Lightning Streak was supposed to be watching the kits as they played in the corner of the cave, but she couldn't help but glance every so often at Ivy Wing. The broad-shouldered female sat with her mate away from the rest of the clan, sharing a small rabbit. Ivy Wing was despondent over her mate's pleads for her to eat; one of the cats that had been captured by the humans in the village Oxstone had been Wolf Paw, and Ivy Wing was the young cat's mother.
Those warriors being captured has unnerved everybody, Lightning Streak thought as she surveyed her tribe-mates in the gathering cave. We're not used to losing.
It was true: every cat acted skittish and irritable now. Tension had increased ever since Spark Pelt and his team returned yesterday with the news that the ninja had succeeded in defeating and capturing many cats. No one had any idea what the humans would do with their prisoners—they might as well assume their friends and family members were dead.
I hope Little Leaf's right, that these humans are nice... Streak thought, flicking her forked tails. Many of those captured cats were her friends.
Most of the tribe had gathered in the eating cave for mealtime. Streak was watching over the little kittens playing with a ball of moss at the foot of the large boulders at one end of the room while she waited for the mothers to return. Her seat on one of the boulders gave her an excellent view of the massive cavern; she could even see Spark Pelt among the thickest parts of the crowd, licking wearily at his black-and-white coat while some cats questioned him still about the battle against the Sons and Daughters. Her seat was the reason why she was the first to catch sight of Black Blood appearing from one of the private tunnels.
Uh-oh. Here's trouble. She couldn't help the pessimistic thought. Simply put, nowadays nearly every time Black Blood appeared, it meant either getting everyone riled up over something the humans did or enforcement—like what happened to Lion Claw. Or, No Claw, as his name now was. Seeing the great yellow tomcat hobble about on his clawless paws and blinking with only one eye was a shocking sight to behold...
The clamor of the crowd fell silent as the lithe black cat made her way into the center of the crowd. She paused to survey the throng of loyal followers.
"Everyone," she yowled, "to the Meeting Rock!" With a flick of her tails she bounded away, heading to the tunnel entrance that connected the way to the meeting cavern.
The tribe-mates looked at one another, startled, but followed without question. Mothers were padding the opposite direction to join their kits when Black Blood called again, "And bring the kittens! Bring them to the front!"
This sent a confused murmur through the crowd, but no one dared question her. Bristling females herded their little ones—Lightning Streak helped them—while the little cats squeaked excitedly at the prospect of finally getting to see the Meeting Cavern. It was a room that was typically reserved for adult members of the tribe and kittens weren't allowed in it.
The many members of the Moon Tribe assembled before the Meeting Rocks, all in their bakeneko forms—there was no reason for them to feel threatened here. The last time they'd gathered here together, Lightning Streak realized, had been when they'd captured the Son of Fire and the Daughter of Amber and the sorcerers had banished them to far-off realms.
I wonder if there's any chance they're still alive... Her thoughts were still distant when the sorcerers strutted in and ordered the crowd to settle down—No Claw was nowhere to be seen. The tribe-mates shuffled into a half circle around the Meeting Rocks and the mothers came forward with their bouncing kittens.
Black Blood bounded atop the massive boulders. She sat up with her tails curled neatly over her paws while her eyes ran over the crowd.
"We stand," she began boldly, "at the brink of a great battle. It will take the courage of everyone—warriors, students, fathers, mothers, kittens, elders—to stand together as one tribe and fight to defeat those bloodthirsty Sons and Daughters once and for all."
A grim murmur of agreement swept through the crowd. Lightning Streak felt the malice like a chill running through her body, but remained silent. The kits at her paws quieted down.
"Since we've embarked on our mission to regain what is rightfully ours, there have been tragic losses." Now she spoke solemnly, deliberately slowing down. "Fallen Twig. Stoat Poppy. One of our sorcerers, Twig Foot. Little Leaf. And more. The Sons and Daughters have been ruthless in taking down our beloved tribe-mates."
Lightning Streak's claws dug into the ground—a habit she had when she felt tense or nervous. Sure, some of the warriors and Twig Foot had died, but out of all the ambushes and battles the Moon Tribe has initiated, a surprising amount of them returned alive. From Streak's own observation, the human warriors had their own set of codes that kept them from killing the Moon Tribe cats whenever they could.
Funny how she's skipped the part where Eagle Talon joined their side, she couldn't help but think.
"Now a number of our warriors in charge of bringing us the clearstone," she continued, voice growing stronger now, "have been captured and most likely slain by the Sons and Daughters."
Ivy Pool whimpered.
