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Once upon a time, there was a large village in the Honshu region of Nippon. This village is home to a clan of ninjas who are trained to protect the prime minister of Tokyo. They are called the Shinobi-Kuma clan. For generations, Bear Anthros have served the Prime Minister no matter how good or evil they are. The clan is divided by two factions, the Sun and Moon clan. The Sun clan are active during the day whereas the Moon clan are active at night. This guaranteed the village and city of Tokyo had protection twenty four hours a day seven days a week.

One of the ninja is called Bjorn, a black bear easily recognizable by the crescent shaped tuft of fur on his left shoulder. His family has been part of the Moon Clan for many generations. Because of their devotion and hard work, his Grandfather was promoted to Jonin- leader of the clan. Someday Bjorn will follow in his footsteps and lead the clan. Bjorn is eager to train and perform tasks as their ninja, but he's not really interested in being a leader. He likes having free time to go on hikes and watch dragonflies fly around. The villagers sometimes call him the Dragon whisperer because they always seem to be attracted to him. Bjorn didn't care because he loved them so much.

On the eve of July 28th 2018, Bjorn's Grandfather summons him to give him a mission. Bjorn enters his living quarters and sits on a cushion. His grandfather is dressed in a gray and black kimono and wearing a hood on his head. They both bow to each other. "Good evening, Grandfather. How can I help you?" Said Bjorn.

"Thank you for coming here as soon as I summoned you. Our Ninja from the Sun clan has reported Imperials West of Tokyo. They seem to be catching dozens of dragonflies in the meadows. After observing them, they revealed that they need dragonflies to find the Dark Elemental Crystal."

"Why do they need Dragonflies to find the crystal?" Bjorn tilts his head in confusion.

"I do not know. Bjorn. Since you have a fondness for dragonflies, I decided that you would be the best Kuma for the mission."

"Am I going alone?"

His grandfather shook his head. He grabs a jar sitting next to him and gives it to Bjorn. It had a seal with a crescent moon symbol on top. "You won't be alone. I'll have our ninjas follow you from the shadows until you engage with the imperials. Take this with you."

Bjorn accepts the jar and inspects it. Even more confused, he taps the seal twice. "A jar?"

"Trust me. When the time comes, you'll know what to do with it." His Grandfather bows to him. "Now go. Make our clan proud."

Bjorn stands up while sighing. "You sure like to be vague. Alright. You can count on me, Grandfather." He puts the jar in his bag, bows to his Grandfather, and walks away.

While Bjorn prepares for the trip North, he thinks to himself. (It's been two years ever since Emperor Weng Lei of China declared war on the East Continent. He's been hell bent on conquering every nation in Asia, and now he is trying to hurt Nippon to prevent us from stopping this war. If his soldiers are trying to destroy the Dark Crystal and prevent us from using magic, it's up to the Shinobi-Kuma to stop them. The Sun Clan did well. Now it's the Moon clan's turn to do what we do best.) After he is done preparing, he groups with 5 other bear ninja and sets out.

One hour later,

Bjorn and his squad are jumping from tree to tree, scoping out the forests and meadows of Northern Honshu. They saw no signs of Imperial activity. One of the ninja warps next to Bjorn and wishes to give him an update on the situation. This ninja is also a black bear, wearing a dark blue yoroi with armor plating on his arms and legs. "Shinobi Bjorn, it appears that the Imperials are still nowhere to be seen. We can't pick up on their scent either."

"I know time is of the essence, but we can't wear ourselves out looking for them. Yomi. Let's find a place to rest for five minutes."

"Understood. Thank you." Yomi jumps off the tree branch and disappears in a puff of smoke.

Bjorn sighs and rests on the tree branch he was standing on. He grabs a small bottle of honey and squeezes some honey onto his tongue. "Mmm. I love this honey. Where could those imperials be?"

He looks down and sees the other four ninja gathering around and eating bento boxes. Just before he joins them, he hears a scream off in the distance.

"Huh?"

The other ninja stand up and pull out their kunai. "Bjorn. Someone is in danger."

"You guys wait here! I'll check it out." Shouted Bjorn. He jumps from tree to tree in the direction he heard screaming. The screams grew louder as he got closer. He looks down and sees a pack of shadows chasing after a glowing purple dragonfly.

"Leave me alone! I don't taste good!" To Bjorn's surprise, the dragonfly was shouting!

