Shards of pristine glass gleamed from the sizzling inferno inside the chapped wooden cove. Luminescent glows pulled shadows to life as furniture flew across the room in a fit of furious rage. Limbs of wood shattered in tiny splinters; antique vases destroyed beyond repair against the dirty wooden floorboards, furniture flipped in complete disorder, and chaos descending into madness whilst Ray bellowed in outrage.
Kai cowered to avoid having himself fully decapitated within the next few minutes, and he backed up to shield Ember from the worst of the trouble. The stench of his father's parched breath put him in a cold sweat, leaving him painfully unsettled. It was not long before he was pinned near a corner, blocked underneath a towering nightmare.
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING OUT THERE?" he thundered angrily, blinded from boiling rage, just about ready to tip over and singe his son's already burned skin. "YOU MADMAN! YOU IMBECILE! YOU IMPETUOUS, THOUGHTLESS... FOOL!"
Ember curled in on herself and released a piteous whine. Kai reached for her to gently stroke her scales, but Ray lashed out an arm to stop him.
"No. You will not." he ground out firmly. "Get your hands off her. I'm talking to you; do you understand me?"
Kai went for it.
"Dad! Listen to me—"
"DON'T YOU START!" his father seethed. His breathing was erratic—Kai could tell he was trying to calm down, but there was no chance of that happening anytime soon. "You leave the house when I give you direct orders to stay... then you go ahead and get yourself in a street fight?"
His fingers curled into tight fists, slightly unclenching, and locking back. He had tried so hard to keep his composure over the protection of his only son. He already knew Kai felt like a caged animal staying inside, but stakes were exceedingly high with the wolves attacking anyone nearing the outskirts of the forest. And in the name of the First Spinjitzu Master, it wouldn't be long before he received a heart attack from Kai's impulsive foolishness.
"The fight with those morons were completely different! They were treating Nya like an animal, trapping her in a crate in an alleyway!" Kai yelled angrily. "They're the ones who're mad! I'm just trying to do some good around here!"
The young brunet was speaking the truth, but Ray could not bring himself to vocally agree with him. His fury had not yet sufficed, and there was much more to allude to.
"Not to mention," Ray continued, "that you left the grounds to follow me without my knowledge? You brought your dragon along, and look where it led her? I have absolutely no idea how you've managed to heal her, but she's faced yet another injury because of what you're getting yourself into!"
Kai shuffled his feet together and carefully leaned back. It truly hurt to hear those words coming from his father. He was, at some par, aware of the consequences of his reckless actions, but he was not expecting something like this to happen so soon. He was so caught up in everything that had happened to him thus far; leaving the town and exploring the interior depths of the woods, discovering newfound powers, interacting with Nature Dragons, separating from Nya, surviving an encounter with wolves, finding a home like he had never seen before... meeting Cole... a true Wolfwalker.
It all felt like an unbridled curse and a miracle that suddenly crashed into his life. Despite all the things he kind of liked about his current adventures, it tired him out fast. He knew it exhausted Ember as well, and he never meant any harm towards her. The constrictive feelings abused him, his thoughts, his decisions. And his father's shouting was not helping matters. It was starting to get to him. It was frightening him.
"You're lucky your sister is working in the kitchens right now," Ray bit. "Actually, now that I really think about it, I'm the one who's incredibly lucky to not have a second troublemaker around here." His eyes skimmed the room once over, gradually falling over Ember with the same ferocity as Flame herself. "A third mischievous chit."
Kai pushed himself forward and revved up some pent-up emotions ravaging around, battling to be released from their winding chamber.
"Hey, don't talk to her like that!" he yelled. "She deserves none of the blame you're giving her! She only tags along because she follows me wherever I go, let alone the fact that she makes sure I'm protected every time!" Chest rising and falling irregularly, Kai stood very still, silently searching his father's gaze. For what, he was not certain, but at least he wasn't throwing anything. That was a bonus.
Ray slowly slipped out of his armor and let it fall to the floor. He dipped his head, sweat rolling off his downcast face and hairs hanging uselessly over his head. He forced his eyes shut. Now Kai was mortified for his life. He didn't dare budge, just barely crouching close to Ember in case.
"Please." His voice sounded tired. Vocal cords nearly gone. "Please. Don't put Ember through all that harm. Don't go out of your way to act heroic. I've made similar errors in my day, and it nearly cost Flame her life."
"What? Wait... Flame?" Ember raised her head, crying out sadly at the sound of her mother's name.
Ray fell silent again. His quivering breaths were the only source of noise in what seemed like the entire street. Normally the outdoors would be filled with rambunctious uproars, let alone the joint of human and dragon quarreling with one another, but it was as though everything was just gone.
It was only a few seconds before there was a curt knock at the door.
"Who's that?" Kai asked worriedly. He thought he might already know whom it could be—he had heard enough raps during the night to memorize that authoritative knock on the wood.
