Hey guys! This is the first chapter to a long ninjago fanfiction. I was just messing around with ideas and wanted to do something interesting that would catch a reader's eye. So this came to mind. Keep in mind, things will get confusing and it might be hard to keep up. And there are some unrealistic elements in this story. This is my first long ninjago fanfiction so I hope you guys enjoy it!

With all that said, here's chapter 1.

"I just can't stop thinking about that time when you set Cole's brand-new car on fire," Nya giggled.

"Yeah, and remember that time when you flooded the apartment?" Jay laughed, slapping his thighs hysterically.

Nya and Jay were leisurely strolling through the forest, casually reflecting on old times and having a good laugh. Today was the ninjas' day off so everyone was taking advantage of it.

The sun was high in the sky and rays of sunlight beat down through the trees leaves and branches and onto the forest floor, leaving silhouetted shapes strewn across the ground. As they were walking and talking, Nya noticed a young boy, probably around ten or eleven years old, sitting on a stump, glaring very intently at something in the bushes. He was dressed in a gray short sleeve and jeans held up by a brown leather belt around his waist. He had black sneakers and untidy dirty blonde hair with bright emerald green eyes and pale skin.

Nya tapped Jay's shoulder. Jay turned to see what she was pointing at.

Confused, he asked, "Hey, there."

The boy whipped around, surprised by their presence. He looked somewhat scared.

"Hey, it's okay," Nya said reassuringly, taking a step closer. The boy instinctively took a step back, his eyes darting between Nya and Jay.

Nya stopped and knelt down. "Hey, there," she said quietly, so as not to scare the boy. "What's your name?"

The boy seemed to relax a little, but his eyes still shone with fear. He looked as if he didn't trust Nya and Jay. It was reasonable, considering they were total strangers to him. "Ch-Chase."

"Hi, Chase," Jay said softly, bending down next to Nya. "Are you out here alone?"

Chase nodded.

"Where are your parents?" Nya asked.

"They're…they're dead. They died when I was a baby."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Nya whispered, feeling sorrow for the young boy. "Have you been on your own all this time?"

"Pretty much. I was sent to an orphanage when they died, but I escaped five years ago, when I was six. Now I'm eleven."

"Wow. Where do you live? How have you been living on your own all this time?" Jay asked, genuinely intrigued.

"I move around a lot. Build shelters. Drink water from rivers and streams. Catch my own food."

"How?"

"With this." Chase pulled something from his belt and spun it smoothly on his fingers. It was a knife. He flicked the knife up in the air and caught it firmly on the handle. It was sharp and clean with a serrated edge that could kill with one stab. The knife glinted in the sunlight, as if to show off its beauty and terror.

"Woah. You must have pretty good aim, kid," Jay said.

"Oh, I do." Without a moment's hesitation, he whirled around and flung the knife into a tree. He went to get it and came down with the knife. And the knife had an apple, perfectly speared through the center.

Both Jay and Nya's eyes widened in surprise. "You weren't joking when you said you have good aim."

"Yeah. That's how I catch my food. I cook it over a fire. Easy. After living out here that long, you get used to it."

"But somehow, you don't really look like you've been in the wild all that long," Nya stated, her eyes searching him from head to toe.

"Well, I have some friends. I stay at their places sometimes. They give me new clothes and also some food. And I take showers there so I don't look the most wild."

Nya nudged Jay's arm and indicated that she wanted to talk. They turned away and started speaking in hushed voices.

"I think that we should take Chase to the bounty. Show him around. Give him a nice meal. Maybe he can stay the night," Nya said.

"Yeah, that seems like a good idea. Maybe we can get to know him better," Jay replied, glancing at Chase, who was now eating the apple he had caught with his knife.

"Let's ask him." They turned around. Chase looked up. "So, we were wondering if you might like to see our place. It's not far from here. Maybe you could get a look around, get a nice meal, maybe stay the night. If you're up for it," Nya said.

Chase's face lit up. "I would love that! I haven't gotten a nice place to sleep in so long. And it's been a while since I got a hot meal. That'd be great."

"Sounds like a plan. Just to warn you, there are others who live with us. Our friends, my brother. And our sensei."

"Sensei?"

"You'll see."

On the way to the bounty, the three exchanged stories and memories with each other. Once Chase got to know Jay and Nya, he opened up and was much more talkative. And it turned out he had some pretty funny stories to share.

One time, when he was just starting to use his knife, he had thrown it at a bear. The bear had risen on its hind legs and had hit the knife with its paw. The knife had cut through the air, heading towards Chase. He had ducked and the knife had landed clean in an apple on the tree behind him.

As the trio were sharing stories, they came to the edge of the forest and into a grassy clearing dotted with daisies. Up ahead, sitting proudly on a tall rocky ledge, was Destiny's Bounty, their flying ninja ship, and their home.

"See that ship-like building up ahead?" Jay asked. Chase nodded. "That's where we're heading."

Chase's jaw dropped. "That place? It looks awesome! Wait, how's it up there? It looks like a ship."

"You'll see," Nya said again, enjoying the elated look on Chase's face.

Together, they climbed the rocks until they reached the massive ship that stood at the top. To Chase, it looked even more magnificent close up.

Jay lowered a ladder and allowed Nya and Chase to climb up first, following close behind them. It seemed as if Kai, Cole, and Lloyd were playing video games, of course. The smell of grilled chicken reached them, meaning Zane was hard at work cooking a lovely dinner for tonight.

"Hey, guys!" Nya yelled towards the indoors section of the bounty.

"What?" they heard Kai's muffled yell come from the TV room.

"We have a visitor!"

Immediately, three pairs of footsteps came running out the door. They all looked surprised and confused as to why there was a kid in the bounty.

"Who's this?" Zane asked, cocking his head to the side.

"This is Chase," Nya introduced Chase, who was looking down at the floor shyly.

"Huh. Hi, Chase. I'm Kai.," Kai said, giving Chase a friendly wave.

"He kind of reminds me of Lloyd when he was a kid," Cole said, ruffling the top of Lloyd's blonde hair. "Hey!" Lloyd protested, shoving Cole away. "I'm Lloyd, and this is Cole." He pointed at Cole with an annoyed look. Cole grinned.

"Hello, Chase. Welcome. I am Zane." Zane smiled, holding out a hand to shake. Chase shook it softly, still feeling shy around the ninja. "Hi, guys," Chase murmured weakly, staring at his feet.

They heard the soft thumping of someone else coming down the hallway. The door burst open, and out came Sensei Wu, with his long beard and mustache, and his trusty old sensei's hat.

"Hello, Chase. I've been expecting you," Sensei Wu said in his old wise voice, bowing slightly.

"H-how did you know my name?" Chase stammered, eyes confused and darting wildly around all the ninja.

Sensei Wu grinned, long beard swaying in the wind. "Welcome…to Destiny's Bounty."

Thanks for reading! This is only the first chapter, more will be coming soon. Don't worry, this story will get more interesting in the next few chapters, I just need to introduce the characters and setting first. Expect more in about a week. I might post a little sooner or later, depending on my schedule. Hope you enjoyed it! See ya in the next one.

zaraduck6 :)