AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Today is the 240th birthday of the USA, the country in which I reside. I wish a safe and happy celebration to those who, along with me, are marking the occasion by participating in traditional Independence Day activities, such as parades, barbecues, and fireworks!

I wish to thank the following TEN commenters on the previous chapter of this story. I don't believe I've ever received ten comments on one chapter before, and I so very much appreciate your support! Fist bumps to Titanium Jay and Electro Zane, FirstFandomFangirl, StoryMaker7, MasterofCupcakes, lovesgod12, MMM, JayFan67, WalrusWins257 (who also faved this tale last week), 1234, and Naruby7!

The story I published last week, The Fire Within: The Independence Day One-Shot, was kind of a spur-of-the-moment idea that was fun to write! Thanks go to the following for their great comments: lovesgod12, WalrusWins257, StoryMaker7, MasterofCupcakes (who also faved), and Titanium Jay and Electro Zane (who also faved). You all are awesome!

I also am happy that my older stories continue to be well received by the Ninjago fandom community. I wish to give a shoutout of gratitude to those who faved at least one of my other stories in June: Taiski, Generalhyna, MasterofCupcakes, WalrusWins257, and elementalshipper11!

WalrusWins257 and Taiski also added me to their favorite author lists in the last part of June. Aww! You guys are so sweet!

In the chapter below, the Battle of Jamanakai may have ended, but its ripple effect spreads...


Chapter 25 - Battle Scarred

Last week in July, 36 hours after the Battle of Jamanakai…

The screaming woke up Kai. And Rusty McKanna, the Double S Ranch cowboy who shared a tent with his Garmadon Ranch counterpart.

"Cole! Wake up!" they heard Jay shout.

They ran into the tent next door. In the dim light of the moon that filtered in past the tent flaps, they could see that Cole's eyes were closed, yet he was thrashing about on his bedroll, yelling "No! No!" His auburn-haired tentmate was kneeling beside him, shaking his shoulders and trying to rouse him from his slumber.

The soldiers in the nearby tents were being awakened by the ruckus. They began to congregate around the tent opening.

"Slap him!" Rusty suggested.

Jay frowned, but he drew back his hand and forcefully struck his comrade on his jaw. Cole's eyes flew open and he lifted his head. Small beads of sweat appeared on his forehead as he struggled to control his rapid breathing.

Now that the yelling had ceased, the soldiers outside began to return to their own tents. Some grumbling could be heard.

Cole looked around the tent and at his companions. "Why does my face hurt?" he asked dazedly, rubbing his jaw.

"Well, pardner, I had to slog you," Jay explained. "You were kickin' up a row there in your sleep!" he quickly added, in case Cole planned to retaliate.

Cole dropped his head back onto the bedroll once more. "Sorry about that. I must've eaten something at supper that didn't agree with me."

"Or you could just be overtired," Kai suggested, "since we didn't get proper sleep last night due to the retreat to our new camp location."

Rusty nodded in agreement. "So what say we all turn in again and try to get some more shuteye before daybreak?"

"All right," Cole agreed, feeling a little foolish. "Sorry to stir up a fuss. 'Night, all."

Final pleasantries were exchanged, and then Kai and Rusty returned to their tent. Jay settled back onto his bedroll and succumbed to slumber within minutes.

Cole, however, remained awake for the rest of the night, replaying his awful nightmare in his mind…

It's a beautiful spring day, and Brooke and I are having a picnic in that meadow near the Double S Ranch. Suddenly I look up and all these bloody people are crossing the meadow and coming toward us. Some are missing their arms, and some don't have their legs, but they're trying to kill us. I grab Brooke's hand and we high-tail it out of there, but they're just too doggoned fast! No! Let go of Brooke, you varmints! I said to let her go! Brooke, hold on to me! Don't let go! Brooke! NO!…


Late in the last week of July…

The sound of a horse's hooves was heard outside the kitchen door at noon, as it usually was these days at about this time. The ladies didn't even pause from their midday meal preparations to look out the window to identify the rider, for they knew it was Mr. Wu who had arrived at the Garmadon Ranch main house upon returning from his daily ride to Ninjago Town for mail and war news. They could hear the dogs happily barking, not growling, so that was another clue as well.

