Pantheon Of Old Valyria

The Birth of Cregan Stark - 118 A.C.

Rhaenyra cursed Rickon for putting her through this again but the man simply held her hand and murmured reassurances. Laenor nor Daemon seemed able to handle the birthing room and neither Laena nor Rhaenys would make it in time. She screamed as another of pain hit her just in time for the castle to shake beneath the weight of a dragon.

Her eyes snapped open as Rickon cursed, reaching for the sword that was normally at his hip but had been forced to leave outside. The guards shouted at the door as the midwives panicked.

Rhaenyra's eyes drifted towards the window where a large yellow eye stared back, watching her. She screamed as another wave hit her and the oldest midwife rushed towards her to support her as she panicked.

It took another three hours for her next son to be born, with the dragon outside watching her the entire time.

When he was finally placed back in her arms, no longer bloodied, the dragon outside rumbled focus completely on the newly named Cregan Stark, Heir to Winterfell. It was then that Rhaenyra knew what she had to do.

Using her strength, she climbed out of the birthing bed, with Rickon supporting her while the Midwives fretted over her. He helped get her outside, with a retinue of knights and midwives at their back though they all froze when they found Vermithor perched on the castle, watching them wuth those yellow eyes.

Slowly, Rhaenyra approached him as he lowered his massive head to the walkway. His eye though was on the babe in her eyes as a low croon came from his throat.

Cregan gurgled, delighted as his tiny hands waved towards the huge, spiky dragon. Vermithor slowly leaned forward until the babe could slap a chubby hand against his nose, earning a squeal of genuine excitement from Cregan.

Her heart warmed even as her entire body ached from the pains of labors. Her son had claimed the Bronze Fury, dragon of King Jaehaeris himself.

Reuniting

Macaque hid within the shadows of the Spirit Kings throne room, watching his grandfather talk with the Spirit Court. The next time he saw Wukong he was going to set the Dragon Girl on him.

'She'd probably love to get a shot at the great Monkey King,' Macaque thought smirking, before an image of a worried MK popped into his head and the amusement was partially erased.

Noticing the odd look on of the Court members was giving him, he sank furthur back into the shadows. This entire situation was Wukongs fault.

He'd told MK about the Spirit Macaque King, Macaque's Grandfather, and the boy had been insistent that he reconnect with him. He'd somehow even roped Bai He, Dragon Girl, and Red Son, Jiejie's son, into it.

And now here was. Hidden in the shadows in his Grandfather's throne room.

The Demon was quick to stop his inner musing when he saw the Court file out of the room, leaving his Grandfather alone with his guards. Macaque tensed when the Sage dismissed his guards, something he had rarely ever done when Macaque was young.

"Unless you wish to die by my hand, show yourself."

"Woah! No need go be so hostile, Jeje." Macaque slipped out from the shadows, donning the flamboyent persinalitt as if it were a mask. The King stared, eyes narowing in distrust and anger.

"Only a fool would come here and claim to be my Liu'er. I can feel the glamors from here!" With a loud snarl, the Spirit King released a blast of pure energy forcing Macaque's glamors to break.

His six ears flattened against his skull as he was bombarded with noises and voices from thousands of kilometers away. The King's face dropped as he stared at what his grandson had become.

His once silken, white fur that had glowed in the moonlight was now black and rough, shifting like the shadows themselves. A large scar marred the right side of his face reducing the once golden eye to a sickly white glaze. One of his ears was cut almost in half and another was missing a chunk of flesh. White streaks, that resembled sharda of bone more than the moons soft light, branched from behind his ears and along his tail.

"Liu'er," Shenjun whispered, red eyes wide with shock. Slowly the old Macaque pulled himself from his throne and approached his grandson. "You've come home."

I might add more but I'm not sure yet.

Shard: Guardian of the Shurikens of Ice

Ninjago Dragon Moodboard

Question???

Ok so I read a fanfic, prob yrs ago now, about the Ninja, it was a Ninjago Boyfriends Scenarios with the author including themselves as a character, Erica (I think), and they were hispanic amd really chaotic throughout the story but that made it really enjoyable and it had scenarios where all the girlfriends hung out together, like all the stories were happening at one. And now I can't find it.

Does anybody recognize this fanfic, or know if it was deleted or moved?

how long does it take you to plan out one of your house of the dragon stories?

In all honesty I don't really plan it out. I write out the basic plot of what I want. Like for my Demigods of Valyria series, I wrote out the names and godly parents for each kid before I later added what kind of mark I wanted for each one to have. In the Deal Of Gods and Humans I did a quick google search about Goddesses of Love and Fertility to get a good idea of what I wanted the statue to look out but it onky took me a few minutes.

Mostly I just write what I'm interested in at the moment. I have like 20 drafts of differen ideas that I'll probably never actually post. The longest its ever taken for me to write anything down is probably two hours of looking up names and the fourteen gods and symbols they would have.

Hope that helped!

Date Outfit and Location

Kai Kalama | (She/They)

Burgundy red dress that falls just past their knees with a boob slit held together by simple straight gold clasps. The sides, starting just below her ribcage and reaching to her waist, have a gap with three simple gold chains attached. Overtop they wore a cropped black leather jacket that reaches just past her boobs. She chose to pair it with golden sun earrings and gold rings to bring attention to their black nails as well as black ankle strap heels.

Kai chose to take Reader to Morimoto's, a fancy and expensive sushi restaraunt that can take months to get a reservation at. It happens to be Reader's dream restaraunt to visit but they've never had a chance to go to because of the prices.

Zane Julien | (She/her)

Pale blue circle skirt with snowdrops sewn along the right side, with a white off-shoulder cardigan, paired with blue converse. Simple clay earrings made to look like snowdrops, and a simple necklace with a shard of diamond bring the entire outfit together.

