Zane sprinted through the forest, ducking and dodging obstacles in his path.
His wounds were causing him searing pain as he ran. He had once again become extremely weak. His throat was so dry it was difficult for him to breathe. His legs were sorer than he had ever felt them before. He stumbled as he ran, almost losing his footing.
He had lost count of the days he had been on the run for quite a while ago. He had no idea where he was, where he was going, and what would happen to him. At this point, he was so far away from home, now he didn't know how he would get back, or if he ever would at all. With this forest being so new, who knew what could be lurking in the trees. There might just be animals, dangerous creatures, or a new enemy.
What if there were people living in this place? What would they be like? Would they be primitive or advanced? Would they potentially take him in, or would they cast him out, or worse? What if they imprisoned him forever and he could never return home? These woods scared Zane, but he had to keep running because if he didn't, Bansha and Ghoultar would capture him. He could only imagine what would happen to him then.
Zane ran down a hill, careful not to slip as the forest floor was very slick. His body wouldn't be able to handle another fall, not after what happened in the mountains. He wanted so badly to stop and rest, but he knew if he stopped his legs would give out and he wouldn't be able to run anymore. So he kept going.
He was approaching a hillside he would have to climb over. He scrambled up it but struggled as the dead pine needles that blanketed the ground made Zane slip and fall.
He heard something come up behind him. He yelped in fright as a black sword sunk into the ground where his arm was a second before. He turned and saw Bansha with her sword, poised for another strike.
As he tried to get to the top, Bansha took a little more time waiting for the right time. She thrust her sword out at Zane's arm.
Zane cried out in pain as the blade sliced into his elbow. He fell back and tumbled down the hill where Ghoultar and Bansha were waiting.
Bansha lunged at Zane with her sword. He saw and rolled just in time. His silver blood spattered everywhere. He jumped up and ran past them, jumping over a fallen log as he dashed away.
"WHY IS HE THIS DIFFICULT?!" Bansha screamed in rage as they pursued him.
...
Zane had lost track of time. What time of day was it? Zane glanced up to the sky. He could see the sun playing hide-and-seek among the boughs of the evergreens as he ran along.
All Zane wanted now was for the ghosts to get off his tail. He tried his best to devise ways to lose them, but out of all the ones he thought about, none would've worked except for one. Once Zane lost sight of the ghosts, he went back to going eastward. He hoped for that to throw them off for at least a little while. When Zane heard nothing pursuing him for another few hours, he knew it worked. But despite his gain, he knew the ghosts would figure that he changed his direction and would be back on his trail in a matter of hours. Zane was thinking about what to do next, when he tripped over a tree root and landed hard. Zane stuck his arms out to break his fall, then his wounded arm twisted awkwardly underneath him as it became trapped under his own weight.
Snap!
Zane lay there, wondering what made that loud sound. Then bright flashes of pain slashed across his vision. Zane curled into a ball on the ground, writhing in pain. The source seemed to be coming from his arm. Zane recovered, and slowly got up, supporting himself on his good arm to evaluate his injured one. Carefully moving his injured arm to he could see it, he saw that it was twisted at an angle just below his wrist
"No!" Zane yelled. "No, no, NO!"
Zane stared at his arm with a stricken expression and his face would be blanching if he was a human. Zane began to hyperventilate. What had just happened, it was like a death sentence in such a hostile place like this. Zane began to feel lightheaded as he gaped at his wounded arm.
Zane's arm was broken.
he took one more look at his arm before fainting.
...
Zane jolted awake and sat up fast. A sharp pain flashed through his arm. He hissed and clutched his wounded arm when he realized with a jolt of horror that it was night.
He jumped up and began to run.
"There he is!" He heard Bansha's voice behind him.
Zane heard rustling and the two ghosts jumped from the bushes beside him. Terrified, Zane ran and stumbled deeper into the forest.
...
Zane had been running for over half the night, and the ghosts still showed no sign of giving up the chase.
He just wanted this whole disaster to end. He didn't care how at this point. Surely all this running with injuries all over his body through an unknown place couldn't be any worse than anything that Morro would do, right?
His thoughts were interrupted as he suddenly felt a swooning feeling in his stomach like he missed a step on the stairs. He fell forward and collided with rocks. Searing pain blinded him as he writhed agony. He tried getting up, but his arms and legs were trembling badly, and his knees buckled whenever he tried to stand.
But the ghosts were coming, and Zane knew that laying around was not an option if he wanted to stay alive.
Zane propped himself on one elbow. He needed to find a place to hide if he couldn't run. Zane combed the area. He realized that he was in a dry riverbed. Up ahead of him, Zane saw some fallen trees piled on one another. Zane looked at them doubtfully, but when he heard the ghosts' voices coming near the rise, Zane didn't hesitate and started to shuffle near the pile with his good elbow and legs. He grabbed one of the logs and pulled himself under the trees. Bark and dirt fell in his face.
Zane went as far as he could into the pile so he wouldn't be seen. He froze when he heard Bansha and Ghoultar arguing at the edge of the riverbed.
