"And you're sure your Mom won't change her mind?"

Lloyd barely bit back a snarky remark or an eye roll as Nya asked him the same question again. It had only been a day since Misako threw Garmaddon and Skylor out and the pack had been frantically looking for new accommodations and quick. Yes, Skylor and Garmaddon were used to living out in the wild, but if they wanted her to recover and avoid an infection fully, it was better for them to stay in a house.

Unfortunately, they didn't have a lot of options. Cole's dad refused to have them in his home to avoid any more 'werewolf drama' as he put it. Harumi, Morro, and Pixal couldn't invite them to their homes without having to answer any unwanted questions. The girls did offer to put them up in a hotel, but Kai had been the one to point out that their parents might get suspicious about the money they would have to spend on a hotel room for who knows how long. Jay suggested his parents junkyard but there was the risk of infection. Kai and Nya's parents weren't unsympathetic but concerned for their children's safety, especially when they heard about the poaching. Zane would have offered one of the rooms at his house, but right before Misako threw them out, Dr. Julien had invited a few of his colleagues over for the week; unfortunately, they were all human.

The two wild werewolves were almost hopeless before Garmaddon suddenly had an idea.

Deep in the forest, even further out than Zane's home, was an old house that used to be owned by a local lunatic. He was known as Joseph "Old Man" Finnegan. He was a crazy old man who lived completely off the grid and was constantly babbling on about how a monster stole his wife in the middle of the night, how the evil government had covered it up, how they were putting mind-controlling minerals in the water, and so on whenever he came into town for supplies. In their youth, Garmaddon and Wu constantly visited his property and messed with him.

Old Man Finnegan died before Lloyd was born and to this day those that knew of him were certain that he had murdered his wife almost fifty years ago before burying her in the woods and then he went mad with guilt. No one knows what happened to his wife, but it hardly mattered now and it was more like a local legend to share over a campfire.

"Yes, I'm sure." Lloyd sighed as they followed Garmaddon to where Old Man Finnegan's house was supposed to be. They had been walking for two hours now and Skylor was in agony, but she refused to show it. Lloyd and Nya saw it and it frustrated them that they couldn't do anything to help her. "How much further Dad?"

"Shouldn't be far now." He promised and sure enough not even three minutes later they rounded the corner on the trail and there it was.

The house was a sight. A chain link fence blocked the road, but a section was bent - Garmaddon recognized it from when he and his brother would hop the fence in their youth. Using some boltcutters he borrowed from Jay, Lloyd cut away the padlock and chain. They stepped inside and almost immediately saw the house. It had seen better days. The residence had been abandoned for an estimated twenty years and had not been cared for since the death of Old Man Finnegan.

The exterior of the home was surrounded by a forest, where even from far away they could see the crooked watchtower. There were two pathways to the home: a long cliffside road to the garage and a short path through the forest. They choose to walk the cliffside road to make it easier for Skylor. Just beyond the mailbox was an older metal gate to prevent trespassing, along with a sign warning of video surveillance and boobytraps, which they easily avoided. The forest was dotted with ponds filled with frogs and ample trees for lumber - several of the trees closest to the house had been cut down, leaving stumps. There was a wooden car shelter at the end of the driveway, with stacks of firewood and a basketball hoop. To the far right of the house was a pond where the remnants of a slide lay. There were ample steps leading up to the front porch, with a ramp retrofitted on the side. The was old and had become discolored by years of abuse from the elements.

"You kids wait here and I'll make sure that it's safe," Garmaddon told them and started looking for a way in. Surprisingly, even though he and his brother would come around here all the times before and after Old Man Finnegan had died neither of them had tried to get inside the house. Since the front door was locked, Garmaddon entered the house through the garage, where a rusty station wagon was parked, partly covered by a sheet. The garage was also used for storage, with a small workbench and dozens of projects still only half finished. Noticing a light switch he flicked it and was surprised when the lights came on. He was a little confused as to why but then he remembered all the solar panels Old Man Finnegan had installed so he could live off the grid.

