Author's note: Fonts in Italics are done during confessionals…
(Nago Tribe, Day 1)
"Looks like this is the place." Elias noted as he led his tribe into the campsite the map he was holding was directing them.
The campsite, needless to say, was completely unassembled. The supplies for everything were given, but they were all scattered around. A box was nailed to a nearby tree, revealing that this was their treemail station.
"Yeah. Not like I was expecting otherwise, but we're going to have to build our shelter." Mel shrugged during a confessional. "I mean, honestly. Would anyone actually EXPECT to see a shelter fully-constructed upon arrival?"
"We have to BUILD a shelter?!" Bonnie yelled, clearly upset.
"Looks like we're got enough supplies to build a shelter and fire pit." D'looa pointed out. "I wonder if they gave us flint as well…"
"Doubtful. They never do in these things." Elias reminded. "We'll have to win it."
"We'll worry about the fire when we get to it." Crane said. "I believe we have a little construction to do."
"Ya got that right, little dude." Kida nodded. "I say let's get to work and build us an awesome shelter!"
The tribe got to work on building their shelter, although Bonnie was doing so a little reluctantly and half-heartedly.
(Temlin Tribe, Day 1)
"Here we are." Nikko said as he walked into an empty campsite (which was by the beach as opposed to just being a clearing in the jungle), holding the map Jonathan had been given. "Anyone here know how to build things?"
"This will be no problem." Shee'Na grinned slyly as she laid her eyes upon the supplies. "All we have to do is build something that can withstand the elements."
"Yeah. Doesn't sound too hard." Lilah admitted. "We just need something with a sturdy roof."
"Indeed, but if we construct a floor, we don't have to worry about sleeping on the sand." Reginald reminded. "While it's not essential, it could be a benefit."
"Less talk, people." Shee'Na urged, approaching the supplies. "The shelter isn't going to build itself."
As the others went to start work on the shelter, Marty looked at Jonathan. "Say, Jonathan? Why'd you opt to give Nikko the map?" The scrawny koopa asked.
Jonathan rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Truth be told? I'm a horrible navigator." He replied. "I didn't want to get us lost."
Marty nodded in understanding. "Makes sense." He replied. "Good to see that you gave the map over without being stubborn."
"Okay, I lied. You see, I'm a little nearsighted and I usually wear glasses. I just didn't bring my pair to the island because I didn't want to break them." Jonathan admitted during a confessional. "I couldn't make out anything on the map, but I didn't want to let my tribe know that. I don't want to be viewed as a liability this early in the game."
"Get over here, scrawny boys!" Shee'Na shouted from afar.
This made Marty and Jonathan jump to attention and rush over to help their team.
(Nago Tribe)
"You sure that's the best place to build a shelter, mate?" Jake asked as he struggled to carry some supplies over to the desired area Elias had picked out.
"This place is in the shade." Elias pointed out as he set some supplies down in the area he had picked. "Not only will it be cool during the day, but we'll be protected from the rain underneath the trees here."
"Makes sense to me." Angie shrugged as she placed some supplies down beside the ones Elias had put down.
"I dunno." Crane admitted. "I just don't think this will work that well…"
"You got a better idea, skater boy?" Elias challenged. "Let's hear it."
"Meh. Whatever. Let's just build the shelter."
"I can already tell that I'm not going to like Elias." Crane sighed. "There's just something about him that gives me the creeps. And that's saying something considering that I have to deal with people like Poison Jam all the time, and THOSE guys are creepy…"
Barney whistled a cheerful tune as he casually strolled along with the rest of his tribe, carrying at least twice the amount of everyone else.
"Dude, aren't you tired?" Kida asked as Barney dumped the supplies he was carrying with everything else. "The rest of us are struggling, man! How are you doing that?"
"You kidding? I carry stuff all day where I come from." Barney shrugged with a grin. "This is just more exercise for me."
"Boy. I'm sure glad he's on our team." D'looa told Jake.
"Ya can't forget that the others've got a Klingon, mate." The Australian replied. "She's gotta be as strong as he is."
"Oh, man. Two strong people, one on each team." Mel's eyes widened in realization. "If it comes down to strength, they'll both clobber everyone else easily!"
"We'll worry about that when we go to a challenge." D'looa assured. "We'll see how the two strong people act when going against each other."
"I work in a storehouse back in Budehuc Castle. Carrying stuff is what I do." Barney said. "I guess that makes me the strongest player on the tribe, which is a good thing because then they'll want to keep me around."
(Temlin Tribe)
Just as the Nago Tribe was expecting, Shee'Na was proving to be the strongest on the tribe by far, carrying just as much as Barney was, if not a little more. Shee'Na was racing back and forth between the pile of supplies and the designated shelter area twice as fast as everyone else.
The Temlin Tribe was proving to build the shelter a lot faster than the Nago Tribe, mainly because some castaways were already building it as people were bringing supplies over. Tork, Reginald and Sandy were working on building a sturdy shelter as everyone else was bringing them supplies.
Oh, I've got a lov-e-ly bunch of coconuts! Doodly-doo!" Sandy sang. "And there they are a-standing in a row!"
Reginald and Tork wisely chose to ignore the black-haired girl. "We're making excellent progress." Reginald noted. "We should have this finished in no time at all."
"Yeah. I'm just glad I chose to help build the shelter as opposed to carrying supplies." Tork added. "I wouldn't be able to manage all of that."
Something suddenly struck Reginald's mind as he looked down at the platypus. "You never told us what that 'special skill' of yours is." The tall Rabbid said.
"You'll find out eventually." Tork replied with a smirk.
"Even though it's early in the game, I know that Tork can turn out to be a wild card. This skill he talks about may be something beneficial to the tribe, but also could be something that could only be good for him." Reginald explained. "But from what I've seen so far, I think I can trust Tork. I think I can even trust Sandy to some extent, but I still don't know what goes on in that head of hers."
