Birthdays

by Kifo Entiegon

It's the ninjas' birthdays... and this year, Jay has delegated himself in planning the birthday parties for the others. But he has to play things smart as Zane's never celebrated a birthday, Lloyd hates his, Cole and Kai hate the idea of joining their birthdays, and he wants to plan something special for Nya without getting killed by Kai. one-shot series. T for safety.

4. Cole: Under The Stars

When I started this, I was working on Nya's birthday story and heard about the passing of Kirby Morrow. At that point, I decided that he needed to be a part of this story. When you get to the end, you will find him.

Also, within this story, my OC Keo often speaks in a different language. I should have mentioned this last chapter as he did it in that chapter as well, but the language is one that I created myself just for him and his OC story which I am still working on. I call this language 'Kalun' after the people that speak it. If there are any unfamiliar words that are in italics, more than likely it's the Kalun language. I will make sure to put their meanings at the end of the chapter.

Finally, to put your minds at ease from when I said that I had been thinking about dropping from the fandom after the ending of Seabound, rest assured that I am not going to follow through with it. Despite really needing to get back into writing the second story in my original series that i'm working on, I've found that Ninjago is currently where my writing wants to go. I will stay with the ninja for a while, I think.

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Cole: Under The Stars

Jay lay awake, hands under his head as he looked up into the star-filled sky above him. It was Cole's birthday the next day and the entire team was on a mission again. This time it was to get some ancient people to renounce the death claim over their newest teammate's head.

To be completely honest, Jay could think of better ways to celebrate one's birthday… but he could also think of worse. He just hoped that, given what was happening around them at that moment, Cole would like what little he could do when it came to hosting a birthday party. And maybe the little present that he managed to fit into his pack before he left as well.

Knowing he could do nothing else at that moment, the blue ninja let loose the sigh that had been building up and closed his eyes. When morning came around, that was when he'd start truly panicking about things.

---

Jay awoke to something soft and fuzzy tickling his cheek. Turning onto his back and opening his eyes, he came face to face with the black head of a horse. Keo's horse, to be precise. Unlike with the other, borrowed horses, Makkar hated being tied up. And, as he would never leave the kid's side for very long, he was allowed to roam free. This meant that he was also free to wake up anyone he wanted, whenever he wanted. It also meant that his chosen target would wake up with a shocked scream.

Like Jay did as soon as he realised what it was that was in front of him.

" Good morning, Jay. Did you sleep well?" Zane's voice asked as Makkar snorted in the lightning master's face.

Jay answered only after the horse had moved away from him. " Other than getting woken up by a horse, I guess?"

It came out as a question even though Jay hadn't intended for it to. And his friend was quick to notice. Satisfied that the campfire he had set up wasn't going to burn the cinnamon sausage rolls, the titanium ninja left his post and went to sit by his friend.

" Is everything okay?" He asked.

" To be honest. I don't know." Jay rubbed his eyes before looking over to where Cole was still snoring his head off. " Today's Cole's birthday and we're nowhere near civilisation. How can I give him the perfect party when I can't even give him a birthday cake?"

" Do you remember when we found ourselves in Igoron Village a couple of days ago?" Jay nodded his head just as Lloyd woke up with a scream, once more thanks to Makkar. " I made sure, then, to get enough food to last us until tomorrow when we should come across Eldham Village. This included getting enough food to include a campfire party worthy of Cole's appetite."

" But the cake? Cole loves cake. I just… I can't disappoint my best friend by not giving him his favourite cake for his birthday."

" Cole knew that he might not be able to get a cake for his birthday this year. He knew while we were all still getting ready for this mission. Do you not remember that he told us all he would be happy even without a birthday cake for his birthday?"

" Not really."

" Next question; were you paying attention?"

The silence that followed Zane's question was enough of an answer. Because, no, Jay had not been paying attention. He had been too busy freaking out about how he was going to give Cole and Kai birthday parties while they were on a mission. Because that's essentially what they were on, regardless of the fact that Master Wu had not actually authorised it as such. Add on to that the fact that Keo had said that they would be travelling on horseback, as that seemed to be the only way to get to the Kalun Village, and Jay's stress levels had gone through the roof.

Zane could only sigh. He should have expected that to be the case. Even so, he made himself get up and go back to the cooking breakfast instead of reprimanding the lightning ninja for his lack of attention on the matter. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how it was seen) the movement alone told Jay that he was not impressed. That got the lightning master up and moving over to the campfire in the hopes of being told what he had obviously been so careless to miss.

" After going over the travel plans, Cole said that he would be happy with birthday s'mores. When we return home, I will make him his favourite cake for his birthday, with one for Kai as well, so that they can celebrate with those who had to stay back from the mission. So far, everything seems to be going well in terms of following the travel plans." Zane explained as Lloyd joined them with something small held in his hands.

" Why was I not told about these travel plans?" Jay asked stupidly.

" Because you were panicking too much about not being able to host proper birthday parties for Cole and Kai and we had to send you out of the room." Lloyd spoke up. " Kai had to play 'Mario Kart' with you just to get you to calm down. We had to fill him in about four days after leaving the monastery."

" And why was I not told about it then?"

" Because you were off with Keo trying to find an octopus."

" Why is nothing going right for me this year?"

Zane turned to look at Jay, who had quickly taken to staring at the flames, with a questioning and slightly concerned look on his face.

" You are talking about the birthday parties you have planned, yes?" He asked gently.

" You could say they're a part of it, yeah." Jay sighed.

" Jay. The party you gave me was perfect. To this day I have no idea how you managed to keep the preparations a secret from me. And even though we had been given a mission and Kai had broken his leg, you managed to pull off a birthday I will cherish forever."

" And considering I didn't even want a party in the first place, mine was pretty awesome." Lloyd admitted. " It made me realise that I couldn't live in the past forever. Then there was Nya's party. The only issues with that was that one of the games I chose to play never got played because my uncle said no to playing it. I'm pretty sure Nya said that day was perfect."

Zane placed a comforting hand on Jay's shoulder, causing the blue ninja to look his way. " I am positive that Cole will enjoy whatever you plan for today regardless of where we are and our limited inventory."

Another sigh escaped the lightning master's lips as he let his friends' words sink in. Maybe he was panicking over nothing. He was good at that, after all. But he couldn't stop himself from thinking possibly dangerous things concerning the upcoming two birthdays. Staring back into the fire, he found himself thinking about what he could do for his best friend's birthday.

The first thing that came to mind was that they were outside. A lot of things could be done outside. Like capture the flag. They could find descent sized sticks and tie a ninja mask or something on one end; there were the flags. The only down fall was that the teams would be uneven thanks to the seven members on the mission. Jay moved the idea to the back of his head fearing that it would not be fun for everyone involved.

His next thought was, strangely, Tag. Well, the many forms of tag, at least. Jay didn't realise there were dozens of forms of the game out there. After all, aside from the original game, he only knew of the rules of four or five of them. But names just kept popping into his head from what he had heard over the years. And the sad thing was, he had only played tag in its original form with his parents when he was a little kid. It was one of the downfalls of being home schooled and being an only child. With his thoughts slowing inching their way towards a bout of depression, Jay forced that thought into the back of his mind as well.

Maybe they could play limbo? There were plenty of fallen branches around and if they really needed to, they could chop off one branch from a nearby tree. Plus, having worked in the tree lopping industry before, Cole had knowledge of what to look for when cutting the limbs off trees. Then again, it was Cole's birthday and Jay did not think his best friend would appreciate having to do extra work – if any – on his birthday.

Another shocked scream – this time from Kai – instantly brought the blue ninja's thought to the horses… or rather, the horseshoe that his horse had managed to throw just before Igoron Village. They were lucky there happened to be a farrier there who had been willing to fix the issue. But Kai distinctly remembered picking up a few horseshoe making skills alongside the six or so dud horseshoes he had failed to perfect. Maybe, if the fire ninja still had those horseshoes, they could play a game or two with them?

Or they could somehow fashion hacky sacks from something, get Cole to punch a hole into a boulder and they could play cornhole… or a variation of it. But again, that depended on if Cole was willing to work on his birthday or not. And, more importantly, if they had the materials to make the hacky sacks. If it really came down to it, though, he doubted anyone would mind if rocks were used instead. Although they might prove to be a tad bit painful.

In the end, Jay found himself confirming that he was just confusing himself more than what he had been when he had woken up. Which is to say, he was very confused. Especially when his earlier bout of confusion had evolved into the panic that, essentially, had gotten him into this mess. Regardless of the fact that it had been very well hidden (according to him). And that meant that if he didn't figure something out soon, he'd just end up spiralling out of control again.

" Hey, Jay!" Someone called, snapping the lightning master out of his thoughts. " Food is ready. And it looks delish."

Jay had to blink a couple of times, to get his eyes to readjust from looking at the flames, before he realised that it was Cole who had called out to him. During the apparent trance the fire had managed to put him in, he had failed to notice when the birthday boy had awoken… or anyone else for that matter. Instead, he found a plate of cinnamon sausage rolls being held out to him.

