Cole woke up late the next morning. He suspected Matilda's healing potion had some sort of sleep-inducing ingredient—that, or yesterday had simply left him drained. Both options seemed plausible. Either way, he woke up feeling rested and a little more refreshed than the afternoon before. Finding himself alone in the ninja's quarters, he got dressed quickly in his now-clean uniform—someone must have washed it last night, probably Misako—and wandered the interior of the Destiny's Bounty in search of his friends.
Down the hall he heard muffled noises coming from the lounge room. Quietly, he drifted to the door and opened it. In front of him was the couch facing the opposite wall. On the wall the TV was playing a "Starfarers" movie; characters in outlandish clothing were presently in the midst of a space battle on the surface of some remote planet. The lights were all out save for the TV, but in the dim lighting Cole recognized the backs of three heads: Lloyd, Jay, and Nya. All of them were watching the movie.
The sound was on so loudly, nobody noticed Cole amble over to Jay, who sat on one end of the couch. Cole glanced between the TV screen and his friends. Then he poked Jay in the arm. "Nerd."
Jay swung around in his seat and faced Cole with happy surprise. "Hey! Took you long enough to wake up!"
"What are you guys doing?" Cole hissed with incredulity. The Moon Tribe was still running around after having attacked a village and run off with Matilda, and everyone was sitting here watching movies?
Jay snickered and grinned broadly. "Take a look!" He gestured to Nya, who sat beside him.
Perplexed, Cole looked. For the first time, he saw that Little Leaf, in her small bakeneko body, was sitting in Nya's lap. The expression on the calico's face was one of complete awe and fascination. Her eyes were nearly as wide as dinner plates and her jaw hung open by a few inches as her gaze remained solidly fixed upon the flashing TV screen. More than a few times she'd flinch and bristle at some explosion. In these moments she'd sometimes duck her head beneath Nya's chin or bury herself in the human's arms, trembling from head to paw. When this happened, Nya would grin mildly and give a reassuring pat on the back or stroke her around the ears.Yet in all this, the little Moon Tribe shapeshifter seemed to be having the time of her life.
"Can you believe it?" Jay whispered, following Cole's gaze. "Little Leaf's never seen a movie before! A movie! I decided it was time to culture her." He beamed up at Cole. "And what better way to introduce your little sister to the world of theater than getting her into the Starfarer fandom?"
Cole gave Lloyd a quick glance. He was sitting at the other end of the couch, also watching the movie and occasionally giving Little Leaf an amused look. Cole figured he was sitting away from her so as not to inhale her fur and give himself an allergy attack.
"She's not my sister," Cole muttered. "We have different sets of parents."
Jay shrugged indifferently. "Well, you both share a brother and a sister."
Cole felt a scowl trying to edge its way onto his face. Jay didn't seem to notice his irritation, turning his gaze back to the movie.
One of the main characters was in the middle of their death scene. Fritz Donnegan—the lead hero of the series, as Cole recalled—was crouching over them and desperately and dramatically exchanging final words with his friend (or his brother—Cole couldn't really remember).
"Oh, no!" Little Leaf's stricken cry made Cole glance at her again. The little cat was bristling all over, and her ears were flat upon her head with horror. "He'd dying! What's going to happen? Is there anything we can do?"
"It's OK, Leaf, shh," Nya soothed, stroking the little cat again. Cole could tell she was holding back the majority of her amusement for the werecat's sake. "Remember, it's just a story. None of this ever happened."
"But his brother's dying!" Leaf protested plaintively. "And he only just joined the good guy's side again! Isn't there anything we can do for them?"
Lloyd chuckled gently and responded, but Cole was distracted by movement at the doorway. He looked up to see Lou peering in. His father's large eyebrows arched when he caught sight of his son. He hesitated, then gestured for Cole to come over.
Cole complied cautiously, not quite sure as to what his dad wanted. He left his friends to their movie and followed Lou out into the hallway. He shut the door quietly. "What's up?"
Anxiously Lou scanned Cole up and down. "How do you feel?"
"I feel fine, Dad."
"Well, ah— good," he mumbled.
There was an awkward pause.
"Where's Skylor at?" asked Cole.
Lou blinked. "Skylor?"
"You know? Master of Amber? Red hair, wears that tangerine color a lot?"
Lou wore a blank look.
"The one Kai likes?" Cole sighed.
"Oh! Sorry, yes. I mean, no." His father looked flustered. "She left this morning. She got a call from that restaurant she works at—sounds like there's been confusion and delay ever since she disappeared. She had to leave in a hurry."
"Huh. Figures," Cole muttered dryly.
"She promised she would be back."
"Sure."
After several long moments of silence, Cole decided that he didn't have the patience for making meaningless small talk. He turned and headed for the kitchen down the hall.
