#lego ninjago werewolf au

[chellyore]

More for the Ninjago werewolf au. Think I might call it the lycan au. Or something like that.

Anyway designs for Nya and Lloyd. They took me a minute.

Some of the stuff in it is for future ideas. Like Hunter X. Werewolf au.. .they sadly aren't ninja here so I had to rework Samurai X to a more of a hunter type. Think like Artemis or something akin to Van Hellsing.

Now as for more information on this au. The powers are the same, but a bit different. Like I was researching how electrons work and find out they are everywhere so why not use that for Jay... .like give him kind of Astral like state along with Lloyd based on energy and lightning. Becoming one with the elements... .Nya probably does this with water so water mode.. .Cole probably can't as can't Zane as solid objects are their elements. Kai might be able to.

Now as for power differences. I feel like the original show never showed how far these elements can go. Like Earth, it's rocks? Just earthquakes? Earth in definition is life and all of that. So why not add a bit of it. Also I can't write Bolobo so that's also why... .plus no animal elements... .and being a werewolf au. Yeah.

Fire- Fire I researched it and man Kai is so screwd over on powers. Why not have him breathe fire, or do tricks? Like maybe have him make it so hot it turns blue or can melt people?? Is that too dark? Probably, but I'm still looking into this.. .not to mention all the chemical stuff with Fire. Hehe.

Water- I had fun with this one. Moon controls water after all. So i was feeling something with dreams and interconnection... .Like have Nya have something really cool for hers. Because it's a more mysterious one she barely knows anything on it so just screws it she'll do hunting stuff instead. (She got annoyed by it)

Ice- Ok. I had a hard time with this one.... .there's not much you can do with ice... .but the foresight thing, what if I did that? Because Ice is frozen in time and is typically seen as a some form of time pausing feature.. future sight is a part of it. Plus being able to create snow storms and cool people down is something.

I have this little idea for the weather based ones. As they are closer to the sky they tend to have more powerful abilities. Cole and Kai are stuck below but Nya and Jay probably could create a thunderstorm. Zane an ice storm or blizzard is mad enough. Also depends on weather.. .like in a desert it's less powerful.

Also other wolves. There are 12 moons in a year.

Ice- Zane

Lightning- Jay

Fire- Kai

Water- Nya

Earth-Cole

Magic- Skylor(the lore here is amazing, but I can't say anything about that.)

July moon is under debate

August moon is also under debate if I wanna do something with Pixel.

Sound- Ronin(hehe, yeah we're doing something different here... .the whistle that is like a dog whistle fits him though)

Mind- Harumi(yeah I'm having fun with this, and don't know how to write Neuro nor wanna make him a villain)

Wind- Morro of course

Darkness- Someome.. .I'm still deciding this.

Creation- Wu

Destruction- Garmadon

Energy- Lloyd

They don't have months- New Moon, full moon, Blue Moon. Type of thing. Anyway I need to sleep. Peace.

[fischerbees]

Bite Me!

click to help palestine before reading

[word count: 3544]

X. From Out of the Light

“With all due respect,” Kai touched his chest before surveying everyone gathered with a sharp stare, “I'd much rather swim in the Boiling Sea than go back to that place.” Eyebrows furrowing, jaw moving as he bit on his tongue, he crossed his arms. 

Trying to keep the discussion calm before Kai would get a chance to flash his temper some more, Cole added, “Yeah… I have to agree with Kai, I don't really feel like going back there.” Maybe he shone the lamp right into his own face himself, he liked to believe the saying was right and Kai could serve as his candlestick.

Lloyd sighed. “Fine, you two can stay here with Wu. I guess it's better to have some ninja on standby while we're away.” Waving towards the others, he continued, “The rest of us will take the Bounty, then, and go check if there's more behind the forest than just the Echo Canyons.”

“I don't get what the fuss is about? Isn't it good that all we need is a little nap to recover from those injuries? Do we really need to worry about this?” While Cole was glad Kai asked those questions for him, the edge of his tone made him wonder. Sure, he wants everyone to drop this as soon as possible but why does Kai? Surely, there was no way it meant…

Kai shuffled under his gaze, so he decided to return his attention to the plan-making. Maybe he will get a chance later today.

“… For all we know there might be something more behind it, something more going on inside your bodies we are not aware of.”

“I’m feeling fine.” Kai squinted over them all. “Maybe we're giving this more attention than necessary.” Only Cole’s eyes were skipped over.

“Uh, Kai?” But whatever Jay wanted to bring up was immediately shot down with another one of Kai's flaming looks.

“Look, there's nothing bad about being vigilant. We don't need more trouble hiding right under our noses.” Lloyd's words made the fire starter shut up but nothing stopped him from keeping up the barricade made of salt.

“Can’t we just go tomorrow morning? I don't wanna search the forest when it gets dark,” Jay said, receiving reassurance from Nya in the form of a pat on the shoulder and a, “Come on, don’t worry. We'll be fast enough. Plus we were supposed to check out the florists in town tomorrow, remember?”

“If you say so…”

“Great.” Lloyd slapped his hands together. “Let’s go get ready. Nya, Pix, start up the Bounty, will ya?”

At first, Lloyd trailed after the group as they dispersed, chasing their tasks. But seeing as Jay hung behind, he decided to follow his example. Especially when he heard Kai’s voice.

“Just leave it already, jackass, or next time it will be me doing some experiments and trust me, they won’t be for the good of science.”

“Come on, did you seriously not talk? I don’t think you should just ignore it. Not in our world. You know none of us judge you and especially not Cole.”

“You’re overthinking it. Like you overthink everything. Just… lay off of me, will you?”

“Kai–”

“Fuck. Off. ¿Comprendes? Or do you need it on a fucking paper?”

Years of practice told him when to leave to avoid getting caught. Not that they would spell out the essence of their argument just because, plus he had other duties. While preparing for the trip, Lloyd kept going over his internal list of everything he knew, and over  ideas on how to learn more. The accustomed growl of the awoken ship made this easier.

Cole eyed the departing Bounty, absent-mindedly nibbling at the skin around his nails. Despite the dancing sun in the sky, his mind was overcast with doubts. No matter what, he found himself unable to take a deep breath. If they discover the same conclusion he came to, then perhaps they would also bring some solutions, no?

Then again, it would mean he was indeed…

Squeezing his eyes shut, Cole spun around inside his head the wish for everything to go back to normal. No. It couldn’t be happening again. Why was he not allowed to stay comfortable in his own skin?

Not to mention what it would bring to the table for the rest of the team if they do not happen to stumble upon a miraculous solution.

A hand landed on his shoulder, the light grip hiding great strength. The air told him who made him company before he even got the chance to speak. Cole let his hand drop, although his finger pads kept circling one another.

“Cole.” Master Wu regarded him down his nose. “Why don’t you join me for brief training while Kai prepares something to eat?”

An opportunity to avoid his thoughts fell right into his lap, of course he jumped right for it. So he nodded and went along.

__________________________________________

“If we split into two groups, we can cover both sides at once, thereby save some time.” Lloyd separated the two parts of the forest on the map they projected at the bridge. Everyone nodded along and that was all he needed. Proceed.

“Let’s do that. How about–”

“Jay and I go now and you three cover the bigger part since there’s more of you and two thirds of the group are nindroids? I was thinking the exact same thing!”

Jay protested as he ushered him down on the deck. Nya went after them, not outright frowning but there was the familiar wrinkle between her brows as she tried to understand Lloyd’s intentions.

“What’s wrong with you, man?” Jay whined, shaking his arm off.

“You’ve got this guys. We’ll meet at the library, ok?” And before Jay could complain further, Lloyd had both of them plummeting towards the green surface, their hair flapping, the air wailing.

Once they landed amongst the pines, Jay dusted himself off and shot Lloyd a dirty look.

“What did I do to you?”

“Nothing.” Lloyd shrugged, turning in the direction of their destination. “Let’s not waste time and take a look around.” Behind him, Jay huffed and they were on their way.

The silence of their surroundings was a stark contrast to the wind howling and motor rumbling aboard the Bounty. Akin to diving underwater, the place had its own ambience. Forests kept quiet, yet for some reason Lloyd felt the hair on the nape of his neck stand up.

Green eyes surveyed the area. The trees, bushes, grass, all stood still, as if the place held its breath. As if it had gotten caught stalking them and now tried to pretend it wasn’t there at all. In such a place, thousands of eyes could watch them without them knowing, he should not worry about it.

Few rays of sunshine managed to fight their way through the thick canopy, casting small areas in golden light. Grass lay down as they walked, branches swayed as they pushed them out of their faces.

It should have been normal, not unsettling. His determination to find answers did nothing but feed the absurd paranoia. He wanted to find something amiss, so he assumed the wrongness everywhere. How helpful.

The undergrowth hissed and cracked against their trampling but they had no other option than to create their own path. Besides that and their breathing, Lloyd could hear Jay hum some song.

“Pretty silent in here, huh?” Lloyd spoke. Not solely to distract himself, also to introduce his other wonders. “I guess we’re farther from the river than I anticipated.”

