Heyo everyone! New year, new chapter! Except that it's February... oh well. If we're going by the lunar new year, then I'm not that late xD. Thanks for sticking with this story for so long! You might have noticed but I've got another writer's-block-fic up and running now- check it out for the ninja being insane geniuses of creation.

Watcher321: Thank you! And yep, the jig is up for our friendly neighbourhood ninja.

Kriber the Aster: Only took about what, 30k words for it to become relevant again?

Scrumblenut: The whole First Realm thing is definitely something I would like to explore in an AU version of this fic: I started writing this in 2014 before Possession was even a thing, believe it or not! And concerning the Dark Matter thing- thanks for pointing it out because you made me actually go back and reorganize my notes :D Essentially, Dark Matter has a super high solubility and can absorb nearly anything that is used against it.

However, if one was able to attack it with a power greater than it can absorb it will explode and be destroyed. The dragons of the coves gave each of their chosen an elemental boon, like a stockpile of power, made so the locked-away powers could only be activated in a life-or-death situation. They banked their hopes on the theory that these boons would be strong enough to destroy the Matter, but that was not the case. Hope that helps! I went back and edited stuff in chapters 28 and 48 to try and clear things up.

ItsYoGreenGirl: Right now, I don't have plans to continue TiAtF, sorry! Maybe once I've finished up with Skyward I might pick it back up, but that's tentative at best. I am, however, willing to let it go up for adoption if anyone else wants to continue it!

Kay Hau: As usual, your review was what finally pushed my butt into gear and made my finish this chapter :D I'm glad that you enjoyed the Tomorrow's Tea Arc! I wanted to make it feel as natural as possible: the dilemma when I started this story way back in 2014 was 'is Lloyd going to age?' and if so, 'how?'. We decided that we wanted him to age so it felt more natural to the show, but at the same time make it completely his decision. Like, yeah, in canon he decides too but it's under the threat of death. Is that really a choice? In any case, there's lots to talk about by our ninja for now.

Also I think this is the first chapter entirely in one ninja's pov? and it's nearly 5k words go me.

Previously on Skyward:

The Warrior's eyes were red and spiraled. A small mob of civilians trailed after it, their own eyes the same blood-red color. It stared at Jay. Jay blanched. 'Some of these guys must have fought the Serpentine! Watch out for red eyes!'

The plane broke through the clouds. Below them, Lloyd could just make out the line of the Bounty's sails and stern.

Lloyd slipped back. They'd probably started the meeting without him. They didn't miss him or need him there. Did anyone ever miss him anyway?

He needed powers for the others to train him. He needed powers so he wouldn't be so useless anymore- a liability, or worse, an afterthought. And Dragons didn't get their powers until they were teenagers. Lloyd raised his eyes to the kettle.

Lloyd screamed. His voice dropped halfway through, turning into a scratchy roar. Green light flickered along his arms and torso, and his fingers clenched and unclenched. A pair of wings, green and glittering, rose from his back.

"Something's wrong. He shouldn't be this still."

Nya crouched down beside Lloyd, running her hands carefully down his skin. "He's still so warm," she said, anxiety lacing her words. "His body is burning up."

"Let me see," Zane said. He made a wounded noise in his throat. "His arms…"

"What about his arms?" Jay asked, not daring to look himself. His stomach rolled and he closed his eyes, attempting to push back the nausea in his head. Count again. He reached out his senses- five life-forces bounced back at him from within the room. All of them were steady now. He exhaled.

"They're blistering," Nya told him. "I was worried they might be bleeding now, but whatever that green light was, it burned the wounds closed."

"Bleeding?" asked Jay. His head felt foggy, like a cloud was confounding all of his thoughts and making his words come out slower, disjointed. Count again. Five steady. Everything was okay.

Except that a moment ago, Lloyd's life-force has flickered.

"Not well enough," Zane said. "They're opening back up again- see?"

