by Tracey West
The biggest jewel Wu and Garmadon had ever seen was perched on the mountain’s peak. A streak of black through the center made it look just like the eye of a cat. It was the jewel Komala had shown to Wu in the smoke.
“Mine!” Garmadon cried, and he reached for the jewel.
“Not so fast!” Wu cried, reaching for it, too.
The brothers grappled for control of the prize. Wu felt the rocks underneath his feet crumble. Garmadon grabbed for the jewel, and the two boys, along with the jewel, tumbled off the mountain peak. They plummeted to the ground below. Wu knew there was only one way to land safely.
“Garmadon, spin!” Wu yelled as he began spinning like a tornado.
Garmadon hesitated, but his sense of self-preservation kicked in, and he launched into a Spinjitzu tornado.
Wu and Garmadon hit the ground. The boys landed on their feet and stopped spinning, kicking up dust behind them. The jewel crashed to the ground a split second later, and both boys leapt to claim it.
They wrestled for the jewel, rolling around across the rocks. Then the tangle of brothers broke up and they both somersaulted in different directions.
Wu looked down at the Cat-Eye Jewel in his arms.
I got it! he thought.
“Give that to ME!” Garmadon raged. The magical green glow in his eyes now burned like a flame.
Dillon and Adara raced over. “We’ve got this, Wu. You get the jewel back to the top of the mountain, and we’ll stop your brother!” Dillon yelled.
He lunged at Garmadon and flipped him onto his back. Adara jumped up and kicked Garmadon as he tried to get up.
Wu raced toward the mountain path.
Whoosh!
Nineko landed in front of him, her black hair streaming behind her like snakes. She held her umbrella in front of her like a fighting staff, ready to attack.
“There is nowhere to run, Wu,” she said. “Give me the jewel, and I will remove the magical hold I have on your brother.”
“I don’t trust you,” Wu said. “Release Garmadon first. Then you can have the jewel.”
“Enough games!” Nineko hissed, and her hair reached out and tried to grab Wu.
He backflipped to get away and then turned and ran. He scanned to see if there were any jewel guardians nearby that he could pass the jewel to—but they were all busy battling the relentless cat warriors. He couldn’t see Dillon, Adara, or Garmadon.
He went to the edge of the same ravine he and his brother had fallen into before and skidded to a stop. Nineko advanced on him.
“No bargaining,” she said. “Give me the jewel!”
“I must get the jewel!” His brother’s eerie voice sounded behind Wu.
Garmadon leapt out of nowhere and tackled Wu. The two boys nearly tumbled over the edge again.
“Brother, stop!” Wu begged as they wrestled for the jewel once more. “We’re going to fall!”
Garmadon didn’t listen. He kicked Wu in the knees, and the jewel fell out of his hands. Nineko leapt toward them and picked up the jewel with the rippling strands of her hair.
“It’s mine!” she said, her yellow eyes glittering. “It’s finally mine!”
“I MUST GET THE JEWEL!” Garmadon said.
“Garmadon, no!” the sorceress said. “When I commanded you to get the jewel, it was so you would give it to me.”
“THE JEWEL!” Garmadon repeated, and Wu laughed.
“You’re not very good at casting spells, are you?” he said.
Garmadon tackled Nineko, and she tumbled onto her back. The jewel flew from her grasp and Wu dove for it. His heart was pounding as the jewel landed in his arms.
“It’s mine!” Nineko yelled. As she jumped up, she slipped on the uneven rocks at the edge of the ravine.
“Nineko!” Wu cried.
He rushed toward her, but he was a split second too late.
Arms flailing as she fell backward, Nineko plunged over the edge. Wu held his breath as he peered into the ravine.
Had Nineko managed to grab hold of a rock?
But he saw nothing. Then he heard his brother’s voice behind him.
“I MUST GET THE JEWEL!” Garmadon cried, and he lunged at Wu.
Wu gasped and raced away from the edge of the ravine with Garmadon at his heels. A squadron of rain cats approached from the other side, surrounding Wu.
