Disclaimer: Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu and Legends of Chima are both own by LEGO Company.
Celebration! Celebration had overtaken the land of Chima as every creature cheered. After the enigmatic black cloud had launched one more attack at the heart of Chima, Mount Cavora, the animal tribes had put aside their differences for the greater good. Even the antagonistic Serpentine had joined in the efforts to stop this hated enemy. The tribes worked together to shoot down the black cloud. But at what cost?
As everyone continues cheering around the battlefield Laval turns towards the serpentine leader with a smile, "See, Pythor! Working together, we can accomplish anything!" he says, his voice full of hope. Looking around at his people, his eyes softening, Pythor responded with a smirk of his own, "You may be right about that, fur boy!" before he let out a small cackle.
For the first time since the two had crossed paths, they saw eye to eye, until the tribes saw the waterfalls dry up and were left shocked and speechless. Gasping at the sight, panic and worry quickly spread around the field. "W-What happened to the falls?..." asked Eris, barely capable of reasonable thinking. Only one creature remained unaware of what was happening, the dimwitted Crug. "Yeah! Aww, don't worry. You probably just counted wrong! Yeah!" he continues cheering in ignorance before Crawley turns his head around and his jaw drops seeing his observation was wrong. As everyone is left totally speechless, Laval dares to ask, "What?... How can that be?" His anger returning once again, Pythor snaps at the young lion with fury, "NICE WORK, LAVAL! Working together...", he begins as his eyes turn red, "WE DESTROYED MOUNT CAVORA!" he yells in accusation as he points at the lion! Stuttering backward Laval tries to speak, "No! Just wait! The falls will be back! They must!" he says desperately as he looks at the falls, but nothing happens.
As Lagravis looks up in shock, soft words escape his mouth, "Our precious chi water, gone?" as he looks on in despair. Capitalizing on the situation, an enraged Pythor cries out, "Without chi water, there's no chi. No power, no life force, nothing! EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON CHI!" he shouts out at the crowd. The silence turns into murmuring, as they discuss among themselves. Gorzan is the first to let his feelings known, the mellow ape exclaiming, "Dude. This is a major bummer!" as he shakes his head in worry. The ever-rational Eglor soon begins to calculate, coming with an unsettling revelation, "By my calculations, all of Chima will dry up and crumble within two full moons if the chi is not restored." he says with unmistakable concern laced in his tone. As everyone is left shocked, and chatting amongst each other, Pythor takes his opportunity to accuse the lions, "How could you do this, Laval?!" he cries out in exaggeration. Shocked and appalled, Laval responds with conviction, "ME?! I was trying to SAVE Mount Cavora!" he tries to explain, but it falls on deaf ears. Pythor continued with his campaign, now accusing the entire tribe, "THE LIONS HAVE TRICKED US AGAIN! They've made us destroy our only source of chi! THEY MADE US DESTROY ALL OF CHIMA!" he shouts as his fellow serpentine begin to growl. As every single tribe glares at Laval, he tries his hardest to explain himself, "No! It's not like that! And don't worry. If we're really in trouble, the legend beasts will help us." he says hopefully, trying to reassure the others. With an exaggerated eye roll, Pythor mocked him, "Oh, yes. Your little fairy tale! That's his answer to everything. The legend beasts!" Slightly offended, but still hopeful, Laval continues, "But they always return when Chima needs them most!" he explains to everyone. With a scuff Pythor shot back, "Yeah?! So where are your legend beasts now huh?! I'd say it's a pretty good time for them to show." the lavender serpent said as everyone else chattered among themselves. Looking around nervously, Laval attempts to reassure them, "They're coming! Just wait!" he says in a vain attempt to calm the others.
Alas, it was already too late, with the others doubtful, Pythor was able to command the situation in his favor. "We don't have time to wait! Tribes of Chima! You can put all your faith in some old fairy tale! Or you can follow me! And make sure these "helpful" lions, NEVER HURT US AGAIN!" he called out to the others as he prepared to attack. Only the Serpentine agreed with his suggestion, charging toward Laval, but others considered it like the crocs and the wolves. Still, they did not act, only watched as the serpentine warriors charged onwards. Snapping out of his slump, Lagravis acted quickly, "Defend the Laval! Defend Chima!" he called out as the lions charged to the battlefield with Laval totally speechless. "DESTROY THE LIONS!" Pythor cried out from the battlefield, as Lions and Serpentine met each other face to face, getting ready to shoot until…
The ground began to shake violently, as everyone screamed while they lost balance from the sudden earthquake. All the tribes retreat to the forests, the lions going back to their encampment, Lagravis dragging Laval from the arm as he called out, "Nature is unbalanced! The land is reacting! Get to cover! Now!" Looking out towards the landscape, Laval could only say one thing, "What have I done..."
