by Tracey West
The woman stopped spinning. The wind had blown away the fog, and they could see her clearly as she took off the mask covering her nose and mouth. She had pointy cat ears and long whiskers, and her face was covered with gray fur. She stared at them with yellow cat eyes that sparkled with a mix of amusement and something else the boys didn’t recognize.
“Thanks for saving us,” Wu said. “Who are you?”
The woman didn’t answer. Instead, with one quick move, she disappeared into the trees.
“Who was that?” Garmadon asked excitedly. “Did you see how fast she was?”
Wu nodded. “She was amazing! The way she took care of that monster was spectacular. How did she jump like that, anyway?”
“And she knows Spinjitzu!” Garmadon added. He looked up. “We should go after her and find out why.”
They heard a roar in the distance.
“Or we should get out of this creepy forest while we can,” Wu suggested. “Before that monster comes back…and brings some friends with it.”
“You’re no fun, you know that?” Garmadon asked, but he didn’t argue.
The brothers made their way through the misty forest, watching and listening for signs of any more monsters. About an hour later, they came out of the woods into a field with a bubbling brook running through it. The sun was slowly setting, streaking the sky with red.
“This looks like a good place to make camp,” Wu said, looking around. “We can shelter under that persimmon tree over there and clean up in the brook.”
“It’s still daylight,” Garmadon protested. “Shouldn’t we keep going? I just want to get that dumb plant and get back home.”
“It’s a long journey to the northern shore—you know that,” Wu reminded him. “We’re going to need to rest sometime, and frankly, after that monster fight, I could use a break.”
“Fine!” Garmadon said, and he flopped down under the tree. “If you’re so excited to camp out, you can make the fire.”
“That’s not fair,” Wu pointed out. “We need to work together.”
Garmadon glared at his brother. “Fine,” he said. He slowly got up and helped Wu gather some fallen tree branches and dried leaves. Wu took a fire-starting stone from his pack and within a few minutes, the brothers had a fire going a safe distance from the tree, but close enough to keep them warm.
“So what do you think was up with that cat lady back there?” Garmadon asked, sipping the tea that Wu had prepared over the flames. “I mean, first of all, she was like a human, but also a cat. And she knew Spinjitzu!”
Wu nodded. “I know. It’s weird. I mean, I know Father hasn’t trained too many people in Spinjitzu. And he’s never mentioned training a cat.”
Garmadon frowned. “We should have gone after her.”
“Why?” Wu asked. “You’re the one who’s anxious to get the plant and head back home.”
His brother shrugged. “I don’t know. Curious, I guess,” he said.
Wu smiled. “What’s that old saying? Curiosity killed the cat?” he asked. “I think it’s smart that we let her go her own way.”
“Maybe,” Garmadon said.
“Well, I’m feline hungry,” Wu joked as he opened his pack. “How about some rice cakes to go with those persimmons we picked?”
“Sure, as long as you don’t serve up another cat pun,” Garmadon replied.
“Oh, lighten up. I’m just kitten around,” Wu teased, and his brother groaned.
After they ate, Wu let out a loud yawn. “We should probably take lookout shifts tonight, to make sure there are no monsters around. We could—”
“I call second shift!” Garmadon yelled.
“You can’t just call it,” Wu argued.
“I just did,” Garmadon said, and he leaned back, using his pack as a pillow.
Wu sighed. “Fine. I’ll go first.”
They took shifts throughout the night and in the morning they ate some breakfast, bathed in the creek, and safely put out the fire. Birds soared in the blue sky overhead.
“Let’s go! We’re going to make great ground today!” Garmadon said, sprinting ahead of Wu.
“Wait up!” Wu cried. “We need to plan our course.”
“What do you mean?” Garmadon asked. “We need to go north. And that’s where we’re headed.”
“Right,” Wu said. “So I’m sure you noticed that tall mountain that’s in our way?”
“Wait, what?” Garmadon asked, and he looked up. In the distance, a tall, skinny peak rose high into the sky. “Oh, that mountain. No problem. I am sure we can go around it.”
“Maybe,” Wu said. “I have no idea what terrain we’re going to be dealing with. I’m thinking we should look for a village and find out what the best way is to get through. I think I see a road there heading west, and—”
“Wu, I’ve been doing everything you want this whole trip,” Garmadon said angrily. “And I say that we keep heading north. We’ll figure it out as we go.”
“Did you forget that you’re the one who thought we should go through that forest?” Wu asked. Then he sighed. “Whatever. We’ll do it your way. Who knows? Maybe we’ll find a village along the way.”
But they didn’t find a village. They walked through more fields, and another forest (monster-free, thankfully) and a swampy area that left them both feeling cold and clammy. That took them to the mountain foothills—a wide expanse of rocky platforms. The boys climbed them like giant steps.
“Going around the mountain will take some time if it’s like this,” Wu said. “But the mountain is too steep to climb.”
“For once, I agree with you,” Garmadon said, and they continued to make their way across the rocky terrain.
AAAAHHHHH!
A loud cry made both boys spin around. A dozen warriors ran toward them. They wore green uniforms with the symbol of a jewel emblazoned on the front. Green hoods covered their darkened faces—and were those triangle-shaped ears on top of each hood?
