He was getting close—he knew it. Close to Ochre.

After he'd circled back and snuck into the hanger bay—since he'd realized he didn't even know where to start looking for Ochre—he'd gotten into the computer and did some research. He may not be too tech-savvy, but he'd managed to find out where they'd taken his dog by video footage and some…possibly questionable not-really-hacking-but-it-kinda-was-hacking maneuvers.

Besides, it had been necessary.

Garmadon swallowed, shaking his head as sudden anxiety came over him. He would see Ochre soon. And…he'd be committing theft. But…it was worth it, right?

His jaw clenched. It was. Ochre was his only friend, and the only one he had left.

I will not fail again.

The leaves and sticks crunched softly under his feet, and Garmadon swiped a branch out of his face. The woods were thick here, not like they were closer to the monastery. The moon shown down faintly, barely coming in through the trees. Shadows crawled everywhere, hiding who-knew-what.

Ichor wouldn't come after him…would he?

He was literally sneaking into one of his member's homes.

Garmadon slowed, frowning. It would be fine. It was worth it, anyway. To rescue Ochre. He'd do the same for Lloyd.

Actually, he'd do anything for Lloyd.

He shook his head, focusing back on his mission—save Ochre.

Garmadon continued on, swiping more branches out of his—

He abruptly stopped. A mansion stood in front of him, tall and old looking. It was painted red, three stories tall. The paint was peeling off in places. A tall, black, pointed fence wove around it. To the left of it stood an old brick wall, with a gate in the front connecting to the fence around the house.

Garmadon blinked, hesitating. His eye scanned the place, searching for any sign of Ochre. The dog would most likely be—

Inside the gate and between the house and the brick wall, he could just barely make out…kennels?

He frowned.

Ochre—

Garmadon glanced at the mansion, but seeing no one, he ducked into the safety of the trees, and headed for the kennels.

The woods almost hugged the mansion, closing in like it was choking it. Apparently, Macario really didn't like visitors. Or just didn't like people. Or just liked his solitude a lot… Any of it could be it. Or all of it.

Garmadon slowed when he neared the black gate, then glanced at the fence connected to it's side and the mansion's. Once he left the woods…he would be in sight for any guards.

He swallowed. This was for Ochre. He could do this.

Garmadon took a breath, eye scanning between the wall and mansion again, now that he could see inside more clearly. The kennels lined the wall, and he could now see that there was another, skinnier brick wall between the mansion and the kennels. The larger brick wall sat on the other side of the kennels, facing them.

He slowly walked towards the gate, glancing up at the mansion's side windows. He tried to keep low, and to the shadows. He did not want to be caught.

That…would be really bad. They would give him over to Ichor. He knew it.

He took another breath, reaching the gate. It was padlocked, he noticed. He frowned, taking the lock in his hands and looking it over. There was no way he could get this undone…

He looked at the gate, but it would be difficult to climb over it. Especially with only one rung for footing, and the top points being sharp and spike-like.

And…he probably wanted to sneak in the side, anyway. Not through the front.

Wow, was he out of practice… What am I doing? Having once been one of Ninjago's most powerful villains, he really should have thought this out and not be blundering around like a newbie. Like one of those pesky, incredibly stupid minions who—

Garmadon quickly cut himself off. Focus! He really did have bad focus, apparently…

He left the padlocked gate, instead going to the side of the brick wall. He walked for about five feet, then looked up at it. It was only about seven feet, he would guess… I can climb that.

He set his hand on the wall, feeling the rough bricks underneath his palm. He frowned, then took a step back, looking at the top. He tensed, then leaped towards the—

Garmadon winced, almost crying out in pain as his leg throbbed. Ow, ow, ow… He should have thought that through—

He barely had managed to catch the rim of the wall, though he was only about a foot or so off the ground, thankfully. So he wouldn't break something if he fell…hopefully.

Garmadon winced at the strain put on his still-broken arm—though it had been healing slowly since Ichor had broken it, so he could use it well enough. He pulled himself up, wincing and clenching his teeth.

He managed to make it onto the wall, and he crouched low, eye quickly scanning the kennels.

There—a black, curled dog lay at the corner of one. It was almost out of sight, but he would recognize Ochre anywhere. The amount of excitement and relief he felt almost overwhelmed him, and he had to bite his lip hard and blink to avoid breaking down then and there.

Garmadon crept along the wall, eyeing the windows of the mansion every few feet. He stopped when he was across from Ochre. He glanced at the other kennels, noting the other dogs. A few looked to be wolf-dogs, like Ochre, but were bigger. Others seemed to be ordinary dogs. Though there was another that looked remarkably similar to Ochre…

He shook his head, then hopped down lightly—

Garmadon almost collapsed, and had to steady himself against the wall as his leg screamed at him. He winced, gaze going to Ochre.

Almost there. Almost there…

He limped over, slowly. When he reached Ochre's kennel, he fiddled with the padlock. Not another… He didn't have a way to break this, or unlock it, for that matter…

But…

He frowned. He quickly pulled off his glove, eyeing the wires and metal. Then he used his other hand, feeling around. He found his wrist had some metal parts…he pulled something out. His hand immediately glitched, sparking a bit. Garmadon grit his teeth, holding his wrist tightly.

He hadn't expected that to hurt. Though of course Ichor would make sure he felt pain, anyway.

Garmadon shook his head, then slipped the metal piece into the lock. After a few minutes, it made a satisfying click. He quickly slipped the metal back into his wrist, testing it to make sure he hadn't broken it. He didn't, it seemed. His hand moved fine again.

Then he slipped his glove back on, glancing at Ochre as he did the straps to keep it in place.

Garmadon then cautiously opened the door to the fence. It made a quiet squeak, and he cringed. "Ochre…?" he whispered.

The dog's head shot up at the sound, and then his ears pricked and eyes widened when he saw him. Ochre sprang to his paw, bolting towards him—

Then the dog was snapped back. Ochre yelped, then whined, pawing at the air.

Garmadon quickly slipped into the pen, noting the rope around his dog's neck. He blinked rapidly, falling to his knees when he neared him, and wrapped his arms around Ochre's neck. The dog shook with excitement and tried to lick his face.

Garmadon smiled, squeezing him tighter and sinking his fingers into his thick, soft fur. "It's okay…I said I'd never give up on you, that I'd never abandon you again, never leave you…" He shut his eye, taking a breath. It was okay. He had his dog again.

Ochre whined, trembling.

"It's okay…" Garmadon sucked in a breath, pulling away. He looked into the dog's eyes, rubbing the sides of his head. "We should get out of—"

Ochre suddenly jerked away, letting out a sharp bark. His tail tucked as he stared at something behind him.

Garmadon frowned, alarm coming over him. He whipped around—

Crack!

The metal pole hit him hard, and the man scowled down at him as he collapsed. "An intruder, hmm? Mr. Dommick will not be happy about this, no…" The man shook his head.

Garmadon blinked, his vision spinning.

Ochre—

His eye shut as he succumbed to the void of unconsciousness, and everything faded to black.