"It all started with a spark from above and an earthquake below. Mount Cavora rose up and changed us all. For a thousand ages, Mount Cavora was the heart of Chima, filling us with energy, and life. Yet some creatures stayed pure to their animal selves and retreated into the Outlands. They say these legend beasts have incredible powers, and will return one day when Chima needs them most." Lagravis recounts as he sat upon his tent, a solemn expression on his features. "There is no doubt in my mind, that one day, is now. The heart of Chima, beats no more," he says as he walks out, his eyes fixed on the distant shape of Mount Cavora.
Meanwhile, in the forest Laval rides in front of a group of eagles and lions, Eris joining his side by turning her jet into a land vehicle. "Any sign of the legend beasts?" Laval asks her, a sense of desperation in his voice, but Eris wags her head. Disheartened, he looks at her and says, "But they've got to come. The great story promised. This is when Chima needs them most. Look again." he commands desperately. Eris turns to him and responds, "We're trying, but... The Outlands mist are too thick and dangerous. Those predator plants attack everything. I don't know how anyone can survive out there." she explains as the eagles try to fly into the Outlands but are cast out by the predator plants. Sighing in defeat, he simply asks, "Did you see anything?! Anywhere?!" hoping for something! Eris looks at him with sympathy, before telling something, "Not in the Outlands. But we did notice an unusual gathering of wolves by the temple grounds." she says with concern.
Outside the temple, a massive gathering of wolves gathered around the grounds. In the center of them all, two figures stood across from each other, each directly in front of their corresponding forces. Woriz, the alpha leader of the Wolf tribe and Pythor, the Serpentine king!
Having answered the uncharacteristic summons from the snake, Woriz spoke first, "So, we're here Pythor! Now tell us what this deal of yours is! And don't try anything, we may be few, but no one messes with the pack!" he says with a snarl. Pythor just stared at him with a raised brow, "Now, now, if I had the intention to harm you, I would have done it already! He says truthfully. "No, I have call you for far more pressing matters!" he says commanding the attention of the others. "TO TAKE REVANGE ON THOSE TREATEROUS LIONS ONCE AND FOR ALL!" he cries out with a bravado not precent before. "They had tricked us all, so now it is time to get some payback, together! We have been enemies in the past, but desperate times call for desperate measures! Join us and I shall promise you retribution!" he finishes his rally with vigor.
Still unsure of this, Woriz spoke up, "Come on, Pythor! Half the tribes in Chima blasted at that black cloud, including the Serpentine. How do we know you didn't cause it?" he asks the purple snake accusatorily. Pythor just huffs before talking back, "Yeah, but it was Laval's idea! He tricked us all into destroying our only source of chi." He says as his fellow serpentine growled. "Now, who hides away as the rest of us suffer the consequences? The lions! Probably plotting a way to DESTROY US ALL!" he shouts again. As the gathering wolves and snakes murmur, Woriz speaks up again, "Come on, Pythor! I don't like the lions either but destroying us is not their thing." he reminded the snake. Looking back at him, Pythor merely responded casually, "Better safe than sorry, after all, they were your enemies as well. Help us defeat the lions, and we keep their last few orbs for ourselves.", he threw in to sweeten the deal. Intrigued but still doubtful, Woriz responds, "I don't know. We're kind of tired of fighting. Can't we all just share and get along for once?!" he asks as the rest of the pack nods. Intensely staring at him, Pythor responded with a shout, "NEVER! Not when I have this!" he exclaims as he shows them the pledge. Woriz gasps at what he sees, asking, "THE PLEDGE OF THE PACK! How did you get that, it is kept in the most secure parts of the crocodile swamp. It's unreachable!" he cries out in surprise. With a malicious laugh he corrects, "No! Nothing is unreachable from MY DESTINY!" the mad snake cries vigorously. Deadpan, Woriz just says, "No seriously. How'd you get it?" as he demands in disbelief. "I control the Crocodile Swamps; I control all of Chima! I will use this great power to rule Chima. And now that I have the pledge, you wolves MUST assist me! Whether you like it, or not." He says with a wicked grin. "And why is that!" Worriz snarls back as he stares at the snake king with indignation. "Because if you help me, I will destroy it, you will no longer be under the sway of the crocodiles! You will be free! As our allies." He finishes smugly, knowing that they wouldn't be able to resist. The wolves are left speechless, while Laval and Eris hide behind a tree as they listen to everything, "Uh oh." being all Laval could say in response.
