#Windra the wolf

[maverickcanine]

as if i was gonna miss day 8! windra my beloved. if windra has zero fans im DEAD

[olivescales3]

[rayeverydangday]

They should be besties!

Also I kinda messed up the dates :/

[chimachapterbooks]

LONE WOLF

It was dinnertime for the Wolf Pack.

That meant three things: meat, meat, and more meat.

Everyone was gathered around a large campfire and chowing down on the day's feast. All the Wolves were chomping and chewing and generally having a good time.

Everyone, that is, except Wonald.

For as far back as anyone could remember, Wonald had always been a bit . . . different. While his friends all howled at the moon, Wonald loved basking in its light.

While the other Wolves snarled and growled at animals that came too near to the pack, Wonald would walk up and try to make friends.

But it was dinnertime that really set Wonald apart.

His choice in food was, well, strange.

"Wonald, what are you doing?" A white Wolf named Windra marched up to him.

Windra was one of the most beautiful Wolves in the entire pack. She was also one of the most vicious.

Wonald gulped, then stammered, "Um, well, I'm, um... I'm actually making a salad."

"You're what?" Windra looked down at the bowl of lettuce, tomatoes, and other vegetables in front of Wondald in disgust. She took a sniff and crinkled up her nose. "That is the worst excuse for a dinner I've ever seen. Wonald, hard as it might be to believe, you are a Wolf. Wolves do not eat salad. Wolves eat meat."

"But I don't like meat," Wonald protested.

Windra leaned in close. "It doesn't matter if you like or not," she hissed. "You are a Wolf, and its what we do!"

Wonald shrugged. "Well, it's not what / do. Besides, I don't have any meat, then there's more for everyone else, right?"

Windra growled in frustration and stalked away.

"Phew." Wonald exhaled. That had been close.

Usually the other Wolves just ignored him when he was acting different. But tonight, they seemed especially argumentative.

When his salad was ready, Wonald went off on his own to eat. That way, he wouldn't provoke any jokes from the other Wolves, or have to watch them gulping down their dinners.

After his meal was over, Wonald returned to the rest of the pack. Even though he usually ate dinner alone, he still liked to be a part of the group. They were his family after all. And he figured that by now they would be full from eating and would have calmed down.

Unfortunately, Wonald was wrong. All the Wolves had grown even rowdier. They were fighting amongst themselves, growling and snapping and biting.

"Stop it!" Wonald cried as he jumped away from a pair of wrestling Wolves. "Why do we have to fight all the time, just because we're Wolves?"

The others responded by snarling at him. "It's what we do, Wonald. If you don't like it, then maybe you shouldn't be here!"

Wonald felt hurt. He was used to being made fun of. But the others had never told him to leave. Wolves always stuck together, even when they were arguing.

Shaking his head, Wonald walked away. He decided it would be better to sleep away from the pack tonight.

That would give them a chance to cool down. By tomorrow morning, perhaps they would be in better spirits. He headed over to a small cave where it would be quiet and dark.

Wonald slept soundly, not even stirring when there was some commotion outside. When he finally woke up, it was late the next morning. He got up, stretched, and headed for camp to see if he had any berries left for his breakfast.

But when he stepped outside, Wonald's eyes grew wide with surprise.

There was no sign of the other Wolves anywhere.

All the vehicles were gone, too. It looked like the whole camp had packed up overnight and moved on somewhere else!

"I can't believe it," he whispered. "They left me!"

Wonald's heart sank. The Wolves hadn't been just grumpy last night. They had really meant what they’d said! They had wanted Wonald to leave! And worse, they had actually moved on without him! Wolves always traveled in packs, roaming from one campsite to the red next. But they never left one of their own behind ...

Until now.

It must be my fault, Wonald thought sadly. They got tired of how "different" I am and decided to kick me out of the pack. But I don't want to be on my own. I have to find them!

Wonald sniffed the ground. Years of hunting out the tastiest nuts and berries had given him an excellent sense of smell. He could tell the pack had gone northwest. Wonald started to follow them.

After a short time, he came to a fork in the road. By the large vehicle tracks on the ground, he could tell the pack had gone right. But the wheels of their trucks had torn up all the dirt, demolishing a nearby meerkat nest.

