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Post by LordTigress on Feb 1, 2022 18:35:19 GMT
Rip Claw and the other two Moon Tribe warriors lunged for the Master of Lightning. She slashed her sword and sent one nekomata stumbling away with a screech. Dark spots appeared in the snow.
The two others knocked her down into a snowdrift. A bolt of pale lightning exploded and sent snow flying. While the nekomata were reeling, she staggered back up to her feet.
Growling, Rip Claw reared up on his hind legs and gestured with his forepaws. Pale shapes appeared in a bright green hue, materializing into a pair of knives.
His mother had her back to them. She was still trying to get out of the snowdrift.
“Look out—!” Jay cried, even though he knew she couldn’t hear him.
The green knives shot over the snow and plunged into her back. With a sputtering gasp, his mother fell face-first. She didn’t get up.
Just as suddenly as the silence had been broken, now the snowy plain fell silent once more.
Somehow, the feeling of horror in Jay was stifled by something—acceptance? Expectance? Of course he’d known the vision would be horrible. Yes, this really happened, this was why he’d never known his biological mother… so somehow, despite the horror of seeing how it happened, he’d known it had to be something like this. Perhaps the horror of this vision would haunt him later…
But not today.
He knew this trick. Rip Claw was trying to horrify him to the point of driving him to madness. It’d worked before—almost.
Jay swallowed back his grief. “Not today, buster!” Whipping out his nunchucks, he threw himself at the vision of Rip Claw standing over his mother’s body.
Yellow eyes stared back at him in shock, and the night and snow vanished.
Rip Claw and Jay hit the ground wrestling. Jay was aware of being back in the grassy plain. Claws scratched his face and arms, but he ignored the stings. Adrenaline coursed through his body, and with the speed of lightning he beat Rip Claw over the head with his nunchucks—bam, whack, bam.
Caterwauling, the shape-shifter transformed into a bakeneko and wriggled from Jay’s grasp. The dark gray cat darted up the hillside.
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 1, 2022 20:33:30 GMT
“Fight me, you coward!” Jay ran after him. He didn’t see the armies a hundred yards away, still fighting. He didn’t see Nya sprawled out in the grass behind him. He only saw the cat—that hideous animal that’d caused him so much torment all month.
Rip Claw stopped—the hilltop on this side was broken by a deep canyon. Sand from the desert encroached on the grass and choked it out here. The gap was too far to jump across.
He turned to the left, attempting to bypass the canyon to get to the army.
A lightning bolt struck the ground in front of him, exploding. Rip Claw, shifting back into his human form, staggered back, coughing. Jay lunged at him and brought him down again by the edge of the canyon. His nunchucks swung furiously. He could barely think through the adrenaline—it was intoxicating.
Suddenly his face was smashed into the grass and sand. He sputtered and tried to get up, but something was pinning him down. Claws sank into his arms and back. A guttural voice hissed by his ear, “Did you really think you could defeat me? Me? The greatest sorcerer in all Ninjago? I’m better than Black Blood, the sniveling kitten. She should fear me! I will prove to her that—!”
“You talk too much! Maybe it’s your turn for a nap!”
The weight on Jay’s back disappeared. Gasping, he twisted around to see Nya shoving herself into Rip Claw. Unbalanced, he teetered at the lip of the canyon.
Rip Claw tried to shift into his nekomata form and ended up looking half-man, half-cat. Gray ears poking out from his head and a feline muzzle protruding from his face, he snarled and attempted to bite Nya. She kept shoving him away. He was doing something with his hands—trying to conjure a spell?
“You little—!” His muzzle shot toward her arm.
Nya screamed. His teeth were in her arm. Writhing, she tried to break free from him.
Leaping to his feet, Jay yanked a sai out from his belt and ran toward Rip Claw. The sound of Nya’s scream made his vision go red. He could think of nothing else but protecting her.
His knife sank into something.
Rip Claw gasped, releasing Nya.
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 1, 2022 23:50:14 GMT
She stumbled away. Jay didn’t stop. The older man’s body went stiff beneath Jay’s grip.