Jay did not want to see. Jay did not particularly like gore, or blood, or any of those things he maybe should have considered before he became a ninja. Nya shifted, and Jay caught a glimpse of white bone jutting from Lloyd's forearm. Blister-scabs covered the exposed skin- but they were cracking, oozing out puss and blood. The sight was enough to jerk him from his funk. He flinched back, doing everything in his power not to vomit.

"Jay. You can heal, right?"

"Yeah," Jay said, not liking where this was going. "But Nya. I don't know how to do it on other people. What if I mess it up?"

Nya caught at his arm and tugged him down to their level. "There's not much you could do to make it worse," she said. "Just try!"

There are plenty of ways to make it worse, Jay thought. What if I give him a heart attack? Or shut down his brain? Or fry his liver? "I can't," he protested.

So you're not gonna try?" she demanded. "Look at him!"

"I am looking!" Jay snapped, fed up with her pushing. He pushed her hand off him, settling beside Lloyd. "I don't know what you want me to do, Nya. I don't even know how I heal myself, much less another person!" In his sleep, Lloyd moaned. Jay placed his open hands on the boy's chest and lowered his voice. "I have no idea what to do!"

"Just try," Nya insisted.

Jay huffed. But he forced his hands to relax, forced himself to focus and concentrate. What was he feeling for? Jay didn't know. He squinted, eyebrows drawing together, and tried to make himself sense something- anything- from the boy's body. With his skin touching Lloyd's, he could read his life-force clearer. It separated at his fingers' touch, hundreds of golden strings threading together and flowing throughout the body. Almost immediately, his attention was drawn towards a set of strings with darker coloration than the rest. They were tense and vibrating, like the strings on a guitar, and instinctively he pushed some of his own energy into them. He did the same to another set, but a headache was forming behind his eyes and he found it harder and harder to concentrate.

Exhausted, Jay sat back.

"There," he said, the words coming out harsher than he intended. He winced. "I don't know if that did anything." At least the blisters had stopped oozing, he noticed when he glanced.

"But you tried," Zane said. "That's what matters."

"That's not what matters," Nya snarled. Her eyes were shiny and her gaze looked far away. "What matters is that Lloyd's unconscious, he's in pain- and he didn't trust any of us enough to tell us." Her face crumpled with her last words, like the straw that broke the camel's back.

Jay turned away from her as she started to cry. His own head was painfully blank as he struggled to fit his world back together. The cloud resettled in his thoughts. How did we not notice how he was feeling? How did we go so wrong?

There was a hand on his shoulder rubbing small circles into his back. The pressure was just enough- not too faint or too firm. A second hand joined the first. Something about the situation was absurd, and though nothing was funny, Jay huffed out a sharp laugh.

"Get down here, you dummy," he said, tugging Zane to sit beside him. There was wetness on his own face. Jay reached up and realized he was crying. He wiped his nose on the back of his sleeve. "I can't believe you're trying to make me feel better right now." His laugh was wet this time. "This is crazy, right? This is insane."

Zane said nothing, but his eyes were full of understanding. The honesty was too much for him and Jay looked away. The ice ninja scooted closer to him and hugged an arm around his chest. Jay leaned into the hold. Five life-forces. He counted again.

'Why would he do something like this?' he asked, not really expecting an answer. 'Does he not trust us? I told him we would take care of him.' He sighed. 'Ha. We couldn't even keep him from himself.'

Zane said nothing. He was probably beating himself up now, too, and that was the opposite of what Jay actually wanted, despite his behavior saying otherwise. "No, no," he said, sitting up. He forced the doubt from his own face and pasted on grim determination. "Forget I said it. We can't think like that. There has to be something we can do. There has to be. We can't give up now."

'Because ninja never quit?' Zane asked. A ghost of a smile graced his lips.

That was what Jay wanted to see. 'Because ninja never quit,' he said fiercely. He smiled. It was fake, but it was there and that's what mattered. Jay's dad had once told him that people who made themselves smile even when they were sad ended up being happier, more energized. Right now, they needed that energy.

