Legends of Chima: Sunstar's Sacrifice
Oct 4, 2013 22:41:54 GMT -8
Post by sunstar on Oct 4, 2013 22:41:54 GMT -8
Here is the prologue and the first chapter!
Legends of Chima
Sunstar’s Sacrifice
Prologue
“Sunstar, we need help. You must set us free soon. In return, we will grant you one wish within reason. Chima is dying. Help us, Sunstar.”
“Who are you?”
“That is not important right now. You must gather the Golden Chi and use it upon the Doorway so we may return. Hurry, mortal one, you must hurry.”
“I don’t understand!”
“We must go, but we are waiting.”
Sunstar woke up to the ground shaking. Another earthquake was striking. This one wasn’t bad. The shaking stopped after 30 seconds. Quickly getting up and slipping into her usual white dress, she paired it with her usual golden belt. A brown scabbard with a ruby on it hung from her right hip, a golden handle sticking out of it. She rushed outside.
Fire burned everywhere, branches breaking loose from the trees and bushes to fall onto the dry ground, causing the grass to burn. Screams rang out as blades sang and bows twanged. Left and right, skunks were fighting and dying. The ground ran red with their blood. A single Gorilla Ultrabuild chased down and ripped apart a pregnant female skunk. Sunstar knew Ultrabuilds were notoriously strong. It usually took another Ultrabuild to stop one. No one in the Skunk tribe had an Ultrabuild. Sunstar drew out her sword. She absorbed a blue Chi orb into herself and channeled it into the sword, the blade glowing and becoming longer with Chi. She charged at the Ultrabuild.
“My Queen, you can’t!”
“Skids, gather the survivors and run!”
“No, my Queen! I refuse to leave you!”
“It’s an order, Skids!”
“Yes, my Queen.” Skids turned to carry out his order. He did not see the Ultrabuild turn toward him and raise its paw. Sunstar tried to distract it. Skids never felt his head leave his shoulders. His body ran forward for a few more seconds then toppled over. Sunstar screamed in horror. That got the Ultrabuilds attention. It turned upon her and lashed out with its teeth and claws. Sunstar defended each blow, but she took a cut to her right shoulder and to her right side. Her Chi sword flickered, showing it was running out of Chi. Sunstar sent all the Chi she had into her sword. Slowly she began to deal some damage to the Ultrabuild and push it back a bit. It began to flicker. It was running out of Chi. the Ultrabuild broke apart to reveal a single gorilla.
“Gornay?” Sunstar asked out loud.
“What? Where? Sunstar, what happened? It wasn’t me, was it?” Gornay blinked.
“Why did you attack us?” Sunstar asked.
“I attacked you?” Gornay asked, looking around at the carnage, “By the Chi, what have I done?”
“You used an Ultrabuild.” Sunstar explained, “You attacked us. I don’t think you were in control. Gornay, what happened to you?”
“I… An Ultrabuild? Me? I don’t remember what happened. Sunstar, you have every right to be angry with me. I think I whipped out your tribe. I am so sorry.” Gornay sniffled, “I don’t expect you to ever forgive me.”
“I am going to leave. There is nothing left for me here.” Sunstar walked away. Gornay hung his head. He was still there when the Lion Tribe soldiers led by Lagravis arrived, alerted to the attack by the Crocodiles. King Crominus arrived moments later with a contingent of soldiers.
“What on Chima killed them all?” Crominus shuddered, thinking of his wife, Crunket, and his newborn twins back home in the swamp. If what had happened here were to happen there… no, he would not think like that. Lagravis looked ill.
“Whatever it was, it happened quickly.” Lagravis responded, “You said one of your soldiers was in the area.”
“That was Crog.” Crominus nodded as a soldier stepped out from his unit, “What did you see?”
“It was big, and glowing with Chi, Sire. I can’t get the screams out of my head!” Crog answered, his eyes betraying his fear.
“An Ultrabuild did this!” Lagravis roared, “Ultrabuilds are forbidden!”
“There is no way ether of us can take on an Ultrabuild in our current states.” Crominus pointed out, “If it is still around, I am going to go Ultra myself to defeat it.”
“I’ll be right beside you.” Lagravis nodded, “Let’s just hope it is gone.”
“Sire, I found a survivor!” A lioness came toward Lagravis, a bundle of blue blankets in her arms, “It’s a newborn skunk, a boy.”
“Good work, Leona. Has anyone else been found?” Lagravis asked.
“Sire, we found a gorilla. He says he did this.” Cronin dragged Gornay to his King.
“It was me!” Gornay was pushed down on his knees, “I was the Ultrabuild! I don’t know how it happened! I can’t remember anything!”
Crominus knelt, “You say you did this, that you were the Ultrabuild? What is the last thing you are sure you remember?”
“Um, I remember getting up, breakfast, getting my Chi, and joining my unit for meditation. That is the last thing I remember!” Gornay answered, “Honest!”
“Sire, I found Sunstar.” Leona was still holding the newborn skunk, “She didn’t make it. The entire tribe is gone save for this little one.”
“That is 40 dead, and murder gets you three months a victim in the outlands. Gornay is looking at 10 years.” Crominus turned to Lagravis.
“I know.” Lagravis answered, “Logas, Longtooth, take Gornay away to the Outland pass. Gornay, you have killed 40 victims. It is three months per victim in the outlands. After ten years have passed, you may return to your tribe. I’ll send a lion to let your tribe know of what happened. Do you understand your crime, and your punishment?”
“I do. I’m scared. What if it happens again?” Gornay was allowed to reclaim his feet.
“That is also why I think some time in the Outlands will help you learn control.” Lagravis smiled.
“Okay, I’ll train hard and master the Ultrabuild so this doesn’t happen again. I will come home again stronger than before. Please, let all tribes know that the Ultrabuild is nothing to laugh at, and they need to watch out for any members who gain Ultra. I will work hard, and I pray that no other animal has to go through what I am going through. The guilt is eating me up inside. I hope I can be forgiven.” Gornay was led away.
“Skunks burn their dead. All bodies will have to be rounded up and brought to the village to be burned.” Crominus nodded to the gathered soldiers who all took off. The two kings gathered by Sunstar’s body. They brought her to the village and she was burned in her own pyre while the rest of the dead were burned together in one vast pyre. The flames devoured what was left of the village, and when the two armies left, there was only a dark splotch on the ground to mark where the Skunk Tribe once lived and died.
As soon as the lions and crocodiles left, a lone skunk crept back into her old home. She wept for her people, and quietly left. If anyone had stuck around, they would have heard the sound of a Speedor rumbling to life and racing off.
Chapter One
16 years later
Laval and Cragger were locked in battle for first place. Up ahead, the track went under water. Laval was not looking forward to this part. Lions were notorious for being afraid of water. They hit the water. At first everything was fine. Cragger backed off a bit to try to angle around Laval. Right before he could make his move, Laval’s speedor hit an underwater rock. The rock was sucked up behind the single wheel which locked into place. Laval fought to stay in control, but it was to no avail.
For Cragger, time slowed down. Laval’s speedor bucked and shot up into the air to come down on its side. Laval tried to jump free but was caught under the heavy speedor as it came down. Cragger saw Laval go under the water. Quickly he parked his speedor and dove into the water after Laval. The speedor had come down on top of Laval, trapping him. The young lion was flailing about in panic. Cragger saw the problem. Laval’s right leg was under the speedor. He rushed over and tried to lift the speedor off of Laval, but the ground underwater was too slick to give much of a purchase. Laval’s struggles were starting to fade. Cragger shot to the surface to grab a fresh gulp of air and rushed back to Laval. Again he could not move the speedor. Thinking quickly, he returned to the surface and gulped down air. Upon reaching the fading Laval, he breathed into Laval’s mouth, giving him some air. Finding a stick, Cragger wedged it under the speedor and lifted. Laval felt the pressure rise off of his leg and pulled his leg out from under the speedor. His air ran out as Cragger grabbed him and shot toward the surface. They broke free and Cragger swam toward shore where he crawled out of the water, dragging Laval with him. Laval wasn’t moving. Cragger sat him up and pounded his back, causing him to cough up water.
