━ ☆ﾟ . * ･ ｡ﾟ ۞ ☆ﾟ . * ･ ｡ﾟ ━
𝗯𝗼𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝘂𝗺𝗯-𝗱𝘂𝗺𝗯𝘀
𝙤𝙧
“𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀”
━ ☆ﾟ . * ･ ｡ﾟ ۞ ☆ﾟ . * ･ ｡ﾟ ━
𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐖𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐒.
The Ninja? Not so much.
They had gotten so overconfident in the last uneventful months. With no evil trying to take over Ninjago and no signs of Lord Garmadon ever coming back, the four teen boys now dedicated their time to playing videogames and stuffing their face with pizza.
Which turned hilariously ironic when Sensei Wu had confronted the four about them lazing around, and Nya had rushed in with alarming news that Lord Garmadon was spotted on the Jamanakai Village, the same on that resided at the feet of their mountain. Harper was, obviously, not allowed to even take a step out of the Monastery after that piece of news. So she kept herself busy by practicing her stealth skills around the sacred building just like Sensei Wu had told her to. She was planning on sneaking up to the guys when they came back.
It may seem a little insensitive to sneak on them after the battle with their biggest enemy, but believe her, there was no Garmadon. How was she so sure? There weren't any real signs. i
If Garmadon had really came back, the portal he came through would've cause disruptions on nature. Mainly the weather. Sudden violent winds, a darkened sky, temperature drops, those were the signs and there were none of them as for now.
She waited patiently, blending in the shadows on top of the main archway. Harper made sure to do everything Wu had taught her, regulate your breathing, graceful soundless movements, and hide in the shadows the best you can. The last one wasn't so hard, after all she was wearing her black training gi, one very similar to the ones the boys wore before completing their training. After some good thirty minutes, Harper could hear the four voices that belonged to the Ninja. (Which was good news, 'cause her leg was cramping up).
"So then we all agree." Jay spoke. "The prophecy states that one of us will become the Green Ninja, and the issue will not rest until it is decided."
Harper tilted her head in confusion, Green Ninja? What are they talking about?
"May I suggest a tournament?" Zane added his input, always looking for the most rational answer. "Last ninja standing is the best."
"And we'll be declared the Green Ninja! I love it!" Kai exclaimed before opening the Monastery's main gate, right where Harper was hiding.
The young girl grinned under her mask, they were on a good spot for her to jump in, but she decided to wait for the perfect moment. As Sensei said, it was all about patient.
The Ninja had entered through the gates, and found Nya going up against the training course. She was doing quite well, until she got hit in the face with the broad side of an axe. Sending her sprawling to the ground. Still in the shadows, Harper wince in sympathy, as she knew how much that hurts.
"Hey, Nya." Jay laughed shyly and went over to help her up. "Closer to beating your brother's speed record?"
Now, if you couldn't tell Jay has a major crush on Nya. Ever since day one. But is too shy and nervous to say something. Harper didn't understood relationships and crushes, maybe it was a grown-up thing? She didn't know.
"I'm getting there." The beautiful blackette responded. "Heard what happened in town. Just a false alarm?"
Called it, Harper thought smugly.
"Yeah." Kai agreed before giving his sister a sheepish look. "Uh, but we're going to need the space. Sorry, sis."
"Hey, Nya. You didn't happen to see Harper around, have you?" Cole asked, not having seen the small girl in a while.
Nya simply shook her head, "I think she's in her room. Probably studying one of those scrolls Sensei gives her."
A believable story. But the thing is, Nya knew exactly what Harper's plan was and had promised not to snitch on her if the little girl accompanied her into the village to run some errands.
While the boys' attention was solely on Cole, Harper jumped down from her place in the shadows of the wall and with feather-like steps near the Ninja's backs that were turned towards her.
"Two matches. Then the winners of each face off for the title. Armors for our own protection. It's time to see what these babies can do." Cole announced, referring to their Golden Weapons.
"Can I join?"
