“‘We’?” Mr. Brookstone looked over his son’s shoulder and realized that there were more people standing at the door. He recognized Zane, Jay, Lloyd, and Nya in what looked like new uniforms, alongside Master Wu. Who he didn’t recognize were the three extra women in the group: two teenagers and one older lady wearing a weird pointed hat. “Oh!” Mr. Brookstone exclaimed. “Did you bring extra people to help with the play?” Cole blinked. “Uhh… what?” “You know. The play. I asked you and your friends to help with the local production several weeks ago. It’s in less than three weeks by now, but I’m sure with enough practice and perseverance, we can—!” “No, no, Dad, wait!” Cole interjected hastily. “I’m sorry, but we didn’t come here about the play. This is about something else.” “Oh.” Mr. Brookstone looked mildly disappointed, but puzzlement took over. “What is it, then?” He looked at the others again. “Someone’s missing… where’s Kai?” Jay piped up. “He was kidnapped by a tribe of evil shape-shifting warrior cats with magic powers who want to get back at us for a war our parents had with them and now they’re looking for pieces of this giant moonstone we broke so that their crazy leader who’s been trying to capture us for weeks can get literal nine lives and become invincible so she can take over Ninjago and destroy all mankind.” Mr. Brookstone stared at him. “Uhh… what?” “Yeah, that’s the first thing I thought, too,” Jay chuckled. “Can we come in?” Cole pressed anxiously. “This is really important.” “Um, well, sure, of course.” Brookstone stood aside, and Cole led the way into the little house. Lloyd, Nya, Jay, Zane and Wu nodded to Lou as they passed, with a murmured “Good to see you, Mr. Brookstone,” from Zane and a calm “Lovely day,” from Wu. Mr. Brookstone faced the older woman with the pointed hat and stiffened. “Hey… haven’t we met before?” Matilda granted the man a wry smile. “Indeed—if you’re the guy who helped Arianna make that stinker over there.” “Hey, who’re you calling a stinker?” Cole demanded.
“Arianna—? Oh, you mean Lilly…” Mr. Brookstone inhaled sharply. “That’s right… you’re her friend! You disappeared.” He frowned. “You called me a band geek.” “From what I hear, you’re still a band geek.” With that, she brushed past him. Scowling after her, Brookstone muttered “Women,” while Liana and Little Leaf brought up the rear. He glanced curiously at the girls in the strange attire, then shut the door.
* * *
In the small town where Lou Brookstone lived, seated on the outskirts of one of the larger cities of Ninjago, not one of the local people noticed the lithe, brown tabby with black stripes trotting down the neat little cobblestone street, ignoring the occasional bicycle or wagon that rolled by on the road. Though the afternoon was presently beautiful, a line of dark clouds had begun to gather on the eastern horizon, sending a small, cool breeze to chill the air. A faint growl of thunder warned of rain, and a few villagers glanced up at the sky warily. However, the cat took little to no notice of the weather. He continued walking on, ignoring the world around him. His paws were aching, he was tired and hungry, but he didn’t stop to rest. He was following the invisible trail of Cole Brookstone. Nearly there, Eagle Talon told himself. Nearly there, nearly there. He knew Black Blood could follow him using the Silent Speech and her sorcery. All he had to do was catch up with the ninja. He came to an abrupt halt. That scent… Ears perked, he lifted his head and sniffed the air. Beyond the smell of humans, rubber from bicycles, cooking meat, he thought he could pick up something familiar… Talon wrinkled his nose. Ugh. Yup, that’s Cole. He sniffed again. And Little Leaf. His stomach clenched at the thought of his little sister. This will hurt her… But I don’t care. This is right. I’m doing the right thing. Talon tried to stop arguing with himself and continued on. He cat traced the spoor to one of the small, squarish dens that the humans called “houses”.