“Are you okay?” Cragger asked.
Laval went to answer but was silenced by another round of coughing. As soon as he was able, he nodded, “I’ll be fine.” By then, emergency personnel had arrived and began tending to Laval. Lagravis pushed through the crowd and knelt by his son.
“I saw everything. Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m-” Laval dissolved into a coughing fit that ended with him vomiting up more water, “I’m okay.”
“Laval, you are not fine!” Cragger snapped, “Even I can see that!”
“Sire, he’s not breathing too well, and I’m hearing water in his lungs.” A medic replied, “We need to take him to the infirmary for treatment. Laval, does anything hurt?”
“My right leg is sore.” Laval admitted.
“We are going to take care of you.” The medic smiled, “Cragger, how about you?”
“I’m fine. I’m not hurt.” Cragger answered, “I didn’t think. I acted on instinct. Crocodiles can swim from birth. We are taught how to hold our air effectively. I’m going with him.”
“We are ready to move Laval.” Another medic called out.
Laval had been put on a stretcher and strapped into place. As he was lifted off the ground, Cragger moved to stand beside him. He was worried about his friend. Eris rushed over to them. She was the Princess of the Eagles and best friend to Laval and Cragger. She had been back in fifth place when the accident happened. She looked scared.
“Eris.” Cragger nodded and told her what had happened.
“Is Laval going to be okay?” Eris gasped.
“I will be fine.” Laval couldn’t turn his head, but he was able to look at her by moving his eyes.
“You do not look well, Laval.” Eris said, reaching out to put a hand on his forehead, “You feel warm.” They were almost half way up the long staircase.
“I…” Laval’s eyes rolled back as consciousness left him. A medic sprang forward and listened to his chest.
“He’s fighting for air! No breath sounds on the right side, left side is compromised! We need to move now!” the medic roared.
At that, they all took off.
Lagravis stuck around long enough to award the golden chi to a rider named Shadow Wind. He took off up the stairs shortly after.
Shadow Wind left the grounds and went to a secret cave. There, the golden Chi was stored.
“Mortal one, time is tight.”
“I know! I’m doing my best! If you want the golden Chi so badly go make the Chi pool produce some more than once a month!”
“We do not possess that kind of power, mortal one. The Lion Prince interests us so. Why does he feel like us?”
“You don’t get to change the subject! Over the last four years, I have collected 42 golden chi orbs! You want at least a hundred, and you made me wait 11 years to start collecting!” I need at least 58 more months to finish this!”
“You had 42 last month. You gave the orb to the lion Prince.”
“In case you don’t know, King Lagravis was dying! That orb saved his life! I did what I thought was the best! If you don’t like it, go torture someone else!”
There was silence.
“I didn’t anger you, did I?”
“No, mortal one, you spoke wisely. We know Chima is hurting.” A new voice broke in, “We are incomplete. Brave Lion-O opened the doorway once he realized all hope was lost for Chima. He remained behind to close the doorway, but he was lost from us. We feel Lion-O’s power within the Lion Prince. The Prince must ascend and open the doorway for us, Mortal one.”
“So what do I do? I did not just gather all that chi for nothing you know.”
“We will handle the Prince. You continue to gather Chi, Mortal one.”
Shadow Wind shook its head to clear the voices. It still had a job to do.
An archway made of stone rose before him. A group of animals stood before the door. They glanced about fearfully. The sky was dark. No stars or moon shone. Fear hung thickly in the air.
“Is this wise, boss?” a black raven with green gems for eyes asked, a wing wrapped protectively around a white female eagle with blue gems for eyes.
“I wish we had another option, Razor. Chima needs us to leave.” Laval heard himself speak, “The unbalance must reset itself without any help from us. Face it, the war is over for us.”
“Do you think he can hear us?”
“Lion-O, I don’t feel right about abandoning Chima, especially now. The others are going to have questions.” This time, it was a female skunk that spoke, “Shouldn’t we stay for them?”
“I wish we could, Selestia, I really wish we could. We are part of the problem. Chima will be fine. It is time we leave and let it recover. The Dark Hand is gone. We won the war. Don’t worry, we will return again when Chima needs us.” Lion-O reassured, meeting the gemstone eyes of his fellow guardians.
He knew their time in Chima was done. The land was torn up from their recent fight against the Dark Hand, and somewhere nearby, a volcano vomited up plumes of ash that choked out the light in the sky. The ground rumbled off and on. This world needed time to stabilize and become balanced once again. Turning to face the great stone arch, Lion-O focused as Chi leapt from his hand and struck the surface of the doorway. It shimmered, and one by one, the Guardians of Chima went through. Lion-O waited until he was left.
“Unfortunately I will not be joining you.” Lion-O whispered, resealing the doorway and pushing it under the hot sands, “It is far better this way. You do not need to know what I must now do.”
“I wish he would wake up. It has already been four days.”
The Lion Guardian turned and trudged through the sands toward the north. Sadness gripped his heart. He knew this had to be done. The other Guardians did not need to bear witness to what he was about to go through. It grew harder to see through the heavily falling ash. Lion-O pulled his scarf up over his nose and mouth to keep from breathing the ash. He pushed on. Fireballs hit the sands around him as he entered the range of the ongoing eruption. It wasn’t long after that he reached the Temple of the Dark Hand. He walked into the temple.
Built of black marble, the temple was a veritable maze upon the inside. Lion-O knew his way and reached the center room. Here there was a throne and an altar. Lion-O went up to the altar. The altar was made of a marble called fire marble. Blacks, golds, and reds swirled beautifully into an arch. Below the arch, a red rose seemed to bloom above a black shelf. Lion-O reached into the rose. Red light traveled up his arm. He tilted his head back as he screamed from the sheer agony of what he was doing.
“Laval? It’s Cragger. I’m really starting to worry. It’s been six days.”
Lion-O staggered, but managed to keep his arm inside the rose. The red light covered his entire body. His body was forced to mutate. His fur began to darken. His red mane grew longer and darkened to a blood red. Lion-O hung on. His golden gem shaped eyes shattered as they were replaced by a pair of spinning red orbs. He felt his fangs growing longer. The pain escalated and yet Lion-O managed to keep going. This was the only way to save Chima. The bad chi had to be absorbed. Lion-O had made his decision long ago. The other Guardians had to remain pure. He felt his body stretch as bones grew and muscles rearranged themselves around new bone growing from his back. As the bone sprouted, skin and membrane flowed over the two newly grown appendages. Dark feathers sprouted rapidly to cover the new wings. His bones liquefied their centers to become hollow. He felt his internal organs shift and rotate so new organs could grow. Lion-O crumbled to the ground, the bad chi fully absorbed into himself. He curled up into a ball as the last of the pain vanished.
“Laval, its Eris. Everyone is very worried. Your dad is beside himself with worry. He won’t eat or sleep. Queen Crunket had your dad sedated. He is sleeping right now. Please, you must wake up.”
“Wake up, Laval.”
Lion-O did not know how long he had slept. He rose to his feet and blinked. His vision was much sharper. Noticing his reflection on the altar, he crept up to it. He was still a lion. He had a pair of dark wings much like those of a raven. His eyes were different, and he felt lighter. He was still the same Lion-O, Guardian Lion of Chima, right? He was not a monster. He knew he must stay hidden. Closing his eyes, he forced the temple to sink into the ground. He would stay here. And watch over Chima as it healed. Later, he would reveal himself to the tribes and reopen the doorway so the Guardians would be able to come home. Unfortunately fate had other plans.
