Chapter Six- A Tiny Tussle
The rodents stared at him with menacing red eyes, and as they came closer they began to twitter something Crash couldn't understand. Just as well too, because if he could understand them he would have been convinced that he'd gone crazy. Crash grinned wickedly as the rats prepared to leap in for the kill. He dug his hands into the dirt wall behind him, slowly clutching handfuls of mud.
Come on fellas, just a little closer…
The rats complied, and the first line of rodents reared back to strike. Crash pulled away from the wall and let fly the two handfuls of mud, hitting a few of the rodents squarely. They were quite surprised by this attack, and stood there in shock as Crash reloaded. As he let off two more rounds, he felt something wet tap him on the nose. He took the time to glance skyward, and was quite disappointed to see that there was one hole in the jungle canopy. And that hole was positioned right over the pit Crash was trapped in, and it was beginning to rain. Not in the mood to grumble, Crash leapt out of the way as the rats recovered from their stunned immobility. There were only so many places to stand in a pit infested with big rats, and those spaces were filling up fast with new combatants. Crash jumped as a rat leapt at him, claws outstretched. The attacking rat missed, and plowed headlong into the opposite side of the pit. Crash didn't have time to laugh at the rat's ineptitude, since another had taken advantage of Crash's lack of movement. Crash dodged at the last possible moment, missing the lethal blow aimed at his throat. Yet the rat still was able to claw through Crash's forearm. As Crash stumbled back to regroup, he felt a piercing pain on his shoulder. A rat had latched its jaws deep within Crash's skin, and wasn't about to let go anytime soon. Crash took his bottom lip in his teeth to bare the aching pain, but continued to move out of the rats' attack paths. He threw himself into the far pit wall, wincing as the rat on his shoulder clenched its jaw. Crash bared his teeth angrily.
"Get the hell…OFF!"
He spun around swiftly, knocking the rat off and watched it sail through the air. Yet as soon as that rat was gone, another took its place. This rat dug its sharp short claws into Crash's back, but this time Crash didn't give it the time to stay there. He summoned all his strength and began to spin, faster and faster. He felt himself collide with more than a couple rats, and let out a loud whoop as he sent them all tumbling through the air. Yet, it couldn't last. Crash felt his leg catch on something, and was roughly thrown out of his spin. He fought to catch himself, but succeeded only in shielding his head as he toppled. He landed rather uncomfortably in the corner of the pit, head bowed against his chest and one hand still propped under his head.
"Ouch." Was all he could manage.
Now the rats were angry, and Crash had a feeling they weren't going to play nice anymore. Crash spied the one who had latched onto his shoulder, knowing instantly by the blood that dripped off the rat's jaws. Crash exhaled deeply, and an exhausted smile spread across his face.
"Okay, you've got me. Now…" Crash's amethyst eyes began to glow brightly. "Give me your best shot."
The rats looked positively terrifying as they leapt forward like a hairy black wave with dozens of red eyes. Crash remained where he was, his eyes growing brighter by the second. Suddenly, the markings on Crash's forearms reappeared, and they too began to glimmer and shine. Shafts of pale pink light blinded Crash an instant later. He closed his eyes instinctively, confused but still prepared to be gnawed to death by a bunch of rodents. The light died down, and when Crash summoned the bravery to reopen his eyes, he dropped his jaw.
"Now that's something you don't see every day."
The rats had been frozen in mid leap, their evil expressions stoned on their unmoving faces. Crash scrambled to his feet, eyes wide with shock. There was something really weird going on here. Well, at least he was safe for the moment. Yet Crash could notice a slight shaking of the immobile rats, and knew instantly that this sporadic power was not going to keep them suspended for long. Crash needed to get out of this pit, pronto. He noticed also that the markings on his forearms were still flickering, but he didn't have the time to study them now. He tried climbing up the wall again, but that was just about as successful as the first time he tried. Crash stood there for a moment, wondering what he could do.
I probably could pile these rats up, and use them as a ramp to get out of here. But that will turn pretty ugly when the buggers decide to wake up.