In the next second, he realized how hard it was going to be to get it.

Sensei Wu had made his way from the edge of the room to the center. He stood over Lloyd, face shadowed by his ever-present hat. When he turned around, his expression was thunderous. When he spoke, his voice was dangerously low. "What is this?" he asked. "Zane? Jay? What is the meaning of- of all of this?"

The fact that he was at a loss for words was almost scarier than his tone.

Zane shot him a glance. Jay thought the ice ninja wanted to say something, but Zane held his eyes for only a moment before looking away.

Just tell me! Jay despaired. Dammit, just come out and tell me what you want me to say!

But Zane offered up no such words. Jay glanced around the room. Nya was still holding Lloyd in her arms. Their eyes locked for a brief moment, and not for the first time did Jay wish she could tele-speak. Lee stood some ways behind her, towards the door. The woman looked shell-shocked. Understandable, Jay thought, after you've just watched some kid half-turn into a dragon.

No one had any advice. It was up to him. Jay looked back at Lloyd. His form was limp and pale. And Jay? Jay couldn't take it anymore. "I promised Cole I wouldn't do this. But he's not here." He took a step forward. "We're the dragons, Sensei. It's been us the whole time."

Sensei Wu stared back at him. "What?" His voice came out flat- not a question as much as a statement. Jay cringed. Sorry, Cole, he thought, but it was too late to turn back now even if he wanted to.

"It's been us the whole time," he repeated. "The dragon you found at the Fire Temple? That was actually Kai. We fought the Devourer and the Stone Army, too. It was all us."

"It doesn't make sense," Sensei Wu said. Jay was no Kai, but it sounded false to his ears. Sensei's eyes cast around. They landed on Zane, a silent question in them. Zane exhaled softly. His gaze met the teacher's.

"He's telling the truth," Zane said. His words came out even but his tone was regretful. "But Sensei- we never meant to let it get this far. I'm sorry."

"All of you?" Sensei's gaze traveled down to Lloyd, still lying prone on the floor.

"All of us," Jay confirmed. "Kai and Cole are-" Like a lightning strike, a lightbulb went off in his head. He choked mid-sentence, stuttering to a stop. "That's it!"

Everyone was staring at him. Jay couldn't care less because his mind was racing a mile a minute, and holy cow- he might have just figured out all the answers to their problem. "Kai!" he said again. "Power boost!"

"Oh!" Jay saw the exact moment it clicked for Zane. The ice ninja's eyes shot open wide and he nearly hit his head on the ceiling. "Kai's power boost!"

They proceeded to string together a weird series of hand motions, unintelligible noises, and facial expressions as their communication transcended the constraints of normal language.

"Kai?" Nya demanded. She pounded the floor to get their attention. "What's going on?"

"We're going to the Dark Island," Jay blurted. "All of us."

Lee's hand flew to her mouth. "The Dark Island?"

"We found it," Zane said. "It exists. We can take you there." His eyes rested on Lloyd. "I think we have to, at this point. Something similar to this happened to Kai when he received his true potential. He fell unconscious until Lloyd was beside him."

"This has happened before?" Sensei Wu asked.

"It's not the same situation," Zane admitted, "but it's the only lead we have."

Sensei Wu nodded his head, ever so slightly. He didn't speak a word, and neither did anyone else. As Jay came down from the high of discovery, the silence dampened his mood like a wet blanket.

It felt like the calm before the storm.

Finally, Sensei Wu exhaled. Jay's eyes snapped to him. The teacher was leaning heavily on his staff, eyes closed. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. His tone was impossible to decipher.

Oh, what Jay wouldn't give to have Kai with them right now. He winced, fidgeting with the hem of his gi. "We wanted to- I wanted to, long ago. But the others thought you would take it the wrong way."