Wu clutched the Cat-Eye Jewel to his chest. “Snap out of it, Garmadon!” he pleaded. “Nineko’s evil, and she just proved it! And now she’s gone. You don’t have to obey her anymore.”
But Garmadon was still under the spell. “The jewel,” he said, and he launched into a Spinjitzu tornado. The rain cats pounced. Wu spun in a circle, sizing up the danger from all dimensions.
Looks like I’m doomed! he thought. But at least I’ll go out fighting like a true ninja!
But before he could yell “Ninjago!” the rain cats began to dissolve into clouds of mist.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
A woman slowly walked through the mist, supported by a cane.
“Komala!” Wu cried.
She pointed at the spinning Garmadon, and white light streamed from her fingertip. He slowed down and then stood still. The green glow disappeared from Garmadon’s eyes and a confused look crossed his face.
“What happened?” he asked. “I was just in Nineko’s house. Why am I here?”
“Nineko had you under a spell,” Komala told him. “I’m not much of a fighter these days, but once I saw those rain cats, I knew my magic could help.”
“Thank you!” Wu said, and he ran to Garmadon and hugged him. “It’s good to have you back!”
Dillon and Adara walked up to the brothers.
“Yes. Nineko is gone and her magic is broken—for now,” Dillon said.
The other jewel guardians gathered around, some limping, others battered from their battles.
“Nineko must have used magic to make Garmadon want to get the jewel no matter what,” Wu said. He gazed toward the ravine. “I guess it backfired on her. The spell she cast on my brother led to her own undoing.”
“Nineko will return,” Komala added. “She still has some lives left. And as the sworn guardians of the Order of Felis, we must continue to protect the Cat-Eye Jewel.”
“Forever Felis!” the cat guardians cheered.
Wu held out the Cat-Eye Jewel. “This belongs to you, then,” he said.
“Um, about that,” Dillon said. “Would you guys mind taking it back to the top of the mountain? I mean, we could do it, but it’s a long climb, and you did it really fast with your ninja powers, and…”
Garmadon looked up at the mountain. “We climbed up there?”
Wu nodded. “Yup.”
Garmadon grabbed the jewel from Wu and grinned. “First one to the top wins!”
Garmadon took off, and Wu smiled. It was good to see his brother back to his old self.
Then he raced after Garmadon. “I’m right behind you, brother!”
Sunlight shone through the window of Master Wu’s room. The rain had gone.
“Well, that was a really paw-some story, Master Wu,” Jay joked.
“I’m glad Nineko didn’t get the Cat-Eye Jewel,” Lloyd said. “Can you imagine a villain like that with the power of immortality? That would be bad news.”
“Wait, how did you end up with the umbrella?” Cole asked.
“Years later, Dillon and Adara brought it to me,” Master Wu replied. “They found the umbrella in the ravine, but they never found Nineko. Although, they were certain that she would return someday. I have kept the umbrella ever since. It reminds me of how close I came to losing my brother forever.”
Kai jumped up. “Now that it’s nice out, let’s get back to training!”
“Yes,” Zane agreed. “We have only two hours, seventeen minute
s, and five point four seconds of daylight left. We should make the most of it.”
Jay picked up the umbrella. “I know just how we should train. Rain cats!”
He ran outside, and the others followed. Master Wu shook his head.
“Jay, remember what my father told us,” he warned. “Curiosity killed the cat.”
Jay didn’t listen. “Come on, rain cats! Let’s see how furr-ocious you are!”
He opened the umbrella—and a flood of water poured from the umbrella canopy and drenched him.
Master Wu grinned.
“You must be a true sorceress to summon rain cats,” he said. “As you can see, anyone else who uses the umbrella just gets wet.”
“Yeah, I figured that out,” Jay said with a sigh.
Nya turned to Master Wu. “You never told us what happened to you and Garmadon. Did you reach the northern ocean? Did you find the plant your father asked you to get?”