"Training has already picked up for the students, but we need more than swifter training. We need more warriors in the field. That is why I am hereby decree that all students in training shall join their mentors in battle," she announced. "and that all kits above two months old will begin warrior training immediately."
A stunned silence nearly choked every cat—and then the roar of shock and questions swept throughout the cavern. The kittens and younger cats squealed in excitement, but most of the older cats were confused and outraged.
"What! That's mouse-brained! We can't send these young cats into battle!"
"They'll be killed!"
"They're too young!"
"I can't let my babies go to war!"
From the foot of the Meeting Rocks Raven Frost yowled angrily. "Silence, you close-minded beetle-brains! Have you forgotten? Your leader's word is law! This is for the good of all!"
The heat of outrage that flared up so suddenly was silenced once more. The bristling cats quickly lowered their heads, some licking their fur embarrassedly. Once again everyone was obedient and demure.
"Yay!" one of the kits squealed. "This is going to be so fun! I'm going to be a warrior!"
Black Blood stared down at the kit in cold approval. "Bring the kittens forward. I shall appoint mentors to them and give them the rank of student."
Lightning Streak could barely believe what she was hearing. She watched in astonishment as the adult cats began herding the young, fuzzy kits forward to the Meeting Rocks. Despite the happy voices of the little ones, Streak's pulse was pounding in her ears.
This can't be. This is wrong. This is so wrong. These little kits shouldn't be sent into battle! They'll be killed!
"No!" she blurted. "Don't let them!"
Dead silence pervaded. Even the kits stared at her in shock. Lightning Streak stood rooted to the spot.
"What did you say?" Black Blood's voice came out soft and quiet. Her eyes were burning into Streak's—as if she could stare into her soul.
Now she realized what she'd done. She wished she could have sunk into a hole, hiding herself from everyone's silent horror.
I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm so dead.
Then she looked at the kittens again—those tiny, soft-pelted, wide-eyed kits. They thought this was fun and games now, but their idea of the world was far off from what it really was. She couldn't let them be slaughtered. She just couldn't...
"I said..." Her voice squeaked. She felt her claws digging into the ground again. She swallowed and attempted to speak again. "I— I said, we can't let them. We— we can't..."
Her voice trailed off. The look in Black Blood's eyes made her own blood run cold.
"Lightning Streak," she said in that voice—that voice that was smooth as honey yet cold and painful as ice shards. "I appreciate your concern for our little ones. But this is not your choice to make. My decision is final. Everything I do is for our tribe—for our family."
"Actually, I believe I am with Lightning Streak in this one, Black Blood."
Many cats gasped. Lighting Streak gaped incredulously at Mist Rise as stepped forward. The big, long-furred tom gazed steadily up at his leader sitting atop the boulders. "These kittens are so small, they will not be able to do much in battle. The only thing they will accomplish is getting themselves killed. If you really do care about the tribe as much as you say, surely you will reconsider—?"
"I'll reconsider nothing," she spat coldly. "This is my decision and it's final!"
"That's the thing, however," Mist Rise retorted, blue eyes flashing. "You say these things are final, but then you change your mind and keep pushing us. First you tell us we are merely going to expand our borders and get some pesky predators out of the way. Next you tell us we will take over and annihilate a large human population for the sake of regaining our ancestors' old land.
"Now," his rose rose, "you tell us we are to attack the humans' greatest city, destroy as many as we can, and take our kits along with us. You are constantly pushing us—throwing good warriors into petty and futile battles with the Sons and Daughters, risking our lives over and over again. And for what? It's not about getting our old land back anymore, as far as anyone else can tell.
"This isn't about us! This is about your pride!" His dark tabby fur bristled—Streak wondered if he felt as scared as she did in that moment. "You have a personal feud with the Son of Earth, and it is related to Eagle Talon leaving us and joining them. You use 'the greater good' as an excuse to hurt as many humans as possible, without stopping to think— to think... that perhaps killing is not the answer to our problems. That there could be a solution of peace."
The sorcerers standing around the Meeting Boulders glared at Mist Rise. The shock and hatred was colder in Black Blood, although nonetheless frightening in its own way. Her eyes blazed like voiceless green fire.
After a long, chilled silence, she murmured, "Well, Mist Rise... I believe I've misjudged you. You are more softhearted than I'd have liked."
Mist Rise stiffened. Streak knew he was angry.
Black Blood's gaze flicked in between the two of them. "It seems some of our members are less worthy of my understanding than others." She rose her voice mockingly. "If anyone else has sentiments like Lighting Streak and Mist Rise, please! Join us! I would just love to hear your opinion in this debate."
In the silence Streak shared a desperate look with Mist Rise. The tom looked as helpless as she felt.
Then, abruptly, a male voice snorted. "I'm not staying quiet any longer—no, sir."
