Disclaimer - The rights of Total Drama Island and its characters belong to Teletoon, Cartoon Network, and all those associated with the show. No profit is being made by this fanfiction. There is total and drama and an island here, but those are universal.
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Replies to Questions and Comments:
Imagi - Wow. Well, I'm not going to chain Courtney down to get her to listen, though it's a funny idea.
alienphantom & wingedfighter - A glomp is like a tackle-hug. Basically, you almost (or actually do) throw yourself on the person as you hug them. The most powerful glomps are the ones that knock the target to the ground.
colonelZ - No, I don't hate Courtney. Her powerful grudge-holding personality just makes a good story. If I hated her, she'd be going through a lot worse (or be one of the first to be kicked off, which is what some TDI stories do for characters they don't like). I don't hate any of the characters.
ironbloodaika - Wow, thanks for the praise. To reply to some of your comments: this chapter will open up scary for Halloween, I'm still not sure about Beta'ing, and yes, Katie and Noah were dressed up like Peach and Mario.
Dessydemona - I'm not divine, I am dark, sinister, shadowy, kobold necromancer! Evil, I say! You believe me, right? Anyway, about Heather, yes she will get more backstory eventually. Whether or not this leads to more Heather x Ezekiel, I ain't gonna say yet. Hehe.
Super Poof - WoW is quite addictive. And WotLK is going to saturate my addiction.
TDIrocks1234 - No, I'm not bringing back two people midseason. This story is going to be long enough without adding two more challenges, and me have other projects planned. \evil grin\
Amaya Uchi - I'll have to see what my next project will be before I promise any yaoi, yuri, or any other unofficial pairings.
mario72486 - By interactive TDI fics, I assume you mean the ones where reviewers write characters like them being in the show to an author? I hadn't planned that, to be honest. Though I wonder how far any psycho character based off me would get in one of those?
To Everybody - I know you're all anxious to learn more about TDC, but I'm not going to tell you all what's going to happen. That'd spoil the surprise, suspense, and drama, now wouldn't it? \another evil grin\
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And now, without further stalling, on with the show!!
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(narrated by Chris Maclean)
Last time on Total Drama Comeback... the campers were all forced to participate in a prom-like contest once again, but this time they had to dance and kiss, yes kiss, their partners!
With some nervous campers like Ezekiel and DJ, the tension was high when it came to kissing. Even the fire, surfing, and abandoned building pre-dance challenges weren't as nerve-wracking to some of the campers! Talk about your priorities...
But in the end, the first place title went to Noah and Katie, who also hooked up, making them the seventh couple to find love on Wawanakwa! Those kids really should be thanking us, you know.
Sadly, DJ had to walk the Dock of Shame after the random votes were tallied up. He joined the contestants who had been voted off at Playa des Losers, who had started up a plan to alert the campers here at Wawanakwa Island of the sinister alliance between Heather, Courtney, and Duncan.
Now with hormones ablazing, our campers might just let their animal instincts get the better of them; seriously, there's been a lot of making out going on. So what will happen when we send these teen animals into the forest? Will more campers hook up? What happens when you present pearls before swine?
These questions and more will be answered in the most animalistic manner on Total! ... Drama! ... COMEBACK!
(cue the theme song...)
In Memory Of - I dedicate this animal themed challenge in memory of one of my animals: Dixie, one of my wonderful dogs who passed away recently. A golden retriever, mother of a litter of twelve, and a really gorgeous creature. I loved her, and I miss her still; luckily, I still Amy, one of her puppies all grown up, to keep me company.
So take good care of your pets, people, because you never know how much you'll miss them until they're gone.
This one's for you, Dixie.
Chapter 24 (Day 08, Part 1) - Shepherd's Bane
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Bridgette stayed huddled in the corner of the shack, her legs pulled up tight to her chest. Her knees, like her cheeks, were stained with her horror-driven tears.
Blood coated her, Geoff's blood. He had died trying to get her to safety, murdered before her eyes. Some of it may have been Chris's, some of it Chef Hatchet's.
Through choked sobs, she felt her heart hammer, each pound threatening to give away from strain. If people could die of fright, she knew she would go any second.
Twigs outside the shack snapped. The door creaked open, and Bridgette's soaked, wide, green eyes stared helplessly. When it was slightly open, she saw the bob of Ezekiel's toque peek over.
"Zeke?" she whispered, her voice high-pitched and strained to a whisper.
