Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 89: A New Prophecy

It didn't take long to find it. He'd visited this grave time and time again, typically to place a flower at the foot of the squarish stone jutting up from the dusty ground. Finding the gravestone now, Eagle Talon regretted not taking the time to pick one of the snowdrops that grew beside the stream so that he could place it here. He didn't know why he did that; it just felt right.

Marks carved into the rock stood out in the silver tongue of moonlight that fell upon the grave. They read the name of the dead cat in the ancient language, carved by one of the Seven Sorcerers at the funeral; that was tradition. Sorcerers were the only cats in the tribe allowed to learn how to read and write, and thus it was their duty, in this case, to write the names of the dead on the gravestones. Talon remembered it was Broken Fang who carved the name of this one. Black Blood had wanted to do it, but she had been told she was too young for it at the time...

Talon collapsed at the foot of the grave, suddenly unable to find the strength to stand any longer. The invisible weight he could feel was becoming too much to bear. Weakly, he whispered to the body buried beneath the soil he lay upon.

"Oh, Dove Stream..." His heart gave a sharp throb of pain as her name fell off his tongue. His voice trailed off for a second. Then he forced himself to continue, murmuring quietly into the darkness. "Dove Stream, help me. I can't sleep. My dreams are nightmares. I feel I did the right thing, but I'm falling apart. I don't know what's wrong with me. Maybe if I sleep here... I'll just..."

A sob broke from his throat. He buried his face into his paws, feeling himself tremble. "I can't sleep. Please— please, help me. I need you back. I'm so tired of doing this alone. Please come back." He inched closer to the gravestone and pressed the tip of his nose into the cool stone. He imagined he was lying next to Dove Stream, breathing in her scent... "I need you. I love you. Please help me."

There was no response. No sound. No movement. There was only the still shadows that closed in, cruelly reminding him just how alone he was.

No one's there. No one's listening.

No one cares.

Talon's body shuddered with a suppressed sob. He curled up into a ball and shut his eyes tightly, pressing against the cold gravestone. A breeze howled softly above him, reminding him of a song of a mourning lover.

The howl of wind entered his sleep.

Eagle Talon found himself standing on a narrow mountaintop—the same one where he'd murdered Cole in the last nightmare. The night sky above him was covered with angry-looking clouds, and the slight breeze from the graveyard had become a low, menacing whistle that pierced him coldly. Bristling, he shivered and looked around.

A pale shape moved into view a few yards away, by the edge of the precipice. Talon stiffened and peered through the darkness. He felt his heart skip a beat.

Liana emerged from the shadows. Talon felt a jolt of amazement to see that while her face still bore those signature scars, her eyes were no longer gray and cloudy with blindness; they were clear and wide with sight, the irises glittering bright blue. Her hair was down and flying in the cold wind, but unlike the previous nightmare, she was wearing the purple gi similar to that of the ninja's.

Dread coiled up inside Talon. He dug his claws into the ground. No. Not tonight. Not another one. He gritted his teeth. I'm not going to kill another one.

Liana's gaze roved over the rocky mountaintop. She froze in her tracks when her blue eyes found Eagle Talon.

For several moments, neither one said anything. They just stared at one another.