//------------------------------// // Chapter forty-three, Wishing Wisely: Jumping away. // Story: Airship Mauled // by Darkonshadows //------------------------------// -A week later Zebrican Jungle, Savannah- “Okay, here we go~!” I sang out as I took our first step out of sight of The Ardent Survivor. We were scouting the general area of the jungle and staying away from any big animals, the flora smelled nice and the fauna wasn’t always so unpleasant. Unless you were Jacky. Nefer, Gene and Belfry were staying with the ship while we got some girl time in, Flotsam needed it and Jacky suggested it. Now if only Jacky could remember that she’s been hit by a least three trees in the past five days or is attracting more danger than her curse normally does. “Here we go~. Wandering the jungle we don’t know~.” I started to sing as I kept my pace slow as I walked along with Flotsam alongside me. “You can relax, we’re as safe as can be you know~.” “Are you sure about that~? Do you even know where Captain Jacky is at~?” Flotsam ducked under a leaf and as we trudge through the jungle. “I think she might be under attack~.” The sound of several trees being smashed and the sound of Jacky running for life could be heard and she shot past them and started climbing up a tree with, only for a rhino to ram into it. “Oh goddesses help me~! This rhino is chasing me up a tree~!” The rhino was actually managing to climb the tree after Jacky, it really seemed determined to rip her apart with its horn. “This is an emergency here~!” “Are we singing in verse~? Is this a jungle curse~?!” Flotsam had a nice singing voice, she could give a siren a run for their money. “Why in Tartarus is all of this so queer~?” We continued along at an even pace and watched as Jacky got in some calisthenics, she was really quick on her feet. She had to be to keep outrunning a rhino like that, then again I heard she had outran a boulder that kept increasing in lethality and could even roll up a hill. Don’t honestly know how Jacky aggravated it, but it really wanted to maul her quite badly despite the fact that she was able turn faster than it could when it started building up speed to use lethal force. What we were feeling was the jungle beat. “Flotsam, it’s just a heart song~.” A bird with a red tipped bill flew down and start to peck at my fur, probably taking care of the annoying insects that landed on me. The bird started to chirrup making happy fluting noises and another landed on Flotsam to sing along with it. “Out of my way~!” Jacky ran past in front of us with not only a rhino chasing her, but also a lioness and a jaguar. Our parrot friend was not having a good day. “This is going to be one long day~.” Flotsam groaned out, but still patted the bird on her head softly and it continued to sing for us alternatingly with its friend on my head while picking at bugs that came near us. “Jacky jump~!” I yelled out, she managed to avoid bowling over an okapi by leaping over it, I yawned and stretched. I patted my own little friendly bird and watched the spectacle, the okapi simply cowered away from the beasts chasing after Jacky. “Don’t become their prey~!” “You join this fray~!” It seemed like Jacky wasn’t going to get any time to pull something from behind her back to deal with all the trouble. At least the okapi noticed us and came over to tilt his head curiously at us. “I’m sorry, is friend being okay~?” We nodded to the okapi, he shrugged and just went on his merry way. “Stop ignoring my plight and help me out~!” Jacky screeched as she ducked under the lions lunge, kicked the jaguar in the face and then rolled out of the way. The jaguar was soon rammed painfully by the rhino into a nearby tree. We just continued walking and tail wiggling our way up stream looking around at the beautiful trees, vines and wonderful flowers with sweet little birds on our heads. Jacky meanwhile somehow got a pack of monkeys on her, they were throwing stuff at her from the trees. She was using a large pangolin as a shield, that poor pangolin didn’t look happy about it. This was all occurring while she was trying to outrun a honey badger that somehow got involved the second she reappeared from going behind a tree. The jaguar and the rhino were busy with each other and the lioness was stalking through the grass waiting to pounce on her. “Wild and free, this jungle is so me~.” I picked up the curious fox with bat ears that came up to me and cuddled it to my chest, it wagged its tail happily in response. I still had a bird on my head preening my fur. “Why look at this little cutie~!” A penguin popped out of the river and waddled up to Flotsam to look at her curiously, she bent