Mission Test

Welcome to the Jungle

Kwazii was acting strange.

The Octonauts figured he'd be excited to see the Congo River in an African jungle, but they didn't think he'd be THIS excited.

The change in Kwazii's mood had been miraculous. He'd been in shock for a moment, before it caught up to them.

He was going home.

Well, technically, he'd never had one home in his life. They always moved from one place to another. But, home is where the heart is. And he never thought he'd see that heart again, not for years and years, not until the Octonauts journey was over. But, their paths finally crossed, and he couldn't be more pleased.

Or more nervous. He found himself checking reflective surfaces constantly, taking in his reflection, and fixing it up a little. He wanted to show his sister how well he'd taken care of himself. She had been hovering over him since he was born, and always feared for his safety. When he left to become a pirate, he figured his sister would be frantic. It genuinely surprised him that she was okay with it. He still heard her words; 'Go follow your dreams, Kwazii. Don't let anyone get in your way. That's what Mum taught us.'

Now, he knew he would see her again, no matter what, and he wanted to look his best. He didn't want to give his sister any need for concern.

His brother, however, was another story. Kwazii hoped he'd cooled down after their parents death. His older brother had been bitter and sulky, and he didn't get along too well with their sister. Kwazii didn't want them to be fighting when he introduced them to the Octonauts.

Of course, they didn't know about it, yet. It was a surprise.

"What do you think has him in a twist?" Tweak pondered aloud to Dashi. The dog shrugged. It wasn't like Kwazii to care how he looked, especially when he was most likely going to get it messed up again.

"Kwazii, is there something you want to tell us?" Barnacles asked, peering over his shoulder at him. Kwazii paused for a minute, wondering what to say. Luckily, he was spared from having to say anything.

Tidal bores could be so life-saving sometimes.

Barnacles shook water off of his head. Why was it that, every time they went to a large river or jungle or something like that, a tidal bore just had to happen? Once again, they were separated. The last time this happened, they'd found Kwazii's grandfather, though, so it wasn't all bad...

Kwazii. He'd been acting strange.

'Maybe all these jungle/tidal bore incidents have something to do with him?' Barnacles wondered. After a moment, he shook the off. That was ridiculous.

"Hey." Barnacles glanced up, and jumped back. "Ooh!" An orange cat with long yellow hair was hanging upside down on a branch above him. Her hair was done up in pigtails, which were frizzy and fluffy, and currently hung from her head like socks on a clothesline. She had deep blue eyes that peered thoughtfully and somewhat daringly into his own blue ones.

"Um hello? Who are you?" Barnacles pondered, looking her up and down. "What are you doing here?" She was nowhere near dressed for the jungle. She was wearing a lavender dress, covered with lace, bows and frills, as well as nice black shoes. She looked like she was going to church or somewhere nice, and not ready for a hike through the African jungle.

"I could ask you the same things." She struck back, flipping perfectly off the branch. Barnacles was struck with a sudden sense of familiarity...

Her eyes stared right into his the whole time, as if she were daring him. She looked like she meant business, and had her pink parasol pointed at him threateningly. Barnacles held up his paws in a gesture of surrender. "I'm not going to hurt you." He assured. "I'm Captain Barnacles, leader of the Octonauts." Her parasol went down immediately, and he allowed himself to relax a little. She stuck out her lower lip, and blew her bangs out her face. "oh." she said, sounding like it didn't matter to her.

Barnacles decided to continue. "I've been separated from my crew," he told her. "A tidal bore swept us all further into the jungle. No sign of the Gups, either." The girl raised an eyebrow. "Gups? Oh, is that what that thing was? I beached it so it wouldn't go floating off." Barnacles blinked. "Was it blue or green?"

"Blue. Had a lantern over it. At first, I figured it was some sort of robotic fish." She was primp and proper, talking to him as if they were at a high-class party together. Her vocabulary was comparable to that of an Englishwoman from the 1800s, and her back was ramrod straight. She didn't seem to catch the fact that they were meeting in the jungle.

"What are you doing here?" Barnacles inquired again, taking her in. He thought, personally, that she should have been at a ball or a dance, and not in the jungle.

"I ask you, though," she shot back, "Because you are on my family's property." Barnacles' brows furrowed. "Huh?"

The cat heaved a sigh. "My family owns the world-wide Conservation Station. 'Protect the world, we protect ourselves.' That's our motto." Barnacles nodded. "Ah. Yes, I've heard of that."

"Well, my parents owned the place, and this is where our family unit is currently stationed. So, in the sense of such, you are on MY property."

"Your parents property, you mean."

"MY property. It's gone to me, the whole entire thing, because I'm the next of kin."

"Ah."

"Now," she hopped back onto her branch, and leaned against the trunk, inspecting her nails. "What are YOU doing here?"

"I told you, I was separated from my crew." He didn't know what to make of this girls. She seemed a little hostile, but, looking into her eyes, he knew she was just doing her job: protecting her property.

"How long have you been living here?"

"A couple to a few years. Why?"

"You would know this jungle very well, then. Wouldn't you?"

"Yes."

"I don't suppose you could help me?" She thought about it for a minute, before flipping back onto the ground. "Come on." she gestured for him to follow her with her umbrella.

"Wait!" Barnacles dashed to catch up with her purposeful walk. "I still don't know your name." She turned around, and graced him with a suddenly kind smile, almost motherly. "it's Kimber." She started walking away again, leaving Barnacles to follow. he watched her flip onto a fallen tree that acted somewhat as a bridge across the river. Her movement and her appearance...he found himself thinking of someone similar...

"You know, you remind me a lot of my friend, Kwazii."

She stopped cold, not even turning around. "How do you know my brother?"

Kwazii groaned, and lifted himself carefully. He was washed up on the banks of the Congo river. it flowed loudly just a few feet away from him, as if threatening to swallow him up again. He carefully backed away...

"Geez, little brother. You're going to get yourself killed." Kwazii looked up. In the tree next to him, on what was easily the fifth highest branch, was a familiar orange blur...such a familiar voice....

"Kameron! I've missed you!"