Disclaimer: I do not own The Wild Thornberrys or any of its characters.

Note: Yes, I decided to add another chapter to this story. It's been months, hasn't it? Well I thought that I should post at least one more chap to add some more story into it. This chapter contains lyrics to a song called "Worlds Apart" by Jars of Clay. ^___^ I got the idea for the continuation from that song, and the idea to use that song from Grand High Idol's fanfic (not posted up on this site) "Faith Like A Child".

Here's the chap!

SANGUINE TRAIL
Story by DarkHououmon



The blood that had poured out of the gash started to dry up, and darken. The tears mixed in with it, and dried up as well. The blood seemed black now. The body of the girl became so pale...and so cold...the teenager couldn't stand it. Debbie opened up her eyes after the sobbing had subsided. Her throat was scratchy and her eyes were red and puffy. Her vision was blurred by her tears, and she could still feel a few tears scroll down her face and the tear dripped onto Eliza's face, which remained still. She choked back another painful sob. She slowly let go of Eliza's cold, dead hand and rubbed her sore throat. She turned to look behind her. Boko was kneeling on the floor, tears coming to his eyes. He looked at Debbie in the eyes, then closed his own eyes and slowly lowered his head. The teenager then looked beside him, and noticed Darwin standing there. She blinked a few times, seeing Darwin wiping away tears of his own. She shook it off, and turned her attention back at the body which lay before her. 'Eliza....why?' Her face contorted in emotional pain. This wasn't supposed to happen! Why did it happen? Why would Eliza do such a thing...that would cost her her own life.... It was to save her older sister.

Debbie let out a sigh. She knew she couldn't just stand here mourning all day. She'd have to leave to find their parents. She didn't have much of a choice. Holding Eliza's body in her arms, she slowly looked around. She saw Boko and Darwin, but Tally and Donnie were no where in sight. "Donnie?! Where are you?" The teen cried out. She could hear the wild boy chattering excitedly, but that all subsided when the boy saw what was wrong. Donnie didn't cry, but silence was his response. He understood and walked up to Debbie, for once, quietly and calmly. "C-Come on." The blonde said, signalling to the others. Tally emerged from the foliage and ran up to Darwin. He nudged the chimp gently, who let out a small growl. "What's wrong?" He asked the chimp. Darwin slowly looked at Tally, a very angry look plastered on his face. The cheetah cub backed away. The gray animal loosened up a bit, and rubbed his forehead. Then a tear streamed down his left cheek. The next few words made Tally's blood freeze. "Eliza...she's...dead."

The Commvee swerved through the thick jungle. It ran over dead bark and logs and other things. Animals dodged the speeding vehicle, which seemed to be searching for something or someone. A pair of bonoculars peered out of the window. Eyes blinked as they stared ahead, trying to see something. Colonel grumbled lightly. "I don't see anything." The old man said as he slowly set the bonoculars down. Nigel shook his head. "This isn't good...." He looked out of the window, guilt still plaguing his mind. Why did he tell Eliza about the eclipse? Why did they send her away? Surely there was another way to keep her safe. But they sent her to Boarding School, and she ran off back into Africa. He knew that Cordelia hadn't known that this would happen. He looked at his mother, who was busy with a set of her own bonoculars, frantically looking for any signs of the children or chimpanzee. He pulled himself away from the window, and sighed. "I don't know if we'll find them in time." Colonel patted his son on the back. "Don't worry. We'll find them." Nigel smiled the best he could, but he was still worried. Just where were they? One thing that Nigel still couldn't figure out was why Eliza had come back. He thought it was because she wanted to see the elephants. But according to Marianne, Eliza wouldn't come all the way just for that. There was something else going on that caused her to come. But what?

