Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 99: Lightning Streak's Stand

Lightning Streak was supposed to be watching the kits as they played in the corner of the cave, but she couldn't help but glance every so often at Ivy Wing. The broad-shouldered female sat with her mate away from the rest of the clan, sharing a small rabbit. Ivy Wing was despondent over her mate's pleads for her to eat; one of the cats that had been captured by the humans in the village Oxstone had been Wolf Paw, and Ivy Wing was the young cat's mother.

Those warriors being captured has unnerved everybody, Lightning Streak thought as she surveyed her tribe-mates in the gathering cave. We're not used to losing.

It was true: every cat acted skittish and irritable now. Tension had increased ever since Spark Pelt and his team returned yesterday with the news that the ninja had succeeded in defeating and capturing many cats. No one had any idea what the humans would do with their prisoners—they might as well assume their friends and family members were dead.

I hope Little Leaf's right, that these humans are nice... Streak thought, flicking her forked tails. Many of those captured cats were her friends.

Most of the tribe had gathered in the eating cave for mealtime. Streak was watching over the little kittens playing with a ball of moss at the foot of the large boulders at one end of the room while she waited for the mothers to return. Her seat on one of the boulders gave her an excellent view of the massive cavern; she could even see Spark Pelt among the thickest parts of the crowd, licking wearily at his black-and-white coat while some cats questioned him still about the battle against the Sons and Daughters. Her seat was the reason why she was the first to catch sight of Black Blood appearing from one of the private tunnels.

Uh-oh. Here's trouble. She couldn't help the pessimistic thought. Simply put, nowadays nearly every time Black Blood appeared, it meant either getting everyone riled up over something the humans did or enforcement—like what happened to Lion Claw. Or, No Claw, as his name now was. Seeing the great yellow tomcat hobble about on his clawless paws and blinking with only one eye was a shocking sight to behold...

The clamor of the crowd fell silent as the lithe black cat made her way into the center of the crowd. She paused to survey the throng of loyal followers.

"Everyone," she yowled, "to the Meeting Rock!" With a flick of her tails she bounded away, heading to the tunnel entrance that connected the way to the meeting cavern.

The tribe-mates looked at one another, startled, but followed without question. Mothers were padding the opposite direction to join their kits when Black Blood called again, "And bring the kittens! Bring them to the front!"

This sent a confused murmur through the crowd, but no one dared question her. Bristling females herded their little ones—Lightning Streak helped them—while the little cats squeaked excitedly at the prospect of finally getting to see the Meeting Cavern. It was a room that was typically reserved for adult members of the tribe and kittens weren't allowed in it.

The many members of the Moon Tribe assembled before the Meeting Rocks, all in their bakeneko forms—there was no reason for them to feel threatened here. The last time they'd gathered here together, Lightning Streak realized, had been when they'd captured the Son of Fire and the Daughter of Amber and the sorcerers had banished them to far-off realms.

I wonder if there's any chance they're still alive... Her thoughts were still distant when the sorcerers strutted in and ordered the crowd to settle down—No Claw was nowhere to be seen. The tribe-mates shuffled into a half circle around the Meeting Rocks and the mothers came forward with their bouncing kittens.

Black Blood bounded atop the massive boulders. She sat up with her tails curled neatly over her paws while her eyes ran over the crowd.

"We stand," she began boldly, "at the brink of a great battle. It will take the courage of everyone—warriors, students, fathers, mothers, kittens, elders—to stand together as one tribe and fight to defeat those bloodthirsty Sons and Daughters once and for all."