"Let's see here..." Hailey muttered to herself as she stared at a list she was holding. "My jacket, boots, pants, extra ammo..."

Clothes and things were strewn across the floor of her room, and on her bed lay different articles of camouflage and blaze orange clothing, knives, binoculars, and her deer rifle. There were also different kinds of snacks, a box of ammunition, as well as necessary documentation like her hunting license and tags. It was late at night, but she wanted to check and double-check to make sure that everything she needed was present and in working order for her deer hunt the next day. As she crossed the things off her list, she packed them in her backpack and waist pack. She picked up her gun and looked through its scope one more time before placing it carefully in its case.

"Everything is as it should be." She said, nodding with approval. She put her backpack and waist pack by her bed just as there was a knock on her door.

"I'm decent. Come in." She said.

Her uncle Samuel walked in. "Have everything for tomorrow?"

Samuel was Hailey's uncle. Together they lived in a house on the edge of the small town of Elkhorn with their husky Juneau, her dove Beibeis, and their two horses. Hailey had just graduated high school. Her family owned a ranch in the desert and would soon be moving out to carry on the family legacy of raising beef cattle. Her and Samuel together didn't have much, but the lives they led were simple, and they wouldn't have asked for anything more. They had a roof over their heads, food on the table, and a family that loved them. They wouldn't have it any other way.

Hailey nodded. "Yep. Checked and double-checked. Everything is spick and span."

"Good." Her uncle said. "Did you sight in your rifle?"

"Yep. Jackson was here visiting some of his friends so he and I went to the shooting range. I also got some more target practice in."

Samuel narrowed his eyes. "You know how I am about boys, Hailey."

Hailey facepalmed. "Uncle Sam, I'm telling you it's not like that!"

He raised an eyebrow. "The blush in your cheeks tells me otherwise."

Hailey rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"What's your effective killing range? Still a hundred fifty yards?"

(A/N: Efffective killing range refers to the distance you can accurately shoot a target)

"I feel more confident in my ability to go two hundred."

Samuel nodded. "That's good. What trailhead will you be taking?"

"I'm going to try Big Meadow first, and if I don't see anything I'll go farther up to Snakehead Creek."

"That's a good plan." Samuel approved. He looked at the clock.

"It's starting to get a little late, so I'll let you be. Keys to the truck are by the coffee maker."

"Okay, thanks Uncle Sam." Hailey said. "Love you."

"Love you too, goodnight, and good luck tomorrow," Samuel said as he left the room. "I hope you drop a bruiser."

(A/N: A "bruiser" is slang for an old deer with big antlers. A set of antlers is called a rack)

Hailey smiled at the thought. "Me too."

They bade each other goodnight, and Hailey did one final check of her supplies before getting to sleep. She was going to need plenty of rest. She had a long day of hunting ahead of her.

She was also about to get the shock of her life.

...

It was still dark out as Hailey dressed in her hunting clothes. She grabbed her things and loaded them up in Samuel's Dodge pickup. She grabbed a couple of sandwiches and some bottle of electrolyte water she had put in the refrigerator the night before. She got into the truck and followed a road that led out of town. She wanted to get to the public land before the sun came up.

Hailey drove up a winding mountain road for almost three hours before she finally pulled in to the trailhead parking lot. As the headlights swept across the clearing, she saw that she was the only one here.

"Perfect." She said as she parked. "Not much foot traffic today."

She got out of the truck and donned her blaze orange vest. She smeared brown and green face paint on her face before clipping on her waist pack. She took her gun from her case and loaded it with a few rounds. She slung her backpack and gun over her shoulder and took a sip of water before starting down the trail that led into the forest.

...

The sun had started to peek over the treetops as Zane stirred. With a groan, he opened his eyes and was immediately greeted by pain. He grunted and clutched his side, which was still bleeding. He saw that his blood had smeared on the rocks overnight.

Zane closed his eyes and sighed. He needed to get out of here. He needed to get back home, but how? He was in no shape to navigate this unknown and difficult terrain. Heck, he was in no shape to even move! He would have to stay here until he was feeling well enough to fend for himself. But how long would that be?

His stomach growled. Zane hadn't eaten in days. He also hadn't the slightest sip of water since before the mountains. How many days ago was that? He had lost count of the days that he had been on the run for.

In an attempt to comfort himself, he thought about the other ninja and Ninjago. Cole's horrible cooking. Kai's cockiness. Jay always begging Nya to help him tinker with things and if that didn't work then he would beg Zane to let him tinker with him. And Lloyd.