"Sometimes I feel like there's a mime inside of me, trying to get out." Sandy said brightly. "I think that may be one of the reasons people are afraid of me."
Both tribes worked on their respective shelters, hoping to get them built by the end of the day. Eventually, the shelters were finished, one tribe a little less pleased than the other.
(Nago Tribe)
"Okay. I'll admit that it's not the best shelter." Angie admitted. "But it gets the job done."
The shelter for the Nago Tribe had ended up as little more than a wooden awning wide enough to cover all nine members of the tribe held up by wooden poles. Needless to say, some people weren't very satisfied.
Elias sighed. "I feel that we could have done so much more." He noted. "I think this shelter is barely passable."
"But it's passable." Mel supplied. "That's all that matters, right?"
The actor nodded. "I suppose so."
"Hey, we did all we could, bro." Kida said, placing a hand on Elias' shoulder. "I think it's-"
"Kindly remove the hand."
Kida quickly complied and remover her hand from Elias' shoulder.
"Nevertheless, we got it done. It may not be the best, but it's all we've got right now." Crane said.
Bonnie, in the meantime, was a lot more verbal than some of the others. "I can't believe we actually have to sleep under that thing." She growled. "That doesn't look like it'll hold against rain at all!"
D'looa raised an eyebrow at the amateur boxer and lightly hit one of the poles holding the wooden awning up. The pole didn't even flinch. "It seems okay to me." The Twi'lek pointed out.
"Screw you, extra-terrestrial." Bonnie said as she turned and briskly walked away, leaving the rest of her tribe alone.
"…Yeah. This is gonna be a FUN competition." Angie groaned.
(Temlin Tribe)
The Temlin Tribe had proven to be a lot more successful than their competition. Not only had the tribe managed to build a shelter with a roof, but managed to place a platform underneath the shelter to keep them from sleeping on the sand.
Reginald gave an impressed smile. "Well, that went well." He said. "The shelter is complete and I think we all agree that it will suit all of our needs for now."
"Looks great, man!" Marty nodded with a grin. "I bet we've got a better shelter than the other tribe!"
"Not that it really looked like it would be that hard to do." Jonathan added. "Only a few of the members on the other tribe looked capable enough to build a shelter."
"Oh, this is so exciting!" Zoe cheered, jumping in the air repeatedly. "Our first day on the island and we've already got an awesome shelter!"
Everyone else suddenly became aware of a familiar stench that had mysteriously been absent ever since they started construction. Several members held their noses when Zoe wasn't looking.
"Okay, I know I have the tendency to let off a stench whenever I get excited, but give me a break! I'm a skunk!" Zoe pointed out. "I can't control it and whenever something excites me, all people can smell is a horrible smell coming from my tail. It's times like that that makes me wish I was a different species."
"I propose a toast to our first day on the island!" Sandy said, producing a bottle of wine from behind her back.
Everyone stood in silence, wondering where the dark-haired girl had gotten the bottle from, before Lilah piped up. "Uh…Sandy, I don't think you're allowed to carry things like that around the island." She said.
"…Really?" Sandy asked before tossing the bottle away, over her shoulder, then pondering. "Is that why the producers wouldn't let me bring my chainsaw onto the island?"
Once again, everyone else was left in silence.
"Okay, that human is crazy. I can safely say that I have never met someone as warped as her." Reginald said. "Now, I know some people would think of her as a danger because of that, but that unpredictability of Sandy's could actually come in handy in challenges."
Night soon arrived and both teams were eventually off to sleep in their new shelters, preparing for the days ahead.
(Nago Tribe, Day 2)
Barney and Crane were the first two up. However, instead of going to check for treemail, they sat down on a couple of logs that were rolled out by the fire pit to talk.
"What do you think of the tribe so far?" Crane asked.
"Save for Bonnie, I think they're all okay." Barney reasoned.
"I agree with you there, but I'm also getting a bad feeling about Elias." The white-haired skater pointed out.
"Really?" Barney asked. "Why?"
"There's just something about him I don't like." Crane replied, casting a suspicious glance at Elias' sleeping form. "I just have a feeling that he's not what he appears to be."
"So what are you saying?" The strongman asked. "Are you suggesting an alliance?"
"You bet. I know it's just two of us right now, but we can add to it when we see fit." Crane suggested. "You in?"
Barney paused, but nodded. "Okay. I think it sounds good." He replied.
"I know Crane is just a kid, but he's got his head on straight. I think I made the right choice in deciding to help him." Barney said. "Now we just need to find a few more people to add to the alliance so we'll have a majority."
Soon, almost everyone was up. The only exception was Angie, whom was still curled up inside the shelter, asleep. D'looa noticed this and looked at Kida. "How can she still be asleep?" She asked.
"You got me, man." Kida shrugged.
"Oy! Mates, we got some treemail!" Jake said as he came rushing over, waving a letter in his hand.
"What's it say?" Mel asked, eager to get things started.
"'Follow the directions given ta find yer first challenge. Hope yer not afraid of water'." Jake read.
"It's way too early for an Immunity Challenge." Elias noted, shaking his head. "It must be a Reward Challenge."
Angie suddenly yawned as she rolled over to sit upright, rubbing her eyes. "What'd I miss?' The yellow cat yawned.
(Temlin Tribe, Day 2)
"We has treemail, every-peoples!" Marty said as he ran over to the rest of his tribe (everyone was wide awake) with a letter.
"Sweet! Our first challenge!" Zoe cheered (once again releasing a putrid stench from her tail). "What's it say?! What's it say?!"
"It says that we have to follow the directions and hopes we're not afraid of water." Marty replied, trying to ignore Zoe's smell.