“It’s a forest, Lloyd. Don’t you know what a forest is? It’s a dam. For water, for sounds… It’s literally used as soundproofing.”

“I understand, Jay. Boy, you sound stressed.”

“I’m not. It was just a stupid comment.” His insult was left behind among the wooded crowd.

“Does it, by any chance, have anything to do with Kai? Just guessing.” Something snapped, the green rustled as Jay ran to catch up. Lloyd had no issue keeping eye contact, Jay did. No way his dedication to the task at hand was this strong.

“No. Why would it have anything to do with Kai? You’re the one who literally pushed me off the Bounty before you even let Nya suggest her idea.”

“You two spend enough time together as it is, you’re gonna be fine.”

“It was rude,” Jay muttered, looking up into the treetops. Lloyd clicked his tongue.

“What’s going on between you and Kai?”

“Nothing! What would be going on between me and Kai? We literally just talked about Nya, my yang, remember? Nothing going on between me and Kai…”

While Lloyd stopped in his tracks, Jay continued a few steps before pausing himself. He looked around some more, then he turned to face Lloyd.

“You two were at each other’s throats more than usual recently,” the green ninja stated. “Kai’s keeping something for us and judging from your words, it isn’t his unfortunate lovelife.” He stopped closer, height adding to his respect in this case. “So, I ask, what is going on with you guys?”

Underneath his gaze, Jay rolled his eyes, grumbled something, looked around, and crossed his arms until he looked back at Lloyd.

“He doesn’t want me to talk about it.”

“Jay…”

“He doesn’t like it.”

“Jay.”

“You will tell on me.”

The green ninja stood still, not moving an inch as he waited for Jay to break. He could count down by watching his face.

Finally, the lightning elemental groaned.

“That night, you know, when we think Cole must’ve gotten in trouble, before the day we found him, that night I found Kai in the hall. He looked awful, muttered some weird things… He kept insisting about some danger or whatever. It looked like some sort of panic attack, I don’t know. Honestly, he made me worry myself, he sounded dead serious.”

“And you think it’s somehow related to what happened to Cole?”

Jay took a breath. Unusually calm and rigid. He turned around and continued their observational walk. Urging him to reply, Lloyd kept their distance to a minimum.

“Did you notice there’s a lot of conifers?”

“Walker.”

“I mean, when I found him, he was banging on Cole’s door, calling for him. Whatever it was, it had something to do with Cole. And, I mean, several hours later we find him— It’s not totally whack to get to that conclusion.”

“So I assume you tried to get him to talk about it?”

“To Cole? Yep. ‘Cause whether it was about the past or present, I thought they should discuss it, no? It’s been tough. But guess what, now there’s just more tension between them! Fun! This is all so… fun.”

Humming, Lloyd focused on assembling his thoughts rather than investigating the forest. Not that they found anything outright strange since they arrived. Then again, it also took a while when they were looking through the woods back home.

The coincidence of those events was undeniable but who was to say this was the first time? As much as Lloyd hated it, Kai was exceptionally good at keeping things to himself.

Perhaps not precognition… People claimed to have a weird feeling when their loved-ones were in danger. A sense of foreboding before they learn someone died.

Stranger things had happened to them and Kai and Cole were close, it would not be too much of a reach to assume a part of Kai manifested this foreboding in a panic attack. Especially considering Cole’s overall condition worsened over the course of a few weeks, it could’ve…

“Greenie.”

“What?”

“The conifers. There’s quite a bunch of them.”

“Yeah, you mentioned.” And considering Kai’s latest agitation, there must have been a lot on his mind. Less than a year had passed.

“It is pretty quiet.”

“You just gave me a speech about that.”

Without any warning, Jay froze, resulting in Lloyd bumping into him. All the hair in his face made him hold back a sneeze. Time to push aside the speculations.

“Did you see something?” Lloyd did not hesitate to look around, hand hovering over the hilt of his kukri.

“More like I didn’t.”

His eyes asked the question for him when they met Jay’s.

“The conifers, Lloyd. And the quiet. Didn’t you notice it?”

“It was precisely what I talked about the moment we got here and you made me sound like an idiot. And what is your deal with the conifers, are you allergic or something?”

“Squirrels feed on cones, Lloyd, and it leaves a mess. Jeez, you’re acting like you’ve never been in a forest before. Did you notice any mess? Any chewed cones? Any at all?”

“The undergrowth is kind of thick…”

“The cones are untouched, is what I’m saying.”

“And that’s weird because…”

“Have you seen a forest without squirrels? ‘Cause I definitely didn’t. Which probably means something ate them all and a long time ago too. Also, where are the bugs? Everything crawls on me whenever we’re in a forest!”

Lloyd turned around to get a proper view, this time focusing on the trunks of the trees. He kept wondering about the silence, although woods were well-known as quiet places. Animals kept away from paths and from people disrupting the peace. Not that they had any paths with human stench to avoid.

“I don’t see any claw marks. Did you notice any huge claw marks?”

“Nope.”

Despite his answer, Lloyd pulled out the kukri and resumed walking. The chains of Jay’s nunchucks jingled.

However, birds’ songs used to reach their ears in other woods. His eyes glazed over the branches above their heads. The sun reached through, yet somehow the canopy felt more isolating, keeping them locked away from the sky and racing air. They did not dive into the sea, they dove into a jar of honey at the back of the cupboard.

They should do their job right, however, Lloyd would much rather hurry to meet the rest.

“We should reach the library anytime soon, keep an eye out.”

“That’s what we were supposed to be doing, yeah.”

__________________________________________

“Balance, Cole, requires concentration.”

“I am concentrated.” Cole huffed under the unsteady weight, only to suck in his breath when he felt the stick he stood on wobble. Wu's training practices had become too abstract to his liking. He preferred the straight-forwardness of battle – no riddles or metaphors, just pure muscle exertion and strategy.

Landing punches and counting reps worked like a lullaby for his mind, an entrance to the zone. Balancing cups of water a few metres in the air did not. He could not tune out any of the distracting elements all around when the ground kept calling for him.

“And improvement requires honesty.”

“I’m starting to get the impression this could've been said over a cup of tea, Master Wu.”

“You would willingly accept that offer, then?”

Cole readjusted his grip on the plank, an excuse to aim his eyes elsewhere than the ones of his master. Despite that, he still felt the piercing look keep him in place.

“Sometimes I think we have a terrible influence on you.”

“Certainly. You’re not the only ones being taught useful lessons.” His voice quivered under the hint of humour.

Sighing, Cole's eyes wandered around his view. Behind the walls stretched forests—pierced by mountains and patched by fields—to nearest cities and villages. The view from their home has always been impressive when the sky was clear. But something about the sight that day seemed sharper. Faraway details stood out more than usual. The blur of distance cleared off like fog dissipating.

This time his breath faltered for a different reason than his frail footing and so Cole unfocused his eyes on command instead. Maybe the sun shone brighter today.

The high-altitude balancing or the cups were not what made him stay. Frankly, what else would he do? Where else would he go? Kai worked in the kitchen and disobeying Wu would just give him unnecessary trouble. Had he left with the others, the forest would get a chance to tease him further with its dangerous secrets.

Something about the place felt wrong. Something palpable but shrouded in mystery. When he occasionally managed to close his eyes at night, the growling canine’s luminescent glare revisited him.

“You seem to have been quite… preoccupied, lately. Both you and Kai.”

“Yeah, well. It's been kind of… messy.”

“With how much you've relied on each other for support, I must say I'm surprised with your recent lack of communication.”

“We’re like a pendulum, I reckon. It's not always easy. It'll work out, I’m sure, if that's what you're worried about.”

Wu studied him from under the brim of his hat, fingers absently smoothening his long, white beard. Single hairs reflecting sunlights as they shifted under the touch. Cole redirected his gaze to the blue sky. No details in the sky, just the safety of an endless field of blue.

“You’ve used my life lessons in battle before, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt if you took your experience from fighting to the personal issues.”

“Do you have anything specific in mind, Master Wu?”

“Concentration. It is crucial to remain concentrated when you want to achieve something. How do you expect your dispute to ‘work out’ if neither of you pay enough mind to it? You can't expect it to sizzle out on its own. You have to want to fix it and you have to be honest about it. You can’t expect your enemies to yield without any effort, Cole.”

“Are you mad we're dampening the mood again? I've been trying to get him to talk, you know?”

“Have you, Cole?”

That made his eyes abandon the safety of the sky and focus on the master's. They weren't as dark as the ones of his brother; they were clouded over like a misty night. Cole could see his own reflection despite the distance. He gave off the impression of a circus act in progress. He might’ve as well worn the huge clown shoes; he felt just as out of place.

“I’ve been,” he argued, only for his voice to drown out midway.

“As I said, you two seem distracted. There's more weight to your shoulders. You’re lacking the needed determination.”

His feet lacked steady ground beneath; his hands lacked freedom, yet he chose to entertain Wu. In a way, it worked in his favour, maybe the opportunity to fidget would be overly revealing, although Wu always knew more than he let on nevertheless. At least it gave him some sense of direction rather than the aimlessness of rotating through his frequented spots around the monastery.

