-Two Days Prior-
There are perks to being animal researchers who live in a giant flying turtle-ship. Obviously, there's the whole 'traveling the world in a giant flying turtle-ship' part, but there was more to it than that. Traveling the world means you get to learn all sorts of new and fascinating topics as you go on a creature rescue. New topics mean new ideas for how the next adventure will shape out to be, new adventure means traveling the world once again, and the cycle begins anew.
However,
"ALERT! ALERT! INCOMING VIDEO CALL FROM: (xxx)-017-2011, Yuki Tachibana, Mitakihara-shi, Hokkaido, Japan. YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS TO ANSWER OR IGNORE!"
Having the choice to forgo waking up to this madness of a 'ringtone' is not a perk the Wild Kratts get to have.
It must have been around four in the morning when the main computer received an incoming video call. It wasn't uncommon for the crew to answer these calls that early, but it did mean that those first ten seconds between waking up and scrambling to answer the call were among the most adrenaline-filled moments in their lives. Whether it be the excitement of a new creature adventure or whether it be because the Kratt team prioritizes fast answers, today was going to be no different in the end…or was it?
As Koki pulled up the caller's live feed, the image of a young, Asian girl appeared upon the Tortuga's main monitor.
"Um, h-hello? Wild Kratts?"
"Yeah…-yaaaawwn-, you've reached th' Kratt Crew…" Koki had managed to get out…barely.
"This a business call 'r somethin' else?"
"Uh, I guess you could call this a business call? If this is a bad time, I understand-" But before the girl could finish, Martin jumped into the room as though he were a spring-loaded device; this is despite the fact that he hadn't even been awake a full minute.
"Nah, it's fine! We always strive to be available for anyone and everyone who needs help!"
"Don't feel bad about calling us, changing time zones all the time does this to us often," Chris reassured whilst trying to discreetly get sleep-gunk out of his eyes.
"Yuki, right? What seems to be the problem, kiddo?"
"Um, well, this may sound a little bit crazy, but…"
"Hey, it's okay! What may sound crazy might actually be completely normal! Don't be afraid to tell us, Yuki!" Martin encouraged excitably. Yuki paused for a moment before speaking again.
"Well, there's been a lot of wolf sightings recently in my area and I was wondering if you'd be interested in checking it out?"
From what Martin and Chris could see with their lights, the den had definitely seen more than a fair share of packs. Bones of all kinds, whether they be whole and broken up, littered each side of the damp cave. Foxes, hares, and if Chris wasn't mistaken, there seemed to even be a few bones that looked like they came from a bear. It wasn't unusual for wolf packs to hunt bears, but that didn't mean it wasn't a terrifying image to witness. Honestly, it gave the younger brother some really bad chills down his spine. But Martin didn't seem to be that affected by their surroundings as they were walking down this cave.
Speaking of the cave…it was a lot deeper than Chris expected. He and Martin had been walking down this path for, what, five or ten minutes? Yet so far, there hasn't been a clear end to be found. Obviously, cave wasn't going to be an apt descriptor for much longer; it was probably safe to assume that the brothers were walking down a tunnel of some sort. That…That couldn't be normal, right? Dens are designed to be quick to enter and leave whenever the time calls for it. This place, if it really is a wolf den, is almost the exact opposite and all these facts were starting to creep up on Chris's nerves.
"Martin, I'm not the only one who thinks this place is creepy, right?" He asked in a hushed tone, hoping for some kind validation of his fears.
Martin just shrugged back.
"I get what you mean Chris but that's just nature for ya. It's beautiful and deadly, that's just how it's been for forever."
"I know, I know! I just…Doesn't something seem just a bit off about this place?"
Martin then stopped and turned to his brother. Even in the dark, Chris could easily tell his bro was probably giving him one of those confused looks.
"I mean…I guess it's a bit weird that a wolf pack would be here. It's a pretty long cave."
"It's not just that this place is long, just look around us," Chris motioned to all the bones scattered across the ground.
" If there really are wolves in here and even if this place was used by more than one generation, it shouldn't be possible that this many creatures have been hunted, even for surplus food? Martin, something just feels wrong about this place. Like, maybe we aren't supposed to be here…"
The two men stood quietly for what Chris felt was way too long. Did Martin really not have any suspicions about this place? He often went ahead on things without thinking, sure, but even he should've gotten a bit wary by now, right? They were certified animal researchers, for crying out loud! With college degrees, years of experience, and everything in between!
Honestly, this situation they were in was…Christ, it felt like it was starting to make Chris feel nauseous and…dizzy? If the physical surroundings weren't weird enough, the air was beginning to feel a lot heavier than before and Chris knew for sure that it wasn't because of the conversation he just had. In fact, the air in this tunnel was also starting to have this weird smell to it; one of those scents that you can't quite pinpoint, but you definitely know that you shouldn't be able to smell it here.
Suddenly, after what felt like an eternity of silence, the younger man felt a hand grab onto his shoulder.
"Chris, hey…"
He looked up to see Martin looking back at him with concern.
"Are you…feeling okay? We can head back out if you want."
Chris made a confused face.
"What? You're okay with heading back, just like that?"
"Well, yeah! I'm not gonna ignore my brother if he's not feeling well. We can come back later or maybe send in one of Aviva's little rovers to check things-" But before Martin could finish, a strange noise cut through the air. It came from where the brothers' destination was, the wolf den.
"-hic- No…! Why…!? Aaah…"
"What the hell…?" Chris whispered fearfully.
Someone was…crying? It was a strained, choked sob that echoed and reverberated throughout the dark tunnel. It sounded like it came from a woman, maybe a young girl? And it didn't sound too far away either.
Martin turned to Chris with more alarm on his face than had ever been seen before.
"Chris, someone's down there." He whispered as fearfully as his brother had earlier.
"I-I know, I heard it too…" Chris swallowed, his throat now suddenly much drier.
"What…what should we do?"
"What do we do? We need to help them, that's what we need to do!"
"I know, but we don't know what's down there! We need to call the crew, maybe they can-"
"Dude, we're in a cave. There's no reception down here, see?!" Martin quietly exclaimed as he showed Chris his creature pod. He was right, the signal symbol at the top-left of the screen was just an 'X.' There was no way they could even text everyone at the Tortuga, let alone try and call them. But they couldn't just abandon whoever was down there! What if they were injured?! What if they were dying…?!
Martin thought the exact same thing, which was why he did what too many people would do in this situation…
"I'm going down there, Chris. You need to get back outside and get help!" The elder brother explained as he began walking further down the tunnel. But before he could get too far, Chris suddenly gripped his arm firmly.
"Are you crazy?! You're as in the dark as I am here, literally! We don't know what's at the end of this place, bro! What if you get attacked or something?!" Chris tried to argue but Martin had managed to wring out of his little brother's grasp before he could say more.
"I know, Chris, but I don't want you getting hurt either! We need to get the gang over here, maybe get police as well. That's not going to happen if we're both in trouble down there! I promise, I'll be back as soon as I can!"
"Martin!" Chris called, but it was too late. Martin had already begun a full-on sprint down the tunnel, consumed by the darkness not long afterwards. The younger man stood in shock for a moment…
"Shit…!" He cursed silently before quickly running after his headstrong brother.
The girl was not far behind the men when they suddenly began sprinting further into the cave. Crap, it was just as she feared; that witch was trying to lure them further in.
"No, I've gotta get them out of there!"
She knew this particular witch well and if those two idiots weren't stopped in time…
No, this wasn't the time for thinking the worst; now was the time for action!
Just like the men before her, she too began sprinting down the cave at full speed. No one was going to be killed today, she can't let that happen…!