#I LOVE Cragger | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

olivescales3 · 9 months

Text

The Forgotten Legends of Chima, Episode 1

Writer's notes at the end of the post

I thought I knew him well, after spending my entire childhood alongside him, but now, he stabbed me through the back. No… It can't be—

This can't be him… He would never do something like this. Or so I thought – he has shoved me aside and stolen the Golden Chi from my grasp.

The furious crocodile stands tall, exuding resentment through every fiber of his body, from the tense muscles to the frowning eyebrows. The shadows projected onto him by hundreds of green leaves seem to discolor his vibrant scales. They form delicate petals that flutter at the wind's command; a force so fierce enough to sway his intimidatingly torn cape.

As I lean onto a nearby tree and regain my posture, I can't help but ruminate on emotion-driven doubts lingering in mind… How could someone hurt their childhood friend? This doesn't make sense! We haven't seen each other in years, but there is no way he would do something like this out of the blue. I'm certain that he is innocent – not because we were childhood friends, but because he was one of the kindest animals I have ever met.

I don't know who hurt him, the criminal who slaughtered his child-like innocence, and worse… I can't stop worrying about what he did to my friend's eye. It was once brimming with emotion and life, but now the only remains I see is a lifeless pearl that can't shine anymore. It was slashed with so much hatred that wrath was buried underneath its scar, which ran from his left eyebrow down to the jaw.

"Cragger… look, it's been quite some time since we last met, right? We can talk it out, solve this problem and… Maybe make things clear?", I mumble whilst my arm trembles as I try to reach out to him, "I need to know what happened. Why did you do this?"

The struggle Chima had with the Wolf Tribe put everyone under stress, and that made the demand for Chi more intense than ever. Each tribe became more wary of one another…

"I know that the conspiracies surrounding you are false. You didn't know that Wilhurt was there. We fell into an ambush… nothing that happened during this was your fault!"

They made him expect forgiveness for something out of his control. They thought that my friend caused the incident, that he was responsible for everything that happened to me.

I am not like that, and I will do anything to prove this.

One slow step at a time, I expose myself, opening my arms, at risk of any attack.

We're at the Forever Rock. Cragger and I would play here almost everyday, and yet this is where I first see him in five years… five years since he was attacked, right here.

I glance at the old, discolored blood stains that mark the dry dirt beneath our toes. Although we are surrounded by bountiful grass and near a stunning crystal-clear lake, it is impossible to distract ourselves, with the miracle of nature, from the unnecessary trauma and misunderstandings.

The crocodile backs away, his claws clutching onto the shiny, gold crystal Chi, and on the other hand, his double sided sword. A long shadow, projected by his body blocking off the sunlight, occludes the Forever Rock, gatekeeping our lovely days behind grudges.

His single eye twitches, trying to pay attention both to the crystal in his grasp and me. His nostrils flare, he clenches his big, impressive crocodilian teeth.

"Laval… Don't- don't come closer, don't even think about reaching me. This might be the end of us." He warns me, slowly pointing his sword at my direction, "We shouldn't have met each other…"

His body begins to give up on him, weighing him down on his legs, but he resists his weakness and maintains balance.

His pupils constrict, "No. I shouldn't have met you, disgraceful lion! Ever since we became friends, your tribe has changed my life for the worst.", he kicks the ground in frustration.

To my dismay, Cragger stabs the soil multiple times. Not just once, but twice, thrice— I can't count how many times he shoved his weapon deep into the ground, but he repeats this brute movement with exceeding passion.

The sword is thrown downwards, and, finally, gets stuck in between dirt's crevice. Cragger grabs the handle that's sticking out like a sore thumb. He wiggles the object in despair.

I can't stand up, but I slowly approach my friend, wobbling short hops with my right foot.

"I… understand it now. It's all politics— my childhood was just a tool. Like my status as prince."

I couldn't even reach him…!

No… no, no! Where did I go wrong— what didn't I do right? If my words were unable to reach him, then what am I supposed to do now?

He collapses onto the floor, sobbing from between his fangs, pleading for help. Tears flood from his right eye and rain on top of the dead, soulless ground, although it's not those crocodile tears that they have been mocking ever since the incident. These are the purest of waters, able to revive even the driest of land. Even if it means to add salt to injury.

I try my best to convince him to let go of the Chi. He's still too young to use it. No one his age should ever need to become stronger; a chemical this powerful will only bring harm.

He gazes at the orb surrounded by his fingers. One misstep and it will ruin our lives. Without his sword, the only way to hurt us would be—

"You foul lions never stop telling me what to do!… My childhood's blood spilt on this very soil and you scums call it a 'sense of justice'!"

I rush to Cragger as fast as I can, with all of the strength I can muster from my legs. My lack of coordination makes me trip. He, before my eyes, propels himself, and, without giving me time to even react, bashes his head onto me.

A blunt pain spreads throughout my entire chest, almost constricting my lungs, or so what it feels like, unabeling me to breathe properly. The grass flies towards me and barely softens my fall, but the aching on my back and gut now become one and the same as a sickening and paralyzing numbness.

Within my desperate and shallow panting, I'm able to hear Cragger's voice, but I can't understand what he's talking about.

My eyes keep closing while I try to stay awake. I can't breathe nor see properly… the only thing I feel is someone grabbing me and—

Is that water entering my lungs?...

I failed.

This is our story; of Laval, the prince of the Lions, and my friends, overcoming obstacles of misery and tragedy. A story of friendship, but also war, destruction, selfishness, and, amidst it all, a sprinkle of hope and kindness that made everything here possible. A prince who overcame violence without picking up a sword. And, before that, it started right at our childhood.

These are… the Legends of Chima.

As the moon rises, it reflects its light onto the nearby lake that surrounds us, forming a perfectly circular shape, only to be distorted afterwards by the water. My tiny lion cub body appears in the picture of the reflection as I try to get closer to the reservoir. The water here is so clear, to the point that its entire ecosystem, from plants to small animals, are visible. Ironically enough, the images mirrored on the liquid block the view of what's on the bottom. I lift one of my legs and I shake it left and right to mess with the image.

Suddenly, the water starts to tremble, deforming my mirrored self and the moon near it. A dark green monster rises to the surface… is it a swamp monster?

"Caught you! I win, I win! Scaredy cat!", Cragger growls, "Don't mess with the Master of Stealth!"

Water sprinkles over my fur and drenches my blue tunic… which is terrible! My body flinches in agony by the feeling of a night breeze hitting my wet coat.

He grabs my hand and climbs over to the surface. An euphoric grin surges on his face, his slitted eyes widen. Our friend group gave him a nickname due to his amazing ability to hide around here, in addition to his long win streak on these types of games. Cragger's dark green head is able to camouflage between the plants, and his olive green torso becomes invisible amongst the algae. Not only that, he's able to climb trees and hide himself there.

I rest myself on the surface of the Forever Rock after this long session of hide and seek with my friends. I leave space for Cragger to cut another line on the stone, marking his new victory.

Unfortunately, not everyone is content with his achievement. Our youngest friend, Worriz, is fuming with rage, hopping around, making the funniest faces during his temper tantrum.

"I am serious!", he swears from the top of his lungs, "Why should I play this if Cragger can just hide himself in water?! That jerk knows we can't swim properly!"

Worriz comes from the Wolf Tribe. He inherited his great sense of smell from his father, one of the wolf elders.

Cragger marches towards the pup. Mighty stomps tremble the dirt. He stands his ground, and pushes the fluffy little guy with his chest. They exchange glares and they clench their wrists.

Worriz shoves his paw onto Cragger's torso. "Unfair! I expected better from a… modest prince!"

The crocodile flares his nostrils and raises his eyebrow. He touches his moist, torn red loincloth, then, he proceeds to giggle.

"I bet you're just jealous that you can't 'swim properly'. Fight someone your size, you pa- pathetic puppy!"

The wolf snarls and begins to swab his tongue on his snout, over and over again. It seems that standing on his toes is not enough to make him look bigger.

"Learn to speak properly before starting arguments!

Worriz' pelt sprinkled with dirt emits a nasty, sickening stench, mixed with the muggy scent of adrenaline coming from the sweat dripping between Cragger's scales, like rain on a hot summer day.

I observe Cragger's face being showered by tears as they inevitably join the sweat on his tense body. I feel his indignation – no, even worse, his pain, his wrath. Worriz always had a sharp tongue, but this childish quarrel has escalated into a disaster of targeting someone's dignity and adding salt to their injury. Cragger fought to be able to speak, he overcame his difficulties so that he could express himself–

"You, Worriz, don't know how much he bore. You do not have the right to judge someone for the way they were born.", words escape from my lips.

