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His breath puffed in visible clouds with each exhale, as the scent of pine and damp leaves filled his every sense. The sun still had some struggle with getting out of its own bed, yawning right as it came up from over the horizon.
The cool air of the night deciding to remain just a bit longer, bringing a refreshing ambiance that could ease anyone’s nerves. Trails stretched on through the forest, towering pines and oaks aligning them, with the faintest of traces from critters roaming all around wide awake in the early hours of the day. Birdsong echoing gently, a few squirrels darted from branch to branch. Just about everything that the vast richness of the North American wilderness had to offer.
All accompanied by the soft thudding of running shoes padding against the forest trail, kicking up dirt here and there. Jogging across one trail that wound through a relatively tranquil area of the forest. His footsteps crunched gently over the packed soil and scattered leaves.
Chris wasn’t rushing off to anywhere specifically. It rather was a slow but steady jog – his way of keeping himself healthy while also greeting the day and nature around him. Different from his normal attire, he wore his bright green training jacket as well as black shorts with running tights underneath.
A breeze stirred, rustling leaves in the canopy above. Shafts of early sunlight cut through the treetops, while somewhere in the distance, the bubbling song of a special purple Martin teased his ears, to which he smiled faintly.
He’d never been one to put on headphones or earbuds while out on his jogs, music had its own place and time, so he didn’t see the need especially since the forest alone was music to his ears. With birds stirring, wind moving the leaves of the trees gently, it was much more peaceful to just drink in those sounds of the outdoors.
He rounded a bend, coming up to the edge of a large lake with a relatively open clearing on the opposite side. Hands on his knees, his upper body slightly bent forward as he focused on his breathing.
Just then, as he lifted his head, he saw something just beyond the bushes across the lake. Four legs stepped into view, first one pair, then another, slightly shorter and more delicate ones. A white tailed deer and her fawn emerged from the brush, their movements cautious but yet at peace. Mother and child wide awake, side by side and journeying through the day, stepping into whatever awaited them.
His head perked up at the sight before him, caught up by the gentle moment, it reminded him of his own crew still back at the Tortuga, definitely curled up unmoving in their bunks and snoozing away early dawn.
But before heading back, Chris took out his creature pod. Managing to catch a quick photo right as the deer had taken notice of him, the fawn especially glancing with wide eyes back at the human on the other side of the lake, before they disappeared into the trees. Kind of disappointing, he could have asked the little fawn if he had happened to see Buckaroo around anywhere.
He looked down at the image and smiled softly, knowing full well who would love this more than anything. The gentle smile lingered on his face as he gave the opposite side of the lake one last glance, right as he straightened up, letting the breeze rush across his skin once more, drying the last beads of sweat on his forehead.
By now, the lake was shimmering under the morning sunlight and the forest was fully awake, a woodpecker hammering away somewhere behind him. He had put back a good distance between him and from the Tortuga’s starting point, so it was safe to say that he had achieved his goal for the day.
He began to jog back at an easier pace, more of a relaxed lope than a run now, following back the path he originally came from. The Far-off cry of a red tailed hawk sliced through the calm, Chris instinctively looked up, eyes scanning the canopy in hopes of catching a glimpse at it. Even on slow days, daily life in the wilderness never stilled.
Eventually, the trail brought him full circle back toward the clearing where the Tortuga stood. Its massive turtle frame rose over the crowns from the trees, like a gentle sleeping giant. Morning birds perched casually on its curved glass roof, not registering their headquarters much as a big threat and rather embracing it as if it was part of their own ecosystem.
He slowed to a walk, breath evening out. His legs carried the satisfying weight of exertion, and his cheeks were flushed, more from the brisk morning air than the effort, as he wiped a line of sweat from his brow with his sleeve.
From his pocket, he pulled out a small device, a sort of keychain shaped like their signature paw print. Thanks to Koki, with this it allowed someone to operate the tortuga from outside, functioning like keys to a house as well as a remote for a TV all in one. He pressed the center of the paw to get the garage door to open and have the ramp up to it stretch out.
