Caleb awoke with a start when zig crashed through the roof of the hut, looking worse for wear as his head was forced into a tree log. Katania came in looking panicked, quickly healing before the hyena and trying to help him get unstuck. With his concern and curiosity peaked, he moved so he was sitting us, his leg still feeling a bit sore.
"What the heck happened?" He asked.
Katania grunted, trying to wedge the log off their friend. "Me, Zig and Gladdy headed out to try and get some food, but of course we came across a particularly angry gorilla who just gunned it at Zig with no warning. Gladius tried to ward it off…", She paused when her grip slipped, "…But it just booked it and pummelled Zig. And after a good punch… Yeah…"
Caleb frowned and crawled over, grabbing the log with Kat and helping her get it off the hyena. With the extra help, it came off with ease, though Zig's head now looked like it came right out of a pickle jar. He slammed a fist on top of his misshapen head, and it was back as it should be. Letting out a sigh, the hyena sat down on a makeshift stool, looking defeated.
"Everything okay, Zig?" Caleb asked carefully.
The hyena started to sound off his intelligible nonsense, and went into detail about how bad of luck he seemed to have with anything. Even when he went to Africa to be with his kind once, it was failure after failure. And how it was even more crushing considering he came from a family of very prolific fishers. He just couldn't catch a break, and he only really went after Marina because she was a consistent target.
Kat sat next to him and pet his head. "It's okay, Zig. If you just keep trying, someday you will finally claim some sort of victory."
The hyena perked up, and grinned. He let out his signature laugh and rushed out of the hut, nearly knocking Bernie and Gladius over as the two of them came in with various fruits and fish.
"What's going on with him?" The sword asked as he set down his baskets of bananas and berries.
"I think I just encouraged him to keep trying his hardest to bag Marina…" Katania said with a frown. "Uhhhhh… Oops."
Bernie let out a disappointed squeak and a sigh, setting down his basket of fish. He walked over to a stove that Caleb assumed he built, and turned it on. As the fire inside warmed up, the mollusk walked over and climbed up onto Caleb's shoulder, giving the boy a patient and curious look.
"Whatcha' want, Bernie?" The boy asked with a light smile.
The questionable hermit crab made a motion with one of his hands, clearly wanting Caleb to explain his and his friends' sudden appearance. The boy pursed his lips, glancing at his two companions with uncertainty. They both shared a look, then gave the boy a shrug. With a sigh, Caleb decided to just bite the bullet.
"Well, we come from a far away land", Caleb started. "A place where the impossible is possible. About… Three-ish years back, me and Gladius accidentally opened a portal that sent us to multiple worlds where we met fantastic people…"
Bernie looked at the sword, and he nodded. "Yes, and we were desperate to get home. It took us a month or two to finally get back, but along the way we met a lot of fantastic people."
"Kat was living in this fantastical place long before me", Caleb added. "But I found a home there. But now, after a little hiccup, we're stranded here and need to get back."
"It's a lot more complicated than that", Katania spoke up. "But it's honestly not that bad. Everyone is wonderful, and if you could meet them, I'm sure they'd all love you. Zig… That'll take a bit." That made everyone chuckle, with Bernie's laughter dying out quickly so he could spy around the group.
They seemed so friendly and sincere, which did make the mollusk think a bit. But his train of thought was thrown off when he saw that the stove was heated up enough. With a happy glint, he took some of the fish over and put them on a pan, having them cook as they all relaxed. With the fish now baking, the group all continued to explain to Bernie everything they did on the last adventure and over the last three years.
Of course, they stayed vague enough as to not blab about all the full truths about the multiverse. But even if they left details out, Bernie was enamoured by everything, but was especially interested when they talked about their more inventive friends. The mollusk explained how much he and Zig always wanted to meet more people who had that level of creative genius, so if they could meet them it would be so nice.
Right at that point, Zig walked with a cluster of sea urchins covering his face, completely shrouding it in black spikes. Caleb frowned as the hyena brushed off all the urchins, sitting down next to Katania with a sour expression. When Bernie offered him some of the cooked fish, Zig took it and started to chew into it with a frustrated glare.