Zane chose to take Reader to an Interactive Museum because of their mutual love of museums and Readers natural curiosity. It is one of the largest museums in the country of Ninjago and incredibly popular with an aquariam inside.

Cole Brookstone | (They/them)

Deep cut silk white blouse over a black, sleeveless turtleneck paired with a simple silver chain, and a singular black pearl hanging from his earlobe. They wore black jeans with it as well, a wallet chain, and black boots.

Reader decided on the Food Festival, a time when people from all over Ninjago Country gather in the streets and set up stalls, a good opportunity for Cole's first dip back into festivals.

Jay Walker | (She/Her)

Simple blue jeans with bluberry bushes sewn up the calves, tight white sleeveless turtleneck, with a baby blue cardigan that she can easily take off. She paired it with white sneakers, a blue bead anklet, and a string pearl necklace.

Reader chose to take Jay out to a Trampoline Park, the largest in Ninjago, since they both enjoy fun and it has multiple different sections that include laser tag, putt putt, and an obstacle course she hopes to challenge him in.

Lloyd Garmadon | (She/her)

Calf length, tight black turtleneck dress with golden designs along the chest and green glass beads to further bring the designs to life, and off the shoulder loose sleeves with a cuff to keep it from spilling over hands. Black kitten pumps, a gold lotus wrap bracelet, and emerald drop earrings bring the entire outfit together.

Lloyd chose to take Reader out to a fancy restaruant in one of the most expensive places to impress her, even though he doesn't need too. But she is excited to have a date with him, and has never been wined and dined before.

Morro | (She/her)

Ankle length sheer black skirt with pale pink cherry blossoms over black leggings and pale pink sneakers. A pale pink silk wrap around shirt with kimono-esque sleeves and cloud designs along the bottom of the sleeves, paired with a simple silver ring and cherry blossom earrings.

Morro chose to take Reader to a Lantern Festival being hosted in Ninjaho's National Park. The park itself is huge, and so is the Lantern Festival, but its also a little pricey so Reader never had the opportunity to go, even though she wished to.

A/n: The actual dates will be posted one by one as I hope for them to be more detailed, but hope you all enjoy this little tidbit.

Background Information for HTYD Next Gen Story

Night Fury Redesign - Peregrine Falcons, Panthers, Cats, Bats

- Long, pointed wings (Similar in shape to a Peregrine Falcons)

- Secondary 'wings' for stability and lift (The fins beneath his wings)

- Phalange on wing for manueverability

- Long bodies, with relatively short legs; Can be between 25 and 30 feet long

- Large keel for more powerful wing muscles

- Large chest to hold larger lungs that let them fly higher, and large airsacs

- Wings connected to forelimbs; Powerful shoulder and leg muscles to allow for taking off from the ground

- Three foreward facing toes, and two backwards facing toes on hind legs for grabbing fish

- Retractable teeth

- Powerful neck muscles to hold head steady when diving, and to hold the head still when flying in place

- Tails fins for stability, balance, lift generation, steering and air braking

- Extended spine plates that split to relax the spine and allow for tighter turns

- Nocturnal

Scale color is dependent on the color of the sky when they are in their eggs, such as if the sky is cloudy for a majority of incubation the hatchling will be grey rather than black or blue.

Eats fish, whales, sharks, deer, yaks, and sheep

Light Fury Redesign - Albatross, Thresher Shark, Fishing Cats, Axolotls

- Long, narrow wings for active soaring (Shaped like an Albatross' wings, but a little bit longer to hold them up)

- Short, rounded 'secondary' wings for stability in long flights; Capable of folding flat against the body

- Longer ears for better echolocation

- Small wing muscles because they 'lock' their wings in place to fly

- Large chest for large lungs and airsacs so they can fly high

- Sealable nostrils for when they swim

- Stocky, muscular build with short, muscular legs; Can be between 20 to 24 feet long

- Partial webbing between toes for better swimming

- A long, sickle shaped tail fin with the upper part being longer; Whips prey to stun them, both in and out of water (Like a Threshers tail)

- Shark-like fins on the tail, in front of the fin to help them swim quicker

- Slightly hooks claws, and inwardly curved teeth for catching fish; Retractable teeth and slightlt retractable claws

- Wavy, short sail fin down the spine, starting behind the wings and ending just path the secondary 'wings' and on the forehead

- Opaque scales; Thinner, but when heated mirror surroundings for short periods

Scale color is dependant on the warmth of the egg during incubation, such as being warmer leads to having darker colored scales while being cooler leads to lighter colored scales

Mainly pescetarian, sometimes feed on sharks or whales

Light Furies and Night Furies are close enough relatives that they will gather in small Prides when they feel threatened or their is not enough territory. Surprisingly Stormcutters can often be seen in these 'Prides' as they are gentle giants, and fiercly defensive.

Grimmel is actively hunting down Night Furies, so they stay hidden, not joining any nests and continuing on the move.

Chief Hiccup and Astrid had three children together, before disappearing on a rescue mission with the other Dragon Riders.

Hakkon, Frigga, and Skathi Haddock were then raised by Valka, Stoick and Gobber. (Stoick having survived Toothless' plasma blast by sheer luck but lost all feeling and motion in his left arm.)

Calumn, Dagur and Mala's son was raised by Mala with the help of the Beserkers and the Defenders of the Wing.

Asgeir and Sindri, Snotlouts son and daughter respectively, were raised seperately. Sindri was raised by her mother, Mindin with the Wingmaidens while Asgeir was raised by his grandfather, Spitelout.

