Food Chain: Leroy Jenkins
This was it, the game was about to commence and we had 24 hours to find a safe place to set up our supplies and shelter before the Hunters came after us. Well, at least it was more than a 15 minute head start!The research facility had a set of docks where transport ferries were stationed. Because the island had wild game on it, they didn't want to risk the animals escaping, so they used boats instead of a bridge. There looked to be about 6 ferries in all, and we had been told they were large enough to hold 50 contestants each. That meant it would only take two deliveries to get all 500 of us across.Me, Adrian, and Heather stayed close to Hector and his group, wanting to all be taken across on the same boat so we knew where each other was. Rebecca, Kimberlee, and Jake, however got lost in the crowd, and likely boarded another ferry.As our group piled on, I counted in addition to Hector's group plus the three of us, we numbered at 15 passengers, taking up the majority of space on the ferry. I saw some others who appeared to be sticking together with each other, but their groups were noticeably smaller than ours. It did not take long for each ferry to be loaded up, and after laying on the fog horn, the boats cast off. As we pulled away from the docks, I looked back to see the couple hundred who remained behind and noticed that Rebecca and Kimberlee were still on the docks, standing at the front of the group. I also saw Jake looming behind them.
"Huh, guess they didn't make it after all." I muttered before turning back to the others. "So about those introductions, Hector?" I asked, now that we weren't being interrupted by the Hunter introduction."Right." The Zebra said, clearing his throat, "Well like I said, I'm Hector and you've already met Michael and Sara. The girls are Haley, Ruby, Ashley, Crystal, Hope, and Violet." he pointed to each girl as he named them in the order of the Beaver, the Golden Retriever, the Bee, the Humming Bird, the Ferret, and the Sloth."And the boys are Kyle, Maxwell, James" he finished, pointing to the Koi Fish, the Panda, and the Church Mouse. I chuckled at the introductions and when he asked me what was so funny, I pointed out the fact that we had a lot more females than males. He nodded at that, but then pointed out that with me and the otter, we now had a larger number of males."Oh right, we haven't introduced ourselves." I finally realized. "I'm Christopher, and he's Adrian, and this is Heather." I pointed to us, and now the introductions were finally completed. To be honest, I don't think I could remember 10 different names upon hearing them the first time, but the grim thought that some of us might not even survive the first day reminded me that I may not have to.
"So, a full year on an island that wants to kill us." Adrian said, folding his arms over his
chest, "At the very least the vore fetish lovers can die happy!" he joked, causing some of us to laugh, including myself.The trip did not take long, the ferries had motor engines, instead of those old water wheels, and we arrived on the island after only 10 minutes. The boats gave another blast of their horns as they began to pull up into dock, and the captain's voice encouraged us to disembark as quickly as possible so they could retrieve the next set of players. Considering we had no personal belongings on us at the time, we didn't have any reason to linger on the boats anyways.Some players were eager to get a head start, and were jumping off the side of the boats before it had come to a complete stop. As their paws hit the sandy beaches or the docks, they took off running into the jungle. I immediately checked them off in my mental list of players I wouldn't be seeing ever again. I had learned over time of watching the show that those who were over eager and confident tended to die first. The survivors used their heads, relying on patience and planning over bravado and courage. We had a full 24 hours, the Hunters wouldn't be out until sunrise the next morning, there was no need to rush.
Speaking of which, I had only just now realized the time. I suppose it was because the party distracted me, but it had been night during our arrival, and just as we were landing on the island, the sun was beginning to come up over the horizon, ensuring that we could accurately measure how much time we had left.As we waited for the boat to dock fully, our group began making its way down the plank. We stuck together as we began to scope out the area and pick our entry point. Kyle suggested we start near a source of water, and I could understand why. His species was supposed to be aquatic, yet he had been on dry land the whole time. I could only guess that they made him amphibious to be able to breathe air, but he must have gotten dehydrated easily."There should be a river or a stream that flows in from the ocean so you and Adrian can get more comfortable." Hector said, pointing across the beach, "If we walk around a bit, I'm sure we'll find one.""Maybe I can help?" suggested Crystal, spreading her arms. I then realized that much like the Hunter, Dracula, she too had a large pair of wings instead of arms. I guess the angelic wing type made it too difficult to fly even with splicing technology, so they replaced the arms.
I also noticed that Crystal was one of the smallest members in our group. Not a surprise really, Humming Birds were already very small, but her body had to be light enough to allow her to fly. She only came up to about waist height compared to me, making her look more like a child than a grown adult. Her voice was also higher pitched than was expected of her age, likely due to her small body."Give it a try." I said, and as she unfolded her wings, she began to flap them, and caught me by surprise. Just like a real Humming Bird, her wings beat with the speed of an insect's. They were nearly invisible save for a blur of bright green feathers moving up and down rapidly.Gently, Crystal kicked off the ground with one talon and hovered for a few seconds before slowly lowering back down. She kicked again, and this time hovered several feet, before kicking one last time and flying up into the air high above us and staying in flight."Awesome!" Heather exclaimed as Crystal began turning around and scoping out the island. Either she had already flown before we met her, or the fact that Humming Birds could hover in the air like a helicopter made it easier to control.