"Where are you going?" Lou asked in surprise.
"To get some breakfast."
Lou followed him into the deserted kitchen and watched as Cole rummaged through the fridge and got out leftover fried noodles. He stood there uneasily, looking lost. Meanwhile Cole stuck his bowl of noodles into the microwave and turned it on.
It was when the microwave hummed to life that Mr. Brookstone finally spoke up again. "I didn't mean for this to happen."
Confused, Cole looked over at his father. "What?"
Lou fiddled with the hem of his brown tweed jacket. He took a breath, looked up at his son, and said, "This— this conflict with the Moon Tribe. Eagle Talon and Black Blood. I didn't want any of this to happen."
Cole let his father's words echo pathetically around the room before responding. "Not sure why you would. Seems like kind of a weird thing for someone to plan deliberately." He did little to hide the sarcasm in his voice.
Mr. Brookstone shook his head helplessly. "I feel like I should try to explain."
"Yeah, I think you should try to explain, too," Cole shot back. "Like—oh, I don't know—that you'd been in a relationship before Mom? A heads-up for any potential half-brothers or sisters would've been nice—especially the evil, magical, cat-people kind!"
Lou's eyes flashed. "'Howdy son, guess what? One time I fell in love with a shape-shifting cat woman!' As if anyone would ever believe that."
"Fine." Cole brushed off the defense angrily. "But—did you have to hook up with Silver Mist and just leave her hanging with two kids? You didn't think that'd come back to bite you?"
Lou's face flushed bright pink, but his gaze was still hard. "Maybe if you'd calm down for a moment to listen, you might let me tell you just what happened."
The microwave beeped shrilly, demanding for attention. Cole opened it up and took the steaming bowl of noodles to the table. He grabbed a couple of chopsticks and slumped into a chair. "Fine."
Mr. Brookstone heaved a sigh and sat down carefully in the chair sitting opposite of Cole. He set his hands down on the table in front of himself and looked at them for a few moments, clearing trying to think of a way to begin. Finally he said, "I never abandoned anyone."
The experience of being plunged into Eagle Talon's memories haunted Cole again, specifically the ones concerning Talon and Black Blood's harsh upbringing and constant battles against their tribe-mates to prove their worth—all because of the rumors surrounding Silver Mist that she'd found a mate with a human. Now Cole that knew those rumors to be valid, the injustices done to Talon when he was a kitten seemed all the harsher and more tragic.
"Yeah, right." He slouched over his bowl.
"Are you going to listen or not?" Lou snapped. Some remnants of the strict and severe father Cole had grown up with were still there, and they were certainly showing themselves again now.
This time, however, Cole wasn't cowed. He only looked back at his dad coolly and nodded.
Lou hesitated, clenched his fists, and dove into it. "We first met when we were children—or, teenagers, really. I was fifteen." He spoke slowly. "She defended me from a group of neighborhood bullies. She was amazing. She knew so much about the woods and nature, and she could walk so quietly you couldn't hear her until she was right beside your ear. She was a sweet girl," he added quietly. "A very sweet girl."
Cole was pretending not to be overly interested. He shoved noodles into his mouth.
"I had no idea she was... what she was," Lou continued. "She told me she was part of some nomadic people who traveled often in the area where I grew up. She never liked to talk about it, and I respected her privacy. She, on the other hand, seemed fascinated with everything to do with my life; from the food I ate, to the holidays I celebrated, to the clothes I wore and the music I listened to. Especially the music. She loved music. Just like I did.
"We always met in secret. I knew she was too strange and outlandish for my parents to have any good opinion of her, and the only family member of hers she ever introduced to me was her twin brother. He passed away a few years after we met. She told me he'd caught a fatal sickness—but now that I think about it, he probably died in some cat-people battle."
He hesitated. Looking awkward, he fiddled with a stray pencil that had been left abandoned on the tabletop. "We were just friends at first. After a couple of years, I told her how I felt about her, and then our more intimate relationship started. We visited each other more often. I had more freedom to be with her when my quartet formed and we made a habit of visiting neighboring villages and towns to perform. Those were good times." He sighed.
Cole didn't care to hear the details of the lovey-dovey bits. "When did you find out she was a werecat?"
"One night, when we met in the woods, she showed me." A rueful smile eased the harsh lines of Mr. Brookstone's face. "I was... quite shocked, to say the least. It took me a little while to get over it. But," he said, shrugging, "it didn't change the way I cared for her. And she apologized for lying to me for so long. She was so scared. I forgave her as soon I as I could wrap my mind around the whole idea of shape-shifting cats. From then on... we were as close as anything."
The dreamy, far-off look in his dark green eyes clouded over. "Then the Serpentine Wars began.