A tall, lithe tom strode to the front. He stopped beside Streak and Mist Rise and rose his head defiantly. "I, Earth Flame, am on their side. All this is mouse-brained and you should know it!"
A dark growl rumbled from Rip Claw. Broken Fang shushed him.
"I, Spark Pelt." The black-and-white tom from Oxstone appeared. He spoke softly. "All this has gone wrong. So very wrong."
Shock was evident in Black Blood's ever-growing eyes. More voices followed—more cats walked up and joined Lightning Streak.
"I, Violet Swift."
"I, Loud Bird."
"I, Quick Fin."
No other cats joined. Streak whipped her gaze up and down the line of young warriors that had joined them—seven cats now stood defiantly before the sorcerers. They were left alone as the crowd edged tentatively away from them, as if they carried a disease.
Black Blood leapt to her paws. She was just barely containing her anger—her black fur bristled and her claws scratched the surface of the Meeting Rocks. "I'm surprised. There are more mouse-brains here than I thought." Her eyes narrowed. "Kill them."
The sorcerers growled and started toward the young cats. Streak stayed with her new allies, huddling in between Mist Rise and Earth Flame.
"Hm, maybe I should've thought that one through..." Loud Bird muttered, arching his back.
"Wait."
Once again the crowd stood at a hush. The other sorcerers froze when one of their own, Sky Pelt, padded slowly away from the sorcerers and stood in front of the young cats.
"Sky Pelt—?" Rip Claw blustered. "What're you doing?!"
The elderly old tom took a moment to cough several times before raising his head. "There is no need to kill all these nice young cats." He met Black Blood's gaze steadily. "Truly, this sort of bloodshed is needless and messy. Save it for the battlefield. If our warriors do not wish to fight alongside their tribe, then it would be best to simply let them go and to live with the consequences of their own actions."
Through gritted teeth Black Blood hissed, "They've defied their leader in the most outrageous way possible. They're refusing to fight and protect their friends and family. That is a dishonor too disrespectful to forgive."
"Perhaps. But not worthy of killing." Sky Pelt spoke soothingly. "I understand your position, my queen. It is a difficult one. Might I suggest banishment? It will not encourage other cats to follow their example and yet keep blood from spilling on these floors."
Streak held her breath. All eyes remained on the Black Blood. She glared down at the rebels and at Sky Pelt.
"Fine," she finally spat. "Banishment it is, then." Streak felt her heart skip a beat when Black Blood's hateful gaze bored into hers. "You are all fools. You are fortunate that I have chosen not to kill you here on the spot. But if you ever show your faces in these caves and on our territory again, none of us—none of us true warriors—will hesitate to treat you as we would any other enemy."
Several whimpers and low murmurs sounded behind them. The rebels would be leaving behind all their friends and family members, most likely for good. Lightning Streak herself would be abandoning many brothers and sisters as well as her own parents. She didn't know where they were in the crowd right now and was glad of it—she couldn't bear to look anyone in the eye at that moment.
"Go—and never return," Black Blood sneered.
One of the toms with Streak growled angrily, but was shushed by one of the females. There was a sound of rustling movement and padding paws behind them, and Lightning Streak turned to see that the crowd had split itself in the middle so that there was a wide path leading to the exit. Every face looking at them was hostile.
Streak swallowed hard. Are they truly making us leave? But this is our home!
Someone nudged her flank gently. "Go now." To her surprise, she found Sky Pelt beside her, looking at her with those milky blue eyes. In a lower voice he added, whiskers twitching, "Well done. Go get 'em, kits."
Streak stared at the elderly sorcerer. Sky Pelt's on our side?
Mist Rise led the way. Despite the dark looks and warning growls drifting from the mass of cats, he held his head up high and padded steadily to the exit tunnel. Lightning Streak followed close by—she found it harder to meet the glares of her tribe-mates. When she saw two of her brothers glaring at her, she lowered her head. The other cats followed.
Utter silence prevailed as the new outcasts left the meeting cavern. Even when they delved into the darkness of the tunnels not a sound came from the tribe nor the sorcerers. Streak almost wished some of them would have jeered and hissed. Somehow the never-ending silence made their home suddenly feel like a tomb, like death had sucked every happy memory of their lives out of these caves.
They kept walking. They walked out of the tunnel and into the eating cavern. They passed the piles of food, the boulders that were perfect for basking in the sun, and the little sandy pits the kittens would often play in. Mist Rise led the little group into the main exit tunnel. The weight of what they'd done settled upon them like the weight of the mountain above their heads the further they left their tribe behind.
It finally began to sink in for Streak—they were leaving their home. They had been banished.
