CHAPTER FIVE — ONE BITE
snakebit — part one

"Will the dragons be okay, Father?" — iris wu

THE MORNING ARRIVED QUICKER THAN IRIS IMAGINED. One minute she was resting in her new bed and the next her Father was banging a gong to wake her. Couldn't she just have one late morning? Surely if evil didn't sleep then it would be sleep-deprived and useless. It seemed not. So they couldn't sleep either no matter how much they wanted to.

She was the first to be woken out of her and the ninja, so as her Father went to shake them from their slumbers, she prepared herself for the coming day. It was going to be a long one. Apparently her Father was going out, leaving her in charge of the ninja with the day's task: chores. 

They were tedious but they had to be done. This abandoned vessel needed a bit of love and care if it was going to be their new home. Over the years she had been away, Iris had learnt to do everyday tasks without her powers or ninja skills. So she was fine with doing things the old fashioned way. But the ninja were not.

With the use of Spinjitzu and their golden elemental weapons, the ninja cleared, cleaned and fixed up their new home. Much to Iris' disapproval. Taking the easiest path wasn't always the best choice. Sometimes you just had to things the hard way. The ninja didn't think so though. As a result, the ship was ready well before her Father would return. 

Despite her objections, Iris helped them fix the electrics, raise the fallen sail and clear the rooms. All without any of her special skills. The ninja didn't even know that she could spinjitzu yet, but she was half convinced they already knew as she was the daughter of Sensei Wu after all. 

What would have taken all day just took them a few hours so the ninja spent the rest of the afternoon setting up their videogames and relaxing in their new home. Now that Iris couldn't object to. They had earnt it. 

Iris sat by the boys, playing with the controller they had given her. Video games had never really been her thing, but she was starting to get the hang of it and was even having fun. She nudged Zane next to her, distracting the ninja enough to overtake him on the leader board. And that caused a victorious laugh to echo through the room. 

The door behind them opened and both Kai and Iris glanced over their shoulders to see Sensei Wu and Nya in the doorway. "What took you so long?"

"Ha—ha!" Zane cried making Iris immediately whip around and groan. He had taken back his place. 

Iris huffed. "Damn it!"

 "Wow! This place looks amazing." Admitted Nya as she examined the work they had all been doing. "You guys did all this?" She inquired almost in disbelief. 

"Ninja don't just fight, Nya. We clean."

"Oh. You have exceeded my expectations." Wu hummed in thought. "It seemed putting Iris in charge was a good idea. I must do it more often." At that Iris flashed her Father a wide grin. Being in charge of the ninja wasn't so bad, even if they didn't always listen. "But can you keep it up?"

Iris' gaze was fixed on the game in front of her. She bit her lip in concentration, eager to see if she could win against expert video game players. Her fingers rapidly danced across the controller, making her avatar move in ways she didn't think could happen. Okay, so maybe she was starting to really like video games. 

Then Nya announced. "It looks like we're about to have some visitors." Visitors? They had just found this ship. Who else knew they were there? "And loud ones at that."

"Oh, it's my parents." Jay sighed, somehow managing to tear his eyes away from the screen. "Please, if they start yapping, just don't get them going, okay? They don't know when to quit." It seemed that ran in the family. "If you start talking, then they'll start, and suddenly half the day is gone, and it's not even—"

"We get it!" Interjected Kai. That brought Jay's rant to a quick end, fortunately. "They talk a lot. The cherry doesn't fall far from its blossom." Iris had to hold back a giggle at the fire ninja's words. 

With Jay's parents just outside (how they already knew where to find them was a mystery to her) the ninja put down their videogames and headed out. When the tv was turned off, Iris couldn't help but feel a little sad. She had finally started to like videogames, and she was doing rather well, then they had to turn it off. But Zane reassured her that they could have a rematch later, just the two of them.

From the ship they watched as Jay crossed the gangway to greet his parents who had somehow crashed into their garage sale pile. Oops. Their car was not like anything Iris had seen before, it was incredibly unusual but nice too. 

Iris and the others followed Jay over the gangway so that were all stood behind their blue-clad friend. He was awkward and shifted slightly on the spot, clearly embarrassed at his parents' entrance. "Ma, I called you two days ago." 

