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CHAPTER 11: OUT LIKE A LIGHT.
Squint was balanced on a thin branch extending from the storing trunk, playing darts along with Gupta and Raz. Aiming closely at the target (which was Flynn's fruit, currently piled up on his clam shell) and screwing an eye shut, he hurtled the dagger with a flick of his wrist.
The piece of fruit vanished from Flynn's plate, flying past the ship until it embedded itself in the ice wall behind. Squint clenched his fists, pounding it into the air.
"Yeah!"
"That was nothin'. Watch this." Raz lifted up her spear and through it quickly towards the plate, hitting two pieces of fruit at once, all the while the large seal was kept oblivious as he watched the bat nearby juggling some rocks in complete boredom and Clementine ready some more herbs for her foot.
Squint growled at Raz's hit, pulling up five star-fish shaped shells and taking aim again.
Suddenly Flynn took this moment to turn his head and finally notice as the sharp objects came flying towards him. He yelped, jumping back into the side of the ship and rocking it dangerously on impact. Maut dropped her juggling stones, Clementine lost her balance and almost lost her herbs, and Squint toppled off the tall branch, hitting his head as he did so.
"OW!"
"Serves ya right." Argeth called from nearby. He'd been watching the skeptical with disinterest, arms folded (not surprisingly) and leaning against the ice. The corner of his mouth rose slightly at the sight of the buck sprawled face-down on the floor. Then it vanished when he spotted a red gash on the injured area as the rabbit got to his feet, shaking himself dizzily. It wasn't that he cared for this rabbits well being- quite the contrary. But if the gash was as bad as it looked, Clementine would need to get involved.
He didn't like the idea of Clem being within five meters of that crazy nut-job,, who was now yelling furiously at the unfortunate seal they'd been playing a trick on from earlier.
Then, Squint stormed off, holding a paw against his bleeding head and grumbling to himself.
Clementine was watching him as well.
The gash in the head- she examined with a healer's eyes- would continue bleeding without stitches and could cause serious harm if not stopped soon. Had it been any other person on the ship excluding Gutt then she would've darted over instantly, but Squint was another case all together. He didn't look like he wanted to be bothered about it.
But...If he fainted from blood loss it could mean her and her friend's necks... and the healer inside her just wouldn't let it happen.
Pulling on her ears at the indignity of it all she made her way towards the buck, either not realizing Gupta and Maut were watching her go with incredibly wide grins, or ignoring them.
Squint noticed a reluctant figure coming into view as he rubbed his head irritably. He moved the paw away from his head that had restricted his view and rose a brow.
"Whaddaya want?" He asked rudely, noticing an awkward expression done her features.
"Uhh...I may just need to look at that." She gestured to the gash on his head. Squint processed what she said for am oment before stepping back, scowling.
"No way! It's just a scratch!" He turned and folded his harms, adding. "Nothin' I can't handle."
Clementine gave him a blunt look and replied "Yeah. You'll handle it until you collapse from blood loss." She reached forward, trying to brush his hand away from his wound to get a better look, but he recoiled and shoved past her rudely. She dropped her arm, glowering after him.
"You can't make me!" He called as he zipped away. Clementine face-palmed as he vanished from her sight. There had to be a way of getting him to keep still for at least five minutes...
Her ears snapped up when an idea came to her. She had the right herbs, right...for knocking out patients experiencing extreme amounts of pain...
Clementine's eyes rolled over to the stacks of food nearby.
She grinned.
That night fell quickly soon after their conversation ended. The crew was gathered around the middle of the ship; The music was playing loudly as the original members of the crew played while the new recruits were sat watching, or, in Argeth's case, deep in thought.
He glanced with disdain at Gutt, who was leaning against the mast from a branch up above, chewing on a fruit and listening to the music playing below. Thank goodness he isn't singing...
He noticed Clementine was whispering quietly to Maut, who's large ear was twitching with the intense attention she was giving, a small sneaky grin of her face. Clementine looked like she was a few moments away from breaking into a grin herself. She gestured for Raz, who was still playing her instrument as she leaned over, and began to whispering to her, too.
He frowned. What...?
CLANK.
The crew went silent as they spotted Squint had fallen over after taking a single bite out of his fruit. He'd promptly collapsed after he swallowed, out for the count.
Raz rolled her eyes, an action that didn't seem to match a knowing grin of her face as she hopped over and grabbed him by the foot, carrying him off.
"Too much apples and runnin' about did it. I'll dump him we're his snorin' won't be a problem."
She disappeared away from the crew, no one but Argeth noticing that Clementine was hurrying after her, healing instruments in hand. He rolled his eyes.
Typical...but, he noted as he allowed himself to smile, very smart. At that moment a memory flashed in his mind when he thought of the fruit, and the fire didn't help.
He groaned silently as the music continued.
"You!"
Guver was extremely surprised to find a familiar armadillo wandering below the tree he was in. Argeth rose a brow at him and shrugged in indifference, brow furrowed as usual.
"Yeah. Sup."
Guver shrugged. "Nothing. Eating fruit."
"Hm. I've never had fruit from up there before."
Guver looked very surprised. "Are you serious?"
"Well...Armadillos don't climb that much."
Guver nodded once at this. "You been living on berries or something?" Argeth folded his arms, looking off to the side with indifference.
"Pretty much."
Guver plucked one of the fruit hanging around him and tossed it down. Argeth looked lightly surprised, but caught it either way. Shrugging as well, the younger boy took a bite.
A genuine, seemingly rare smile spread on his face. Guver smiled and leaned back importantly.
"Its not bad, Ape. No wonder you guys lounge up there all the time..."
Guver frowned, eyes snapping open. What did he mean, all the time? "We do other stuff."
"Like what?" Argeth shoved the rest of the fruit into his mouth, wiping away the orange juice from his lips. Guver scowled down at him.
"Swing around, climb real high, beat up little annoying people like you." Guver added his answer with a question of his own:
"What do you do?"
Agreth rubbed his sticky hands on the dirt ground before rolling up into a small grey ball (something that made Guver laugh a little at the creativity and slight humor of it) and spinning around the place. It was quite remarkable how he could bounce himself around and roll up the side of walls for a few seconds, all the while not suffering a scratch.
"Pretty cool." He said after the armadillo had stopped spinning. Argeth smirked.
"Yeah. Pretty much."
Sorry if it seems rushed...the last scene was written SO BADLY.
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