Hello all! Back with another chapter! I managed to get this one done ALOT faster than expected now that I finished with my homework early earlier this week. So in this chapter, things really start picking up as Samuel's search party rides out to the desert on the Untamed's trail.

Now to respond to reviews of the last chapter!

ProfessorYeti- Yes, they are pretty close, now that we're in the second half of the story! Now as for what happens if or when the ninja get to Mt. Horn, stay tuned to find out... And thank you!

Guest- There's plenty more where that came from!

Guest- Yes, things are really about to go down *evil laughter intensifies*

The search party's journey of a two day's ride took them through the forest, and back across the steppe. They had come across the last couple ranches, where they stayed to rest before heading to the desert of the Thundering Badlands. While they were there, Hailey taught Zane how to use different guns. Once he learned the basics, Zane became a good shot with great accuracy, and could load and reload quickly.

"You may be a ninja," She had told him while he reloaded a shotgun. "But here in these parts, bullets fly faster than fists."

She also taught him how to rope, which Zane also picked up easily.

When they left the ranch at sun-up the next day, he loped on Gale along with the other three, more confident in his ability to defend himself and his company against the dangers they would face in their mission to rescue Samuel.

Their ride to the desert passed along mostly in silence, leaving Zane alone with his thoughts.

Never ever in his nindroid life did he ever think something like this would happen. Being injured in battle, stumbling upon an advanced civilization no one in Ninjago has ever seen before and becoming one of them? If someone told him that a few months ago, he would have said they were crazy.

Now it was all too real.

Looking at Christopher and Tony, two war maimed veterans riding to his left, Hailey, the eighteen-year-old sixth-generation cattle rancher on his right, and down on himself, the elemental master of ice, he realized how much he had changed. It seemed ages ago when he traded in his ninja gi-still sitting in the closet in Elkhorn-for a pair of jeans and a button-down shirt. He knew he was a ninja, an elemental master, a citizen of Ninjago, but he didn't feel like he was anymore. He hadn't trained to hone his ninja skills, hadn't used his elemental powers for fear of being discovered, and hadn't seen his gi in such a god awful long time. He felt like he wasn't who he used to be.

He was still Zane, a nindroid, built to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Nothing would change that. But something about him had changed. The Zane riding in the saddle to save a man wasn't the same Zane that was running from Morro's soldiers.

Speaking of Morro, it occurred to him that there was still no plan devised to get him back home where he belonged. If he didn't get back home soon, the harder it would be on the ninja to defeat him. Zane had been gone for so long, god knows how they were doing now.

A pang of guilt wrenched at his gut as he realized that he wasn't thinking about his friends in Ninjago as often as he thought he should. He wasn't-forgetting them, was he?

Was he forgetting Ninjago?

Was he forgetting himself?

Would he ever get back home? Will things ever go back to normal again? Not as he would know it. Who knows how his accidental discovery of Mt. Horn would change the future. Would Morro be defeated and peace brought to the land? Or would he be a threat to everything he knew and loved, including this land? What would happen then?

The last thought made Zane shiver. If Morro were to ever reach the frontier, it would be nothing short of carnage.

Despite the circumstances that got him here, over time Zane grew to love Mt. Horn. The land was beautiful, and the people that lived and worked on it were resilient to tough times and were humble and kind. He would be devastated if something happened to Mt. Horn at the hands of Morro.

He hoped the prophecy told to him by Hundarion would come true. If Morro was a threat to Mt. Horn, no amount of guns and bullets would stop him from his conquest. They would need the Dark Archer to defend them.

Hundarion said the Dark Archer was dead. But Zane had seen him with his own eyes. And the dragon too.

Which begged the question: Was what he saw really them in flesh and bone? Or just a ghost of their former selves?

And despite knowing them for months now, Zane hadn't uttered so much as a peep about what he had seen to his friends. He felt guilty, he knew he shouldn't hide such things, but he was afraid to. He didn't want to lead them on a wild goose chase.

But still, they had a right to know.

Zane sighed. This was no longer a get-in and get-out affair. Things were getting more and more complicated by the day.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Hailey's voice snapped out from his thinking. He shook his head.