" Oh… I-uh… Thanks." He stuttered, taking the food in hand.

Cole sat himself on the log beside his best friend. In his other hand was an identical plate of food, even down to the number of cinnamon sausage rolls. It only proved to show that Zane was keeping tight watch on the food inventory so as to make sure there was enough to reach the next village. Even so, Cole was taking slow, deliberate bites out of his breakfast, clearly savouring each mouthful.

" So… what's got you all worked up this time?" He asked after his third mouthful had been swallowed.

Jay, who had merely been nibbling on his breakfast, heaved yet another sigh since waking up that morning. Cole just looked at him. With the slight worry that was shining in his eyes, it was clear that he knew the blue clad boy was fretting over his birthday. But there was also a bit of stubbornness in them that said that he wanted to hear the words come from Jay's own mouth.

" I think you already know the answer to that." The lightning master ended up saying, not denying anything but also not really confirming anything either.

" You're worried about the horse?" Cole guessed, purposefully getting it wrong.

" What? Falero? I'm not worried about him or the fact that he lost one of his horseshoes. The shoe maker person said that we were lucky to have Keo around when it happened and that we were lucky to be near the village as well. As long as he takes it easy for another few days, he should be fine."

" Well, at least you were listening to what the farrier said even if you can't remember what his job title actually is."

" Hey, I knew what it was. I've just had… other things on my mind."

" Like what, Jay? Remember, you can tell me anything."

" Even that I'm clearly having troubles trying to give you the best birthday party you could ever have wanted while being in the middle of a mission that has us all travelling, by horse, to some remote and secretive village with a people who most believe to be non-existent due to their reclusive yet highly dangerous natures?"

This time it was Cole's turn to blink a few times, although it was mainly out of shock that his friend had managed to say all that in the one breath.

" Yes. Even that." He eventually replied. " But, even though we're on a mission, I guess you could say I'm getting one of my many… uh, silent requests."

" Uh, silent request?"

" Please don't make me say the word. I know you don't like hearing it."

That alone made Jay realise what his friend meant by a 'silent request'. And he was touched that the earth master was keeping true to his promise to not intentionally make him uncomfortable or remember that time that was not. But at the same time, he was both confused and curious about what it was that Cole was talking about. It must have shown on his face because Cole gave him a faint smile.

" For the past few birthdays, I've been feeling a little cooped up inside whatever building we were celebrating in. You see, before my mother got sick, I remember, she would always take me out into the mountains for my birthdays. After she died and everything turned south, birthdays in the wilderness never seemed the same, always lonely. I guess you can say that I've missed celebrating my birthday with my family out under the stars. So just being able to do this is making me happy. Whatever you dish out for me, I'm willing to take it head on and with a smile on my face."

" But we have an entire day to do stuff with you that I just can't seem to figure out. And that is besides the fact that we are still making our way to the Straflodge Ranges." Jay said.

" Sounds to me like that means there's a day of fun ahead."

" Well, that is the idea. But my issue is how can I make it fun for you? How can I give you the birthday you want which I have now discovered that you wanted out here… wherever here is exactly?"

Cole took another bite out of his breakfast. Thanks to knowing how easily his friend could get into a panic, he could clearly see just how confused Jay was. After all, they didn't have much in the way of games that they could carry on horseback and across the entire island. But there were still games that could be played outdoors that didn't need to be carried anywhere. It made him wonder if that was what had captured his friend's mind while he had been staring into the campfire.

" I'll tell you what." The earth elemental said after a few minutes of thinking. " We eat breakfast and then we figure out what we all want to do today."

" But it's your birthday! What is it you want to do?" Jay insisted.

" What do I want to do? I want to have fun with my friends. And I'm willing to hear what everyone else wants to do with me today. We could either put things to a vote or we could find a way to fit everything into the day. Besides, what I really want to do, and this is besides the fact that I've been doing it every night since we left the monastery, is watch the stars. And you kinda can't do that when the sun's out."

Jay gave his friend a sideways glance, unimpressed by the sad attempt at humour. But it quickly evolved into a smile. After all, it was true. And knowing this information even seemed to make things a little clearer in his head, less confusing about what he needed to do to make the day perfect. With new found energy, Jay started taking proper bites of his breakfast, with Cole following close behind with his own smile.

Once breakfast was over, Jay shared his dilemma with everyone else. And, as he had done with Jay, Cole had proposed that they all suggest something fun that they could all enjoy. During all this, they were cleaning up their breakfast dishes curtesy of water Nya had produced. And all the while, Makkar was trotting around the group, clearly excited about something.

It was confusing in its own right. The black horse would give a snort every now and then, clearly trying to get the humans to notice him. And it was working… they just didn't know what it was he was trying to tell them. Add onto the confusion the fact that Jay's horse was calling out softly, almost pleadingly, and no one had a clue as to what was being said.

That is until Keo started laughing thanks to Makkar getting annoyed and starting to nibble the boy's hair.

" What is your horse doing?" Kai asked, stopping what he was doing to watch the black horse who had returned to trotting around the camp.

" Makkar wants to race." The younger teen replied. " I think he is trying to give us his own idea for fun."

" I think he's ignoring whatever Falero is saying to him as well." Jay pointed out, earning a snort of agreement from the black and white horse. " And I'm going to have to defend my horse because he is still recovering from losing his horseshoe."

" Don't worry. If Cole does want to race, I'll make sure that Falero is comfortable enough to do so. The last thing I would want is any of the horses getting hurt."

Cole looked up at the mention of his name, just in time to see Makkar stop trotting right in front of him. And, thanks to his rather expressive face, it was clear to the earth master that the horse was begging him to say yes. It honestly made him laugh that he was starting to somewhat understand what Makkar, at least, wanted.

" We'll see." He told the horse before turning to his friends. " Does anyone else have any ideas or do I have to drag them all out of Jay?"

All eyes turned to Jay. They had all noticed his distant gaze as he stared into the campfire and they had all overheard the conversation Cole had had with the blue ninja. And, although Zane and Lloyd had an inkling as to what could be going through his head, Nya was a little worried about her boyfriend's mental health. Kai was too, although he was a little less worried.

" What?" Jay asked dumbly after having glared at Cole for calling him out.

" What games to you think we should play?" Kai asked.

" Why do you think I have all the game ideas?"

Once again, Lloyd spoke up. " You were sitting there, staring into the campfire. And before that, you were worrying about what to do with Cole's birthday cake or lack thereof. Yes, I heard that. Not to mention you were worrying about not being able to make Cole's and Kai's birthdays perfect… again. You were literally starting to panic over it. Zane managed to stop that before it got worse which led you to staring into the campfire."

" We may or may not be assuming you were thinking of what to do for today considering we may have overheard you talking to Cole about it." Nya admitted.

Even as she said it, Nya looked down at the ground in shame. Zane and Keo had similar looks on their faces as well. Lloyd had gone back to fiddling with whatever it was he had brought over to the campfire earlier, but Kai did not look the least bit sorry about what he had done. Then again, he had momentarily stopped paying attention thanks to Makkar taking interest in his hair and he was trying to keep the horse from nibbling on his style.

" Well, at least you're honest." Cole muttered, but his tone was light as he spoke.

Jay turned to look at Cole after watching everyone else visually admit to what they had done. The birthday boy had a small smile tweaking at the corner of his lips as he returned his friend's gaze. The only problem was, Jay didn't know if it was because he was amused at the situation that Jay had found himself in, amused at the fact that it should have been known that the others would do something like that, or planning on getting Jay to talk about what he had been thinking about. Cole had a really good poker face when he wanted to put it on. Even worse, he loved mixing it into other facial expressions.

" Personally, I think Cole's already created his first game." Jay grumbled a minute or two later.

" Oh?" Cole prompted.

" It's called 'Gain Up on Jay'. It's where you all force my brain to explode."

Nya rolled her eyes. " Jay, no one is forcing your brain to explode."

" Yeah, I'm sorry, but I do not want to clean that mess up." Kai said, finally able to get Makkar away from his hair.

The battle to protect his hair had been a success… though it almost hadn't been. If Keo hadn't realised the problem and called his horse away from the master of fire, Makkar would have most likely proved victorious. Because of this, it didn't go unnoticed that Kai was watching the black horse very carefully.

" Then what do you think we should play, Kai?" Jay asked, and judging from the look on his own face, he was having a friendly jab at Kai's own question from earlier.

" I, uh… I don't know. Capture the Flag?"

" That's actually not a bad idea." Cole admitted, a thoughtful look on his face.

" But we don't have even numbers to play the game." Jay countered, remembering his earlier thoughts.

" So?" Kai asked, earning a look of incredulity from the blue ninja.

" What do you mean, 'so'? One team will have an advantage over the other team."

