Chapter 3

What else could a poor mother do besides weep over the disappearance of her only child? Lilly hasn't been the same since she and Lou were given the horrible news that Cole had ran away from the boarding school. They had seen footage of him climbing over the entrance gates and the last time he was spotted anywhere was a convenience store in Ninjago City. But that was back in February. It was the middle of June and he was still out there, probably cold and hungry. All Lilly could do was cry at every possible moment, in fear and sadness that she may never see her little boy again.

Lou hadn't been able to sleep a wink since he heard that Cole was missing. He hadn't even tried to rest. Every time he closed his eyes, he had dreams of losing Cole to all sorts of catastrophes. Not even practicing with the quartet helped. Sure they were supportive and played a part to help try and find Cole as well, but Lou just wasn't at his tip top game. And any shows they did consisted of Lou always singing a sad tune. His happiness was being taken from him just a little bit each day. The only thing he could think about was his only son and wondering where that little boy was.

But that evening, Lou actually had some news to share with his wife, who he found sitting at the kitchen table writing in her journal. Lately she's been writing stories to ease her mind and pretty much spends all her spare time either doing that or crying. There are even days where she would go on a cleaning spree and won't stop until Lou has to finally calm her down with some tea and have her rest for a while. Between Cole being lost out there in the world and Lilly having a silent mental breakdown little by little each day, there's been so much he worries about. But maybe his news might turn things around.

"Lilly, I have some good news," Lou said.

Lilly gasped. "Cole's been found!"

Lou shook his head. "No, but that would be better news than what I'm about to share right now."

Sighing, Lilly closed her journal. "What is it, Lou?"

"Well, you remember when the quartet and I started looking for a theatre in Ninjago City last year?"

Lilly nodded. "Yes."

"Well, I'm happy to say we finally found one. It's located in Lemington Town not too far from Ninja Square."

Lilly gasped. "Lemington Town? That's where everyone involved in the fine arts lives. How were you able to find a theatre there at such a good price?"

"The real estate agent that's been trying to sell it said he's reduced the price on it three times. It's been on the market for a year now. It's in good condition. The plumbing's great and the electricity was actually just fixed up and is under inspection. Even though it's still a bit of a fixer upper, I know we can make it a great theatre and a great home."

"Home? What are you talking about?"

"There's a separate part of the building with housing. It's like a boarding house but it's more of an apartment complex with bigger rooms. It'll be a great place to start over. But I don't plan on going anywhere until we find Cole."

"Lou, the only reason Cole ran away was because of all the bad luck he's had with the fine arts. Lemington Town is only going to make it worse."

"Not this time. This time, Cole will make his own choice for what his special talent is. From now on we won't force him to do something he's no longer interested in doing. You have to remember he's just a child. And it takes time for a child to discover what they're good at. What they're meant to do in this world. Maybe that's why Cole ran away. He needed to go out on his own to know where his place is. He'll come back to us. I know it."

Lilly couldn't help but sob in fear and with faith that Cole would come back. Lou held her in his arms, comforting her with all the comfort and sympathy he had. And he had a never ending amount.

But one thing's for certain. Neither would rest until Cole was found and home safe and sound.

Meanwhile, Cole was busy testing his newfound skills by climbing the mountains of the forest with nothing but a pair of black pants he had in his backpack. He was having the time of his life, living the life he wanted. When he got to his favorite spot on the mountain, he looked at the surroundings around him. He could even see the old rickety bridge from his line of sight with a boy around his age with a blonde bowl-cut hair style trying to cross it.

Wait. A boy around his age is trying to cross the bridge? Oh, this isn't good.

It's been years since that bridge has been used so it didn't take too long for the old wooden crossing tool to start falling apart. Cole's first and only instinct was to go help the boy.

Climbing down the mountain at a speed he didn't know he had, he rushed over to grab one of the bridge's only remaining rope. "Hold on!" Cole began pulling the boy up until he was safe and sound on the ground. The boy looked up at Cole as the raven haired boy reached a hand out to help the kid up. "Are you okay?"