"I don't follow…"

"It's a way of saying 'What are you thinking about?'. You were looking pretty spaced out."

Zane sighed. He didn't like to lie, but now wasn't the time to discuss what was on his mind.

"I'm just trying to think of ways we can track Samuel and what we'll have to do once we find him." He said. "I've dealt with a few hostage situations in the past, but none quite like this."

"Let me tell you this," Christopher said to Zane. "The Untamed ain't nothing like you've ever seen before. They're thieves driven by murder and money. They won't hesitate to kill a man if things don't go their way. If you're going up against them, and you want to get out alive, you have to be ready."

Zane raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You have to be ready to kill," Tony said. "It is either us or them."

Zane swallowed thickly at his words. Kill? He couldn't do that.

"I-I don't know if I can do that." He said. "I was built to protect others, not to take human lives…"

"Zane, I know you don't like it." Hailey said. "I didn't either. I didn't want to kill anyone for any reason. But there's times when you have to."

"Have you...killed anyone?" Zane asked.

"We had to." Christopher said. "When you're in war, there's no other option."

"We were defending our home." Tony added. "If we didn't, they would come for our families."

"I wouldn't be standing here today if I didn't pull the trigger on someone at least once." Hailey added.

Zane turned to her, shocked. "You? You've killed somebody?"

"Someone broke into the ranch house last year while I was there alone." She explained. "He pulled his gun on me but I was faster."

"And you're not bothered by it?"

"I mean, it disturbed me for awhile. But the thing to remember is that you had no other option. You didn't kill him out of cold blood, you were only defending yourself."

Zane nodded. "I understand."

But that didn't mean he was any more comfortable about having to do it. He hoped he wouldn't have to.

"Are we still on the right track?" Christopher asked.

"Yes. We continue this way."

They rode on.

…

The prairie grass had given way to the shrubs and sparse grasses of the desert's edge. The hot sun began to hang low in the sky as Zane and Gale rode up a hillside. He stopped and looked out at what lay beyond as Hailey, Tony, and Christopher caught up.

At the base of the hill was a blown over barbed wire fence. The wire was rusted out and the wood supports were rotted. From his position on the hill, Zane saw that it ran for miles either way.

The others rode up beside him and looked down the hill at the fence. Suddenly they all looked distraught.

Hailey gasped. "No…"

Tony buried his face in his hands. Christopher turned to Zane.

"Zane, are you positive this is where they went?"

"My sensors indicate so." He said.

Zane saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned, and rode Gale down the hill. He approached the fence and dismounted, peering at what he'd seen.

It was a ripped piece of denim fabric, as if it tore off of someone's jeans. He plucked it from the wire and examined it. It appeared to have been recent. Also upon turning it over he saw a few drops of blood stained on it that appeared to have been relatively fresh. Around it, he also saw strands of horsehair snagged on the barbs, which he didn't see farther down the line. He scanned the area and picked up a few spots of blood on the wire, as if an animal scratched themselves walking by.

Zane gestured the three to come down.

"They've been here." Zane told them. He showed them the denim, horsehair, and blood.

Tony took the fabric and examined it. "There's no doubting it." He passed it to Christopher who looked and gave it to Hailey.

"It's gotta be them." She said. "There's no other ranch out here for miles. The last one was Flying J, where we stayed last night."

"I noticed you had a strong negative reaction when you saw this fence. Why so?"

"The land past this fence is no-man's-land." Christopher said, looking out. "It's all open desert. Except the tribal lands, there's not a single human soul out there. The law gave up searching for convicts here years ago. The hills are probably crawling with criminals that ought to plug you the second they get."

"You cross this fence and don't come back, ain't one gonna come looking for you." Hailey told Zane. "You're as good as dead."

Hailey's shoulders drooped, looking very depressed. She sighed. "And it's my fault Uncle Sam's on the other side…"

She covered her face so they wouldn't see the tears starting to fall. Zane shoved the denim in his pocket and rested a hand on Hailey's shoulder.