The meerkats were busily trying to repair the damage.

Wonald walked over. "Can I help?" he asked.

"Look at this mess!" snapped one of the meerkats.

"We had just finished cleaning up for the big family reunion! All fifteen thousand one hundred sixty-seven of our relatives are coming over! and some nasty bunch of Wolves knocked down our house!"

'I'm sure they didn't mean it," Wonald said soothingly. "They were probably just in a hurry. Here, let me clear some of this dirt away from your holes."

The meerkats grumbled, but when they saw Wonalds large paws were better at clearing away dirt than theirs, they agreed. He had repaired the worst of the damage in no time at all.

When Wonald was done helping the meerkats rebuild their nest, he set out on the trail of the Wolves again.

It wasn't long before he came upon a grove of trees that had been knocked over. A bunch of squirrels were running to and fro, gathering nuts that were scattered on the ground.

"Nuts, nuts, nuts!" said one of the squirrels.

"Yes, there are certainly a lot of them," agreed Wonald.

"No, I mean, nuts to those Wolves who knocked down our trees!" said the squirrel. "We put all our nuts in these trees, and now they're everywhere. Some are crushed. We'll never be able to recover all of them. No, no, no!"

Wonald immediately began picking up nuts and bringing them to the squirrels' pile.

As soon as the squirrels noticed him, they shook their tiny fists angrily.

"First you Wolves destroy our trees, and now you're taking our nuts!" they squeaked.

"I don't want your nuts, though they do look tasty,” Wonald assured them. "I was just trying to help you clean up."

"On," said the squirrels. They looked sorry for yelling at him. "Well, that's all right, then. Keep going."

Once that job was finished, Wonald moved on. He couldn't believe how much damage his Wolf Pack was causing as they traveled. Sometimes he had a hard time believing he was a Wolf. He would never act this way!

The Wolves' scent was getting stronger, though, so he knew he would catch up to them any minute now.

Soon, Wonald came to a rushing river. On the shore, a little beaver was crying.

"What's the matter?" Wonald asked.

"My beautiful dam!" said the beaver. "Some Wolves came by and broke it to pieces as they crossed the river. It will take me hours to fix and just think of all the bark I'll need to find! And the sticks and the rocks. I'll never be able to gather enough supplies. I could hire a professional dam builder, but do you know how much they cost? Five hundred pieces of tree bark an hour, and that's just for labor! And then there's-“

"It's okay," interrupted Wonald. He knew from experience that beavers would talk all day long, if given the chance. "I'll give you a paw rebuilding your dam."

Together, the Wolf and the beaver worked side by side to fix the broken dam. When they were dong the beaver offered Wonald some tree bark as a snack.

Wonald said no--he wasn't that hungry. Besides, the scent of the Wolf pack was superstrong now. He would catch up to them any minute.

A short while later, Wonald came to a small hill. He could hear the Wolf pack on the other side, snarling and growling! Wonald ran toward the sound. Just as he reached the top of the hill, he spotted them. Windra and the other Wolves were chasing some rabbits away from their grazing ground. And the wheels from their huge trucks were completely ripping up the grass as they went.

"Hev! Stop!" Wonald cried, rushing forward “Leave the rabbits alone!"

"What are you going to do about it?" growled one of the Wolves, without turning around. "Get lost!"

That's what you told me the last time," Wonald said. "And I spent all day trying to find you again. But after seeing all the damage the pack has done and the way you've ruined so many innocent animals homes, I'm not sure I want to be with you guys after all."

The Wolf who had snapped at Wonald suddenly looked over his shoulder. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "It's Wonald! Hey, everybody, it's Wonald!"

The rest of the Wolves turned.

"Wonald? Where?"

"Did someone say Wonald?"

"Out of the way, let me see!"

The whole pack suddenly surrounded the young Wolf. Even the rabbits stopped running and watched what was happening, puzzled. Wonald didn't know what it all meant, either.

"Why are you guys so happy to see me?" he asked. "You're the ones who ran off and left me, remember?"

"We didn't abandon you," Windra said, running up to him. "You abandoned us. When it was time to move out, you were nowhere to be found."

"I didn't know you were leaving!" Wonald insisted.