"Well, it's not soon enough, son." Jay's Father — who she had learnt to be called Ed — said as he climbed out of the car and towards his boy. His caring words just made Iris smile and she was glad Jay still had two parents who loved him more than anything. Her Mother died a long time ago and her Father... well, he wasn't an open book. "When are you coming out to the junkyard?" Junkyard? Iris frowned: she didn't remember the lightning ninja mentioning anything about a junkyard. "You say you're coming and then you don't."

An annoyed groan fell from Jay's mouth. "Dad, do we have to talk about the junkyard in front of my friends?"

"He hates it when we tell people he was born in a junkyard."  His Mother, Edna, said. Now that was interesting story. Iris was born at the monastery of Spinjitzu which... had just burnt down. Then the woman turned to Nya and Iris who were standing side by side, watching the scene unfold. "Oh. And who are you two? You are both so cute." A blush quickly rose onto Iris' cheeks. She wasn't that used to receiving compliments from others. Then the woman turned to Nya. "You are just my son's type."

"Mom!" Jay hissed.

"It's a pleasure meeting you. I'm sure if you want, Jay can give you the tour. He worked very hard on it." 

"We'd love a tour!"

Iris and the ninja smirked in amusement at the irritated look upon their friend's face. Parents were, of course, meant to embarrass their children so they were just going to sit back and enjoy the ride. They all trailed behind Jay as he showed his parents their new home, from their rooms to the training area they had set up. And once all of those were done, they finished in the bridge where Jay was showing off their cappuccino machine. A machine that his parents mistook as a mind-reading device.

The Master of Space had never had to gone through something like this with her Father, he was as wise as the years he had spent in Ninjago — which was a lot of years — and he wasn't usually one for embarrassing stories. But from what she could remember about her Mother, Leslie Cho would have been the embarrassing parent out of the two of them. Lucky her, she guessed. 

 "Why don't you tell them about the button?" Suggested Cole. 

Jay laughed humourlessly at the idea. "Ha—ha. It's not ready yet." 

"Oh, what's the button?"

Zane then replied for his friend, rather proudly. "He's working on a special defence system." 

"Something ever ninja headquarters needs." Added Kai. He was right, they did need a new defence system. With Serpentine on the rise again and her cousin out there, not to mention that their old home had been reduced to ash, they were going to need something good to help keep them safe.

The button seemed to pique Ed Walker's interest. "Oh, really? What does it do?" He inquired curiously as his building brain took over. "Can I help?"

"No, it's okay." Jay quickly stopped his Father from touching the rather large red button. "I don't need you help, Dad. Let's just leave it alone." Iris and the others watched as Jay turned to the non-existent timepiece on his wrist. "Look at the time. Don't you need to get back before it gets dark?" He asked as he started to usher his parents towards the exit. "I told you, there's dangerous Serpentine out there." 

A frown crossed Iris' face at the crestfallen look on Ed and Edna's own faces. They didn't want to leave. They wanted to spend more time with their son. "Uh, I suppose we could get back."

"Edna, it was a pleasure hearing about Jay's first potty time." Iris snorted at Cole's words as he clapped a hand down on his friend's shoulder. 

"Oh, if you thought that was good wait until you hear the story about the time I caught him kissing his pillow."

A laugh bubbled in Iris' throat at the woman's words as Jay sighed in exasperation. "Ugh. Snakes, Ma, snakes."

"Okay. We're going, we're going."

Then Ed and Edna left the ship and back towards their bizarre vehicle. Jay promised to visit just as long as they would soon leave, to get home safe and to keep more embarrassing stories from surfacing. So Ed and Edna took off into the night with their many blinding headlights guiding the way. And then the ninja went back inside their new home and called it a day, a day that wouldn't end with them being taught the art of kissing pillows.

THE FOLLOWING MORNING, IRIS WAS UP EARLY TO HELP HER FATHER WITH THE DRAGONS. Dragons were beautiful and majestic creatures that held a special significance to her family. She hadn't seen one up close since she was a little girl, so having four of them right next to her was a big deal for Iris.

She gently stroked Shard's snout, soothing the ice dragon that obviously wasn't well; just as the others. All the dragons were sick which didn't seem like a very good thing. 

The others were still clearing up inside as Jay was doing his best to get his defence system operational. Sure Iris could build, but doing all the electrics and wires, that was something new to her. So it seemed best to let the boy born in a junkyard (who was also the lightning ninja) handle it. 

"Will the dragons be okay, Father?" Inquired Iris worriedly as she tried to comfort the dragon of ice.

