Where did it all go Wrong?

Chapter 16

(T̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶f̶e̶e̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶a̶d̶o̶p̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶f̶o̶x̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶r̶t̶s̶ ̶m̶u̶r̶d̶e̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶p̶e̶o̶p̶l̶e̶. Also, I'm alive - and so is this fic - Huzzah.)

Kai took a deep breath of the cool morning air. He guessed it to be around six, though it was hard to tell. A thin layer of frost covered the grass, crunching underfoot as he stood up from his resting place. He combed his fingers through the birds nest that was his hair, the tips of his digits tipped with blue, symbolising how cold it was.

After doing a few small exercises to get his blood pumping, Kai traipsed over to a small spring Ranger had helpfully pointed out to them the night before, an empty canteen in hand. He splashed the freezing water onto his face before plunging his bottle into the small stream, the water clinking like diamonds as it sloshed around the metal flask. He brought it to his maw, immediately swallowed half of the bottle's contents, wiping his wet lips with the back of his tanned hand before refilling it to the brim. Kai screwed the lid on tightly and meandered back to their 'camp'.

The others were seemed very languid this morning, whereas Kai, having been awake for many hours even before he had gotten up, appeared very zestful and exuberant.

A soft gale blew through the trees, making Kai shiver violently. Perhaps it was his dislike for the cold that fuelled his energy, his desire to keep warm. Whereas Ranger who, Kai presumed, was used to roughing it in these kind of conditions, woke up slowly, as if he was coming out of a most enjoyable slumber. The other ninja were somewhere in between these two extremes.

Kai watched as Ranger shifted under his furs, as if he was in the process hiding something behind his back. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion and watched him intently, but it seemed Ranger didn't really care for Kai's looks as he stood up and gathered his equipment together, before heading into the forest.

Kai paced around the camp as he awaited Ranger's return. 'Should I question him about what he hid under his cloak, or just go straight in with the 'Why in Ninjago do you have a scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu?' Both sound quite-''

A shout echoed through the forest. Kai felt his throat tighten and his eyes widen in alarm. The scream tore through his being like a knife to butter, his pulse quickened, pounding like a hammer in his chest. The plea for help sounded again, distressed, terrified and anguished. The fire ninja felt his legs moving him over the dirt path, his feet barely slapping the ground before he took another step. He moved through the underbrush, snagging his uniform on pointed branches that got in his way. Dirt flew up in clouds as he thundered down the path, sending animals scattering and birds to caw in annoyance.
Kai's ears strained as he tried to locate the source, he could hear movement and scuffling coming from up ahead. He slowed slightly and hid behind a large tree, peeking into a small clearing.

His face blanched and his pupils dilated. There were three or four absolutely huge men, possibly larger than Killow, surrounding a semi-unconscious Ranger. The tallest and most menacing looking man approached him, spitting onto the ground, he drew a blade from his belt and grabbed Ranger by the neck tightly. Kai heard Ranger whimper and his legs flailed about weakly as the man was inches away from plunging it into his chest. Ranger went limp as he had lacked oxygen for too long. Kai could do nothing but watch as the knife inches closer, he squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to witness it.
A low growl reverberated through the trees, Kai cracked one eye open. It was coming from Ranger?

No - not from Ranger - from his cloak.

A small fox cub crawled out from underneath his furs and perched on Ranger's shoulder, baring it's fangs menacingly. The man that was holding Ranger by the throat giggled haughtily at the cub,