"I'm assuming it didn't go well, Zig?" Caleb asked as he took his fish and fruit. The hyena sighed and nodded, grumbling bitterly at another failed plan. "Well… I know this is a bit weird to ask… Why do you keep going after Marina if you have other options for food? I mean… we're eating fish right now."
Zig sighed and said that it was more for the pride thing. Kinda like a hunter. Caleb gained a conflicted look, letting out a hum. "I get that, Zig. But… you want to eat her, not throw her up like a trophy. And… Marina is also half human in a way. Would you go after me or Kat at all?" Zig shook his head. "Then why keep going after Marina? What would you get out of it? A one time meal?"
Zig opened his mouth to fire off a counter-argument, but then snapped it shut and looked like Sharko's fist was flying at him. Looking down at the fish he was eating, the look in his eyes showed how conflicted the idea made him. Katania shared a worried look with Gladius and Caleb, but the boy simply scooted closer to the hyena.
"I'm sorry if I was blunt, Zig", the boy said calmly. "But really, why do you keep going after Marina? Clearly you and Bernie have more than enough here to sustain yourselves. Why not, I don't know, make inventions that you can sell to the creatures of the sea?"
Zig blinked a bit in surprise as Bernie made a few excited and happy squeaks. The hyena remained silent, however, as he stood up and walked out of the hut, taking his food with him. Katania started to get up and chase after him, but Caleb stopped her. He shook his head, silently saying Zig needed to be alone. So the general's daughter sat back down and returned to her meal, occasionally glancing at the front door.
Bernie decided to follow after his best friend, leaving the trio of Capital residents on their own. They just remained silent as the mollusk ran out, making his way over to his friend.
Zig was sitting on a rock, munching on his fish as he looked out towards Marina with a sombre look. He was clearly very conflicted right now, and was stumped on what to do. So Bernie just silently sat beside him, both their thoughts stewing.
Gladius watched them from afar through the window, half listening to the conversation Caleb and Katania were having. Letting out a sigh, he decided to explore more of the island to pass the time.
~X~
A few hours later, Caleb was outside walking along the beach. His leg still hurt, so Bernie was kind enough to make him a crutch so he could actually walk around on his own. The boy was grateful to not be stuck sitting forever, and hoped that this would help the injury heal faster. Maybe.
Looking out towards the water, he saw Marina using Sharko as a makeshift diving board to do flashy flips for her adoring fanbase. With a half smile, he sat right at the water's edge and picked up a seashell, tossing it over towards them with all his strength. When it splashed, Marina stumbled and failed as the shark looked over. When the mermaid regained her balance, the two stars of the ocean looked over and saw Caleb waving at them.
Marina squealed happily and dove into the water, making her way over to the boy. Sharko just shrugged and followed after her, the duo soon reaching the boy. Marina emerged from the water and sat next to the boy, her tail before her. Caleb chuckled and looked at Sharko, who chose to stay in the water.
"So, how are you two doing?" The boy asked happily. Marina made a raspberry sound with her lips and then smiled, while Sharko just grunted with an eyeroll. "I'm assuming it's pretty busy then?"
Marina nodded and hummed in agreement, making Caleb face her, then started to go on about how much she had planned to do today, but how Zig showing up twice kinda slowed things down. So she decided to just spend the day chilling on her rock just messing around and showing off.
"Sounds fun!" The boy said. He then looked back at Sharko. "What about you, Sharko? Aside from being Marina's personal high dive, what else did you do today?"
Sharko shrugged and explained how his day started out, and how he was hoping to do some rounds of Ping-Pong tennis as some nice warm-up for a future competition he was eyeing to join, of course, that went out the window when Zig decided to launch into some of his hairbrained schemes. But then the shark added it was strange that he kinda just went missing after that.
"Yeah, I actually wanted to talk to you guys about that…" Caleb looked up a bit so he could see the horizon of the ocean alongside the bright blue sky. "Earlier, Kat and I made Zig need to have a walk and just think about some things. He's still on the island, don't worry. I just… He seemed to really be hit with the reality of a lot of things…"
Sharko asked what happened.
"Well, me and Kat both questioned why Zig needed to keep going after Marina if he had more than enough food here. When he said it was a pride and honour thing, we countered back that that isn't really worth the constant injury and such if his main goal was to eat Marina. So… We asked him, 'Was it really worth it?'"
