{More Roots of Earth talk} I wouldn't blame him, Cole's life is pretty interesting. And hey, if you have to spy on a human, might as well be one with an interesting life, right?
Matilda motioned at Cole to follow her. As quietly and as stealthy as a cat, she slipped between boulders and over rocks, her footsteps soft and light. He did his best to be as quiet as possible, and he did well, for years of dance lessons had taught him to be nimble. Like ninjas they crept uphill and over a valley, following the sound of the cries. Flitting about the rolling landscape, they eventually tracked the noise up a steep, mossy hill, and soundlessly climbed up. Close beside one another they reached the tip of the hill and peered cautiously over the edge.
A gang of six or seven ragged-looking men were on horseback, adorned in weapons glistening in the dim light. They were shouting and jeering to one another, kicking their snorting horses viciously and yanking on the reins. The horses pawed the muddy ground and pranced about, surrounding two silhouettes cowering before them. Because of the dark night and the moonless sky it was hard to make out the figures, but what Cole could tell from up on the hill was that the men whooping and shouting on horseback were most likely mountain bandits, while the other two looked to be teenagers, people around his age. One was a dark, curly-haired man, while the other was a silver-haired girl.
Whilst the bandits surrounded them with excited shouts, the boy did everything he could to shelter the girl, though she looked no older than he was. They spun around in circles, trying to see their attackers all at once while clinging to their packs. They both looked very, very scared.
A broad man with a thick beard on a chestnut bay shouted. "We got 'em, boss! They're ours!"
A tall, cloaked figure on a deep black, snorting stallion ordered. "Search them!"
The dark-haired youth cried furiously. "Don't you lay a hand on my sister!"
"Relax, kid," A man jeered. "We won't hurt your sister...much."
"Let us go! We have no money or jewels!" The silver-haired girl cried.
The curly-haired teen drew out a narrow dagger from his belt and pulled the girl close to him. "Let us go, you dogs!"
One man snarled and knocked down the buy with the end of his rifle. With uneasy snorts, his horse side-stepped the staggering youth, while his sister supported him on her tiny shoulders. Several bandits hopped off their horses, brandishing rifles and knives while jostling the two victims in search of valuables.
"What should we do?" Cole whispered to Matilda.
"Surrender, that's what!" A harsh, male voice jeered. Cole whipped around and saw a fat bandit adorned in a dirty overcoat cocking a rifle at him. Two other men holding curved swords glared maliciously at them.
With a shout, Cole grabbed the man's gun and whacked him upside the head with it. As Fatty groaned, one man lunged for Cole while the other went for Matilda. The bandit and Cole fell sprawling on the mossy ground, rolling about kicking, punching, and slashing. Meanwhile Matilda cried out something unintelligible, and there was an explosion of light. Cole felt something rip at his chest, but he paid no attention to it. Heart pounding, he struggled to bring down his opponent, but his sore arm proved to be his downfall. The gangster gripped his arm and twisted it ferociously, drawing a strangled cry of pain from Cole. Something hard hit his head, making his mind throb and dull while his eyes swam.
The bandit swiftly thrust Cole's face into the ground, gripped his arms, and bound them behind his back. He was faced away from Matilda's struggle, but he did hear Fatty sneer. "Gotcha now, didn't we, you old hag?" Somewhere in the background the man Matilda had attacked groaned.
The two were forced down the hill by the bandits and jostled into the circle of jeering villains. They were shoved onto their knees into the mud, right next to the other captives. Cole glared furiously at the gang, wishing his sore arm hadn't hindered him. The cloaked man on the dark horse stepped forward.
Matilda motioned at Cole to follow her. As quietly and as stealthy as a cat, she slipped between boulders and over rocks, her footsteps soft and light. He did his best to be as quiet as possible, and he did well, for years of dance lessons had taught him to be nimble. Like ninjas they crept uphill and over a valley, following the sound of the cries. Flitting about the rolling landscape, they eventually tracked the noise up a steep, mossy hill, and soundlessly climbed up. Close beside one another they reached the tip of the hill and peered cautiously over the edge.