Their reactions were priceless. Jay let out a quite girly scream and jumped into Zane's arms. Kai yelped loudly and flinched back so hard, it made him trip and fall right on his ass, losing his grip on his sword in the process. Cole fumbled clumsily with his scythe and hit his own head in the process. While Zane simply gasped loudly and stumbled back, him and Jay almost hitting the dirt besides Kai.
Harper and Nya were doubling over with laughter at the scene, finding it hilarious that the big bad ninja got startled so easily. Sensei was right, patience does give you the best rewards.
"Harper!" Cole yelled, his tone telling her he was ready to scold her.
Harper tried to answer, but she was laughing so hard, her sides hurt like crazy. After calming down a bit, she was finally able to stand up straight and meet their angry, scolding eyes. Harper chuckled some more and took off her ninja mask, reveling her grinning features to the teens. Her skin was the color of cocoa, and her thick black hair was put into twin braids, tied by bright purple scrunchies. Her almost black eyes were round, framed by long eyelashes, and a face splitting grin took over her adorably chubby cheeks.
"Before you yell at me," the girl started with a cheeky grin on her childish face. "It was Sensei who told me to practice my stealth on you. He said it was a punishment for lazin' out."
Cole chuckled at his cousin's habits and ruffled her hair fondly, laughing when she fruitlessly tried to swat his hand away and hide behind Nya for protection.
Kai rolled his eyes and turned back to his sister. "Hey Nya, wanna stay and watch me mop the floor with them?"
"No, thanks." She responded, not a bit interested in watching the boys' war of testosterone. "I'll just go visit Jamanakai Village with Harper. Knock yourselves out."
And with that the two girls started their long long way down the mountain.
━ ☆ﾟ . * ･ ｡ﾟ ۞ ☆ﾟ . * ･ ｡ﾟ ━
𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐏𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐍𝐘𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓, 𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃.
They had got some groceries, picked some new tools, went the local bookstore and bought lots of candy for Harper. And all without any dumb boys. Overall a great day. That's when hoodie-boy and his snake-people appeared, causing all the villagers to panic.
"What now?" Nya muttered in confusion and looked at Harper, who just shrugged helplessly. Neither of them knowing what was really going on.
The two girls walked forward with cautious steps and took a look at the chaos happening in the, usually peaceful, village. It had been a boy, stealing candy from the same store Harper and Una had been in a few moments ago. But that wasn't the strangest thing,it was the fact that humanoid snake, (with teal and white scales, and big red eyes) were helping the young boy, while putting the innocent bystanders in a sort of trance.
The boy himself couldn't have been any older than Harper, he wore a black, long-sleeved t-shirt, with a small green number five on the left side of his chest and white ribs that looked like he had painted them himself. He also had purple sash wrapped around his hips, and a black, hooded cape. Besides that, the rest of his outfit looked pretty normal, with black jeans and black and purple sneakers.
She didn't know who he was until he caught a glimpse of of his features, that were mostly being covered by the shadow his hood casted over his face. His features didn't stand out much, typical Caucasian skin and a childish face. But his abnormal, angry red eyes and sharper-than-average canines, (that he showed off whenever laughed "evily") were what really caught her attention.
Harper suddenly remembered what Nya had told her about the false alarm, the villagers had thought they've seen the Lord Garmadon. Only to be mistaken as it was really his son, Lloyd Garmadon. And while she observed the humanoid snakes some more, Harper realized why the seemed so familiar to her. Everyone in Ninjago new the legend of the Serpentine, snake-people who were locked up underground many, many years ago. Whether it had been as a child, and your parents told you if you misbehaved they'll take you away. Or as a teen, and learned it from school as a folklore fable. Or maybe, like Harper, you've read about them in those old, worn-out leather book of myths and legends.
The Serpentine had deep roots in Ninjago's culture and history, but no one ever believed they truly existed. Until this very moment, which left Harper pondering, what other myths she had read were actually true.
Before she could analyze the situation more closely, Nya quickly grabbed Harper by her forearm and pulled them both into a hiding spot, behind a fruit stand. Harper held her breath as multiple sets of heavy footsteps approached, covering her mouth to muffle her breathing when she heard a set of footsteps stop not so far of their hiding place.
