Lupo gasped as he gazed around the inner chamber of the Lion Citadel. In all his life, he had never seen this many tribes all in one place. After Laval called back in the patrols, he had alerted every tribe within a 50-mile radius to come to the Lion Citadel to discuss battle strategies. It seemed to Lupo that just about every tribe in Chima was represented today. Lions, Eagles, Gorillas, Bears, Rhinos, Ravens, Crocodiles, Scorpions, Spiders, Bats, Sabertooth Tigers, Vultures, Mammoths, Ice Bears, Mice, Badgers, Squirrels, Rabbits, Owls, Leopards, Jaguars—all had gathered here in this crucial hour. Lupo could even see Skinnet the Skunk, Dom de la Whoosh the Peacock, and a handful of Frogs and Snails in the crowd. The hall buzzed with chatter, as everyone wondered what exactly they were up against.
"Quiet down. Everyone, quiet down, please!" Lagravis called. The chatter died down almost immediately. "Laval, would you care to explain what has happened?" Lagravis asked, turning to his son close by. He then stepped down off of the throne platform and Laval stepped up to take his place, clearing his throat as he prepared to speak.
"Tribes of Chima, we have been faced with great threats in the past. But none so great as today. You may have heard by now that Elemental Hunters rage our lands, that they seek all those who dare to claim the title 'Elemental'. These tales are true."
The audience gasped as their worst fears were confirmed. Laval continued, "Even now, these Hunters seek to attack our Lion City. And that is why we must stand together now! If we don't face these Hunters, if we don't defend the City, all of Chima will fall. That is why I have called together this assembly—so that we can figure out how to be ready when the Hunters come."
He then turned to Lupo and asked, "Lupo, can you explain for the tribes what you discovered?"
For a second, Lupo was dumbstruck. He hadn't expected that he would have to speak for all the tribes of Chima. But then Laval bent down and whispered, "It's okay. Just get up there and be yourself."
"O-Okay." Lupo stammered. He then mounted the platform and gulped nervously before beginning. "Well, for starters, I was, um, out on patrol when I came across two Hunters hiding in the bushes. They were talking about how they were going to attack the Lion City, and how the CHImaera—that would be all of us—would not be prepared for them. They also spoke of how I was to be their target."
A collective gasp rose up from the crowd.
"This is terrible!" a Raven called out.
"We have to do something!" a Gorilla replied.
"Ooh, I know!" a Squirrel piped up. "We could collect nuts!"
Lupo remembered in that instant that Squirrels tended to speak their minds without thinking things through first.
"Yes," Mallik interrupted, "and throw them at the Elemental Hunters!" Everyone stopped and looked at the Mouse captain in surprise. It only took a second, though, for them to realize he was being sarcastic. "Shut up!" he yelled at last. Clearly, he was as annoyed with the idea as everyone else. The Squirrel, feeling the sting of Mallik's reprimand, did indeed shut up.
"Unfortunately, that's not all I discovered." Lupo continued, breaking the awkward silence. "These two Hunters spoke of something called Night CHI. They claimed that the Night CHI's power would be too much for us to handle."
At the words "Night CHI", Lagravis suddenly gasped. He then asked quietly, "Um, Lupo, okay if I step up now?"
"Go ahead." Lupo answered, stepping down to allow Lagravis to take the platform again. The older lion stepped up and spoke quietly, "I know of this Night CHI you speak of all too well. Long ago, our city fell under attack from hostile invaders. At first, neither side could gain the advantage. They were too equal in strength and stamina. But then, large gray clouds blocked the sun, and the invaders unleashed the power of what we Lions call Night CHI. It is a form of CHI that has been twisted, corrupted by dark forces. When used in darkness, it can give its users strength, speed, and intelligence much greater than with normal CHI. But worst of all, those who use it can cause even the most stouthearted warrior to face their greatest fear, simply by touching them."
"Like a Frightmare." Hiccup muttered to himself. But Lupo was too frightened by what Lagravis was saying to ask what Hiccup meant.