And they looked as though they were going to wake up very soon. Crash doubted he would get any response, but he tried any way.
"Hey! Anybody! I could use a little help down here!"
Crash was so surprised to see a thick vine tumble into the pit that he stumbled back and tripped over a stationary rat.
"Grab!" A gravely voice yelled from above.
Crash felt a little hesitant, but banished it quickly. At least he'd be out of the pit. Crash latched his hands around the vine and began to climb.
"You have?" The same voice bellowed.
Crash raised an eyebrow and stopped climbing for a moment. "Uh, yeah mate. I have."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Crash felt the vine snap upward like an elastic band, and there was nothing he could do but shriek and hold on. He spiraled through the air a couple times before landing hard on his backside. He was too rattled to even moan an "ow". Crash rubbed his head and shook off the airborne sensation.
"Whoa, thanks guy. I…" Crash looked up, and his slight smile disappeared. "…I…I…uh…"
The creature that stood before him was a massive evolved tiger, and his mouth was bent in an oddly frightening scowl.
"Tiny save you." The tiger blabbered, smile still refusing to disappear.
Crash was still gaping. Then he caught on to the name. Tiny? Crash couldn't see anything tiny about this guy. Unless…
Crash shook off his thoughts before he lost control. "Yeah, thanks for that. So, I guess since there's not really anything more to say, I'll just continue onward and forward then."
Crash stepped forward, and unsurprisingly the tiger cut him off.
"Tiny save you. Now," Tiny's golden eyes angled and his smile widened ferociously. "Tiny eat you."
Crash dodged the strong lunge and bounded out of Tiny's reach. Crash had secretly figured being rescued at such an opportune time was too good to be true, yet it still didn't make him feel any better.
"You saved me just so you could eat me? That seems pretty redundant, doesn't it?"
Tiny obviously wasn't in the mood for talking, and he leapt at Crash again, long claws outstretched. Crash hadn't noticed before, but Tiny was wearing a ruddy green loincloth. It looked quite disproportionate to the mass of his upper body, but Crash wasn't in the best position to make observations right now. Tiny jumped again, and Crash mirrored the action in the opposite direction.
"Stay still!" Tiny roared as he continued to chase Crash throughout the clearing.
Crash knew he wouldn't survive even one body-check from this hulk, so he decided to take this battle elsewhere. Crash began to sprint in the opposite direction.
"You've got to catch me first jerk-face. Didn't really think I'd sit still while you ate me did'ja?"
Tiny roared so loud Crash needed to fight the urge to cover his ears. Yet it was obvious by the pounding of the earth that Tiny was in close pursuit. Crash had no idea where he planned to go, and Tiny wasn't going to be lost easily. Crash sprinted over the slippery land, keeping an eye out of for pits and thick mud holes. Unexpectedly, Crash felt his leg buckle and he fell flat on his face.
What the hell?
With a look of inconvenienced irritation, Crash could see a punctured mark just under the hem of his jeans. Blood was pouring out of the wound despite the minute size of it, and just now was beginning to shoot numb muscle spasms up Crash's leg.
Oh come on! Why now?
Tiny was faster than he appeared, and Crash was distressed as he felt the tiger lift him up by the scruff of his neck. The tiger's face was absolutely demonic as he glared, and drool trickled out of the side of his massive mouth.
"Why you run from Tiny?"
Crash grunted as the tiger used a measure of his strength to bash him against a tree. Slightly dazed, Crash tried to shake it off.
"I…run…cause…I don't want to be eaten."
Although it seemed quite obvious to Crash, Tiny still didn't seem to get it. In fact, under all that rage it looked as though his feelings were hurt. This was strange, but Crash wasn't about to offer himself as a snack to make the sensitive boy feel better.
"Tiny eat you quickly." He assured.
"Trust me buddy, if I have it my way, I won't be eaten at all."
Crash was pretty sure that if he really tried, he could squeeze out of Tiny's grip. Yet as Crash attempted to twist, Tiny tightened his grip, and Crash gasped to secure what breath he had. Tiny did not look very happy, but the feeling was mutual. Tiny opened his massive jaws, and just as Crash smelled his foul breath he summoned the lungpower to speak.