“This place smells funny.” A voice drifted faintly. Eagle Talon stopped and glanced up, seeing a strange opening screened by some thin, decorative material—a “window”, as the humans call it. Little Leaf. Talon recognized the voice of his sister coming from the interior of the house, followed by Nya’s reply. “You’ve been saying that about everything here.” “Well, it does,” Leaf protested lightly. “You humans make things smell so weird!” “Humans…?” A male voice Eagle Talon didn’t recognize spoke up, sounding puzzled. Talon hopped up to the open window and surveyed the opening. The shutter was open, and he squeezed through and dropped to the floor. He found himself in a small corridor. In front of him were a flight of stairs, while to his left the hallway led to another room. He could hear the voices coming from that room, blocked from his point of view. He hesitated, unsure about what to do now that he had finally caught up with his quarry. Then, crouching low on his paws, he began to creep down the dark hallway, silent as a shadow. Zane’s voice sounded a little louder as the cat crept closer. “It’s a long story, Mr. Brookstone.” Eagle Talon froze.
* * *
“So what are you here for?” Lou Brookstone rasped. Even though the ninja had explained the events concerning the attacks of the Moon Tribe briefly and had spared him most of the unpleasant details, Cole’s father looked shaken. Good thing we didn’t mention what'd happened to my eyes, Cole thought grimly to himself. “Kohuru showed us the sixth moonstone today,” Lloyd ventured carefully, sharing a look with Zane. He was sitting across from Brookstone on the couch with his friends. He faced Mr. Brookstone and leaned forward. “Cole said he recognized where it was. It’s here, in your house.” “My house?” Brookstone repeated, incredulous. “Why would I, of all people, have a moonstone? A magic stone from— from talking warrior cats…?” Matilda scoffed. “I dunno, why don’t you figure it out? Maybe Arianna gave it to you a while ago, before you two got hitched. Or she kept it in her jewelry box. Remember anything like that?”
“Why in the world would—?” Mr. Brookstone stopped abruptly, frowning. “Unless… Wait. Just wait a moment.” He got up from his chair and walked away quickly, disappearing up the flight of stairs. Everyone stayed in place, waiting expectantly. “We’re so close, guys,” Liana murmured, smiling with barely-suppressed hope. She sat squeezed in between Zane and Lloyd on the couch. “We’re almost there.” “Even securing one moonstone for us will ensure success,” Zane replied, sharing her smile. “Without even one of them, Black Blood cannot gain her nine lives.” “You lot just have to make sure you don’t screw up,” Matilda muttered, leaning against the wall. She was twirling her wand idly between her fingers, looking almost disinterested. “Or that what we saw and what Brookstone Senior might have is actually a real moonstone, one of the ones taken from the Moon Tribe caves.” “You’re optimistic,” Cole responded dryly. “And by the way, what is it between you and my dad?” “Whatever in Ninjago is that supposed to mean?” she retorted with a faint smirk. “You don’t seem to like him,” Jay piped up. He stood beside Little Leaf to the left of the couch. The witch snorted. “I don’t like anyone.” “I think you like us,” Liana said teasingly. “You just won’t admit it, because you like it when everyone thinks you’re just a jerk.” Matilda’s eyes flashed. “Who’s calling who a ‘jerk’, young lady?” “I agree with Liana, actually,” Jay grinned. “You’re probably not as bad as you make yourself out to be.” “Notice your friend Cole here, who is known to have a pretty darn big mouth,” Matilda flicked her wand at Cole. “is presently keeping his trap shut. You might want to consider that he might know me a little better than you do, lightning bug.” Now it was Cole’s turn to smile. “Watch out, Jay. She might turn you into a bunny. I’ve seen her do that before.” “Or take away your voice,” Liana said, eyes lighting up. “Or make the ground beneath you disappear,” Cole chuckled. “Or blow you up,” Liana added gleefully. Jay frowned. “Uh, is there some kind of story here I’m not getting—?” “Is this it?”