Where was Lloyd? They couldn't seem to find him anywhere. Have the others found him by now? Was he okay? What was Morro doing to him? What would he do with him if his plan of conquest was complete?

Zane sighed again. He wanted nothing more to go home, find Lloyd, and defeat Morro once and for all. Was that too much to ask?

...

It was early morning, and Hailey had been hiking through the backcountry for a few hours now in search of a buck. She had found bedding spots and fresh deer scat, so she knew she was in the right place. There was a slight breeze blowing through the trees and at her face, making her downwind of any deer ahead of her. Feeling a little thirsty, Hailey quietly set her pack down and pulled out her water bottle. She placed it back in her bag before continuing on her way. Her buck fever was running high, and her last two hunts of the season hadn't lent themselves any harvest.

Hey, third time's the charm, right?

She hoped so.

Hailey continued, unslinging her rifle. A few more minutes of walking and she saw a meadow up ahead. At its far end, a handful of whitetail deer does were grazing.

'Perfect.' Hailey thought. 'What better than some ladies to get a stud's attention?'

She decided to stake out. She was at the top of a rise that looked down on the meadow, with no trees to block the path of her bullet, and was still downwind of the deer. It couldn't get any better than this. She lay down on her stomach and used a flat rock nearby to support the front of her gun.

One by one, a few bucks started to trickle into the meadow to attempt to breed the does. She saw a couple of small ones and a nicer sized one, but something told her to not take her shot just yet.

A couple of hours had passed, and the other bucks had left. She was starting to wonder if she should have taken the shot on the third one she had seen earlier.

But her thoughts were interrupted when she heard branches breaking. Another deer stepped out into the meadow. Hailey looked at him through her rifle's scope.

It was another buck.

And holy shit, was it huge!

Hailey's jaw dropped and she looked up from her scope. Sure enough, her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. The buck had five points on the left antler and six on the right. A whopping eleven points. Two years before she shot a five by five, and that was her largest number ever.

(A/N: When talking about deer, a number by a number is used to tell how many points a deer has on each side. For example, a 5x5 deer has five points on the left and right antlers. A 5x6 would have five on the left and six on the right. A point is a tip on the antler)

"And this bad boy's about to beat it!" She whispered as she chambered a round into her rifle. She peered through the scope and set her crosshairs on the buck as it made its way to the does. She waited for a shot opportunity to present itself.

The buck approached the does and began to sniff them. The females just ignored him.

Seeing he wasn't going to get any action, the buck turned and began to leave, walking broadside to Hailey.

She took a deep breath. "Meh!"

The buck stopped at the sound of her voice and stood there, staring in her direction.

Quickly, Hailey looked through her scope and set the crosshairs of her gun right behind the deer's shoulder.

Third time's the charm.

Hailey took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. She squeezed the trigger.

BANG!

A split second later, the deer jumped into the air as the bullet pierced its lungs. It came back to earth and dashed into the forest on the other side of the meadow.

Hailey was shaking in excitement. She was still in disbelief. Wait until her uncle saw it!

She pumped her fist in the air. "I smoked him!"

She waited in her spot for a half-hour before heading down to the meadow to track and retrieve her buck, feeling like she was walking on air as she made her way down the slope.

...

BANG!

Zane's head shot up as he heard the sound. What was that? Was it the ghosts? Did they find him?

His breath quickened. If he was caught here, he was done for.

It went silent for a few minutes, and Zane began to relax.

Until he heard something crashing through the forest. It sounded big and was coming closer. Zane pressed farther back in his hiding spot, terrified.

The sound came closer still. Suddenly Zane watched as a deer with antlers burst into view, running through the riverbed and collapsing on the rocks right outside his hiding spot. He watched as the deer took its last breaths before it went still.

In wonder, Zane approached the front of his hiding spot to get a closer look. Blood trickled from the deer's mouth and stained the side of its coat. He noticed a tiny hole where the blood was coming out. What killed this animal? And where was it?

Soon, Zane heard another sound. It was something else coming through the forest. They were slow, deliberate, and coming from the same direction as the dead deer.

Zane shuffled back in his hiding spot as the footsteps came closer. His heart was pounding as he saw a shape move through the trees.

Then, out of the forest emerged a girl. A human girl. She had long brown hair and was wearing glasses. She was dressed in camouflage and bright orange clothing. She carried a backpack and what looked like a strange-looking metal and wooden stick on her back. green and brown facepaint covered her skin. He watched as the girl approached the dead deer cautiously. She took the stick off her back and poked the deer.