The toque was thrown into the shack, and Bridgette could see the thick coating of fresh blood on it. The intruder stepped in, holding the cleaver that was stained with the blood of her friends (and Chris and Chef's).
With cold eyes, the killer looked down at the petrified surfer. Bridgette was frozen, unable to move when the murderer stroked the blade down her exposed legs.
Continuing to torture her, the killer flipped one of her bangs with the bloody cleaver, then scrapped a tear away from her cheek. The murder weapon trailed down to Bridgette's neck, her terrified pulse pushing against the sharpened blade in danger of cutting the skin.
"It's payback time," the murderess snarled as she pulled back the cleaver, preparing a fatal swing...
"TRAITOR!!"
The whooshing air of the cleaver was the last thing Bridgette felt before she woke up. She screamed, gripping her night shirt in a deathlock. Another scream fully woke her cabin mates. Katie, Eva, and Courtney, wrenched from their sleep, were wide-eyed in shock from the high-pitched screaming.
Courtney was to her friend first. She hugged the blond surfer tight, and Bridgette gasped for air as a couple tears of fear spilled from her eyes.
"Bridgette, it's okay, it's okay," the CIT whispered, holding her friend closer to her.
"It... it was so real," Bridgette managed to whisper. "I actually felt that cleaver... I couldn't move... I... I...!"
She saw Eva standing nearby, her eyes almost the same as they were in Bridgette's dream. With a horrified scream, the blond surfer pulled herself from Courtney's arms and backed up against the wall.
"Get away from me," she shrieked, her eyes locked on the weight lifter.
Eva's frown became darker. "What the hell did I do?"
The cabin door swung open, and four guys in their underwear charged into the room so fast, they broke the screen door off its hinges. Ezekiel had his bow with an arrow notched. Harold had his fists up. Tyler was holding a metal baseball bat.
Duncan was holding a large axe. "Cockroach?" he asked the girls, raising part of his unibrow.
(Confession Cam - Happy Halloween, even if that's far far away or long past!)
Noah - "She woke everyone in the Screaming Gophers cabin with that screaming too."
It had been two days since the fake prom challenge. Katie and Noah had returned from their romantic cruise, but since they had come back late at night, no one had the chance to ask them any prying questions.
The questions were all directed to Bridgette, who was looking at her (barely edible) breakfast. After the emotional shock of the nightmare, she hadn't the stomach to try and swallow her breakfast.
"I've actually had nightmares like that before," she confessed to her friends. "They just were never that vivid... or real. I could feel that cleaver on my skin."
"Gosh," Harold said, blinking a great many times.
Some of the campers sitting with Bridgette looked over at the other table, where Eva, among others, were sitting. The fitness buff, shoveling her food into her mouth, glared at those who dared to look at her.
"What?!" she shouted before returning to her food.
Bridgette sighed, then shrugged as if it was cast away, but her eyes still carried the shock and fright. "So, um... Noah, Katie," she managed to bring herself to say, "how was the cruise?"
Noah stopped drinking in mid-gulp. "Oh, well," he said, clearing his throat, "a gentleman never kisses and tells."
"He couldn't keep his hands off me," Katie declared with a big grin.
Now this perked up Bridgette. "Oh? Our Noah, a tiger?"
"Katie...," Noah started, but was cut off by the tan-skinned girl.
"He was kissing my neck and telling me how pretty I was, and he kept snuggling up to me," she squealed as the others leaned in, "and he was nervous too! He said it was the first time he was ever with a girl like this!"
The slight vibration was Noah's head hitting the table. Katie giggled and then swooned. "He made me feel so special... it was so romantic, it's what the movies are made of! Noah's so wonderful, he's the best boyfriend ever!"
Gwen looked over at said boyfriend, who still had his face planted on the table. The goth girl had a wicked grin as she said, "Well well well. Our cynical Noah has a romantic side after all!"
(Confession Cam - We like cheesecake, we do.)
Noah - "Okay, before Katie tells everyone, yes, it was quite the romantic trip. We did actually talk about this new relationship, and there were serious moments throughout it."
Katie - "... And he held me to him, and told me I was so beautiful in the moonlight..."
Noah - "I agreed to be less cynical and more patient, and she agreed not to squeal as much when I'm around."
Katie - "... And his fingers down my spine, it sent shivers up it! Oh wow... I'm so in love!" \She squeals, then covers her mouth.\ "Better start practicing on not squealing."