" I still don't see any problem." Cole admitted.

Jay stared at the black ninja with wide eyes, clearly not understanding how his friend couldn't understand what he was trying to say. Looking at Kai, he saw a similarly confused expression on his face. But then Kai's gaze turned to the dying campfire for a few seconds before returning to Jay's. And, this time, Jay couldn't decipher the meaning behind the look.

" I think I know what's going on here." The fire master said slowly.

With his head tilted to the side like a rather cute but confused puppy dog, it was Keo who spoke next. " You do?"

" Capture the Flag was one of Jay's ideas while he was staring at the camp fire." Cue awkward rubbing of his neck from the aforementioned ninja. " But now he's jealous that I actually voiced it."

" What? No!" Jay squawked. " I mean, yeah capture the flag was one of my many ideas, but I put it aside because I couldn't see how we could all play the game without someone having to sit out. And I want everyone to have fun, just like Cole does. I just can't… well… figure it out."

Zane stepped forward and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. " There is nothing wrong with asking for help, you know. And, if it comes down to it, I will gladly step aside to watch the game through, or rather to make sure no one gets hurt. I could even prepare a meal while the game is played."

" But then you'd miss out on the fun."

" Again, I have no issues with that."

Jay still looked like he wanted to argue the point. But at the same time, he knew that it was ultimately Cole's decision what to play. And the earth master had shown positive interest in the game since it was mentioned, meaning capture the flag was most likely going to be played.

It was the sound of a lungful of air being forcefully exhaled which made Jay look up at Makkar just in time for him to witness the black horse nudge his young master into the centre of the conversation circle they had all found themselves in. And, judging from the wide-eyed look of terror on the kid's face, he either didn't expect the push or else had something on his mind that he was dreading to talk about. Of course, Jay's mouth had to betray his thoughts at the sight before him.

" What's wrong, Keo?" He asked startling the boy.

That alone was proof that Keo was dreading talking about something to the ninja. It probably didn't help that those words also forced all attention onto the black-haired boy in the middle of the circle.

" Everything okay?" Cole asked after a few minutes of silence.

" I… uh… I've… What's capture the flag?" Keo finally asked, looking down at his feet in shame.

Because of this, the boy failed to notice the six pairs of eyes that were clearly staring at him. Not one of the ninja could comprehend the fact that Keo had never heard of the game before. Though, at the discovery, it was also clear that they had forgotten about the boy's origins as the only child of a farmer and his wife.

" Capture the Flag," Zane said slowly after a few awkward minutes, " is a game where two teams try to get each other's flag while protecting their own. There is usually a point or section the teams have to cross with the opposite team's flag before victory can be declared."

" It's a fairly common game." Lloyd added.

Keo looked up at the green ninja with a look that was a clear mixture of confusion and sadness. " I wouldn't know what games were common or not. Asha dhiffi fatai. I had no friends in the village. All the children hated me for one reason or another."

The awkward silence returned swiftly. Keo went back to looking at his shoes. Cole, on the other hand, was not liking the sad look on his face. And the knowledge he and the others were presented with had settled his mind on a couple of things. Because of that, it didn't take him long to figure out somewhat of a plan for the day.

" That solves it then." The black ninja said with a nod of his head. " We are going to play Capture the Flag… regardless of odd or even numbers. That's one game down. Now it's your turn, Keo. What kind of game would you like to play? It can be anything you're familiar with."

" Really?"

Cole gave him a warm smile, clear acknowledgement for him to start thinking about what he could share with the ninja. And think he did, back to a time, not long ago, where his father would take him outside to an open area in front of the house. He remembered how his father would then place the eighteen wooden pieces in two lines opposite each other and how, soon after that, the two would verse each other. But for the life of him, Keo could not remember the name of the game.

The older teens waited in silence as Keo thought, curiously finding it intriguing that the boy could go through a range of emotions so quickly. Not even Jay could switch emotions as quickly as they had seen. Keo's facial expressions had gone through first confusion, then embarrassment, sadness, shock, apprehension, surprise, happiness and finally thoughtfulness since 'Capture the Flag' was first mentioned. The kid had even taken to sitting down as he thought.

And Cole found himself hoping that they didn't have to wait too long to find out what the young wind elemental was planning.

Unfortunately, it was a good five minutes before anything happened. Still in thought, Keo picked himself up and went over to his saddlebags. From there, he took off the black bag that had been attached to the cantle bag and started pulling out the eighteen wooden pieces. In all, there were twelve wooden poles, two wooden triangular prisms, two rectangular prisms with what looked like wings on the top and two cubes with what looked like a wolf's head on the top surface. What was weird though, was that Keo ignored the wooden items and continued to search the bag for something.

" Is everything okay, Keo?" Lloyd asked even as he looked over what he could only assume were game pieces.

" I can't remember the name." Came his rather dejected reply as the younger teen gave up searching the now empty bag.

" The name for what?"

" A game that my Karu used to play with me. I remember how to play it. He played it with me every day. But I've forgotten what's it's called. Karu would not be happy if he knew I had forgotten."

That made the other ninja share a concerned look amongst themselves. It's true that Keo never spoke ill of his parents. In fact, he only ever showed love towards them whenever he spoke of them. But, as five of the six older teens had learned thanks to Lloyd, things once hidden could always slip through the cracks of a child's mental barriers.

" Why would your father be upset about you forgetting the name of a game?" Zane asked as gently as he could.

" Because it was one of the games that Karu told me came from the Gaji, the Village. He would always tell me the name every day because we played every day after work. But because of what happened, I've started to forget. Karu would not be happy. Even though he was scared of his past, he was still proud of it."

" But he wouldn't hurt you, would he?" Jay asked, his worry easily seeping through his words.

Keo looked up at Jay with shocked horror on his face. " Dhiffi. No. Father would never hurt me. He would repeat the words over and over and make me repeat the words over and over, but he would never hurt me. I think he feared what my Kila would do to him if he hurt me."

" I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything bad. We just… get suspicious of certain things thanks to Lloyd."

" Hey! Leave me out of this!" Lloyd barked, wide-eyed himself.

" It's okay." Keo managed to smile.

Cole took that opportunity to change the subject slightly, returning it to its previous topic of what games they could all play during the day. After all, it was his birthday and he wanted to have as much fun as possible with as much light as the day would give them.

" Well, as long as you haven't forgotten how to play, I'm willing to try this game out. And who knows? Maybe the name will come to you later on." He said, making the smile on Keo's face widen.

" I'd be honoured to teach you all. It is the least I can do for you after you all saved me."

With that, Keo hurried to place the wooden game pieces back into their bag until it was time to set up the game properly. After all, and he failed to tell the others, he didn't want his father's favourite game set to get destroyed before he could share his knowledge with his new family.

As Keo worked, Jay found himself being the subject of everyone's attention once more. And, truth be told, he wasn't too happy about it. It meant that the others knew he was keeping his problems from them and they wanted to know in case they were bad for his health. Or, at least, that was what was going through his head when he noticed their awaiting gazes.

" Okay, Jay." Cole started, hoping he was gentle about what he was asking. " What, exactly, were you thinking about for today while you were staring at the campfire?"

" And don't just say 'Capture the Flag' because we already know it was one of the things you were thinking about and you were worried about it because of how uneven the teams would be." Kai added, thankfully not noticing the way his sister rolled her eyes at his tactfulness (or lack thereof).

Jay looked each one of his friends in the eye, trying to figure out a way out of the situation. Unfortunately, for him, there was no way out. Well, none that he didn't want to avoid, that is. Subconsciously, Jay shifted his feet and looked at the dying campfire, hoping it could give him some answers on what to do. It didn't.

" Jay?" Cole's voice penetrated his thoughts.

The lightning master heaved a sigh before forcing himself to look up at the others. " I realised, while I was looking into the campfire, that I'm a little bit like Keo, being an only child and all. I mean, there's only so many games of tag that you can force your parents to play with you. What I didn't realise, and this is strange because I've never played them before in my life, is that tag can be played in so many different ways with so many different rules. I mean, every time I tried to not think about tag, a new version would pop into my head thanks to a fleeting memory. So, to answer your question, the many forms of tag was one of the things I was thinking about… aside from Capture the Flag. Other games were limbo, horseshoes, and a variation of cornhole that included us figuring out how to make our own hacky sacks.

" Of course, Limbo would need music as well as a decent sized tree branch, but we may need to chop one off a tree if there isn't one already on the ground. And that would mean Cole would have to work on his birthday. The same issue goes for the cornhole game. We'd need to find a boulder or something and Cole would have to make holes in it that we could throw the hacky sacks into. Well, once we figure out how to make them, that is. And, of course, horseshoes really only depends on Kai having kept those dud horseshoes from the last village we passed because I'm pretty sure we can find a good stick or something to throw them around. So there. That's everything I was thinking about while staring at the campfire. Or rather, almost everything."

