Hey my man, I couldn't help noticing that you're still active. If you have this whole story archived, could you maybe copy-paste the whole thing here, even if you're not into Chima any more, since me and probably some others never finished reading this one on the old LMBs.
Oh, I'm sorry. I never really stopped liking Chima, I'm just not active here. But I can continue to post this here if you like, you'll just have to keep reminding me. It's pretty long.
I tried to run for it, but I ended up running in place. In fact, the harder I tried to get there, the more force with which I was beaten back. Something obviously did not want me to return to my fellow ravens. The question was, what? Just then, a wave of invisible energy collided with me, blowing me backward like a leaf in an autumnal wind. I desperately tried to hang on to something, but the floor of the tunnel was smooth. Then two more invisible blows, one from ahead, one from behind, simultaneously struck me, lifting me off the floor and whirling me around until blackness enveloped my vision. My mind wandered. Finally, it settled on one image: the flower field. As the mental landscape unfolded, each of the flower heads formed the same face. And not just any face. A lion face. Then a shadowy crocodile entered the scene. It walked forward a few steps and turned back and forth, as if looking for something. Suddenly I felt something shove me from behind, and once I came to my senses, I found I was stumbling out of a doorway and into the Chi chamber. I was on my feet for a second--then I collapsed. The strain back in the tunnel had taken a lot out of me, and how I'd gotten back here was a mystery. But, what mattered for now was that I was safe. The ravens and lions were talking on the other side of the chamber, so they hadn't noticed me yet. I decided I wasn't taking chances with any more doorways unless Lagravis was leading me, and I headed towards the group of animals. Razcal was the first to notice me. He beckoned me over, raising a talon to his beak. When I reached the group, Razcal took me aside to talk.
"You were gone long enough," said Razcal. "We've finished negotiating and the sun's getting low. Give your report to Rawzom when we get back to the gliders." Looking around Razcal, I saw Rawzom and Lagravis shake hands and part, each of their tribal groups following them. I noted with unease that Lagravis walked as if he was in pain. "Let's go back to the gliders now," Rawzom said, winking at us. "This doorway." I followed nervously through the chosen doorway, watching to see if it would seal itself off behind us. Yet as nothing of the sort happened, I began to relax, thinking that what I had been through earlier had all been a very strange day dream. My mind told me I had simply fainted out of nerves as soon as I stepped into that tunnel. Still, a sort of dizziness gripped me now, seemingly warning me not to let my guard down. We had walked for a considerably shorter time than it had taken to get into the Chi chamber when we reached the outside. Rawzom began to descend the stone steps at the front of the temple; I paused to have one last wary look around before doing the same. Once we arrived at the treeline, Rawzom called out, "Razar! Razar, are you there?" Razar did not answer. "I hope the fool didn't start another fight," muttered Rawzom. "Razar!" Walking into the trees a few steps, we came upon the gliders. Rawzom poked around a bit to find Razar reclining in one of the gliders, snoring, his pouches jangling every time he took a breath. I sighed, having expected nothing less.
Razar spluttered as water was poured over his head from a bucket. "There," said Rawzom."That should teach you to sleep on the job. Now, Rizzo..." Rawzom turned to me. "Did you do what I asked?" "I found--" I began, but I was cut off by Rawzom. "Found the treasure room? Good. Then let's wait it out here." "Perhaps...it would be wise to save this excursion for another night?" A night when happenings at the lion temple were less unusual. Despite the fact that my mind told me it had all been a dream, What had happened disturbed me and left me quivering. "But why?" said Rawzom. "Every part of the plan has worked well so far. I don't think your being paranoid will help." Admittedly, I wasn't expressing my anxiety well, but setting foot in the temple again would probably be a mistake. I would have to play along for now, like it or not, until I could find some way to make them give it up. "As you wish sir," I said to Rawzom. "That's settled then," said Rawzom. "Next order of business: the gliders. Should we leave a guard, or trust to luck that nobody's out to steal our stuff?" Of course, the majority of the ravens chose the latter option, none of them wanting to miss the plundering. "Any crowns that're found belong to me," Rawzom reminded everyone loudly. Razar's eyes shifted back and forth at this, and I knew right then that he would try to make it home with at least two crowns. I also knew that I was responsible for saving the whole group from their own greed. At that time the crushing realization of what I had to do fell upon me, and I began to fear for my life, and the lives of all those with me. "So what are we to do now?" I asked Rawzom. "The hardest part," he said. "We wait."
