Ninjago: Gold and black

Eclipsed sun ~ beginnings

A small girl ran around a campsite. Numerous tents lay around, a few tables among-st them, full of papers, computers, and half drank cups of coffee.

She weaved through the archaeologists and scientists, until she found her father, who stood hunched over a paper. She tugged at his pant leg, as she wasn't the tallest nine year old.

"Are we gonna explore?" She shrieks. Knowing that this as the day their group was to map out the island. She had been practically vibrating for the past two days, waiting for the time of adventure to come.

"Yes, yes." He said a bit rushed. He picked a few papers and shuffled together. The little girl caught something about dark matter but didn't dwell on it.

"C'mon!" She yelled, pulling him through the group of people who were all packing bags.

"I'm coming!" The man yells, gathering a few scrolls before letting himself be dragged off to his and his daughters tent.

The small girl stares around giddily, her yellow eyes glinting and her mouth never stopping. She buzzed about everything her dad did, and bounced circles around him.

"Why don't you go find something to do?" He asks, trying to make his voice sound as elevated as his daughters.

"Like whaaaaaaaat?" She asked, flopping against her dads side, staring at the map he consulted.

"Angie looks like she needs help with the water jugs," he says, pointing to a woman on the other side of the canyon they had found.

"Okay," she says giddily.

The tiny blonde runs across the rickety rope bridge. Her dad watches her go, obviously, and for some unknown reason, not concerned as his only remaining family member runs over a pit of dark matter.

He chuckles as he watches his daughter exclaim a whole speech of being helpful to one of his kinder comrades. Angie smiles widely and looks over to him with a warning look then back down at the girl. She says a few things and the nods, then grabs a gallon of water.

The man and most of his group of various scientists stand in the middle of the rope bridge, staring down into the pit. They were chattering so loudly and excitedly they didn't hear the bridge creaking and groaning.

With his pointed ears, the man heard the creaking yet didn't register the sound as he scribbled chicken scratch down in his notebook.

His daughter heard it. She glanced over at the bridge but paid them no attention as her and Angie were still carrying gallons of water back and forth.

Another woman walked onto the bridge, her glasses sitting on the edge of her nose. The bridge creaked and groaned more. Two more people walk on, staring down at the dark matter.

Creak

Snap

No one hears the first rope snap, but they feel it. Two of the people standing on the bridge fall face first into the pit, screaming. One falls onto the rock with a snap. The other into the dark, his feet disappearing.

The small girl watches fascinated as he reaches his hands out. Angie screams and rushes toward the bridge as two more people fall. The scientists try to get off the bridge, scrambling to safety, the small girls dad is in the back, pushing past people, knowing what would happen if he fell into the pit.

As all people run to one end, the second rope breaks. And they all fall.

Their screams fill the small girls sensitive ears, and she watches in horror as her dad falls into the depth of darkness, his face awash with worry.

Angie and the two other people above the pit with the child scream out and stare into the pit, which gurgles with the dark substance.

The nine year olds eyes filled with tears as arms and legs reached out of the matter, as their screams die down and the matter stops gurgling.

For a few moments, thing happens, except for the remaining peoples cries and screams.

Then, it starts to bubble, and forms make their ways out of the pit. The tiny kid strains her eyes, praying to the First Spinjitzu master that her dad was alright.

Their forms were the same, but their hair was black, their eyes red and their skin grey. One form was different. It was a blob. And the girl knew it was her dad, and that he was most definitely not alright.

Angie screams, the other two scream. Though the child doesn't. She stares at the blob who seems to stare at her. Then she runs, past the screaming people, and towards the thick forest, still crying.

The trees in the forest were held above the ground with their roots, creating the perfect little space for a small girl to pile up sticks, leaves and moss under to hide herself from the evil scientists that roamed about.

She sniffled, her yellow eyes glistening. She had heard the other threes screams, and knew exactly what had happened to them. The girl cuddled closely to herself under the leaves and moss, wincing as stick poked and stabbed her from all angles.

Twigs snapped under someones feet, the tiny girl squeezed her eyes shut and slowed her breathing, trying to stay quiet. The footsteps stopped right by her genius hiding spot.

"Hello?" Comes a kind voice.

The girl pauses, and opens her eyes, she looks up as the person bends down to peer under her tree. Her yellow eyes met blue ones, which widened a bit when they saw her.

"Come on out," the voice cooed as the eyes darted back and forth between the forest and the girl.

For some reason, the girl did so and was soon staring up at a man. His hair was white, he had a short white beard and a had a very wide brimmed hat in one hand, and a bamboo stick in the other. He wore white robes as if he were a monk of some kind and he stared down at the girl kindly.

"What's your name?" He asks, bending down a bit to stare into the girls unique eyes.

"Erin," she says, blinking.

"Hello, Erin, I'm Wu."

(1,066 Words)

This is the last of the beginnings chapters. Technically all of the chapters before this one and including this one were like prologue chapters, and now the story is actually starting.