"Hey hey, wait a second."
Surprisingly, Tiny stopped, and fixed Crash with a questioning stare. Crash knew he would need to think of something quickly. Regrettably, nothing came to him. So he wiggled his foot from his shoe and tossed it with his toe. When it stopped tumbling, Crash offered a hesitant smile.
"Doesn't the midday meal deserve a last request?"
Tiny looked confused. Yet the meaning seemed to get past his dim witted brain and he nodded.
"Okay. What?"
Crash repositioned so the claw around his neck was more or less tolerable. "It has always been my hope to be devoured with both my shoes on. If I could just get my other shoe, I won't be any more trouble to you."
Crash reworded his statement just so Tiny didn't get the wrong idea. He didn't enjoy being dishonest, even in the direst circumstances, but he supposed that this was just a loose lie. After all, he defiantly wasn't going to be any more trouble if his plan succeeded. Tiny seemed to be pondering, if such a thing was possible, Crash's request and finally came to a decision.
"Put on shoe. But if you trick Tiny…Tiny break every bone in your little body."
Crash swallowed hard as Tiny lowered him to the ground. He offered a hesitant grin as he reclaimed his shoe and pulled his foot into it. He started to lace, slowly at first but picked up the pace as Tiny's foot began to tap impatiently. Finally both of Crash's shoes were accounted for, and the bandicoot rose to his feet.
Okay, moment of truth.
There were some very fast things in the world, a speeding bullet, flashes of light and Crash Bandicoot when he was just about to be eaten. He sprinted as fast as possible, and flinched when Tiny's enraged bellow shook the jungle. If Crash was caught again, he'd be in very, very big trouble.
--
Coco's jaw literally dropped as she read the words inscribed on her computer screen. There was a mention of the crystals' incredible power (sources of channeling energy or something), but nothing on why Cortex wanted them. Then Coco accessed it. Cortex's plans blinked across the screen so fast Coco could barely read them. He was planning to create an ultra energy ray to enslave all of earth's inhabitants, using the crystals as a power source. Coco felt her breathing become less consistent as she scanned through more of Cortex's insidious arrangements. She gritted her teeth. That bastard was going to destroy life on this planet, using her brother as a pawn in his horrible plan. She knew Cortex was up to no good all along. She needed to communicate this information with Crash before he gave the crystals to Cortex.
--
Crash dashed over the ground, begging his sore leg to hold up until he was out of this mess. He could hear the distant sound of running water, and without the benefit of coming up with another plan, Crash started toward it. He shouldered through the thick leaves and wound around trees in his path, and he hoped that all the underbrush was slowing Tiny down. Yet as Crash saw the tiger slam into tree trunks and knock them out of his way by the root, he felt discouraged. He finally reached the river of water, and could see that there were a few stone platforms popping out of the water. Crash burst through the last of the weeds and jumped onto the first stone. The water was rushing fast, and Crash noticed now that just a ways away was a cascading waterfall. He wasn't certain how far the waterfall stretched, but he wasn't really planning to fall in the water anyway, so he didn't worry about it. Tiny leapt from out of the trees, looking terrifying as he stretched his claws before him and bared his teeth savagely. Crash expression was sour as he jumped from out of the path of the descending tiger.
"Now Tiny KILL you!" The tiger roared in fury.
Crash fed off his panic as he leapt from stone to stone. He needed to think of something, fast. Tiny was gaining on him, and since the massive tiger could jump farther than Crash, he was cutting corners.
"No fair." Crash grumbled under his breath as he jumped.
Then, Crash saw it. The key to his survival. The next stone was cracked through the middle, and if Crash estimated right, it probably wouldn't hold up Tiny's large mass. Lightly as possible, Crash landed on the booby trap, and turned around to face the tiger.
"Whatcha waiting for? Are you going to let a little bandicoot beat you? Put some effort into it fella, I'm getting bored."