“Cragger, what are you doing with that Chi?”
“I’m going to get Laval to wake up, Eris. They’ve tried everything else.”
“Are you nuts? You can’t give Chi to someone who is unconscious!”
“Nothing else has worked!”
“You heard the elders! Laval will wake up when he is ready!”
“It’s been 15 days, Eris! You know as well as I do that after someone has been asleep for 14 days, their chances of waking up drop drastically!”
“What is going on in here?”
“Elder Logas, will you please talk Cragger out of his crazy plan?”
“It’s not crazy! It will work!”
“Laval will return to us when he is ready. We can’t force him to wake up. Cragger, the Chi won’t help. I know it is hard, but all we can do right now is be patient and wait.”
“Why won’t the Chi work?”
“Think about it, pea brain! Only you can use it on yourself! No one else can!”
“Eris is right. Forcing Chi into someone will not work because the body will automatically reject it. Now, I came in here to check on the Prince. He has recovered well from his near drowning, and his leg looks much better.”
“Elder Logas, what if Laval never wakes up? What if?” Eris could not finish her thought. It was simply too horrible to finish.
“Don’t say stuff like that, Eris!” Cragger choked. His eyes reflected his fear.
“To lose Laval would be a major blow to the Lion Tribe. We have rules to follow if it does happen. Laval will wake up when he is ready.” Logas reassured.
“It is so hard to see him like this.” Eris paced.
“Hmm…”
“I think he is waking up!” Cragger rushed to his friend’s bedside, “Can you hear me, Laval?”
“Hmm…” It felt like his eyes were glued shut. His mouth refused to move.
“He won’t wake up instantly. It is going to take time for him to recover enough to wake up.” Logas cautioned, “It is late and you two need to head home.”
“Okay, but we are coming back tomorrow.” Cragger and Eris left behind Logas. They both had spent the first few nights with Laval. They both were prince and princess of their respective tribes, and they did have their duties to their people. Logas returned to take his shift in watching over the young Prince as he remained deep in his long slumber save for the occasional groan. Logas knew that Laval was near to awakening and he prayed it would be soon. He did not know how much more his King could take of watching Laval remain in this state. Lagravis had all but stepped down from the throne. He had put Longtooth in charge of tribe affairs and spent his time watching over Laval. He had stopped eating and sleeping seven days ago until Queen Crunket finally got through to him that he was not helping Laval by starving himself and forcing himself not to sleep. Crunket had then stayed with Laval while Lagravis finally went and took care of himself.
“Hmm…”
“Keep trying, young Prince, I know you will wake up soon.” The Elder settled in for the long night.
“Logas?”
Logas blinked, coming out of meditation, “Libra, my shift isn’t over for another two hours. What is it?”
“The others are ready.” Libra nodded, “Lennox will stay with him.”
“We are actually going to try to summon Lion-O?” Logas asked.
“Hmm…”
“Laval is close to waking up. I was shocked too. We don’t even know for sure if Lion-O is real.” Libra nodded, “I really don’t feel good about this. I am pretty sure Ligon has a few screws loose.”
“Don’t let Ligon hear you say that.” Logas cautioned, “I don’t feel good about this ether, but if Ligon believes we can and we are successful, think about how much stronger that will make us. Lion-O might even be able to help Laval.”
“No…”
“Laval?” Logas came closer.
Laval’s eyes fluttered and finally opened. Logas gasped. Libra bit off a scream.
“What is wrong with his eyes?” Libra cried out.
“Those are the eyes of a Guardian!” Logas explained.
“Don’t…”
“What are you trying to tell us?” Logas asked, “Is it about Ligon wanting to summon Lion-O?”
“Don’t…”
“Come on, you can tell us.”
“Don’t summon Lion-O!” Laval screamed.
“Why?” Libra’s eyes were wide.
“Don’t let the darkness return!” Laval begged.
His eyes changed to spinning red orbs, and then returned to normal. Laval sank back into unconsciousness once again.
“We need to warn Ligon.” Logas took off after signaling Lennox to come stand guard over Laval.
The two elders raced toward the head elders chambers. They were both out of breath when they arrived. Ligon quickly sat both of them down and made them drink some water. Once they had calmed down, they related what had happened with Laval.
“I see. My first thought was that it was a hallucination, but the odds of two people seeing and hearing the same thing is astronomical. I agree that something happened. I know that both of you have shared doubts on the summoning. This may sound cruel, but I have to ask it. Is there any chance you might have imagined this?” Ligon asked.
“If I had not heard his voice, I would be inclined to believe that I may have imagined it.” Logas answered.
“I’m with Logas on that.” Libra nodded.
“Good, that makes me feel better. While I agree that we don’t know what we are getting ourselves into by summoning Lion-O, I have to think of the benefits and weigh them against the bad things that might happen. The good outweighs the bad by a big margin. I think it would be in our best interest to summon Lion-O. Considering what Laval said to you, I too have had my doubts about this. That is why I have gone and called it off until after I do more research. I know Lion-O did not go through the doorway.” Ligon said, “We still don’t fully understand the power involved in summoning a Guardian, and earlier today I had a nice chat with Crona. She believes it could be done.”
“Sir, you know Crona is… um… not all there in the head, right?” Libra asked.
“I know she isn’t, uh, normal in the head, but she has a better understanding of the power needed to summon a Guardian.” Ligon nodded, “Libra, you have the next shift, and Logas, you are off duty. If Laval says anything else about Lion-O, I want to know about it.”
“You will be the first to know.” The two elders left.
Lagravis had tried to sleep. Sleep just wouldn’t come. He rolled over to face his night table. Four pictures stood in a line. The first picture was of a family portrait. Laval, a toddler in the picture, was in his mother, Queen Luanne’s arms while Lagravis stood beside them. Next to him stood Lavertus, and behind the two of them stood Ligon. The next picture was of Luanne alone, the next picture was of Lavertus, and the final picture was of Laval taken four weeks ago. His gaze returned to the picture of Luanne. Luanne had been the daughter of Ligon, and was Lagravis’s best friend growing up. Their friendship blossomed into love and after years of dating, they married. Luanne loved Speedor riding and racing. She loved swimming and had been good friends with Crunket. Between the two of them and Crominus, Lagravis learned how to swim. The day Luanne revealed her pregnancy with Laval had been one of the best days of his life. The day Laval was born was another day he considered the best of his life. Laval had inherited Ligons once fiery red mane, but when he first opened his eyes, Lagravis found that he was looking at his own golden eyes. Four years later, tragedy struck. Luanne died protecting Laval. Lavertus, Lagravis’s own twin brother, had found her holding Laval. Lavertus had loved Luanne like a sister and had been overjoyed upon becoming an uncle. He vowed to find who killed the Queen and make sure that person would not hurt anyone else again. Lavertus was currently scouring the Outlands, following a lead. Lagravis rolled over to face his bedroom window. He focused on his connection to Lavertus and felt the usual wave of brotherly love. Concern flooded his mind. While they could not talk to each other telepathically, they could send each other what they were feeling. Lagravis let his feeling of worry fly, knowing Lavertus would feel it.
Lavertus was already up despite the fact the sun had yet to clear the eastern horizon. He turned to the east as worry flooded his mind. An image of Laval came next. Lavertus knew his nephew was hurt. As much as he wanted to drop everything and rush home, he had a job to do. He cleaned up his camp site and packed up his gear. He hit the road, and walked over to the shade of a tree where a masked animal waited.
“Shadow Wind.” Lavertus greeted.
“Lavertus.” Shadow Wind returned the greeting, “Do you have the Chi?”