Bragi, Fishlegs and Heathers son, was raised by Mala as well, having been taken in when she realized that Stoick and Valka were raising the three Haddock children.

Alva and Anja, identical twin daughters of Ruffnut, were raised by their father, Eret Eretson on Berk.

Bard, Tuffnuts son was raised by his Uncle, since his mother was unknown.

Hakkon - Female Thunderdrum (Kólga)

Frigga - Male Deadly Nadder (Spear)

Skathi - Several

Calumn - Triple Stryke (Viper)

Asgeir - Monstrous Nightmare (Wildfire)

Sindri - Razorwhip (Belladonna)

Bragi - Thunderclaw (Stormlight)

Alva - Boneknapper (Graveyard)

Anja - Armorwing (Armory)

Bard - Hobblegrunt (Borealis)

TBC . . .

Mirror - We are born of love; love is our mother

Morro had always believed – or rather, he'd thought he'd known – that he'd been abandoned by his parents, but he'd pushed that aside in his need for survival. And then Sensei Wu had found him and things had changed for a short while. He'd had a home, where his belly was always full, a room that was all his own, and a closet of clothes just for him.

But he'd been abandoned – no, that wasn't right, he'd abandoned Wu, in his pursuit to be the Green Ninja, but he'd thought it an indisputible fact. His parents, or maybe just one, had abandoned him in the streets of Jamanakai Village. And now . . .

When Morro had first looked at that picture, it hadn't seemed all that special, but when he had looked closer to see the Master of Wind . . . She had looked nothing like he imagined, all things considered. When he'd imagined the previous Masters of Wind, they hadn't looked so . . . kind, or gentle. They'd always looked mean, or stone-faced, in his imagination.

Eteri – his mother, the one he'd thought had abandoned him – had looked so kind, more like Lloyd with his bleeding heart, rather than Morro. Rather, he looked more like Aryan, the Master of Smoke, with his downturned brow, and sharp, angular features.

He couldn't take it, so he fled, but he only found himself in a wing of the Monastery that had more drawings of the previous Elemental Alliance. Not all were of them in their GI's, and he found hinself staring at one in particular.

Eteri was sitting against a cherry blossom tree, cradling a baby in her arms, looking down with a smile and adoration in her eyes. The picture was done in watercolor, and he wondered what his mother would have looked like in real life.

Her hair was the same inky black as his, with pale green streaks the color of jade – which were darker than his own emerald streaks –, falling around her face in slight waves. Her eyes were grey – no, green or . . . They looked like river stones covered in dark green moss, so different from his green-black eyes of rotting undergrowth.

Her skin was a beautiful shade of light brown with a reddish undertone the near opposite of his own sickly white pallor. In all, he didn't think he looked anything like her and his heart burned as if he was being dragged beneath the waves of Stiix again.

Biting his lip in his efforts to keep himself from crying, he didn't notice the blood beading or Garmadon coming around the bend. Morro's entire body tensed when the man came to stand at his side, looking at the picture with an exhaustion and an ache.

"You look so much like her, I am surprised I did not realize who you were sooner," Garmadon admitted, seemingly not noticing how his words – those simple words – had Morro's lungs freezing.

"I think you've gone blind!" Morro snarled, forcing hinself to speak past the lump in his throat. "I don't look anything like her!"

Garmadon turned to look at him, dark brown eyes glinting with a dark red sheen that seemed more threatening than ever, "I fought alongside Eteri for nearly 23 years, spent more time than I can remember training with her or simply spending time in her company. You look very similar to Eteri."

Morro drew himself up . . . to what? Yell and scream? When had had that helped? When had it become so much harder to be angry?

"How? How do I look like her?"

"Your eyes are the same," Garmadon began, smiling slightly at the sneer he recieved. "I do not mean color. Eteri was the gentlest of us all, until she was pushed and then all bets were off. You could always see every emotion going through her mind in her eyes, just as I can with you."

Morro reeled back, confused, before he remembered all the times Lloyd would stare into his eyes and then, he would either push harder or back off, as if he knew which one he needed.

"You are taller than she was, but otherwise you could be siblings. I have no doubt in my mind that she's smacking Aryan around for making her son so tall," Garmadon laughed to himself.

"What happened?"

That took the mirth out of Garmadon.

"The Emporer sent an army, and we attacked to keep them away from the Monastery but we didn't realize it was a trap. He had some of his soldiers sneak into the Monastery in the hopes of taking away the two babies that lay within. You and Lily. They only succeeded in taking you, and for that they suffered."

"Never had I seen Eteri so angry. Jiang was as well. Together they summonded a storm so powerful that no soldier from his army survived that day. The rivers were dies red for days from the massacre but we succeeded in weakening the Emporer. Over half of his force had been apart of that army and we began to prevail."

"Aryan and Eteri worked tirelessly to find you . . . And that was their downfall. I do not know all the details, but I know they were outmatched and exhausted but they won. It came at the cost of their lives. When we found them, Aryan – Aryan was already gone, and Eteri begged Keahi to find you, for her."

"He died searching for you."

Morro frowned as the image of red, bloodstained and cracked armor flashed in his memories. "He– Did he wear a necklace with a jade amulet?"

"Yes. How did you–"

"He got me to Jamanakai but he died from his injuries," Morro said, giving a bitter laugh. "I thought he was just someone I'd dreamed of but . . ."

"Keahi was your godfather, and he loved you as his own."

"Yeah, lot of good that did him." Once again, Morro stalked off.

Instead of wandering in the Monastery, he left, unable to be in this place that had once hosted his parents, his family.

Your First Kiss

Jiang Kai | Kai Kalama (She/They)

Reader was sat on the floor of her apartment, leaning back against Kai's legs as he flipped through channels on the tv. They had a new sketch due in two days, so they were hoping for inspiration.