Rawzom turned out to be correct. Waiting for the sun to go down was one of the most difficult things I had done all day. Several times I tried to warn Rawzom about what he was getting himself into, but my beak seemingly couldn't form the word "sorcery", and my tongue practically tied itself in knots when I tried to explain the self-rearranging tunnels. Eventually, the sun sank below the horizon, yet still Rawzom did not give the order to move out. I paced, I fidgeted, I counted the feathers on my wings, but nothing could push back the anxious feeling growing within me. What if whatever force that held my tongue would continue to hold it all night? Then I would never be able to warn Rawzom of any danger that might lurk ahead. "Time to move out," Rawzom whispered. "The guards have nodded off." Guards? What guards? Peering out through the trees, I could see not one guard stationed at the entrance to the temple. Was Rawzom joking? By now, the other ravens had left the trees and were making their way across the clearing towards the stone steps. I soon followed, though much more tentatively. A crescent moon was out, and scores of twinkling stars filled the sky around it, illuminating our way. I shook my head and turned back to the task at hand. So easy to get distracted. When we arrived at the top of the steps, Rawzom looked to me and said, "Rizzo, it's time to make yourself useful again. I need you to lead us to the treasure room. You remember the way, right?" "Only starting from the Chi chamber," I said. "But I do not think--" At those words, my beak sealed itself and I could say no more.
Rawzom didn't seem to think anything was amiss, however, and so led the way into the darkened entrance tunnel. "So be it," said he. "I'll take you to the Chi chamber, and you'll take us to the treasure room." There was a cheer of agreement, which was quickly shushed by Rawzom. The passageway wasn't as dark as it had appeared from the outside. One could see quite well in both directions; and it didn't take as many twists as the first time we had walked through it. "Here we are," Rawzom whispered suddenly. "The chamber." As we filed into the Chi chamber, the pool of Chi glowed ever so slightly brighter, as if signaling for help. "Lead the way Rizzo." Not wanting to look unsure of what I was doing, I chose a passageway at random and briskly walked towards it. As soon as I stepped onto it, I turned and looked back. The Chi chamber was still there. What was more, all the ravens were lined up behind me, looking rather confused. "What are you doing?!" Razar whispered angrily. "Just...just confirming that we are all here," I said. Razar rolled his eyes. "Of course we're all here! Now get on with it!" I turned back around and continued walking. Was sorcery at work here? I would have to wait and see. The more pressing issue was: would the ravens find out I was bluffing? The more I thought about it, the more certain I became that they would find out the answer. The passageway stretched on and on, and eventually Rawzom burst out impatiently, "How much longer 'til we get there?!" "Oh, not too much longer," I said, cringing as soon as the words left my beak. For in truth, how much longer would we stumble through the tunnels of the lion temple? I strained my eyes to look forward through the gloom--and suddenly, I saw a flash of gold.
"I think we have arrived," I said, not quite believing my own words. And yet there it was in front of me: the treasure room."Here," said Rawzom, the strange light returning to his eyes. "I brought some bags.... Here, start filling them up." The room was filled with enough treasure to satisfy even Razar--or so I thought. "How are we going to split all this?" said Razar. "Ah...umm...we'll get to that later," said Rawzom. "After all--" Rawzom broke off. "Rawzom..." Rerde walked over. "What is it?" Rawzom silently pointed to something half-buried under gold coins and precious stones. "Let's have a look," said Rerde, starting to dig the object out. When it was completely uncovered, I saw that it was a statue made of pure gold. In general appearance it resembled a lion, but with no mane and no snout. It was actually rather ugly, yet Rawzom seemed entranced by it. "It's...it's a golden animal!" "But what kind?" I asked quietly. "No matter," said Rawzom. "I shall call it Mr Gold, and, with a little help from the wolves, it'll look just like me! Oh, this is too good to be true!" Too good to be true. The phrase echoed inside my head. Why would these words seem so important? Something was nagging at the back of my mind...that was when I realized: I had only found the treasure room because the temple had wanted me to. So perhaps we would never get out. Or worse, someone was coming to catch us in the act right now. Whatever the case, I would have to think fast.
Oh, I'm sorry. I never really stopped liking Chima, I'm just not active here. But I can continue to post this here if you like, you'll just have to keep reminding me. It's pretty long.