"There's a couple rivers over that way!" She called down, pointing with her right leg to the east before turning back to the island. "I can't tell how the others are doing, the trees are too thick to see through!" she went on."That makes sense!" I shouted up at her, "Don't want the fliers to have an unfair advantage!" I explained as she began to slowly lower herself back down to the beach. Once she landed again, we made our way to the direction she gave us."So, Hector, you seem to know a bit about the show." Heather said, "You been a fan for very long?" she asked while we walked. I could tell she was just trying to ease the boredom. She was probably one of the over eager players, but only stuck behind because of the rest of us. Judging by the way her eyes kept darting towards the trees, and her tail flinching in agitation, she wanted to see what the island had to offer."I've been around since the first season." Hector replied, "and I've watched all 8 seasons at least 10 times each." he explained, "I made sure to memorize as much about the game as I could before joining in, so I wouldn't make the same mistakes as the others." he finished.
"That's why Hector's going to be the chieftain of our tribe, he's a Food Chain fanatic." Hope explained, sticking close by. She kept looking over to the forest hesitantly, and I could tell she was nervous. I don't think the realization of what this competition involved had fully dawned upon her yet. She was expecting (or make that relying on) Hector to keep her alive. I quickly made a note that the ferret girl might become a liability in the future, and would have to ensure I didn't get stuck alone with her in the wilds."Really? I've been around since the first season too." I said, catching Hector's interest, "I only own the first 6, though. But its still my favorite show." I added. Hector and the others seemed pleased to have another player in the group who was a big fan of the show. It helped their survivability to have
more than one expert."What are the 3 key roles each Tribe usually has?" Crystal asked, wanting to test out my knowledge of the show. I looked to the bee girl and smiled before listed off the encyclopedic knowledge I had acquired.
"The Chieftain, the Shaman, and the Wiseman / Wisewoman. Gatherers, and Warriors are secondary roles." I replied before going into further detail. "The Chieftain is the leader of the tribe, he's supposed to keep us organized. The Shaman is a fancy way for saying Doctor. Their job is to create medicine for healing our wounds, and poisons for hunting our foes. It usually requires some knowledge in biology, so you know what kind of ingredients you can gather from the island." I paused letting the information sink in."The Wiseman or the Wisewoman is the tribe's adviser. It's their job to help keep the members informed, and help the Chieftain form better strategies for organizing and running the tribe. It usually calls for a very experienced player who knows a lot about the show." I said, causing Hector and Adrian to smile at me. "Gatherers are in charge acquiring food like meat and fruits, and the Warriors are in charge of defending the tribe against threats." I finished"Congratulations, Christopher, "Hector said, patting me on the shoulder, "Your the tribe's Wiseman!" he said, causing the rest of the tribe to clap and cheer in a mild celebration. Finally, we arrived near the river and could begin our journey into the proper jungle.
As soon as we reached the river, Kyle dove in, and judging by his thrashing around, I'd say it was not a moment too soon. He poked his head out of the water and gave a loud groan of relief as he floated on his backside, letting the cool water rejuvenate him. Moments later, Adrian decided to join him, diving into the water and likewise becoming more energetic in the process."I guess their aquatic instincts took over?" I mused as I watched the fish and the otter swim around excitedly in the water, getting accustomed to their new forms. I noticed they swam with speeds that would put human athletes to shame. They were fast and agile, not slow clumsy like human swimmers. Their bodies were designed to thrive in a watery environment, and they glided through the river as easily as a bird in flight.When they were fully hydrated, they came back to the surface of the water as Hector began to lead us into the jungle. They stayed close to the shore line so they wouldn't lose track of us, but they remained in the water where they could make full use of their abilities.
"Everybody keep a look out, there are death traps all over the place." I said, "The plants and animals are trying to eat us. But there are also tar pits, quick sand, pit falls, and lots of other stuff that's just trying to kill us." I went on."Mmm, I need a drink."
Crystal said, causing us to look at her. Her voice sounded odd, even a little distant as her wings fluttered and buzzed, and she gently floated through the air towards an enormous flower hanging from a tree branch overhead.She floated closer and began to slurp up the nectar in the center of the flower, and I immediately recognized what it was she was drinking out of. The flower had bright, silver colored petals, and gave off a sweet aroma as the nectar dripped from its center."Ashley, get the hell away from that thing!" I shouted. But it was too late, as she leaned in closer for another lick, her hands brushed against the petals, and the flower snapped shut around her. Moments later, she was screaming and we could see the flower swaying from it's stem indicating a struggle was going on inside. The others looked to me for an explanation, even Hector seemed taken by surprise.
"It's called a Steel Flower!" I exclaimed, "It's petals are strong as steel, they're practically indestructible. Once it snaps shut around you, it's like a steel trap, it can digest a player's entire body in just 15 minutes!" I said as the other tribe members looked up at the swaying bulb in horror."I remember now." Hector said, "They specialize in catching insects and small birds. Animals who feed on nectar. This island is using our animal instincts against us, it wants us to embrace our new abilities. That's how it traps us!" he added his own insight to the situation.