Tobias II : Part 8

By Klumpy

"Toby, where have you been all day?" asked Amy upon the dark lizard?s sudden arrival, "I?ve been worried sick!" She rushed over to him, anxiously trying to see if he had been doing anything illegal.

"Hey, don?t worry, I?ve just been doing some soul-searching?you know, going back to all my old hangouts, that style of thing." Although this was only partially true, he didn?t feel like mentioning TJ to Amy, and definitely didn?t want to reveal that he had been talking to and training the younger lizard all afternoon.  It was quite nice to be away from all of TJ?s energy, however, as it made Tobias feel older than he actually was.

"Oh, Okay.  I picked up some clothes for you, so if you want to try them on?" She picked up a large plastic bag from beside her bed and searched through it as Tobias looked on.  After a while of rummaging, she gave up and tipped the bag upside-down, letting all the clothes fall onto the carpet. "Right, I picked up a variety of stuff, since I wasn?t sure what might suit you.  Feel free to try them on, I can always return them tomorrow."

He shrugged and picked up a T-shirt, holding it up against himself. "I think I?ll look weird in clothes."

"They couldn?t make you look worse." He glared at her, at which she giggled nervously. "?sorry, I didn?t mean it like that."

"No problem." He slung the T-shirt over his arm and picked up a pair of jeans. "Man, I?m gonna look like John Travolta."

"Yeah, if he was a lizard."

He took his yin-yang pendant off reluctantly and tried to get the T-shirt on over his head.  He had obviously not worn clothes for a long time.  She watched as he straightened the T-shirt and leapt up and down, trying to get the jeans on. "These things are so annoying!" he growled, falling backwards onto the floor, still trying to pull the jeans on.  After a few more moments of wriggling, the jeans were on, and he fastened them proudly.  Because they were new, and therefore quite stiff, he had a few problems getting up, but he was finally on his feet again?looking completely different.

"Well, you look lovely.  Sorry if the jeans are tight, but they flatter you." She walked around him, looking at him from all angles.  He looked like your average high-school heart-throb?with scales, of course. "I think clothes could become you."

Suddenly, he grabbed hold of her and held her in his arms, tilting her backwards slightly as though they were in the middle of a dance. "Well, how about a change of outfit for you, darling?"

Her eyes widened. "What is up with you?"

"How about taking this shirt off altogether, baby?"

That comment earned him an aggressive glare. "Tobias, get off.  What have you been doing today?"

"Nothing, ?cept longing for your body, sweetheart."

"Tobias, let go."

"Kiss me, Amy?kiss me hard?"

She pulled away from him and put her claws on her hips, staring angrily at him. "Have you been sniffing something?"

He stepped away from her, nervously, wringing his hands.  His eyes were bulging more than usual. "I?I?m so sorry?I?don?t know why I did that." Warily, she kept his eyes on him, and a faint blush crossed his cheeks. "I didn?t mean to do that.  It?s been a?funny day."

The frown didn?t leave her face. "?are the trousers Okay?"

"Yeah, they?re?kinda tight.  And the T-shirt is?er?well, it brings out the color of my eyes." He looked down at himself. "Yeah, I like this Okay."

"Well, help yourself to the stuff." Her face was still solemn, as though he had just committed the ultimate sin. "If there are parts you don?t like?I?ll?just?" Slowly, as she spoke, her morose expression melted away and became a soft, seductive one.  She smiled. "Wow?is it hot in here?"

"I don?t think so." He watched her, confused.  He wasn?t manipulating her, and she certainly hadn?t been controlling him when he had tried to seduce her.  Maybe it was something in the room. "Amy, maybe you should sit down for a moment."

"Why?" she asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"I just think you should rest for a minute?there?s something funny here." He took the T-shirt off and looked at his chest for a moment before running his claw across it.  He sniffed his claw, and picked up a very faint smell, like incense, on his palm.  Even that small sniff sent a warm wave of passion through his body. "Hmm?there?s something funny, and smelly, on me.  Hey Amy, smell this."

"I?m not smelling your hand, Toby.  I have far more dignity- although, I?d be happy if you?d let me smell your tail?"

