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To recap; Kwazii, Shellington, and Elekai are careening down the river, and Captain Barnacles is pinned under a tree branch with a broken leg.

The raft was still speeding down the river. Elekai took the paddles and got things under control.

"The captain!" Kwazii yowled. "We have to go back for the captain!"

"Oh, I should have waited for him," wailed Shellington, "then he wouldn't have gotten hurt!"

"Both of you!" Elekai got their attention. "We need to get off the water and into shelter. We'll have to wait out the storm before we can go back for him; it's just too dangerous."

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In the cottage, the remaining four were getting worried.

"It's really windy out there," said Peso. "I hope they're alright."

On the sofa, Deborah was rocking herself back and forth in anxiety, while Riviera had a paw around her, trying to ease her nerves.

"They couldn't have gone too far," said Sarabi. "This river isn't that long, is it?"

Riviera looked up. "It's a little over 19 kilometers. It might be a while before they come back."

However, just then, Sarabi was proven right as Kwazii, Shellington, and Elekai all entered the room, shaky and out of breath. The four all had relieved looks.

"Oh, thank heavens!" Riviera had a paw over her heart. "We were so worried about you!"

Once the initial relief had worn off, they noticed that something still wasn't right. "Where's the captain?"

"Trapped," was all Shellington could get out.

"He got pinned under a branch," said Elekai, with a grim expression. "We're gonna have to wait out the storm before we can go back for him."

"He shouldn't be in too much danger," said Riviera. "The trees out there are so thick, it's almost impossible to get hit by any lightning."

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"Oh, this is all my fault…"

Shellington had his face buried in his paws. He was bawling his eyes out, and Riviera and Deborah were trying to calm him down.

"Shh-shh…" Riviera got him to quiet down. "There was no way you could have known he would turn back. This wasn't your fault."

"And it's not like the captain to hold grudges." Deborah petted his fur and kissed his cheek. She crawled into his lap, and he held her close to his chest.

Around then, the storm had passed, and the river had calmed down to a gentle splish-splash.

"Alright, let's go find the captain," said Elekai. He corralled Kwazii and Sarabi, and off they went.

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Out by the river, Captain Barnacles had pulled himself out from under the branch. He leaned against the woody beast and clenched his teeth. Yep, that leg was definitely broken. He realized that he could no longer see his crewmates. He figured they must have gotten to safety.

"Captain!"

He could hear someone yelling. He hoisted himself up on his good leg and looked around. He couldn't see anyone.

"Hello?" He called to the voice. He heard a smaller voice say what sounded like "this way".

"Can you hear me?!"

"Sir, is that you?!" That sounded like Elekai.

"Elekai, I'm in a small clearing! There's a tree with a scratch in the trunk near me!"

He heard rustling and footsteps, and sure enough, Elekai came out of the green into the clearing.

"Captain!" He, along with Kwazii and Sarabi, rushed towards him.

"Jesus, captain, you had us scared half to death!" Sarabi was flustered, but still hoisted his arm over her shoulder.

"You pulled yourself out from under there?! Sir, with due respect, that was very dangerous to your health!"

"It's fine," said Captain Barnacles. "I'm not going down the same path as Hakara."

"Come on," said Kwazii, "we're getting you back to Peso."

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Back at the cottage, the remaining four were together, trying to ease each other's nerves, when the rescue team returned with the captain. They all rushed to his side as Kwazii and Sarabi set him down in a chair.

"Captain, I'm so sorry, I should have waited for you-"

"It's okay, Shellington," said Captain Barnacles. "Better me than you." He turned his attention to Deborah, who was shaking. "Come here." He hugged her and rubbed her back as she wept.

"I love you, papa," whimpered Deborah through her tears.

"I'm gonna be okay, princess," he assured her.

"Your shin is fractured," said Peso, putting down his little X-ray screen. He opened his medical bag and wrapped up the injured leg. Everyone except Kwazii backed off to give the captain some space.

"You're a tough one, Barnacles," said Riviera. "I'm glad the crew is in good paws."

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It was early the next morning. Captain Barnacles blinked the sleep out of his eyes. He groaned; the pain medication he had been given before bed was wearing off. It was dark, since the sun was barely up, but he could still see his crewmates. On his left, there was Shellington fast asleep, with Deborah resting on his belly, and Riviera slumped over the arm of the couch, lightly snoring. On his right, there was Elekai with an arm around Peso, and Sarabi propped up on a throw pillow. And right next to him, Kwazii had fallen asleep under his right paw.

He heard shifting, and saw Sarabi moving.

"Sarabi? Are you awake?"

"I am now." Sarabi looked up at the captain. She was adjusting herself so she could lie on her back. She was quiet for a moment, before piping up again.

"Captain? …Who's Hakara?"

Captain Barnacles pursed his lips, but still opened up to her. "She was our lieutenant before Kwazii. She was a real treasure…but then, we were in this terrible rockslide, and…she didn't make it."

Sarabi's gruff expression softened; a rare sight. "…Oh."

At that point, Riviera made a "snork?" noise and sat up. "Good morning."

"Morning," mumbled Sarabi.

Riviera got up to put some breakfast together, and the other Octonauts began waking up. Shellington and Deborah grinned at each other, and he kissed her forehead as they sat up.

"Is Professor Inkling still working with you?" Riviera asked as she brought toast out into the living room.

"Yes," said Captain Barnacles. "He spends most of his time in the library now."

Elekai rustled Peso awake, and everyone ate their toast. The worst of things was over, and they would soon be able to get things (mostly) back to normal.

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Barnacles is going to be okay! Yay! And everyone else only has minimal trauma!