"Okay. We know it'll involve water, but we're not exactly sure how…" Jonathan noted.
"Doesn't the other team have a cat on their team?" Lilah asked with a smirk. "She may be afraid of water."
"We can always hope that." Shee'Na agreed, smirking as well. "If that's the case, we'll have an advantage."
"We can't get to overconfident about our competition, especially since we haven't seen any of them in action yet." Nikko pointed out. "For all we know, they may have one or two members that can beat all of us."
"I wanted to be the voice of reason so people could respect me and keep me around if we lose." Nikko admitted. "I want to supply my information in a way that will make the others re-think strategies without sounding negative about it. If it works, they'll keep me around."
"Also a good point." Reginald nodded. "We shouldn't count chickens before they hatch, Shee'Na."
"One can always hope." Lilah supplied optimistically.
"The only one I'm worried about is the one with the bandana." Shee'Na replied, folding her arms. "That one is apparently as strong as I am."
(Reward Challenge)
Following the directions given on the maps, the two teams trudged through the jungle before coming upon SSBFreak, whom was standing near a couple of coloured mats on the sand. The Nago Tride stepped onto the red mat and the Temlin Tribe stepped onto the green mat.
"Good morning, contestants." SSBFreak said. "I trust that you got a good night's sleep?"
"It was sufficient, if that's what you mean." Reginald replied.
"It is, Reggie."
"Reginald!"
SSBFreak chuckled when he saw Angie tiredly rubbing her eyes. "Well, even though I can tell some of you aren't quite awake yet, I'm sure you'll all be awake after this challenge." He said.
"What have you got lined up for us, human?" Shee'Na asked, grinning darkly as she slapped a fist into her palm. "Something physical, I hope." She glanced over at Barney with a sly smirk, making the strongman shrink back a bit.
"Yes and no." SSBFreak explained. "Follow me."
The contestants followed the tall host until he arrived at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. He turned to face the outcasts again.
"This cliff is a seventy-foot drop into the ocean. We've also placed three rings in the water in the pattern of a bull's-eye. In this challenge, you will all have to jump off this cliff and try to get as close to the middle of the target as you can." SSBFreak said. "The outermost ring is worth twenty-five points, the next one in is worth fifty, and the third ring in the center is worth one-hundred points. The team with the highest amount of points at the end of the challenge will win some flint."
At the mention of flint, the teams looked more determined. Flint was definitely something they'd need to create a fire back at camp.
SSBFreak pulled out a coin and tossed it into the air. "Nago Tribe! Heads or Tails!"
"Tails." Someone said. No one knew whom.
"…It's Tails. Nago, you guys are jumping first." SSBFreak announced.
No one on the Nago Tribe seemed willing to jump first. Seeing this, Elias rolled his eyes behind his shades. "Seriously. You need someone to test-run the cliff jump?" He quizzed as he approached the edge of the cliff and dove off without a second thought.
Rather than scream, Elias was completely silent as he fell straight into the water. Unfortunately, his aim was a little off and he landed in the fifty-point range. (Nago: 50; Temlin: 0)
"I don't get why people were so hesitant to jump." Elias sighed. "I'm an actor whom does his own stunts. A seventy-foot jump into the OCEAN?! Come on! That's nothing!"
Crane watched this and folded his arms. "Okay. If that guy can jump, I can too." He said as he jumped off the cliff feet-first. Crane fell straight into the fifty-point range. (Nago: 100; Temlin: 0)
"I'm next, mates!" Jake called out, rushing towards the edge of the cliff and performing a cannonball off of it. The Australian let out a cheer as he fell directly into the middle of the target. (Nago: 200; Temlin: 0)
"Who's next?" D'looa asked.
Mel sighed. "Okay. I'll go." She said. After a moment's hesitation, the computer technician jumped, screaming all the way down, before falling into the twenty-five-point ring. (Nago: 225; Temlin: 0)
"You call that a jump, you twerp?!" Bonnie shouted down the cliff. "If we lose this, then I'm going to-"
D'looa and Kida looked at each other, then at Bonnie, eyes narrowed. The two alien girls shoved Bonnie off the cliff, sending her screaming down into the twenty-five-point ring. (Nago: 250; Temlin: 0)
Their job done, D'looa and Kida looked at each other again. "After you." D'looa said.
Kida looked down the cliff and smirked, giving a 'rock-on' sign with her hand. "Hang loose, dude!" She said as she dove off the cliff. Her aim was perfect and she landed in the middle of the target. (Nago: 350; Temlin: 0)
"Nice jump, Kida!" D'looa cheered. "Hopefully, I'll hit the middle as well."
The Twi'lek girl jumped, but her aim wasn't as good as Kida as she fell into the fifty-point range. (Nago: 400; Temlin: 0)
Barney and Angie were the last ones left for their team, and neither of them looked too keen on jumping.
"You guys going to jump anytime soon?" SSBFreak asked.
"I'm…Not exactly the best swimmer." Barney admitted.
"I'm a cat. Cats don't exactly like water very much." Angie added.
"Well, if you don't jump, you'll run the risk of losing the challenge." SSBFreak shrugged.
Barney paused, then scooped up Angie.
"H-Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Angie asked. "You can't be serious about jumping!!"
Barney raced towards the edge of the cliff and leapt off, Angie in his arms. "BANZAI!!" He screamed as he fell down towards the target. Angie's screams were heard until the two landed in the fifty-point range. (Nago: 500; Temlin: 0)
"Okay! That's the Nago Tribe done." SSBFreak nodded as he watched the tribe climb back onto the shore. The tall host looked at the remaining team. "Temlin, you guys are up."