Everyone turned to see Mr. Brookstone appear again from the hall. In his hand lay a dark stone that glittered in colors of blue, silver, and violet. Cole felt his breath quicken with excitement. “That’s a moonstone piece if I ever saw one,” Nya said, standing up. Mr. Brookstone looked at the stone in his hand thoughtfully. “Matilda’s right. My wife gave this to me years ago, before we married.” His face grew wistful. Cole realized bringing the stone out again was most likely bringing back some old, fond memories. “It was after some performance of mine. She came backstage and gave this to me. She told me she got it from the war, and she wanted me to have it. Like it was her own trophy to me.” He chuckled softly. “That was a long, long time ago…” It was strange for Cole to see his father recalling memories of the late Mrs. Brookstone out loud, and in front of an audience, too. Just a few years ago, he wouldn’t say a word about Cole’s mother, as if she’d never existed. This was a rare moment, and Cole would have liked to make it last a little longer—so that he could ask his father some questions, maybe talk a little—but he realized that there were others listening. He cleared his throat and gestured vaguely to the moonstone. “Uhh… Do you mind, if we, you know, take the…?” Mr. Brookstone looked at him, puzzled. “Oh! No, no, it’s all right. Really, son,” he added when he saw the skeptical look on Cole’s face. “I have much better memoirs of your mother. She didn’t really care much for this stone, anyway. I figured she just wanted to get rid of it.” He chuckled and passed the moonstone over to Cole. “It’s still a memory, though,” Liana murmured tentatively. Mr. Brookstone regarded the blind girl with polite curiosity. “That’s true. Still…” He shrugged. “Now that I know where it’s come from, I don’t think I’ll want this in my house anymore. I don’t really need anything from this shape-shifting cat tribe coming back to me.” “Is that so?” a new voice demanded.
Startled, everyone looked at the doorway of the living room. A woman stood there, her back straight and tall and her blue eyes staring coldly at Mr. Brookstone. Long, curly blond hair fell in many waves down her back and over her bare shoulders, framing her pretty face. She wore nothing but baggy pants and a sleeveless gi-like shirt, accommodated by a leather baldric of sorts that carried a single hunting knife over the left side of her torso—the outfit looked more suited to a larger man than the small woman. Aside from the leather baldric, everything she wore was made of animal skins, even the cloth belt holding it all together. Cole gasped. He had no idea who this woman was, but he knew the clothing of a Moon Tribe shape-shifter when he saw it. He opened his mouth to shout a warning to his father. Matilda pointed her wand at the woman and took a breath to shout a spell. Little Leaf’s face blanched with recognition. She inhaled to say the name of the person in front of them. But Lou Brookstone beat her to it, astonishing all.
* * *
Kissimi shrieked as she stumbled in the snow. An explosion shook the ground and sent red sparks and dark fire flying where she had been standing. If that shot had been less than five feet closer… Skylor snatched Kissimi and dragged her away from the smoking flames. She didn’t know what was louder to her: the bombs shot from the Polarian ice-jets, or the blood pounding in her ears. “Are you all right? Kissimi!” Skylor shouted over the noise. The scream of the explosions continued on. “Y— yes! I’m all right!” Kissimi was trembling head-to-toe. One side of her fur skirt was badly scorched. “Come on!” Skylor gripped her mittened hand tightly. “We’re almost there!” The three of them staggered up the steep hillside, struggling through the powdery snowbanks whose only purposes in life seemed to be making them trip.
