CRUNCH
"Croc..." Wild asks hesitantly, "What happened..."
"We... I meant HE... flew into a tree," Marigold groans from atop Croc's back.
"That looked bad..." comments Stella from above.
"I'm fine!" Croc says, seemingly annoyed.
"Do you now get why I like flying on Wild better?" Marigold asks.
Croc pulls back and does a loop de loop to make sure he's alright. Marigold clutches him for dear life as she is upside down.
"Croc! Catch up!" She says, when she realizes that the others had kept going.
"So you have the patience to sleep for half a day but not to let me practice?" Croc grumbled, but he caught up anyway.
"Perhaps I should fly underneath you," Stella said, "In case you fall off."
"Good idea Stella," Marigold agreed enthusiastically.
•••
"Ok guys, we're nearing the next island," Croc says, pointing. "Are we gonna stop?"
"Sure," says Marigold, "but can I switch backs when we get there?"
She catches the look Croc shoots at her.
"Sorry Croc," she says, "but I quite frankly do not feel safe on your back. You were flinging me around!"
"Oh I'm SO sorry I'm NOT GOOD ENOUGH for you," says Croc pointedly.
"Geez," Marigold says.
"I'll steal Wilds frying pan!" Croc declares.
"Oh no you don't!" Willow roars.
Croc grabs it anyway.
"Oh god," Marigold says, as she rolls her eyes.
"That's MINE!" Wild says, pulling it away.
"Not anymore!" Croc says gleefully as he snatches it away again.
Willow tugs at it once more.
"I will bite your head off," she growls, finally getting it away.
She proceeds to tuck it into a safe place.
Croc shrugs.
"That might be an improvement, because then I wouldn't have to see you," he retorts.
Willow gives Croc the bombastic side eye.
Croc gives Willow the Cricket look.
Willow gives Croc the Moon look.
"Ok, new rule guys," Marigold interjects. "No. More. Looks."
Willow ignores this comment and gives Croc the Sundew look.
Marigold glares at her from Crocs back.
Wild squeaks and says, "Let's land on that island then, shall we?"
Croc gives her one last look, the Annoyed And Ill Tempered Luna look.
Marigold sees this and says, "You too Croc!"
"When we get there," Croc says, "y'all need to get some sleep."
"Us!?" Wild exclaims. "You're the one waking everyone up at UNGODLY hours!"
"That was only twice!" Croc says in protest.
"Come on Honey, let's go get some berries," Marigold says, nudging Honey.
"Good idea," Honey says, and she laughs as she heads towards a clump of bushes.
Marigold stays behind for a few minutes, monitoring the conversation and making sure she could head off without them killing each other.
As it turned out, she needn't wait long.
"If you want me to go to sleep, I can drink the knockout juice!" Croc says. "Because I will."
Marigold jumps in before Wild can answer.
"Don't! We might need it!"
"Can I shoot him with a dart then?" Willow asks.
"Nope," Marigold replies, "in fact, no artificial sleeping!"
"Darn it," Willow says, half joking.
After a minute pondering this, Wild speaks up again.
"Oh I know!" She exclaims, "don't worry, it's not artificial."
"I'm worried..." says Croc.
"I'll hit you with my frying pan!" She declares.
"That is legit knocking me out!" Croc practically shouts.
"Perhaps I wasn't clear," Marigold says. "What I meant was, no. Knocking. Croc. Out. Artificial or otherwise."
She turns to Honey. "Are they like, incapable of not fighting?"
Croc huffs in exasperation.
"Well I'm going," He says with finality and he takes off.
"Me too," says Willow, then she proceeds to take five steps and fall flat on her face, asleep.
"Bro," says Croc, smacking his face and almost falling out of the sky as a result.
"No falling!" Marigold barks at him irritably.
She points at a tall, wavy palm tree.
"Reconvene tomorrow at that tree. Pass the message along."
With that, she promptly turns on her heel and marches after Honey, and turns in later that night.