On a rocky path in the middle of a forest, the young Earth Elemental yelped as a brilliant flash of lightning seemed to split the stormy sky in two. A roll of thunder heard the lightning's cry and answered with its own earthshattering roar, piercing the sense-dulling drone of the torrents barreling down all around Cole as he struggled through the squall that had taken him by surprise in the middle of his quest. It hadn't been more than a day since he'd gone chasing after the strange glowing orb of light that had found him in the Land of Lost Things, calling his name in a voice he had once forgotten—the voice of Master Wu. Believing that his former sensei was calling to him from some unknown world, he had followed the orb—only to find himself lost in the middle of a forest, wandering around for hours on end before he was suddenly greeted by the worst thunderstorm he had ever remembered seeing.
Cole wrapped his arms tightly around his body, shivering from the biting wind and pouring rain. His gi stuck to his skin like glue, and the scar on his forehead—the one that had faded from sight years before—burned like wildfire. He'd never done well with storms after his transformation—though, to be fair, he was thankful he could now go out in the rain without having to worry about being disintegrated. Still, why did he have to be the one caught in the storm in the first place? Not even Kai was as terrified by storms as he was. Especially thunderstorms. To be fair, though, he was all too glad that his feet were still on solid ground.
Being an Earth Elemental, he always felt safer knowing that there was solid earth underneath his feet. Sure, he wouldn't hesitate to climb a mountain every now and then, or to ride on the back of a dragon. But he always felt more grounded when he could feel nice, hard-packed soil underneath his feet as he trod over rocks and roots in his path.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as another flash of lightning boomed overhead. It sounded even closer this time. Then there came another, and it was definitely closer. He could feel his panic rising more by the minute. By the time a fourth crash had ensued, there was only one thought in his mind now.
Run!
Biting back a scream, he bolted through the forest, leaping over fallen trees and clumps of ferns and brush in a desperate attempt to get to shelter. So fearful was he that he did not realize he was heading straight for an open meadow. And by the time that he skidded to a stop at the forest's edge, it was too late for him to turn back. A stray lightning bolt struck a tree behind him, and he whirled around to see it fall in a cloud of flame. The fire quickly spread, as he slowly backed away from the flames, trembling in fear. In a matter of moments, his escape was completely cut off. Only then did he realize that he was completely unsheltered from both the gale-force winds and the deadly lightning strikes that tore through the sky above. To make matters worse, he looked up to see that right above him was the very epicenter of the storm. Another lightning strike sounded, but this time it was different. This time, the Earth Ninja heard words in that bolt of lightning.
Beware the Flame of Liara.
The Flame of Liara? he wondered to himself. But he had no time to contemplate the words or their meaning before another lightning bolt struck. Any courage he had left was instantly shattered, and he made a break for it. All around him more and more lightning bolts struck. But these were somehow different. Amidst their normal crash was a strange hum, and when one struck the ground almost right in front of him, he suddenly saw that it was golden in color. Wait, golden lightning?!
And then it happened. His vision suddenly was consumed by a golden light, and a sudden stream of electricity surged through his veins as a lightning bolt struck him directly. A sudden dizziness greeted him, and a strange sense of drowsiness overwhelmed him as he suddenly crumpled to the ground.
The last thing he heard before losing consciousness were the words he had heard before.
Beware the Flame of Liara.
The Earth Ninja let out a soft groan as his vision slowly came back into focus. He was laying on his side in the middle of a field of swaying golden-tan grass stalks. His clothes were surprisingly nice and dry, and a warm breeze blew over the field, caressing him in a gentle embrace. For a few moments, he just lay there with his eyes closed, a contented smile on his face. He wished this moment could go on forever…but at the same time, he knew it couldn't last. Slowly and reluctantly, he sat up with a small grunt. As he gazed upward at the sky above, he smiled as he spotted a silver-and-white kestrel soaring through the air. Then his expression changed as he wondered what exactly had happened to him. His scar no longer hurt him, but he felt…different somehow. Like that golden bolt of lightning had somehow changed him.
It took him several moments for him to realize just how, though.
The first thing he noticed was that his hands were a lot…smaller than they used to be. His legs, too—they looked like they were half the size. Then he gasped as he realized that they actually were half the size they were before. Then he gasped again, as he realized that his vocal pitch was now at least one octave higher than before.
"I'm…I'm a KID!" he suddenly shrieked. His breathing grew shallow, and he clapped his hands to his head in shock, his mind reeling in panic as he realized the gravity of his situation. If he had been turned into a kid, how would he be able to change back? There wasn't any Tomorrow's Tea to help him this time—and even if there had been, that stuff was definitely more trouble than it was worth.
Okay, okay, Cole, he told himself. You've gotta calm down. Remember your training. Remember your Virtue. Focus—stay calm. Focus—stay calm. Within minutes, he had successfully calmed down to the point where he could look at the situation in tranquility—and not panic.