The parameters for the project were pretty simple; primary color (red, yellow, blue), one accent color (gold or silver), and female model.

Above her, Kai suddenly leaned over them to look in their eyes, "What if you did something based of Azula? You know, from Avatar. She's got red and gold in her design doesn't she?"

Blinking, Reader turned it over in her mind before nodding. Focusing back on him, she was unsurprised to find his gaze on their lips. Doing their best to not let him know that they saw his gaze, they spoke, "That's good. She does have red, though its more maroon but I can tweak the colors a bit to fit the parameters. Thank you, Kai."

He flushed, leaning back as Reader fought to hide a wider smile. For nearly three months, since they'd begun hanging out, she'd noticed how his eyes constantly strayed to their lips or how focused he'd get whenever they spoke. It was sweet, and was defintely not helping their crush. So today, they decided to do something about it.

Later, after dinner, Kai was at the door preparing to leave. "Well, I guess I should leave a pretty person all alone in their apartment to work on their project." He winked making Reader laugh.

"Kai . . ." Reader trailed off, summoning all of their confidence. "Tell me if you don't want this."

"What–"

Cupping his face, Reader pulled him down a little as they reached up a bit to press a kiss against his lips. Their lips slotted together perfectly, fitting like puzzle pieces. The kiss only lasted for a few seconds, as Kai had frozen in shock.

"Sorry. I thought–"

Kai interrupted her this time, slamming their lips back together as he pushed her against the wall beside the door, hands falling to their hips as Reader wrapped their arms around his neck to keep him close.

Reader couldn't help but notice that he tasted like cinnamon, likely from the gum he loved to chew on all the time. Kai noticed how Reader tasted like the fruity wine they'd had with dinner and nearly moaned at the taste.

Pulling away, but not pulling apart completely, he pressed their heads together. "So, can I take you on a date?"

"Time, date, and place?"

"Next Saturaday, 7, and you'll see."

"I'll see you then, Kalama," Reader teased, seperating. Kai obediantly stepped outside, reverantly touching his lips when the doors closed.

Zane Julien (She/Her)

Zane mediatated peacefully to the quiet sounds of Reader painting, her playlist, and the soft humming. He felt at peace in the whirlwind that was her studio, eventually opening his eyes to see what she was painting.

It was the Aurora Borealis, with a wolf pack tilting their heads back to howl in unison. He was amazed by the motion you'd managed to capture in the painting.

"It looks incredible," Zane complimented, startling Reader into nearly dropping her palette.

"Oh shit!" He was quick to catch it, much to her relief. "Oh thank the dragons. Thank you for the compliment, and the catch."

"Do not thank me, it was my fault for startling you."

"You still caught it for me. So I'm going to thank you. Thank you Zane," Reader stated, smiling as she took the palette back.

Zane smiled softly, starstruck as she turned back to the painting. Standing just behind her, he remembered something Nya had said he should do, based on his feelings and how Reader acted around him.

'Ask permission to kiss her, then take her on a date. But don't push her.'

"Reader," Zane said, quickly catching her attention. She turned to him, setting her pallette down to give him her full attention. "I have a question, but I do not wish for you to feel pressured."

"I wouldn't let myself he forced into anything," Reader agreed, tilting her head.

"Of course." Zane hesitated, stepping closer, flustering her. "May I . . . May I kiss you, Reader?"

Reader seemed to freeze, soft lips parting in surprise. After waiting for nearly thirty seconds, Zane was disappointed by the lack of answer but took it in stride. "I apologize, I did not—"

"Was my asking an issue?"

"No, no!" Reader interrupted, waving her hands around. "You don't need to apologize! I was just surprised! Promise! You're not normally so outspoken, so . . ."

"Just a surprise."

"You still have not answered the question," Zane noted, tilting his head slightly. Blushing, Reader ducked her head down in emberresment.

"I-yes. Yes, you can . . . you can kiss me," Reader whispered, standing a little taller as Zane stepped into their space.

Slowly he pressed their lips together, not wanting to rush and accidentally hurt her. The kiss was soft, chaste and made Reader pleasantly cold as Zane felt his core warm in pleasure. Pulling away, he found his own smile widening when he saw Reader looking at him with a wide smile of their own.

"May I take you out? On a date?"

"Y-yes! Yes!"

"Then tomorrow? At 7?"

"Perfect."

"I shall pick you up then," Zane decided, still smiling. Giggling Reader stepped into his space to sink into a hug.

"I can't wait."

Cole Brookstone (They/Them)

The stars were bright as Reader and Cole laid in a grassy meadow Cole had taken them too. Head resting on Cole's stomach, Reader had a surprisingly good view of Cole's reaction every time he spoke lowly, in order to keep the peace of course.

Tonight was Ninjagos Festival of Stars, recently adopted from the Serpentine but neither of them were fans of large crowds and wanted to see the stars and fireworks alone. So Reader had packed a nighttime picnic, with Cole hovering over their shoulder in anticipation.

Mooncakes, Star shaped iced cookies, and multiple blackberry flavored treats. They'd also brought along their starry night themed drink, with blueberries, bananas, and kiwi syrups to make it a stunning array of colors.

Cole had, of course, nearly devoured his portion in a half hour as Reader talked about their day, and some issues they'd noticed recently, eating far slower.

"So, what made you invite me out to watch the stars? Is it just 'cause ya knew I'd bring ya food?" Reader asked, without opening their eyes.

"What, no! All of the others wanted to go to the festival and celebrate, but I wasn't in the mood to celebrate. I'd rather hang out with you," Cole admitted.