Because the mountain was so steep, General Tulimaq’s ice-jet teams could not follow the three fugitives up, but they could still shoot their cannons and blasters, and shoot they did. Balls of red laser-like fire burst in the air and exploded in the snow. Skylor, Kissimi, and Akiak climbed desperately, helping one another and looking out for the bombs. They spent half the time scrambling out of the way of the fiery missiles. Through the faint smoke, Skylor tried to make up the distance ahead of them. She guessed they had less than a hundred yards to go. “We’re so close.” “You can do it!” Akiak grabbed Kissimi’s other hand. His face was almost black from the ash. “I promise you, Kissimi. We’re going to get you home.” Onward they went. They made a haphazard path, hoping to confuse their enemies. “I’ve shot at a lot of fleeing fugitives before,” Akiak gasped grimly over the booms. “But I never thought I’d ever be one myself!” A new noise made Skylor glance down the hillside. There, streaming from the ice-jets, lines of gray and dark blue-clad soldiers were raising a fearsome war cry. Red lasers from blasters burst through the air. “We’ve got company,” Skylor announced. Akiak swore helplessly. “We need to get there faster!” “We’re going as fast as we can in this stupid snow!” They stumbled on. The missiles continued to fall, but as they got further and further up the hill, fewer and fewer reached them, until the three fugitives were virtually ignoring the now few missiles that sizzled pathetically in the snow. The loss of the bombs was reassuring, but the roar of the army that drew nearer and nearer by the minute was not. Skylor didn’t know how long they ran. All she knew was keep pushing her way forward in the snow as fast as her burning and aching muscles would allow her, and to not let go of Kissimi’s hand. She sweated beneath her thick uniform. At last Kissimi stopped. “We made it!” She yanked herself from Skylor and Akiak’s grasps and ran ahead. “There, there, you see? My village! We made it!”
Skylor and Akiak stumbled to the tip of the hill with Kissimi, panting. Skylor felt her head whirl, but she made herself blink away the dizziness and gaze down at the scene below. Below, in a valley sheltered all around by steep, icy hillsides, sat a little village made entirely of snow and ice. The buildings were short, stout, and round; proper versions of igloos. There were golden lights shining from many of the igloos, casting warm illumination in the valley. Better yet, there were villagers walking about in the icy paths, wearing blue and brown furs and skins just as Kissimi wore. “We’re home! We’re home!” She was almost weeping with joy. She leapt up and down a few times in her excitement, and tugged on Akiak’s hand. “We’re safe!” No. Skylor looked behind them, back down at the hilly slope. Beyond the field of ash and fire, the soldiers pursued them still. We’re not safe. Not yet. It was at that moment Skylor finally realized that if she were to save Kissimi, Akiak, and the village, she would have to do more than run away. She’d have to make a sacrifice. She took a long, deep breath. As soon as the realization set in, she accepted it with grim enthusiasm. She had always been a fighter—running was simply not in her nature. She liked to confront and attack obstacles in life head-on, whether figurative or literal. She’d fought in the jungle, she’d fought in the Corridor of Elders… Why not add Polaria to the list? “Skylor?” Akiak was looking at her worriedly. “What’s wrong?” Skylor fingered the blaster on her belt. “We’re not safe. Not yet.” Kissimi stopped hopping around abruptly. “W— what do you mean?” “We didn’t save ourselves. We just put everyone else in danger.” She gestured to the village in the valley below them. “Don’t you get it? We just led the army to them! Now it’s not just us in danger. It’s everyone. Kissimi’s village is in trouble, and it’s our fault. —My fault.” “How is this your fault?” Akiak sputtered. “What—?”