Back on the camp, a given-up Lagravis sits atop an empty crate, looking at the distant shape of Mount Cavora. Suddenly, Laval comes running through the brush looking for him, Eris right behind him. Spotting him quickly he runs at him while yelling, "DAD! SNAKES! AND WOLVES! PLANNING TO ATTACK! PREP THE TROOPS!" Alas, Lagravis only sighs, his spark truly extinguished. "DAD?! What's wrong?!" Laval asks concerned, as he gently walks up next to him. Turning towards him with beaten eyes, the old king says, "Everything I've ever believed... About Mount Cavora, the legend beasts, and Chima itself. Has it all been a lie?..." he asks in uncertainty, his faith waning. Not allowing himself to give up, Laval firmly states, "No way! COME ON! WE NEED TO FIGHT!" But it is not enough for Lagravis, who simply states, "But without Mount Cavora, and the legend beasts, we've already lost..." Never one to give up, Laval tries again, telling him, "UGH! WE CAN'T GIVE UP YET DAD! I'M RALLYING THE TRIBES! NOT FOR ME! NOT FOR YOU! BUT FOR CHIMA!" Yet Lagravis says nothing, Laval understands that it's no use, so he walks away. Walking next to Eris, he tells her, "Hm... in the meantime, Eris! You need to figure out a way to fix Mount Cavora." as walks away. Stunned, Eris just asks, "huh?! how am I supposed to do that?" but Laval is already gone.
Underneath Mount Cavora, Eris had gathered the most unexpected of allies, the Beaver Tribe. Marching in front of them, she confidently says, "Beavers, we need your special skills now more than ever! You are the greatest engineers in Chima. And Mount Cavora, is broken." At this, the beaver initiated their signature chant of, "FIX IT! FIX IT! FIX IT!" before Bezar brings over a table and rolled some blueprints all over it. Molling over them, he states, "Uh... simple enough for a patch job. Open up the mountain, replace the starter new hickey with a fixed replicator thingy, and up switch the fluid porch to maximum chi flow, and kapow wow hoo-ha!" he says excitingly. Hearing all this, Eris quickly intervenes, "Woah, woah, woah! This isn't some tank engine that you can just patch up! This is Mount Cavora." she explains as clearly as possible. Hearing her Bezar swiftly responds, "Right!" as he sweeps away the blueprints, "We'll need bigger plans!" he says as he places a giant blueprint on the ground surrounded by everyone. As the "FIX IT! FIX IT! FIX IT!" began, Eris decided to intervene once more, "Did I mention, there's an impassable energy field around the mountain?" she says in a matter-of-fact tone as the Beavers chatter amongst themselves. "It can't be that passable. Waterfalls made it through, right? So, we just go through the waterfall holes. Here, here, and here." Bezar states confidently, as he points over to the diagram on the floor.
Eris thought carefully at what they said before responding, "Uh... theoretically, that could work! But reaching those waterfall holes, will require some pretty sophisticated engineering. Right?" she asked expectantly, hints of curiosity in her voice. Bezar just nonchalantly looked at her before saying, "Nah! We'll just use our giant slingshot." Not expecting that Eris cried, "WHAT?!", in bafflement as the beavers brought out a big slingshot. Now chanting, "SLINGSHOT! SLINGSHOT! SLINGSHOT!" the beavers watch as Bezar equips a safety hat and stretches the slingshot's rope backward, getting ready for take off. As he lets go, he is sent flying, clear past Mount Cavora as Eris can only gasp in disbelief.
