HALOOOOO THAR! I'M BACK WITH CHAP #25! WHOOO! Ninja Pony: Glad to hear it! I don't like hiatus notices either. ENJOY THY CHAPTER!
It was evening when Hailey pulled into the driveway of her home after a run to the feed store. She turned off the truck and walked to the back. Dropping the tailgate, she began taking bags of feed and bales of alfalfa to the tack shed.
Zane poked his head out. "Good evening Hailey. What are you doing?"
"Oh, nothing," Hailey replied. "Just unloading some stuff from the feed store."
"Do you require assistance?"
"Uh, no," Hailey said. "I need to stay in shape, and plus I don't want you overexerting yourself. You may be feeling better, but I still want you to rest so you can fully recover."
Zane nodded. "I understand."
Zane followed Hailey as she set the bags of feed and bales of hay down in the shed.
"Y'all mind passing me those feed pans?"
Zane grabbed the two pans and handed them to Hailey, who scooped feed into each. Together, they carried the pans out into the pasture, where two horses were grazing. One was black with a white mane and tail, the other a grey color with a dark mane, tail, and legs.
At the sight of the feed pans, the two horses trotted over. Hailey set down one pan and Zane did the same. They stood in the pasture together and watched them eat.
Zane looked at the animals in amazement. The only other horse he had ever seen was one like the Dark Archer was riding. He had yet to see one in the flesh. He never thought horses actually existed, or at least he would never see one.
"Hailey?" Zane asked.
"Yes?"
"Are these animals yours?"
"Yep! This is Ranger. He's my horse." Hailey pointed to the black and white horse. "And that's Gunsmoke, which is Uncle Sam's."
"And these are your companions?"
"Yes."
"May I...touch them?"
Hailey seemed confused. "Uh, I mean sure? They ain't gonna kill you or anything..."
Taking a cautious step forward, Zane reached out for the horse closest to him, which happened to be Ranger.
Zane had never touched a living, breathing horse, and he never thought he'd live to see the day. A beast of legend in Ninjago and these people had two of them casually grazing in their backyard. How did they manage to tame them? How was the relationship between them and their humans?
Zane's fingers brushed against Ranger's coat, and he ran his hand down Ranger's neck, stroking it. Zane was in awe as he felt the horse's muscles of his neck under his skin. He could feel the power these animals have.
Ranger finished his meal and raised his head to peer at what Zane was doing.
"Here, he likes it when you do this," Hailey said. She walked up and began scratching Ranger on the neck, who nickered and curled his lip in enjoyment. Zane laughed and continued petting the horse, taken aback at just how beautiful it was.
Hailey noticed the stars in Zane's eyes. "I take it that you've never seen a horse before?"
Well, yes, he had. The Dark Archer's horse. But he wasn't ready to tell her that yet.
Zane shook his head instead. "No, I have not."
"What? You're a ninja! You've fought lots of things! And you haven't even seen a horse?"
"No. I am a ninja and have fought a multitude of enemies, but horses do not exist in Ninjago. I have only seen pictures of them."
Hailey nodded. "I see."
"Speaking of being a ninja, what enemies have you fought?"
"Lots." Zane told her. "Me and my brothers have fought the Skulkin, Serpentine, Nindroids and the Overlord, and-"
Hailey's head whipped up when he said 'Overlord'.
"Wait, wait, wait..." Hailey told him. "You fought the Overlord?"
Zane looked at Hailey, confused. "Yes..."
Hailey looked shocked...and confused?
"But he was banished thousands of years ago!" She said.
"Wait," Zane said. "You know about the Overlord?"
"Uh...yes!" Hailey said.
Zane was bewildered. How?
"How?!"
Hailey began to say something, but instead shut her mouth and sighed.
"It's hard to explain..." She said. She thought for a minute.
"But I have something that'll be better able to explain to you than me."
They finished up feeding the horses and walked back inside. Zane followed Hailey upstairs. They walked down the hallway for a moment before Hailey opened one of the doors. They walked into what appeared to be a bedroom.
