Chapter Text
Cole felt nauseous as the ship swayed violently, being pulled in every detection at once due to the rips in what seemed to be in reality itself. The Realms were merging they had figured out, though they hadn’t been able to figure out how to fix it, hence why they were in the sky.
One direction started pulling harder Cole concluded as the made a hard, unintentionally, right turn. A blast of cold air hit him as he was slammed into the railing along with Jay.
”What is happening! Are we in the never realm now?” Jay yelled, though his voice was hardly a whisper over the wind, it seemed to be as in happy about this change as the earth was.
Whistling its woes as the earth screamed bellowed them, causing a dizzying throbbing in his head.
It made it hard to stand as the boat suddenly shot left, causing Cole to hold onto the railing, and Jay so he wouldn’t go flying, for dear life.
”It’s like all the realms are crashing together!” Kai called over the wind as the destiny bounty creaked and groaned as wind and lightning shot around her.
”How do we stop it?” Cole yelled, though the moment he stood fully, the wind and debris suddenly wanted nothing more then to throw him off the boat. Jay did everything he could, and it almost worked until another large rip in the sky opened, pulling him and some of the destiny bounty's railing with him. He could hear the ninja calling out to him, but their voices were quickly carried away by the storm and Cole's own mind screaming at him that he was falling. It was difficult to open his eyes for more reasons then the wind but he forced them open regardless, if he could avoid splatting on concreate that would be best.
Upon opening his eyes he saw scenery around him had completely changed, the sky was orange for starters, not the deep blue it just was and alot less rifts.
Actually, there were no rifts at all.
As weird as that was the next thing Cole took into note that the ground seemed to be a giant junk yard that put Jay's parents to shame, And while it was cool to see, Cole didn't particularly fall head first into it.
Ok Cole.
you're falling.
use your air jistuu or move the earth so you at least land in the dirt! He told himself as he rapidly approached the ground, but he didn't, or couldn't.
When attempted air jitsuu the wind around him seemed to howl louder, and while he's never bee good at doing stuff mid air he knew he could! And to make it worse was when he tried to quickly move the earth not only did it seem to yell at him like the wind did but seemed to push back. or maybe that was jut him finally making contact with the ground.
His head spun and his chest burned, he hissed in pain as he tried to get back up, but his body clearly had different plans then his mind as he fell back to the ground, only intensifying the burning in his chest and adding a nauseating spinning to his vison.
The corners of his sight were beginning to black out and his ears were ringing as he began to cough which only lead to his chest feeling like Kai had just set it on fire, the blood he began to cough up wasn't helping either.
Through the ringing in his ears he thought he heard voices, was it the ninja? had they come down to get him? That thought put him at ease just enough for the adrenaline of being in danger to stop out weighing the damage he took from his less then graceful landing and close his eyes.
When Cole woke up the pain in his chest was still there, maybe even worse. It hurt to breathe and his chest felt tighter then it did before. he felt heavy, like the earth had swallowed him whole, mistaking him for a dead man.
His head felt muddy, like someone had taken his thoughts and mushed them all together, though despite that he groggily opened his eyes to be met with a ceiling that did not belong to the bounty nor his own room.
"where" he started before he broke out into a coughing fit, making his chest somehow burn worse. He didn't rember rolling onto his side but when opened his eyes again he was, and now there was someone in front of him. He couldn't quite see the person's face but they had a hand on his back, rubbing circles that help soothe the burn a little.
"where am I?" He tried again, this time without coughing, though his voice was rough, like someone who hadn't drank water in a week.
"We like to call this place the Rookery, It's one of the many things in the land of lost things, which is where we are" A gentle voice replied, one that did not belong to Cole's siblings. So they hadn't came to get him, not yet at least.
"oh" was all else Cole manage to get out as he was gently moved back to lying on his back. "You have alot of injuries right now, I'll tell you more about it once you're feeling a bit better" the stranger explained and Cole nodded, it made sense, he was in a lot of pain and a nap sounded good.
Not to mention if this person wanted to kill him, they would have done so already, though he was curious as to who they were.
"who are you?" Cole mumbled as he closed his eyes, "Geo" was the reply he got before slipping out of consciousness
It took a couple of weeks after Cole initially woken up for him to get a bit better, though it was enough so that with a little help from Geo, who he’d come to learn was a geckel colored munce, he could sit up and hold a bit of conversation with minimal pain.