Chris was listening to Katie talk about Noah. The host's jaw had dropped, and his eyes were bugging out.
"You're kidding," he replied. "No way! Noah? I don't believe it... no! Oh... wait!"
He cleared his throat, interrupting Katie's stories. "It's about time we get this challenge started! Is everyone done eating? You might want to eat a lot, because this challenge will continue on into tomorrow!"
Ezekiel looked at Bridgette. The blond surfer hadn't touched her food. "I doo'nt think we're all ready, eh!"
"Well, too bad," Chris exclaimed. "Bridgette will just have to make due with the minimum food supplies you're getting for this trip."
"Oh dear, where are we going?" Tyler asked, looking worried already. "Not Boney Island, I hope?"
"Nope! Today's challenge is going to be a hike from one end of Wawanakwa Island, here, all the way to the other end!
"However, you're not going alone! Not only will you be enjoying this with one or two fellow campers, but you will have an animal buddy!"
(Confession Cam - How about bringing an outhouse?)
Trent - "I can only imagine what type of animals Chris considers 'buddies.' Probably something like a hyena...
Eva - "... or a rhino..."
Gwen - "... or a scorpion..."
Harold - "... or a liger..."
Izzy - "Oh boy! I hope I get a hyena, or a rhino, or a scorpion... or a tiger!"
Chris, Owen, and the fifteen campers were standing outside the cabins now. A large tarp was covering some boxes, and the contestants stared at them intrepidly.
"Campers, six of you are going to be assigned as leader to one of these loving animals," Chris announced; he turned to Owen and nodded. The large teen whipped the tarp off the crates, revealing the six animals in their cages.
"We have, for this challenge we call Paths Through Pines, we have these charming animal buddies: a rat, a duck, a goat, a pig, a zebra, and... a crocodile!"
Some of the campers screamed when they saw the long reptile in its cage. The creature was staring forward, as if hypnotized or stupid.
"You expect us to haul an alligator across the island?" Heather shouted, indignant as always.
"It's a crocodile," Chris corrected her. "Now c'mon, he's fairly tame for a crocodile."
"He's stupid," Owen said, kicking the side of its cage. This was a side of Owen the campers had never seen before, and Izzy was startled most of all.
"Owen, you being mean?" the crazy redhead exclaimed. "I cannot believe it!"
"No, I mean that literally, he's stupid," the oversized teen said. "I stepped on his tail accidentally, and it took five seconds before he grunted in pain."
"Regardless," Katie said, stating at the crocodile, "I really don't want to lead him around."
"Well, that's not up to you," the handsome host exclaimed, popping up next to the campers. "It's up to... Random Loser Generator!"
Owen pushed the large display with the large spinner on the face on it. Chris pushed some of the buttons on the back, and pictures of the six animals appeared in six sections.
"The first animal to be chosen will be...," Chris said as the spinner went around and around, then finally stopped on the most unwanted of all the creatures, "our crocodile! And the camper..."
He pushed a few more buttons, and the headshots of the fifteen campers appeared in fifteen sections. The arrow twirled, and around it goes; where it stopped was on Harold's nose.
Courtney couldn't hold back her happy grin.
(Confession Cam - Crocodiles are not flushed down here.)
Courtney - "YES! Thank you so much, gods of luck! Have that crocodile eat him, or at least tear an arm off!"
Harold - "This actually isn't so bad. My dad took me to a crocodile farm when I was younger, so I know a few things about crocodiles."
"First thing you want to do," Harold was telling Owen, "is to make sure you are not at his side, because he can lash out."
The brunette nerd tipped the large reptile out of his cage, and managed to lasso him. Owen came dangerously close to the crocodile's side, and he leapt away. About seven seconds after the large teen had leapt away, the reptile snapped at where he had been.
"You are right, he is stupid," Harold remarked.
The animal-camper selection continued. Cody wound up with the duck.
"How am I going to keep him from flying away?" the tech-geek asked as he looked at the cage containing the quacker.
"He doesn't fly, Cody, you don't have to worry about this duck soup ingredient," Chris informed him.
Cody studied the bird as he left him out. The duck stared back, quacked, and waddled around in a circle. "Might not want to insult this duck," he said, "or he'll join a club and beat you over the head with it."
Some of the campers chuckled, while most stared. "Groucho Marx," the tech-geek explained.
"You're quoting a communist?" Duncan asked.
