Catch the wave

About a week later, the storms began. At first it was just light rain, almost refreshing. But then wind and lightning started, and waves got bigger and bigger. "Kipp, why is the weather so bad?"

"If I knew, I'd tell you. But we can only foresee the weather, not explain it."

"Could an accident happen in this?"

"Probably . . . probably . . ." I sighed, getting food during this storm was difficult, and lately I've been sleeping in the hut with Flapjack. An accident right now would be great. That's when we heard the swishing noise, loud enough that we could hear it through the walls. We got out of the hut to get a better look, getting our clothes and my fur wet in the rain. "Man, this has to be the worst weather I've seen in years!"

"Hey, what's that?" Flapjack pointed to the sea, where a dark blue wall was forming on the horizon. "It looks like a . . . tsunami-oh lord . . ." Before I could run it had arrived, and as Flapjack joyfully shouted "ADVENTURE!" it engulfed us, twisting the world into darkness.

"Kipp, wake up, please!" Called a voice, it almost sounded like Tara's. But as my eyes began to open, Flapjack came into focus. "Flapjack . . . did you know . . ."

"Did I know what?"

"That your voice . . ." I sat up on the log we were floating on, "Sounds just like Tara's, as a child?"

"No- Uh, no!" he tried to deepen his voice a little, without success. When I sat up, I noticed two things: everything I ever built on Candied island was ruined, and candied island itself was nowhere in sight. "Wow, look at this mess. That storm was a killer." That's when my mind began working: no candied island.

"W-We're free!" I shouted happily, standing proudly on the log before falling into the water. Flapjack began laughing, but it seemed less annoying now. I guess I was getting used to it. "Anyways, let's try building a raft; we'll need one to get around."

"Aye-aye, captain." We pulled together logs to make the base, and tied them together with old fishnets. I carved out a place for a small mast in the center and used my hammock as a sail. It worked well. As a final touch I tied my old and ripped war sash to the top of the makeshift mast, red like the Mustelian flag.

"Now what?" Flapjack asked as I pulled out my map. "First we need to find a point of reference, an island we can point out on a map, and then hopefully, we can go here." I pointed to Mustelia, and Flapjack processed this all in his mind. "Where do you think Bubby and K'nuckles are?"

"They could be anywhere, considering they're a moving object. But don't worry; someone out there must know where they are. We'll help each other find our homes, whatever it takes.

Turns out it took weeks of sailing blindly around an island less sea, hunting gulls and stray fish, avoiding more sea monsters, and succumbing to heat exposure. "Are we gonna die, Kipp?" Flapjack asked as we floated through an odd, thick fog one morning.

"I wish I could say no, but now all bets are off."

"You know what I've been thinking for the past few days?"

"Shoot."

"You look like a giant corndog if you sit still long enough."

"Funny, for awhile I've been thinking about how much you look like a steak in the right light." We stared awkwardly at each other for a few moments before launching at each other.

"C'mon Kipp, I'm starving!" Flap shouted as we wrestled on the raft, almost falling off a few times.

"YOU'RE starving?!? I'm a grown Mustelian, and I haven't eaten anything bigger than my paws in weeks!"

"But I'm a growing boy! I need my energy!"

"You won't need it when I'm using it!"

"That's the thing about you Mustelians: You're killers at the core!"

"Oh really? What are you doing then, trying to give me a hug? You're trying to eat me too, you bald sea-monkey!"

"You're the animal here, not me!"

"Animal, am I? I'm royalty, Flapjack; you're not even middle class, you furless cultureless barbarian!"

"Heartless killer!"

"Furless urchin!"

"Spineless coward!"

"Putrid gnat!"

"I hope Tara married a cow instead of you!"

"I hope Bubby replaced you with a sack of potatoes!"

"Jerk!"

"Flea!"

"Is everything all right out there?" a voice called in the fog. We stopped fighting as soon as we started. "No, we're starving and half-mad. Who's out there?"

"My name is Momiji, follow the sound of my voice, we have food here!" as we sailed towards the voice, I noticed a figure standing on an island before us. "Wow, a goat-man!" Flapjack gasped, regaining his childish wonder of the world. The Caprinite (Goat-monk.) had white fur and small yellow horn, And wore an orange silk robe as the custom states he should. "A- a Mustelian? And a human?!?"

"Questions later- food now!" we both said at the same time.

"Sorry I tried to eat you, Kipp." Flapjack said between bites of roasted onion.

"I'm sorry I tried to eat you Flapjack. Starvation makes people a little crazy." I responded, sucking up cooked noodles as fast as I could between words

"No kidding, sorry I called you a savage killer and an animal."

"Sorry I called you a furless urchin and a barbarian."

"I didn't mean what I said about Tara marrying a cow."

"Bubby couldn't replace you with anything, defiantly not a sack of potatoes."

"Sorry to interrupt, but . . . who are you two?" Momiji asked, looking at how we ate. "Oh, sorry. We're castaways from Accident Island; this is Flapjack, and my name is Kipp."

"You mean prince Kipp?!?" Momiji asked, staring at me in disbelief.

"The one and only!" Flapjack answered for me. Momiji looked concerned, and then spoke again, "You've been gone so long that everyone in the archipelago thought you were dead. . ."

I bowed my head to think a little, "I can't wait to see the look on everyone's face when they see me alive." I whispered as Momiji continued. "Times have changed, lost prince. It seems everyone in the sea hates the Mustelian Empire now, animals would gladly try to kill you simply for your race."

"Why?" We both asked.

"It seems the new king is such a tyrant these days, taxing his subjects into ruin, taking control of business and commerce and running it aground, imprisoning and executing anyone who opposes his rule, it got so bad that we conjured up this fog to hide our poor island and people. But you know, our famous prophet can tell you all about it."

"Famous prophet- I KNOW WHERE WE ARE!" I pulled out my map and pointed out a spot on the lower right edge of the map, a small red splotch, "this is Vulpenia!"

"Vulpenia?" Flapjack asked, looking at the map. "Long ago this island was full of fox-people, whom I'm sad to say were nearly killed off by Mustelian armies over a thousand years ago, now the only one left is-"

"Mama Aloma." Momiji continued, "We Caprinites are her disciples. She can see the future and create fogs like this one. I never really brag about it, but I can also see the future like she can, but it's not as clear as she does. If you want, I can take you to her."

"Sounds like a good deal, how about it, Flap?"

"Adventure!" He responded, hopping to his feet and rushing outside. We took it as a yes.

"Mama Aloma has been training me in the art of divination for awhile now, and in fact I had a vision last night in my sleep about the arrival of you two."

"Really? How interesting." I humored, watching the Caprinites that stopped their daily chores and activities to watch our procession to the prophet's house. Suddenly Momiji stopped dead in his tracks. "Something wrong?" I asked, stopping as well while Flapjack chased a butterfly. "It just occurred to me, my vision had another part to it. You got into a fight in my vision."

"Oh don't worry about that, me and Flapjack resolved that, right flapjack?"

"Right Kipp!" He responded, still chasing the butterfly.

"No, that's not what I mean. A long-time resident – but not really a Caprinite like us – will engage you in a duel very soon, right here! His name is-"

"Crrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Shouted something big and grey as it bowled me over in shock.

"Tonks, he's not your enemy!" Momiji shouted as a Brockonite (Badger-warrior) Drew his axe and growled at me.