“What’s the matter, Cole?”

He mulled the words around in his mind first. How much can he say without uncovering the elephant whatsoever?

“Sometimes… I wonder why all the evil we encounter has to exist, Wu.” He scratched at the wood. “Don’t get me wrong, I love a good fight, but does it always have to threaten our very existence?”

“Is this about what you and Kai went through recently?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they came back to tell us they were some sort of ancient wolves with an ancient grudge who want to conquer all sixteen realms, to be honest,” Cole muttered, eyes dropping. Maybe he could sweep later to clear the courtyard and his mind. Did no one notice the mess or was it just laziness?

“As unfortunate as it is, evil will always find its way into our lives. That’s the balance of life, of our very existence. Light and dark, evil and good; one cannot exist without the other.”

“No, I— I do understand that. Creation, destruction… But does evil always have to mark us for good?”

“Cole, do you know how diamonds are made?”

Scoffing–somehow back in school, apparently–Cole replied, “Pressure on the coal. That would be a terrible pun even for Kai.”

Wu ignored his remark. “The difficult times, Cole, they shape us into who we are. You could never reach your full potential if you weren’t challenged.”

“Iron sharpens iron,” the ninja murmured. His eyes closed as the memory brought more bitter taste to his tongue.

“You have to remember, Cole, that the grim times can make the joyous ones shine all the brighter.” Wu lowered his staff, holding onto it with both hands.

“Light can be overshadowed, though.”

“However, shadow can be lit up.”

Before Cole could process the words and decide whether or not to debate them, the door slid open. He winced, sending the cups tumbling down towards the courtyard and Wu dodged them in one, swift move. Kai watched the strange rain, words stuck in his throat, Cole watched Kai, heart pounding as he almost joined the cups. Wu considered the mess with an unreadable expression.

Kai’s eyes met his, he blinked, then he announced, “The food’s ready,” and retreated inside.

Jumping down, Cole assured Wu he would clean up the mess. He readjusted his grip on the, now vacant, plank under his master’s gaze.

“If you happen to crave some tea, your company is always welcome, Cole.”

“Sure, yeah.” Cole occupied himself by pushing one of the cups towards him using the plank. “I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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[sketci]

THE THREE SUGGESTIONS ARE DONE!!!

REQUESTS ARE CLOSED ⚠️⚠️⚠️ UNTIL DECEMBER 3RD ⚠️⚠️⚠️

[piereoglyphics]

Art fight attack on @kamienisko_ on twitter!

Their ninjago oc was very cool :) sat them with my sona

[undeadnaga]

Jay from Lego Ninjago if he fully transformed! :D I personally didn't like the ending, it felt 'cliche or odd. SPOILERS BELOW!

----------------------------------------------------------------

In the episode, he gets infected and starts to turn slowly, right? Then why in any god's name does the problem that was a pinprick away from claiming him get solved with a simple kiss??? Like, okay true love from a SO saves him, okay. Fine. But, if he didn't have nay? Would he just be doomed? ...enough of my ranting!

I saw in the episode that he was growing a tail, and as far as I've seen, the normal soldiers don't have tails, only the leaders of the tribe. So, was he going to be a leader without a tribe? Possibly start a new one? So many questions and possibilities!

Also, we don't know how he would have looked because he was cured. Meaning he could have had four eyes, or just two. The only hint we get is that he's turning green, and growing a tail.

Nothing else.

So! In this AU he didn't get caught or cured. As time went on, he grabbed his ninja clothes and ran, leaving nothing for the others to find or use to find him. The transformation from there got quicker, almost like a werewolf TF is; Leaving him in the forest covered in his tore clothes and foggy, pained confusion. However, unlike a werewolf one, he doesn't turn back. He can't.

From there, he uses his venom to turn others, to build a tribe of his own. Who knows if the others have found a trail to follow, after all, he left nothing to use as a trail.

The other tribe leaders may have a staff, but he doesn't. Only the nunchucks made for the lightening user, only, it won't spark; It won't let him use it.

So he just keeps them as a reminder.

[swampythesweetsketch]

A monster, a beast, a absolute heathen.

The killer of slippers.

Werewolf Cole from the Oni Kai AU

[nightlybirdie]

Happy Halloween friends!!!

I was able to throw together a little chibi werewolf Cole 🌕

[stellarwaffles]

MerPixal!!

[darkkaosanime]

Anon, you didn’t really specify which show Garmadon you wanted to see as a werewolf, so I made Sensei Garmadon. Hope you like it.

Also I don’t really do requests. Anon you were just really lucky you requested something, that I could never say no to. The opportunity to draw Garmadon with wolf ears and him looking aggressive. Thank you for the inspiration Anon. It was fun drawing him like this.

I don’t have any feeling if I’m doing the shadows right…does anyone have any helpful tips?

[chellyore]

I just come on this app only rarely but another fanfic. This time a sorta rewrite of Ninjago but werewolf themed, cuz why not. I'm waiting for my life to pick up so this is my fun.

I'm on the 15th chapter now, and writing 16. So come and join. It's really fun.

[fischerbees]

Bite Me!

click to help palestine before reading

[word count: 3543]

VIII. Nagging Noggins

If Kai has to look at another tree, he will go berserk. And boy, was he surrounded by trees! He was rapidly getting sick of woods. His ears twitched with the soft crunching of their footsteps and he was close, really close to just burning the whole place down. It would probably solve their problem in an effective way, so what?

He watched Pixal’s hair sway from side to side as she walked in front of him. The movement was hypnotising. Left and right and left and right, like a grandfather clock. When will the bells set him free?

During their roaming around, she dutifully introduced him to her whole scheme, as if he had the ability to process the intake of information or even wanted to. She could have been talking about the weather and there would be no difference, in one ear and out the other. At least it helped tune out the sounds of the forest which he probably gained allergy to.

“Centrally powered… Cameras… Suspicious behaviour… Sectors, blind paths, alarms…” Yada yada… Because it makes perfect sense to him and it does not sound like a bunch of sci-fi nonsense. He refused to read it with Cole? Karma, he now has to experience it first-hand.

Tree, tree, tree, bush, duck under a branch, tree, tree, tree… It was official, he hated the forest. He hated it so very much. He was going to hate every forest from now on. Enemy number one. And he lives right above it. Loud neighbours would be ten thousand times better – there are ways to get rid of those without too much attention.

They stopped once again and Pixal turned to him to take out one of the robotic birds she made him carry in a box.

“I took Zane’s falcon as inspiration, obviously,” she explained to him on their very enjoyable nature walk, “but my technology is way primitive. I did have to make them on the fly.”

“You didn’t just seriously call your work primitive?” he argued then because at that point they were just about started and he had yet to find out what a great trip they were going on.

“In the scale of my abilities, it is primitive.”

Kai just shook his head in response. The way she pursed her lips and looked at the robot got him rid of any doubts that she will not be able to sleep well until she comes up with something even more mind-boggling and more satisfying to her critical vision. Living in a house full of geniuses made for some fascinating observations when it did not make him feel dumb.

Now he was watching her set another on one of the branches high in the trees. The fascinating observations got quickly bothersome – he was starting to feel dumb.

“Why don’t you just turn them on now?”

“Because then they would follow us and our work here would be completely pointless.” It was a waste of time in Kai’s eyes nevertheless. He could be napping. He could be making sure Cole was doing all right.

“Then why would you make them follow us?”

“Because our presence in the forest is more likely to be suspicious than a deer’s.” Deep down he knew it was not her intention but calling him an idiot would be less harsh.

“Right.”

“I tried to filter out anything that would be pointless to monitor but we have to keep our minds open to any possibility. Not to mention energy saving, I should try to find a more compact way…“

“Pixal, why am I here?” Kai finally snapped, tired of all the technical jargon and safety-surveillance-monitoring whatnot. Not when he was running on a few hours of sleep and wracked nerves. “Jay would kill for this, I’m sure. Zane would kill to spend time with you. Why? Why am I here?”

She sighed and turned to him, robot-bird-camera set in place and now blindly watching over them. Had they not been all bronze-brown with a slight chrome shine, they would seem freakishly life-like.

“You’ve been quite agitated lately, is anything the matter?” Friendly concern with too professional execution. But even if she took him by the shoulders, gave him a light punch with her fist and called him ‘bro’ it would not change anything.

Kai threw his head back as he rolled his eyes, occupied hands blocking the chance to properly show off how this conversation bothered him. “Oh, come on, not you too. What is everybody on, treating me with children’s gloves? It was once! We all got messed up, don’t act like I’m the only one.”

“I meant overall, you’ve been agitated even before Cole's latest injury. But if this is causing you any frustration, I'm open to talk about it.”

“I don't want to talk about it. If that's why you took me here, tough luck, I'm fine.”

“If you say so.” Pixal turned around and led them away, to another one of her designated locations. Kai rushed behind, dissatisfied with her flegmatic reaction. How dare she not fuel his fire?

“Hey, let's not act like I'm not right. I actually believe I'm the only one doing actually fine, everybody else is just beating around the bush like it's some sorta taboo. So I almost took us down too, so what? What else was i supposed to do? Just… not react? Blame me for trying to save him! Blame me for caring!”

