Crash Bandicoot 1: Chapter One: Rest and Recurrence

The wind rushed through the trees of N. Sanity Island with the liveliness of a boundless freedom and new hope. The dense jungles had calmed down substantially ever since the contamination, but the plague of Cortex's abominations still left an echoing reek over the islands. Not too far away from the cool breeze of the ocean, two bandicoots laid contently within the warm rays of the sun. Unlike their close related relatives, both were not nocturnal. Yet one would never be able to tell by viewing a normally motionless Crash Bandicoot. All he wished to do ever since his mutation was to lie on a beach and snooze. At first, that hope was dashed by the imprisonment of his friend Tawna, but now he was free to do as he chose. He slept soundly on his back beside Coco, the latter furiously tapping the keys of her laptop.

Crash didn't know if he would ever get used to the constant clicks right beside his ear, but he needn't have worried. The irritation didn't affect his sleeping at all. Snoring with consistently slow breaths, he didn't even move as Coco's machine made a sharp beeping noise.

"Oh no!" Coco wailed, clicking a few more times to cause the noise to stop.

Crash still remained motionless, moaning slightly at the inconsiderate bellow of her exclamation. She brushed a strand of golden hair from out of her eyes, and then turned to her sleeping brother.

"Crash? Crash? Crash!"

The last inquiry was more of a shout, followed by the loud slap of her hands colliding together in front of his nose.

"I'm-awake!" Crash jolted up, his incoherent blabber trailing off. "What? Oh…what do you want?"

If Coco was offended by the rudeness in her brother's tone she didn't mention it. She pointed to her laptop, but Crash was more concerned with blinking the sleep from his eyes.

"Crash, my battery is fried. Please go get an extra battery for me?"

Crash yawned, thumping his head back to the ground.

"Maybe after I finish my nap."

Coco growled. "This 'nap' has lasted for almost nine hours. Come on big brother, this battery won't last very long and you need the exercise."

Crash rolled over and propped his head up on his elbow.

"Dear sister, how many batteries do you think I'm going to find here in the jungle? Unless there's a new species of tree I don't know about?"

With a sigh Coco turned back to her computer screen, trying to figure how to make her existing battery last longer.

"I have a battery at the house that I made myself, so if you don't mind would you go to the house and get it?" Coco faced him with a sour, sisterly expression. "Please?"

Crash grunted as he stretched out his back, and then staggered slightly as he stood. As he walked away he called without even turning around.

"When I get back I expect a pile of wamba fruit prepared for my trouble."

"The house isn't even half a block away."

"It's far enough."

--

Crash tromped through the woods, hands plunged deep in his pockets. Not even the bright midday sun could pull him out of the depths of his exhaustion. He had spent the entire day snoozing between snacks, and all that rest could tire any body out. Crash yawned so wide he felt his jaw click in protest, and although he was tempted to stop for a quick nap, he was set on his mission. His sister wanted a battery, and a battery she would get. And if he was not rewarded for his efforts, that battery would be thrown into the ocean. Crash giggled at that. Unfortunately, the two of them were at a point in their relationship where they detested each other. It was as though that mindset was a genetic normality, and there was nothing neither brother nor sister could do about it. Regardless, Coco was a good kid, and Crash was more than happy to take a good quarter hour out of his day to assist.

"Where are you off to, Crash Bandicoot?"

Crash marched past Aku Aku, floating stationary as his fascinations with a strange plant were momentarily forgotten. Crash offered a quick salute with his head still lowered as he continued on his path.

"Just elder-brother duties, nothing to worry yourself over."

"Be careful Crash, I have yet to discover all the forces of unrest on this island, and there could very well be more dangers I am unaware of."

"Yeah, sure, see yah."

Crash didn't bother lifting his head, following the path through his mind's eye. If he ran into a tree, well, it wasn't the worst thing that could happen, certainly not enough to for him to open his eyes while he walked. Aku Aku was a good guy, but he was far too cautious, and quite overprotective of Coco. Crash had that particular jeer listed to his sister-irking list, for she couldn't stand Aku's constant fatherly supervision. If Crash had thought to look where he was going, he may have noticed that he started walking off the main path. He would have also noticed that he had never wandered through this part of the jungle before. He would have noticed still that if he remained on his current course, that he would walk directly between two ancient pillars that appeared rather suspicious. Unfortunately, Crash's memory wasn't the greatest, and he still believed himself to be walking pleasantly on the proper path. When he finally looked up, he was already in the midst of a problem.

"Oh, this can't be good." Crash moaned, feeling quite strange as a few gold strands of light whirled around him.

He couldn't move, and each of his cells felt as though they were trying to pull away. Crash's eyes slanted toward one of his arms, and noticed with surprisingly undisturbed fascination that his limb was disintegrating into yellow dust. An instant later, the golden sands completely enshrouded Crash Bandicoot, and a moment after that, the space between the pillars was empty once again.