Rip Claw stared at him. He opened his mouth and tried to say something, but only a weak wheeze came out. He looked at the object in his chest.
Jay leaned forward until he could smell the half-cat man’s breath. “This is for Nya,” he said through gritted teeth. “And for my mom.”
He yanked the knife out. Rip Claw stood there for a moment, teetering. He almost didn’t seem the dark spot spreading throughout his tunic.
His yellow eyes glazed over. Then, with a quiet groan, his body toppled over the edge of the canyon and disappeared. After a moment, a thud echoed briefly from the shadows. There was no other sound.
Jay stood there for a moment, shocked at what he’d done. The color dripping off his sai looked like some grim red flag.
“Jay…?”
“Are you OK?!” he gasped, whirling around.
Nya was standing now, holding her wounded arm to her side. She flashed him a weak smile that looked more like a grimace. “Could be worse. Might need some disinfectant, though.”
Jay pulled her into a tight hug. Shakily she murmured into his neck, “You were awesome, Jay.”
“That’s one less sorcerer we have to worry about.” He chuckled uneasily. “I guess Matilda’s mind-bending training was kinda useful, after all.”
* * *
Claws dug into Cole’s back. A heavy weight slammed him onto his belly, knocking the breath out of him.
Grunting, he focused upon a pile of boulders sitting nearby at the foot of the small sandy cliff. They rose up in the air and flew toward the werecat pinning him down. He heard a shocked “oof!” and the weight vanished.
Scrambling to his feet, he saw that his attacker had been knocked out cold. The boulders fell and lay still around the big cat.
Swinging his scythe, he braced himself for his next opponent. A quick survey told him, however, that at last the thick of the Moon Tribe army was drawing away from the grassy plain. The hordes of werecats were edging up the hill, back the way they came.
“We’re doing it,” he realized. “We’re beating them!”
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 3, 2022 14:53:25 GMT
“Don’t get arrogant yet!” Eagle Talon’s voice made him turn. His brother was in his nekomata body, fighting a ginger tom. “There’s still plenty of them to—!” His words were cut off when the ginger reared onto his hind legs and bit one of Talon’s ears. A feline screech shattered the air.
“Hang on, I’ve—!” Cole’s words trailed off when a silver arrow streaked by his head and sank into the ginger cat’s back. The enemy gasped, releasing Talon, and staggered a few steps away. He finally collapsed on the ground.
“Hey!” Cole cast a good-natured frown up at the rock Liana stood upon several yards away. “Stop showing off!”
She laughed. “Keep up, then!”
Eagle Talon transformed into his human body. His bleeding ear stood out against flesh, and he touched it tentatively. “Mouse dung. That was the one Liana had already hurt.”
A new voice interrupted them. “The battle’s not over yet!”
“We’re just taking a breather!” Cole retorted, exasperated. Lloyd ran into view, along with Little Leaf. They both looked scratched and bruised but otherwise all right.
“We can’t get lazy now,” Lloyd said. “We have to get these guys as far away from the city as possible!”
“All right, all right, we get it!” Cole turned to Liana. There were so few enemy warriors left on the plain, he knew she could take care of herself now. “Can you take the stragglers? We’re gonna drive the rest back into the desert.”
She grinned. “No problem.”
“I’ll come back for you.” He nodded to the others. “Let’s move.”
They left Liana at the foot of the hill and ran to the northwest. Jay, Nya, Zane, the werecat allies and policemen were driving the Moon Tribe army back toward the desert. As they ran, Little Leaf said to her brother, “I can do Spinjitzu! Did you know that?”
“I do now,” he responded dryly.
“Do you wanna learn it, too?”
“Not right now. How ‘bout after the battle?” He said to Lloyd, “You two can take this side. I’ll get into the middle and make them sorry they ever came.”
“I’ll join you,” Cole volunteered.
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 3, 2022 15:35:17 GMT
They separated; Lloyd and Little Leaf took one side, Cole and Eagle Talon the other. The brothers threw themselves into the fray. The faces of his adversaries flashed like blurry pictures by Cole’s vision. As he chucked werecats this way and that, he couldn’t stop grinning. They were winning.