Meanwhile, in the Gorilla Forest, Laval has gone to visit the gorilla houses with the hope of acquiring their help in the coming fight. Deciding to talk to Grumlo and Gorzan, Laval tries to explain his point to the apes, "We need to work together to stop these snakes and wolves." he says with the hope of getting the gorillas on his side. Having listened, a clearly bummed out Gorzan just responds, "But dude! Why the bummer dude? Fighting again? So bogus.", he says as he shakes his head. Sympathizing, Laval responds by saying, "We don't want this either, Gorzan. But Pythor blames ME for destroying Mount Cavora." he reminds them. Thinking about it, the two apes discussed with one another. "Didn't they dude?" Grumlo asks first. "Yeah, the dude did," Gorzan responds.
Sensing that this was going nowhere, Laval spoke up, "Okay, yeah! I did get everyone to shoot at the black cloud, and the falls dried up. But I was only trying to HELP everyone! We can't just attack each other every time one of us tries to do something good, and it doesn't work out! Right? DUDE!" he tries in a final attempt to get them on his side. Contemplating what was said, Grumlo says, "Doing good, is good dude. Even when it turns out bad." Agreeing with the elder's wisdom, Gorzan replies, "Yeah. We'll so totally be your battle buds dude." as Laval happily fist pumps Gorzan and Grumlo. Suddenly, they hear a "FIX IT!" Bezar comes crashing into the houses and onto the walls.
Back underneath Mount Cavora, the other beavers are still trying to launch each other at the mountain. One beaver stretches himself back and goes flying, crying a "Fix it!" as the others cheer. He almost reaches Cavora but goes down with a dejected, "fix it..." as the other beavers chatter. Another beaver goes to send himself flying before Eris steps in asking, "Are you guys sure about this? It seems dangerous. And I've heard you beavers don't have the best eyesight, which might explain why you keep MISSING, that enormous mountain right in front of you." she exclaims with annoyance. Slightly insulted, one of the beavers asks, "Whatever are you talking about?" as another beaver is sent flying and screaming while he goes down. As she sighs again, another beaver goes to try out the slingshot before Eris runs over crying, "WOAH! How about we try, another way of reaching Mount Cavor... "she begins to say before she trips over a crawling beaver and into the slingshot, "AHHH!" being the last thing she says as she goes flying accidentally. Feeling some small vindication, the same beaver as before says, "She tripped over US, and she's the one complaining about OUR eyesight?" as he stares at the horizon where Eris used to be.
Back in the Forest, Gorzan and Laval travel through with their beaver friends, not knowing they are about to have some more. The telltale sound of "fix it!" is heard from the sky as multiple beavers come crashing down. "Dude! It's raining beavers." Gorzan says to his partner as he looks up to see if there's more. But instead of more beavers, Eris is the one coming towards them, screaming loudly as she falls. Befuddled, Gorzan just says, "And eagles too!" while Laval looks out towards the sound of his friend. "Eris?" he shouts in confusion as she crashes into a tree right by another beaver. "Dude, this is the weirdest weather ever." Says a confused Gorzan as he walks his mech towards her. Eris makes a dizzy sound while she's helped up by Laval, "No... more! Someone else needs to deal with these beavers!" she says as soon as she gets a hold of herself, having reached the last straw with their antics. "Oh! I'll do it. Those dudes are awesome. To the mountain!" Gorzan volunteers excitedly, as he carries all the beavers back to the mountain. Watching him leave, Laval turned back to Eris for one more favor, "Okay, Eris. But I need your help with the rhinos. They're one of the strongest tribes in Chima!" he said as they walked to Laval's tank. "And one of the most... unfocused," Eris adds with trepidation. "You mean, dumb!" Laval corrects her with a grin. "I was trying to be polite," she admits as they hop into the tank and head over to the quarry. "That's why you're here. That, and your relationship with, Rogon," he admits to her as they make their way. At the mention of that Eris begins to awkwardly laugh, not having thought of her blossoming feeling for the rhino in a while, "Relationship!" she suddenly spats while she continues awkwardly laughing. "You make it sound like we're, dating or something!" she chuckles uncomfortably as she tries to avoid his gaze. Noting how she was acting, Laval tries to reassure her, "Eris! I just wanna make sure the rhinos are with us, not the crocs. Awkwardly chuckling again, she relents, "Of course! Whoever said anything about, dating..." she mentions as she begins chuckling awkwardly again. Satisfied, Laval just shook his head before saying, "Whatever. Let's just get there before Pythor messes with them."
