Chapter Text
3 years ago
Stars lit up the Golden eyes of the man. Few flickered, some shined brighter, but what caught his eyes was the sight of a few turning off. He lowers his head.
“A thousand years have almost passed, father, please inform me of where the Eclipse is currently.” He whispers.
“Please, he will be our only chance against ‘him- when he comes, he and the descendants of the four.” The man bowed.
His eyes returned to the sky and watched the moon rise. His eyes glowed with it, and then a breeze moved his beard… .Bringing with it a chill to his wrinkled face, along with the smell of peppermint and resin.
The elder stands, his hat lowering over his eyes. “I have not been up there since the last Ice lycan passed, but if it's for the world.” He looks to the moon with the same yellow glow.
“I shall do my best and bring him first.”
____________________________________
Present
An orange light shines onto an old pebbled road.
Tap
The golden eyes illuminated under his bamboo hat as the elder moved, tapping his bamboo staff onto the ground. Then finally, the sun had moved behind the mountains, showing him a certain store- With four symbols in the shape of traps upon it.
“Stuff for a hunter.” He comments and peers at the falling sun now lighting green.
________________
“Alright, watch this and learn from the master.” Brown eyes peer over at a black-haired female with an unamused face and a shaking head.
“You know I studied the books, Kai-”
Kai looks at her and picks up the metal jaws. “To make sure a perfect trap works, you first need to bend the jaws and set the bait.”
The teenage girl watches her brother bend the trap.
crank
SNAP
She then watches him jump back and into the wall, causing the cages and tools from the wall to fall right on his head, where thankfully he put his arms.
“Fuck!” He throws a metal cage off his head and his sister signs.
“Kai, I think you need me to show you how to set one. I read the books dad left and-”
Kai starts picking up the tools as he stands. “Nya, I told you… .I wanna be a better hunter than dad, now get away from that trap it could hurt you.” Nya scowls, but stands back up.
“Oh my gosh, I'm so delicate!” She waved her arms and Kai furrows his brows.
“I don't wanna take you to the hospital.”
“I feel like it's gonna be me taking you at some point, honestly.” She mutters.
Kai feels something move about in his hair and moves his hand through his spikes. “Weird…” He then turns his head to the girl. “But I know what I'm doing, Nya.”
She rolls her eyes.
“Your traps are loud and tools useless.”
Both teens turn to face an elder in a white kimono, who poked at a cage on the floor with his staff. Kai meanwhile lifts a scrunched brow. “Tools useful to hurt one, but can never catch prey.” The elder goes on, walking over to Kai.
“All tools for a hunter, but nothing for a lycan.”
Nya's eyes squint as her head even tilts at the familiar word. She then peers at her brother's lifted lip and staggers back, peering at their living room behind the counter.
“Lycan?” you're into the legends far from these parts, old man. And the shop is called “Four Claws” not “for browsing” so either buy something or go give your insults to someone else.”
“Too bad. I'd thought I would find something special here.” Kai leers at the man's golden eyes and then feels his sister nudge him.
“Fine… .What kind of traps do you think are special-” Kai sees the man gone.
Nya looked around, stepping outside, she peered. “Wow, he left fast.”
Kai crosses his arms. “Just forget it, Nya, that guy gave me the creeps… .what's so special here, anyway?”
_____
Kai picks up more of the toppled cages and traps as Nya heads into their house. He sighs a bit, picking up a silver-made handle.
Clanng
Kai grips his hand as he looks down at the fallen object. “Did I just fucking cut myself on this?” He whines to himself as he unfurls his hand. He eyes the handle-like shape.
“Hey bro, you good?” Nya asks, walking back in with a bottle of cleaner and rags.
Kai moves his hand to his back. “I'm fine? You're gonna clean the windows?”
“Well you won't let me help you clean other things.” She leers at her brother from the window.
Kai looks at her and glances down at the trap on the floor. “I just don't want these to clamp shut on you.” He leans down and pokes the metal, earning again, a sharp pain, so moves away.
Nya looked over at a small bag of bait.
Splat
Kai looks over. “HEY!” Nya smirked and he rubbed his head. She then turned back to the windows and wiped off the cleaner to then suddenly go stiff. Kai looks at his sister's smile leaving her and glances outside, to see a dark cloud.