Garmaddon continued through into the rest of the house. The first floor consisted of a kitchen, dining room, living room, and study. The kitchen was filled with canned food and leftover Chinese. Garmaddon turned on the tap and yep, sure enough, they also had running water. The dining room was still in the way Old Man Finnegan left it, including a broken dish, spilled wine, and rotting leftover food. In the living room, a picture of an old castle was displayed on the mantel of a fireplace made of old red bricks. When Garmaddon walked into the study it looked more like a security office with TV monitors projecting videos from the security cameras surrounding the property. He could see the kids sitting on a log outside and talking, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. This would be useful as they didn't want any unwanted visitors.

The second floor consisted of four bedrooms and one bathroom. Each bedroom was mostly empty besides a bed, a dresser, and layers of dust. A balcony overlooked the living room on the first floor and there was a set of stairs leading to the attic and the watchtower. He investigated the watchtower and it was more like a radio tower with all the equipment and speakers and listening devices lying around. Despite being abandoned for such a time, the residence was structurally sound. Besides the dust, it had a clean, untouched interior, and was safe to walk through.

Satisfied, Garmaddon headed for the front door and broke the lock, allowing the kids to come inside.

"Could do with a clean." Nya coughed as she breathed in a cloud of dust.

"It's fine, we're only staying here for a few more weeks." Skylor dismissed as she finally sat down and sighed in relief, only to start hacking when she also got a lungful of the dust. "Ok *cough* maybe a *cough* *cough* little dusting wouldn't hurt?"...

Misako hummed a little tune to herself as she went about her household chores in a weak attempt to distract herself. Lloyd hadn't spoken to her in the last two days since she had thrown Garmadon and Skylor out. When she tried to talk to him, he would ask for it to be silent or that he didn't feel like talking right now. When she asked him what he wanted to eat, he would physically move her aside and fix his meals for himself as well as clean his clothing. When she tried to soften him up and understand that she meant well, the teen ignored her and listened to music or watched videos online. It felt just awful to bear. Misako was at least grateful that the teen was willing to have small talk with his uncle, but anything other than that he had either stayed in his room or out with his friends. It hurt to be shut off like this, but she was willing to sit back and let him have his space. She knew more than enough about a rebelling teen phase, she just didn't believe that someone like Lloyd could even get those.

It didn't matter at the end of the day; she knew she was in the right.

She was a mother looking out for her son and one day Lloyd would thank her for it. He was still a child and didn't understand that this was for the best. Garmadon and his way of life was toxic and it was only a matter of time before he poisoned their lives. Just look at Skylor for evidence. If she had been like them and not living like a wild animal then she wouldn't have been shot and almost killed.

As she was passing his room she noticed he was inside. Normally, she would have kept walking but she stopped when she saw he was packing a suitcase.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked as she barged in.

"Just bringing some stuff for Skylor while she recovers." He growled, not bothering to look at her. Misako looked into the suitcase and saw that it was filled with a few jackets and comic books.

"Aren't they going to get ruined by the elements?"

"No, they're staying in a house."

This caught Misako's attention. "What? Where?" She asked, because as far as she knew Garmadon would rather chew off his leg than live under a bus shelter roof, never mind a house roof.

"They're staying at Old Man Finnegan's place." He replied but then Misako did something he didn't expect. She burst out laughing like he had just said the funniest joke ever told. "What's so funny?"

"What's funny is that first Garmadon kills Mr. Finnegan, now he's staying in his house."

"What?" Lloyd gasped and Misako's face dropped when she realized what she said.

"Forget it; look, just leave him and Skylor to their own devices." She sighed and began to leave. "They're used to living like animals."...

Alright, Skylor had to admit it, living in a house wasn't so bad. It was warm and safe and the bed was comfy. For a hermit living in the middle of nowhere, Finnegan had great taste in interior decorating. Not that she would have much experience in that area. The only homes she had ever had were either outdoors or in an abandoned caravan. With all the animal skins and bones scattered around as decorations and furniture and the mounted animal heads on the wall, Skylor felt right at home. Her friends were also helping them clean it up.