Sandy couldn't contain herself any longer and once SSBFreak gave the okay she was off like a flash, torpedoing straight towards the end of the cliff and swan-diving off of it, laughing crazily the entire way into the middle of the target. (Nago: 500; Temlin: 100)
"Uh…Okay?" Jonathan said.
"I'll go next." Lilah volunteered as she approached the edge of the cliff. "Might as well get this over with." The Hylian girl jumped off the cliff, but landed in the fifty-point range. (Nago: 500; Temlin: 150)
Shee'Na nodded as she approached the cliff. "I have to say that the elf girl has guts." The Klingon admitted as she jumped off the cliff. She also fell into the fifty-point range. (Nago: 500: Temlin: 200)
Marty was feeling more and more nervous every time someone jumped. He decided to end it once and for all and get it over with. "I'll go next." The scrawny koopa said quickly as he ran towards the cliff and leapt off. Unfortunately, his aim was a little off and he fell into the twenty-five-point range. (Nago: 500; Temlin: 225)
Nikko saw Marty jump and shrugged, approaching the cliff. "I might as well go next." He said. "This doesn't look so hard now that I've seen everyone do it."
The older elf jumped off the cliff and landed in the water. Unfortunately, he had also landed in the twenty-five-point mark. (Nago: 500; Temlin: 250)
"I'm with Nikko. I think I'll jump now." Tork announced as he approached the cliff and leapt off. His aim was a little better and he landed in the fifty-point range. (Nago: 500; Temlin: 300)
"Can I go next?" Zoe asked, starting to get excited again.
Jonathan and Reginald started smelling a bad smell again and decided to let Zoe go. "Go right ahead, kid." Jonathan said, forcing a smile and holding his breath.
Zoe cheered and raced towards the edge of the cliff, bounding off and falling directly into the middle of the target. (Nago: 500; Temlin: 400)
"You go ahead, Jonathan." Reginald offered. "I'll go after you."
Jonathan shrugged. "Whatever you say, man." He said as he jumped off the cliff, landing in the fifty-point range. (Nago: 500; Temlin: 450)
Reginald, the last contestant left, approached the cliff and looked down into the water. "Doesn't look so bad. This actually looks…" He paused when a strange feeling went through him. Reginald paused in silence for a second before he did something completely unexpected.
"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" Reginald screamed psychotically as he jumped off the cliff, letting off the trademark Rabbid scream all the way down until hitting the middle of the target. (Nago: 500; Temlin: 550)
"Looks like we have our winner! The Temlin Tribe wins Reward!" SSBFreak said.
(Later…)
"I have to say that I'm impressed, Temlin." SSBFreak said as he handed Reginald some flint. "As a prize for winning the Reward Challenge, I present you with flint, which you can use to create a fire." He looked at the losing tribe and continued. "Nago, the only thing I can say to you is that you should be glad this wasn't an Immunity Challenge. That will come tomorrow."
Stepping back, SSBFreak placed his arms behind his back. "You can all head back to camp."
(Temlin Tribe)
"That was awesome!" Jonathan cheered as he walked into camp with the others.
"Yeah! Winning the first challenge of the game!" Lilah agreed. "I feel great!"
"And the best part is that we now have a way to get ourselves some fire." Tork finished as he looked at Reginald. "What was up with that scream of yours, anyway?"
Reginald sighed, looking annoyed. "Okay. Okay. I have a tendency to scream psychotically sometimes." He admitted. "It comes with being a Rabbid. If I wanted one thing changed to separate me even further from the rest of those narrow-minded simpletons, it would be to take away the Rabbid's instinct to scream."
"I certainly hope you won't do that all of the time." Shee'Na said, looking serious. "I don't want to be woken up in the middle of the night."
"Don't worry. I can control it a lot better than others."
"Look, the main thing is that he won us the challenge." Jonathan supplied to the Klingon as he held out the flint.
Shee'Na paused, folded her arms and nodded. "Okay. I'll give him that." She admitted.
"I call dibs on starting the fire!" Sandy shouted as she grabbed the flint from Jonathan and raced towards the fire pit, leaving the rest of the tribe in silence.
"Is it really a good idea to give her something that can start a fire?" Zoe asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Probably not." Nikko shook his head. "Can someone grab her and keep her from starting a fire? I don't think our shelter would survive..."
Shee'Na and Jonathan quickly complied to Nikko's wishes and rushed over to Sandy to stop her from lighting a fire.
"…Yeah. I have to say that Sandy scares me a little bit. I don't know what could have caused this sort of change in a normal human being, but she's told us that she idolizes Max." Lilah shrugged. "I think that may be enough to warp anyone's mind if you know anything about that little white rabbit."
(Nago Tribe)
"That was pathetic!" Bonnie roared as she followed everyone else into camp. "We should have won that challenge easily!"
"Well, we didn't." Crane folded his arms. "The other team was just more determined. They only beat us by fifty points."
"The little dude has a point." Kida nodded. "We were pretty close to winning."
Bonnie ignored them and towered over Mel. "This is your fault, you little runt! You should have gotten closer to the middle of the target!"
Mel stepped back in surprise. "H-How is this my fault?" She asked. "I tried to hit the middle of the target. I was just off."
"The point is that you didn't hit the middle of the target!" Bonnie continued. "Now, because of you, we don't have fire!"
Mel looked down in shame, not wanting to let anyone, Bonnie especially, see her crying.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you, you worthless little-" Bonnie shouted.
"Okay, it's official. That girl has severe issues. How can she just verbally assault a teenager like that?" Barney asked. "I could see that Mel was getting upset, so I decided that it was best to separate the two for now."
"Elias, can you take Bonnie aside for a minute?" Barney asked the actor. "Maybe she'll listen to you and calm down."
Elias paused, then nodded. "Okay. I'll try." He replied as he grabbed Bonnie's arm and started leading her away.