* * *
Hot blood pounded into Black Blood’s ears. She glared furiously at the retreating army—her army. She could see the wounded werecats fleeing frantically from the ninja advancing on their tails.
“How is this happening?! We had the advantage! The element of surprise!” She turned to her fellow sorcerers, as if they were to blame for the unfavorable turn of events. “This should be our battle!”
“It was the traitors, I’m sure.” Broken Fang, standing in pale beige rags, glared at the plain. “They gave us away and prepared them.”
Black Blood seethed at the thought of them—Lightning Streak, Mist Rise, Spark Pelt, and all the rest. “Remind me to destroy them.” She swept her gaze over the sandy hilltop. “Why don’t you get down there and slow them down? And where in the ancestors is that mouse-brain Rip Claw?!”
“How should I know where my idiot littermate is?” Broken Fang hissed.
“I can’t fight,” Raven Frost whined. He was crouching nearby in his cat body, licking his wounds. “That confounded Son of Lightning—”
“Yes, we know, the Son of Lightning burned you. Deal with it,” Broken Fang sneered. “It’s your own fault for getting so arrogant and letting your guard down.”
“As if you’ve done anything to help!” The black and white-pelted tom snarled.
“That’s enough!” Black Blood’s voice stopped both of them. “Broken Fang, slow them down. Make them regret ever standing up against us.”
The old woman looked uncertainly down the hill. “Are you—? I mean… our warriors look very beaten, and from this position it will be hard for them to defend themselves. Perhaps it would be best if we retreat only until—”
Anger set Black Blood’s face on fire. “Retreat? Never! Not until I say so! Now get down there before I throw you down!”
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 3, 2022 16:39:08 GMT
Broken Fang nodded hastily and bounded down the hill. Raven Frost stared at her uncertainly. “Maybe it’s better to retreat for now… we’re losing warriors, and—”
“How remarkable, I can’t seem to remember the part where I asked for your uninformed opinion.” Black Blood slapped his face; his white muzzle was now streaked red. “Why don’t you go find something useful to do?”
Suppressing a baleful growl, Raven Frost got up and loped off.
Turning and striding to a sandy precipice, Black Blood closed her eyes and murmured a foreign incantation. Violet light shimmered between her clawed fingers. A dark shape materialized into a black longbow. A long arrow with a cruel, jagged arrowhead appeared as well, and she nocked it into the drawstring. New weapon in hand, she stepped up and surveyed the battlefield.
Indeed, the warrior cats were fleeing. Anger burned through her as she recognized Violet Swift and Loud Bird working together to claw and bite Black Ear. Quick Fin was being helped to her paws by Earth Flame while Mist Rise, Spark Pelt and Lightning Streak assisted the Son of Ice on the far side, chasing the stragglers. Little Leaf—to her sister’s disgust—was fighting side by side with the Son of the First using that despicable martial art, Spinjitzu. To her left two figures struggled in the thick of the crowd… two young men with dark hair—
Black Blood gritted her teeth. Cole and Eagle Talon. It was because of Talon’s betrayal that everything had begun falling apart. They’d had the upper hand! Then he had defied her in front of everyone, and that gave Lightning Streak and the others the gall to defy her as well…
Her eyes settled upon Cole. Bitterness soured her tongue when she thought of Eagle Talon, but the sight of her disgusting human half-brother made her feel sick with hatred. He represented everything she despised: the human race. The Sons and Daughters of the Elements. Her own heritage.
If you were gone, little brother, she thought, I’d never have to see your face again. It would be the perfect revenge against our father.
Drawing her arm back, she aimed down the hillside. The arrowhead hovered, pointed directly at Cole’s head.
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 3, 2022 17:35:53 GMT
I already took the Son of Fire. I can take the Son of Earth, too. Her fingers tightened around the longbow’s soot-black body. No more Sons or Daughters of Earth would be born. Your lineage will end while I will live forever and reign supreme.