"What I wouldn't give for one of those...machines that detect..stuff." Cordelia said to herself as she continued searching for Eliza, Debbie, Donnie, and Darwin. Well not so much for Darwin. He had a better chance off surviving in this jungle than the kids did. He was a chimpanzee after all. She couldn't quite understand why Eliza hung out with the wild animals so much. But at the moment, none of that seemed to matter. She set down the bonoculars and stopped searching. Her eyes were bothering her. She had strained them looking too hard for the kids. "Any luck?" Marianne, who was driving, asked the elderly woman, and hoped for some good news. But her hopes were shattered when the other woman slowly shook her head, and said, "I'm sorry. I could see nothing in this thick jungle." She said that with some disgust in her voice, but at Marianne or the wild...but more so to herself. She was feeling a bit guilty as well, for taking Eliza away. She only wanted what was best for the girl, but look what happened because of it! Eliza was missing, and so where the others! She could just kick herself for sending the girl away.

"Eliza's never been gone this long." Marianne said. "Nigel, something serious has happened. I just know it!" She let go of the wheel and buried her face in her hands, light sobbing escaping her throat. Nigel got up and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Don't worry," he coaxed, "nothing bad has happened to them...." Then he looked to the ground, fidgiting with his foot. "Of course, I could be wrong..there was one time when....oh never mind." Marianne's eyes widened a bit. 'What could he mean?' "Nigel what is it?" She asked intently, and stared at her husband straight in the eye. "It's nothing I assure you." "Come on, Nigel, what happened?" The man studied the woman. She looked downright serious, and knew that he wasn't going to wiggle his way out of this one. He took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay, remember when Eliza wanted to take that llama over to Cuzco and I went with her?" Eliza's mother nodded her head. She gestured for him to continue. Nigel rubbed his hands together. "Well, there was a storm that kicked up....I looked behind to tell Eliza to help me make camp. But when I turned around, she was gone." Marianne let out a gasp, her hands to her mouth now. The man said, "I went off looking for her. I found her eventually, on a higher elevation than I was. She was laying down in the snow, almost completely buried, nearly dead." He slowly shook his head sadly. "I was able to save her, but if I had found her 5 minutes later, she would have died from being frozen to death." He could feel a tear escape his eye. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't want you to worry."

Darwin let out another snarl as they continued walking through the jungle, looking for Eliza's parents and grandparents. He seemed to stomp everytime his foot hit the ground. He kept looking left to right, as if trying to seek out the Blackburns, the ones reponsible for Eliza's death. Debbie shook her head as she watched the monkey let out his anger. 'He must have really cared about this kid.' Sadness wrenched at her heart. 'I did, too. And I was too late to save her...' She closed her eyes tightly and let some wet tears come out and go down her face. She knew she had to try and keep a stiff upper lip. But that's kinda hard one your own sister is dead and right in your arms. She pulled the ice cold body closer to herself as if trying to warm it up. She looked up ahead, and could barely make the outlining of the Commvee running through the jungle. A thought of relief crossed her mind. She started to speed up her pace as best as she could. Donnie ran straight for the Commvee, past Debbie. Darwin didn't speed up. He didn't see any point. Revenge was still plaguing his mind. All the fear....all the terror....all the things that scared him he knew no more. He wasn't the same chimp that Eliza knew anymore. But he would not let out his anger on his own human family. He would make sure that Sloan paid for his crime. 'Oh he'll pay...dearly...' Tally ran past him, scared of his actions. Tally was also angry at the loss of Eliza, but he didn't seem to want revenge. His mother did say that revenge was a waste of time, yet he didn't know if that was correct now...He wondered if Akela had experienced the loss of someone she cared about. 'Well, other than me, that is.'

Debbie continued to move as fast as she could. The Commvee was headed along a trail. She looked at it carefully, and went towards a curve in the road, where she could be ahead. Eliza's body was heavy and made it difficult to move fast enough. The teenager refused to put the girl down, though. It was like she was afraid that the girl would disappear forever if she let go. It wasn't to Boko, who was following them. He could only watch as Debbie stopped and started to cry again over her little sister's body. The lights shined ahead. The Commvee was approaching. She could hear the rolling of the tires and the sounds of the engine roaring. She waited patiently as the vehicle was coming into view. She looked down at the girl in her arms. She gently stroked Eliza's hair. As she did so she felt a chill run up her spine and choked back a sob. Her lip quivered violently. "Eliza..." She whispered lightly, and buried her face into the girl's hair. She never noticed the Commvee approaching all of a sudden, the lights blaring so brightly that Boko screamed and shielded his eyes. Why the lights were on Debbie didn't know. She glanced behind her as she heard the sound of chittering and meowing. Tally was sitting beside her. The cheetah cub seemed to know that she was part of Eliza's family, and purred symphathetically against her leg. The other sound came from Darwin, who just stood on the other side of Debbie, a serious look on his face.