Accepting Cole's hand, the boy got back up on his feet and smiled at his savior. "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for your help back there. I'm Lloyd."

"No problem, Lloyd. The name's Cole, by the way. You best be glad I was around. I saw you crossing the bridge from up on the mountain. When I saw the bridge falling apart, I rushed right down to save you."

"Uh, can I ask why you were on the mountains?"

"Oh, I was testing my strength." Cole gave a nervous chuckle. "And I pretty much live around here now since I'm running away." Cole then thought about why he was out here in the middle of the forest living around the mountains. He was trying to keep away from Buck so he wouldn't be taken back home. But he shook those thoughts out of his head and looked back at Lloyd. "But enough about that. Let me lead you to my little shelter."

Cole led Lloyd to his cave that actually wasn't very far away from the now destroyed bridge. Since it was starting to get dark, Cole decided to start up a fire to keep them both warm andahisPreparing dinner. All he had that would be considered a warm supper were bird eggs he found in one of the apple trees. Setting up a stone pan over the fire, he let the eggs cook up. He prepared some cups of water and brought one over to Lloyd before sitting down across from him.

Cole decided to be the first to start up the conversation. "So, Lloyd. What are you running away for?"

"I'm not running away," Lloyd said, "I'm searching for my parents. They were kidnapped by the Skulkin and taken to the Underworld. The only way for me to get there is with Traveler's Tea and I need to go to Hiroshi's Labyrinth to find the Traveler's Tree to get the tea leaves so I can use them to get to the Underworld and rescue my parents. You get what I'm saying."

"Every word. Sorry to say that I'm running away."

"From home?"

"Not just there, but also from the boarding school my dad's forcing me to attend." Cole sighed. "My dad's a really stubborn guy. He believes that every child should follow in their parents' footsteps. My family history is filled with singers and dancers, so in order for me to continue the family legacy, I was sent to the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts. But I only stuck around for a month before I finally ran away. And I plan to stay right here. That way my father won't find me." Just keep lying, Cole. Make this kid feel sorry for you. Let him see that you're doing alright out here.

"Why can't you just tell your father that you're not interested in being a singer or dancer?" Lloyd asked, sipping his water.

"It's complicated. You see, I'm an only child. Practically a miracle to my parents. It's up to me to continue the family legacy. But that's not what I want." Cole crossed his arms. "Not that it matters to my dad." I wish I had a say so in my future.

"You shouldn't be running away from your problems. Its better to talk to your father about how you actually feel and tell him what you would rather do. I'm still not sure exactly about what my future career will be, but my father would support me no matter what. Whether it be that I become a martial arts instructor or a construction worker, I can pretty much settle on whatever career I choose. So what do you wanna do?"

"I can't decide whether I want to be a miner or an archeologist." Actually, I don't know what I wanna do. I never really thought about it. Sighing, Cole stood up. "It doesn't matter. My father won't listen. Which means I'm pretty much on my own from here on out. Anyway, dinner's ready so let's eat and settle down for bed. We've got a long day of walking ahead of us."

They spent the evening eating their dinner of eggs, which were a bit burnt. Cole couldn't hide the fact that he wasn't a great cook. Even when he used to help his mom cook dinner in the kitchen, he could never seem to get the hang of it. Even if they were slightly overcooked, food was food. One was limited on resources out in the wild.

Cole decided to help get ready for bed when Lloyd came up and asked him a question.

"How long will it take us to get over the mountain?"

"Hopefully by tomorrow afternoon," Cole told him, "There's a faster way to get to the river than taking the trail. No need to worry." He snuggled up inside his sleeping bag. "Well, I'd love to stay up and chat, but it's time for bed. Goodnight, Lloyd."

"Goodnight, Cole." Lloyd went to slip himself inside of his own sleeping bag and it wasn't too long before he drifted off to sleep.

Cole couldn't help by stay up and continued thinking about Lloyd. The kid was taking such a dangerous journey in order to find his parents, who probably love him with all their hearts and would encourage him to follow his dreams of choosing the path he wants to take in life. Even if his own parents were the way they were and had been kidnapped by who knows what, would he still go out of his way to find them?