“Worriz told us right after supper," said one of the wolves. "Didn't you hear him? We spent the entire evening packing up camp."

Wonald suddenly remembered that he had walked out after supper. He had missed the pack leader's speech to the other Wolves. That was why he didn't know the pack was traveling on before dawn.

"We looked everywhere, but couldn't find you," said Windra.

"I came looking for you, but only saw all the damage you have been doing in the forest," answered Wonald.

"Well, we were upset," said an older Wolf. "We thought you had deserted the pack. No one has ever left the pack. You might not always act like we do, but you are still one of us, Wonald."

Hearing that the other Wolves had missed him made Wonald happier than he'd been all day. Still, he couldn't shake aside his disappointment at the destruction the Wolves had caused.

"I know you were upset," he said. "But you guys caused a lot of damage to other animals today. I'm not sure I'm ready to rejoin the pack just yet."

All the Wolves gasped.

“You really would leave us?" they cried in dismay.

“Well." said Wonald slowly. He looked over at the rabbits crouched nearby. The little bunnies were stir shaking in fear, but they were mostly stunned by what was happening.

"I've been helping the animals repair everything you guys destroyed today," Wonald said. "I think I could be convinced to rejoin the pack, if we helped the rabbits clean up their grazing field."

"If we what?" many of the Wolves exclaimed. They didn't like being told what to do, especially if it involved helping.

But the elder Wolf quieted them. "Wonald is one of us," he said in a loud voice. "So perhaps, just this one time, we should try things his way." The older Wolf then looked over to Worriz for approval. Growling, Worriz nodded in agreement.

The pack spent a short while helping repair the damage to the grass while the rabbits watched on in amazement. The little creatures kept their distance. But they seemed rooted to the spot. They had never seen the Wolves being helpful before!

When the Wolves had finished, the grass looked better . .. mostly. Wonald smiled. It would do.

"All right, enough helping," snapped Windra. “Wonald back. So we had better find a new place to camp for the night. Preferably where there are plenty of-“ She gave Wonald a long look.

"vegetables," she said through gritted teeth.

Wonald grinned.

That night, he had his usual salad for dinner. But this time, when the others went to howl at the moon, Wonald went with them. He still thought it was kind of a silly thing to do, but they were his family after all.

Together, the Wolves howled happily until the dawn.

[guaca-and-her-sonder]

Chimay day 8: "Wolf" (List by Leo Alcado)

For today I was gonna draw Windra but I figured that was gonna be a popular choice, so I did Winzar doing his "nice face" instead!

[raisedlikeaphoenix]

Raised like a Phoenix - Chapter 5: I May Fail But I Have to Try

Tormak studied the many altars put up in honor of the fallen in the middle of town. As people passed by, going up to the many booths set up, eating the street food offered, and dancing to the music. Occasionally placing an offering of their own.

Flowers decorated the altars in all sorts of colors, a few even held items that belonged to the long gone owners. All of them would have a painting or picture of some kind featuring the one it was dedicated to. He even saw one or two hand drawn by a child.

In the center of it all were eight gravestones, each one dedicated to the eight fallen heroes.

“Dad, I need to tell you something.”

Tormak turned to see his daughter, with the Legend Beast behind her along with someone wearing a cloak.

“Whose that?” He pointed towards the stranger, whose crimson eyes stared back.

Li’Ella gave a nervous chuckle. “Okay. Dad. I’m gonna get everyone's attention. But I just want to say. This is going to fix everything.”

A smile. A genuine smile that Tormak hadn’t seen in a while blessed her face. He couldn’t help but give her one in return at the sight of how happy she looked.

“Alright. But what exactly are you planning?”

“You’ll see.” She called behind her as she roared to get everyone's attention.

Music stopped.

People turned towards the lioness.

She stood up on a nearby bench, the cloak stranger standing beside it.

All eyes were on them.

She cleared her throat.

“As you all know, I constantly return to our old home to retrieve things that were lost. Things that many thought they would never see again. I do this because I want those memories to stay alive. I want people to know what they had and who we lost. But today, I bring something that will not just to remind people of the past-”

A nervous looking Flinx walked up beside Tormak, as the panther stared in confusion.

“- but inspire hope for a brand new future. Today, upon the tenth anniversary of the loss of our loved ones, I bring you home one of our own. I bring you the FireWings-”

The stranger began removing the cloak.