It was rather spacious, with two windows on the far wall. In the corner of the room sat a bed, with a large safe at its foot. At one of the windows were a desk and a computer. There was also a dresser and nightstand. On the floor lay a cowhide rug. In a corner sat a saddle on a stand that had the words "DCF BARREL RACING CHAMPION 2018" burned into the leather. On the wall hung various things, like trophy mounts of deer, purple and gold banners that read "GRAND CHAMPION" or "RESERVE CHAMPION" of various locations and dates. Above the bed hung a black flag with a purple horse head. Zane shuddered as the colors reminded him of the Overlord.
"What is that?" He asked Hailey, pointing to the flag.
"It's our nation's flag," Hailey explained. She opened her closet and began digging around.
After a few moments, she emerged with a book.
The cover was black leather material. The words "The Bygone Times of Mt. Horn" were in gold along with the outline of a mountain.
Hailey handed the book to Zane. "This will help you understand better."
Zane looked at the book and flipped through the pages. "Who wrote this?"
Hailey shrugged. "That's the thing. We don't know. His name was lost a long time ago."
Zane looked down at the book. "Interesting..."
Together the two walked out of Hailey's room and into the loft. There were two leather armchairs, another couch, and a small table. An oil painting of a lakeside hung on the wall, as did an elk and bighorn sheep trophy mount. Another cowhide rug lay on the floor. Hailey turned on a lamp in the corner and picked up a "Sportsmen" magazine before taking a seat in one of the armchairs. Zane sat in the other chair and opened the book, flipping to the first page. It was titled "Introduction".
"Located at the extreme southern tip of the continent, Mt. Horn is a vast stretch of a treacherous mountain range that encircles the entire valley in a complete ring. Blizzards blow at the peaks year-round, but of course, at its strongest in winter. A seemingly bottomless ravine encircles the range also, but thins out at the coast, at the other side of the eastern chain. Historians and geologists both argue over the ravine's origins; some say it was a result of an earthquake phenomenon, others say that it was a result of the Four Legends creating the land fit for life, although the purpose at that time is unclear. The rugged mountains, the ravine, the tangles of the nearly unnavigable Phantom Forest, and the inhospitable weather all make a virtually impenetrable barrier of natural defenses that keep Mt. Horn and its people from most outsiders, although there have been a few occasions where outside enemies have been able to infiltrate and wreak havoc on the land and people. One such example is the Yukon Invasion. For a map of Mt. Horn, turn to the end of this book. For a section on the Yukon Invasion turn to page one hundred and three. For more information on the Four Legends, turn to page thirty-six."
Zane, intrigued by the term "Four Legends", flipped to page thirty-six, past other things such as battles and various wars they fought. On the page he was looking for, it was simply titled "The Four Legends". He began reading.
"When Ninjago was created by the First Spinjitzu Master, the Overlord rose from the shadows of his creation and had plans to rule the land and shape it into his own image."
Zane stopped reading and almost slammed the book shut. How did these people know so much about Ninjago and its history?!
Hailey must've noticed Zane get startled because she was peering at him from over the top of her magazine with a raised eyebrow.
"You good?" She asked. Zane nodded.
"Yes," he said and looked down at the book.
'Maybe it'll tell further in the text.' He thought and continued.
"He had countless encounters with the Master in the past and was almost defeated many times. The Overlord, fearing that he may once be defeated once and for all, and for no one to continue his wicked legacy, created five sons, all dragons, just like him. The Overlord created them out of the four elements of creation.
Cyclone was created from ice. Spitfire was created from flame. Witherwings was of lightning, and Stonetooth was born of rock. But all these were all the elements of creation that the Master possessed. As a secret weapon, he created Riptide from the waters of the ocean. The Overlord raised his sons and trained them for their purpose. When he figured the time was right, the Overlord told his sons of their use. But, as evil as their father was, the hearts of the sons were pure. But Cyclone, Witherwings, Stonetooth, and Spitfire did not dare show their defiance, for fear of being severely punished if they did so.