Marianne continued to look ahead for any signs of her girls. She sighed. It was almost hopeless. They couldn't find their kids that easily. How would she find the girls? She closed her eyes for a split second, then reopened them. Then she saw something that made her suddenly press the brakes, causing everyone in the Commvee to fly forward and crash into each other. "What is the meaning of this?" Cordelia commanded. She brushed off herself as she climbed back to her feet, obviously angry at Marianne. The film maker didn't respond, only stared in shock. "What is it?" Nigel asked, worried. Marianne only slowly raised up a shaking hand and pointed a trembling finger ahead of them. Nigel narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction. A gasp of shock was heard as he saw the forms of Debbie and Eliza in the middle of the road. In a flash, the Commvee door opened, and 4 extremely worried adults rushed out. "Debbie!" Marianne said, relieved. Nigel smiled. "We were worried about you all." But something stopped them all in their tracks. Cordelia was the first to notice that something was wrong. "Isn't Eliza....too pale? I wonder if she's sick." Colonel nodded in agreement. Nigel gasped, noticing the pale form of his youngest daughter. Marianne could feel herself breaking down. She looked at Debbie with a look that asked if Eliza was alright. Debbie sadly shook her head and slowly revealed the gash that still remained on Eliza's throat, the blood stains still visible.

There was a collection of sudden gasps. Marianne wanted to do something, but she soon found herself collapsing onto her knees and started sobbing just like Debbie had a while ago. The grandparents were in such shock that they couldn't do or say anything. Colonel gulped and Cordelia's hands trembled. Nigel, eyes wide, walked closer. With a trembling fingers he placed 2 digits against Eliza's jugular vein, hoping that he would feel a pulse there. The skin was cold to the touch. The documentarist felt nothing. He choked back a sob as he straightened up and gave the grave news, "She's....dead." Marianne looked up from her mourning and looked at Debbie. "Debbie....how did this...happen?" She sniffled, and wiped away her tears. The teenager gulped. 'How do I tell them?' She knew she had no choice...They had to know! "I went to look for Eliza...I found some people, but they were poachers. One of them grabbed me, and tried to throw me over a cliff. He told Eliza, who apparently had been their hostage," At this, Marianne clasped her hand over her mouth in shock. Debbie continued, "Eliza wouldn't tell them, and called the poacher a coward. He let me go, and slashed Eliza's throat open with his falcon-handelled knife..." She stopped talking as Nigel started speaking, "It's the same poachers that we saw in the Serengeti!" Colonel snapped out of his trance and moved towards the blonde teenager. He gently placed both hands on her shoulders. "Do you know what the man's name was?" Debbie nodded slowly. "Yes, Eliza called him 'Sloan'. I do not know his last name or the woman poacher's name, but I think that was his wife." The 2 parents looked at each other. "Come on." Nigel said as he gestured everyone to return to the Commvee. "We have some work to do."

