Unlikely Allies (Ninjago Season 11)

Chapter 6: Akita's Past

Akita and Lloyd were sitting around the lantern, the light warming them. Lloyd had told Akita or as he knew her, Red, his entire story, and everything about him, including the tragedy of losing his father and the heartbreak caused by Harumi. Akita felt guilty by not telling Lloyd anything, so she was now telling her own tale. 

"My story begins long ago. A time before the long and never ending winter." Akita began. "A time when the was still lush and green.. A time before I lost everything I've ever loved..."

We lived and worked in the forest together, happily. We were Formlings and we lived in peace. And at the end of the day, we returned to our village. It was a beautiful place, built deep in the forest. It was my home. But my brother Kataru and I, being young lings, had not yet found our animal form.  And despite what I told myself, I was nervous. But, I quickly snapped out of my thoughts when Kataru, being the mischievous person he was, threw a ball of snow at me.

"What is it? Don't tell me you're still nervous?" Kataru said, gripping a second snowball, as if he was waiting to throw it at someone other than me.

As much as I didn't want to worry one of my only family members, I lied. "No."

Kataru looked at me, being able to sniff out the lie almost immediately. " Do not lie to me, sister. I can see it in your eyes."

"I cannot help it, Kataru! What if something goes wrong? And I do not find my animal form. The Choosing is a week away! What if I am not ready?" I asked, worry and fear consuming me...There was one before me that did not find their form, but I hardly remembered his name.

Kataru was trying to encourage me not to worry, for he seemed rather calm when I brought this subject up. "You are ready. All who are pure of heart find their animal form."

I growled a little and threw my own snowball at the once he was so calmly tossing. "Not all..."

"That was a long time ago. And it only happened once. Trust me. We will both find our animal forms and we will run together in the forest all day and night!" He said with a smile. "You'll see."

I wanted to believe my brother, but my anxiety refused to leave me...The week had eventually passed, but my fear of not being able to find my form did not pass.

Me and my brother approached the leader of our village, who was one of the first Formlings to find his animal form. Like every choosing that he had been in, he dipped his hand into some kind of red paint and marked me and brother's face with markings that would show in our animal forms if we ever found them, some markings being different for whatever animal form they were supposed to have....But unlike many choosings, there was an interruption.

"Well, well..." A samurai warrior wearing steel gray armor that was covered in ice had appeared, but he had no weapons unlike most samurai. "Just in time for another Choosing. Such a brutal, savage tradition! And what will you do with these innocent children, if their animal form does not come to them? Will you reject them, as you did me?" The samurai snarled at the leader, not seeming afraid in the slightest.

Kataru and I almost immediately knew who this man was, this was the Formling that failed in finding his animal form...

The Leader looked at him. "We did not reject you, Vex. Your exile was of your own choosing!"

Vex seemed to be delusional as he shook his head, and then growled at him. "Lies! When I did not find my form, you turned against me!" Vex snarled. "All of you! You mocked me in secret! You whispered behind my back. Vex the Pathetic! Vex the Shameful! Vex the Formless..."