“-And with them: Laval!”

Many gasped at the sight of the long dead lion. A few fainted. One screamed. Tormak stared in awe at the sight, eying the fire chi in his harness.

Laval waved. “Hey, everyone. I’m back. Heh, heh.”

-

A meeting with each leader of each tribe wasn’t something Laval wanted to do at the moment but it's not like he could say no.

Each Legend Beast had also come along with their respective tribal leader, but not before giving Laval their respective greeting by hugging him, playing with his mane with beaks, and even getting a playful nibble from the Crocodile Beast.

They all stood in an exact replica of phoenix’s old temple, right down to the flowing lava, fire chi glowing in something that looked kinda like a bowl.

Almost all the leaders he knew were still alive and well, just old and wearing warmer clothing. He couldn’t help but cast a glance at Crominus and Crunket, who stared at the lion in disbelief. Maybe they’re thinking the same thing Li’Ella did. If I can come back, so can Cragger.

The thought made him wonder what his sister, Crooler, must be up to, as she was not present during the meeting (nor was Lavertus).

He did, however, see the new Wolf and Raven leaders: Windra (who had a master poker face), Razcal (who looked super worried), and Flinx. But no Fluminox. Which meant-

Oh.

Oh no.

He instantly felt bad for the little guy as he could relate, since he literally just found out that his own Dad died about an hour ago. Has it only been a few hours, it felt like it's been weeks!

Crominus broke the silence when Tormak and Li’Ella shut the doors.

“How can we find the others?!” Straight to point, huh? Not that Laval mind.

Li’Ella stepped up. “I’m not sure. Honestly, it was pure luck that I even came across Laval. Perhaps they’re hidden behind puzzles and traps like before, that's why I hadn’t seen them on my trips.”

Ewald nodded. “Perhaps our resident Panther can summon the map again. It could be of help.”

But Tormak shook his head. “Ever since the collapse of Cavora I haven’t been able to. Even if I could, I doubt they’ll be in the same place as before.”

“Well… I was at the Lion Temple. So maybe the others will be where they called home to.” Laval suggested.

Windra grunted in agreement.

“But we gots to keep it on the down low. We don’t want those bummer dudes to figure out our plan.” Grumlo reminded the group.

Razcal thought for a second before saying, “What if the Hunters discover our plan and head out to destroy the Fire wings or even…” He trailed off but the lion knew what he was going to say and shook at the thought.

“They won't be able to destroy the firewings and perhaps they will protect their users.” Tormak mentioned.

Always a skeptic, Ewald couldn’t help but ask, “And what if they aren’t at their respective homeland? Where will we look then?”

He’s right. They could very well be in a trophy room of their own. Laval was only there because Sir Bucky had intentionally put him up on display for the world to see. But he couldn’t help but have this gut feeling…

“I don’t know why but I feel this… pull… towards them… I bet they’d feel it if they… were awake.” He didn’t want to say dead , he can’t bring himself to say it.

Rhigor and Bezar nodded in agreement.

“Well, if that's all we got I’ll take it. But a physical map would be nice.” Ewald said in a tired voice.

“Uh… I’ll figure it out. But for now I was wondering what the Crawl-”

“Sorry we’re late!”

The group turned to see the very leaders of the Crawlers: Spinlyn (who donned a spider spun robe and a gold tooth), Braptor (who flew around in an oversized gray sweater that was kinda cute), and Scorm (who wore a brown skirt, sweater, scarf, and gold helmet and whose face was covered by a clipboard.)

Spinlyn and Braptor stopped in their place, eyes wide as they stared at someone they assumed was a corpse for years. While Scorm continued walking forward, clipboard in hand. “I don’t know what you all want but we’re busy trying to figure out this mysterious fog stuff and also something to do with speedors getting stuck in…” He finally looked up from his clipboard as he walked right up to Laval.

Then he screamed.

“Hey, Scorm.” Laval said, as the scorpion continued screaming.

“You!”

“Me.”

“Dead!?”

“Was.”

“How?!”

“Chi.”

“Whaaaaaaaaa!” Scorm the Scorpion King, the one who crippled Cavora and kidnapped all the Legend Beasts, ran out of the room screaming.

