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Lloyd started to notice things were… happening, when he bit through his tongue one too many times. When he was eating too fast or talking too quickly, and his teeth would slam down on his tongue, it would normally start to bleed, like it had been penetrated. The first time it happened he was talking to Kai about one thing or another, he'd gotten ahead of himself, and SLAM! He felt pain on his tongue and tasted blood in his mouth. The last time he'd allowed to happen was when he was trying to quickly eat the last piece of cake they had in the momentary before Cole could, and instead of biting into the cake, he'd bitten into his own tongue.
“Give back you little menace!” Cole yelled, tackling him to the ground as he held the chocolate slice to his mouth. He twisted his head around just as he held it before his mouth, and Cole’s eyes narrowed, lips twisting downwards. “Don't you dare-!”
But Lloyd already stuffed it into his mouth. Cole let out a roar of frustration and pushed his head onto the ground, and Lloyd burst out laughing. He nearly choked on the cake doing so, however, so he quickly went back to chewing, only to flinch when his teeth bit into his tongue instead.
He yelped and pushed Cole off with a sudden burst of strength, leaping to his feet and running from the living room just as the blood began to flood his mouth. He could hear Cole yelling after, and probably chasing him, but he was too focused on getting to a mirror.
“What is the problem-?!” Lloyd demanded of no one but the air, sliding to be in front of the bathroom mirror and throwing his mouth open. Blood trails down his cheek from the corner of his mouth, and the light reflects of his fangs-
Wait a moment. Fangs?!
He shoves his face closer to the mirror, angling his head this way and that to try and better get a look at his teeth turned fangs.
Yup. Sure enough, he had fangs. Fangs! He didn't even care for the fact his blood was now dripping on the counter, and that his tongue was now on fire in the fourth spot he'd bitten into his tongue. The previous three spots are now just angry blisters, while the newest one was already forming to become one.
“What the heck?” Lloyd muttered, his words coming out slurred by the way he was now holding his cheeks open with his fingers.
“Hey!” Jay is sticking his head out of the curtain of the shower, the water steaming behind him. “Do you mind?!”
“Hang on Jay!” Lloyd shouted back, and Jay groans, yanking his head back behind the curtain. He continues to mutter to himself.
“I can never get privacy! Not even in the shower!”
Lloyd squints again at his fangs, poking at the tip of one with a finger. He quickly draws his finger from it, however, finding it to be surprisingly sharp. In fact, all of his teeth are now fangs similarly sharp, some just shorter than the others. Almost like, a shark jaw or a, or a dragon’s.
“There you are!” Cole was suddenly in the doorway, and Lloyd screams as the much larger ninja launches at him, and they both wind up in the shower with Jay.
“Oh come on!”
The others started noticing them not soon afterwards, Nya being the first.
“Woah, Lloyd, your teeth!” she exclaimed as he was grinning, getting closer to his face. He quickly shuts his mouth self consciously, drawing back away from. “Oh, sorry, but your teeth are so sharp!”
“I know!” Lloyd exclaimed, his tongue rubbing at the backs of his teeth. “They just got so sharp one day, and I don't know why!”
Kai perks up from the training he’d been in the middle of at their yelling, striding over. “Wait what's up?” he asked, an eyebrow quirked. Lloyd frowns deeper and opens his mouth for the Fire Ninja to see. Kai gasps loudly and gets nearly as close as Nya had. Siblings must have similar reactions to most things. “What the heck?”
“They hurt too,” Lloyd said morosely, fangs clicking together momentarily as he speaks.
“Huh,” Kai said, scratching his head. “Maybe it's a Green Ninja thing?”
“You can't just say everything that happens to him is a Green Ninja thing!” Nya exclaimed pointedly. Kai just shrugs.
“I mean, most of the time it is!” Kai pointed out with a smug look. Nya rolls her eyes.
“It probably is some… ‘Green Ninja thing’, though,” Lloyd said in agreement. “I’ll ask Sensi Wu about it later.”
“Good idea!” Nya said with a nod. “Now, it's time I kick my brother’s butt.”
“I’d like to see you try!” Kai said with a laugh, and the two run off to spar.
Lloyd notices the next change a couple of days later.
