Grug chases Guy across the trembling landscape "This is pointless. We're running out of time. Everything is collapsing. You're being irrational and counterproductive," Guy yelled
"Big words anger me. Keep talking," Grug shouted, throwing the boulders out of his way.
"Countermeasures," Guy glanced at Belt.
Belt throws a fruit at Grug, it hits him square in the face blinding him. However, this didn't stop him "Remember how you were this morning? You changed, remember! Idea man? Modern man-" Guy comes to a sudden stop, he'd stepped in a small puddle of tar. He frantically tries to pull his foot out as Grug charges toward him.
"I...AM...A...CAVEMAN!"
Guy looked up, eyes widened "No, no no wait."
Guy and Grug do a slow-motion plunge over a tar-fall. As they descend Grug swings at Guy, coating himself with tar. Grug's arms are held like glue. His punches stop well short of Guy's face. Guy and Grug arrive in a wide pool of tar.
They slowly sink.
"Hnnnnngh! No. What is this stuff that saves you from my punches," Grug asked visibly frustrated and confused.
"Tar," the tone of Guy's voice sinks in.
Grug ceases his attack and tries to pull his arm out of the tar.
"Please Grug. You have to stop struggling," Guy begged.
"No! I have to get back to them."
"Grug! Stop," Guy yelled, fed up.
Grug looks at Guy.
"No one gets out of this. Believe me. I know," Guy's shoulders slumped.
Grug gets it "Your...?"
"Family. Yeah."
"Sorry," Grug looks at Guy again-he needs more than that.\
Guy takes a deep breath 'this is going to be hard.' "I was little when it happened. The last thing my parents told me was, "Don't hide. Live. Follow the Sun. You'll make it to Tomorrow."
This resonates with Grug. A thread of light trickles through the storm, falling just near enough to Guy he can gather it in his palm.
"You followed the light. My daughters are a lot like you. Vanessa isn't my daughter but..."
"No. Your daughters Vanessa and Eep are like you. They love you but always forget to say it, just like you forget to tell them. Vanessa may not be your flesh and blood but she sees you as her father."
Grug ponders this. A change comes over Grug. He focuses on Guy, this his Grug hard. "I guess I was busy keeping them all alive."
Guy shrugs his shoulders and smiles "It's okay. That's what dads do."
Grug smiles and starts to regard Guy in a different light. He sees him not as a boy but as a man. Someone good enough for his little girl Vanessa "That's right...but we can't do that from here. We need one of your ideas. Come on. You can do it."
Buoyed by Grug's encouragement, Guy swings into action mode as the sound of a roar is heard in the distance. "Belt! Emergency Idea Generator, activate!"
Belt pulls out a rock and hits the side of Guy's head.
"Ow!... Oh, I've got it!"
☆☆☆☆
Belt smoothes out the butterfly from the top of the female Macawnivore puppet "Ta-daaaaaa," Belt said.
"Wow," Grug looked at it amused.
"Yeah, I know. But he's doing the best with what he has."
Grug and Guy are holding bones connected to the puppet. Belt signals to Guy.
"There he is. Belt, I want romance, drama, sincerity. Move me."
Belts nod and make some music, which grabs the macawinore's attention.
"Okay, he sees us!"
Belt plays a little melodramatic tune.
Grug halfheartedly moves the bones he's holding.
"That's our cue. Now work it!" Guy said.
The puppet starts shaking its tail.
The Macawinivore looked at it and sat visibly confused.
Guy looked at it frustrated "He's not coming over. I didn't think our puppet looks scared enough."
"Scared? I'll show you scared. Hand me those acting sticks!" Grug snatches the bones from Guy's hands. He shakes the puppet and makes a frightening sound of terror.
Suddenly, the Macawnivore leaps forward and jumps on the puppet. He grabs it and pulls it up out of the tar bringing Grug and Guy along with it. Grug and Guy hang on to the bones of the puppet frame.
"Hold on!" Guy shouted. The Macawnivore shakes the puppet, pulling it out of tar along with Grug and Guy.
The Macanivore held the puppet in its arm and nuzzled it but the puppet breaks apart, the Macanivore turns to Grug and Guy.
The two freeze in fear.
"Da da daaaaa," Belt dramatically sang while playing a tune, he then gave a sheepish look when he saw everyone staring at him.