He shook those thoughts out of his head. They're better off without me and I'm better off without them. If something happens to them, it happens. Not my problem anymore. I'm on my own now.

But deep down, Cole couldn't help but miss his parents just a little bit.

Cole didn't hesitate to wake up before sunrise. It was only the crack of dawn and he had to drag Lloyd from his slumber and drag him outside in order to get him over the mountain. When Cole told the kid they were climbing over the mountain, a groan escaped his lips. Then Lloyd had started complaining that he didn't have safety gear to which Cole tried to tell him that a true mountain climber doesn't always have the proper gear. Sighing and knowing he would never get anywhere with such an argument, Lloyd climbed up the mountain while Cole was right above him, hopping up there like a frog.

Cole always thought of himself as a leader type. It may have something to do back during the time he used to be a quartet leader, but he had the qualities of a person who was strong and determined. All Lloyd needed was a little encouragement to get up the mountain and make it to the top.

"Come on, Lloyd! You got this!"

He heard Lloyd grunt with every step and grasp his limbs took. Cole knew the kid was getting tired. To him, rock climbing was basically like a thirty minute workout he used to see his mom do whenever she was watching her workout programs on television. But he watched as Lloyd finally made it up to where he stood, completely out of breath.

Lloyd looked like he was going to pass out. "Oh, man. This feels like an intense workout. Maybe taking the trail would've been more beneficial."

"No way," Cole said, "Climbing is a lot faster." He began to continue climbing the mountain.

"But wouldn't the trail have been faster?"

Cole rolled his eyes. Boy, this guy will do anything to take the long way. "The trail would've taken about six days to get through. And that's only without stopping for breaks or sleeping at nights. If you wanna rescue your parents, you have to take the fastest route. Now quit complaining and let's go. We still have at least five hours worth of climbing left."

He heard Lloyd groaned, but still followed behind. Cole was worried Lloyd would just giving up, but he saw the blonde haired kid was determined. As if there was something giving him the strength to move forward. Saving his parents must be his strength. He must really care about them. I wish I had that same feeling.

After a long five hour climb, Cole helped Lloyd up to the top, watching the kids eyes as he could tell he was amazed by the sight. He's been up here a million times to see such a view. The villages, buildings of Ninjago City, the oceans that bordered the land. But since this was Lloyd's first time, he gave the boy a moment to sink in the magnificent sight as Cole spotted the location his new friend was looking for.

Cole pointed out ahead. "There it is. Hiroshi's Labyrinth."

"That's my destination," Lloyd said, "It won't be too long now."

"And I plan to get you down there faster. Come over here." Cole led him to what looked like a long set of stairs. "Don't ask me why they never made a set to go up the mountain."

"It could've been easier."

"And faster. This should only take about two hours."

He heard Lloyd sigh, but they began the long trek down. By the time they reached the bottom, Lloyd sat down on a rock, resting his aching feet. Cole saw that his hands were all scratched up from grabbing at the rough stone on the mountain. He felt bad for making Lloyd go through such a tiring task, but it was faster than spending six days walking the trail. But they made it down. Coke has done his job in helping him.

"Here we are," Cole said, "The other side of the mountain. It's not much, but it's still a nice bit of scenery. And the walk gets easier from here on out. All you have to do is stay on the trail and it'll lead you to the river. Well, my work here is done."

"Hold on," Lloyd said, stopping Cole before he could leave, "Would you like to come with me?"

"I'd love to, but I've never been through Hiroshi's Labyrinth before and I don't plan to. I can't help you in there. Plus the mountain is my home. It's where I belong." And where I plan to stay forever.

"Thanks for everything, Cole. I hope to see you again one day."

"There's always a possibility. Good luck out there, Lloyd. I hope you find your parents out there." With that Cole began to climb back up the mountain to make it back to his cave.

When he got there, though, he saw the one person he was hoping to not see again. Make that one person and his big dog.

