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Going Under

Chapter 2: Closing In.

Now that the panic had worn away, the inevitable came into view. Clementine had been semi-aware that her small, frail body was covered in scars, obtained when she'd fallen from the land and smacked against a few rocks and debris on the way to the cold water. The elk didn't look much better- he'd been hit and bruised, scratched...it looked almost as if someone had clawed at him, and judging by how desperate other animals had been to get past others, it could have been the case.

The group, though strangers and yet to say much to each other, found themselves huddled at the centre of the burg, near each other. Cold, wet, and injured, being around other living creatures was their only comfort. Except for that of the armadillo.

Clementine was sure the armadillo hadn't stopped scowling since he got onto this floating iceberg; she would have thought exhaustion would have gotten to him, but no. He stood at the end of the burg, staring across the stormy horizon with an air of scorn.

Clementine rubbed her trembling arms, more from nerves than cold. Her fur provided little protection against the harsh sea winds, and the way the burg wavered from side to side was making her stomach churn.

Then, she saw the scars again. Hers had stopped bleeding mostly; but it wouldn't be enough. The elk lying behind her wouldn't last long. At least the lunge into the salt water had kept the wounds clean for now, but still...

Clementine stood up slowly, legs trembling, and moved along the flat iceberg. There had to be something she could use, now that she'd lost her things...

Something landed at her feet with a slight thud. Clementine, on natural instinct, froze almost as solid as the burg below her feet- but slowly blinked when she saw what it was.

Her pack. Filled with small herbs, plants and leaves that would otherwise look normal to other creatures, but not to her. The pack itself was strung together out of particularly thick leaves. She looked upon, wondering who had found it...and saw the armadillo eyeing her down.

"If you where lookin' for it, it was stuck to the side of the iceberg. On a root."

That was the first she'd heard him talk. Slowly, her eyes still on the armadillo, Clementine bent down and scooped up her pack.

"...Who are you?" She had an odd feeling that 'thank you' wouldn't be welcomed by that glare of his. His large nose wrinkled and she stepped back, floppy ear twitching uneasily.

He turned away slowly, arms folded. Clementine regarded him with uncertainty before wandering back to the rest of the group huddled nearby. She sat down, and shakily scoped out a few herbs. The elk opened his eyes slowly, watching.

"...What are they...?" He asked in a husky voice, giving a short cough. Clementine spoke with equal quietness; as if breaking the hush around them would trigger another storm.

"Healing herbs...They'll help your wounds..."

Clementine didn't catch the glance the armadillo sent her as she said this. The doe looked upwards, finding no sunlight had broken though the clouds yet. This grey light would have to do.

She ground up the herbs and held them again the elk's wounds- he hissed, but she persisted. His where the worst of all of them, and she had a feeling it was due to how he'd been trying to save others so badly...

Her stomach churned, and she focused on healing them. The female bat had yet to regain consciousness, her wing needing a splint placed on it. Clementine had to use the last of her spare twigs to do so; buried at the bottom of her pack along with thin bits of bark that had been heaved into what she thought was called 'string'.

She moved to the glyptodon, whose feet where a bit battered by the destruction; his face a little scarred. He was the least hurt, thanks to that shell of his. The elk, bat and him were done after what felt like a blur of time...and then Clementine found the only ones still in danger where herself, and the armadillo.

She looked over at him, nibbling her lip. He was standing sturdy; as if he wasn't hurt at all. He had a bad gash across his forehead and his leg suffered as well. How he'd managed to keep swimming in the water was beyond her.

"...Uh...I can help that." She said, quietly. The older mammal turned his head stiffly to once again glower at her.

"Hmph."

A pause.

Clementine heaved a sigh, now. She began working on her own injuries, glancing at the stubborn armadillo now and again. He seemed certain that he didn't need help. Clementine wasn't going to go near him with that look on his mug.

Behind her, the tall elk heaved himself to his hooves, stretching the best he could manage. He then, half-groggy, gazed around them, at the sea, and the endlessness of it. "...Well...wherever we are, we're alive..."

"We?" The armadillo remarked loftily. The elk focused a slight frown at him.

"...Yes...we're all here. We got away."

"Stranded on a blog of ice with no food or water." The armoured mammal turned to face him, with some difficulty as his leg was injured. His arms remained folded. The elk breathed out through his nose, swallowing.

