Eris looked anxiously over her shoulder, hoping that one of her friends was coming to save her. But Laval and Epyphanises seemed to be in an even worse position. They were just hanging there in the webs, completely stiff, staring ahead with their mouths open. A steady stream of drool flowed out of Laval's snout. Their eyes were completely white and their limbs twitched occasionally.
"What are you looking at? They are out of the equation!" Spooler assured her, an evil grin spreading across his face as he clicked his mandibles excitedly.
The eagle princess' memories of what happened next were blurred by pain and hopelessness. She did not remember exactly what happened, but she could recall a mental snapshot of the spider standing over her, using his clawed arms to cut her flight feathers, rendering her flightless. This was not painful, but it did take months to heal.
When she awoke, she noticed that patches of her feathers had been pulled out, and she was covered in wounds.
Spooler seemed slightly more satisfied with the story, but he was not yet fully convinced.
"I will keep you here, until you reveal to usss the true reassson of your visssit." He hissed, and then added with a smirk:
"Pleassse, enjoy your ssstay…"
Eris felt very weak and, as much as she tried, could not remain awake. She fell into a state of deep sleep, hoping, like the bears often did, that when she awoke the world would be a better place.
The croc army had encircled Lagravis and his lion warriors. The lion king tried to remain calm as he assessed the situation.
The enemy had three tanks, Cragger's command boat and about twenty warriors.
The lions had three men, including Lagravis. Their Chi reserves had run out and they were all but defenceless.
Just when he had lost all hope, he spotted a flock of what seemed to be ravens approaching from the south. They seemed to be prepared for combat and, surprisingly, opened fire on the crocs! Lagravis was startled, but he kept fighting. Razar, the leader of the REF (Raven Expeditionary Force), landed beside him and handed him a rope.
"Looks like we came just in time, yes?"
The lions climbed up the rope and onto one of the raven's Warbirds. A troop of ravens provided cover fire as the defenders of the temple were lifted to safety.
Eventually, after what seemed like hours of fighting, the crocs and wolves were forced to retreat, exposing the true extent of the destruction. Wrecked vehicles were scattered throughout the field, causing huge plumes of smoke to scar the skies. The casualties on both sides were huge.
Eagles had just arrived on the scene and were carrying wounded warriors of all tribes back to their hospitals.
The Warbird tasked with ferrying the lions to safety landed next to a horrified Ewald.
"Lagravis, what happened here?" he asked in shock.
Lagravis looked at him sternly.
"The crocs and wolves attacked. We could really have used you." He growled.
"I'm sorry but we could not fly. There was a great storm around the spire. We barely heard your call at all. It seems you came out on top?" the eagle leader apologized.
"We would surely have perished if it were not for the ravens. Razar, what made you chose our side? You endangered your warriors to help us."
Razar searched his brain for the right words.
"Well, Lagravis. A good friend has taught me what it means to be loyal. He made me realise that without friendship, there is only chaos, yes?"
Lagravis was practically wiped off his feet. He was left quite speechless by these humble words, originating from a raven's beak.
"But- what- how?" he whispered in confusion. Then he recollected himself.
"We are all grateful that people still understand the value of friendship. Tell me, who is this 'good friend'? I should like to have a word with them."
The raven prince replied casually:
"Oh, his name is Laval, my friend. I believe you've heard of him, yes?"
Lagravis puffed out his chest. He felt proud to be Laval's father, but he was still very puzzled by the raven's actions.
"Now, to discuss out payment?" Razar continued.
Lagravis roared with laughter. That was more like it.
They walked, or in Lagravis' case limped, into the temple, to discuss what just happened and what they should do to prevent it happening again.
Epyphanises slowly opened his eyes. Eagle eyes were good, but they did not adjust quickly to changes in light levels, so it seemed very dark. He blinked a few times, then tried to rub his eyes, but his arms wouldn't move.
"What the?" he groaned, looking down.
He shrieked, a little more high pitched than he would have liked. He was trapped in a humongous cobweb. He was not scared especially of spiders, but it was still the creepiest thing that had ever happened to him.
Well, except for that time when- anyway, I digress.
His breathing intensified, and he tried to free himself from the sticky trap, but the more he struggled the more he got caught in the web.
The half-breed struggled to remain calm. He was able to see again in the light given off my Eris' chi, so he looked around. Laval and Eris were also trapped in similar cobwebs and there appeared to be nobody else in the cave. Laval seemed completely zoned out, and Eris was hanging limply, her head bowed forwards. At closer inspection, the once-proud eagle was covered in cuts and bruises. Several large batches of her feathers had been plucked out, and her wings had been clipped. Eris looked very weak, and she seemed to be in a lot of pain, but she also appeared to be asleep or, at least, unconscious. He could do nothing for now but wait for destiny to take its cause.