Buck and Jerky.

Cole tried to stay hidden, but he had already been making too much noise and Buck spotted him. "Stay right there, Cole!"

Cole had no plans to stay put. He ran off and climbed up the mountain, searching around until he found a smaller cave to hide in. He heard Jerky's barks getting louder the closer he and Buck got. And he could hear Buck speaking to him.

"Come on out, Cole," Buck said from somewhere far off, "It doesn't had to be like this. I'm only trying to take you home for a good reason. I'm not doing it out of greed. I'm doing it to keep you from making the same mistake I made years ago."

He's only saying that to make me feel bad about running away. He's trying to make me go home, but I'm not going for it. The mountains are my home.

"Come on, Cole," Buck kept going at it, "I'm just trying to return you home safely."

Cole didn't dare come out of hiding. He would've been fine until Jerky ended up sniffing him out. Cole cursed a dirty word under his breath, glad his parents weren't around to hear him say it. He heard shuffling from the entrance of the cave, glad Buck wasn't able to fit inside since the cave was only big enough for a small kid.

"There you are," Buck said, looking through the hole and reaching his hand out for Cole to take his, "Come on out, Cole. I know you hate it out here more than anyone else. There's no reason to hide. I don't want to hurt you. I just want to take you home."

"I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME!"

Cole's anger triggered his powers in a strength like no other. It destroyed the cave he was in, causing rocks and dust to cover Buck and Jerky.

Cole decided to take this opportunity to run, but he didn't get very far because Buck ended up catching him, holding him in a tight grasp.

"Let me go!" Cole shouted.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Cole," Buck said, "Just come with me and we won't have any problems."

Cole finally had enough of this guy. Time to go to the extreme. Opening his mouth wide, he bit down on Buck's hand, his teeth sinking in so much he caused the man's hand to bleed. Buck screamed in pain, letting go of the tight grasp he had on Cole was finally free. He took the opportunity to climb the mountain and hide behind some boulders to keep from getting found. He could still hear Buck trying to call out for him and this time he was extremely pissed off.

"I'm starting to get fed up with this, Cole!" Buck shouted, "I'm only gonna say this one more time! Come on out!"

I can't take this anymore! Why can't he just leave me alone? Why won't anyone just leave me alone?

Cole couldn't take it anymore. His anger took control of him, also affecting his powers. It caused them to go out of control and his strength caused him to push the boulders straight in Buck's direction.

Jerky was smart enough to jump out of the way to keep from getting crushed, but Buck couldn't move away fast enough and ended up getting hit by one of the boulders that knocked him right over a cliff sending him tumbling down. Cole heard a thud and had a strong feeling Buck had a pretty hard fall. Luckily the boulders stopped before rolling off the cliff so none of them would be tempted to crush the grown man. Even though he gave Cole hell, the little boy didn't want something bad to happen to Buck, so he went to make sure the man was okay.

Jerky came up to Cole, cuddling him and wanting to be comforted. Doing just that, Cole went over to the edge of the cliff, where he saw Buck lying on the ground, not moving a muscle. He couldn't tell if the man was breathing and he couldn't see how badly hurt he was. The poor boy was worried he killed the man and was too afraid to go down there and check on him for fear that he may want to hurt Cole for what he did to him. The young powerful child was scared and feared what he just did. What his powers did. The strength he wields was a dangerous tool, strong enough to kill a man. He hoped his powers didn't kill Buck, but they were still strong enough to.

He sat there for a minute staring down below, then turned his head to look at Jerky. The poor dog was alone now. No owner to care for him. No one to feed him jerky every day. Cole felt sorry for him and decided to keep Jerky and take care of him. He even removed Jerky's collar and threw it inside a hole in the mountain, hoping nobody would ever find it.

With guilt still eating at his heart for the terrible deed he's committed, he and Jerky went back to his cave, gathered up his things and left. It was best to leave before something worse happened.