Cole, Kai, and Morro were sweeping away the dust and cleaning whatever the girls told them to do. Harumi and Pixal were ordering whatever replacements were needed for the broken furniture and were filling the kitchen with plenty of food. Jay and Nya had taken it upon themselves to inspect the plumbing and wiring throughout the whole house. Skylor and Garmadon had enough problems without having to worry about drinking dirty water or being electrocuted to death. Thankfully Old Man Finnegan was smart enough to make sure this place was built to last forever and even after all these years without care, everything was working just fine. After the kitchen was given the all-clear Zane started cooking a great meal for everyone after they finished fixing up the house.

As everyone was doing their own thing, Skylor decided to head outside to get some fresh air. She sat on the front steps and enjoyed the lovely scenery. This old place was coming along quite nicely. Even though she knew they would be returning to the wild in a few weeks it was nice to see this house becoming a temporary home. She might be sorry to leave this place. She laughed lightly as she heard the twins arguing about paint inside. Kai wanted to paint the walls red, and Nya wanted blue, but Zane tried to explain that there was no need to change the walls or anything.

Skylor couldn't help but sigh as she thought about her friends.

She didn't miss much from here when she returned to the wild pack aside from her friends. Back home she was either feared, respected, or hated. Some of her pack saw her as a God, being their alpha, and would willing to drop dead if she told them to. Others still saw her as her father's daughter; someone who would kill them on a whim. Others, however, hated her as she was different from what they were used to. Skylor wasn't sure which she hated most. But Lloyd and the others didn't act like that with her. They didn't see her as above them or beneath them; they saw her as an equal.

As if he was psychic, Kai suddenly came outside and saw her sitting on the steps.

"Hey, what you doing out here?"

"Just getting some air." She replied as he sat next to her. "So who won?"

"It was a tie, don't worry though, I'll even the score later." He shrugged. "I supposed this is one of the benefits of living in the wild; I'd kill for a view like this." He took a deep breath of the fresh air and turned to Skylor to get her opinion, only to frown when he saw she had tears in her eyes. "What's up?"

"I don't know." She sniffed, furiously wiping at her face.

"Do you want to go back home?"

"No? Yes? I don't know!" She exclaimed, close to sobbing now. "I love living here and having friends and not having everyone looking over my shoulder, expecting me to have all the answers, and then mocking me when the slightest thing goes wrong."

"Then why go back there if you're miserable?"

"Because whether I'm happy or not doesn't matter." She sighed sadly, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "I was born a wild werewolf, I will always be wild at heart and I have to lead my pack even if duty means doing things you're heart might regret." Her voice cracked and she almost started crying again before Kai suddenly put his arms around her in some kind of awkward side hug, which she eventually returned.

"Yeah, well, just remember you have a pack here that will always love and support you." He promised and after a few minutes, they split up. "Cole's got some tickets for this concert next week, I can see if you can come, might cheer you up?"

"Thanks, Kai, but I think I'll have to pass." She smiled before they suddenly heard footsteps running toward them. The pair looked up and saw Lloyd running up the steps. He was panting heavily and drenched in sweat. "Lloyd? What's wrong?"

"Where's my Dad?"

"I think he's up in the tower." She replied but she hadn't been able to finish her sentence before he pushed past them and into the house. Kai almost followed him, but something told him that this was something he should avoid. The others seemed to have gotten the same feeling because none of them dared approach Lloyd as he stormed through the house, not that he even noticed. There was too much swirling around in his mind right now and there was only one person who could give him answers. He burst into the tower and saw Garmadon sitting at the desk fiddling with the radio.

"Oh hello Lloyd, I wasn't expecting you so soon." He smiled when he saw his son. That is until he saw the teen's expression and his smile dropped. "Is everything alright?"

"I don't know, you tell me?"

This did little to ease Garmadon's concerns. "Lloyd, you're starting to scare me now."

"No, I'll tell you what's scary; the idea of my Dad sleeping under the roof of the man he killed!" He shouted but instead of getting angry or scared Garmadon just looked more perplexed.

"What?"

