Echo of the Beavers (Ninjago story)

The Tranquil Tree

Echo and Twig were having the time of their lives playing around in the lush Chima jungle. The shade of the thick green trees, highlighted by the bright yellow flowers, was a welcome break from the scorching heat of the unforgiving sun. The buzz of the dragonflies flying above them gave everything a whimsical atmosphere, as if they were in a magical land, where they were free to frolic and explore. The children ran in circles around the tall, powerful trees and jumped from the giant, bright red leaves of the luscious green vines that grew up the trunks. Splashing around in the shallow pools of cool water, they were giggling and playfully wrestling with delight. They were just kids, lost in a world of exploration and laughter. As they played, the two soon came across something Echo had never seen before. An absolutely gigantic tree with a rosewood trunk and beautifully shaped magenta leaves. What appeared to be light blue crystal flowers with a yellow center bloomed throughout. The tree stood in a clearing only big enough to hold it, but the sun that did reach it reflected off of the flowers, creating a dazzling array of starry glimmers in the branches. The two boys stared up at it in awe.

"Isn't it the most rad thing ever dudes?" A voice asked.

The two spun around to see a gorilla standing not far behind them. "The Merge seriously threw off our groove, but it also brought some pretty cool things. Like this one. We call it- The Tranquil Tree. Dudes come here to find peace and reassurance in all this Merge chaos."

Twig smiled. "Yeah! This is sweet!"

"It is indeed a very beautiful tree. I find the flowers on it to be quite interesting. Are they actually made of crystal?" Inquired the nindroid.

The gorilla nodded. "Totally dude. But, that's what us gorillas are concerned about. Dudes keep trying to pick um! You can't disrespect the Tranquil Tree man, it's not cool."

Echo agreed and kindly offered his assistance to help protect the tree from thievery. After the gorilla left, Twig turned to his robotic friend. He questioned why he would agree to such a thing, and said that he'd be there forever.

"Twig, I am built to protect. If someone has to protect this tree from thieves, then it's my responsibility to help. Besides, I won't be here forever- if the thieves are after the flowers, then logically, we'll just have to guard it until it's bloom cycle ends. How hard can this be anyway?"

After about an hour, two residents of Chima, a pair of ravens flew down and curiously stared at the robot. The birds had never seen a nindroid before, and had no clue how to react. Twig jumped at the sight of the guests and hid behind Echo. 

"Echo! Be careful! Those are ravens! They're bad news..." Twig whisper yelled.

However, Echo didn't think that was right. You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, after all. So he happily welcomed them to the Tranquil Tree and asked why they were there. The ravens glanced at each other, then back at the kids.

"Ah.. Well friends, ya see, we're here for a very specific reason." One of the ravens spoke. "My wife is..... ah... sick. And she really wants a few of those pretty crystal flowers..... ya know, to make her feel better."

Twig glared, knowing full well that they were lying. Echo on the other hand, looked genuinely concerned for the supposed sick wife. He was conflicted- He swore to keep people from taking the flowers, but someone needed help. The little beaver noticed his friend falling for it and jumped in.

"No deal! Echo and I can see right through your lies! He made a promise to protect the tree from thieves like you, and that's what we're going to do."

Echo glanced up and immediately read their faces- they looked guilty as charged. They WERE lying! And he almost fell for it... Regardless, now that he knew the truth, he wasn't gonna let it slide.

"Father always told me that lying is bad. And you should never do it. You two should be ashamed; trying to take advantage of others."

One of the ravens rolled his eyes. "Oh, sure, let the... ah.. wait. What exactly are you supposed to be?"

Echo tilted his head in confusion. Well, he supposed the residents of Chima WOULDN'T be aware of anything like him before... Glancing back at his metallic beaver tail, he gave a light smile. "I am Echo Zane. Technically, I am a nindroid. But as of 2 months ago, I am an honorary beaver. I am built to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

The ravens exchanged glances. So... he was a sentient machine from a different realm?.. Hanging out with the beavers of all things? Interesting. Very interesting...

The two ravens said their farewells and hastily flew off over the trees. Later that night, Echo and Twig had fallen asleep cuddled against the tree. It's beautiful crystalline figure glistening in the moonlight. Silently, the two birds returned and watched from behind a bush. One remarked how bizarre it was that Echo was capable of sleeping. And based on his happy expression, he was dreaming too.

"Remarkable. A machine that can dream. Ain't that rare?"

"Yup yup, probably one of a kind too. Now those flowers grow on trees, but a living creature made of metal- there's only one of those. What do you say we have change of plans, Rook?"

The other smirked as he agreed. The ravens cautiously made their way over to the two kids and swiftly nabbed Echo in a sack. Then off into the night they flew.