Unfortunate Dinner Plans

The sun rises to coat the tropical island in its whole splendor and glory. A variety of tropical birds can be heard in the nearby forest as they awaken and prepare for the day. The sand slowly starts to soak up the heat of the sun, creating a deliciously warm landscape. A majority of the marooned crew of the good ship 'Penny Bone' are settled around the remains of last evenings fire. The fox brothers still slumber, their backs turned towards the ashes. Orlop can be seen down by the tide line, looking intently out to sea. Juan and Rolli are no where in sight.

Kazi stirs from where he lays. He gets up and stretches, popping a kink out of his back, "Oh, so we really are on the island? Blast! I was hoping that was just a dream."

Tera chuckles as she works on cutting up a stick, sharpening the end to make it a spear. "Sorry to disappoint you." The fox widely considered Kazi to be a useless foolish glutton before coming here and makes no attempt at pleasantries now.

"You...don't actually expect to use that on something, do you?" Kazi poitns while raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, on fish. Unless of course you want to see who get's eaten first when we all start reverting to wild animals?" The fox said with a smile.

"Point taken."

Vincent rolls over and looks bleary eyed at the two talking beasts, "Could you two keep it down? The bloody sun is already makin' it hard to sleep." Down at the shore line, Orlop turns from his watch and makes his way back to the small camp, saying once he is within hearing distance, "Oy, 'ave any of you seen Juan an' Rolli? They weren't 'ere when I woke up this mornin'"

The fox and marten pause, blinking at the Squirrel as they take in what he said. "I havn't seen him. Ask Tera, as much as she keeps going on about eating people..." He prods the fox in her pudgy side, at least until she grabs him by the wrist and twists.

Still holding Kazi in a painfully wrist lock Tera says flatly, "No. I haven't seen em either. Hey? You lot? Did you see the night watch beasts?" She says loud enough for all to hear.

Vincent, who had just rolled over to go back to sleep, replies without turning over, "Last I saw of them was last night when they went scouting. They never woke us up for our shift." Orlop narrows his eyes suspiciously and says more to himself, "Mebbe they got themselves lost. Wouldnt put it past 'em." He raises his voice, "Alright you scabby lot! Were goin' on a search. We need ta' explore anyway, might as well combine two things at once."

Kazi seems to grown. Exploring requires walking. Walking requires stumbling about in an unknown jungle filled with bugs, rocks, and scorching heat. "So help me, when I find those two clowns..."

The vixen chuckles, "Come on Kazi, cheer up. How hard is it going to be to find two lost souls on an island?" The fox twirls her makeshift spear before grabbing a canteen. The fox was almost eager to have the chance to split away from these yahoo's and their fearless leader. But first, the lost rat and vole must be found. Piece of cake, right?

_____________________Elsewhere______________________

There smell of fresh sea air permeated the cave. Well, cave gave a limiting picture to the vast cavern the two wayward beasts found themselves in. For reasons unknown the lizards of this island had saw fit to build their tribe underground, in away. Suspending their village along the walls of this sea filled cavern. Far below the tide rose and fell as water came in and out through a large opening to the east. The village itself was made of wood, and bamboo grafted into the rock walls. Path ways criss crossed the cavern, going to suspended huts and in some places, cages.

It wasn't a bad cage, as far as cages go. It was round with the wooden bars made into a dome shape. The walls of the cage led off into nothing but a sheer drop into oblivion. Only a small walk way led from the cage to the main structures. A pair of gold scaled lizards stare unblinking at their prisoners. They are armed with spears and wear a beaded vest for armor.

Said prisoners huddle together in the middle of the cage. All qualms about being close to Rolli have since left Juan and they now sit back to back, throwing cautious glances towards the lizard guards. Beside them is a large bowl filled with a pasty white gruel, which has been partly eaten. Rolli nervously elbows Juan and whispers quietly, "Do ya' tink tay'll let us go?" Juan gives a small shrug, "I dunno, mate. At least we get grub, eh?" He gives a half hearted chuckle, but falls silent after glancing at the guards.

The sound of heavy footsteps can be heard as a third lizard appears, walking down the gang plank to the prison area. A hulking brute of a beast the reptile stands a head taller than both rat and vole. He has a burly build, his shoulders and arms bulge with muscular strength while his gut bulges from a life of being too well fed. The lizard wears a leather harness that straps across his green scaled arms and below them. He pauses at the cage and peers intently at the two trapped inside.