A gang of six or seven ragged-looking men were on horseback, adorned in weapons glistening in the dim light. They were shouting and jeering to one another, kicking their snorting horses viciously and yanking on the reins. The horses pawed the muddy ground and pranced about, surrounding two silhouettes cowering before them. Because of the dark night and the moonless sky it was hard to make out the figures, but what Cole could tell from up on the hill was that the men whooping and shouting on horseback were most likely mountain bandits, while the other two looked to be teenagers, people around his age. One was a dark, curly-haired man, while the other was a silver-haired girl.
Whilst the bandits surrounded them with excited shouts, the boy did everything he could to shelter the girl, though she looked no older than he was. They spun around in circles, trying to see their attackers all at once while clinging to their packs. They both looked very, very scared.
A broad man with a thick beard on a chestnut bay shouted. "We got 'em, boss! They're ours!"
A tall, cloaked figure on a deep black, snorting stallion ordered. "Search them!"
The dark-haired youth cried furiously. "Don't you lay a hand on my sister!"
"Relax, kid," A man jeered. "We won't hurt your sister...much."
"Let us go! We have no money or jewels!" The silver-haired girl cried.
"You're not going anywhere." The leader sneered.
I don't know if I would've made the CONnection of who these people are if I hadn't had to read ninjagofanman's jammer whilst modding.
Matilda motioned at Cole to follow her. As quietly and as stealthy as a cat, she slipped between boulders and over rocks, her footsteps soft and light. He did his best to be as quiet as possible, and he did well, for years of dance lessons had taught him to be nimble. Like ninjas they crept uphill and over a valley, following the sound of the cries. Flitting about the rolling landscape, they eventually tracked the noise up a steep, mossy hill, and soundlessly climbed up. Close beside one another they reached the tip of the hill and peered cautiously over the edge.
A gang of six or seven ragged-looking men were on horseback, adorned in weapons glistening in the dim light. They were shouting and jeering to one another, kicking their snorting horses viciously and yanking on the reins. The horses pawed the muddy ground and pranced about, surrounding two silhouettes cowering before them. Because of the dark night and the moonless sky it was hard to make out the figures, but what Cole could tell from up on the hill was that the men whooping and shouting on horseback were most likely mountain bandits, while the other two looked to be teenagers, people around his age. One was a dark, curly-haired man, while the other was a silver-haired girl.
Whilst the bandits surrounded them with excited shouts, the boy did everything he could to shelter the girl, though she looked no older than he was. They spun around in circles, trying to see their attackers all at once while clinging to their packs. They both looked very, very scared.
A broad man with a thick beard on a chestnut bay shouted. "We got 'em, boss! They're ours!"
A tall, cloaked figure on a deep black, snorting stallion ordered. "Search them!"
The dark-haired youth cried furiously. "Don't you lay a hand on my sister!"
"Relax, kid," A man jeered. "We won't hurt your sister...much."
"Let us go! We have no money or jewels!" The silver-haired girl cried.
"You're not going anywhere." The leader sneered.
I don't know if I would've made the CONnection of who these people are if I hadn't had to read ninjagofanmam's jammer whilst modding.
"Well, well, well..." The leader threw back his hood, revealing a hook-nosed, thin-faced man. He was clean-shaven, had sharp cheekbones, and a thin mouth accustomed to sneering. His smooth hair was as black as the cloak he wore and the stallion he rode. "...What do we have here?"
"These snoopers were spying on us o'er there, boss." One man grunted, and jabbed Cole's shoulder roughly. "Look at that hag! Don' she look like a witch to you?"
"Indeed." The leader's lip curled. "Search them."
Several men shoved and jostled Cole, sticking their fingers into his pockets and slipping their hands into the folds of his cloak. Matilda faced similar treatment, while the two teenagers watched with rigid expressions and wide eyes. The bandits took Cole's dagger away, rummaged through his backpack, messed around with his headphones, but otherwise found nothing of value.
The bearded man snatched Matilda's carpet bag away from her and opened it, chuckling with satisfaction to himself. But when he opened it, he suddenly looked confused.
"What's in it, Harvey?" The leader called out.
"Well, that's the thing, boss...There's noth'in in it!" Harvey waved the bag in the air. "It's blooming empty!"
Cole blinked in confusion. Nothing in it? But there were loads of things in there! Camping equipment, medicine, books, cooking items, food, you name it! He knew Matilda hadn't emptied the bag or anything...So why wasn't there anything inside?
