Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 36: Crossing the Gorge

"How much longer 'till we get to the Bounty?" Wearily Cole and Lloyd shared the load of Jay's weight as they clambered up the mountainside.

"Not sure," Nya replied a few paces ahead of them. "We should be there before dark, though."

Liana, who walked alongside Nya, muttered, "Maybe old Rocky's getting tired of carrying Jay."

Cole's head jerked up at the sound of her voice. "I heard that! And I'll have you know, I'm not tired at all! I could do this all day!"

"Not me. I'm getting tired," Lloyd said. "And Jay's feet smell bad. I think my nose is going to fall off."

"I'll pick it up and hand it back to you when it does," Eagle Talon commented wryly behind him. "And I'll rub some cat hair on it for good measure."

"Great," Matilda said. "On top of a sleeping ninja and a ninja with a busted arm, all we need is a sneezing ninja to top the pajama party."

"My arm isn't busted!" Cole protested, craning his neck back so he could look at Matilda. "Not since you gave me that potion, anyway."

"Yeah, two minutes ago. I'd let Greenie and Snowy take Zappy for now if I were you."

"Like I told Miss Smarty Pants, I could do this all day," Cole retorted irritably, unwilling to admit that Jay's weight was indeed beginning to pull him down and make his arms throb.

"Did you just call me 'Miss Smarty—?!'" Liana began angrily.

"Quiet," Eagle Talon suddenly spoke, freezing in his tracks.

"Uh, who left you in charge, Grumpy Cat?" Cole snapped.

"No, I'm serious." Talon gesticulated at the humans with one hand impatiently. "Stop talking for a heartbeat."

"Excuse me if you're not enjoying simple human conversation. If you don't like it, you don't have to listen to it!"

"Actually, I wasn't really enjoying it, either," Nya said.

"Neither was I," Zane offered helpfully. "Nor was Pixal."

"I was going to knock the noggin of whoever opened their mouths next," Matilda muttered.

"For the love of the ancestors, would you yapping creatures just be quiet for one stinking moment!?" Eagle Talon suddenly burst out.

Everyone unexpectedly fell quiet. Talon ignored their questioning gazes and scanned the horizon. In the last day, the land had gradually transformed from the cold, dusty desert of steep cliffs and tumbling rivers to gentler hillsides, which were cast in faint shadows by lush green forests. The blue sky overhead was tinged ever so slightly in pink, a sign of the nearing sunset. The group of tired travelers stood upon a sloping hill that gave a rather nice view of the valleys and mountains from which they had traversed from.

The ninja watched Eagle Talon curiously as he tilted his head to the breeze, allowing his dark messy bangs to flap in the breeze. The werecat sniffed the air, then stuck out his pink tongue and tasted it—which looked a little weird to the humans, who then exchanged glances with each other. After a few moments, Talon's tongue drew back into his mouth, and it set into a grim line.

"I knew this would happen," he muttered. "It was just too easy."

"What?" Cole questioned suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"

"Can't you smell that?" Talon turned to the others, then frowned. "Oh. That's right—you're humans. Your sense of smell is terrible." He sighed in frustration, then announced, "Moon Tribe warriors. They're on our tail."