"Really? Me? Mr. Ninja wants to hang out with an uninteresting civilian?"

"Your not uninteresting, which I'm not sure is a word by the way. Your just . . . You're normal, and I need that in my life. And you're fun in a different way."

"Well, thank you for the compliment. Any specific reason you don't like festivals? Or is it private?"

Cole knew that all he had to say was that it was private and he would drop it, but he wanted to share. "My mom used to take me out to festivals all the time when I was younger. She had a piggy bank specifically for those days that I could add change too. It was my money to use to do whatever I wanted with during the festival. When she died, I stopped going. It doesn't feel the same anymore."

Reader was silent, thinking. "When I lost my parents, I no longer thought it was worth it. To live. It took me three years to truly start enjoying the world and some days its still hard." Glancing up, they met eyes. "If you ever decided you want to try, I'd be happy to take you. We could make it a date."

"A date?" Cole sat up, worrying Reader who sat up as well.

"It doesn't . . . have to be a date. Not if you don't want it to be."

"Well, what if I want it to be a date?"

Reader smiled, leaning closer as their eyes flicked towards Cole's lips. "I'd like that."

Smiling softly, Cole and Reader leaned closer together until their lips were barely a centimeter apart. "Would you be upset if I kissed you?" Cole asked, trying to hide his nerves.

"Not at all."

Grinning, Cole eagerly pressed their lips together, twisting until he was hovering over Reader. Fingers wove into his black hair, tugging him closer to them as they made out beneath the stars.

Cole eventually forced himself to pull out of their hold, lips glistening and red as he panted. Reader was not much better, shirt having ridden up at some point. "Well . . . that was not what how I thought tonight would turn out," Cole admitted with a goofy grin.

Reader laughed, eyes bright. "So, we still on for that date?"

"Absolutely."

Jay Walker (She/her)

Lightning flashed across the sky, followed closely by the crack of thunder, making Reader groan. She and Jay were both caught in the rain, having been taking a short break from working on one of his older Mechs.

"Well, this sucks," Reader grumbled, huddling beneath the glass cover of a bus station as Jay watched the lightning sparking in the sky with a strange sort of awe and reverance. Nudging him, she broke the spell cast by the bright flashes. "Everything ok, sparky?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Just, ehehe, get a little excited during thunderstorms," Jay explained, allowing a spark to flit through his fingers in demonstration.

"That's . . ." Reader trailed off as lightning struck again, highlighting the sharp angular, boyish features Jay had, bringing out his freckles and auburn hair. "That's pretty cool. Don't think I'll ever get used to people fighting with elements though."

"Seriously? You've hung out with Nya for years, how is it still so weird!"

"I don't know! It just is!"

"Maybe you're the weirdo."

"Huh," Reader gasped, as if truly offended. Grabbing their imaginary pearls, she draped herself across the bench. "To slay me with such cruel words, oh how I die. Must this be the way death comes for me."

Jay laughed, plopping down behind her so she could rest her head on his thighs. He smiled down at her, trying hard to keep his blush down, and failing miserably.

"You're turning pink," Reader mused, poking his cheek as her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Is it because you've fallen for my beauty?"

Jay felt his lips twitch downwards when he heard the sarcasm. He was far less oblivious than people thought and he'd realized a while back that Reader did not think themselves pretty. Just . . . Average.

"Would that . . . be bad?"

Readers smile fell as she stared up at him in shock, "Jay . . ."

"I really want to kiss you."

"Then do it."

Leaning down, she reached up, meeting him in the middle. Neither noticed how the lightning seemed to cover the sky, with barely a secons between the flashes. They were too focused on the press of their lips, on memorizing how the others face felt beneath their fingertips.

Pulling away, Reader giggled, quickly joined by Jay. Their was no real reason to laugh but she was happy and so was he.

"So when can I take you on a date, Mr. Blue Ninja?" Reader asked, laughing at the look he gave her.

"Hey! I'm supposed to ask you out!"

"Too late." He tried to sulk but another kiss had him relaxing into a giddy smile. "Fine. I'll go out on a date with you."

"I'll plan a good date, scouts honor."

"You've never been a scout!"

"Oops."

Lloyd Garmadon (She/her)

Reader was happily pressed against Lloyd's side as they walked, liking the comfort of his arm draped over her shoulder. They'd gone windowshopping in the nearby mall for her hour break and were finishing up to walk back, not that Rufus would mind all that much if she was a few minutes late.

"Ooh, look at that," Reader said, pointing to a shoe store. In the display window were Ninja-themed shoes, with Lloyd's being the most prominent.

Lloyd saw what she was looking at and groaned, cheeks flushing, "Please tell me you're not going to buy those. They're like 100$."

Reader pouted, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes, "But I thought you liked seeing me in your merch?" She'd noticed it a few weeks ago when she'd worn a green ninja shirt, seen how wide his eyes had gotten and how stuttery and blushy he'd gotten.

Just like right now.

"Wh‐well, of course, but still . . ." Lloyd trailed off, looking away to hide his face.

Giggling, Reader patted his bicep, pleased at the feel of muscle beneath the long sleeved shirt he wore. "I'm kidding, sweets. They're cute, but too expensive for my taste. Besides, I'd look better in one of the Green Ninja sweaters that one store was selling."

Somehow, Lloyd's blush darkened as he whined, "Reader."

"Lloyd," Reader cooed, delighting even further in his blush.

Suddenly, looking past him she spotted Ryker, very obviously looking around for someone. In a heartbeat their eyes met and he started towards her, making her freak out slightly.

"Lloyd."

He immediatley caught the change in her voice and followed her eyes to see where she was looking. Seeing Ryker, he cussed and pulled her towards a hallway between stores to try and hide.