But Riptide saw no good in the plan and showed it. The Overlord, seeing him as an obstacle, killed him by kicking him into the sea. It is also fabled that Stonetooth turned the sea dragon's body into stone. The Overlord then realized all his sons were against him and was bent on their destruction. Despite their efforts, the sons could not defeat their father and fled for their lives. Taking shelter at the bottom of an extremely deep trench that ran around a barren range of virtually impassable stone mountains, which would eventually become Mt. Horn
Deciding to split up for safety, the four dragons hid away in caves at the bottom of the trench. Consequently, the caves they hid in were facing exactly north, south, east, and west. The Overlord eventually found their hiding spot, but instead of killing, he decided to imprison his sons by creating an impenetrable barrier of dark magic that kept them in. Then he left to finish his conquest.
It was then that the brothers decided to give the valley inside the range life. Using their powers, the four dragons made the valley suitable for life. The four dragons decided to give the people of the valley the gift of an animal like no other-the created the first horse, which possessed the strength of Stonetooth, the swiftness of Witherwings, the fiery spirit and pride of Spitfire, and the wisdom and grace of Cyclone. The horse they created had a coat as black as night and a mane and tail of purple flame. It's said that at night the Shadow Charger descended from the mountains and would roam freely around the valley, bringing rise to the first ancient horses. The Shadow Charger was called back by the four brothers. Centuries later, he would come back to a call of duty.
At this time, the four dragons were slowly but surely dying from the wounds that their father had inflicted upon them. They came together and agreed that they were to be turned to stone so they could be freed by the power of their father if the range and people were to ever be in grave danger. Cyclone had vague future telling skills and predicted that someone would come along, harness the Overlord's power and put it to good use. Stonetooth petrified the others before himself. But as their flesh and bone became rock, their spirits escaped with the intent to protect the valley and chase out outsiders from entering so that the people within would never have to fear of danger.
Meanwhile, the Overlord had been defeated by the First Spinjitzu Master. He was now nothing more than a glowing ball of energy, stripped of his dark power, which was absorbed by the First Spinjitzu Master. He divided Ninjago in half during his fight with the Overlord, sending him to the Dark Island.
Not wanting to be in possession of so much power, the FSM went on a search to find someone who would use this dark force for good. He traveled to visit the people Mt. Horn to pass on the dark power. He came across a member of the Yukon valley's calvary, a bowman. Seeing the good in the man, the FSM gave the bowman the power and left the range. It would be the last time Mt. Horn would be contacted by Ninjago.
From the dark power bestowed upon him, the bowman had gained the ability to summon and control darkness, which appears as a purple flame. He quickly learned to control his newfound powers and used them to defend his homeland. His skills and abilities were devastating in battle, and he quickly earned respect and moved up through the ranks, and even given a title. The Dark Archer. He quickly became a savior to the people of Mt. Horn, as he led them to victory against their enemies time and time again. He also told them about the Four Legends and their role in creating the land they knew and cherished.
But as powerful as he was, he was only human. Dying from old age, and fearing his power would fall into the wrong hands, he mounted the Shadow Charger for one final time and traveled to the Four Legends' resting place deep underground. As he died, his power was absorbed into the statues.
Massive earthquakes rocked the valley soon afterward, revealing something amazing- a rough stone head of each dragon. To the west, A stone which looked like Stonetooth stuck out of the mountains of the west. East, Cyclone. North, Spitfire. South, Witherwings. All had a waterfall pouring out of their mouths. These waterfalls eventually formed rivers, which formed a lake, thought to represent Riptide.
Life continued on in the range, with its discoveries and evolutions, adapting and moderning. But, to this very day, it is said in Mt. Horn, that on a dark night, when Mt. Horn is in great danger, the descendant of the Dark Archer will vanish and fulfill his duties, release the dragons from their dormant state, and save our beloved land from total destruction."
Zane finished the section. Questions were now buzzing through his head. How did these people know so much about Ninjago, but not the other way around? How did they know about the First Spinjitzu Master? How did they know this if it all happened centuries upon centuries ago? How did they know about the elements? How did they know about the Dark Island? Why hadn't Sensei ever, EVER mentioned anything about the First Spinjitzu Master visiting such a place? Why hadn't he told them the Overlord had sons? And how did they even know the name of the continent? How? Why? Did the people of Mt. Horn know something the people of Ninjago didn't?