He could hear Kai now. "Wow. Way to throw us under the bus, Jay." But Jay was past caring about that. How could he, when Lloyd was passed out on the floor?

"We should have," Zane said. "I realize that now. We just wanted to spare you the trouble. We thought- we thought you'd be upset by it."

"I am upset, Zane." Sensei Wu sighed. He lifted his head, dark eyes peeking out from beneath the brim of his hat. "All this time I've been researching against the dragon threat, while the bigger threat was growing right beneath my nose and I didn't even realize it. That's not what I'm upset about though. I'm upset because you knew and yet you still saw fit to keep me in the dark."

Both of them cringed. "We're sorry, Sensei," Zane said again.

Sensei Wu didn't answer him. His eyes flitted back to Lloyd's prone form, lips pressed together in a thin line.

"I need time to process this," he finally said. He turned his back to them.

Jay opened his mouth, but Zane cut him off with a quick shake of his head. 'Leave him be,' the ice ninja said. 'There's nothing else you can do now.'

Jay sighed. He wavered on his feet, uncertain if he should stay where he was or move, and eventually crept over to Nya's side. Her fingers carded through Lloyd's hair, pulling his sweaty bangs off of his forehead. Jay crouched down next to her. Nya didn't look up, but he knew she'd noticed him.

"That was brave of you," she said lowly.

Jay shook his head. "It wasn't. It needed to be done."

"Still. You stepped up and took the initiative." She glanced up at him then, a small smile playing out on her lips. "I'm proud of you. And- I'm sorry," she said, ducking her head. "About earlier."

Jay nodded. He knew she hadn't meant it, but he was too emotionally exhausted now to even begin to think about talking it out. She patted the floor next to her. He sat down, getting a close-up view of Lloyd as he did. They shared a tired smile- things were alright between them.

Jay looked over Lloyd again. Splayed out across Nya's legs, something nigged at the back of his mind. "Does he look bigger to you?"

"You know," Nya said, tilting her head, "I think he does."

The change wasn't that noticeable- if Jay hadn't seen Lloyd's body shifting before his own eyes, he might not have even realized. "Figures," he said, leaning back on his hands. "Kid doesn't even manage a decent growing spurt."

Nya laughed- the lazy kind that was essentially just air from her nose. Jay's eyes ached. He let them close, massaging the bridge of his nose.

Everything was quiet for several long moments. A presence settled at his side- Zane. Jay didn't bother to open his eyes. He let his head lean back into the ice ninja's shoulder. "My eyes hurt," he complained into his shirt.

"Do you guys smell something… burning?" Nya asked.

For a split second, Jay got the strangest feeling of vertigo. It was like he was standing where he was but he was also on the deck of the Bounty. The sails and ropes were on fire, black smoke shrouding the skyline, and Jay slammed back into his own body with bile in his mouth.

"The deck!" he managed to choke out. "Something's wrong!"

To her credit, Nya didn't question him. She gave him a curt nod before taking off down the hallway. Jay glanced back at the others- Sensei Wu and Lee and Lloyd, none of them in a condition to fight.

"Go," Zane ordered him, jumping to his feet. "I'll stay here and guard them."

Jay nodded. "This is my fault," he gasped. "I should have been more careful in the city."

"No time," Zane said. "Just go!"

Jay skidded out of the room. He slammed into the wall, pushed off, took the stairs two at a time. There was a noise rising from outside- a hundred voices blended together in a steadily-building chant. And was it growing hotter? Light flashed ahead.

He broke out onto the deck. Jay gasped. The sails were engulfed in flames. Arrows with darkened heads jutted from the canvas, casting wild shadows across the deck. Jay sucked in a lungful of acrid smoke. He keeled over, coughing. Tears sprung to his eyes.

"The sails!" Nya cried. Jay glanced up long enough to see her hands clenching into fists. "Oh, I don't care that they're indestructible! I'm gonna kill them!"