“Our journey took a long time, and there are more stories to tell,” Master Wu said. “But those are stories for another day.”
He gazed up at the clouds as the memories washed over him.
Adara
A skilled warrior and member of the Ancient Order of Felis (also known as the Jewel Guardians), a mysterious organization protecting the powerful Cat-Eye Jewel for many centuries.
Aspheera
A treacherous Serpentine sorceress who in her younger days encountered Wu and Garmadon. She set the brothers free from the Serpentine prison, on the condition they would teach her Spinjitzu. Wu agreed, but Aspheera used her new skill to overthrow the Serpentine king and invade Ninjago. The brothers stole the scrolls of Forbidden Spinjitzu from their father to gain the power necessary to stop Aspheera.
Cat-Eye Jewel
A legendary magical jewel that gives cats nine lives. According to renowned sorcerers, any cat that harvests the power of the stone will possess all of the lives it holds and become immortal.
Cole
Cole is a member of Master Wu’s ninja team. As the Earth Ninja, he wields the elemental power of Earth and supports his friends with his confidence and great physical strength.
Dillon
A brave warrior and member of the Ancient Order of Felis, Dillon is also one of the best scouts among the Jewel Guardians.
First Spinjitzu Master
The father of Wu and Garmadon, and the powerful creator of Spinjitzu and the entire world of Ninjago. The First Spinjitzu Master trained his sons in the art of Spinjitzu, hoping that one day they would become his successors, protecting the world he had created against the forces of darkness.
Garmadon
Wu’s older brother and a son of the First Spinjitzu Master. Bitten by a vile snake as a child, Garmadon gradually filled with evil to become Lord Garmadon, the greatest villain in the world of Ninjago.
Gi
A type of clothing traditionally worn by ninja.
Jay
The Lightning Ninja is quick-witted, talks fast, and often acts before he thinks. Without Jay’s sense of humor, the ninja team would be in a much worse mood.
Kai
Kai is the Fire Ninja. With his fierce temper, bravery, and strong sense of justice, he’ll stop at nothing if he has put his mind to it.
Komala
The wise leader of the Jewel Guardians who had trained herself over many years in practicing good magic in order to protect her village and its people from evil sorcery.
Lloyd
Wise beyond his years, Lloyd is the Green Ninja and the leader of the ninja team. He is the son of Garmadon, the grandson of the First Spinjitzu Master, and Master Wu’s nephew.
Nineko
A conniving sorceress whose only desire is to become immortal. To achieve her goal, Nineko needs the Cat-Eye Jewel. She believes she can get it with the help of Garmadon and Wu.
Nya
Kai’s younger sister is the Water Ninja. She’s a skilled warrior, inventor, and tech wiz. She’s often the team’s voice of reason and a steadfast support to her friends on every mission.
Scrolls of Forbidden Spinjitzu
Two scrolls of paper that contain the dark powers of Forbidden Spinjitzu. Although the maker of the scrolls, the First Spinjitzu Master, told his sons never to touch them, young Wu and Garmadon stole them to defeat a Serpentine sorceress called Aspheera.
Spinjitzu
A technique based on balance and rotation in which you tap into your elemental energy while turning quickly. Developed by the First Spinjitzu Master long before time had a name, Spinjitzu is more than a martial art: it’s also a way of living. Mastering it is a lifelong journey.
Warriors of Felis
Cat warriors created from the rain with dark sorcery. To some, the Warriors of Felis are just a myth, but to those who have faced them, they’re a dreadful force of evil.
Wu
Wu is the other son of the First Spinjitzu Master, and little brother to Garmadon. After many years of mastering the art of Spinjitzu and the ways of the ninja, Wu shares his knowledge with his students—Lloyd, Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane, and Nya—to train them as ninja protectors of the world of Ninjago.
Zane
Brave and caring Zane is the Titanium Ninja, wielding the elemental power of ice. He is a Nindroid (ninja robot), created to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
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