(Confession Cam - No communist spies in here.)
Cody - \slaps his forehead\
Noah - "Typical."
Izzy - "Whoa! Duncan might be a communist sympathizer as well as the jellybean smuggler!"
The selection process continued. Bridgette was picked for the zebra.
"Now be careful, Bridgette," Chris warned her as she let it out of the cage. "Zebras aren't like horses, they can be really mean."
"It's okay, I'm good with animals," the surfer replied. Immediately after she said it, the striped animal snapped at her with its teeth. Eva cackled as Bridgette jumped away.
Ezekiel was given the rat. As the prairie boy opened the cage, the small, gray critter darted at him. Going up his sleeve, the rat squirmed around under his clothing. Gasping, squirming, and giggling as the rat tickled him, Ezekiel almost fell over.
"You going to be alright there, Zeke?" Chris asked as he watched.
The thrashing stopped, and the rat peeked out underneath Ezekiel's toque. "We'll get along fine, eh," he replied.
The goat went to Tyler. The jock had to keep the friendly critter from chewing on his sports jersey. "Chris man, is there anything I give this goat to chew on?"
"They don't make goat chew toys, Tyler dude."
The last one was the pig. Beth was crossing her fingers as the arrow spun around; however, her luck was not with her then, as the cursor landed on Duncan's face.
"Great, a tub of lard as my animal," Duncan grumbled as he let the pig out of its cage.
"You be nice to that pig, you hear me, Duncan?" Beth shouted at him.
"Yes, after all," Heather said, smirking at the farm girl, "that might be Beth's sister." Beth and Gwen glared at the queen bee before Chris clapped his hands to catch everyone's attention.
"Now people," the host said after all attention was on him (just how he liked it), "the first three teams to make it to the camp at the other side of the island are safe; the last three teams will be voting off someone!
"Oh, and not only do the members of the first place team get to vote too, but they get to have a dinner prepared specially for them!"
Duncan's face lit up with a wicked grin. "If I win, do I get to make my pet here my dinner?"
No one knew what Chris said, because Beth's scream of terror drowned out all other sounds.
"Okay then, campers," the handsome host said as he rubbed his ears. "We need to name the animals, so captains! What would you like to name your animals?"
"I'll call him Charger," Bridgette said, staying a good distance from the zebra.
"Stupid seems to be most fitting," Harold remarked, staring at the crocodile (who was still staring stupidly).
"I think I'll call this little guy Survivor," Ezekiel said as he stroked the rat's back.
"Dinner," Duncan said, grinning at the oblivious pig; Beth screamed again, and had to be consoled by Katie and Trent.
"I'll call this duck soup Groucho," Cody said, holding the duck to him. "He'd thrash you an inch of your life, but he doesn't have a tape measurer."
"Quarterback sounds good to me," Tyler said, pushing on the goat; the critter was once again trying to eat the jock's clothes.
"So we have Charger the Zebra, Stupid the Crocodile, Survivor the Rat, Groucho the Duck, Dinner the Pig, and Quarterback the Goat," Chris said, grinning at the six teams.
(Confession Cam - That is our name.)
Heather - "What crappy names."
Izzy - "What wild names!"
Beth - \crying\ "No no no! Don't let that mean criminal eat that sthweet pig! Noooo!"
"Now your teammates are going to be chosen by me," Chris announced; no one missed the sadistic grin that was on his face.
"And I think that, in the circle of life, the animals must learn to get along and thrive in the wild together! So, I am going to be pairing you up with the animal campers you cannot stand the most!"
The host looked over at Bridgette, who already looked nervous with the zebra being temperamental. "Bridge, I think it's time to face your fears. Your partner will be Eva."
The surfer chick let out a high-pitched whimper, her pale green eyes wider than they'd ever been before. Eva, looking unamused, looked angered at Bridgette's fear
"If I'm going to be stuck with you, blondie," the fitness buff shouted, pointing at Bridgette furiously, "then you'd better keep your ass in gear!"
(Confession Cam - In parenthesis, as always.)
Ezekiel - "I'm really ticked off at Chris for doing this, eh. He's sending Bridgette 'oot in the forest, with not only an unfriendly animal, but with someone who hates her. Does he want her to die or something?"
Bridgette - \her hands clasped together in prayer\ "Lord, if you get me through this alive and in one piece, I'll make it up to you. I'll donate part of my winnings to charity, I swear!"
