Chapter 20: The Foundling

Din Djarin makes his way back to the clandestine Mandalorian settlement.

At the Tribe's covert, we see several warriors honing their skills with various weapons and practicing hand-to-hand combat. Referees are present to oversee the sparring matches, announcing the conclusion of each and identifying the victor. Separately, on the shoreline, Grogu is seated amidst what appear to be stones. Intrigued, he observes their movement, picking one up to realize it's actually a stone crab. While he examines it with fascination, Din Djarin arrives, lifting him up and stating that playtime is finished and he must now train alongside the other foundlings. Djarin leads Grogu to the training area, presenting him as the next competitor. Bo-Katan Kryze approaches, questioning Djarin about the wisdom of involving Grogu in combat. Djarin responds that learning is essential if he is to become a apprentice. However, the judge sides with Kryze, deeming Grogu too small to fight. Djarin counters by asserting his guardianship over him. After a moment's hesitation, the judge inquires about the choice of weapon, and Djarin allows Ragnar, Grogu's opponent, to select darts. As an adult retrieves the darts, Ragnar questions why Grogu isn't wearing a helmet. Djarin explains that Grogu is too young to recite the Mandalorian Creed and, therefore, too young to wear a helmet. Ragnar argues that if he's too young for a helmet, he's too young for combat. Djarin quotes the Creed, stating, "One does not speak unless one knows," to which Ragnar proclaims that he does know. Djarin suggests that perhaps the lesson is intended for himself.

Each child receives a dart launcher loaded with three training darts, designed to leave only paint splatters upon impact rather than cause injury. As Kryze fastens one onto Grogu, she offers reassurance, mentioning that her father was similar and that Djarin is simply proud of him. She pats him on the shoulder and advises him to be gentle with Ragnar. The judge outlines the rules: each participant has three darts to use in any sequence. A direct hit, with a visible mark, earns one point. The competition consists of a single round, with the highest score determining the winner. Djarin crouches down to instruct Grogu, explaining that squeezing his fist will fire a dart. Kryze responds with disbelief, questioning, "He doesn't know how to fire darts?" Djarin, unfazed, confidently assures Kryze to trust him.

The initial two darts strike Grogu in the chest, while Grogu doesn't launch any of his. Grogu glances back at Djarin, who delivers an encouraging speech: he has witnessed Grogu's capabilities and encourages him to demonstrate them to everyone. This time, upon the judge's signal to begin, Grogu employs the Force to somersault over Ragnar's head and fires all three darts, hitting Ragnar in the chest. The judge declares Grogu the victor. As Ragnar departs, he is suddenly seized by a colossal flying reptavian shriek-hawk. Djarin aims his blaster pistol at the creature, but Paz Vizsla intervenes, cautioning against hitting the child and suggesting they follow it to its nest. Vizsla, Djarin, and two other Mandalorians pursue the creature using their jetpacks.

The group tracks the creature across a largely barren, rocky terrain until their jetpacks begin to fail due to fuel depletion. As Vizsla observes the reptavian retreating into the distance and expresses frustration at its escape, Kryze's ship appears, pursuing it effortlessly. Later, they regroup with Kryze back at the beach, where she reveals the nest's location on a map. Vizsla points out that using jetpacks would alert the beast, endangering the child. Kryze proposes scaling the mountain on foot, a suggestion that everyone agrees to. Djarin, Kryze, Vizsla, and the Shriek-hawk Training team embark in Kryze's ship while Grogu watches from the beach.

The Armorer guides Grogu into her Forge, where she heats a ladle within the cryo-furnace. She molds some metal into a circular shape, cooling it before placing it in the forge's press. She explains that the Forge can reveal weaknesses, and activates controls that cause the press to repeatedly slam onto the plate while Grogu observes with a worried expression. Grogu experiences a flashback of the siege of the Jedi Temple: a younger Grogu is present in the Jedi Temple on the planet Coruscant, watching from his hovering pram as clone troopers from the 501st Legion assault the Jedi attempting to protect him. As the Jedi are killed one by one, a Jedi exclaims that someone must get Grogu to Kelleran Beq. One of the surviving Jedi escorts Grogu to an elevator but is shot just as the doors close. The elevator ascends and opens to reveal Beq, who assures Grogu he'll be safe, even as troopers arrive and begin firing at them. Beq deflects blaster bolts back at them, incapacitating them, but more troopers appear, and and Grogu take off in a speeder. They are chased by Republic gunships through Coruscant, and one of the gunships manages to damage the speeder's engine, causing it to lose altitude but continue flying. Beq guides them through a train tunnel and past Umate, and they land roughly on a platform beside a ship and some members of the Royal Naboo Security Forces. One of the guards inquires about other survivors, to which Beq responds that there are none. The guard instructs him to take the ship as a ship of clone troopers arrive. The ship departs as Naboo Guards engage in a firefight with the clones. The flashback concludes as Beq enters hyperspace.