"Hailey." Zane said. He gently uncovered her face. "Look at me." He tilted her face towards him.

"I told Christopher and Tony this, and I will tell you as well." Zane told her. "I will not let Samuel die. Bringing him back home alive and well is my top priority. You and him have done so much for me, it's only right for me to do the same. Remember, I was built to protect, and I intend to fulfill this purpose no matter what threats may lay ahead. Do you understand?"

Hailey nodded and wiped her face. "Yeah…" she said. She took a deep breath. "Yeah...I get it."

Zane smiled. "Good. And don't forget that."

"I won't."

"Good."

Zane mounted up on Gale. "We should go. We will only have a few hours of daylight left, and I want to close the gap between Picazo's gang and us so we can track them with less difficulty."

Tony and Christopher got on their horses.

"Look!" Tony said. He pointed to the sand at the other side. "Tracks!"

Zane stood in his stirrups to get a better look. Sure enough, Tony was right.

Hoof prints. And boot prints too. And there were alot of them. Zane scanned them. His readings confirmed what he was thinking: they had found tracks of Picazo and his men.

"They knew once they crossed the fenceline nobody would follow them." Christopher said.

"They thought nobody would follow them." Zane corrected. "And they thought wrong."

Zane looked out to their path that lay ahead. In the setting sun, a red band of light shimmered in the distance: the desert of the Thundering Badlands.

Zane had no idea what would be waiting for them on the other side of this mangled fence. New threats and dangers lay ahead of their journey, things he had never seen before. If he crossed this fence, would he ever make it back? Or would he be left in the desert sand to rot?

Zane knew he had to make it back to Ninjago soon. If he didn't, he feared for the wellbeing of his team. If he were to go on this adventure to save Samuel, how much longer would it take? Would he be too late to help stop Morro from turning Ninjago into a wasteland of darkness? If he turned back now, maybe he'd be able to stop him.

He looked at Hailey, Christopher, and Tony, who were waiting for his next move.

But Zane couldn't walk out on them now. Not when Samuel's life was at stake and they finally found a hot trail. They were Samuel's last hope. And if Zane were to leave them, they would have no other way to find the Untamed. They could get lost, or caught. He couldn't do that to them. Not after everything they've done for him. Right now, they were depending on him. He couldn't let them down.

Zane had confidence that his team back in Ninjago could hold themselves out. They would be able to at least hold off Morro until he got back. On the other hand, he was the probably the only thing that would be able to increase their chances of getting Samuel alive. If he left them, they would have nothing.

'I was built to protect those who cannot protect themselves.' He reminded himself. 'If I were to abandon them, they would fall right into Picazo's hands. And Picazo is not a man of mercy."

Right now, these three needed him more than ever.

And he wasn't going to leave them in the dust.

Zane checked the gun in his holster to make sure it was loaded. He tapped Gale's ribs with his spurs. His horse stepped over the remains of the fence. He was crossing once again into dangerous territory. Anything could go wrong in a matter of seconds, and if it did, there would be nobody to help them. But he was ready.

Zane looked over his shoulder to the others. "Let's ride."

…

It was pitch black as Zane and Gale rode along. The rain was driving down in sheets and thunder roared in the night sky. Bolts of lightning sporadically illuminated the vast expanse of rolling desert.

Zane kept one hand on his hat and another on Gale's reins. He tugged the hat closer to his eyes to shield them from the onslaught of water.

He couldn't tell where he was, nor how long he had been riding for. The desert was endless, and everywhere you looked, everything seemed the same.

From the flash of lightning, Zane spied a hill, one he could use to get his bearings. As he began to ride toward it, he heard voices over the sound of the rumbling clouds.

"Zane!" A familiar voice called. "Zane!"

"H-Hello?!" Zane called. "Who's there?!"

He approached the base of the hill when the voice called out again.

"Zane!" Another familiar voice. Who were these people? And why did he know their voices?

Lightning flickered, and in its light, he saw five people running down the hill toward him, clad in blue, black, red, green, and maroon.

"Zane!" One of them called. They began to say something else, but the rest was drowned out by rumbling.