Her heart beat so hard she felt it would jump out of her throat at any moment. Goodbye, Cole, little brother of mine.
* * *
“That’s right! Scurry back to your caves, kitty-cats!” Cole chortled, bruising another nekomata with his scythe. The cat yowled and limped away. Instinctively Cole tripped an oncoming warrior and summoned a Spinjitzu vortex to chuck him into the air. He was on a roll. At this point, nothing could stop him and his deadly scythe.
Eagle Talon fought nearby, taking down attackers with his claws protruding from human hands. As he clawed the face of a gray tabby female and sent her retreating with a shamed caterwaul, movement atop the hill caught his eye. In the midst of the roaring crowd, he risked a glance. What he saw made his blood run cold.
Black Blood stood upon a sandy precipice, a dark longbow in hand. A long arrow peered over the edge and was aimed down into the crowd. With a jolt Talon realized it was aimed straight for Cole.
“Cole! Look out!” he cried.
His brother didn’t appear to hear him. The screams and cries of the battle were too loud, like the constant growl of the sea. A nekomata and a werecat in its human form came at him at the same time. Cole fought them fiercely, scythe swinging.
Eagle Talon’s pulse pounded in his head. The faces and screams of friends and enemies around him faded away. All he could see was Black Blood and the arrow. “Cole!”
Cole didn’t hear him.
Talon had never run so hard in all his life. All sound drifted away from his head. He could hardly feel his feet flying over the grass.
“Cole!”
Black Blood’s white hand released the dark string.
Eagle Talon didn’t think. He was only aware of throwing himself in front of Cole and using one arm to shove him away. Something heavy and cold sank into his chest.
Cole did not see the arrow fly into Talon.
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 3, 2022 18:10:59 GMT
He did not hear the quiet gasp that whitened Talon’s lips.
He did not see his brother’s knees quiver before he staggered to the grass.
He only saw, after driving away the three warriors and turning around, a familiar shape lying on the ground. Cole hesitated, unsure of what he was looking at. Then he saw Black Blood standing on the hill.
And he saw Talon’s face. And the black arrow protruding like a hateful flag from his chest. And the small red blot that was only just beginning to stain his shirt.
“Talon!”
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 5, 2022 19:03:17 GMT
Chapter 104: Fallen
Arm drawn back to shoot, Liana stiffened. Cole? That scream… it sounded horrible…
Duty forgotten, she hopped off the rocks and raced across the plain. Is he wounded? Is Talon hurt? Maybe I can heal him again, maybe I can summon my powers—
The ground left her feet and hit her face. A great weight had rammed into her and now pinned her down. Claws dug painfully into her back as she struggled. She tried to shout.
“What’s the poor little dear doing out here all alone without a guide?” The familiar voice made her shudder. Raven Frost purred over her head, “Shameful of the Son of Earth, leaving his blind sweetheart out here by herself. I’m afraid I must take you into my custody, Daughter of No One.”
“I’m not a Daughter of No One!” Liana growled through gritted teeth. The claws pricked further into her skin, but she continued to wriggle. “And I’ll kick your butt!”
“In your dreams.” His voice seemed to grow soft and fade away, and Liana suddenly felt sleepy.
* * *
Time seemed to have stopped.
The longbow slipped from Black Blood’s hands and turned into black sand when it hit the ground. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t breathe. Her eyes could only watch the sight that made her once-hot blood now run cold as ice.
Her brother lay on the ground with the arrow sticking from his chest. His eyes were wide as he gasped for breath and wheezed. His fingers clutched helplessly at the grass, as if grabbing onto their green strands would save him.
“What have I done?” The words seemed to come from someone else. She could barely hear herself as she rasped between dry lips, “What have I done? What have I done?”
The muscles in her throat tightened, making it hard to breathe. Some part of her mind registered that it was not her own voice but Cole’s that had cried out in shock and grief. Unlike him, she stifled the scream in her chest.