“I do.” Lavertus handed the bag over, “What do you know of the Dark Hand?”
“I’m afraid that is classified.” Shadow Wind replied, tucking the bag into its Speedor.
“I can’t accept that answer. The Dark Hand became declassified when they killed Luanne.” Lavertus hissed, “Answer my question, Shadow Wind!”
“I really wish I could. They have a temple north of here, but it’s buried deep. You must give up this quest. If you find and enter the temple, all hope will be lost for Chima! He is not ready to fight! Please, do not let that foul darkness escape!”
“Foul darkness? I don’t understand.” Lavertus answered, “Please clarify, Shadow Wind.”
“I can’t. That’s all I know. I hear the Guardians, and they are terribly afraid of what is inside that temple. They know Lion-O went there, and they suspect that he took the evil into himself. I’ve said too much as it is. Please, forget about the Dark Hand.” Shadow Wind begged, “Forget about everything I’ve told you.”
“I want answers. Luanne was murdered by them, and I want to know why.” Lavertus looked away, “Why Luanne? What did she do to deserve having her life ripped away from her? I will be careful.” He turned and walked away.
“Five is higher than three, so I get the cards.” Cragger and Eris were playing a card game called War inside Laval’s room. Other than the occasional groan and eye flutter, Laval remained unconscious. Logas had told them that Laval had woken up for a bit during the night which was promising. It would not be much longer until he woke up.
“Beat ten.” Eris laid down her next card, “I wonder if he can hear us.”
“Ten beaten.” Cragger laid down a jack and took the cards, “I asked Aunt Crona that yesterday. She said that sometimes they can and sometimes they can’t. She feels that Laval can hear us talking.”
“Hmm…”
Eris and Cragger turned their heads to watch Laval.
“Hmm…” His eyes were fluttering. They both got up and went to his side.
“We are here, Laval.” Eris said.
“Can you hear us?” Cragger tried.
Laval’s eyes fluttered and finally opened. He blinked as his vision was still fuzzy. The white and green blobs came into focus. He tried to talk and only managed a croak.
“Cragger, alert Logas that Laval has awakened.” Eris watched as Cragger ran off, “It’s okay, you are okay. You’ve been sleeping for a long time.”
“How long?” Laval’s voice was harsh and weak from disuse.
“You’ve slept for a little over two weeks, Laval. We all have been worried. It is nice to see those golden orbs of yours again.” Eris trilled softly.
Logas and Cragger rushed into the room. Logas checked Laval over. He was visibly relieved that Laval’s eyes were normal. Moments behind him, Lagravis rushed into the room. He waited for Logas to finish before he rushed to Laval’s bedside.
“Laval, I’ve been so worried! How are you feeling?” Lagravis asked.
“Tired, sore.” Laval answered.
“No need to crowd around him. He needs to rest.” Logas replied, “He is not out of the woods yet, but waking up is a step in the right direction. I’m going to give him something for pain.”
Laval stayed awake for a bit longer before drifting off to sleep thanks to the painkiller he was given.
“So he is going to start getting better now?” Cragger asked.
“He is. Each day he will feel a little better than the day before.” Logas smiled, “I am concerned about his leg. He may need some therapy to fully recover.”
“What kind of therapy are you thinking of?” Lagravis asked.
“I’m thinking water therapy. He’ll have to rebuild the muscle tone he lost in that leg. Crunket offered her skill in water therapy. In a few weeks, he will be moved to the infirmary at the Crocodile Castle.” Logas explained.
“Mom is really good at what she does. She’ll help Laval get better.” Cragger said.
Laval had woken up several hours later and had finally eaten. It was getting dark out as Eris prepared to leave. Cragger had left earlier because he had his duties to tend to. Crominus was beginning to train him to be the new King, something Lagravis was planning on doing with Laval, but due to the accident, he would have to wait months until Laval was fully recovered. Eris was under the tutelage of Ewald, leader of the Eagle Council. It was time to fly home to Eagle Spire. She took a running leap outside the Lion Temple to get airborne. Flapping she gained altitude and soared. This was where she belonged, in the sky. As she floated on her wings, a vision came to her mind. She saw herself teaching someone how to fly. It was a winged lion with golden gem eyes and long blood red hair. His fur was darker and his fangs were visible. Eris realized she was looking at Laval. She blinked, shaking her head. That thought was plain ridiculous. Laval was a lion, and lions don’t fly. Eris looked up to check her position.
“Hey, where is the pole star?” Eris looked for it, “Find Eagle Head Constellation, che-wait, that can’t be it. The pole star should be right there, then the three sisters; up from the middle sister to the crest point star, it’s all wrong!” Eris looked for familiar stars, “There is the golden pair. Okay, turn north.”
It took her far longer than usual to get home. Ewald had waited up for her.
“Eris, what took you so long?” he asked.
“I couldn’t find the pole star.” Eris answered, “Some of the stars are missing. Eagles Head is all wrong.”
“You must be tired. I flew home from Raven Peak earlier and I didn’t have any problems. Everything is fine.” Ewald soothed his student, “Off to bed with you. It is very late, and tomorrow is shaping up to be busy. I need you here for the morning, and you may go see Laval in the afternoon.”
“You don’t believe me, do you master Ewald?” Eris yawned.
“It is common to misplace stars. Now, off to bed with you.” Ewald chided.
“Okay.” Eris went to bed.
Ewald stepped outside and stretched out his wings to their full 16 feet. He looked up, and frowned. Eagles Head was missing stars. He went back into his study and located his star chart. Eris had been telling the truth. Ewald spent the rest of the night determining which stars were missing. In the morning, he put Eris to work creating a star chart with the stars still shining. He did not sleep for long. Eris woke him up to see the new chart.
“It’s a spot of darkness. I thought it was caused by a cloud, but clouds don’t form looking like explosions. I spoke to several other Eagles, and they’ve reported they can’t see the stars ether. I don’t like this, Master Ewald.” Eris explained.
“I want you to corroborate this with the Ravens.” Ewald decided, “Have King Razcal contact me.”
“I will.” Eris took wing and flew to Raven Peak, a tall craggy mountain that was home to the Raven tribe. She landed and was escorted to the King.
“We’ve noticed it too. My scholar crafted a new star chart with the same pattern on it that you found.” Razcal listened, “I had to stop the overnight deliveries because ravens were getting lost. I was just about to send a raven to your tribe.”
“Don’t you guys navigate by the Raven Wing constellation?” Eris asked, “This chart is of the area around Eagles Head.”
“We use Eagles head now days because it is far easier to see. Raven’s wing is an old constellation. One of my scholars thought that maybe the stars were at the end of their lives and fading, but they would not fade at once like that nor create a pattern like what we found. This may have been happening for a while. Raven’s wing gets less and less visible every day. I agree, Ewald and I need to meet. We also should inform Lagravis too. I’ll send a raven to Lagravis and get a meeting set up. You head back home while it is still light. I restricted travel to daytime only. Ewald probably should consider the same measures.”
“I will. What about the tribes that live more than a day away?” Eris asked.
“I have been having ravens overnight at the Crocodile castle and at the Beaver Tribe Den to avoid night time travel. The Beavers told me they can’t see Beaver Tail Constellation anymore. While at the Lion Temple, I noticed that Lion head was pretty dim. Speaking of the lions how is Prince Laval? I saw the accident and my first thought was he’s dead and he doesn’t know it.” Razcal asked.
“Laval woke up yesterday. He is doing pretty well. He is still too weak to do much yet. Crunket is going to start therapy with him in a few weeks.” Eris left and returned home where she filled Ewald in.
“This is worse than I thought. Darkness is coming for Chima. I only hope Chima survives the coming storm. We are alone. The Guardians will not come to our aid this time.” Ewald spread his wings, “Come, we must meet Lagravis at once.”
