Chapter 37: Stranger Danger

-April 14, 2009-

Sora's POV

There was a pleasant warm weight on my chest when I regained consciousness. Yawning, I shifted slightly before settling with a small smile down at Kassy. She was snoring and muttering something about Sylvia's waffles being evil.

I snickered as quietly as I could. Although it wasn't quite enough as her eyes shot open almost immediately. She relaxed not a moment after, yawning and sitting up, cradling her ankle with a slight wince.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I frowned, worried.

She smiled, "Yeah, I just shifted wrong. I'll be fine."

I regarded her for a moment before sighing, letting it go for now, "Maybe we should head out and start looking for others."

She winced, attempting to stand on her own. I gave her annoyed look, she smiled sheepishly, "Good idea yes, but… Might take a little bit to move…"

I sighed, shaking my hand, holding out my hand for her. Suddenly she gasped, pointing behind and above me, "Look out!"

She all but tackled me, both us sprawling against some broken debris. A fairly large jaguar snarled, slowly stalking closer.

I scrambled to my feet, keyblade in hand, "Hide, Kassy!"

She snorted, using the wall to a standing position, "No way! I'm not leaving you!"

I groaned before charging at the animal. Kassy raised one of her arms gun in hand, "Duck!" I dove under a swipe of its claws just as Kassy pressed the trigger. Three shots connected to its shoulder.

The jaguar slowly moved its head in Kassy's direction, teeth baring in a deep snarl. She gulped, "Um… The bullets aren't penetrating… I just made it mad…"

I slashed my keyblade at the creature, only to have it slam me against the wall, I raised my keyblade in defence, eyes squeezing shut.

Only to hear a loud thud and claws against wood. Kassy let out a sigh, mumbling, "Oh thank god. Perfect timing, Tarzan…"

I opened my eyes to see a hunched over man in a leather loin cloth, clashing with the jaguar with a spear. He pushed the creature away. It leaped up the broken staircase and out of the treehouse.

The man turned to us, "Sabor, danger."

I stood, pulling Kassy up to her feet, letting her use me as support, "Thank you."

The man tilted his head, repeating the words.

I blinked, "Huh…? Okay… So… What is this place?"

The man nodded, "This place, this place."

"Okaaay… Where did the others go?" I asked instead. The stranger tilted his head once more.

"Look, we got separated from our friends. Have you seen them? Friiiiiends…" I stressed.

His head perked up, "Friends!"

Finally some progress! "Right, our friends! There's two of 'em. The loud one is Dona- You know what? Never mind." I ignored Kassy's look of annoyance, "We're looking for our friends, Riku and Kairi."

The man tilted his head again, "Look for Riku, friends?"

I nodded with a grin, "Right!"

"Kairi, friends?" He asked.

Something caught my eye behind him. A blurry figure was strolling casually across the room. A familiar redhead, "Uh… Right…"

"Friends here." The man said.

"Really?!" My head whipped quickly back to him. I was disappointed after a quick glance back that she had disappeared.

The man made a gorilla noise twice and said, "Friends here."

I gave a weak smile, "Not sure I understand, but show us! Take us to Riku and Kairi!"

The man held his knuckles to his chest, "Tarzan. Tarzan go."

My grin gained strength, "And I'm Sora. This is Kasandra. Tarzan go, Sora and Kassy go go!"

Kassy cringed beside me, "Really, Sora? That grammar is atrocious."

I rolled my eyes, "It doesn't matter! Tarzan, please take us to see our friends!"

Tarzan hopped out the door. I helped Kassy hobble towards the edge. We both frowned as he jumped over the balcany's edge to the netting below.

Kassy groaned, "Wait, Tarzan!" He climbed back up with another tilt of his head, "I can't walk or climb. I hurt my ankle."

Within a blink of an eye he took a hold of her from my arms and put her on his back. He motioned for me to follow him before leaping over the balcony and netting and into the trees below. Kassy's screams echoed through the canopy.

With a wince and followed the two. We landed on a wide and long winding tree trunk. He began to slide down the surface like a surf board. I followed suit. I could see Kassy shaking on his back. My heart ached.

When we landed on solid ground, I discovered we had landed in a campsite. A human's campsite, to my relief. He headed into the large tent ahead, "Jane!"

A tall brunette female in a simple white tank top and auburn wrap skirt turned around from fiddling with a camera, "Tarzan! Oh, and who are you?"

I smiled, helping Kassy off Tarzan's back, "Uh, hi there. I'm-"

The Englishwoman looked surprised, "Oh, you speak English! So, then, obviously you're not related to Tarzan… Are you here to study the gorillas?"

A man's voice floated into the tent, "Highly doubtful." A tall creepy man with a rifle in hand strutted in, follow by Hazel and Goofy.

There was a chorus of happy calling of each other's names before the man interrupted, "A circus of clowns. Not much use for hunting gorillas."

"Who you callin' a clown, ya bag of dicks?" A familiar female's voice hissed as she made an appearance in the tent.

Kassy squealed, eyebrows furrowing, "Sylvia, no, don't say that! Oooh…"

Donald popped in beside Sylvia, "Looks like almost everyone is here."

"I know where I'm going! Stop patronizing me!" Another female's growl was loud and clear as she threw the tent door flaps open.

"Well, it seems I was incorrect in my assumption, my apologies." Cloud rolled his eyes beside Elena.

The creepy man growled from the corner he stood, "I stand by my statement. Clowns are of no use for hunting."

The English woman frowned, "Mr. Clayton, we're studying the gorillas, not hunting them. This is research." She let out a deep sigh before addressing the group, "Well, the more the merrier. Do make yourselves at home."