"Amy, please don?t do this."

She blinked as the feeling suddenly vanished, leaving only a faint sense of longing. "?goodness, that was strange.  My tail is tingling?I feel all excited?" Feeling suddenly vulnerable, she crossed her arms. "I wish Krusha was here?"

"You can be with him later.  For now, have a sniff of this."

She didn?t have any moral objections, so she obliged.  The smell that filled her nostrils was new to her, although the sensations were familiar.  It made her cough. "Goodness.  That must be an aphrodisiac.  Where did you pick it up?"

It came as a shock to him. "Aphrodisiac?"

"Yeah?it has the same effect on us crocs that our natural musty, musky scent glands make?except that it?s not coming from either of us."

"Well, I have no idea where it might have come from.  I haven?t handled anything like that." He sniffed his palm again, and then wiped it on the leg of his jeans. "I better wash this off before I try forced mating upon you."

She grinned. "Yeah, but this is Kongo Bongo, not Africa, so I think you?d get arrested for it."

Despite that reality, he still would have loved to try it.  He unfastened the jeans and took them off. "Do you think I could sneak a quick shower?  Or a bath?"

"Klump and Krusha usually have a talk in the kitchen at this time, and then they go straight to bed.  You shouldn?t be disturbed, and it is kinda late, so they might be getting to bed rather soon?sure, just sneak down the hall to the bathroom.  Be sure to lock the door."

He smiled. "Thanks.  You?re the best." Eager to get the smell off, although he liked the idea of having Amy all over him, he approached the door.  Before he left, he turned around again. "When I get back, I?ll try some more of those clothes, I promise."

"Sure.  If you get back late, don?t be surprised if I?m already asleep.  I had a traumatic encounter with George W. Bush in the cake shop."

He stared at her. "George Bush?  Does he live here?"

"No, I was kidding.  But I did have a bad time with some single male lizard when I was buying your clothes.  Let?s just say he won?t be having any kids in the future." Tobias still stared. "Don?t you have some bathing to do?"

"Yeah, see you later." He shot her a victory sign before leaving the room and creeping down the corridor towards the bathroom.  It was empty, so no problem.  Locking the door behind him, he smiled at the prospect of a long, hot bath in total privacy?although having Amy join him wouldn?t have spoiled things in the least bit.

***

"Hey, I?ve never noticed the way this rooms smells before." said TJ, making conversation with his faithful cockatoo, Powder, who watched him from on top of a bookshelf, "Just when that Tobias guy and me came back here, I smelled?well?I smelled all these different things.  Like these things." He picked up a small wooden box from the table beside him and lifted the lid.  A pile of what looked like dry chopped herbs sat in the bottom. "This stuff smells really cool.  It gives me a headache."

Powder sighed. "Forget about the smells, TJ, and settle down.  If you?re going to hang out with that guy, you are going to need plenty of sleep."

"But-"

"TJ, bed, now." She ruffled her feathers.  Although she was trying to sound strict, she was really just peeved that TJ had found someone else to be with other than her. "You?re over-stimulated."

"Stimulated?  Oh, that reminds me, I found this." He put the box down and picked up a large green book that Tobias had been reading through.  He opened a bookmarked page and a wad of what looked like dried grass fell out.  He took it into his claw and sniffed it. "Ohhh?this stuff makes you feel soooo good."

Powder cocked her head and flew over to TJ, landing gracefully on his shoulder.  He held the grass up to Powder?s beak, and she drew away instantly. "That stuff stinks!  What is it?"

TJ looked at the open page. "Tobias was going through some of these with me, since he thought they might be interesting?this is a lizard aphrodisiac, affectionately nicknamed ?Kremnip?.  Isn?t it cool?"

She sighed. "Whatever floats your boat.  Now, are you going to get some sleep?"

"And another thing," he continued, as though she hadn?t spoken at all, "That fit of laughing we had earlier?I think one of us might have disturbed some ?laugh grass?, because it causes momentary fits of laugher when inhaled.  It was quite a good thing, though, since otherwise we might not have got along so fast."