"An' lookie what I found!" Fatty took something small and thin from Matilda's belt, while she cast him a furious glare.
"Dude, that's just a stick." One of the younger gangsters said.
"Give it here." The leader said. While Harvey proudly handed over the stick, Matilda hissed angrily. The dark-clothed leader held his horse in place and inspected the stick, twirling it in his fingers. He furrowed his eyebrows, then glanced at Matilda, and suddenly looked satisfied. "I believe..." He smiled. "...That this is the magic wand of a witch."
Matilda glared fiercely at the lead bandit sneering down on her, and yet, was silent. Cole thought frantically about what he should do. Before he could conjure a plan, though, the fat man grabbed at the witch's belt and snatched a small cloth sack before she could resist. Two men grabbed her arms and pinned them on her back while she hissed furiously. "Don't you eat those, boy, I went through a lot of trouble getting those!"
One man jabbed the end of his rifle at her head, silencing her with an unpleasant crack. "Shut it, witch!"
Cole felt an unexpected rush of hatred. "Keep your hands off her, you thieving, slimy, no-good--!" A crack to the skull brought tears to his eyes and made his vision swim.
Fatty opened the sack and dropped a handful of bright red berries onto his palm. Cole, with his head still throbbing, suppressed a gasp when he realized what kind of berries the man was staring greedily at; Yew berries.
"Mm.." With a satisfied chuckle, Fatty tossed a few of the red berries into his mouth, and chewed gleefully. "Mm, they're sweet!" He sneered at Matilda. "Bet'cha wish you could have some of these, huh, you old hag?"
"Hey, let me have some!" The youngest bandit grabbed a few berries and tossed them into his mouth. "Not bad," He mumbled with a full mouth. "Kinda bland-tasting, but not bad!"
"OK, let me have one!" Harvey then popped some into his mouth. Two more bandits insisted on their share. While the gangsters chewed and chuckled about stealing a witch's treat from her, Cole watched with a mixture of amusement and horror. Matilda's expression was rigid, her eyes watching the crew with a cold indifference.
The leader rolled his eyes. "If you've quite finished eating your candy, we have a witch to annihilate."
The eyes of the gang brightened maliciously. Men began to draw their swords and finger their guns.
Matilda stood still when the leader hopped off his horse and stepped toward her, brandishing a long katana with a bright red hilt
Matilda glared fiercely at the lead bandit sneering down on her, and yet, was silent. Cole thought frantically about what he should do. Before he could conjure a plan, though, the fat man grabbed at the witch's belt and snatched a small cloth sack before she could resist. Two men grabbed her arms and pinned them on her back while she hissed furiously. "Don't you eat those, boy, I went through a lot of trouble getting those!"
One man jabbed the end of his rifle at her head, silencing her with an unpleasant crack. "Shut it, witch!"
Cole felt an unexpected rush of hatred. "Keep your hands off her, you thieving, slimy, no-good--!" A crack to the skull brought tears to his eyes and made his vision swim.
Fatty opened the sack and dropped a handful of bright red berries onto his palm. Cole, with his head still throbbing, suppressed a gasp when he realized what kind of berries the man was staring greedily at; Yew berries.
"Mm.." With a satisfied chuckle, Fatty tossed a few of the red berries into his mouth, and chewed gleefully. "Mm, they're sweet!" He sneered at Matilda. "Bet'cha wish you could have some of these, huh, you old hag?"
"Hey, let me have some!" The youngest bandit grabbed a few berries and tossed them into his mouth. "Not bad," He mumbled with a full mouth. "Kinda bland-tasting, but not bad!"
"OK, let me have one!" Harvey then popped some into his mouth. Two more bandits insisted on their share. While the gangsters chewed and chuckled about stealing a witch's treat from her, Cole watched with a mixture of amusement and horror. Matilda's expression was rigid, her eyes watching the crew with a cold indifference.
The leader rolled his eyes. "If you've quite finished eating your candy, we have a witch to annihilate."
The eyes of the gang brightened maliciously. Men began to draw their swords and finger their guns.