"Yes!" She cried, punching the air. "This buck is HUGE!" She carefully laid the stick on the ground before kneeling and holding the deer by the antlers. "Look at the mass on this thing!" She turned the deer's head. "And the spread too!"

Reaching into her waist pack, she pulled out an orange piece of paper and began cutting into it with a pocket knife.

Zane was in shock. It was a person! And they spoke the same language! Was there really an entirely new race of people in this strange land? How?

Zane gasped, but a split second later slapped his hand over his mouth. His eyes went wide as the girl's head suddenly snapped up.

Zane's heart thudded in his chest as she narrowed her eyes and peered around. Eventually, she shrugged and began writing something on the paper with a pen.

Zane tried forward to see her better, but accidentally put weight on his broken arm. He cried out in pain.

That got the girl's attention. In the blink of an eye, she had gotten up and was holding her stick defensively.

"Who's there?" She called. "Whoever it is, show yourself! I ain't playin' no games!"

Zane held his breath, heart hammering. What would happen if he was found? Would she hurt him? She was definitely in a better position to do so than he was to defend himself.

"I know someone is here!" She said. "Don't try and hide! You know it's not a good idea to sneak up on a hunter during rifle season!"

So that's what she was doing? Hunting? Out here all alone?

Zane saw the girl's eyes settle on the pile of dead trees he was under. She began to approach it.

Zane silently begged her to stop as she came closer. She peered through the gaps where Zane was hiding. Muttering to herself, she pulled something from her waist pack. A flashlight. She flicked it on and shined it into the dead trees, blinding Zane.

The girl screamed.

"HOLY SHIT!" she cried jumping back. She scrambled for her stick and pointed it at Zane.

"Who are you!? What are you doing here!? And why the hell are you silver?!"

Zane was terrified. He tried to talk, but no words would come out.

The girl moved a lever on her stick. She pressed a button and there was a click.

"I ain't got all day, mister." She growled. "Now start talkin'."

"I...I'm Zane." The ice ninja began.

"Go on."

Zane took a deep breath. He wasn't going to get out of this by keeping his mouth shut. Who knows, this girl might even be able to help him. He didn't sense she was bad, she was just protecting herself, and probably just as scared as he was.

"My name is Zane Julien." He repeated.

"You said that already."

"I was fighting one of our enemies when I got injured and ran to evade being captured. Somehow, I ended up coming to this strange place."

"Strange place? What do you mean? And who were you fighting?"

"I was fighting ghost warriors. And I am not familiar with this land. I came over the mountain range, from Ninjago-"

"You WHAT!?"

Anger contorted the girl's face, eyes blazing in anger.

"I hope you know we don't take too kindly to people that aren't from here." She hissed. "And from Ninjago, no less. You have absolutely no business here, and I'm turning you in to the authorities."

Zane's eyes went wide. If he were detained, he would never go home.

"N-no, please!" Zane begged. "You don't understand, I didn't come here on purpose, it was an accident! I don't want to be here! I'm trying to find a way to leave!"

"Whatever you do, please don't hand me over to them! I just want to get back home to my family! Please..."

"How do I know that you ain't gonna try something funny?" The girl said.

"I won't. I can't do anything, I can hardly move."

Zane pointed to his side, where is injury was. She looked at it and her face paled.

"Oh my god..." She said. "What happened? Did a cougar get to you?"

Zane shook his head.

"No. I was fighting Morro when his sword went through my side. I also have a cut on my back, my elbow, and my arm is broken."

"Who's Morro?"

"He's the commander of the ghost army. He's trying to find the Realm Crystal so he can summon his mistress the Preeminent to turn the land into a wasteland of darkness."

Shining her light around Zane's hiding spot, she could see he wasn't lying. Silver liquid covered the rocks he was sitting on, which was coming from his open gash. She saw his arm also twisted.

"A-are you a robot?!" She asked. Zane nodded.

"Yes. Although my brothers call me a nindroid."

"Nindroid?"

"Its a cross of the word ninja and android."

The girl cocked her head. "So...you're an elemental master?"

"Yes. I possess the ability to manipulate ice."

"So all that silver liquid..."

"It's my blood..."

Suddenly Zane felt woozy. His vision swam and it was harder for him to see.

"Please...help me..." Zane said before he passed out.

The girl stayed rooted to her spot, unsure of what to do.

