Eagle Talon smelled it first, before he realized they were finally nearing the village. At this point of the journey, the hot noon sun had drifted down to the horizon, lighting up the sky in brilliant shades of orange, gold, and crimson that were already driving away the streaks of blue from the day. A low breeze was blowing from the west, carrying the tingling scent of smoke. Initially it was faint, but it gradually became strong enough for Talon to take note. It got to the point that it stung his nostrils. He lowered his head to avoid it, and felt the dark feeling within him rise like a wave. Then he saw it: the tops of buildings sitting on the horizon across the plain. As he feared, faint plumes of smoke were rising into the amber-orange sky, accompanied by lingering flames licking the cluster of burned rooftops and twisted beams. “You set it on fire,” Black Blood noted idly, still padding through the tall grass. Without looking at her, Mist Rise replied steadily, “They showed enough resistance that made the older warriors uneasy. I didn’t order it, but Orange Throat led a group to set fire to the main buildings. Some of the villagers were wounded in the process.” Black Blood said nothing more, although her pace quickened. The toms caught up with the black-furred female and joined her as she topped the rise of the hill. The smoky scent hit Eagle Talon in the face with the breeze, making his eyes water. Blinking and bristling, he peered down at the village. The little town was rather larger than the one they’d last attacked, including a few office complexes and at least fifty homes. A large town square could be seen in the very middle of it all, and it was there Talon caught sight of humanoid figures—as well as a few feline ones—drifting or scurrying about the buildings. Many of the houses had either crumbled with shattered beams and black ash or were still burning, smoking and shifting feebly as they did. Mostly to himself, Talon asked, “How have the police been unable to help these people?”
**** Zane and Liana stayed quite still behind the boulder, while Zane kept his gaze on the boy. He was beginning to have a sense of foreboding. He saw the boy’s eyes light up. Zane followed his gaze toward the water, and caught sight of small, dark shape bobbing up and down in the current, getting further and further away by the minute. The boy’s expression turned from dismal to determined. “Don’t do it,” Zane whispered. The little boy set off at a run down the river bank, following the bobbing bread. When he was within a few feet of his prize, he took a flying leap off a rock and plummeted into the river.
Little Leaf sat silently in Nya’s lap at the table, trying to keep herself as inconspicuous as possible. Zane could tell from her flicking tail that she wanted to add her opinion to the group, but they’d agreed beforehand not to reveal to Kenzo’s family that one of the werecat warriors was with them, since it would most likely only cause confusion and mistrust. Zane’s mind kept wanting to return to one detail—the one concerning the old man the Moon Tribe was allegedly keeping—but he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. “If Black Blood is planning something more than simply gaining the power that comes with nine lives,” he spoke up grimly. “I am sure it involves something such as a full-scale attack or ambush on either us or innocent civilians.” “I think it’s becoming pretty clear what it is we do next,” Lloyd spoke up, looking at his companions. “Stopping whatever is going on here could ultimately ruin the Moon Tribe’s scheme. We need to save this town.” “And just how are we going to do that?” The question sounded skeptical, but Cole’s eyes glittered savagely when he said it. Zane briefly wondered if he was feeling more aggressive than ever toward the Moon Tribe after the events of the other day. Zane found himself replying with uncharacteristic authority. “I will tell you what we are going to do: we are going to find a way into the ore mining factory, free everyone in this village, destroy the Moon Tribe’s work, and ultimately foil Black Blood’s scheme. She is not going to get away with this.” While his teammates cheered and agreed, Zane added to himself, And find my uncle, whatever it takes. Even if it is the last thing I do.