"...It seems bleak...but we mustn't give up like this..." He raised his head, moving along the ship. "There's always a way."

The armadillo snorted. Clementine, now, did her best to ignore him. The elk looked back at her, a small smile forming.

"Thanks, Clementine...whatever it was you...did to help." The rabbit shrugged, her face growing hot beneath her fur. "My name's Kureus."

"Kurues..." Clementine tested the name. Koor-oos. But, once again a sniff of disdain sounded behind her.

"Let's all just be friends, then, on a magically little adventure here on our ice block."

"Like it or not we're stuck together." Kurues said, his patience finally wearing thin through his calm demeanour. The armadillo sneered, though looked as if he was almost giving a kind of sarcastic grin.

"Stuck being the keyword. Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Everybody can hear what you just said, Dude."

Lounging on her stomach upon the glyptodon's shell was the female bat, her large blue eyes regarding them all with a casual air. She rose a brow at the armadillo, "Chill. You could be swimmin' round with no iceberg to stand on. Or be dead."

The armadillo found himself quite outnumbered in the ranks. Clementine stood up, adjusting her pack to sit by her hip. Kurues seemed to take his silence as the end of the argument and turned away- then spotted something.

"Hmm..."

A tall tree log, with the roots still poking out from its bottom, was floating nearby them. "Wood..." He could see more- branches and the like, floating around. Clementine's eyes widened.

"...Maybe...they could help?" She asked quietly. Kurues's lips twitched up in a slight smile.

"Y-yeah..."

...

The continent had been breaking apart for months now, and every time a bunch of cast-offs where to be found. Like bugs when you move a large rock, they scattered out in panic. Most were trapped on floating bits of tree or ice, grabbing what they could from the remains of fruit trees and plants floating in the water.

That's why they stuck around.

A dagger, sharp and constructed of bone and vine, hit a makeshift target- but missed the centre.

"You lose! I get whatever plums they got!"

A badger hollered with laugher, pointing a clawed finger at the disgruntled rabbit beside him. Squint shoved him away, swiping with his other bone dagger. He caught a bit of his ear, and the badger leaped on him, trying to claw him back.

"Knock it off!"

The two small ragged furballs looked up. Above stood the first mate, oddly well-groomed for a sea-faring tiger. Shira regarded them both with disinterest, "The Captain decides who gets what."

Squint sneered up at her, and not too subtly. Ah well. There was usually always something living coming out of the destruction, and as long as that was a fact, there would be fun. He cackled gently to himself, earning him a frown from Gupta.

"What's so funny?"

He didn't answer, and didn't have to. Gupta's attention was stolen by the horizon. The storm had ended and the grey cloudy skies stretched onward, to where unmistakable shapes had began to float into view. Still very far, but not enough to be out of view.

Squint whipped up to the side of the ship, stroking a finger against his dagger. "I call dibs on whichever of them runs the fastest..."

"I get whicheva bloke has the toughest fur. I nee' a challenge fer once..." Above him, a kangaroo was sharpening her spear with disinterest. Squint wrinkled his nose, and she sniffed at him with disdain.

"Yeah, whatever." He began muttering incoherent words, wandering away from her.

Above, their Captain continued to wait. He kept the ship away from the continent's outskirts, out of sight and out of radios of the storms and tremors that would wear away the coasts. Out here, the far away storms where almost peaceful sounding. He found it relaxing, really. Sometimes nights where far too quiet...

He drew a long claw along his rough, sea-worn palm, flexing agile dexterous fingers. A familiar gull swooped beside his large, bulky shoulder.

"We are getting closer to the remnants, Mon Capitan...the closest seems to have living aboard..." Silas drawled slyly. It had been too far for him to get too close just yet.

The giant ape smirked, bearing yellow, uneven teeth. "Swell, just swell. Keep an eye on the distance between us and our unfortunate friends." He leaned back with an air of calmness. The gull nodded once and took off once again, the pirates below watching him. They where brimming with anticipation, the ape knew. All the more fun when he finally set them loose.

"Are we gonna do the thing again?" Came a jubilant voice from below, innocently dumb. The ape chuckled lowly,

"Why yes, Mr Flynn. We're gonna have ourselves a little party."

"Horaay!" The soft sound of clapping flippers echoed over the restless sea.


Oh, Flynn.