Chapter 4: Stick Figure Art

Ha! I finally finished Romeo and Juliet in my Literature class! That was a real struggle. I think I can speak for both of us on this account when I say we're not the biggest romance fans, especially that gushy insta-love stuff. But you'll never guess what I have to do now…another project! (flops onto the floor and groans repeatedly) I'm convinced my teachers are out to get me.

Loki God of Evil: Oo…that's a tough question. It really comes down to your experience of food offensive attacks and your tactical advantages...XD

Nya, Jay, and Kai were back at the ninja HQ with the growing sausage. They had went down to the basement where Nya kept most of her Samurai X equipment and computers. Nya had immediately cleared her workbench, completely turning it into a research table. Now she was bent over the sausage, which had been carefully placed in a small crate, and was examining it carefully with a magnifying glass.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Nya suddenly announced, "My theory is that Caudeth is using his dark magic to make the sausages change their form. I don't know why he'd change them, though, but it's obvious that's what's happening. He must've dropped this one by accident."

"Or maybe he purposely left that behind because there's something wrong with it." said Jay from over her shoulder, shifting from foot to foot.

"Maybe."

Meanwhile, Kai was standing behind Jay and Nya with a disgusted look on his face. First, Nya and Jay's 'funny business' and now this sausage. He thought his life couldn't get worse.

Sensei Wu then came into the room, tea cup in hand. "Did you find anything, my little sausages?"

"We found this," said Nya holding up the crate with the sausage.

"Very intriguing." The old man replied. "We will have to do some experimenting on it."

"Y'all, I ain't touchin' that!" Kai protested. Then the sausage started rolling slowly from side-to-side inside the crate, all on its own. "Ew!" His life just got worse.

"Yeah, that is weird..." said Jay, backing slowly away from the table.

"Well, we gotta do, what we gotta do!" said Nya, taking out her phone. "Rolling Sausage Selfie!" With a click and a flash, she posed next to the crate as she took the picture. "That's a keeper!"

"Sis, this ain't the time for selfies," said Kai. "There's a disturbin' sausage in that crate there!"

"Okay, calm down! We'll start!"

Lloyd, Carol, and Cole were following the suspicious man down the series of alleyways. Lloyd jumped from trash can to trash can, hiding behind them, while Carol and Cole simply walked behind him.

"Uh, is that really necessary, Lloyd?" Carol asked her brother after several minutes.

"SSSSHHHH!" Lloyd exclaimed in a loud whisper, whipping around. "HE'LL HEAR YOU."

Cole raised an eyebrow. "From around that corner eight yards away? Not likely."

Lloyd rolled his eyes, but got up anyways. "You guys have no respect for the ninja ways."

"I didn't know the ninja ways involved knocking over trash cans and almost getting us caught," Carol snorted.

Lloyd face went bright red. "I did not! That was the wind!"

"Since when did the wind knock over over-flooding trash cans?"

"It can happen! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Sure you did."

Right when it looked like a battle between siblings was about to break loose, Cole stepped in and said, "Um, the guy is still there..."

"Oh," Carol and Lloyd both said at the same time. They looked at each other then burst out laughing.

"Uh, still there," Cole repeated awkwardly, not getting what the joke was.

"Right." Lloyd took the lead again, and they crept around the corner to see the hooded guy standing in the ally, as if waiting for something. Then he began to pull something out of his pocket, like a pack of-

"IT'S HIM!" Lloyd exclaimed. "He has the sausages! Let's get him!"

The three ninja leapt forward and tackled the man from behind.

The man fell down down with a yelp, dropping his package of sausages on the concrete. "Looks like we caught you, Caudeth!" Lloyd said, yanking off the man's hood. An average-looking man glared back at him in annoyance.

"Cau-what? Why are you on me?" he exclaimed.

"You're a great actor, you know?" Lloyd said, putting his katana against the man's throat. "You better confess your evil schemes to us now, OR ELSE!"

"What? Just get off me!"

"Not until you say where you're keeping the city's sausages, and what you're doing with them!"

"Uh, my house? And what else do you do with sausages besides cook and eat them?"

"Cole, I need your help bringing him to Sensei!"

"Are you sure that's him?" Cole asked uncertainly. "He looks just like an ordinary civilian."

"Don't you remember 'the best way to defeat your enemy, is to make him your friend.'?"

"Uh, yeah, but what does that have to do with-"

"Enemy?!" The man exclaimed, look extremely confused and frustrated. "Listen pal, I'm just bringing these sausages over to my friend's house for a barbecue. Why am I the enemy?"

"Lloyd, I think you should get off him..." Carol said warningly.

Lloyd let out an annoyed groan before sheathing his katana and standing up. Then, the man got up, brushing off the ally's dust. "Thank you," he said sarcastically. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be late!" With a huff, he hurried away into the nearby city street.

"I say we follow him." Lloyd said, staring at the man as he disappearing into the city bustle.

"No, that's defiantly not Caudeth! If it were he'd probably put up an actual fight, not just continue on his way like that! And that man did not have the look of a sorcerer," Carol argued pointedly.

"But, every sausage has been robbed! Why does he still have some?" Lloyd shot back.