She couldn’t take her eyes off him. Her brother… “Eagle Talon, not you,” she whispered, stumbling a few steps back. “Talon, Talon, no… not you, please… you were the only one…”
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 5, 2022 20:09:53 GMT
Some pragmatic part of herself reminded her of the battle. Tearing her gaze away from the scene of horror, she looked at the hordes of struggling cats. “Retreat! Fall back! Moon Tribe warriors, retreat!”
* * *
Cole knelt by Eagle Talon, pulling his head into his lap. “That’s right, just— breathe, yeah, just breathe. Everything’s gonna be OK.”
He was barely aware of the Moon Tribe warriors rushing past them. His focus was on Talon’s face—white, twisted with pain. A few strands of coal-black hair fell messily around his eyes. Cole’s gaze rested on the wound. The arrow was deep in his chest.
“Help!” he cried hoarsely. “Someone help!”
He nearly cried with relief when Ronin raced into view, no longer in his mech. His eye roved over the scene. “Wha—?”
“Get Master Wu, or Misako! Anyone who might be able to heal him!” Cole ordered. “Hurry!”
For once, Ronin did not argue. He ran, calling for help. At his calls Jay, Wolf Paw, Nya and Zane appeared. They all slowed when they saw Talon lying stretched out in the grass.
“Is he—?” Nya stammered.
“He’s gonna be fine. He just needs help, fast,” Cole rambled. “Wolf Paw—can Spark Pelt heal him?”
The freckle-faced girl shook her head, dark eyes wide. “No, I don’t think so. Only the sorcerers can heal in the tribe.”
“The sorcerers…” Nya repeated darkly.
“It’s gonna be OK,” Cole repeated. He didn’t know why he felt saying that over and over again would make him feel better. “Master Wu and Misako will come, and they’ll heal him with some special tea.”
“Cole.”
“We’ve just got to wait a few minutes and—”
“Cole.” Eagle Talon’s faint wheeze silenced him. He looked down to see his brother looking up at him wearily. “I don’t think there’s anything they can do.”
Panic threatened to seize Cole. “What— what’re you talking about? Of course there’s something they can do! It’s just a flesh wound! Yeah, they’re gonna come and get you all fixed up and—!”
Talon’s hand gripped his. “You’ll take care of Little Leaf, right? Promise me!”
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 5, 2022 23:31:12 GMT
“What? Of course I will!” Cole responded incredulously. “We’re all gonna— but you’ve got to stay, OK? Remember? You were gonna stay with us, get to know Dad better, we— Little Leaf was gonna teach you Spinjitzu, remember?”
“I remember.”
“Then stay!” His voice rose frantically. “I’ve always wanted a real brother! I didn’t get you back just to lose you again!”
“I think you did.” Talon coughed. Red specks appeared on his lips. “Black Blood. I wanted to tell her— that I haven’t given up on her.”
“Black Blood?” Anger flared at the mention of her name. “She’s the one who did this to you, man!”
Talon grimaced. “Yes. But she’s still our sister. Please—don’t give up on her, either. Pl—” He coughed again.
Cole held his head up with one hand gently. “I won’t give up on her,” he heard himself say. He felt barely aware of Jay, Nya, Zane, and Wolf Paw standing around them, stricken to silence.
Talons’ voice was fading, becoming softer. Cole had to lean in to hear him chuckle weakly. “Heh… I have no idea what’s waiting for me beyond. I don’t think my ancestors are too proud of me right now, betraying my tribe… helping the Sons and Daughters…” He seemed to find the thought funny and laughed—before it turned into another wheezing cough.
Cole forced a half-hearted smile. “For what it’s worth, you’ve also got some human ancestors. And I think they’re pretty proud of you right now.”
“Cole…” Eagle Talon’s body shuddered. His voice came out more strangled-sounding now, quieter. “I— I’m proud to call you… my brother.”
Cole’s voice caught in his throat. He couldn’t speak.
The wane smile on Eagle Talon’s face shrank. The light in his green eyes lost their glimmer as he closed them in a faint grimace. A final breath rattled through his lungs.
Then he fell still.