"Villages started to get attacked. People were murdered in their own beds. No one knew where the snakes came from or what they wanted. No one knew how it started. They just did. There was fear and discord everywhere. Many people left their homes in order to escape the war zones. Most of them fled west, where Ninjago City is now." Quietly he added, "My father passed away then. It wasn't because of the war. He was simply old and sick. I'm sorry you never got to meet your grandfather."
Cole's chewing slowed.
"Silver Mist never told me too much about how her tribe—the Moon Tribe—were involved," Lou went on. "But she did confess that the shape-shifters were involved in the war, and they were on the snakes' side. There were a few times when she'd have to leave for months to join her clan in the war, traveling to far-off places to fight soldiers and Elemental Masters. I always begged for her to stay, to keep away from danger. But she was a warrior. She wanted to go.
"Finally, my mother pleaded for me to move west with her. I wanted to keep her safe, so I agreed to leave our hometown. But I didn't want to leave Silver Mist." His face contorted with painful reflection. "I asked her to come with me. I offered to take care of her, to help her blend in with the human world, so we'd always be together."
He spread his hands in defeat. "But she refused. The Moon Tribe was her home. She loved me... but not enough to stay." His words fell to a hush. "I offered to stay where I was. My mother had friends who would have taken care of her in the safe haven that would become Ninjago City. I would have stayed in the war zone for Silver Mist. But she left me." His voice broke bitterly. "The war was getting too intense, and she took too many risks to come see me. It had to be one way or the other—and she chose to stay in her own world.
"So she left." He now spoke the words matter-of-factly. "She gave me one last 'goodbye', turned around, and left. And I never saw her again."
The room became very quiet. Cole could hear the wall clock ticking softly from the other end of the kitchen. He dared not continue sticking noodles into his mouth, for fear of disrupting the wretched silence.
"I hoped she had a good life after the war," Mr. Brookstone murmured quietly. He gazed into space. "I even hoped she found a good man who'd take care of her, so they could have their own family. But now..." He shook his head. "Turns out she's gone. I'll never get the chance to ever see her again."
Cole hesitated. Then he said gently, "After Silver Mist had Talon and Black Blood, she got together with a guy named Bracken Stripe. They were happy together. He was Little Leaf's dad." He decided to leave out the part about their other two children they had who had died of starvation.
If Mr. Brookstone wondered at how Cole knew that information, he didn't show it. He only pursed his lips, nodded once and said, "I'm glad."
They fell quiet again. Cole could feel the ship rocking ever-so-slightly with a low sigh of creaking wood. The wall clock continued to make the silence feel louder with its incessant ticking. Lou stared down at the tabletop and fiddled with the pencil again. Eventually, Cole dipped his chopsticks back into the bowl of noodles and slurped them up as softly as he could.
Did Mom know about Silver Mist? he suddenly wondered. The idea of his father loving a woman before Lilly, the previous Master of Earth, felt strange to him. I wonder what she would have thought about all this.
"Wu would like for you to join him in the bridge once you're done," Mr. Brookstone broke the silence. "He wanted you to have some time to wake up and eat first."
Cole granted him a nod. "Thanks. I guess we'll be dropping you off at home soon."
Lou's next sentence made Cole start. "Oh, I'm not leaving. I'm staying with you."
Cole stared incredulously at him. "Wait— what?"
"I'm staying here," his father repeated. "I nearly lost you yesterday. If you're still going to face the Moon Tribe, I want to be there with you, even if only to watch and make sure you're safe."
For several moments, Cole lost his voice. One of the ninja's parents—aside from Misako, of course—tagging along on their sons' missions was a pretty big no-no from Master Wu. The rule was mainly meant for Jay's overly-affectionate parents, but having Cole's father join the team on their mission against their enemies was a startling prospect—not to mention a worrying one. Mr. Brookstone was many things, but a fighter was not one of them.
"Yeah, right," he scoffed before he could stop himself.
"I'm serious," Lou protested earnestly. "I can tell how worried everyone is here, and that this will all be very dangerous. After yesterday, I certainly don't want to be relaxing in my cozy home by the fire while you're out fighting such horrible creatures."
"Dad. You've let me go on I-don't-even-know-how-many missions for years now without overreacting like this." Cole felt himself stiffen when a thought occurred to him. "Is this because of Eagle Talon and Black Blood?" Was Lou going to try to stop another battle between his children from taking place? He knew how much Black Blood wanted to kill him!
"Even if they weren't your brother and sister—" Lou began.
"Half-brother and half-sister," Cole growled with a vehemence that surprised himself.
"—I'd still be as worried about you as I am now," Lou ignored the interruption. "If you'd seen yourself then, after they were through with you, you'd understand—!"