Before I'm able to notice, my friends are staring at me.

"Hey, hey!", I intervene, "It's… it's not like my friend is innocent anyways! He also can't judge Worriz' height!"

I snatch my best friend's cold, thin arm. I cling onto him, but he pushes me away… and, in a matter of seconds, between our mutually fleeting gaze, he faces the forest behind us and propels his olive green scaly body in the direction of the bushes. The leaves rustle with his rapid steps until he disappears between the plants. My muzzle opens wide; how could he run away like that if all I did was attempt to help him?...

No… Did I hurt his feelings?

Worriz barks at me, puffs up his chest and repeats the words, "Ooh, my bestie ran away! What am I supposed to do?", with a mocking melodramatic tone of voice.

I glance at Worriz; I know you're trying to insult me. And this is your last straw.

I chase after my friend, going through the same bushes as he did, almost tripping over on the fallen sticks scattered around the ground. Beyond this direction are roads that cut throughout the tropical forest, leading to the entirety of the lands west.

He's already fled with his Speedor. Mine and Worriz' stone unicycles are parked near a big tree trunk.

I hop onto my vehicle and, at maximum velocity, I track down the marks left behind. The nature around me becomes blurry as I continue down the path facing left, on a precipice trail curved inwards. My surroundings change drastically from grass to dry soil. The rapid transition is nauseating—

Whoa!

My body flings forward.

The speed of my unicycle had decreased in the blink of an eye. I had forgotten that Speedorz don't work properly on lifeless terrain.

This is the Great Divide, an arid, mountainous land. It's called home by the Eagle Tribe, and this is where their domain, the Eagle Spire, is located; it's the summit of this thin, gray block mountain. The area here is covered with sharp peaks that scatter even throughout the horizon. A few greens appear here and there, but there is not much life here because rainfalls are scarce in the Great Divide.

The road is slowly getting thinner, and it's becoming easier to notice the elevation between the ground and I. I glimpse at the road track left previously by Cragger.

Wait… it seems that—

He made a sharp turn towards The Fangs!

I follow the curve with a heavy drift. Parts of the cliff tumble down behind me– I swear I could've fallen too.

My Speedor bumps into piles of debris. The stone unicycle rattling is unbearable. My wheel is chipping with the slightest collision. I should be more careful with my driving skills.

The sky is closing by the minute and I'm barely able to see where I'm going. How could someone be this reckless to run into the Fangs? He's risking his own life because of insults!

Everything is now black and white. The moon coats the land with light, and it bounces varying tones of gray into my eyes. Sharp, fang-like pinnacles are dispersed everywhere and form an disorganized barrier around the region. Not so far away, a slim and animalistic silhouette is leaning down near a crocodile head shaped Speedor. A silhouette so bright it could bear the appearance of a spirit.

I decelerate my Speedor and brake all of the remaining momentum by piercing my hind claws into the solid dirt, then I proceed to hop off my vehicle. I have finally found Cragger, but there is no time for relief now. My next move might put us at any risk. Of course, I still wish I could run after him. I can't leave him alone like this.

Step after step, I get closer to Cragger. He notices me, still upset from the moment before, and at this point we are at a comfortable distance away from each other.

"Cragger… None of us were expecting Worriz to act the way he did. I promise this won't happen again; I'll sort things out with him, and maybe he'll get grounded for what he said.", I murmur, "Please relax, okay?"

The crocodile hesitantly opens his mouth, and tightens his shaking hand.

He musters the courage to reply. He groans, "I'm trying to, Laval… I'm trying!

"D- do you think it's easy to let go of things like that? Or that words simply dissolve into the air like they're nothing? Tell me!" He covers his head with his hands.

His cry launched itself from left to right, jumping off one pinnacle towards another. If someone was here, they would've certainly picked up on our presence.

"How're you able to simply 'sort out things' with him? Did– did you even understand what he said? Or what he meant? He insulted the effort of my parents– if it weren't for them, I would've been mute, or even dead!", he shouts again.

Words leaked through Cragger's lips; waves after waves of uncontrollable anger rose high until they hit the ground. I never expected anything like that to happen.

His grunts start to fade away, as my mind boils with intrusive thoughts; dead… what could this mean? Why was there a possibility of Cragger being dead, why would that even happen? What would I be without him, how would I live without his audacity distracting me from rigorous royal rules… How would his parents react to their sweet child dissolving into the air—

A petrifying chill rushes through my nerves; both of my shoulders stun by the pinch of a scaly pair of hands. In the blink of an eye, my entire body is shaken viciously. The constant brute movement mixed with the intense emotions make me dizzy. I'm unable to react properly; everything seems fuzzy, my head feels light, my body starts numbing.

"Silly lion, when will you stop freezing like a cub and come back to reality? Toughen up a little bit!" he cackles in a sudden change of mood. Perhaps I lost the notion of time's passing.

My eyes widen and my muzzle droops into an awkward expression, though I can't stop myself from laughing too, "Haha… I don't know– do I really paralyze that often? Well, it's surprising how much you tolerate me", incomplete syllables mumble from my mouth due to my dizziness.

I sigh, "... I'm glad you aren't strict with me. My dad is already too much."

I stretch my arm onto one of the sharp pinnacles, then I firmly close my eyes.

"Just breathe, aight… You'll be fine, because I'm your friend! Friends are supposed to help each other.", says Cragger.

I've got my friend's back. Now, maybe we could travel on foot towards the Eagle Spire, get help there and go back home. Staying up late alone is not safe. Cragger stares at the moon. It's full, and nearby where we are rests the Wolf Tribe's outpost, which changes location ever so frequently. He points out that it looks quite purplish tonight; I can't see colors at night, but the moon's appearance is darker than normal. Strange.

I stick up my neck and look at the sky. Right now, it feels like a pitch-dark void is covering us. From sight alone it emits a silky, soft feeling on my paw pads. The round, allegedly purple moon stands out like a sore thumb.

Oh—

My ears turn sideways. Screeching noises, like claws scraping on rocks, buzz inside my eardrums. The high pitch of these sounds itch throughout their way into my ear canal.

This disjointed sound pulls the trigger of my anxiety and the adrenaline rush pumps throughout my veins.

I'm fed with these obnoxious panics of mine, but it unleashed a gut feeling I can't pinpoint properly. My body drowns with nausea; fired up aches spread inside me a bit, I sense some kind of dampness that flows from the stomach to my mouth. It's weird and uncomfortable, but I hope it won't last for long.

Argh! Hoarse cacophony vibrates all around the vast land. I… I can't keep up for long!

I move towards the sound, folding my ears to avoid hurting my eardrums. Everything's blurry again, and I'm unable to hear my surroundings. Far away, I glimpse at a shadow near a rock. Is it the same rock from the noises?

As I get closer, a strange ringing becomes stronger. The shadow's long, thin body twitches in my direction. Huh?

It dashes. Straight to me. Out of nowhere.

I let go of my ears for just a second, long enough to hear:

"Get away from my friend! Now!"

Cragger pushes me aside and I fall head first on the ground; there, I squint my eye for a last second, as I fainted, and the shadow wasn't gone.

My eyelids slowly open, my vision starts to regain strength. After a little bit of effort, I see two lions staring at me, their eyebrows raised and lips drooping down.

The lion on the right… is my dad! His shiny gray mane, meticulously separated in half into sleek bangs, is covered with expensive insect wax. I could define his expression as priceless. Though I'm barely recovering my consciousness. In fact, maybe I'm in deep trouble, as his sharp and well cared for teeth are exposed.

Besides him is my uncle; he has a blond, voluminous, messy mane, unique for a lion his age, with a mullet. His dark brown fur, tan caramel muzzle and paws make him eye-catching compared to the rest of my family. His tall and slightly muscular build stands there awkwardly as Dad's small eyes widen, placing his paws gently on my face.

Dad folds his muzzle into a big snarl. Even if I'm feeling kind of disconnected from reality, I know for sure he's ready to spill an hour long lecture. He's the King of the Lions, after all.

"Oh, thanks Mount Cavora, you're finally awake! I'm unable to believe you would get into such a mess, my son.", Dad sighs in relief, "Your arm was deeply clawed; all of that would've been avoided if you had called us. I taught you how to roar, why are you afraid of communicating with us?"

This is too much to process…

Dad continues, "Lavertus. An atrocious attack was targeted towards my son– the prince of the Lion Tribe, my heir, my future! Please, go forth and investigate the area. Search for eyewitnesses and identify this abhorrent criminal."

My uncle shrugs his shoulders, visibly confused. I imagine this is too much for him, just like it is for me. An attack… seriously? I don't remember much, but I can feel my arm numbing.