Twisting his body he gestures with his paw for one of the guards to draw near and hisses loudly.

The scrawny guard snaps to attention. Dashing away he returns with yet another bowl of gruel. It's hard to say exactly what it is made out of. It has some fruit, but also some kind of meat in it and in all honesty isn't THAT bad. It's not tasty enough to use at a party but as far as prison food goes it isn't the worst.

The cage door opens and the bowl is replaced. The lizards then retreat, close the cage, and resume staring at their prisoners in unblinking lizard fashion. The burly lizard returns up the gang plank to the next level, moving at a slow lumber. Before he goes he grabs something from a near by table, slamming it down on the wood. The reptile then leaves, letting the two prisoners see that he just over turned an sand filled timer. The grains of sand slowly drop onto the chamber below. One can only imagine what will happen when the sand runs out...

Juan looks dubiously at the new bowl of gruel, "Ugh, I don't think I can eat another bite." He pats his well rounded stomach, "I think I may burst as it is." Rolli nods in agreement, "Aye, ets almost loik they're tryin' ta fatten us up fer....."

His voice trails off as the realization of his own words fully hit him. Juan's eyes widen and he grabs Rolli's elbow, "Don't think about it, mate! Whatever 'appens when that timer runs out, I don't wanna be around for it."

He scrambles up from his sitting position and starts tugging at one of the bars of the cage. His efforts don't last long, however, as one of the lizard guards raps sharply on the cage and makes a menacing hiss. He gestures towards the gruel and mimes eating.

Juan gulps and moves back to where Rolli is sitting. He halfheartedly starts to dabble his paws in the gruel. Rolli joins him, though neither of them manages to eat anymore. Juan glances at the vole and ventures to say, "Whatever happens.....it's been good knowing you, mate. Even with your weird fur issue." Rolli gives the rat a toothless smile, "Loikwise."

Time marches on and the sand eventually runs out. When it does one of the guards walks up the gang plank to the level above them and hisses, cupping his paws together as she doess. Shortly there after the burly lizard can be heard coming down the to the prison area.

The cage is opened and the brute of a lizard peers them over. He guestures to them both and lets out a low growl. Before both beasts are taken however one of the gold scaled guards cries out in a loud hiss. He points to Juan before jabbing him in the gut with the but end of his spear.

Stroking his chin the heavy set reptile nods in aggreement. He snaps his claws and walks away, making room for both guards to move in and grab the vole by the arms. They lift him to his feet and drag him away back towards the gang plank leading away from the prison area.

A third guard slams the cage shut and locks it.

Rolli doesn't resist as he is hauled away, knowing that it won't get him anywhere. As the vole is dragged from the cage and the door is slammed, Juan runs up to the wall of the cage and presses his face against the bars watching in horrified silence as the other rodent is taken away.

He isn't taken far. Only up into room above. The kitchens.

Set upon the rock face is a large furnace with a large cauldren set upon it. A small green scaled lizard dances joyfully as he cuts up carrots and other veggies before tossing them in. He sees the beasts appear and gives them a wide toothed smile. He points to the center of the room where one of many stone pedistols rests. The lizards stretch the poor vole out over the stone, face up. One lizard holds his legs, the others his arms.

The cook idly trots over, grabbing a dirty iron knife along the way from. He peers over the rodent, twisting his head this way and that as he wipes the blade clean on the fur of Roli's fat belly.

As Rolli is drug into the room and stretched across the table, his little rodent heart beats faster and faster. He gulps as the knife is wiped off on his stomach, which causes quite a few hairs to be dislodged. He sucks in his gut in an attempt to escape the questing blade.

The lizard casts a wayward glance to the blade. He raises a scaley eyebrow while taking the hairs off of the knife. HE sticks out his tongue in disgust as the burly lizard rolls his eyes in 'i told you so fashion.'

With a shrug the cook then dabs his claw into a near by vat of ink. He draws a dotted line up the rodent's middle, from the bottom of his cut to the top of his chest. He rather roughly shoves an apple into the rodent's muzzle and then gives him one last pat on the head before the knife returns to start their grizzly work...