"Mom told me that you killed the person who lived here! Is it true?!" He cried and Garmadon almost rolled his eyes.

"No! Your mother's being a drama queen as usual." He growled, frustrated by the new mess Misako had just dropped on his lap. "Take a seat, and I'll explain." He assured and pulled out a chair.

Although reluctant at first, Lloyd sat down and stared his father in the eyes. "Tell me everything."

"Where to start?" The older werewolf sighed heavily. "You know the den in the basement? Well, it wasn't always the den, it was 'the cage' when your uncle and I were growing up; whenever we misbehaved your grandparents would lock us down there during the full moon while the rest of the family ran free." He frowned, remembering all the dark, cold, lonely nights he would be forced to spend down there. "When we were teens, your uncle and I came across this house and Finnigan by chance during a full moon and we started to mess with him. His land was filled with boobytraps and alarms but with our senses, we effortlessly avoided the traps and would set off the alarms."

"Why?"

"It was our version of ding-dong ditch; we would set off the alarms, he would come running out, and we would run around him just out of sight before heading back home. The most he ever saw was a dark blur in the night and whenever he told anybody of the 'monsters' roaming the woods they just dismissed him; he was always talking nonsense about monsters, UFOs, and the government." He almost laughed at the memories. "One day, Finnegan didn't come into town for his monthly supplies, and though people were worried no one knew where he lived, not even the police, so they couldn't do a welfare check. The next full moon we went up to the house but we couldn't find him or even pick up his scent."

"So how do people know he died?"

"When spring came some kids went camping with their scout group and they found his body in the woods; they think he had been dead for a few days when he was found."

Lloyd felt himself wince a little in sympathy for the kids who found the body; it must have been a horrible sight. Yet that still raised one glaring problem. "So why does Mom think you killed him?"

"After we were married and moved back here I took her to this house and told her the story of Finnegan and what happened and she blamed me and your uncle, saying that we drove him to an early grave." Garmadon frowned, remembering that nasty argument and how hurt he felt that the woman he had just married was accusing him of being a murderer. He probably should have seen that as the early warning it was and gotten out of the marriage right there and then.

"Are you sure you guys didn't cause it? I mean, the stress couldn't have been good for him."

"No, but he was in his late nineties and when an autopsy was done it was found he was riddled with cancer and died of natural causes," Garmadon explained, but Lloyd still didn't look convinced. "Like I said, your mother has always been a drama queen, even before we were dating she's always been a little intense."

"...Is that why you split up?" The teen reluctantly asked and Garmadon sighed.

"You could say that." He admitted sadly. "Remember when I said the den was used as a punishment? Well, do you wonder why we started using it during full moons?" He asked and Lloyd shook his head. "It was all Misako's idea; she has always been the one to focus more on the human element of our lives to the point it was an obsession. Anything werewolf had to be kept behind closed doors and pulled curtains and she freaked out that first full moon here and we didn't lock ourselves away. Sure my brother and I fought it for a little while but we soon realized it was a losing battle and gave in."

"Why?"

"Back when we were growing up Ninjago City was big but nowhere near what it is today and by the time we were married it had grown and it was becoming more dangerous to transform out in the woods, and then you came along and things changed." He explained with a sense of nostalgia. "Misako and I had to lock ourselves away to protect you because during a full moon, your instincts are at their peak and it's in our nature to seek out and protect our pup; when you were born we had to rely on human babysitters and we would leave you with them at night and get you in the morning."

Lloyd slowly nodded in understanding as his dad explained this. It would have been bad if they had turned up at his babysitter's in wolf form. "I still don't get why you left."

"Because your mother was starting to suffocate me." Garmadon glared but quickly composed himself. "I know she had good intentions and was only trying to protect our family but she has always been a bit overbearing and controlling until it came to a point where nothing I ever did was right or good enough for her, especially when it came to you." He scowled bitterly, but his expression softened when he saw the conflict in Lloyd's eyes. "Look, your mother loves you so much and she just wants you to stay safe, we both do, and I can only hope that you don't have to wait until you have a child of your own before you understand how we could have gotten it so wrong."