“You really do believe that.” Was it a statement or a question? Why did she show more interest in the trees than in him! The forest looked like every other, you could not tell different spots apart but Kai was one and only and he was furious and given no proper attention.

“You have to feel it too, no? Everybody is acting so weird about the whole thing. But it's behind us, like so many more things. We also thought Zane was dead a few times, no one is being weird to me about that. But now it's like I'm unstable or something, like I have to be watched. Why is it always me who's not trusted? I have self-control too, you know. I've been training to be a ninja just as long as everybody else.”

“No one is denying that.”

“But they’re– what? No. Everybody is looking at me through their fingers like I'm not worthy of trust. Everybody has ups and downs. I had bad moments, I had good moments. What makes me so different? Why can't we just keep it behind us like everything else? Cole is good now, we learn to be more careful, not wander or let others wander out when not in the best shape, we’re good. No reason to poke into this more.”

“Except no one is bringing it up besides you.”

“I– Everybody keeps bringing it up! You brought it up! Lloyd brought it up! All of you do!”

“I only asked if there was something bothering you,” she replied, bright, green eyes looking into his maybe neutrally but to Kai, he could just as well get a hedgehog thrown into his face. Was that smug in her voice? Impossible. Kai opened his mouth to protest but remained wordless. He closed it again, a silent admission of her being right. “And I got my answer.”

“I'm not bringing anything up.”

“But you keep scowling and when we ask if there is anything wrong you immediately assume we have only one particular incident in mind. You can just talk about it and resolve this and then there really won't be any reason to keep bringing up the past. You do not have to talk to me, you do not even have to talk to any of us, the choice is yours, but talking is always the solution.”

“There is nothing to talk about.”

“Not even how your relationship with Cole keeps affecting you?”

“There are no feelings!” Kai yelled, making probably every living animal anywhere nearby run or take off. Except for the birds they were spreading out. “Why do you all keep assuming stuff?”

Meanwhile Pixal continued walking as if they were calmly talking about the weather. “You're the only one assuming,” was her calm and collected, completely unbothered comment. And before he could argue further, she switched the topic, “Let's go mark the blind paths.”

__________________________________________

Cole had a lot of time to think. Maybe too much time to think. His memories were still jumbled puzzle pieces but he was starting to make designated piles. Dinner, Jay, stairs, pain, pain, pain… Then there were some weird flashes of… something but Cole did not like to go there. They felt wrong. As if somebody took those fragments of memories and tried to jam them into his brain, the already overflowing mixer.

So, what could have happened to him? Maybe there was something or someone hiding on the mountain and the moment he passed by, it struck. That would explain why he collapsed on the stairs, the pain, the injuries he woke up with… Somehow he knew this was not it, the story was not satisfying. There was a feeling but a feeling is never a reliable narrator.

Forest, teeth, claws, so much fear and confusion. Wrongness. He had to get out—

Little, paper dragon in his hand. Kai left it and he left it without any explanation as to why the hell he was making origami or since when. But Cole liked the little guy, it was cute and brushing his thumb over its paper wing helped him with coming back to reality every time he wandered too far out like a child, too young to understand the dangers of leaving his home.

Trying to make any sense of his memories felt a whole lot like swimming. Or diving. Both involved water and he still had to find his way back to it despite how many years had passed since it posed a deadly threat. Old habits die hard, they say. He still flinches out of Nya’s way sometimes.

Take a deep breath, submerge down, down, down, (through the pain, pain, pain, until his ears ring with howls, the forest flashes in front of his eyes, inexplicable bloodlust takes over his senses until it is fear running through his veins–) and then he’s too deep and panic takes over and he has to get back up for air.

Little, red, paper dragon. Incredible, how many things one can make from a piece of paper. Or just shadows. Incredible, the human creative ability… Fascinating. Way more important to marvel about than figuring out what happened the night before.

If only Kai was there, he would talk to him about something, anything, and Cole would just not have to think and everything would be so easy just as it always was with Kai.

But Kai was off somewhere and instead of him, it was Zane entering the room. At least he was carrying food. Cole could kill for something to eat. He could eat a horse, anything went.

“How are you feeling?” Zane asked as he handed him a bowl with what smelled like chicken soup. Cole smiled at him, albeit a little strained.

“Good. I'm feeling good.” It did not feel as lying in Cole’s head but something about it was not honest either.

Nodding in acknowledgement, Zane went over the routine check-up he already did twice since Cole woke up. Vitals, IV, pulse oximeter, whatever he saw in front of his eyes… And he frowned like never before. Partly amusing, partly worrying, seeing Zane riled up like such. So unsure in an unknown environment. Cole decided to look at the world through his rose-coloured optimistic glasses. Take the easy road.

“You’re healing too fast,” he grumbled.

“Is there anything like healing too fast?” Cole argued over a mouthful of chicken and noodles. As if he has not eaten in an eternity. It certainly felt like it. Between the steak for dinner and today might be a hundred years. “I think it's great. No more lollygagging in bed. Don’t get me wrong, I love to sleep in, but that was too much even for me.”

But Zane kept shaking his head. “It's not natural. Not even for us.”

Cole woke up with just a few scars and the origami dragon sitting on the bedside table. Despite the new collection marking his body, the biggest eyesore remained the one from the bite. The silvery crescent made of dots left after the teeth– His bones still tingled similar to the funny bone feeling, just muted. His muscles were also still sore but only in the maybe-I've-overdone-it-during-yesterday’s-exercise  kind of way. If he didn't know any better, he would think his body was just sore from staying in bed for so long.

“It’s nonsensical!” It should faze Cole but no, everything was fine and dandy. Maybe something to chuckle at but that was about it. Do not dig deeper. “All of your vitals seem to be without any disturbance, your blood levels are back to normal… It should take weeks for you to recover from all of those injuries but all's just gone overnight… It's as if… as if you were never injured in the first place…”

“Well, I am a tough stone to crack,” Cole tried airily but the ninadroid was busy not paying attention to him.

“Not even Lloyd heals this fast,” he muttered to himself, still checking everything as if he was going to find anything new or different. Of course not, Cole had an incredible immune system, he handled the cold just as well as the master of ice himself, of course his regeneration was going to be peak as well. Nothing unusual.

“Well, I also survived a fall from the Bounty into the darkness, I think I've gotten over worse stuff.”

“That is correct.” Zane looked up, lost in his own world. Trying to have a proper one-on-one conversation was like yelling at characters in a horror movie, absolutely pointless but was that going to stop him? “We still don't know the full effects the darkness could have on humans…” Then, as if he was woken up from a dream and realised he had an audience, Zane shook his head and redirected his full attention back to Cole. “Since there seems to be no more reason for me to keep you here, you can go. You are healed. I suppose.”

Once he was freed from all the medical tech and changed into a new and clean gi, Zane let him go with a last plea to try and take it easy in case any complications were to come to the surface.

Cole could promise that honestly, his mind was set on one thing and only one thing – a long, long and hot bath. Just him, bubbles, scorching hot water to shut his brain off and some music because it wouldn't go without it.

Before he could lock himself in his self-made oasis, however, he stumbled upon Kai. He must have just come back from wherever he was and his shoulders were tense with frustration as usual. So maybe Cole should have anticipated how their conversation was going to go but his primitive brain still made him call out Kai’s name and proceed with what he would later declare as another idiotic idea.

At first, the metaphorical stormy sky above Kai’s head cleared immediately the moment he recognised the voice and he rushed over to check up on him without hesitation.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Yeah, he will have to respond to this question more than just once, won’t he? “You're already out of the infirmary?” Kai frowned as he looked over him, as if his wounds were to reopen and start bleeding again right there despite the fact that they were perfectly sealed now. His fingers brushed over some of the new scars, changing Cole’s nerves into flames probably. That could be the closest thing to explain the feeling, just pure fire shooting through his nerves, maybe flooding his veins. Blackening his vision despite being white-hot.

But within the blink of an eye the feeling was gone and he could see again. Kai was now farther away, wide eyes staring into his.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, perplexed.

Cole blinked, shook his head, threw this accident onto the already big pile of things he did not want to dig into. “It’s fine.”

“That didn't seem fine to me.”

Not to Cole either but too late, it was already disregarded onto the pile. “It hurt like hell but it's all right now.”

Kai stayed unconvinced. “Do you need to sit down? I can go fetch Zane…”

“It's cool,” Cole dismissed with a wave of his hand. “I can go to him later. Right now all I need is to wash off the smell of sanitiser or it will drive me nuts.”

Kai hummed and tried to leave then but Cole, the stupid Cole, he just had to catch his hand and bring him back. Which, on reflection, he should not have done and he should have just let him carry on with his day. But of course, all brain function goes out the window with Kai in close proximity. Humans achieved many great things, the elemental masters achieved many great things and yet something as simple as being close to the brightest star can overshadow everything.

“Hey… Jay told me you wanted to talk about something?”

The stormy clouds gathered back together above Kai’s head. He didn't full-out frown at him but the hardened look in his eyes said enough.

