It all started with that brat Lloyd. As soon as the ninja started cutting down that treehouse, he was off complaining. And when Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon starts complaining, you'll be lucky if he ever stops.

"It's not fair! I specially said that no ninja were aloud in my treehouse! I made a sign! Why didn't they read the sign? Everything bad always happens to me- I never get a break- I'm just trying to be the evilest person I can be- my dad never pays attention to me- BLAH BLAH BLAH-"

Well, that's what it sounded like to the Serpentine at least.

The wretched snakes has been quite fast to abandon their newest dwelling. Probably because if the Serpentine had learned anything from the last war, it was that the warriors of Ninjago were not afraid to kick ass. Having another defeat so soon after the last fiasco at Jamanakai Village was absolutely crushing to team morale. Which was important since team morale was the only thing stopping the creatures from breaking out in mass brawls.

It was lucky that the hypnotised Cole had even offered them a distraction in the first place. No doubt that annoying old man (Wu, was it?) would find a solution to the problem, but at least the reptiles would have a good headstart.

After a solid half hour of trudging away from the wrecked tree fort, while listening to Lloyd ranting to the leader of the hypnotised Hypnobrai (and even the snakes could appreciate the irony in that situation), Skales had a brainwave.

He just had to get that little brat to cooperate...

"Masssster Lloyd," Skales tried, even using the formality 'master', even though every instinct he'd ever had told him not to. "Ssseeing asss the ninja ruined our- I mean, your - bassse of operation, wouldn't it make sssenssse to destroy theirsss?"

It wasn't that Skales was particularly upset about the loss of the treehouse, in fact, he was glad he wasn't in the damn trees anymore (and it was always a bonus to see Lloyd suffer). But Skales was slightly ticked off that the 'pesssky humansss' had gotten one over on them. Them! The ferocious Serpentine! He could not stand for the humans winning. He wanted revenge. And what better way than to make Lloyd turn against his fellows by crushing their home.

Luckily, Lloyd seemed to think it was a good plan.

"You're saying to destroy the monastery?" Lloyd looked accusingly at the second in command for a moment, as if he was the root of all Lloyd's problems. Funny, Skales thought for sure that his scheme would-

"That...that's actually a good plan. General! Tell your troops to follow me to Sensei Wu's monastery!"

The leader barked commands to his soldiers, the snakes groaned and shifted direction once again. Skales smirked to himself. And people sssay the power of sssugessstion doesssn't work. Wait, isss that the power of sssuggessstion? Or isss that sssomething elssse? Hmm-"

"Concentrate!" His commander shouted, jolting Skales from his thoughts.

In a perfect world, where the snakes make smart decisions and everything goes according to plan, the snakes would've probably been toasting marshmallows around the smouldering remains of the monastery. Instead, every single thing (including their own stupidity) transpired against them.

First, they got lost.

"What do you mean you don't know where we are?" Skales snapped to the underling who was supposed to be telling them where to go.

"It meansss that SSSOMEONE-" The map reader gestured irritably to Lloyd and the General. "-hasss not been paying attention to the instructionsss I've been giving."

"Hey!" Lloyd said, affronted. Skales almost rolled his eyes.

"Give me the map you idiot." The pissed off snake snatched up the piece of paper. "How hard can thisss even be? It'sss a frigging mountain for the Devourer's sssake! Can't be that hard to ssspot!"

"...sssir the map is upssside-down-"

"I KNOW THAT!" Furious, the second in command turned it the right way round, glaring at the mountain in the distance. The mountain where the monastery resided. End game.

It seemed so far away...

Skales pointed towards the spire of the rock. "We are heading in that direction. And if anyone hasss any problemsss with that, they can do cartwheelsss the entire way there."

No one argued. It's amazing really that Skales even knows what a cartwheel even is.

Second problem, Lloyd.

It seemed that Lloyd was always their enemy in some way or another no matter who the reptiles are fighting.

Something to be known: Serpentine are fast. Even without the long tail, snakes are powerful speedwalkers.

Something else to be known: Lloyd is NOT a speedwalker.

And after an hour of said delinquent complaining about his sore feet, how he couldn't keep up with the rest (don't I bloody know that, thought Skales) the General's right hand man couldn't take it. He pulled the entire battalion of Hypnobrai over, and made some lesser serpents construct a wagon out of some basic materials they had with them and a few sticks on the ground.

Within a slightly shorter time than expected, the reptilian squad had a makeshift wagon for Lloyd to sit in. Though privately, Skales thought it would be nicer to put Lloyd in a nice steel barred cage, but they didn't actually have one with them, and of course the general would never allow it. The commander himself pulled Lloyd along (per his request), and while this slowed down the journey somewhat, at least Lloyd couldn't give out about it. Well, not too much anyway.

And they weren't even at the top of the mountain yet…

XXX

To Be Continued.