Oh, I'm sorry. I never really stopped liking Chima, I'm just not active here. But I can continue to post this here if you like, you'll just have to keep reminding me. It's pretty long.
Oh, no problem. Cool!
Z-Whales Next chapter? Sorry to keep pestering you, but I don't have access to this story anywhere else at the moment.
I walked to the doorway of the treasure room and looked out; but there was nothing to see other than the darkness. I walked back into the room to find Rawzom ordering four of the ravens to lift the large statue he had named "Mr Gold". "Rawzom," I said. "I believe we should be leaving soon." Usually, Rawzom did not pay any attention to my contributions relating to his plans. Yet he must have perceived the urgency of my tone, because he squinted thoughtfully and said,"Finish filling those bags--and make it snappy. You four--start moving Mr Gold to the tunnel. We wouldn't want anyone to find us here." The ravens began to work faster, stuffing the bags as full as possible. Rawzom oversaw the transportation of Mr Gold. Things were running smoothly, and were moments away from completing the job when the unmistakable sound of a footstep echoed from the tunnel. Everyone froze. "Quick!" Rawzom whispered. "Find somewhere to hide!" Mr Gold was set down gently, and we all hid in shadowy alcoves or behind stone pillars. The sound of footsteps came again, then stopped. After a long spell of silence, Rawzom stepped out from his hiding place and yelled. There was no response from the tunnel. No more footsteps. Rawzom chuckled. "False alarm," he said. "Let's finish this." Once we were ready, Rawzom pulled me off to the side. "Keep your ears out, just in case. I'll lead the way back." And we started off again into the tunnel. I soon fell to the back of the group, so if someone was following us, I would know. Not being able to see much, I strained my ears for the slightest sound. And that was when I heard it: the sound of feet dragging along the ground.
I made my way to the front of the group as quietly as I could. My heart was pounding. Putting my beak as close to Rawzom's ear slit as I could, I whispered, "Something's following us!" as loud as I dared. Rawzom turned his head to look at me and nodded. He stopped walking and signaled for the others to stop as well. We listened very carefully, but no footsteps were audible. Rawzom shrugged and started walking again. "Go to the back and listen again," he murmured to me. "That may've been a false alarm, but we can't be too careful at this point." So I moved to the end of the line, listening intently. Soon I heard it again: what sounded like a pair of shuffling feet. I waited a little longer to ensure that what I was hearing was real. Once the sound had repeated itself eight more times, I turned around (for I had been walking backward) to report to Rawzom. But even though it was almost too dark to see, I could tell that Rawzom was no longer there. Neither was the rest of the group. I began to grow very frightened; until I realized that the sound of footsteps had gone too. But where was I? I turned a circle on the spot, trying to get my bearings; but it was of no help. The temple could have brought me anywhere. Walking forward, I stretched out my arms, trying to find a wall. The tip of my talon swept against one, and I moved my claws back and forth across it. Yet again, I would have to choose one direction or the other. Eventually, with time and luck, I would be able to find the group of ravens. However, if the being following them chose to reveal itself.... I decided not to think about that.
Soon the darkness pressed in all around me, making it difficult to breathe, let alone see. At some point I would need to start moving, if only to keep from becoming yet more scared. But it was actually quite comfortable here in this little corner.... All I had to do was close my eye.... I sat bolt upright. How long had I slept? Judging by the fact that my throat was sore and I sniffled whenever I took a breath, Most likely a long while. I stood up, steadied myself, and started walking to my right. Running might have made things quicker, but I desired to save my energy for any possible entanglements ahead. Even after clearing my throat, it still felt sore. Perhaps I was having an allergic reaction to something in the walls. Ere long, I saw light. Strange, I thought. There shouldn't be light anywhere at this time. And there it was, right in front of me. Mayhap I was still asleep in that stony corner, dreaming. Yet as I drew closer, I found that the light was blue. I had found the Chi chamber again. Only this time, as I stepped into the chamber, the pool of Chi glowed blue, then went out. I stood in complete blackness. Then the glow returned. And went out. The pattern continued to repeat itself until I took another step forward. That was when the Chi glowed so brightly it illuminated the entire room until it was bright as day. The Chi then concentrated the light into one intense beam, which burned into the wall. The beam, in a series of precise movements, scored what looked like a message on the wall. Once the beam of Chi had subsided, I tried to make out the message it had left. "You shall need Emerot, as it needs you," I read aloud to myself. And I barely had time to think about what it meant when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
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