Beastmaster

Episode opens showing aerial shots of the Sanctuary that Dar calls home. Tao walks into a clearing as he is looking for something. Dar is sleeping nearby, and the curious ferrets Kodo and Podo are watching Tao. We find out that Tao was looking for his green jade ring. Kodo and Podo think he is stealing the ring, so Tao explains that the ring is a symbol of his people – "the scholars of my tribe." He then explains to himself how useless it was talking to a couple of ferrets who could not understand a word he was saying.

Dar starts to stir, so Tao moves away and unfolds a map of the region, and begins to explain it too to Kodo and Podo – "The territories, where evil sparkles like gold." Tao is trying to decide where to travel to next on his journey for knowledge, so he closes his eyes and points to a spot on the map.

The scene switches to that of a first person perspective – in a spot in the jungle where bones are littered on the ground. Roaring and screeching can be heard in the background, along with the sound of a wooden cage swinging in a tree overhead. The first-person perspective looks up, showing us a man in the cage who is wearing a ring identical to that of Tao's. We see claws climbing down a tree, and the cage's bottom opens up, sending the man falling to the ground below. He runs from his pursuer, only to be caught and presumably "drained" by the winged creature whose back is all we see.

After the opening, we see Dar playfully running with Ruh, his tiger companion, until they come back to the camp to see a makeshift garden that Tao has planted. Dar is upset with Tao because he picked the wildflowers to plant the garden, and because "the forest has plenty of fruits and vegetables to eat." Tao explains that it contains seeds from his travels and says that it is a goodbye gift and says his farewells. As Tao descends the cliff, we see Dar watching from overhead. Kodo and Podo express their concern over Tao leaving alone, but Dar knows that their journey must part. He then returns to camp and tears up the garden stating "People always need to change things. If they could change the tides, they would."

After finishing, Dar relaxes against a tree and begins to express his apparent, albeit forced happiness that Tao is gone, because he was "always talking," and "always asking questions." Ruh and Dar get into a bit of an argument, but Dar states that he was only talking to himself.

Back to Tao now, who has come upon a trading village on a sea. He speaks to a fruit merchant, but since he has no money, he makes a challenge. "A simple riddle – solve it and I'll sort all your fruit and leave with nothing. Don't and I'll take your best piece." Before the man can answer the riddle, it becomes apparent that he has seen Tao's jade ring and has become nervous and aggravated. In the background, we can see a child steal a loaf of bread from another merchant, causing the fruit trader to call out "thief!" Since the child gets away, Tao is taken captive instead and the trader calls him the thief – "Him. The Eiron."

After being tied up and placed in a boat, Tao is still trying to convince the guards that he is innocent, and in the midst of the argument, a young blonde female villager runs up and places something in Tao's hand while saying, "Give it to the one with a scar on his brow…if he's alive. If not, leave it on the island in his memory." Tao immediately questions as to what island, but the woman has run away. Sharak, Dar's eagle companion has been keeping an eye on Tao and after seeing this event take place, reports to Dar what he is seeing, causing him to grab his things and run in Tao's direction.

Upon arriving at the town, Dar is shunned by all and is followed by the girl from before. After being attacked by the guards and getting caught, Dar is taken to an awaiting set of cattle and tied up by his hands and feet. The cows are connected two to his arms and two to his legs in opposite directions and are forced to start walking – effectively to pull Dar into pieces. Dar talks to the animals and begs them to stop, which afterwards allows him to escape and take on the guards.

Dar leads the last, head guard to believe that he wants to kill Tao, and as such the guard replies, "What's left of him is on the island." Dar is set free and is followed by the girl from before. He confronts her, and she tells him that she needs his help to find another on the island. She explains to Dar that evil lives on the island and Tao probably won't last long.

The shot then changes to Tao and the others being thrown overboard from the boat, with a man looking up at the event from under the water. Back to Dar now as he is riding on a raft to the island with his new friend. Switch back again to Tao, who is running through the forest. He comes across the bones that were seen at the beginning of the episode and finds a green ring that matches his own. He also finds the other two prisoners hanging in cages from the trees. They plead for his help, but the creature arrives in the background and releases the bottoms of their cages. The three go running into the jungle. They run into a clearing, where the girl is eaten and the man who had been watching from the water earlier pulls Tao into the brush. The remaining prisoner runs back into the forest.