Jay didn't even realise he had started pacing until he physically stopped himself and looked over to the other ninja. To him, it seemed like none of the others had expected him to have thought all those games up in the limited time he had had while staring into the flames of the campfire. Either that or they couldn't understand how easily he had gone into one of his panic rants.

The truth was, his thoughts were accurate for some of the ninja. Keo couldn't believe the spiel that had come out of the blue ninja's mouth, but when he realised he was staring, he quickly looked away. Kai, Cole and Lloyd were all trying to process Jay's campfire thoughts for themselves, especially with the discovery of how there were many different varieties of tag. Nya looked like she was just worried for her boyfriend given that she could see he was starting to panic over things again. And Zane was actually thinking hard about what Jay had said. After all, despite the negative thoughts that Jay had managed to think up with out of the games, he had thought of some good ones.

Surprisingly, though, it was Kai who moved first. After coming to terms with his friend's thought processes once more, he had finally registered that one of the games that Jay had thought of was horseshoes. With that realisation, he figured he had better check to make sure he still had the horseshoes in question. So he made his way back to his sleeping bag and searched through one of the pommel bags by its head.

After pulling out three stress balls from the bag, Kai was finally able to safely remove the six misshapen horseshoes he had created as practice for his new skill. He still hadn't figured out what he was going to do with them, but he knew that he didn't want to waste the attempts. For now, they would do for a game or two of horseshoes.

" Still got the horseshoes." He said as he turned around. However, when he turned around again, he noticed that everyone's attention had been drawn to the stress balls by his side and not what he held in his hands. " What's everyone looking at?"

" You have stress balls?" Jay asked, a look of confusion on his face.

" Uh, yeah. If you haven't realised by now, life is stressful."

Jay's confused expression quickly turned into one that clearly said he knew how stressful life could get.

" Trust me. I know." The blue ninja muttered to himself.

Cole heard him, though thankfully he decided not to comment on it. Instead, he chose to focus on where Jay's thoughts had been leading towards.

" I think what Jay's trying to get at is, if we decide to play cornhole then we wouldn't have to try and make our own hacky sacks. If you'd let us, we could play with your stress balls instead."

Kai had to think on it for a bit. After all, he didn't want to lose any of the stress balls, even by mistake. Especially the red galaxy patterned ball as it had been a gift from Skylor. He didn't mention that, though, for fear of what the others would say about it.

While the other's waited for Kai's answer, they continued trying to figure out what the day was going to bring for Cole's birthday. And, as Zane pointed out, they had to keep in mind that they would all be travelling throughout the day as well. They were definitely going to play Capture the Flag sometime during the day, and whatever Keo's game was. Both Lloyd and Nya were keen on a few rounds of horseshoes, and they were essentially waiting on Kai to figure out if they were going to play their own version of cornhole or not.

Then there was the ever excitable Makkar. After failing to get the fire ninja's attention by trying to eat his hair, or rather failing to get someone to realise that he wanted to race there and then, he had gone back to trotting around the campsite. Well, after he and the other horses have been given some food courtesy of Keo. Even so, it was clear that he was eager to feel the wind in his mane… especially when he headbutted Lloyd a couple of times.

It probably didn't help that every time the black horse headbutted the green ninja, Lloyd was fiddling with the small object that Jay had seen him with before breakfast. Like before with Keo, it was almost like Makar was trying to get Lloyd to do something that obviously included whatever he held. Unlike Keo, however, the green ninja was more stubborn in getting the message.

" Keo. Your horse is nuts." Lloyd finally exclaimed after the fifth headbutt nearly threw what he was holding out of his hands.

" Makkar is just excited." The younger boy claimed, defending his horse. " Also, he's trying to help you."

" With what? I don't think I need any help."

Makkar's ears flicked back slightly as he gave a snort. Clearly he thought differently. Unfortunately, the green ninja couldn't see the issue… that is until he looked down at what was in his hands.

" Well, I was waiting for the right time to give you this, Cole." He said, going up to the confused Earth Master. " So maybe that's why. Anyway, happy birthday."

He held out the small brown box. It was in the shape of a square and in place of a birthday card, there was a gift tag that read happy birthday and was signed with Lloyd's name. Carefully, Cole opened the box to reveal a leather wallet with little stars etched into one corner and a magnetic latch that was also shaped like a star. When he opened the wallet, he noted that there were a perfect number of card slots for all his various cards as well as a double slotted section for any notes he happened to be carrying. The back of the wallet was home to a coin pouch that was also decorated in stars.

" Thanks, Lloyd." The earth ninja smiled, looking up at the younger boy from where he sat. " I was looking for a new wallet."

Lloyd could only return the smile.

But then Kai, who had still been standing by his things, made his way over to the two. And in his hand was a flat, wrapped gift. Not to mention, on his face, he wore what Cole could only describe as an awkward smirk. It was because of that look that the earth ninja had to assume that both Kai and Lloyd had had similar thoughts when they had gone shopping.

" I guess, if we're doing that now…" the fire master started. " Happy birthday."

Cole took the gift in hand with thanks, noting that a small card had been attached. After a quick read of the card (and a quick shake of his head at the words inside) he carefully opened the wrapping paper so that very little of it tore off. Inside was what looked like a wide leather cuff bracelet… but it strangely had a zipper attached to the inside of it. Alongside the zipper, there was a strip of leather that looked to leave enough room for a small keyring or two to fit nicely on as well as a couple of card pouches. The leather on the outside of the cuff bracelet was personalised with his elemental symbol. Still, the item itself confused Cole as he had never seen anything like it.

" It's a wrist wallet." Kai explained, noticing the confused look on his friend's face. " I figured you could use it to put essentials in for while we're out fighting, like the keys to your vehicles or something. I did not realise that Lloyd had been thinking of something similar."

" It's alright man. I'll figure out how to use both of them the best. Thanks." Cole smiled back, getting up and placing his hand on Kai's shoulder as he spoke.

At that point, Kai figured it was okay to play some kind of ninja variant of cornhole with his three stress balls… although he did threaten anyone if they lost his red galaxy ball. Of course, everyone ignored the actual threat. But they did try to make sure not to lose that particular stress ball. And while Cole was quickly forming the stone board that they would be using, the others formed game rules.

It was Jay who figured out the points system. As Kai was so fond of the red galaxy stress ball, getting it in the hole would give ten points. The basketball stress ball that Kai had would give five points and the plain orange stress ball would give one point. Each player would get two rounds to try and get sixteen points each round, making a total of thirty-two points. If multiple people got thirty-two points total, they would go into a death match with the one-point ball, aiming to get a total of thirty-five points in three throws (the game still had to be quick, after all).

Unsurprisingly, Zane easily got thirty-two points in his two rounds. And he wasn't even trying to win. What was surprising was that Jay also managed to get thirty-two points. Cole and Kai had both come in a close second with thirty points apiece, Nya managed with twenty-two points, Lloyd managed twenty-seven points, and Keo got twenty-one points. The overall winner was Zane… although it had been looking like there would be a tie had Jay not missed the hole on the very last throw.

Thanks to the fact that there wasn't much they could do in terms of prizes, the winner got bragging rights. Also, Zane didn't want to risk their limited s'mores supplies and thus not have enough for Cole's birthday s'mores 'cake'. Yet, even as they all accepted this plan, it could not go unnoticed that Keo had started looking around for something.

Whatever he was looking for, he obviously didn't find it. Then again, once the game was over, the group had to make sure that they were all packed and ready to go before they had to saddle up the horses. After a final sweep of the campsite to make sure nothing was left behind, they were on the move again. And it was then that Makkar saw his chance. Before anyone realised what was going on, the black horse had already bolted, calling out a challenge to the other horses as he did so.

Kai's horse immediately took up the race challenge, unsettling the fire master for a few seconds before he managed to take the reins and take back control. Nya's horse, although managing to stay under Nya's control, also managed to convince her rider that racing would be fun. Lloyd, Zane and Cole were quick to follow the racing urge, not wanting to be left behind.

Unfortunately, both Jay and his horse were left to follow at a much slower pace. Neither of them wanted to race in the first place. And the reason was shared between the both of them. Jay was worried that his horse would throw another horseshoe or else get hurt because of what had happened a few days earlier. Falero, his horse, didn't like the feeling that came with losing one of his shoes and so was trying to avoid any strenuous activity of his own accord.

It took a little bit of convincing, But Keo managed to calm Makkar's spirits enough for him to regain control. And once he had, he quickly noticed that Jay had not been in the race group. After pointing out the disappearance of a certain blue ninja to the others, he left them to set up a resting spot while he went back to find the lightning master and keep him company on the return journey.

After all, by the time Makkar had bolted, they had been travelling for just over an hour. Makkar's impromptu race had made all the horses quite tired, not to mention they had managed to put some distance between the two campsites.

