The Island (Open)

The panther studied Chris curiously as he tried to make himself look brave. The little girl had been frightened and had quickly betrayed her friends to save herself. This young man was scared too, but he decided to act with courage. He was trying to scare the panther away, in spite of his own fear.

The panther smiled, and spoke out loud. "You fear the unknown, but you are still full of courage, forgotten one. That is good." He looked at Jemmy. "But you, little girl, are full of fear and selfishness. Now the two of you have learned something about yourselves, as have I. I know where your hearts lie."

The panther turned away and walked up to the dead body of Vernon. There was something strange about the corpse, and the panther knew more than it let on. It lifted a paw and pounded it onto Vernon's ribcage, severing his otherworldly consultation. The panther looked in Vernon's eyes, waiting for a reaction. How would this man react to the panther's intimidating presence?

Jemmy was indignant. She had decided that the panther meant her no harm, and she didn't like what he had to say. "Selfish? So what? What good are other people if they don't help me?" The panther gave no answer, and waited to judge Vernon.

A weight was on his chest, hefty and dominating. Vernon swivelled his head and saw himself reflected in a pair of slit-like irises. The angular face of a beast, dusk-furred and with razor-sharp canines, growled fiercely at his exposed neck. Thank goodness he'd taken a whizz not fifteen minutes ago before meeting these strangers.

"Nice... kitty..." Vernon went very still. His senses were still overwhelmed by the exposure to accursed fire and brimstone. Not a lot in the past few minutes had made a lick of sense to him. If this is what his mind was full of, then he could do without his memories. The amnesiac felt an engulfing sensation of entrapment. Trapped by the island. Trapped by these apparitions. Trapped by this panther.

"I'll do what you want. Anything. Just let me go." He was desperate for some kind of release.

Well, it's official, everything was completely crazy, the girl put a coconut in her mouth and BROKE IT with her jaw strength alone, there was a talking Panther and the guy who should be dead was alive and well. He turned to the girl in surprise, how could she be so selfish? He looked back to the panther and the man tried to bargain his way out Let him go!

The panther could sense that Vernon was very confused, as was to be expected, but it kept waiting for a reply, a response to, apparently, a second near-death situation. Eventually Vernon tried bargaining, saying that he would do anything the panther wanted if he just was released. Metamorphi yelled at the panther, demanding that Vernon be released. The panther was even more pleased with the young Metamorphi now, but Vernon's answer was not as satisfying.

The panther frowned and took five steps back, releasing Vernon from the weight of its paw, but not the weight of its stare. "What I want is to see what you want, forgotten one. What is it you seek when all else is taken from you? For this answer, I will watch and wait. There is business here that must be concluded. As hard as I have tried, I could not separate you from those who would command you. In the end, though, it is you who must make the decision. What do you want? In order to leave this island, you must answer that question."

The panther turned to Jemmy again. "You would sacrifice your only friends to save yourself?"

Jemmy stuck her tongue out at the panther in fake bravery and defiance. "Of course I would. I'm not stupid."

The panther looked at Metamorphi. "You would fight that which threatens you, and that which threatens others. You would battle that which is evil. But would you kill the girl? She is evil, and a far greater threat to you than even I am. For I know no avarice, but her desire knows no limits. If you would save yourself, and if you would save others, then you must fight her."

Jemmy looked confused. "Wait, why does he have to kill me? I'm not evil."

Returned to the jungle or not, Vernon was now pretty sure he was actually dead. Nothing else could explain this level of absurdity. He must have passed on. As might these other two people. Though as far as afterlives went, no religion on Earth had ever have imagined they would be participating in a live action remake of The Jungle Book for all eternity. Talking panthers! Whatever next? Vernon looked at himself and was disappointed to discover he had not been transformed into a grizzly bear with the propensity of adopting young man-cubs. Never mind, there was always the realm of Brother Bear...

Whilst still a nasty looking brute, the panther's sudden vocalisation made it seem less imposing. Regardless, Vernon was quick to stand and inch away when freed. For the first time since arrival he was getting answers. The demons he saw were real, it hadn't been a fever dream, however much he wished it was. When encouraged to voice his own desires, Vernon's mind flatlined. He somewhat felt the answer was 'food', but didn't say as much for fear of seeming the dunce in the class.

Instead as the feline moved on he shuffled over next to Metamorphi, "I've changed my mind. I want to take my chances with you and mighty-mouth." Unhinging a jaw paled in comparison to unadulterated evil and sentient big-cats. He felt it was time to give up his 'solo' status and join Team Hombre (title not open for discussion). The band of three were in this together.

Bagheera now threw down a gauntlet. Unveiling the nature of the girl, the entity tried to goad Chris into action. It was an improbable account for one so young, yet such a description was significant to Vernon. The girl's identity dawned, "Lord of Chaos..." Those demons were adamant that she must be killed. Vernon hadn't even begun to ponder the challenge when instead an opportunity had fallen into his lap.