It's at night, and, of course, he is having a nightmare. Darkness and green lights surround him, slowly closing in on him. Morro’s laughter fills his ears, the darkness is wrapping its greedy tendrils around his wrists and ankles, and his father is standing over him, not a look of mercy or love in his red eyes. His father raises a sword in one of his many hands, and swiftly brings it towards his chest. All Lloyd can do is scream.
He throws his hands up, and suddenly finds them tangled not in the darkness, but in his blankets instead. There is a ripping noise, and the blankets are being torn to pieces. He calms himself a moment later, heart continuing to race in his chest even as he takes calming breaths.
He looks down at his now shredded blankets, confusion building up. Now how did that- he lifts his hands, eyes only further widening to find his fingers tipped with long, pointed claws. They were silver in the moonlight, and took the place of his regular, human nails. They curled down dangerously, scraping through the air with every movement.
He looks at them in awe, and then decides that this was just getting weird. He’d go straight to his uncle in the morning with questions as to what the hell is happening.
He also decides that he wouldn't be going back to sleep. He didn't want to accidentally impale himself with his newfound talons.
So, instead, he trains in the courtyard. He didn't even need to turn the lights off! Which, yeah, was a weird fact, but he'd decided not to question it at this point.
He was still training by the time Cole- who was usually the first awake- came wandering onto the training grounds. It was still pretty dark outside, with the sun hiding just behind the momentary walls, causing the area to be mostly covered in shadows.
Cole yawns as he steps onto the training grounds, waving to Lloyd, before he pauses, rubs at his eyes, and looks intensely at Lloyd's face. “Oh what now?” Lloyd said tiredly, not even sure what to expect at this point.
“Your eyes aren't glowing!” Cole exclaimed and Lloyd rolled his eyes.
“Yes Cole, thank you for pointing out the obvious!” he didn't mean to sound so impatient and rude, but he was tired, running off of three hours of sleep.
“Yeah, but they're not green!” Cole continued and Lloyd’s eyes widened. “They're golden!”
“What!” first his eyes were red, and then they turned green, and now they're gold? Would his eyes ever stop changing colors?
“Serves you right for eating my last piece of cake,” Cole snarked, returning to his usual attitude. Lloyd groans and waves him off, rushing back into the monastery as his skin began to itch horribly. As though ants were all over it. He didn't want to know what was happening to his skin now, too. He just needed to talk to Wu already!
“Sensei Wu!” he yelled, bursting into the elder ninja’s room. He just hoped he was awake already and hadn't just rudely awoken him.
Luckily, he was already awake(of course he was) and was idly sipping on a cup of tea. He looks up at Lloyd and raises an eyebrow, before looking the Green Ninja up and down.
“Ah.” Wu said simply after scanning him. “I see.”
“Of course you know what's happening!” Lloyd exclaimed, and grips at his hair in stress. He stops as soon as his new talons scrape at his scalp, however, and instead paces back and forth. He knew in the back of his mind that this wasn't very calm or wise of him, as he was supposed to be, but he was allowed to freak out every now and then, especially when his body was changing! He stops to stare at Wu again. “What's happening?”
Wu pushes to his feet as gracefully as ever and comes to stand before Lloyd, reaching out to grab one of his hands and turns it this way and that. He runs a finger along one of the talons, stopping just at the sharp edge.
“I believe I do,” Wu replied calmly, and gestures at the floor for Lloyd to sit. Lloyd does so, trying to keep his buzzing body from leaping around anymore, and waits as patiently as he could for his sensei to take a seat as well. He scratches at the side of his neck, which was suddenly incredibly itchy. Somehow, his talons didn't tear straight through the skin there. Wu slowly sits before Lloyd and offers him a cup of tea, which the Green Ninja turns down as politely as he could. “You already know that both Oni and Dragon blood runs in the veins of our family, yes?” at his nod, Wu continued, “I do believe this is the Dragon side of our family making its appearance.”
“What?” Lloyd said in confusion, holding his hands up to get another good look at them. However, this inspection didn't last long, as he went back to scratching at his neck and shoulders a moment later as the itching returned in a horrendous wave. “Why am I so itchy???”
“You are growing scales,” Wu replied just as calmly, gently grasping at Lloyd’s wrists to pull them away. “It will be uncomfortable at first, but once they've finished, you won't even notice them.”
“How do I make all of this go away?” Lloyd asked next, looking desperately at his uncle and teacher. He was his only hope of getting out of this familial mess which he did not appreciate in the slightest.