“Ignore him, he's just being a pest like usual.”

“I dunno, he seemed kinda serious.”

“It was nothing important.”

“Well he definitely made it sound like it is.”

Now he was looking daggers at him. He was either burning him or Jay alive in his mind. Maybe both. There was definitely some angry BBQ taking place inside Kai’s head and Cole was the target. On the list of today’s specials.

Kai yanked his hand out of his grasp. “Jay is neurotic by nature. He will make anything sound important if it freaks him out enough. But it isn't. It’s nothing, you don't have to worry about it.”

Cole straightened his stance, now, just like Kai, seeing red. Primitive like the bulls, just laser focused on one thing. You annoy me? How about I strike as well? Although, any bull would probably know better in this situation.

Again, on reflection, he should have just gone for his bath, he should have just left this be. Let Kai blow off his steam elsewhere and maybe try this once he is more conciliatory.

“You're doing it again.”

“I'm doing what again?” Kai thundered. Whatever he was busy with that forenoon must have been thrilling.

“You're not telling me something that happened while I wasn't here. Just like before.”

“You never asked.”

“Well, I’m asking now and the result is still the same. Something happened and you're not telling me. And it obviously involves me.” Me, me, me, since when is he so self-centred?

Kai could be as well huffing smoke. Maybe he was, Cole could not see clearly through his own annoyance.  “I had a nightmare,” he said deliberately. “Stumbled outside my room. Was unfortunate enough to be found by Jay. End of story.” And with that, he turned on his heel and left before Cole could press further and it was probably for the better because Cole would press further because when it came to them two, neither had any self-preservation skills. It was always ramming head-first into barricaded gates.

At least now, boiling in his personal spa, he could torture himself with that misstep instead of submerging into the mystery of last night.

So no, it wasn't always easy with Kai. Being together, pretending the rest of the world didn't exist, that was easy. Facing the rest of the world, however, was not, and one of them always backed out – either slowly and quietly or, like before, ramming their head through the back door.

What was he even mad about? He had no reason to bring anything up. Maybe he just needed to vent his frustration somewhere (despite the fact that there was no frustration and everything was fine and okay), find an output and Kai was a dependable, easy target. A guarantee of a nice argument when you needed to argue. Jay just happened to pass him a great ball for him to spike. And spike he did. Except it bounced off the ground and right back into his dumb face. Dumbass.

So now he just had a blur of a memory of Kai whispering something to him the night before and a vexing bump that needed smoothening out or his days at the monastery become unbearable.

Speaking of blurs of memories…

Running… he was running somewhere… or from something? He definitely didn't pass out on the stairs like he thought. Maybe… maybe…

He immersed his head into the hot water, as if it could get him rid of those thoughts. As if it could turn them into steam and the steam would simply vanish in the air.

But of course, when was anything in his life this easy?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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[sketci]

YOU GUYS I SWEAR I'M ALIVE!!

A lot of stuff has been going on lol, but now it's close to Thanksgiving break! I will be less busy so I might draw more Firewolf au, as well as bringing back old ones... Like I said in my pinned post, I am not into Ninjago anymore. I will draw them though cause Ninjago is literally the only reason why I have 30+ followers.

ANOTHER NOTICE

I am back so you don't have to worry about me leaving... Maybe lol...

I'm also making small requests! Sent by you guys!

I need to fight this art block so I wouldn't mind if anyone could send my drawing requests in my ask box or the comment section...

It could literally be anything, Ninjago related, my Aus, your Aus, not Ninjago related, I literally don't give af.

I promise I'm better at drawing shit so you don't have to worry about the requests looking like ass lmao... I was really bad at drawing when I first started this blog

Also this thing, whatever it was, got an upgrade lmao

Can't believe it's already been two years 😕

[serpentfever]

Masterpost and Info

*NOTE: If you’re just reading this masterpost to find the art, go down to below the line. All AUs and art will be listed there.

Now without further ado... Hello all and welcome to Serpent Fever! This is a quaint little art blog dedicated to the serpentine from Ninjago, because I’m such a huge sucker for snakes.

Here are a few tags to help you navigate the blog:

#Serpent Fever Draws - This tag is all of my art stuff. I will tag all of my art with this, so if you want to find art, just click on the tag as listed below.

#Serpent Fever Talks - This is the tag dedicated to me talking about my thoughts on ninjago, usually specific to serpentine. You can find many headcanons here, as well as ramblings related to any aus I create.

#Serpent Fever Fun Facts - A less active tag, but this is where I will post any fun facts I learn about reptiles, usually snakes.

I will also give each of my aus an easy to find tag, so that you can search them if you so desire. Down below the line are information about my aus and art about them.

*NOTE: Anything in italics is headcanon/lore and not art.

LEGO meets Humanverse AU

Just a fun idea I thought I’d explore more. Basically, due to mysterious circumstances, the LEGO ninja (specifically Lloyd) have somehow ended up in a human version of their universe.  Shenanigans ensue as he tries to figure out a way back to his universe.

Yeet

Very Small and Stressed

Lego Discrimination

Crabs

Videogames

Lego Lloyd meets a real Lego

LEGO Lloyd and Human Lloyd (Ask)

Fingers (Ask)

Obligatory Exposition (Ask)

For Science

Time Travelling Oni AU

When the oni invaded, their might was too much for the ninja to stand against. Almost everyone was killed but Lloyd. Those who dictated fate saw this would inevitably lead to the fall of all of creation, so with what little power some of the dragons possesses, they used their elemental abilities to send Lloyd back in time, so that he could better prepare himself and others so that such a fate never has the chance to come to fruition.

Masterpost/Lore

Concept Art/Animation

Expanding on F!Lloyd’s personality

Ghost AU

When Morro possessed Lloyd, he unfortunately didn’t survive the experience. Morro’s lack of regard for Lloyd’s safety, combined with the fact he hadn’t been in a proper body for over 40 years, ended with him pretty much driving him to exhaustion. However, the universe doesn’t seem to like the fact its golden savior was dead, so he didn’t stay that way.

Lore explaining ghost Lloyd + Picture!

Possession Au

An offset of the regular ghost au, and sort of a what if. The reason the two are separate is because this scenario is non-canon to the regular ghost au for reasons I can’t yet elaborate on.

Kai Possession Context (Semi serious)

Hypothetical Possession Part 1

Hypothetical Possession Part 2

Hypothetical Possession Part 3

Kai’s Opinion on Ghosts

Green Fire

Vampire Nya

Nya art

Wereoni AU

MOVIEVERSE. A story that focuses on the idea of the spidersnake that bit Garmadon acting like a werewolf, and gradually altering Lloyd’s appearance to resemble a reptilian arachnid monster, and all the anxiety that comes with juggling being a ninja and hiding your wereoni features.

Lore/Intro

Transformation Begins

Fully Transformed Wereoni

Wereoni Lloyd Behavior

Transformation Trigger

Miscellaneous AUs

A collection of miscellaneous aus I don’t necessarily plan on expanding on. AUs in this list may be subject to elaboration and more art depending on my mood and inspiration. Mostly just fun what-ifs.

Serpentine Great Devourer

Movie Morro

Octomer Jay

Ice Emperor Hurts Lloyd

Bird Morro

[chellyore]

Still doing that werewolf au of Ninjago. I'm thinking about maybe doing a comic, but it's a debate because I'm also trying to work on ocs.

Here are the designs of the boys so far. Zane's hair is so hard to draw Oh my God. But everything isn't ever final with me so expect that to change, along with other details. Honestly this is just for fun if anything, so enjoy the brain rot with me if you want.

[fischerbees]

Bite Me!

click to help palestine before reading

[word count: 3953]

VI. Worry Knot

His eyes snapped open but he could not see. His legs were leading him somewhere but he had no idea where he was. All of his senses were drowned out, the only thing he was aware of was the herd of horses stomping right beside his ear. Or inside his head. Definitely not inside his chest and that was wrong. For some reason, he was sure it was not the only thing completely amiss.

The weird feeling forced him awake, put a dark bag over his head and the next thing he knew, he was trying to escape. Hopefully. Whatever was happening made alarm bells go off in his head, created vacuums inside his lungs, threw sticks and branches under his feet, so it was a miracle he somehow managed to remain somewhat upright and did not plummet to the ground right away. 

He let his legs do their thing as he had not the slightest idea where to go or what to do. He just needed to get away. Something was wrong, so wrong, and escaping was the only thing on his mind. The panicked rush will probably leave him with some bruises, although if he hit anything on his way, he did not process any of it. Either it was pitch-black wherever he was or his eyes were good for nothing. Technically both could be right but why think about even worse possible scenarios when he already felt like dying?

Once there was not enough air and energy, he could only hope this was a place where he could be heard and found. He could only hope he managed to bang his fists against the wood because, over the loud thumping, it was difficult to recognise any other sound.

Was it his heart going crazy or just him?

“Cole,” someone else rasped out. It had to be someone else, he had no recollection of opening his mouth, let alone having the strength to speak. “Cole. Are you there? Cole?” His shaken words hung in the air and he clung to them. He could only hope someone would come to save him. Someone, anyone, really. Kai was sure he was going to die right then and there, one hundred per cent, if not because of his malfunctioning lungs, then because of whatever was coming after him.

