School of Hard Rocks

School of Hard Rocks is a second episode of Season 1 Dawn of the Croods.

Synopsis
Eep loves to compete, so she teams up with her new friend Lerk to win a school hunting exam, regardless of what she has to do.

Plot
In the prologue of the episode, Eep as the narrator briefly describes how Ahhh! Valley began the invention of school so cavepeople can be more likely to survive; to hunt instead of becoming the hunted. Teacher Squawk is expecting an assignment for his students to turn in, when the students say that their so-called 'assignment' is too fast. That assignment is revealed as a chickuna being chased. Some students of the class try to catch the chickuna, but fail for individual reasons. Eep manages to successfully seize the chickuna, although is soon-after knocked down by naive Lerk, causing her to lose grip of the chickuna.

Mr. Squawk takes strong disapproval of the student's many attempts, explaining why the only reason he came a teacher was to have his students hunt for him. Eep explains how she and the other students tried to capture the chickuna, although did not succeed well because of the new girl, Lerk. Soon after, Mr. Squawk considers that Eep is not paying attention and assigns the class a test tomorrow in which is to catch a small pack of liyotes. He assigns pairs of students for the test, pairing up Eep with Lerk. Mr. Squawk also warns that whoever fails the test will be in Deep Trouble (a.k.a detention) for a week.

Lerk gets enthusiastic about going to detention because she sees it as an opportunity for her and Eep to become "best friends," leading Eep to face palm in frustration. Later that night, Eep comes home for dinner not so happy. Mother Ugga notices her mood and asks Eep what is wrong. Eep explains to Ugga about how she has a test tomorrow and being paired with new girl Lerk and how she could lead to the dreadful job of being the valley's water girl instead of becoming a great hunter in a pack (just so you know, a water girl is considered a girl who constantly gulps and spits out water from the lake into people's hands).

Grug enters the conversation about how distressing the importance of NOT going to school, as he states that any good parent would do that to their children. Grug suggests that Eep and Thunk drop out of school and go to work with him, where he can show them how real hunting is done. Ugga asks what the new girl's name is, and Eep answers that it's Lerk. Gran barges in interrupting, saying how Lerk's family is known to eat their own hair. Once Eep and Ugga stare at her, Gran backs away. Ugga tries to make a bright side out of that comment, saying that Gran meant of how Lerk can surprise Eep with something decent from her family.

The next day, Lerk shows Eep songs and dances from her old cave-school (home-school). Eep asks Lerk if she knows anything more from her cave-school experience, but Lerk replies that songs and dances are all she learned back then. Eep starts to make a plan about how her and Lerk are going to study for that test. Meanwhile, Grug is showing his son Thunk around the hunting grounds. He is taking pride in doing this as he believes his son will become the best hunter in Ahhh! Valley right before Grug himself. For example, Grug shows Thunk a team of bonkers going in for a sneak attack on a snoozing mosquitoad. Completely oblivious, Thunk shouts "Have a good sneak attack, guys!" Thunk's voice wakes the mosquitoad and the creature attacks the bonkers. Embarrassed, Grug gets Thunk away from the central hunting grounds, stating he needs a break.

Mr. Squawk's students are training for the test today. Eep reveals to Lerk her little tiny-but-savage sister Sandy, labeling her as Lerk's "practice predator." Lerk uses this practice, worn out by little Sandy's savage antics. Sandy jumps on Lerk's back, causing her to make screeching animal noises. Lerk claims animal noises to be her strength, and Eep thinks it's quite an annoying strength. Unfortunately, time is up and Eep starts to worry. While Lerk is giving a team name called "Team Awesome Girls," she once again gets snatched by spider ants. Eep gets an idea.

Grug shows Thunk more of the hunting grounds, including the tree vine area. There, the hunters are hanging out, being chill, and lazily cracking jokes at one another. Thunk tries to fit in and crack jokes himself, although the results are awkward and sometimes cause in the jokes being accidentally offensive. Grug tries to get Thunk to stop talking by offering him a smash fruit. Thunk bites into the fruit but splatters the insane amount of juice all over Grug and the others in the lounge. The test is here. Mr. Squawk's students gather to class, all given four liyotes in front of them. Eep has her idea along, which is a spider ant being used as a tool. She latches the spider ant's web onto Lerk. Mr. Squawk instructs that each team of two should catch one liyote to pass the test. Once the chase is on, Eep uses her spider ant tool and throws Lerk in front, creating an arc in the air. Lerk lands onto the ground and surrounds a liyote. Eep pulls the web rope and Lerk and the liyote crash together. The liyote tries to escape, dragging Eep along. Eep sees a rock coming into her path and lands on it, causing the rope to stretch and spring back with elasticity. The rope swings all around in the direction of three other uncaught liyotes. Therefore, Eep and Lerk pass the assignment by catching all four liyotes practically at once. However, Mr. Squawk is so impressed he decides wasn't challenging the class enough, and decides to allow Eep and Lerk lead hunt to for an Albatroceros.

Grug decides Thunk doesn't have it takes be a hunter. Eep's class looks for and finds a baby Albatroceros, and Lerk ends up riding it. Grug tries to tell Thunk he can't by a hunter, a mother Albatroceros attacks and Grug and the other hunters tries to stop it, but fail and Grug is put in danger. However, Thunk manages to save his father by doing the rock throw he learned in school making the mother Albatroceros fly away. Grug is impressed and decides to have Thunk go to back school as he teaches him the rock throw, but Thunk ends up hitting Grug. Meanwhile, Eep's class is cheering Lerk on, but Eep finally tells her she cheated for the both of them. Then the mother Albatroceros shows up and Lerk ends up on it's nose. Although Lerk is mad at Eep, she comes with a plan to use some spider ant's web with the rest of the class and tells Lerk to do one of her animal noises. Lerk does a roar that scares the mother Albatroceros and causes it to stop flying. Both Lerk and the mother Albatroceros fall towards the ground, but Eep and the rest of their manage to save her, using the spider ant's web as a net. Although Mr. Squawk praises them for their teamwork, they are both still in trouble for cheating on the test and endangering the class and are sent to Deep Trouble. At the Crood home, Grug agrees that school is fine but when Thunk tells Grug he wants to be a teacher, he is immediately against it. While in Deep Trouble, Eep apologizes to Lerk for putting her in danger, Lerk forgives her and Eep accepts Lerk as her best friend.

Characters

 * Eep Crood

Trivia

 * Lerk appears as the new girl in this episode, but she previously appeared in A Gran Day Out.