The next day, they find the Sirenjaw's carcass but no sign of Kong. Then a flock of Psychovultures and Death Jackals descend upon the carcass to feast on it, prompting the humans to flee. They encounter a Swamp Locust and manage to escape, but Medov's wounds have opened up again. Ato says the way to the village is now blocked and they have to wait at least a week for the animals to finish eating the Sirenjaw's corpse.
Then Cejudo finally reaches Aaron through the radio after repairing it. He says he can barely get airborne since the Psychovultures shredded everything. Aaron tells Cejudo about Medov's injury and that Karsten didn't make it before Cejudo asks for the team's location so he can pick them up. Ato tells Aaron there's a safe place for them and the V-22 Osprey to land nearby, unfortunately, they will have to cross through the Boneyard, home of the Skullcrawlers. Aaron decides they'll have to take the risk since they don't have much choice and, to Riccio's dismay, call off the mission as Skull Island has gotten the best of them and they can't collect any data since their survey gear is now junk. Riccio wants to continue the pilgrimage as they're now close to finally meeting Kong. Aaron says they are still leaving and tells Riccio if he wants to continue his "religious experience" then he is free to do so.
At the Boneyard, Riccio is excited by the sight of the skeletons of the two apes from his previous vision. Ato says it was to be the next step in the pilgrimage, and that the natives call it "The Valley of the Fallen Gods". As the group crosses through, they see a pair of Skullcrawlers. Aaron finds a cave opening for them to hide in, confused as to why the Skullcrawlers are still alive when his father's notes stated Kong had killed the last of them. Ato says Kong only weakened the Skullcrawlers and more of them dwell underground. The group enters the small opening and waits in the cave for the Skullcrawlers to leave. Riccio claims to know why the Iwi brought them to the Boneyard. As Aaron tries to pull Riccio away from the entrance, he says the cave they are in is a womb, Kong's womb.
Then he grabs his head in pain from having another vision, one of Kong's birth: before the Boneyard fell to the Skullcrawlers, it was the den of the Kong superspecies and the two apes that remained were Kong's parents. Things were long past hopeless by the time Kong was conceived but his parents continued to fight the giant Skullcrawlers, up to the moment Kong's mother gave birth on the battlefield. The newborn Kong's first impressions of the world were of blood, thunder, fire, and death; he only knew his mother during the moment she held him in her arms. While Kong's father held off the Skullcrawlers, his mother sealed him in the cave so they wouldn't get to him, and Kong helplessly watched the crawlers kill his parents. Even though the rage and fury that grew inside Kong that day are now what makes him invincible, what's fueling it is a sorrow that can never heal. By nightfall when the fight was over, he left the cave and wept by his parents' bodies though no one could hear him for he was now the last of his kind.
It's at that moment that Aaron realizes Kong is not a dumb brute but an orphan, and Matemavi says the Skullcrawlers are gone. Riccio says they don't need the survey gear anymore and, claiming to now understand everything, he says their communion with Kong is all that matters. Before he can explain, Aaron bids Riccio farewell, saying he hopes to see the latter at the pick-up point but if not, then Riccio can remain on Skull Island. The sun sets and night comes by the time Cejudo arrives in the V-22 Osprey to the others' location at the top of a peak. Suddenly, a missile appears that hits the V-22 and causes Cejudo to crash. To the group's shock and dismay, they see Riccio behind them with a rocket launcher. The distraught Matemavi shoots at him and misses before he pulls out a gun and shoots her in the chest, killing her. Then Riccio points the gun at Aaron and asks if he still wants assurance that Kong is capable of protecting mankind then he should pay attention since he's going to show Kong's true face.
more...
Then Cejudo finally reaches Aaron through the radio after repairing it. He says he can barely get airborne since the Psychovultures shredded everything. Aaron tells Cejudo about Medov's injury and that Karsten didn't make it before Cejudo asks for the team's location so he can pick them up. Ato tells Aaron there's a safe place for them and the V-22 Osprey to land nearby, unfortunately, they will have to cross through the Boneyard, home of the Skullcrawlers. Aaron decides they'll have to take the risk since they don't have much choice and, to Riccio's dismay, call off the mission as Skull Island has gotten the best of them and they can't collect any data since their survey gear is now junk. Riccio wants to continue the pilgrimage as they're now close to finally meeting Kong. Aaron says they are still leaving and tells Riccio if he wants to continue his "religious experience" then he is free to do so.
At the Boneyard, Riccio is excited by the sight of the skeletons of the two apes from his previous vision. Ato says it was to be the next step in the pilgrimage, and that the natives call it "The Valley of the Fallen Gods". As the group crosses through, they see a pair of Skullcrawlers. Aaron finds a cave opening for them to hide in, confused as to why the Skullcrawlers are still alive when his father's notes stated Kong had killed the last of them. Ato says Kong only weakened the Skullcrawlers and more of them dwell underground. The group enters the small opening and waits in the cave for the Skullcrawlers to leave. Riccio claims to know why the Iwi brought them to the Boneyard. As Aaron tries to pull Riccio away from the entrance, he says the cave they are in is a womb, Kong's womb.
Then he grabs his head in pain from having another vision, one of Kong's birth: before the Boneyard fell to the Skullcrawlers, it was the den of the Kong superspecies and the two apes that remained were Kong's parents. Things were long past hopeless by the time Kong was conceived but his parents continued to fight the giant Skullcrawlers, up to the moment Kong's mother gave birth on the battlefield. The newborn Kong's first impressions of the world were of blood, thunder, fire, and death; he only knew his mother during the moment she held him in her arms. While Kong's father held off the Skullcrawlers, his mother sealed him in the cave so they wouldn't get to him, and Kong helplessly watched the crawlers kill his parents. Even though the rage and fury that grew inside Kong that day are now what makes him invincible, what's fueling it is a sorrow that can never heal. By nightfall when the fight was over, he left the cave and wept by his parents' bodies though no one could hear him for he was now the last of his kind.
It's at that moment that Aaron realizes Kong is not a dumb brute but an orphan, and Matemavi says the Skullcrawlers are gone. Riccio says they don't need the survey gear anymore and, claiming to now understand everything, he says their communion with Kong is all that matters. Before he can explain, Aaron bids Riccio farewell, saying he hopes to see the latter at the pick-up point but if not, then Riccio can remain on Skull Island. The sun sets and night comes by the time Cejudo arrives in the V-22 Osprey to the others' location at the top of a peak. Suddenly, a missile appears that hits the V-22 and causes Cejudo to crash. To the group's shock and dismay, they see Riccio behind them with a rocket launcher. The distraught Matemavi shoots at him and misses before he pulls out a gun and shoots her in the chest, killing her. Then Riccio points the gun at Aaron and asks if he still wants assurance that Kong is capable of protecting mankind then he should pay attention since he's going to show Kong's true face.