Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 47: A Terrible Trip Down Memory Lane

(Artwork by Me :P)

"Talon... Talon, come on, wake up."

"Uuhhg...?" Eagle Talon blinked blearily and found himself staring face-to-face with a human. Out of instinct he recoiled and bared his teeth in a feral snarl. "Back off!"

"Relax, it's just me!" Cole exclaimed.

"Oh." Talon relaxed, then felt tense again. "What happened?"

"Dunno." Cole stood up, allowing Talon a better view of their new surroundings. "Your sister did some kind of sleeping spell on me. The last thing I remember was fighting her."

"Mm." Talon sat up and realized he had been lying on a stack of damp, moldy hay, and he wrinkled his human nose in disgust. He looked and saw that he, Cole, and Liana had been imprisoned in a little room made of cobblestone, which was cold, dark, and damp. Moldy hay strewn about here and there was the only sign of bedding or seating. There were no windows; merely a single metal door with a barred opening that allowed view into the hall beyond—although there wasn't much to see of it. The only light came from a torch flickering dimly from outside the cell. Cole's face was cast in shadow.

Where is Liana? Talon glanced around and saw the young human female sitting with her forelegs—or her arms—wrapped around her hind legs and her chin resting atop her knees. Her eyes were gray, milky orbs in the dim light, and Talon found himself suppressing a shiver.

He glanced down at himself and realized he was still in his "Randy-form". He shifted and allowed his body to revert to his natural human one, and he relaxed in the familiar skin—although the human clothing still felt weird and uncomfortable to him.

"The werecats must've taken over the castle." Cole turned away and grabbed the bars of the door, staring out into the dark hallway. "I sure hope Zane, Nya, and Lloyd are all right."

Talon grunted. "Little Leaf'd better not have gotten caught up in the fighting." He stood up and brushed off stray bits of hay.

"Cole," Liana said, standing up warily on the small hay pile. "Can you get us out of here using your super-strength?"
Of course now she doesn't speak to him like he stole her mouse, Talon thought snidely.

"I'll try." Cole cracked his knuckles and grabbed the bars, pulling and straining. With a gasp he staggered back, putting one hand to his head. "I feel... dizzy..." he muttered faintly.

"You'd be better off resting after a spell like that," Talon commented. "Your head will probably feel light for a few minutes, and it's best not to use of your strength."

"What strength?" Cole groaned as he sank into the hay pile. "What, do the Moon Tribe use Vengestone magic spells to drain our powers?"

"'Vengestone'?" Talon frowned. "I don't know what that is, but I'm pretty sure the Seven Sorcerers don't use it. You're just feeling weak after having your mind being forced to fall asleep."

"I hate feeling weak."

"Don't get your tail in a twist, it only lasts for a minute."

"What are they going to do with us?" Liana asked with a note of anxiety. "Do you know, Talon?"

Talon looked at the two of them, but fell silent.

"Well?" Cole prompted, rising his eyebrows expectantly.

"I—" Talon stopped abruptly, and his gaze strayed away from Cole's face.

"What? What is it?" Cole asked, frowning.

"Raven Frost."

"What?"

"One of the sorcerers. Raven Frost. He was the one who impersonated as your friend Kai," Talon replied furtively, feline eyes wide. His hair suddenly turned brown and shrunk a few inches into his head, his cheeks rounded and became dotted with freckles, and his body shape shifted slightly; he switched back to the form of "Randy" within a second. "I smell him. He's coming."