Stepping up to it, the metallic clink faint beneath his shoes as the inside of the ship hummed softly. Systems still in idle mode, and not a single voice beside his own. Being the early bird in the crew had its perks at times, well, either that or just not being able to sleep straight through entire nights because he was such a light sleeper. Nonetheless, if he was honest, it wasn’t such an entirely bad thing, it gave him plenty of time to be just with himself and to soak in the first sunlight of the day. Time to think, time to breathe, and after Martin's own words, a creature adventurer wakes up with nature, so naturally he really hadn't much of a reason not to.
He padded silently toward the kitchen. Pouring himself a cold glass of water, the chill condensation practically kissing his worn fingers while he leaned back against the counter. Letting the cool air of the ship’s interior settle into his post-jog warm body. He would definitely have to settle on a quick shower to freshen up, and in the meantime while he was in it, he was sure that at least Aviva or Koki were next to get up. Setting the glass down, he headed out to the bathroom in his and Martin’s shared bedrooms and soon after he was done, now dressed in his usual attire with his green quarter zip on, hair still damp, he headed into the main console room in the heart of the Tortuga. To his surprise however, the rest were still deep away in their slumber, Aviva, Koki and Jimmy were all nestled in their respective hammocks, each suspended between the sturdy support pillars, stacked like bunk beds in open space. Their gentle breathing and the occasional shift of fabric were the only signs of life.
And Martin? The least surprising of the bunch, who laid sprawled out on a floor mattress like a starfish with all his limbs. The blanket meant to keep him warm was discarded, barely covering his legs anymore. Lying slightly tilted to one side, mouth faintly open, utterly dead to the world around him. At least he always got some solid sleep, even like this, thanks to being the heaviest sleeper among them. Only a baby animal’s cry could tear him out of such a coma like state.
The younger brother couldn’t help but smile as he looked around. They had all pretty much worked themselves to the bone last night, managing to rescue a pair of snow leopards from Donita, who, true to form, had intended to turn their rich fur into luxurious coats. The memory still irritated him a bit.
Though on the other hand, he did feel a tad bit guilty now about wanting to wake them all up so that they all collectively could get a start into a day of adventuring. It was way past seven by now, so he'd simply settle on coaxing them gently out of their slumber, not too harsh or anything of that sort. Crossing the main table, he opened two of the retractable windows on either side, allowing the crisp morning air to sweep in.
Making his way to the main console, he tapped at the keyboard, the systems springing to life with a positive soft beep. The big screen flickering on, followed by a low hum as the interface initialized and began scanning the surrounding environment. Usually, Koki handled the monitoring first thing in the morning, checking their surroundings for any dangers and all – especially making sure to track their rivals’ activities too. Her vigilance didn’t stand a chance to anyone, they even joked often that she had to have a sixth sense since she was super to catch up on when something felt even slightly off, scarily accurate so to say.
Yet today, her workstation remained abandoned, her favorite mug half full with cold tea from yesterday rested atop the console. With her deep asleep, he figured he could easily cover for her this morning, knowing a thing or two about navigation. After all, you didn’t exactly work as a professional creature adventurer out in nature without having to pick up a few necessities in terms of survival here and there. The only difference here was that he was operating digitally, and not with a map or compass.
Settling into the seat, his fingers skimmed across the controls as he navigated through the system scans.
No threats, just what he liked to see. No suspicious Gourmand activity in these past days, but he’s sure to strike someday about now. Zach still seemed to be occupied in the city and fortunately, Donita remained in her mansion upstate. The console beeped again softly as the satellite map refreshed, updating cloud coverage and temperature changes across their section of the forest.
He leaned back in the chair for a moment, letting the breeze continue to drift in through the open windows. From behind him, he heard a muffled groan, turning right at the moment to catch his brother rolling onto his side on the mattress. Barely showing any sign of consciousness, the spitting image of a hibernating squirrel, if they snored like a groundhog.
His eyes darted up to his friends' tranquil states, a sly smirk spreading across his face. Jimmy was bundled up comfortably in his blanket, Aviva had an arm draped over her eyes to block out the sunlight coming in through the dome glass roof. Koki, surprisingly, hadn’t stirred either despite her good sixth sense. If this went on any longer, he’d figured that they might sleep through until noon.