There was something coming after him, there were footsteps. He was a dead man, he was a dead, dead man. Cornered, ready to be slaughtered without any hassle as he lacked the strength to put up a fight. His mind was filled with useless junk of thoughts clustered in a chaotic ball that zipped around erratically at lightning speed. Escape. It was like a lonesome billboard on a dark highway but his body would not obey.

“Kai, what the hell are you doing? You’re gonna wake everybody up!”

The voice, although almost drowned out by the heartbeat, was a small flicker of light. Just the tiniest flicker of a firefly but at least now he could see he wasn’t swallowed by complete darkness. There seemed to be shapes around him. Unfortunately it also meant he was unable to flee freely. Contained. Actually cornered, set to worry what might be hiding just behind the turn.

“Kai? Bud?”

The moment he got near, Kai used the opportunity to grasp onto his pyjamas. It was so much better than to plead the unyielding walls to keep him standing, even if all of his muscles could equal to sacks of wet flour.

He desperately wanted to scream into his face but all that came out of his mouth was a weak, “Am I dying?” like a last puff of steam from a machine that gave up. Reality shook along with him but he was not dreaming, was he? No, there were too many sweat-drenched clothes for it to be a dream.

“Oh no, as long as I’m alive, you’re not dying, buddy.” Then came more words. Kai tried to focus on his mouth in order to understand him but it only did the opposite. He did not intend on stopping anytime soon, however.

The living room was one of the few rooms where they all could bundle in and still have some personal space. Which would probably have some value if there was anyone in the house who grasped the concept of personal space. It was, in most cases, an oasis of comforting memories, evil was not allowed there. Even food crimes were prohibited behind its door. Pillows on the couch required to be frequently fixed or newly bought, it would not be a proper game night without feathers bursting out of the pillowcases.

Maybe that was why Jay led him in there, because things were always so easy in the living room. At least so it seemed. It was designed to wind down, to relax. Just Kai kept ruining it with his consistent frowning at the dead TV screen. He had to keep reminding himself to relax his jaw, only to clench it again and again. He was freaking out over nothing but even when he gained enough conscience to realise that, the uneasiness never left his side. Sticking to him like another coating of his skin, it made all his hair rise and muscles twitch in need of movement.

It felt like hours before he could breathe regularly again and even then he remained tied up, thrown away in the corner of his own head.

What was he doing? He can't just sit around doing nothing! He was an easy target, a sitting duck, simply waiting for its predator to use the opportunity, to jump out of its hiding spot… A pair of eyes burning right into his back, through his spine into the spinal cord. Claws gnawing at his skin, seductively teasing to tear all of it off until another rush of goosebumps threw him back to reality.

He was at the monastery. At home. Home filled with elemental masters or spinjitzu, armed with otherworldly technology, what was there to be so afraid of? Which part of him was the one being irrational? The feeling just would not budge.

“Something’s wrong.” Kai sprung up from his spot on the couch and paced around the room, tugging at his hair. “Something’s seriously wrong.”

“What’s wrong, Kai?” 

“I don’t know! But something is definitely wrong, I feel it in my bones.” And cells and every single one of his nerves. The sound of a wildly thumping heart made him want to bash his head through a wall just to make it stop. Just shut up, please.

“Did you have one of those, um, prophetic dreams? Like Zane?” Jay asked, timidly looking over him from his spot on the couch as if Kai was going to combust into flames any second.

He refrained from answering, that would probably dig his hole only deeper. All he had was a weird feeling, what exactly was he afraid of? It could be a bad dream he didn’t remember. He would also rather avoid having to say anything about the weird quirk of his mind lately, that was between him and Cole and it was enough. No more people needed to know about it.

So he let Jay talk him down and he did take the tea from him. He might have set it to boil in his own hands, it was too cold no matter how heated up he felt.

His spine prickled in alert no matter what Jay said but numbly listening to his rambled attempts at calming him down was tangibly better than weeping to himself because of a stupid, nonexistent heartbeat. Two dragons fought for the prey and it meanwhile ran away; now that the two noises clashed, Kai had a little window to think.

He was losing the ground underneath his feet lately and realising so only made it worse. Crying and hyperventilating in the hallway? That was so not him, he had years to gain control over his emotions, he can’t just stumble like this. Now he had Jay watching over him as if his life depended on it which was considerate but Kai would have preferred to beat himself up over it in privacy.

On the other hand, he appreciated not being alone.

He could talk about it to someone. He could. After all, it would not be the first time admitting defeat, and it wasn’t the end of the world before. Maybe he could speak to Cole first, once he gets the sleep he needs. If they don’t figure something out together, then they come up with the next plan of action. Yeah, talking to Cole was always easy, he will just wait for morning to come…

“Knowing you, you could use some distraction, how ‘bout that?” Kai could only hum, until now, everything Jay said went one ear in and out the other without leaving a trace. “You ever did origami?”

Well that sprung some life back into him. Turning to him, Kai frowned, this time with a clear target. “Last time I checked, we’re not the old married couple.”

“Come on, it’s a relaxing activity and you can make pretty cool stuff with it.”

“Like what? Pop-up Valentine cards? Folding paper, fun.”

“Hey, it’s not about what you make, it’s about keeping your mind occupied so it can’t freak you out.” Kai rolled his eyes, back to staring at the black screen. Jay hurried to get up. “I’m getting some papers,” he said, already leaving the room.

Curse the others for sleeping in the middle of the night. Kai hissed after him, “If you seriously think I’m gonna do origami, you’re even stupider than I thought!”

__________________________________________

Kai spent the entire night folding colourful papers into different animals. In front of him, Jay dozed off on the conference table. His steady breathing morphed together with the birds’ singing outside and Kai did not register any of it. Once he got into the motions, he got hypnotised. In front of his eyes was just another piece of paper until it turned into another creation, helping the ridiculous pile grow. It was quiet – at least Kai thought it was – and the silence was addicting.

“Good morning, Kai.” Finally morning?

Kai turned to see Zane standing in the doorway, eyebrows raised as he watched him fold without looking. “Morning, Zane, wanna crane?” He reached out with his hand, showing off another crane sitting in the palm. Zane stepped forward and took it from him, his eyebrows still too high for comfort. “Did you know you get a lifetime of happiness if you fold a thousand of ‘em? I lost count.”

“I take it your insomnia is still going?” His eyes moved to Jay drooling on the table.

“We’re getting a happy ever after, didn’t you get the wedding invite? Together forever,” Kai sing-sang. The lack of sleep was seriously getting to his head, that’s what was going on.

Of course Zane completely glossed over his words. “Your adrenaline levels are higher than usual, did something occur?”

“Nothing you have to worry your brilliant brain about.” Kai stretched into the air, away from all the paper. That was more than enough for the rest of his life. “You’re making breakfast?”

“Kai, when it comes to your well-being, I need you to be more honest with me. It is for your own good.”

At least he could avoid eye contact with all the stretches he had to do to bring his muscles and bones back to life. Yep, never again. “Fine. I might have panicked over a stupid dream and Jay found me. Nothing serious.” Wiping off Zane’s sceptical face proved to be pointless. “Honestly.”

After that, Zane indeed went to make breakfast, but it was painfully clear he was not satisfied with Kai’s answers. Oh well, he can live with it, disappointing others was his shtick after all. It was also easier to handle than admitting he might be losing his mind. It was stupid. Plus, if he was going to Cole with this, he was not doing anything bad in the end, right?

As the sun rose and lit up the world some more, the rest of the team began waking up and shuffling into the dining room, from where the smell of fresh food travelled into their bedrooms, luring them out. Jay had a hard time trying to not fall asleep on his plate of eggs, Nya kept glancing Kai’s way as she got the same half-hearted excuse as Zane from him.

The spot next to him was cold with Cole’s absence. They did not sit side by side every single morning but right now Kai would welcome him being there. Maybe their shoulders would bump into each other, maybe he would tease Lloyd’s stormy looks, the hypocrite. When Kai was busy with all the night patrols and fighting his sleep bankruptcy during the day, the lack of time they spent together didn’t faze him much. On the other hand, now that he stopped and everything could catch up, he woefully missed hanging out with him.

Well, if Cole feels better, Kai could replace Zane in the caretaking. He had to make up for the way he shut him off yesterday.

After the enervated breakfast, they all went their own way – Lloyd was going to prepare some exercises, looking enthusiastic and filled with energy in the morning as ever, Zane sent Nya to Cole’s room with breakfast before he went on to clean up, and Jay beelined to his bed. While Kai considered giving Cole some time, he found himself following Nya’s footsteps, too restless to wait for Cole to have his breakfast and properly wake up.

Halfway there, he ran into her and they spoke at the same time,

“I can’t find Cole.”

“How’s Cole? I need to– What?” Kai furrowed his eyebrows, looking between her and the food she was carrying. Untouched.

“He’s not anywhere in his room!” Nya’s voice was ready to jump to incredible heights.