Zane shook his head before looking up at Hailey, who was still deeply engrossed in her magazine.
"Oooooh, that's a cool predator rifle." She said to herself. "Wonder if it's any good for cougars..."
"Hailey?" Zane asked.
The girl looked up from her magazine. "Hm? Yes?"
Zane closed the book. "How do you have so much knowledge about Ninjago in this book? And why haven't I heard anything about this place before I came here?"
"I have no idea. I wasn't the one that wrote the book. And that book is decades old. And as much as we do know, there's a lot more we don't either."
"I never knew the Overlord had sons…" He muttered to himself. "I possess an extremely large databank of Ninjago's history and tales, but not once does the mention of the Overlord having sons!"
"They're on the next page," Hailey said.
Zane flipped the page. On the first one was a detailed outline of a dragon. It had four legs, a blunt snout, a long, rather aerodynamic looking body, and huge wings. A row of spikes that resembled razor saw blades and ran all the way to the back of its head. Spikes ran along its back. Beneath the sketch read "Witherwings", and a paragraph briefly describing the dragon's element, which was lightning.
On the page next to it was another dragon drawing. This dragon stood on two legs in a regal stance. This one had a tapered snout. Above its eyes was a pair of spiraling impala horns. Running down its were spines that got smaller as they neared the tail. "Cyclone" was the name, the dragon of ice. The next two pages were the same thing, each having a picture of a dragon and a name and a brief description of each.
Under "Spitfire" was a dragon that seemed very snakelike, but his head was clearly dragon and he had front legs and wings. On its head was a heavy rhino horn with smaller spines running all the way down its back.
Zane looked at the next page, and he gasped.
The drawing, which seemed to be staring at him in the eye, was the exact same dragon he had seen in the mountains. According to the book, Stonetooth was his name and was the elemental dragon of earth.
Hailey saw his reaction.
"What's wrong?" She asked, worried. If he was human, Hailey would've bet Zane's face would be losing color at this second.
'Should I tell her about the dragon?' He thought. He looked at Hailey, who still had a concerned expression on her face, but at the same time questionable.
'No.' He decided. 'Save that for a better time.'
But his head was buzzing with questions. He had seen one of their legendary dragons with his own eyes. What did this mean? Was there some sort of significance behind it? Especially since the dragon had tried to help him escape the ghosts?
Zane shook his head. "Nothing." He said quickly. Hailey gave him a suspicious look before going back to what she was reading.
Zane read through the book a little more before closing it and handing it back to Hailey. "Thank you for lending me this book. It's helped me expand my knowledge about this land immensely."
Hailey took the book back. "Well of course."
The two walked downstairs, Hailey going to ask Samuel what was for dinner. Zane followed. They found Samuel in the garage, moving some firewood to take inside.
"I'll get those," Hailey said. She got up and took the logs and set them down by the fireplace.
Zane leaned in and peeked into the garage, able to get a good look now that he wasn't being welded shut.
Their garage was rather spacious. It had a workbench, various power tools, two ATVs, a washing machine and dryer, as well as a rack on one of the walls full of boxes. Various posters and metal signs hung on the walls. Racks of deer and elk antlers hung from a wooden dowel on the roof. There was also a dartboard, with a wooden table next to it covered in darts and boxes.
Zane stepped to move out of Hailey's way, accidentally knocking over a box. Its contents spilled onto the floor, which were photographs. Zane gasped and dove to pick them up.
"I'm so sorry!" He said. "I didn't mean to!"
"It's okay, Zane." Hailey told him, bending down to help him. "Accidents happen."
Zane breathed a sigh of relief. These people had taken him in, the last thing he wanted to do was upset them.
Samuel walked in the garage to see the mess.
"Uh-oh, what happened?"
"I accidentally knocked over a box of pictures. I'm terribly sorry!"
"Don't sweat it." Samuel said. He also kneeled to pick up the pictures. "I knock things over all the time."
Zane picked up one of the pictures and peered at it. It was a grainy, faded photograph. Two young men stood together, wearing military uniforms. They both smiled into the camera, one with a cigarette dangling out of his mouth.