The mermaid looked at the boy thoughtfully, while Sharko just grunted and argued this was all a ploy to get Marina. The hyena was really crafty, and how Zig has done similar things in the past.
"I get that, Sharko, but I think this time it's legit. Zig looked… sad, before he walked off with Bernie." Caleb shook his head and looked between the two stars of the ocean. "I think this time is legit. Even if you two don't believe me, I just wanted to give you both a heads up in case he walks up to you guys at all. Just know it doesn't have an ulterior motive."
Sharko didn't seem convinced, simply crossing his fins and grumbling how all of this seemed like just a trap. But he just let it go as the boy returned to looking out towards the ocean.
"I really do Think you two should just hear him out", Caleb continued. "I mean, you guys are friends, right?"
The mermaid and shark shared a look, then both shrugged with a half nod.
"Yeah, you kinda are. So just hear him out. And if things get ugly, then me, Kat and Gladius will step in and stop him. Plus, I'm positive Bernie will also help you guys out. Trust me."
Sharko let out a heavy sigh and reluctantly nodded, while Marina clapped her hands excitedly and bobbed up and down. She suddenly stood up and grabbed Caleb's hand, leading him down the beach. The boy did his best to keep up with his crutch, but thankfully Sharko caught up and helped the boy steady himself. The boy shot the shark a grateful smile, and they both followed behind Marina at a much steadier pace.
"You know, I'm surprised she's so fast on land", Caleb said with a chuckle as the mermaid raced ahead. Her tail fins almost looked to be spinning with how fast they moved.
Sharko laughed, saying how the boy should see her in the water. Being the daughter of Poseidon just made her a naturally strong swimmer. Caleb nodded, but in his head he was partially confused. He thought Marina's dad was a random sailor who used to live on the island, why was there stuff about her being the daughter of the Greek god of the sea?
And the more he thought, the more he was wondering where this 'yellow plane in a tree' Gladius mentioned when they first showed up. It never was in the original show… So where did it come from?
He shook the thought aside as he looked back ahead, surprised to see Marina was leading the two of them to the old army base. It was a pretty simple set up, with a green hangar/headquarters combo, surrounded by a fence that gave it a decently sized water front.
Marina bounced excitedly by the locked back of the building, pointing at the door. Sharko sighed and stepped ahead, making sure Caleb and Marina were a safe distance away before completely pulverising the metal door off its hinges. Caleb winced at the loud sound, but soon stumbled in after Marina to see what this place had in store.
Looking around, the building had a security monitor system of the whole island, which made the boy really wonder what this place's purpose was for. Marina didn't seem to care all that much, seemingly preferring to sit and spin on the office chair while pressing all the buttons and switches she could.
Sharko walked over to the open hangar door and decided to take a swim in the gated part of the water. Caleb watched him for a while before limping over to an extra chair and sitting down in it, rolling over next to Marina. Looking at the screens, Caleb hummed as he spotted Zig and Bernie on one of them, with Kat walking up to them with a concerned frown.
Stepping over some branches, Katania knelt down and gave the melancholy Zig a look that pierced into his soul. "Zig, you've been acting weirder than what I'm used to. Seriously, what is going on? Bernie wants to know, too." The mollusk let out a concerned squeak with a nod.
The hyena, realising he was backed into a corner, sighed and started to ramble in his gibberish about how Caleb and Kat's questions kinda made him need to really reflect and think. Yes, Marina is his friend, yes, he'd just get a one and done thing for finally bagging her, and he'd probably make Sharko his tormentor for life. As he looked over it all… None of it was worth it in the long run.
As the hyena ranted on and on, Bernie and Katania sat down, listening intently and with concerned looks. Through the camera, back at the army base, Caleb and Marina were watching the hyena completely break in a way that was so foreign it was almost uncanny. Marina's lip wobbled as the words really struck a chord with her, and seeing how much this was eating Zig up… She knew what had to be done.
Looking at Caleb, she mumbled something in his ear. Caleb blinked a bit in surprise, then glanced back at Sharko. "Are you sure he'd be fine with it? I mean… this would be huge…"
Marina nodded with determination, glancing back at the shark of her dreams with a light glare. She blabbed out how if she wanted Sharko to go with this, her word would make him listen. So she stood up and cleared her throat loudly, which snapped the shark's attention at her. The mermaid smiled and jumped into the water with him, leaving Caleb alone at the camera monitors.