"He already saw me," Reader admitted nervously. Lloyd watched the entrance, tense, as Reader tried to think up a plan.

Grabbing his shirt, she tugged him close until he was pressing her against the wall. Gaping down at her, he seemed frozen in place.

"Trust me?" Reader asked softly, eyes wide. Lloyd nodded, softening marginally.

"Of course."

Leaning up, she pressed their lips together making Lloyd freeze for only a second before he leaned into it. He gently cupped her cheek, keeping the kiss soft and slow as her own hands found their way into soft golden-blond hair.

Neither noticed when Ryker found them, nor when he realized just who was kissing Reader. Furious the man turned away and fled, stomping away as they stayed pressed together.

"So, sweets, when do you plan on taking me out?" Reader asked, breathless. Lloyd stared down at her, emerald eyes alight with awe.

"Friday, at 6. We're going somewhere fancy," Lloyd decided, smiling widely.

Reader giggled, using her grip on his head to tug him back down into a kiss, "Sounds good to me."

Morro (She/Her)

Morro was passed out on Readers couch, sleeping off the inherent exhaustion that came from his longer missions. She was curled against the side pressed against the couch, watching a movie on low so she wouldn't wake him.

Head resting on his shoulder, with his arm loosely wrapped around her side she couldn't help but blush, thinking about what people would say if they saw their position. It was intimate, even for friends. Her face had been warm the entire time they'd been cuddling, though she hoped he hadn't noticed.

Sudden movement from the hand on her hip startled her, making her glance down. Morro was rubbing at the exposed skin of her hip bone with his thumb.

"This alright?" He asked, voice a low rasp from just waking.

"Yeah," Reader mumbled, pressing her face into his chest. "Just fine. Perfect."

He chuckled, embarresing her further. They fell back into silence, though Reader's mind was running a thousand miles an hour.

"Hey, Morro?"

"Hmmm."

"Do you–" She cut herself off to sit up a bit to look him in the face. Morro's eyes were half-lidded but attentive. "Can I take you out? On-on a date?"

Morro's eyes sprang open as he gaped in shock. Fearfully, Reader began stuttering, "B-but not, not if you don't want too! Of course you don't have to agree! Just asking!" She tried to push the tears in her eyes back as Morro sat up, without saying anything.

With a gentleness few thought he was capable of, Morro rested a large hand on her cheek, forcing her to meet his dark grey-green eyes. "Can I kiss you?"

At her shocked expression, he laughed.

"Y-yeah."

Still grinning smugly, he pressed their lips together, wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her close. He barely let her come up for air before diving back in, like she was his air.

Finally he let them seperate, panting slightly, "I'm taking you out. Friday night, wear something you can walk in."

"O-okay." Eagerly she leaned back in for another kiss making his grin as he met her in the middle.

Ka'ani ran a hand across the hide of Mimikyu, the Ikran crooning beneath her touch, blinking yellow-orange eyes at her with pleasure. A soft smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she adusted the heavy saddle and armor she had crafted under the teachings of Tseke, making sure the straps weren't digging into her bondeds skin, reminiscing.

With the urgings of Nefika and Etuwa, Ka'ani had begun the climb to the Ikran Rookery with Eetu somehow managing to stay in front of her, though she had no idea how he could do so without flying an Ikran, especially since she was stumbling over rocks and nearly falling off the floating rocks, clinging to the vines in fear. But just meeting the gaze of Mimikyu made it all worth it.

A stunning Ikran, who had been well known to swoop on riders to chase them off, to keep them out of his territory - the Aranahe knowing him as Fe'tawng, Fear Diver, for his fast dives and the fear new warriors felt upon meeting him. Blue-black with cream-yellow, purple, and light blue markings along his back, a cream belly with soft purple streaks along his inner wings, with vibrant yellow kuru's and crest, all of it reminded her of one of the fiercest predators she'd learned about at T.A.P..

The Echo Stalker. A fierce pack hunter that lived in the dense Clouded Forest Region, a deadly predator even blind, capable of taking on Na'vi because of its pack mentality.

And the Na'vi name reminded her of the strange game Alma had spoken of once, showing tattered cards of odd animals that had never actually existed on Earth, created only for entertainment. Ka'ani specifically remembered the card with the strange creature hidden in a costume designed after a different creature - Mimikyu - so she named the fierce Ikran, after spending several hours climbing up the Rookery and chasing after him, before finally wrestling him to attach their Kuru.

Eetu had honestly expected her to die when he saw the way Mimikyu had focused upon her with killer intent, which he had admitted with abandon before shoving her off the rookery so her Ikran was forced to dive after and catch her. He later stated it was tradition within the Kinglor Forest, a way to strengthen a young bond and see just how powerful it would grow to be.

She hadn't believed him. He had looked far too happy to shove her off the cliff.

The feeling of flying had never gotten old, but none of it compared to that first time. That feeling of freedom, Mimikyu's memories and the glee he felt at having a rider, the way the wind felt whipping through her hair. It was everything to Ka'ani, to have someone, even an Ikran, that could see her for who she is and not judge her for her anger.

Mimikyu saw her anger - her anger at the death of her people, for the death of her sister, her mother, Zomey - and he saw it as justified when she went after the RDA. For an Ikran, revenge wasn't really a concept. If another hurt you, or your mate, or your flockmates, it was a call to battle. Ikran's were prideful and did not take slights well after all.

But none of the mattered right now. Not after what Alma had told her.

The others were alive, hidden away in a T.A.P. Facility in corner of the Spires, all pried from Alma's lips after Priya picked up on an odd signal. Not freely given. Never freely given.