Cole tried to force himself to be patient. Funnily, some small part of him was touched by his father's concern, although that didn't stop his protest. "Dad, I appreciate you wanting to stay with me, really. But this is ridiculous. You just need to stay home where you'll be safe and let me do my job—I'm sure Wu will agree with me."
* * *
To Cole's surprise and dismay, Wu did not agree with him on the subject.
"We know Black Blood wants to take revenge on your father. Leaving him behind in the town the Moon Tribe has already so easily attacked would be practically offering him up to them," he explained in the bridge. He stroked his beard as he spoke. "He is welcome to stay for as long as he likes. Misako and I will enjoy the company, in any case." He gave Mr. Brookstone a smile that matched Misako's as she stood beside him. Cole's father returned the smile a little uncertainly.
Cole knew he couldn't argue, especially when he looked back at his teammates—Lloyd, Nya, Jay, Zane, plus Liana and Little Leaf—and saw by their expressions that they had few qualms about letting his father join them. Only Lloyd seemed to be concerned, but at his query as to how long Mr. Brookstone would stay with them and how they'd be able to protect him should they find themselves in a bad spot, Wu assured him that their guest would be safe enough in the Bounty with Misako.
By the tone of Wu's voice, Cole could tell that he and his dad had talked about it earlier, because the faint furrow between his bushy eyebrows betrayed Wu's lingering reluctance. Mr. Brookstone must have been quite adamant if he'd been able to persuade the typically-resolute ninja master. Once again, Cole wondered at the true motive behind his father's decision.
"Well, hopefully we won't meet too many Moon Tribe warriors where we're going," Lloyd said, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention. "Or, at least, where we might be going. Zane has a suggestion to make."
At this all eyes except Liana's turned to Zane. The nindoid nodded thanks to Lloyd and stepped into the center of the room. "Nya?"
Nya, leaning by the computers, clicked a button. A black and white image appeared upon the massive screen: an inked drawing of the northeastern coastline of Ninjago, with several inlets carving into the land and creating small islands at the rim. This area of Ninjago was so sparsely populated, few locations were marked. Up north from the Wailing Alps would be, some area beside one of the inlets was marked by red ink along with the words, Clearstone here!
"This was on the back of a letter I found in my father's old workshop in the Birchwood Forest," Zane announced. "I've already told you how I found it, the references to a man named Tyler in it, and my personal suspicions surrounding it." There was an ever-so-faint note of satisfaction in his voice. Cole guessed that Zane couldn't felt but feel some sense of triumph that everyone was finally paying some attention to him after brushing aside his demands to look for the clearstone mine.
"While you were asleep, Cole," Zane gestured briefly to him, "we have been discussing our next move. Here are the facts: the Moon Tribe now possess six of the seven moonstones that will help Black Blood visit her ancestral spirits and become gifted with nine lives. We know that their territory lies within northern Ninjago, and there's a chance that the tribe could have by now stretched their borders as far as the coastline, seeing that there are so few villages of people there."
"Isn't that a bit of a stretch?" Liana pointed out. "We know one of the things they complain about is that the place they live in is so small, too small for them to get enough food. Would they complain about that if they can hunt as far as the coastline?"
"That brings me to my next theory: that they do not hunt in that area," Zane responded. "But do something far more sinister. I am not sure what it is." As he spoke, he pulled out the clearstone Moon Tribe sword, brandishing it so that all could see the insignia of Dr. Julien carved just above the hilt. "But, because of the mark of the warrior cats' weapons and the letter and map I discovered in my father's home, I believe that there's a chance we could learn about the Moon Tribe and their scheme by investigating this clearstone mine."
Lloyd frowned. "But shouldn't we be looking for the seventh moonstone? Getting that is our last chance at even hoping to stop Black Blood from becoming invincible."
"We have no idea where it is," Nya pointed out, shrugging helplessly. The expression on her face betrayed her frustration over that fact, but she also seemed resigned to it. "At least we'll be doing something, instead of waiting around for the moonstone to drop into our laps. And, if we do catch any Moon Tribe warriors there, maybe we can find out something helpful."
Liana frowned, seeming reluctant. "But... what about Matilda?"
"There's nothing we can do for her," Wu responded gently. "We will just have to hope that she is still alive and that we will be able to rescue her soon."
Cole risked a glance at Misako. The older woman's expression was unreadable, but he couldn't help but wonder if she was secretly relieved at not having to deal with Matilda's snarky commentary anymore. If so, she didn't show it.
"What do you think, Cole?"
Cole blinked and realized that everyone was looking at him expectantly.
Why are they looking at me like I'm their leader? He shot a glance at Lloyd, but he too was eyeing him like he expected Cole to say something.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that everyone knows Black Blood and Eagle Talon are my siblings. They want to know what I think of continuing offensive action against them and their tribe.