It was then that they heard Lagravis’s call.
Legends of Chima
Sunstar’s Sacrifice
Prologue
“Sunstar, we need help. You must set us free soon. In return, we will grant you one wish within reason. Chima is dying. Help us, Sunstar.”
“Who are you?”
“That is not important right now. You must gather the Golden Chi and use it upon the Doorway so we may return. Hurry, mortal one, you must hurry.”
“I don’t understand!”
“We must go, but we are waiting.”
Sunstar woke up to the ground shaking. Another earthquake was striking. This one wasn’t bad. The shaking stopped after 30 seconds. Quickly getting up and slipping into her usual white dress, she paired it with her usual golden belt. A brown scabbard with a ruby on it hung from her right hip, a golden handle sticking out of it. She rushed outside.
Fire burned everywhere, branches breaking loose from the trees and bushes to fall onto the dry ground, causing the grass to burn. Screams rang out as blades sang and bows twanged. Left and right, skunks were fighting and dying. The ground ran red with their blood. A single Gorilla Ultrabuild chased down and ripped apart a pregnant female skunk. Sunstar knew Ultrabuilds were notoriously strong. It usually took another Ultrabuild to stop one. No one in the Skunk tribe had an Ultrabuild. Sunstar drew out her sword. She absorbed a blue Chi orb into herself and channeled it into the sword, the blade glowing and becoming longer with Chi. She charged at the Ultrabuild.
“My Queen, you can’t!”
“Skids, gather the survivors and run!”
“No, my Queen! I refuse to leave you!”
“It’s an order, Skids!”
“Yes, my Queen.” Skids turned to carry out his order. He did not see the Ultrabuild turn toward him and raise its paw. Sunstar tried to distract it. Skids never felt his head leave his shoulders. His body ran forward for a few more seconds then toppled over. Sunstar screamed in horror. That got the Ultrabuilds attention. It turned upon her and lashed out with its teeth and claws. Sunstar defended each blow, but she took a cut to her right shoulder and to her right side. Her Chi sword flickered, showing it was running out of Chi. Sunstar sent all the Chi she had into her sword. Slowly she began to deal some damage to the Ultrabuild and push it back a bit. It began to flicker. It was running out of Chi. the Ultrabuild broke apart to reveal a single gorilla.
“Gornay?” Sunstar asked out loud.
“What? Where? Sunstar, what happened? It wasn’t me, was it?” Gornay blinked.
“Why did you attack us?” Sunstar asked.
“I attacked you?” Gornay asked, looking around at the carnage, “By the Chi, what have I done?”
“You used an Ultrabuild.” Sunstar explained, “You attacked us. I don’t think you were in control. Gornay, what happened to you?”
“I… An Ultrabuild? Me? I don’t remember what happened. Sunstar, you have every right to be angry with me. I think I whipped out your tribe. I am so sorry.” Gornay sniffled, “I don’t expect you to ever forgive me.”
“I am going to leave. There is nothing left for me here.” Sunstar walked away. Gornay hung his head. He was still there when the Lion Tribe soldiers led by Lagravis arrived, alerted to the attack by the Crocodiles. King Crominus arrived moments later with a contingent of soldiers.
“What on Chima killed them all?” Crominus shuddered, thinking of his wife, Crunket, and his newborn twins back home in the swamp. If what had happened here were to happen there… no, he would not think like that. Lagravis looked ill.
“Whatever it was, it happened quickly.” Lagravis responded, “You said one of your soldiers was in the area.”
“That was Crog.” Crominus nodded as a soldier stepped out from his unit, “What did you see?”
“It was big, and glowing with Chi, Sire. I can’t get the screams out of my head!” Crog answered, his eyes betraying his fear.
“An Ultrabuild did this!” Lagravis roared, “Ultrabuilds are forbidden!”
“There is no way ether of us can take on an Ultrabuild in our current states.” Crominus pointed out, “If it is still around, I am going to go Ultra myself to defeat it.”
“I’ll be right beside you.” Lagravis nodded, “Let’s just hope it is gone.”
“Sire, I found a survivor!” A lioness came toward Lagravis, a bundle of blue blankets in her arms, “It’s a newborn skunk, a boy.”
“Good work, Leona. Has anyone else been found?” Lagravis asked.
“Sire, we found a gorilla. He says he did this.” Cronin dragged Gornay to his King.
“It was me!” Gornay was pushed down on his knees, “I was the Ultrabuild! I don’t know how it happened! I can’t remember anything!”
Crominus knelt, “You say you did this, that you were the Ultrabuild? What is the last thing you are sure you remember?”
“Um, I remember getting up, breakfast, getting my Chi, and joining my unit for meditation. That is the last thing I remember!” Gornay answered, “Honest!”
“Sire, I found Sunstar.” Leona was still holding the newborn skunk, “She didn’t make it. The entire tribe is gone save for this little one.”
“That is 40 dead, and murder gets you three months a victim in the outlands. Gornay is looking at 10 years.” Crominus turned to Lagravis.
“I know.” Lagravis answered, “Logas, Longtooth, take Gornay away to the Outland pass. Gornay, you have killed 40 victims. It is three months per victim in the outlands. After ten years have passed, you may return to your tribe. I’ll send a lion to let your tribe know of what happened. Do you understand your crime, and your punishment?”
“I do. I’m scared. What if it happens again?” Gornay was allowed to reclaim his feet.
“That is also why I think some time in the Outlands will help you learn control.” Lagravis smiled.
“Okay, I’ll train hard and master the Ultrabuild so this doesn’t happen again. I will come home again stronger than before. Please, let all tribes know that the Ultrabuild is nothing to laugh at, and they need to watch out for any members who gain Ultra. I will work hard, and I pray that no other animal has to go through what I am going through. The guilt is eating me up inside. I hope I can be forgiven.” Gornay was led away.
“Skunks burn their dead. All bodies will have to be rounded up and brought to the village to be burned.” Crominus nodded to the gathered soldiers who all took off. The two kings gathered by Sunstar’s body. They brought her to the village and she was burned in her own pyre while the rest of the dead were burned together in one vast pyre. The flames devoured what was left of the village, and when the two armies left, there was only a dark splotch on the ground to mark where the Skunk Tribe once lived and died.
As soon as the lions and crocodiles left, a lone skunk crept back into her old home. She wept for her people, and quietly left. If anyone had stuck around, they would have heard the sound of a Speedor rumbling to life and racing off.
Chapter One
16 years later
Laval and Cragger were locked in battle for first place. Up ahead, the track went under water. Laval was not looking forward to this part. Lions were notorious for being afraid of water. They hit the water. At first everything was fine. Cragger backed off a bit to try to angle around Laval. Right before he could make his move, Laval’s speedor hit an underwater rock. The rock was sucked up behind the single wheel which locked into place. Laval fought to stay in control, but it was to no avail.
For Cragger, time slowed down. Laval’s speedor bucked and shot up into the air to come down on its side. Laval tried to jump free but was caught under the heavy speedor as it came down. Cragger saw Laval go under the water. Quickly he parked his speedor and dove into the water after Laval. The speedor had come down on top of Laval, trapping him. The young lion was flailing about in panic. Cragger saw the problem. Laval’s right leg was under the speedor. He rushed over and tried to lift the speedor off of Laval, but the ground underwater was too slick to give much of a purchase. Laval’s struggles were starting to fade. Cragger shot to the surface to grab a fresh gulp of air and rushed back to Laval. Again he could not move the speedor. Thinking quickly, he returned to the surface and gulped down air. Upon reaching the fading Laval, he breathed into Laval’s mouth, giving him some air. Finding a stick, Cragger wedged it under the speedor and lifted. Laval felt the pressure rise off of his leg and pulled his leg out from under the speedor. His air ran out as Cragger grabbed him and shot toward the surface. They broke free and Cragger swam toward shore where he crawled out of the water, dragging Laval with him. Laval wasn’t moving. Cragger sat him up and pounded his back, causing him to cough up water.