“The humans’ warrior force?” Mist Rise responded. “We cut off all forms of communication. Thanks to a few spies, we’ve established what the humans use to contact for help these days. Our strongest warriors have taken down the power lines, stations, the vehicles, and even a few horses in order to keep any one of them from contacting Ninjago City.” “Well done, Mist Rise,” Black Blood spoke. Eagle Talon looked to see she had shifted into her human form. The wind blowing made her dark blue-green cloak wave in the breeze, as well as the matching robes pooling at her bare feet. She lifted her head to speak again, and the breeze played with a few locks of her ink-black hair as she did. “Very effective work. Continue like this, and you just might rank up to become my successor.” Successor? Surprised, Eagle Talon cast the other tom a quick glance. This rank meant that when Black Blood died, whoever she had appointed as her successor would be the next leader of the Moon Tribe. It was typically a cat the leader trusted very much and was rather close to. This was the first time since her crowning ceremony that she ever publicly mentioned appointing a successor. Mist Rise’s eyes widened slightly at this, but his expression otherwise was unreadable. He merely dipped his head low and replied, “Thank you, Black Blood.” For the first time, a small smile curled Black Blood’s red lips. “Well, let’s get this party started now, shall we?” With that, she started down the hill toward the little town. Swallowing, Eagle Talon made his body shift into his human form. When he stood up he glanced at Mist Rise to see if he too would shift, but the gray and brown tabby remained in his bakeneko body and followed Black Blood, ignoring Talon. Talon joined them, shivering in the breeze. It felt much colder without a fur coat covering one’s body.
The damage was easier to see up close—not that Eagle Talon had wished to see what terrible havoc his tribe-mates had been wreaking upon these hapless townspeople. Many of the buildings were still standing, but a good number of them were nothing but black skeletons. Scorched beams and sagging doorways were sometimes all that remained, with the low breeze sending wisps of dark ash flying tenderly up and down the road. Many of the buildings that hadn’t been completely destroyed weren’t much better off. Windows were shattered, doors were torn off their hinges, and pieces of walls had been broken or blown off. Although they were devoid of life, the streets smelled so strongly of fear that Talon nearly gagged. He wondered how many humans hadn’t survived this brutal attack. Moon Tribe warriors began to appear. A few in human forms were making a casual patrol around the outside streets when they came across Black Blood and the two toms. They stopped short when they recognized her, then bowed low hastily. “Black Blood,” they chorused. “Gather your tribe-mates,” the young woman ordered in response. “There is to be a meeting in the town square very soon, and I want every cat and prisoner there for it.” The young men glanced at one another, then hastily bowed again and scurried off. Black Blood continued her way, Eagle Talon and Mist Rise with her. A number of Moon Tribe warriors were walking about in their human bodies, bearing the clearstone swords and daggers in their dirt-stained hands. A far greater number of them, however, bore their feline bodies, both the small bakeneko and large nekomata. As they padded further into the heart of the town, Talon became aware of figures of his tribe-mates prowling quietly in the alleyways and streets. Some appeared from the broken doorways and dark windows, or even from the rooftops. They’d peer curiously at the newcomers, then murmur words of surprise and respect upon catching sight of Black Blood. Some shrank back hastily, as if afraid of even their mere presence doing something to annoy their queen. By this, Eagle Talon was reminded of just how revered and feared his sister was by their tribe.
“Mist Rise,” Black Blood ordered. “Spread the word among the older warriors to get the prisoners all gathered in the town square. Give the mayor and his family special priority—front row seats, if you know what I mean.” “Of course,” Mist Rise responded. Talon thought he saw a shadow cloud the other tom’s gaze, but Mist Rise flicked his tails and bounded away before he could be sure. “What do you want me to do?” Talon spoke up warily, wondering what Black Blood had in store for him. “Just stay with me. You don’t have to do anything right now,” his sister replied carelessly. She moved on, passing the growing number of cats who had stopped to gaze at her expectantly. Talon frowned, troubled. Black Blood rarely did anything without a reason. At the moment, there seemed to be no point in him joining her and Mist Rise except for Black Blood to get Talon out of the caves. Was this her showing him she could still make him do what she wanted? Or did she have a darker purpose in mind?
