, and their multi-colored eyes glittered with just as much intelligence and menace.

Jukeni chirped, "Hi, guys."

"Hi," several of the cloaked people and dog-people responded casually.

"'By'lännie', guys," the first man—Rantan—cast his comrades an irritated look. "Our greeting is By'lännie, remember? Not 'hi'. By'lännie is the traditional Pawreles phrase among the ancient warriors! You've got to remember this stuff!"

"'Hi' is easier," one of the floppy-eared dog-people muttered in a feminine voice.

"By'lännie, all," Kaeden greeted with a little smile, obviously deciding to humor Rantan.

One of the men gestured to Kai with a hostile look. "Who's that?" he demanded sharply.

Kai bristled, but Kaeden responded soothingly. "This is a new friend of ours. Kai helped me and Jukeni escape from the town's entire brigade last night when they seized Nama's house."

The tension among the strangers rose. "They found you?" Rantan demanded.

"Some scout or spy must have seen us leaving the town the night of the raid," Jukeni replied, his smile fading. "They must have gotten busy gathering troops or watching us or something, because they only attacked last night."