“Are you okay?” Cragger asked.
Laval went to answer but was silenced by another round of coughing. As soon as he was able, he nodded, “I’ll be fine.” By then, emergency personnel had arrived and began tending to Laval. Lagravis pushed through the crowd and knelt by his son.
“I saw everything. Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m-” Laval dissolved into a coughing fit that ended with him vomiting up more water, “I’m okay.”
“Laval, you are not fine!” Cragger snapped, “Even I can see that!”
“Sire, he’s not breathing too well, and I’m hearing water in his lungs.” A medic replied, “We need to take him to the infirmary for treatment. Laval, does anything hurt?”
“My right leg is sore.” Laval admitted.
“We are going to take care of you.” The medic smiled, “Cragger, how about you?”
“I’m fine. I’m not hurt.” Cragger answered, “I didn’t think. I acted on instinct. Crocodiles can swim from birth. We are taught how to hold our air effectively. I’m going with him.”
“We are ready to move Laval.” Another medic called out.
Laval had been put on a stretcher and strapped into place. As he was lifted off the ground, Cragger moved to stand beside him. He was worried about his friend. Eris rushed over to them. She was the Princess of the Eagles and best friend to Laval and Cragger. She had been back in fifth place when the accident happened. She looked scared.
“Eris.” Cragger nodded and told her what had happened.
“Is Laval going to be okay?” Eris gasped.
“I will be fine.” Laval couldn’t turn his head, but he was able to look at her by moving his eyes.
“You do not look well, Laval.” Eris said, reaching out to put a hand on his forehead, “You feel warm.” They were almost half way up the long staircase.
“I…” Laval’s eyes rolled back as consciousness left him. A medic sprang forward and listened to his chest.
“He’s fighting for air! No breath sounds on the right side, left side is compromised! We need to move now!” the medic roared.
At that, they all took off.
Lagravis stuck around long enough to award the golden chi to a rider named Shadow Wind. He took off up the stairs shortly after.
Shadow Wind left the grounds and went to a secret cave. There, the golden Chi was stored.
“Mortal one, time is tight.”
“I know! I’m doing my best! If you want the golden Chi so badly go make the Chi pool produce some more than once a month!”
“We do not possess that kind of power, mortal one. The Lion Prince interests us so. Why does he feel like us?”
“You don’t get to change the subject! Over the last four years, I have collected 42 golden chi orbs! You want at least a hundred, and you made me wait 11 years to start collecting!” I need at least 58 more months to finish this!”
“You had 42 last month. You gave the orb to the lion Prince.”
“In case you don’t know, King Lagravis was dying! That orb saved his life! I did what I thought was the best! If you don’t like it, go torture someone else!”
There was silence.
“I didn’t anger you, did I?”
“No, mortal one, you spoke wisely. We know Chima is hurting.” A new voice broke in, “We are incomplete. Brave Lion-O opened the doorway once he realized all hope was lost for Chima. He remained behind to close the doorway, but he was lost from us. We feel Lion-O’s power within the Lion Prince. The Prince must ascend and open the doorway for us, Mortal one.”
“So what do I do? I did not just gather all that chi for nothing you know.”
“We will handle the Prince. You continue to gather Chi, Mortal one.”
Shadow Wind shook its head to clear the voices. It still had a job to do.
An archway made of stone rose before him. A group of animals stood before the door. They glanced about fearfully. The sky was dark. No stars or moon shone. Fear hung thickly in the air.
“Is this wise, boss?” a black raven with green gems for eyes asked, a wing wrapped protectively around a white female eagle with blue gems for eyes.
“I wish we had another option, Razor. Chima needs us to leave.” Laval heard himself speak, “The unbalance must reset itself without any help from us. Face it, the war is over for us.”
“Do you think he can hear us?”
“Lion-O, I don’t feel right about abandoning Chima, especially now. The others are going to have questions.” This time, it was a female skunk that spoke, “Shouldn’t we stay for them?”
“I wish we could, Selestia, I really wish we could. We are part of the problem. Chima will be fine. It is time we leave and let it recover. The Dark Hand is gone. We won the war. Don’t worry, we will return again when Chima needs us.” Lion-O reassured, meeting the gemstone eyes of his fellow guardians.
He knew their time in Chima was done. The land was torn up from their recent fight against the Dark Hand, and somewhere nearby, a volcano vomited up plumes of ash that choked out the light in the sky. The ground rumbled off and on. This world needed time to stabilize and become balanced once again. Turning to face the great stone arch, Lion-O focused as Chi leapt from his hand and struck the surface of the doorway. It shimmered, and one by one, the Guardians of Chima went through. Lion-O waited until he was left.
“Unfortunately I will not be joining you.” Lion-O whispered, resealing the doorway and pushing it under the hot sands, “It is far better this way. You do not need to know what I must now do.”
“I wish he would wake up. It has already been four days.”
The Lion Guardian turned and trudged through the sands toward the north. Sadness gripped his heart. He knew this had to be done. The other Guardians did not need to bear witness to what he was about to go through. It grew harder to see through the heavily falling ash. Lion-O pulled his scarf up over his nose and mouth to keep from breathing the ash. He pushed on. Fireballs hit the sands around him as he entered the range of the ongoing eruption. It wasn’t long after that he reached the Temple of the Dark Hand. He walked into the temple.
Built of black marble, the temple was a veritable maze upon the inside. Lion-O knew his way and reached the center room. Here there was a throne and an altar. Lion-O went up to the altar. The altar was made of a marble called fire marble. Blacks, golds, and reds swirled beautifully into an arch. Below the arch, a red rose seemed to bloom above a black shelf. Lion-O reached into the rose. Red light traveled up his arm. He tilted his head back as he screamed from the sheer agony of what he was doing.
“Laval? It’s Cragger. I’m really starting to worry. It’s been six days.”
Lion-O staggered, but managed to keep his arm inside the rose. The red light covered his entire body. His body was forced to mutate. His fur began to darken. His red mane grew longer and darkened to a blood red. Lion-O hung on. His golden gem shaped eyes shattered as they were replaced by a pair of spinning red orbs. He felt his fangs growing longer. The pain escalated and yet Lion-O managed to keep going. This was the only way to save Chima. The bad chi had to be absorbed. Lion-O had made his decision long ago. The other Guardians had to remain pure. He felt his body stretch as bones grew and muscles rearranged themselves around new bone growing from his back. As the bone sprouted, skin and membrane flowed over the two newly grown appendages. Dark feathers sprouted rapidly to cover the new wings. His bones liquefied their centers to become hollow. He felt his internal organs shift and rotate so new organs could grow. Lion-O crumbled to the ground, the bad chi fully absorbed into himself. He curled up into a ball as the last of the pain vanished.
“Laval, its Eris. Everyone is very worried. Your dad is beside himself with worry. He won’t eat or sleep. Queen Crunket had your dad sedated. He is sleeping right now. Please, you must wake up.”
“Wake up, Laval.”
Lion-O did not know how long he had slept. He rose to his feet and blinked. His vision was much sharper. Noticing his reflection on the altar, he crept up to it. He was still a lion. He had a pair of dark wings much like those of a raven. His eyes were different, and he felt lighter. He was still the same Lion-O, Guardian Lion of Chima, right? He was not a monster. He knew he must stay hidden. Closing his eyes, he forced the temple to sink into the ground. He would stay here. And watch over Chima as it healed. Later, he would reveal himself to the tribes and reopen the doorway so the Guardians would be able to come home. Unfortunately fate had other plans.