* * *
The gathering in the town square didn’t take half as long as Talon would have guessed—perhaps because the tribe was always eager to please Black Blood. Within twenty minutes, several dozen of the Moon Tribe warriors had gathered in a large half-circle at the spacious town square. Within this half-circle all of the town’s human inhabitants were penned in. The trembling, fear-wracked mass of families shied away from the feline guards. Several nekomata prowled along the sides of the circle the prisoners made, bristling and hissing. A few warriors in human forms occasionally jabbed their clearstone weapon at a prisoner who didn’t seem to be terrified enough, and several of them would purr with laughter when the prisoner would yelp or cry and attempt to scurry away, pressing themselves into the already-tight crowd. Opposite this crowd Black Blood stood upon the empty fountain that sat in the middle of the town square. She was motionless, watching coldly. A couple of nekomata guards paced nearby, keeping close to their leader in case some rebellion broke out from the prisoners.
Eagle Talon stood a few feet by his sister. He felt awkward and unsure of what to do. He’d started to join the crowd of warriors, but Black Blood had hissed at him to stay where he was. The anxiety he felt was churning harder than ever now. He twirled his stone dragger between his fingers, not having anything better to do. “Eagle Talon!” A voice called his attention, and he blinked up to see a young woman coming toward him at a brisk pace. He could tell by her scent and by her clothes that she was Moon Tribe. A loose braid of light blond hair fell over one bare shoulder, matching off the dark leather collar around her pale neck where a rat’s tooth dangled. Slim leggings reached her ankles, while a ragged top supported by one strap shielded her chest. Talon frowned for a second, trying to place where he’d heard the voice before. Some cats so rarely shifted into their human bodies that it was often hard to recognize them when they did. Suddenly, it hit him. “Lightning Streak!” Lightning Streak joined him, mildly gasping for breath. Talon faced her uneasily, remembering their earlier squabble. “Talon,” she said. “What’s this all about?” He shrugged. “You’d know better than I do. Black Blood just made me come along for the ride.” Her hazel eyes darkened. “You don’t know, either?” He shook his head. “I don’t think any cat does, from the look of it,” he said as he gestured to the crowd of Moon Tribe warriors. Nearly everyone seemed perplexed yet expectant, none seeming to have a knowing look. “Seems like something new Black Blood’s planned.” Lightning Streak cast a glance at the crowd. “Do you have any idea?” he asked her. She shook her head and turned to him again. “No.” Her voice lowered. “But if she’s got all the humans out here, whatever it is, it’s not going to be pretty.” Streak didn’t wait for a reply. She turned and darted back into the crowd—nearly stepping on a disgruntled mottled tom as she did so. Eagle Talon was left with a sense of dark foreboding. At length Black Blood’s voice rang throughout the town square. “Bring forth the leader of this town!”
-last edited on Aug 7, 2021 0:13:40 GMT by LordTigress
Post by LordTigress on Aug 6, 2021 23:17:24 GMT
There was stirring among the crowd, although Eagle Talon couldn’t see much of what was going on. Then, a couple of warriors in human form led a middle-aged man out into the open. A few cats followed, yowling and jeering tauntingly. The man looked to be dressed in mostly black pelts, with one white one beneath the slim-fitting coat. His clothes were now torn and stained in several places, and one knee of his pants were skinned. He was otherwise unharmed, though from the look of his bloodshot eyes, he could have used some sleep. The man was shoved onto his knees before Black Blood. He gave a low grunt, then straightened when Black Blood approached him. Calmly she inquired, “You are what they call the ‘mayor’ of this place, are you not?” The man scowled up at her. “I am. And you must be who they call ‘Black Blood’, aren’t you?” A wry smile curved her lips. “I am.” “You look a little young to be the leader of this motley group,” the mayor commented, arching an eyebrow. “But I guess they’ll accept anyone. You really are an uncivilized bunch.” The pupils of Black Blood’s eyes dilated. She grinned, exposing feline fangs, and the mayor shrank back. She said smoothly, “And you really are ignorant, if you think you can speak to me, of all creatures, in that way without lasting consequences.” The man paled, but Talon had to give him credit for courage when he demanded, “We didn’t even know your kind existed! What do you want with us?” “All I want,” she purred. “is to use your little town to set an example to the world. We’ve already taken control of several small villages, but they are meaningless compared to one such as Yōkaiville.” “The— the ninja will stop you,” the mayor stammered. A chorus of laughter rose from the ranks of the feline warriors. Black Blood chuckled as well. “Ohh, such faith you put in the ninja. That pitiful band of kittens playing superheroes is half-defeated. I already got rid one of them, and the others are immobilized. Your ninja are helpless against the Tribe of the Moon, mayor. You’re all on your own.”