Wu hummed in thought. "I believe so, Iris. But it will take time." 

A smiles spread across her face at the news: the dragons will be okay. When Iris stopped stroking Shard, the dragon huffed an chilly breath and Iris laughed. It seemed the dragon liked Iris running her hand across his snout. 

Then Jay left the ship and headed their way, more specifically, to his dragon. Once there, he tugged on the reins as he tried to get his dragon up. "Come on, Whisp. It'll be a quick visit." But even a quick visit would be too much. Those dragons weren't going anywhere. "Just in and out. Nothing more."

Her Father, thermometer in hand, made his way towards the lightning ninja. "Hmm, it is as I suspected. The dragons are moulting. They're shedding their scales."

"What does that mean?"

Iris' eyes widened in realisation as she looked back to the dragon beside her. They weren't sick. They were changing. A laugh escaped her and then she explained. "Every dragon goes through a big change before it becomes an adult." Her Father nodded in agreement with her words.

Then the Sensei added. "We must allow them to migrate east to the Spirit Coves for their transformation."

"Will we see them again?"

"It is hard to say." Admitted Wu with a shake of his head. He too cared a lot about dragons, so the prospect of not seeing them again was hard for him too. "But we need to allow them to follow their path."

Cole jumped in. "Rocky's going east?" He questioned and Iris simply sighed. She wished she could tell them otherwise. The ninja all went to their dragons to say their goodbye despite the hope in their hearts that this wouldn't be forever. "Say it isn't so, Rocky."

Zane came and stood next to Iris and joined her in gently stroking the nose of his dragon. "Goodbye, my friend." They both smiled sadly at the elemental creatures, neither wanting to say goodbye.

In the background they could all hear Jay complaining about the long distance he would have to walk to reach his parents. And unlike the boys, Iris wasn't an idiot and knew that he was just trying to ask Nya on a nice walk, just the two of them. It was very sweet.

But then Cole cut in and offered for them all to go with Jay. Iris giggled to herself at that. This wasn't what the blue ninja had intended, but at least Nya was also there. So it wasn't a complete loss. 

So after the ninja, the Wu's and Nya bade farewell to the four elemental dragons, they began their journey to Jay's junkyard home. It seemed they were walking there. And Jay was right, it was a long way to go.

The dragons sailed away into the morning sky, heading east towards the Spirit Coves where they transform into the next part in their life cycle. It truly was beautiful. And the ninja were strolling down the empty road to the tune of Sensei Wu's flute playing. It was a very special and very old flute that could battle the powers of the serpentine and neutralise them. Just like how a snake charmer can control its reptile. 

Iris wasn't sure whether he was playing it to keep them safe, or for the fun of playing. Knowing her Father, it was the latter. He had always had a secret love for music. And his playing was actually rather good.

A tired sigh passed Jay's lips. "Ah. Of all the days to lose our ride."

"Walking is good for you, Jay." Reminded Iris with a smirk across her face. The lightning ninja just groaned at her words. That just meant she was going to use more walking in her training lessons. So Jay was not looking forward to that.

A smug smile appeared on Kai's face. "Yeah, Jay."

Iris just shook her head at those boys.

Meanwhile, Zane had approached her Father, curious of the flute he held tightly in his hands. "That flute, you've never told us why it's so special."

"Long ago there were many flutes, created to combat the powers of the Serpentine and driven them underground. But over time, Ninjago's forgotten its ancestor's wisdom, and now this is the only one."

Wu returned to playing the soft melody of the flute as Jay rolled his eyes at the man. "I get the lesson," he said, "respect your elders or else suffer the consequences." Oh, he thought they were taking a dig at him about his parents. "Boy, you guys are laying it on thick."

A chuckle left Wu as they all came to a stop before the junkyard. The entrance was decorated with a large arch with the words: Ed & Edna's Scrap 'N Junk made out of old colourful bits of metal, screwed onto it. Piles of tires and metals were visible over the wall and it wasn't a small junkyard either. It was just like Iris had pictured it to be.

"Perhaps you are only hearing what you need to hear." 

The way Jay had stopped before the entrance, frozen and uneasy, it didn't give Iris a good feeling. This was his home, he would instantly know if something was wrong. Nya went ahead to talk to Jay who then said. "My family is never quiet."

