Near the steep bank of a sparkling river, stood a large, wooden lodge– the proud work of the Beaver Tribe. This morning, the lodge was teeming with activity. The beavers were bustling about, busily fixing and repairing things, preparing for the day ahead with a flurry of energy. They hopped in and out of their lodge, all working together to build and maintain the dam they had created. Suddenly, a young beaver burst through the lodge, darting and zigzagging around the others. He zipped past one beaver who was standing on a ladder, causing the whole thing to tip over. “Hey! Watch it kid!” they scolded.

One of the order members of the tribe shook their head in disbelief and disappointment. “Stupid kids these days- they want to do nothing but play! What happened to work is life?!”

The little creature ran straight through the entrance to the outside. His bright brown fur flew in all directions as he skipped. Finally, he came to a screeching halt as looked back in anticipation; a huge smile across his face. He waited, as if expecting someone to have been following, but nobody was. The little beaver tilted its head in confusion, letting its guard down. Suddenly, he was tackled to the ground by a being larger than itself.

The two burst out in laughter as they sat back up. “Got you Twig!” the larger teased.

“Come on Echo, you know that wasn’t fair! You took a shortcut!”

Echo beamed down at him. “You take that way all the time!”

“Yeah, but that was ME, not you.”

Before another word could be said, an older beaver called out for them to take their rough housing elsewhere. As he scolded, he gestured to the damage Twig caused while playing tag through the lodge minutes earlier. Echo glared at him, not knowing he’d done that.

“I’m terribly sorry sir. I’ll try to ensure that it won’t happen again.” He bowed apologetically.

The elder muttered something under his breath as he waddled away, leaving the two alone outside. Twig glanced up at his friend, then playfully jumped up and ran, zigzagging through the trees and underbrush; Echo chasing after in slight annoyance.

Echo was a nindroid- made of shimmering brass and copper metal, along with some internal steel and titanium inner framework. When the beavers found him, he was completely broken. Along with being covered in rust, he lacked a chest plate, leaving his internal mechanisms to the elements. They too were rusting and falling apart, some pieces were even straight up crushed or missing. The robot was in pieces, left to decay in the grass. Twig and his older brother Branch had found him, and brought him back to the others. Since beavers love to fix things, this impossible repair job was seen as an exciting challenge. By the time they were done, almost every part of Echo was replaced. He’d been returned to his former glory- shiny and new. They were especially proud of their own little adjustment- a brown, metal beaver tail. Along with that, they also gave him something his father couldn't provide with what he had at the lighthouse- clothes. Echo now sported a pair of pine green shorts, which, funny enough, was the largest pair of pants they've ever had to make.

Now, the two walked the forest path, the sunlight shining through the treetops. The forest was a beautiful, lush, green landscape, with the occasional odd colored foliage brought in by the merge. The friends had walked this path before- in fact, it was where they'd found Echo. As the two ran through the trees, air in their faces, they suddenly came to a screeching halt.
Twig's ears turned as he listened.
"Do you hear that?"

Echo tried to tune in to what his little friend was hearing, and finally picked it up. It was the sound of footsteps. BIG footsteps. With every step there was a crunch of the foliage it crushed beneath its feet. The sound of trees being bent and branches breaking also accompanied it. But within moments, all was silent again.

"I've been in this realm for over a week now, yet, I have never heard anything like that. Do you know what that noise was?" Questioned Echo.

Twig shook his head. "Not a clue. Maybe it was a gorilla playing around?"

"I suppose that could qualify as an explanation for now." Echo would be lying if he said that noise didn't shake him up a little. Probably Twig as well, but he refused to show fear. The others had described him as very brave, but that bravery bordered stupidity most of the time. He was what people would call a wild card. He also seemed to be the only beaver that didn't have an addiction to work. Like- at all. It was considered strange, but that didn't seem to bother him at all.
A few minutes later, a wolf vehicle drove by and almost hit them. The driver inside snarled, but continued driving. The wolf tribe didn't like Echo, but to be honest, those guys hated anyone that wasn't originally from Chima. Or, from what he's heard, they don't really fully like anyone that isn't a wolf in general. So he didn't let that bother him. The two stayed out most of the day, playing around and exploring. The two boys had a lot of fun, and decided to race each other home when the sun began to set. The sun shone brightly on the lodge, streaming in through the tall trees and casting a soft, yellow hue around them.

Once inside, they entered a small, wooden room. The walls, like most of that place, were made from the logs of  the trees the tribe cut down. On the back wall was a bed, which was more like a giant, glorified nest if anything. However, regardless of how it seemed, it was incredibly comfortable. Then again, Echo was used to sleeping on the cold, damp, lighthouse floor, so what he found to be luxury might be slightly bias. A woven red and green blanket was draped neatly in it, and a white pillow sat tucked amongst it. The atmosphere was cozy and warm, with the lighting being only a few hanging lamps that gave off a soft orange glow. Echo felt a warmth envelop him as he took in the room he had been given as his own. His two other beaver friends, Daisy and Twig's older brother, Branch, entered the room not long after. As soon as the robot was in sight, they scampered over to him and began rubbing against his metal exterior.

Echo was surprised but delighted to be welcomed so warmly. He smiled as he knelt down and scratched Daisy behind the ears. With each soft pat, he felt more and more at home in this lodge. Branch was a lot more responsible and by the book than his sibling, and wasn't fond of getting attention like a dog. Daisy, on the other hand, LOVED getting pets and scratches. Daisy had the same beautiful golden brown fur, while Branch had a dirtier, darker color to his.

Suddenly, a thunderous noise echoed through the walls of the lodge, startling the four of them. Suddenly, they could hear the other beavers outside screaming in terror. Without a word, the four of them raced out of their room, their minds now filled with worry for their safety. They rushed to the opening of the lodge, where they saw a massive creature hovering over the lake. The monstrous creature was a tall and lanky figure that creepily resembled a decaying, mossy tree.

It angerly stomped as if it was trying to crush the poor villagers like ants. The kids ran over to one of the walls, and quickly hid behind it.

"What is that thing?!" Branch questioned.

"I don't know!" Cowered Daisy.

Echo glanced back at the beast and immediately noticed that it was now clutching a panicked elder. The little creature struggled desperately in the grasp, appearing to be in pain. Then, out of no where, something inside Echo changed. Something within him began to burn; like an instinctual need to help. He had no idea what he was doing, but he charged out from his hiding place and grabbed a large staff-like branch fom the ground. Like an acrobat, he swiftly maneuvered through the chaos and landed a blow to the giant's knee. It let out a massive roar, dropping the hostage beaver, which Echo jumped up and caught. Once they were at safety, the robot continued to fight back the monster until it finally had enough and left. The moment the danger was gone, Echo snapped out of the battle mode.

"What was that!?!" Exclaimed Twig as he ran to his friend's side.

The ninja was dumbfounded. "I.. I have no idea? One moment I was terrified, and the next... well, I was still scared, but I got this sudden urge to help the beaver in trouble."

"Dude, you should've seen yourself!" Cheered Branch. "It was like you were built for that!"

With that sentence, Echo was suddenly hit by a flashback. When he first woke up, Dr. Julian standing over him, softly greeting him from his slumber. He said several things to him within the first few minutes, including the only sentence that isn't a complete blur- "You are Zane. I built you to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

Echo repeated that to himself, unknowingly saying it out loud. So if that hazy memory was to be trusted, then he WAS in fact built for the purpose of protecting. Luckily, he'd driven the monster away before anyone got severally injured or killed. The whole tribe excitedly gathered around the nindroid and thanked him heavily.

He was a hero, and for the first time ever, he felt like he truly knew his purpose.