The Macanivore threw the puppet in anger and dashed towards the pair. They accepted their fates and held each other in fear.
The Macawnivore's paws slip slowly backwards into the nearby tar--he's stuck. The tar snaps him back and throws him far from Grug and Guy.
Belt blows a whistle signalling a field goal!
"Yes. You did it!" Grug exclaimed, he patted Guy on the back nearly knocking him over. Grug realises his hand was stuck to Guy's back.
Just then the Croods finally find them.
"Grug!"
"Dad!"
Grug and Guy turn to see the rest of the Croods Grug waves to the family with Guy stuck to his hand.
"Hey, we're okay!"
The family stops and takes this in. Vanessa smiled at this, there was no longer any malice. She slowly walked up to Guy. He opened his arms, catching her.
"I was so worried," she mumbled.
Guy tightened his hold on her "We'll be alright. We're almost there."
The ground beneath their feet started shaking violently, forcing the two to separate. The Croods jumped forward and the ground split in half.
Guy looked towards Grug "Grug. Your call."
Grug already knew the answer. Nodding his head he turned to Guy "Take us to tomorrow."
☆☆☆☆
Now they were all rushing up the gunsight into the bright rays of the sun.
"Hurry! Come on. We're gonna make it!" Guy yelled.
When the Croods rush toward "Tomorrow," it is a golden, ethereal image created by a perfect alignment of sun, clouds, and mountain. From the Crood's point of view, it looks as if they can cross a solid bridge of clouds and climb onto a waiting sun.
"You were right," Vanessa said in awe.
"There it is. The sun. We can do it! We can ride it tomorrow," Guy grabbed Vanessa's hand ready to run but across the open meadow across from them, the ground tremors violently shook the ground.
"Run!" Guy shouted, the Croods ran following Guy's lead.
When the rift opens in front of them, the hot gases and blasts of hot ash burst the clouds from beneath. The debris shades the sun, revealing a very Earthly landscape beyond.
Tomorrow vanished before their eyes.
A shockwave knocks a large chunk of rock off the edge the Croods were standing on blowing them backwards
Guy tucks Vanessa against him, shielding her firm from the rubble flying at them.
The path in front cracked and sunken down, they stood by the edge. Guy and Vanessa peered from the edge and saw lava flowing. He looked up confused "I don't understand. The sun was right here," he glanced at Vanessa "It was right here."
Vanessa placed her hand on his forearm hoping to calm him down.
KABOOM!
A gargantuan jet of ash stabs at the sky. Ugga pulls the Croods away from the ledge."We have to go back to the cave. Hurry,hurry, stay together. Let's keep moving. Move, move! Everybody hold my hand. Thunk let's go. Go! Let's stay together," she herds them back toward the gunsight, leading them back to the cave.
However, Grug doesn't join them. Instead, Grug takes a step towards the precipice, peering into the curtain of ash as if trying to burn a hole straight through it.
Ugga stopped releasing Grug was not following them "Grug? What's wrong with you? Grug we'll die if we stay here!" She yelled at him.
Grug spies a wispy shaft of light struggling through the ash cloud. He held up his hand to feel it. A beam of light settles on his palm.
Grug was enlightened.
Ugga sighed "Grug. Listen to me. We've gotta get back to the cave."
Grug looks back at his family - huddled, terrified. The picture of what he would have wanted in the beginning. The sight bothers him. Grug turns to face them.
"No more dark. No more hiding. No more caves," he gently caressed Sandy's cheek. "What's the point of all this?" he asked, looking at Eep and Vanessa.
"To follow the light."
A bright smile broke on the two girls' faces.
"I can't change. I don't have ideas. But I have strength. And right now that's all you need," he turned and faced the light that was lightly seeping through the ash.
Ugga shook her head "No. We don't know what's over there. Maybe nothing. It's too risky."
Grug turned back to them and smiled "It's a chance."
Belt wiped a tear off his face.
Guy turned towards Vanessa, he grabbed her hand. With his other hand, he placed it on her cheek. Belt reached out towards her hand and placed his paw on her head "I'll take that chance."
Grug proceeds to lift guy above his head "You know, I've wanted to throw you away ever since I met you."
Guy chuckled nervously "Heh. That's a joke, right?"
Grug looked at him pretending to be confused. "What's a joke?"
His comment freaked Guy out a little.