Getting pulled out of his trail of thoughts, head snapping to his left at the sound of a bird's call. Smile widening by the arrival of a little friend, an american robin, perched right in front of him on the edge of the window and cocking his head around curiously to what the inside of this strange mechanical ship held for him.
“Hey there..” he muttered, keeping his voice low while minding his distance between him and the bird so that he wouldn’t spook it. It happily hopped side to side a bit, giving one cheerful chirp before then flying off. Well, that was quite a polite way to say good morning.
Chris stood up hastily, hands gripping the edge of the window as he leaned forward to follow the bird’s flight.
Maybe that was it.
A new bird adventure.
Passerine birds, while small, are well known for contributing greatly to the ecosystem, where in they consume fruits and seeds to then later deposit those in new locations, aiding in plant reproductions and forest growth. And for such tiny bodies, they carry large brains, demonstrating incredible memory that helps them in remembering locations of food caches.
The amazement about these small critters never stopped, how even the smallest of them played an important role in nature. And each one among those millions had its own creature power that characterized them, besides being great singers of course. How Nature stored itself as a surprise in such tiny beings, hidden under feathers and beady eyes.
Plus, there was nothing more freeing than being able to actually fly with wings through the sky.
His gaze drifted across the monitor, finger idly tapping away on the keyboard as he swiped through the field data from their previous research up in Central Asia. Figuring that he had plenty of time, he focused on completing the report on snow leopards, his memories momentarily switching to the little cubs, they sure had taken a bite out of the two of them that day. But cute nonetheless, as Aviva claimed.
He’d have to make sure to remember getting the camera later from their supply storage, right after he completed the report. Needing to set it up today with Martin, mostly for research purposes, of course but also because they were both pretty excited to see what kind of critters roamed around in these parts of the woods. Maybe they’d catch a few raccoons, or even more deer.
A slight groggy groan came up, followed by the soft shuffle of socked feet dragging along the floor. Chris took one glance over his shoulder, eyes landing on the slow-moving figure that was his brother. “Morning, sleeping beauty, slept good?” before then redirecting his attention to the report.
A low, “Mmmrgh,” came as a reply.
The older brother had barely gotten up from the mattress, now hovering in that dangerous space between standing, and trying not to fall asleep again. Wearing nothing more but a pair of plaid shorts, a wrinkled white t-shirt, and a pair of mismatched socks, who knew where he found those in the deep corners of a mess that was his closet. One with race cars and the other striped. For a guy who normally jumped into the day with full energy, this morning, he looked like he got completely defeated from fatigue.
His hair being an entirely different story, and here Chris thought he had the worst case of bed hair. The blue brother blinked slowly squinting against the sun that streamed in through the glass doom, rubbing one eye with his fingers, the other hanging limply at his side. He didn’t even speak, just settled on making soft grunts to communicate. His feet kept moving, his body instinctively leading him to where he had heard Chris’ voice come from.
Like a sleep-deprived zombie, once he finally reached his brother, he reached out and half-heartedly ruffling through Chris’ hair.
His brother in response flinched and jerked away, “Hey! Come on, not fair,” he said, immediately trying to style his hair back into place the way he liked it after he got Martin off him. He, in contrast, grinned through a half-yawn and opened his eyes. Still teetering on the edge of sleep, he turned and headed to the next best destination, the bathroom.
Chris smiled to himself and leaned back in the chair, “If you fall, scream, I’ll come get you” he joked, calling after his brother.
In reply, Martin lifted a single hand lazily over his shoulders in an effort to get him off his back before he disappeared out the door. Chris turned back to the report, tapping in a few more notes and cross-checking what he wrote so far. He figured since he was close to finishing up that he should get something proper to eat, a single energy bar doesn’t exactly cut it as a real breakfast.
He stood up and stretched, arms reaching overhead as his spine popped. Heading out of the main console room and straight to the kitchen where he flipped the switch beside the doorway to open two large retractable windows on either side. Letting in some fresh air and sun.