"TJ, please, get some sleep.  I may be your pet, but I?m also your babysitter.  Time to start thinking about bed?"

"But-"

Powder squawked loudly in his ear. "Now, TJ!  You can get excited again tomorrow."

"Oh, fine.  You know, Tobias told me that he?s afraid of going to sleep because of his dreadful nightmares and everything.  Poor guy.  The black magic torments his every waking moment, and it still bugs him in his sleep?isn?t it cool?" Powder didn?t respond, so he just decided to settle down for the night.  He walked over to a large, ragged armchair and sat down on it sideways, so that his head and legs hung over the arms.  He closed his eyes, resting his head back to get to sleep.  Powder flew up onto the top of the armchair and looked down at him.

"Goodnight, TJ."

He smiled slightly. "Night?" And, unlike Tobias, he instantly drifted into sleep.

***

"Oh, what a relief.  I?m so sick of that guy trying to control me." In the downstairs bathroom of King K. Rool?s factory, a female lizard stood up out of the bath.  She shook herself and stepped out onto the small bathroom mat, which was there to prevent lizards from slipping as soon as they finished their bath?she was thankful it was there, as her co-ordination was still being formed.

As if to give a reason for her clumsiness, a wave of pain shot through her body, and she felt a voice in the back of her head.  It was deep and masculine, familiar yet so unknown. "Where the Hell am I?  What am I doing?"

She snarled and clenched her teeth, forcing the voice out of her head.  She held onto the side of the bath to assist with her balance, and things got worse as her vision blurred over at having to suppress such a strong force.  It was constantly nagging her, but it could not control her any longer.  Satisfied with this, she walked (staggered) over to the sink.  She wiped some condensation off the small mirror and looked at herself.  She really was astoundingly beautiful.  In order to get a fuller image, she stepped back from the mirror, arms out to her sides for balance.  She loved her body as much as any male would.  Admiring herself was something that she did almost without realising.  What other creature in the whole world could offer such delicate shoulders and such tender-looking breasts?  None that she knew of.

"Okay, I am in control now?I can really do this now.  Hang on, what do I want to do?" She clicked her jaws together, thinking. "The last thing I remember?I wanted?to be with Amy after my bath.  No, that?s my other part, not me?am I really thinking for myself or not?  Am I my own lizard?  Or is Tobias just thinking feminine?"

It was very confusing.  Sabrina felt she was thinking for herself, as though she was a different creature altogether, and yet it could have always just been Tobias with his mind altered?she certainly felt like her own lizard, and she could hear Tobias, her other half at least, wondering what on earth was happening.

"Oh well, no point in just standing around all night." Looking at the clock attached to the wall, she saw that it was ten o? clock.  Goodness, how long had she taken in the bath? "Looks like it?s time for me to go get some dinner.  No, it?s Tobias? dinner?which means it?s my- oh Hell, I might as well just go."

***

"?may I help you?"

Sabrina smiled sweetly.  She had been waiting in the hall for a full twenty minutes with no sign of life, but a kritter had finally turned up.  This kritter?s scales were of a slight blue color, but even that faint tint was enough to make him very noticeable. "Well, yes, you may.  I was wondering if maybe you knew of a?" She thought for a second. "?a kritter called Martin, Libra, born three weeks prematurely."

The kritter?s eyes bulged, much like King K. Rool?s left eye does when he?s aggravated or surprised. "?yes, that?s me."

"Really?" She tried to sound amazed. "I had no idea!  Listen, I have something very important to share with you."

He eyed her up, nervously.  She had been able to conjure up a short black velvet dress to wear, as she didn?t really like the idea of wandering around naked, and she really looked stunning.  The kritter wasn?t sure what kind of action to expect from a girl like that. "?like?"

"Well, it?s very important.  I think I had better take you somewhere private to tell you." Of course, you sigh, we all know where this is going?

A funny expression, somewhere between doubtful and flattered, crossed the kritter?s face.  He was a small kritter, so Sabrina was a bit taller than him.  She could do anything with him if she got him into the right situation.  The thought actually excited him. "Okay?where?"

