Written for my fellow EO fans, NoctusFury and FireEye, for the 2022 Tropes & Fandoms event - Trope: Bodyguard
The Best Bodyguard Ever
L&L Diving Service's lead diver smiled fondly at her colleagues as they chatted animatedly in the back of the boat as Jean-Eric expertly steered the Reef Seeker towards the Gatama Atoll. Oceana giggled and even Hayako's lips were turned up in amusement as GG regaled them all with one of his outrageous...and also probably greatly exaggerated...diving stories.
"Then the tentacles reached out for me..." she heard him say as he waved his arms around for dramatic effect before her attention was drawn by a familiar sound to the front of the boat, instead.
Her smile then widened even further as she watched Snorkel the dog, who as usual, stood on the bow while he joyfully barked his head off at anything and everything around them – including the sun and the sea!
Even though they had all fallen in love with the Yellow Labrador they had rescued from the sometimes unforgiving ocean...and the dog was normally welcome on their trips to Gatama Atoll...the team had not actually planned to bring him along for this particular excursion. After all, they were on a scientific contract mission for the Pelago Commonwealth University satellite program on the mainland in order to survey some of the current marine bird colonies at the Atoll. However, the sneaky canine had jumped on the boat at the last minute as they pulled away from the Nineball Island's dock, anyway.
"Oh, can he stay, please?" Oceana implored as the dog stood there and swished his tail. He looked so proud of himself for a moment before he went to affectionately greet each of the team members in turn with his wet nose that nobody had the heart to turn him away.
In fact, Jean-Eric just shrugged as he reached down to pat the dog's head with obvious fondness. That one simple gesture decided the issue. Snorkel was obviously along for the ride. Therefore, the team simply turned their attention back to their mission as the not-so-sneaky stowaway made his way up to his favorite spot onboard.
...
Over the course of their famous Pacifica treasure adventure, L&L had also become quite well known for their marine animal conservation work. Consequently, the company had been contracted by the University to study the shore nesting habits of three different marine bird species in the Atoll. Fortunately, it was clear from the map that she and Oceana had created for the region, that those particular birds...and their chosen habitats...were all conveniently located near each other.
Therefore, since their job was technically on land for the day...and the water was also very beautiful and calm...they decided as a group to change up their routine a bit and snorkel instead of dive. That way, they would not have to wear their full suits and carry all of their bulky equipment around with them. Plus, Jean-Eric would actually be able to join in on the fun for once, as well. After all, it was no secret that he missed the water. Luckily, snorkeling on the surface would not aggravate the conditions he had acquired when he suffered from the prolonged decompression sickness that still prevented his ability to deep dive.
All in all, it was a good plan...and the team looked forward to the pleasant day ahead of them.
...
Jean-Eric picked a nice central location among the little islands to anchor the boat and, after their target birds and job partners were chosen, they all prepared to depart. Oceana and Jean-Eric teamed up to go and visit the Brown Boobies...a name which never failed to elicit a few juvenile snickers - especially from GG. However, then he got back down to business and decided to partner with Hayako and work with the Japanese Cormorants. That left her to catalogue the Little Penguins on their chosen atoll. She did not mind, though – especially since she found the small flightless creatures to be simply adorable.
"Do you want to be my partner?" she asked Snorkel, since he was technically the last team member available. "I don't mind if you come with me...if you can behave, that is."
The dog did not answer, of course, but he did swish his tail around happily at her pointed attention. The woman was not really worried about his company, however. He was generally very well-behaved and usually listened to their commands...unless there was a very good reason not to do so. Plus, it was a logical decision to take him with her to visit the penguins. After all, they could not fly away if they were disturbed by his presence like the Boobies or Cormorants would...and they usually only went diving for food at night. Therefore, they would more than likely stay put to be counted...even if they found that they did not appreciate Snorkel's natural canine exuberance.
Consequently, it was with high spirits that the entire team donned their light snorkel gear and headed off towards their chosen locations with a promise to meet back up at the Reef Seeker for lunch.