Then the ninja pulled on their masks and they all hurried inside the walls of the scrapyard. Part of Iris wanted to change into the yellow ninja, but now was neither the time nor the place. They didn't need the yellow-clad warrior, they needed Iris Wu, their teacher, their friend. 

Muffles could be heard through the metals door of the huge green fridge and Jay immediately ran over and busted it open. And inside were his parents. Iris managed to resist to gasp at the sight of the kind Mr and Mrs Walker chained and duct-taped inside the appliance. Who would do such a thing?

"What happened? Who did this?" Asked Jay as he pulled the tape from around his parents' mouths. But when he did, it revealed a pair of fangs underneath. Iris couldn't stop herself from gasping this time.

The bite of the Fangpyre. 

Another Serpentine tomb must have been opened. 

Edna smiled, despite the situation she was in, because her son was now there. And to her and Ed, that was what mattered. "Sweetheart, you came."

"You gotta get out of here." Ed Walker warned them. At his concerning words, the ninja exchanged a nervous look; this did not sound good. "You shouldn't have come. It's the ssss—snakes."

"The bite of the Fangpyre." Her Father echoed her thoughts as he too recognised the marks of the bitey Serpentine. "Once they sink their teeth, their venom can turn anything into a serpent. It's only a matter of time before the full transformation is complete." And just as the words escaped the Sensei's mouth, the stumps of tails became visible on Jay's parents. They were slowly turning into snakes. 

They had to stop it.

Then they heard the hissing. It echoed through the junkyard, loud and ominous, as a large group of red and white scaled snakes rounded their corner. And they weren't alone. For with them they had machines and vehicles turned green and snake-like by their venom. They had used the scrapyard to arm their soldiers. Now the battle was about to begin.

"Uh, is that wrecking ball staring at me?"

"I think it's staring at all of us, Cole." Iris retorted before gulping nervously at the sight before her.

Suddenly the crane swung, sending the wrecking ball hurtling towards them. They all ducked out of the way just as the metal sphere impacted against the dusty ground. Luckily they all made it away unscathed. 

Iris had fought people, and Serpentine before, but nothing like this. She couldn't deny the panic in her chest, the sweat beading down her forehead and the dampness in her palms. Never had she been in a fight like this before, and part of her thought she couldn't do it. Perhaps it was too much for her.

After ducking out of the way from the attack, the ninja, the Wu's and Nya turned around to see Lloyd upon one of the many stacks of old tyres. They took defensive stances, the ninja with their golden weapons and Iris with her fists raised and ready. And Lloyd wasn't by himself either. For a Serpentine general — indicated by the staff in his hands — slithered up to the boy to stand by his side. "Lloyd!"

"Hello, Uncle and cousin." Smirked the boy before sending a deadly glare at older cousin. Okay, so perhaps he wasn't over the treehouse incident. "Looks like we're not the only family reunion. I'm glad you brought the ninja. I could use some help taking out the trash."

As Lloyd's evil cackle met their ears, Nya turned to Jay and informed him. "If we want to turn your parents back, we need the anti-venom from the staff."

"She's right." Agreed Iris as he trained her eyes on the golden staff clutched tightly in the general's grasp. "It's their only chance."

Cole quickly warned them before the wrecking ball could make another swing. So they all took cover as it landed in the ground once again. Part of Iris wanted to change into the yellow ninja, but that would no doubt give away her identity. So it seemed she was going to have to fight the Iris Wu way.

Jay went straight for the wrecking ball, to take it out before it could did hurt one of them. And the others, they were taking down Fangpyres left, right and centre. Spinjitzu knocked them all down like bowling pins, quickly and efficiently. 

Both Father and daughter were slowly being encircled by serpents that were cutting off their exits. Their backs met, the strength in the others' spine giving them strength to carry on. Wu quickly raised his flute and began to play, much to the Serpentine's displeasure. For the mere sound that reverberated from the instrument, made them stop and clutch their ears, desperate to block it out somehow.

Nya and Iris took that as the distraction they needed to kick the snakes' butts. "Ninja, go!" Cried Iris before spinning into a small tornado that took out all the serpents in its path. Oh how it was nice to do Spinjitzu again after so long. 

As the girls finished the last of the snakes beside them, they headed back to her Father who had stopped playing the magical flute. " I don't know, Sensei. I think you, me and Iris make a pretty good trio." 

"Oh, we definitely do." Smiled Iris who then lifted up her hand to give her friend a high-five. 