His father did not answer him. Instead, with reluctance, he headed for the entrance and pulled the knob. To his great dismay, he saw two guards come into view, tall and unmoving. They were not the ones who tried to pull the Water Dragon down and weaken it, but they were there as backup. Just the sight of them made his stomach flip.
"'Ello, Smith." The first soldier stepped in and took a quick look around the place. He blew a short breath and mumbled something about the pitiful state of the house. He laid a hand on Ray's shoulder, gently pushing him to one side. "We've come 'ere for the lad there."
Ember clumsily leapt on Kai's shoulder and slinked over his chest, pushing her wings out to shield him from the men. She drew back her lips to form an obvious snarl, spines stretching menacingly. All the while, Kai tried to look over his dragon's wings to catch a glimpse of his father. He wasn't fighting back or even reassuring him like before. He realized that he had made a terrible mistake, scaring the life out of his dad and getting Ember wounded along the way.
But surely, he would do something with these guards here?
"Dad?" Kai said quietly, but a sense of fear was rapidly latching on. It was seemingly coming from nowhere, but he learned that it was growing fast. "Dad, what's going on?"
"Kai, please, don't fight this," Ray replied sternly. "These two over here are taking you to the medical ward. You need to have your wounds cleaned—don't fight me!" He roared the last bit before Kai could object any further. It wasn't a good feeling seeing his son flinch so easily, but he wanted him gone from his sight at once.
"C'mere, you," mumbled the second soldier. He reached for him, but Kai reacted violently and shoved him away. Automatically, he gave in to his urge to snarl viciously, and so he did, startling the others. Something was very wrong. Somehow, he felt his senses skyrocket. He didn't trust those people one bit, and he suspected he couldn't even rely on his father. Hypocritical of him to think that, he was aware, but there was no way he could go to the medical ward! He knew Cole healed the worst of his injuries, but if he was looked over... they could find something no one should ever discover from the forest.
He wasn't the only one who was running out of patience, however. Both soldiers advanced on him and took a hold of his arms, moving Ember away. She screeched and swiped her talons at them, but Ray took the chance to hang onto her.
"Stop yer writhin', boy!" Kai yelled for help and shook as hard as he could to no avail. He was dragged to the front door, body pressed on cold armor plates. His skin prickled. Horribly. A sudden tidal wave of exhaustion slammed into his consciousness, but he just couldn't afford to give in to the people he struggled to trust.
"Get off me! I know I caused a lot of trouble for everyone, but I swear it won't happen again! Please!" he begged, squirming with all the strength he could muster. Ember wailed after him, pleading with Ray to release her, but it wasn't going to happen. He clutched onto her firmly, implying that there was nothing that would change his mind.
"Yeh've already caused enough of a ruckus outside," the older man spat, shooting him a disapproving glare. "We're doin' ya a favor by helpin' clear yer wounds. Thinkin' on it, it's a miracle ye aren't dead right now..."
Kai had no idea why he was still conscious right now, either. The moment he was burned, he could've sworn he had been on the verge of passing out from the pain. Of course, it remained, proving it difficult to move around in his current state. However, his face paled when the soldiers discussed having that checked upon as well. He feared the benefits of his healing came from Cole's abilities. If anyone found out about his kind, he and the rest of his pack would be done for.
"Where will you keep Ember?" he demanded fiercely. "Don't punish her!"
"She'll be in the Dragon's Den; the Keepers will mend her with healing herbs and patch up the worst of her wounds," one guard explained quickly. "Now settle down! You're getting out of this house!"
The last thing Kai saw was Ember and Ray amidst the cluster in their home. His Fire Dragon hung in his father's arms, nearly out like a light at the short fight she put up for him. He decided to leave them for the time being. She needed medical attention at once, and there was no chance he was going to prevent that from happening.
Seemingly satisfied with his shift in behavior, the two guards pushed him through the door, and the three of them wordlessly headed for the medical ward. He only hoped nothing else would spiral out of control, let alone Nya's current situation. As soon as he found a way out of his mess, his first step would be to search for her...
. . .
Nya was glad to have found Pixal near the back doors leading into the scullery. It certainly didn't make the interaction any less awkward than it already was, covered in heaps of dried mud and dirt stains, let alone the partially ripped clothing, but she was aided into the building nonetheless.
She had followed Kruncha and Nuckal back to the town with the guidance of Garmadon—she still had an insane number of questions wanting to be answered instantly, but she was more so shocked at the revelation that there were humans in the forest. The only people allowed to head in there were highly trained warriors on expeditions to hunt them down.
Now she knew that there was still uncharted area where wolves were wandering about, based on the wolf's den she hid inside. Also considering all the screaming that came into earshot shortly after. When both brothers returned from their deliberate 'reasoning', she had been offered to make it home. Admittedly, she did not trust them completely—sure, they may have helped her out in many ways, but she had a good reason she was feeling that way. It was all very suspicious at first. She didn't really know what to think about it all.
