Lazy? LAZY? You are talking to a girl who has to get up at 8:30, compared to 9 or 10, maybe 11, on a Saturday to go to play practice for 7 hours of my day (10-4), and I will be trying to dance during the whole time. (I really stink at dancing. I'm tempted to ask if I can some one-on-one time with our instructor at some point. )
Wu turned to Zane and said. “Could you send out your falcon to search for Lloyd? We must know what happened to him.” Zane nodded. “Of course.” He raised his arm and clicked a button under a hidden panel. After a moment, a lithe, titanium falcon swooped down from the dark sky and landed gracefully on the nindroid’s outstretched arm. The silver-colored metal body of the bird matched that of his master’s, save for the white gi Zane wore. He matched the falcon’s ice-blue, electronic gaze and said. “Find Lloyd, my friend. He could be in trouble. Hurry.” With that, he held his arm up higher, the the falcon flapped its metal wings and hopped off. With a cry that echoed throughout the sky, the bird took flight and disappeared into the night, leaving the group standing there. “Nya,” Wu called up to the figure at the helm, who had been watching. “How much longer until we reach the cave?” “We should be there by dawn, Sensei.” Nya answered. “Soon, then.” He faced the bow and pointed forward with his staff. “Look. The sun is rising.”
{JAMMERS! -ninjagofanmam- ONLY!} I think sometime -- most likely once I've finished up with this story or at least a little while from now -- I ought to post "Runaway" here. Jon liked the idea. What do you think?
A little brown robin hopped about on a branch of an elderly oak tree, the green leaves wet with morning dew. It tilted its little head and cast its beady black gaze down the wide river gurgling smoothly down the forest, hundreds of trees lining the bank. The sky above was clear, save for a few puffy white clouds scattered high above. The water reflected the rays of the sun, golden lights bouncing off the little waves. The bird cocked its head, flicked its tail—and promptly relieved itself. With a chipper chirp, it flapped its wings and took to the sky. The waste dropped beside a figure lying by the bank of the river, and an audible “plop” was heard. The figure’s green gi mixed in with the color of the wet grass, though mud from the bank stained his knees, legs, and sleeves. After a minute of the silence of the woods, the figure stirred. Lloyd blinked blearily, trying to figure out where he was. He shifted, then forced himself to stand up. He groaned and rubbed his back, surveying his surroundings. Mud streaked across his uniform and face where he had fallen asleep in the mud. He looked quite battered, and with his disheveled hair, mud-stained clothes, and bruised face, he was a rather frightening—and at the same time, pitiful—sight to behold. His gaze drifted across the river, and he recalled what had happened last night. One of the cats had pushed him off the Destiny’s Bounty, and he had tried to summon his elemental dragon. For a second he did, which helped ease the fall, but he was so uncertain and scared that the dragon dissolved, leaving him to fall into the river. For a little while the current had carried him downriver, but he had mustered the last of his strength and clambered wearily up the muddy bank. Utterly exhausted, he simply lay down on the ground and fell asleep.
Now Lloyd had no idea where he was, where the Bounty was, where his friends were. . . Nor his enemies, for that matter. With a shiver he glanced into the trees, trying to see beyond the countless trunks standing in the noonday shadows. Were there creatures disguised as innocent feral cats hiding beneath the undergrowth? up in the branches overhead? Were they watching him? He forced himself to shake off the spooky feeling. If there were enemies hiding in the forest, he’d be ready for them. He had no idea what those creatures wanted, but either way he was starting to get tired of being attacked by them. Lloyd sighed and ran a hand through his golden-blond hair. He needed to find a way back to civilization, and he needed to find his team. What was left of them, anyway. He began walking through the trees, hoping he could come across a village, or a sign leading to one, or something. He stepped into the shade of the forest and drifted by the trunks, wandering through the undergrowth. Birds hiding in the treetops chirped and sang cheerily, uncaring of the lone figure walking by quietly. He rolled his sore shoulder muscles and realized that he had lost his katana. If someone attacked him, he would be virtually defenseless. Still, he had Spinjitzu and classic hand-to-hand fighting skills, so the situation wasn’t hopeless. Just. . . bleak. Lloyd wandered blearily through the woods, searching, waiting for a sign of civilization. He had no idea where he was, even though he climbed several tall trees and peeked over the branches to look for smoke or the tips of buildings. No such luck. Nothing but endless forest stretched out for miles in every direction, save for the river winding its way through the land. He decided to follow that upriver, in case he came across a fishing settlement. As he made his way up the bank among the trees, the water beside him slowly grew stormier; the gurgle grew to a deep growl, white-capped waves began to appear and splash wildly against the dark boulders protruding the surface.