What was once a sweet tune filling their ears, was now loud rock blaring from a Fangpyre boombox. The Fangpyres had bad taste in music. And if it was Lloyd's idea, then at some point the two of them were going to have an important talk about what music was good. "Young nephew, must I teach you whose side you should be on?!" Yelled Wu. 

Lloyd just increased the volume. "Sorry Uncle, can't hear you!" 

If the situation wasn't so bad, Iris would have laughed at his childish behaviour. But Lloyd was messing with Serpentine, opening tombs and unleashing chaos, so now wasn't the best time to deal with his childish antics.

BANG!

Both Wu's suddenly turned to find a Fangpyre on the ground beneath them. Edna had stopped the serpent from biting them — she had saved their lives. "Yeah. Way to go Edna." Ed cheered for his wife who was still standing there with her weapon of choice, a frying pan, in her hand. 

From around a corner came the biggest surprise yet, a large metal... ninja? But it had been turned green by the Fangpyre venom. And despite that, Iris could tell it was meant to be blue. It seemed Mr Walker had made a replica of his son. How sweet of him. "Ah! What is that thing?"

"It was supposed to be in your honour, son," Jay's parents were just so cute and they caused her to smile, "but do you like it?"

Yeah, the supposed gift now coming towards them, nunchucks raised and ready to kill would put you off it. "Thanks, but no thanks."

As the metal ninja came hurtling towards them, swinging its nunchucks as it went, the the ninja scattered. Iris was about to interfere, to step between the four ninja and the large metal abomination, when the wrecking ball came at them once again. Her, her Father, the Walkers and Nya watched helplessly as the ball smacked down into the earth, lifting a cloud of dirt up into the air.

But when the dust settled, they were one ninja short.

It was Jay. He had jumped onto the large, heavy weapon as it came towards them and hitched a ride. And when the pendulum reached its peak, he leapt from the top and landed down on the control box. Wow. Now those were some impressive ninja moves.

Jay kicked the serpent from his seat and seized control of the wrecking ball. And just in time too. For the metal snake/ninja was attacking the remaining three ninja. Iris stepped forwards, in an attempt to hurry to help, but her Father grabbed her arm. The look in his eye said it all: the ninja could handle this alone. 

Oh how she hoped he was right. And besides, they still had a few Fangpyre butts to kick.

As Iris turned and punched a serpent down onto the ground, Jay swung the large crane and aimed the wrecking ball for an attack. It harshly hit the metal exterior of the ninja, sending the infected machine hurtling through the air. Tyres were tossed and metal clanged upon impact as the transformed ninja statue landed across the junkyard. 

The giant had been defeated and the ninja had won. 

"Retreat!" Shouted Lloyd as he recalled his Serpentine troops. 

They couldn't do a thing as the Serpentine, Lloyd and their new poisoned rides left the scrapyard behind them. There were just too many to fight with their few numbers. It was a battle they could not win. So, with heavy hearts, they watched the army leave to wherever they were headed with their new arsenal. 

"He's getting away with the staff!" Nya realised as they watched them go. 

Oh no, she was right. How could Iris forget about the staff? They needed it to cure Jay's parents.

"Ah. Right now would be a good time to have those dragons." Sighed Jay heavily.

Then, his almost completely transitioned Father, approached him and hissed out. "Uuh, it'sss okay, ssson."

"There is still a way."

At the Sensei's announcement, they all turned to him in surprise — even Iris. What way was that? She had no idea what he meant. It could be anything, that man had a habit of being cryptic after all. "How?" Inquired Cole.

Then, her Father explained to the group. "Part of reaching your own full potential is understanding your weapon's potential." Iris knew the golden weapons were powerful, understandably so: they were her Grandfather's, but she had no idea of the true depth of their power. She didn't anyone truly did. "Once it is in tune with a focused heart, its secrets and powers can be unlocked."

"What?" Queried Jay as he shook his head tiredly. "This is not the time to be cryptic."

Zane really was the smart one of the team, for he was the first to piece together the meaning behind her Father's words. Which was quite an achievement. "He's saying our weapons are vehicles themselves." Now that was cool.

"Don't tell me I have to ride this like a broomstick?" Gulped Kai as he eyed his sword nervously.

"Jay, concentrate on unlocking your golden weapon. Let your heart guide you. Imagine you're taking flight." 