She took his arm and led him around to the right of K. Rool?s platform, in the opposite direction to the factory kitchens and main elevator to the lower level, into a small section of the hall where rusting doorways led off from the main room.  It was darker here.  These rooms had been in use when King K. Rool had first used the factory practically, but hadn?t been used for years since.  The kritter swallowed as Sabrina pulled him into one of the abandoned rooms and closed the door.  She had scoped out this area before, so she knew exactly where she was going around the factory.  The kritter kept his eyes on her cautiously as she rested her back to the door, showing him that there was no escape from the room.  The room itself was pretty bare, he noticed, with a few rusty chairs and a metal floor matching that of the main hall.

"?right?so, this news?" His heart thumped.  The kritter-eater was at large?but surely this beautiful female wasn?t it?

"Well, to tell you the truth?" She approached him now, making sure that her fangs were on view.  She looked like a vampire. "?the news?it?s kinda bad."

"Oh, what is it?" He hadn?t realised it, but he had been backing away from her, and now he had his back against a solid wall?nowhere to go.

She walked right up to him, her body millimetres away from his, and pouted her lips. "It?s very bad news?I?ve been told that you?are going to have all your friends?mad at you?" She spoke slowly, making sure that he watched her mouth as she spoke each word.

"Really?" he asked, his voice softer now, "And why?"

"They are going to be so jealous of you?" His eyes were now half-closed as he watched her, enchanted.  She had been afraid that he might not be so easy to get in with. "?because you are going to see them tomorrow morning?and tell them?that you?have had sex with?the most exclusive female on the whole island?" She then moved forward, pressing her hardening breasts against him, and put her arms around him, clinging to him with all her might.

"Oh my God?" he gasped, "I want you?"

"Have me then, dude." She leaned all of her weight backwards and fell back onto the floor, dragging the kritter with her, and allowed him to unfasten her dress. "Now, isn?t this nice?" She growled, as he slid the dress down her body and licked her breasts.

He panted, heavily, despite having only just started. "Why?are you do?doing this?  I?ve never done anything for?you?" Whatever her answer was, he didn?t seem to care, as he instantly buried his face against her chest again.

"Oh, but you will?" she purred, "I can tell you that you are going to help me greatly whether you want to or not?"

Either he didn?t hear or he wasn?t fazed, as he just continued covering her with saliva.  It was getting rather boring, but then again, he was just a kritter.  Still, she grinned and kissed him, reaching her tail up eagerly to meet his.  Tobias came back briefly for a moment, but then returned to the back of Sabrina?s mind?he waited for the situation to end, sorely wanting to return to Amy?s room and snuggle up beside her?she was much better company than the kritter, Sabrina or not.

"Oh, wow, feels so good!  Yeah, baby, keep coming for me!"

She giggled and continued with their activity, but she groaned inside.  Man, where did he learn how to talk during sex? It was enough to make a goldfish vomit?

***

"Happy?"

The kritter, completely dazed, didn?t get off her.  He just groaned, not moving his head from between her breasts. "Oh wow?you were so fabulous?I want you all over again."

She pulled out from under him and stood up, instantly. "Not today, thankyou.  But anyway, get up, I have something to ask of you."

"Anything for you, pussy-cat." he gasped, propping himself up on the metal floor.  It was a lot less comfortable than the soft skin between Sabrina?s breasts.

"Okay, I must go now, but before I do I want to ask you to do me a favor." She looked down at him, hoping for his sake that he was listening.

"Mmmhmmm."

"Okay, I want you to tell all your kritter pals that if they?re looking for a good time, they can meet me in the main hall tomorrow night, Okay?  Doesn?t matter what time, since I don?t have an early bedtime, but it has to be after working hours, got that?"

Groggily, he got to his feet, his scales shiny with sweat and Sabrina?s saliva. "Er, I guess so, if that?s all you want."

"It is.  Now, gotta go, see you some other time-"

"Hey, hang on," he interrupted as she began to leave, "Who are you?  Can I see you again?"