I try to get up, leaning forward. I place my left arm onto the comfy bed, but pain soon emerges and I'm forced to fall back. My dad's right, he's always right…

Lavertus leaves the room, and now it's just Dad and I. He sits besides me, on my right side, grabs my hand and holds it fiercely. He doesn't know what happened before this accident, that I rushed after Cragger without hesitation. He's unaware that I almost fell off a cliff. I wished only time would tell, but shouldn't a prince always be honest?...

"Laval", Dad pets my forehead, "tell me what happened. I can't help you if I don't know what you went through.", he whispers.

"Cragger and I were suddenly attacked at The Fangs. A shadow scratched a rock with his nails and jumped on me…"

He itches his lion chin,

"I see. However, something doesn't feel right. How did you get to such a dangerous place, and were you near anyone besides him?"

I stutter in hesitation; how should I explain what happened? Dad's slim body is relaxed, but his eyes still leak concern. My answer was too vague, but I hope he understood what I meant. He needs context to help me.

"My friends were playing together… I was with them. It's just that Worriz insulted Cragger… and he fled to The Fangs. Oh– I almost forgot to tell you that the moon was purple that night.", I added, as my awkward voice trembles.

Dad gets off the chair, then tilts his head to the side, laying his index finger on his mouth. The balcony of my room is bright because of the sun. The sun, that's where my Dad's looking at.

He marches to the door.

His tone of voice settles down, and as he takes his leave, he takes a moment to speak, "I think I've got it. I'll talk with the Eagles, as this incident is quite peculiar and I need an outside perspective about this. They live near The Fangs, so perhaps they can help us. I'll see you at night."

The wooden carved clock, sculpted by my friend Eris, ticks a soothing rhythm each passing second. I follow one of its pointers with my eyes as it slowly circles around, passing by the time markings beneath it.

I hover my head on top of the wound; it's still fresh and shiny, even though it stopped bleeding. The bed sheet I'm laying on top of, covered with red light due to the harsh sun rays hitting my bed curtains, isn't dirty either.

Dull stone walls cover my room, with a few triangular arches carved on them. At least I'm able to view Mount Cavora from here.

My dad really likes you, Mount Cavora. Even if you're a huge, floating mountain, you brought us life, you brought us Chi. The stone heads that bless us with Chi are what brings us all together, whether past or present, same or different species. Lions, Crocodiles, Eagles, Wolves… Ravens, Gorillas, Bears and Rhinos– we would not be what we are today if it weren't for Mount Cavora. The Great Story is a tale of old, marked by the Chi birthing a new civilization, and that's why Chima got its name– Chi knows it all; or that's at least what my dad says.

Steps reverberate all across the circular stairway up to my room. A shadow seems to emerge before the open door. My body jumps in response, dragging the curtain to hide myself and I end up squirming my injured arm.

The stranger moves towards my bed, as the light hits their body, projecting their silhouette on the bed curtains; they appear to be tall yet soft, resting their closed wings behind the back. I sigh in relief, because this animal does not look like the other shadow that attacked me. I shiver while opening the curtain. Mouth open, inhaling deeply.

I stick out my muzzle, and I am greeted by an eagle.

"Oh no! Please pardon me for startling you. That was quite rude of me.", the bird whimpered, "I'm the nurse your father entrusted to help you. My name is Ehboni."

She holds onto the curtain with her yellow scaled hands, adorned with black feathers that cover her wrist. Now that the blinds are open, I can clearly observe her appearance: her entire figure is covered by well-preened and smooth feathers, but they're quite dark, which made me mistake her for 'the' shadow. An expensive silver necklace, with sapphire jewelry, hangs by her fluffy neck. She smiles, opening her yellow beak.

Ehboni crouches near what looks like a box of medical equipment, and then opens it.

"Come closer, Laval. I need to inspect your lesion.", she whispers while organizing her materials.

I sit down on the edge of the bed, then she holds my arm and looks at it. After that, she picks up a medicinal leaf, lays it on top of my wound and bandages it.

My ears fall down, my eyebrows frown; I won't be able to do much for some time, but Ehboni says that it won't take long for me to recover.

"Just make sure you don't put strength on your left arm, okay?", she pets my shoulder.

"Alright… but– did you discover anything about my injury? Is it serious?"

Ehboni puts away her utensils, gets up, and says, "Don't worry, sweetie! You didn't suffer any major damage. I'll let Lagravis know the rest."

She leaves before I can react.

Argh! What is this 'rest'? She barely answered my question. The cut's shape seemed suspicious, yet I'm not supposed to know what it is? I fall on my bed and close my eyes shut in frustration, though I don't pretend to sleep anytime soon. It's still daytime.

I– I don't want to stay all day inside my room because of an accident. Even if I need to, at least tell me why!

I squint my eyes to check out if there is anyone else here. The room is quite empty, especially when my toys are all back in their place. I jump out of bed and go to one of the wall's arches, ready to admire the view again.

Someone knocks on the wall.

"Silly Laval, did you think you were going to be alone all day?", a soft voice murmurs from behind me.

I turn around, realizing that the voice comes from my friend, Eris. I'm confused on how she got here, although I don't doubt her sudden appearance is very convenient. Eagles are quite smart, so it's fair to assume that she somehow snuck into the temple.

She rests her elbow on the arch and leans her head on her wrist. Eris is a little older than my friends and I; her previously stippled bright blue feathers molted and she's starting to grow new white plumes. The sunlight irradiates her, smoothening her body into a cloud, free as the wind, going wherever she pleases.

Her light yellow eyes shine with brilliance.

"Oh, hey, Eris… It's nice to see you today.", I fiddle with my fingers, looking at my friend with an embarrassing smile, "What a coincidence. I just saw another eagle leave my room."

"That's the reason why I came after you. I overheard the conversation your dad had with mine. Ehboni was there too.", she lets go off the balcony and pets my head.

Oh. So she knows what happened. Great. Never mind how she got inside the Lion temple; I now need to discover what's going on, and why is Dad so secretive about all of this.

"Do you remember what the conversation was about? What did my dad say?"

"Okay… so, they were discussing how to gather information about this case. Lagravis speculates that what happened might've been a targeted attack against you, and thus ordered Ehboni to inspect your injuries."

That's really a lot to digest– it kind of makes sense, and I understand that this situation is serious, but… Why would anyone attack a child? Is that the reason that I'm supposed to not leave this place?

"Eris… would you mind giving your opinion about the situation?"

She shrugs her elbows and bows her head; perhaps asking a tween to dissect a possible hate crime is too much of a stretch. 'Tis too soon to make big assumptions, although the best ye could do is not stay outside at night, she adds in a bittersweet tone.

My best bet would be to observe my surroundings and piece any clues I find. If my dad's suspicions are correct, I'll end up face to face with that shadow again. Let's go to the Fangs!

I hold Eris' arm and tiptoe downstairs.

Eris and I are driving our Speedorz on dry land. The sky darkens as the sun is shining less, but it is not nighttime yet. Pinnacles of stone remain in their place, sticking out of the earth in a pattern similar to a ribcage, more so than fangs.

"These natural structures curve inwards into a shape that facilitates the propagation of sound", Eris whispers. "If anything happens here, we'll be able to hear it clearly."

We are near the area of the incident; amplified noises of chattering and footsteps reach us, which means that my uncle, alongside lion guards, are investigating the scene. We park our Speedorz near a 'fang', and spy the animals there.

Lavertus is crouched, observing the bloodstain my injury left on the ground. A lion guard with light brown fur and long canines analyzes the claw marks of the damaged rock from before. Another lion with an orange mane is taking notes of every minor detail pointed out by his co-worker and captain.

"Interesting. The slash left by the culprit has a distinct quirk– if we connect the scars, it forms a narrow curve", says the brown-maned feline. "The depth and position of the scratch hints that force was concentrated on the entire hand and arm, which means that they are not a lion."

My uncle replies, "I thought so, Longtooth. We put most of our pressure on our tendons to grip; my nephew's arm was hacked, and blood was drawn from him. We lions don't do that, neither do we hit arms."

Wind weaves the dust away, diffusing along the way the unnerving scent of blood– my blood. The shine no longer descends from the beyond above us, as mist starts to veil each of its rays. The shadows that hide our colors in blue are but a speck of our melancholy.

My blood's smell enters my lungs at every breath.

Each. And every. Breath.

I take it. Inside me.

Who–

Who is that? Near the blood?

Is that Laval, crouching near the pool of blood, hiding his wound from the monstrous creature? An unrecognizable monster, shadowed by malice?

Its eyes ooze with a purple vapor. How dare it reach towards the innocent prince, with its open mouth, drooling without self control. Maybe it has self control– it has malice. Malice.