The face of the mayor paled. Before he could muster a response, Black Blood gestured to the warriors. “Bring out the mayor’s children!” There was a stirring amongst the crowd once more. This time, however, a woman’s voice rang shrilly, “No! Leave my kids alone!” Eagle Talon peered through the mass of humans and cats. His mouth ran dry when he caught sight of a woman being dragged back by a couple of warriors, kicking wildly and sobbing. She cried, “Leave them alone! Don’t touch them! Don’t touch my little boys!” In response, her captors only growled and jeered, yanking at her by the arms. “Mom!”a small voice cried. A few feet away, two more warriors were each carrying a young boy. The smaller one, terror-stricken, stiffly let the Moon Tribe guard haul him off, but the older child screamed and grappled desperately with his captor. “Mom!” The mayor gasped when he saw his two sons being carried out. He sprang to his feet and launched himself at them, but his guards swiftly grabbed him and shoved him down. The mayor struggled wildly while his hands were forced behind him and tied together. Desperately he shouted, “Don’t you hurt them! I swear, if you touch one hair on their heads—!” “You won’t be able to do anything about it,” Black Blood finished, flashing him a sardonic smile. “So say your goodbyes and shut up, please. If your people think it’s all fair and just to hunt the occasional ‘monster cat’ in the mountains each year, then surely you’ll allow us the courtesy to have a hunt of our own.” The mayor’s eyes widened in such horror that it chilled Eagle Talon’s bones. His struggle weakened, and so did the defiance in his tone. “Please.” His voice quivered. “Please… do whatever you want with me, but— I’m begging you, leave my children alone!” “As touching as your pleas are,” Black Blood sneered, “it’s too late. You did not save my people whom yours hunted down, thus I will not save your people whom mine are hunting down. Your kits will pay the price.”
“No!” With a loud cry, the mayor lunged himself toward the little boys again, but he was again yanked back, this time more brutally. One of his captors hit him on the head. Several long scratches appeared on the side of the mayor’s face, and he quieted. Silence fell upon the square. Even the mother and her child had stopped screaming; shock and horror had taken away their voices. “Take him away,” Black Blood ordered. “And bring the kits forth.” The guards dragged the mayor back into the crowd. Nearby, Talon could see the mother weeping quietly into her hands. The other warriors carried the little boys up to the empty fountain and dropped them. As soon as he was free, the older boy made a break for the crowd of prisoners. He stopped short when his captor leapt in front of him and growled loudly, baring teeth at him. Visibly trembling, the child edged back and joined his brother. Eagle Talon observed the children. The older one’s black hair had once been groomed neatly; now it look scruffy. His nice clothes were torn and dirtied. He looked to be around seven seasons old. His younger brother looked much the same, although his hair was curlier and of a lighter color, and he looked to be five or four seasons old. Both were ashen-faced and trembling. A twinge of pity made Talon’s heart twist. Black Blood, however, only looked upon the kids with contempt. Raising her voice, she sneered, “Look upon these human kits! See how pampered and well-fed they are, and compare them to our own young ones! Remember how thin the bones of our children are and how they are forced to harden themselves quickly in life. These man-kits are symbols of the prosperity of humans while the bakeneko and nekomata are left as paupers!” Angry caterwauls and jeers rose from the Moon Tribe. Gaping, the two boys ducked their heads and huddled closer together. Black Blood continued, “Tribe of the Moon! Are we weak?” “No!” came the outraged chorus. “Are we foolish?” she pressed. “No!” the cats yowled again. “Are we defeated?” her voice rose to a screech. “No!” they replied in a roar.