down to take a look at the small waddling bird. The bird on her head quickly evacuated its perch as the penguin leapt up and slapped her in the face and then brayed like a donkey before running off for the river. The bird with the red tipped beak returned to its perch. “What was that~? Why did the penguin just attack~?” Flotsam turned to me looking upset. “Was there something wrong with me~?” “Do not worry~.” I was enjoying our nature walk, Jacky wasn’t having as much luck. Speaking of, there she goes swinging by on vine with the lioness and the honey badger doing the same thing still chasing her. Those were some smart animals. “It was just a jackass penguin~. That is to be taken quite literally~.” “The musical noise, of this canopied jungle~. It makes such a wonderful cacophony~!” Flotsam sang and the bird on her head chirped at her singing appreciatively, she was doing pretty well with moving through the foliage. For a sea pony, she was doing pretty with for someone that didn’t have more than two legs to stand on. The air was fresh, the flowers were pretty, plants with large leaves and bushes to push out of our path. All the colors blended to make for a pretty picture. I wish I had a camera right now, but I don’t think the picture would do everything I saw justice like seeing it in person would. “I think I love all this nature~!” I sang out while putting the fox down and shooing it away. The birds started to make flute like noises in harmony now, we watched a few bugs flitter about and a few animals meandering around drinking water from the nearby river. “It’s quite grand~.” “It is more than I can stand~!” Jacky was wrestling with the honey badger and punching its face vigorously as hard as she could. That was only making it angrier and she was getting cut up pretty badly by its claws. “That’s enough~!” I growled at the honey badger and it ran away from me and left Jacky bleeding on the ground. “Come on, hey, don’t you pout~!” “That’s just your luck~.” Flotsam stated seeing the badger run away from my growling, only for a series of mangoes fall on Jacky’s head and we weren’t even next to any mango trees. Her luck must be really making up for the lost time it took us to get to Zebrica. “I’ll just get the medical kit out~.” “Please do, I’m bleeding all over and about~!” Jacky whined on the ground. -One quick patch job to Jacky’s injuries later, Flotsam- I just looked at Jacky’s bandaged arms and legs. We shouldn’t have just kept following the flow of the song and actually listened to Jacky’s cries for help. I didn’t know Heart Songs could actively be malicious like that… never actually took part in one either. Jacky’s luck was really going at her today, at least she didn’t run into a bee or wasp hive. Not much to sing about when life had been cruel to you growing up. I was still nervous about my upcoming wishes. Today the lamp was in Nefer’s possession and I worried the genie was going to take him for a ride. If he hurt my little brother, then my first wish was going to be a fate worse than death for him, even if he twisted the wish it would still go badly for him! I have an idea or two for a no winning move wish to use against him. In any case I never thought about it before, but my curse isn’t as horrible as Jacky’s is in comparison. I can actively avoid water, she can’t go anywhere without her curse cropping up. I didn’t want to stop being a sea pony, but there was a large urge to make the wish to be an Earth Pony, Pegasus Pony or even a Unicorn Pony. Becoming a unicorn would pretty much make my whitecap ability a moot point, highly tempting just for the magical horn alone. Being a winged pony would let me fly, something that I could get endless amounts of joy out of. If I were an Earth Pony, I’d be able to be that much closer to my little brother, maybe I would also gain prehensile hair and greater cooking skills. Speaking of lamp… I looked to Savannah and the amulet she wore around her neck. It held a metal ring with a horizontal rectangular sapphire that sat at her chest. “Okay, what were your first and third wishes? I already know about her second wish, she made her third one before we left the airship today and I didn’t hear it.” That and I was asking because I was still nervous about the wishes I could be making. “I’ll tell you my first wish, but my third wish will come to pass when you get the lamp. I hope you appreciate it Sammy!” Seeing Savannah’s tail flicking about, I was now worried about what her last wish entailed. “I asked Jacky if my wish was a good idea and she agreed that the wish was a really the best one I could have ever given you.” “Savannah is the first one to make a selfish wish, with