Usually, anything they needed in terms of protein or snacks was stashed in Jimmy’s fridge, making it convenient when they wanted to grab something and then head back out as soon as possible into nature so that they wouldn’t have to make the long extra trip all the way to the kitchen and then get overwhelmed by the many options and what would be best to take out with them. But their ship wasn’t just a high-tech research headquarters, it also had to function like a real home too, and the kitchen was often the best spot for all of them in the morning to just gather strength and energy for the day ahead. It was sort of cozy in that way.
A couple of mugs were still drying in the rack beside the sink, the double fridge dotted with magnets as souvenirs from all the places they’ve been to, as well some drawings from the Wild Kratt kids that they’ve sent them in fan mail.
He moved to the oven first, setting it to a high temperature, letting it preheat, while he opened the fridge’s door to take out a cup of greek yogurt. Peeling back the lid, he scooped it into a smaller bowl, layering it with chopped strawberries, a handful of blueberries and some crushed almonds from the pantry.
After a bit, checking the oven, he pulled the fridge’s door open once more to take out a dish covered in foil. Jimmy’s own special creation, pancakes, that the pilot had made earlier in the week. He pulled off the foil, setting a few of the pancakes in a neat line on the baking tray, to then cover them again in foil and sliding them into the oven to reheat them.
He turned back to the counter, the bowl with yogurt in his hand and leaned against the edge as he slowly stirred everything together. The light breeze from the windows ruffled through his hair as the songs from the birds traversed through the sky outside.
The main door to the kitchen hissed open and in stepped his older brother, well, more like dragged himself in on his feet. Shoulders slumped and hair still a bit tousled. At least he had managed to get out of his pajama shorts and into his usual khaki pants with his worn-in hiking boots, though the same white t-shirt he slept in still hung comfortably off his frame.
“Mornin’” Was all he got out before needing to cover his mouth just as he yawned, making his way over to his brother.
Chris glanced over to him, mid-chew on a spoonful of yogurt, “You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah – just,” he groaned, dragging a hand through his unkempt hair before letting it rest on the back of his neck, massaging it as he felt a sort of strain, “Exhausted..”
Chris scooted a bit aside, gesturing toward the oven with his spoon, “You want some pancakes? We still had some leftovers”
“No, I think I’ll take oatmeal today”
Chris blinked, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth, “Really?” Tilting his head slightly as he was clearly skeptical of his brother’s breakfast decision – especially coming from the same guy who once argued that s’mores counted as a balanced meal in the morning.
His brother however, remained in his decision,“Yes, really” Martin shot him a half-hearted glare in response, as he opened the cabinet and pulled out the container of rolled oats. “I’m just trying to eat better, okay?”
Chris chuckled, swirling his spoon in his yogurt, “Let me know how long that’ll last.”
Ignoring his comment, Martin filled a bowl with the oats, adding just enough water from the sink to it before popping it into the microwave. Chris leaned back against the counter, glancing at him from the side, slightly shaking his head as he knew well that his brother wouldn’t end up liking the oatmeal.
Caught up with his meal, he barely registered what his brother asked next, “Did you already go out this morning?” rubbing at his eyes.
“Yeah,” Chris nodded, taking another spoonful of yogurt in as he replied back with a full mouth, “The trail I was on was nice, and it did also give me an idea.”
Martin raised an eyebrow, leaning half his body weight against the counter while he anticipated the answer, “Oh yeah?”
“About setting up a trail cam near here,” he said between bites, “So that we might be able to get some night footage of the forest animals since we’re not going off anywhere soon,”
Martin’s eyes lit up just a bit, through his half-groggy state, “Didn’t Koki mention that the tortuga had built in cameras for perimeter tracking?”
“Well, yeah it does but they only reach so far. And I think there might be some black bears around here. I saw fresh tracks near the stream today so it couldn’t hurt to set up a few cameras further out.” the green brother persisted.
That got Martin to think, “We could take two up the north trail near the mountain, higher elevation might give us a wider range”
Chris pointed his spoon at him like a baton, “Exactly.”
“Then I’m in.” He replied with a decisive nod just as the microwave beeped, turning to retrieve his bowl of oatmeal, now fully regaining his usual energy, “You wanna go right after breakfast?” he added, not wanting to waste another minute caught inside the Tortuga.