“Who are those bawlers? Are they attacking us or coming to greet us?” Garmadon asked.
“Maybe they’re with the cat lady,” Wu suggested. He started waving his arms. “Hello! I’m Wu, and this is my brother, Garmadon.”
AAAAHHHHH!
The warriors stormed closer.
“I guess they’re attacking us!” Wu said.
“We’re outnumbered!” Garmadon cried.
“This isn’t the first time,” Wu said. “Let’s give it our best shot.”
Garmadon nodded. “I’ll take six, you take six.”
The boys split up. Garmadon leapt to the next rock, and half of the green warriors charged after him. Wu quickly strategized as the other six warriors rushed toward him.
Wu positioned his fighting staff in front of himself.
Whack! He batted away the first warrior who reached him.
Whack! The second tumbled down the rocks.
Two more came at him, one on either side, and Wu jumped as high as he could. The warriors collided into each other and then slumped to the ground.
The fifth warrior held a chain with a curved weapon at the end. He swung it at Wu, who caught it on the end of his staff. Then Wu swung the staff, sending the warrior and his weapon flying.
Umph! The sixth warrior tackled Wu at the knees, pushing him onto his back and knocking the staff out of his hands. Wu kicked up as hard as he could and got the green fighter off him. He jumped to his feet, picked up the staff, and planted it on the warrior’s chest.
“Who are you, and why are you attacking us?” he asked. “We’re just passing through.”
The warrior scowled. Before he could answer, another cry rang through the foothills.
AAAAHHHHH!
A second wave of green warriors, this one twice as big as the first, raced toward them. Wu glanced over at his brothe
r. Garmadon had taken care of his six warriors, too, but could they face more?
“Run!” Wu yelled, and this time, his brother agreed. They raced across the rocks with the green warriors in hot pursuit.
The boys were speeding so fast that they didn’t notice the cliff up ahead. They both realized too late—and plummeted into a deep ravine!
Wu’s stomach dropped as he fell. He quickly reached out and grabbed onto a rock that jutted out of the ravine wall. His legs dangled beneath him and he dug his fingers into a crevice. From the corner of his eye, he saw his brother grab onto a rock, too.
Garmadon climbed up to join him.
“You okay?” Wu asked him.
Garmadon nodded. “Yeah. I guess that dangerous death-drop snuck up on us.”
“It sure did,” Wu agreed. Both boys gazed up.
“What now?” Wu asked. “The sides of this ravine are pretty smooth and steep. How are we going to climb up? We’re not mountain goats.”
“No, but we’re ninja,” Garmadon said. “Maybe we could do it if we tried.”
“We could climb down,” Wu suggested, and when he looked below, he got a little dizzy. “It’s a long way, though.”
“Up here!” a female voice called out.
Their heads snapped up. The cat ninja gazed down at them, holding her umbrella.
“Jump up and grab it,” she instructed.
“I’ll go first,” Garmadon offered. He leapt up, grabbed the handle of the umbrella, and then propelled himself into a somersault. He landed safely at the top of the ravine.
Wu took a deep breath, let go, and jumped up. He grabbed onto the umbrella, swung up, somersaulted in the air, and…
Bam! Slammed right into his brother. The two boys ended up in a tangled heap.
“Watch it, Wu!” Garmadon complained.
“Me, watch it? You were in my way!” Wu shot back.
The cat ninja began to laugh, a sound that was somewhere between a human’s chuckle and a cat’s throaty purr.
“What’s so funny?” Garmadon asked.
“I am laughing because when I first spotted you in the forest, I thought I was dealing with two Spinjitzu masters,” she replied. “But you appear to be two very silly boys.”
“We are Spinjitzu masters,” Garmadon shot back.
“What my brother means is that we are training to be Spinjitzu masters,” Wu said, and he bowed respectfully. “Thanks for saving us. Twice. My name’s Wu, and this is Garmadon.”
“You’re welcome,” the cat ninja replied. “I am Nineko.”
Wu suddenly realized something. “Where did all those warriors in green go?”
Nineko laughed again. “Warriors? They are merely thugs. They left when they realized you were no threat to them,” she said. “And now I must go as well.”
“Wait!” Garmadon cried before she could turn around. “We noticed back in the forest that you had some pretty unusual Spinjitzu moves. Maybe you could teach us a few?”
Her mouth twitched. “I would be wasting my time,” she said. “It would take years of practice for you to learn my ways.”
“But we’ve had lots of practice,” Garmadon said. “Besides, it’s in our blood. Our father is the First Spinjitzu Master.”
Nineko raised an eyebrow. “Then we have something in common,” she said. “For it was your father who trained me.”
Wu frowned. “Father never mentioned training a…”
“A cat?” she asked, and her yellow eyes gleamed. “No matter. I can see you two will be useful to me. Come.”
She turned quickly and began to walk away, carrying her long-handled umbrella.
“Wait, where are we going?” Garmadon asked.
“Come or do not come,” Nineko called behind her. “It is your choice.”
