Chapter 8: K. Rool gets his scaly hide whupped, stuff happens
The bird barely could finish its sentence before it got blown away by a gust of air. It was nobody other than Reaver who had carried Dixie all the way to the secret hiding hole of K. Rool. She quickly dropped the she-monkey with care and flew over the Kremling king, who was utterly dumbfounded by this happening. In bitter rage, he tried to swipe at Reaver with his large claws, but Dixie threateningly pointed her feather crossbow at his throat before he could hit anything.
'Say what happened to my boyfriend and DK... at once,' she hissed with bared teeth, glaring at the king, keeping him at bay. He raised his arms up in the air. He was almost frightened by the sight.
'Don't shoot me!' he said in a tiny voice.
Upon hearing the familiar voice of his girlfriend whom he had thought dead by now, Diddy jumped up, accidentally hitting his head. That hurt him, but he did not care about that.
'Dixie! You came!' he exclaimed gleefully.
She turned around, and looked at him with what appeared to be a weird combination between a smile and a grin on her face. 'Ha, you said came.'
But that was a fatal mistake, as K. Rool saw his chance, slapped her crossbow out of her hands and pushed her over, pinning her down with his foot. Her chipper attitude got exchanged for fear as she felt her chest being crushed by the sheer weight of the obese tyrant.
'So, did ya think you could shoot at King K. Rool, right?' He bent over his head and glared at the young monkey with that one creepy eye. 'Did ya think you could defeat ME, missy?'
He grabbed hold of her crossbow.
'With this flimsy wooden bow, no less? Oh, gimme a break!'
Diddy gasped and covered his mouth in astonishment.
'Don't give up, my dear!' he shouted. Dixie weakly looked his way, all while trying to pull the foot of her chest.
'...how many times do I have to tell you... that... you... don't call me... dear...' she uttered, barely audible, before her body went limp. K. Rool was about to deliver a final blow when he felt a sharp pain, akin to a bullet shot from a cannon, on his head.
'OW!' he cried out. A single flurry of bluish grey-white feathers flew across his face. 'What in the-'
And just then, before he could even curse at the bird that attacked him, its fearful talons scraped across his enlarged eye. Releasing his grip on the young she-monkey he was aiming for the bird now. He fell to the ground.
'...you shouldn't have done that,' he growled in the most fearful way possible. Just that instant he snapped. 'You betrayer!' he bellowed. 'After all I'd done to raise you! Helped you when you were weak, protected you – all I asked was ONE favour, and is this my thanks?' Blood stained his pathetic-looking cape as he tried pursuing his attacker, holding one of his gargantuan claws against his hurt eye. The bird fluttered above the Source itself.
'I'll get you even if it kills-'
He broke off as he tripped over, right into the Source itself. It shook and quaked with deafening sounds until it went out, and King K. Rool was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Buck, the scarred Harpy eagle, able to be spotted anywhere. He had fled as soon as he saw the chance.
Reaver quickly grabbed a bunch of keys that were hanging on the wall and flew over to Diddy and DK, to which they opened their prisons after each other. Once freed they quickly ran to the still body of poor Dixie. Diddy went down on his knees, and cradled her limp body in his arms. He sobbed audibly, while DK bowed his head in sadness, staying close to his little buddy to comfort him.
'...don't leave me, my dear, dear Dixie...' Diddy whimpered. 'I... we've been through so much together... don't die on me now...'
Slowly she opened her eyes a little, and gave a weak smile.
'...how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me dear.' she murmured. From out of her backpack she fetched Diddy's strikingly red cap, and put it on his head. 'There you go,' she said. 'you don't look very pretty without it.'
'You saved my hat,' Diddy smiled through his tears. 'Will you be alright?'
'Yeah, sure I will... but that K. Fool walloped my noggin but good,' she said, a bit more cheerful now. 'I know I'm the big damn hero now for a change... But I just want to rest. Carry me, Didds,'
'What? Again? Seriously... Me, carry you? Why, I can't even-'
She shot him a glare. But at the same time, DK had gestured him to climb on his back. That would surely make the whole situation a lot easier. He grinned.
'...alright, alright, I'll carry you.'
With Dixie on his back, Diddy, in turn, climbed upon DK's back.
'Hey, you're cheating.'
'No, I'm not. Giddy up, DK!'
Nothing happened.
'...or not giddy up, whatever you'd like. Let's go back home, shall we?'
But suddenly, the earth began shaking. Large blocks of stone came falling down, and DK and his passengers just managed to avoid them. But once they reached the beach, they were at a dead end.
'And then?' Dixie remarked sarcastically. The isle was sinking – some of the zombie-Kremlings that had been encountered earlier on were trying to avoid the rising water by climbing up the rigging of some old wrecks. 'Ha! Serves them right,' she said.
'I'm really grateful that you saved me but... how in the world are we supposed to get to our island now?' DK remarked.
'Help is at hand! Worry not!'
Out of the volcano flew Reaver, the Harpy eagle that had proven to be such a valuable ally in their quest. She landed gracefully next to them.
'Can you carry all three of us?' asked DK. Diddy didn't say anything for he was exhausted.
'Not a problem,' the eagle said. And so, they carefully grabbed hold of the bird's talons and they flew away.
It was a sight to behold. The three Kongs and the one Harpy eagle all stood together, looking over at the sea, in the early dusk of the morning. The isle was slowly sinking at first, until the beam of light from the Source shot out with great power. It sank more quickly now, until it had disappeared from sight altogether, only some waves revealing the former presence of the dark island. In the distance, a boat left at the place where the Isle disappeared, and both a mean cackle and a croak, barely audible, could be heard...