"You okay, Mel?" Barney asked, kneeling down.
"I…I'm fine…" Mel whimpered.
"No, you're not." D'looa said. "I don't think anyone could take verbal abuse like that without breaking down."
"She's…She's right…" Mel sighed, removing her glasses and rubbing her eyes. "It's my fault we lost."
"No it's not." Crane shook his head. "That hothead only got twenty-five points as well."
"Mel, you don't need flint to make a fire." Barney said. "It's a little more challenging, but I'll show you how to do it."
Mel nodded slowly. "O-Okay…" She said.
Meanwhile, Elias had taken Bonnie into the jungle a bit. Not too far away from camp, but far enough that no one would hear them.
"Is there a reason you dragged me out here?" Bonnie asked, folding her arms.
"Bonnie, I know you're upset, but you need to lay low and control your temper for now." Elias pointed out. "Already you're got half the tribe mad at you."
"It's no big matter. They'll see that I'm a better player than those twerps and vote all them off first." Bonnie assured.
"Bonnie, I KNOW they'll vote you off the first chance they get." The actor said. "All I'm asking is that you lay low for now. Don't start something you'll regret because I can tell you right now that you'll be sorry for it later."
Bonnie paused, then nodded. "Okay, wise guy. I'll play by your rules for now." She said.
"I know she's not the best person in the world, but Bonnie is the BEST person to take to the finals. The reason? Everybody will HATE her by then." Elias said with a smirk. "If I can manage to take her to the merge, I'll have an easier time taking her to the finals. And when that happens, it'll be an easy million dollars for me."
Back at the campsite, Barney was showing Mel how to make a fire. D'looa, Crane and Jake watched intently as well.
"Okay. You think you know how to do it now?" Barney asked the computer technician.
"I think so." Mel nodded as she tried to make a fire the way Barney taught her to. Sure enough, a fire started in the pit. "H-Hey! I did it!"
"Good to see you're feeling better, Mel." D'looa said with a smile. "Don't worry. We'll be sure to get rid of Bonnie the instant we lose an Immunity Challenge."
"I sure hope so. She really made me feel bad." Mel sighed.
"I meant what I said. The instant we get the chance, Bonnie is gone. I can safely say that no one here likes her." D'looa explained, looking a little mad. "Mel was obviously hurt by that verbal abuse and I intend to help make Bonnie pay."
(Temlin Tribe)
The tribe had managed to get a fire going (after prying the flint from Sandy's hands) and were currently sitting around it on the log-benches around the pit. Needless to say, the team spirit was pretty high after winning the first challenge.
"We'll need to be prepared for the Immunity Challenge tomorrow." Reginald said. "I think we can all agree that our opposition will be twice as determined to beat us."
"Yeah. Our first victory was great, but we can't get overconfident." Tork added. "We have to remember that this challenge was just focused around jumping off a cliff and nothing physical. They have a strongman and a few of their members look pretty fast."
"I've noticed that Reggie and Tork seem to be hanging around each other a fair bit and agree with whatever the other says." Marty pointed out. "If you ask me, I think those two have already started an alliance. While alliances are good to get you by in the game, they spell trouble for everyone else the instant the merge hits. We'll have to let this play out for now…"
"You worry too much." Shee'Na said simply. "Need I remind you that I am just as strong as that man on the other tribe?"
"Strength doesn't win everything, Shee'Na." Tork reminded. "In this game, what a person needs to get ahead is strategy."
"Hey, I'm all for strategy, but I'd say we've got it pretty good." Jonathan supplied with a smirk. "I'm sure that the other team's struggling to get a fire going without flint."
"And they looked pretty dysfunctional to begin with because of that blonde woman's outburst." Nikko added.
Zoe shuddered. "She scares me. I'm just glad she's not on our team." She said.
"Yeah. Then again, she may bring their tribe down enough for us to win other challenges." Lilah pointed out.
Sandy was rocking back and forth in her seat, curled into a ball with her arms wrapped around her legs. "You kidding? That girl's got nothing on a few people I know from back home." She piped up. "If they were still alive and were brought on this show, I think the tribe they would be on would have killed them themselves."
"Uh…If they were still alive?" Marty asked. "What happened?"
"I don't think you wanna know."
Soon, it was night again. Everyone on both teams were fast asleep, preparing for the day ahead, knowing what was coming next.
(Nago Tribe, Day 3)
Unlike the previous day, almost everyone was up early, ready for anything. The only exception was once again Angie, whom was still fast asleep in the shelter. As of now, the tribe had yet to get treemail.
Barney whistled as he attempted to get another fire going. He had one done in seconds and the pit was once again lit up.
"How're ya able ta do that so fast, mate?" Jake asked. "Ya taught Mel and she took a little bit ta get a fire going last night. Even Crane and Ah've tried ta get a fire goin' since then, but no luck."
"It just takes a little bit of practice." Barney assured. "Yes, it's a little harder without flint, but if you do it right, it takes just as fast to start a fire."
"How is Mel, anyway?"
"Feeling a little better from what I can tell." Barney nodded. "D'looa would know for sure."
Elias came walking over, looking a little mad. "Can someone please tell me why that cat is still asleep?" He asked, jerking his thumb in the sleeping Angie's direction. "She should be up with the rest of us."
"Ah'll admit that Crane is right in saying there's somthin' about Elias not ta trust, but Ah had ta admit that he 'ad a point." Jake said. "Angie really 'adn't been doing a lot around the camp since we built the shelter. Ah dunno why she isn't pitchin' in a lot and sleepin' in…"
"Maybe she's just a heavy sleeper where she comes from?" Jake shrugged.
"She needs to step it up if she wants to stay in the game, though." Elias grunted. "This lazy attitude of hers won't get her anywhere." Looking down at Barney, he continued. "You would know first hand. You had to jump off the cliff with her under your arm to get her to jump."