“You can't,” Wu states. Lloyd’s face falls and his stomach plummets.
“What?” he muttered. “But- but your Dragon side isn't showing! And Father is more Oni than Dragon!”
“It is complicated, Nephew,” Wu said softly, empathy lighting his wisened eyes. “Just like the rest of our family's history is.”
“So what?” Lloyd said, pulling his hands away from Wu to scratch annoyedly at his wrist, grimacing at the way the skin there was flaking. “I'm just doomed to continue turning into a Dragon until I am one? Like my father turned into an Oni?”
“I do not believe so,” Wu said thoughtfully. “I believe you will continue to grow some attributes similar to a Dragon, yes, but you will not fully become one.” He pauses to think for a moment. “And, perhaps, these attributes will one day leave you again.”
Lloyd deflates unhappily. “Great. So even you don't know,” he said in defeat.
“Sadly, even I cannot know everything. But we will figure this out together,” Wu promised.
Lloyd sighs, but nods anyway.
It doesn't take much longer for his scales to finish growing over some patches of his skin. They shine a bright, emerald green, and are mostly around his shoulders, neck, as well as his lower back and wrists. His friends once more question his changes, and he gives them the explanation Wu had given him.
“That's actually kinda cool,” Cole said as Kai ran a finger along Lloyd’s wrist, curious as to how the scales felt. It felt strange to Lloyd. Almost like someone was touching his regular skin, but through some thick barrier. Like plastic or glass almost. “Oh! What if you grow wings!”
“I want wings!” Jay exclaimed with a slight pout. “Ah, why do all the cool things happen to you!”
“I don't know if this is cool, Jay,” Lloyd groused. Nya is holding his other hand, studying his talons curiously. Zane is nearby, his head tilted to the side just the slightest. He was probably scanning Lloyd and his new attributes. “More annoying than anything to me.”
“You're just not looking at this in the right way,” Kai said, tapping at a rather thick scale. Lloyd grimaces at him. “Come on man, you're a freaking dragon! How is that not cool?”
“I miss our dragons…” Nya muttered, releasing Lloyd’s hand with a sigh.
“Do you think you will grow a tail as well?” Zane inquires suddenly, and Lloyd only grimaces further age the thought.
“I hope not,” he muttered. He already felt self conscious enough with the scales, fangs, eyes and talons. He didn't need a pair of wings or a tail. He probably wouldn't know how to move them and they would just drag or get in the way.
Well, as it turns out, life hates him, because a few days later, his back began to grow very sore. Kai offered to massage it(he did for all of the other ninja- he'd add just a bit of heat to his hands to help untense their muscles after a long day) and as he did so they both felt something move and POP in his back. Kai’s hands instantly flew away from the other’s back, almost like he was afraid he'd broken something, and Lloyd curls in on himself, his back suddenly exploding with pain.
“What was that?!” he gasped out.
“Uh, uh,” Kai fretted, and then yelled out of the room, “Zane!”
The Ice Ninja doesn't take long to arrive, and he scans Lloyd’s back quickly. “Did I break something? Please say I didn't break something!” Kai exclaimed worriedly.
“No, I don't believe you did,” Zane said, and Lloyd pushes up to lean against the couch he’d been laying on. His back was aching. It felt almost like something was inside of his muscles. He didn't like the thought. “But… There are strange forms that are not common to the human body connected to his spine, just below his shoulder blades. I believe they are new bones forming.”
“Oh thank goodness,” Kai said breathlessly. Lloyd, however, groans in annoyance.
“Am I seriously growing wings?” he muttered. Zane gives him an apologetic smile and he already knows the answer.
“It is highly possible,” Zane replied honestly, and Lloyd groans louder than the first time.
“Well, great,” Lloyd said, shutting his eyes. “Just another thing to deal with.”
And deal with it he has to.
The next day, he can feel the bones shifting beneath his skin, inside of his muscles. He doesn't leave his bed the entire day, yelling in pain as the bones arch further and further upwards, at first only poking at the inside of his skin, before piercing through, causing blood to stream down both of his sides. He screams even louder, and he can hear worried voices around him, see the faces of his friends, but he doesn't care and can't do anything but writhe in pain as the bones and skin continue to grow agonizingly.