Laval watched the little guy go, then turned towards the Spider and Bat tribe leaders.

“So how have you guys been?”

-

“Good thing the beavers make a ton of empty houses for fun.” Li’Ella said as he opened the door to Laval’s new home. It was quite big, the architecture quite similar to something the lion’s would build which gave Laval a lot of conflicted feelings.

“Soooooooo… Where’s Lavertus?” Laval couldn’t help but ask since he hadn’t seen him at the festival or during the meeting.

“He’s out collecting some stuff. I’ll message him. Though maybe I’ll say, ‘hey you should come back there's something you should see’ and not ‘your dead nephews back,’ you know?”

Laval chuckled despite himself. “Well, I’ll leave you to… uh… or do you want to talk about anything? I know today has been a lot.” Li’Ella asked.

The lion sighed. “Well… it’s hard to start where to… start… I guess. I just think I need to… think? UGH! I just don’t know. I don’t know!” He threw up his hands, as he gave Li’Ella a bewildered look.

The lioness sympathized with her fellow tribemate. “Well, do you want to talk about it?” She asked again.

The two stared at each other for a bit, Laval studying the whites of Li’Ella’s eyes. Something he doesn’t have anymore.

“I guess I just feel… helpless… after everything I failed. I failed to save my friends, my family, my tribe, Chima, Cavora, and…”

His Uncle, his best friend, his Dad…

“So many people… gone… because of me…”

Li’Ella cupped Laval’s face as he gave him a sad smile.

“I know it’s hard. We all felt like we had a role in its downfall but we now all get a chance to be a part of its rise.”

Laval touched her right hand as a tear fell from his eye.

“And what if I fail again?” He mumbled, as Li’Ella whipped his tears away.

“It’s better you fail after you’ve tried again, then to just give up.”

-

Laval looked out the window facing towards Chima. It felt so weird to not see Cavora floating up in the air like it always does. It was apparently still alive so that was good. But it still felt off to see it wasn’t the same as before.

Kinda like him in a way. Still alive, but not the same as before. He ran his hand through his mane and-

His crown.

It was gone! Was it destroyed or lost on the way here?

He ran to a nearby mirror in a bathroom to see and… woah. He really didn’t get a good look of himself until now. It was hard to believe he was still alive, still a functioning person with how he looks. Black eyes, deep gashes, a missing arm. Maybe this is how the Hunters felt when they were revived. The thought almost makes him feel bad for them.

Almost.

He steps away from the mirror and plops on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

“...”

…

“Dad…”

…

“I’m sorry I failed…”

…

“You’d probably say something smart or whatever just to give me hope.”

…

“But I’m scared Dad. The whole tribe is gone, you're gone! Everything is different. I’m different!”

…

“Was I with you? When I died? Maybe I was and when Li’Ella woke me up I just forgot all about it…”

…

“I don’t know exactly what to do.”

…

“But I do know everyone can’t keep living like this. And that me and my friends are their only hope!”

...

"I may fail again but I have to try."

…

“I just hope you're doing okay and all…with the tribe. With mom.”

…

“Goodnight, Dad.”

…

“I’ll miss you.”

Last chapter <- ⭐️ -> Next chapter

[buy-legos]

Price: $13.80 LEGO Chima – Windra The Wolf MinifigureVery Rare Windra The Wolf Minifigure ONLY

The post LEGO Chima – Windra The Wolf Minifigure appeared first on Buy Legos Online.

[maverickcanine]

i owe you a black eye and two kisses <3 (chimay day 25, late post)

[maverickcanine]

(old art) i love war criminals

[maverickcanine]

who wants more crooler x windra propaganda

[maverickcanine]

commission for @spoonspooker !!! (pls do not use)

i used to be THE biggest windorriz shipper, so i loved getting to draw them again. i just love drawing wolves 🫶

[maverickcanine]

Yeah pls worriz/windra for d2 👉👈

i don't know how much this counts as "hurt/comfort"

[maverickcanine]

omg what are they doing

[rayeverydangday]

Windra in denial

[maverickcanine]

i think they do lesbianism together which is fine

[chimachapterbooks]

The Auction

“Holy Razoli, I must be seeing things!” Rizzo exclaimed flying closer to the ground. He couldn’t believe his luck.