Cole didn’t know how long he knelt there, his brother’s head in his lap. When he at last moved, it was with trembling hands. He placed Eagle Talon’s head gently in the grass.
“I’m so sorry, Cole…” Nya whispered.
A single strangled sob broke from him. He covered his mouth, stifling the rest, though it made his throat burn. His vision swam.
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 6, 2022 0:20:02 GMT
Gone. Eagle Talon was gone. He was gone.
He didn’t notice the snow until the white flakes were catching onto his eyelashes. They came slowly and softly, as if the sky wished to grieve quietly.
He was unaware more people had arrived at the scene until he abruptly found himself being pulled to his feet and embraced by Wu. He got the impression his mentor was speaking to him, but his ears didn’t register the words being said. Nothing mattered at this point. It was too late. Nothing mattered.
It was only Little Leaf’s voice that jolted him from the muffled silence of his mind. “Talon!”
The young girl raced past the ninja and werecats, throwing herself by her half-brother’s side. “Talon, get up! It’s all right, we won! Get up, please!” Her voice sounded high-pitched. “Why isn’t he getting up?!”
Nya took Little Leaf and pulled her away. “He’s gone, Leaf. I’m sorry.”
“No! No, he can still be healed! He can’t be dead!” She began crying. “He was all I ever— he was my only family! Talon— Talon, please, come back!”
Misako appeared, and Nya passed the weeping girl to her. Misako hugged Little Leaf tightly and attempted to soothe her with gentle murmurs.
Gritting his teeth, Cole tried to block Little Leaf’s cries out of his head. His gaze remained fixed on Eagle Talon’s unmoving figure. He couldn’t see anything else. He couldn’t feel anything.
“Cole.” Wu shook his shoulder. “I know what you are feeling. Do not give in to the void. You will have time to grieve later. You still have a mission to complete.”
“What’s the point?” Cole rasped bleakly, not looking at his master. “We kept them from getting in the city, didn’t we?”
“Unless we go after them, they will return and try again. Black Blood may find the seventh moonstone and gain her nine lives. It is not over yet.”
Cole didn’t respond. He wished Wu would stop talking. Why do you have to keep talking about fighting the Moon Tribe? Can’t you just leave me alone?
Movement from Eagle Talon caught his eye. For a split second his hopes soared—was he still alive? Had he just passed out?
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 6, 2022 1:12:13 GMT
Talon’s body shrank, transforming into a feline form and growing brown and black tabby fur in place of the animal skin tunic and pants. Two tails stretched out behind the cat. His body lay sprawled out in a similar position as it had in its human shape. Yet he did not open his eyes.
“Wh— is he still alive?” Jay stammered.
For a second Little Leaf’s eyes popped up from Misako’s arms, staring hopefully at her brother. Then her face fell. “No. That’s just what all cats do when they pass away. They revert to the body they were born in.”
Cole’s gaze remained fixed upon the cat. It didn’t look like his brother. Now it was only a normal cat with two tails. A pair of pointed ears, a muzzle, paws, fur—just another animal. The black arrow fell out of the new body, turning to sand as soon as it touched the ground.
“Let me bury him first,” he said. “Then we’ll go after Black Blood.”
* * *
Lou’s face went deathly pale when Master Wu gave him the news. At first he refused to see the body, but when he heard Cole was burying Eagle Talon, he went and practically planted himself by his son’s side. While Wu, Misako, Nya and Zane helped the wounded to the Destiny’s Bounty to be taken to the hospital, Little Leaf, Jay, Lloyd and Lou stayed with Cole.
After choosing a spot on a hill that overlooked both Ninjago City to the west and the wild mountains to the east, Cole used his powers to dig a hole. Misako had wrapped the cat in a blanket. Cole now took the bundle and placed it gently in the grave. Then he stood up, hesitating.
“We’ll miss you, Talon,” Little Leaf whispered. She stood close by Lloyd, blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
Lloyd’s eyes fixed on Cole, he rested a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. “You were a brave guy,” he said quietly. “Maybe braver than any of us. When we first met, you were our enemy. Then you became our friend… and you’ll always be our friend.”