She grinned. "I am Sabrina.  Tell your friends that my name is Sabrina.  And you can show up tomorrow if you want?"

"Thanks, I will.  And, er, are you sure you wanna leave without your clothes?"

She knew that Tobias would be back as soon as she was out of kritter?s sight, but that wasn?t the reason she wanted to give.  She just grinned an even bigger grin. "I?m a nudist.  Anyway, I?ll see you soon." She then tore out of the room before the kritter could protest any more.  The kritter, sleepy and full of lust, just decided to sleep in the room that night.  He lay himself down on the metal floor, using Sabrina?s discarded dress as a pillow, and prepared for a sleep filled with dreams of his recent experience?

"Oh yeah, baby?work those hips?"

***

The next morning, when Amy left her room, she was surprised to see Klump?s bedroom door wide open.  It was a custom of his to close his door, so it probably meant that something was wrong.  She had no idea what might have happened, until she recalled what he had told her the day before.  She swallowed.

"Oh great, what has Katy done now?" she asked herself, knowing fully well that her sister might have done absolutely anything to count as a sin.  She had a habit of doing things, and nothing was beyond her.

She crept across the corridor and looked into Klump?s room.  He was lying on his bed, curled up, whimpering.  His blankets were rumpled and untidy, which wasn?t like him either.  Slowly, she entered the room. "Klump, are you alright?"

The General sighed, lifting his gaze to watch her as she approached his bed. "?yeah?I?m fine?" She sat down on the bed bedside him, and he let out a sob. "Gawd?I?m not fine?I saw somethin? last night?and?I can?t take it?"

"What?  Did Katy do something?"

He made a high, whining sound. "Yeah?she?she?she was havin? a p-party and?and she was with some guy?I didn?t actually hang around to see, b-but?" He put his hands on his head, sliding the claws under his helmet and pushing it off, revealing his bare head.  He really did look much better with the helmet on. "?I?think she took him to bed with her!" The last statement trailed away into tears.

"?oh God?" She reached out and put her claw on his shoulder, although she had to lean over the rest of his body to do so as he was lying down. "I am so sorry?I really didn?t know?I didn?t think she would ever-"

"But she did, Okay?" he growled, sitting up on the bed, "She must have been playin? me even before we broke up?I thought she loved me?" He looked at Amy, sadly. "I really thought she loved me more than anyone else."

Amy hated this sort of situation.  She had never been in a similar one herself.  It was probably beyond Krusha to know how to cheat, and she would never betray him?although Tobias had almost got her there last time he was at the factory, but that was history.  Right now, she didn?t know what to say. "Are you going to talk to her about it?"

He sighed. "No?I never wanna see her again, niece or not.  I don?t ever want to look at her?she?s just a?a?oh, I don?t know what she is.  I still love her, but she don?t love me no more."

Amy smiled at him, comfortingly. "Do you want some breakfast?  I can make toast with British bread."

"?Okay.  Yeah, toast can solve any problem." She stood up, and he copied her. "You know, I?ll get over this.  I just need time to recover." He took a deep breath, and whimpered again. "It?s gonna take the rest of my life to recover from this?we were almost married, y?know.  We were gonna start a family together an? everythin?."

She shivered. "?yeah." With regards to having a family, there was something that Katy had never told Klump about.  She had, however, told Amy, and despite that it was all over and done with Amy still had to live with knowing a certain secret that Klump had a right to know?and after all that she had said about being his friend.

"So?toast?"

"Oh, sure.  If you set off to the kitchens, I just need to get dressed.  This nightie is a bit chilly." She patted his shoulder and went back to her room, glad to be away from the angst in his room.  Her room was such a comforting place to be?nothing bad would ever happen to her while she was in her room.  Complete safety.

Tobias was asleep on her bed, all four legs splayed out to his sides, tail wagging gently.  After?doing what he did as Sabrina, he had turned back into himself and had a shower to wash the scent of kritter off his scales (morphing hadn?t destroyed the smell of the stickiness between his legs).  After cleaning himself, he had returned silently to Amy?s room, turned back into a Saluki and gone to sleep.  Although nightmares continued to plague him, he had been completely exhausted, and was still drowsy now.

