Chapter 8 Nature Documentary

Roy stared at Ludwig's body. In this unconscious state, his limbs laid sprawled on the floor in a very uncomfortable looking lights flashing on the surface of the Internet explorer made Roy's heart pump. How could such a pretty sight be linked to an image that was by all accounts terrifying.

"Ohhhhh," Roy moaned. He got down on his knees and shook his brother. "Ludwig, come on! Wake up!" The eldest Koopaling didn't stir. Sweat beads formed all over Roy's body. "Come on buddy, you can't leave me like this; you know I'm too dumb to function!"

Still, Roy's older brother remained unresponsive. He stopped shaking him, trying to handle his breathing rate as he looked between him and Iggy.

"Oh dear Lord," he said. "I'm all alone now. Who will help me when I need a brainy person around to keep me in check?" He took a deep breath. "Now, calm down, Roy. Just because you're a dipstick doesn't mean that you can't jolt some life back into these Koopas." He stood still for a moment before grabbing Iggy's body by the shoulders and shaking it like a soda can. "WAKE UP!" All that happened was that Iggy went limp, his head flopping back and forth like it served no purpose to the rest of the body.

"Darn it!" Roy said. He looked between his two brothers again. "What do I do?" Suddenly, like a flash of lightning, he remembered what Ludwig said right before he put the helmet on.

If I get knocked out, try coming after me.

Roy swallowed a lump. Oh man, that idea was not appealing. In fact, it was the exact opposite of appealing! It was…it was…UNappealing! What if something with the helmet went cuckoo and ended up killing Roy?

But then again…Ludwig and Iggy needed him. He was not going to let his brothers down. If there was one thing that Roy Koopa was not, it was a person who let his family down.

So, Roy took in a deep breath. He picked up the Internet explorer, carefully so just in case removing the helmet would wake up Ludwig. When he didn't respond, Roy released the breath.

"Don't worry guys," he said. "I'm coming."

…

Roy gasped. Shocking sensations traveled all across his body. For a minute, Roy felt as if he couldn't move a muscle, couldn't lift a finger. Eventually though, the shock wore off. He took in deep breaths. Doing so alerted him to how…tasteless the air was.

"Man." He looked around, hoping he could get an idea of where exactly he was. Doing this just made him confused. It was blackness from one edge of the world to another. No color, no movement, no sound. It was like he was looking at the back of his eyelids, except his eyes were wide open.

"Where am I?" Roy asked himself. Icy dread seized hold of him as a question entered his mind. "Is this…hell? Am I in hell?!" He looked around, hoping to see something of note (even if that note was a hellish one). "Man, hell is so empty; how is anyone supposed to enjoy themselves here?" He looked down, and when he did, that's when he received an even bigger shock.

"Wait. Hooves?" Roy lifted what had originally been his right arm. He saw that where his hand usually hung out was a black hoof, split down the middle and attached to a leg covered in tan fur. "Wait a second, am I a reindeer?"

"The antelope is a herbivorous creature that lives in the African savannah."

Roy did a little jump. "Antelope? What the heck is an antelope?" The icy dread returned, nearly causing his heart to stop. "And wait a second, who just talked?"

"Antelopes eat a diet consisting of tree shoots, various fruits, and savannah grass."

Roy was met with visual whiplash as the darkness shifted. Suddenly, instead of standing in an inky dark void, he was on a sunny plain. The grass was gold as wheat, and all around the place were funny looking deer-like creatures who were eating it. Roy wagered a guess that these were the antelope the soothing, British voice was talking about. And with that realization came another one; since Roy was an antelope, that meant HE would have to eat the grass.

"Oh no." He rapidly shook his head. "No no no, I am NOT eating grass!"

One of the nearby antelopes lifted his head. "Dude," he said, completely surprising the Koopaling. "The narrator says we eat grass. And if the narrator says we eat grass, we eat grass. So Shut up! And eat your grass!"

Roy doubled back. "Yeesh man, no need to yell at me." He lowered his neck, now ready to eat the grass despite every aspect of his upbringing, lifestyle, and general taste telling him it was a really bad idea. He pulled some grass up from the roots, chewing on it ever so slowly. When he swallowed, he gagged.

"Blegh! I got some dirt with my grass!" He hung his tongue out, hoping that exposure to sunlight would somehow be rid him of the flavor of soil. "Man, to think that THIS is what rescuing Iggy involves." He smirked. "This better be worth it; otherwise, Iggy's gonna receive a hell of a noogie."

"SHHH!"

Roy's new antelope ears when he heard that. "Was that the wind, or did one of you antelope dude shush me?"

One of the antelopes raised their head. "You have to be quiet," they said with a soft, feminine voice. "Otherwise the predators will find us!"

Roy blinked. "Predators?"

"Yeah! They're strewn all around the savannah. And if we're too loud, we'll draw their attention, so we have to be…"

"Hey, didn't you hear me!?" the first antelope yelled like a drill sergeant. "I said SHUT UP AND EAT YOUR GRASS!"

Roy sighed. "Seriously dude, you need to take a humongous chill pill!" He bent his neck and ate some more grass. Once he had about three unsatisfying, very nasty helpings, he turned to the female antelope. "I'm Roy, by the way."

The female looked from side to side before getting closer to Roy. "Sky."

Roy nodded. "That's a nice name." He smiled. "Hey, I don't know how long I'm going to be here, as I'm kind of on an important mission. But, if I watch your back while I'm here, will you watch mine?"

Sky's eyes glittered. "Of course."

Roy beamed. As both he and Sky ate some more grass, the voice of the narrator chimed in again.

"While this doesn't happen very often, it is a nice sight to see when two antelopes become friends."