ROTTMNT Movie Half Heart💗💙 Hero Kumandra

Tail Clan

Their first stop, Raya decided, would be the Tail ruins.

The Tail Clan is a vast desert of sand and rock, located to the east of Kumandra. There wasn't any rain and sandstorms would come and go, making the hot scorching sun shined down upon the vast wasteland. A few statues can be seen in the horizon, either a family had been turned to stone or lone foreigners that struggled to survive, only to be consumed by the Druun and left them there to rot. Raya had seen the crumbling sandstone temple as she passed though Tail. It seemed the most likely place for the Tail chief and her gem shard to be hiding. She has been there for a long time searching for Sisu ever since the dragoness had blasted the Druun away and fell into the river and slowly drifted to the hot deserts.

As they raced through the desert on the armadillo creature's back, Raya caught Sisu up on her plan. "Okay, so here's the snitch. After the gem broke, each piece was taken by one of the chiefs of the five lands, Fang, Heart, Spine, Talon, and Tail. Where we are now."

They arrived at the ruins. The great sandstone fortress rose up before them, silent as a tomb. As Raya climbed off her pet, Tuk Tuk's back, she stared up at the tall rock walls. Symbols of the five lands of Kumandra had been carved into stone.

Raya had disguised Sisu in a broad hat and red long traveling coat so the humans won't freak out. She completely looks dressed up like Raya. "Wow. So many questions. First one, why am I wearing this?"

"Well, we don't want to attract attention," Raya explained.

"Oh, she definitely chose the right hats for that," Sisu complained as she hopped down from Tuk Tuk and stared forward. She carefully began to enter the temple and she didn't notice that there were traps inside. "So, what makes you think the Tail chief's here?"

The words were hardly out of Sisu's mouth when her foot brushed against a wire no wider than a bait. A tree trunk covered in metal spikes toppled, crashing toward the spot where Sisu was standing. Raya dove and pushed her out of the way in the nick of time. She got to her feet dusting herself off. "Because this place didn't just booby-trap itself," she replied. And if it's true, this Tail Clan Ruins contain traps like the ones they used when intruders come.

Leaving Tuk Tuk outside, Raya and Sisu entered the temple. Inside they had to move slowly, stepping carefully over trap wires and crisscrossing the corridors. Raya was certain now they'd found the home of the Tail's Gem shard, where the Tail chief hid it so they wouldn't steal. Sisu followed after her, and looked at the traps laid out on the ground.

"This doesn't make sense," she said uncertainly. "None of this would stop a Druun."

"It's not to stop Druun. It's to stop people," Raya explained.

They arrived at a hallway that was filled with an intricate array of trip wires. While Raya again carefully worked her way through it, Sisu quickly and smoothly flew through it without a single problem, ending with a smile. Raya watched in astonishment.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Sisu asked, confused.

Raya smiled. "Nothing. I'm just not used to seeing dragons."

"Impressed, huh? Wait until you see my backstroke. I'm wicked when I hit that liquid. I got water skills that kill. I slaughter when I hit the water. I'm, like, really good at swimming, through rhyme. I was trying to make that... That I'm really good at swim- I'm a good swimmer, which is basically what I'm..." Sisu trailed off.

"Okay, um, we need to keep going," Raya said.

They soon rounded another dark corner. As soon as they were about to go on, Sisu's eyes went wide with horror. "Oh, no!"

Raya nearly jumped out of her boots. She spun around, drawing her sword, but she couldn't see any danger. "What? What is it?"

Sisu turned to her friend, truly upset. "We forgot to bring a gift for the Tail chief."

Raya looked at her blankly. "I'm sorry. A gift?"

The dragoness nodded her head. "Yeah. A gift says, "You can trust me, can I trust you?" "

Raya just didn't want to stop now to listen to Sisu, they had to keep moving. A shiny little beetle flew down and landed on Sisu's nose, startling her. She held it up to the light and laughed. "Aw. Hey there, little fella. Ha ha! This beetle's got a booty."

When Raya saw what Sisu was holding she froze. "Uh... Careful. It's a Toot N Boom."

"Why is it called a..."

But before Sisu could finish, the beetle spread its wings and rose into the air, a small green gas coming out of it. Raya tackled Sisu as it exploded into a blue greenish puff of smoke.

"Got it," said Sisu. "Noted. Makes sense."

And yes, and one thing about bugs, never approach a wild Toot N Boom in the caves. Raya didn't respond because she was peering into a narrow tunnel ahead. By the light of the touch, they could see the walls were covered in colorful beetles.

Holding their breath, Raya and Sisu crept through the tunnel, being careful not to disturb the insects. Raya could hear the bugs crawling on top of each other. The sound of their legs caused the hairs on her neck to stand on end. But she and Sisu made it through the passage without an explosion.

"You have to admit though, these bug booties are kind of cute," Sisu whispered, quietly, clutching her hat.

They entered a vast cavern and into a cave. Below them, a deep chasm separated them from a natural rock platform. A dead tree stood in the middle of the rock, its bare branches twisted like claws. Curled in the hollow of the tree was a skeleton, the Dragon Gem shard clasped tight in its bony fingers. Raya and Sisu silently took in the grisly sight.

"I'd say we found the Tail chief," Raya said at last.

"What happened to her?" Sisu murmured, concerned.

"From the looks of it, she was hoarding the gem and became a victim of her own traps," Raya replied.

"Well, you gotta admire her commitment," Sisu complained.

They looked around for a way across, but the bridge was long gone. They needed another way to get onto the platform. Holding up the grappling hook, Raya shot the hook up to the ceiling.

"Okay. Hold on," Raya told Sisu.

Sisu grabbed Raya's shoulders as Raya used her grappling sword to swing them across the chasm. But halfway across, they stopped in mid air. Raya glanced back and saw that Sisu was still clinging to the ledge with her hind feet.

"Oh, we were doing a jumpy thing! So sorry. My bad. I get it now. I'm with it." The dragoness looked embarrassed.

Sisu jumped, carrying Raya with her. They landed easily on the other side where Sisu reached for the gem shard.

"Sisu... don't," Raya warned her.

She froze sensing something was wrong. Raya pointed to the thin wire connected to the skeleton's hand. She traced the wire's path up and across the ceiling, where it ended in a trapdoor above the entrance to the cavern. It must be a trap, she thought.

Raya studied the trap, the wire was tied to the same hand that held the shard. Removing the shard would cause the skeleton's hand to rise. She had to figure out a way to take it without trapping the wire. Raya found a stick at the base of the tree. Carefully, she split it in half and wedged the stick between the hollow of the tree and the skeleton's hand. Once it was ready, she picked up the gem.

"Phew," she said, tossing the shard to Sisu. "Two down, three to go."