"Thisss makes no sssense, General. Raiding an entire town...for sssweets?" One of the Serpentine hissed, dragging out the S's in his sentence.
"You will do as I command, because I hold the staff!" The second Serpentine, (the General, Harper assumed) exclaimed angrily, shutting down any form of argument from his soldier.
Nya and Harper shared a look as soon as the two Serpentine walked away, the same thought cursing their minds as the heavy footsteps faded into silence. They both knew they couldn't do anything right now, not until the Ninja arrived as back up. So, for the time being, they needed to be safe and hide on the high ground.
It took the ninja a good thirty minutes to arrive and by then, the whole village has been hypnotized. The girls watched quietly from the rooftops as the Ninja were overwhelmed by both, the army of Serpentine and the villagers. The four teen boys ending up on tactically retreating to the rooftops, just like the girls had done.
Harper and Nya did their best to follow them and found them in an alleyway in-between houses. After confirming they were safe, Harper and Nya jumped down from their hiding place, startling the Ninja (for the second time that day, mind you)
"Nya! You're okay!" Jay exclaimed in relief, his blue eyes lighting up at the sight of the black haired beauty.
Harper crossed her arms and rose a judging eyebrow at the motor mouth, jutting a hip out as she pressed her lips in a thin annoyed line. Jay took notice of the glare the youngest Brookstone was sending him and chuckled nervously, sending an apologetic look at the little girl. Cole chuckled at their interaction and wrapped Harper in a hug, happy she wasn't harmed in any way.
"Barely." Nya said, referring to Jay's previous statement. "But luckily, Harper is excelent at sneaking around."
"They've hypnotized everyone in the town." Harper informed them with a frown on her face.
"Mind control? How is this possible?" Jay questioned.
"They're Hypnobrai, I've read about their tribe before." Harper said as a matter of fact, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she recalled the details. "When you hear them rattle their tails, don't look at them in the eye. That's how they get you."
"What are we supposed to do?" Jay exclaimed, obviously frustrated and panicked with the situation at hand. "We can't use our weapons, and now we gotta fight fight with our eyes closed? Ha! Perfect!"
"The snake with the staff is the general." Nya informed the others, thinking about the conversation they had overheard before. "He's the one in charge. If we can get the staff from him, it holds the antivenin."
"If we get that, we can sava everyone." Harper said, determination shining brightly in her eyes.
"Okay, guys. Forget about the whole 'Green Ninja' thing." Kai spoke up, his amber eyes narrowed down with purpose. "Let's make Sensei proud. The four of us, we're a team."
"Now, you're talking." Cole said in agreement.
Jay was the first one to snap out if their little 'bro moment' and turned towards the two girls. "Oh, and Nya, you can be our honorary member." He offered, not wanting the Smith girl to feel left out.
"Gee, thanks." Nya said sarcastically with her arms crossed, unimpressed by his offer.
"Hey, what about me? I want to help!" Harper exclaimed, looking up at the older boys, who looked at her akwardly.
"Look, Harp." Cole sighed " I know how hard you've been training this few months, but it's too dangerous for you."
"What?! But-- Cole!" Harper whined, looking up with disbelief at her older cousin. "I-I know more about the Serpentine that any of you! I know their weaknesses! Please, I won't leave your sight and-and if things get too nasty I'll go and hide! But, please, let me go with you!"
Cole sighed heavily, debating his options, and looked back towards Harper who was giving him her puppy-eye look.
He sighed again and rubbed his eyes, making up his mind. "You'll stay by any of our sides, you won't engage a fight unless necessary and if I say so, you'll run towards the dragons for refuge. Understood?"
"Yes! Thank you! You're the best!" Harper cheered and gave him a quick hug.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Sport." Cole laughed airily.
Soon, all of them were running through rooftops, trying to get to the main plaza where Lloyd and his snake minions were.