I'm sorry! she wanted to cry to her family and friends. I'll come back one day, one way or another. I won't leave you all like this.
Finally they emerged from the tunnels. Sunlight hit their faces and made them blink blearily as their eyes adjusted. The rocky hills rolled out before them beyond the narrow path they stood upon. There was no breeze. All seven cats stopped at the precipice.
"So," one of the females—Violet Swift—spoke up nervously, tails twitching, "what now?"
Silence. Even Mist Rise looked uncertain.
Then the dark gray tom—Earth Flame—snorted. "What else? Black Blood's gonna destroy the tribe. So we've got to take down Black Blood."
"But how?" Streak demanded.
Earth Flame's eyes were bright with determination. "By doing what Eagle Talon did—join the ninja."
* * *
They'd been working for hours. The hot sun was finally beginning to brush against the tips of the skyscrapers when Cole finally sought a chance to escape to the Destiny's Bounty. Lloyd hadn't announced they were done yet but Cole didn't care. He was exhausted and parched.
He half-expected to run into Misako or his dad, but neither appeared. The ship, left in an empty parking lot a few blocks away from the police station, appeared to be deserted. He went up the gangplank hastily and trotted downstairs below deck. Stepping quietly into the dark kitchen, he headed straight for the fridge. He gulped down two full glasses of ice-cold water before slowing to inspect the counters. On the stove he discovered some leftover muffins Zane had baked that morning.
"Aw, yeah. That's what I'm talking about." He grabbed three and stuffed one in his mouth.
"Hi, Cole."
"Gah!" He jumped and nearly dropped his precious cargo. Then he choked on the mouthful of muffin. He coughed and hacked in the sink.
"Sorry!" Liana's voice sounded behind him, now concerned. "I didn't know you had something in your mouth—!"
"Nah, nah, it's good," he rasped, spitting. "Just wasn't expecting that." He turned to see her sitting at the kitchen table, her back to him. "Uhh... wanna muffin?"
"Thanks, but I've kinda got my hands full right now."
He neared the table and peered over her shoulder. He stiffened when he saw that the palm of one of her hands was scraped and bleeding. She was bent over it and rummaging clumsily through a small first-aid kit, taking the time to feel every object inside.
"You OK? What happened?"
"Just scraped my hand against a cinder block," she muttered. "It's not bad."
He sat with her and took another bite out of his muffin. "Why're you working with cinder blocks, anyway?"
"Why shouldn't I help with the barricades like everyone else? Because I'm blind?"
He decided to not waste time trying to be tactful. "Yup."
She was quiet for a moment. Then, to his surprise, she chuckled wryly. "Yeah... I guess you're right. Kinda dumb. But I just wanna feel useful and not sit around all the time." She fumbled at the first-aid kit.
He released the muffins on the table to take her hand away. Grabbing a roll of bandages and a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide, he responded, "But you are useful. You just have different strengths for a lot of things." He dripped a bit of the medicine into a wash cloth and began gently dabbing it into the wound. "Speaking of which, have you had any more time to find out what your element is?"
She grimaced and shook her head ruefully. "We've just been going so fast lately, it's impossible. Maybe after this battle is all over." Quietly she added, "Thanks."
"Anything." He continued dabbing the medicine into her wound. He washed the blood away as tenderly as he could, although it didn't stop grimaces of pain from her—he knew he could get carried away with his strength and wished he could be gentler. They shared a brief silence as he wiped away the grime and unrolled the bandages.
"Do you...?" Her voice was still quiet—shy. "Do you think I'll get a chance to get my Lifesource? When they attack the city?"
When he didn't respond, she ventured further with, "I just want to— want to destroy it as soon as I can. So I can be free of the curse."
"I know." He began slowly wrapping the bandage around her hand. He scooted his chair closer to hers for a better angle. "I do, too. If Raven Frost's there, we'll do everything we can to get close to him. I bet he's got it on him somewhere."
She nodded, keeping her head down.
"You OK?"
"Not really. But it's nothing new," she remarked bitterly.
The words sounded so small—his heart twisted. Without thinking, he curled an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. "Hey. We'll get 'em. We'll break the curse. You'll see."
He froze when her hair brushed against his cheek. Is this weird? Yeah, this is weird. I wasn't thinking. Gah, dang it, I'm sorry! I'll just—
Then she leaned into him and hid her face into his chest. Her free hand slip beneath the table and curled around his.
He wondered if she could feel his heart thumping beneath her cheek.
She said again, in that small voice, "Whatever happens out there, I want the two of us to do it together. I— I don't want to be alone again."
Somehow he found enough courage to speak. "You— you won't be. I've got your back. I promise."