Bjorn equips tekko kagi claws and jumps down. He lands in the middle of the pack and starts swinging his claws at them. The shadows resembled large frogs with round abdomens. They use their tongues and swing them like a whip. Bjorn grabs one of the tongues and slices it in half. Then he runs up to the frog and hits it with two powerful claw attacks. It shatters into dark mist. Just before one of the other frogs tackles him, he throws a smoke bomb towards his feet, disappears into a puff of smoke, and appears above the shadow. He twirls his body and dives down, attacking the shadow like a living screwdriver.

The dragonfly was still panicking, but as soon as she noticed the shadows starting to get destroyed, She looked at Bjorn in wonderment. Bjorn was panting after that last attack. A frog shadow swings its tongue and constricts Bjorn! "Oh my gosh!"

The dragonfly flies towards them and starts glowing. As soon as she comes into contact with the tongue, a small explosion of dark magic hits the tongue and frees Bjorn. He stands up, absorbs the remaining dark magical energy, and casts a spell! "Abyssal Flame!" He throws a ball of purple fire and hits the frog shadow. It explodes and incinerates the shadow, destroying it in the process.

Bjorn puts his tekko kagi claws away and walks towards the dragonfly. She was slowly descending to the ground looking very exhausted. Bjorn catches her and slowly lifts her to his eye level. "You helped me. What in the name of Nyx are you?" He asked.

"Ngh. Tired. Need, pant, magic." The dragonfly was too tired to talk.

Bjorn was thinking, but he had no ether to sprinkle on her or the time to take her to safety. Then he remembered his Grandfather's jar. He pulls it out of his bag and sets it on the ground. As soon as the dragonfly sensed it, her mood quickly changed to relief. "That jar! Put me in there, please!"

Bjorn opens the jaw with one hand and gently puts her inside. After closing the jar, the crescent moon symbol starts to glow. Magical energy slowly released from the bottom of the seal. The dragonfly sighs happily while taking a magic energy shower. She slowly regained her glow from earlier.

"A magic dragonfly... That's a first." Said Bjorn.

"Much better! Thanks for coming to my rescue, Mr. Bear. I'm Mani, the dragonfly of the moon."

"Call me Bjorn. What exactly are you? I've seen many dragonflies, but never one that talks."

"Well Bjorn, that is because I'm actually a sprite working for the Spirit, Nyx."

"The spirit of the Dark crystal. Wait... now it makes sense why the Imperials are capturing dragonflies."

"Oh Oh! Ngh! Can you let me out, please?" Mani asks while trying to push the lid off the jar. Bjorn opens it. Mani flies out and stretches her body. "Listen. You're strong and fluffy. That mark on your shoulder means you are connected to the moon, right?"

Bjorn placed his paw on his shoulder and nodded.

"Then I need your help. Those bullies are capturing all my friends. They need me to find the shrine where the Dark Crystal rests. You see, if 99 normal dragon flies surround me in this dome shaped cocoon, we can gather a strong amount of magical energy and create a beacon to guide the chosen to-"

"Mani. I don't have the time to understand what you exactly do. You must tell me where the Imperials are now so we can rescue your friends."

"Oh right, right! Sorry." She flies over Bjorn's head and circles around him. "I get so caught up in my rambles, silly me." She points Northeast. "That way!"

"Okay. I'll turn on my signal to let the other Shinobi know where I'm headed."

After signaling the ninja to follow Bjorn, he starts following Mani in the direction where she last saw the imperials.

"Thanks again for saving me, Bjorn. I hate that those shadows tried to eat me as soon as I let my guard down. It's tough being small and cute."

"You may be small, but that was a strong magic spell you cast."

"You think so? I try not to use it much because if I exhaust my magic, I'll turn into a normal dragonfly again. I can turn back though if I go in your jar."

"The jar that restored your energy?"

"That's right! That symbol represents the Dragon God of the Moon. Whoever gave you that must have close ties with Her Grace, Luna."

Bjorn couldn't help but recall visiting his Grandfather when he was a cub. At the time his Grandmother was alive. He saw a flag with the same Crescent moon symbol and a dragon behind it. Perhaps his family does have a connection to the Moon god. For now he had to put his history aside and continue following Mani.