Zane handed the picture to Samuel. "Who's in this picture?"
"Huh?" Samuel said. He took the picture from Zane and looked at it. "Oh! That's one of my military buddies. His name was Rolland. He and I were always together since we were learning to walk. He was like a brother I never had."
"What happened to him?" Zane asked.
"He was killed in action a long time ago." Samuel answered. He seemed to get sad. "He and I went through hell and back together, Got each other out of a lot of shit. We saved each other's lives. Especially when he-"
Suddenly Samuel froze. The color drained from his face. His eyes started to become wet. His breath became quick and shaky. He slowly looked down at the photo, staring at it. His hands started to tremble. It looked like something was about to come up, but Samuel forced it back down his throat, kind of like vomiting, but more as if he was trying to not let it show as if he was trying to block out a bad memory. He tensed and suddenly seemed very anxious. His hands trembled and he let the picture slip out of his hands and fall to the ground. He started breaking out into a cold sweat.
"Samuel?" Zane asked, concerned. "Are you alright?"
Samuel turned away, clenching, and unclenching his fists. He closed his eyes and grimaced.
"Excuse me for a minute." He choked. Without another word, Samuel almost ran out of the garage. The door shut loudly, almost a slam.
Zane could only state after where Samuel disappeared, gaping. Then he got up. "I'm going to check on him."
"No, don't!" Hailey said, grabbing his arm. "He needs space to calm down."
Zane looked to Hailey. "What's wrong with Samuel? Based on my observations he seemed extremely anxious and fearful."
Hailey sighed. "It's kind of complicated, and he doesn't like talking about it." She said. "He doesn't like me talking about it either."
"What caused him to act this way?"
"It was the photograph."
"I apologize for making Samuel upset, although I don't know the exact cause."
Hailey shook her head. "It's okay." She told him. "But just be careful if you're mentioning anything like warfare, alright?"
Again Zane nodded.
"I know I should not be asking this maybe, but what causes Samuel to be so sensitive to subjects related to combat?" He asked.
"Okay, if you really want to know, I'll tell you. I don't know if I should, but..." She gestured Zane to come closer.
"Uncle Sam was in the Mountain Guard before I was born. He's been in a lot of engagements and has really bad combat PTSD." She said in a low voice.
"Post-traumatic stress disorder?"
Hailey nodded.
"Very much yes. And he has to be careful. Seeing or hearing certain things can remind him of engagements he's been in and he can have a really bad nightmare or flashback. He can be totally fine, then he senses something that reminds him, and then he's really on edge, nervous, jumpy and whatnot. One time he absolutely refused to go down into the subway station when we were on a trip to the aquarium because his PTSD was acting up."
"Who were they fighting?"
"The Calusan."
Hailey knew what Zane was about to say next.
"To make a long answer short, the Calusán are a large tribe of people who live southeast of here, outside Mt. Horn territory. Basically they consider us enemies and have always been trying to attack us for centuries. His friend Rolland who's in this picture died at their hands."
"Was there any event which made them develop those feeling towards you?" Zane asked. Hailey shook her head.
"They've always hated us. They're responsible for the Yukon invasion that almost wiped us off the face of the earth. They're always in civil war and blame us for their problems even though we keep to ourselves. We've been fighting them for years ever since, but there's no end in sight."
"Interesting..." Zane said, rubbing his chin.
Hailey took the photograph and put it back in the box. They sat together for a few minutes in silence before Hailey got up.
"Let's go check..."
They tiptoed out of the garage and down to Samuel's doorway. They both cautiously peeked in.
In the dimly lit room, they saw Samuel's dark form partially lit by the light of the rising moon in the far left corner, leaning against the wall on his elbow, his face covered by his hand, facing away from them. He was very quiet except for his deep breathing, obviously trying to calm down and regain his composure. He didn't say a word or even give a sign that he had noticed they were there.
"He needs some space." She whispered to Zane. He nodded. Hailey cast a worried look at her uncle before going upstairs to get ready for bed.
