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 Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:03 am
Mother, sisters, and random elderly relative successfully ditched, Nahuel set off to explore. It was the height of the summer, and it seemed like every other single being in the greater Durem metropolitan area had the same idea the did - go to the water park. The excitement of the olympics was wearing off, even though they had just ended yesterday, and normal summer behavior promptly resumed.
Ranza and Orli were off to explore the slides and kiddie pools, but Nahuel had better ideas. At the center of the park was a huge climbing structure that looked like an old pirate town. It was full of secret rooms, rope ladders, slides, and water spouts.
Nahuel set off to explore, and promptly got very, very lost.
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:19 am
"Water," Darby had tried to explain. "is not FUN. It's wet, it's cold, and it's horrible. Come on, can't we go somewhere else?"
But Cain wanted to go to the water park. So Darby had been abandoned much like Nahuel's family, much to her relief. She'd found a nice dry spot near the climbing fortress where she could keep an eye on things. Cain gladly handed over his new glasses to her and set off for adventure, which turned out to be a very bad idea.
He couldn't see. He didn't even know where he was going. The toddler had stumbled through the fortress blindly, being shot at by kids with water guns, and finally found a hiding place in a tunnel where they couldn't reach. He crouched in there, dripping and shivering, and tried to remember the way out.
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:29 am
There was someone else in the tunnel. Nahuel could hear them whimpering - he was a predator somewhere in the deep, animalistic part of his soul, so he had a sense for weak, helpless things. He looked over and spotted a small boy crouched against the wall.
He did not sound happy.
Nahuel, being visibly older than the other child and having been trained in basic Older Sibling techniques, took pity on the other child. He approached slowly and crouched in front of the other boy.
"Are you lost, too?" he asked.
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:44 am
When Cain heard the distinct splashing of someone getting nearer, he looked around frantically and settled on putting his hands in the water, ready to splash the attackers face and make a quick getaway if they happened to have a water pistol.
The older boy didn't attack, though. The way he approached was nonthreatening enough to make him pause.
"Um." he said, blinking at Nahuel. "No-o. I know how to get out." He bit his lip, then amended: "Sort of."
It wasn't Nahuel's fault, but his feline features were making Cain a bit nervous. It reminded him of Sabriel.
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:01 am
"Well," said Nahuel with a silly, sharp-toothed grin. "I know how to get out of here, too. Sort of." He winked, and then waxed mischievous. "But I have a better idea," he continued. "I heard there's a treasure room somewhere in this thing."
He stood up and jabbed his thumb against his chest. "I'm gonna find it."
He looked back at the boy and held out a hand. "I'm Nahuel," he said, introducing himself. "You wanna come with me?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:21 am
Was this kid making fun of him? Then the words 'treasure room' were mentioned and he was all ears, suspicion flown out the window. Nahuel really looked like he could find a room like that - everything about him cried 'adventure'. Cain was hooked. He took the offered hand and pulled himself upright, quickly letting go as soon as he was standing.
"Cain." he replied, pushing back his sopping bangs so he could see better. The ferret boy appeared to think for a moment, but his mind was already made up. Why stumble around in a maze alone, when you could team up and look for treasure instead?
"Okay." He nodded. "Let's go."
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:30 am
Nahuel motioned to his right before turning left and leading the way. "I've already looked on that side," he explained. "It's not good to back-track when you're looking for stuff, because you might run out of time to check everywhere. I work at an archeological dig site, checking out old temples and stuff? Like in Indiana Jones?"
He grinned wildly as they emerged from a tunnel and onto a slick hanging bridge over a lazy river pool. "Have you ever seen Indiana Jones?" he asked, starting across the bridge and motioning for Cain to follow.
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:49 am
Oh dear. If they were going left, that meant they'd come out right in the line of fire of the water turrets. Cain closed his eyes and braced himself as Nahuel led them out of the tunnel, ready to be soaked as soon as they saw light.
But they emerged into dry air, not the deluge he expected. He blinked in surprise. "They went away." he said slowly. Nahuel was good luck! Starting to cheer up, he hurried after his guide, not wanting to be left behind.