HOWLS
Kai gets up, shaking the bait off and grabs a machete off the wall.
Nya looked back at him. “Are those-”
“Stay here!” Kai sprints out, his other hand out and his brown eyes peered around, until a wolf shape begins moving closer to him.
“STAY BACK, OR BE HUNTED!”
The wolf creaks it's white head and starts moving closer, making Kai realize… .That's not white fur that's
!Snarl!
Kai slashes his blade forward, flashing it in the light of the waxing moon. But the boney creature behind him bites down onto the lifted blade, taking it, and tossing it clear across the yard.
Kai's face turns to the one in front of him, now seeing more. Kai eyes the three wolves and jumps, landing himself a bit away and breaking into a run.
“Get him, he'll know where it is!”
Kai looks at the shop a bit away and sees Nya's brown eyes moving with him. (“Oh fuck, Nya!”)
He halts himself, upturning some pebbles in the path, and turns to face the skeletons. The skeleton wolves step up to him and Kai meets their golden eyes with his brown ones.
Growl
Kai's eyes lower to the wolves, changing to a fiery red upon the moon light hitting them. Kai glowers at the skeletons. Then his eyes dim back to brown as a massive eight-legged wolf steps up, towering over the other skeletons.
“Get him!”
Kai steps back, and kicks the first one, sending its skull flying. Then turns as he listens to bones falling and a huge snap.
Thud!
He scowled towards the girl as she peers at him with his machete and a trap beside her, holding a now crushed bone.
“Where did you get that!?”
“We own a shop full!” Nya grins, swinging the blade and dodging another wolf. Kai meanwhile just starts heading her way, and the wolves gladly followed. All going around the two, snarling as the girl attempts to slash with the weapon, but gets it too knocked away.
Kai looks at them all, getting his sister behind him. “I TOLD YOU TO STAY!”
“And let you have all this fun?” She smirks, and hands him a small dagger from her pocket. Kai eyes the wolf head at the handle.
“We're talking after this!”
Nya nods and proceeds to use her spare dagger by spinning it and taking out the skeleton wolves’ heads. Kai took his side and kicked them clear off.
“Take that!” Kai pumps his fist and turns to not face Nya, but the massive skeleton wolf that stood up on two legs. He backed up and the wolf jumped onto him, taking his knife right out of his hand.
“Oops.” Kai looked up at the red-tipped claws and shut his eyes.
AWOOOO
Thud
Kai's eyes opened back up and he immediately backed up from the sight of a white wolf.
“Sensei Wu, your lycan form is looking a lot more… .old.” The skeleton wolf spoke! As Kai desperately eyes around for his sis.
“Says the one who is bones.” Kai looks at the white wolf and sees the bony one glance at him, picks up his knife, and throws it.
Kai ducks, holding his hand against his head, and feels that same twinge again, like some ghost, go through his hands as they lower.
Crack
Kai glanced up and felt his body stiffen as he peers back towards the broken wood, and a metal tank getting bigger.
Howls
Kai eyes shut as a golden light grips him, followed by the sound of rushing water splashing across the pebbles.
CLANK
CRASH
“Garmadon says to take the girl!”
Kai's eyes shoot open again, as he gives heavy breathes and he immediately gets up from another's arms at the sound of sister's yell.
“KAI!” He sprints down the pebbled path and to a green truck covered in wolf skeletons.
“NYA!” He ran faster and faster, but the truck's wheels roared and a puff of black smoke clogged his eyes.
“Nya!”
coughs
He looks out at the vehicle already passed the mountains and falls to his feet. “Nya.”
“I told you… .Can't catch prey.”
Kai's face turns to the elder and stands himself up, showing his teeth in process. “CAN'T YOU FUCKING JUST LEAVE OLD MAN!”
The man steps up to the fuming teen. “I saved you.”
Kai looks into the man's golden eyes. “YOU COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING THEN!”
The man remains standing with a stoic face towards where the vehicle went.
“YOU COULD'VE SAVED MY SISTER!”