"Good morning, Toby.  Sleep well?"

The dog growled. "Mmm?"

"Okay?whatever.  I?m going to be making some toast, so do you want anything?  English breakfast?  I can get one together for you."

"Mmm?"

She quickly pulled on a shirt and pants before leaving the room in silence.  Tobias, still half-asleep, didn?t move.

***

Later that morning, as Amy entered the main factory hall, she noticed that the kritters, or at least a group of them, were looking more frisky than usual.  She didn?t know what it meant, but they seemed to be gossiping excitedly amongst themselves.  Whatever had happened, it must have been important.  Or at least significant.  Over breakfast, she and Klump had been able to talk, and he had calmed down immensely.  He still, however, wanted nothing more to do with Katy.  He had been going on about his broken heart, and how she was completely inconsiderate of his feelings, which was the sort of thing Amy had been expecting to hear.  Although it seemed like Tobias was changing, and therefore wouldn?t be doing anything out-of-the-ordinary, there seemed to be something unusual about the factory.  Everyone was frantic and hushed, as though they anticipated some dreadful apocalypse or something.  Despite the obvious tension all around her, she was happy inside ? she loved Tobias? new self, or what was apparently his new self, and she couldn?t wait until he was fit enough to be returned to society.  Perhaps he could work at the factory for King K. Rool, and be friends with Klump and Krusha?she knew he would be a valuable employee.

"All I?m saying is that it seems too suspicious to me.  I mean, the kritter-eater returns, and then suddenly some female is offering to meet any of us tonight after work?maybe she works for him." She heard one kritter say as she passed.  She felt a slight chill, but nothing more.  She wasn?t naïve?she was just hoping that Tobias hadn?t thrown his life away by returning to the dark side.

"Well, Martin said she was the hottest girl he?s ever seen, so I?m definitely going along.  I need to unwind anyway, and how better to do it than by being soothed by a gorgeous girl?" Amy felt like slapping that particular kritter.

"She can lead me into a darkened room any day, that?s all I know." said another, "Maybe she?ll give me her phone number."

"Not if I get it first!" snapped another, competitively.

Amy wormed her way through the crowds of kritters and across to the right side of K. Rool?s platform.  A side door led into a corridor, which Amy followed for about seventy paces.  Just as Klump had said, there was a door to her left with the words ?Filing Information Cabinets? inscribed on it in fading gold letters.  Klump had told her about this room, as it contained documents and blueprints about the whole of the factory.  They would be useful to catalogue all of the unusual events that had happened recently, perhaps to see some kind of pattern, and they also held information on previous kritter deaths earlier that year?around the time when Tobias had first come to the factory.  Of course, although Tobias had committed all those murders back then, Amy refused to believe that he was still up to his old tricks.  He had made a promise to her.

She entered the room after wrestling with the door for a while, and had a look around.  It was completely dark, and there didn?t seem to be a light switch, so she held her arms out in front of her and felt her way around, listening to the faint shuffling of her feet as she took each step.  There was a coat of dust on the floor, as it probably hadn?t been disturbed after the last filing of kritter deaths earlier in the year.  Her feet were going to need some extreme cleaning.  She was relieved when her claws came in contact with what felt like a tall metal box, and she ran her hands up and down it, feeling for the large square drawers that were part of the cabinet.  She pulled one drawer open and reached in, coming across some papers, as was to be expected.  Sadly, because of the dark, she couldn?t see what was on the papers.  Of all the drawers in the room, she had to find the one particular drawer that contained the index of kritter deaths.

Suddenly, as though she had summoned it, a bulb lit up beside her, casting a dull light onto her.  It shocked her at first, but the initial impact died down quickly.  Too many strange things had occurred while Tobias was around, especially the first time, so a light bulb turning itself on was the least of her problems.