Suddenly he remembered who the voices belonged to. It was his brothers! And Nya! They found him!

Despite the raging storm, Zane spurred Gale in a gallop and raced to meet them, a huge smile on his face.

But as he came closer, he noticed something off. They didn't seem happy to see him. They seemed scared, as if they were running away from something. He heard their voices, but he couldn't make out what they were saying as the rumbling grew louder.

There was another flash. Then Zane saw what they were running from.

It was a massive herd of cattle. Their coats were black, and their sharp horns glinted in the storm's fury. The lightning's glare on the herd made it seem like a sea's angry swell. They were stampeding down the hill, quickly bearing down on the other ninja.

In a panic, Zane dug his spurs into Gale's ribs and raced towards them. They cried his name as the herd overtook them.

"NOOO!" Zane screamed as he heard their screams and watched them get swallowed up by the charging cattle.

But the herd didn't stop, and Zane was in their path.

Just as Zane was about to turn Gale's face, a bolt of fire struck the ground beside them. Gale reared in fright, tossing Zane out of the saddle and into the mud.

The impact knocked the wind out of Zane. He scrambled up, gasping for breath. He tried to run, but the cattle were faster.

The leading steer hooked Zane with its horns and threw him to the ground as the herd trampled him to death.

…

Zane jolted awake with a gasp and bolted up. He looked around wildly for the stampeding cattle before realizing it was a dream. He heaved a breath of relief and sighed.

"It was only a dream…" He muttered to himself. He took off his hat and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and looked around the camp.

The group had stopped for the night on the face of a hill next to a rocky outcropping so their backs were covered. Tony, Hailey, and Christopher were all asleep on the ground in their bedrolls and using their horses' saddles to rest their heads. The horses were tied to stakes in the ground. There was no fire, as smoke could be seen for miles in open country like this and did not want to attract unwanted attention. The moon was their only light source, its shine washing the desert landscape in its silver glow.

Zane had offered to take night watch so the others could rest. But he didn't realize how low his own energy levels were and ended up falling asleep himself.

Zane put his hat back on and was about to resume his watch when he felt something soft bump him on his shoulder.

"Huh?" Zane said. He turned around to see his horse Gale. His white coat gleamed in the moonlight.

"Oh, hello Gale." Zane said. He pet Gale's grey nose. "It's only you."

Gale nickered softly in response and nudged Zane in the chest. He laughed.

"Okay, okay." Zane said, giving Gale a good scratch on his neck. "Since you've been such a good horse today."

Gale let Zane scratch him for a few more minutes before the horse swung his rump around and knocked Zane to the ground.

"Hey!" He said. "What-"

He stopped when he realized Gale had lay down behind him. Zane smiled and leaned back on his shoulder, looking up at his horse.

"So, you wanted to lay with me, that's what this was all about?" He scratched Gale under his chin. The horse craned his neck to look at him. He let out a breath from his nostrils.

"Well, you could have just asked." Zane said, continuing to pet Gale. He found petting Gale soothing. Especially after the nightmare he had. Zane thought about what happened and shuddered. Even if it was a dream, he could still hear their screams as they were gored by the cattle.

Gale continued to stare at Zane. 'Are you okay?' He seemed to say.

Hailey told him that horses were very sensitive animals and were very receptive to the feelings of people. Perhaps Gale sensed his discomfort?

He sighed and slung his arm around his horse's neck. "It was just a bad dream." Zane told him. "That's all."

At least he hoped it was. It seemed that when he had a dream, some or all of it came true. He hoped that wouldn't be the case this time.

"I miss my brothers, Gale." He said to him. "I don't know how they are or what's going on, and it's frustrating that I can't let them know that I'm alright." He sighed.

"I want to go home, but at the same time I can't leave my friends. They need my help."

"I feel like I'm forgetting about my friends in Ninjago. I feel like I'm forgetting who I am."

As Zane sat with Gale and told him everything that was on his mind, the horse listened attentively. Even though Gale couldn't talk, Zane felt like he understood what he was saying. At the end of it all, Zane felt much less troubled being able to actually put into words what was bothering him to someone who wouldn't tell a soul.