Arriving at what looks to be an underground tunnel of sorts, Tao collapses from exhaustion, dropping the item (which we can now see was a comb) that the girl had given him at the docks. His new friend calls him a liar after asking where he got it, but Tao eventually convinces him that he is telling the truth. The man then admits that the two of them were in love and that "only our innocence has kept me alive."

Dar and his new friend have now arrived on the island, and Dar tells the girl to stay low and guard the raft. Ruh has accompanied them as well, and the two take off into the jungle. Dar sees marks in a tree and climbs it to have a better look, only to see seven of the bat like creatures hanging upside from various limbs sleeping.

The surviving prisoner from before has spotted Dar's raft and as such, throws the girl on the ground and tries to steal it. After cutting the rope, the girl fights back, but the raft has already swept out to sea.

Back to Tao and the new man now as they are discussing the creatures. Apparently they can't fly and "other birds are the only things they don't kill." The man leaves to again try and find a way off the island, and we finally learn the girl's name is Haisa. Tao follows the man saying they can help each other.

Now we are back to Dar who is being followed by the remaining prisoner. He knows he is being followed, and leads the man into a clearing where he sets his belongings down so they can fight. Dar subdues the man, but sees a birdman in the distance. While trying to run away, Dar falls into a trap of muddy quicksand. The man is eaten and Dar starts to sink farther into his trap. Kodo and Podo, who had left Dar's bag when he set it down, climb a tree and release a vine that Dar is able to use to climb out.

As Tao and his new friend are running, the man is trying to get away from Tao saying that he draws too much attention to them. In their "chase," they both get trapped in tree cages. The man is furious at Tao, talking about how long he has been on the island, and then one day with him and "I'm going to die."

Haisa is now wandering through the forest, looking for both Dar and her lover, who we come to find out, is named Nylus. Nylus hears Haisa's voice and Tao calls out for help, but a creature has also heard her voice and starts to chase her, leading her into yet another tree cage. Nylus is angry with Haisa for coming to the island, saying that they are now both going to die. Haisa says "every night without you has been a death," and that at least now they can go together, if that is to be their fate. Again, we can hear the creatures hissing.

Ruh, in the meantime has come upon the scene of the three in cages and reports to Dar, who runs in their direction. Nylus' cage falls open and he apparently breaks something on one of his lower extremities during the fall. Ruh comes in to fend off the two approaching creatures, during which time Tao's cage opens as well, leaving Tao hanging in the air, holding onto the cage walls. Dar gets there, catches Haisa when her cage opens up, and helps carry Nylus away into the forest to the underground cave.

Now in the cave, Dar learns that the tunnels underground lead throughout the island, but that there is only one way out and off the island – through a boat. Dar says that is doesn't matter because they have a raft, but Haisa informs everyone about the incident from before. Dar talks to Sharak, who can see another boat with a prisoner being rowed towards the island. The boat arrives that night, with Dar and the others hidden at the shore waiting. The child who had stolen the bread at the beginning is now the captive in the boat.

Dar gives a piece of vine to Sharak who flies towards the boat, and gives the other end to Ruh. Once the child is thrown overboard, Sharak drops the knot of vine onto the end of the boat, and Ruh starts to pull the boat to shore. The men abandon the boat when they see Ruh, and Tao, Nylus and Haisa make their way to it. Dar is still hiding in the entrance to the tunnels, waiting for the men to come back to the boat after seeing the hijackers. In the meantime, the child also runs into the boat.

Dar subdues all of the guards, but as he is running to the boat, all seven of the creatures come and circle Dar. Dar tells the group to leave him, but Tao stops them because of the bond that they share. Dar hears Sharak's caw, and draws him down to land on his arm in the middle of the circle. Since the birdmen have such a high respect for birds, they bow down to pay homage to the eagle, which allows Dar to leave. The now reawakening guards draw the attention of the birdmen, who proceed to make them their next meal. Dar gets on the boat and they row away.

The scene changes, with the five being back on the mainland. Haisa and Nylus say their goodbyes and the child runs off with Tao's canteen in the meantime. Tao packs up his things and realizes that it's missing, but the child is too far away now to even bother trying to catch. Dar says, "at least you got to keep your jade ring." Tao agrees but says, "yeah this thing almost got me killed," after which he removes it and starts to throw it. Dar stops him however, saying, "Roots are important." He eventually convinces Tao to keep the ring. Dar then invites Tao to come back to camp and continue his search for knowledge with him, to which Tao agrees. The episode concludes with the two of them having a playful argument over gardens, wells, and change.