The thought made him feel irritated at them, but he forced it aside. "Let's do it," he said, slapping one fist into the palm of his hand. "Anything's better than waiting around here."
"We're going to have to fly all the way north," Nya pointed out. "It'll take all day, so we have some waiting to do yet."
"At least we're on the move," he said.
* * *
With nothing to do except for wait for the Destiny's Bounty to drift at a seemingly slow pace to their mysterious destination, the ninja team realized they suddenly had hours of free time on their hands. What made the deal better was that instead of insisting on training, Master Wu allowed them all to rest for the day, saying that they would need to build up their strength for whatever they might find on the northeast coastline.
As soon as this was announced, Jay happily proclaimed that they had more than enough time to show Little Leaf another movie. Nya groaned and complained that there ought to be something more productive for them to do, until Jay revealed that the movie he was planning on presenting was one of his and Nya's favorite romantic films, "Love Under the Dead Blossoms". At this, Nya promptly decided to join them.
Even Lloyd, finding nothing better to do with his time, accompanied them to the lounge room, although this could have been due only to his mother's insistence that he rest. Lloyd was not known for being ready for taking a day off.
Little Leaf was initially leery of watching another one of the humans' moving picture stories, especially after some of her favorite characters had died in the one the Son of Lightning called "Starfarer". It had been one of the most thrilling experiences of Leaf's young life, but she wasn't sure if she could take any more explosions and blaster battles. However, Nya convinced her that this film would be much quieter and not quite as dramatic as Starfarer, and thus Little Leaf found herself once again completely enamored of the visual story that played out on the big shiny screen on the wall.
As the scenes unfolded and the human people appeared, all the rest of reality faded from Leaf's mind; she left the cozy space of the lounge room and the company of Jay, Nya, and Lloyd, and found herself in a different world—the human world, where a tom and a female with a quirky and funny relationship were falling in love with one another.
The young werecat knew so little about the human world outside of what the Moon Tribe elders had told her with their stories, more often than not she had little idea of what was going on in the film. However, the emotion and dynamics between the couple in the story needed no translation. This form of storytelling was like none other she had ever known—this was some human magic that transported one to different places and had the viewer peering in on other peoples' conversations and adventures, like one was an invisible spirit haunting their every step, with the point of view changing every few seconds. It was a stimulating and enthralling experience for someone so new to the world of movies, and Little Leaf found herself enamored of the art of the film. The only times she was brought back to the strange realm of reality was whenever one of her companions laughed, sighed, or muttered something beneath their breath.
It was only at the very slow parts—the part Leaf didn't understand, usually those starring pieces of the human world—that she would pull herself gently out of the strange dream and remember she was sitting on a couch with three human friends. Strangely, it was at the climax of the film—when the tom and the female were doing something Nya called "kissing"—that Leaf had herself pull away. She felt a little embarrassed at this part, as if she were intruding on a private moment between mates.
She pulled her eyes away from the screen and glanced to her left, where Nya and Jay sat. In the darkened room, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but she quickly realized that both the Daughter of Water and the Son of Lightning were asleep. Nya had curled her legs up under her and rested her head upon Jay's shoulder, while Jay himself leaned against her with his eyes shut in a peaceful expression, and one arm around her shoulders. Both breathed slowly and deeply with each other. The picture looked natural on them.
Little Leaf couldn't help but smile at them. Then she looked to her right, where Lloyd sat on the far end of the couch. With Leaf in her fur-free human form, Lloyd had no reason to lean away or find a spot in a different chair; instead he had settled himself comfortably beside her, with one of the pillows in his lap, as he gazed at the TV screen with a bored expression on his face. Clearly, rom-coms were not Lloyd's favorite movie genre.
Leaf glanced back at the TV screen. The human tom and the female were still at it. She wished they wouldn't go on for so long...
Hastily, she glanced back at Lloyd again. Abruptly, she felt embarrassed and hastily looked away from him, instead staring down at her human legs stretched out on the cushions. Somehow, looking at the couple on the screen and looking at Lloyd in succession reminded her of the strange way she regarded the Son of the First.
They were friends, she knew that for sure. Little Leaf was not completely unfamiliar with the sensation of friendship, having Lightning Streak as her best friend and others as friendly acquaintances she'd grown up with. She felt warm friendships with Nya and Zane, and maybe even Liana, and she admitted to herself she was beginning to look up to Nya like a big sister. However, when her thoughts drifted to Lloyd...
She wasn't sure how to describe the feeling to herself. She sometimes felt a strange desire to be near him, to constantly keep him in her sights. She felt oddly light-hearted and happy whenever he was nearby, even if he wasn't paying a lick of attention to her. It was almost as if his mere presence had a soothing, comforting effect on her—and the more she felt it, the more often she wanted to feel it again. The feelings heightened when he did pay attention to her, whether by a friendly comment, a question, or even a small smile when he caught her looking at him.