Zane retreated to his room, closing the door behind him. He slipped into his pajamas and made himself comfortable under his covers. But instead of going back to sleep, he lay awake, listening to Samuel's heavy breathing. Eventually Zane heard the sound of Hailey coming back down the stairs and tiptoeing down the hall. Zane sensed her presence right outside his doorway.
Samuel's deep breath ceased, which probably meant he calmed down a bit. Zane heard footsteps.
"Hailey." Samuel's voice said. It seemed a lot more like himself but there was still a tone of shakiness to it. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Awhile." She replied. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright."
Samuel sighed. "I'm fine. Just a bad memory, that's all. I should've warned Zane about it. He didn't know though. It's not like I'm upset with him or anything."
Zane heard this and felt a sense of relief he hadn't even known he had been holding back.
"Do you need anything?" Hailey asked.
"No." Samuel said. A few seconds of silence followed. "It's pretty late, Hailey. You should get to bed."
There was some more silence before the sound of Hailey going back upstairs and Samuel going to bed was heard. Juneau slipped through Zane's door and hopped up onto the bed, falling asleep immediately. Even though Samuel wasn't mad at Zane, he still felt bad that he reminded him about whatever traumatic event happened to him long ago. Zane wanted to make it up to him somehow.
'Tasks that I excel at…' He thought. 'How can I use those?'
He thought. Fighting? No. The people here were peaceful, or all he had met so far. Intelligence? Maybe helping Hailey with something to give Samuel a break? That was a possibility. But Hailey never asked for help, and even she might in the future, he wanted to make it up to him as soon as possible. His sixth sense? Probably not. He didn't know exactly how it would come in handy. Then what?
And it was at that moment it hit him. Of course! How could he have forgotten? It was something he was revered and worshipped for!
Satisfied, Zane set a setting within his mainframe that would make him wake up at exactly 7:30 am. He wanted it to be ready once Hailey and Samuel both woke up. He let the settling silence and darkness of the night in the house make him fall asleep.
...
The alarm clock Zane had set within his internal one went off, rousing him from his sleep. He threw the covers off of him and checked the clock beside the bed. 7:30 am, sharp. The sun had not yet risen and it was still dark outside.
Zane quickly changed before quietly slipping out of his doorway. He cast quick glance into Samuel's room. The door was open and he saw him peacefully asleep and snoring. Silence from upstairs told him that Hailey was also sleeping still.
'Good.' Zane thought. 'That gives me time.'
Zane quietly tiptoed into the kitchen. Juneau followed him in.
"Shhhh." He told him. He flicked on the light and turned it down low.
Juneau yawned and lay down on the floor, head on his paws. He watched Zane as he opened the refrigerator. Zane was somewhat uncomfortable in doing this because he didn't think Samuel and Hailey would exactly be pleased to wake up and see him digging through their food.
Zane rummaged around in the fridge until he found what he was looking for: a package of bacon and a carton of eggs. Zane took the items out and shut the fridge, placing them on the counter. Then he started looking through the cabinets. He was never told where what was kept where, so he had to search. He finally found what he was looking for and put it on the stove-
Suddenly the sound of scrabbling made Zane freeze. He glanced at Juneau, who was now actually asleep on the floor. Again the scrabbling was heard, followed by a flurry of tiny wingbeats.
When Zane saw Beibeis flutter down the stairs and land on the rail post, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought it was Hailey at first.
"Oh." He said quietly. "It's just you."
Coo!
"Ssshhh."
Beibeis preened her tail feathers before flying across the room and landed on Zane's shoulder. Zane let the dove stay there. Beibeis seemed to be peering at what he was doing. It reminded him of his falcon. He reached a hand up to pet Beibeis. Again he felt a pang of guilt and wondered how his brothers were faring without him. If only there was any way shape or form he could tell them he was doing well.
Beibeis made a pleasant cooing noise and Zane found her favorite spot to be petted: the soft feathers where her collar marking was. Zane walked over to the sink and started washing his hands.
"I apologize, Beibeis." He said while scrubbing. "But I simply can't have an animal in the workspace while I'm cooking. It's very unsanitary."
Beibeis cooed before flying up to one of the rafters of the ceiling. She eyed him from above. Zane dried his hands off with a towel and got to work.