Days probably passed at this point, but Cole didn't bother to keep count. He didn't even know where he was or what direction he was going. Jerky pretty much sniffed out food wherever it was and that's pretty much what the two did. Eat, walk and sleep. Eat, walk and sleep. Eat, walk and sleep. A repetitive list that happens over and over and over again.

It was at this point Cole didn't mind going home. He didn't mind wanting to be sent back to a school he made a bad name of himself at. But for now it was better to continue forward and go wherever the wind directed him. Just Cole and Jerky walking the trail to wherever the wind took them.

One day, at the beginning of July when the weather was warmer, Cole and Jerky arrived in a village called Stixx. Cole had found a little money out somewhere in the desert and decided to use it to buy food, but it was in the center of town when trouble a brewed.

Cole saw some people were being robbed by a man with a metal eye patch and a red sun hat with a scarf over his mouth to keep from being detected. He could hear the man threatening the poor civilians as they were placing their belongings inside his dirty brown sack.

The little boy couldn't just stand there and let this poor group of people get robbed by this awful man. Even though he didn't want to use his powers in fear of what they could do, Cole knew it was the only way he could help. So he snuck up on the robber, using his powerful strength to lift the man up in the air, ignoring his shouts to put him down. Cole forcefully threw the robber into a pile of red wooden wheelbarrows, spreading wood dust everywhere.

The village guards came up immediately to confiscate the crook as the head of the guard walked over to Cole.

"I wanted to come up and thank you, young man," the guard leader said, "You just stopped the notorious most wanted criminal, Ronin. Every police and guard station in the country have been trying to catch him since he robbed the Ninjago City Bank three months ago."

As Ronin was being handcuffed, he shook his scarf off his face and gave Cole a look that could kill. "I'll get you one day, kid. Mark my words."

"You won't be going anywhere near the kid," one of the guards told him, "You're gonna be locked away in Kryptarium Prison for a long time. Let's go, buddy."

As Ronin was being dragged away, many people came up to thank Cole for helping them. Some people were even petting Jerky, who was enjoying the attention from others. But it wasn't too long before some of the citizens began to recognize him as the missing boy they saw on the news.

"Isn't that the little Cole boy from Harmon Village?" someone in the crowd asked.

"I think it is," someone else said, "He looks just like him."

"The poor thing," he heard an older woman say, "He's probably missing his parents so much. I know his parents must be worried sick."

Cole knew it was over. He couldn't just run off again. It was too late now that he was in the presence of a village full of people. Plus he was tired of trying to run away from his problems. He was tired, hurting, hungry and, let's face it, missed his parents too much to keep going forward. It was time to do the one thing he should've done from the start.

Just give in and go home.

Cole sighed, relief and fear sounding in his voice. "Um, will anyone of you let me borrow your phone so I can call the Ninjago City Police Department? And tell them I have a dog with me?"

Cole waited inside the village leader's office until an officer from the NCPD came out quickly to take Cole back to Ninjago City. The young boy and Jerky were sitting in the back of the police car as the police officer was giving Cole the information that's been going on while he was missing.

"You've been missing since February, little guy," the officer said, "It's July 5th now. You've been gone for six months. People have been all over the place trying to look for you and your parents have been calling nonstop for updates. Everyone's been worried about you. Say, who's your furry friend? Did you meet him on the road?"

"I found him in the woods," Cole said. Actually, I pretty much took him under my wing after causing an accident to his owner that I may or may not have killed. But that's not anything you need to know. "He was a stray when I found him. He didn't have a collar or anything."

The officer nodded his head. "Well, alright. Maybe your parents won't mind you keeping the big guy. Does he have a name?"

"His name is Jerky. I named him that because he likes beef jerky."

The officer chuckled. "Well, I'm sure the doctors won't mind him waiting with me in the waiting room at the hospital. I'll take you down to the emergency care unit to have the doctors check you out. While you're there, I'll get in contact with some people to get in contact with your parents. That way they'll meet you over there."