_________________________

It took several weeks, but they finally caught the man responsible for Eliza's death. With Debbie's help, they positively identified the murderer as Sloan Blackburn, who was also wanted for illegal poaching. His wife, Bree, was also arrested for helping with the kidnapping of a small girl and poaching. The Thornberrys were allowed to come on in for some time to talk with the poacher. They wanted some answers from him. But the one question they wanted answered most was: "Why did you do it?" Nigel asked angrily. He and his wife, the only ones allowed in the room, glared at the poachers in front of them. Sloan shrugged his shoulders and refused to answer. Bree rolled her eyes, as if mocking the Thornberrys' anger. Marianne slammed a fist into the desk that desperated them. "Answer!" The Blackburns jumped back in surprise at the woman's anger. "Why would you want to know?" The man asked darkly and didn't take his gaze off the woman. She snarled, "Why that's a stupid question!! Eliza was our daughter!" Nigel stood up from his chair to support his wife. "She was only 12 years old. Why did you kill her?" Sloan and Bree slowly looked at each other. Bree Blackburn could tell that her husband wasn't about to answer. He remained looking at them with an emotionless face. She sighed, and slowly shook her head. She spoke for him. "He did it because Eliza wouldn't tell him who her source of information was. He did warn her that he'd kill her if she didn't tell him..." She sighed again. "She actually gave her life to save her sister's." She said no more. Sloan quickly glared at his wife, then stared back at the Thornberrys. "We're finished here." Nigel said, disgusted, and he and his wife turned to walk away. They stopped when they heard a voice from behind them, Sloan, say, "Oh no, Thornberry...we have barely begun!"

Back in the Commvee, Debbie was sitting in her own bed, reading through a magazine. She couldn't seem to enjoy herself as much as she used to. She quietly put down her magazine. Things just weren't the same without her sister around. It just seemed too quiet. She let out a deep sigh and looked at her hands. She clenched them into fists, and shouted, "WHY DID YOU DIE?!" But she calmed down. She knew that yelling and screaming wasn't going to bring her sister back. It was too late for that now. She had her chance to save her sister, but she failed. 'I failed her.' She looked over at the empty bed to her left. No more would someone occupy that bed. She would no longer see Eliza laying down, sleeping or reading..She would no longer hear the sobbing of her sister having a nightmare...She would no longer see her and Darwin tell each other stories. 'No more...' She hadn't told her parents of Eliza's secret yet, but she planned to...tomorrow. She didn't feel it necessary at the moment. They were still angry at the Blackburns and still mourning over Eliza's death. She was, too. She climbed into bed and decided to go to bed now. It was around 9 at night, so she was sleepy. As she slept a figure appeared in her room. The chimpanzee Darwin walked over to the middle of the room. He quietly stared at Debbie, then looked up to the open window. An almost wicked smile appeared on his face and he raised up a knife that he held in his hands. He would make Sloan pay...dearly.....

I am the only one to blame for this
Somehow it all adds up the same
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride
I flew too high and like Icarus I collide
With a world I try so hard to leave behind
To rid myself of all but love
To give and die

To turn away and not become
Another nail to pierce the skin of one who loves
more deeply than the oceans,
more abundant than the tear
Of a world embracing every heartache

Can I be the one to sacrifice
Or grip the spear and watch the blood and water flow

To love you - take my world apart
To need you - I am on my knees
To love you - take my world apart
To need you - broken on my knees

All said and done I stand alone
Amongst remains of a life I should not own
It takes all I am to believe
In the mercy that covers me

Did you really have to die for me?
All I am for all you are
Because what I need and what I believe are worlds apart

I look beyond the empty cross
Forgetting what my life has cost
And wipe away the crimson stains
And dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
The battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago

So steal my heart and take the pain
And wash the feet and cleanse my pride
Take the selfish, take the weak,
And all the things I cannot hide
Take the beauty, take my tears
The sin-soaked heart and make it yours

Take my world all apart
Take it now, take it now

And serve the ones that I despise
Speak the words I can't deny
Watch the world I used to love
Fall to dust and thrown away

I look beyond the empty cross
Forgetting what my life has cost
So wipe away the crimson stains
And dull the nails that still remain
So steal my heart and take the pain
Take the selfish, take the weak
And all the things I cannot hide

Take the beauty, take my tears
Take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray
Take my world apart

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well there's the second chapter. I wasn't really in the writing mood lately. That's why I hadn't updated any of my stories in a long time. Just this huge writer's block. I was able to finish this chapter, though. There was going to be a scene where Darwin kills Sloan, but I left that out. I didn't feel it to be necessary. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. ^^; I love this song "Worlds Apart". It does fit Debbie's POV, don't you think?