No I did not abandon this story. Life was just swamping me with craziness as usual. To make up for it, I give you a double update!

This is part 1!

Have some candy! 🍭

☯~️☯️~☯️

Garmadon smiled excitedly as he made his way through the Woods of the Whispering Giants. The whole area was covered with tall coniferous trees which seemed to exceed above the sky itself. The wind was constantly blowing here. It never stopped. It sounded like the trees were whispering to one another thus earning the name: Whispering Giants.

People said that this was the birthplace of the first Master of Wind and if you listen closely you can hear the voices of the Whispering Giants talking about the day the Wind Master came into this world and the feats he performed.

Garmadon was fascinated by the story and wanted to check out the woods so he and Wu flew down here on their Elemental Dragons. The brunet was stopping every now and then, trying really hard to hear the voices of the Giants over the rushing of the wind.

Wu was lagging behind, complaining and making it even harder for his brother to listen. "We've been walking for an hour straight and I haven't heard a single thing except for their annoying whispers - or should I say the wind," he called out sarcastically, sitting at the foot of a tree.

Garmadon rolled his eyes and turned around to face his brother. "Well, no kidding," he said, irritated. "With all your complaining, how can I listen to their voices when I can't even hear my own thoughts?"

Wu threw his hands in the air. "You don't have to believe every single legend that comes your way, Garmadon. There's a thing called being realistic," he pointed out. "Besides, I've never seen a wind elemental in all my life. How do we know that he or she is even real?"

"Because Father said so," came the brunet's short reply. Wu got up and walked towards him, folding his arms. "No. Father said 'why don't you find out'. You know how he is; all mysterious and never giving a straight answer."

"Well, Father has got some nerve sending us on a wild goose chase after an elemental who doesn't even exist," Garmadon said drily. Wu looked relieved, hoping that his brother had finally come to his senses. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."

Garmadon rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time. "I was being sarcastic," he said to which Wu groaned.

"Come on, Wu. You used to love these kinda things. What's wrong with you?" The brunet asked, placing his hands on his hips, looking at his brother expectantly. Wu turned away, not wanting to look at Garmadon. "Well I guess people change . . . like you have."

The older scoffed disbelievingly before saying, "You know perfectly well why I've changed. Don't play innocent with me."

"I'm not," the blonde replied shortly and began walking forwards, the wind blowing his silky locks in every direction. "Come on. Let's get this over with so we can go home." The brunet shook his head and sighed. He followed after the other, listening intently again.

Wu glanced back at Garmadon, watching as he observed the woods around him with interest.
I'm not playing innocent but I will play the hero, he thought. I will save you if it's the last thing I do.

☯️~☯️~☯️

"It's getting kinda chilly, don't you think?" Wu wondered, rubbing his arms and trying to warm them.

They had spent a good thirty minutes in the woods since their last quarrel. The sun was about to set and they still had to walk all the way back because - owing to the closely spaced trees - there was no flying straight out of there. Not to mention the journey back to the monastery in the dark- something their father didn't approve of.

The wind was blowing faster than before. Garmadon looked back to his brother whose teeth were chattering. He sighed. They had no luck with the Giants yet so the only choice they had at the moment was to go back home. "You're right," he agreed, feeling a little cold himself, "and it's getting dark too. We should probably head home."

To Wu's delight, they turned around and made their way through the forest path which was littered with pine cones. The blonde picked up a few in hopes of decorating the centre table with them when they got home.

A while later when the sun was almost down, Garmadon became aware of the rather unfamiliar surroundings. He looked one way then the other, trying to find a familiar pathway but all he could see were trees which looked exactly the same.

Wu gulped as he realized the mess they had gotten themselves into. "Um . . . I don't want to disrespect your enthusiasm for the Whispering Giants that brought us this far into the woods but, uh . . . we're lost," he pointed out, dropping the load of cones he had been carrying.

"You think I don't know that," the brunet snapped. "Now be quiet. I'm tryna think." Wu shrugged and looked up at the trees that towered over them. They were not completely out of their element if they could use heights to their advantage. "Maybe we could climb up on those trees to get a better view," he suggested to which Garmadon looked up as well. "Have you seen the heights of those things?" He asked. "If you want to fall down and bash your head in then be my guest."

Wu tutted, tapping his fingers against his forehead annoyingly. "Can you be a little more supportive? I don't hear you coming up with any ide-"

Garmadon pressed his hand on the blonde's mouth, cutting him off. "Shh! Did you hear that?" They both strained their ears and looked around. They could only hear the wind and the occasional birds that flew over them, getting back to their nests.