Chris caught the shift in his mood instantly, given their brother instinct, but even so it didn’t sit right with him just going off without informing the rest of their crew were they were heading, “Course, let’s just wait until the others are up,”
As if summoned by the very mention, the kitchen door hissed open again and in shuffled Jimmy, in the same zombie-like drowsy state Martin had been earlier. His Hoodie hanging off his lanky frame, pajama pants wrinkled and riding awkwardly up one leg, not to mention that only a single sock remained on him, sagging pitifully off his foot as he dragged himself forward.
“Hey Jimmy,” Martin chuckled softly, standing beside Chris now as they both watched the groggy pilot stumble in. While waiting in the meanwhile for his oatmeal to cool down to make it bearable to eat. The two observed as the fatigued pilot dropped himself onto a bar stool by the kitchen island, letting his upper body slump forward until his cheek was smooshed against the cool surface of the countertop, arms dangling at his sides. A soft sigh escaped him.
“Rough night?” Chris inclined, finishing the last of his yogurt and setting the bowl in the sink. Jimmy didn’t move, only answering back in a low muffled groan. Lucky for him however, the biologist had just the thing to get the Pilot sort of back into normal shape. Slipping on one oven mitt onto his right hand as he opened the oven and pulled out the warm tray of pancakes, the sweet aroma filling the air and even Martin, who had resolved to try and eat an actual healthy meal today, felt his willpower bend slightly.
Chris lifted the warm pancakes one by one with a fork, stacking four of them on one plate, while he put the rest on another, all in a neat layer. Then he grabbed a banana from the fruit basket, sliced it and layered the pieces on top before drizzling maple syrup over the entire stack.
Once done, he slid the plate along with a fork on it across the island toward Jimmy, slow and steady, so that the pilot had to look up at what exactly was in front of him. Jimmy cracked open one eye, it took him a full second to register what that weird brown stack was, but when he did, his mood changed almost instantly. His face lit up and he even sat straighter, taking hold of the fork and digging right into his meal.
Martin, watching from the side with his bowl of oatmeal still untouched in his hand, found himself inhaling deeply. The sweet scent of syrup teased his senses, while he did have to at least try to keep himself in check, Martin couldn’t help but be allured by the sweet aroma. And for a wild second, he almost reached for a fork. Almost.
He caught himself just in time, straightening with a huff and waving the temptation off. About to dig into his now-cool-enough meal when the kitchen door opened once more.
“Good morning,” Koki greeted them with a soft grin, stretching her arms overhead with a small yawn as she shuffled in. Not quite so fatigued like the other two had been but definitely more composed, despite the fact that she looked like she had just tumbled out of bed. Like Jimmy, also still in her pajamas, feet in snug fuzzy socks and a silk bonnet covering her head.
The two brothers gave a quick casual wave, plus Jimmy who was still sort of hunched awkwardly over the counter, gave a muffled “mornin’” through a mouthful. She made her way to the counter, grabbing the tea kettle and filling it at the sink, to then set it down on the stove and turning the burner knob until a faint click gave way to a soft flame.
While at that, Martin finally gave in and took his first real bite of the oatmeal. Hesitating for half a second, then shoving the bite into his mouth.
Which was an instant regret.
His face twitched the moment the lukewarm, flavorless mush hit his tongue. Painfully working through the spoonful slowly, his eyebrow knitting together as he swallowed it like it hurt to do so. Chris, rinsing his yogurt bowl at the sink, caught the shift in his posture with their well-honed brother instinct. He turned the faucet off, wiping his hands before reaching out to grab a banana from the fruit basket, handing it to his brother as he in return got the oatmeal.
Right then, the automatic door hissed softly opened and in came their last missing crew member. Already dressed in sleek workout leggings and a fitted zip-up, her hair in her usual low ponytail.
“Morning, guys!” she chirped brightly, walking in.
“You look lively today,” Koki remarked, a hand going to her hip as she turned off the flame and poured the steaming water into her favorite mug, steeping a tea bag of chamomile in.
“Finally got a good night's sleep in,” the inventor replied, “Without any interruptions this time.” Her gaze flicked to the two in question, who instinctively froze in the spot, looking away from her. For whatever reason, as the two of them were rather known as the early birds, they always managed to wake their friends up in between getting up and gearing up to head outside, whether with intent or not.