Zane was an outsider. She was supposed to alert the authorities! Her home couldn't have people from Ninjago wandering around here. How did he even get here in the first place? What if there's more of them? What kind of hell would that cause?

But looking at Zane, she couldn't help her heart break a little. She could tell based on the way he was pleading that he didn't mean to be here. He just wanted to go home. And seeing his injuries and blood everywhere, he wasn't going to last out here much longer. And she was raised to help those in need.

The girl put a hand on her head. "Fuck!" She said. This was hard.

She would get him patched up and find out why he was here. Then she would turn him over.

The girl pushed a log out of the way so she could get in. She shrugged off her backback and opened it up. She rifled around until she found what she was looking for: a first aid kit. Opening it up, she grabbed rolls of gauze. Taking her water bottle, she rinsed out Zane's wound before dressing it. She bandaged up his torso, back, and elbow. She found a stick and splinted Zane's arm before tying a sling for it out of a piece of canvas. She sat him up and looked at her work. Clearly, she had paid attention to the survival lecture of her hunter's ed.

Zane hadn't woken up yet. The girl looked over and saw the dead deer laying on the rocks still. She decided she would quarter and pack out her kill in the meantime. She finished punching her tag, tied it to the deer's antler, pulled out her knife, and got to work.

...

Zane lifted his head and moaned. His vision was blurry. He was still in horrible pain. But he was awake.

"You good?"

Zane groggily blinked and looked at where the voice came from. As his eyes came into focus, he saw the same girl.

He felt strange. He looked down and saw the bandages on his body. He also realized his broken arm was splinted and slung. The girl had fixed him up.

"Thank you." Zane said gratefully. "You didn't have to do this."

"It's how I was raised." The girl said. "To help those in need. Now, how long have you been out here?"

Zane thought. "I believe only for a couple days."

"When's the last time you've eaten?"

"I can't remember..."

The girl reached into her backpack and pulled out a bag of jerky and handed it to Zane along with a bottle of blue liquid. He accepted both gratefully and examined the bottle.

"It's water with electrolyte powder." The girl explained. "You're gonna need it."

After days of being on the run, having food and water was pure bliss. The girl pulled out a second bag of jerky before sitting down and gnawing on it.

"It takes a lot of calories to pack a deer out of the backcountry." She said. "I haven't eaten since this morning when I got out here."

Zane looked around. "Where am I?"

"You're on public hunting land." The girl responded. "As you saw, I was tracking my deer's blood trail and it led straight to you."

"No, no. I didn't mean it that way." Zane said. "What is this place?" He waved his good arm to show the girl what he meant.

"This is Mt. Horn." She said. "I live here. This is my home."

Zane was intrigued. She had a name for this place. Was it just her by herself, or were there others?

"Are there more of you?" Zane asked.

"Yes. Very many. And if you try something funny, that very many are gonna be out to get you, and what will happen won't be pretty."

"Why are you so cautious of outsiders?"

"Because Zane, people have been trying to drive us out of here for centuries. There have been massacres caused by our enemies that almost caused the genocide of the people that live here. That's why."

"Now speaking of which," The girl continued. "I still believe we have some unfinished business. How did you get here?"

Zane began to tell her where it all started, which was his fight with Morro. He explained to her that he had gotten hurt and ran away and was being chased by two of his ghost soldiers, and how they pursued him through the mountains.

But when it came to the part of telling the girl about the Dark Archer and the dragon, he clammed up. For some reason, he felt like he shouldn't say it. So he kept his mouth shut. Luckily, Hailey believed him, although a little skeptical.

"I'll be damned..." She muttered when he was done. "I guess you being a robot-er-nindroid or whatever, definitely has its perks."

Zane nodded. "It does."

They continued to talk for the rest of the day. Zane told the girl about the ghost soldiers, Morro, and Ninjago, and his role as the elemental master of ice in protecting his home. She listened attentively.

Too soon for Zane, the sun was starting to go down. The girl got up and began packing her things.

"It's best I get going now. I have to get my deer home and I don't want to be driving down the mountain when it's dark."

"Please be careful." Zane told her. "Bansha and Ghoutar may still be out there. I don't want any harm done upon you."

The girl patted the stick slung on her shoulder. "I will. It's nothing my .30-06 can't handle."

Zane nodded. "Before you leave, I want to thank you again for helping me."

"Of course." The girl said. "I'll try to be back tomorrow."

She got up to leave. As she was climbing up the riverbed, she turned around.

"The name's Hailey, by the way."

...