Jay peered over the edge of the railing. A gathering of Warriors stood below him. He expected them to attack, but they just stared up at him with their glittering black eyes. Their leader, standing ahead, raised red pupils to meet his own. Jay gulped.

"What's up with them?" he shouted. "Why are they just standing there?"

"Who cares?" Nya shouted back. "I'm gonna fight them anyway!" She raised her hands; jets of water sprouted from her palms. The flames spluttered and died as they came into contact, but despite this, the heat only grew.

There was a thunder of footsteps behind them. Jay spun around as Lee staggered from the doorway, hand braced against her leg as she doubled over. Jay had teleported to her before he realized what he was doing. He looped her arm over his shoulder and she leaned her weight on him.

"What are you doing up here?" he shouted.

Another person appeared in the door- Sensei Wu. The old teacher was coughing badly; he made to clear the smoke away from his face with his hand. Zane emerged from the darkness a moment later with Lloyd slung over his shoulder.

"They've set fire to the hold," he said.

"That explains the burning," Jay said faintly. He shoved down the panic bubbling in his chest with a snarl. "Okay. Okay. We've got to get out of here. Nya!"

The girl was at their sides in a moment. Her hair was plastered to her forehead and her eyes shone with something feral as she met his gaze. "What's the plan?"

"We need to get the fuel from the Bounty and transfer it to the Ultra Raider," Zane said, his tone clipped and professional. "She's not flight-worthy now and we need to salvage what we can." He spun around, slipping Lloyd off his shoulder, and thrust him into Lee's arms. The woman looked startled.

"Take Lloyd," he said. "Whatever you do, keep him safe and out of the hands of the Warriors."

Lee's eyes hardened. "Don't worry. I'll protect him with my life."

That's a rather strong conviction to be having for a kid you barely know, Jay thought, but he didn't have time to sit and puzzle it out. He took his nun-chucks from his back and slotted them under his arm, feeling the familiar feeling of lightning gather under his skin. "I'll secure the Raider," he said.

"Zane, you know where the fuel is stored?' asked Nya. Zane nodded. "Good. I'll keep putting out the fires and protect the others." She seized Jay's arm as he moved away. "Jay. Are you feeling okay?" The look in her eyes told him she'd already figured it out.

Jay paused. "Yeah, I think so." But just to be sure… "Hit me," he decided, wincing prematurely.

A column of water blasted across his face almost before he'd finished getting the words out. Jay staggered back a step, spluttering. "Really?" he complained. "No hesitation whatsoever?"

Nya gestured around them to the flaming deck, one eyebrow raised. "Sorry," she said anyway. "Feel any better?"

Jay couldn't honestly tell, but he nodded. Nya grinned at him. "Good. Now get going!" She clapped him on the back and spun, water streaming from the deck to her hands.

Jay leaned over the edge of the Bounty. The Warriors stared up at him forebodingly. They were standing around the Raider, but as far as he could tell they hadn't done anything to it yet. He planned on keeping it that way. "Yah!" he shouted, vaulting over the rail. He landed in the snow and rolled, nun-chucks coming up into a ready stance as he bounced to his feet. "Who wants a piece of me?"

The Warriors growled. A wave of them rushed him, and Jay, with a lightning-boosted jump, barely cleared their heads. His foot touched the ground and he spun, hand reaching into his belt for the pouch of metal pieces he'd started carrying around. A flick of his wrist sent the electrified parts flying. In the second's pause that followed, he dropped to the snow. He caught a glimpse of his hand- just the little bit of lightning he'd used had his skin reddening. Jay hissed, digging his fingers in the snow.

A shadow fell over him. Jay rolled, swinging out his nun-chucks. A hammer fell into the snow right where his head had been. His nun-chucks caught the Warrior in the knee and his increased speed carried enough momentum to knock it off its feet. Another Warrior lunged. Jay ducked. He accelerated under the Warrior and slid behind it. A circle closed in around him. Jay narrowed his eyes.

"Ninja go!"