It was going good, he got to meet the other three people living in the Rookery, Fritz, a bird changeling. Spitz, a serpentine, and Bonzle, a.. skeleton? It was a little shocking but hey he was a ghost once and was still “alive” so why not a skeleton to?
The Boys were always full of energy, eager to ask Cole all kinds of questions about being a ninja after he had to explain that was who he and his siblings were. And he was always happy to talk about them, even when the sad looks Geo and Bonzle would share when he talked about them confused him.
It took awhile for him to be able to stand on his own, according to Geo and the many gashes he had, he had landed on a load of scrap metal when the rift spit him out here. But he got there eventually.
Everything was going good
Well until the heard of the hoarder. Apparently Geo had decided not to mention it until Cole was going to go outside with the two boys.
“It’s dangerous, and I think, not that I’m doubting you here but, someone in your condition shouldn’t be risking your recovery. I understand you’re better now but, I don’t think you should yet” Geo warned while Cole shifted his weight to his other uninjured leg.
“I’m sure it will be fine, if you trust them to go outside by their selves then surely I can go to” Cole pointed to the two impatiently waiting boys at the door as he tried to soothe the munce’s worries. Were they valid worries, probably, but by the first spin jujitsu master was Cole going to loose his mind if he didn’t get to atleast step outside of the rookery some time soon.
Fritz wrapped himself around Cole’s leg and looked up and the munce “Please Geo!” The changling begged, “If we hear the hoarder we’ll come back right away!” Fritz promised with spitz nodded along right beside his brother.
Geo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “If you even think you hear that thing, you come back immediately, no matter how cool whatever you found was ok?”
“OK!” “WE WILL!!” The boys hollered excitedly as they grabbed Cole’s hands “Comon! There’s abuncha cool stuff for us to go find” Fritz explained to the ninja as he grinned and allowed himself to be dragged along, though before going out the door he looked back at Geo “we’ll be careful, I promise.”
Geo smiled then nodded and the three boys were off.
And this repeated for a few months, He and the two boys would go off “exploring” which was rarely ever further than a mile from the rookery even with Cole being with them.
Geo was still cautious every time since a) to say Cole was fully recovered would be a lie, and b) the fact Cole had yet to see the hoarder and it was beginning to stress Geo out.
Not to mention despite Cole being worried for the munce Geo was aware that’s all the ninja was worried about.
Geo couldn’t tell if Cole was extremely self confident or, well, to put it kindly not the brightest.
”I’m glad Fritz and Spitz have warmed up to him but I wish they wouldn’t insist on him pushing himself” Geo sighed as he stirred the pot infront of him, stew being one of the few things even he couldn’t mess up.
Bonzle gave him a look, clear this conversation has been had before and will be had again, “don’t you think you should put a little more faith in the guy? He said he’s fine so believe it” they countered
Geo frowned “I’ll believe what I see, most of his injuries are just now beginning to scar over, it wouldn’t be hard for them to reopen-
Geo didn’t even get to finish his sentence, as if he just said the password that allowed anything he worried to go wrong to go wrong as Fritz and Spitz bust through the the door, talking over eachother.
”The hoarder!” “Cole he’s- “he tried to fight it and he, he” both Bonzle and Geo quickly ditched the kitchen to run up to the tow sobbing boys whose blubbering had become incoherent.
”one at a time” Bonzle tried to sooth while Geo knelt infront of them, a sinking feeling quickly making itself at home in Geo’s gut. “Right boys, one at a time, what happened and where’s Cole?”
Fritz hiccuped “we - we were exploring and we were going farther then we should of” the changeling paused to catch his breath and sniffle before picking back up “and Cole was telling us to come back ca - cause you said not to go far”
once it was clear Fritz was loosing his will to speak to his own sobbing Geo turned to Spitz who wasn’t much better but was able to continue. “Then the hoarder showed up, so we started to run back to the rookery -
“But it threw a bunch of junk at us and Cole moved the ground to block it but it was” Fritz took a breath “it only blocked us and he got hit really hard in the head” Fritz sober louder as Spitz nodded as to confirm that’s what he was going to say if not interrupted by his brother.