...
Their little destination island turned out to be the closest. Consequently, the woman found that she had only a few minutes to enjoy the sight of the beautiful and diverse fish populations right under the surface of the clear blue water as she swam the short distance to the little shoreline. Snorkel paddled along easily beside her in the cute doggie life jacket that they had purchased for him on the mainland.
Despite the unfortunate way he came into their lives, the dog had proven time and time again that he still loved to swim and took every opportunity to do so. Since they all spent so much time on...and in...the water, as well, the team wanted to make it as safe as possible for him. As a result, they kept a jacket for him on the boat and a spare one on Nineball Island, too.
At any rate, Snorkel enjoyed himself...and obviously thought their short swim was not nearly long enough. Nevertheless, without any extra prompting on her part, he still climbed up on the beach when she did...before he proceeded to shake the majority of the water off of himself...and all over her, instead.
"It's a good thing I'm already wet, you mangy mutt!" she reprimanded him – even as she smiled in good humor at his antics.
Snorkel just continued to wag his tail happily, though, as she removed his jacket and her gear - especially since there was obviously no real anger in her voice. He simply followed her up further in from the shoreline to where the penguins were usually located. A little excited whine escaped his throat, however, once they finally caught sight of the subjects of their study.
"No!" she told him firmly. "Heel!"
Her tone convinced him that she was serious this time, so Snorkel immediately settled down and calmly walked by her side – even when the temptation of more penguins came into view. The little creatures were not very alarmed by their presence...not yet, at least...and she wanted to keep it that way.
"Stay!" she therefore told her canine companion when they had come up far enough...and with one last soft whine...he obeyed. When she looked back, she saw that he was still in place and had laid down on the sand with his head between his paws.
"Good boy," she told him softly and was rewarded with a thumping tail. However, the dog stayed where he was as he proved exactly why he deserved such praise.
Satisfied that he would continue to listen and not disturb either her or the subjects of their important work, the woman then got down to business. She dug the handheld tally clicker out of her waterproof pouch and proceeded to make her way across the small island as she carefully counted all of the Little Penguins in the vicinity. After all, the first part of the study was to get as accurate of a number of the existing population in the area as possible.
Therefore, it was an indeterminate amount of time later when the woman had almost completed her initial count and had practically traversed the entire circumference of the island as she did so. That was when she first heard Snorkel's warning bark, even though she could not yet see the dog. She quickly finished the task at hand as she counted the members of the last small group and then waited, but the sound did not abate. In fact, after just a moment, she realized that not only was the barking getting closer, but that it seemed to be increasing in volume and urgency, as well. She knew then that something was very wrong.
As L&L's lead diver, she had been in plenty of dangerous positions before. However, most of those situations had been underwater where she was at a distinct disadvantage. Consequently, since she was now on her home turf ...so to speak...she felt better prepared to face whatever had upset Snorkel so much that his bark had become an almost desperate cacophony of sound as he neared her location.
She knew that she was wrong in that assumption, however, as soon saw the bushes in front of her part to reveal a giant green head. She immediately recognized it, even though she had seen it just once before as she had unexpectedly come upon the rare creature asleep on the sand during a previous exploration of the small islands. Fortunately, it had been completely unaware of her presence then and she had been able to take her time and study it in relative safety. However, as amazing as that encounter had been, she would have been content with just the memory of it rather than the current experience of being face-to-face with the legendary Pelago Crocodile again – especially since, this time, it was obviously awake and absolutely aware of her!
The creature was huge, too. However, despite its bulk, it moved so quietly across the sandy terrain that she knew she probably never would have heard its approach if Snorkel had not warned her in time. Consequently, she also realized that there was a good chance that she might have become its lunch before she ever knew it was there, at all!
Very good boy! she thought proudly...and a bit worriedly...as she watched Snorkel bark determinedly at the creature as he repeatedly dodged and weaved himself away...just like a boxer in the ring...from its obviously irritated snaps and lunges. When it became clear to her that he was trying to keep it away from her and draw its attention elsewhere, she determined that Snorkel was going to get a super special dinner as a reward as soon as they got back to the safety of Nineball Island.