The lightning ninja did as his Sensei advised and focused on the the nunchucks in his hands, feeling their power within him. It was like his body was moving without being told what to do as the ninja danced with his weapon and expelled his powers. A great, big, blinding ball of lightning formed around him, encasing the ninja entirely. Then, it dissipated. And in its place was a small, but incredible jet. "Whoa! Ha—ha! Did I just do that?"

"Well done, Jay." Smiled Iris proudly as she stared in awe at the vehicle.

Kai went next and with his fiery dance, he produced a flaming hot motorcycle. These vehicles were just getting better and better.

As Cole and Zane both readied themselves to summon their elemental vehicles, Wu turned to his daughter. He then whispered. "You should go, Iris. They are going to need the yellow ninja if they are to succeed in retrieving the staff." Iris nodded, he was right as always. "I will cover for you."

Without looking back, Iris Wu snuck away from the scene, careful to avoid the inquisitive gaze of Nya, or the other ninja's for that matter. She had no doubt her Father would come up with a decent excuse for her sudden disappearance so she could once again become the yellow ninja. A spin was all it took to change into her yellow gi, that still tugged tightly in some places, and then she was ready.

The yellow ninja made her way onto the scene, ensuring her presence was well established as she stepped before the ninja and their four vehicles. In her brief time away, Zane had managed to summon an icy bike of his own and Cole had one tough looking combat car. These ninja had yet to stop surprising her.

"Guys, look, the yellow ninja's here." Kai pointed out, being the first to spot her.

Wu secretly smiled at the sight of his daughter, not that the others knew she was his daughter, all dressed up in her yellow suit. It made him feel so proud of her. Nya was surprised to see the yellow warrior again, having thought that the first and last time they parted ways was it. It seemed she was wrong. 

Cole frowned slightly at her arrival. "How did he get here so fast?"

Iris shrugged innocently before spinning her white lie. "I was in the area." Apparently that was enough to convince them.

"If you're going to stick around, we should at least know your name." Jay mentioned and it seemed the others seemed to agree.

Iris just shook her head. They couldn't know who she was, at least not yet. "I wear this mask for a reason. I keep my identity a secret because I must."

"Then what do we call you?"

Pursing her lips in thought, Iris contemplated that for a moment before she replied with a hum. "I think, you can keep calling me Yellow." She told them whilst still disguising her voice to prevent them from figuring it out. The closer Iris got to the ninja, the more likely they were to discover who the yellow ninja truly was.

"Either way," Zane began with a kind glint in his eyes, "we should be grateful for the help they have given us." A look was shared between the ninja as they prepared to leave and chase after the Serpentine, Lloyd and the staff. Then Zane turned to outstretch his hand towards her. "You can ride with me, if you would like?"

Iris accepted his hand. 

Then the yellow ninja was pulled upon the ice bike, right behind the white ninja. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his waist and he stiffened at the sudden contact. But it wasn't long before he relaxed into the girl's hold. Now they were ready.

So together the five ninja sped off into the desert and after the fleeing Serpentine. They had to get the staff, the lives of Jay's parents depended on it.

THE FOUR ELEMENTAL VEHICLES RACED THROUGH THE DESERT AND AFTER THE RETREATING SERPENTINE. Iris' tightened her grip around Zane's waist as the ninja increased their speed to make up for lost time. All they knew was that they had to get that staff and save the Walkers. But there were a lot of snakes between the five of them and the general holding the golden staff.

Jay was up in the skies, his lightning fast jet sailing straight overhead, taking the lead in their chase. He even managed to zoom straight past the snakes and Lloyd as he was still getting accustomed to his new ride. 

They all watched intently as Jay turned around and headed straight towards them. If his plan was to play chicken with the Fangpyres, then Iris really needed to consider giving that boy a lesson on strategies back at the ship.

But just as Jay prepared to fire at the snakes, his jet suddenly lashed about in the sky like some invisible thread was tugging it every which way. "That's not good." Iris said over Zane's shoulder.

"It doesn't look very encouraging." Agreed Zane.

But as Jay's lightning jet tumbled in the sky, past where the general and Lloyd were balanced on the helicopter, the ninja somehow managed to relieve the two-headed snake of his staff. Now that was some turn of events. 

The cheers of the blue ninja echoed through the empty desert as he raised the staff in victory. But it seemed that was enough for the ninja to break focus and for the jet around him to vanish. "No." Iris breathed out as they all watched their friend fall straight towards the sand. 