The moon blinds me with a dark orchid colored light.

Now… white. All is white. I am not dead, at least. Something yellow is a little too close… is it the sun?

"Laval! Wake up!", that yellow thing screeches, "Wake up! Please…"

Eris? Is that you?

I latch myself onto her before falling.

It appears that a lot of time has passed– surrounded by a bunch of wolves, and Eris, I scream from the top of my lungs.

I anxiously whip my tail behind me and I end up hitting someone.

"Ouch! You idiot, watch what you're doing! You slapped my face!", Worriz barks.

The wolves distance themselves from me.

Ahh. I feel much better now… the atmosphere, although humid, stinks no more. It freshens my insides. I let go of Eris, then I examine my surroundings.

This is the Wolf Lair; a giant truck-like vehicle, built out of metal, with a cockpit shaped like a wolf head.

I always knew that wolves didn't have a fixed home, but I underestimated how much space they lived in, and the amount of tonnage space they used.

"Pesky eagle! You came all the way here just for us to pity your friend? We don't have time for trivial incidents like this.", Worriz turns around and stares at me. "I'll tell my dad you're the one bothering me, Laval!"

A door of the Wolf Lair opens, revealing a gray elder wolf, trembling his hind paw to reach the ground. Worriz sprints at the feeble senior to hold his hand and help him gain balance.

His face is wrinkled all around his muscles. His bean eyebrows, due to old age, have loosened into a pitiful expression, accentuated by his dirty tear ducts. His white muzzle is unkempt, falling down on his chin, with long unused whiskers. Even though it's natural, the sight of the natural physical deformities that come with age is saddening. Most of the time, they're not fatal, but you can see the effort it takes to remain alive.

Their tight bond is enough to show that they're father and son.

The wolves around us whisper, "Wakz! Wakz!"

Wakz smiles with his weak lips, while his son scowls with his teeth exposed.

"Oh Laval… are you feeling better now? Your friend brought you here, away from the scene. My people told me everything– I am deeply sorry for what happened."

I itch my eyelid a bit. A scene?... Ah, that scene. Of course, I came here to understand what happened. Maybe asking Wakz about it could help me reach a better conclusion? We aren't far away from the area of the incident, therefore it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to get information from him…

"Yup… I'm fine, feeling better right now– and, about what you said earlier… Has anyone in your tribe seen something like that? Or did something suspicious happen before that?"

He turns his head and faces the crowd before him, sulking his already gloomy face. To shun your own pack, huh…

"Quite some time ago, there was a wolf. A big, bad wolf. Unfortunately for us, we didn't know how he became like that, nor why. He was a silent killer, taking others' lives without leaving any trace behind. However… I have yet to find any news of him in more than years.", Wakz grunts, as his voice sounds more frustrated than normal, slouching his body forwards. "I suppose this might help you. Take care, young one."

The elder returns to his base, followed by the others, in a single linear formation. I wonder if they're some kind of hive mind, given how they act like an ant colony. Though I doubt that they would call themselves a colony, and that's because they aren't one.

Eris and I stare at each other in confusion; is this a mystery worth uncovering, or is it just a dangerous dead end? We could come back to Lavertus and ask about what he found.

Weird enough… I was close to the shadow before fainting. Yet… I wasn't able to see it. It's frustrating– if I knew what trait the culprit had, I would've had at least one clue to solve this mystery. I need to find out who committed this crime against me; why would they do something like that, what happened to them? Are they the wolf Wakz mentioned?

Eris covers her beak with her delicate talons, masking her smile. What's all that giggling about? I hold her wrist with my two paws and hover it to me. She, using her unoccupied claws, points behind me, with an adorable expression on her face, almost ready to burst out laughing.

Ugh! This is no time to laugh! My life might be in danger… What are you thinking about—

My ears! Ouch!

I let go of her hand and a firm grip pushes my ears down to the ground. My thump mixes with her laugh and Worriz' barkings. The sounds spread all along the area.

The fall hurts my arm a bit, but I don't mind it, as long as I have my friends with me, seeing their mindless quarrels, funny pranks, crazy adventures...

...Friendship is truly something magical, and I believe we should try to be together as much as possible, because I don't know when it's going to end. Eris lays down on the floor next to me, chattering about the stars, her new discovery about water… She talks about gravity, and that she saw the water following along with the movement of the moon. Amazing isn't it?

I lie sideways, gazing at Eris while she continues her incessant ramblings, explaining how she likes to study, her major interests such as technology and culture of her tribe. She's truly a beacon of knowledge, and I admire her for that.

Moments of peace never last forever; Worriz groans and pushes us around like little toys.

"Oh, hey? What about me, huh? You lovebirds need to listen to others too!", he whines, "Do you guys not know who Wilhurt is, like, seriously? I mean, he hasn't been seen in ages… but if you ended up having your ass beaten by him, then, it's on you. Not my fault you ran up to that guy."

I let out a heavy growl. Why did I invite Worries to play with us in the first place? He's a bratty troublemaker. He bullied Cragger– if it wasn't for that, we wouldn't be here in the first place. Though, he's kind of right, because our fight doesn't have any correlation with… Wilhurt?

Never heard of that name before. It might be important later, though, so I'll keep that in mind.

Shaking movements alert us to three Speedorz approaching the Wolf Lair; they're Lavertus, Longtooth and the orange haired lion from before.

My uncle runs up to me and hugs me. We need to head back home now.

For anyone who reads this until the end: I hope you enjoyed the first episode of TFLOC! I was struggling with how to end this episode, especially because I noticed that I was losing my momentum on the pacing.

Sorry if the formatting of this post is a little different from the first full sneak peek. It isn't possible to copy all of the paragraphs and paste them into another post, and I don't have the patience to copy each and one of them individually. :(

Please reblog to share my work :D

#writeblr #writing #tfloc #the forgotten legends of chima #writers #writers of tumblr #writerblr #legends of chima #lego legends of chima #lego chima #cragger the crocodile #laval the lion #eris the eagle #worriz the wolf

57 notes · View notes

ninjakitten1699 · 11 months

Text

Caught up to Dragons Rising finally and finished the first half of season one (I presume) and I just gotta say

I love it so damn much already.

And since this is about Realms merging together, I know everyone else was talking about Akita, Vex or anyone else being back but I haven’t heard anything about the Chima cast making an appearance!

Come on you can’t just say the realms merged with each other and not expect me to be excited to see them again, especially in this new animation style!

Let me see my favorite floofy boy and his big scaly best friend! Let me see Laval and Cragger! Let me see the Legend Beasts if that’s possible! Come on! Give them over!

45 notes · View notes

theplatypusblue · 1 month

Text

COMPILING ALL LEGENDS OF CHIMA SEASON 1 THOUGHTS BELOW THE READ MORE (super long post, written as I was watching)

(I can be a little mean but I promise I’m having fun lol)

Episodes 1 + 2:

Man this shits super boring.

Idk if I can get behind craggers plot line tbh. He’s too much of a dumbass for me to really root for him.

The lore seems really cool so far. I like the settings and the stuff about the legend beasts.

Like?? Forest full of trees that just fall down all the time? Epic.

Legend beasts are especially cool cuz it means this is how Chima characters react when seeing a regular ass lion for the first time:

Episode 3:

Man Laval really fucked everything up.

I have a feeling all of cragger’s dumbass-ness, like, transferred over to laval and now we’re gonna be seeing him making all the dumbass decisions

The only thing I really care about here is the b-plot about Gorzan and his flower. More engaging than the main plot

Episode 4:

Prediction about Laval replacing Cragger as the resident dumbass seems to be coming true

Gorzan is quickly becoming my favorite.

Oh hey look it’s the beavers!! I remember they show up in that one episode of ninjago. I had zero context for what they were all about then but now I know!!

Episode 5:

The gorilla tribe seems like the most chill out of everyone. Gorillas 👍

Can I just say I hate the fucking skunk. He sucks.

Honestly kind of a nothing episode

Episode 6:

Eagle spire does that cool thing where all the buildings are built on super scary precipices. There’s literally a post going around about this exact thing but I can’t find it rn

Oh so the eagles are just a bunch of nerds. A little weird I guess(?) I feel like eagles are usually symbols of strength n stuff so that’s different. It’s giving cloud kingdom.

“Wing girl” tf kinda nickname??

Apparently the ravens are double crossing everyone but I have not been paying close enough attention to what’s going on to really process that

Ok so it was all an extremely convoluted way for the crocs to get everyone to fight each other. And the ravens tried to profit but they’re kinda stupid so nothing really worked out for anyone

Episode 7:

Purble moon??? Epic

Man the bears are so epic just like me fr

Nooo don’t mess w the gorillas they’re so chill :(

I am entirely uninterested in the 100 year full moon skunk fart lore. Sorry.