They arrive at a statue depicting the Spirit of Darkness, Nyx. Five Imperial soldiers, two Tigers, a panda, and two lizard Anthros, are counting the dragonflies they collected. Bjorn is spying on them from the shadow under a tree. Mani is on his shoulder glaring at the imperials. "There's the bullies. I think they caught 99 dragonflies. If they catch me then they can destroy the crystal."

"Then you better stay hidden. Leave the imperials to me and my men."

"Good luck, Bjorn." She said while hiding inside a hole in the tree.

Yomi, Bjorn's ally from earlier, appears behind him and stands by his side. "We're in position."

"Good. Let's make this quick."

The imperials started laughing as they boasted about catching 99 dragonflies. They sharpen their swords and load arrows into their crossbows. They were preparing to search for Mani. Two of Bjorn's ninja jump towards them, land in a thick patch of bushes and startle the imperials. It's part of their plan to spook them before going in for the knockout. The imperials huddle close and look around. They're keeping an eye out for whatever made that noise.

"What the hell was that?" Asked the tall tiger.

"Must have been a rodent." Said the stockey lizard.

"Go check. It might be one of the shinobi." Said the red Panda who served as the general.

The lizard walks slowly towards the bush. He pulls back his sword, then stabs it. He doesn't hear any kind of reaction. He walks through the bush and emerges into a dark area. Just before he looks around, one of the ninja lands behind him and covers his mouth with a cloth dampened with a poison that puts him to sleep.

"Anything back there? Soldier? Ngh, go check on him." The general said while pushing the other lizard soldiers. He hisses at the general and walks towards the bush.

The two tigers keep an eye on the lizard. As soon as the lizard steps into the bushes, they hear him grunting.

"Sir. I think we're being attacked!" Said the yellow tiger.

"What!?" Shouted the general.

While the tiger soldier runs towards the bushes, two ninja appear out of a cloud of smoke and hit him with their ninja stars. The tiger growls after getting hit by the ninja stars and pulls his sword to fight them. "It's an ambush!"

"Damn! They're here!?" The General hears Bjorn leaping towards him. He pulls out a large sword and blocks Bjorn's and his Yomi's attack. Bjorn bounces off his sword and lands. He growls at the General.

"You found us. I should have expected no less from the Shinobi-Kuma."

"You are defiling sacred ground and harming the dragonflies of Nippon. I am here to take you down. Our Prime Minister will not fall to the likes of you or any Imperial." Bjorn points his claw at the General.

"Curse you and the Moon clan." The general points his sword at Bjorn and concentrates his magical energy. A bright yellow aura surrounds him. "I am General Shu of Beijing. I will not die by you worms that hide under the cover of night. I will banish the darkness and bring the light to our glorious country! Nippon will fall and our Lord will rise!"

And so their battle began. While the ninjas fight the imperial soldiers, Bjorn fights General Shu. Bjorn was trained to fight up close, so he has physical strength and stamina to handle strong foes. Shu lites his sword with fire magic and dashes forward while spinning twice. Bjorn backflips twice to dodge both attacks. Shu lifts his sword up and swings downward, catching Bjorn off guard and hits him. Bjorn slides back. He throws a smoke bomb and covers their area in smoke.

"Grrrrrr! Your little tricks won't stop me! Light! Reveal thy enemies!"

He lifts his sword. It shined a bright light while Bjorn reappears to attack him from behind. The light blinds him, making him land behind Shu while covering his eyes. Shu laughs while grabbing Bjorn by the neck and lifting him up. Bjorn kicks Shu in the chest and swings his claws multiple times, scratching the general's breastplate. Bjorn quickly back rolls before getting hit by another attack and throws three ninja stars at Shu's face. One of them scratches his cheek but he blocks the other two ninja stars. "Is that the best you can do?" He said in a raspy voice. He swings his sword. It glows with a bright light again, making Bjorn go blind again. This resulted in the sky above glowing as white as the sun.

"Ngh. This light. Damn my eyes." Bjorn is very sensitive to light because of him being more active at night. Back at the tree, Mani gasps and starts to panic.

The other ninja were affected by the General's light magic. They make a hasty retreat and stand by Bjorn's side. Yomi helps Bjorn up and struggles to keep going. Shu laughs while walking towards them. "How pathetic! This is all the Shinobi-Kuma can do? You are helpless under my light. Now watch as you dissolve into nothing by my power!"

