Ratchet and Rivet

Welcome to the Jungle

The two Lombaxes are sitting on the couch, cuddled up and covered in a blanket. Rivet placed his head on Ratchet's chest as he simply listened to his heartbeat and breathing. The male Lombax fell asleep. She can't blame him. After all, it's cozy with a fire going in the fire pit.

The sound of small footsteps catches her attention. She finally lifts her head and looks back when she hears a young voice say "Mommy?"

Anything. Literally nothing. She looks into a deep, black void. The moment she looks at Ratchet, he is gone. It's also the bonfire and everything. Only the couch she sits on remains. The female Lombax looks around, obviously very confused. "ratchet?" she whispers as she stands up. She turns around for just a second.

The moment she turns around, the couch disappears. Instead, a small Lombax child, much like Ratchet, stands there, looking at her with big eyes. "Mommy?" the child begins. "Where's daddy?"

Rivet frowns. "I...I don't know." she stutters a little.

"Where is daddy? Why did he leave us?" the child asks. Rivet felt his heart drop. "Why did he leave us?"

The now distressed Lombax woman shakes her head and takes a step back. Suddenly there is no ground. She begins to fall into the void with a scream. "He left you because of me!" the childish voice shouts at her.

With a scream and out of breath, Rivet opens his eyes and sits up straight. It takes her a moment to realize it was just a dream. She holds her head and growls a little until she notices the strange sounds around her. Finally she looks up. A jungle. Everywhere. The sun begins to rise. She is put in a cage again. This time she is not alone. The sound of Ratchet yawning and stretching makes her sigh in relief.

The yellow furry hero rubs his eyes. "Urgh..." he mutters when he finally looks directly at her. He immediately notices that something is wrong with her. "Rivet?" he begins. "What's wrong? It looks like you had a worse night than I did." he stretches again. The moment his back cracks, he screams. "Damn...did I sleep on the rocks or what?" he mumbles as he looks at the floor. Of course there are rocks where he slept. "What..."

Before he can say another word, Rivet suddenly hugs him tightly. Ratchet frowns a little. He doesn't realize where they are. The rebellious Lombax gently presses his nose into her neck. That's when she notices the collar he's wearing. Confused, she lifts her head again and looks at him. Some kind of small speaker is on it. She carefully reaches for her own neck and certainly wears a collar too.

"What?" Ratchet asks, still confused before realizing what happened. He gets up and takes a look around. "Ah, great..."

The speaker on the male Lombax's neck vibrates just before they can hear a voice. "Is this thing on? Testing, testing... Hey, you. You're finally awake."

Rivet growls irritably. "Oh, great... It's this damn ugly lunatic..."

"Rude." the voice responds. Rivet raises both eyebrows in surprise. "Yeah, I can hear you and you can hear me. Cool, huh? So I thought we could talk a little while I give you two a head start."

Ratchet frowns. "A head start?"

"Yes, an advantage. After all, you are my prey." the hunter begins to explain. "Killing you while you're unconscious? That would be so stupid... I mean... Professionals have standards. I even checked your health. I want you to be in good condition."

Rivet growls again and clenches his fists. "Maybe you'll regret this..." She hisses.

"I don't. I want a challenge." Rokah laughs a little. "I mean... Come on. You have a fighting spirit."