Darkness from Within #7: A Promise Broken (Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 23

"He-e-elp!"

Nya jolted in alarm and turned her attention to her communication device, jumping to her feet. The rest of the team, lounging lazily around the Bounty, heard it, too, and raced over to her. Bringing the device up to her face, she clicked it on. "Kai?" she prompted.

A grunt was her reply.

"Kai, where are you?"

A second grunt was followed by a gasp before the red ninja spoke properly. "I-in a tree, currently," he grumbled.

The others exchanged lost glances, but their attention snapped back to the device as Kai suddenly screamed.

"What's happening?" Jay gasped.

"Th-there are—there are wolves," Kai's voice came again, grunting. "But I can't—" A gasp cut him off and he began to gag.

"Kai!" Wu demanded. "What is going on?"

More gagging.

"Kai!" Garmadon echoed his brother.

With a gasp, the gagging stopped, replaced by a raspy coughing. "Hurry!" Kai wheezed. "I'm getting mauled over here!"

Heart thumping, Wu turned to the team. "To the Bounty," he told them. "We'll get there quicker by using it."

Without protest, everyone climbed onboard, but Nya held back. Her eyes were brimming with fear. "Cole," she whispered. "What happened to Cole?"

Jay walked back over to her, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"Kai went to find him," she explained worriedly. "But we didn't hear him in the device... What if the wolves already... What if he's..."

Jay rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure he's fine, Nya," he comforted. He nodded toward the Bounty. "Come on, let's save your brother. Again."

* * *

The Bounty landed at the base of the mountains, giving the ninja a perfect view of the raving wolf pack. Kai was wrapped around an overhanging branch, clinging to it as he desperately struggled to get on top but with no progress. The wolves were gathered below him, jumping up to slash at his back and legs, howling, trying to knock him down.

Zane and Jay immediately leaped onto the ground and raced for the pack, weapons drawn. The wolves turned to them, growling, but one whip of Jay's nunchucks and they seemed to back down. The two ninja shouted at them before going into a round of spinjitzu, which scared the rest of them off. Whining and barking, the wolves fled back toward the mountains.

As soon as the pack was gone, Kai dropped from the tree and collapsed to the ground.

Each grabbing an arm, Jay and Zane dragged him back toward the others. The red ninja's eyes were glazed over with pain and his breathing was short and quick. By the time they let him down beside the Bounty, he was moaning.

Pixal knelt beside him as the others gathered around. Blood stained his clothes and seeped onto the snow. Gently, Pixal reached over and pulled off the ninja's shirt. He gasped and began to shiver, wrapping his arms around himself. Near his shoulders, Garmadon slipped his arm around the ninja and propped him upward. "He'll freeze like this!" the sensei shot at the robot.

"Then build a fire or something," Pixal snapped back, gazing at the slashes down Kai's back. "I have to treat these wounds."

As Wu and Zane went to work, she called Jay and Nya over. "Check his legs," she told them, handing them some supplies from her medical bag.

Kai grunted softly, shifting violently as they rolled up his pants. "N-no," he rasped. "F-forget about me. You have to... to go after Cole."

"Cole?" Garmadon repeated, staring down at him. "Where is he?"