I apologize for the time it has taken to publish this chapter. it took me a while to figure out where this story is going and how I was to get there. Enjoy!
The cool rain of an early summer storm gently trickled down the evergreen leaves of the jungle on the Bandicoots' island. Lightning crackled in the ebony sky while the jungle was showered with purifying rain beneath it. Hours had passed since the disaster at the Bandicoot household, and the three weary siblings trudged silently through the slurping mud. Coco's bright colors and blue overalls were saturated with grime and dirt. Crash had lost his shoe to a mud hole, and also had fallen down a waterfall. Even Crunch was miserable, his burgundy fur matted against his aching muscles. The trio had often explored the jungle of the island, but it had become a different place in the rain and the dark. It had become a labyrinth of vegetation and wild animals.
Crunch scanned his surroundings. The trees and the ferns all looked the same, and it was very dark, even almost too dark for his genetically-altered Bandicoot eyes to see in. He had run the circumference of the island many times for his morning work-out, but the jungle was more difficult to navigate and manage than the beach. However, the Bandicoots could not afford to walk the beaches because the humans would track them. The humans. The cause of all this pain. The cause of this sorrow. The cause of this suffering. He would make sure that whatever "USA" is would pay for its crimes against the Bandicoots.
Suddenly, the deafening noise of a helicopter approached. It was followed by a blinding spotlight. Coco panicked and tripped on a tree root, and was sent sprawling into a clump of ferns. Crash bolted to the nearest tree. Crunch joined Crash while watching the spotlight slowly scan the jungle. Thankfully enough, the trees and the flora were thick enough to cover their bodies from the prying eyes of the humans above. However, one thing was for sure, the few minutes that the helicopter spent scanning the area felt like hours to the Bandicoot trio. Finally, the loud noise and the brilliant light abated as the helicopter continued on its search. The noise was once again replaced by rain, lightning, and Coco's defeated sobs. Crunch looked over at Crash and realized that he was rubbing his bleeding knee. During the tumble on the waterfall, Crash had hurt his knee and torn his pants badly. Crunch himself was cut on the bicep from an ancient native spear trap that had nearly taken his life. It was clear that his siblings needed a break from this endless march. Soon even Crunch sat down on the soggy ground. He thought about what they had gone through, and how their lives had been just a day earlier. Inevitably, his sorrow and anguish turned into flaming anger. "Whoever is responsible for this will pay," he said while wrapping a large leaf around his bleeding bicep. "The humans have tortured us. Crash has done nothing but keep world domination out of Crotex's wretched hands, and this is how the humans thank him and his family. Mark my words, Crash and Coco, I will make this "USA" will pay for its crimes if its the last thing I do," Crunch growled through bared teeth.
Coco looked up form the soggy ferns at the furious Crunch. Her older brother had always had a dark side - a scar left upon him from the malevolent Cortex. Crunch had seldom trusted humans, and now, he was convinced that every human on this earth was evil. Ironically, in this lightning-lit night, the way he bared his fangs made him look like a monster. Revenge can be a cruel mistress, for it undoubtedly corupted Cortex. She then shot a worried glance at her younger brother.
What Crash saw was disturbing in her eyes. He saw fear - and this was to be expected after being evicted from her house and having her life turned upside down. He saw the fear of humans, change, and fear for their future. Yet, he saw a new, more distressing type of fear. One that was paramount to all other fears she possessed. One that was nearly eating her alive. This fear was the fear of family.
The fear of their older brother.