After a few seconds, Wu whispered, "What was I supposed to hear exactly?" Garmadon took a few steps forward. "I heard voices."

Wu pinched the bridge of his nose and let a whoosh of air out of his mouth. "This is no time for your useless legends. Please, just find . . ." He trailed off as he heard a group of people cheering in the distance.

Garmadon gave an excited laugh and started running towards the voices while Wu hesitantly followed behind. He was not in the mood to speak with talking trees - and it was also getting dark.

They ran, using the voices as their guide which were now getting louder with every step. Suddenly, the brunet came to halt and stretched out his arm to stop his brother as well. "Why did you stop?" Wu inquired, out of breath. Garmadon pointed through the trees. "I see a light."

Sure enough, in the middle of the dark cluster of trees there was a point of light that seemed to be flickering in and out of sight. Wu could tell that it was fire. "Real people," he cried thankfully and made a dash towards it. Garmadon followed suit, calling out to his brother, "Wu, wait!"

As they both ran, Wu noticed that the wind was blowing less severely in this area. Funny, he thought. He made his way towards a boulder and hid behind it, peeking from the side. His blue eyes widened as he saw a small village. There were people sitting around a large fire, eating food, while women were dancing probably entertaining the rest. Children were running about and playing while animals called out in their voices, in a frenzy. The villagers all had a dark complexion and had weird markings on their arms. A few of the men even carried spears.

Garmadon caught up with Wu and sat down beside him, sharp intakes of air sounding as he tried to calm his breathing. To his dismay he saw, not whispering trees, but an inhabited village.

"C'mon," Wu said, getting up from his hiding spot only to be pulled back by his brother. "No!" Garmadon whisper-shouted. "We can't just rush into a village filled with armed men. Forest villages are sensitive about outsiders."

Wu rolled his eyes, tired of his brother's constant bossiness. "They may be sensitive about grown up outsiders but we're just kids," he observed. "Besides, we're only asking for help."

Garmadon scowled at his brother. "Well, what about the time you got us in trouble with King Mambo and the Serpentine? Not to mention striking a deal with a snake witch and teaching her Spinjitzu. We were a lot younger back then. No one seemed to care we were kids."

Wu flapped a dismissive hand, placing an arm around the brunet's shoulders. "There was a pact, Garmadon, and we broke it. That's why they were all so upset."

His brother scoffed in reply. "You mean you broke the pact."

Wu ignored the remark, continuing nonetheless. "Besides, Aspheera was a psycho. She was going to overthrow the king even if I hadn't taught her Spinjitzu. These people look a lot less dangerous."

The blonde hoped that he had made his point clear but Garmadon knew better than to trust Wu again.

"I'm leaving," the brunet stated simply, getting up and begining to walk away. "I always get into trouble because of you. But not this time."

"Hey, where are you going?" Wu called out after him, making sure the villagers didn't hear him.

"Home."

Wu climbed to his feet and ran after his brother, grabbing his arm and trying to stop him. "Garmadon, listen. We can ask for directions. They probably know these woods!"

"I don't think so," Garmadon replied sourly, freeing his arm from the other's grasp.

Wu frowned and gave his brother a little frustrated push. "You got us into this mess. The least you can do is help me get us out of it."

"I never asked you to come with me," Garmadon shot back, raising his voice a little. "All you ever do is create problems!"

Wu growled, hitting the pine strewn ground with his foot. "Fine!" he snapped. "You look for a way out on your own - I'm doing it my way."

"Best idea you've had all day," was all Garmadon hit him with. With that, he walked away into the depths of the woods, not looking back once.

Wu gritted his teeth, trying hard not to let anger control his mind and heart. He took in a few deep breaths before setting straight for the village. If Garmadon wanted to get lost in the woods then he could. Wu was going to talk to these villagers and get home.

As he neared the circle of light from the huge fire, his steps became a little more reluctant. Aspheera's memory streamed through his mind but he tried to push it back into the confines of his brain.

As he stepped into view, the people stopped their celebrations and gasped. Women took hold of their children and backed away as all the men stood up front, alerted at the sight of the strange boy. Wu displayed his empty hands in order to let them know that he was unarmed.

A tall man with a strong build pushed his way to the front where he narrowed his eyes at the blonde. Wu looked up at him, intimidated by his height.

"Stranger!" the man yelled, raising his spear. "Who are you?"

Wu kept his eyes on the weapon while trying to appear oblivious to it. "My name is Wu," he announced. "I don't mean to hurt anyone. I just wanted to ask if-"

"Silence!" screamed the man. "Who sent you here?"