Unfortunately, at the Rhino Quarry, it's already too late as the whole tribe is an audience to Pythor who has something hidden behind him. Gathering their attention, the purple serpent begins his announcement, "I'm sure those sneaky lions will try to convince you to join their side! But all they can promise you is... honor! And glory!" he says with a mocking tone. The rhinos don't like the sound of that, frowning and agreeing with the snake. Seeing the progress, Pythor continued, "I on the other claw, can promise you..." he begins as Chope and Kapau lower the red covering and reveal the hidden thing to be a giant pile of rocks, "FREE ROCKS!" Pythor exclaims loudly as the rhinos cheer in excitement. "Free rocks? Hoo! We're in!" Rogon says aloud as the rest gathered around and started tossing the rocks at each other, Pythor watching with a smug grin.
Back underneath Mount Cavora, the beavers come up with a new idea that they'll use a really big ladder to climb up to Mount Cavora. But even though it's tall, it's not tall enough. Multiple of them climb the ladder, but when they go up further, it goes unsteady and starts to wobble. "Woah!" they begin to cry out as it sways, "Hold steady! Almost...there!" one of them says before he immediately falls off. "Don't worry! We'll help!" another beaver says before multiple of them are flung into the sky. Landing near the forest, they scream while falling towards Gorzan. "Woah! Another light sprinkling of beavers.", he says as he holds his mech-sized hands out to catch the beavers.
Back at the Rhino Quarry, Laval and Eris walk towards the Quarry entrance, where Runk and Rukus are guarding. "You're not welcome here lion!" Rukus said, spotting them first. Confused at this, Laval let out a loud, "What?" as she looked perplexed at them. Runk followed up with an, "But you're welcome to leave!" before he let a few chuckles escape. Realizing what must have happened, Laval sighed before saying, "Ugh! We're too late! Pythor must've already gotten to them! It's all up to you now, Eris." he says as he turns towards her. Annoyed, Eris responded with a, "He's not my boyfriend, y'know?" before giving him a look. "Just CHARM Rogon into joining us! You can do that, right? Let's see your charming face.", he tries to reassure her with a nervous smile. Taking a moment, Eris thinks and ends up with an awkward-looking smile. "How's this?" she asks as she turns towards Laval, the smile straining on her features. Trying to stay positive, he just said, "Um... I... think it's... good?" he says trying not to offend her, fearing what she would do if he didn't. Not convinced, Eris sighs before she walks over to Runk and Rukus and gives them a flirty face. But before she could say anything, Rogon comes running and barges in between the heads of Runk and Rukus. "Eris! I can't believe you're here! And you look so beautiful too.", he says with a lovestruck look. Flattered, Eris chuckles before speaking, "Oh Rogon! You're so sweet! Can we come into your quarry?" she asks with a flutter of her eyes. Rogon pushes Runk and Rukus away before answering, "Oh no. You're not welcome here. But I'm so glad you're here." he says calmly, a dopey smile on his face. "Oh! That's okay. Maybe we can just hang out here for a while.", she says in a vain attempt to gain his favor. Not that it was needed, as Rogon happily said "That'll be awesome." Before following with, "Now leave." clearly missing the contradiction. But he wasn't the only one who missed things, as Eris had been so caught up in her head that she missed what was said and only chuckled as she stared into Rogon's eyes. Having had enough of the lovestruck duo, Laval intervenes with an "Ahem!" as he goes in between Rogon and Eris. "Excuse me.", he begins before Rogon interrupts, "Not welcome here, Laval." he says, semi-seriously. "Yeah. I heard. But by any chance, did Pythor tell you to say that?" Laval asks as he tries to figure the situation out. "Yes. But he also told me to keep it a secret. And one thing we rhinos do very well is keep a secret." Rogon answers as he chuckles. Responding in exasperation, Laval says, "Ugh... uh... great job there, Rogon! And I'm sure Pythor gave you something really secret to keep this secret. Responding excitedly, he says, "Oh, did he ever! Just look!" he says as he shows them the "free" rocks. Staring in disbelief Laval asks, "A pile of rocks?..." completely confused as to what he was seeing. "It was so generous of him." Rogon says, as if it was some sort of gran treasure, and not just ROCKS! Trying to reason with his rhino friend, Laval mentions, "Uh... You do know you live in a quarry, that is FILLED with rocks?" he says as if it was the most obvious thing ever, because it was! "Yeah, but these rocks were free," Rogon says, not understanding what the problem was. Running out of patience, Laval yells at him, "ALL ROCKS ARE FREE, ROGON! PYTHOR'S JUST TRYING TO TRICK YOU!"