"I'm sorry Dad," Lloyd muttered weakly, and then without warning Garmadon suddenly pulled him into a fierce hug. Although shocked at first, Lloyd quickly relaxed and eagerly returned the embrace. The pair could have stayed like that until a sudden loud banging on the door split them apart and Kai's voice could be heard on the other side.

"Guys come on! We've been waiting forever and the food's getting cold!"...

Misako sighed as she and Maya finished yet another drink and she quickly ordered another. When Maya first suggested a ladies' night she was going to refuse, but with everything going on with Lloyd and Garmadon she needed a safe place to unwind and forget about the last few days. No better way to do that than getting drunk with an old friend. Edna was meant to be joining them soon, but she must have been stuck in traffic or something. While they were waiting for her, the two women talked about things like work, the weather, and their kids.

Misako was glad to have a fellow werewolf parent who understood what she was going through to talk to. As they talked and drank the night away, she suddenly got a text from her brother-in-law.

"Lloyd's home, let's hope he stays there." She sighed and put her phone away, intending to ignore the device for the rest of the night. "That boy is going to drive me into an early grave before he graduates, I swear it."

"That's kids for you, be grateful you only have to deal with one." Maya chuckled. "Don't get me wrong I'd kill for my kids but they're both a pain."

"Ray looking after them tonight?"

"No, they're staying the night at Skylor's new hangout and Ray's enjoying having some alone time; knowing my luck the apartments are already covered in junk food, and he wonders where Kai and Nya get it from." She laughed, but Misako was staring at her in shock.

"Wait, Kai and Nya are spending the night at that dump? And you're not worried at all?"

"I didn't say that, but they're growing up and will be heading to college soon; they've already proven they can take care of themselves so I'm not too worried."

"What'd you mean?"

"Look at what they've had to deal with over the last couple of years: Morro, the wild pack, that mad doctor, Harumi, and her family, and being teenagers." She explained, still in awe at all they had achieved on their own. "After all that they've managed to stay safe and have each other's backs so I think they're all due a little trust now, especially since they'll be leaving home soon."

"I suppose." She muttered, taking a long sip of her drink.

Maya gave her an unimpressed look. "Come on Misako, you either trust Lloyd to make his own choices by now or you don't."

"It's not that I don't trust him-"

"Yes, it is."

"He's just a child! He doesn't know what the real world is like, especially for werewolves like us." She exclaimed but Maya rolled her eyes.

"The greatest gift we can give our children are the lessons of responsibility and independence; like it or not Misako he's not a little boy anymore and he is gonna leave home sooner or later and he is going to make mistakes like we all did at that age, whether you can be someone he can turn to for help when he does mess up is up to you." She warned just as Edna finally arrived.

As she and Maya continued talking, Misako let their voices fade into the background. She stayed quiet for the rest of the night until the bar closed and they all said their goodbyes and headed to their homes. Maya's previous words rolled around Misako's mind. She was someone Lloyd could trust. She was his mother and had loved and protected him his whole life. She had been the one to put in all this work, all the time spent preparing him, schooling him, and giving him everything she never had. What did people expect her to do when he was throwing his life away?

Yes, she understood this must all seem unfair, even though she had reservations when she had to grow up and prepare for college, but they couldn't just run away from who they were.

They were werewolves and though Lloyd might want his freedom, was he willing to pay the price his freedom would cost? They were living in a human world, the same world that once burnt people like them at the stake just for being different, and from what she had seen over the years nothing had changed much. She knew Lloyd wasn't doing this to hurt her, but if he could just try to see what she does, she does out of love, and Misako believed that he would see that if he would just listen to her.

It didn't take Misako long to get back home and, as if the fates had heard her thought, she found Lloyd in the kitchen fixing himself a late-night snack. When he saw her, he shot her a glare and made to leave.

"Lloyd, wait!" She called out and blocked his path. "Please, just talk to me."

"Why should I? You never listen." Lloyd snarled, but she didn't put up a fight.

"I'm listening now." She said but he didn't look convinced. "I promise."