"Howdy, ladies," the ranch owner greeted them as he walked in holding several paper items. He tried to be cheerful, but the forced joviality did not fool Sam. And her stomach began to churn, for the last time he displayed a false positive demeanor, he had been hiding the fact that Zane had been severely injured.

Miss Gayle, having been Mr. Wu's housekeeper for years, also sensed his underlying tension. "Ye be lookin' a wee bit weary," she observed. "Come and set. Care for lemonade?"

Mr. Wu eased himself into a chair at the kitchen table and accepted a glass. "Thank you. That would be nice."

"What's the latest news from town?" Nya pointedly asked. She also knew something was amiss.

The four ladies waited for his answer with trepidation.

"All right. I reckon I might as well tell you." The white-bearded man sighed. "There was a battle earlier this week. The Yellow Army tried to retake Jamanakai Village from the clutches of those blasted Purples. And they failed."

The ladies gasped.

"Our Garmadon Ranch boys are all right," he continued, "but the boys from the Double S Ranch are not."

"What do you mean?" Brooke asked, speaking through her hand, which she had just used to cover her mouth in shock.

"Well, actually, Rusty's fine," Mr. Wu clarified. He took a sip from his glass, to delay the bad news for a few more seconds. "But Michael is missing, and Robinson is...dead."

Tears filled the ladies' eyes.

"Mo Dhia!" Miss Gayle uttered, using the language of her faraway homeland, as the younger women began to sob at the terrible news about their friends. As the housekeeper instinctively began to gather the cowboys' wives together in an embrace, feeling motherly toward the the young women, she looked at Mr. Wu.

"Senor and Senora Garcia must be devastated," she commented.

Francisco Garcia, the owner of the adjacent ranch, had started up the Double S about 30 years ago. He and his wife were kind people who had always treated their employees well. They had also been wonderful neighbors to the Garmadon family and their employees, too. In addition, Senora Garcia was an excellent cook. She had raced over to bring enchiladas, cornbread, rice, and comfort to Misako Garmadon right after learning of her husband's murder on the banks of the Ninjago River years ago.

Mr. Wu slowly nodded as he reached into his vest pocket for his handkerchief to offer it to one of the distressed ladies. "I saw Francisco. He thinks he'll hold a memorial service for Robinson here in Ninjago Town, since this is where Robinson lived, and also because his elderly grandmother and aunt in Chitow City don't have the resources or the stamina to plan one of their own."

"It bothers me to say this," Mr. Wu continued, "but in a way I feel worse about Michael's fate than Robinson's. If those slimy Purple varmints killed 11 innocent civilians back in May when they took over Jamanakai Village, who knows what they would do to a Yellow prisoner of war…"

The younger ladies began to sob louder, making the ranch owner think that perhaps he should have kept that last comment to himself, at least until later.


Early in the first week of August…

In the dining room of the Garmadon Ranch main house, Mr. Wu, Miss Gayle, and two of the ranch hands' wives finished their supper in silence. A few minutes earlier, Nya had quickly stood up and excused herself to retire to her bedroom for the rest of the evening.

Mrs. Walker had suddenly departed upon becoming distraught at the news Mr. Wu had revealed at the supper table: Ignacia had now fallen into the hands of the Purple Army. Without the Yellow Army around to defend it, having retreated farther to the north, Nya's childhood village was easily occupied by the enemy. Despite the lack of a resistance effort, there still were casualties. The Purples would not publicly release the names, for it was their policy to withhold that information, but they claimed that 15 civilians were killed and 30 were wounded.

Nya had no kinfolk in Ignacia anymore, but she had maintained numerous friendships. She knew in her heart, though, that some of her friends were now dead.