Omo I forgot about those! I got it into my head that TiAtF was supposed to be updated tomorrow, but in reality, it was supposed to be this today!

JayHawk134: I don't have the entire plot figured out, but I'm pretty sure that scene might get cut :( Still not sure though!

iluvninjagothenextstepgirl: Basically.

Guest: This poor kid, amiright? I mean, kidnappings, possessions, killing his father... Let's hope something goes right for him.

Previously on Skyward:

"The serpentine? They're real?"

"And it's not just them we need to worry about," the earth ninja realized. With a sick feeling in his gut, he turned around. Men and women staggered towards them, under the influence of the snakes."The entire village is hypnotized!"

Lloyd backed up against his wheelbarrow. "You guys can turn into dregons?"

Cole glanced up, which was his fatal mistake. A pair of red eyes bore into him.

"I control you."

And everything went black.

Lloyd slipped on ice. The rope lashed around his wrists jerked his arms above his head and he shouted. No one offered to help him up. He struggled to his feet, tears springing to his eyes. No, stop it, Lloyd! You're stronger than this! Just- remember how you felt earlier. That's still you. That still can be you.

"Let me go, you snakes!"

Lloyd looked back reflexively. The black ninja was fighting against the ropes around his chest, but even Lloyd could see he was going nowhere. Suddenly his eyes flash red. He stopped struggling and stood still, but when the color cleared he glared daggers at the second-in-command snake.

"That'ssssss better," said the hypnobrai, smirking. "General, what ssshall we do about the prissssonerss?"

The general gave Lloyd the side-eye; Lloyd bit his lip and looked away. That look was never good. Whenever he got it at Darkley's, it always promised pain. "Keep the black one, for now. Perhapsssss he shall ssserve as a bargaining tool. But throw the boy out into the mountains. I won't have his blood directly staining my handsss."

Lloyd froze. I can't die! I'm too young! "No! Please, General! I have to stay here!" This was supposed to be my entrance to the world as a supervillain. This was supposed to be the thing to make people remember me. "You can't make me leave!"

"I certainly can," snapped the snake. "Give up, snakelet. You won't win thissss battle."

Two snakes came at him with weapons. Lloyd screamed and squirmed backward. No! Stop! `

And then it happened. Something snapped in Lloyd, as he pressed himself back against the wall. "No! I won't go. I need to stay here!"

Green clouded over the General's eyes. And Lloyd, exhausted, swayed almost in tandem to him.

Cole felt like a bucket of icy water had been dumped him. The kid has wings! Dragon wings! He couldn't tear his eyes away from the space above Lloyd's head, even as he was tugged along. They were green, too. Does that mean he's the green ninja?

"Ssstop gawking," the snake in charge of him snapped. "There'ssss no time for daydreamssss!" He jerked his end of the rope, and Cole was brought back to the real world as the rough threads dug into his body.

"Tie them both," the one who'd hypnotized him snarled. "The general hassss agreed to keep the hatchling resssstrained, the sssssecond best option ssssince we can't kick him out."

Cole's guard half-bowed. "Assss you wissssh, Skalessss."

He was led into a small chamber coated in ice. Icy spikes poked out from all sides, and he glanced over them, trying to guess if they were sharp enough to slice through the thick ropes. One visible exit. Seven giant icicles. Two prisoners. The serpent secured Lloyd to an icicle which stretched from the ground to the ceiling. He then proceeded to undo Cole's bonds.

"No funny businesssss," he spat. "Or thesssse go back on."

The earth ninja complied, albeit begrudgingly. He knew he was outnumbered and out of his habitat. With such reasonings, he remained still as the soldier attached a chain to his foot; the other end was tethered to a different icicle. Cole waited until his captor had vanished down a corridor before crawling over to the other prisoner.

"Um, so how long have you been able to do that?"

Lloyd seemed startled that he was talking to him. "The wings?" He shrugged. "I dunno. A few months? A year?" A frown crossed his face. "I thought I'd been cursed at first," he confessed. "But the kids at my school are only so powerful. After it'd gone on for several weeks, I knew it wasn't a spell." Lloyd glanced up and met Cole's eyes. "What about you?" he demanded. "You're not just winged, you can change into a full dregon!"

Cole was unprepared. How much do I tell? He began to speak, carefully choosing his words. "Um, when I... I and my team spinjitzu -that's the spinning thing we do- we change into dragons."

"If I did this spinjitzu, would I become a full dregon too?"

If the previous question had been unexpected, this one was even more so. Cole needed a second to think out an answer. "Um, yeah, I guess it's possible..."

"Great!" Lloyd jumped to his feet. "Teach it to me!"

"Now?"

"When else?" The boy stomped his foot. "I wanna know!"

"Sorry kid," Cole said, not unapologetically. "I can't. Spinjitzu's not something you can learn overnight!" What is he thinking?

Lloyd crossed his arms. "Well, I've got to escape, somehow!"

"Why?" Cole asked, more so from bitterness that genial interest. "Judging by your little stunt out there, you seem to be set!"

The boy laughed harshly. "If my luck continues, that hypno... hypno..."

"Hypnotism?" he supplied.

Lloyd scowled. "Yeah, that. It won't last." He lowered himself back to the floor. "I'll be kicked out. No one knows where I am. I'll probably freeze to death." His voice wavered, and Cole was shocked to realize he was sniffling. "My Dad's gonna be so disappointed."

"Hey, hey, don't cry!" Cole scooted closer to the small hooded child, his protecting nature making itself known. "My dad doesn't know where I am, either."

Lloyd wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "So? From what I've heard of you guys, you're all over the place!"

"No, it's not like that." Cole hesitated a second but continued even against his better judgment. "See kid, my old man doesn't even know I'm a ninja." There. He was in too deep to go back now.

"Really? What does he think you're doing?"

"Never mind that," Cole answered evasively. Yes, he might feel sorry for the kid, but he wasn't going to spill his entire backstory! "Why would your dad be disappointed?" he asked instead.

"He's the greatest villain in Ninjago, and I can't even get a few snakes to listen to me!" Lloyd's voice cracked. "All I want is for him to be proud of me, to just notice my efforts!"

Cole blinked. "So you opened a serpentine tomb just for attention?"

"Of course not!" But his lack of eye contact told the black ninja otherwise. "I just want to make him proud," he whispered.

The earth ninja withdrew, pondering the new information. He's really not all that bad, he's just a kid who needs to know he's wanted! Cole could feel his earlier hatred for the child ebbing away. I've got to figure out a way to escape, not just for my sake, but Lloyd's.

Kai circled high above the Treetop Forest, all senses alert. Dang! Where could he be? He drew in his wings and swooped down until his claws brushed against foliage. How could he disappear so fast? He hovered momentarily then dove below the canopy.

"Cole? Cole! Are you in here?" The fire dragon paused, straining to hear any form of response. "Cole?"

Kai sighed, returning to the treeless sky. I can't believe I have to go back, empty handed! He spread his wings and spiraled into the upper atmosphere. Think Kai, think! I didn't sneak out for nothing! The serpentine were locked in five separate tombs, which one held the blue ones?

It was times like this when he wished Zane was with him, or even Jay for that matter. The ice ninja's sixth sense was uncanny, to be sure, but he wouldn't deny that it would be extremely helpful. And the blue dragon's generally upbeat attitude would help to tone down his own intense personality.

Okay, so the black ones were in a mountain, I remember that. And... Were the vampire ones in a casket or something? He spun in each direction, ignoring the tugging feeling that always came from the east. Nya called these ones Hypnobrai. Weren't they related to ice?

He decided to follow his instincts, turning from the rising moon to the north. Cole, you better be there.