The pain doesn't stop for a full three days. He could hardly even tell that his friends hadn't left him alone once the entire time, there being at least three of them with him at a time. During lapses in his pain they would force food and drink down his throat, and mutter reassuring words to him.
At one point, his face is buried in Nya’s shoulder and she is running a hand through his hair as he cries into the fabric of her shirt. She was shushing him gently, slightly rocking them. Just as she used to comfort him when they were being hunted; when it was just the two of them, when they had no one but each other to rely on. “You're doing so good Lloyd,” he heard her whisper at one point, and then felt something icy cold between his shoulders blades, between the two new appendages sticking from his back. He flinched, and Nya continued to whisper, “It's okay, it's okay, it's just Zane. He's trying to help you.”
The ice did help with the pain. But only slightly.
At another point, he comes to awareness leaning against a large and broad shoulder. His eyes adjusted to see Cole’s face above his own, and saw that the Earth Ninja was offering him a fruit of some kind. Jay was nearby, pacing back and forth, while Kai was sat on the other side of the room, his head in his hands.
Another hazy memory he had was of being held to a warm chest, as someone was hugging him tightly. He instantly knew who as soon as he heard him speak, “I got you buddy. I got you.” Kai always was the best at hugging.
He finally fully came back to awareness to sunlight streaming through a nearby window. He slowly sat up, wincing as his back ached. Okay, scratch that. His entire body ached. His shoulders felt heavy, and he was suddenly aware of a new sensation behind himself. He could feel the cool air, as well as the softness of the blanket beneath him. He twists around the best he could to see two, large wings laying limply behind him on the bed. He could currently only see the tops of his new appendages, which are the same emerald green as the scales spread across his skin.
He could also see that his new wings- that was so weird to think. His wings. He was gonna have to get used to that- are nearly three times the length of his arms, and were incredibly heavy. He tries to move them, like his arms or legs, but only manages a twitch.
That's when he notices that the rest of the ninja- including Sensi Wu- are all spread across the room, each sleeping in awkward positions. Nya and Kai were sitting on the floor at the edge of the bed, backs against the bed frame and their shoulders leaned against the others. Cole is sat in a chair with his arms slumped on either side of himself, head leaning uncomfortably far backwards. The whole chair was leaning dangerously back, too, in fact. Zane is standing to one side of the room, chin to his chest as he was currently powered down instead of in sleep mode. Jay is sprawled like a starfish on the ground, mouth wide open with drool pooling on the wooden floor. And Wu is sitting nearby the Lightning Ninja, in his signature meditation position.
Not wanting to disturb them, but also wanting to get up after who knew how long, Lloyd pushes off of the bed and onto his feet as quietly as he could. Which was actually quite a feat, what with his body still being horribly sore and his new wings being stupidly heavy. He somehow manages to make it to his feet, however, and nearly falls backwards when his wings spill out towards the ground uselessly. This is, of course, when he yelps, barely managing to catch himself on the bed.
This is also, of course, when the ninja stir awake. Nya is the first to full awaken, and she hops to her feet, spinning around to face Lloyd as he tries to gather himself.
“Lloyd!” she exclaimed happily. “You're awake and up!” She then loses the grin and glares at him, rushing to his side. “Which you most certainly should not be up! Lay back down, you need to rest!”
“Lloyd?” it was Kai now, his voice laden with sleep. He rubs at his eyes just as Jay shouts, “Lloyd!”, obviously awake as well now. Cole groans and straightens in his chair, popping his neck rather loudly. Wu slowly peels his eyes open, and Zane’s own eyes lighten again as he powers back up.
Lloyd can't even protest Nya as she guides him back into the bed. Kai is to his side next, helping to gather his new wings and situate them onto the bed next to the Green Ninja. “You had us scared there, Green Machine!” Cole said accusingly as Kai ruffles his hair and Nya pulls the blankets back over his legs. “Glad to see you awake, though!”
“Dude, you actually grew wings!!!” Jay yelled, rushing to the beside. He grabs on of the wings by the edge to pull it closer towards himself to examine it, and Lloyd hisses as the new appendage is filled with a strange new pain at the manhandling. It suddenly flaps up and outwards of its own accord, whacking Jay in the face. The Lightning Ninja sputters and falls backwards.
“Give him some space!” Kai said with a glare at the downed ninja. Jay frowns and stands back up, seemingly calmer now.
