Somewhere in Chima

The air was filled with smoke as the raging fire continued to burn Liam's village to ashes. The hunters had struck before anyone in Liam's tribe could stop them. Even now, as the young Clouded Leopard crouched inside a wooden barrel, Liam could hear shrieks and screams of panic coming from the huts and fields of his village. But even those things faded away as one thought came to his mind—Lyla. I need to find Lyla.

Lyla, a young Black Jaguar, had been Liam's friend as long as he could remember. And she was the only one in the entire village who knew Liam's secret—and had a secret of her own. She and Liam both had Elemental Powers. Neither one of them had revealed these powers to anyone, not even their own families. For the past few years, the two friends' days had been filled with happy times practicing using their powers in secret and of exploring Chima together. Liam could still remember how much excitement he had felt when he realized he could make his body glow as brightly as the sun, and the joy Lyla had expressed when she discovered she could control storms. Though their powers were opposite, the two had become even closer friends through sharing this great secret. However, they never once thought that their unique abilities would put their whole village in danger.

Until reports of Elemental Hunters came to the tiny town. Rumors of hunters dressed all in black, snatching children from nearby villages, left the town trapped in a vise-like grip of fear. But because no one knew that two of their own possessed Elemental Powers, no one thought to flee the village. After all, if no one in the village had powers such as these, there was no reason that they should be targeted, right?

But no one had anticipated that the Elemental Hunters would be so thorough. Everyone had simply been going about their day, minding their own business, when the cries of "We're under attack! The village is under attack!" had pierced the peaceful silence. Mothers and fathers had rushed about, grabbing their children and hustling them to safety in the nearby woods. All those who could fight faced off against the Hunters, but to no avail. In all the panic, Liam couldn't find Lyla anywhere. Now, as he hid in the barrel, he could only hope that she had somehow escaped the village.

Suddenly, there came the sound of a scuffle not too far away from Liam's hiding place. Then someone slammed into Liam's barrel, and he tumbled out onto the ground. Looking over, he saw Lyla swiping her claws at a Hunter again and again. "Lyla!" he cried out before a rough hand grabbed him by the scruff and started dragging him away from his friend. In a desperate attempt to escape, he stomped on his kidnapper's foot hard and managed to make a break for it. He considered going back for Lyla but quickly realized that he and his powers were no match in a scuffle with an Elemental Hunter. Lyla had always had the stronger power, he knew, but clearly using that power now would only reveal her secret. And his power of Sunlight would not help the situation one bit. So he simply kept on running.

Weeks of going on long runs with Lyla had strengthened his leg muscles and increased his stamina to the point that he could run for several minutes without getting tired. But his sharp ears could detect two Elemental Hunters just a few feet behind him. If only he had thought to grab his Speedor! But it was too late to turn back now. The Hunters got closer and closer until he could hear them breathing just inches away from him. They were almost on him when suddenly Liam heard two startled yelps—one after the other—behind him. Skidding to a stop, he whirled around and spotted a strangely clad warrior taking on the Hunters all by himself! And winning too! The warrior seemed to move like the wind, and Liam felt frozen in wonder. It was only a matter of seconds before both of the Hunters were down and defeated.

The warrior then whistled sharply, and a Speedor zoomed up to meet him. Then the warrior leaped onto it. But the warrior's voice quickly told Liam that this him was actually a her.

"Hey, kid! You need a lift?" The warrior's voice was both commanding and kind at the same time. Anxious to flee before more Hunters showed up, Liam leaped onto the back of the Speedor, which took off immediately afterward with the warrior and Liam on it. The warrior whipped off her hood, revealing that she was a Lioness—which surprised Liam since the Lion tribe came from the other side of Chima. "What's your name?" she asked him curiously.

"Li-Liam." he stammered. Then his thoughts turned to Lyla, back in the village. "Wait!" he cried out. "Lyla! We have to go back for Lyla!"

"Who's Lyla?" the Lioness asked.

"My friend! She's in danger! We have to go back for her!"

"I'm sorry, but it's simply too dangerous to go back now!"

"You don't understand!" Liam pleaded. "She and I both have Elemental Po—" Liam slapped a hand over his mouth as he realized he had nearly spilled his and Lyla's secret. But the warrior had already heard too much. "You're an Elemental?" she asked.

"Yes, and so is Lyla. We have to rescue her!"

"I'm sorry, Liam, but there's nothing we can do about it now. If we turn back now, we'll risk your safety as well as hers." Seeing the crestfallen look on Liam's face, she continued, "I'll see if I can do anything to find her later, but right now our only chance is to get you to safety. Thankfully, there's one place I know of that the Hunters may not yet know about."

"What is that?" Liam asked curiously.

"The Lion City." the warrior answered.

"The Lion City?" Liam repeated in wonder. He had always wanted to see the birthplace of CHI for himself, but he had never dreamed that he would ever get to see it in person! Then one other question came to his mind. Did he dare to ask? He shook his head to clear his doubts and ventured, "What…what's your name?"

"My name…" the warrior answered, "is Li'Ella."