If they got back...
The unwelcome thought popped into her head as she realized that the Pelago Crocodile had probably come ashore with the intention of making an easy meal out of the flightless inhabitants of the island. However, it had found something much more appetizing when it noticed her, instead. She was also well aware that if it broke free of Snorkel's distraction techniques, neither one of them stood a chance against the powerful creature. After all, it could outrun them on land and outswim them in the sea...even if they could make it down to the water in the first place.
The woman also had no weapon to use against it. After all, nobody on the team carried such things since their missions were usually focused on academic and scientific pursuits...and even the bit of treasure hunting they did was peaceful. Plus, since the current trip was just supposed to be a simple scientific land expedition, she did not even have the Pulsar with her for protection. At any rate, it still would have been useless to her since it was only an effective deterrent underwater, anyway.
Consequently, as she saw that Snorkel was visibly tiring from his intense game of Keep Away, she became more and more worried about the outcome of the situation...until she heard the glorious sound of a boat horn as it loudly blared nearby.
It's the Reef Seeker! she realized with sudden overwhelming relief as she recognized the sound and knew that all was not lost.
In fact, the loud horn continued to blast as the familiar boat finally rounded the corner of the little island and she could see that it was indeed L&L's beloved company vessel. Jean-Eric was at the helm and he expertly steered the craft in as close to the beach as he could without running it aground...even while he laid on the horn continuously.
The extreme noise...or maybe even just the sound vibrations...or perhaps both...proved to be too much for the creature. Since it had obviously lost its chance at an easy lunch, anyway, it turned with one last irritated snap at the dog before it quickly made its way back to the beach and then into the sea. Once she knew for sure that the huge animal was headed in the opposite direction, the woman called for Snorkel so they could don their equipment and make their escape, as well. Just a short walk, and a few swim strokes later, found them both safe and sound in the boat again.
Once on board, the woman immediately checked the dog over for injuries and then...when she found none...gratefully gave him the affection that was obviously due to him for saving her life. Meanwhile, Jean-Eric and Oceana told their story.
"The water was so calm and still that we could hear the chien fou* barking all the way over to the Boobies," the older man explained.
"Something was obviously wrong," Oceana added. "We were worried that you had been hurt, so we cut our count of the Boobies short and made our way back to the boat as quickly as possible. Since Snorkel kept barking, Grandfather just followed the sound back to you...and that's when we saw the crocodile. Was it really the Pelago? At any rate, it was huge...and we knew you were in big trouble!"
"Oui. That sight took years off of my life," Jean-Eric admitted. "I knew you'd have no way of fighting the beast, either, so I tried to scare it off for you. I'm glad that it worked, too, but I believe that we really owe the credit to our boy, here." He indicated Snorkel, who was still wrapped up in the lead diver's embrace. "If he hadn't kept up that infernal barking, we wouldn't have known to come in the first place."
"He's definitely my hero," the woman agreed vehemently. "If he hadn't been there..." She shuddered at the thought. "At any rate, I owe him the biggest steak on the island as a reward!"
Jean-Eric agreed that Snorkel deserved it as he steered the boat closer to the Cormorant island to make Hayako and GG's pick up easier and safer – especially since none of them were sure about the Pelago Crocodile's current whereabouts. Meanwhile, the women onboard took turns to give the pooch copious amounts of affection and attention for all of his heroic deeds.
Once the remaining team members were safely back on deck, they were all caught up on the amazing events that had just transpired. Then, the L&L Diving team made their way back to Nineball Island while the exhausted dog fell asleep on the bow. Once they had docked, unloaded, and prepared dinner, however, Snorkel was revived enough from his well-deserved rest to enjoy even more loving attention...and the promised juicy rare steak...as payment for his rendered services.
Even better than that...especially in Snorkel's mind...he was never left behind again when they visited the Atoll. After all, he had earned his rightful spot on the team for being the best bodyguard ever!