Dreamscape | Ninjago One-Shots | Part Two Available

no room to swing a cat | ninjago series

I know, I know, I should be working on literally everything else that I need to do but I couldn't pass up a chance to write this!

Also I never knew the title above was an idiom until I looked it up! It means that a room is very small and there isn't enough space.

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Kai nearly hit the ceiling when Jay suddenly burst into the main living space. The curly-haired boy's breathing was ragged, his eyes frantic as he flung himself inside the room.

"What the heck, Jay?" Cole pressed a hand to his chest, trying to get his heart back to a normal speed.

Nya frowned and put down her bowl of cereal when she caught sight of the look on his face. "What's the matter?"

"We have a problem!" Jay screeched.

Kai opened his mouth to ask what the heck was so important that he needed to dramatically crash through the doors for when Jay suddenly picked something up.

Raised above his head like a baby lion waiting to be crowned king was a tiny wiggling kitten. It whined in a complaint and threw its little paws around. The cat was mostly white with a light ginger fur over his ears and the top of its head. It meowed loudly as the team tilted their head in confusion.

Kai said what they were all thinking. "I'm sorry, what's happening?"

"We can't keep the cat, Jay," Cole spoke up, at last, shaking his head.

"Actually, I think we should!" Jay's voice cracked with anxiety.

"Our lifestyle is not suited for a pet." Zane pointed out gently.

"No- you don't get it! We really should keep the cat! It's-" Jay tried to cut in.

Kai rolled his eyes. "We aren't keeping the cat, Jay!"

"No-"

The master of fire stood and moved to put his dishes away. "Go talk to Lloyd, okay? He'll explain it to you."

Jay swung the kitten so he was pinned to his chest with one hand and used the other to scramble after Kai. Kai sighed as a hand grasped his sleeve and dragged him around. He was met with a tiny little nose and two huge green eyes.

Two oddly familiar green eyes.

"What the-"

"I can't talk to Lloyd because the cat is Lloyd!" Jay shrieked at last.

They all stared at him in shock before slowly turning to look at the feline. He meowed again plaintively.

"WHAT?" Kai exclaimed at last. "What do you mean the cat is Lloyd???"

"Remember when he got hit with the weird gun thing a few days ago on that mission?" Jay fumbled as the cat- er- Lloyd began to get fussy.

"He was acting all weird after? Extra snappy? Extra cuddly? I thought he was just sick or something but I was studying the gun and something looked weird. I went to go check on Lloyd to tell him to monitor himself when I found this in his bed!" When he said "this" he empathized his words by jerking poor Lloyd up again.

Lloyd rightfully hissed, not enjoying being flung.

Nya blinked rapidly, unable to fully comprehend that her friend was now an animal. "How do you know that the cat didn't just waltz in here?"

"Look into his eyes Nya!" Jay shoved Lloyd in his girlfriend's face, making her stumble back. "Tell me those eyes aren't the eyes of a green ninja?"

Zane tilted his head and gently took the cat from Jay's arms. "The pupils are much larger than they would be in this lighting for a cat. They appear quite green and have a strange brightness to them."

"Exactly! Only Lloyd's eyes have that weird energy thing!" Jay gestured wildly. "Now do you believe me?"

Cole waved his hands. "Wait, wait, wait- if that cat really is Lloyd then how do we get him back into... human form?"

"I don't know!" Jay wailed, he raked a hand through his hair, making the curls even wilder.

Zane cradled Lloyd in his arms, petting his friend's head as if it was perfectly normal for him to change into a furry mammal. "Perhaps we would be able to contact Master Wu?"

"His mission is remote, I doubt we could even track him using the falcon." Nya tapped her chin as she thought.

"Is there anyone who could help us reverse it?" Kai stared at Cat-Lloyd like he was some sort of demon. "Camille? Some old voodoo lady?"

"Lloyd's the leader! He's the one who would figure all this stuff out! " Jay continued to freak out, shaking Zane in his panic. The master of lightning plucked the cat from the nindroid's grasp and stared into Lloyd's eyes. Cat-Lloyd looked unnerved as Jay also shook him.

"What do we do?" Jay demanded.

Cat-Lloyd stared at him before wiggling from his grasp and landing neatly on the ground.

"He can't talk, Jay!" Cole reminded him, watching as Lloyd rubbed up against the earth ninja's leg. "Do you think he can even understand us?"

"It's hard to tell." Zane tilted his head. "Perhaps certain aspects of him will remain. Such as his eyes. But will Lloyd have the same mental strength as he did as a person?"

Nya sighed and bent low so she could look at Lloyd. "I hope so. I want to believe that there's at least some of his left!"

"Why would anyone want to turn him into a cat of all things?" Kai wondered aloud. "It's not like he's very powerful right now."

Lloyd gave an offended look and let it a sharp hiss before he went waltzing over to Nya. The master of water picked him up and Lloyd sent a smug glance in Kai's direction.

"Great! He's got catitude as well!" Kai said sarcastically.

"He was always sassy." Nya snickered. "Just not as moody as you are."

"At least we know he can understand us. I'm not sure to what extent but it's something." Cole pointed out.

Kai frowned. "But he still can't stay that way. I don't see a cat ever doing spinjitzu. He's a sitting duck- er- cat if a villain shows up."

"Zane, you and I will work on that gun. We'll need to work out how they managed to do this." Nya ordered. Her authoritative tone didn't match the hand stroking Lloyd. "Kai, Cole? You guys need to figure out who did this to Lloyd and how on earth they got ahold of this tech."

They all nodded. Jay looked around nervously as they began to split up.

"What about me?" Jay asked.

Nya strolled up to him and gave the cat back to him as she passed. "You look after Lloyd. Make sure he doesn't try and eat Wu's chicken."

Jay went to protest but Nya was already gone. Jay scowled and looked down at the purring feline in his arms.

"Great," Jay muttered.

author's note***

I'm not sure if I'll get around to making a part two of this. I already have to update a bunch of stuff, publish something and then get part two of the dragon au and We Will Meet Again out.

Anyways, I hope you liked Cat-Lloyd! I thought it was a cute and fun idea! Lloyd would make a good cat. Cuddly and sweet, but with a sassy edge. Cat's can be a little mean though. 😂

Hope you're all doing well!

LuckyBugBooks 🐞