Friends do that, right? she reflected anxiously to herself. It's normal to want to hang out with your friend often, to hear him talk and laugh. Totally normal.
Despite her own thoughts, she couldn't help but recall the occasional teasing the elders or motherly females of her tribe would give her concerning meeting young toms. Those jokes had begun to come up when Little Leaf had reached her ten-and-third or ten-and-fourth season of life—normally she'd just roll her and eyes and shrug them off, and she'd wonder why older cats always think they're so hilarious when they tell a kit that one day they will take a mate and have a litter. The jokes had never meant more to her than that. She was still young, with her whole life ahead of her, and unlike some of her more rabbit-brained peers, she had no interest in finding favor with a young tom just yet.
But now... Leaf found herself wondering about herself. Well, I suppose I am ten-and-five seasons old. I guess I could— what? No! She felt herself jolt, and she shook her head hastily. Beetle-brain! What are you thinking? That you and Lloyd can just—?
Like the heat of flames, she felt her face burn furiously—almost painfully—as she realized the thought that had been slyly creeping into her head. She knew her expression was contorting into a mix of a disgusted cringe and—to her utter horror—an embarrassed smile. She bit her lip hard and looked away, turning her face away from the light of the TV screen. She determined not to turn her gaze back to Lloyd until her face had stopped stinging.
You're a cat, she rebuked herself hastily. A cat. And he's a human. You can't— She dared not even allow her brain to allude to that thought again. You're a cat. Just remember that.
Between the flashing TV screen of the romantic couple and Lloyd's silhouette outlined by its shine in the dark room, Leaf found herself relieved when she was distracted by voices outside the door. In spite of being in her human form, her sense of hearing was just as acute as it was when she was feline. Trying to ignore the sickly-sweet music blaring from the TV, she strained her ears until she could pick up two familiar voices: Master Wu and Cole's.
* * *
"Cole—may I have a word with you?"
Cole suppressed an irritated sigh at the sound of his mentor's voice. He had been hoping to grab a bite from the kitchen, feeling hungry again. Please let this be quick, he pleaded to whoever was listening before he turned and faced Wu. "Uh— of course, Master."
The older man slowed as he neared Cole before stopping and leaning against his staff. Beneath the shade of his straw hat, Cole could see Wu's eyes peering at him thoughtfully. The wrinkles around them were contorted with an emotion Cole couldn't detect.
At length Wu asked, "Are you all right?"
Cole felt a flash of confusion at the question, but responded readily enough. "Yeah, I'm fine. On the mend." He flexed one bicep for emphasis, forcing a smile.
Wu didn't smile back. "Are you sure?"
"Of— of course I'm sure." Cole was beginning to feel a little uneasy. "Matilda's potion fixed me right up."
"I do not mean your physical wounds," Wu said. "I mean the wounds in your heart."
OK, Wu was definitely up to something. Cole felt a frustrated surge of defiance. What answer do you want from me? "I told you, I'm fine," he snapped.
Wu arched one bushy white eyebrow at him. Cole felt his cheeks flush as he realized he'd just spoken disrespectfully to his mentor. He ducked his head, shame-faced. "I'm sorry, Master."
There was a long moment of silence. Cole wouldn't meet Wu's gaze. He stared down at the floorboards, letting his eyes follow the wood patterns running up and down like distorted ripples in water. The TV blared dimly from the other room.
"How do you feel about Eagle Talon and Black Blood right now?" Wu's question came quietly—cautiously, even.
"What do you mean?" Cole muttered, still staring downwards. He involuntarily flexed his fists.
The older man's thin old hand came to rest upon his shoulder. "I understand what you must be feel—"
"No, you don't!" Cole exploded. "How can you?! All my life, I thought I was an only child! I dreamed of having a big brother or even a little sister to have with me, for me to look after! Then I became a ninja, and I was happy! I had Jay, Kai, Zane, Lloyd, and Nya!" He whirled away, fuming. He gesticulated furiously. "Now— now, it turns out I do have a brother! And a sister! But they're evil shape-shifters, and they want to kill us and take over Ninjago!"
"Cole—"
"How can you understand, Wu?" Cole turned on him. The words poured out of his mouth, unstoppable with his rising tide of anger. "They hate me! They tried to kill me! Man, you wanna talk about family issues? How 'bout we get into a brother you thought you could trust—a brother you might have actually cared for—and then he just turns around and betrays you like that! How can you know what it's like to have an evil— brother..." His voice trailed off lamely.
Wu simply gazed at him patiently. Cole—his mouth suddenly dry—swallowed and forced himself to meet his master's eyes. Now that silence replaced the storm of his outburst, he felt strangely small standing before Wu—despite being over a head taller than him.
