It's a struggle dragging the unconscious guy out of the forest, pulling him up and over exposed roots and trying very hard not to hurt him more than he already is. It takes a long while before I finally emerge from the canopy of trees and into late afternoon sunlight.
I glance up over my shoulder and see a cluster of medium-sized buildings huddled together to form a small town. A thin street leads out of the edge, and just near the ribbon of pavement the smoke I saw earlier is piling up. A large, flat building smolders, choking the air with the stench of fire and sending a shiver up my spine as bad memories resurface. I shake them off and wrap my arms under the guy's shoulders to keep pulling; hoping someone he knows will show up soon.
As if on cue, someone yells from behind me. "Look, there he is!"
I look over my shoulder to see someone in blue near the edge of town, waving frantically at two other people behind him. I lay the guy I'm carrying gently in the grass and turn as a trio of colorful shapes start rushing toward me. My hands drop to my belt cautiously, but I don't unsheathe a blade.
"Cole!" a guy wearing red yells, sounding out of breath. "Cole, are you alright?"
I step back as they swarm around their unconscious friend. Cole, I guess. While the red and blue-clothed guys try to revive him, I turn to slip back into the forest. But then the one wearing white stops me.
"Did you save our friend?" he asks, pale, white-blond hair stirring in the wind.
"You could say that," I answer with a curt nod. "The men who attacked him ran off, but I think they've learned their lesson."
He smiles. "You have our gratitude. Those men were trying to steal pyrotechnics from a local factory and things got a little out of hand when we tried to stop them. Our friend Cole here was chased off, and we were worried something bad had happened to him," he explains. His voice is soft, soothing, and just a little reminiscent of my father's.
"I think he's coming to!" the one in blue's excited cry interrupts my reverie as Cole starts to stir and wake up.
"You okay, buddy?" the one wearing red asks.
"Ugh, I feel like I got smacked by a ton of bricks," Cole answers, clutching his head. "What happened?"
"You were chased off by a group of thieves and it seems they knocked you unconscious," the white one explains. "Luckily someone saved you before you were seriously injured."
"Wow, by yourself?" Red whistles appreciatively as he gets to his feet. "You must be pretty strong to take down a group of gang members. I mean, for a girl. Well, not that being a girl doesn't mean you're strong or anything, I mean, I'm sure you could fight as good as any guy. Well-"
"What Kai is trying to say," Blue rolls his eyes as Red slams his mouth shut. I can't hold back a small smile. "Is that we owe you one for saving our friend, umm…"
"The name's Ash," I answer, "and you owe me nothing. I did what I had to. Those thugs were probably going to kill him and I couldn't just stand by and watch. Now if you'll excuse me, I really should go."
"Where are you headed?" Red, Kai, asks.
"I'm not really sure," I admit. "But I'm searching for the ninja who travel around in a fancy airship. I thought they would be much easier to find-"
"Why are you looking for the ninja?" White asks. "Do you need help with something?"
"You could say that," I answer. "You wouldn't happen to know where they might be, do you?"
"Sure, we know exactly where they are," Blue smiles.
"Really?"
Blue nods as he, Kai, and White all pull on thick hoods. I take a staggering step back.
"You're the ninja?" I manage to speak in solid voice despite the shock that racks my entire body.
"Yep," Blue nods.
"Wow, I-uh…. You're not what I expected," I cough. I had expected the ninja to be older, or at least not so… nice. The sun at my throat feels heavier against my neck, but I shake aside the doubts that cloud my shoulders and remember what Fang said. If I don't kill these ninja, my father…
"What was it you needed help with again?" Kai asks, snapping me from my reverie.
"Uh, right," I shake away the storm of thoughts in my head. "I've been searching for my father. He, uh, disappeared a few years ago and I haven't had contact with him since. I've looked nearly everywhere, but I could really use some help to find him. I was really kind of hoping some of you might have seen him." It worries me a little at how easily I just lied, but I have to get close if I want to finish this mission.
"I don't know how much help we could be, but I'm sure our teacher Sensei Wu might be able to be of assistance," White says. "Perhaps we could take you to him?"
"Yeah, Sensei knows just about everyone in Ninjago," Blue nods enthusiastically. His words only send a cold chill down my spine. "I'm sure we'll find your dad in no time!"
"That'd be great," I force a smile though the chain at my neck threatens to strangle me. "Thanks."