Lloyd stared at her for a long moment before he decided to give her a chance. "Look Mom, I know you mean well, but I'm almost an adult and I need to make my own choices; I can choose whether I go to college or not or who I spend my time with." He explained, but then his frown deepened. "Why are you so against me living my own life?"

"Lloyd I've been on this planet a lot longer and I know what people can be like." She replied but he scoffed loudly. "I'm your mother and I'm supposed to protect you. When you were little and Garmadon had just left us I took you shopping, but you were being a right pain; I was tired, I was harassed, and I took my eyes off you for one second, and when I looked up you were gone." She gulped as she recalled that memory. The streets were full of strangers and her young son was gone. "In a second I went through all the things that could have happened to you but then I spotted you staring in the window of the toy store." She laughed lightly as she remembered the innocent look on his face. "No one's a perfect parent and we don't have a crystal ball because if we did we wrap our kids in cotton wool and never let them go; which is what I tried to do with you and I shouldn't have and I'm sorry." She finished and looked up.

There were tears in Lloyd's eyes. Misako smiled warmly and hugged him tightly. At first, he tried to resist but not for long and returned the embrace with earnestness.

"Mom, I missed you."...

"Cole, is this really necessary?" Kai sighed as Cole forced a black cap with the band's logo on his head. A week had passed since Skylor and Garmadon had moved in and the wild teen was healing much better now. It was finally the day of the concert and Cole was the most excited. It had taken him months to get these tickets and this was his favourite band. Kai and Nya had offered to come with him, but they hadn't expected to be re-dressed before setting off. Cole had insisted that they had to look like they belonged there and that included the band's merchandise.

They were sat at a cafe in the mall and he had dressed them in everything from shirts to hats to scarfs. Kai was a little annoyed but Nya found it hilarious.

"Yes, you're one of us now." Cole grinned as he took a selfie with the pair.

"I'm not even a fan!" Kai cried and Cole looked at him as if he had just confessed to setting kittens on fire.

"Do not say that when we're in the crowd; if you say that, boyfriend or not, I do not know you." He warned but Kai rolled his eyes. The trio continued talking until it was time to pay the bill and set off. Cole headed inside to pay for their food and the twins waited outside.

Suddenly, an unusual, yet familiar, scent burned in their noses at the same time. The siblings looked around desperately for the source and found it on the other side of the mall. It was a man with his back to them digging through a trash can. They could tell by the scent that this man was a werewolf too but neither of them had seen him before. A strange werewolf on their territory? That was not good. They both could already feel themselves growling in agitation.

The man seemed to have finally picked up their scent because he suddenly froze and whipped around to look at them. The three of them all stared at each other for a few seconds before the man took off running.

"Hey!" Nya shouted as she and Kai gave chase. They chased this intruder out of the mall and through the streets, refusing to let him leave. This little chase continued until the stranger took a wrong turn and ended up in a dead-end alley. Realizing he had no escape, the man reluctantly raised his arms in surrender and turned to face them, giving the twins a good look at his appearance.

He was a middle-aged man with slightly longer brown hair and a small stubble; He always wore a uniform made up of various protectors and technical parts. He wore sand green clothing with a thick orange coat and a dark red fabric belt with a shuriken symbol. He also wore a dark red conical hat.

"OK, OK! You got me." He coughed weakly as he tried to catch his breath. "No, you're not..."

"Nya! Kai! Wait up!" Cole suddenly called after them, having followed their scent. As soon as he heard those names the man's eyes grew comically wide.

"Nya and Kai?" He whispered, mostly to himself, before a huge grin spread across his face and he pulled the pair into a hug. "Ha! It's great to see you kids, you were both up to my knees the last time I saw you!" He exclaimed with joy but the twins quickly shoved him away.

"Who the hell are you and how do you know our names?!" Nya shouted but instead of getting angry or laughing, the man just looked confused.

"What? You're kidding right?" He asked but when he realized they weren't he frowned. "It's me, your Uncle Ronin? Maya's favorite big brother?"...

NEXT CHAPTER: Maya has an unexpected reunion, but the reasons why are unclear...