There, curled up on the dirt, was the most valuable item he had ever laid eyes on. It was worth hundreds of trinkets and treasures. Maybe even thousands.

I’m just going to borrow this, he thought, stuffing the parchment in his bag. I'm sure Longtooth won't mind. And if he does, hey, I'll make him a deal.

Rizzo smiled and quickly flew away. Today was turning out to be a very good day.

Just this morning, he had visited Longtooth the Lion with one of his best deals yet.

"It’s a brand-new Speedor wheel. Powerful as can be!" Rizzo had said, presenting Longtooth with a large round stone. It shimmered with blue CHI energy. "Let's make a deal. For you, half off!"

Longtooth wasn't as enthusiastic. "You sneaky thief," he had growled. "That's my Speedor wheel. It went missing last month!"

After a heated shouting match, Longtooth had stalked away with the Speedor wheel in hand. He had managed to get it back for just three trinkets and treasures- a very fair deal, if Rizzo said so himself.

That was when the Raven had spotted it.

A curled parchment was lying on the ground near longtooth's guard post. It looked normal enough. But scrawled across the top in big letters, it read MONTHLY CHI DELIVERY SCHEDULE.

Rizzo realized it was a map of all the CHI delivery routes the Lions were planning to take that month.

Anyone who had this scroll could plan ambushes and thefts for weeks! Of course, the Lions could change the schedule, if they noticed the parchment was missing.

But if they didn't notice . . . well, a lot of CHI could wind up in the hands of a clever bunch of thieves.

So now, Rizzo was flying back as fast as his wings could carry him to the Ravens' Camp.

A devious smile spread across his face. I could use the map for myself, he thought. But I'd need other Ravens to help me ambush the Lions. And then I'd have to split the profits! No, I’ve got a better idea, It's time for a good old fashioned auction!

Rizzo was not popular, even for a member of his tribe. Where most Ravens had some depths to which they would not sink, Rizzo had none. Other animals said that he was dishonest, a cheat, a thief, someone who would sell his own grandmother if the price was right.

He had to admit they were right about the first three.

As for Grandma, he always made sure she got a cut whenever he sold her . . . a small cut, but still, it was something. And one thing no one could deny was that he knew how to make a deal.

Rizzo quietly put out the word that the parchment was up for sale, starting with the Crocodiles. Then he let the Wolves know, too. An auction was no good with only one bidder. As he landed in the field chosen for the auction site, he saw Crooler the Crocodile and Windra the Wolf stalking up to the clearing.

"What's she doing here?" Windra snarled, looking Crooler up and down.

"I would ask the same thing," Crooler said, her eyes narrowing at Rizzo. "I thought this was a private sale."

"It is," Rizzo insisted. "A private auction. Just you two no one else. Only my best clients."

Rizzo smiled. "Now, who would like to make me the first offer?"

“Where's the parchment?" Windra asked. "Show it to us first."

Rizzo gulped. "Well, I don't have it with me," he said. "How dumb do you think I am?"

Crooler started to answer, but then changed her mind. "Fine. Let's get this over with," she said. "I bid five trinkets and treasures."

"Ten," said Windra.

"Twenty," snapped Crooler.

"I meant ten a month for the rest of vour life,"

Windra hissed.

"I meant twenty a week for the rest of your life,"

Crooler countered.

Windra leaned in close to Rizzo. "Sell it to me, or there won't be a rest of your life."

Rizzo shuddered.

“Stop bidding, Wolf," Crooler threatened.

Windra bared her teeth. "Make me."

"This is getting us nowhere," Crooler said angrily. " don't like your auction, Rizzo. There are other ways to settle this." She stalked away.

Windra watched her go, and then slowly turned toward the Raven. "You know, the pack can be a good friend," she smiled at Rizzo. "Suppose you needed a little . . . protection. Worriz and the Wolves would be happy to take care of that for you. All you have to do is give me that parchment."

Rizzo fluttered into the air. He didn't like having a Wolf's jaws quite so close. "Ravens don't give things away," he whined. "It's against the law."

Windra's smile widened. On her face, it was a frightening expression. "And Wolves don't take 'no' for an answer."