"Okay." he thought aloud. "Let's think this through. I'm stranded in the middle of a field, and for some reason, I've been de-aged into an…um…" He quickly took a look at himself and guessed, "An eight-year-old. But maybe, if I can get to a village, I can figure out how I got here in the first place and how to get back." Satisfied with his plan, he stood up and stretched before he started walking towards the edge of a nearby forest.
(At least he hadn't been dumped in the Underworld or smack in the middle of the Never-Realm, he mused.)
But when he got to the forest, his fear spiked again as he seemed to hear low growls and bone-chilling shrieks coming from within it. He gulped before nervously tiptoeing into it. The trees seemed like monsters to him, just waiting to grab him and swallow him whole. He shuddered at every little wind that rattled the branches above him and jumped at every little scratch and skitter his ears could pick up. The only thing that kept him from turning tail, screaming his head off all the way, was the hope that he could find a stream or creek or something in the middle of these woods. Running water always led to civilization in his experience. He was so consumed with trying to keep his panic under control that he didn't even see the branch right in front of him until it smacked him right across the face.
"Dumb place to plant a tree!" he yelled, much louder than he should have. For it was in that moment that he heard a low growl behind him. He slowly turned to see that right behind him was an angry Grizzlewolf. And while most wolves wouldn't attack humans, this one was definitely desperate enough. To the wolf, who was so thin Cole could count each and every rib the beast had, the little Earth Ninja was nice, plump, and ripe for the taking. One snarl was all Cole needed for first his mind and then his legs to respond.
"W'uh-oh!" he exclaimed—before bolting away with a shrill shriek. He scurried through the trees as quickly as he could, but Grizzlewolves were swift and could run for hours. To make matters worse, Cole's little legs weren't cooperating with him—he could only run half as fast as when he was his normal age. As the Grizzlewolf got so close Cole could feel its hot, steamy breath on the back of his neck, he clawed at his head in frustration, shouting, "I HATE BEING SMALL!"
He burst out of the forest, not stopping even to catch his breath, with the Grizzlewolf in hot pursuit. Any hope that the wolf would stay in the forest vanished in the blink of an eye, as the starved yet burly creature quickened its pace. Cole's constant running finally caught up with him, and he struggled with an overwhelming sense of dizziness as his breaths grew incredibly short and strangled. He really should have thought to pack his inhaler, but he kept forgetting to do so since as an Earth Ninja, he didn't need it all that much. However, this was just one of the days where his asthma simply acted up more than usual. His vision suddenly grew blurry, and his hearing dulled right before he tripped over a rock. "WAH! I'm lunch!" he breathily shrieked as the wolf gained on him. He covered his face with his hands, sure that this was the end.
Suddenly, a golden Spinjitzu tornado zipped in front of little Cole and conked the wolf smack in the snout. It flew a few feet away from him and lay still, dead to the world. Then a hand clamped down on Cole's wrist, and instantly he felt a warm, cozy tingling coursing through his veins as oxygen finally reached his lungs. His blurry vision cleared, and he gazed up to see a blond-haired boy standing beside him, his eyes closed and his brows furrowed together in sheer concentration. When the older boy opened his eyes, panting a bit from using so much of his power, he exclaimed, "You okay, kid?"
"Ye-ye-yeah." Cole stammered, his heart continuing to pound with fear even though breath was coming more easily. The boy pulled Cole to his feet, just as a low, angry growl greeted their ears, and the Grizzlewolf raised its head lethargically.
"Run?" Cole asked.
"Run." the boy replied—before the two of them took off like lightning. Cole's legs burned as he rushed to get away from the now very angry Grizzlewolf that was, quite frankly, hot on his and his companion's heels. His breathing quickened again, and he trembled as he struggled to keep his asthma under control. Fortunately, the energy that had coursed through his veins just seconds ago was gradually making it easier for him to run without suffocating. But he was quickly falling behind, as his rescuer's strides easily made up two of his own.
Then—oh, joy!—he looked up to see a great big apple tree not more than ten feet away from him. There was another dark-auburn-haired boy perched on one of the lower branches. Throwing common sense to the wind, the Earth Ninja shouted, "Help! Grizzlewolf!" His panting grew even worse by the minute, and he risked a glance behind him to see that the wolf was gaining on him and his companion. "Gri—Grizzlewolf!" he shouted again.
"Guys! Up here!" the boy in the tree shouted, waving one arm frantically. His voice sounded familiar, somehow, but Cole shook his curiosity away as he stampeded towards the tree. His rescuer clambered up the tree first, with Cole hot on his heels. In that moment, the little Earth Elemental could almost hear Lloyd saying, "You're the Master of Earth, Cole. You don't belong in trees. Your feet should be on the ground."
Not this time, Lloyd, Cole thought to himself, squeezing his eyes shut before jumping with all his might. His eyes flew open as the blond-haired boy caught one arm and the dark-haired boy caught the other. Then they both yanked Cole up onto the limb, just as the Grizzlewolf leaped and snapped at his heels.