The ninja shield their eyes. Bjorn slowly moves his arm and watches Shu gather a ton of light magical energy. His sword shined and turned into a saber. He held it above his head with two paws and was about to swing downward at them. Mani could not watch any longer. She flies towards them and shines a bright purple aura. "Leave them alone you bully!"

Shu's eyes widen as Mani flies right towards his face. As soon as she touches his nose, a large explosion of dark magical energy hits Shu and damages his eyes. He shouts in pain, drops his sword, and covers his eyes. His sword's magic was released and ascended to the sky. The night sky returned to normal.

"Argh! You bug! How DARE you harm me!" Shouted Shu.

While he was still in pain, the ninja surrounded him. They make movements with their hands and create Japanese Kanji. Their weapons and paws are now coated with darkness. They dash towards Shu and his imperial soldiers, hitting them multiple times with swings of their kunai, katanas, and claws. After they all land their last attack, they back flip and disappear into smoke. The Soldiers were taken out, leaving Shu the only one left standing. Bjorn stomps the ground, harnesses dark magic energy into his claws, and dashes forward.

"It's over! By the power of Luna, you are banished from our land! Overdrive!"

Bjorn glows a radiant light as he attacks Shu repeatedly with claw attacks while warping all around him. He launches him up in the air, jumps, and hits him with one last attack where he slashes at Shu and backflips. He resembled the full moon while unleashing this attack. Shu roars in pain while descending and lands on the ground.

"My emperor. I... failed you..." Those were his last words before Shu laid there, dead.

Bjorn sighs with relief. He puts his claws away. The other Ninjas help each other up and heal their wounds with potions. While they recover, Bjorn realizes that Mani was laying on the ground, passed out. "Mani!"

Bjorn runs up to Mani and gets on his knees. He picks her up and lifts her gently. She wasn't responding. "Mani..." He grabs his jar and puts her inside. The seal starts to glow and sprinkles magic on her. Bjorn sets the jar down and waits for her to move or say anything.

Yomi sits next to him and stares at the jar. "This dragonfly. She was a big help." He said.

"Yeah. Yomi, I want to make sure she's alive before I go home. Can you go and report back to the Jonin?"

"Sure. I'll come back later to check on you." Yomi gets up and tells the ninja that they are returning home.

Their mission was a success, but Bjorn won't be satisfied until he knows that Mani is okay. He looks through the Imperial carriage and frees all the captured dragon flies. While they fly all around him, he sits back down in front of the jar. Two of the dragonflies are tapping on the jar. Bjorn tries to shoo them away, but they won't leave the jar alone. This reminded him of something Mani tried to tell him. "99 Dragonflies surround Mani to gather magic energy..."

He opens the jar. Mani slowly floats out of the jar and the dragonflies start to surround her. He watches with his jaw dropped as all the dragonflies start to glow purple. Then a beacon descends down from the moon and shines on the dragonflies. Nyx's statue starts to glow as well. A moment passes and the dragonflies scatter all over the place. Bjorn covers his face and grunts while the dragonflies fly past him. He opens his eyes and gasps. Mani was awake and giggling while flying around.

"Mani!" Bjorn runs up to Mani.

She lands on his paw and smiles. "That was a close one, huh?"

Bjorn let out a huff. "I thought you died."

"Me? Nah. All I did was use my magic to negate that bully's attack. After all, darkness is very effective against light."

"The light was almost our downfall. It's thanks to you that our mission was a success. Now the Dark Crystal is safe."

"Yup. You really were the right bear for the job, just as the Jonin said."

"You know my Grandfather?"

"Not personally. Sometimes I have dreams where either Nyx or Luna communicate with me. They told me about a nice old bear with a connection to Luna and his grandson. I am to be your sidekick and help you on missions from now on. I'm like your source to use a little of their power."

"Really? Then... I'm honored to have you by my side, Mani."

"Heheh. As am I."

Mani flies onto his shoulder. They both stare at the sky as dawn approaches. The dragonflies continued to fly around. They looked to be celebrating their freedom.

"I love dragonflies." Bjorn said with a smile.

Back at the village of ninjas, The Jonin was looking out his window. He looked content after receiving Yomi's report. Now that the mission was over, Bjorn and Mani became allies and worked together to protect the village, watch over the Honshu region, and to stop any invading Imperial soldiers.

The End!