"There is, however, one weakness of the Night CHI." Lagravis continued. "If there is even the slightest ray of sunlight, the Night CHI will weaken to the point where its power is no more than that of normal CHI. It was this weakness that allowed our Lion warriors to gain the upper hand and defeat the invaders, protecting the Lion City from their influence."
"So, that gives us the advantage, right?" Cragger the Croc commented. "I mean, look how sunny it is out. There's no way that Night CHI will work properly in this kind of light!"
"Not necessarily." Lupo replied, stage fright completely gone. "There's supposed to be a solar eclipse in a few hours. If I were an Elemental Hunter, that would be the prime time to strike."
"It could take several minutes or even several hours for the eclipse to clear up." Laval replied. "That would definitely give the Hunters an advantage against us."
"So what do we do then?" Cragger asked worriedly. All around him others voiced similar concerns until Lagravis motioned for them all to quiet down so Laval could speak.
"We hit them with everything we got—that's what we do." Laval exclaimed. Then he turned to some figures close to him. "Hiccup, Scorm, Fangar, you all have seen a lot of battles in the past. What do you think would be our best battle plan?"
Hiccup was the first to speak. "Well, I think our best option is to divide our forces into two groups. One group will lead the initial advance, while the other will remain within the Lion City until the eclipse starts. The second group will then advance and give backup to the first group."
"I agree, that would be our best strategy." Fangar replied. "However, I would advise that you also have a team of archers and an air force as well. You heard what Laval said—we need to hit these Hunters with everything we've got."
"That's actually not a bad idea." Hiccup exclaimed.
"The Tiger is right." Scorm added. "But if I might make a suggestion, I would say that perhaps having a team of my best Crawlers lead an advance from underground would increase our advantage significantly."
"How would that happen?" Eris the Eagle asked. "The only way we could do that would be if the underground caverns the Hunters once used were clear, and those passages have been blocked up for eight years."
"Not true, Eagle." Scorm replied. "Ever since that humiliating scrap with Shauku and his army, my Crawlers and I have been working for the past five years clearing those caverns. Since Laval and I are allies now, I made sure that the first tunnels to be cleared were the ones closest to the city. If I could lead a team of my troops into the caverns, we may just be able to catch those Hunters by surprise."
"Attacks by air, land, and underground? This may just mean we have a chance!" Laval exclaimed excitedly.
"You forgot about my friends, Laval." Lupo commented, gesturing to Astrid, Cole, Arin, and the Ninja Pups. "They may not look like much, but they do have a few tricks up their sleeves that might give us more of a fighting chance."
"Oh, yeah!" Kito exclaimed.
"You've got that right!" Rubble followed.
"So, everyone, what do you say?" Lagravis stated. "Will you join together to fight these Hunters and save Chima?"
"You can count on us!" Eris cheered.
"My troops are at your command." Worriz the Wolf added.
"And mine as well!" Cragger exclaimed.
One by one, the remaining tribes pledged their troops to Laval's cause. The Ninja/Rider team were the last to answer.
"You have our powers and our lives." Rubble declared. All the others yelped out exclamations of agreement.
"Thanks, everyone." Laval replied. "Just one more thing—these Hunters may be our enemies, but we want to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed. So no killing unless you are given no choice. That goes for all the tribes!"
"You heard him, dudes!" Gorzan the Gorilla cried out. "Disarm—don't destroy!"
Some of the Wolves, Scorpions, and Spiders grumbled a little at that, but it seemed to Lupo that they would be compliant.
"All right, let's do this!" Laval cheered, raising his sword once again. "FOR CHIMA!"
"FOR CHIMA!" everyone echoed once again. And even though the battle was drawing ever nearer, Lupo beamed with excitement. They were all in this together—and together they would be strong!
Liam, however, was not so excited. His head drooped as he wondered, But what about Lyla? How will I be able to find her now? And if I do find her, however will I be able to help her escape? Hot tears filled his eyes, unnoticed by the others, as he thought to himself, I lost her once—never again! No matter what it takes, I will find her again and help her escape! And I will make those Hunters pay for what they did to her! And as he stood there, surrounded by animal tribes ready to defend their world, he could feel his heart hardening with anger and hatred. A raging fire seemed to burn inside of him. He would not show the Hunters mercy! He would get back at them for what they did!