He spinjitzued. The Warriors stepped back as he reared above them- but only for a second, and then they were advancing again. Jay lashed out with his tail. He breathed out a ring of lightning. The intention was to set the ground around him on fire, but his lightning only vaporized away the snow and left darkened scorch marks. He frowned, thinking it odd, but shoved it aside. He must still be recovering his power. He shot out lightning again and this time the grass burned.

'Zane!' he called. 'How's it coming?'

'Nearly there,' came the ice ninja's answer. 'Is the Raider ready?'

The Warriors were keeping their distance. Jay took advantage of their hesitation to change back and climb onto the top of the Raider. 'I'm on it now.' He laughed. 'Get it? Cause I'm on top of the Raider?'

'You do know I can't see you.'

'Darn it.'

Jay risked one last glance at the Warriors. The fire was dying but a wall of steam had risen to take its place. He nodded to himself and jumped into the cockpit. Everything seemed in order. The problem was that he had no clue how to start it. He pressed buttons at random. The Raider growled as it came to life beneath his feet.

Jay grinned. 'I've got it! Where are you?'

'Above you,' came Zane's response. Jay's eyes snapped up. There- Zane on the deck, a large container with wheels and a long hose beside him. 'Can you fly up to me?' he asked.

'I'm on it,' Jay said. He fumbled with the output, trying to change the direction of the thrusters. The Raider rose. Jay directed it towards the deck. 'Get ready!'

'I'm ready to go when you get here.'

It was that moment that something snapped. Snapped wasn't even the right word. There was a horrible splitting noise above him, loud as a crack of thunder. Heart swooping, Jay's head shot up. His eyes zeroed in on the mast- more specifically on the flames blackening and eating away at the wood. The beam, thick as a tree trunk, tilted on its side. Jay watched in horrified slow motion as it crashed. The deck and railing splintered beneath its assault. It carved a gaping hole into the side of the ship.

It was falling directly towards Jay.

Jay didn't think. One second he was seated in the cockpit. The next, he was stumbling onto the deck beside Zane. Zane caught him, braced his hand across his back. They could do nothing as the mast crushed the Raider and their hope for escape.

Something was lodged in Jay's throat. Tears sprung to his eyes, stinging from the flames. There was a scream from somewhere behind him. Nya ran to the railing, hand outstretched like she could undo the damage already done. "No!" she shouted. "No, no, it's not supposed to go like this at all!"

"Nya!" said Zane. "Nya, listen to me." The ice ninja took her around the shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "You need to get anything absolutely essential, whatever you can carry, and bring it out here." His eyes fell on Jay. "Jay." There was worry and concern in them.

Jay took a shuddering breath. "No, no, I'm fine," he insisted. "I'm fine!" he repeated when Zane still looked doubtful. Cole was gone, so he couldn't afford to be irrational. "But what do we do now?"

Zane set his shoulders. "We have to fly out of here."

Part of Jay had been expecting that answer. The other part was still surprised. He didn't get a chance to respond before Zane hissed and knocked him to the deck. An arrow went sailing over their heads, followed by a hundred more. The Bounty shook as the Warriors boarded her, their steps heavy and scraping on the wood planks.

They were running out of time. Jay strangled the protest that threatened to come from his mouth and forced himself to nod. "Right," he said, peeling Zane off of him. "I'll get the others and bring them up here."

Lloyd's signature was most familiar to him so that's what he grabbed onto. Lee startled as he appeared; only Jay's enhanced speed saved him from a silver tornado to the face.

"It's just me!" he squawked. "Wait a minute, you know Spinjitzu?"

"I learned it a long time ago," Lee said. "What's going on? Are any of you hurt?"

Jay shook his head. They were standing just inside the captain's cabin, kept, for the moment, from the Warriors' eyes. "No, but the mast destroyed the Raider. We're gonna have to fly."