“Well– Maybe he’s in the bathroom or something, you know how he is.” She left him with a frustrated grunt, Kai trailed behind her, peeking through open door for a glimpse of Cole.

When living with a team of ninja, it becomes normal that finding someone might take a while unless they have the decency to let others know of their whereabouts. So Kai was not stressed out, knowing Cole, he probably just wanted to have some ime for himself after being under the watchful eye of everyone in the house. Until the number of rooms remaining to check shrunk in no time, and no one else saw him that morning yet, and,

“What do you mean gone? He’s been bedridden for a week! He couldn’t walk to the WCwithout sounding like a dying horse!” Maybe that was why Jay didn’t drink coffee, his own voice must have been more than enough.

Lloyd stepped into the conversation before it could get a chance to explode, taking the plate from Nya, although it was almost empty anway. The sun barely cam eup and she was already stress-eating. 

“Guys we can’t start freaking out now. Cole might need our help, not our yelling.” Piercing green eyes jabbing into the lightning ninja, as if the redhead could see anything through his bird nest of hair.

“Right, maybe he just ventured somewhere, over-confident that he doen’t need our help. As usual.” Nya’s sigh spoke of murder, no mercy for the ill. Kai looked over everyone assembled in the courtyard, arms crossed, wooden beam boring into his spine. The tension could be sliced and served on a plate, despite Lloyd’s best efforts. This was a fairly new kind of situation, losing someone right under their noses, where they deemed safe.

“Who saw him last?” All eyes turned to him, Kai’s cue to stop digging his nails into his palm and pay attention to the conversation. His muscles itched to start doing something more useful than to idly stand around and chat.

“What? I haven’t seen him since dinner. I cleaned up and went to sleep, you guys were hanging around.”

“Oh boy…” Jay’s face turned pale and his eyes comically widened as he covered his mouth. For some reason he looked even worse when his and Kai’s gazes met.

“Don’t be so cryptic, Jay, spill it,” Nya commanded when he decided to keep them all waiting in anticipation.

“I think I was the last one to see Cole,” Jay muttered, then put his face into his hands, letting out something between a whine and a groan. “He said he just wanted to take a short walk after the food. I shouldn’t’ve let him go by himself! I’m an idiot.”

“Yeah you are.”

“Kai!” Great, he was the target again.

“What? He said it himself, didn’t he?”

Completely unfazed by the stressed-out chaos, Zane prodded further. “Jay, did you see where he went?”

While Jay uncovered his eyes to look over them all, his mouth remained hidden, his words coming out  abit muffled. “I thought he was just gonna pace behind the walls for a little! He seemed happy with the trees in the afternoon…”

“We would hear it if he got in trouble, though.” Kai wanted to get rid of the image in his head but his brain had a mind of its own. Memories came flooding and Jay’s intense stare wasn’t helping. “He must’ve worn himself out, he’s probably witing for us to find him, you know.”

“Something’s wrong…” Jay muttered, now relentlessly staring at Kai. “Kai, what if–”

Nope. No, this was not on the program for that day. No, he was supposed to talk to Cole first. “Shut up.”

“But–”

“What?” Nya jumped into their so-called conversation, only for them all to be silenced by Lloyd again.

“Guys, calm down! We have to start looking for Cole. Kai, you wait here if he happens to get here before us or something.”

“What? No. Why! Wu and Pix can do it, why do I have to stay here?”

“It’s strategic.”

“It’s stupid. I can help.”

“You’re sleep-deprived and not in the right headspace, it’s better this way, trust me.”

He kept frowning the entire time the rest prepared some things to bring along (first-aid box being one of them but everyone was nonchalant, of course), he burned them with his stare as they walked outside the gate but the farther they went, the faster his fury extinguished into fear. His fists were quivering even when he clenched them with all his strength, his breath became unsteady and his eyes burned from time to time but he refused to let anything out. Jay wasn’t too far off. What is this was it? What if Cole got into trouble, his gut feeling screamed for him to do something and he just ignored it? What if Cole was— No. But it would be his fault. But it wouldn’t be this easy. Cole wouldn’t go out without a proper fight. Cole would never—

Thank Master for the wooden dummies always being there to welcome his inner conflicts bursting to the surface.

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His eyes burned as if the sun was right in front of him but once he got used to it, there was barely any light. Branches were crossing the sky, lightly swaying in the breeze, he could hear some birds sing above him. It was definitely earlier than he was used to waking up and it showed – everything ached, everything hurt and all he wanted was to roll over and continue where he left off.

It took a long while of staring at the forest canopy for everything to click; for him to realise that the sight was wrong. Trees? Those weren't the cherry blossoms behind the monastery's wall.

Cole jolted up, then quickly regretted it as he fell back on the ground. Did he pull every single one of his muscles? Broke all of his bones? More pain, he couldn't keep quiet. As if his body wanted to turn inside out, he lacked the strength to keep his sobs to himself.

As his senses began finally catching up, he realised how cold it was, how all the needles and cones and sticks and stones embed and stabbed into his back. He could feel wetness over his body but it was not raining and there was… blood on his hands?

They shook as he held them in front of his eyes. The darkness made it difficult to recognise the signature red colour but it for sure was not water, not even muddy.

At least he got his explanation for some of his throbbing pain. Now all he needed was an explanation for his weird bedding in the middle of a forest with deep gashes all over.

He was basically naked, bleeding out on the forest floor, this certainly took the cake as the worst nap he ever took. What on First Master's green earth.

His thoughts were jumbled and useless, he had to get moving, he had to get back up to the monastery. But even just turning around took so much effort. His body burnt and he was so cold. Luckily the woods were full of trees he could cling onto to stay straight, also luckily, the mountain didn't seem to be that far. It also meant there was probably no one who could witness him at his lowest. Was this good or bad? This was not a sight he would wish upon anyone else but his hopes for getting all the way home diminished the moment he saw the crimson pool he left behind.

The last thing he did… There was dinner, Kai was acting off, something about Uno… He just went for a walk? The stairs are wide, how could he manage to fall off? Branches would not make these kinds of wounds, no, something had to attack him.

Too much thinking, he needs to focus. He needs to get to the monastery fast, he was leaving a bloody trail behind and his eyes were getting heavy, this wasn't good. He cannot panic but it was the only comfort. Tears can’t block his vision, premonitions of his early death cannot cloud his mind, weakness cannot knock him down when he’s so close.

Not so close. Although the mountain was not far, it felt like it kept walking away as he tried to reach it. Chasing fog. And then, once that endless journey came to an end, came the stairs. The stairs leading into white clouds, he can’t even see the monastery and he wants to cry. Was it his home waiting there for him or was this already a different kind of journey? His body might as well be falling apart, piece by piece.

He has to keep crawling up, no matter what is waiting up there for him. He ignores salty tears mixing with sweet blood. He forces his defiant muscles to work… He can’t fight back the sparks of pain his bones shoot out.

Now it’s panic fueling him and he can’t make a sound to call for attention.

The stone is freezing cold and the shaking of his body just worsens the ache.

As much as his self-preservation instinct yells at him to go on, he can’t. He’s too weak. He’s too tired and cold and brethless. Why do they have to live on top of a mountain? Why was he losing touch with his senses for the second time?

This was it. This was how he dies. Naked and shivering, crying and bleeding onto the stairs leading up to the monastery. And the last thing he will see is a bunch of colourful blurs calling his name.

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[fischerbees]

Bite Me!

[word count: 2300]

II. Scars Healed and Unhealed

“As of right now I can’t find anything critical, however, I will need to do some additional check-ups once we’re back at the monastery.” With that, Zane’s eyes ceased their familiar flashing as he stepped away so they all could see each other.

“Great. The last thing I need is to catch rabies. Fantastic idea, Jay!”

“What?”

“It was your idea to go ‘inspect the forest’!” Since their journey back, Cole has not stopped grumbling about it. And while Kai shared the same sentiment, it was getting repetitive.

“Cole…” Holding his uninjured shoulder, Kai tried to help Cole ease down before he would pounce on Jay. He could not get frustrated even with himself for getting so easily shaken to the core by the attack. It was just a pack of wild wolves, he survived worse, why was he so shaken by it all?

“Hey, I was trying to help you!”

“Yeah, into the grave, maybe!”

“ Cole .” Kai tightened his grip and leaned his face closer. “Come on, you need to relax.” Cole scoffed at Jay's mute, wild gesturing and eyes wide like plates but leaned against the wall and let his muscles relax anyway. Kai rubbed his shoulder before picking up another pad with disinfection to rub it on his scratches, clenching his teeth not to hiss.

“If you were to get rabies, and my scans showed nothing concerning, you’ve been vaccinated and the disease won’t be lethal. That, with your immune system being boosted by your elemental power and our medical supplies, any potential diseases would be dealt with fairly quickly.” Once Kai pushed the first aid kit towards him, Zane began packing it up. “Besides a few new scars, you two should be fine.”

“Great, are we going to waste more time here? I think that's more than enough scrolls,” he finally acknowledged the rest of the team.

Lloyd was quick to jump on the train, having registered the weird silence coming from the master of fire. “Kai's right, we should head back, we got what we wanted.”