Completely unaffected, Rogon just told him, "He said you'd say that too. And then I'm supposed to do THIS!" he says before he grabs Rukus's club and bangs it at Laval, missing. Snapping out of it, Eris looks at him before asking, "Rogon! What are you doing?!" she demands with a stern look. "Oh, I'm sorry, Eris. I didn't mean to hurt, Laval. I just made a secret promise to hurt Laval." he says as he chases after Laval, once again missing the point. "AH!" Laval screams as he runs away from getting hit, "ROGON! WILL YOU CUT THAT OUT!" he yells out desperately. "We can all still be friends, right?!" Rogon asks completely oblivious, as he continues to charge. Narrowly missing the club Laval manages to dodge, the club nearly hitting Eris in the face. Eris screams at nearly getting hit before yelling, "ROGON! I can't be your girlfriend if you're gonna act like this!" she says suddenly, not thinking of what she had said. But before realization hit her, Rogon was already responding, "What?! You're my girlfriend?! For real?! THIS IS SO AWESOME!" he cried out while continuing to try to hurt Laval. "Ah: Laval yells as he dodges, Rogon just continuing to celebrate, "SHE LIKES ME! SHE REALLY LIKES ME!" still swinging the club at Laval. "Rogon, stop! You need to quit swinging that big club around!" Eris tells him in a serious tone. "Okay!" Rogon says as he continues anyhow, Laval still dodging and running for his life. Having enough Eris snaps, "THAT'S IT!" she yells as she leaves angrily, "I'M LEAVING!" she says as she storms away. Heartbroken, Rogon stutters, "But!... But!... I'm just so excited!... This is very confusing. Oh, love hurts..." he says halfheartedly. "So does that club!" Laval says as he runs away from getting chased even though Rogon's sad. "Aw! Relationships are so complicated..." the dejected rhino says as he kneels down on the ground. Runk walks up to him with a chuckle, before saying, "Stinky matters of the heart!" before he chuckles again.
Back under Cavora, the Beavers tries to pole vault it up to Mount Cavora but fails by falling. Sighing, Bezar calls out, "Next plan!" as the beavers bring a tall statue that resembles Spiral Mountain and is somewhat taller in the foundation. Multiple try to walk round and round until they reach Mount Cavora. Staring at their efforts, Gorzan comments, "Dude that's so... you know... dudes!" as he looks over to the beavers. Condescendingly, Bezar retorts with, "And I suppose you have a better idea?!" while the beavers fall from the imbalance, causing the whole thing to fall. Thinking for a moment, Gorzan responds, "Mhm. Totally." A few minutes later, Gorzan is seen holding onto two beavers down bottom, the beavers doing the same all the way up while Bezar climbs up all of them. Looking down at him, one of the beavers asks, "Hm... whatever gave you this fix it idea, Gorzan?" as the others began their chant. Gorzan simply answers saying, "Gorilla dudes do this all the time to fix our homes in the trees, you just need really strong arms." he explains to them. Upon hearing this, the beaver says, "Really strong arms?! But beavers don't have really strong arms!" as the beavers are shown struggling heavily trying to hold on, so they fall down. Right on the roof of the former Lion Temple, the beavers screaming while falling on the serpentine guards, which cause them to flee. "Incoming! BEAVERS!" Slithraa calls out as the other snakes scream while they try not to get hit.
Meanwhile at the Bear Village, Laval goes to hug a half-awake Bladvic, who accidentally squeezes him too hard. "Best lion's friends forever!" Bladvic says sincerely as he hugs him tighter. "Glad to hear that, Bladvic!... This fight won't be easy though..." Laval tries to say as he holds in his breath as he's squeezed. "For you, we'd do anything! Even our super special battle…" he begins before he falls asleep snoring and Laval gently puts him on the ground to rest. Walking next to him Eris says, "At least they agreed to help. And I didn't have to "charm" anyone." She says a little salty as the two walk away. Slightly curious, Laval asks, "Yeah, about that. Did you really call yourself Rogon's girlfriend?" treating carefully around the sensitive subject. "Ex-girlfriend. And no, I don't wanna talk about it!" Eris says as she walks away, mumbling something like, "I can't believe I ever found that dummy cute!" as she storms towards her ride. Picking up on it, Laval asks again, "Are you sure?" looking forward to teasing his long-time friend. Annoyed Eris just replies, "Don't we need to be somewhere?" as they speed off to their next location.