Her hand squeezed his. Although both were too shy to admit it, the long silence they shared in sitting together was one of the most blissful yet.
Two hearts raced like wildfire then, and two minds raced near-frantically to make sense of what they were feeling. Is this right? Does this mean—? Are we—?
A sharp crackling sound shattered the silence in the kitchen. Both Cole and Liana jumped with loud yelps, tearing themselves away from one another. Cole realized the noise was coming from his ear—more specifically, the intercom attached there. Lloyd had insisted on all of the ninja wearing them in case there was trouble. Apparently Cole's had come with the volume set too loudly. Grimacing, he turned it down and groaned, "What? What is it?"
"Did I interrupt something?" Jay's voice came on slyly through the crackling sounds.
Cole felt his face burn. "Interrupt what? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Just checking." Jay chuckled before announcing, "The Commissioner just got a call from some of his men left in a village up east—between the Mountain of a Million Steps and Jumanakai Village."
"Yeah? What about it?" He barely noticed the bright pink flush spreading across Liana's face—she was straightening up and scooting away from him shakily.
"Well, they said they've picked up some Moon Tribe warriors."
"They captured Moon Tribe warriors? Those cops?" Cole repeated incredulously.
"Not captured—picked up." Jay said slowly, "They— they surrendered. And they say the cats want to talk to us."
* * *
It was strange, the way they could be flying over the colorless desert one hour and flying over grassy hills and snowy mountains the next. The Destiny's Bounty soared at top speed from Ninjago City to the east, driving straight into cool winds from the north. The only ones on board were Lloyd, Cole, Jay, Eagle Talon and Little Leaf. Everyone else had been advised to stay behind for the sake of preparing the city. Cole hoped the five of them would be enough to face whatever awaited them.
The sky was still blue when the ship landed outside the little town that sat at the foot of a snowy mountain, just a little south of Jumanakai Village. Outside the town walls several blue-uniformed police officers waited as the ship landed gently. In no time the gangplank was lowered and the ninja, Eagle Talon and Little Leaf hurried down to meet the policemen.
"Thank goodness you're here!" one of the men blurted. "Everyone's so nervous, having those shape-shifters in the town."
"Lead the way," Lloyd ordered. "When did you find these cats?"
The men started toward the town while the ninja followed. "Honestly, it was more like they found us. We'd just got the call this morning to be on the lookout for strange cats, since we're so close north, and a couple hours after lunchtime these cats just randomly walked into our station and told us they wanted to speak to the ninja!"
"It was so freaky," another man commented. "After we told them we'd give you a call, they've just been sitting there and waiting the whole time."
They entered the town by the main street; passerby gawked at the group striding purposefully past the little whitewashed buildings.
"Did they give you their names? Maybe Talon and Leaf'll recognize them," Lloyd suggested.
"Uhh..." The men cast one another puzzled looks. "One of them was Earth-something..."
"Wasn't he Dirt Rise?"
"No, that's Fist Rise," a younger man corrected him.
"I'm pretty sure there was an Earth-someone—"
"One of them was Violent Swift," another man piped up.
"Are you sure it was 'Violent'?" an older man pressed.
"What else would it be?"
"Loud Nerd! That was one of them!"
"There's no way one of them would be named Loud Nerd, Gerald—"
Lloyd sighed. "Never mind. We'll find out when we get there."
They entered the local police station within the next few minutes. Unlike the one in Ninjago City, this building was small, squarish and furnished with mundane furniture. The lobby had plain stone floors and walls and wanted posters were tacked to a board on one wall by the sofas. The receptionist desk sat at the opposite end of the room from the doors, where a young woman sat nervously behind a computer. She appeared to be trying to divert her attention from the seven cats sitting on the desk around her. All of them bristled and shifted skittishly when the doors opened.
"Oh, thank goodness," the receptionist sighed.
Lloyd took one look at all the cats and stiffened. "Uh-oh. I should've grabbed the allergy medicine..."
The largest cat—a long-haired dark tabby—glared suspiciously at the humans. "Are these the Sons and Daughters?"
Before anyone could respond, Little Leaf let out a delighted shriek. "Lighting Streak! You're here!" In a flash of fur she transformed into her feline body and bounded across the floor. With an excited mrow, she leapt onto the desk and stood nose-to-nose with a sleek white-and-ginger-pelted cat. "I can't believe it! How did you get here? What happened?"
"Little Leaf!" Gasping, Lightning Streak gaped at the younger cat as if she were seeing a ghost. "You're— you're alive?! But— but Black Blood said—!"
"Black Blood's said a lot of things," Eagle Talon growled as he transformed into his own feline form. He joined Little Leaf onto the desk. "As you can see, that was another one of her lies."