“BUT YOU DID NOTHING!” Kai turned back to the road and stared at the tracks. His fist balled and teeth exposed as he starts marking a mental path. The man then placed his hand on Kai's shoulder.
“You can not go where they have went. That was Samukai, the leader of the top dead world.”
Kai leers at the man. “I don't care, I'm going either way because they have my sister, so maybe you can just stay and offer your ‘advice’ to the villagers here, I'm sure they will like it.” And he starts walking.
“He's carrying orders from Garmadon, I fear things are worse than just kidnapping, young Kai.”
Kai raises his eyes from the tracks as he halts, turning to the man. “How did you-”
The elder lifts his staff. “I know many things, young lycan, and this kidnapping was not by chance, follow me and I shall train you so you can save your sister.”
Kai looks at the man's stoic face and huffs. “Train me, ok, I'm just going to go down this path, and don't ever stalk me or my sister again.” Kai turns again and the elder finally starts moving with him.
“I'm talking about the fate of the world little one.”
Kai feels again, those weird things on his head falling. “Stop following me, I'm getting my sister.”
The man nods and looks at the path the teen is attempting before time. “You will not be able to save your sister nor face Garmadon unless you train that flame.”
Kai glowers back. “Can you stop doubting me? I don't even know who you are or why you are stopping me from saving Nya, but like I said earlier. “Go insult someone else.” And he keeps walking.
And the elder finally comes up, moving his staff.
Thud
Kai looks down at his arms and then the man with glowing red eyes. “What the fuck?”
The elder steps up to him. “I cannot let you go before you are ready, Kai.”
“And why not? They have my sister and-” The elder stops him.
“Long before time had a name. Our island was created by the first Lycan, by using the power of the four aspects of our universe: Earth, lightning, ice, and fire. A power only he could weld. When he faded to the moon, his two sons were given the task of protecting them, and the descendants of who he chose. but the older one was eaten by darkness and stole the powers. A fight broke between the brothers and he was sent far below, far from the moon. Peace came back, but the oldest hid the aspects far and gave the map to an honest descendent to hide.” He looked at Kai's shop, and Kai stared at the sign being on the ground.
“You came here for a map?” Kai frowned as he stood back up.
“No… .I came here for you, Kai.”
Kai raised his head.
“My brother clearly has struck a deal with Samukai, and if he gets the four aspects I won't be able to stop him, again. But you, I can sense that fire ready to burn down a whole army. I will train you to harness and control it. Use it. Become a lycan of fire.”
Kai blinks. “Look, I'm happy you think of me like that, but I need to save my sister.. .and I'm not a Lycan, that is but a fairytale made to scare kids.”
The older man smiles and nearly laughs. “Then what were those skeleton wolves you just faced?”
“No idea and don't care, I'm gonna go get my sister.” He starts walking but then feels the ground again as a white wolf stood over him.
“Haha, fairytale you say, fierce pup. You are not even ready to face me. If you want to get your sister back, you must control your new form and fire that burns inside. Only when you master that, will you be ready to face Garmadon.” Kai stared at the wolf and weighed his options.
“Ok, when do we start?”
__________________________________________________________
The teen lowers himself on the rocks and wipes his wet head.
“Why do you live so high, is this training?” The white wolf looked down at him and jumped up more. Kai meanwhile staggered up again.
“Shouldn't we already be after them? They have the map and my sis-
The wolf turned back in a golden glow as Kai kinda stared, and then peered up at the red and gold doors of a Monastery.
Wu smiles softly, opening the wide doors to the teen. “Welcome to my home and your training location.”
Kai looks at a golden wolf statue in the middle and rolls his eyes. “You expect me to learn to tame flames in a place of peace?”
“To be a lycan of fire, young pup, you need to be trained within a peaceful environment.”
Kai watches him go up to the wolf statue.
Push
Rumble
The teen hurriedly stepped back as the floor opened and structures rose from the darkness. Kai eyes the spinning wooden structures laced with sharpened wooden structures. (“How am I supposed to-”)
“Finish the course before I finish my tea.” Kai looks at Wu pouring tea and walks up to the spinning structures with a huff. “If this gets me closer to saving my sister.”
THUD!
Kai falls from the now cracked wall and groans.
“You failed.”