Chris chuckled as Eva stormed over to the zebra and Bridgette. "Well, this'll be fun for the viewers at home," he remarked.
"Maybe they'll find some mud and wrestle in it," Duncan said. He patted his pig, and said, "You're usually the one who rolls in the mud, but sadly, you'll be rolling in BBQ sauce!"
"No, you don't," Beth shrieked. She stormed over to the criminal, and knocked him over with a single push. "I'm gonna be on your team, and if we win firsth place, I'm gonna make you eat tofu!"
"Listen, shortie," Duncan snarled as she pulled himself up, "it's not up to you, it's up to Chris-"
"And I'm sensing a lot of hate here," Chris said, rubbing his chin. "You're with Duncan."
The criminal looked stunned for a second, then glared at Beth. "You'd better not throw this contest, pig girl."
"I wouldn't sthtoop that low, jail bird."
Chris, after he was done laughing at how devious this was, turned to Harold. "Ah, mister Harold. I cannot think of anyone better to join you on this bonding experience than... Courtney!"
The CIT's grin of joy vanished in less than a second, replaced by a contorted look of fury, astonishment, and a lot of other really negative emotions.
"No no no no," Courtney began to chant.
"Yes yes yes yes," Chris chanted back. "You're going to be with Harold, and that's final! So spend some time with the guy who rigged the voting last season to get you kicked off right after you started getting serious with your boyfriend."
Courtney's fury was renewed, and when she walked over to Harold, she spat on his shoes. Seven seconds after the spit hit the nerd's feet, Stupid the crocodile let out a couple grunts that sounded like crocodile laughter.
"Shut up, Stupid," Harold replied.
(Confession Cam - Seriously, there are always parenthesis here!)
Harold - "This might actually be my chance to apologize to Courtney. I really don't want her to be angry at me for all eternity."
Courtney - \We'd like to broadcast what Courtney said here about Harold, but frankly, this is a half-hour show. We don't have that kind of time.\
"Speaking of boyfriends and girlfriends," Chris continued, "Katie, why don't you be with Cody, since he's the most desperate guy here!"
The BFFF gasped, then looked over at Noah sadly. The egghead patted her shoulder and kissed her cheek. "I'll be thinking about you every minute of this trip."
"Every minute? Wow, you won't be able to concentrate, silly," she managed to giggle.
"I just hope Cody remembers we're dating," Noah said as he frowned, "and that he doesn't get fresh with you. Hey, Cody!"
Noah's call out to Cody was unnoticed by the tech-geek, who was "talking" to Groucho the duck by quacking.
"Continuing on with the girlfriend and boyfriend idea," Chris said, "we are going to have an old couple reunited! Heather, you're with Ezekiel."
The queen bee rolled her eyes and sighed, but said nothing else. As she headed over to Ezekiel, Survivor the rat squeaked in terror at Heather's angry look, and ducked back under the prairie boy's toque.
"Keep that filthy creature away from me," she ordered Ezekiel.
"Sure thing, eh."
"And why'd you name it Survivor anyway?"
"Rats are the kings of survival, eh. Kind of like us here on Wawanakwa Island, we're survivors."
"Don't be a dumbass," Heather spat. "We're on Total Drama Island, what has that got to do with 'Survivor'?"
(Confession Cam - Get these parenthesis away from us!)
Heather - "I guess I shouldn't be so upset. Ezekiel's a lonely prairie boy, that vermin and him will get along just fine. So I won't have to deal with those two rats."
Ezekiel - "Ahhh, Heather, still as mean and biting as ever. I really wonder why Chris keeps putting me with her, eh."
Chris Maclean - "I got a bet with Chef Hatchet again. I placed fifty bucks that Ezekiel makes a move on him first, and he says Heather will try to seduce him first. Owen bets neither will hit on the other, but that's bad TV."
"Noah, why don't you be with Tyler?" Chris said to the egghead. "I know how much you brainiacs and jocks get along."
The egghead opened his mouth to make a smart remark, but saw Katie nearby. Biting his tongue, he silently walked over to Tyler.
"Whoa dude, thought you were gonna let loose one of your insults there," Tyler said, a big grin on his face.
"I was, but I promised Katie I'd try to lay low on the insults. Please desist, Quarterback, I like my sweater vest."
Chris looked over at the last three campers who still weren't on a team: Gwen, Trent, and Izzy. "Alright, you three, you're going to be the third member for three different teams. Anyone you truly hate to be with?"
