The jungle badger crept up the moonlit paved rocks, moving from shadow to shadow. Up above, at the top of the hill, beneath a massive tree and its roots, a hulking form struggled. It was hanging upside down from one of the largest limbs.

"Aah!" it roared, clawing at what it could reach of the ground with its fingertips. It pulled itself up, trying to reach the rope around its foot, but missed. It fell back with a groan, its great chest heaving.

Sticks studied the silhouette of the shape.

It was tall, taller than Sticks, and he had something like ropes of hair hanging from his head. Also his snout was longer than most Mobian's snouts.

The figure took a deep breath, and with a shout tried reaching for its foot again—

Sticks sprang forward, spear in hand. "What are you doing here, clumsy perpetrator of evil in this world?" she snarled.

The figure let out a yelp of shock and his eyes widened. He dropped back down to stare directly into the spearhead. And the wild-looking orange creature with brown stripes crouching behind it. It was dressed in animal skins and its blue eyes flashed as it examined him.

"Are you a Mobian, or do you just look like one?" Sticks demanded, creeping closer. "Are you an alien monster here to take over my brain and use me to fight in your brain-controlled army?"

The figure roared, swiping at the spear, but Sticks yanked it back out of reach.

"Or are you…normal?" her eyes narrowed as if somehow that was even worse. She glanced down at a strange box that had fallen out of reach, but near, to the creature.

"Do not touch it!" the Mobian shouted.

Sticks braced the spear again. "Don't worry, I would never think of touching anything that belonged to you. It's probably infected with the plague or some foreign poison!"

With a lunge, the creature struck out and snatched onto the spear. The instant it clenched its fists, the spear crumbled like kindling.

Sticks's jaw dropped in terror.

"Agh!" she screamed. She snatched up her boomerang and sent it full force into her prisoner's head.

The Mobian jerked and went limp.

Sticks caught the boomerang as it came back around and shoved it back into her belt. She glared at the hulking unconscious figure before her.

"How was this supposed to make me glad?" she snapped to her thoughts, fisting her hands on her hips.