"I say, we go back to HQ," said Cole tiredly. "There's no point stalking some dude who isn't a valid suspect. Plus, we still need breakfast!"

After everyone returned from their missions, the ninjas' control room erupted into complete chaos. Everyone seemed to be stating some kind of opinion on the thievery all at once. Lloyd was trying to draw a police sketch of the man he tackled; Cole had taken a bite out of the sausage sample and was claiming it was an accident, and Jay and Tia were screaming at each other for something completely unrelated to the topic. Kai was even standing on a desk, giving a speech as to why he will never eat sausages again.

"SILENCE, MY SAUSAGES!" It was impressive how Sensei Wu could manage to drown out the other's commotion with three words. Everyone stopped what they were doing immediately and looked at him.

"That is much better on my old ears," Wu commented. "Now, my little sausages, one group at a time, tell me what you learned."

There were a few moments of quite murmuring between the groups, then Skylor spoke up. "Zane, Tia, and I found part of Caudeth's cloak, and tracked him down. Apparently he visited every grocery and department store in the city, and explored in between. He teleports in and out of the city, but we don't know where or how," she finished.

Sensei Wu stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Very interesting, my young sausage. Now, next group: report."

"Well, ya see, we found this disgustin' sausage, y'all," stated Kai, "and, we think it's from Caudeth."

"Yeah, it's glowing green-ish." said Nya, holding up the crate once more.

"The poor sausage." said Sensei, shaking his head sadly. Jay made a face saying, It's just a sausage!

"And, the last group?" Wu continued.

Lloyd held up his drawing, revealing a stick figure. "This guy had sausages and claimed to be going to a friend's house. And I think that this friend is Caudeth."

"But," Carol interrupted, rolling her eyes, "he looked innocent and Lloyd's only reason for thinking this is that he had sausages." Right as she finished her statement, the doorbell abruptly rang.

"I'll get it!" Cole immediately piped up, looking for an excuse to get out of the current conversation. He quickly ran up the stairs.

"As I was saying-" started Lloyd, but was then interrupted (again).

"Lloyd!" Cole yelled from the door, "You're stick figure is here!"

"You confuse me!" said a familiar voice.

"It's him!" Lloyd said dramatically. He pulled out a small knife and raced up the stairs. Carol facepalmed.

The rest of the ninja went up the stairs as well, Sensei Wu trailing behind. He parted through the group to get a good look at the stranger. "Joe!" He said suddenly. "You got the sausages!"

"Wait, Joe?" Lloyd said, aghast. "You know him?!"

"Why, yes, young sausage," replied Sensei Wu. "He's one of my close friends, who enjoys the light sausages bring to this world." He glared pointedly at Jay, then continued. "We agreed on having a sausage barbecue today, before this tragedy took place." Wu turned to Joe. "And I see you still managed to hold up your end of the bargain."

"We're saved!" Cole whooped.

Joe ignored him. "I got them just before that store was robbed today. I think they're the last ones."

Lloyd still gave his Spock glare, not convinced.

"Wait, were you there at the time of the robbery?" Carol asked.

"Part of it," Joe replied, "I saw-"

"WHAT DID YOU SEE?!" Lloyd shouted, grabbing Joe by the shoulders and shaking him viciously.

Joe winced, and pulled himself free. "I was getting to that! I just exited the store, when I heard the alarm go off. I turned and saw a heavily cloaked figure running out of the store, carrying sausages. Employees were trying to stop him, and right when it looked like they might get him, the guy disappeared in a puff of smoke. Vanished." Joe snapped his fingers for emphasis.

Tia shuddered. "This is worse than I thought," she said. "I didn't think he'd be able to just teleport whenever! It'll take forever to catch up to him!"

"Well," said Joe, setting the sausages on the table. "I should be leaving now. I'm in the police, and I bet they need extra help with this case. I'll keep you guys updated if we find anything."

"Thank you, that would be greatly appreciated," said Wu.

Joe then left, closing the door quietly behind him. Now Lloyd gave the door his Spock glare.

After a bit of silence, Kai swiped the sausages off the table and said, "I don't know about y'all, but I am a-cooking these thangs before they start glowin' and rollin' all over!" With that, he tore open the package, arranged the sausages on the table, and began to blast them with fire from one hand.

"We need to get the stove fixed sometime soon," Skylor whispered to the others. "I don't like trusting Kai with our food."

In the darkening forest, there was light breeze that cooled down the tired sorcerer. I didn't think turning sausages evil could be this difficult! he thought, but it was all worth it. He looked at his work, all those sausages laying on the dark dirt with that strong green glow. Those pesky ninja won't stand a chance against my army. After this, all I have to do is get them to give me the Realm Crystal so I can resurrect my brother, and we can rule Ninjago like our father tried, but failed to the past elemental masters. Lucky for me, this generation isn't nearly as well trained as those my father fought.

Then suddenly one of the sausages started moving a little.

It has begun...

Oh man, I just remembered Daylight Savings is tomorrow! I need to fix my clocks! I can tell you right now, I'm going to be so tired in the morning…

Don't forget to review! Yikes, I'm starting to sound like those YouTubers! XD Anyways, have a great week, y'all! ;)