Waging War | The Amber Duology #1

37 | Taking Flight

"We're having what?"

"Dragon training."

The amount of joy that Kai felt that day was both unnatural and uncontrollable. Upon the announcement that another collaborative training was taking place, he couldn't stop the smile that formed on his face—one he desperately tried to hide when he broke the news to Skylor after their training.

Truth be told, he had been smiling a lot more than he expected these days. Kai just hoped it didn't draw any attention.

Although the thought of meeting Hiroto again was a match waiting to be lit, it was instantly taken over by the fact that Skylor would finally have the opportunity to show off everything he had taught her.

Kai had gone against camp rules to teach the girl in the art of offense and defense, with the occasional elemental training, he had done his best to make sure she didn't die in this war or be left vulnerable in the middle of a battle.

Besides, he didn't need another person to save.

He did feel a hint of pride over her improvements—after her little show in Primeeval's Eye, he wanted to tell the world that he had been the one to train her, and wanted nothing more than to show the General what he was truly capable of.

Unfortunately, it would mean having to explain himself and risk being tossed in the brig again. So it wasn't up for discussion.

"Ready for today?" He asked, giving Lloyd a nudge from where he stood beside him.

It was dawn once more at the camps, the cold air of the night slowly subsided as the sun began its ascent into the sky. Kai had gotten up early for this day, instantly darting for the bathroom the second he got out of bed.

The action wasn't new to his roommates, having already been familiar with Kai's routine of spending more time on his hair than in the shower. 

He had learned the hard way that if he wanted to look good, he had to get up early after a certain 'hair gel crisis' that ensued before he was ever chosen to be drill instructor.

"Which one of you bastards used all my hair gel?!" He'd bellowed, tossing the empty can into the trash. Kai turned around to find Cole in the middle of spiking up Zane's hair to look exactly like his.

Beside them, Jay and Lloyd had their hair up in the same style Kai wore everyday, their hands over their mouths to stop their laughing but it wasn't as effective as they thought it would be.

"It was Kataru's idea." Zane shrugged over his wide smile, having already practiced the excuse.

Kai was furious. "He isn't even here!"

Long story short, a quick supply run to Ninjago City had to be made that day. And a whole lot of trouble waited for the boys when they got back.

Lloyd spit out the toothpaste that had gathered in his mouth. "Yep. Let's get this over with." He took a swig of water from his cup and spat it onto the sink.

Kai stopped brushing to raise an eyebrow at the boy. What's gotten him all worked up? "You okay, Llo—"

"I'm fine. Can we go now?" Lloyd cut him off to open the door of the bathroom, his face remained expressionless but the annoyance was clear. "Or do you need a few more hours to fix your hair?"

No need to be snarky. Kai hurried brushing his teeth and trailed after the boy a few seconds later.

Whatever Lloyd had in his mind, Kai hoped he would put it aside for today's training. He had been instructed by the General to lead the practice and Kai didn't want to see another dragon incident from the boy.