Little Yefti - so sweet and shy, with so much curioisty when it came to the chemicals of Earth, to chemistry and so afraid of the Forest, just like Teylan.

Fierce and wild Telisí - always quick to back up Aha'ri, sharing that same spark of a flame that was waiting to be coaxed into a raging bonfire, and little interest in the ways of people but protective of Okni.

Sickly Okni - always stuck in the infirmary with a weak constitution that left her susceptable to human sickness, but so kind and eager, with a soft voice and even sweeter singing voice.

Yuayt, Hardings favorite. And how Ka'ani should have seen that happening, should have tried to keep Yuayt closer. But he had told on them - as if they had taken too much food, not been trying to escape. After Aha'ri's death, Yuayt had shyed away, Nor never allowing him to apologize even when the boy had tried. Mayhaps she should have told Nor to back off, to hear his apology, but how could she have known that they would be taken away? At the time, hearing an apology from him would have done nothing but made her angry.

Mimikyu, kuru connected, hissed, head shaking. Apologies didn't seem to be a thing in Ikran culture, rather submission or death were the closest things Ka'ani could find to it so she allowed him to search for more on the subject.

'Forgive too much. Fight more.' Ka'ani couldn't help but snort, easily recognizing what memories he had found.

"Teylan has apologized and has since done his best to earn our forgiveness, and Alma . . . She is the leader of the Restance. I cannot allow anger to cloud that. Without her we would be dead, Mimikyu."

The Ikran huffed, 'Owed life?'

"In a way, yes. Without her the humans would have slaughtered us, before we even had a chance to realize what was happening."

Mimikyu shook his head, flexing his teeth - an Ikran's way of changing the subject.

The memories of the Kinglor Forest, the Plain, and the Clouded Forest flashed behind Ka'ani's eyes, a question in the sights.

"We are returning to the Spires, the Tangled Peaks Region."

That earned a feeling of excitement. Mimikyu had adored the Spires, with criss-crossing wind currents and floating mountains to cling to, the new Ikran Treats were just a bonus. Smiling, Ka'ani hopped up into his back, patting the side of his neck.

"Let's get going, Mimikyu. Unfortunately this is not a pleasant visit."

Hissing - seeing everything Ka'ani did and had - he was quick to take off, understanding the urgency to retrieve her lost Flock Members.

From the Resting Tree Lab - the closest Resistence Field Lab to the edge of the Spires - to the first campsite in the Spires (), to (), before continuing on to the closest camp to T.A.P. Con-2 to rest for the night. From there Ka'ani traveled only a short distance with Mimikyu - unwilling to risk her bondeds safety if Alma and Priya's projected RDA numbers were correct.

Approaching on foot, the building, built into the cliffs itself like the Recon Site, looked abandoned with heavy vines covering the front but the smell of oil, gunpowder, and metal was too strong and fresh. The look was probably to keep the Keawa from noticing, especially since they preffered to stay on the backs of their Ikran than to be on foot.

Searching she eventually found a vent - overrun with mushrooms and moss - that allowed her to slip inside without anyone the wiser. The further into the vent she moved, the cleaner it became, heavy with the sickly clean smell of the RDA Cleaning Bleach, making Ka'ani wrinkle her nose in disgust having long grown used to the scents of Pandora, of herself and the others she met.

Approaching the end, the quiet steps of human soldiers made it to her sensitive ears, but no chatter. And once she made it to the edge, she could see why.

The vent led to a massive hangar - 12 Helicoptors, and at least 15 cars of some kind - so the people patrolling were seperated by multiple vehicles with no way to talk without yelling or pausing their patrols.

Pulling her bow from her shoulder, Ka'ani easily slotted an arrow into place, aiming for the closest soldier - and releasing the arrow so it sank through his throat. In her near 3 years on Pandora, fighting against the RDA, she had realized that Humans were resiliant in that sometimes shooting them in the heart didn't kill them immediatley. And what a surprise that had been, hearing the soldier she had shit call out intruder after her arrow had found its mark in his chest.

So now, she aimed for the throat - for the face if she wasn't using stealth, since the glass shattering could be an obvious mark of a Na'vi having made it inside.

Slipping out the rest of the way, Ka'ani made her way through the hangar leaving behind bloody bodies after retrieving her arrows - all marked with the bone white fletching and singular purple streak to mark her as Sarentu - until she found another vent to climb through.

Well over two hours were spent making her way through the Facility, hiding away the dead bodies she left as she moved on, trying to find the rooms or maybe even a classroom, but this place wasn't like T.A.P. Con-1 or T.A.P., no obvious area for the Na'vi children.

Until the cold nitrous smell of the Cryochambers seeped into her nose. Cryosleep. Maybe the four had been put in Cryosleep when the RDA were forced away the first time - not by a savior, but by their captor - and maybe they hadn't been released yet. Mercer might have wanted to wait until she and the others were killed so no one got the idea to rescue them.

Following the hall signs she finally came upon the room, and shot the singular scientist before he even had a second to register she was there. And there were four Na'vi sized Cryochambers, frosted over.

Laughin in relief, Ka'ani wiped away the gathered frost from the first tank but her expression fell. It was Telisì, but . . .

She hardly looked to even be 13 in the chamber, face frozen in time. Ka'ani was horrified and quickly wiped the frost from all four of them to see if the same was true for the other three and it was.

Reaching up she pressed the comms, "Teylan, Ri'nela? Are you there?"

"We are here," Ri'nela said, calm as ever.

"Did you find them? Are they alright? Oh, I hope they're alright."

"It's . . . They're still children."

"What?"

"What do you mean 'still children'? How is that possible?"

"They must've been put in Cryosleep as soon as they were moved here, because none of them look any older than the day they left," Ka'ani answered, clamping down on the anger curling along her spine.