Lazy? LAZY? You are talking to a girl who has to get up at 8:30, compared to 9 or 10, maybe 11, on a Saturday to go to play practice for 7 hours of my day (10-4), and I will be trying to dance during the whole time. (I really stink at dancing. I'm tempted to ask if I can some one-on-one time with our instructor at some point. )
So you still think I'm lazy?
Pfft. I get up at seven.
Lucky you guys. I get up at 5am on Sun, Tues, and Thurs and 4am on Mon, Wed, and Fri.
Now Lloyd had no idea where he was, where the Bounty was, where his friends were. . . Nor his enemies, for that matter. With a shiver he glanced into the trees, trying to see beyond the countless trunks standing in the noonday shadows. Were there creatures disguised as innocent feral cats hiding beneath the undergrowth? up in the branches overhead? Were they watching him? He forced himself to shake off the spooky feeling. If there were enemies hiding in the forest, he’d be ready for them. He had no idea what those creatures wanted, but either way he was starting to get tired of being attacked by them. Lloyd sighed and ran a hand through his golden-blond hair. He needed to find a way back to civilization, and he needed to find his team. What was left of them, anyway. He began walking through the trees, hoping he could come across a village, or a sign leading to one, or something. He stepped into the shade of the forest and drifted by the trunks, wandering through the undergrowth. Birds hiding in the treetops chirped and sang cheerily, uncaring of the lone figure walking by quietly. He rolled his sore shoulder muscles and realized that he had lost his katana. If someone attacked him, he would be virtually defenseless. Still, he had Spinjitzu and classic hand-to-hand fighting skills, so the situation wasn’t hopeless. Just. . . bleak. Lloyd wandered blearily through the woods, searching, waiting for a sign of civilization. He had no idea where he was, even though he climbed several tall trees and peeked over the branches to look for smoke or the tips of buildings. No such luck. Nothing but endless forest stretched out for miles in every direction, save for the river winding its way through the land. He decided to follow that upriver, in case he came across a fishing settlement. As he made his way up the bank among the trees, the water beside him slowly grew stormier; the gurgle grew to a deep growl, white-capped waves began to appear and splash wildly against the dark boulders protruding the surface.
He walked along silently, and as the lonely hours passed, the sun grew higher and higher in the sky. Once in a while he would glance up and try to guess how much time had passed, judging on where the sun was. As it rose, he figured out that he was heading in a general western direction. Long hours passed by slowly, and hunger began to gnaw at his stomach. He glanced into the bushes for any sign of food, but all he ever saw were a clump of spiky hedges holding bright red berries, and he felt that red probably wasn’t the best color to be eating. The sun was high up in the center of the sky when Lloyd first heard the cries. The river was splashing and rushing rather loudly, so at first he thought he was hearing things, or that it was some bird. When he drifted a few feet away from the river, though, he heard it again. He ducked into the forest and left the river behind, though he could still hear its constant roar. Golden sunlight was filtering through the canopy of leaves in soft rays, warming Lloyd as he walked through them. He paused and listened. There was a minute of silence, save for the rush of the river behind him and the song of a couple of birds hidden in the trees. Then, just as he was about to turn back, he heard it again. He froze in place. It sounded like some sort of young animal. He listened, and then it repeated. Whatever that creature was, it sounded as if it was in trouble. He hesitated, then began pushing his way through the undergrowth, heading toward the source of the noise. He wasn’t sure why, but he’d always had a special sympathy toward animals. The incident involving the baby bird many months back, when he and his father had been heading toward Hiroshi’s Labyrinth to escape the Overlord, was a good example of his feelings for helpless animals. He wasn’t sure, but perhaps he had that compassion for the little beings because he had once felt as helpless and lonely as they, back when he was a parentless child. Whatever the reason, he found himself shoving his way through the undergrowth in search of the cries.
*** Cole hesitated, then dashed over to Liana, punching one cat in the jaw as he pushed his way through the skirmish. He grabbed her arm and urged her to the ship, knowing that being blind, she would need some help. “This way; you’ve got to climb up this chain!”
Respite! For now. . . .
OK, half-time, everyone! We're back on in ten minutes!
*** Before he could ask if she was all right, Lloyd cried out. “The cats are on the ship!!” Cole whipped around to see Lloyd wrestling desperately on the deck with the smoky gray tom, while Wu and Jay fought against a lithe white feline and Zane shot ice at a muscular tortoiseshell. The cat dodged the nindroid’s shot and lunged for him, knocking him over to the ground.
I guess no respite.
These cats just aren't giving the ninja a break, are they?
![[heart]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/SynFAxjClulYuSIRbDRN.png)
I'd really love reading it again.
Sig by Sam