Koki giggled, covering her mouth slightly, as she rested against the counter, “You want some pancakes? Chris reheated the batch Jimmy made,” gesturing towards the fresh pile. Yet Aviva walked past both her friend and the batch, heading over to a cupboard to retrieve a blender, “Rather not, sorry. I’ll just take a smoothie for now,”
“I’m still gonna save you some for later” the engineer said with a pointed nod before taking just three pancakes for herself on a plate.
“Yeah, yeah..” waving her off as she gathered all the things she needed for her special mixture, perfect to kick start her day. She put frozen strawberries, out of the fridge, almond milk and slices of a banana into the blender to mix the things well together.
“Oh, Aviva,” As if a switch flipped in his head, he realised what he had wanted to show her. Setting the half empty oatmeal bowl down on the counter, motioning her over as he took out his creature pod, “Here”
Naturally she shuffled over, looking over on the angled pod, the screen showing a still frame though as soon as her brain had fully registered what exactly she was looking at, her curiosity quickly shifted to glee.
“Aww, Qué lindo!” she exclaimed, hands clasped together as she practically shed a tear just by the sheer cuteness of the little fawn.
“What is it?” Martin, being the ever nosy man he was, leaned in with interest as soon as he noticed Aviva’s captivated expression. True to form, he practically hovered over her shoulder to see what was on the screen that had her so enthralled. The moment the image registered in his brain, his face lit up with a big grin, and an unexpected squeal escaped him, one nearly matching the inventor’s earlier reaction.
Chris chuckled, clearly amused by the way they both practically awed all over the tiny fawn, “Caught them while out running. Mama doe and her fawn, couldn’t have looked older than 4 months.” he explained, swiping through the stills until he reached a short video. Not quite sure of when he took it but by the way the camera moved unsteadily, he’d say that he had accidentally hit the record button while fumbling for his pod. As a result, this was the shaky mess, though a few things could be made out.
“They were so quiet, too,” Chris added, “Didn’t even notice them at first, only heard a rustle in the bush and then there they were.”
“Looks like they just woke up,” Aviva said, a fondness settling in her voice as she poured the mixture from inside the blender into a glass, finishing up her morning smoothie. “Think they’ll still be around somewhere in our area?”
Chris thought about it, before responding, “I’d doubt it, I was way farther out.” If they were to go back now, the family would have surely been way past all seven mountains.
Martin stretched his arms slightly, “So we’re definitely going more south then?” a grin taking form across his face. Winning his brother over in mere seconds, “Let’s go”
“Where to this time?” Koki asked, halting the two in their steps, while sipping on her now lukewarm tea.
“A bit north, actually.” Chris put-in, tapping a few coordinates into his pod now that he was thinking about it, to ensure that they wouldn’t lose themselves so easily out there, “We’re planning to set up a couple of trail cams along the mountain trail. See if we can catch any black bears or other animals.”
Aviva raised a brow, intrigued, “Really? Black bears around here?” as she took a testing sip of her smoothie while Chris nodded, “Of course here, I saw tracks out on my jog today,”
“With a little luck we just might be able to find one roaming around!” Martin added, practically bouncing on his heels.
Leaving Koki to playfully roll her eyes, she wasn’t gonna stand in their way of going out, but she did advise them to check all their equipment properly, “Just make sure to check the batteries first!”
Chris held up a hand in mock salute, reassuring her, “I’ll triple check everything, don’t worry!” flashing a grin.
From there on, the two brothers made their way out of the kitchen, their feet tapping lightly against the metal ground as the automatic door slid open with a hiss.
Aviva laughed lightly at the sight of the two brothers eagerly running off like little school children. At least knowing what they would be up to for the new hour or so, she decided to go on as well, “I’ll be up on the roof if anybody needs me,”
“Have fun” Koki waved after her as she headed out.
With most of the team gone, it just left the two of them all alone. Jimmy was still at the table, an arm propped onto the counter kept his head upright as he lazily picked at his meal and ate, not really conscious over the things around him, much less aware over the few things that they had just discussed. Eyes half lidded in fatigue.