“Cragger, what are you doing with that Chi?”
“I’m going to get Laval to wake up, Eris. They’ve tried everything else.”
“Are you nuts? You can’t give Chi to someone who is unconscious!”
“Nothing else has worked!”
“You heard the elders! Laval will wake up when he is ready!”
“It’s been 15 days, Eris! You know as well as I do that after someone has been asleep for 14 days, their chances of waking up drop drastically!”
“What is going on in here?”
“Elder Logas, will you please talk Cragger out of his crazy plan?”
“It’s not crazy! It will work!”
“Laval will return to us when he is ready. We can’t force him to wake up. Cragger, the Chi won’t help. I know it is hard, but all we can do right now is be patient and wait.”
“Why won’t the Chi work?”
“Think about it, pea brain! Only you can use it on yourself! No one else can!”
“Eris is right. Forcing Chi into someone will not work because the body will automatically reject it. Now, I came in here to check on the Prince. He has recovered well from his near drowning, and his leg looks much better.”
“Elder Logas, what if Laval never wakes up? What if?” Eris could not finish her thought. It was simply too horrible to finish.
“Don’t say stuff like that, Eris!” Cragger choked. His eyes reflected his fear.
“To lose Laval would be a major blow to the Lion Tribe. We have rules to follow if it does happen. Laval will wake up when he is ready.” Logas reassured.
“It is so hard to see him like this.” Eris paced.
“Hmm…”
“I think he is waking up!” Cragger rushed to his friend’s bedside, “Can you hear me, Laval?”
“Hmm…” It felt like his eyes were glued shut. His mouth refused to move.
“He won’t wake up instantly. It is going to take time for him to recover enough to wake up.” Logas cautioned, “It is late and you two need to head home.”
“Okay, but we are coming back tomorrow.” Cragger and Eris left behind Logas. They both had spent the first few nights with Laval. They both were prince and princess of their respective tribes, and they did have their duties to their people. Logas returned to take his shift in watching over the young Prince as he remained deep in his long slumber save for the occasional groan. Logas knew that Laval was near to awakening and he prayed it would be soon. He did not know how much more his King could take of watching Laval remain in this state. Lagravis had all but stepped down from the throne. He had put Longtooth in charge of tribe affairs and spent his time watching over Laval. He had stopped eating and sleeping seven days ago until Queen Crunket finally got through to him that he was not helping Laval by starving himself and forcing himself not to sleep. Crunket had then stayed with Laval while Lagravis finally went and took care of himself.
“Hmm…”
“Keep trying, young Prince, I know you will wake up soon.” The Elder settled in for the long night.
“Logas?”
Logas blinked, coming out of meditation, “Libra, my shift isn’t over for another two hours. What is it?”
“The others are ready.” Libra nodded, “Lennox will stay with him.”
“We are actually going to try to summon Lion-O?” Logas asked.
“Hmm…”
“Laval is close to waking up. I was shocked too. We don’t even know for sure if Lion-O is real.” Libra nodded, “I really don’t feel good about this. I am pretty sure Ligon has a few screws loose.”
“Don’t let Ligon hear you say that.” Logas cautioned, “I don’t feel good about this ether, but if Ligon believes we can and we are successful, think about how much stronger that will make us. Lion-O might even be able to help Laval.”
“No…”
“Laval?” Logas came closer.
Laval’s eyes fluttered and finally opened. Logas gasped. Libra bit off a scream.
“What is wrong with his eyes?” Libra cried out.
“Those are the eyes of a Guardian!” Logas explained.
“Don’t…”
“What are you trying to tell us?” Logas asked, “Is it about Ligon wanting to summon Lion-O?”
“Don’t…”
“Come on, you can tell us.”
“Don’t summon Lion-O!” Laval screamed.
“Why?” Libra’s eyes were wide.
“Don’t let the darkness return!” Laval begged.
His eyes changed to spinning red orbs, and then returned to normal. Laval sank back into unconsciousness once again.
“We need to warn Ligon.” Logas took off after signaling Lennox to come stand guard over Laval.
The two elders raced toward the head elders chambers. They were both out of breath when they arrived. Ligon quickly sat both of them down and made them drink some water. Once they had calmed down, they related what had happened with Laval.
“I see. My first thought was that it was a hallucination, but the odds of two people seeing and hearing the same thing is astronomical. I agree that something happened. I know that both of you have shared doubts on the summoning. This may sound cruel, but I have to ask it. Is there any chance you might have imagined this?” Ligon asked.
“If I had not heard his voice, I would be inclined to believe that I may have imagined it.” Logas answered.
“I’m with Logas on that.” Libra nodded.
“Good, that makes me feel better. While I agree that we don’t know what we are getting ourselves into by summoning Lion-O, I have to think of the benefits and weigh them against the bad things that might happen. The good outweighs the bad by a big margin. I think it would be in our best interest to summon Lion-O. Considering what Laval said to you, I too have had my doubts about this. That is why I have gone and called it off until after I do more research. I know Lion-O did not go through the doorway.” Ligon said, “We still don’t fully understand the power involved in summoning a Guardian, and earlier today I had a nice chat with Crona. She believes it could be done.”
“Sir, you know Crona is… um… not all there in the head, right?” Libra asked.
“I know she isn’t, uh, normal in the head, but she has a better understanding of the power needed to summon a Guardian.” Ligon nodded, “Libra, you have the next shift, and Logas, you are off duty. If Laval says anything else about Lion-O, I want to know about it.”
“You will be the first to know.” The two elders left.
Lagravis had tried to sleep. Sleep just wouldn’t come. He rolled over to face his night table. Four pictures stood in a line. The first picture was of a family portrait. Laval, a toddler in the picture, was in his mother, Queen Luanne’s arms while Lagravis stood beside them. Next to him stood Lavertus, and behind the two of them stood Ligon. The next picture was of Luanne alone, the next picture was of Lavertus, and the final picture was of Laval taken four weeks ago. His gaze returned to the picture of Luanne. Luanne had been the daughter of Ligon, and was Lagravis’s best friend growing up. Their friendship blossomed into love and after years of dating, they married. Luanne loved Speedor riding and racing. She loved swimming and had been good friends with Crunket. Between the two of them and Crominus, Lagravis learned how to swim. The day Luanne revealed her pregnancy with Laval had been one of the best days of his life. The day Laval was born was another day he considered the best of his life. Laval had inherited Ligons once fiery red mane, but when he first opened his eyes, Lagravis found that he was looking at his own golden eyes. Four years later, tragedy struck. Luanne died protecting Laval. Lavertus, Lagravis’s own twin brother, had found her holding Laval. Lavertus had loved Luanne like a sister and had been overjoyed upon becoming an uncle. He vowed to find who killed the Queen and make sure that person would not hurt anyone else again. Lavertus was currently scouring the Outlands, following a lead. Lagravis rolled over to face his bedroom window. He focused on his connection to Lavertus and felt the usual wave of brotherly love. Concern flooded his mind. While they could not talk to each other telepathically, they could send each other what they were feeling. Lagravis let his feeling of worry fly, knowing Lavertus would feel it.
Lavertus was already up despite the fact the sun had yet to clear the eastern horizon. He turned to the east as worry flooded his mind. An image of Laval came next. Lavertus knew his nephew was hurt. As much as he wanted to drop everything and rush home, he had a job to do. He cleaned up his camp site and packed up his gear. He hit the road, and walked over to the shade of a tree where a masked animal waited.
“Shadow Wind.” Lavertus greeted.
“Lavertus.” Shadow Wind returned the greeting, “Do you have the Chi?”
“I do.” Lavertus handed the bag over, “What do you know of the Dark Hand?”