“What Wu wanted.”

Nya shot Kai one of her sharp looks which he made sure to ignore. “Yeah, they need to get cleaned up properly and Kai's already getting pissy.”

“Am not.”

“Let's get these on board and head back, guys.”

__________________________________________

While he was more than glad to be away from the ruin of a library in the middle of nowhere, being tied to various beeping machines by Zane and Pixal wasn’t a thrilling experience as well. Cole eventually settled down, only his death stares remained and targeted the lightning ninja who seemed jumpier than ever. Kai could not enjoy the performance as much as he wanted to, the whole incident still heavy on his mind.

There were too many questions swirling in his mind and he did not know which required his attention first. And then there was the fact that despite how much he tried helping Zane in reassuring Cole everything was going to be all right, he doubted it himself. The scars burnt relentlessly and his powers seemed to go haywire. Of course, it could be from his nerves. His heart was still busy racing a mile, as much as he hated to admit it.

Pixal said it was normal to feel shock after going through such an experience, Kai silently disagreed. He went through worse things. Way worse things and a bunch of wolves gets him trembling like a scared child? No, he was not having that.

So, he put on his usual, charming grin, went to the dinner as relaxed as he could and spoke fast to make sure his thoughts did not get an opportunity to seep more doubt into his frail foundation. He was just shaken up because Cole got the short end of the stick and Cole has always been his secret weakness and there was nothing more behind it.

Despite all of the effort, his plate was left almost untouched.

__________________________________________

Cole was not one to vent his frustration with others so openly, it was the Smith siblings’ speciality, mainly Kai’s. Nya mastered the art of passive aggression. But once he started, he could see why Kai did it all the time.

They pretty much could have gotten attacked even in the library, Jay just unintentionally pushed them into the front lines. Like a bad move in chess. However, being mad at him rather than at himself for failing to fight off a few wild dogs he could crush with very low effort was definitely easier. It also helped fill the silence – which was Kai’s job and it was unnerving that he did not do it.

Knowing him though, Kai was in the same position – beating himself up over an incredible fail from the mighty ninja. Even his facade was terrible and that was art Kai mastered perfectly to the point it gave even Cole trouble to decipher whether he was being honest or not, so, bad news. Kai was not going to be fun to be around the next day. There was nothing worse in the world than Kai being furious with himself.

Before going to bed, which was at that point the highlight of his day, said ninja stopped by one last time, being unusually timid. There was a strange sense of comfort and discomfort in it.

“How are you feeling?” He was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. Had it not been for his foot absent-mindedly sliding against the floor, he would have seemed relaxed, which Cole guessed was his attempt.

“Stupid because I let myself get beaten up by a bunch of wolves like that,” he admitted. It was always easier with Kai. Somehow they often found themselves in similar predicaments. “Awful because of the shoulder.”

“Does it still hurt?” Despite all the work Kai seemed to put into his composure, Cole still noticed the soft quiver of his voice. When it came to Kai, Cole found himself catching the smallest details he would normally brush over any other day. Now he was left in an awkward position – should he say something or not? How safe was it?

“You know those toothaches that keep you awake and go through all your bones? That’s what it feels like.”

Kai’s eyebrows furrowed together as he bit the inside of his cheek. “I could bring you some painkillers? Maybe one of Wu’s teas?”

Cole shook his head, attempting a small smile. “You know I’m not into that.”

“No, I do, but that doesn’t sound fun.”

“I won’t feel it when I’m asleep.”

“Right.” Kai stared somewhere behind him, probably out of the window. While Cole could not wait to get into bed, he found himself unable to ask Kai to leave. Nothing out of the ordinary. It seemed he had something on his mind, he could only guess whether he would hear some of it. He simply watched him chew on his lip.

“Hey, what do you think Jay meant by the I was trying to help you?” Kai’s question was a sudden ambush, catching him off-guard. His eyes were now staring into Cole’s, somehow reminding him of the wolves’, except more intense and directed.

Dodge and weave. “I guess he just wanted us to avoid having to go through all the scrolls and whatnot.”

“Right, sure…” Kai straightened his pose, knocked thoughtlessly on the wall. “Well… Good night, then.”

“Good night.”

“… Don't let the wolves bite.”

“You're an idiot.”

Kai avoided Cole's shove but grinned at him. “Too soon?”

Cole scoffed. Unbelievable, this guy. “Go to bed, dumbass.”

Kai walked backwards to gift him one last wink before he gets into his room. “Sweet dreams, Rocks.”

“You too…”

__________________________________________

He thought he was dreaming the whole time until the dream tasted too much like vomit and the shivers running down his spine began tingling. Only the gentle, warm touch still carried the comfort of an ethereal reality.

Coming back to his senses was absolutely awful and Cole hated every second of it.

“I've got you, I've got you, baby, don't worry.”

More retching, more splashing of the water in the toilet. Thousands of thick icicles were penetrating his flesh, stabbing his spine but all that got out of him was grunting and panting, as if he screamed out his voice long ago. His muscles ached as if he spent months climbing up mountains. Sudden spasms kept him weak, shaking and clinging onto the bowl. He was either crying or just sweating. First Master, he hoped he was not crying but a good sob would be welcomed. As if something wanted to tear him apart from the inside. He would much rather embarrassingly bawl his eyes out than spew out his guts.

At least the accidental brushes of Kai's fingers against the nape of his neck as he kept the hair out of his face helped him stop concentrating on everything else. Just the taste in his mouth made him want to puke again.

But he let go of the toilet and leaned back into Kai's arms instead. Who needs medication when he has a fire elemental to pat his face with towels and whisper to him?

“You are so much hotter than me.”

“I'm flattered but now's really not the time.” It was surprising he managed to say something, although his voice was too weak to his liking.

“Nice to know where your mind is but no, that’s not what I meant. You're burning up, we'll have to find something to treat the fever.” He tried his best to focus solely on the low voice, sweet like honey, only it just wasn’t enough, his thoughts were too loud and suffocating.

“Please tell me I didn't get rabies,” Cole whined, too beaten down to experience the pure embarrassment. He can enjoy it in the morning once somebody makes the pain go away. Maybe he was actually getting stabbed? It was hard to breathe.

“Relax, it might just be shock from the attack. Are you going to puke more?”

“I don't think so.”

“All right, let's get you outta here.” Kai flushed the toilet and helped Cole walk out, just like back in the forest. Had it been anyone else taking care of him, he would hate being so helpless more. It was somewhat easier to ignore this way.

“How did I even get here?” Everything was pitch black while he could swear his eyes were open.

“Not sure, I found you seconds from ruining the floor in the kitchen. You must've been half awake.”

“And you?”

“Couldn't sleep.” Kai sat Cole down on the couch in the living room. “I'll go get Zane but if anything happens, just yell, okay?” Cole's head spun until everything was a dreamy blur again.

__________________________________________

Sunlight glaring into his face woke Kai up. His world spun and his head ached, pounded along with the rhythm of his own heartbeat. As he blinked his eyes open, it fortunately washed away. No headaches for him today, that was the last thing he needed.

Kai got up and stretched into the air and let out a deep breath as he let his hands fall back to his sides. About to find some clothes to change into, he caught sight of the pile of the remains of his gi from yesterday. He walked over and picked it up only to find it without a scratch. The only thing missing was the sleeve he tore off to help Cole. Otherwise, the gi looked as good as new. As if nothing had happened yesterday. There was no way this was a different pile of clothes, he could still recall where he threw it last night.

Dropping it, Kai quickly took off his shirt and looked over his body to find it clear of any scratches. No pain, nothing, not a single scar or anything suggesting that he got attacked recently. They did have good medication supplies, they did have elemental powers messing with their metabolisms but there was no way they would heal this fast, right?

Without thinking, Kai swore he rushed out of his room in search of the others. Most voices were coming from the dining room. How come they let him sleep in? He was not used to being one of the last ones to get out of bed, not a fan.

“Woah, buddy Cole's not here if that's who you're trying to impress.”

Kai paid zero attention to the comment, turning to everybody else at the table instead. “Where were we yesterday?”

“Don't you remember?” Nya asked back. Based on her concerned frown, she was seconds from leaving everything to see if there was something wrong with him.

“I do but my body doesn't. Didn't we get attacked by a pack of wolves?” In his peripheral vision, Kai noticed Zane’s eyes flashing once again. Catching onto serious stuff faster than the others as usual.

“Yeah?” Jay seemed half-asleep as he squinted at him. Part of Kai wondered if this all could possibly be a dream. Perhaps a fever dream, perhaps he ended up like Cole, passed out and burning with fever.

“So where are my wounds, huh? I'm not injured at all! Explain that.” Now was not the time to panic, yet he could not help himself. Freaky stuff without any explanation was not his cup of tea.

Nya was standing up, mouth opening to say something, except Zane was faster, with a plate of breakfast already being shoved into Kai’s hands, and his mind probably going through all the necessary equipment in the medbay. He instructed him to go fetch Cole, try and eat some of the food, and come for more screenings.

Being too tired for it at the moment, Kai promised himself to get mad about getting tangled into yet another mess later.

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