Once Jay and Keo returned to the rest of the ninja, flavoured crackers and fruit were passed around for snacks while the horses were allowed to much on the grass that was under their feet. But it was during this first break of the day that Cole's attention was brought to Nya… or rather, the gift that was in her hands. Of course, she made sure to sit with him and talk to him before handing it over. But it was with a smile and a thank you that Cole took the present off the water ninja, curious as to why it had a little weight to it.

It was a fairly small gift, but unlike Kai's and Lloyd's, it seemed to have two items in it thanks to the way it had been wrapped. That would also explain the weight. After reading the card, the earth master unwrapped the gift, again making sure not to lose any of the rubbish. What he revealed was a tin of coloured pencils and a pocket sketchbook to go with them. And if saying thank you wasn't enough to show that he liked the gift, the smile on Cole's face definitely was.

" I haven't seen you draw in a while." Nya admitted once the gift had been opened. " I know we've been busy and all, but I figured you could use the extra materials for if ever you got inspiration while you were on a mission or just out somewhere having some alone time or something."

" You can bet this will get used." Cole replied, clearly unable to wipe the smile from his face. " But, for now, I want to spend my time with you guys, not with a pencil in hand."

" That's fair."

Nya wasn't the only one to understand where her friend was coming from. Everyone did. But deep down, as he watched his best friend receive birthday gifts that everyone knew he would use, Jay was starting to worry. Was his birthday present going to be what Cole wanted or needed? His eyes travelled to his unattended saddlebags, silently making sure that his gift was still hidden.

He honestly didn't know what had possessed him to buy it let alone make it. He was good with mechanical things, not needlework. Both Misako and his mother had had to help him with fixing the body parts together or even to just getting the stitching right. And, yeah, he was a little embarrassed about it. But he had seen the kit at the shops not long after Keo had been let out of the hospital and had essentially brought it on a whim… well, that and two others.

Jays' first creation ended up being a gift for Nya, not for her birthday, though. It had just been a random gift that he had given her on one of their dates a couple of days before they had left. And Kai was going to get the third creation as it had reminded Jay so much of the fire ninja's lost dragon. He just hoped that his friend wouldn't chew him out too badly for it afterwards. That left the second creation to be given to Cole… and what Jay was currently worried about.

" You right there, Jay?" A voice asked from behind the lightning master, effectively scaring him out of his thoughts.

Turning around, Jay found Kai standing there with a slightly concerned smile on his face.

" Yeah. Just thinking." He replied, turning back to face the front.

Kai, however, wasn't done talking to the lightning master. Instead, he planted himself right next to Jay.

" You're worried about something. You've got that look on your face."

" Am I really that easy to read?"

" Sometimes. Now what's bugging ya?"

A sigh managed to escape Jay's lips. " I just don't know if Cole would like what I got him."

" You didn't get him another wallet, did you? Cause he's already got two now."

" No I did not get him another wallet. I… I made him something."

" Then what are you worried about? I'm sure he'll like anything you've tinkered up for him." Kai asked, looking at the blue ninja like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

" That's the thing, Kai. It's not something I 'tinkered up'. I sewed it by hand. With a needle and thread."

That discovery took the fire ninja by surprise. But just as quickly as the surprise was on his face, it melted into a warm smile. Kai even laughed a little at what he had heard.

" And you think that's going to stop him from liking whatever it is?" He asked. Jay remained silent. " Jay, you've got to give yourself more credit. We may think you're hypo sometimes, but one thing we all know is that you are creative. You couldn't write or build what you do if you weren't. And I actually like some of the things that you make. There are things that Cole and the others like as well. So I'm sure that he'll like whatever you've made for him this time."

" But wouldn't it be weird that a guy's best friend is giving him a… something you usually see a little kid with?"

" Really, Jay. He's your friend. Your best friend. Unless you're planning on giving him something evil, I think Cole's going to like whatever is it you've made for him. Now, did you want to play horseshoes with the rest of us? Zane's setting up a post he found for us to play with."

To be completely honest, Jay wasn't that interested in playing horseshoes any more. And he blamed it on the fact that he was worrying about his present for Cole. But he went along with Kai anyway. He also surprised himself when he managed to not come last. That honour had gone to Lloyd, much to the green ninja's annoyance.

Surprisingly, it was Keo who won the game. And he had been up against Zane. Even Cole, who had come in third, had to admit that the kid had some serious skills when it came to throwing bent horseshoes. Keo, however, was modest about it, claiming that he really wasn't that good. But everyone quickly managed to correct him by claiming that he had managed to beat a nindroid who once specialised in throwing things.

An impromptu shuriken match was called by Kai just to get the young wind elemental to realise just how good a thrower he actually was. Zane even provided the two shuriken they would use. Just from that, it was clear that he wanted to prove to Keo just how good the kid actually was. It took a little bit of convincing, but the young teen eventually realised that he really was a good thrower.

But it was while they were back on the move again, this time without Makkar trying to race everybody, that Keo finally remembered the name of the game his father had taught him. They had been riding for some time again, with the young elemental even trusting his horse enough to take his eyes off the path and take his hands off the reins. Lloyd was riding beside him, trying to figure out what he was doing with a carving knife and a block of wood he had salvaged from the woods at the last campsite, when Keo had suddenly looked up.

" Rygwachii!" Keo exclaimed, causing everyone to stop and look over to him.

" Uh… gesundheit?" Kai replied rather awkwardly.

" No. Rygwachii. It's the name of the game my Karu taught me to play. I just remembered it."

" Then did you want to play it now while we wait for lunch to be ready or are you happy to play capture the flag while I prepare lunch?" Zane asked, moving his horse closer to Makkar and Keo as he spoke.

" It is Cole's birthday. He should decide what we should play next."

All eyes turned to Cole. After all, Keo was right. Despite having everyone decide on the types of games played that day, it was ultimately the earth master's decision what order the games were played in. And yet, with everyone's gaze on him, Cole seemed to readily accept the responsibility… even if he was holding Jay's gaze as he clearly thought of his answer.

" Are you absolutely sure you wouldn't mind it if we played Capture the Flag while you make lunch, Zane?" He asked instead, bringing up Jay's fears from earlier again.

" As I said, I could keep watch and make sure the game was fair and no one got hurt. If you want, however, the first team to get their opponents' flag to my side would win. And by that, I mean the side of my body which happens to be on the captors' side of the campfire."

" So, for argument's sake, if team one took team two's flag…" Jay started slowly.

" Then team one would have to cross the boundary line back into their 'territory' and place team two's flag next to me. Team two would have to do the same with team one's flag. I will try to stay as close to the borderline as possible while I make lunch. If you decide on jail being in play, then I will be the guard as well."

As soon as everyone had dismounted, the other five older teens converged upon each other, talking out the fine details of the game. As they were so few in numbers per team, jail was opted out. The fact that it was also Keo's first time playing Capture the Flag also had a say in the matter. They didn't want to confuse him, after all. As for actually playing the game then, Zane's answer to Cole's question on whether or not he minded was assumed by all that the game was a go ahead.

Once the basic rules were planned out, it was decided that the two flag colours would be red and blue. This meant that both Kai and Jay had to sacrifice an item of clothing to be the flags. The sacrifices ended up being Jay's blue beanie and one of Kai's red sashes from his spare ninja uniform.

The team leaders were just as easy to figure out. As they had had to sacrifice an item of clothing for the flags, it was decided that Jay and Kai would be the team leaders. Of course, Jay did try to palm leadership over to Cole as it was his birthday. But Cole was just happy to be placed on Jay's team with Keo, which left Lloyd and Nya to be placed on Kai's team.

Before the game could start, however, Zane had to make sure the boundaries were marked, the flags were well hidden, and a suitable lunch plan was prepared. That also meant starting the campfire. Keo even made sure to tie the horses (minus Makkar) to some nearby logs so they didn't wander too far away, and telling Makkar to make sure he and the other horses stayed out of the game area. Because of this, it was decided that the horses would be part of the boundary line.

" Okay." Zane said, gathering everyone's attentions. " Team leaders can take their teams to their flags and plan out how you will take the other's flag. When it is time, that is in five minutes, I will send a message via your communicators for the game to start. Everyone has their communicators, right?"

Affirmations were given by all except Keo, who looked at the older teens with slight confusion and worry.

" It's okay, Keo. Jay and I will let you know." Cole smirked at the boy, noticing his expression.

Zane continued with a nod of his head. " Very well. If a flag is not captured by the time lunch is ready, I will call a tie and end the game myself either via a flare or a comms notification. Are we all set?"

The others were more than ready. At Zane's word, the two teams were going their separate ways, keeping silent until they arrived at their flags. Zane himself waited until he couldn't see his friends in the surrounding trees before starting the five minute countdown. While he waited, he pulled up the recipe he had found and did a quick check over the ingredients, making sure he had everything he needed and ready to cook.

When it came to planning, Jay's team had a rather simple plan. Taking into account that elements were not to be used and that it was Keo's first time playing, Cole would stay guarding the flag while Jay and Keo charged through the other territory for the red flag. Kai's team had a similar plan, although they knew they'd have to get through Cole in order to get to the blue flag and no one really wanted to be left guarding their own flag.