Kai's aching head turns to the elder, walking to a pair of sliding doors.
“We will try again tomorrow.”
“I DIDN'T EVEN START!” The doors closed in front of the young lycan.
“Patience.” Wu's voice echoed as Kai's scowl increased and his eyes shone red for a moment. Until his hands opened again and his body sagged, eyes returning to normal.
“Nya, please be ok, I'll come get you tomorrow. First I gotta deal with crazy, I guess.” He tells the blue sky, as again a weird sensation falters on his head.
_________________
Day 2
The boy looks up at the darkened sky. “Training at night?” He lifts a brow at the gibbous moon reflecting onto his brown eyes.
“You will get used to it, but now finish before me.”
Kai leers, lifting his mouth and turns to the training course. This time at the start and sprints forward instantly Wu sits down.
“For Nya, for Nya, for Nya.” He whispers looking at the course as he sprints up the ramp, and then into a section of poles that keep going back and forth. Smacking his sides and he'll say once his face… .Yeah once.
Thud
Kai stood himself back up after his beating by poles, and stared around and up at ramps, all separated in the air via walls. He eyes the hoop at the top. (“This is for Nya, remember Kai.”)
Kai looks at Wu adding sugar. (“Good, take your time. I'm gonna get Nya today!”) And he started to climb, gripping his hands against the hard bumpy surface, slipping as he had no grip.
(“Come on! Why can't I grip anything!”)
Thud
The teen whimpers as he lands onto his butt and looks up at ramps. “Fail!”
And he again hears the man sliding the door closed. (“Maybe I should just leave, my hands can't even get a grip.”) He leers at the ramps, eyeing what appears to be scratch marks on them.
_________________
Day 3
Another day. Kai wakes up, goes to the course and falls on his ass trying to grip the ramps. Wu meanwhile glances at him from the doorway, silently taking out another day on his list.
“Full moon is in two days, young pup. I know you can do it, just think of the wolf.” He whispers to himself, eyeing the red wolf in his scroll.
_________________
Day 4
Kai fell down onto his face as once again Wu told him he failed and left.
Slide
The Monastery door shuts as the boy keeps himself on the warm courtyard ground. He sits up to his hands and peers up, his lip lifting along with the moon.
Growl
The boy leaps up to his feet and feels his skin burning. “Ugh!” He huffs, burying his head into himself.
“This place is making me crazy.” He stumbles from the course and inside, where the heat only increases. Making him sweat more than he does while running.
He keeps moving though eventually he holds on to the wall as his vision occasionally decides he doesn't need to see. But somehow that doesn't stop him. “Tommrow… .I'll get you Nya. I promise.” He breathes deeply as his tongue hangs from his mouth.
He shambles into his bedroom while here and heads to the restroom, turns on the sink, immediately splashing himself with water. “Come on Kai, this isn't hotter than the shop, “fucking place never has air conditioning.” He says with a higher pitched mimic of his sister and slumps.
“I need to get her, I need to save her… .So you're going to beat that damn course tomorrow, got it, handsome?” He spoke to the mirror, as he fixed his falling spikes. He then looks away and gets to his sleeping bag, where he laid, eyes open.
“Dammit, why am I still full of energy!” He moves his head to the side, where he sees his bag. Kai removes the blanket off himself.
“This place sucks.” He whispers, opening it and grabbing a photo he snuck in. Wu said only needed, but if he is gonna trust someone, he might as well bring his reason for doing so.
Kai looks at the photograph of his family. His dad was smiling so wide with his mother. He smiles too. “Don't worry, I'll keep my promise. I'll bring Nya home, then this whole thing will be behind me. And I can just get back to the shop.” He proclaims to the photo.
Golden eyes remove themselves back from the door. “My other students shall be back tomorrow. Be ready Kai.” He whispers and walks down the hall. But not before striking the wall.
Thud
Kai's head goes back along with the… .Well he guessed it's his hair at this point. But that certainly felt like it went up. And the boy gets up, sliding his door wide open. He peers around, and then glances at the open door at the end. Showing him the obstacle course.
“Weird, but maybe training might help.” He whispers, a pair of golden eyes shone as the elder grins behind a closed door.