Tiny stared at him with a satisfying look of disbelief. Then he howled toward the sky and took a running leap. Crash remained exactly where he was. He knew that he only had one chance to loose this tiger, and if he messed it up, he was dead. He also knew that if Tiny didn't break through the rock, Crash would be just as dead if not more so. So he waited, rubbing his forefingers and thumbs together nervously. At the precise moment, Crash bounced off the rock and back flipped to the next. Tiny slammed into the rock and for one terrifying moment, nothing happened. Crash stood there dumbfounded as Tiny raised one large paw.
"Bye bye Bandicoot."
Then the crumbling of rock echoed in the air, and Tiny plunged into the water. Yet before he fell, he was able to swipe his claw one final time. Crash stepped back, feeling the sharp tips graze his chest. Then Tiny disappeared down the river and over the edge of the waterfall. Crash stood there, panting and gathering his scattered senses. He was starting to grow very tired of all these ambushes. Crash staggered to the shore, cleaned the blood from his wound, and continued down the road.
--
Crash was convinced that at the end of the trail, he would find the crystal. If he didn't, well, he would just have to set up camp here and hope that wamba fruit were not native only to his island. Yet he had a pretty good feeling he was getting pretty close. The creepy tattoos on his arms were beginning to fade, but they grew brighter as he got closer to his target. It made the whole thing easier when he had a built in compass, that was for sure. Crash didn't run into any more nasty surprises, thankfully, but he did find himself looking up a very high wall. The pink glow told him that this was the way to go, and from what Crash could see, there was no easier way up. Crash was already too tired, dirty and sore to complain, and so he focused on how he was going to scale the wall. As he passed his hands over it, he could feel that it was the same slippery mud he was unable to climb in the pit. Crash placed his hands on his hips.
"Well this is just turning out to be a fantastic day."
Then he felt a warm energy pass over his arms, and he looked down at them to see what was going on. The markings had reappeared, and were now creating some pink swirls around the entirety of his right arm. Crash could only stare wide-eyed, as something seemed to rise out of his open palm and materialized into a gigantic sword. Crash dropped his jaw as the sword continued to solidify, and once it was finished, thumped to the ground at his feet. Crash was far too stunned to make any remark, and felt the reaction again, but this time with his left hand. Now Crash was looking down at two swords that looked pretty familiar. These couldn't be the Komodo brothers' swords? Could they? Crash shrugged off his confusion and thought about how he could use these swords to his advantage. He ignored the fact that a sword may have come in handy in his skirmish with the rats or his battle with Tiny, since that mindset would only succeed in annoying him. Crash hefted one sword, and with surprisingly little oomph he plunged it into the mud wall. He took the next sword in one hand, and climbed onto the visible hilt of the suspended blade. Now a good four feet off the ground, Crash stuck the other sword a little above him. Using his natural agility, Crash held on to the topmost sword with his legs and pulled the bottom sword from the wall. Then he replaced this sword a little farther above the other. He was able to climb up the wall with relatively little difficulty, and for that he was glad. When he finished scaling the wall, and pulled himself over the side, the swords faded again and the swirling light passed into Crash's arms.
"Weird, but handy."
Crash dusted the hopeless amount of dirt off his pants, and took a look of what lay before him. The trees had fanned out, and now Crash could see the grey sky quite clearly. Rain pattered the ground before him, and Crash wandered out into it, feeling quite refreshed as the water dripped off the tops of his ears and the tip of his nose. He was also quite thankful that at the top of some ancient stairs, under an artistically crafted stone archway shielded a bright mauve crystal. Crash dragged his sorry limbs up the eroding stairs, and reached out toward the final piece that would allow him passage back home. Just as his fingers touched the crystal, it faded away and Crash could feel the whirling power fill him with new energy. He just stood there for a moment, feeling so tired and so…HUNGRY. The immense hunger that tore mercilessly at Crash's being was turning out to be more painful than the dozens of wounds he endured. He shrugged his shoulders forward, wanting no more than to devour a hundred wamba fruit and then fall unconscious to sleep his stresses away. The faint clicking sound of the whirligig that seemed quite adept at locating him made Crash turn. In a sleepwalking trance, Crash staggered down the steps and toward the vortex, dreaming of sun and sleep.