In the end, Lloyd got fed up with the arguing and practically ordered Kai and Nya deal with Cole. A few seconds later, Zane alerted everyone that their planning time was over and the game had started. It left no room for argument.

As expected, Jay was sprinting through the trees as fast as he could at the signal. Keo, though fast himself, still wasn't quite sure about what he was doing, but he ran anyway. The two of them were the first to cross over into red territory… even as Kai and Nya just managed to get past the trees on their side and thus were able to witness this. Needless to say, Jay was quickly tackled by Kai, a confused Keo stopped running and Nya continued into blue territory.

" Gah!" The blue ninja squawked upon being tackled. " No! Keo! Don't stop running! Get the red flag! Get the flag and take it across the trench and to Zane! But keep and eye out for Lloyd! Go!"

" It may be his first time, but the kid's got nothing on my sister." Kai practically preened, even as he struggled with keeping Jay in a firm hold.

Jay ignored him for a few seconds, silently urging his young teammate on as he watched Keo (though clearly confused and a little frightened) take a deep breath and continue the search for the red flag. Once the boy was out of sight, he returned his attention to his captor, a smirk on his own face.

" You forget. My team has Cole." he replied.

That made Kai stop and recollect his thoughts. With Jay as his captive and Keo running for the flag, he really should have remembered that Cole would be standing guard. After all, his team had discussed it before the game's start. And though Cole was essentially a giant teddy bear, he liked to win. Especially if he knew he could win easily. Now Kai knew Cole wouldn't hurt Nya, but even in a friendly match, it was near impossible for any one of the other ninja currently playing the game to best him on their own.

" I'm coming Nya!" the fire ninja called, quickly letting go of Jay and charging off to help his sister. First Spinjitzu Master knew she'd need it.

All Jay could do was watch, a small giggle erupting at the sight. He could practically see Kai's thoughts running through his head before the fire master ran off. But just as quickly as Kai had disappeared into the trees, the lightning master was back to running after the red team's flag. Just like Kai knew Nya would need help with Cole, he knew Keo needed help with the entire game.

It was a good thing he managed to get rid of Kai easily, too, because when he found the red flag, he also found a very curious scene. As to be expected, Lloyd was standing in front of the flag but with enough space between him and it so as not to interfere too quickly with whoever was taking the flag. Keo, however, was standing in front of Lloyd with his head cocked to the side and a confused expression on his face. And to top it all off, Lloyd knew Jay had arrived if the twitch of his hand was anything to go by.

For a fleeting second, Jay considered doing a Kai and charging at Lloyd, thus getting Keo to snatch the flag and make a run for it. But at the same time, Lloyd looked like he was preparing himself for something like that. Especially seeing as it was Keo's first time playing capture the flag. That meant that Lloyd would not be expecting what had just popped into his head.

" Keo?" The blue ninja called, gaining both Keo's and Lloyd's attentions. " Do you trust me?"

Keo had to think on his answer. He had only been with the ninja for a few months. And yet, within that time, he had somehow managed to guess everyone's natures whilst being extremely ill. But he also remembered what he had been told about his arrival at the monastery and it was that which helped to make his mind up.

" Yes." The younger boy said with a certain finality that neither Jay nor Lloyd expected.

" Okay. Thank you." Jay nodded, touched by that one word. " Now, I'm going to go around you and take the flag. When I say, I want you to run with me. Got it?"

" Um… no."

To be honest, neither did Lloyd. After all, Jay was literally telling him his plans… like he wasn't even standing there. Not to mention, those plans did not include stopping him in any way from stopping them getting to the flag.

" That's okay." Jay smiled instead, noticing Lloyd's confusion but not paying attention to it. " Just get ready. Go!"

Only, Jay did not run around Keo and over to the flag. He ran straight for Lloyd. And that just confused Lloyd even more because wasn't he just… oh. Too late Lloyd realised Jay's plan. The master of lightning barrelled right into him so that the two of them were sprawled on the ground, Jay pinning him there.

" Get the flag, Keo!" Jay yelled to an equally confused Keo. " Take it across the trench and over to Zane!"

Despite not completely understanding what was going on, Keo did exactly as he was told. He ran for the flag and snatched it in his hands before charging back the way he had come. Vaguely he heard Jay calling out to him, saying something along the lines of 'don't look back', but he wasn't exactly sure. He opted to stay focussed on the task instead.

As he re-entered the clearing, Keo saw Nya running back towards her team's territory. And in her hands was the blue team's flag. Behind her stormed Cole and Kai, although the fire ninja was mainly trying to stop the earth master from launching himself at his sister.

It was going to be a race to the finish. Both Nya and Keo knew it. Kai and Cole had both stopped running shortly after Cole had seen Keo with the red team's flag. And, from behind him, Keo could hear that Lloyd and Jay had arrived back at the clearing themselves. Yet somewhere in the back of his mind, Keo was sure both Kai and Lloyd should be trying to stop him with Cole and Jay trying to stop Nya.

" Run like the wind, Keo!" Cole yelled out, spurring the younger teen on.

" But don't actually use your powers! No elements remember!" Jay added, obviously needing to remind both his teammates of that fact.

Somehow, Keo managed to take a deep breath and forced himself to move faster. He could hear words of encouragement in the din that followed his speed burst, and that included words meant for Nya. But the only thing he could focus on was how fast his feet were carrying him. He didn't even notice when he had crossed the small trench that marked the boundaries. He just guesstimated when he had to turn in order to reach Zane's side. He even guessed when he had to stretch his arm out.

The next thing he knew was that someone or something had a firm grip on the makeshift flag he was holding and was placing a hand on his shoulder. At that point his legs buckled. Quickly letting go of the flag, Keo found himself dropping to the grass at his feet, taking in gulps of air. To be honest, he hadn't run like that in ages. Especially since he met the ninja. And after being wounded like he had, he was still testing his body's limits.

But the run felt good.

Once Keo was finally able to catch his breath, he looked up only to find Cole and Jay now by his side. And though their eyes showed concern for just how tired the boy felt (and possibly looked), they also had massive grins on their faces.

" You did it, Keo! You won!" Jay exclaimed. " You got the flag to Zane just before Nya."

" I have to admit," Nya's voice sounded tired as she turned her attention to the winning team, "with everything that's happened, and with no wind blowing, I'm amazed your body let you go that fast, Keo. I honestly wasn't expecting it."

Keo couldn't help the smile that emerged at that. " The last time I ran like that, I was racing a horse. And that was months before I found myself at the monastery."

" Wait. You raced a horse?" Kai asked, taking seat around the fire.

" Of course. Makkar loves to race. You saw that today. And racing is what brothers do, isn't it?"

The conversation quickly turned into learning about the types of things Keo used to do with Makkar and, by further extension, what he used to play with his parents. Besides this Rygwachii game, of course. And Keo was more than happy to indulge in the ninja's curiosity. But, of course, they had to share with him their histories… at least when it came to playing and making friends.

Even when Zane's campfire cheese-steak sandwiches were ready and quickly devoured (especially by Cole), the ninja found themselves learning new bits of information about each other. Things that had somehow, for one reason or another, been forgotten by the storyteller.

Like how, one time, when Jay was still a little kid, a freak rainstorm had occurred in the Sea of Sands while he was sick and he sat staring out the window of his trailer, racing raindrops while his pet rat sat on his head. Or, at least, he thought the rat was his pet. He had found Drizzle (as he called it) during that rainstorm and had worsened his cold when he had gone to rescue the creature from drowning in amongst some junk. Jay's parents, after having mini heart attacks at the sight of the thing, had let Drizzle stay in the trailer until the storm had passed and it was dry enough to be returned to the outside world, but Jay secretly played with the rat for months afterward.

Continuing the talk about animal companions, Cole told Keo all about his dragon, Rocky. How he loved to eat and what his favourite foods were liver and toads. How they played fetch with boulders. And how he would sometimes sneak out in the middle of the night to fly to a nearby mountain and look up at the stars. Cole even admitted to sharing stories about his mother with Rocky.

Keo, however, didn't miss the sad tone his voice took near the end of the story. Nor did he miss the sad looks Kai, Zane and Jay took on as well. It was easy to tell that the ending of that story was not a happy one.

Nya quickly opted to change the subject altogether and, much to her brother's horror, quickly told the story of how, when the two of them and not yet allowed into the forge, Kai would attack the mailman. Although it wasn't just the mailman. He tried to attack anyone who he deemed was a threat to his little sister. The butcher's wife, the village teacher, even the mayor of Ignacia was attacked. Kai would put a saucepan on his head, grab a wooden spoon and charge out the front door screaming.