Matilda stood still when the leader hopped off his horse and stepped toward her, brandishing a long katana with a bright red hilt
The leader stepped up to the rigid woman, her wand in one hand and his katana in another. He raised the sword up to her face, the side of the blade brushing against her cheek. Almond-brown eyes glared coldly at his dark, black as sin eyes. Cole clenched his fists, heart hammering in his chest.
"Do you know what happens..." The dark man murmured in a dangerously soft voice. "...To a witch who dosen't belong to Ninjago?"
There was a chilling moment of silence. Even the horses, who sensed the tension, were still.
"I'll show you." He hissed. He drew back his sword aiming at her torso.
"Accio wand!" Matilda suddenly shrieked. To everyone's astonishment, the magic wand flew out of the leader's clenched fist and straight into Matilda's outstretched palm. She whipped it at the leader and shouted. "Stupefy!"
With a yell, the tall man was thrown by a flash of light and collided with his black stallion, who screamed in shock and reared, kicking its forelegs in the air. With men shouting in confusion and anger, she spun around and knocked down the men holding Cole with another spell, then grabbed a long knife and sliced through his bonds. Before he could say anything, she spun around and shouted. "Expelliarmus!" The rifles the bandits guarding the two teenagers flew out of their hands in a blast of light. They grabbed for their swords, but she rushed at them and punched one man's nose, leaving him groaning and swiping at her with his katana.
Cole jumped into the action and knocked down Fatty with a swift swipe to the jaw. Grabbing the dagger the bandits had stolen, he raced over to the siblings and cut through their bonds, muttering. "We're gonna get you guys outta here!" While the boy and girl gaped at him in relief, Matilda spun around, shooting spells and shouting curses, as swift and as deadly as a dragon. She shouted to Cole. "Get yourself and those two out of here! Get those horses and escape, I'll hold them off!"
While Matilda cursed and shot spells at the mob of gangsters, the dark, curly-haired youth gestured to a couple of horses panicking several feet away. "Hurry, we can take those horses! Two of them are ours!" He raced over to the snorting beasts and grabbed the reins of a brown and white horse, whose dark eyes rolled about, revealing the whites. He attempted to calm the horse in the midst of all the chaos, with fiery explosions shaking the ground and men screaming.
The silver-haired girl cried out. "Aquilla! Where is my horse?! Aquilla!" At that moment one of the bandits, brandishing a short sword, grabbed her arm and hissed. "You ain't going nowhere!" She cried out, then clawed and scratched at her captor, while her brother struggled with the screaming horse. Cole grabbed the man and hauled him away from the girl, growling. "Get off her!"
The bandit snarled and swung his sword. Cole barely had time to defend himself with the little dagger before the gangster reared back and charged at him again. The blow sent a painful shock of pain up Cole's wounded arm, but he held firm, grimacing against the throb of pain. Something hot and wet was trickling down his face, then onto his eyes. He blinked the red liquid away, but the bandit seized the opportunity. The grinning man slashed up his arm, and something other than his shirt tore. Cole managed to swing a punch at his attacker before the latter knocked him down with a blow from the flat side of his blade.
Dazed, Cole fell to the scrubby grass and tried to get up. A heavy boot slammed onto his chest, knocking the breath out of him. Wheezing and coughing weakly, he looked up to see the bandit aiming the tip of his sword at his throat. With his foot planted painfully on Cole's chest, he leaned forward and took a breath to say something.
He paused. There was a panicked expression in his eyes. He began coughing, gasping for breath.
Cole stared up in shock as the bandit began choking, gasping. Spit and foam began to rise out of his mouth while the man struggled to breathe. His chest heaved frantically, and he swayed. It took a second before Cole realized what was wrong: That guy was one of the men who had eaten the yew berries.
Unable to watch anymore, Cole rolled out from under the man's foot and tackled him to the ground. The gangster barely resisted, his body had become much too weak. Cole left him as he was, knowing that the bandit was now harmless. With a bone-jarring punch, he knocked over another bandit, who was also struggling to breathe.
While four men suffered the effects of the poisonous berries, the other five shot their guns and swiped their weapons at Matilda, who dodged and cursed her enemies with a cat-like agility. The simple stick she used was now a deadly weapon, fiery blasts of magic burst out of its tip and shot for its target with the speed of light. She screamed at the three teenagers. "Go, go now! Hurry up, you stupid, gaping monkeys, escape!"
