Wild Kratts - Afraid of a Little Swim?

An Obstacle of A Fear

A couple of hours had passed since the blue Kratt's near-drowning experience.

Looking out from the top of the ship and on the angry sea, waves roaring in his ears, Martin sighed as he took another sip from the mug full of tea that Jimmy had brewed for him, a saddened expression on his face.

He was too lost in thought, when a hand suddenly squeezed his shoulder. Startled, he looked around to find his brother's concerned face.

"Hey, bro," Chris said warmly, adjusting the blue blanket around his shoulders, having been there from the moment they brought him inside the Tortuga, a coping mechanism of some sort. "How are you feeling?"

The question almost caught his breath, pausing as if he needed to think deeply of an answer. "A lot better," he lied, faking a smile.

"You sure?" Chris frowned, looking into his eyes as though sensing something was wrong.

"Yeah," he placed the mug on the edge, before taking off the blanket from his shoulders. "In fact, I feel like going back surfing!"

"You do?!" Chris couldn't believe his ears. He was so stunned that he reached out a hand to feel his brother's temperature, fearing a probable fever might have something to do with it.

Martin immediately backed away. "I'm fine bro, really." He tried to sound convincing, but deep down, he had no clue why he was so tempted to go back, especially after what he went through-

He mentally smacked himself, trying to get rid of the thought that was haunting him. "Besides, it'll help me feel even better," he added, trying not to make it sound like a lie.

Chris was studying him for the longest time. "Fine, but make sure you take it easy," he finally said, sighing in defeat. "Koki said the waves have calmed down a bit so we should be good to go."

Martin nodded enthusiastically, before heading down to his room, where he could change back to his swimming gear. He then met his brother outside on the beach, marching toward their surf boards where they had left them.

The closer they got to the water, the louder Martin's heart pounded.

As soon as Chris grabbed his board, he charged right at the water, carrying a gleam of excitement in his eyes. Martin, on the other hand, just stood still, his toes brushing his surf board. He kept staring at the water motionlessly, eyes wide and unblinking, even swallowing became hard all of a sudden. It was as if the whole world had stopped, as if it were just him and the raging waves. At some point, he was beginning to feel dizzy, the world shaking beneath him.

A faint voice, which he immediately recognized as his brother's, snapped him out of it. He shook his head before squinting his eyes to see him already pulling off a rad trick.

"Woohoo!" Chris cheered. "Martin, aren't you gonna jump in?"

Martin felt unsure, his eyes darting from him to the Tortuga. "Uhh, I-I forgot something in the Tortuga, I'll be back in a minute," he stammered, then headed back to the HQ before Chris had the chance to ask any more questions. He shrugged, not thinking much about his brother's strange attitude, as he carried on surfing.

As soon as he walked into the main room, Martin let out a long and loud sigh, loud enough to catch the crew's attention, before sinking in his hammock, face buried in his hands.

Abandoning their tasks - Aviva her invention station, Koki her computer and Jimmy his video game - they went over to check on their friend.

Martin looked up to find worried faces circling him, instantly straightening up and faking a smile. "Hey guys, what's up?" He tried to chuckle, but failed miserably.