Looking back down at the paper in front of her, she saw that it was a blueprint of the underground factory area.  It was located below Amy, Klump and Krusha?s living area, and you had to take a separate elevator to get all the way down.  She put that paper to the bottom of the pile and the new top paper was a rough blueprint of the upper factory area, chiefly King K. Rool?s bedroom, Khris? bedroom and some guest bedrooms.  They were scribbly and rough, so she guessed they were from K. Rool had first been planning the look of the factory.  The others beneath it were also rough blueprints of the upper area, as the layout had obviously been rethought several times.  She shrugged and tucked them all under her arm, as they were bound to be of some use.  Peering back into the drawer, the rest of the papers seemed to be bills and construction fees, as well as lists of different kinds of paint, carpets, and a long tally of floor area taken up by each room?generally boring factory statistics.

She closed the drawer and bent down to the lower drawer, opening it casually.  She looked into the drawer and pulled out a wad of death reports, much like the ones she had been filling in recently.  The date of the top paper matched the time of year that Tobias had last spent at the factory.  The writing on these reports was long and curvy, so she didn?t know who might have filled them in.  She flicked quickly through the papers, checking for any deaths that had occurred during the brief period of Tobias? first stay, and grabbed a pile of papers from the large wad.

Having acquired what she had been looking for, she closed the drawer and left the room, carrying the relevant papers under her left arm.  As she left, the light bulb switched itself off again.

"Right, this was fruitful.  I?ve never been to this part of the factory before?" Out in the corridor, she turned around in a circle, surveying her new surroundings.  There was a distinct musty smell in this part of the factory, as though it had an incredible case of damp that nobody had ever bothered to sort out. "I think this place could be put to a lot more use."

As she spoke, a loud thud came from behind the door to her right.  It didn?t come again.  Silently, she turned her head to look at the closed metal door.

"What the?"

She pressed the side of her head to the door, but she didn?t hear anything else.  For a moment, she waited in silence?until the curiosity overwhelmed her and she pushed the door open.  A bulb was hanging just inside, and she pulled on the chord that caused it to flicker to life.  This room was lonely and dull, much like the other room she had just been in, but there were no filing cabinets in this room.  At the back of the room was another door, a large metal one like the door of a safe.  Perhaps it was a storage room?

"Man, how cooky." she pondered, "?heh, I like that word.  Cooky?it?s like ?cookie?, but it?s not.  Hmm?"

Another thud.  It was definitely coming from the other side of the large metal door.  She froze.  This time it came again, as though a rhinoceros was trying to butt its way through the door.  Like a dull clang?

"Is someone there?" she asked, slowly approaching the metal door.  The impact against the metal gave her the feeling that something was going to burst right through.  She almost dropped the papers with shock the next time the clanging noise came. "Oh my God?"

This time, she heard a muffled voice from behind the door, and she jumped again.  It was definitely a voice, but it was so muffled behind the metal door that she couldn?t work out what the someone was saying.  The drone in the voice suggested that it was male.

"Hang on," she said, going right up to the door, "who are you?  Do you need help?"

The completely muffled voice came back, and it sounded desperate.  Whatever it was saying, it sounded as though it was getting weaker.  It was frantically scared, as opposed to frantically aggressive.

"Right, I?m going to open this door?" she announced, "If I can work out how." She looked at the door, thoughtfully.  A large metal handle was there and was obviously the way to open the door?she was surprised she hadn?t noticed it before.  She clasped her claws onto it and tried to shift it, but it wouldn?t budge. "I?m really trying out here." The someone slammed against the door once more, and the impact was incredible. "Hey, stop it!  I?m trying!" After that, there was no more ramming, and she was able to continue battling with the handle.  Although it was like a big safe, there was no indication that she needed to punch in any kind of code to gain access.  It was just one big heavy-duty door.

At last, the handle lost all its stiffness and she was able to jolt it aside.  The shock of it suddenly giving way made her fall sideways onto the floor as the door was flung open.  She shuffled backwards on the floor and watched as a huge figure stumbled out of the doorway before falling forward onto his face.  She stood up, frightened slightly.

"Oh my God, are you alright?"

The someone was a kremling, much bigger than Amy, with a muscular build like Krusha?s.  He was wearing a torn leather jacket and large leather boots, and was making strange sobbing noises with his face buried against the floor.  His blue scales were duller than they might have been usually, and his hair was limp on his neck.

