Wow! Eight reviews already? You guys are awesome!
They found Sensei Wu and Zane in a small clearing close to where their game had begun. Zane was sitting against a tree, looking groggy and slightly confused.
"What happened, Sensei?" Kai asked as they ran up.
"Zane was knocked unconscious by a blow to the back of his head," Sensei Wu replied, looking worried. "I suspect Garmadon's skeletons may have been involved. I'm surprised they managed to succeed in surprising Cole and Zane, and why they would leave Zane lying here once they defeated him is beyond me. Furthermore, I am not entirely sure why they would attack directly like this, in broad daylight, especially when there were two of you here."
"I think I can answer some of that, Sensei," Zane said, struggling to his feet. Kai didn't need Zane's sixth sense to tell him that Zane was even more worried than the rest of them. "The skeletons were saying something about what would happen if we didn't have a leader to keep us working together. I believe they may have taken Cole, or at least trapped him somewhere."
"Do you think he's all right?" Jay asked Zane.
Zane sighed. "He isn't dead, I know that much. However, I can't seem to sense whether he's injured or not, let alone where he is. It's frustrating."
Kai put a hand on Zane's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. We'll find him somehow, and if he's injured, we'll get him back safely so Sensei Wu can treat him."
Zane was about to reply when Jay interrupted him. "That sounds like a great plan, except for one teeny-tiny little problem. HOW DO WE KNOW WHERE TO LOOK?"
"Well, if you're done talking about it, you could try looking for clues around here," Nya spoke up. "I saw some marks in the mud by the river that could pass for footprints- maybe you could start there."
"That sounds like an excellent idea to me," Sensei Wu declared. "Come, Nya. We shall return to the dojo and fly over Ninjago on one of the dragons, and see if we can spot anything from the air. You three- if you find anything, don't wait for us to get back. I trust you enough to allow you to chase after the skeletons on your own."
Sensei Wu and Nya left for the dojo, and Kai, Jay, and Zane took the short walk to the river. The marks were indeed skeleton footprints, but upon closer examination, they were too jumbled to make out any sort of direction. The three ninjas tried to follow them, but it seemed impossible, and Kai's patience and temper were running short. It wasn't long before he became frustrated.
"We're wasting our time!" he snapped at Jay, all traces of his earlier sense of companionship with his fellow ninja gone as he vented his aggravation. "There's no way we're going to find Cole at this rate!"
"Do you have a better idea?" Jay asked, just as irritated. Kai simply glowered, unable to answer. "That's what I thought. Now why don't you help us?"
"I have been helping! There isn't anything to find!" Kai shouted, suddenly furious. "And stop acting like you're in charge!" The two ninjas proceeded into a heated argument, that could have ended in blows had they not been interrupted.
"Jay! Kai! Come over here!" Zane called from further downriver, at a point where the river narrowed to a width of about twelve feet. Kai threw Jay another angry glare before jogging down to meet Zane. Jay folded his arms crossly and followed.
"Well, what is it?" Kai asked, his lingering irritation at Jay creeping into his voice. Zane looked at their irate expressions, and sighed.
This is not good, he thought to himself. Cole hasn't even been gone that long, and we're already starting to fall apart.
"Look," Zane replied, pointing to the other side of the river. "It appears that the footprints enter the river and then emerge over there. They seem to be heading in one general direction on the other side. We should cross over and take a look."
The ninjas entered the water, which was deep enough to reach their waists. They made it across safely, and wrung out their soaked garments on the other side. Zane crouched down to examine the prints. There were footprints all over the place on this side too, but this time they were all heading in the same direction. Zane also noticed two parallel lines in the mud that indicated that someone, most likely Cole, had been dragged along by the skeletons. Zane guessed that he had to be unconscious, or at least tied up, because Cole wasn't one to just give up when he had a chance of escape. The prints led east, in the direction of a mountain range.
Zane stood and looked over at Kai and Jay. His two friends were standing apart, refusing to look at each other. Zane sensed that they were still fuming from their argument earlier. However, it wasn't anger at each other that had caused them to bicker; it was worry for Cole, and the lack of a leader made them feel uncertain. They also felt the desire to fill in as leader, however, they knew that Cole was the best leader out of all of them, and they weren't confident that they would be good enough to take his place. So, they did nothing, and their pent up frustration caused quarrels that damaged the unity of the team. Zane knew he wasn't the one to fill Cole's position, but he would have to try if they had any hope of finding the skeletons and getting Cole back.
"The footprints lead in that direction," Zane said, pointing toward the towering mountains. "If we go after them now we may be able to catch up."
Zane set off with Kai and Jay following him, both unusually quiet. He sensed that their anger had dwindled for now, but still Zane feared that their team would shatter if they didn't rescue Cole fast.
Just a quick note: I am aware that on the show Zane seems to be mostly robot, but I still support the theory that he's a cyborg. Therefore, getting knocked out is perfectly plausible for him.