"What do you mean you LOST HIM!?" Bansha cried.
"Ghoultar saw him! He's down there somewhere!"
"Well I don't! You are so stupid! Morro should have just left you in the Cursed Realm!"
Zane heard Bansha growl in frustration.
"Let's keep going. It's probably another trick to get rid of us."
Bansha continued to scold Ghoultar, going deeper and deeper into the forest, away from Zane.
He released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He breathed deeply to stop his heart from racing. He tried to fight the drowsiness that was trying to overtake him. He wanted to stay awake in case if the ghosts came back. But it was all in vain. Splotches of black blotted out his vision until Zane's head started to droop and rest against the logs. Before long, Zane had slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.
...
For the first time since that night when he was called out on that mission, Zane was able to sleep somewhat peacefully and wake up on his own time. Zane felt very well-rested for a matter of days and wondering what time it was, carefully peeked out from the dead trees. He knew that the ghosts were still out there and that they could be anywhere. Zane poked his head out of his hiding place and looked to the sky.
The sky was dark blue with a strip of gold on the horizon. Dark treetops were silhouetted against the sky as the sun rose. Birds chirped and sang as they began to wake.
The sun rose high into the sky as the day went on. Zane sat in his hiding spot, afraid to come out. He didn't know what lived in this forest, and he wasn't about to find out either.
His stomach growled as hunger gnawed at his insides. His throat burned from being so dry. His injuries were sending waves of pain through his body. It hurt to breathe, even more so to move.
Zane heard a rumble and he looked up. From his spot under the trees, he could see the sky. Dark clouds were moving in. A storm was brewing.
...
It was starting to rain. It was bitterly cold. A clap of thunder roared through the sky. It wasn't the gentle rolling thunder that Zane heard in Ninjago. It was a fierce, cracking thunder. The wind had kicked up, and was now howling through the treetops. Zane heard the creaking of branches like they were about to break. Then he heard a loud snap, followed by the sound of something big falling through the trees, ending with a boom. A tree just fell, knocked down by the storm. A bright flash of lightning flashed across the sky, lighting up the forest with a blinding light for a split second. Another crack of thunder raged across the clouds. Then, the drizzling rain suddenly became a downpour, driving like thick sheets of water. A huge bolt of lightning came down, closer this time. Zane cowered in his spot. He shivered.
Zane had never felt so alone. He thought about how far he was from his brothers. P.I.X.A.L. Everyone and everything he loved. It was all so far away. Zane felt a tear slide down his cheek. The wind blew harder, and lightning blazed across the sky. To Zane, it seemed that Mother Nature was mocking him . Zane tried to hold back the rest of the tears that threatened to spill out. Zane never saw this back at Ninjago. Here, in this strange place, Mother Nature's fury was unmatched by any other place he's ever seen. Zane felt so dwarfed by the storm. He tried to back farther away from the entrance of his hiding place, but it did no good. Rain fell from the gaps at the top and fell on Zane. Soaking wet, he would have to sit here and tough it out. He let out a shuddering sigh. He was thoroughly depressed and miserable. Now, Zane was still thinking about his family, how they were warm and safe, and how frantic they were searching for him. And P.I.X.A.L . . .
Then Zane could no longer hold back the tears in his eyes. They slid across his face, and he buried his face in his hands, ignoring the pain in his broken arm, and sobbed. He cried for everything he's ever known and loved, doubting that he would never make it back again alive. Or dead for that matter. Zane continued to cry. He cried himself to sleep that night while the storm raged on, out of control.
...
Zane's eyes opened slowly, still wet from sobbing. He rubbed his eyes with his good arm and shuffled forward. He saw it was still dark outside the trees, but no rain fell outside, no thunder boomed, and no split-second glimpses of light. Zane shuffled out further. He saw that the ground was damp but now flooded in silvery cyan light. Zane peered out of the trees and looked to the sky. The moon was full, and stars twinkled in the night sky. The silent sounds of the evening settled around him. Zane began to relax slightly. But then he heard a sound that would make, if he had any, the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. It was so chilling, it sent shivers down his spine.
It sounded like a scream. Not Bansha's scream, but like a woman screaming for her life.
Zane froze, tense. He had never heard anything like it. What was that? Was it a creature that lived in the forest out for blood?
He heard something walking through the forest floor off to his right. The same scream sounded closer now.
Whatever it was, it kept screaming over and over again. Zane covered his ears to block out the frightening noise.
More footsteps that came closer and Zane watched through the branches as a very large cat-like animal with white and tan fur paced across the riverbed. It paused and screamed, the same noise Zane was hearing. Then it licked its paw before continuing on its way out of sight.
Zane sighed in relief as it went. What he was hearing was the vocalizations of a mountain lion. She wasn't hunting, she was looking for a mate.
Feeling dreary, Zane fell into a hazy, uneasy sleep. He slept until sunrise.
When Zane woke up the next day, he thought it would be spent hiding, trying to find a way to keep alive.
But as fate would have it, he was about to get a huge surprise.