“I should have realized that all we were doing was leading the army to them. Now we have to save them—not just us, but that whole village.” She pulled out the blaster from its holster and gripped it tight. “Akiak, get Kissimi down there and help her warn everyone about the soldiers. If they want to live, they need to evacuate now.” Akiak gaped at her, lost for words. Kissimi demanded, “But what about you? What are you going to do?” “I’m going to stop Tulimaq and his men. I’ll hold them off for as long as I can, but you have to get everyone out of this valley, fast.” She was not one for formal goodbyes and dramatics. She simply turned away and started down the slope. “No!” A hand snatch her by the arm and yanked her back. Kissimi stared up at her in dismay. “You’ll be blasted!” “That doesn’t matter,” Skylor retorted. “All that matters is getting all of you to safety. If I can delay Tulimaq, you and your village can escape and get a head start on them.” “But you’ll be left behind!” “I’ll be all right. I’m an Elemental Master.” She hoped her casual attitude would help. “You’ve seen me in action. These guys won’t know what hit them.” “She’s right, Kissimi,” Akiak spoke up, joining the girls. “I hate to say it, but we need to leave her here. She’ll take care of things.” He met her gaze. She acknowledged his support with a nod. Akiak hesitated, then reached out and gripped her hand. The movement took her by surprise. “I’ll help Kissimi. I’ll help all of them.” His gaze was earnest. “I know now that this is all wrong. These innocent families are being tormented and destroyed because of my people. I’m going to make a change.” He set his jaw grimly. He spoke as if he were taking a solemn vow. “I don’t know how, but I will. I’ll help them fight this. I’ll help them make things right.” There was something final about the way he spoke. Perhaps they all knew this would be the last time they would see Skylor. The distant boom of cannons and cries of soldiers added to this grim note. Skylor squeezed his hand back, nodding. She didn’t need to speak to acknowledge his promise. He let go of her hand and stepped back.
Abruptly, Kissimi threw herself at Skylor and hugged her tight. Her voice was muffled by her face pressing against Skylor’s uniform. “I would have liked it if you were my sister.” Something within Skylor hurt at those words. Stunned, she stood there in silence… then couched down and returned Kissimi’s embrace. “Goodbye, Kissimi.” Reluctantly Skylor pulled away and found herself blinking back tears. Starting down th slope, she cast one last glance at Kissimi and Akiak. They were standing together; Akiak had a hand upon Kissimi’s shoulder while the girl cried quietly. “Now go,” Skylor murmured. Akiak hesitated. He looked as if there were more he wanted to say. “Go!” she snapped. The private took the native child’s hand and darted away with her. Within seconds, both of them disappeared over the rise of the hill. Resolve hardening, Skylor gripped the blaster in one hand and removed one glove with the other. As she walked she rubbed her fingers together and summoned a spark of electricity—the Element of Lightning. Several hundred meters away, she could see the soldiers gaining. Their gray armor and gold emblems on their caps flashed in the sunlight. When she could just barely make out the individual faces of the men, she stopped. She faced the line of soldiers on the mountainside, the ground slanting down from her so that she had the high ground. The men struggled up through the snow. A few hollered curses at her, though she could barely make them out over the wind that had begun to blow. She took a long, deep breath. Energy coursed inside her, in both her body and her mind. Mixed elements of fire, water, air, and earth began to surge and pulse, as if the very energy she’d absorbed and carried could sense the tension in the air and wanted to break free. Yet she stood her ground. She wanted the Polarians to come to her, so that she could show them who they were dealing with. An order from the back of the group of men had them all take out their pistols and aim up at Skylor. They stopped less than thirty meters of where she stood. Tulimaq’s voice called out, unseen. “Aim!”
Skylor felt a smile slowly work its way up her face. She slipped the blaster back into its holster and removed her other glove. “Ready!” She rubbed her fingers together. A warm flush spread through her hands. “Fire!” Lightning split the sky apart in a blinding flash.