If it came down to it, Iris would use her powers to save Jay, no hesitation. But she hoped that the lightning ninja would re-find his centre and form the jet of lightning once again. 

"Jay, you have to concentrate!" Kai shouted up at him

"I can't!"

"You can!" Iris tried to encourage him. But it didn't help. 

Then Cole spoke up. "I think we're gonna have to catch him." As their blue comrade came closer and closer to the ground, Iris found herself practically hugging Zane's back with worry. 

All three of the ninja sped up their vehicles, desperate to catch their friend before he hit the ground. But they were all trying to be the one to catch him. Their big mistake. As the warning started to escape Iris' lips, the two bikes and Cole's car collided and in one ball of light, the three vehicles returned to nothing. 

They all hit the sand, the grains narrowly missing their eyes as they fell. A sigh of relief was released from all their mouths as Jay was caught by Nya, driving his parents' crazy but cool car. Exhaustion climbed up Iris's limbs and the girl wanted nothing more than to collapse into the warm sand beneath her. But they still had work to do.

Pushing herself to her feet, Iris dusted the coarse grains from her covered hands and then made her way in front of the ninja. They couldn't see the smile behind her mask, but it was definitely there as she offered a hand to the ice ninja as he had previously done to her. "Come on, we must leave." Zane took her hand gratefully and she pulled him to his feet.

Iris couldn't explain it, but there was something this ninja that she couldn't quite put her finger on. And it intrigued her.

As soon as the four of them were all on their feet, they turned at the sound of engines and growling. The Fangpyres were headed their way and they weren't happy. Kai, Zane and Cole picked their golden weapons, trying fruitlessly to summon their vehicles again. But they couldn't. Their minds were not clear.

"Huh? Why isn't it working?"

Then a familiar voice spoke. "Your weapon is merely an extension of your mind." They all turned at the sound of Sensei Wu to find him, Nya, Jay and Jay's parents behind them. "If your mind is immobile, so is your weapon."

Ed Walker gasped at the sight of the scaly army heading their way. They couldn't outrun them, especially not without their elemental vehicles. "Get in, boys!" At his words, all four of them leapt onto the car, and tried to find some part of the vehicle to hold onto there. But there wasn't much space left.

"We have to get back to headquarters." 

Then Nya punched her foot against the gas pedal and the car shot through the desert, leaving the snakes in their wake. Wow, that girl could certainly drive. So they all held on tight as the Walker family car zoomed across the sand to where their ship laid marooned in the middle of nowhere. And they had to get their fast. The snakes were catching up.

Iris wasn't sure what lie her Father had told to excuse her absence, but comment was made about her disappearance. Not even the ninja who hadn't realised she was gone. She wasn't sure what to think of that.

The group ran across the gangway and boarded the ship before heading straight for the bridge. If the Serpentine were coming, they had to be prepared.

Nya vanished to a different part of the ship to cure Jay's parents of the Fangpyre venom running through their systems. If the serpents were coming for their staff back, then they had to cure the Walkers before they could take it by force. "Man the stations, everyone!" Ordered Jay as they entered the bridge — their command centre. 

Kai headed straight for the window to check on the progress of the snakes as Iris stood back, unsure what to do. This was the yellow ninja's first time aboard the ship, she wasn't meant to know how it worked. "Jay, we better hurry." 

They were very close. They didn't have long.

The lightning ninja stared down at the big red button in anticipation. This was it: the moment he had been waiting for. But when he slammed his fist down onto button, nothing happened. 

"They're gaining on us."

All the ninja stared at each other with worry as Jay stared at the button before him. Nothing was happening. The snakes were drawing ever closer. And the Walkers were taking their tea to cure themselves of the venom that was flowing around inside of them. It was a bit overwhelming for them all.

Ed and Edna downed their tea as soon as it entered the bodies, they began to glow gold until all the traces of venom had been cleaned from them. Their fangs, their green skin, the scales and the tails were all gone. They were human once more. Thankfully.

Jay groaned in irritation as he glared down at the button and started to hit it angrily. "Uuh, I don't get what's wrong." If Iris could help, she would, tech wasn't really her thing. "I spent forever on this. It's supposed to work." 

Then Ed (who happened to be rather experienced engineer) headed to his son after being cured from the snake's curse. "Uh, son, maybe I can help?" Jay gasped and he ran his eyes up and down as he scanned his Father's back-to-normal form. Iris, meanwhile, watched them nervously as she hoped they could quickly fix what was wrong. The Fangpyres were too close for comfort.

