The three of them searched and clicked on the keyboard for a while more before Zane sighed through his mechanical throat. “We are getting nowhere.” He looked at the others. “Sensei is right; we ought to get some sleep. We can bed down in our old rooms on the Bounty.” Nya and Jay exchanged a glance, and both noted the dark circles under the other’s eyes and their exhausted gazes. “I guess you’re right.” Nya mumbled reluctantly. Jay stepped over to her and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Come on,” He murmured. “We can—” He suddenly stopped and stiffened, and Nya saw that his eyes were trailing across the desk of the computer and under it. She glanced under, curious, and saw a dark figure stir. “Wha—? Whiskers!” Laughingly she pulled the brown tabby out from under the desk and set her down on top. “You stowaway! You snuck onto the Bounty when we were leaving, didn’t you? Sneaky thing.” Whiskers gave the girl a dark, disdainful look, but allowed herself to be rubbed behind the ears. The cat’s almond-brown eyes narrowed to slits as she savored the attention, and she began to purr softly. Nya smiled while Jay gave the cat an odd look, one that Zane might have noticed had he not been watching the skinny tabby intently. “Nya. . .” Zane said slowly. “Did we not recognize some of the opposing cat-creatures that attacked us as a few normal cats we had seen weeks earlier? For example, the stray at Mister Chen’s that we realized was one of the monsters?” “Yeah. . .?” Nya looked at him quizzically.
Zane’s tone grew very serious. “How can we know that Whiskers is not one of them? Obviously we have seen the creatures disguise themselves as innocent stray cats.” Nya’s stroke stopped as she and Jay stared at the nindroid. The Water ninja’s eyes were wide with realization. “You don’t mean. . . All this time, she might be. . .?!” Slowly, cautiously, Zane, Jay, and Nya turned to look at the skinny brown cat sitting on the desk before them, watching them with unblinking eyes. The cat stared back at the ninja, suddenly quite still. There was a long moment of tense silence. Then Whiskers opened her mouth and said with an edge of sarcasm. “Oh, sure. Blame the cat.”
Cole gritted his teeth and clenched his knees as he sat bare-backed on the crate and the medicine burned and fizzed in his wide wounds. “Mmmmph. . . ! Is it supposed to do that?” “Yup. Quit whining, you big baby, this stuff is helping you.” Nya responded teasingly as she got out a couple of cotton pads and dabbed at the fizzing white scratches on his back. They fell into a moment of quiet as she tended gently to his wounds. Cole then sighed. “I’m sorry I blew up at Jay.” “You should tell him that, not me.” She continued wiping up the dripping medicine and leftover gore. “Cole. . . Why didn’t you tell us about your friends? . . . About Philip passing away?” Cole stiffened. “I’d rather not talk about it.” “Did you think we wouldn’t understand?” “I’d rather not talk about it.” “Did you think you’d be able to handle it by yourself?” “I’d rather not talk about it.” “Were you just scared?” “What part of ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ do you not understand, water lily?!” Cole snapped. Nya, unperturbed by his attitude, leaned over so she could see his face. He looked away when she pressed gently. “You could have at least told me. We’re friends, aren’t we?” “Of course we are.” He muttered. “I just—” He sighed. “I didn’t want to make you worry. And, Philip was smashed months ago. I didn’t think it would affect anything.” Nya gazed at him for a moment longer, then pulled out the bandages. “I’m sorry he passed. He must have been a good friend.” There was a long moment of silence as she unwrapped the linen bandages, waiting for a response. Finally Cole murmured. “Thanks.” Nya began applying the bandages to the bright-red injuries. “So. . . You know Liana because she’s Philip’s sister?” “Yeah. We traveled together before I met Sensei Wu. Ah!” He grunted when she accidentally bumped one of the scratches in an attempt to wrap a bandage around his chest. “Sorry.” She apologized, then said carefully. “She seems very independent.”
I feel for Cole when no one listens to him when he doesn't want to talk about it.
“What do you expect? She lost her parents when she was, like, fifteen, and then lost her big brother a few years later. She lives with relatives she only met recently, and everyone looks down on her because she’s blind. She’s learned to look out for herself since she was young.” Nya hesitated before asking. “How did she. . . lose her sight?” Cole gazed off thoughtfully. “It’s been a while since I heard the story, but I think a wolf or something attacked her when she was just a toddler. It clawed out her eyesight and scarred her for life.” “Poor thing.” She breathed, then quickly added. “Not that she’s helpless or anything.” “MMPH! Not so tight!” “Sorry.” She murmured as she adjusted the bandages so that their grip wasn’t quite so uncomfortable. “Sit up now; I need to get the ones on your chest.” Those in particular were the cruelest injuries, and judging by the red color of the skin around the cuts those should probably have been tended to first. “No, that’s OK, I can do that myself.” Cole muttered as he took the medicine, cotton pads, and bandages from her hands. He looked up and gave a soft smile. “Thank you, though.” She nodded warmly. “Just following orders. I’ll go see what the others are up to.” With that she turned and exited the room, leaving Cole sitting alone on the crate to tend to his throbbing injuries. Nya walked back down the corridor and to the central area, where Zane and Jay were staring at the computers screens. “Any luck?” She called. “Nothing. Sensei Wu’s sleeping.” Jay responded, eyes still on the screen as he scrolled. “I have nothing to report from my falcon. There is still no sign of Lloyd.” Zane murmured as he clicked on the keyboard. “Could he be around the Mamasan settlements? Or the Yokai mountain ranges?” Nya stepped up between the two. “I have checked in both places. I am wondering, though, if he could have fallen into the Autumn River, the one that runs down from the northern mountains.” Zane suggested. “But that goes on for hundreds of miles! He could be anywhere.” Nya said as her eyes scanned the screen.