* * *
“Silver Mist?!” Silver Mist? Cole’s mind reeled. That was the name of Eagle Talon, Little Leaf, and Black Blood’s mother. He’d even seen her himself, when he and Talon had exchanged dreams. He’d witnessed her demise. If this was Silver Mist, then how…? Cole had barely begun to wonder about this impossible phenomenon when the woman in the doorway spoke. Her eyes were cold as she spat in reply to Mr. Brookstone. “No. Her son.” Her form shifted and twisted, her body changing into a young, masculine human form. Cole recognized the dark-haired teenager even before the transformation was complete. “Eagle Talon!?” Most in the room gasped. Jay leapt to his feet and whipped his nunchucks from his belt, glaring at the werecat with open hostility. Matilda’s wand dropped as she gaped in surprise. Everyone else seemed too stunned to move. “What— what are you doing here!?” Little Leaf demanded. “And why—?” “Who is this?” Mr. Brookstone demanded. His face looked ashen. Cole opened his mouth to reply, but Eagle Talon beat him to it. “I am Eagle Talon, son of Silver Mist, warrior of the Tribe of the Moon.” The young man’s face was hard, yet Cole noticed his hands were shaking. “Silver Mist,” Mr. Brookstone repeated, almost as if in a trance. His eyes were wide with blatant shock. “Is— is she still in the tribe? Where is she?” Cole felt as if someone had knocked him in the head. He stared at his father incredulously. “You knew her?” “She’s dead,” Talon spat, ignoring Cole. He gazed only at Lou. “She was killed by hunters. A long time ago.” Mr. Brookstone inhaled sharply, looking stricken—much to Cole’s increasing confusion. “What are you doing here?!” Jay advanced, nunchucks gripped tightly. “How’d you find us?”
“I have my ways. Just like I happen to remember something my mother told me a long time ago, when I was just a kitten.” Talon’s gaze remained on Cole’s dad. His voice quivered. “About the name of a certain ‘tom’ she knew… a cat she loved.” His face twisted into a scowl. “At least, I hoped it was a cat. I wanted him to be a cat.” Cole’s mind reeled with confusion. “What… are you talking about?” “Brookstone. That’s your name, isn’t it?” Talon closed his eyes, as if bracing himself. “Did you know my mother?” When a reply didn’t come, Talon’s eyes flashed open like green fire. He yanked out the knife from the sheathe hanging across his chest and pointed it at Mr. Brookstone, before Cole could do anything about it. “Did you know my mother?” “I—” “Tell me the truth!” he snarled. “I just want the truth!” “Talon—!” Cole tried to interject. “Tell me!” “OK, yes!” Mr. Brookstone cried. “Yes, I knew Silver Mist! Before all those snake wars started, years ago. I was just a teenager. We were…” His face grew red. “We were close. Very close.” Cole finally began to realize what this was about. Half-breed, half-breed! Eagle Feather and Tiny Paw are half-breeds! The voice of a young kitten chanted in his ears. He remembered the memories he’d seen when sharing minds with Talon, under Twig Foot’s power that night, in the bandit castle. Those rumors about Eagle Talon and Black Blood’s father… “No,” he whispered. Half-breed. Eagle Talon’s eyes widened. Even though he had been the one to voice the question, he looked just as shocked as Cole felt. “How close?” Mr. Brookstone hesitated. “How close?” Talon's voice broke. Lou closed his eyes. “We— we were lovers.” Dead silence. Cole actually felt the blood drain down from his face. None of the spectators dared make a sound. Talon’s face was equally ashen. “No.” Cole broke the silence. He felt as if someone had kicked him in the stomach. He staggered back, head reeling. “No. No, no, no.” Half-breed!
Mr. Brookstone stared pleadingly at his son. “It was a long time ago! We were both so young, it was before I met your mother… I hadn’t always known Silver Mist was— one of those creatures, a cat warrior—but when I did find out, I still loved her. B— but then the Serpentine Wars started, and there was so much fear and confusion…!” He stammered helplessly, “We parted ways, and she went back to her tribe, but— but I didn’t know she was…” All Cole could do was shake his head helplessly. “No, no, no— please, no…” The knife fell from Talon’s hand, clattering on the floor. Mr. Brookstone leaned against a windowsill behind him for support. He stared at Eagle Talon. “And— and you’re her son?” “I’m your son,” Talon replied dazedly. “I never knew my father. Silver Mist never told me who he was. Just his name.” “Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Liana rasped, finally speaking up. She stared unblinkingly in their direction. “If— if you’re Eagle Talon’s father—” She gestured vaguely at Mr. Brookstone. “And—and you’re also Cole’s father… then—” “That means… ” Jay whispered. “They’re—!” Wu exclaimed. “Brothers,” Cole and Eagle Talon chorused.