Rizzo flew higher, out of reach. "Uh . . . I've gotta go. Things to do. Deals to make. See you later," he said quickly.

Windra watched him fly away. Then she left, too. Neither of them noticed the figure keeping an eye on them silently from the woods. He was covered in mud to mask his scent.

Once Crooler and Windra were out of sight, the figure trotted off after Rizzo.

-

Rizzo landed on a high rock near the mountains. He had never been in the middle of a deal this big, or this dangerous, before. Two of the nastiest females in Chima both wanted this parchment, and they would go throush him to get it if necessary. Normally, Rizzo stored all his goods-for-sale in a hollow tree near the Ravens' Camp.

But this parchment was too hot to keep in any old tree, He carefully tucked the paper into a crack near the bottom of the rock.

Then he decided to check on his other treasures.

Maybe /'lI make a few simple deals to clear my head, he thought. Nothing like a good bargain to calm my nerves.

Rizzo flew down into the woods toward the hollow tree where he kept his best stuff. He knew the way by heart and didn't even bother watching where he flew. So he was quite surprised when he smacked headfirst into a tree.

“Holy Razoli!" cried Rizzo, rubbing his head. "Where did that tree come from?"

After the world stopped spinning, Rizzo noticed something. It wasn't just any tree he had collided with.

It was his hollow tree. But this wasn't where it always was in the forest. Somebody had moved his tree! Frantic, he peered through a knothole. All his stuff was gone!

"Don't you hate it when trees move?"

Rizzo felt a chill run through him. He turned to see Crooler leaning casually against a rock.

"Good thing your junk wasn't stolen," she said. "It's just scattered around the woods. Sometimes my boys get a little . .. messy."

"'Oh, come on," Rizzo groaned. "The other Ravens will have found all my good stuff by now."

"Well, accidents do happen," Crooler said, walking closer. "It would be a shame if any more accidents happened, right?"

"Yeah." Rizzo gulped.

"But a parchment can buy protection. So more accidents don't happen. Get it?" she said.

"G-G-Got it," Rizzo stammered.

"Good," said Crooler. "You know what to do."

Rizzo flew home. Now he was really worried. If he gave the parchment to Windra, Crooler would drop a tree on him. But if he gave it to Crooler, he would have the Wolf Pack chasing him forever. And if he gave it to anyone, instead of selling it, Razar and the Ravens would laugh him out of the nest!

By that evening, Rizzo still hadn't figured out what to do. He decided to sleep on it. Maybe he would come up with the best deal ever for the parchment after a full night's sleep.

All night, Rizzo had bad dreams. He kept thinking Windra and Crooler had come to the Raven Camp. They were searching for the parchment. When they couldn't find it, he cream est into an are uscided to take him instead. Then they got into an argument over who got to “persuade" him to talk first.

When Rizzo woke up the next morning, the camp was in chaos. There were Wolf footprints all over the ground below the nests. Someone had dripped swamp water on Razar's ledgers. And the Ravens were flying about in a panic. Shocked, Rizzo realized it hadn't been a dream:

The Wolves and the Crocodiles had actually shown up.

They had ransacked the Raven Camp looking for the parchment!

That's it, Rizzo thought. This parchment is too hot for even a Raven to hold on to. I've got to get rid of it!

Suddenly, Rizzo realized the answer to all his problems. He just had to do what Ravens did best: swindle! It was so simple, he wondered why he hadn't thought of it before.

"I'll sell them both fake copies of the CHI delivery schedule!" he exclaimed.

Rizzo set to work forging new schedules on pieces of parchment. He made two: one for the Crocodiles, and one for the Wolves. They were completely different from each other, so the two sides wouldn't wind up both at the same site waiting to ambush the Lions. Of course, neither of the forgeries used information from the real schedule. That way, it wasn't like he was giving anything of real value to either side.

The Crocodiles would be happy.

The Wolves would be happy.

And the Ravens wouldn't kick Rizzo out of the nest for breaking the cardinal rule to never give anything away.

That made Rizzo happy.

When he was done, Rizzo took one copy to the Wolf Pack. He made a quick deal with Windra: the parchment in exchange for the Wolves' "continued protection."

Then he took the other copy to the swamp and gave it to Crooler in exchange for more "protection."