”Ok” Geo took a shaky breath, aware the two boys were already plenty guilty and scared, “Where is Cole now? You didn’t leave him with the hoarder did you?” The mucne question which thankfully both boys shook their heads to.
”I’m going to go gather up some first aid supplies” Bonzle announced before taking their leave to do just that.
”after he fell the hoarder left and we did our best to get him back to the Rookery but we couldn’t so we came to get you” Spitz sniffled and Geo mentally went over the situation, Cole was unconscious, rather far from the Rookery but not near the hoarder anymore.
”Right then, show me where you left him and I’ll cary him back” Geo stood with a shaky breath of his own as the two boys nodded and rushed to the door while Geo followed.
Cole was closer then Geo had initially thought, though farther then he’d prefer as the three made it. The sight was painfully familiar to when Geo first found the ninja, unconscious on his back with shallow breaths. Though this time he had a clear injury near the top of his head.
Geo quickly knelt to asses the damage, noting it was bleeding due to how sticky the surrounding hair had become but not terribly which Geo thanked whatever was out there for.
The moment relief was cut through a roughy voice which when Geo looked down to see Cole now looking back up at him, the relief doubled while the two boys rushed to his side, asking to many questions for someone with a head injury.
After Geo got them to calm down the ninja gave the three a small smile before addressing Geo, ”What are you doing out here?” Cole questioned as the munce helped him sit up.
“Does your head not hurt?” Geo counter questioned which the ninja just shrugged to, “mm no, not really” his words were slightly slurred as he tilted his head back to look up “everything just a bit.. fuzzy? ‘M not sure.” Cole explained and Geo’s concern immediately returned.
”that’s not good” Geo murmured as he got an arm around Cole, “Right let’s see if you can stand” Cole nodded.
After a lot of help from Geo the ninja was on his feet, granted most of his weight was on Geo, which he apologized for. “Right, back to the rookery” Geo announced and they started moving, albeit rather slowing due to Cole randomly spacing out or one of the two younger boys having a coughing fit due to their crying not long ago, but Geo was fine with that as long as Cole stayed conscious.
once they made it back the stairs were a bit of an issue which had the ninja muttering unnecessary apologies again as Geo reassured him it was fine. And it was, the munce didn’t mind the helping, he was glad he could have anything, he just wished Cole didn’t have to be hurt.
Carefully Geo helped Cole sit down and the ninja sighed with relief, “Thanks, and sorry again” Cole murmured “I swear I’m normally not that bad at fighting, I just didn’t get downer quick enough” he explained with a small smile
”you don’t have to explain yourself, it’s ok Cole, I’m just glad you’re alright” Geo paused “well alright for the most part” he hummed as he watched Bonzle step in to look at the injury Cole had sustained.
”yeah you should be fine, though probably a little out of it from what I’ve read about head trauma, do you think you have a concussion?” Bonezle evaluated then pondered which made Cole pause aswell.
”probably” Cole sighed when he apparently couldn’t come to any other conclusion, “I’ll be fine though after sleeping it off” he added which Bonzle nodded to as they wrapped the ninja’s head.
”Right, you should probably do that now then. Get some rest Cole” Geo sighed, concisions weren’t good by any means, but they were better then what Geo had been worrying about so if Cole napping for a few days was all it took he was grateful.
”Yeah, that sounds like a plan” Cole nodded as he ran a hand over the skeleton’s work, “Thanks Bonzle, I really appreciate this” Cole smiled as they stepped back “Of coure, don’t go making a habit of getting the crap beat out of you though” Bonzle teased as they walked to the door.
”oh come on it was a lucky shot” Cole half heartily defended himself as smile appeared on his face. “Thank you to, Geo” Cole suddenly turned to the munce once Bonzle was gone, he began laying down as Geo matched the ninja’s smile before leaving the room aswell.
Cole’s head was heavy, and the room was spinning, not quickly, but enough he was dizzy. Doing his best to Ignore the feeling of something was banging on the inside of his skull Cole closed his eyes, exhaustion rushing overing him.
As the spinning was now to dark to see and the fatigue won over the pounding in his head, Cole slipped into sleep.
when he opened his eyes again thought, he was standing infront of his brother.