Open-mouthed, Cole and Eagle Talon stared at one another. With their black, shaggy hair, dark complexions, similar builds and green eyes, they wore utterly identical expressions of shock. Cole realized how much they physically shared in common. We look so much alike. We’re practically twins… He felt dizzy. How could we not see it before? The long, horrible silence was broken by Matilda—who, despite her own undisguised shock, still had enough gall to say, “Well, then, Lou Brookstone, congratulations. You are a father of not one, but three healthy children. You must be very proud.” “Matilda,” Wu berated sharply. Lou’s gaze shot toward the witch standing in the corner. “Th— three?” Cole staggered. Black Blood. No way. Oh, no way. No flipping way. He felt sick to his stomach. “I’m gonna puke.” “Black Blood,” Liana whispered in horror. “She— That also means she’s Cole’s—!” “Sister,” Zane finished grimly. “Fox dung,” Little Leaf whispered. “Ohh, fox dung.” “Black Blood…?” Mr. Brookstone pressed worriedly. “The leader of the Moon Tribe,” Wu said, grave. “One of the Seven Sorcerers. The one who ordered the kidnapping of my ninja, Misako, and more. The one who wants to get those moonstones,” he added, using his staff to point to the moonstone Cole held. “to get literal nine lives from the spirit world and use her powers to take revenge for wars that happened a long time ago.” “She’s a psychopath,” Jay added. Mr. Brookstone staggered against the wall and slid to the floor. He stared off into space. “Wh— what…?” “She’s coming.” Cole whirled around and faced his brother. “Who’s coming?” “Black Blood.” Talon’s face looked white with horror. “She and the tribe. They’re coming here.” Jay made the connection before Cole did. “You led them to us!” “That’s right.” Talon lunged and punched Cole in the stomach. Breath knocked out, Cole staggered while the werecat snatched the moonstone from his brother. With that he raced back to the door. “And I’ve got a mission to complete.” “Get him!” Jay cried angrily.
Eagle Talon bared his teeth in a loud hiss and, before Jay could get him, yanked the door open and fled outside. Jay tore after him with Nya, Zane, Lloyd, and Liana following close behind. Stumbling to his feet, Cole cried, “Don’t hurt him!” “Cole!” His father’s cry rang in his ears, but he didn’t answer. Vision blurry, he stumbled out onto the street. His friends stood close by, and he joined them in a lopsided stagger. “Where’s Talon?” Lloyd caught sight of Jay’s figure fleeting down the street. “There! Jay’s right on his tail!” He pulled up his mask and unsheathed his sword. “Come on! We can’t let him get away!” Cole’s blood was pounding in his ears. He didn’t bother to pull up his mask. He only yanked out his katana and threw himself down the street. Suddenly finding his breath again, he took the lead of the chase, and within moments he was at the street corner where Jay had disappeared—and promptly ran into Jay himself. “Where’d he go?!” Cole was practically screaming in Jay’s face. “He transformed and and climbed up that tree to the rooftops!” Jay, panting, gestured behind him, where the alley ended at a high wall. A single thin, drying tree leaned against the building. A cat could easily scale it. Lloyd caught up with them, with Nya, Zane, and Liana close behind. “Maybe we can corner him. Jay, you come with me,” he puffed. “Shout if you see him.” “Right,” Cole growled as Jay and Lloyd turned and left the alleyway. He glared up the tree where Eagle Talon had escaped. Hesitatingly Liana spoke up. “It’s OK, Cole… We can still catch him if—” One of the trashcans suddenly tipped over in front of them, making everyone jump. With a loud clatter its contents spilled all over the ground: greasy newspapers, old takeout food— —and Jay rolling out with an angry groan. “Jay?!” Zane and Nya immediately crouched down and helped him up.