When Nya made to the front gates of the town, she made sure she was unseen by anyone. No one knew where she had gone, even that she had been with Kai. Just wondering whether he had made it home terrified her, but what really set her off was the chaos ensuing inside the town.
Screeches like none other exploded in the air, followed by claps of thundering whiplashes. Most sentinels in the area were occupied handling the problem, and it was a perfect distraction for Nya to slip in unnoticed. Her heart stuttered as guilt threaded its way around her head, but she let go of it as soon as she found the familiar alley leading the kitchens' back doors.
As she made her way through the dim walkway, she quickly noticed one of the house cleaners she worked alongside very closely. Silver streaks of long hair hung loose over the girl's head while she bent to gather the laundry. Nya recognized the familiar apron she had to wear inside the scullery and was both excited and nervous to find her. However, she sucked in a breath and moved forward hastily.
"Pixal?" she called out hesitantly. She braced herself when sharp green eyes looked over to her, widening at her presence.
"Nya!" said girl exclaimed. She left her duties and rushed over. "Oh, goodness, you're dirty all over—what happened?" Gentle hands squeezed her shoulders. "Where in Ninjago were you? You usually aren't away like this! I was getting concerned, you know!"
Nya did not answer at once. She couldn't bear to reveal where she had gone or rat her brother out. Even so, it was already a struggle to form words to explain what she had seen in the woods, but that was out of the question, too. If she confided in Pixal, it would certainly risk a lot of unwanted trouble.
"I know I was gone for a while, but could you stop with the questions for now?" Nya asked sincerely. "I don't want my headache to worsen."
"Ah... of course...?" she replied uncertainly. "Don't you worry, everything will be okay!" Pulling Nya close to her, she hung an arm around her shoulder and supported her friend. "If it's related to the ruckus with the Water Dragon out there, I don't blame you... but you look like you fell in a ditch..."
Nya didn't need anyone to support her to walk, and she was close to mentioning it to Pixal, but she decided against it. They made it inside the building and quietly wandered the halls, careful not to attract attention from the other cleaners.
After a few minutes of walking up flights of stairs and across elongated hallways, Pixal pulled Nya to a side room and guided her to take a seat somewhere. She closed the wooden door and whisked away to the other end of the room. Nya was beginning to doze off, eyelids drooping each second, just barely hearing running water behind her.
She slowly turned to find her friend preparing a bath in a tub large enough to fit two people. Once the water was up to the brim, Pixal tested the temperature and gestured for Nya to approach.
"Wait, what's this—?"
"I'll leave in a minute; I prepared this for you to get yourself cleaned," she said. "Don't think I'm letting you off the hook so easily, but I do think you must get changed." Her brows furrowed. "Are you feeling alright? How is the headache?"
"I could go with a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, I'll be honest," Nya joked, chuckling a little. "But it's really nice of you to do this. Thanks, Pixal."
Waving a prompt goodbye and leaving Nya to bathe, Pixal quickly left and made sure the door was locked. No one knew Nya had returned, especially the stationary guards. She decided to head to the kitchen where some of the others were; the hall Nya was in wouldn't be busy for the rest of the day.
Along the way, she passed a few girls following an elder. They carried a few mops and a water bucket with them, mumbling unintelligible words under their breaths. Pixal could make out the older woman hushing them angrily, even glancing her way suspiciously. It caught her off guard for just a moment until she found the doors leading downstairs.
"I wonder what that was about..." she murmured quietly. Her voice echoed across the empty stairwell, amplifying every sound. That's when she thought she heard another voice, much deeper, like a frustrated scowl. Her heart suddenly thudded in her chest, and she dove for a hiding place. Pixal recognized the person who was talking. She carefully turned her head past the doorframe to confirm her suspicions, only to find that, with a worried look, she was right.
Acronix strode through the palace vestibule as though he was running late to something too important to miss. A furious glower stretched across his face, his black hair whipping along his shoulders like striking serpents. Pixal feared she would be found out with how close she was hiding, but she watched him carefully, her interest peaking when she overheard him rambling about 'one hotheaded bastard'.
"ARGH! LITTLE WRETCH!" he spat. "Has to get himself riddled in everything!"
That was Pixal could hear before the Lord Protector burst through the grand entrance in a heated fit. She had no idea where he was heading, least of all who he had been talking about. It left her confused and thinking fast.
Maybe... maybe he's referring to the fight near the gates? she wondered in awe. She hadn't seen it for herself, but it was impossible to avoid hearing it everywhere. It spread like a wildfire, reaching every stem it could. The thought itself horrified her, but she suspected Nya might have known something about it.
With that in mind, Pixal turned and ran up to the floor above, determined to figure out what was going on and hoping to help her friend along the way...