Belt prepares himself by putting on a helmet, he nodded to Sandy. Over time the two had built a pretty good relationship.
With titanic effort, he hurls Guy into the void.
They wait for what seemed like an eternity. Then - a horn sounds.
"He made it!... He made it!" Ugga exclaimed.
Grug turned to Thunk "Okay, Thunk. Your turn."
"You're not coming, are you?"
"When you make it, so will I," Grug lifts Thunk and hurls him across the debris. He safely made it to the other side.
Next was Ugga.
He rests his forehead against hers.
"You did good," she whispered.
"Dadda," Sandy exclaimed, placing her small hand on his face.
Her first word, this made Grug chuckle.
He then lifted His wife and Sandy above his head. He hurls them across.
"Gran," Grug said as she walked up to him ready to be thrown.
"No mush, just throw me," Gran said, as she held up her stick avoiding his gaze.
As Grug was about to lift with her cane, she stopped him "Wait. You surprised me today," she told him proudly then she smiled teasingly "Lunkhead."
Grug smirked and threw her next.
She landed on the other side and shouted "Still alive!"
For the first time, Grug smiled at this statement
Grug turned towards Vanessa. Tears were streaming down her face "I can't say the things I want to say at this moment, but thank you for everything. I'm sorr-"
"No. It's okay. I may not be your father but you've let me take care of you and watch you over these years. You might not see me as our father but you are one of my kids."
Vanessa shook her head as she wiped the tears off her face "I do think of you as my dad, even though I've never said it. I'm thankful for that. So thank you....dad."
Grug smiled sweetly and lifted her off the ground. He then threw her across the canyon.
Vanessa closed her eyes waiting for a hard impact but she was caught in a pair of arms. She slowly opened her eyes to see Guy, her face brightened and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Vanessa took his hand in hers and pulled him to where the rest of both the Croods were and looked towards the ash.
Just then the ground shook, breaking off more from the cliff.
Thankfully Eep made her way to the other side.
The tumult parts briefly allowed Grug to see his entire family was safe on the other side. He waved his last goodbye. To his surprise, a shaft of sunlight had settled on his open hand.
"There. I see him!" Guy shouted, and then the family waved at Grug letting him know they were okay.
Eep and Luna were standing by the cliff, both blowing their shell horns.
"It's not safe here," Guy said.
"I'll tell them," Gran sighed and walked up to the two girls.
Eep and Vanessa continue to blow on their shell horns. The glanced at her before breaking into tears.
Gran looked at the shell horn before blowing it loudly. The girls were shocked at this.
The whole family, including Guy, stepped up next to them and began to blow their shell horns.
"I never got to tell him," Eep sobbed.
Ugga placed her hand on Eep's shoulder "Eep, if your dad were here, he would tell you-"
"GET OUT THE WAY!!!"
"Wow, you sound just like him," Thunk said.
Ugga looks up.
Vanessa looks up.
Everyone looks up.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
"Daddy," Sandy exclaimed.
"He did it!" Eep looked amazed.
"He's riding the sun...But not very well. Everybody out of the way!"
Guy tugs Vanessa over to him as they all scatter in various directions.
Grug came crashing near the family as they all ran to meet him.
"Dad!"
"Grug!"
Grug pops up with a long bone "Ahhh!! Where's the danger? Who blew their shell?" But all Grug saw was his astonished family staring back at him.
Eep and Vanessa run to him and hug him ferociously, nearly knocking him over.
"I love you/ I love you too," they said.
The rest of the Croods begin running towards him and he hugs each and everyone like never before.
"One, two, three, four, five, six," Guy puts his arm around Guy "...and serves.
Belt wanted to be acknowledged as well "Eeeerrggh."
"And a half.
All the animals join in hugging Grug.
"And eight, and nine."
Douglas ran up to Thunk and licked his face "Douglas! Dad, you saved him!"
"Well, a boy gotta have a pet."
Suddenly the group rises up as the Macawnivore stands near them. It snuggled into Grug purring.
"Turns out, I'm a cat person."
Grug then notices a tail sticking out of Chunk's mouth "Uuuuh! nooo."
Chunky sighed and spat out the trip gerbils and brought sheepishly.
The Trip-gerbils run to gran knocking her over in excitement.
Eep and Vanessa looked out to an incredible view.
"You really need to see this."
The whole family takes in this amazing view and then looks to Grug for his decision.
"We should go there."