The Lore of ZooKazoo -- Day 8

Wow, some of you are beginning to submit very good and very long passages for the story. In fact, they are so long that I'm not getting all of your writing. The comment box only allows you to write about 6 lines. Anything more just gets lost. So if you have a long passage for me, break it up into separate comments that are no longer than 6 lines. Don't forget to sign your masterpieces with your Zelf's name! Thanks and now, back to the jungle . . . 

Day 8

Growler's paws and face were stained purple with Tikiberry juice. He rolled his eyes up to the sky, distended his stomach out as far as he could, opened his enormous jaws, and let loose with a truly stupendous belch: "Buuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrppppppppp. Ahhhhhhhhh. Those berries were definitely delicious."

"Gross, you are so gross, Growler. Remember, you are in the presence of royalty," Princess Kazooba said with a bit of a devious smirk. Then like the steady building of rolling thunder, she let loose with her own, "Brp, brpbrp, brpbrpbrp, brrrrrrrrrroooooooooooppppppppppp, brrrrrrrmmmmmmpppppp!" that rose in pitch as she drew it to full effect.

Growler stood staring, amazed at the sound coming from this small Kazoobian girl, and then he just broke up, laughing and laughing. "This partnership is getting better and better. This girl is no dainty prude. We're going to do great things together," he thought as he studied her with renewed interest from head to toe.

Dropping her comedic pose, Kazooba turned serious once again. "Growler, let's take a look at the map. I've been thinking about it and I  hate to say it, but we have to use the old rugged bridge that we were warned about. You can see on the map that we are going to have to cross the Evan River that pours into the lake, here. The old rugged bridge is a shortcut. If we don't cross it, we have to follow the river miles and miles south before there is another place to cross. And then, we have to come all the way back north again. That's days of hiking."

Growler pondered her point, when his ears picked up a distant noise that was rapidly getting closer. His nose twitched as he sampled the air. In an instant he leaped at Kazooba, knocking her down and rolling with her beneath some thick green shrubs. Kazooba started to complain, "Growler! What's gotten into you?"

"Shhhhhhhhhh! Be quite. Someone or some - ones are coming and they are moving fast."

Kazooba got the point, but she made a mental note to tell Growler that they could have hidden without him leaping at her and scaring her to death. Then she heard the on-rushing noise, high in the trees. First, she could just make out snapping branches and shaking treetops. But as the commotion grew nearer, she could see a very large ape moving at incredible speed through the jungle canopy. Instantly, she recognized the Royal Monkey Troop vest and insignia. 

Her parents did care and they had sent out the Troop to find her. It would be so easy to jump out and signal the soldier and end up back in her comfortable palace room. But what about her Destiny? What about the important thing that Growler had said she had to do? With Growler, she squirmed back further into the deep shadows of the overhanging shrubs.

The pack-wearing monkey flew right over them, not seeing the Princess or her companion below. And then, Seeds . . . . Seeds really blew!

Trying hard to hold it in, hands pressed firmly against his mouth, Seeds' stomach finally had had enough of the swaying, bouncing, upsetting form of travel. Seeds' stomach made one gigantic reverse push up Seeds' throat and he spewed a ghastly, smelly, green slime in a long gooey arch. "Bombs away!" he gagged, glad he'd been able to vomit away from Pricilla instead of all over her neck and back. But then another unexpected thing happened.

Below and in the rapidly receding distance, a great tiger rolled from under some shrubs and stood up roaring, "You disgusting, tree-swinging, fur-ball! You puked all over me! Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. Come back here and apologize or you're going to end up a pile of monkey meat!

Pricilla heard the offensive call. No one shouts at a King's guard like that. One muscular hand gripped the next branch and she arched her back and swung her weight up. Her momentum lifted her up and around in a perfect flip, hurling her back towards the still roaring tiger. Seeds was pushed down into the pack by the force of the turn and just groaned, "Oh, my stomach."

Pricilla was back over the tiger in seconds and dropped down in a crouch before him. Dust flew up from her landing. Monkey soldier and magnificent tiger glared at one another, their postures daring the other to make the next move.