The Marshal's voice echoes across the entire city, shaking every street and alley. What follows is a crushing silence, heavy as stone.
Grov draws in a deep breath. His chest rises, his eyes burn with resolve. When he speaks, his voice carries the weight of a king—commanding, unwavering, filled with authority.
Grov
"I do not know you, wolf.
I do not understand you,
nor the reason you march here with so many soldiers at your back.
Tell me—what is it that you want from us?
Here in Rock City, we are a peaceful land…
a city of gentle, harmonious creatures who seek no war."
The Marshal remains silent for several seconds.
Then, with a voice sharp enough to cut like a blade, he speaks:
Marshal
"Owl… you know exactly what I speak of.
And every creature in this city knows it as well."
He raises his hand and opens his palm.
Resting there—a blood-stained yellow feather.
With a sudden, crushing motion, he clenches his fist, pulverizing it into nothing.
Sifu and Grov stare down in shock, their eyes wide with disbelief.
The Marshal's voice follows, cold yet unnervingly calm:
Marshal
"We have no desire to wage war with you. That is not our purpose.
Simply hand over the Eagle… and the Parchment.
Do so, and we shall leave in peace—allowing you to continue your pitiful, meaningless existence… caged behind these foolish walls of yours."....
"You have five minutes.
If you dare defy my command… I will crush this city to dust."
With that, the Marshal turns his back on the wall.
His crimson cape sweeps the ground as he walks away, each step echoing like a death knell.
Calmly, without haste, he makes his way back toward the ranks of his army—
the Black Wolves parting before him like shadows bowing to the night.
Sifu and Grov watch as the wolf disappears into the darkness, swallowed by the night. The very air reeks of blood and death. Without exchanging a word, they hurry down the stone stairs of the wall, rushing toward the clinic.
From every corner of the city rise the cries of countless terrified voices—animals screaming in panic:
"Grov, give them the Eagle! Save the city!"
"Hand over the Eagle and the Parchment!"
A rabbit mother stumbles forward, clutching her baby close to her chest.
"Please… save my child…"
Badgers, rabbits, hares, squirrels—creatures of every kind fill the streets, all shouting, begging Grov to surrender the Eagle.
Grov's face is twisted in panic, his mind spinning.
Sifu, however, remains silent, running beside him with unshaken resolve.
Behind them, Las, Skav, Piu, and Vroom give chase, but they cannot keep pace.
In the chaos of the city, the trio—Skav, Vroom, and Piu—are swallowed by the panic, vanishing into the crowd.
Grov and Sifu reach the clinic first, storming down into the basement chambers.
There, the Eagle still lies unconscious upon the bed.
By his side, Eli's parents remain, their faces strained with worry.
Eli herself has awakened—she sits weakly in a chair, pale but breathing.
Grov and Sifu stand before them, burdened by the weight of choice.
They must decide what to do.
At last, Las stumbles in, the last to enter the room, his chest heaving as the tension of the moment closes in on them all.
Grov stares at the Eagle, his face dark with conflict.
Grov (thoughts)
What should I do? What must I do?
If I hand him over, I betray everything I stand for… but thousands of lives will be saved.
If I refuse… then we're doomed.
Beside him, Sifu grips his staff, calm and composed, his eyes steady with wisdom.
Sifu
"Even if we surrender both him and the Parchment, there is no certainty the Black Wolves will keep their word. They may take them… and still burn the city, slaughtering us all."
Grov clenches his fists, his thoughts racing.
No… I cannot hand him over to the beasts.
Sifu
"There may be another—"
Suddenly, Las bursts out, his voice shaking the room:
Las
"Then we'll fight! I'll smash that Marshal's head in!"
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Las suddenly winces, tears streaming as he clutches his head.
Sifu glares at him, his face twisting into an almost cartoonish rage.
Sifu
"FOOL!"
Las (through his tears)
"Hit me all you want! I don't care! I'll fight—for my friends!"
Sifu raises his staff, ready to strike Las again—
but just as he brings it down, he halts mid-swing, frozen by something unseen.
The room hangs in tense silence.
Everyone in the chamber freezes in shock.
Sifu stands stunned, his staff still raised midair.
Las clutches the lumps on his head, tears streaming—when suddenly, his eyes snap wide open.
He feels it.
A colossal aura surges behind him, wrapping the room in an overwhelming force.
Slowly, Las turns his head—
and there, towering before him, the great Eagle stands tall, alive, his wings stretched, a faint smile across his beak.
a voice booming, heroic, resonating through every stone in the chamber:
"Well done… young monkey."