Yokai mountains?
Poor Liana . . . did we know that was what happened?
The three of them searched and clicked on the keyboard for a while more before Zane sighed through his mechanical throat. “We are getting nowhere.” He looked at the others. “Sensei is right; we ought to get some sleep. We can bed down in our old rooms on the Bounty.” Nya and Jay exchanged a glance, and both noted the dark circles under the other’s eyes and their exhausted gazes. “I guess you’re right.” Nya mumbled reluctantly. Jay stepped over to her and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Come on,” He murmured. “We can—” He suddenly stopped and stiffened, and Nya saw that his eyes were trailing across the desk of the computer and under it. She glanced under, curious, and saw a dark figure stir. “Wha—? Whiskers!” Laughingly she pulled the brown tabby out from under the desk and set her down on top. “You stowaway! You snuck onto the Bounty when we were leaving, didn’t you? Sneaky thing.” Whiskers gave the girl a dark, disdainful look, but allowed herself to be rubbed behind the ears. The cat’s almond-brown eyes narrowed to slits as she savored the attention, and she began to purr softly. Nya smiled while Jay gave the cat an odd look, one that Zane might have noticed had he not been watching the skinny tabby intently. “Nya. . .” Zane said slowly. “Did we not recognize some of the opposing cat-creatures that attacked us as a few normal cats we had seen weeks earlier? For example, the stray at Mister Chen’s that we realized was one of the monsters?” “Yeah. . .?” Nya looked at him quizzically.
Zane’s tone grew very serious. “How can we know that Whiskers is not one of them? Obviously we have seen the creatures disguise themselves as innocent stray cats.” Nya’s stroke stopped as she and Jay stared at the nindroid. The Water ninja’s eyes were wide with realization. “You don’t mean. . . All this time, she might be. . .?!” Slowly, cautiously, Zane, Jay, and Nya turned to look at the skinny brown cat sitting on the desk before them, watching them with unblinking eyes. The cat stared back at the ninja, suddenly quite still. There was a long moment of tense silence. Then Whiskers opened her mouth and said with an edge of sarcasm. “Oh, sure. Blame the cat.”
I've got the kitten circled in green so you can see him better. ( We don't actually know the gender yet, but it looks like it's father, so we're thinking it's male. ) Also there's Streak, see how big her tummy is ( circled in orange. ). And thanks, she hasn't had them yet but could literally any day now. ( I guess I could tell if I don't go into detail to much. Two died of the cold and we think the other three were killed by our dog because of how we found them... )
Wow, he's so cute!
I can't tell the difference between the orange and green.
The other kittens were warm, but they'd sometimes fall out of the box and get cold. If not put back in with the others they'd freeze. And even though we protected most of them from the cold for the most part with a heat lamp, that didn't stop our dog ( we think ) from going after them.
Oh dear, I see. . . .
I hope you'll be able to keep the dog away from Streak's kittens.
I've got the kitten circled in green so you can see him better. ( We don't actually know the gender yet, but it looks like it's father, so we're thinking it's male. ) Also there's Streak, see how big her tummy is ( circled in orange. ). And thanks, she hasn't had them yet but could literally any day now. ( I guess I could tell if I don't go into detail to much. Two died of the cold and we think the other three were killed by our dog because of how we found them... )
OOIIIIII, sweet baby!! Have you decided on a name yet? Oh, that soon!? Wow! That's happy news! Are you planning to keep the kittens? (I'm so sorry. That's awful. I really hope your little warrior and Streak's kits will have a brighter future.)
No name yet, he ( or she I guess) will get a name when we decide which person in our family will own it. Yeah. Streak still hasn't had them yet though. My dad looked into the box she's been hanging out in and asked how she was doing and Streak shook her head as if to say " No kittens yet. " and then my dad came in and told me my cat knows English because she understood him, and I'm like "I know, she's smart. " because this is by no means the first time she's acted this smart. ( Thanks, me too. )
)
![[uni]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/mPKcREJAtrpeAXSOgaOH.png)
Have you decided on a name yet? Oh, that soon!? Wow! That's happy news!