"Fly," said Lee. "You don't mean…"

"Nope, that's exactly what I mean." Jay hoisted Lloyd over his shoulder. "Grab on. Where's Sensei?"

"I'm here," Sensei Wu said. He set his hand on Jay's shoulder. "Where are we going?"

"Zane and I are going to fly you out of here," Jay said. He called on his lightning, intending to teleport them all before they started asking questions, but his power fizzled out at his feet. Jay blanched. Okay. Something was definitely wrong.

"Change of plans," he said abruptly, dropping Lee's hand and shrugging Sensei Wu's off his shoulder. "Zane's waiting for us at the other end of the deck. We're gonna have to run for it. Stay close to me and do exactly as I tell you to!"

To their credit, neither questioned him. "Now!" Jay shouted, tugging them forward. They broke out onto the deck. Everything was in flames now and the skyline had vanished completely into smoke. Warriors swarmed their group. Jay sent pulses of lightning into whatever metal he could- hammers, blades, helmets. Ahead of them he could see Zane, already changed, Nya shoving things into the packs along his back.

'You made it,' Zane said. 'Quick- help Nya finish and put her on my back. I'll take Lloyd, too.' He sprayed out a blast of ice that made a barrier between them and the Warriors.

Jay didn't bother to respond. There wasn't any time. He threw Lloyd onto Zane's back and strapped him down with ropes. "Nya!" he called. Are you ready? You're flying with Zane!"

Zane lowered his wing so she could climb up. 'I'll meet you in the mountains near Jamanakai.'

'Got it. Now go!'

Zane took off, leaving Jay with just Sensei Wu and Lee. "Look," he said, "there's no time to freak out right now. I'm gonna change. I need you to get on my back as soon as I put my wing down and hold on tight. Alright?"

He didn't wait for their response. Jay changed, lowering his wing almost immediately to the deck. Sensei and Lee hesitated. Jay snarled, baring his teeth. He shook his wing almost aggressively against the deck until Lee stumbled forward and began to climb. Jay eyed the Warriors worriedly. There was no telling how long Zane's wall would hold.

Lee settled on his back. Wu started up. Something shattered; Jay's head snapped back to the wall just in time to see Warriors spilling through a newly-made hole. Sensei, too, had stopped to stare.

"Move!" Jay screamed. He backed up to the edge of the deck; his scales dug into the railing. Warriors rushed at him, so tightly packed that there was no room for him to attack without risking hitting one of them. They were on top of him now. Reflexively, he snapped out his tail. His wings twitched too, upsetting Sensei Wu and knocking him to the ground.

"Sensei!" Jay lunged forward, gathering him in his wings. He snapped at the Warriors, hoping to scare them away, but they seemed to know he couldn't hurt them. Jay screamed as blades chipped away at his scales, hacked at the membrane of his wings.

"Jay! Jay!" Something was tugging on his membrane. Jay tucked his head into the pocket of his wings. Sensei Wu stared up at him, something unreadable in his eyes.

"Go, Jay. You need to leave me behind."

Jay balked. But Sensei Wu held his gaze. "Go," he said again, and when Jay still didn't move, harsher: "Go!"

A Warrior's sword bit into his leg, and instinctively, Jay jerked backward. The railing fell away at his weight and he slipped off the edge. Throwing out his wings, he caught himself in the air. "Sensei!" he screamed, but it was already too late. The Warriors swarmed him. Sensei Wu had no chance to fight them off. He went down, a flash of white amid the sea of black.

Jay screamed. Sensei didn't answer him but a volley of arrows did, and he pushed back so they were out of range. A quick glance back to the Bounty showed that the Warriors had no intention of stopping. Flaming arrows were notched to their strings; the sky lit up in a haze of yellow and orange. Jay moved back again, turning in a tight spiral. Sensei Wu was no longer visible.

Call him a coward. But Jay knew, deep in his gut, when to give up a fight. Ignoring Lee's shocked gasp, he turned tail and flew for Jamanakai.