Dizziness clouded Cole's vision again, and the blond transferred some of his energy to him a second time—a smaller amount this time, but enough that Cole's breathing grew less frantic and his heart rate dropped back to normal. His vision cleared a second later, and he gazed at the two boys gratefully as the Grizzlewolf clawed and scratched at the bark of the tree in a futile attempt to get at the three.
"Tha-tha-thanks." he stammered. "If you two hadn't helped me when you did, I would have been that wolf's LUNCH!"
"Well, we're not out of the woods yet." the blond spoke. "Grizzlewolves may not climb trees, but they are notorious for staying alert much longer than humans can. And this one's plan is probably to keep us up here until we fall asleep and—"
"And drop right into its mouth?" Cole guessed, shivering with fear.
"Pretty much." the boy replied. Then the auburn-haired boy spoke. "You know, I think that Grizzlewolf likes you."
"WHAT?!" Cole shrieked, his eyes wide with horror.
"Well, likes the taste of you anyway." Cole simply shuddered, not liking the joke at all. "Yikes!" he whisper-yelled. "We could be stuck up here for the rest of our lives!"
"What we need," the blond spoke again, "is a way to get that wolf far away from the tree so we can climb down."
"Leave that to me. Nothing a little taste of my power blasts can't fix." the auburn replied. What it just Cole, or did his eyes suddenly glow red for a few seconds? His hands lit up with a purplish-black light, and he was just about to blast the wolf with his own powers when the blond reached across Cole, grabbed the auburn's arm, and yanked it back. The glow of both his eyes and hands faded instantly as the blond said, "Whoa, hold up! Do you know how much trouble we'll be in if we're spotted?"
"More trouble than being trapped in a tree by a Grizzlewolf?!"
"Hate to break it to you," Cole added, "but he raises a good point."
"Maybe we should try something else." the blond suggested. "Maybe we can lure it away with one of these apples?"
"I thought Grizzlewolves didn't eat apples." the auburn replied.
"It's worth a try." the blond answered before reaching up and twisting an apple off of its branch. He then flung the apple as hard as he could away from the tree—and was disappointed to find that it only landed a few feet away. The Grizzlewolf, to the three's surprise, gobbled up the apple almost immediately before turning back to the tree.
"Let me try." the auburn exclaimed. He twisted another apple off of a nearby branch and threw it as hard as he could. The second attempt was just as futile as the first. The wolf gobbled it up and then turned back to the tree. Then Cole got an idea of his own. He turned to the auburn-haired boy and said, "Hey, give me a boost!"
"What for?"
"Just do it!" Cole answered, before plucking his own apple. He clambered onto the auburn's shoulder and tossed the apple straight up in the air as far as he could. Realizing what Cole was up to, the auburn boosted him up into the air before Cole used his Earth Punch to shoot the apple far, far away. The Grizzlewolf, hungry as it was, immediately went chasing after it. Cole came back down and grabbed an upper limb of the tree before dropping back down to where the other two were.
"Whoa, how did you do that?" the blond asked.
"I'll explain later." Cole exclaimed, before saying, "Come on. Let's get down from here."
"And…now!" the auburn spoke before all three of them jumped down simultaneously from the tree and immediately broke into a run. It was clear that none of them ever wanted to see that Grizzlewolf again. After running for several minutes, the blond-haired boy suddenly exclaimed, amidst exhausted gasps, "I think…we may…be far enough away…from that…Grizzlewolf…to stop…for a rest."
Cole crumpled to the ground gratefully, panting with exhaustion and clutching his side. All that running had given him a severely painful stitch, and his feet were so sore they felt like they were going to fall off. After catching his breath, he turned his face towards the two boys and exclaimed, "Thanks again for rescuing me."
"No problem." the auburn replied, before the blond followed him up with, "That's what we do best."
Panting gratefully, Cole nodded before scrunching up his face and asking, "So how did you find me, anyway?"
At that, the auburn winced, while the blond scratched the back of his neck self-consciously and stated nervously, "Um, that's kind of a long story. First things first, though—what's your name?"
"Cole. Cole Brookstone." the young Earth Ninja replied. At that very moment, a sudden feeling of uneasy curiosity gnawed at him, as if he recognized both of his companions from somewhere but couldn't exactly pinpoint where. A question flew into his mind, a question that, in all his fright over the Grizzlewolf, he had completely forgotten about. He wondered if he dared to ask it now…but he had to know. Struggling to keep his voice steady, he asked, "What about you two? What are your names?"
The blond cleared his throat before answering, "Oh, um, I'm Wu, and this is my brother, Garmadon."
Wu? Garmadon? What? That—that can't be right! It's impossible! Cole could suddenly feel a strange fluttering inside his stomach, and he was beginning to feel strangely lightheaded. His vision started to blur as he thought he could faintly hear the voice of the auburn—Garmadon—saying, "Um, Wu, is Cole okay? He's looking a little woozy."
And then even that was suddenly drowned out as Cole's eyelids flickered shut, the embrace of drowsy darkness gently pulling him under as he felt himself falling backwards onto the grass…