All the other cats stared at Talon. "You're alive, too!" Streak purred.
"Just barely," he grunted. "What're you all doing here?"
"I was gonna ask the same thing," Cole spoke up gruffly. "If you're here to try to persuade Eagle Talon and Little Leaf to come back to the tribe, good luck with that. They're done with you people, especially Black Blood."
The big tabby cast Cole a cool look. "I am more aware of Black Blood's brutality than ever before. That is far from our goal."
"Then why are you here?" Jay demanded, planting his hands to his hips. "Spying?"
"We'd have already failed miserably at that if we were trying to spy, now, don't you think?" the tabby retorted coldly.
A tuxedo cat cleared his throat and spoke up. "Uhh— what Mist Rise is trying to say is that we're not here to spy on you or anything."
Lightning Steak rose her head and looked at the ninja. "We realized how awful Black Blood is and how she's hurting our tribe. We're here to join you."
A stunned silence followed those words. Then Jay snorted and made a raspberry noise. "Pbbt! Ha-ha, yeah, right. Like we're supposed to believe that!"
"Come on, Jay," Lloyd soothed. "Let's give d'em— them a chanbce to expain'b." He sneezed. "Aw, man—!"
"They don't need to explain. They're just gonna lie, anyway."
"No, we're not!" Mist Rise's eyes flashed angrily and his long fur bristled. "Would we risk coming all this way by ourselves just to lie to you?"
"Maybe. It's been done before," Jay retorted loftily. "Your problem is that you keep using the same tricks over and over—"
"Guys," Eagle Talon interjected. "Mist Rise—he saved my life when I defied Black Blood and she tried to kill me. I owe my life to him."
"And Lightning Streak's my friend!" Little Leaf purred.
"Hey, what're we?" a sand-colored tom spoke up in an injured voice. "Rotten meat?"
Leaf giggled, "No one's forgotten about you, Loud Bird."
"Wait." Mist Rise swished his forked tails. "We're not making any decisions until we find out what happened to those cats the Sons and Daughters took away from Oxstone."
"That's right." The black-and-white cat looked at the ninja seriously. "What have you done with them?"
Lloyd held up his hands in a soothing gesture and sniffed, "They're saf'b—ask Talon and Leaf if you don't beliebe meh. T'eh police are holding them as b'risoners for now. No one's dead."
"They've been treated fairly," Eagle Talon added in a low voice. "No cat is in any danger unless he makes it himself."
The black-and-white cat sighed, visibly relieved. "That's good."
"I tried to persuade some of them to come to our side, to see how evil Black Blood has become," Eagle Talon said. "But it was no use."
"Hm. There's a chance we could persuade Wolf Paw. I've known her a while," the black-and-white cat muttered thoughtfully. "If she thinks it's right, she'll do it."
Jay interjected, flustered. "We haven't even said we'd accept you guys! What makes you think we'd trust werecats—?"
Cole's eyes flashed angrily. "If Talon and Leaf say they're friends, then I trust them. Why else would they come all this way, by themselves, and surrender themselves to the cops?" He turned to Lloyd. "Right?"
Lloyd's gaze flickered between Jay, Eagle Talon, and Mist Rise. "It makes d'ense... I'm sure they know it wouldn't go well for t'em if they betrab'ed us." This last sentence was said coolly—as coolly as he could through his stuffed-up nose.
"We've already defied Black Blood to her face," Lightning Streak retorted dryly. "If we betrayed you, you'd either kill us all or leave us to be finished off by her."
"So yeah, you're basically our only hope of surviving this whole thing now," one of the cats said lightly.
Eagle Talon sat up and faced the ninja. "I'll vouch for them."
The ninja shared looks with one another. Cole gave Lloyd a nod of his own approval. Lloyd met Jay's angry stare.
"Well, Jay?"
Jay's gaze flicked from Lloyd to the cats to Lloyd again. He finally huffed, "Oh, fine— but if we end up dead in our beds, I'm blaming you!"
A small smile appeared on Lloyd's face. He nodded solemnly to the Moon Tribe cats. "Welcome to t'eh team'b."
* * *
As the ninja escorted their new allies to the Destiny's Bounty, the black-and-white cat—Spark Pelt, his name was—pleaded with them to take him to Wolf Paw, the student who'd been with him in the Oxstone village rebellion. He claimed that out of all the prisoners she'd was the most likely one to join the ninja's side. Jay blustered that it was some new trick, but Lloyd decided to grant Spark Pelt the favor.