It’s a little strange and maybe I’m hallucinating but I feel like the animation has has somehow gotten better?? Like the lighting or smthn…. Or the facial expressions???

Oh….. skunk fart lore is plot relevant………

Now that I’m thinking… is that the only skunk in chima?? Cuz rn it looks like just the one guy

Episode 8:

Oh it’s a big boy chi

There’s a fucking peacock?? Don’t know how to spell his name. So wait if he wins who does the chi go to?? He gets it all to himself?

Oh wait nvm it’s probably a cragger thing. Mr. Peacock comes back after retirement or w/ever in order to do some evil shit with the crocs I get it I get it

Gorzan I love you

WHO THE FUCK IS THAT GUY?? Is it a pig? A warthog??? It’s giving Mr. E vibes.

Man idk this episode is structured rlly weirdly. Nothing really fit together very well. It’s alright tho.

Episode 9:

GORILLA EPISODE?? Let’s go dude

It funny cuz I feel like gorillas aren’t actually this mellow irl

STOP FUCKING WITH THE GORILLAS CRAGGER I’LL KILL YOU

Oh hey it’s our mystery mans. Oh nevermind he left again.

There are balloon plants?? Oh yeah those are the things they were using in the other episode. Sorry I wasn’t paying attention to anything else that happened.

Episode 10:

Uhh I forgot to take notes while watching uhhh

The fox guy was cute. I like a little fox guy

This episode managed to make me feel a little bad for cragger!! He wants to do a good job but he kinda sucks at everything :(

It also made me confused abt cruller!!! What are you doing w ur life girl!!!!

Kinda messed up how the wolves had to serve the crocodiles tho… probly for the best she threw away that pledge

If Laval’s dad is right when he says they’re not gonna race for chi for a long time, I’m guessing they’re not gonna do any more racing episodes for some time. That’s fine honestly.

WAIT THAT RHINO GUY’S DYING. Oh nvm. This whole situation is cringe I hope it’s a one-off thing….

Also I forgot everyone thinks craggers parents are dead but really they’re just chilling in that canyon. Kinda funny actually

Episode 11:

Oh man the wolves are fucking everything up

“We all gotta stay here till the walls are fixed” bruh just call the beavers or smthn

Man what is the deal with this shadow wind dude.

If there’s one similarity I could point out with ninjago, it’s all this talk abt ~the balance~. I guess it makes sense since they take place in the same universe, technically

These bears are so cute lol napping does solve everything so true

Episode 12:

Jets travel super fast in the air. If they’re going through a storm Laval should totally be dead by now

Cragger is setting boundaries!! We love to see it. Cruller is acting pretty cringe. In her ~~girlfailure era~~

Is Laval gonna fall in this gorge?? Oh yeah he’s gonna fall in this gorge

Noooo Gorzans underwear is gonna tear

It’s a little sweet how Laval still wants to help out cragger

Episode 13:

I guess I’m still not super into cragger but I pity him a little. He’s trying his best but he’s just a bit stupid. And also his sister sucks ass

Okay. So she may be cringe but cruller is living her best(-ish) life.

That wolf is wearing a really cute apron

Man they were bringing up Shadow wind earlier and I thought they were gonna reveal their identity but now I’m a bit disappointed…

Laval is being peak dumbass rn I kinda like it. “The warm milk of oppression” lol

Pretty cute finale tbh

That’s where Tubi says season 1 ends, so i think I’ll just stop here for now. I guess they’ll bring up craggers parents next season?? For now they’re still stuck chilling in that canyon.

I definitely feel like it’s a show that doesn’t have super strong characters. I think it would better if the show leaned more into the world it’s created instead, if that makes sense. Maybe later the character writing will improve a little bit, and I’ll changed my tune. But!! Who knows. I’m having fun with it.

Idk when I’ll get to season 2, cuz I get super busy sometimes (I started this one a couple months ago but couldn’t finish it till now ugh) but I do want to continue watching!! Eventually!!!

#lego shows #chima liveblog thing #for reference I’m coming at this from the perspective of someone who’s pretty much only watched ninjago #so far the two shows seem pretty similar and that not a bad thing!! I try not to compare them too much but they def have similar ideas #going on behind the scenes or whatever. if that makes sense #I debated main tagging this and I don’t think I’m gonna do it….. idk

4 notes · View notes

jasper-the-menace · 7 months

Note

top 5 rarepair ships?

Ask Me My Top 10/Top 5 Anything

I'm limiting this just to duos. In no particular order:

1: Falco Spara/Xander: A staple of my MTG fanfics. I love these fucked up little dudes. There are four fanfics for them on AO3 and I am the author of all of them. Great husbands, decent dads, fantastic family heads, please for the love of the gods let them rest. Other MTG ships of note: Jirina Kudro/Lukka (only one fanfic on AO3 and it's also mine), Elspeth Tirel/Ashiok, Elspeth Tirel/Vivien Reid, Chandra Nalaar/Nissa Revane (Gruulfriends for the win!), Jace Beleren/Vraska

2: Gamma 1/Son Gohan: Look. We're all a sucker for some G2/Piccolo, but let's not forget that Gohan put his hand in an android's mouth for literally no reason. Eight fanfics on AO3, luckily I'm not the author of all of them (just most of them so far). Other Dragon Ball ships of note: Yamcha/Vegeta, Gamma 2/Piccolo, Yamcha/Frieza (which is actually pretty popular for a rarepair, it's climbing its way up)

3: Dragonborn-aka-Listener/Cicero: Look, I don't believe we can fix him, but we can at least make him more fucked up in a more interesting way. I'm a solid supporter of Cicero gettin' some. Probably the least rare of the rarepairs here, but I'm counting it because I haven't always found ones I enjoy. Other TES ships of note: Balgruuf the Greater/Irileth (I'm a sucker for bodyguard romances, okay?)

4: Spinlyn/Crooler: I am literally the only one writing this and I'm a sucker for a toxic as fuck sapphic dynamic that is somehow also wholesome. Let them be evil together! Other Chima ships of note: Scorm/Scolder, Laval/Li'ella, Laval/Cragger, Eris/Li'ella, Eris/Rogon, Eris/Razar This whole show is rarepair hell because the fandom is itty bitty.

5: Eoleo/Amiti: Look...I'm a simple person...you give me a fire/water pair AND a worldly pirate/sheltered prince pair and I'm gonna froth at the mouth over it. Easy.

Thanks for sending this in!

~Jasper

#answered #anonymous #ask game: ask me my top 10/top 5 anything #magic the gathering #dragon ball #dragon ball super #the elder scrolls #skyrim #legends of chima #lego legends of chima #lego chima #golden sun #golden sun dark dawn

6 notes · View notes

garma-mom · 1 year

Text

@moonriddles Ah yes, I forgot about this one, heh. Here you go

#lego chima #legochimacragger #legendsofchima #cragger #craggerart #wip #baby boy #I love him #💚🐊

4 notes · View notes

sithbelle · 9 months

Note

Hi! Thank you so much for your advice! I tried following it, but I still feel like the descriptions are boring and stagnant. Would you mind giving me feedback, if you'd like ofc? No need to answer this publicly. Thanks!

After a few hundred steps, we reach our destination. Animals are driving their Speedorz around obstacles scattered on the flat ground, avoiding them with tight drifts. These amateur racers' skills are sharp; they seem to skim over the earth's surface at high speeds, zooming in and out of our view.

A huge stone ramp distracts us, because it's pointing at us. We're standing on its track. Then, from afar, a rectangular Speedor rushes in our direction– the scaled driver smirks while his monocycle bolts off the ramp. Once it flies on top of us, it forces the wind to gush with it. The jump felt light, cutting through the sky with grace. Mesmerizing.

Cragger and I have been staring at the mysterious motorist the entire time. We would've thought that this was a hobbyist's fluke, had the pilot not revealed himself as Crominus. Yikes. Bold of me to dismiss pure skill as luck.

Oh I'd love to! Let me finish work (might be a couple of hours), and then I'll take a look at it and see if I can help with anything :)

Your DMs are set to private, so I'll just edit / reblog this when I have something for ya!

7 notes · View notes

chimachapterbooks · 1 month

Text

In the Lair of Lavertus

“I can't sleep," said Cragger.

Laval rolled over on his sleep mat and peered at the Crocodile through half-closed eyes. "Do what you always do. Count swamp sheep."

"Tried that," said Cragger. "I also tried singing Crocodile lullabies to myself."

"Crocodiles have lullabies?" Laval asked.