"Are you alright?"

He scrambled forward on the floor and clung to her ankles with huge claws. "Thank God!" he gasped, "I thought no-one would find me!"

"Who are you?" she asked, "And what were you doing in there?"

He wrapped his arms around her legs and looked up at her with large, beautiful eyes. "They?re rebelling!  They said they?re gonna take over!  You gotta tell King K. Rool!"

"What?  Who?  Huh?"

The lizard gasped and slumped forward against her feet. "?the?k-kritters?"

***

"They?re rebelling?" repeated K. Rool, "Again?  I thought I had that sorted out, but I guess not.  Well, this complicates things."

Amy blinked. "Again?  They?ve done this before?" She had been expecting more of a reaction from him, but he seemed no more than slightly displeased.

"Yes, we?ve had many casualties resulting from rebellions.  We never used to have them, so Crystal never got to see one?she would have handled it well.  Always knew what to do, how to get others under control?my son has had several injuries resulting from these rebellions, anyway, and he can usually look after himself fine.  They always seem to know how to catch you off-guard, no matter who you are.  Sneaking around at night is a favorite, since he has inherited my ?occasional deep sleep? syndrome.  Hopefully, it will die down, but if not we?ll have to do something serious." He took his crown off and polished it with a cloth. "And it was a good thing you found Kasplat when you did.  He had been locked in there for at least a week."

"Well, it was pure chance, Sir.  I didn?t go down there with the intent of rescuing someone."

"I know you didn?t.  Well, we?ve got him resting now.  Apparently some kritters drugged him and somehow managed to haul him into our high-security storage room.  I?ve never seen him so week, so I have no idea what they might have drugged him up with.  I mean, he can lift a ton of weight, but he couldn?t force his way out of that room.  Must be something that deteriorated his muscle performance."

"Well, as long as he?s Okay?but I don?t feel very safe now.  I mean, if kritters might be getting ready to sneak into your room tonight, I want to be there to protect you."

K. Rool waved his claw casually. "Now now, don?t get all worried.  It?s just like you to get tense.  Please don?t.  There?s nothing you could really do."

"But Sir, if there?s a bunch of kritters wanting to injure you in any way-"

"Hakuna Matata.  I do wish you wouldn?t get all worried.  I might call Kudgel and Klubba over if it would help you to calm down."

"Oh, please no.  I?d rather protect you myself than have Kudgel over here." She tried to sound heroic rather than disgusted at the thought of Kudgel coming anywhere near her.

K. Rool sighed and put his crown back on. "Well, I hope you?ve got enough muscle power to fight off a gang of irate lizards in the middle of the night, because that?s what you?ll have to do if you?re so insistent on keeping us safe." To his disappointment, her determined expression didn?t change. "Oh fine, you can if you want?just don?t complain to me that you?re tired in the morning."

"Of course not, Sir.  I will protect you with my very life."

K. Rool sighed again, louder than before. "Please leave now.  Have you finished those death reports, yet?  Better get them out of the way before more are needed."

She growled at him. "I?m getting them done, Sir, but it isn?t any fun at all.  Give me some time to do those boring things."

"Ah, that?s the Amy I know.  Staying up all night will be even less fun, so just stick to the jobs you already do, please?  It would be a blessing for me to see you back to your moody I-don?t-want-to-work attitude.  Please, just go downstairs and get back to your weekend fun.  I don?t need to see you up here again today."

"But-"

"Now, Amy.  And no disrupting my son and grandchildren.  At my suggestion, Khris is getting on with some heavy-duty bonding that will hopefully keep him sane until the kittens go home."

"But-"

K. Rool?s left eye almost popped out of its socket. "Get going!"

Without so much as a backward glance, she darted from the room, leaving King K. Rool alone again.  He sighed and reached into his bedside drawer, pulling out a small paper bag.  He sniffed at it for a moment, and stood up off the bed.

"Comfort is what we need now." he said aloud, "A much comfort as is possible?and at least in this way I can help someone."

TO BE CONTINUED?