A/N: Another update! yaaay! And so close to the previous one, dare I say I have my mojo back?
Chapter 5~
Six knelt, examining the wide zigzagging trail he had come across. If he was judging the direction correctly, it was going in the same direction he was going, coming from about where Rex had disappeared from.
Six rose, speeding up his pace as much as he could through the thick snow. The ninja had been restricted in his speed due to trying to find any sign of his missing ward, now that he knew he was in the right place and heading in the right direction, he could move much more swiftly.
(~)
The penguins (Rex refused to call them by their chosen name, it was way too lame) moved him from the center of camp to a small cave with a low ceiling, a makeshift prison that they'd created very quickly with scavenged metal they'd gathered before. Their small size and quick work reminded the boy of creatures called the Bidmees from a story Holiday read to him as a child, and the way they all looked to the one lead penguin didn't help. They seemed at a loss without him, with no brain power between them except to ask their leader for direction at every turn. He had instructed them on how to build Rex's prison; iron bars to hold him back, with a fire just out of reach to keep him alive while they had use for him. Rex had to find a way to get out, but was finding it difficult to formulate a thought with his nanites on the fritz once more. The fire helped, but it wasn't anything like the inferno in the center of camp, so it wasn't as helpful in keeping him warm.
As night fell again and the temperatures dropped, the fire did little to help Rex. Despite the cold, sweat dropped in rivers down his face, freezing within seconds, and dehydrating him. This added to his already weakening state, making him worse off than he thought possible. He had a fitful sleep, punctuated by fever-dreams and near hallucinations about home. By the time morning rolled around, Rex was shaking with all his ailments; nanites, hunger, exhaustion, and perhaps even hypothermia.
"Is he supposed to look like that?" one of the guards asked, gesturing toward their prisoner.
"I've only seen a couple of those weirdos, but I don't think so."
"Hey! Hey prisoner!?"
Rex moved stiffly to try and see what the guard wanted. His vision was blurry, but eventually he was able to focus on him.
"Are you ok?" the other guard asked.
Rex frowned, finding the energy to be sarcastic. "Do I look ok to you? It's freezing and I'm sick, so no I'm not ok." Saying he was sick was a lot easier than explaining his nanite problem, but still that quick remark tired him out. With a groan, Rex tried to pull his jacket in tighter. He would have to stop being so snarky if he wanted to preserve his strength.
The guards left the boy alone, but they kept whispering amongst themselves. Unlike the other penguins, they seemed to have at least a little thinking power between them. At least they weren't running to the leader like the others did. Rex decided they were different, and might even be able to help him in his escape if he played his cards right. But that required planning, and planning required using precious energy he didn't have.
"Hey guards?" Rex's voice was softer now, no sarcastic edge to it. The guards turned slowly, "Do you think you could find me something to eat? I'm starving."
The penguins stared at him for a long moment, then resumed their whispering with fervor. Rex watched as they called another penguin over before sending it away, hopefully to get the food he'd requested.
Later on, the penguin came back with nothing in his little wings/flippers/things, and Rex frowned. The creature jumped over the fire lightly, and stood in front of the cage to look at the boy within. Five seconds later, he began to make a hacking sound, making Rex realize he'd made a mistake.
"No, wait, you can't-!"
But it was too late. Half digested fish was expelled from the penguins stomach before it waddled off. Rex stared at the pile of stinking fish and then looked at his beaming guards.
They looked so proud, pointing at the food then at their beaks, "Food!"
Rex could only stare at them with the most scathing glare he could manage, he silently turned on his back and stared at the ceiling. "I'm going to die here."
A/N: Brownie points to anyone who knows who the Bidmees are and what book I got them from. I'll reveal the answer next chapter, because it's an awesome series and I think you should all read it.
Now I must be off to do some research on this story, but I hope you all enjoy this update and review. I love you all!
Reviews! thank you toFanaticaRex(sorry for missing your name last chapter), andYellowAngela
also, little advertisement, if you like fluff go check out my story Keep Moving Forward
Edit 12/29/16: minor adjustments and typo fixes