On his way back to camp, Rizzo felt like a winner.

After all, what could go wrong? Even if all the ambushes were failures, both tribes would just assume the Lions had discovered a copy of the schedule had been stolen and so changed their plans. None of it could be traced back to Rizzo.

Phew, Rizzo thought. That's the last auction I'm holding for a while.

-

Three days later, Wilhurt the Wolf was very angry.

He had just spent four hours hiding in the woods with the rest of the pack, waiting to ambush the Lions CHI delivery. But the Lions never showed up. Frustrated, Wilhurt ordered the pack back to camp when they bumped into Crawley and the Crocodiles.

"Lost?" he asked Crawley with a sneer.

"NO," Crawley snapped. "We were waiting to ambush Laval and take some CHI, but he must have made a new plan. Either that, or the schedule we got from Rizzo is wrong."

"The schedule you got . . .?" Wilhurt exclaimed.

"What are you talking about? We got the CHI schedule from Rizzo. It said to wait by the twin oak trees today, but we never saw any Lions."

"Ours said to wait by the bend in the creek," Crawley said. His eyes narrowed. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I smell a Raven," Wilhurt snarled.

-

The next day, Rizzo was just about to head to the Beavers' dam to sell them some wood when he heard rustling in the bushes behind him. Rizzo tried to take off, but before he could get away, a hand grabbed his leg. Then a second hand grabbed his other leg.

It was Windra and Crooler. And they didn't look happy.

"Uh, hello," Rizzo said. "What can I do for you charming ladies today?”

Windra growled. "Those CHI schedules you sold us-“

"Were fakes!" Crooler finished.

"What?" exclaimed Rizzo, putting on his most innocent expression. "I'm shocked. Shocked! I promise you, I won't rest until I find out what happened."

"I promise you won't rest, either," Windra said through gritted teeth.

"Take us to the real parchment now, Raven," said Crooler, "or else."

"Or else?" gulped Rizzo.

"Nou're a fast talker," Crooler said. "Try talking when your beak's upside down."

No matter how much Rizzo hated giving things away, he really didn't want to find out what Windra and Crooler were capable of. He led them to the rock where he had hidden the parchment. Windra flipped it over and grabbed the paper. Crooler snatched it out of her hand.

"Give me that!" snapped Windra.

"Make me," taunted Crooler.

"Fine," Windra said. "Then let's look at it together. We're your allies, remember? We'll help you attack the Lions. That is, if we're still on the same side."

Begrudgingly, Crooler allowed Windra to look over her shoulder as she read the parchment. "Monthly Schedule," she read aloud. "Task One: Clean out caves. Task Two: Train with Leonidas. Task Three: Trick Wolves, Crocodiles, and Rizzo with a fake parchment.”

Crooler crumpled the paper up in her claws. "This isn't a CHI delivery schedule it's a to-do list!" she cried.

"But I don't understand," Rizzo sputtered, snatching away the parchment. "It was real. I saw it with my own two eyes. And I left it right here!"

As the three animals argued, none of them noticed the small group of Lions hidden off to the side, laughing quietly.

"See?" Longtooth said to his soldiers. "I told you I would handle it."

"But how did you know where the parchment was hidden?" one of the Lions asked.

"It was easy," Longtooth explained.

"I knew that sneaky Raven was behind it. But as slippery as Ravens are, they're no match for a Lion's hunting skills. I just waited until Rizzo went to sell it, which I knew he would, and followed him to where he had hidden it. I switched out the real parchment yesterday. It was a piece of cake."

"Looks like you taught that Raven a lesson." The Lions grinned as they heard Rizzo trying to sweet-talk Crooler and Windra into believing it was all a big misunderstanding.

"Now, ladies," Rizzo was saying, "don't worry. I'm sure we can work something out."

"You're right, we will," Crooler said as she and Windra walked closer.

With a squawk, Rizzo raced away as fast as his legs would carry him. Windra and Crooler chased close behind.

“You won't get away with this, Raven!" they both shouted after him.

One of the Lions looked at Longtooth. "Think he'll be all right?" he asked.

Longtooth nodded. "Eh, he'll be fine," he said. "After all, if there's one thing we know Rizzo is an expert at, it's making a deal."