It was well after dark when Hailey pulled into the driveway of her house. Samuel was there to meet her.

"Well?" He asked as she turned off the truck. She motioned for him to come. He whistled as she pulled the antlers from the truck bed.

"That's a big one for sure." He said, holding them.

They walked into the house together, carrying the ice chest full of meat.

Hailey did her best to not give any sign that anything was abnormal as she told Samuel the details of the hunt while she processed her quarry.

"So are you going out again tomorrow?"

Hailey nodded as she vacuum sealed and labeled a cut of the backstrap. "Yep. I want to punch my second tag too."

"That's a bit rough on yourself, don't you think?"

"Nah. I'm only here a few more months before I move out to the ranch, and the muleys there are nowhere near as big as the whitetails. Plus, I've got nothing else better to do really."

Samuel nodded. "Good point."

...

At the same time the morning before, Hailey was back to driving up the winding mountain road to the trailhead. She had all her hunting gear with her, but she wasn't looking to punch a tag. She was helping Zane.

Her hunting pack was filled with water bottles, non-perishable snacks like jerky and trail mix, as well as more medical supplies, and a blanket.

She shouldn't be helping Zane. He was an outsider for god's sake! And with all these ghosts and this 'Morro' character, who knows what he could have brought into Mt. Horn. If she was discovered to be helping him, of all things, the whole country would be out for her head. It would be a disgrace to her family, who had worked so hard to maintain their good name over the years. And she didn't want to do that. She was lying to her uncle so she could help Zane, and she felt horrible.

But Hailey also felt horrible for Zane. He was an outsider, but he didn't find this place on purpose. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to go home. He wanted to see his family again too. If their positions were reversed, she would want her to help him.

Soon she reached the Big Meadow trailhead. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw no vehicles in the empty lot. She parked the truck, shouldered her pack and rifle, and started down the same trail she had taken the day before, the guilt of her actions weighing more and more on her with every step.

...

Zane started awake from the sound of clattering rocks. His heart began to race. Was it the ghosts?

As his vision came into focus, he saw it was only Hailey. He breathed a sigh of relief. She kept her word.

"Told you I'd be back." She said as she walked up to his hiding spot. Zane gave her a weak smile.

"I am very grateful to see you again." He said. She dropped her pack and dug around before handing him some of her snacks and more water bottles.

"I'm a person of my word," Hailey replied. "It's how I was raised."

She jerked a head to his bandages. "How are those holding up?"

"What?" Zane looked down at his bandages. "Oh, these are holding well."

"I brought some pain ointment. I'll need to check and redress your wounds. I don't know if this works on nindroids, but it's worth a try."

Zane nodded and winced at the thought of the pain. It was agony as Hailey undid his old wraps and placed new ones, but in the end, the fresh bandages felt much better, and the ointment helped somewhat.

Hailey sighed and wiped her head when she was done. She took a sip of her water bottle.

"You mentioned that those ghost warriors or whatever are still on the loose here. Is that true?"

Zane nodded and he finished chewing on a strip of jerky. "Yes, that is very much possible, though I'm not sure where."

Hailey thought for a moment. "Okay." She pulled her rifle onto her lap, and began putting metal pieces in a compartment. "Assuming what you're saying is true, and I'm no damn fool, how does one defend themselves if I were to run into them?"

"Water, or deepstone." Zane said. "Deepstone is a type of rock that's found underwater. My gi contains some deepstone layers."

Hailey nodded. "I see."

"Have you had any experience with these ghost warriors?" Zane asked. Hailey shook her head.

"No. The most dangerous thing I've had a run-in with was probably a cougar a couple of years back. I ain't never seen a ghost."

Hailey got up to leave. She stuffed some things in her pack before shouldering it. "I'm not supposed to be helping you. I'm going to see if I can pick up a deer's trail so I can have an alibi in case someone asks where I've been. If I don't see you again this evening then I will tomorrow."

"Okay," Zane said. "Stay safe. And thank you for helping me."

Hailey gave him a short wave. He watched her go, her camouflage clothing making her melt silently into the trees.

The sun slid across the sky. Morning turned into the afternoon, and the afternoon turned into dusk. If Hailey hadn't been back by now, then it's unlikely she would be by until tomorrow.

As the sky darkened, Zane sighed and did his best to curl up into a more comfortable position to sleep. He was sure Hailey knew these woods well, but he hoped she would stay out of the ghost's way and stay safe. Even though he hardly knew her, he would feel horrible if something happened to the girl at Bansha's or Ghoultar's hands.