“I’m afraid that is classified.” Shadow Wind replied, tucking the bag into its Speedor.
“I can’t accept that answer. The Dark Hand became declassified when they killed Luanne.” Lavertus hissed, “Answer my question, Shadow Wind!”
“I really wish I could. They have a temple north of here, but it’s buried deep. You must give up this quest. If you find and enter the temple, all hope will be lost for Chima! He is not ready to fight! Please, do not let that foul darkness escape!”
“Foul darkness? I don’t understand.” Lavertus answered, “Please clarify, Shadow Wind.”
“I can’t. That’s all I know. I hear the Guardians, and they are terribly afraid of what is inside that temple. They know Lion-O went there, and they suspect that he took the evil into himself. I’ve said too much as it is. Please, forget about the Dark Hand.” Shadow Wind begged, “Forget about everything I’ve told you.”
“I want answers. Luanne was murdered by them, and I want to know why.” Lavertus looked away, “Why Luanne? What did she do to deserve having her life ripped away from her? I will be careful.” He turned and walked away.
“Five is higher than three, so I get the cards.” Cragger and Eris were playing a card game called War inside Laval’s room. Other than the occasional groan and eye flutter, Laval remained unconscious. Logas had told them that Laval had woken up for a bit during the night which was promising. It would not be much longer until he woke up.
“Beat ten.” Eris laid down her next card, “I wonder if he can hear us.”
“Ten beaten.” Cragger laid down a jack and took the cards, “I asked Aunt Crona that yesterday. She said that sometimes they can and sometimes they can’t. She feels that Laval can hear us talking.”
“Hmm…”
Eris and Cragger turned their heads to watch Laval.
“Hmm…” His eyes were fluttering. They both got up and went to his side.
“We are here, Laval.” Eris said.
“Can you hear us?” Cragger tried.
Laval’s eyes fluttered and finally opened. He blinked as his vision was still fuzzy. The white and green blobs came into focus. He tried to talk and only managed a croak.
“Cragger, alert Logas that Laval has awakened.” Eris watched as Cragger ran off, “It’s okay, you are okay. You’ve been sleeping for a long time.”
“How long?” Laval’s voice was harsh and weak from disuse.
“You’ve slept for a little over two weeks, Laval. We all have been worried. It is nice to see those golden orbs of yours again.” Eris trilled softly.
Logas and Cragger rushed into the room. Logas checked Laval over. He was visibly relieved that Laval’s eyes were normal. Moments behind him, Lagravis rushed into the room. He waited for Logas to finish before he rushed to Laval’s bedside.
“Laval, I’ve been so worried! How are you feeling?” Lagravis asked.
“Tired, sore.” Laval answered.
“No need to crowd around him. He needs to rest.” Logas replied, “He is not out of the woods yet, but waking up is a step in the right direction. I’m going to give him something for pain.”
Laval stayed awake for a bit longer before drifting off to sleep thanks to the painkiller he was given.
“So he is going to start getting better now?” Cragger asked.
“He is. Each day he will feel a little better than the day before.” Logas smiled, “I am concerned about his leg. He may need some therapy to fully recover.”
“What kind of therapy are you thinking of?” Lagravis asked.
“I’m thinking water therapy. He’ll have to rebuild the muscle tone he lost in that leg. Crunket offered her skill in water therapy. In a few weeks, he will be moved to the infirmary at the Crocodile Castle.” Logas explained.
“Mom is really good at what she does. She’ll help Laval get better.” Cragger said.
Laval had woken up several hours later and had finally eaten. It was getting dark out as Eris prepared to leave. Cragger had left earlier because he had his duties to tend to. Crominus was beginning to train him to be the new King, something Lagravis was planning on doing with Laval, but due to the accident, he would have to wait months until Laval was fully recovered. Eris was under the tutelage of Ewald, leader of the Eagle Council. It was time to fly home to Eagle Spire. She took a running leap outside the Lion Temple to get airborne. Flapping she gained altitude and soared. This was where she belonged, in the sky. As she floated on her wings, a vision came to her mind. She saw herself teaching someone how to fly. It was a winged lion with golden gem eyes and long blood red hair. His fur was darker and his fangs were visible. Eris realized she was looking at Laval. She blinked, shaking her head. That thought was plain ridiculous. Laval was a lion, and lions don’t fly. Eris looked up to check her position.
“Hey, where is the pole star?” Eris looked for it, “Find Eagle Head Constellation, che-wait, that can’t be it. The pole star should be right there, then the three sisters; up from the middle sister to the crest point star, it’s all wrong!” Eris looked for familiar stars, “There is the golden pair. Okay, turn north.”
It took her far longer than usual to get home. Ewald had waited up for her.
“Eris, what took you so long?” he asked.
“I couldn’t find the pole star.” Eris answered, “Some of the stars are missing. Eagles Head is all wrong.”
“You must be tired. I flew home from Raven Peak earlier and I didn’t have any problems. Everything is fine.” Ewald soothed his student, “Off to bed with you. It is very late, and tomorrow is shaping up to be busy. I need you here for the morning, and you may go see Laval in the afternoon.”
“You don’t believe me, do you master Ewald?” Eris yawned.
“It is common to misplace stars. Now, off to bed with you.” Ewald chided.
“Okay.” Eris went to bed.
Ewald stepped outside and stretched out his wings to their full 16 feet. He looked up, and frowned. Eagles Head was missing stars. He went back into his study and located his star chart. Eris had been telling the truth. Ewald spent the rest of the night determining which stars were missing. In the morning, he put Eris to work creating a star chart with the stars still shining. He did not sleep for long. Eris woke him up to see the new chart.
“It’s a spot of darkness. I thought it was caused by a cloud, but clouds don’t form looking like explosions. I spoke to several other Eagles, and they’ve reported they can’t see the stars ether. I don’t like this, Master Ewald.” Eris explained.
“I want you to corroborate this with the Ravens.” Ewald decided, “Have King Razcal contact me.”
“I will.” Eris took wing and flew to Raven Peak, a tall craggy mountain that was home to the Raven tribe. She landed and was escorted to the King.
“We’ve noticed it too. My scholar crafted a new star chart with the same pattern on it that you found.” Razcal listened, “I had to stop the overnight deliveries because ravens were getting lost. I was just about to send a raven to your tribe.”
“Don’t you guys navigate by the Raven Wing constellation?” Eris asked, “This chart is of the area around Eagles Head.”
“We use Eagles head now days because it is far easier to see. Raven’s wing is an old constellation. One of my scholars thought that maybe the stars were at the end of their lives and fading, but they would not fade at once like that nor create a pattern like what we found. This may have been happening for a while. Raven’s wing gets less and less visible every day. I agree, Ewald and I need to meet. We also should inform Lagravis too. I’ll send a raven to Lagravis and get a meeting set up. You head back home while it is still light. I restricted travel to daytime only. Ewald probably should consider the same measures.”
“I will. What about the tribes that live more than a day away?” Eris asked.
“I have been having ravens overnight at the Crocodile castle and at the Beaver Tribe Den to avoid night time travel. The Beavers told me they can’t see Beaver Tail Constellation anymore. While at the Lion Temple, I noticed that Lion head was pretty dim. Speaking of the lions how is Prince Laval? I saw the accident and my first thought was he’s dead and he doesn’t know it.” Razcal asked.
“Laval woke up yesterday. He is doing pretty well. He is still too weak to do much yet. Crunket is going to start therapy with him in a few weeks.” Eris left and returned home where she filled Ewald in.
“This is worse than I thought. Darkness is coming for Chima. I only hope Chima survives the coming storm. We are alone. The Guardians will not come to our aid this time.” Ewald spread his wings, “Come, we must meet Lagravis at once.”
It was then that they heard Lagravis’s call.