"Sure," said Cragger. "They're mostly about what we're going to eat the next day."

"That sounds.. relaxing, I guess," said Laval. "So why can't you sleep?"

"I don't think I like this place," answered Cragger. "Or maybe I just don't trust our host."

Laval, Cragger, and their friends were on a quest to free the Legend Beasts and restore the flow of CHI from Mount Cavora. On their journey through the mysterious Outlands they had encountered Lavertus, a very odd Lion who lived in a fortress he called his "Lair." He had offered the team to stay there and use it as a base, as long as they didn't go wandering around after dark.

Cragger got to his feet. "I'm going to take a look around. I think this Lion is up to something."

"None of us should go wandering," Laval warned. “Lavertus told us it isn't safe, and that, at least, I believe…”

"I know, I know, Lions love following rules," Cragger said, heading for the door. "Well, Crocs make their own." Laval went after him. "And we all remember what happened because of that. Sometimes, I think you break rules just for the sake of breaking them. Fine—if you're going, l'm going with you."

"Why?" Cragger asked.

"To make sure you don't mess things up ... again," said Laval.

"Come on, we're on the same side now. You can trust me." Cragger flashed a toothy grin before turning away.

"I used to," muttered Laval, following after him.

——————

It was easy to see that Lavertus's home was designed to make sure any stranger would rapidly get lost inside.

Hallways looped around on themselves, doors led to solid walls, and staircases that went up somehow managed to leave you on a lower floor.

"Ive never seen anything like this," whispered Cragger.

"I wish I wasn't seeing it now," answered Laval. "What do you expect to find, anyway?"

"I don't know," said Cragger. "Nobody builds a house like this unless they have something to hide."

"Or they had the directions upside down," Laval said, shaking his head.

The two moved on. After another half hour of searching, they came upon a corridor lined with doorways on both sides. One by one, they opened the doors.

"Closet. Closet. Closet," said Laval.

"Staircase!" cried Cragger.

Laval rushed over to see what the Crocodile had found.

But when he got there, Cragger was standing at an open door looking into another closet.

"Where are the stairs?" asked Laval.

"They were here a second ago," said Cragger, shutting the door. "Then they weren't."

"Hmmm. Try opening the door again," said Laval.

Cragger opened the door a second time. When he did, the staircase was back. “That’s weird,” said the Crocodile. "Let's go see what's down there."

"Got any breadcrumbs?" asked Laval.

"Huh?" snapped Cragger.

"To leave a trail to find our way back," said Laval. "What happens if the stairs disappear again when were halfway down?"

"Good question," said Cragger. After a short pause, he added, "You go first."

"Right," said Laval. "Because turning my back on you is my favorite thing to do. ... Not."

The pair stumbled down the staircase side by side. At the bottom, they found an iron door. To their surprise, it was unlocked.

"He must not have thought anyone would find this spot," said Laval.

"Or maybe he wanted whoever did find it to be able to get in, because he knew they wouldn't get back out again," answered Cragger. "You go first."

"Wait a second!" said Laval, turning around to face the Crocodile. "This whole thing was your idea! Why do I have to keep going first?"

"Um, because you're such a fierce fighter and you can handle whatever comes at us?"

Laval glared at Cragger. "Yeah, I'm fierce," he said.

"You might want to remember that if you have any tricks planned. Anyway, I'll go first, because we're supposed to be friends... and that's what friends do."

The Lion pushed the door open, even as Cragger said, “Tricks? Me?"

"Yes, you. Just because we're on the same side again doesn't mean—"

Laval stopped short and his eyes grew wide. He and Cragger had stumbled upon the biggest workshop either had ever seen. It was packed with strange devices, big and small. Some were incredibly complicated and others were extremely simple. At a glance, the only things Laval recognized were Speedor wheels and other parts of a Speedor bike.

"Incredible," said Laval. "Eris would love this!"

"If Lavertus made all this, he must be some kind of inventor," said Cragger. "But he didn't tell us. Why keep that a secret?"

"I don't know," answered Laval. "But look at this stuff. Some of it looks like weapons. It could be dangerous. We'd better tell the others."

Just as Laval was speaking, the floor shifted underneath them. The Lion and Croc were knocked off their feet.

"Whoa!" said Laval. "What was that?"

"Laval, look!" cried Cragger, pointing at the iron door.

"The stairs are gone!"

Cragger was right. The doorway leading to the stairs now led to a solid wall.

"We're trapped!" Laval realized.

"No, we're not," Cragger said, racing into the heart of the workshop. "There has to be something in here that can get us out."

"Cragger, don't!" Laval cried.

But it was too late. Cragger had bumped into one of Lavertus's inventions: a big metal cannon. It immediately shot out a tangle of ropes that wrapped around him.

Cragger toppled backward, falling into a stone chair.

The arms of the chair closed tight on either side of the Crocodile and held him fast.

"Hang on," shouted Laval. "I'll get you out."

But as he raced toward Cragger, the floor rumbled again. A small catapult on top of a tall shelf went off, launching a little rock at the head of a life-size Gorilla statue. The statue sprang to life, plodding forward and knocking into more inventions as it went. Soon, the air was filled with arrows, jets of flame, and bursts of water.

"Great job," called Cragger. "If we weren't doomed before, now we really are."

"Just ... stay there!" yelled Laval. "I'm coming!"

"Where do you think I'm going to go?" Cragger struggled against the ropes. "This thing makes one of Gorzan's hugs look like a bunny cuddle."

Laval was about to reply when, suddenly, he heard a loud groan behind him. He turned just in time to see the loud groan behind him. He turned just in time to see the Gorilla statue tipping forward! Laval tried to spring out of the way, but he wasn't fast enough. The statue toppled on top of him.

"Oof!" the Lion exclaimed. The heavy statue pinned him to the ground.

"Laval! Are you okay?" Cragger called.

"Yeah, I think so," Laval said. "But I'm ... LOOK OUT!"

Laval's eyes grew wide as a flame cannon went off beside Cragger. In an instant, the Croc was surrounded by flames!

"CRAGGER!" Laval cried.

For a moment, Laval couldn't see anything but embers and smoke. Then, he heard coughing. When the smoke cleared, Cragger was sputtering and waving his arms.

Instead of hurting the Croc, the flames had burned right through the ropes tying him up. He was free!

"Talk about luck." Laval exhaled. "Are you hurt?"

"Just a little singed," said Cragger. "You?"

Laval squirmed under the statue. "Been better. Could use a little help here."

Cragger moved toward Laval. But as he did, the floor shook again. The whole room turned, and the stairs by the doorway reappeared. All Cragger had to do was make a run for it and he would be free! But the room could shift any minute and they would disappear again.

Cragger met Laval's gaze for a split second. Then he turned and ran.

"Cragger?" Laval's heart sank. The Crocodile wouldn't really leave him there?

Would he?

Suddenly, Cragger swerved and jumped over a marching group of Skunk mechs. He snatched a wrench from one of the mech's hands and skidded to a stop right beside Laval.

"Quick!" he said, using the wrench for leverage against the statue. "We'll push together-hurry!"

Together, the two managed to pry the Gorilla statue off of Laval. Cragger helped him to his feet. "Let's get out of here!" he shouted.

Running faster than they ever had before, they shot through the room and made it out the door just as the floor was starting to turn again.

Together, they clambered back up the stairs. When they got to the top, the Lion and Croc leaned heavily against the wall, gasping for breath.

"Thanks," Laval said finally. "For a second there, I wasn't sure you were going to come back for me."

Cragger shrugged and gave a big Crocodile grin.

"We're friends, right? That's what friends do."

Laval smiled and clapped Cragger on the back. "It sure is."

#damn laval why u finding so many closets at least u ain’t walking into them ;) 🏳️‍🌈#legends of chima #chima #lego chima #lego legends of chima #for chima #laval the lion #cragger the crocodile #chima laval #chima cragger #lego chima laval #the legends of chima #legend of chima #lego chima cragger #I couldn’t fit all the photos in this one ;-;

39 notes · View notes

registered-morro-simp · 1 year

Text

Something changed in cragger that day

#I'm once again drawing them as humans cause i just love drawing human cragger #look at the baby he doesn't even have his piercings or his giant ponytail yet #legends of chima #cragger #laval #blue's doodles

37 notes · View notes

raisedlikeaphoenix · 5 months

Text

Raised like a Phoenix: Chapter 8 - Together Again

Cragger had no idea what was going on. But apparently, he died, so that was new.

Also, Chima had gotten taken over by the Hunters forcing everybody to move into the Outlands where they have been living for ten years but now, he, Laval, and all his other friends are their only hope in getting Chima back. So, no pressure, it’s not like you can die again.