To everyone's surprise, when Spark Pelt had been taken to the Ninjago City police station and had a few minutes alone with Wolf Paw, he came out claiming she would join them. Lloyd ordered the young cat's release. By the end of the day, the number of Moon Tribe allies had risen from two to ten, and they all gathered on the Destiny's Bounty together to meet the rest of the ninja team.
The ship was hovering by the outskirts of the city, so that the ninja might be the first to see the Moon Tribe army coming tomorrow morning. Nya, Liana, Zane, Misako, Master Wu, and Mr. Brookstone had been picked up from the city so that they could meet the werecats. The initial reaction from everyone on deck consisted solely of shock, suspicion and wariness.
"How do we know we can trust them?" Nya blustered.
Lloyd sniffed, "Eable D'alon an' B'ittle 'Eaf trust t'em."
"Huh?"
"Eagle Talon and Little Leaf trust them," Cole said. "I for one am willing to take them at their word and accept these guys."
"Well, I'm not," Nya huffed. Jay shot her an approving look.
Zane was more open-minded. "I have calculated the chances of nearly all possible explanations for these cats claiming their allegiance to us. It appears illogical for them to reveal themselves to us the day before Black Blood leads the attack on Ninjago City, if she wished to keep the attack a surprise. They have little to gain by being near us, as I am sure they are aware that we are as clueless about the whereabouts of the last moonstone as they are. They must also be aware we are constantly on guard now for any hostile surprises and will be difficult to catch off guard."
The ten Moon Tribe cats were sitting in a tight group together in the center of the open deck. They were giving their new surroundings and the humans strange looks. "The Son of Ice talks a lot," the black-pelted female—Wolf Paw—muttered.
Eagle Talon stood up and glared. "If you want to kick them out, fine. But you'll be getting rid of some good allies—allies that we might need."
"No one's getting rid of anyone!" Cole gestured, attempting to bring peace.
Wu spoke up. "A willing ally is not to be taken lightly. In an age where everyone protects only himself, a soul willing to put his life up to protect others is precious."
The hostile chatter ceased. Jay gave Wu an irritated scowl. "Of course you'd say something cryptic to support them..."
"So it's ob'icial?" Lloyd swept his gaze over the deck. "Anymore objections'th?"
Wu arched his eyebrows at the younger people expectantly. Misako, standing beside him, still frowned skeptically while Mr. Brookstone wrung his hands together. Jay and Nya were still glaring at the cats but did not say anything else. Liana was chewing her lip until she spoke up. "I'm willing to give it a shot. If Talon trusts them, then—" She hesitated.
"—then so do I."
Eagle Talon shot her a look of astonishment.
"Then it's official," Cole responded firmly.
The cats shared looks of surprise and relief. The white-and-ginger pelted female—Lightning Streak—said, "You won't regret it."
"Awesome," Lloyd sniffed. "Now, um— if you don't min'b, could you all change into your hub'man bodies?"
"Why?"
Nya spoke up, "It's because he's allergic to your fur."
"Allergic?" The cats exchanged confused looks. "What does that mean?" Mist Rise sounded suspicious.
"No, no, I've heard of this," Spark Pelt spoke up. "Some humans are so sensitive to fur it makes them sick and they can't breathe very well. Don't worry," he added lightly when a couple of the cats growled unwillingly. "It won't be that bad."
"Yeah, you get used to it after a few days!" Little Leaf purred as she shifted into her human body. Eagle Talon did the same.
Spark Pelt hesitated, then copied them. The lithe tuxedo tom transformed into a young man who was probably a few years older than Cole. The shape of his face was smooth and handsome, accompanied by a mop of black hair and dark, intelligent eyes. The deerskin outfit was similar to a traditional gi, added on by a soft leather apron—probably something he'd applied to his attire for his engineering duties. Pale wraps stretched from his wrists to his elbows.
Lightning Steak came next. She grew into a muscular young woman with pale blond hair pulled into a messy ponytail. Pieces of what appeared to be animal bones and teeth were strung together on a necklace that hung over her chest-covering. Skinny breeches reached down to her bare feet. Hazel eyes bright with excitement, she purred to Little Leaf, "I haven't done this in forever!"
Despite this, the other cats hesitated still. Mist Rise cast them a cool look, tails twitching. "You don't seem to have a problem being humans when you're fighting other humans."
"This is different!" a tom protested.
"So what?"
"I don't see you doing it, either."
"Oh yeah?" Mist Rise huffed and shifted; his dark tabby cat shaped turned pale and humanoid and within seconds another young man—also looking to be a little older than Cole—stood before them. He was larger and more muscular than Spark Pelt, with a strong jaw, piercing blue eyes, and dark blond hair sticking up from his head. A couple of long clearstone knives hung from a thick leather belt.