"Think we're dumb enough to answer that?" Gwen snapped at him.
"Can't you just give us an animal so the three of us could be a team?" Trent asked the host. Izzy, standing next to him, nodded.
"Yeah, yeah I like that," the crazy redhead agreed. "And when they make out," she declared, pointing at Gwen and Trent, "I could, like, play a harp or something!" The couple stared at her, Gwen looking the most disturbed; Izzy giggled at their stares, bouncing on the heels of her feet.
"We actually had a seventh animal," Chris admitted, "It was one of those carnivore beavers from Boney Island, but... uh... one of the other animals killed it."
"The crocodile, obviously," Gwen said.
Chris didn't answer. The goth girl caught him giving a very brief glance at the duck; she didn't really know what to read of that.
"So, let's see who you remaining three will be with," the host said. He surveyed the six teams, tapped his chin in thought for a few seconds, then smiled.
"Gwen, you be with Courtney and Harold; they might need extra help with Stupid there. Trent, you be with Beth and Duncan; make sure Beth doesn't throw this challenge. And Izzy, you can be with Noah and Tyler."
"But that goat might mistake my skirt for grass and eat it off," Izzy protested.
"It's a risk you'll have to take."
"No no, Chris," she got up in his face, a sinister look on her face, "it is a risk you'll have to take in making me take that risk." Unnerved, Chris watched Izzy head over to the goat and the two guys desperately trying to stop it from nibbling their clothes.
Owen and Chris then passed out maps, backpacks with supplies, and animal chow to all the campers. "You will all head to the base camp that is at the other side of the island. Your animal must be unharmed when it arrives; once your animal is safe and back in its cage at the base camp, your team has won. Any questions?"
"What if one of your teammates doesn't make it back unharmed?" Gwen asked, looking first at Stupid the crocodile, then to Courtney who was glaring at Harold; the goth girl was wondering who would be more dangerous to his health.
"Meh," Chris said with an evil grin, "the animal rights activists don't care about humans, so won't be hearing any protests if one of you gets hurt?"
"What about our parents?" Cody asked, looking nervous now.
"What about our lawyers?" Noah added not-so-subtlety.
"Too many questions now," Chris shouted, waving his arms in the air. "Campers... GO!"
(Confession Cam - We need our personal space!)
Izzy - "Izzy likes goats, Izzy just doesn't want them stripping her down on nationwide TV!"
Katie - "I miss Noah already. It's no fun when you miss your BFFF and your boyfriend, and the only companions you have are a lonely ladies' man and a duck."
Beth - "By all that ith good and holy, I will not let Duncan kill the pig! I sthwear by Big Bertha, and pigsth all over the world, I will sthave Dinner!"
Eva - "Stuck with that stupid surfer chick is going to be a little rough. If she gets on my nerves, I could kill her, hide the body, and say a bear did it."
\The muscular girl laughs, then freezes in horror.\ "Oh crap, I forgot this was recorded! Not again! ... I am so screwed if anything does happen to her."
Eva looked between the zebra and Bridgette. "Well, what are we waiting for?" the muscular girl snapped. "Let's go!"
"I...," stammered Bridgette, looking at Charger the zebra, "I don't think he wants to go." With a frustrated sigh, Eva walked over to the striped quadruped. It started to flare up at her approach, but the fitness buff grabbed it's long head and pulled its eyes to hers.
"Look you striped horse," she snarled, "we have a long way to go, and I'm not going to dragging your butt the whole way! Unless you want to make me mad at you?" Charger shook his head fervently.
"Good, then let's go!"
Eva started walking, Charger following her obediently. Bridgette, wincing as she whispered another silent prayer, followed after them.
Heather and Ezekiel were on their way. The prairie boy had Survivor the rat in his hands. "You must like having rats nestling in you," she remarked.
Ezekiel ignored her.
"You must be used to this, having rats all over you. Is this what your farm on the prairie is like?"
He still ignored her.
"Are you going to ignore me this whole trip?" she shouted. "The trek through these woods will take over a day."
"So long as you're rude, I ignore you, eh."
There was a loud cackle from a certain ex-jail bird. "Don't make out, we'll beat you to the finish line for sure," Duncan shouted to the two as he passed by them. He had his pig Dinner on a leash, Beth riding on it happily. Trent held up the end of the three-man group, shrugging indifferently.