Looking back at the screen with the hyena, he saw Zig was finally done ranting, and was sitting next to Kat as she, himself and Bernie all leaned against a tree.
"I get it's hard, Zig", Katania said reassuringly as she rubbed the hyena's back. "But now you can carve a brighter path for yourself! Sure, things might seem uncertain right now, but putting your mind to it will help you accomplish whatever. Because now… you don't have to worry about Sharko beating you up!" Zig half nodded to that. "And you also can just… hang out. Hang out with Marina and Sharko without anything going wrong."
Zig perked up a bit with that, and started to smile more as Bernie started squeaking out his own excitement with this new prospect. The hyena then had his smile fall as he pulled out a book from nowhere and opened it to a certain page. In it were a couple of photos of presumably his ancestors, and seeing them all posing as they tackled and bested multiple sea monsters.
With a grunt, he closed the book and threw it away, standing up and posing triumphantly. With more determined gibberish, he vowed to finally make something for himself. He had so many skills, and was going to make use of all of them.
Katania and Bernie clapped happily with bright looks, still completely unaware they were being watched. Back at the army base, Caleb leaned back in his chair with a confident smile. "That's my Kat."
Behind him were Marina and Sharko. The mermaid was pointing at the screen, giving the shark a bit of a hard look as if saying 'He told you so'. Sharko himself seemed to finally understand what Caleb meant by earlier, and that it seemed their rivalry was finally over.
With a defeated sigh, he nodded and mumbled something out, which made Marina smile. Caleb laughed and stood up, the shark helping him as he readjusted his crutch. With a new plan set, the trio left the army base back to the front of the island.
~X~
As the sun started setting on the island, the front of Zig and Bernie's hut was lively with activity… for the most part. Sharko was more off to the side, his arms crossed as the others had fun. Zig was talking up a storm after putting his suppressed culinary skills to good use, making a wonderful dinner that everyone was loving.
Marina was in heaven, the food in her mouth almost making her burst into tears. She swallowed and praised Zig, which made the hyena all the more proud. But as the conversation went on, she looked over at Sharko. He lightly glared and looked to the side, which made the mermaid a bit saddened. So with a plan formulated in her head, she called Zig and subtly nodded at the shark.
Caleb and Kat shared a nervous look as the hyena abandoned his outdoor kitchen setup and walked over to the shark with a plate of food. He offered it to the brute, who gruffly took it and paused before taking a bite. There was a long bout of silence as the two stared at each other.
Then the shark took his bite, and smiled. Zig smiled back and went back to his setup, letting the little mingling continue on. Only now Sharko was more involved, finally letting his walls down as he embraced the relaxing time. As they all relaxed, though, Caleb looked out towards the ocean with a concerned look.
"Everything okay, Caleb?" Katania asked quietly.
"Do you know where Gladius went?" He answered in a whisper. "Because I haven't seen him since the morning…"
"I… I haven't, no. That's… That's not like him…" She glanced at the ocean, then to the jungle, then back to her friend. "You don't think something happened to him, do you?"
"I think something did… And whatever it was, it's not good…"
Little did he know, his companion through thick and thin was in trouble. Just under the water's surface, the blade was struggling to free himself as an orca dragged him deeper underwater, bringing him to a some sort of palace on an underwater cliff. Something was brewing, and it wasn't going to be pretty…
~X~
And that's chapter 13 done! A bit of a short chapter, but that's mainly because I didn't really know what to fully do that allowed Caleb, Kat and Gladdy organically fit into the cartoon hyjinx without them just being spectators to the whole endeavour. So I decided on a more light-hearted chapter to just develop everyone a bit more.
So yeah, we also get set up for the next chapter with a kidnapped Gladius. Trust me, this next one will have the sort of zany t cartoon violence you expect out of Zig & Sharko. So keep your eyes peeled for that!
Anyway, hope you all loved this chapter as always.
Up next: A kidnapped Gladius leads to Caleb being taken next, making Kat and the island quartet join forces to stop the all too familiar lunatic and save their taken friends…
~Caleb~