"I guess Hailey was right after all." Zane said, flicking a piece of mud from Gale's mane. "Your horse can be your best friend."

Gale swished his tail and rested his head on Zane's shoulder. He gave him a rub.

"Hundarion was right about." He said. "We really are very much compatible."

Gale sniffed Zane's hair before giving his face a big lick. Zane laughed and tussled Gale's mane.

…

"¡Ata los caballos! ¡Reúne combustible para los incendios! ¡Asegúrate de que todo se tenga en cuenta!"

Picazo walked around on his horse, barking orders at his men, with Fernando riding quietly beside him.

The Untamed had been riding through the desert for a few days now. The horses and men needed water and rest. They had stopped at the banks of a river during the night as the outlaws set up camp.

Picazo looked over his shoulder and pointed.

"¡Que alguien venga por el rehén y lo até!" He demanded.

Three of the men stopped what they were doing and walked over to the horse Samuel was tied to. They undid some of his bonds and helped him off the horse and dragged him to the edge of the camp, where they tied him up to a boulder before going back to finishing setting up camp.

Samuel wanted to try and fight against his bonds, but he was too weak. Since the Untamed captured him he had only gotten a few sips of water, and had not eaten. His whole body ached from the saddle, his skin raw from the ropes. His headache from being knocked down and dehydration felt like his skull was splitting open.

He groaned and rested his head against the rock, closing his eyes. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. Wherever they were taking him, he hoped he could at least get out of the sun.

Samuel wondered what would become of him. Would he live to see another day, or will Picazo and his men turn him into food for the buzzards? Would his death be quick, or slow and painful? Would the ranchers pay the ransom, or would they try to free him by force?

He wasn't worried if someone would rescue him or not. Knowing Hailey and Zane, they were probably already on their way to find him. The thing he was worried about, would they get to him in time? What would happen to them if they tried to fight? What if Picazo didn't hold up his end of the deal and was just using the ransom to dupe them into walking right into the range of his gun?

Samuel was snapped out of his thoughts as someone shook his shoulder. He looked up and saw one of the outlaws.

The man untied Samuel's gag and wrists before handing him a plate of beans.

"We need you to stay alive somehow, so here." He growled. He pulled his gun from his holster and pointed it at him. "But don't think for a second about trying anything stupid."

Samuel accepted the plate. Finally free to move a little bit, he stretched his legs before sitting down to eat. On purpose he spilled some of it on the sand. Another clue for the search party to follow later.

"Watch it!" The horse thief snarled. He jabbed Samuel in the chest with his gun. "We hardly have enough grub to last us this trip, much less you!"

"Sorry…" Samuel muttered as he began to eat. He wolfed down the rest of the beans. 'I'm never taking food for granted again.' He thought.

He finished eating and was given half a canteen of water, which he also readily took. At least they weren't trying to make him die of hunger and thirst.

Once he was done, the man tied Samuel's wrists back together.

"Don't forget your place just because we're feeding you. Remember, you're still our hostage, and if those rancher friends of yours don't pay up, we're leaving you for the 'yotes."

Samuel didn't get a chance to respond, because the man had already shoved the gag back in his mouth. He finished tying it and stalked off back to the camp. Tents had been set up, and campfires lit. He could smell food cooking and coffee brewing; the men were eating their evening meals.

Even if he couldn't see clearly, He could make out the shapes of Picazo and his right hand man going into their tent to sleep.

Samuel sighed a breath of relief. At least they wouldn't mess around with him tonight.

As the desert moon climbed higher in the sky and the campfires died out, Samuel did his best to make himself comfortable and sleep. It was all he could do for now.

…

The morning sun peeked over the horizon, shining its golden light on the red sand. Zane woke the others, and they packed up camp and continued on their way to pursue the Untamed.

This was Zane's first full day on the trail. The early morning was pleasantly cool, but it was short lived. Once the sun came up, the heat set in. This wasn't Zane's first time in a desert, he had been in the Sea of Sand many times. But that was a while ago, and he had forgotten how hot it could be.