Barney paused, then sighed. "Yeah. You're right. She's not really the biggest team player, but at least she's nice as opposed to Bonnie." He admitted.
"Indeed, but if that's her only saving grace, she'll have a lot of trouble." Elias said.
"Well, we've got an Immunity Challenge today." Jake supplied. "Maybe she'll prove herself then."
"For her sake, I would hope so."
"Dudes and dudettes!!"
Everyone (even Angie, whom was woken up by the outcry) turned to see Kida running over.
"Dude! We've seriously got some treemail!" Kida announced. "I think this may be the Immunity Challenge and stuff!"
"What's it say?" Crane asked.
"'Follow the directions to your first Immunity Challenge'." Kida read. "'Hopefully, you all work as a team'."
Everyone nearby paused and looked at Bonnie, whom was standing aside.
"We're so screwed." Crane said flatly.
(Temlin Tribe, Day 3)
Nikko rubbed his head as he stepped out of the shelter. He was apparently the last one awake, as everyone else was already up and about.
"Took you long enough to wake up." Jonathan noted.
"Sorry, but I couldn't get a lot of sleep because of someone's snoring." Nikko groaned. "I still don't know whom it was."
"It may have been the monkey I took to bed with me." Sandy supplied.
Everyone instantly stopped what they were doing and cast unusual glances at the black-haired girl.
"You brought a MONKEY to bed?" Marty asked. "Is that what was pawing at my head during the middle of the night?"
"I can't sleep without something furry to cuddle." Sandy shrugged. "I just thought you guys would understand."
"This isn't good. A couple of us, myself included, didn't get a lot of sleep last night because of Sandy's little makeshift 'teddy bear'." Nikko admitted with a sigh. "I have a feeling that if we lose today's Immunity Challenge, it will be one of the sleep-deprived that costs us."
"Well, ignoring that for a minute, we all need to be ready." Reginald said. "I have a feeling that the other team got better sleep than us."
"If that's the case, we'll need to rely on our strongest players to help us through here." Tork said as he looked around. "Uh…Speaking of which, where's Shee'Na?"
"She and Lilah went to check for treemail." Zoe explained, jerking her thumb off in the direction of the treemail box.
Meanwhile, Shee'Na and Lilah were walking over to the treemail box to see if they had gotten a challenge yet.
Lilah reached into the box and pulled out a letter. "Hey! Treemail!" She exclaimed. "Let's show it to the others!"
"I'm definitely hoping it'll be something physical." Shee'Na said with a smirk.
"Lilah impressed me at the cliff challenge. I could tell that she didn't want to jump, but she did anyway. I have to admire someone with guts even when they're not physically strong." Shee'Na explained. "This is a surprise for me to say, but I think this is the first time I can say that I've befriended a non-Klingon. That little elven girl could prove to be a surprise for everyone if she can help us win these challenges."
"We've got treemail, guys!" Lilah cheered as she and Shee'Na raced over to the others.
After everyone else was gathered around, Lilah opened the treemail and read the letter aloud.
"Work as a team?"Jonathan asked, an eyebrow raised. "I think this may put us on an even playing field."
"What makes you say that?" Zoe asked. "They've got that angry woman."
"But WE'VE got the crazy woman." Jonathan replied simply, pointing at Sandy.
Sandy was currently inspecting her hand. "I wonder why our fingers only bend one way and not the other…" She paused in thought.
"I'm inclined to agree with you, Jonathan." Reginald shook his head. "Definitely an even playing field."
(Immunity Challenge)
The two tribes walked onto the beach and found the coloured mats again. Stepping onto their team mats, the tribes were awaiting orders from the host.
"Welcome to your first Immunity Challenge, contestants. This challenge's premise is fairly simple, but complicated at the same time." SSBFreak said. "This challenge is basically a teamwork challenge. One member of each team will stand behind one of these gates and wait until the end of the challenge. Three members of each team will move these boxes of puzzle pieces over to the blank puzzles a good ways away. Three more members of the tribe will then construct the puzzle. Once the puzzle is completed, two keys will be given to the team. The remaining two members will rush over to the trapped member and use the keys to unlock the gate. The two members will have to work together on turning the cranks provided because it requires them to work together in order to open the gate. Once the gate is opened, the trapped member of each tribe will race towards the finish line. Whomever crosses the finish ling first is the winner."
The members of the tribes looked out around the beach and saw six boxes of large puzzle pieces sitting a ways away. The empty puzzles were off to the side, and the gates were a ways away from that. It basically looked like a big triangle.
"Before we start, I understand Nago was able to start a fire without the use of flint?" SSBFreak said.
Mel nodded. "Barney was able to get one going."
"Great work. As a reward, you'll find some flint back at your camp when the challenge is over."
SSBFreak paused and looked at the entire cast.
"I'll let you all decide whom will be doing what for each tribe." SSBFreak said.
The positions were quickly decided. Angie and Zoe were standing behind the gates as everyone else was preparing to start the challenge.
"Okay. For Immunity, get ready!" SSBFreak prepared, giving a pause for effect. "Go!"
The first six contestants raced towards the boxes of puzzle pieces. Crane was leading the pack but Sandy and Marty were right behind him. Barney would have liked to go faster, but Shee'Na was racing right beside him and he was starting to get scared. Bonnie brought up the rear, looking like she was jogging more than running.
Crane quickly reached the boxes and grabbed one of them, preparing to run when Barney and Bonnie arrived. Marty arrived a second before Sandy did and yanked a box out of the way in time for the black-haired girl to dive right past him, having tried to grab it herself. Barney and Shee'Na arrived at the same time and grabbed boxes. However, because Crane and Barney had to wait for Bonnie, the Temlin Tribe managed to get ahead of them.