“Then we must show that we are strong, we are wily, and we are never defeated!” Black Blood cried. Her eyes flashed with a grim eagerness. “Eagle Talon will perform the ceremony, as retribution for those weeks he’d spent imprisoned by the ninja!” The dagger Talon had been twirling slowly between his fingers slipped. A clattering noise rang when it hit the ground at his feet. What? Dimly Eagle Talon wondered if he’d heard his sister correctly. The crowd was thundering in a roar of jubilation, cats yowling and shouting their approval. Many faces were turned toward him, baring teeth in savage smiles. Eagle Talon gaped at his tribe for a moment, then turned to face Black Blood. She was watching him with a dark, wry expression. Not quite as loudly as before, she added, “I’m sure you would not want to refuse, brother.” Her eyes gleamed. “After all, everything you’ve ever done, it’s been for the tribe, hasn’t it?” Talon’s mouth ran dry. It hit him: Black Blood had not forgiven him for resisting her and fighting back when she had attempted to end Cole. She saw it as him undermining her power, and this was her vengeance. She was testing his loyalty to his tribe versus his compassion. His heart pounded in his ears. If he refused to do this, there was no telling what Black Blood would do to him. He wasn’t sure if his status as her brother would do much in protecting him from her wrath. She was leaving him with no choice. “Bring Eagle Talon a sword!” Black Blood ordered. Within a few moments a nekomata padded out eagerly, bearing a clearstone sword in its teeth. Reluctantly, Talon took the sword and watched the big cat join the crowd again. He stood there for a couple moments, awkwardly gripping the hilt of the wide-bladed weapon. “What are you waiting for?” Black Blood hissed behind him. “Do your duty.” He swallowed dryly. His feet feeling heavy as boulders, Eagle Talon stepped up to the quivering children crouched on the ground. They stared up at him, eyes wide. The younger one’s eyes filled with tears, one already trailing down his cheek.
Talon was sure he had never felt so sick in his life. Yet he readjusted his grip on the sword. He closed his eyes. Just do it, he told himself. You did it to Matilda, you can do it to them. Do it quickly, for their sake. He opened his eyes—and nearly dropped the sword. The two little boys had changed their physical appearance entirely. The hair on both their heads was longer and darker, ink-black now. Their wide frightened eyes were now a bright green color. When Talon gazed down at the older one, he felt as if he were looking into some mirror of the past. The older one looked like a copy of Talon himself when he was a small child. An electric shock seemed to run down Talon’s body. He whipped his gaze down at the younger boy, and felt his heart skip a beat. The younger boy closely resembled Cole. He blinked. Once, twice. He looked again. Without a sound nor movement, the human boys had returned to how they looked before. For a split second Talon wondered if they too were shape-shifters, until he realized how ridiculous that was. Besides, if they were shape-shifters, why would they look so much like himself and Cole when they were children? His heart was hammering against his ribcage. He looked upon them again. The human boys remained huddled before him. The older one had his arms wrapped protectively around his little brother. His expression was terrified, but he stared back up at Talon, as if daring him to do what Black Blood had ordered him to. Like a thin ray of sunlight peeping through mist, it finally dawned on Eagle Talon. It wasn’t a trick. It was a vision—a vision induced by fear of the moment or from sleepless nights of dark dreams, he couldn’t say. Yet it was a vision of Eagle Talon and Cole as children—or, more specifically, what they’d needed to be. Reminders of the importance of family from Silver Mist ran through Talon’s mind, and he nearly choked.
*** Rantan joined Kaeden and Jukeni, gazing up in wonderment. “Did you know he could do that?” “No,” Kaeden responded faintly, still staring. “But, truth be told, I’m not all that surprised.” ***
I love seeing the other characters' reactions to the various abilities the ninja have. XD
![[derp]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/YqNTPqyQUocVMYXZgUAI.png)