He barely noticed when Koki came to the kitchen island with her own plate of pancakes, a generous pat of butter beginning to melt in the center while the syrup dribbled down onto the plate. Taking her seat right next to Jimmy, “Guess it’s just us two eating breakfast together,”
Jimmy mumbled through a mouthful, not saying much after and not really needing to as Koki knew very well that their pilot wasn’t that kind of morning person that the brothers were. For him, it took another extra few hours before he could fully function.
Koki cut into her own pancakes, savoring the first bite of the fluffy texture with a little hum of joy, even though she quite found the quality a bit more disappointing when in comparison to coming fresh off the pan.
While atop the Tortuga’s roof, just up on a rolled out ramp, Aviva had rolled out her violet yoga mat. Standing at the far edge, facing the forest beyond, with both feet grounded and hands raised in a smooth arc above her head, she inhaled slowly and sank into a stretch.
Arms outstretched, she transitioned through poses with practiced ease, her breathing even.
The morning breeze tousled the ends of her ponytail, occasionally catching her loose strands and fluttering them across her cheek. She moved as though the wind itself were guiding her, nature’s rhythm matching her own.
Just her, her body, the sky overhead, no kratt brother all up in her ears and pleading with her to create a new suit, just her and the soft rustling of leaves from the trees in the distance.
Back below deck, the kitchen had been tidied up. Now dressed in their usual attire, the two remaining members of the crew made their way into the main control room. For today, they were only hoping for some solace from the tiring adventuring all around the globe, sure it was what brought them joy, purpose even, but even the Wild team needed a break now and then. Saving the world by an animal a day wasn’t as easy as others thought.
Koki moved to her station, her mug in hand as she sat onto the hovering chair and flicked on her console. Her eyes immediately landed on a document left open on her screen, her brows initially raised slightly, scanning it over before realising that it was that report on snow leopards she had needed to finish.
Well, the one that she was gonna finish, though upon scrolling further down, it was completely done. Not just slapped lazily together, either. The formatting was clean, the structure solid and even the grammar was just right, she didn’t need to guess twice who the author had been, this had Chris written all over it.
She smirked softly, leaning back in her chair and taking another satisfying sip from her tea. Despite the initial surprise, she wasn’t even the slightest bit annoyed. Truth be told, it was for the better, letting someone who was well more experienced in the field take the lead on writing it meant less dependence on her part from observations and notes alone. It saved her from an hour’s worth of work and a second cup of tea. She’d have to make sure to thank him later for it, for now though, she needed to look over today’s weather.
From across the room, Jimmy had opened his mini fridge, shuffling through the items set on the metal shelves. The pilot innerly cheered, taking in the extra free time for himself, already mentally assembling the needed things for his next culinary experiment. Pancakes were merely the first course, a sandwich to top the morning off was just what he needed. Aviva had her yoga, Koki her tea, so why would it be any different from them with him eating an extra meal top the morning off.
Thinking nothing more, he settled for just a quiet relaxation with a new game he had bought, until Koki spoke, not even glancing up as her fingers idly tapped away on the keyboard. “Jimmy, did you make sure to check the flight console?”
The pilot visibly jerked up, closing the fridge door shut instantly, “Be right back!”
The navigator chuckled to herself at the sudden outburst, turning back to her screen as the ship settled into its quiet lull, the kind that came in short bursts between their more chaotic adventures.
Caught up in her own work, she finished her third weather scan, confirming that the skies would stay clear for at least another day. When her peace was promptly shattered, not having anticipated the brothers to have come back so quickly from their set-up.
The doors hissed open with a sharp burst, and in tumbled Chris and Martin, their boots scuffing against the metal floor as they practically burst into the control room like a pair of overexcited golden retrievers.
“We found one!” Chris declared, cheeks flushed and his chest rising and falling with each breath that he took now that he had the chance to stand still.
Koki blinked, startled but not entirely surprised, “Found what?”
“A game trail! A really good one,” Martin chimed in, his shirt and usual blue jacket were completely damp with sweat and leaves stuck to his back, but the energy radiating off him was infectious as he instantly raced to the big screen, syncing the screen with a few photos he took on his creature pod to show it to their trusty mechanic.