“How are you feeling, Lloyd?” Zane asks, standing at the front of the bed. Lloyd glances at the nindroid before pondering the question. The other ninja stay silent as he mulls it over, doing a quick assessment of his body.
His back ached, his wings ached, his arms ached, everything ached. He was tired, and he could feel dried and crusty blood beneath bandages wrapped around his chest and back, carefully around the bases of the wings where they had burst from his shoulders. All in all: “I feel horrible.” It shouldn't feel bad to admit this fact, but he still felt bad doing so. He was the Green Ninja; he was never meant to feel down. He was always supposed to stay on his feet and keep the others encouraged. Yet here he was now hardly able to move without wanting to cry.
“Well, you look horrible too,” Cole said honestly, gaining glares from the rest of the ninja. The Earth Ninja shrugs. “What? He does. He hasn't showered in like, three days.”
“Not like that fact is his fault,” Zane points out matter of factly. “He has been mostly unconscious for those three days.”
“Way to point out the obvious,” Kai said, eyebrows furrowed.
“Are you hungry, Lloyd? Thirsty?” Nya asked, ignoring the other three.
Lloyd shakes just head. “Not really. Just tired. And sore,” he replied.
“Need another massage?” Kai offers, and Lloyd almost turns it down when he remembers that the Fire Ninja giving him a massage in the first place started this whole thing. Okay, no it didn't. And it always felt good when he did it. At the Green Ninja’s nod, Kai hops onto the bed beside him, rubbing his palms together to warm them up. Nya disappears for a moment before returning with a cup of water just as Kai situates himself behind Lloyd.
“Here, drink this,” Nya said as Kai began to carefully rub his hands along Lloyd’s back and shoulders. Instantly, Lloyd felt a lot better. His shoulders hunch and the aching wasn't nearly as bad. The warmth from Kai’s palms felt amazing. He takes the offered cup and slowly drinks from it.
“Is there anything else we can do to help?” Cole asked from his place, and Lloyd glances from him to the other two ninja who were watching almost helplessly. They seemed to want to help Lloyd just as much as the Smith siblings were.
“Perhaps we should give him some space,” Wu said suddenly, gaining the room’s attention. He has his typical serene expression, and he gestures towards the door. “Everyone bur Kai should leave the room. And once Kai has finished, he should leave as well. I am sure Lloyd just needs his rest now.”
Lloyd wanted to agree with his uncle. But a part of him also didn't want to be alone. Nya was nodding, seeming to agree with Wu as she slowly pushed away from the bed, even as the other three protested, only for Lloyd to unconsciously grab her hand. He hadn't even realized he'd done this until she was looking at him questioningly. He flushed and looked at the bed, and she seemed to understand.
“Actually, I'll stay with them for now,” Nya said. “Until at least Kai finishes.”
Wu studies them, before nodding. He then ushers the other three from the room, despite their protests.
“Need it warmer?” Kai asked, and when Lloyd nods, his hands heated up a volume.
“Do you want me to stay, Lloyd?” Nya asked him next. Lloyd sighs heavily and nods again, not really wanting to speak at the moment. She offers him a warm smile and squeezes his hand reassuringly.
The next few days are nearly as tiring as the last few were when his wings were growing in. He adjusts to the new wings, and then a tail decides to make an appearance. Now that growing in was just as painful as his wings, but it went by quicker, and was easier to recover from. Within a week, he was on his feet again, learning to control his three new appendages.
He was studying his tail now, having not been able to see it well the days prior. The same green scales cover it, aside from gold plating spanning across the bottom of the tail. At the very tip of it is a tuft of golden hair, just like the hair atop his head. Learning to control the tail is much easier than his wings, and by the second day of trying, he easily had it swaying side to side before swiping up and down. It dragged on the ground whenever he didn't focus on keep it up when he walked, but he didn't really care.
His wings are another story. They were a lot more stubborn at listening to his commands than his tail was. It takes him nearly half a week until he can fully control them, flapping them and folding them to his back whenever he didn't want them in the way. Which was all the time.
“I wonder if you can fly with those,” Jay said one day as he watched Lloyd beat at the air with the large wings. He was always staring appreciatively at the pair of wings, which Lloyd knew was because the Lightning Ninja has always dreamed of flying.
“You should try Lloyd!” Kai exclaimed excitedly from his place in the training court. He then lets out a loud “oof!” when the training dummy whacks him in the face.
