Tamara

Sensei took us far to one side, our path winding across the mountain. There was birdsong, and the warm rays of the sun played across my face. I could hear the voices of the others drifting away from us. Suddenly, my foot slipped on a loose stone, which tumbled down the mountain behind us. I took a step back and focused on the vast reserves of raw power within me, and for a moment I could see.

It was the scene in my first dream. A pool of ice lay before me. Zane and Aurora were reflected behind me, and I could see my eyes were green. Amazed, I drew closer to the reflective pool, blinking the grey frost away from my eyes. Green, I thought. The color of spring. Renewal. Power. Then all was dark once more.

Sensei's voice reached my ears as I readjusted to the emptiness in front of my eyes.

"I have brought you here to tell you something. There is an ancient prophecy discovered by your predecessor, Tamara. She was an Archivist, traveling Ninjago to research the ancient legends. It states that one ninja will rise above the others and become the Green ninja. Then the remaining ninja must protect the Golden weapons and the chosen one. However, there are no words to state the importance of this task, and it was deemed wise to have another set of ninja...

Sensei continued, "If anything happens to one of the ninja, one of you must step in. Aurora, you can replace Cole as team leader. Cindy can replace Zane, Tamara replaces Jay, and Charlotte replaces Kai. Earth to Nature. Ice to Water. Lighting to Wind. And Fire to Darkness. Always it has been the way of the Balance."

Next to me, I felt Aurora's troubled energy. "We were only ever a backup plan?"

Zane said incredulously, "We are... replaceable?" I turned away and pondered, with the wind blowing in my face. It was comforting, and I listened.

Have faith, the wind whispered. This is your destiny. In a quick moment my vision shone, even without effort on my part, and I could see the whole mountainside beneath us. Cindy and Kai were making their way up the slope, and the shy water ninja's pale brown ponytail had come loose and was whipping around her face. There was a broad smile on her face, and her arms were spread like wings in the wind. Beside her, Kai smiled almost as brightly- a rare occurrence.

Below them, Jay was telling Charlotte a joke, and the blue-skinned shadow ninja was laughing so hard that she began to float of the ground in a ripple of dark energy. Next to me, Aurora was spinning her elemental ax in a relaxed, casual arc of death, radiating power even through her wild purple hair and combat fatigues. Her eyes flashed in her dark face as she pondered Sensei's words. Beyond her was Zane, gazing up at a dark, circling shape in the sky- a falcon.

"We're more than a backup plan." I said. "We're part of the team."

The story continues in Wings of Hurricane, coming Winter 2014!