The brothers looked at each other. Wu frowned. “Curiosity…,” he began.
“…is killing me!” Garmadon finished, and he took off after Nineko. Wu shrugged and followed. He had to admit—he was pretty curious, too.
Nineko moved swiftly and silently away from the mountain, back to the swampy area they had passed through earlier. They followed her into a tangle of green plants. Wu hacked at the branches with his staff, and Garmadon sliced through them with his katana. But Nineko weaved through them with no trouble at all.
They emerged from the thicket onto the shores of a lake. Wide green lily pads floated on the calm, deep green surface of the water. Nineko pushed a canoe into the lake and then gracefully stepped into it.
Wu and Garmadon followed her, and they each picked up an oar without being told to. They rowed across the smooth lake, and neither one of them spoke. They could sense that Nineko wouldn’t be pleased.
On the opposite shore, a small house stood on stilts as tall as trees. The house was a simple structure with a peaked roof and a wrap around deck.
When they reached the shore, Nineko hopped out of the canoe and nimbly climbed up the ladder to the house. Garmadon and Wu scrambled up behind her. They removed their shoes on the deck and followed her inside.
It appeared to be Nineko’s home, and it was simple and clean, with cushions on the floor, a wooden table, a cabinet, and a sleeping mat. Wood burned in a small metal stove, taking the swampy chill out of the air.
“Excuse me for a moment,” Nineko said, and she disappeared through a doorway. A few minutes later she returned, wearing a pale green kimono with a pattern of blue fish printed on it.
“I will make tea,” Nineko said, and she removed a clay jar and some cups from the cabinet.
“Thank you,” Wu said. “It’s kind of you to invite us here. Especially since you knew our father. I have so many questions.”
“You may ask them,” Nineko said. “But I cannot promise that I will have answers.”
“How did you meet our father?” Wu asked.
“I met him many years ago, when I was a girl—a little younger than you,” she said.
“A girl—not a cat?” Garmadon asked.
“No, not yet a cat,” she said, and Wu heard a hint of sadness in her voice. “He saw potential in me and taught me the basics of Spinjitzu. Then, after…after I left him, I created new moves. I call my form of fighting the art of Catjitzu.”
“Catjitzu,” both boys repeated.
“But why did you leave our father?” Wu asked.
“That does not matter,” Nineko replied, and she placed two steaming cups of tea in front of them. “What matters is that you want me to teach you my moves, and I will—if you do me a favor in return.”
“Yes!” Garmadon agreed quickly, but at the same time, Wu said, “It depends on the favor.”
Nineko sat on a cushion, and a faraway look crossed her eyes. “I seek the Cat-Eye Jewel,” she said. “It rightfully belongs to me and those thugs that you call warriors stole it from me.”
“About those guys—why do they wear hoods with ears? Are they cat ninja, like you?” Garmadon asked.
“That is not important,” she replied. “What’s important is that I want the jewel back and I need your help.”
Wu thought about this “You have amazing ninja skills,” he said. “Why can’t you steal it?”
“They have put a magical protection around the jewel that prevents cats from getting close to it,” Nineko replied. “But if I train you two properly, you should be able to easily steal it for me. Do you agree to our bargain?”
“Our father has sent us on a journey,” Wu said. “I’m not sure if we…”
“The experiences you have on a journey are often more important than the destination,” Garmadon said. “Isn’t that what Father always says? Think how impressed he’ll be if we come home with some awesome new skills besides that plant he asked for.”
Wu considered it. Impressing their father wasn’t an easy thing to do. Maybe Garmadon had a
point. And I want to learn Nineko’s moves as much as my brother does, he thought.
“All right,” Wu said. “Count us in!”
Nineko yawned.
“I must nap,” she said. “We’ll train after moonrise.”
“Wait!” Wu cried. “Can’t you tell us more about your training with our father?”
“And who were those green ninja with the cat ears?” Garmadon asked.
“And what is the Cat-Eye Jewel, and why did they steal it from you?” Wu added.
Nineko shooed them away with a wave of her paws. “Leave me.”
Wu and Garmadon left the house and climbed down the ladder. Away from the warmth of the fire, the air felt cold and damp.
“What are we supposed to do here while we wait?” Garmadon complained. “Stare at a stinky lake? And what kind of ninja takes a nap?”
“A cat ninja,” Wu replied. “Haven’t you ever heard of a catnap? Besides, I think cats are mostly awake at night, anyway.”
“But she’s not a cat,” Garmadon said thoughtfully. “I mean, not just a cat. She’s part human, too. She said she was a human girl when Father trained her. So how did she become a cat-human?”
“It’s all kind of strange,” Wu admitted. “But she saved us—twice.”
Garmadon nodded. “Yeah, we’d either be monster chow or flat as pancakes right now without her. She’s awesome!”
The boys were silent for a while after that. Garmadon tried skipping stones on the surface of the green lake, but the water pulled them beneath the surface. Wu prepared for the training session with some warm-ups, as he would have back home. They ate some more of the food they had brought with them, and finally the sun set and nearly full moon rose in the sky.
Whoosh! Nineko silently dropped from the tree house and landed between the boys.