Cole grabbed the reins of a skittish milk chocolate brown horse and attempted to get on the saddle. The thing was, he had never touched a horse in his life, much less rode one. He had absolutely no idea how to get on the huge, snorting beast. So, he fell off with an unpleasant thud.
He growled with frustration, then caught sight of the silver-haired girl. She was just standing there, holding her arms out as if afraid of bumping into something. Why was she just standing there?!
"Girl!" He shouted over the thunderous din. "For crying out loud--!" He ran over to her and cried in frustration. "Why are you just standing there?! We need to move! Can't you see?!"
"No, I can't!" She replied.
He wasn't sure what she meant by that, but he wasn't going to waste precious time finding out. He growled. "Which horse is yours?"
"The black and white one, her name is Aquilla!"
He spun around and saw the horse snorting and shying at the explosions of light and sound. Mud was splattered across the legs and chest of the great beast, staining its glossy black-patched pelt. Ears flat back on its head and eyes rolling, it let loose a high-pitched scream, and reared up kicking its forelegs. Cole dodged past a couple of guys sprawling on the ground from one of Matilda's curses. Though he was running, he caught sight of one of the bandits spewing out a live slug. Gross.
He raced over to the panicking horse and, after hesitating, grabbed the reins and yanked the beast's head toward him. The horse bared its large teeth at him, snorting. It shook its long black mane wildly, making the reins wave crazily in his hands.
Just when Cole thought the horse would yank out the reins, the silver-haired girl stepped in with arms stretched out before her. She grabbed the reins from him, then quickly ran her hands down Aquilla's neck, over her shoulders, until it reached the saddle. She grabbed the pommel, and with a grunt hauled herself onto the saddle. She struggled to retain balance, and couldn't get her feet in the stirrups. While trying to take control of the reins she shouted. "Get on a horse, hurry!"
He whipped around, and headed for the chocolate-brown horse, dodging shouting bandits and punching one's guy's face. One of Matilda's curses sent men flying several feet away from her, making the bandits land with panicked shouts and painfull thuds. Cole attempted to remember how the girl got on her horse and grabbed onto the saddle.
Gripping the pommel of the saddle, Cole grunted as he hauled himself onto the horse, who started side-stepping when he felt the teen's weight on his back. Determined not to fall off this time, he clenched his jaw and swung his leg over the seat, his rear landing with a painful thump. The dark brown horse snorted and shook its head, but Cole managed to catch the flying reins. The horse was prancing crazily, terrified by the noise and activity that were the bandits shooting at Matilda and being struck by spells.
"Come on, this way!" Cole whipped around, still trying to even out the reins in his hands, when the curly-haired youth called out from his brown and white horse. The girl and Aquilla stood beside him, waiting for him. Growling in frustration, Cole gripped the reins and locks of horse's ratty hair, and kicked with all his might and its side, forgetting that his feet weren't in the stirrups. With a squeal, the horse took off running, with his rider clinging helplessly to the saddle, his body bouncing crazily with the movement of the horse. With another "Come on!" from the other guy, the three teens took off, racing past boulders and bushes.
Angry shouts from the bandits ensued, followed by Matilda crying. "Bombardos Maximum!" An explosion shook the earth with a burst of blinding light, making both men and animals scream. A man who sounded like the leader, though it was hard to tell, shouted. "Don't let that witch get away! After her, you morons!"
Cole, still gripping the reins, saddle, and horse's mane for dear life, took a second to glance back, and caught sight of a figure wearing a pointed hat pursuing them on the leader's midnight-black horse. He allowed a small sigh of relief, then concentrated on not falling off, which was very difficult, considering the fact that he was starting to slip to the right and had no stirrups holding him up.
The four riders galloped across the field of boulders and raced into the shelter of a dark canyon.
![[lenny]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/7elNEqtPK2hcSAiIMFNh.png)
And hey, if you have to spy on a human, might as well be one with an interesting life, right? 
And hey, if you have to spy on a human, might as well be one with an interesting life, right? 
![[derp]](http://storage.proboards.com/6672327/images/YqNTPqyQUocVMYXZgUAI.png)
Here we go... 