Disclaimer: Vicki's chapter. There is a site for all people who wish to become a real pirate…in roleplay of course. Both Rachel and I belong to it, and yes the Pearl and Jack and all the others are there as well, along with original characters that the members of the board create. We would love for you guys to join us there: at Okay, on with the show!
"Jack! This is a national zoo! Do you realize what the fine could be for…snapping off a leaf?" Rachel cried, but to no avail. The Captain was already more than halfway up the tree. The monkey was currently screeching and taunting us, which confirmed our previous diagnosis of undead monkey syndrome. The little wanker even went so far as to throw a mango looking fruit at Jack's head, which only stunted his tree-travels for a moment.
"That's it, I'm going." Will declared, taking off after Jack and making a much more acrobatic journey up the tree.
"Oh god, this can only end in pain." I shook my head.
"It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye!" Rachel agreed. Jack had reached the top of the tree and the monkey was perched on the very end of a small branch, providing just enough weight for the branch to bend.
Jack nimbly made his way out to the end on all fours, while Will chose a thicker branch beneath him and matched his movements. Then, just when Jack was a good two feet away from the blasted beast, the little devil jumped off onto a lower tree and scurried off. Unfortunately this same movement had caused the branch Jack was on to snap back and between his legs.
"Ooooh…" Rachel and I winced from below. Will reached up to steady the branch and Jack held on with one hand while the other cupped his bruised…er…little pirate.
"Jack, are you alright?" Will asked.
"That blasted overgrown rat just took off a good two inches." He then steadied himself and swung down to Will's branch. "No worries though, still got the other eight."
Will rolled his eyes and the two climbed down. After finding a way to exit through the locked Amazonia doors (thank Buddha for bobby pins) we made our way through the empty zoo, keeping to the shadows in case any night watchmen decided to show up.
Finally, the distant screech of undead monkey furry signaled to us that the critter was up ahead. Unfortunately for us, up ahead was also the alligator pit. We warily leaned over the side, hoping not to see the jumping form of the hated beast. Which of course meant that he was directly in the middle of the 'gator infested waters. Before anyone could say anything Jack sprang over the side and landed on a log, crouching low and struggling awkwardly to control his balance.
"He would NOT make a good lumberjack." I remarked, watching him twist on the log. Before I could protest Will had leapt over the side as well, and had landed on the log adjacent to Jack's.
"Oh…I don't like this." I moaned. I began to climb over the side but Rachel stopped me.
"No! Vicki, you are not the Crocodile Hunter. Steve Irwin is a NUT not to mention DEAD! And just because you're one too does not mean you are qualified to follow in his footsteps! In either extreme! He has very short shorts to fill!"
"There was one defining error in that statement, Rachel." I said, taking a deep breath.
"What?"
"These aren't crocodiles. They're alligators." And with that I was over the side and next to Will, who immediately put me behind him as the alligators began to notice our presence.
"Stay above, lass. We'll chase 'im up there." Jack called to Rachel, who was jumping about more than the monkey.
Jack waited until one gator swam up close enough to him, and then in a half drunken movement, he leapt off the log and onto the head of the alligator itself!
"Jack!" Rachel screamed from above.
"Crikey." I hissed under my breath. What? It seemed like an appropriate thing to say at that moment.
"I wish I had my sword." Will replied. The alligator Jack was on whipped its body around, trying desperately to throw its passenger off.
"Stay here." Will commanded. I looked at him in disbelief. He was going to leave me on a log in the middle of an alligator infested pond?
"Yeah, now you wish you stay'd up here!" Rachel yelled. She'd somehow found a bag of M&M's and was eating them while watching the "show" down below.
"Where are you going?" I asked Will, ignoring Rachel.
"Just don't move." He answered. He bent his legs and leapt up to grab a hold of a chord above our heads.
"Rachel! Climb down to the ledge and pull me out to the middle of the pond!" Will called up to Rachel who shoved the rest of the M&M's in her mouth and scurried down to where the chord was attached to the side. It had also been threaded through a gear and doubled over, so the whole thing was a pulley system . It must have been how they dangled yummy bits of raw meat over the alligators.
When Will was centered, he dropped down on a large stone. The monkey at this point was only a stone away. However, in between that stone and Will, was the largest of all the gators.
"Shit shitty shit shit." I cursed underneath my breath. The only way Will was going to get near that monkey would be if I somehow got the alligator away from him . Why do these things always happen to me?
"Hey! Hey you!" I yelled at the gator who refused to move. Just then I noticed a few small stones laying together on a nearby island. Picking them up I promptly hurled down at the big beastie, who swung around in my direction. It began to swim towards me, and I motioned to Will to get the monkey. He leapt out and snatched up the little demon in his vest, tucking it under his arm. Of course, I was still left with Bog Bertha. As it swam closer, I began to back up, moving onto boulders behind me, keeping a wary eye on the scaly beast before me. Suddenly I felt the wall behind me…I had nowhere else to go.
"Victoria!" Will called from somewhere above me. He'd climbed back on the rope and was now holding a hand out for me from the top of the pit. I jumped up and grabbed his hand, making it up to the top just in time to see the beast below me shoot up and snap at air. See…easy.
"Now all we have to do is get out of the zoo undetected." Rachel said as she helped a slightly we Jack clamber over the wall.
"Great."