Heather seethed at the criminal, then glared at Ezekiel. "You didn't go telling Duncan about what happened during the snow day, did you?"
"He's been on that tease before that, eh," the prairie boy replied. "Relax, will you?"
"It's hard to relax when you're going into the forest with a filthy, dirty, disease-ridden rodent. And that rat too."
Ezekiel went back to ignoring her. Tyler had heard Heather's words as his team walked by, and he looked sympathetically at the prairie boy.
"I keep getting this terrible feeling," he said to his teammates, "that something bad is going to happen to Ezekiel. Is that weird?"
"He's with Heather, of course not," Noah replied as he shooed Quarterback the goat away from his pant leg. "If he fell off a cliff or was attacked by wolves, Heather wouldn't help him in fear of ruining her make-up."
"Gee, thanks for giving me peace of mind," the jock muttered as he shooed the goat away from him.
"I'm not risking this goat chewing my skirt off," Izzy shouted. She lifted up the goat, who delighted in free rides, and it bleated in joy.
"CHARGE FORTH," Izzy screamed as she bolted forward.
"Baaaaaaaaaaah," Quarterback agreed.
Noah and Tyler ran after her, following the screams and bleats. Katie watched her boyfriend run off, and let out a long sigh.
"I'm so worried about him," she admitted to Cody. "Izzy is crazy enough to let him fall into a ditch or get attacked by a bear, and she would leave him."
"Oh, I wouldn't think that bad about Izzy," the tech-geek said, holding Groucho the duck in his arms. "She'd stand at the wrong end of a shooting gallery, but she wouldn't make someone else do it."
"That's true, I guess," Katie replied, smiling a little. "She is my friend, but she is really wild and attractive. I'm just nervous, is all."
" 'Attractive'?"
"Well," Katie started, poking her fingers together, "I dunno. I'm just nervous over all."
"You don't have anything to worry about," Cody replied, smiling at the thin BFFF. "Noah is not interested in Izzy. She's a little too crazy for his tastes, and she is into Owen."
"I guess you're right," the tan-skinned girl replied, smiling fully now.
Harold was yanking on the rope he had around Stupid the crocodile. Ever since he had started pulling the reptile about ten seconds ago, Stupid had finally put up a fight.
"Will you get him moving?" Courtney shouted. "We're going to lose if you let all of them get ahead."
"I'm trying, gosh," the brunette nerd shouted, tugging at the crocodile. "This idiot isn't cooperating!"
Gwen came up from behind the crocodile and gave it a kick in the tail. A few seconds later, the reptile let out a low grunt and continued on.
"How does something so dumb survive?" Harold grumbled, pulling on the rope.
"I ask the same thing about you," Courtney snapped as she walked by, her nose upturned. Gwen saw the upset look on Harold's face, more sad than angry.
(Confession Cam - Eeek, there they are again!)
Gwen - "Courtney holding onto a grudge this long is, to be honest, pathetic. I can practically feel Harold wanting to make amends with her, and she seethes furious retribution. In a nutshell, she's acting like a scorned princess."
Harold - "Gosh. This is really gonna be harder than I thought."
Once all six groups were in the forest, Chris and Owen exchanged a high-five. Chef crossed his arms and grinned.
"I think I'm really gonna win this time," Owen declared, rubbing his hands together. "They've already started ignoring each other!"
"Fat chance, fat boy," Chef Hatchet replied. "Heather's going to try and wrap Ezekiel around her finger. But there's no way he's that gullible."
"I dunno, alone in the forest with an attractive girl hitting on you would be a dream come true for most," the host exclaimed. He then turned to the camera and grinned. "Now, our wonderful viewers, we leave you with these exciting questions:
"Who is going to win this contest? Which three teams are going to lose? And who will end up killing their partners, intentionally or accidentally?
"All these questions will be answered in...
Part 2, the hurdles of pine through quarrels and fights!
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Here's a question for you, my loyal readers. Can you guess where the choice of these six animals comes from? It was a real 'comic' choice, hehe.
Here are the teams for Paths Through Pines:
Pig (Dinner) - Duncan, Beth, Trent
Rat (Survivor) - Ezekiel, Heather
Zebra (Charger) - Bridgette, Eva
Goat (Quarterback) - Tyler, Noah, Izzy
Crocodile (Stupid) - Harold, Courtney, Gwen
Duck (Groucho) - Cody, Katie