"Hurry up, Bonnie! They're ahead of us!" Barney urged.
"Shut up!" Bonnie snapped as she grabbed a box and started running over to the empty puzzles.
The Temlin Tribe raced ahead of the others, but were cut short when Marty felt a searing pain in his back. The scrawny koopa roared in pain as he collapsed, taking the box of pieces with him.
"Hey! The koopa kid collapsed!" Sandy pointed out, having looked over her shoulder.
Shee'Na looked back and stopped. "Koopa, keep going!" She ordered. "Get up and get running again!"
Marty clenched his teeth as he staggered to his feet, ignoring the pain in his back. Marty finally got moving again, but by then, the Nago Tribe had passed them.
Barney, Bonnie and Crane arrived at the puzzle stand and placed their boxes down. "Get going, guys! We've got a lead!" Crane said.
"No problem. The pieces are large enough." Elias noted as he quickly pulled some pieces from a box.
"Here, Mel!" Jake said as he handed Mel a box and picked up one himself. "Ya work with that one! Ah'll take this one!"
The Nago Tribe had managed to put a few pieces in place when the Temlin Tribe arrived at the puzzle stand. "Get to work! We're already behind!" Shee'Na shouted at Reginald.
"…Yes. I'm aware of that." Reginald said as he took some pieces from one of the boxes.
"Try to put together the border first!" Tork suggested as he grabbed a few pieces himself. "That'll help us put it together faster!"
"That's what I'm trying to do!" Nikko assured.
The two teams worked furiously to complete the puzzle the fastest. Reginald and Elias, the smartest of the two trios, were working the fastest and were making the least amount of second-guesses, but since Nago had a little bit of an edge at the start (and Temlin second-guessing too much), they managed to finish the puzzle first. Two keys were released from the puzzle box.
Mel quickly picked up the two keys and handed them to D'looa and Kida. "Go, girls! Release Angie so she can get going!" She urged.
"No sweat, dudette!" Kida replied as she and D'looa raced over to the gates.
"Hurry up!" Sandy said, jumping up and down. "They're getting away!"
"We're finished! We're finished!" Nikko insisted as he picked up two keys and gave them to Lilah and Jonathan.
Jonathan raced over to the gates, but looked over his shoulder and saw Lilah struggling to keep up. "Lilah, come on! This is the last chance we have!" He shouted.
"I'm coming!" Lilah panted as she tried to catch up to Jonathan.
In the meantime, D'looa and Kida arrived at the gate holding Angie in. The two alien girls jammed the keys into the keyholes on the two mechanisms, unlocking them. Once they heard a click, they grabbed the two cranks (one on either side of the gate), and started turning.
"Man! Why is this so hard to turn?!" Kida asked.
"We have to turn it at the same time, Kida!" D'looa replied.
"Guys, hurry up!" Angie urged. "I can see the other two coming!"
Jonathan and Lilah finally arrived at the gate containing Zoe and got to work. The two grabbed the cranks and started turning them.
"One, two, three, crank!" Jonathan counted as he and Lilah turned the cranks at the same time.
"Keep going! Keep going!" Zoe urged (starting to emit a stench). "We can catch up to them!"
The two teams continued to work at trying to open up the gates containing the final member of the tribe. In the end, both gates opened at almost the same time.
Angie and Zoe were off running down the beach, but Angie surprised everyone by bursting into a sprint at ludicrous speeds. Zoe tried to catch the yellow cat, but it was no use. Angie zoomed over the finish line, finishing the challenge.
"Angie wins! Nago wins Immunity!" SSBFreak announced.
(Later…)
"Congratulations on winning the first Immunity Challenge, Nago. You are all safe tonight." SSBFreak said before turning to the other tribe. "Temlin, on the other hand, will vote someone off at Tribal Council tonight." Smirking, SSBFreak continued. "Normally, this is where I would dismiss you all, but Nago? You can kidnap one member of Temlin for the night, saving them from elimination. Choose carefully."
The Nago Tribe spoke amongst themselves for a second, eyeing the other tribe. After a few seconds, they turned back to the host.
"For strategy reasons, we choose Marty." Elias said.
Marty groaned as he hobbled over to the Nago mat, holding his back.
"Marty is safe tonight, and will rejoin his tribe at the next challenge. Temlin Tribe, I will see you all at Tribal Council tonight." SSBFreak said. "You can all head back to camp."
(Temlin Tribe)
Needless to say, the tribe was pretty upset at the results of the first Immunity Challenge when they arrived back at camp. The tribe was spread out, talking with each other.
"Okay. This puts a damper on things." Reginald said as he spoke with Tork. "We were going to get rid of Marty."
"Yeah. He's definitely one of the weaker members we have." Tork nodded. "Well, whom is there to vote for?"
"We need Shee'Na and Sandy for their strength and unpredictability. No question about that." Reginald said. "Jonathan's fairly strong and Zoe's got a lot of determination despite her stench."
"That just leaves Lilah and Nikko." Tork added, folding his arms. "How are we going to do this?"
"We should get rid of Lilah." Reginald suggested. "I think Nikko may be more useful for the time being."
"So how are we going to convince the others to vote for her?" Tork asked. "I think our only real potential votes will come from Jonathan and Zoe."
"Let's talk to them and see if we can get them to vote with us." Reginald finished.
Meanwhile, another trio was having a similar conversation over by the treemail box.
"I can't believe we lost…" Lilah sighed.
"What's done is done." Shee'Na said, placing her hand on Lilah's shoulder. "We now need to focus on whom to get rid of."
"I nominate Reggie. He's kinda creepy." Sandy said. "And believe me, I KNOW creepy."
"We can't. The rabbit's one of the smartest people we have." Shee'Na said.
