This chapter has a really unoriginal name because I couldn't think of anything better. Not to mention that it is slightly on the shorter side. With that, enjoy.
Chapter Eleven: Spinjitzu
It seemed impossible. Kai tried to fathom how Laurie knew Fangtom was at Scatter Canyon, but he could not. "He's here" was all the ninja managed to whisper as he hid behind a somewhat unstable rock formation; it occasionally swayed the more he leaned on it. "You knew, b-but how?"
The orange ninja stood next to her companion, shrugging. "I told you that I had a gut feeling" she scoffed, slowly edging forward. Her eyes were transfixed on the golden staff that the Fangpyre held, its red gem gleaming in the high sun. "It looks to be almost noon" noted Laurie quietly. "I hope we still have enough time to get the anti-venom back to Lloyd."
"Don't worry about that right now" Kai coaxed, carefully following Laurie. "We need to focus on getting the staff first."
The edge of the canyon lay fairly off in the distance, approximately fifty feet, and Fangtom leaned over it, flicking rocks with his tail. Laurie placed her steps carefully, trying to avoid crunching any of the loose rubble or pebbles. With her bō staff in both hands, she took a deep breath. "Are we gonna just fight him for it?" she asked, staring at the ground. A nice breeze had begun to blow.
Nothing but the distant cawing of a bird answered her.
Danger.
In a single movement Laurie spun around, swinging her bō staff with her right hand only. She made contact with Kai's back, but he hardly seemed to notice. Fangtom held the red ninja off the ground, both fists clamped around his neck. Kai was desperately trying to pry the scaly hands off, his feet kicking wildly in the process. How had the snake managed to move so quickly?
Laurie looked past her friend for a second, her ice blue eyes resting on the Fangpyre Staff. It lay in the sand, unguarded by its owner. "The staff" she gasped, beginning to tear up. She tried to reach out for it with a shaky hand when a gust of wind knocked her off of her feet.
Your friend needs help.
"My brother needs help too" Laurie coughed, staring up at the sky. The wind really needed to leave her alone. She was old enough to make her own decisions. Suddenly her eyes grew wide. "The wind is communicating with me" she gasped, propping herself up on her elbows.
"Foolish girl" hissed the Serpentine. "I will deal with you after I finish off your friend!"
"Laurie" Kai choked, his voice sounding weak. "Take the staff back to Ouroboros. Save Lloyd. Don't worry about me".
She was tempted to pluck the Fangpyre Staff from the sand and run back to Ouroboros like Kai suggested. "He said he would be okay" Laurie whispered to herself, entranced by her own greed. Another large gust of wind blew sand into the girl's face. She sputtered, rubbing her eyes wildly.
Your friend needs help, the wind repeated. If nature could yell that was probably what it would have sounded like.
"Kai said he would be fine" Laurie argued.
You are as greedy as your father.
Anger bubbled in Laurie's veins. Never had she felt so insulted and ashamed at the same time. It was true: in the same situation her father would not have hesitated to grab the staff. As if seeing the entire scenario for the first time, Laurie let out a gasp. There was her friend, her companion, practically dying in front of her. "I am nothing like my father!" she yelled, getting to her feet.
The strong breeze that had been fighting the orange ninja now swirled around her, kicking up dust and rocks in its wake. "Ninja-Go!" she growled through her teeth, shifting her body weight in the opposite direction of her bō staff. Laurie began to spin, her form visually similar to a twister: yellow and somewhat dusty looking.
Fangtom hissed as she barreled into him. Both hands released Kai and he tumbled to the sand. The red ninja was catching his breath, scrabbling for the staff that lay close by. With a victorious grin, Kai caught the handle of the object. "Laurie, I've got the staff!"
Laurie stopped spinning, her face flushed. The Fangpyre General yelled in a muffled voice, both his heads securely buried in a pile of white sand. "Are you okay, Kai?" she asked, breathing heavy and falling to her knees.
"Yeah" replied Kai, standing up. "I'm kind of used to being strangled now". The golden object caught the sunlight and he squinted. "We need to head back to the city now!"
"Okay" Laurie breathed, using her bō staff as leverage to pull herself up. The feeling of actually performing Spinjitzu was breath-taking by itself, but it had actually seemed as if doing it had deprived her of oxygen. "Let's go take this back to my brother".
"Are you alright?"
"Of course I am, Kai" she smiled, her face beginning to turn back to its natural color. "I just performed Spinjitzu for the first time ever". With a sudden rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins, Laurie sprinted east, back to Ouroboros with Kai struggling to keep up.
The Fangpyre Staff has been procured! Updating tomorrow when I quickly run back to my computer in between Algebra and Composition. XD
Thank you, once again, for everyone who has been reading, reviewing, etc. It is honestly thanks to you guys that I now consider myself a decent writer. I honestly thought I was pretty bad before I decided to upload this. :/