Iguanatopia - ONC 2021 (Completed)

17: Ignaciotopia

"Wait up!" Alba yelled as Ignacio threw himself in the water, ready to swim toward the island populated by his kind. The iguana didn't listen, or perhaps he did, and just chose not to oblige her command, and instead continued toward the alluring isle at a constant speed.

She turned toward the crew that stood gathered behind her. "Let's get in the dinghy again," she said. "Let's follow Ignacio!"

No one protested and no one ignored her female voice. They were all eager to explore this mysterious paradise-like island that had plopped out of the ocean. They were all eager to find out what kind of treasures awaited them. They were all eager to taste other food than turnips.

The whole crew joined the expedition this time around; Grace and Lucien, and even Oliviero took a seat in the dingy. The cat hid under a bench and hissed and swatted at anyone who tried to move him. Apparently, he also wanted to find out where his iguana buddy had gone and wouldn't let his aversion to water stop him.

The recently-appeared island looked even more idyllic up close. It was almost unreal in its perfection. The colors were brighter, the fruit was plumper, and the breeze was fresher than on any island Alba had ever visited before. As she put her feet down into the impossible soft sand, with no hint of sharp seashells or uneven rock, she had to pinch her arm to convince herself the place was real. It was no dream or apparition.

Ignacio waited on the beach when the crew made it ashore. Around him, a dozen other iguanas were gathered. Each of them with a unique pattern across their scales. During her time with Ignacio, Alba had come to admire the scaly exterior that was intricate and beautiful as a master painting, but still durable and protective as sailcloth.

In unison, the lizards let out a loud wheeze before they all clapped their tails against the sand in tune three times. It wasn't a hostile gesture, but rather a salute for their guests.

As if on command the iguanas moved to the sides when the crew walked over the beach. They formed an aisle on both sides of them. And at the end of the aisle stood Ignacio. Appearing as if he was the chief of his own lizard tribe. Proud and confident with his gaze aimed high.

"Welcome," Ignacio said when the pirates had all gathered before him. "Welcome to my island. Welcome to Iguanatopia."

Alba had not spoken. But yet the animal had.

She stared at the talking iguana as if it had two heads. Although perhaps a two-headed iguana would have been less surprising than a talking iguana.

The rest of the crew didn't react in the same way because in their minds the iguana had been talking for a while.

They didn't realize something was different until the cat started talking as well.

"Prey!" Oliviero yelled as he ran by the men and into the high grass at the sound of a grasshopper. "I gonna gonna gonna get it! I'm the world's greatest hunter!"

Yeah, that's about what you would expect a cat to say.

That's when the rest of the pirates' mouths fell agape.

"The cat..." Pedro stuttered.

"It talked," Joe clarified.

Duh.

"We all talk here," Ignacio explained, in a voice that held a different poise than when he spoke before. He wasn't just repeating anymore, he was actually sharing his knowledge with them. "On this island humans can understand what animals say. We iguanas are the guardians of this place and we make sure only humans that we trust are able to set foot on it."

It was a lot to take in and make sense of.

"So why did you choose us?" Alba asked.

"Well, we didn't choose you exactly-" Ignacio, or whatever his name actually was, started.

"Because he's the captain of course!" Joe interrupted. "And he needed to come back here to break his spell."

Alba decided to come clean. It was time. "He's not the captain, Joe," she said with a sigh. "He never was."

"But... who has been commanding the ship then?" Pedro asked in a confused tone.

"I have," Alba admitted. "The mermaid. The one you saw before. She put a spell on the lizard that allows me to talk through him. It was the only way to get you to listen to me."

"But he talks now without you talking through him..." Joe protested.

"He didn't before though," Alba tried to explain.

"I'm confused," Pedro said and sat down in the sand to rub his forehead.

"I think I can explain-" Ignacio started.

"But where is Captain Ignacio?" Joe once again interrupted in frustration. Apparently, not even the lizard could get his attention now that he knew it wasn't his captain. "If you're not the captain? Where is he?

"Joe..." Alba said softly. "Captain Ignacio is gone. It's time to accept that."

In a fit of despair, Joe fell down in the sand next to Pedro who patted his hair gently. The whole island fell quiet. No one knew what to say.

That's when a voice bellowed over the island. A familiar voice. The voice of a good man.

"Did someone say my name?"

And there he stood. Smack dab in the middle of the lush greenery. Not gone, not dead, not missing. But found, alive, and right there.

He looked the same, albeit a bit tanner and skinnier. Perhaps healthier as well since his eyes were no longer glazed over by a rum-soaked fog, instead, they were clear as the blue sky above.

Their red-bearded captain. Captain Ignacio Guillermo Umberto Alonzo Nunez Alvarez.

Author's Note: Yep, there he is! I'm so darn excited to finally get to this part of the story!