Oh, yeah and he DIED!

AND EVERYONE ELSE DID TO! WHAT IS GOING ON?

Cragger stuck by Laval’s side the whole time as he gave him a tour of the town, heading closer and closer to the new croc castle. The Crocodile Beast doing the same, following the pair around and urging those who wanted to crowd them to give the revived some space.

Li’Ella went to inform Tormak of the situation, while Crooler ran ahead to tell their parents, Plovar following after his sister. (The little bird wanted to give the two princes some alone time. Giving Cragger a wink, and the croc fighting every urge to just jump in the nearby river and drift away from this conversation.)

Wait, his parents hadn’t seen him in ten years, while the last he saw them was technically a few hours ago? Since he didn’t remember anything when he died. Except for the pain that he didn’t like to think too hard about. Man, this was all intense!

“There’s where the ravens sell their stuff. That’s where the gorilla’s grow food. And there's where the wolves be their loner selves.”

“Does everyone just live together now?” Cragger asked.

A “huh” escaped Laval before he answered the question. “I… guess so. I hadn’t realized it. But yeah.”

“Hmm. This feels…”

“Like you blinked and then suddenly everything and everyone around you just decided to move on without you?” Laval suggested.

“Yeah… in a way.” Cragger mumbled. Laval took his hand, and a muffled squeak almost escaped him due to the lion’s actions. “I know this is all scary and stuff but… I’m glad you're here with me. It brings me some comfort to know that we’re in this together again.” His warm smile melted the Crocodile Prince’s heart.

“Oh, Laval. Why do you have to be so damn sappy, huh?” Cragger said, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

The lion chuckled. “Just trying to let you know how much I love you guys.”

Right. ‘You guys.’ Speaking of…

“So, you feel this thing too, right?” Cragger asked.

“All the time.” Laval practically breathed.

“Who should we find next then?” It felt like a question too cruel to ask. Which one of their friends would be brought back into the world of the living next?

Cragger guessed they chose him after Laval because of how close the swamp was to the Outlands. From there it was sort of open season for reviving buddies. Though he had a feeling finding Eris would be the hardest as she would probably be closest to the Lion Temple. Aka closest to that Saber-tooth freak and his subjects.

Well now he and Laval are freaks too…

Laval squeezed his hand in reassurance. But it seemed like he was still searching for that feeling himself.

“Well, maybe… uh… Gorzan? The trees will provide some coverage and we can use the strength.” Laval said.

The Crocodile Beast nodded.

“I shall inform the Gorilla Beast of your decision.”

Leaving the two to their own devices.

Cragger watched his beast go and realized something. Throughout the whole tour he had not seen a single lion among the mix of tribes. Which felt a little weird… and probably meant.

“Hey, Laval? Where is your tribe at?”

He might as well have declared war all over again because Laval had the same heartbroken face, he had the day the fight for chi began.

“Laval?”

While the lion hadn’t said a thing about what had happened, Cragger quickly put the pieces together. He may look dumb, but he’s not stupid.

Cragger brought him into a side hug as the lion felt like he would collapse to the floor if the crocodile didn’t anchor him. Laval leaned into him as he sighed softly.

The croc led the two to a bench near a blacksmithery as the lion wept. The sound of a hammer banging against metal drowning out his quiet crying. Cragger rubbed his back in reassurance as tears stained his brown pants. He could relate to how Laval felt, afterall his whole tribe got kidnapped by the Hunters at one point.

But they were able to be saved.

Whereas in Laval’s case, this wasn’t something that can be reversed. This was something that would have to be rebuilt overtime. And even then, it will never be the same.

“Sorry, I hope I don’t keep breaking out into tears every time someone asks me what happened.” Laval uttered.

“Don’t apologize for feeling sad.” Cragger began, as he brought the lion closer to his chest. Laval welcomed it, trying to listen to his best friend's heartbeat.

There was nothing.

“This is all just so messed up and crying about it is a perfectly okay thing to do. Because I know you're not just gonna curl up and bawl your eyes out. You're gonna fight! And keep being your wonderful self. But when you need to take a break from it all and rest, know that you will always have me. And I know the others will feel the same when they get back.”

Laval closed his eyes and focused on the pulling feeling. They should really give it a name. Perhaps lights? It felt fitting as to how each one of them made him feel.

Cragger’s light felt so cheery and warm, perhaps because he was awake and with him now. He was starting to tell who is who, though where exactly they were at was a bit hard to tell. The others still felt too distant and too deep in their sleep. Except one. It felt like it was trying to wake up, but it couldn't, as if it was stuck. Frozen.

That had to be Eris.

When the Hunters first attacked, she had been chosen because she had a “soul of a phoenix” or whatever Fluminox had said. So, it only made sense she would be… different? Yeah, that seemed like the right word for now.

But the idea of trying to get all of them felt exhausting. It had even been that long since he was revived and he already felt like he wanted to sleep for another ten years. (Though the idea of him needing to sleep did bring him comfort.) It made him feel horrible. He truly wanted to save them but… How can he help anyone when he needs help as well?

“You don’t mind if I sit out a few missions?” Laval asked, almost nervous as to what Cragger would say. The croc bright his hand from his back to his mane. As he softly played with his fur, a small purr escaped him, making Cragger chuckle.

“Of course. We have all the help we can get right here! If you need any time to yourself, or any help let us know. And we’ll be there for you.”

Laval smiled. “Thank you.”

After sitting in peaceful silence, Laval was finally ready to get up and lead Cragger to his parents. He brought him to what looked like a smaller version of the crocodile castle, complete with its own makeshift river that he had seen snake through the village earlier.

Cragger would be lying if he said he didn’t shed a few tears when he was reunited with parents even if for him it had only been a few hours. It was still a little heartbreaking to see how much his parents changed over the years, with new lines added to their faces and hunched shoulders. His father even needs a cane now!

When he saw his parents, he couldn’t help but wonder if he would continue to grow and change like them. Were Laval and him doomed to be fleshy zombies forever or would they grow old together?

“My son has returned and this calls for a celebration!”

“Uh- Dad maybe-”

But Cragger’s objections went unheard as many crocodiles gathered to celebrate the return of their prince.

It felt nice to see his tribe again, even meeting some new young members. While some were scared of Cragger, few little croclings were curious about his new look, some asking things like, can he still eat even with the hole in his gut? Laval stayed by his side almost the whole time, receiving his own questions and comments from curious crocodiles.

At one point during the party, Crooler pulled him aside.

“Cragger, I want to say I’m sorry.” The Crocodile Prince stumbled back at the words.

“Really?” His voice came out in a whisper. He didn’t think that Crooler was the apology type. Then again neither was he for a bit.

“Yes. I’m sorry for using that stupid plant, for making you attack the lions, and for taking advatnage of you when we thought our parents had died. I hope you can forgive me.”

…

Can he? After everything Crooler had done, was he even willing to give her his forgiveness?

“I… I don’t know if I can forgive you for everything. I appreciate your apology but after what happened it's hard to just forget about it, you know?”

Crooler nodded sadly.

“I understand.”

“So… you live here now?” Cragger stared in awe at the place. It felt a lot like Lavertus’s old home in the Outlands. And just like it the place felt way too big for one lion.

“Yeah… it’s big and quiet and sometimes a little creepy when you're just alone with your thoughts. But it’s home.” Laval chuckled nervously.

Cragger nodded. He could tell his best friend didn’t like being here on his own. So maybe…

“I can stay with you, if you want?”

Laval gave Cragger a face full of surprise, but it was quickly replaced with a grateful smile.

“I’d appreciate that.” Laval said, reaching out his hand.

Cragger took it. Happy he wasn’t alone.

I was listening to MBMBAM with the American Hero Horn and I was like, "wow this fic is kinda like that in a way :')"

Last chapter <- ⭐️ -> Next chapter

#legends of chima #for chima #chima #lego chima #lego legends of chima #lego #the legends of chima #cragger x laval #laval x cragger #lego chima laval #lego chima cragger

4 notes · View notes

storiesfromhalcyontale · 4 months

Text

Epilogue 1: Date night!

It’s been a couple of months now since me and Cragger had found ourselves in that realm. I hadn’t really thought about it honestly, all my duties as a king have really been keeping me occupied as of lately. Today was my first day off in weeks so I decided to finally go on that Date with Cragger. I told him a couple of weeks back that today would be my next day off so that’s when we can have our official first date.

I found myself pacing about my room, indecisive on what I was going to wear for tonight. I really didn’t know what I was going to do, this was my first date in a year and frankly I was panicking. I wanted it to be perfect, I just wanted everything to be perfect. No king duties, no issues, just me and Cragger. I turned around and saw Eris standing there patiently waiting.