"Dad, you're okay?"

"You're darn tootin'." The old man grinned. Then he dropped to the wooden floor and knelt down next to the control panel to open it up. "Oh, let's have a look." It only took a few moments of tinkering before he was done, then he withdrew his hand and returned to his feet. Impressive. "Oh, that should do it. Now try it."

Then Jay hit the button.

Iris wasn't sure what she had been expecting — none of them told her what the special defence system was — but it wasn't the ship suddenly taking flight. The sails dropped and at the back, engines appeared and aimed downwards, lifting them into the air. Were the engines there when they arrived? Maybe that explained how a ship was miles from any water. 

The vessel shook as it lifted, rocking the ninja who quickly found their footing. Iris' eyes widened in shock, her heart racing against the cage inside her chest wanting to break free, and her hands trembled apprehensively at her sides. Their ship was flying. It was so incredible and unbelievable yet so true. Their new home was in the air.

But they couldn't stabilise it. 

The ship shifted to the side, sending the passengers over to one end as the vessel tilted in mid-air. Iris' hands reached out for the closest thing to her which she held on with all her strength. Everyone else did the same before they could tossed around the bridge like ragdolls. But Nya wasn't quick enough. Because as the ship suddenly dropped on one side, the golden staff shot out of her hand and fell straight through the open door. 

First the Hypnobrai stole their staff back and burnt down their home and now they had lost the one belonging to the Fangpyres. Their record with the staffs wasn't looking very good. 

Jay and his Father managed to steady the ship so they could sail away into the clouds and far away from the snakes on their tail. And as they left Lloyd and the Fangpyres behind, Iris couldn't ignore the anxiety that crept up inside her. 

They may have lost the Fangpyres, but those snakes armed themselves for a reason. And whatever it was, it wasn't good.

ONCE THEIR FLYING HOME WAS A SAFE DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE ARMY OF FANGPYRES, JAY FINALLY SLOWED THEM DOWN. A relieved sigh passed Iris' lips as she let go of the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. Everyone looked around at each other, all wearing the same smile. They were safe. For now at least.

Tugging at the gathering of yellow fabric, Iris quickly fixed her suit before turning to the others. "I must be going. Thank you." She told them.

"No." Zane spoke up, stepping forwards and brightening his smile. "Thank you. We appreciate your help." Hums and soft 'yeahs' of agreement chorused throughout the group and then they all turned to face their yellow friend. 

Iris didn't know how to respond and instead simply nodded her head and exited the bridge. As soon as she stepped outside, she was greeted with the stunning setting sun and the cloud layer they had just managed to rise above. It was so beautiful. Not even at the monastery could she get views like this. She just wished her Mother was there to witness it, she would have loved it too.

The sight made the Wu girl smile sadly. In all her years in Ninjago, she had never seen anything like this before. She could definitely get used to it.

Then the girl took a deep breath in before vanishing in a puff of yellow mist. Ninjago was safe for now and so was her secret.

She'd have to ask her Father what lie he had told to make the ninja and Nya not even question her sudden disappearance. But she could tell everything was going to be alright. Even though they had lost the staff, they had saved Jay's parents and that was what mattered.

Because at the end of the day, helping the people of Ninjago was more important to them than winning. And by people, she also meant Lloyd.

Chapter 5! The end of episode 3!

I was thinking about splitting this chapter but in the end I decided not to, I wasn't sure where to be honest. But so what if it's longer than the others so far, I quite like it.

Zane and Iris offering each other their hands >>>
Honestly, these two are so cute. And they're going to get cuter, I promise.

Iris is learning to compromise with the ninja and they're teaching her a few things, like videogames. She was raised on books, not computers, so it's all a bit new to her. 

I would also like to know what Wu told the ninja and Nya that would make them — especially Zane who's already attached — not worry about Iris' whereabouts. This man has had a lot of time to perfect a lie even if he will always prefer honesty. So knowing Wu, the lie will have some element of truth that he has twisted with words to sound different.

We also have Iris doing Spinjitzu, yay!!!

Yes the ninja have called the yellow ninja 'he' on multiple occasions because just like with Samurai X, they've assumed it's a guy. These ninja are in for one hell of a shock later.

Thank you for reading!

Sincerely Rosie aka Winter326