"How about Nikko?" Lilah suggested.
"…Indeed. He hasn't really contributed much as of yet." Shee'Na said. "Shall we do it?"
"I'm up for it, but we'll need one more vote to turn it into a tie and two for a majority." Sandy said. "Maybe I can threaten a few people and-"
"Please, Sandy. Don't." Lilah said. "We just need to see if we can get a little more help."
"Looks like the rabbit and platypus are in an alliance." Shee'Na said. "I say we try talking to the other human and the skunk."
"Okay. I was honestly thinking I'd be going home, but the next thing I know, two alliances approach me with different targets in mind. Talk about a break." Jonathan said with a smirk. "I'm not sure whom I'm going to vote for, but I have to say that it won't be a great loss either way. Nikko and Lilah haven't really done much yet anyway."
"I can't believe that the survival of one member may lie with me." A suddenly very-sad Zoe said. "I really don't want to vote for either one, but I need to stick with someone so I won't be the next target. Man. No matter what, I'm really going to regret my decision."
(Tribal Council)
Eight contestants entered Tribal Council, carrying lit torches. Finding their seats, everyone sat down and waited for SSBFreak to start.
"Welcome to the first Tribal Council of the season, but I'm sure that you all would rather be anywhere BUT here right now." SSBFreak said. "One of you will be eliminated tonight after everyone votes." He looked at the tribe and continued. "Jonathan, you guys won the Reward Challenge. Did you expect to lose the all-important Immunity Challenge?"
"We told ourselves not to get too confident after we won the cliff-diving challenge. I think some of us just took our competition for granted." Jonathan shrugged. "I put some of the blame on the fact that some of us weren't feeling very well."
"Nikko, do you agree?" SSBFreak asked.
"Yes. A few of us couldn't get a lot of sleep the night before and Marty apparently threw out his back during the challenge." Nikko nodded. "We just haven't had a very lucky day."
"Tork, do you know whom is going home tonight?"
"There are two potential targets." Tork replied. "The problem is that there are TWO swing votes tonight and we don't know how this will end. I guess the votes will show us how the dice are rolled."
"Lilah, do you know whom the targets are tonight?"
"Yeah. It's either going to be me or Nikko." Lilah sighed. "It sucks, but that's how things are at right now."
"I think that's enough questions. It's time to vote." SSBFreak said. "Jonathan, you're up."
Jonathan stood up and approached the voting table, which was just outside of the Tribal Council area. "Man. This is tough." He said as he wrote a name down and placed it in the jar.
Shee'Na approached the table and showed her card to the camera. "I just hope that the others vote for you as well." She said, having voted for Nikko.
Tork walked up to the table and wrote out a name. "It's nothing personal. But you're the weakest player we have at the moment." He apologized, having voted for Lilah.
Reginald walked up to the table, wrote down a name and placed his vote.
Nikko walked up to the table and wrote down a name. "It's either you or me." He said, having voted for Lilah.
Sandy grinned as she walked up to the counter and wrote down a name, placing it in the jar.
Lilah wrote down a name and showed it to the camera. "I really feel bad about this…" She said, voting for Nikko.
Zoe sighed as she wrote down a name. "This sucks. This sucks so bad…" She said.
After everyone voted, SSBFreak took the jar and looked at the tribe. "Once I read the names, the member with the most votes will be asked to bring forward their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately." He said as he reached into the jar. "It's time to read the votes."
"First vote; Lilah." Lilah didn't look too surprised, but bit her lip.
"Lilah." The hylian girl again didn't look too surprised, but sat on the edge of her seat.
"Nikko." The elder elf wasn't very surprised either. He folded his arms and sat back.
"Nikko. We're now tied at two votes each between Lilah and Nikko." Nikko and Lilah exchanged looks nervously.
"Nikko." Nikko started sweating.
"Lilah. We are again tied at three votes for Lilah and Nikko." Now everyone was wondering how the votes were going to go.
"…Lilah" Shee'Na's eyes widened as Lilah sighed sadly. "Last vote and first person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub…"
"...Lilah. You need to bring me your torch." SSBFreak said.
Lilah nodded silently and stood up, accepting her fate. "Kick butt, Shee'Na…" Lilah whispered as she took her torch and approached the host, leaving an unbelieving Klingon on the seats. Lilah finally reached the host, whom held a snuffer in his hand.
"Lilah, the tribe has spoken." SSBFreak said as he extinguished Lilah's torch. "It's time for you to go."
"I'm sure I'll be seeing one of you soon." Lilah said. "Hopefully, it won't be Shee'Na or Sandy."
With that, Lilah was gone, leaving Tribal Council as the first one eliminated. Once Lilah was gone, SSBFeak turned back to the remaining tribe members. "One has fallen, and fourteen more will follow before we have the finals." SSBFreak said. "If any of you want to make it there, I would hope that you won't be back here again before the merge. You can all head back to camp."
As everyone stood up, Shee'Na simply sat there, still in disbelief at what had just happened. When she finally clued in, Shee'Na stood up and grabbed her torch, leaving Tribal Council after the others. She refused to let the rest of her team see her cry…
"I'm bummed to be the first one eliminated. I guess it just wasn't meant to happen. Maybe if I had been stronger in the challenges, I wouldn't be here…" Lilah sighed. "Shee'Na and Sandy, I hope you guys outlast everyone else. If anything, make it to the finals for me, will you?"
Voting History:
Lilah – Reginald, Tork, Nikko, Jonathan and Zoe
Nikko – Shee'Na, Lilah and Sandy
Author's Note: Lilah definitely had skills to take her deep into the game, but I just found her lacking in character compared to the others and she was quickly overshadowed by the others. This made her the first one eliminated. I always feel sorry for the first one off (unless the person is a jerk) and now is no different.