The Armorer continues to shape the metal circle, eventually transitioning from hammering to embedding intricate circuitry on the underside. She informs Grogu that it's customary for everyone to contribute a small amount towards the Tribe's foundlings' welfare, and she has used this to forge his next piece of armor: a rondel bearing the mudhorn signet of Clan Mudhorn on the front. She attaches it to his chainmail, and it appears so large on him that it covers his entire chest.

Concurrently, Kryze's ship lands in a canyon, and the expedition team disembarks. Kryze informs them that they will proceed on foot from this point, as approaching any closer would alert the beast. They undertake a lengthy trek to the rock formation whose summit houses the nest, and set up camp for the night. Kryze questions Djarin about how the Tribe eats if they cannot remove their helmets in the presence of others. Djarin explains that they must find a sufficiently isolated location where they can eat without being observed. Vizsla informs Kryze that, as the leader of the war party, she has the privilege of staying by the fire to eat. At first light the following morning, they silently scale the rockface using their whipcords.

Upon reaching the nest, they discover it's devoid of the large shriek-hawk. Djarin's heat vision detects a cluster of warmth concealed by the brush that forms the nest. Vizsla immediately climbs into the nest, and at Kryze's admonishment that he should wait until they've cleared all of it, Vizsla explains his urgency by revealing that Ragnar is his son. Calling out for his son, Vizsla inadvertently awakens three shriek-hawk chicks who begin to attack him. Even as babies, they are far bigger than he is. The adult shriek-hawk arrives and regurgitates Ragnar to feed to the chicks, who calls out for help. When Vizsla scrambles to help him, the shriek-hawk picks Vizsla up in his mouth and Ragnar in his claws and flies off. Kryze uses her jetpack to go after them, but is buffeted away by the shriek-hawk's wings, and as her jetpack temporarily malfunctions, she loses a pauldron. Just before she hits the water, she recovers, and she and Djarin are able to fire cables into the shriek-hawk's body. Kryze uses her cable to get to the shriek-hawk's head, where she is able to stab it repeatedly in the eye. As the creature roars in pain, it drops Vizsla, who lands on one of the cliffs.

The other Mandalorians manage to secure their lariats around the creature, and Djarin is able to get his lariat around one of its wings, sending it off balance. He rescues Ragnar from its claws, and the shriek-hawk plunges into the lake. As it struggles to take off again, a dinosaur turtle rises from beneath it and snaps it up in its jaws, pulling it down into the water. Djarin and Ragnar land next to Vizsla, where Vizsla urgently asks if Ragnar is alright and hugs him. Ragnar assures him that he's okay, and Vizsla thanks Djarin, to which Djarin replies, "This is the Way." Vizsla echoes it.

Kryze's ship transports them all back to the covert, where Vizsla and Ragnar energe to cheers and clapping. The Armorer approaches Kryze and tells her that she has done the highest honour of the Creed: saving a foundling. Bo-Katan replies with, "This is the Way," and the Armorer repeats it in response. Kryze tells her that they have brought back three other foundlings in need of care and training. The three shriek-hawk chicks emerge from her ship, led out by a Mandalorian with a hunk of raw meat on a stick.

The Armorer notices that Kryze is missing a pauldron, and takes her to the Forge so she can replace it. As she forges the metal, she asks whether she should put the nite owl on it, and Kryze hesitates, looking at the metal crafted into the shape of a mythosaur skull on the wall. She asks if it would be acceptable to wear one pauldron with the nite owl and one with the mythosaur, which the Armorer declares acceptable, as the mythosaur belongs to all Mandalorians. Watching the Armorer continue to create her new pauldron, Kryze asks hesitantly what the Armorer would say if she said she saw a mythosaur. The Armorer says Kryze would be lucky, as it is a noble vision. Kryze tries to clarify that it was real, but the Armorer just says, "This is the Way." When she leaves the Forge, Kryze stays behind, staring at the skull on the wall.