the exception that she can actually let us use the amulet from time to time. I know I want to try it once.” The smile on Jacky’s beak as she turned to me was quite bright. “You’ll find your wishes to be much easier to come up with, trust us on that. Savannah wanted to do something nice for you, you two could spend more time together… and no I don’t mean in that way Savannah.” “Anyway, my first wish was for the crew. More specifically, while it was mostly for everyone, the wish is mostly centered on you and Jacky.” The Abyssinian gained a sheepish look. “Did you ever plan on having children? Well good news! They’ll absolutely be curse free and in Jacky’s case her children will be protected from the more volatile consequences of her curse during pregnancy. My wish works even if I were to suddenly contract a curse similar to Jacky or yours Flotsam. The wish also works for the guys as well, mostly Gene. Don’t know about Nefer as I don’t think there are many anugyptian felines around and Belfry would have to go to The Garden or join a butterfly migration.” I released a sigh, I did kind of want to have children one day. It was nice to know that Savannah was thinking ahead and considering the rest of us with that wish. “As for my third wish, that’s going to be a surprise… so what are we going to do now and have you finally caught your breathe Jacky?” It wasn’t just Savannah that was worried about our blood soaked bandage covered friend. Jacky’s health always seemed like it was in a constant state of flux, by the time she got done healing from one injury, she’d have two more minutes later. “Yeah, I should be good to go guys.” Standing up and straightening out her tail, Jacky started walking the same direction we had been going along the river. “Let’s keep exploring up river for an hour, then we’ll head on back to see what the guys are getting up to.” -The Ardent Survivor, Gene- I was relaxing and getting in some quality guy time with Nefer and Belfry, with our special guest Evoker the grumpy genie. It must be hard for Evoker to be stuck with us and granting constant decently made wishes. Evoker had recently granted Nefer’s first wish, he got a magical scratching post primarily for Savannah. The scratching post would also be useful for the maybe Jacky and himself as well. I myself wouldn’t mind having access to using it, it looked like a good claw care device. “I have an idea for my second wish already!” Nefer seemed to concentrate on what he really wanted. “I..” “Don’t strain yourself thinking too hard. Not that you do a lot of thinking from what I’ve seen.” Evoker prodded and I glared at the genies back. “Can we get the ten remaining wishes out of the way sometime this year?” “I wish some really good lawyers would come here temporarily to help me with some documentation to legally make Flotsam De Brie my big sister, after they’re done they’ll safely go back to where they were last before being brought here.” Nefer’s wish was received with an odd look, eventually Evoker held out his right hand and snapped his digits. “Well now… that’s… actually the most interesting result from a twisting I’ve ever seen.” Evoker stated with disbelief. “You asked for lawyers plural, you got a single three headed creature.” “A genie?” One voice said. “Hey look, it’s Gene!” Another said. “Okay, why were we brought here Gene and what’s going on?” The tiger head of the three headed creature stated. “Hey Maries, this is Nefer, he wished for really good lawyers so he can legally call his adoptive big sister his actual big sister. Could you help us out with a few other things too?” I gestured my talons to Evoker. “I could use a lawyers help to make some of my wishes go through without a problem. So how about using your skills to help us make some wishes? Also, before you ask, he couldn’t bring Jade back.” “Damn it!” All three heads shouted as one, then Maria blasted fire into the air angrily. “Our sentiments exactly, especially when we heard he couldn’t take away the curses that Jacky and another crew member of ours has.” Magic couldn’t solve every problem in life, sometimes the only way to do something was the hard way. Actually, getting to the genie’s lamp was pretty hard to do, so I guess that even the hard way sometimes doesn’t work. “What are you’re going rates?” “What was the wording of the wish that brought us here and if we can… can we get three wishes as payment before fulfilling the wish that brought us here?” Their grins were feral, given that they were lawyers they were well within their rights to grin. “A chimera lawyer?” Nefer finally reacted. “That’s incredible!” “More wishes?” Grumped out Evoker. “I despise lawyers now!”