Arriving at Raven Town, Laval and Eris drive into an empty town. Still keeping up with the subject, Laval says, "Y'know. I'm a very good listener." Eris just rolls her eyes before dryly whispering, "That already makes you way better than him!" before saying, "Changing subject, again!" in an annoyed tone. Undeterred, Laval continued with a teasing smile, "But you! and Rogon!" still surprised that she would admit it so loudly. He had already known that the rhino was head over heels for her, but he never expected her to feel the same way. Desperate to change the subject, she reminds him, "Hey. How about those ravens?" as they tread deeper into the village. "Yeah. They're the last big tribe we need to speak to. If we can keep them from allying with the snakes, we may just be able to save Chima." he says, getting back to business. "What about the Crocs?" Eris asks as they continue onwards. "Given the way Cragger described the place, I don't think we could even make it close to the swamps before we're covered in snakes!" he tells her, some regret lingering in his voice. Picking up on it, she decides to drop the subject saying, "Fair enough!" before they stop. Looking around for anyone, Eris calls out, "Hello? Anyone home?" but she gets no response. Puzzled, Laval walks up to her saying, "Strange. Even their planes are gone." Before he goes to stick a piece of paper with writing onto a wall. "I'll just ask them to stop by the lion camp to discuss, a "valuable opportunity". Heh, that should get their interest.", he mentions with a grin before the two march away.
Back on the Temple rooftop, all the beavers slowly recover from the fall as one of them walks over to Bezar and sighs. "I never thought I'd say this, but... Maybe there are some things, like Mount Cavora, that can't be fixed.", he says disheartened as they comfort each other. "Let's just hope one of those legend beasts shows up soon," Bezar says with trepidation as he stares over the horizon. Listening in from above them, Skales silently sighs hearing what he just said, fearing for the safety of his family, and especially his son. He was so young and still, he had no true home, and worse, if Pythor had his way he would be forced to become the one thing he never wanted for him, a combatant. Despite his love for battle, Sales was no fool, he knew that was not the life for a child. His primary concern had always been his safety, he wanted him to grow up in peace. Yet his mistakes in the past may cost him that very thing, he recreated ever falling in with that mad snake! But now he could only sigh, as he too looked over the horizon, "I hope so too." he said softly before he turned away.
In the forest, as Laval and Eris exit the forest and ride back to the camp, they hear the loud crowing of the ravens as they fly past. Smiling at this, Laval comments, "That's quick. I knew they'd be interested once they saw my note. But Eris was unsure, as she looked back to see more ravens approaching, in a battle formation, "Uh, Laval... That looks more like an attack formation.", she mentions with concern. "WHAT?!" Laval screams before he stops to hear the ground shaking. "Oh, I hope that's an earthquake," he says warily before Eris confirms his fears. "Wrong again!" she says as she points at the charging army of snakes led by Pythor, who had decided to hit them at an unexpected time. "SERPENTINE!" Laval cries out in shock before hearing howling coming from the distance. Turning towards it he exclaims, "WOLVES! RHINOS! AND RAVENS! ATTACKING! ALREADY?! And no legend beasts yet?"
As desperation reaches its peak, Laval turns towards the temple, hoping to lead them away from his tribe. "Follow me, I have a plan!' he tells Eris as the two rush over to the temple grounds. Speeding through the winding roads, they make it right outside the field surrounding the city, before a raven shoots at them and manages to hit their tank. Laval and Eris scream while they fly out and hit the ground. "CHAAARGE!" they hear Pythor yell from behind as the two instantly run for their lives.
"RUUUN!" Laval cries out at her, just as Pythor's giant army continues forward.
Author's Notes:
One more episode to go! Next time we come to the conclusion of what I like to call "The Serpentine Occupation". I want to thank you all for your assistance and ask you one more thing. As you can see in this chapter, I slightly changed Eris and Rogon's relationship, with plans to omit it in the Outland Saga for story reasons, and because I found it cringy. However, I would like to know how you all feel about that relationship and if you would like me to keep it intact or not!
As always, thanks for your help, and keep reading!