Mr. Brookstone’s voice rasped. “I— I wish… that’d we had— that we’d gotten more time… more time to know each other.”
Cole opened his mouth, but couldn’t speak. He didn’t know what to say.
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 6, 2022 1:59:56 GMT
“You’re not as bad as the others.” Jay’s voice surprised Cole. He hadn’t expected him to speak. “I mean— I thought you were, for a while. But I was wrong.” He dug his hands into his pockets. “I’m sorry it took this long for me to realize you were one of the good guys.”
Cole flashed a grateful look at his friend before turning his gaze back to the little bundle lying in the ground. His heart felt so heavy it was almost as if it was dragging his lungs down to the grass. Yet, somehow, he found the strength to speak.
“I’ll keep my promise. You’ll see.” His voice cracked. “I won’t give up. I’ll do everything I can to save your tribe. And Black Blood.”
Silence came with the snowflakes. They fell slowly, few in between, like one’s tears before the first sob. Already the bundle in the grave was sprinkled with white flakes.
Cole held out his hands and moved clumps of earth slowly, tentatively into the grave. He kept his eyes on the bundle until it was completely obscured by dirt. Once it was full, everyone collected large boulders scattered around the hill and stacked them securely over the grave, in case any wild animals came roaming about for food.
On this rock stack Cole took an object from his pocket: the bone knife and leather sheathe that Eagle Talon had always worn across his chest. He placed it tenderly on top of the grave, stacking one more boulder on the strap to keep it secure.
Everyone stood together in silence. Mr. Brookstone shifted by Little Leaf to put an arm around her shoulders. Jay ventured up to Cole. “We should go.”
“What?” Little Leaf looked anxiously between Lloyd and her father. “Can’t we—?”
“You don’t have to come, Little Leaf,” Lloyd responded gently. “But the rest of us have a job to do. We have to go after the Moon Tribe and finish this once and for all.”
She stared at him, then turned her bleak gaze back onto the grave. “I want to come with you.”
“You sure?” Mr. Brookstone said. “Maybe it’d be best if you and I stay here…”
She shook her head, resolute. “It’d be better than doing nothing.”
“Are you staying, Cole?” Lloyd turned to him.
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Post by LordTigress on Feb 6, 2022 6:25:01 GMT
Silence—then Cole sighed and turned his back on the grave. “No. I’m coming with you. We’ve got a job to do.”
His mind began to return to the present as he, Jay and Lloyd walked down the hill toward the Destiny’s Bounty. Suddenly he stopped walking. “Where’s Liana?”
Jay and Lloyd exchanged a glance. “I thought she was with Wu and the others, helping the wounded,” Jay said.
“Oh.” Cole felt a flash of hurt. Surely she’d heard of Talon’s death? She’d had plenty of time to come with them for the burial. Unless she’d been wounded and couldn’t come…?
In turning to look at Cole, Jay faced the east, where the battle had taken place. He stiffened, looking past his friend. “Hey. What’s that?”
A spot of silver stood out against the green plain fifty yards away. It looked familiar…
His once-listless heart started beating again, and not in a good way. Cole took off at a run.
“Cole!”
He slowed, nearing the object. A quiver, carrying only a couple of arrows, lay abandoned. Cyrus Borg’s symbol stood out on the slender body. Nearly lay an archer’s bow with a smilier design. It had been broken in half.
Cole didn’t know he was trembling until his knees hit the ground. He picked up the quiver.
A single red smear stood out against the silver metal.
“Liana…” Rage swept away the grief, and Cole came back to life.
“I’m gonna kill them.”
* * *
The world faded from Black Blood—enough that her warriors’ voices sounded distant and the landscape was a blur, but not so much that she couldn’t give orders. Such as telling Broken Fang to quit crying about her dead brother. Telling Raven Frost she didn’t care if he’d captured Liana. Telling her warriors to leave the dead and wounded behind. Ignoring the mournful and rebellious whispers. Telling Broken Fang to commence the transportation spell that took the entire army back to the eastern mountain territory—back home.
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