The battle didn't last much. As the rest of the group handled the Serpentine, Zane manage to capture Lloyd (making him drop all of his candy) and forcing him to retreat. Before all the Hyonobrai could escape, Cole went on and took the General down, who ran away in cowardice. Leaving his staff behind for the ninja to take.
Just as he picked it up, a rattling sound reached his ears. Temporally forgetting what Harper had said about the Hypnobrai, Cole looked up and was met with a pair of bewitching red eyes. Harper, who at the moment was by Nya's side, saw what was happening and wasn't about to let that happened.
"Cole!" She called out, running in his direction and landing a flying kick at the snake's face. Effectively knocking it down and out of consciousness.
The youngest Brookstone turned to look at her older cousin, only to find him slowly walking away with the staff.
"Cole? Where are you going, doofus? You have the antivenin!" Harper called out to him, feel rather concerned for him.
That seemed to snap him out of his dazed state. With a confused grunt, Cole took a moment to take in the scene before him. His baby sister standing besides the passed out body of a Serpentine, that she knocked down. Then following her eyes to the staff that resided on his own hands.
"By golly, you're right!" He exclaimed.
Looking around, Harper suddenly got an idea. "Quick! The fountain!" She commanded, pointing towards it.
"Good idea!" Cole nodded and ran towards it.
Gracefully jumping at the top level of the fountain, Cole slammed the bottom of the staff in the water. As soon as he did, the blue gem in it began to glow and a baby blue mist began to come out of the water. Washing over every villager and breaking the Hypnobrai's control over them.
Apparently, they were so occupied with the fight at hand that none of them noticed that Sensei Wu had came. Kai, with the staff at hand, neared their teacher with an apologetic look on his face.
"We're sorry, Sensei. If we had dealt with Lloyd before he became a problem, non of this would have been necessary." The hotheaded brunette apologized, the guilty look evident on his face despite having his mask on.
Wu kindly smiled at his student, happy to see that not only him and the rest had learnt their lesson, but also grew and matured from thus experience.
"Even lessons learned the hard way are lesson learned." He said wisely, while caressing his long beard. "Hm. A great evil has been released, I fear troubling times will come. This is only the beginning"
"Then we will train and be ready for the Sepertine." Zane said confidentially, walking up to the other two.
"It may not be Lord Garmadon, but that doesn't mean we won't bring our A game." Cole said as he and Harper joined the group too.
"Help us train," Kai pleaded to Wu, his amber eyes burning with determination like a blazing fire. "Help us realize our potential."
"Yeah, teach us the secrets behind of Spinjitzu." Jay agreed, him and Nya walking up to them to.
"Hm. There is much to teach. We must return to the monastery." Sensei Wu hummed and lead the group out of the village and back to the dragons.
Harper rode with Cole on his dragon, Rocky, back to the monastery in silence.
"Hey," Cole spoke softly. "Don't think I don't remember what you did."
Harper sighed, she knew what was coming and prepared herself to lecture that was about to come. She shouldn't have left Nya's side, blah blah blah, you could've gotten hurt, yaddah yaddah, be more careful. She's heard it all before.
"You did a good job knocking dow that Serpentine." Cole said, making her eyes widen in shock.
"Wait, what?" The dark eyed girl sputtered, thinking she heard him wrong.
"That kick you delivered to that snake, it was very impressive." He said, his eyes shining with pride.
Harper took a second to process his words before a face splitting grin appeared on her face. "Really?!" She asked, excitement clear in her voice.
"Yeah!" He agreed, just as enthusiastic. "He didn't even saw it coming."
"I know right?! It was pretty awesome!" She bragged slightly.
Cole chuckled at her but it slowly died down. If Harper had been looking at him, she would've noticed that his eyes turned lifeless and a shining red. But she didn't, she was facing front, so she was oblivious to the problems that would cause.
━ ☆ﾟ . * ･ ｡ﾟ ۞ ☆ﾟ . * ･ ｡ﾟ ━
FIRST CHAPTER
I'm very hesitant about this chapter, it'll probably be rewritten later but so far it isn't that bad, right?
Harper's looks:
HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT AND PLEASE COMMENT YOUR THOUGHTS