"I— I'm sorry." His arms fell listlessly to his sides, and he ducked his head again. "I forgot— I mean, I didn't mean—"
Wu moved over to him and once again rested a comforting hand on Cole's shoulder. This time Cole didn't resist. Wu murmured, "Many years ago, my older brother Garmadon turned against me, and I was forced to banish him to a different realm. I too felt angry and confused. We loved each other, and we had looked out for one another for many, many years. It was heartbreaking to confront the fact that he had allowed the venom of the Great Devourer to harden his heart and that his ambitions had turned into dark, selfish ones."
He gazed intently into Cole's eyes. "It hurt, but I eventually accepted that Garmadon and I were on opposite sides—at least for that long period of time."
Cole's mind flickered back to his memories of the crazed, power-hungry villain he'd met years ago, when he, Kai, Jay, and Zane had been the only members of the present ninja team. He remembered how Lord Garmadon had struggled with the venomous evil running through his veins, how his blood-red eyes seemed to always gleam with malice and disdain, and his vigorous quest to take over all of Ninjago for his own. He had been willing to do anything for his ambitions, even to go as far as to abandon his family and fight his own son, Lloyd.
"Talon's not like that..." he heard himself protest weakly.
Wu's expression was sympathetic—mournful, even. Cole had rarely known Wu to look to visibly concerned. "Perhaps. I sense there is good in him."
The hope that surged from Cole's chest surprised him. "Really?"
Wu smiled at his pupil's expression, but there was pity in it. "We cannot give up hope for him—or Black Blood, for that matter. Even if they do not deserve it, we must give them a second chance. If their half-sister Little Leaf can join our side, why not them? There is always hope, no matter how small."
"What if he decides he's with Black Blood?" Cole demanded.
Wu's smile faded, and his face became grave. "Then you must look at yourself and the people in your life, and decide for yourself who your true brothers and sisters are."
* * *
"Eagle Talon?"
Talon felt himself start. His eyelids were heavy, although he knew it was the middle of the day. Through bleary eyes, he found his forepaws curled around a hunk of half-eaten raven, with his body lying comfortably upon the stone floor. He was aware of other cats milling about casually in the food cavern, where others like him were also eating.
I must've fallen asleep while eating, he realized dimly before looking up at the cat speaking to him.
Wind Trotter—a well-aged calico tom with yellow eyes—was giving him a look of puzzlement. "Did you hear me?"
"I— I'm sorry," Talon mumbled. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it of the fuzziness. "I kinda spaced out."
"I can tell." Wind Trotter's whiskers twitched. "I just came to tell you that Black Blood's holding a meeting, and she told me to get you. The sorcerers and the battle leader are there."
Mouse dung! Eagle Talon stumbled sleepily to his paws, nearly tripping over his meal. "That sounds important."
"Sure looks like it." Wind Trotter's forked tails twitched. "You seem tired."
"Couldn't sleep last night," Talon mumbled. He glanced down at the raven he'd been eating. An image of Matilda's mutilated body lying before him in his nightmare flashed before his eyes. He forced himself to repress a shudder. The nightmares last night seemed to be haunting him into reality.
Wind Trotter told him which cavern the meeting was taking place in, and Eagle Talon hurried his way down a couple of tunnels to his destination. He arrived feeling a little more alert, and he trotted through the narrow opening with his head held high. As he entered the cave, he could see over half a dozen cats gathered in a rough circle in the middle of the room, speaking in low tones.
It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the dim lightning, and when they did he could make out a large map of parchment paper spread out on the floor before Black Blood. A shaft of sunlight from the ceiling fell directly upon the paper, providing everyone a clear view of the images of landmarks, villages, mountains, and forests inked onto the map.
Black Blood lifted her head and nodded to her brother. "Glad you could make it, Eagle Talon. Join us."
Talon obeyed and sat next to his sister, allowing himself to look at the map. It must be one that belonged to the sorcerers, for he could see a few markings of writing here and there over a landmark. Sorcerers were the only cats in the clan who were taught to read.
Lion Claw spoke up, sitting across from Talon on Black Blood's right. "We've been discussing our next move. I believe our forces are ready to move down south toward the nearest human villages. There we can plunder their goods, subdue the humans, and cut off any means of contact for them to summon help from Ninjago City, or the ninja themselves." The large, muscular golden-pelted tom grinned, revealing his yellow teeth. "After the battle yesterday, every cat is fired up and ready for the next fight. We're striking fear into the hearts of every enemy we've attacked so far and rendered them helpless. Now's the time for us to rise."
"And I'm saying, it's too soon."
Talon craned his neck to see another cat—not one of the sorcerers—standing up and staring firmly at Lion Claw. "The warriors need time to rest. Whatever the result of yesterday, they still need to heal and regain their strength."