"N-no one," Wu replied truthfully, taking a step back. "I got lost in the woods and I thought maybe you could help me." He was starting to think if Garmadon had been right. He probably should've listened to him.

"If my presence is unwanted then I shall leave at once," Wu went on, lowering his head in a quick bow. He turned around and made his way towards the dark woods.

He stopped in his tracks as he heard one of men laugh derisively. Turning around, he realized another man, shorter than the first one, was aiming an arrow at him. A wave of panic washed over Wu. Were they really going to hurt him? They were turning out to be a lot more messed up than the Serpentine.

"Do you think we'll just let you walk away and risk our hidden existence?" the man continued. "I don't think so."

Wu glanced at the taller man, hoping that he would intervene but he stood still. In fact, he looked like he was okay with Wu getting an arrow in his back.

The man raised his spear once more, narrowing his eyes at Wu. "I think the best solution would be to kill you."

Freaked, Wu cried out as he dashed forwards to the woods. He stopped as he found himself trapped in a circle of men all carrying different kinds of weapons. The women and children had fled into their respective houses and were spectating from the windows.

Wu took in the number of men in front of him while also being aware of the advancing group behind him. "I didn't know this village was a secret one," he began, trying to reason with them. "I promise I won't tell a soul."

"Sorry but we don't trust you," spat the archer. "We were betrayed once and lost many of our people. We can't afford to let that happen again." With that, he loosened the arrow. Under the effect of the potential energy stored in it, it whizzed through the air, heading straight for Wu.

Reflexes on high alert, Wu shifted to the right and dodged it altogether. It continued on, barely missing the man behind the blonde. Wu went into a battle stance, ready for their next attack. "I don't wanna hurt anyone. Just let me go."

Frustrated at missing his target, the man yelled, "Get him!"
The circle of villagers began running to the boy in the middle, brandishing their weapons. Wu closed his eyes and relaxed his muscles, feeling the adrenaline in his veins turn into a flowing rush of energy.

He could feel the thundering feet of the villagers and he waited for them to get close before spinning into golden Spinjitzu, throwing back all those who came in contact with him. People shouted as they scrambled away from the bright tornado.

"What devilry is this?!" one of the men cried out in surprise.

Wu stopped spinning, his lips moulded into a smirk. "It's called Spinjitzu!"

A man behind him saw his chance and he made a run for the boy, fist raised for a punch. Before he could deliver a blow to the blonde, Wu sensed him, throwing out his hand to block the punch. Catching the man off guard, Wu back-kicked him between his legs.

As the man howled in pain, Wu twisted around and delivered a series of successive strikes to his abdomen before giving him a final kick to the face. The man stumbled about and collapsed onto the ground in a useless heap.

Seeing at how skilled the boy was, two fighters rushed from either side of him. Wu jumped up and did a split, his feet connecting painfully with the men's faces.

"Ha!" Wu cried out smugly. "You all aren't even skilled enough to face my pinky toe!" He had accepted that he would be stuck with these aggressive villagers for a while and wished nothing more than to have Garmadon by his side.

☯~️☯️~☯️

Garmadon growled loudly as his foot sunk deep into a ditch. He pulled it out and shook it to get the dirt off. He huffed angrily before squinting in the dark. He could see nothing but trees for miles.

Though it would take at least about a thousand years for him to admit it out loud, he needed Wu with him right now. It was only a coincidence that Wu had begged to come along when Garmadon had clearly wanted to come to the woods alone. In all honesty, he had never done anything without Wu. Never.

Even after he found out about the Great Devourer, he could still recall Wu always being there for him. Sure Garmadon had been annoyed when Wu was complaining about there being no wind elemental and going back home but he had still been grateful for the company.

His thoughts were interrupted as a suspicion-raising noise sounded. He observed his surroundings, finding nothing but the same rustling trees. He had covered a lot of ground since separating himself from Wu and was a long way from the village so it couldn't have been people.

His trained sixth sense brought his sympathetic nervous system to attention and he couldn't help but feel that he was being watched. He inhaled sharply as he heard the snapping of twigs and the crunching of dry leaves.

Just as quickly as it had started, everything went still. Garmadon eased himself a little. Maybe he was just being paranoid - or maybe it was just Wu trying to scare him. Quickly jumping to the second possibility, Garmadon cupped his hands around his mouth and called out. "Very funny, blondie! Cut it out!"

Garmadon was expecting his brother's cheery face to emerge from between the trees and a snarling snout of a wolf was not what he had in mind.

"Whoa!" he cried, backing away as the beast slowly advanced towards him.

☯️~☯~️☯️

Continues in the next part!