And the Thundering Badlands were hotter. Sure, the Sea of Sand was hot, but the ocean was nearby, which gave the occasional cool breeze. But the heat here was so dry, it seemed to suck the water from your body.

The search party rode their horses at a slow trot, carefully scanning the trail for clues. The sun beat down on them, making the horses and their riders soaked in sweat. There was almost no shade to take shelter from the heat, and there was no sign of any water source. The potential of danger lurked around every twist and turn, over the top of every hill and any cover at the bottom. You never knew what was there, whether it be an unsuspecting animal or a rogue outlaw about to bushwhack you.

The heat beat on Zane's back. He checked his sensors to get the temperature. Even though his titanium exoskeleton could withstand up to six hundred degrees, the one-hundred-and-twenty degree sunlight made him feel like he was about to melt. And he was a nindroid. He could only imagine how the others felt.

On that thought, he looked over his shoulder. Christopher and Tony seemed okay, but Hailey was slouched in Ranger's saddle, hands barely holding on the reins.

Zane knew that wasn't normal.

"Hailey," he asked. "Are you alright?"

Hailey fell off her horse and hit the ground. The other three gasped and jumped off. Christopher grabbed Ranger's reins. Tony rolled her onto her back just as Zane came rushing over. She was unconscious.

"Hailey?" Zane said, giving her a light shake. "Can you hear me?"

Zane scanned her.

"She's showing signs of heat exhaustion." He said to them. "We need to get her out of the sun and get some fluids in her."

He scooped Hailey up and got back in Gale's saddle. Christopher still held Ranger's reins as he mounted Brandy. Tony got back on Pancho.

Holding Gale's reins with one hand and cradling Hailey with the other, they rode until they finally found a place to get away from the sun: a dead and stunted tree. They stopped and Zane lay Hailey down. They got branches from the bushes nearby and created a canopy by criss-crossing them in the tree, which gave more shade.

Zane propped Hailey's feet with a rock. They gently doused her face with water and fanned her with her hat until she came to.

Hailey groaned and wiped the sweat and water from her eyes with a shaky hand.

"Are you okay?" Christopher asked. Hailey nodded.

"Yeah, I think so…" She mumbled. She tried to sit up but stopped as a pounding headache started. She grunted and clutched her head.

"Easy." Zane told her. "You have heat exhaustion and very possibly dehydration as well. You need rest."

"I'm fine…" She grumbled and tried getting up again. "It's just a stupid headache…"

"You also fell off your horse." Tony said. "You might've hit your head."

"I hit my head all the time…"

Zane grabbed her shoulder and firmly (but gently) pulled her back down. "If you try to return to normal physical activity, you'll only harm yourself further. You need to rest."

"But the horse thieves-" Hailey began, but Zane cut her off.

"Hailey, you are not well enough to ride." He told her firmly. "You need to stay put until you improve."

She growled. "Fine!" she huffed. Zane nodded.

"That's better." he said.

"But the more we sit here the farther they get away!" Hailey argued. "I don't want to be the one holding you guys back from catching those bastards."

"You're not." Christopher told her.

"Besides, think of Samuel." Zane added. "The last thing he wants is something happening to you, and imagine how he would feel if something happened and it was totally preventable if you weren't so difficult."

A look of anger passed across her face.

"Are you calling me bull-headed?" She asked, obviously pissed.

"If that's another way of saying it, then yes." He said with a smile. "It's a good thing to have a strong will, but being too stubborn does more harm than good."

Unable to argue, Hailey let out an angry sigh and crossed her arms. "Whatever…" she said.

Zane handed her a water canteen. "Here." He told her. "You need this."

Hailey took it, but instead of drinking it she got her hat and turned it over. She dumped in some water and whistled for Ranger. The horse came and Hailey held out the hat, allowing Ranger to drink. She drank from the canteen.

"We'll rest until Hailey's physical condition improves, and then we'll carry on." Zane said. The others nodded and they all brought their horses under the shade and gave them some water, as they were also in desperate need of a drink.

Thank you for reading! Make sure to follow, favorite, and review for more updates in the future! Stay safe and healthy!