"I'm not scared!" Wolf Paw followed and became a teenage girl with long, thick brown hair pulled into a graceful braid and light freckles sprinkled over her youthful face. She grinned fiercely at the ninja. "Not so little now, am I?"
Loud Bird and his sister, Quick Fin followed; they looked surprisingly younger than Cole expected. Quick Fin looked to be around Lloyd's age when the ninja had first met him. Earth Flame transformed into a tall young man with a goatee spreading from his chin and a mischievous glint in his eyes. Finally Violet Swift joined, becoming a small girl in her teens with two braids hanging down her back. She wore a constantly uncertain expression on her fair face.
"Wow," Cole commented, surveying the group. "This ship suddenly just got a whole lot more crowded."
"Thank'ds, guys. I feel better already. Ah-CHIEE!" Lloyd sneezed.
Eagle Talon wore a strange expression. He looked around, gazing at the new Moon Tribe allies and the ninja standing together. "Wow," he murmured. "This is really happening." When Cole looked at him questioningly, he attempted to explain. "It's just— all happening so fast. The attack... Lightning Streak and the others joining us... everything. It's all so fast-paced."
Cole chuckled dryly, "Fighting bad guys can be like that. Anything can happen."
"Just another day in Ninjago," Nya added.
Misako sighed, turning her gaze beyond the deck of the ship. The sun was setting in violet and gold hues behind the skyscrapers. She spoke. "Sometimes I wish I did not have to watch all of you constantly throw yourselves into danger every month. You've faced many villains before, but Black Blood—Black Blood is different. If she can take Kai and Skylor away from us, she can take away other loved ones. It is a miracle we are all here, still alive and well, when we look back on all that has happened—ever since that terrible night they came and burned the teashop to the ground."
Misako's words had been so unexpected, all the ninja stared at her, dumbfounded. Even Wu look perturbed.
She finally seemed to sense the dismal note in her words and turned back to them. Forcing a sad smile, she said, "I'm sorry. I just—" Her eyes flickered to Lloyd. "I just have a feeling that— that the worst has yet to come. That each and every one of us is still waiting for the final test, and— and it will not be like anything we have ever faced before." She gaze swept over the group. "Some of us may not come back."
The cool breeze tugged at everyone's hair. The sails above their heads flapped softly, making the silence louder. The weight of Misako's words seemed to have quieted everyone, even the Moon Tribe werecats.
For some reason Cole found himself looking at Liana—she stood away from him at the bannister. The sunset behind her seemed to set her pale blond hair on gold fire while her milky eyes stood out in a strangely enchanting way.
Misako was right. Some of them may not come back alive from this fight. If he was one of those people— if Black Blood finally succeeded in killing him...
Then tonight was his last chance.
His last chance to tell Liana—
Mist Rise spoke up in a startlingly gentle voice. "Ey now, none of that." The cement look on his human face waned. "I— I'm sorry for what our tribe has done you—all of you, truly. That's why we're here. The events of the Red Battle does not matter anymore. It is this battle and its cruelties we must focus on." He spoke to the humans steadily. "This is no longer about you, or about us. It is about the fate of this world entirely, humans and bakeneko-nekomata alike. We have seen what Black Blood has done and what she plans to do. We must stop her at all costs."
"He's right," Liana joined in. "Besides, they still don't have the seventh moonstone, as far as we know. As long as they don't have it, there's still hope."
"And where there's hope, there's a good fight waiting for us!" Wolf Paw grinned and smacked her fist into the palm of her hand. "We're still alive and kicking, so why don't we kick some tail?"
Unexpected pleasure made Cole smile broadly. "I like your style, kid!"
Earth Flame smirked, though not unkindly. "For the Moon Tribe."
"For mankind," Eagle Talon murmured.
Cole gripped his brother's shoulder and they both shared a fierce grin. "For Ninjago—all of it."
"For justice and peace," Lloyd said philosophically.
"For kicking butt!" Jay chortled.
"Yeah!" Liana cried, and the rest of the ninja—even Wu—joined in. Misako's sad expression faded into a faint smile while Mr. Brookstone looked upon his three children with blatant pride. Zane, Lloyd, Cole, Nya, and even Jay echoed Liana with a "yeah!" in chorus, soon followed by Eagle Talon, Little Leaf, and the rest of the werecats. Everyone cheered together—both joyously and defiantly, crying to the sky and the creeping stars. There was still hope, and in that moment, there was plenty to go around.
As the cheering and lopsided laughter continued, Cole's hand found its way to Liana's and impulsively curled around it. She squeezed it back and laughed louder, blushing.
Hope rose from the deck of the Destiny's Bounty and was elevated to the distant twinkling stars that came with the setting sun.