"How are you going to get them out?" Ri'nela asked.

"I do not know. Are either of you near the Spires?"

"I am. I will speak to Tsu'lo, have him send some warriors to you so you can escape without putting them in danger."

"Thank you, Ri'nela. Do hurry, I do not wish to be here longer than I must, not with them in danger."

The comms clicked off and Ka'ani went about freeing the four from sleep, starting with Telisí.

The girl woke with a gasp, immediately banging a fist on the glass when she realized she was stuck. With a hiss the door slid open, allowing the young girl to sit up . . . And finally catch sight of Ka'ani.

"Who are you? Where are we? What is happening?" Telisí demanded, climbing from the cryochamber on unsteady feet, tail whipping in anger.

"Do I not look familiar, Telisí? I was unaware I had changed so much since we last saw each other," Ka'ani answered, tilting her face so her mark was obvious. Telisí faltered, blue eyes going wide with shock.

"Ka'ani? Is that you? You look . . . Older. How?"

"You've been in Cryosleep, Telisí, and based on the records it's been 23 years since you were all put in."

Telisí was horrified, head snapping to the side to see the other three Cryochambers, "23? No, no, no. That's-that can't . . . Why would Mercer do that?"

"I don't know. And we never will. Telisí, Mercer and Harding are dead."

"Really? Please say you are not pulling my tail, it would be a dick move, Ka'ani."

"I would never lie about this, Telisí."

"The others, you have to free them—" Telisí stared her down "—you have to free all of them, even Yuayt. He didn't know."

"I am going to free him. I would not leave him behind."

"You don't understand, he cried, Ka'ani, he tried to attack Harding when we got here. They almost– They almost killed him for it."

Ka'ani contiued working on releasing the next chamber, Yefti, then Okni's and finally Yuayt's.

All three had similiar reactions to seeing Ka'ani grown up, with Yuayt throwing himself into her to hug her, apologizing over and over even as Ka'ani held his shoulders.

"I know, Yuayt, I know. But we have to be ready to flee. The Keawa Kame'tire are coming to help us make it out, but I need you to do exactly as I say. If I tell you to hide, do it, run, do it. Anything, everything I say, do it."

The four nodded, quickly understanding what was happening, especially with the array of weapons adorning Ka'ani - from her shortbow, to the shotgun, to the knives at her hips. If they wanted to be free, they had to trust her to get them out.

Hardly a half hour passed before Ri'nela was reaching back out.

"Ka'ani, Tsu'lo has sent Emeray, Tseke, and Ku'malo with So'lek and I. Get ready to run, we will be arriving soon."

"We await your arrival," Ka'ani stated, cutting off the comms as the four watched her. "Help is on the way. Get ready to run, and run quickly. I will lead, Telisí, will be last. Okni if you begin to fall behind say something, I will pause if I can but you have to let me know. If you see one another begin to fall behind, speak. We have to work together to get out."

"We understand," Yefti murmured, holding her tail in her hands as Okni clung to her arm.

"We'll stay close," Yuayt confirmed, holding himself tall even with dried tears along his skin.

"Let's go."

Ka'ani was quick to move forward, retracing the path she had took to get inside, luckily no one was there, none having seen the hidden bodies stuffed in the shadows. Okni could not hide the startled whine when she saw the bodies, quickly pushed forward by Telisí.

"Did you—?" Okni began, eyes wide with shock.

"I did. A lot has changed Okni. If I hadn't then they would have lived on to kill other Na'vi."

Telisí spoke up, "I'm glad you did. It means we're safe, right?"

"As long as the RDA are here, no, but in this scenario, yes you are safe."

Ka'ani paused at a intersection, holding out a hand to keep them fron moving forward. The grating chatter of soldiers was coming from the other direction and she reached for her shortbow, knocking it.

"Ka'ani?" Yefti questioned, anxious.

"Stay here."

In one motion, Ka'ani moved into the hall, firing an arrow right into the throat of a soldier, charging forward to bash the second soldiers head in, snapping his spine. There was no point in hiding the bodies so she called them to follow her.

"Ka'ani! We're here!" Ri'nela called into the comms, shots echoing in the background. "Run!"

Alarms began blaring as the four instinctively huddled closer.

"Run!" Ka'ani ordered, picking up the pace. Any RDA they came across, she shot, leaving their bodies to rot. The four stumbled but she got them to the vent, and pushed them through firdt. "Ri'nela, they're coming out through a grate on the east side, outside the hangar area."

"We'll be there."

"Hurry!" Ka'ani ordered, slipping behind them and ushering them out into the world of Pandora. Yuayt, who had been first, stared out into the area with awe and glee, the others having sinilar looks. "I know this is a shock, but we need to go."

Shrieks announced the arrival of the Ikrans, with Mimikyu following.

"Ri'nela?" Telisí asked, amazed to see her on a stunning yellow and green Ikran. "Is that you?"

"Telisì? Oh, Telisí-"

Explosions rocked the facility, cutting her off, "We need to leave, now!" So'lek called.

"Okni, with Ri'nela, Telisì with me, Yuayt with So'lek, Yefti with Tseke," Ka'ani commanded, pointing out the strangers to the kids. Telisí scrambled to follow Ka'ani towards Mimikyu, who lowered his wing to allow Telisí a foothold, before he pudhed off.

Ka'ani had Telisí pressed to her chest, urging Mimikyu to flee towards the floating islands so he could dodge the pursuing helicopters until Emeray and Ku'malo were able to shoot them down with their mounted crossbows.

"Thank you, Ka'ani," Telisí whispered, leaning back against her as they glided through the skies.

"Always, Telisí. I will always protect you."