Taking Control. (a Ninjago fanfic)

Chapter 20- Ravtures

Z A N E

"LLOYD, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Nya's voice rang out as she darted away from the colossal bird. Its talons slammed into the snow where she was mere seconds before, sending a flurry of frost and dirt into the air. The creature let out an enraged shriek, its piercing yellow eyes glowing with rage.

The bird's feathers were a rich blue, shimmering under the pale light of the winter sun. It wasn't just a bird—it was a guardian of the labyrinth, and it clearly remembered Lloyd.

"It seems it holds a personal grudge," I observed, stepping back as the creature refocused its attention on the green ninja. Lloyd was attempting to deflect its strikes, but the bird was relentless, diving low and forcing him to roll away into the snow to avoid its dagger-like talons.

"I think it remembers me!" Lloyd shouted, panic slipping into his voice as he stumbled to his feet.

"You think?" I replied, mildly incredulous, as he barely avoided another attack. The bird's talons left deep gouges in the snow, its shriek vibrating the air around us.

It was a ravture, a rare species native to these mountains only.

"Yeah... it doesn't like me very much," Lloyd admitted with a sheepish grin, trying to downplay the very real danger.

"This is not the time for jokes," I scolded, turning to Nya as she hurled a massive sphere of water at the ravture. It struck its wing, forcing the creature to veer off course and screech in anger.

"I agree with Zane," Nya snapped, her tone sharp. "Let's deal with this now, or we'll never make it to the labyrinth!"

The bird was relentless, purely settled on destroying Lloyd.

I quickly scanned the area. The mountain top was narrow, and we were surrounded by jagged rocks and deep snow. Any misstep would leave us exposed. "We need to make a plan," I suggested, already wracking my brain.

"What do you have in mind?" Lloyd asked, rolling out of the way with a yelp as the bird's beak jabbed the ground near him.

He stumbled, his boots slipping on the icy ground, and fell into the snow with a loud "hmmf."

Before he could recover, the massive bird lunged, pinning him down with its talons.

"Agh," Lloyd cried out, squirming desperately to free himself, but the creature's grip was unrelenting. The sharp talons dug into his arms and shoulders, drawing blood and forcing a grunt of pain from him.

The ravture let out a deafening screech, its call echoing across the frozen expanse. The force of the sound made the ground seem to tremble.

My heart jumped as I saw the situation. We needed to free Lloyd, and soon. The birds grip would soon be too deep.

I darted to the creature's right side, the frost gathering around my feet as I focused my energy. I could only hope Nya could see what I was doing and copy. My hands glowed with icy light, the snow beneath me freezing into solid sheets. Across from me, Nya mirrored my actions, her hands swirling with liquid water that shimmered with an ethereal glow.

"On my signal!" I called out, my eyes fixed on the bird as it raised its head to strike again.

Summoning all his strength, Lloyd twisted and kicked, managing to roll out of the talons' grasp just as its beak slammed into the ground where he'd been. He scrambled to his feet and dove behind a nearby boulder, panting heavily.

The bird screeched again, rearing up to spread its massive wings. Each beat of those powerful wings stirred up a whirlwind of snow and ice.

Its predatory gaze remained locked on Lloyd, its original target, as though Nya and I were nothing more than an afterthought.

"NOW!" I shouted, channeling all my energy into a single, focused blast.

A beam of frost shot from my hands, enveloping the bird's right wing in a thick coat of ice. The creature let out a furious cry, its movements suddenly stiff and jerky as it tried to shake off the frost.

Before it could recover, Nya struck. A torrent of water surged from her outstretched hands, crashing into the bird's left wing with the force of a tidal wave. The water froze almost instantly in the cold air, encasing the wing in jagged shards of ice.

The creature stumbled, its balance thrown off by the uneven weight of its frozen wings. It flapped wildly, trying to regain control, but the combined assault left it unbalanced and vulnerable.

"Lloyd, now's your chance!" I called, stepping back to give him space.

The green ninja didn't hesitate. He vaulted over the boulder he'd been hiding behind, his sword glowing with green energy. With a yell, he leapt high into the air and brought his blade down onto the ice-coated wing in a powerful slash.

The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the creature's body. The ice shattered, splinters flying in every direction, and the bird released an ear-piercing screech of pain. It staggered backward, its enormous claws scraping furrows into the snow as it fought to retreat.

But we weren't done yet.

"Keep at it!" I yelled, sending another blast of frost toward its talons to keep it off balance. Nya followed up with another wave of water, targeting its chest and forcing it to stumble even further back.

The ravture, now drenched and frozen, flapped its wings in a last-ditch effort to escape. The ice cracked and fell away in chunks as it finally managed to launch itself into the air. Its massive form cast a fleeting shadow over us as it beat its wings furiously, gaining height until it was nothing more than a blue speck.

For a moment, we stood in silence, watching the bird disappear into the sky, its angry cries fading into the distance.

Lloyd collapsed onto his knees, panting heavily and gripping his sword for support. His clothes were torn, and streaks of red stained the snow where he'd fallen.

"Is it... gone?" he asked between breaths, his voice shaky.

"For now," I replied, scanning the horizon warily. "But it will be back soon. We should go."

Nya stepped forward, her glowing hands already summoning a gentle stream of water to clean Lloyd's wounds. "We don't have time to sit around. The labyrinth isn't far. If we hurry, we can reach it before it returns."

"She's right," I agreed, glancing at the darkening sky. "We've bought ourselves some time, but we can't afford to waste it."

Lloyd nodded and slowly got to his feet, wincing as Nya finished bandaging his arm. "Then let's go."

I looked over the hill at the labyrinth that lay below, a maze of jungle so alive it didn't even look like the winter air touched it at all. No snow, no ice- nothing. Vines and greenery stretched as far as the eye could see. It was so easy to get lost in there.

No one could navigate it.

Not even a nindroid.

I gulped, and followed the others.

Hopefully our fate wouldn't be the same as the others who had never returned from this place.