Kai, feeling betrayed by his sister, couldn't think of any story of Nya's that didn't involve him and so ended up ignoring her throughout the next leg of their journey. After packing up and getting back on the road, he opted to bring up the rear of their little group. Although, he found that he quickly lost interest in Nya's betrayal and instead gained interest in the thing that Keo was carving as he, once again, allowed Makkar to keep in line and follow the other horses.

How that horse knew where he was going was something no one could understand.

The thing Keo was carving looked like an animal of some kind… one that looked like it had a mountain for a head. The only thing Kai could think of was a gorilla, like Cole's elemental animal, but with rocks literally coming out of it. And given the way Keo would occasionally check where Cole was, the fire master had a sneaky suspicion that whatever it was Keo was making was for the birthday boy. So he kept his mouth shut and his questions to himself.

His thoughts were confirmed when, at their next rest stop, Keo was able to finish the final details. It wasn't long after that that the boy had gotten up from the edges of their camp and made his way over to Cole to present his gift to him. As Kai had guessed, it was indeed a gorilla with a mountain growing out of it. And those details that Keo had put in were something else. You could clearly see the fur and the facial features and how the rocks seemed to mould into the body. It was just amazing that the kid had managed to do all that in just a matter of hours.

" It's amazing, Keo. Thank you." Cole smiled after he had inspected the gift, moving the small figure from his face so he could see its creator more clearly.

" I'm glad you like it." Keo was almost blushing at the praise.

Later, the young wind elemental would question who he was going to do his next sculpture for, as he wished to do something for all of the ninja. And Cole would suggest one for Kai as his birthday was at the end of the week.

But before that, it was Zane who suggested that Keo teach his game to everyone while they rested.

Keo was more than happy to. He quickly gathered his Rygwachii set and got straight to work with setting up one of the two sets of game pieces. He even convinced his horse to help him measure out five metres and then as close to three metres as he could get. It was with the other set that he introduced the ninja to the game pieces.

First thing to remember was that Rygwachii was a throwing game that was also strategic in how the pieces had to be placed and knocked down. And the first piece that Keo showed was the triangular prism that he called the chesaron or 'weapon'. It was with the chesaron that all the throwing was done.

He then showed off the cube with the wolf's head. Keo explained that it was called the kech or 'wolf', which was part of the reason why the top of the piece was shaped like a wolf's head. The other part of the reason was because the piece represented the hunter as, in Kalun society, hunters were accompanied by wolves. Keo also explained that that the thick black upside-down 'T' marking on the front face of the cube was a part of the hunter's facial tattoo. The single line underneath it was a mark of the game to differentiate between the two game sides. The chesaron piece from earlier had two stripes to tell which side it belonged to. Finally, Keo told the ninja that the first piece that had to be knocked down was the kech piece or you could not progress in the game.

Next, Keo showed two of the wooden poles. Or rather, cylinders. In a set, there were six cylinders, although three of the cylinders had slightly different markings to the other three. Keo explained that this was because of gender… which confused the majority of those he was teaching. The boy quickly found that he had to explain that Kalun warriors could be both male and female with males known as Feotio and females being known as Feotia. He also had to explain that Feotio had more markings that Feotia.

In order to progress in the game, all six warrior pieces had to be knocked down. But even that had an order to it. First, one Feotio piece had to be knocked out of play, then one Feotia piece until all six pieces were knocked out of play. The only way to know what piece you were knocking down when was thanks to the kech piece. The hunter and the warriors were always placed in a straight line with the three Feotio pieces to the left of the kech piece and the three Feotia pieces to its right.

The final piece Keo showed was the rectangular prism with the wings sprouting out of its top surface. Keo called it akarlu which meant 'eagle'. In Rygwachii it was seen as the king piece. This was thanks to Kalun legends stating that, when the first king died, he was transformed into a giant eagle. Knocking down the akarlu piece meant the end of the game and a winner had been found.

Just before Keo showed the ninja how to play the game, he remembered something rather important. The two sets were known as oroy, or 'teams'. The oroy with the black lines was oroy shanjal, the defence team. The oroy without any lines was oroy vysek, the offence team. And in order to figure out which team played first, both kech pieces were thrown at the two akarlu pieces. Whichever of the two kech pieces was closest to the akarlu from the opposite oroy, that team was allowed to throw first.

He even did a quick demonstration on how the play order went. And from that demonstration, it was easy to see how he had gotten so good at throwing. Aside from the time spent having to collect the chesaron piece every time he threw it, Keo had amazing accuracy skills. He missed very few times, easily knocking over the kech piece and then the Feotio and Feotia pieces within minutes of each piece being knocked over. But he stopped once the akarlu piece was the last still standing.

" That's essentially how Rygwachii is played. Only, the two oroy take turns in their throwing." Keo explained as he turned to the ninja instead.

" Why don't you finish your throw, Keo?" Nya asked.

Keo looked down at his feet, knowing what the older teen was talking about. " I never was able to beat Karu. My akarlu piece would always remain standing by the time the game finished. My father was better at Rygwachii than me because he used to play it all the time. I've always wanted to knock my akarlu piece down first when he was playing with me."

Cole then got up from where he had been sitting and went to stand in front of the boy. With a gently lift of Keo's head, he gave the boy a soft smile.

" I'm sure, wherever your father is right now, he'd be proud of you no matter who you were up against." He said softly. " And, hey, Zane's a quick learner… most of the time."

" I heard that Cole." the tone in Zane's voice was one of warning.

But Cole ignored it and continued with what he was saying. " Plus, he's scary good at throwing. As you have seen. Now, I'm not exactly sure how your father was with computers, but I'm sure he'd be super proud if you could beat a nindroid. And nindroids are living computers, to put it simply."

" Seriously, Cole. I am right here."

" I was saying this all with love!" the earth ninja finally huffed back.

At least it got a giggle from the young wind elemental. The soft sound caught Cole's attention and he turned back to face the boy.

" So what do you think your father would say about that?" he asked.

" Well, he would be very confused about nindroids and computers." Keo admitted. " He wasn't that good with them and usually left them to my mother to figure out. But I guess if I told him that Mr Zane was a really, really smart guy who happened to be made of metal and was really good at throwing, then he might understand. And… I guess he would be proud… I think."

" Then why don't you do it?" Kai asked. " Have a game with Zane. And then, after that, the rest of us can have a go."

Silently, Keo turned to face Zane. It was clear that he was asking the nindroid if this option was okay with him. After all, they did have to keep within the time limit of their break so that they were able to arrive relatively close to a descent time at the next village the next day. Zane merely smiled at the boy and gave him a small nod. Just like that, the other ninja found themselves enraptured by what Jay would quickly term the 'Rygwachii Throw Off'.

And it was close right from the start. Throwing the kech pieces left Zane to start… but it was only by the length of the wolf's ear. Only, this time when setting up the game pieces, Zane offered to help Keo with the exact five metre and eight metre distances. In return, Keo explained (once more) that the thrower had to be five metres away from the pieces, the kech piece was in the centre of the five-metre line with the Feotio pieces to the left and the Feotia pieces to the right, and finally the akarlu piece sat directly behind the kech piece but at the eight-metre mark.

Once everything was set up properly, Keo gave Zane the all clear to make his first throw. And that was when those watching wished that they had had popcorn with them. The two players were fast and fairly accurate in their throws, making sure that they took turns where they were supposed to. Zane clearly proved, once again, that he was a quick learner. Keo, on the other hand, was showing a determination that the ninja had not seen before.

The first kech piece to be knocked down was Zane's target. But Keo was quick to catch up, knocking down not only his kech piece but also his first Feotio piece in quick succession. And that set the pace for the entire game. Zane had quickly started on his Feotio and Feotia pieces soon after, leading both boys to knock down two pieces, one after the other, easily within a few turns of each other.

It wasn't long before only the akarlu pieces remained for both players. And the ninja watching could barely take their eyes off the scene before them. With each throw, Keo was inching closer to knocking down his remaining piece… but he had not been joking when he said he could not knock down the akarlu. But Zane surprised them as well. He was generally good when it came to throwing things, yet he looked to be struggling with this last piece.

" I know you are good at throwing, Zane." Keo said after witnessing Zane's failed attempt number four. " You do not need to hold back because of me."

Zane said nothing, but he did frown slightly at the words. The true intentions behind the frown, however, remained his secret. And yet, not long after Keo had spoken, the wind elemental threw his last strike attempt. Everyone watched as Keo's chesaron piece sailed through the air and knocked against the akarlu piece. And they all held their breaths as they watched the eagle tip over onto the grass.

Keo could not believe what had just happened. In fact, he remained frozen to the spot, staring at the wooden pieces lying in the grass. It had been months since he had last played Rygwachii against another player, not since his parents had died. And when he had practised by himself, he had always stopped once the akarlu was the last piece standing. To have finally knocked it down…

A metal hand fell gently on the boy's shoulder, forcing him to look up.

" I think congratulations are in order." Zane smiled. " You have managed to beat a 'walking computer', as Cole so nicely put it. Even if that 'walking computer' kept throwing his chesaron stick at longer distances than what he should have been."