“AH- Oh hey Eris.” I waved at her and went back to pacing around the room.

“Laval are you alright?” She asked concerned, looking over the possible outfits I had picked out for myself. “You told me to come over yesterday and you still haven’t told me why.”

“You’ve been on dates before right?” I asked her, looking at her with a serious stare.

“Yeah with Rogon like loads” Eris giggled to herself before continuing “But I don’t get why-” Her eyes widened as it clicked in her head. “LAVAL YOUR-”

“Dating again?” I laughed, I gave her an embarrassed smile“Yes I am. Now which outfit do I wear?” I held up one of the options, which is the outfit I normally wore but with some light blues and a red cape “Would this do?”

“Laval I-” Eris looked at me with an expression of kind-of shocked but kind-of not surprised “This is sudden. Whose this person might I ask?” I looked at her stunned, I didn’t expect her to ask this. Me and Cragger expected she would catch on and discussed telling her loads, we both agreed we’d tell her at some point but we didn’t know when. I sat down on my bed and sighed.

“You promise not to tell anyone?” I asked, “Not many people know.”

“Laval, you have my word.” She responded and took a seat next to me. “I won’t say a word to anyone. Not even to Cragger.” I sighed.

“That’s the funny thing” I laughed a little bit, “He’s actually my boyfriend now, He’s the guy I’m dating.” The words came out more confident than when I was coming out to Lavertus. Although that could’ve been due to the situation and or my friendship with Eris was more sibling-like. There was an awkward silence for a little bit before Eris gasped.

“Whoa.” She muttered, giving a sort-of ‘yeah I kind of guessed’ look, “How long have you loved him?”

“I…” I thought for a moment, I didn’t have an exact answer. “Well, I think it changed after what happened the day I found the crocodile beast and Crunket. We were having this short moment together before you and everyone else arrived, I don’t know why but in that moment I just felt… different about Cragger and I didn’t know why.” I stopped for a moment to think some more, “After me and Li’Ella agreed to break up and stay friends. I just felt a lot happier when I was with him.”

“When did you realise you loved Cragger?” Eris asked, placing her hand on my shoulder.

“It was actually shortly before we were taken to that other realm.” I replied, “We were just speedor racing and I was thinking that I just wanted to spend rest of my life with him.” I smiled, getting all flustered in the process.

“Who else knows about it?” Eris asked cautiously, I understood the amount of questions. Her best friend just told her that he’s dating someone who she thought was their best friend.

“Well I told Lavertus a couple of months ago.” I sighed, “And I told Sho and Asriel first. But since they aren’t here now I guess it’s just Lavertus and you that know.” Eris looked at me, I could tell she had one million questions in her head. But instead of asking them she just chuckled to herself.

“Well.” Eris smiled and proceeded to stand up, looking over the clothes I had picked out “Do you want me to help you then?”

“Yes!!” I shouted in relief “Thank you Eris! Thank you!” I hugged her, however I soon let go and looked over my options.

Later I soon found myself in an outfit that I overall liked that had a blue-ish cape and cyan tunic, however my nerves were getting to me. I had found myself sitting on my bed worrying, Eris was sitting next to me.

“I don’t know Eris, what if he doesn’t like it?” I asked her, worried.

“Don’t worry Laval, he's going to love it!” She reassured me, making final adjustments to the outfit and polishing my golden chestplate. “I guarantee you he’ll not think any less of you, even if he doesn’t like the outfit.” I smiled.

“Thanks bird-brain, that means a lot.”

“Your welcome furboy. Anything for my best friend.” She responded. I stood up and put my mane into a ponytail with the hair-tie that Sho said I could keep. I looked in my mirror taking a deep breath-in.

“I’m ready.” I muttered, taking one good look at myself in the mirror. I wasn’t the same lion I was before going to that realm, but to be honest. I was happier this way, I had an amazing boyfriend. And with my dad making a steady recovery and the nurses feeling confident that he’ll wake up soon, I feel the time where I can spend more time with Cragger is fast approaching!

“You alright Laval?” Eris asked me.

“Yeah. Yeah I am.” I responded, stretching my arms. I left my room with Eris following behind me. I soon ran into Lavertus who noticed the clothing choice I was wearing.

“So what’s the special occasion?” He asked, “Are you going out on a date or something?”

“Exactly that!” I responded with a grin, I walked past Lavertus who shouted “Good luck!” as I hopped onto my speedor and raced off. Me and Eris continued talking until I reached close to forever rock.

“Well, good luck with your date Laval.” Eris waved me goodbye as she flew away. I waved at her before parking my speedor and hopping off. I looked around wondering where Cragger was. I stood by the rock and waited, just thinking to myself and what we had planned for the date. Soon, Cragger appeared and he was wearing some sort of formal crocodile armour. I could feel my cheeks turning red as I looked at him.

“You look amazing!” We both said about each other's outfits, we both roared with laughter.

“I like what you did with the cape,” Cragger commented, examining the cape with curiosity. “It feels very…what’s the word…you?” I laughed at Cragger’s confusion of words.

“Thanks Cragger,” I responded with a smile. “I had to get some help from Eris on my outfit though. She also knows about us by the way” I looked down at the floor, “Sorry for telling her.”

“It’s fine Laval honestly.” Cragger grabbed my hand and I became flustered again, “She would’ve caught on sooner or later. Plus like I said a couple of months back before you came out to Lavertus, I don’t care what people think seeing us together.” I smiled at him, the genuine care in his voice was cute. “So what do we do on a date?”

“Hm..” I thought for a moment, “I actually don’t know. This isn’t exactly the fanciest first date area. Plus this is completely different to the dates me and Li’ella went on.” I could tell Cragger was thinking for a moment.

“Well, why don’t we do what we normally do?” Cragger responded, “Why don’t we play-fight?”

“Oh you're on!” I jumped back and soon me and Cragger were play-fighting at forever rock. Cragger’s moves were somewhat easy to dodge however they were much more improved upon since the last time we did this. However I came out victorious, and Cragger was on the floor. “Ahaha! I win mudlover!”

“Think again furboy!” Cragger jokingly shouted, tripping me up with his tail. I found myself laughing with Cragger joining in.

“How about we call it a tie then?” I asked while still laughing.

“Agreed.” Cragger responded, we both stared up at the sky. Smiling as we did so, I shuffled myself closer to Cragger and we both laid there cuddling for a while. It just felt nice to hangout with each other.

“Not much has changed has it?” I asked Cragger, looking at him.

“Hm?” Cragger took a second to register what I had just said, “Yeah I think I have to agree. We’ve just done what we’ve always done.”

“Yeah, but there’s now a lot more romance stuff.” I said with a smirk.

“Romance stuff?” Cragger looked at me confused.

“Yeah like this.” I pecked Cragger on the lips and when I pulled away we both became all flustered, both of us going red.

“Ohhh so that type of stuff?” Cragger jokingly asked.

“Yeah.” I responded with a smirk, we both moved and laid by the rock with all the points on them. I rested my head on Cragger’s shoulder and hummed, “Would you like to kiss more often?”

“Yeah.” Cragger responded. We both looked at eachother, then we both kissed again. Similar to what we did a couple of months back in my room but now sitting on the floor at one of my favourite places in all of Chima. Once both of us had pulled away we just looked at eachother then began giggling, I felt safe. I felt reassured. I felt in-love. All because of this goofy mudlover. I looked up at the sky as the sun was setting and we both sat there watching it set.

“Hey Cragger.” I muttered, “Want to have a sleepover at the lion temple tonight?” I saw his mouth grin from ear to ear. Well one side to another in this case.

“Of-course Laval!” He shouted, jumping up at the prospect. We both raced to our speedorz back to the lion temple and parked them just outside the temple. By the time we got back to the temple it was late with only guards out at this time, me and cragger walked past the lions and snuck up to my room. I smiled at Cragger as we both climbed into my bed and began cuddling. The rhythmic beating of his heart filled my ears as I rested my head on his chest we also

occasionally traded kisses on each other’s cheeks. I could feel myself gradually fall asleep as I murmured the words “I love you Cragger.”

“I love you too Laval.” We both fell asleep, I felt confident that he’d always be by my side. No matter what happens, he’ll be there for me for all my ups and downs.

<-Previous Chapter

Epilogue 2->

What I basically did for the epilogues was split them up into an Halcyontale side and a LOC side. I decided to do the LOC side first since I had an acc idea for what I wanted to do for it, so this is just Laval going on a date with Cragger (+Eris popping off with the third wheel role). It's just a sweet sweet epilogue which makes up for how short the second one is.

2 notes · View notes