Cole was immediately recognized by the nurses and took him in right away. Surprisingly the emergency room wasn't busy for the night and they took the young boy right as he arrived. The doctor that took care of him saw that he had a few infected spots on his back from blisters after gaining a sunburn from keeping his shirt off in the woods. She was able to give him some ointment and medicine for them plus she placed some medicinal lotion on the bottom of his feet to help with the blisters and bruises he caused from walking so much. Other than some cuts and scraps, Cole was free of sprains and broken bones.

"Okay, sweetie, you're good to go," the doctor told Cole as she helped him off the bed table, "Just make sure you take care of those blisters now. I'm sure your parents will give you a hand with them as well. And because you were such a good boy, you get some candy." She handed him a small bag of sweet treats and placed her hand in his. "How about I take you out to see your folks?"

Cole went out with the doctor to the waiting room and saw the two people he didn't think he would ever see again.

Mom and Dad.

Lilly gasped upon seeing her son again for the first time since he was placed on a train to attend the Marty Oppenheimer. Of course that was seven months ago. It was too many months being separated from her only child and after so long being apart, there was only one thing she could do.

Run up and embrace her son. And Lou felt the same way. Even with his middle-aged legs, he would run if it meant being reunited with his son. And the moment finally came for him to.

Lilly hugged him tightly and didn't let go. Lou joined her as they both coddled and held onto him as if he would disappear into thin air. And their tears of joy and relief said more than words could, but Lilly never hesitated to speak comforting words to her sweet little boy. Neither could Lou.

"Oh, Cole," Lilly said, "You're father and I were so worried. We thought we lost you for good. We're so happy you're safe. We love you so much."

"We're so sorry, Cole," Lou said, wiping tears from his eyes, "We won't send you back. We'll figure out a different way. I promise. We should've known better than to send you off to the Marty Oppenheimer. We were only doing what's best for you, but everyone is meant to do it their own way. And we promise to help you in whatever way you feel comfortable with. Just give us a chance to help you, Cole. Running away is never the answer. Running towards is always the answer."

Cole heard his father say that before, but he never realized what it meant until now. It was that moment Cole felt awful for what he did. He felt terrible for running away. Every time his parents helped him, he always went out of his way to do it his way without asking for help. He always felt that it was a weak gesture to asked somebody for help, but now he understands that people help because they care. Because they want them to succeed. Cole should've done that from the start. His parents were doing what was best for him and what did he do to thank them? He ran away. Which was the wrong thing to do.

What I did was wrong and I will never do it again, Cole silently vowed, I will never run away from home or anywhere else for that matter ever again. Never, never, never again!

Finally, Cole could no longer keep the tears held in any longer and began crying as Lilly held his shaking body. Looking up at his mother with tears streaking down his face, he begged her of one thing.

"I wanna go home. Please can we go home?"

Lilly smiled as she lifted him in her arms, kissing his forehead and wiping away his tears. "Yes, we can, sweetie."

Lou nodded, agreeing with his son and wife as he gently rubbed his son's forehead while taking the rope leash the police officer handed him as they decided to take Jerky home, feeling that Cole bonded with the dog and became good friends with the furry friend that maybe their son was ready to handle the responsibility of a pet.

So the four of them exited the hospital and began to make their way home, ignoring the media that tried to bombard the family as they entered their car to return to Harmon Village.

Cole and Jerky were placed in the backseat, the little boy cuddling his new dog as if he were a giant stuffed animal and Jerky didn't mind one bit. It helped the both of them fall asleep on the car ride home.

At last, after seven long months, they were finally reunited as a family.

AWWWWW! HOW SWEET! ALL WENT WELL IN THE END! (NO, THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY. FAR FROM IT.)

COLE IS NOW REUNITED WITH HIS PARENTS AND JERKY IS ALSO A PART OF THE FAMILY. EVEN THOUGH LOU AND LILLY HAVE NO IDEA WHERE ON EARTH COLE HAS BEEN, THEY'RE JUST HAPPY HE WAS HOME SAFE AND SOUND.

BUT IT'S NOT OVER YET. THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE COMING UP SOON.

PLEASE REVIEW.