" I… I…" It was all Keo could get out of his mouth before he suddenly blinked and looked away from the nindroid. " You still could have won."

" You forget, Keo. I have been using a bow and arrows for a couple of years now. I have grown accustomed to its longer range. Even nindroids can get things wrong from time to time. You won fair and square."

It still took the younger teen a while to comprehend what he had just accomplished. But, somehow, he managed to control himself enough to help reset the two oroy pieces and help the other ninja through their own game of Rygwachii. And, as there were uneven numbers in the teams, Keo opted to stay out of the game and instead help the two teams. Zane, however, became team leader to Cole and Lloyd, also helping them understand the game.

Now that there were multiple throwers in one team, the ninja learnt that when the first thrower of a team finished their throw, the team's next throw would have to be done by the next thrower in line. In this sense, the game was slightly longer… although it may have also been because Kai and Jay kept forgetting that rule and often tried to take a second throw. At least Keo was there to keep a close eye on the two older teens.

Despite that set back, both boys were clearly determined to come first. And Nya was not to be forgotten either. It was thanks to her determination that the team managed to knock down most of the pieces. By the time Zane's team were launching their chesaron at their akarlu, Nya's team were clearly catching up with only one more Feotia piece left to knock down.

Unfortunately, just as Kai was taking aim to throw his team's chesaron at their akarlu after Jay had managed to knock down the Feotia piece, Zane won the game with a throw that managed to knock his king piece down. Although Kai pouted about not getting to win any games that day, it was easy to tell that he was making fun of the situation at the same time. The glint in his eye was a clear indication to the fact that he was having fun regardless of the games' outcomes.

After cleaning up the area and packing away the Rygwachii pieces, the group was back on the move. The others all talked about the day and especially Keo's game. They even discussed what the plan was for dinner and the possibility of getting in one last game before the day's end. But Jay, once more, kept to himself, silently fretting over whether or not Cole would like his birthday present.

True, Kai's words did play over in his head, reminding him that Cole was bound to like whatever it was he had made for him. But there were still some insecurities. Especially because what he had made was a stuffed animal. And, yes, Cole was a teddy bear in his own rights, But Jay distinctly remembered him laughing at the fact that his best friends still had his childhood stuffed animal sleeping in bed with him.

What Jay didn't realise was that Cole had noticed his silence. But with everyone else managing to gain his attention during the ride, he'd had to wait the few hours they had had left of the day before he could even think about confronting his friend. And even then, it had been after dinner that Cole was able to make his way beside the still silent blue ninja. Jay, however, didn't notice him at first, instead his focus was on the small parcel he held in his hands.

" Is everything okay, Jay? You've gone quiet." The earth master asked, unintentionally startling his friend.

" Cole!" Jay barked in shock.

" That's my name." the earth elemental laughed. " Now, what's on your mind?"

" I… uh… I have no idea what you're talking about."

It was an obvious lie. One that even the most oblivious person could clearly see. Cole even raised one of his bushy eyebrows at the statement, proving that he didn't believe what his friend was telling him. The only thing Jay could do when he saw the look on his friend's face was heave a sigh and return his gaze to the gift he was holding.

" Okay, so I was thinking." He corrected, thought rather solemnly.

" And what's wrong with thinking?"

" Well, nothing… I guess. Mainly it's what I was thinking about that is the problem."

Cole watched his friend closely, trying to read his body language in the dim light of the campfire. Or, at least, trying to pick up on the subtle clues as to what was troubling his friend. the slouched over posture that Jay was currently in clearly screamed that he was uncomfortable about something. Did it have to do with that parcel he was holding? Because Jay kept fiddling with it even while they were (somewhat) speaking.

After a while, Jay managed to open his mouth again despite not really understanding why it was becoming so hard to do so lately. " Did you… enjoy today?"

" Heck, yeah." Cole smiled softly. " It was one of the funnest birthday's I've ever had."

" Even if it wasn't exactly what I had planned because we ended up going on a mission? Even if it was everyone else who essentially planned the party games and the birthday food?"

" So what? I mean, yeah we're on a mission. Can't really do much about that. But somehow everything fell into place because of it. I was able to have a birthday celebrating with my family, and having fun too, all while exploring the outdoors like I used to do with my mother. Besides, you helped a lot with the rules of each of the games we played. Not to mention most of those games were your ideas to begin with. The day was perfect. So what's going on?"

" I just… I told myself, at the beginning of the year, that I was going to give each of you the best birthdays you've ever had. Starting with Zane because he'd never had a proper birthday before. And while things seemed to go well for his birthday, as well as Lloyd's and Nya's, I feel like I've completely failed to give my best friend his perfect birthday."

" And yet I literally just told you that today was perfect."

" But I barely did anything! I couldn't even organise a proper birthday cake for you because of where we currently are! Next to that I'm… I'm afraid you're not going to like what I got you."

" Let me make that decision for myself, yeah?" Cole suggested gently, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. " Now where's this thing that's making my best friend unhappy?"

Silently, Jay passed over the parcel in his hands. It was then that Cole realised that the parcel was, in fact, his birthday present. Slowly, he opened the present only to come face to face with a patchwork black and orange bear. At least, the patches were black and orange. Despite Jay obviously trying to cover it up, Cole could still see the white fabric of the original pattern design.

It was a simple bear with a long body and stiff legs. For a nose, it had a black and gold metal button shaped like a heart. And it had heterochromia eyes. It's left eye was green while its right eye was brown. Just looking at the plastic eyes reminded Cole a little bit of when he looked in the mirror, especially when he made his scar glow. Finally, for a mouth, the bear had a thin red strip of fabric forming a smile.

" I know you're not a big fan of stuffed animals," Jay said after a few minutes of silence, " but I saw these sew it yourself kits at the shops this one time and kind of thought maybe they would make great presents. There were only three different kits at the time and I already made one for Nya and given it to her. And don't tell Kai but I may have done something similar for his present. But I totally understand if you don't like it and I promise to-"

" Woah, woah, woah." Cole immediately stopped that little spiel. " You don't think I like this? You made this right? With your own hands?"

" Well, I… I had some help. From Misako and my mum. But I did most of it."

" Jay. It's awesome. I think I'll name it Kirby. He can be buddies with Rocky Junior."

" Okay, two things. Why the name Kirby and who's Rocky Junior?"

" Rocky Junior is that black dragon plushie I won out of a skill tester that you made me waste, like, fifty bucks on. As for Kirby? I just think it's an awesome name." Cole then turned his eyes to the sky. " You know, there should be a star named Kirby."

" Oh? And what's this star named Kirby like?" Jay asked, also looking up to the stars.

" Well, the Kirby star is actually the Kirby Nebula. And it's home to… a few planets, I think. One of the planets is green and orange. That's planet Kirby 001." Cole replied, thinking hard on this little story he was making up. " And the little aliens, called Kirbyites, they're all fun loving, funny beings that are kind of like humans. They also have this amazing ability to throw their voices, you know, change them. And they have space technology so they can visit all the other planets in the Kirby Nebula. I reckon it would be a cool place to live."

" You think?"

" Yeah. And their most prized possession is a teddy bear given to them by the Adamthwaitians. Kind of like this little guy here. So yeah, this Kirby is definitely going to have a special place in my room when we get back."

Jay couldn't help but smile at that. Things had turned out okay after all. He really didn't need to panic over the present… or anything for that matter. Just like he and everyone else had been telling him. So, instead, he focussed his mind on creating stories about the Kirbyites and the Adamthwaitians and all the other inhabitants of the Kirby Nebula with Cole.

" Hey, guys!" Lloyd called out from around the campfire. " Time for birthday s'mores!"

" Awesome!" Cole called back. He then got to his feet and held his hand out for his best friend to take. " Shall we go show off the awesomeness that is Kirby the Bear?"

" I believe we shall." Jay replied, taking the offered hand.

Heading over to the campfire, Jay found himself at peace… at least with everything that had happened that day. But as his eyes landed on the figure of Kai making himself comfortable on one of the logs around the campfire, a thought struck him. It was only a few days until Kai's birthday. Literally the end of the week. And they still didn't know where they were going to be for it let alone what they were going to do.

How was he going to plan that birthday?

---

As promised, here are the Kalun language dictionary meanings.

Asha dhiffi fatai = I no friends
Karu = father
Gaji = Village
Dhiffi = No
Rygwachii = strategic throwing game similar to Kubb (pronounced rig-wah-chee)
Chesaron = weapon (pronounced chess-ah-ron)
Kech = wolf (pronounced kek)
Feotio = male warrior
Feotia = female warrior
Akarlu = eagle
Oroy = team/teams
Oroy Shanjal = team defence
Oroy Vysek = team offence

I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter of Birthdays. I just hope that Kai will be merciful. His birthday is next and I have absolutely nothing started on him.