“I don't, guys,” Lloyd said, pressing his lips into a thin line. “What if they're more for show than actual use?” His tail curls around his ankle, the tips of the hair brushing across the ground.
“Only one way to find out!” Cole added and Zane moss beside him.
“Most wings in nature are commonly used for actual flight rather than show,” he informed helpfully. “And with the size of your wings, it would be logical that they would be able to hold your weight and allow you the capability to fly.”
“Awesome,” Jay whispered in awe.
“You only have to try if you want to,” Nya says as she leaps from one pole to another, gracefully keeping her balance. “Besides, you only just fully healed. You don't have to push yourself to do anything yet.”
Lloyd frowns in thought. Later that night, with the moon high in the sky, he pulls himself onto the roof of the monastery. He unfurls his wings to their full length on either side of himself, the night breeze brushing gently against the insides. He would try and fly now, when the others were asleep, so when he ultimately failed, they didn't see it happening.
He shifts his weight nervously from foot to foot and looks over the edge of the roof, the edges of his wings nearly curling back inwards when a spike of nervousness explodes through him. Oh come on. He's never been afraid of heights. What was his problem now?
He swallows and lets out a heavy sigh. This was ridiculous. If he failed, no one needed to know and he would never have to try again.
Now. To just do it. How did bird mothers do it? Oh yeah, they just fling their babies from the nest and hope that they learn to fly.
He might as well try the method.
With one more deep breath, he leaps from the rooftop and into the cold night air, his wings flapping in wind behind him. His talons scrape at the air uselessly, and already his stomach is plummeting like the rest of his body is.
“Bad ideaaaa!!” he yelled as he fell down the mountain side uncontrollably. His tail whips around him just as uselessly as his wings were, and his eyes were filling with tears from how hard the wind was blowing into them.
He spreads his wings out again, and fees the air catch in them, causing them to inflate slightly, and to slow his descent, but now he is gliding. Not flying. And gliding is still falling.
Especially when his wings decide to randomly flip upwards and send him plummeting towards the earth at high speeds for a second time.
He screams again, flipping through the air like a freaking canon ball.
“Work work work!” he yelled to himself, forcing his wings to spread out once more. He beats at the air with them, keeping the motion going the best he could as he continued to fall.
At first, it didn't seem to be working. Then, he noticed that his fall was slowing, until it was completely stopped by his hovering. He hugs himself with his arms and his tail wraps around his lower calf, and he lets out a breath of relief.
And then, he whoops, and beats harder at the air. Instead of just hovering now, he was rising upwards, back up the mountainside. Back towards the stars. He laughs gleefully as the air passes around him smoothly, and he boldly does a flip. His wings carry him loyally, and his tail helps to keep him balanced as he does so.
He lands back on the roof, wings held just above his head as he catches his balance once more on his feet. That felt… amazing. Flying on your own without the help of any device was a feeling Lloyd couldn't even describe.
“Wow!” he jumps at the sound of an excited voice nearby. He turns quickly to find Jay and the other ninja crouched nearby, all watching him with wide eyes. “That, was, AWESOME!”
“Jay!” Kai exclaimed angrily, and the Lightning Ninja laughs sheepishly.
“So much for stealth,” Nya said exasperatedly.
“Guys?” Lloyd said, and his wings close in around himself like a robe, showing only his head. His face is starting to heat up. They'd been watching him and he hadn't even realized it! “I thought you were asleep!”
“We were,” Cole amended. “But then we heard you scream and we were gonna help, but then you helped yourself. And it was awesome!”
“You figured it out very quickly! Well done!” Zane added happily.
“I'm so jealous,” Jay said appreciatively, watching Lloyd’s wings slowly unfurl from around his body to stretch back out again. “Do it again!”
Lloyd blinks multiple times before shaking his head. “I don't know if I'll be able to again-”
“You just did!” Jay pointed out.
“Calm down Jay,” Cole said, whacking the back of the Lightning Ninja’s head. “He can do what he wants.”
Lloyd glances towards the moon, wings hanging at his sides. “Let’s just sleep, for now,” he said. “For real this time.” He then opens his wings and leaps towards the training ground, letting the air catch in them and lightly glide to the ground. He grins up at the other ninja as they make their own way down.
Maybe having dragon attributes wouldn't be so bad. But he'd have to wait and see to be sure.