"The first place of attack will be a small village, we're thinking," Broken Fang, the tawny-pelted female sorcerer, retorted. "With its size, we don't need most of the experienced warriors, since they're spent from yesterday. This war party could consist mainly of the younger warriors—and even students, if we must. They need the experience, anyway."
"The students?" The other tom's eyes flashed. "We've been training them so hard lately, they don't have enough strength to join a war party traveling down south and subduing a village—!"
"Peace, Mist Rise," Black Blood ordered smoothly. "Broken Fang does have a point. This will be good experience for the young warriors. They're especially itching to get out since we returned from the battle against the Sons and Daughters. Compared to fighting ninja, this will be relatively safe."
Mist Rise was a large cat, and his long-haired brown coat made his tall, muscular form seem all the larger. Now that coat bristled, and his forked tails twitched back and forth behind him slowly. Eagle Talon could tell the young tom was more agitated than he wished to reveal.
"You summoned me to this meeting for a reason, Black Blood," Mist Rise said. "I'm the battle leader. I know our fighting warriors best. If you won't listen to me, at the very least think of the young cats—the ones barely out of their training."
"Oh, but I am thinking of them," Black Blood purred, whiskers twitching, as she met Mist Rise's gaze. "I'm thinking of how much fun they'll have terrorizing those stupid, helpless people. The villagers will be like the appetizer for the main course of this war."
Lion Claw, Raven Frost, Broken Fang, Rip Claw, and Black Blood purred and chortled smugly together, along with the two other cats in charge of the clan's weaponry and training of the students. However, Mist Rise and Sky Pelt—the oldest and most ancient sorcerer—did not laugh along with their tribe-mates. Eagle Talon kept silent, too. He observed Sky Pelt and Mist Rise; while Sky Pelt simply gazed into space, looking bored, Mist Rise flexed his large claws on the ground, then sat down and looked away. Talon thought he could hear the dark tabby tom muttering something beneath his breath.
"Anyway," Black Blood's voice made Talon turn away from Mist Rise and look at her. "Eagle Talon, I summoned you here in hopes you would decide to join the war party I'm sending down to the village closest to Yōkaiville. Your performance in the battle yesterday was stunning," she said as she gave him a significant look—probably recalling the three-way battle between her, himself, and Cole. "Being one of our fiercest warriors, I thought about having you lead the party, if you've rested enough. The choice is yours."
Eagle Talon held her cold, green-eyed gaze with his own. Her eyes look so much like Cole's... Talon swallowed and struggled to keep his focus.
He wondered if she was testing him. He knew that she was furious with him for attempting to defend Cole from her assault, before she had manipulated him into delivering the near-killing blow on their younger brother. Did she know that the thought of tormenting and mutilating humans no longer had any appeal to Talon? Was she aware of how much torturing Matilda yesterday had sickened him?
She must have. Black Blood was no mouse-brain.
This is a test of my loyalty, he realized with a lurch to his stomach. She's looking for ways to indirectly point out that I'm getting soft. If I refuse to join the war party, it might look like I'm trying to avoid conflict.
Thankfully, however, he had an excuse not to go: he had already taken part in the battle with the Moon Tribe yesterday and helped Black Blood bring down the Son of Earth. He had been Matilda's public tormenter that same day, in view of everyone in the tribe. Surely no cat could blame him for wanting to take a day off from battles. He was tired and needed to rest. The nightmares from the previous night had only added to his fatigue.
He ran all this through his mind quickly and decided that he was safe. Knowing that everyone in the room was still waiting for an answer from him, he asked, "If I don't lead the party, who will?"
Black Blood gave a small nod toward the other end of the circle on Talon's left. "Mist Rise."
As the long-furred tom glanced up with surprise, Talon felt himself relax. Despite being in charge of the warriors' training and strategy-planning—ultimately being one of the strongest and most ferocious fighters in the tribe—Mist Rise was one of the few cats who did not seem to share the same lust for violence as his tribe-mates did. Although young, only a little older than Eagle Talon himself, he was thoughtful and methodical in what he did, and often liked to think outside the box, which is one of the reasons why he ranked up so quickly at such a young age.
Yes, Mist Rise would be a good cat to lead the war party. He was not one who enjoyed the screams of agony or the smell of fear; he would simply subdue the village and keep everything orderly and under control, without bloodshed if he could.
"I'm honored by your offer, Black Blood." Eagle Talon dipped his head low to his leader. "But I'm afraid I need some time to rest along with my tribe-mates."
Black Blood's eyes narrowed. "So it's a no, then."
Talon raised his head and met her gaze steadily. He did not flinch at the deadly warning in her sharp, emerald-green eyes.
"It's a no."