“There! Those are so fresh too, we found the bear prints close to a stream!” swiping through the various pictures he took, one, not surprisingly, containing bear prints.
“So you did follow it?” Koki raised an eyebrow, arms folded in her seat. Unimpressed at their tendency to wander off from main tasks and getting side-tracked.
“Just a bit,” Martin admitted, brushing a few twigs out of his hair. “We didn’t go too far, just enough to mark the spot on our map.”
Chris stepped closer, taking his own pod out with the data on his device, “We also set one cam up lower towards the mountain trail, I’ll send you the coordinates,”
A second later, a blinking marker popped up on Koki’s own digital map, saving the little dot as she exclaimed, “Got them” catching him again in just a second before he walked off, “Oh and Chris, thanks for finishing up the report for me,”
He smiled over his shoulder, “No problem,” before stopping and remembering something, “Wait, I think I recorded some videos..” swiping through his storage on his device. Pulling up a short clip, which flickered to life on the main computer screen. A sleek snow leopard leapt gracefully across a rocky outcrop, vanishing into the surrounding rough mountain side with barely a sound.
“There, that was the female we tagged along with” Chris said, his voice softer now as he pointed the elegant cat out. Fondly looking upon the little clip he’d caught at that exact moment while waiting for Martin to catch up on their climb up the mountain.
“Blizzard!”
Their heads turned at the sound, only to be met by Aviva’s usual blissful look in her eyes as she came forward, dressed now in her iconic yellow jacket. She held the big cat so happily in her memory, having been such an amazing inspiration for her own snow leopard creature suits.
“She’s so agile,” Koki commented, leaning forward with her mug in hand.
“All thanks to those powerful hind legs,” Martin replied. “She can leap over six times the length of her own body in a single bound.”
“Definitely the most athletic of the big cats.” Aviva agreed, her gaze locked on the looping video. Each member intently watched at the sequence that took the cat to prepare itself for the inevitable jump, to the take-off and the safe landing.
Chris tapped his chin, eyes towards the ground, “That does have me thinking now though”
Martin glanced at him, naturally inquiring to know as the first, “‘Bout what?”
He shifted slightly, crossing his arms. “Overall about the animal kingdom. Especially outside the Tortuga. Sure we’ve catalogued through all the species in this area and figured out their special characteristics, but that’s just what we got from passing glimpses.” He settled with keeping his hands atop his hips, “It would interest me more in how they go about in their lives, observing each one with their own behaviors and ways to ensure survival.”
Martin’s brow lifted, catching on to what his brother was getting at, “Like their habits? Daily routines?”
“Pretty much, if we think about it, we’re not really that different from them, we all have our own routines that we stick to,”
Koki proceeded, “And.. that’s supposed to mean what?”
Chris’ gaze met his brother, “It means..” The two ultimately smirked at one another, as if their shared mental link had already done the needed talk before they addressed the rest of the crew once more, “That the circle of life out there never stops, it keeps moving, every hour, every day, by rain or sunshine, night or morning. And if we want to really understand it..”
Martin stepped in smoothly, finishing off his brother’s thought, “Then neither can we...”
Chris grin widened, meeting the eyes of his brother, “That includes adventuring.”
Martin gasped. And just like that, both brothers turned on their heels and bolted for the equipment room, unstoppable on foot.
Still, the ones left in the wake of their insanity called out, “What, wait guys!” Aviva shouted after them. “You still didn’t explain anything!”
“It means that we're going camping!” Martin’s voice echoed from down the hall.
Of course, Aviva let a long sigh go, pinching the bridge of her nose yet she wasn’t all that annoyed at their usual antics. She should have known that’s what they were getting at.
“Typical” Koki chuckled behind her, “Take it easy on them, you know they’re not gonna be able to focus on anything else when animals are involved.”
“I can’t blame them, honestly,” settling down at her own station to get in some cleaning at last notice. Who knew what could come out of their adventure, notes, sightings, maybe even a new animal for a creature power suit that they would end up begging her for. At the end, the word rest or break was as foreign to the brothers as anything else in this world. The adventure never rested with them, and so neither could they, she supposed.