If he had seen Indiana Jones, he may have been much more wary about crossing the bridge, since bridges had a short life span once they showed up in those movies. "Nope." Cain wobbled a couple of feet forward, clinging tightly to the rope sides. "I read a book about that, though. Have you found any dinosaurs?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:06 am
"Dinosaurs?" asked Nahuel, and shook his head. "I saw some in the museum in Durem, but we've never found 'em." He hurried across the wobbling bridge, suddenly suspicious of it, and waited for the younger boy on the next landing. "We find skulls and pots and stuff," he continued.
"I think Paleontologists look for dinosaurs," he added as the thought came into his head. "Not archeologists."
He crouched by the top of a ladder that would take them down into another room. "You first?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:17 am
Nahuel's hurrying across it made the bridge sway like crazy; Cain squeaked and wrapped his arms around the rope, waiting it out. When it had stopped he skittered onto the next landing. Safe!
Cain leaned over the edge of the platform, watching the water bubble by below them. He was highly disappointed to hear that Nahuel wasn't in the dinosaur-finding business; pots and skulls were not nearly as exciting.
He looked over to see the other boy crouched by a hole that disappeared into the floor. He stepped forward warily, but did gather his courage and climb down into the darkness first. And it was very dark. Cain could hear water dripping nearby, echoing off the walls.
"It's okay, I think." he called up uncertaintly. "Be careful. It's dark." He felt his way along the walls until he found a sort of lever. Did it open a door? A way out? Cain pulled it.
WHOOSH.
"Aieeeek!"
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 12:01 pm
"Cain!" yelled Nahuel, hearing the sounds of rushing water and the boy's scream. What if something bad happened? He grabbed the ladder and hopped down the hole, proceeding slowly in case Cain was still below him. The rope was wet and slippery, and he responded by wrapping his hands tighter around it. Finally, he touched the ground and let go of the ladder. The water was about ankle deep.
The chamber was flooding. Nahuel looked around for another way out and saw a circle of light illuminating a ladder at the far end of the room. Nahuel searched the immediate darkness for his companion.
"Cain?" he called, splashing around, "Cain? I think I see the exit."
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 3:03 pm
Silence. Then something came splashing up out of the darkness. Water that was ankle deep for Nahuel was much higher for Cain, who was finding it difficult to walk without stumbling. He lurched headlong into Nahuel and nearly went down.
"Sorry!" He waved his arms in apology and scrambled past the older boy. There was a thump as he hit the wall, then another mechanical groan as he pulled another lever down - the water stopped pouring, but it didn't drain, and the circle of light had disappeared.
Sigh. "Sorry again." Cain waded for the other lever again and the water resumed falling. There was some more splashing, then a voice nearby Nahuel (sounding very embarrassed) said, "Could you lead the way?" He didn't trust himself not to send the roof crashing down, at this rate.
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:57 am
"Sure," said Nahuel, who liked feeling like the more experienced adventurer. Working with Dr. Jones as much as he did, it was a rare feeling for the boy to have to have. He splashed through the water over to the ladder on the far wall, waited for Cain to follow, and then started climbing.
The room above them was missing its ceiling and had a door on one side leading back out to the main "street" of the fake town. There was a map inscribed on the wall, but Nahuel's inspection of it did not show whether or not it was real or just part of the decor. It did not appear to corellate with any structures in the park.
"Junk," he grumbled, looking back at Cain and motioning for the door. "Let's go."
Except then an abandoned pair of super-soakers in the corner caught his eye. He picked one up. It was still loaded.
"Let's take these first, though."
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 10:40 am
Cain carefully waded towards the ladder after Nahuel and clambered up in record speed, glad to be out of that room. He wrung his hair and clothes out while Nahuel was inspecting the map.
That the map held no new info didn't surprise him. Why stick a treasure map out in plain view?
His blue eyes lit up at the sight of the super soakers. It hardly took the older boy's prompting to snatch up the second one. He glanced out at the main street where a bunch of kids were milling around, and grinned. Revenge!
"Ready." he announced, hefting the super soaker over one shoulder like a bazooka.
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 8:28 pm
Nahuel laughed at the younger boy's posturing, remembering how everything was scaled differently when you were barely tall enough to ride, and stepped out of the room into the main corridor. There was no immediate attack. He made it a few paces before water rained down on him from above.
"It's a trap!" he wailed, charging ahead, gun spraying towards a group of chubby girls in tankinis. He pushed through them, and sincerely hoped Cain was following him.
A slide loomed ahead.
"Geronimo!" cried Nahuel, and dove down it.
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