The bare necessities of life will come to you. They'll come to you. "I knew it. She is evil, uh-huh. You have my full support, Chris. Watch out, she'll bite your ankles." He urgently tried to shove Chris forward as if doing so would quicken the task and rid him of the expectations that hounded.

Chris stared at the Panther in disbelief, he had to kill a little girl? What the hell? I'm not killing a little girl... no matter how weird she is! he turned to Vernon and grumbled angrily You aren't helping he turned back to the Panther I'm not going to kill her he meant that, even the fear of death by Panther Mauling wouldn't make him take a life.

Jemmy stuck her tongue out at Vernon as he got excited about killing her. He told Chris he would support the action of killing her, as the panther wanted.

Chris, however, said that he would not kill a little girl, no matter how strange she might be. The panther realized that Chris was still afraid of it, and was actively defying what he thought to be the panther's will.

"And yet just a short time ago, you would have killed her, forgotten one. And in the future, it is very likely that you will wish you had killed her now when you had the chance, while it was still possible." The panther sat down, trying to look more non-threatening. "I have no wish of my own, one way or the other. I simply wish to observe your true nature. Now I have learned what I wanted. You are brave and selfless, but you have decided to show mercy upon your enemy."

The panther looked at Vernon. "You understand the evil of this being, the Lord of Chaos. Yet you hide behind that man and ask for him to do what you should have done. I have learned what I need from you. Now, I shall restore your memories."

Suddenly, all three people on the island would remember everything about themselves. Jemmy gasped, looking at Metamorphi. "It's you! And..." She looked at Vernon. "Some random guy?"

Welp. That did it. Vernon immediately regretted siding with the pacifist. Pacifists were notorious for never getting the job done. In refusal, Chris had no doubt angered the talking panther and sealed their doom. Was it too late to change sides? He would flock to the panther's banner without duress, since the feline evidently had the upper hand. Just say the word! Bagheera would surely welcome a good coat shine.

In a rare moment of self-awareness, Vernon suddenly realised he was being very fickle. Though this did not seem the time nor the place to try bettering himself. People wanted to hurt him. He would act in whatever way necessary to please the most imminent of these dangers. He voiced various sounds of agreement when the panther delved into psychiatry. "That is true." ... "Got me again." ... "Our memories. Incredible." Wait. Their memories? But he didn't want-

---

The weight of years assailed him all at once. All twenty-five rotations of his life were known to Vernon instantly. Events innocent, mundane, happy, sad, heart-rending, soul inspiring and... the mania. Those last five years settled like a suffocating shroud, making all that came before hollow by comparison. His time in the pit, throttled by malign abominations as part of esoteric rituals, were to blame for his subsequent unstrung outlook. Said craze returned with renewed vigour. The ghoul was momentarily dumbfounded by its recollection.

A tear streamed down his cheek. Would you look at that. Gone got myself all nostalgic. Heh. Scapegoat wiped away the droplet with the back of his hand and sniffed. He was a big boy now. The ghoul locked on to the Lord of Chaos. Still alive. Whoopsie-daisie.

"Some random ghoul." Scapegoat corrected, he bowed low, "Thank goodness you're okay. Everyone was picking on little ol' you back there, weren't they? No reason for it. But we each pulled through that difficult situation and are all the closer for it. A bond that cannot be broken. Baring that in mind, I need a favour. Could you let me kill you? Nothing painful. There are just some fellows who would sleep better if you stopped existing altogether. Actually, that might be painful."

Hmm. The task was probably impossible now that Jemmy was back to normal. His masters weren't going to like that. Scapegoat glanced at the panther. He still had no idea what sort of entity this apparition truly was, even with his returned memories. That didn't stop him from addressing the being, "Don't suppose you could mind wipe her again? Just for a moment. I swear I won't touch her." Oh to be undead and immortal once more.

Metamorphi looked to the panther after his memories were returned, he didn't even look at Jemmy and the other guy I would never kill her, now matter how much she deserves it, although... he turned to Jemmy, he stared at her for a second, but then turned back to the Panther How do we get off the island?

Jemmy grinned a little as Vernon talked about how they had bonded and gotten through a tough trial. She immediately frowned, though, when he asked her to allow him to kill her. Vernon said that his bosses would sleep better if they knew that she was gone.

"Yeah right, like I'd let you kill me. I should kill you just for thinking that." Vernon asked the panther if it could wipe Jemmy's memory again. "Hey!" She glared at the panther, sensing that it had a very powerful magical aura, even stronger than her own. However, no matter how hard she tried, she could not read its mind.

The panther shook its head. It obviously wasn't fooled by Vernon's half-hearted attempt to decieve it. "I have no reason to do that. My curiosity has been satisfied."

Jemmy smiled when Metamorphi said that he would never kill her, no matter how much she deserved it. He was a real hero. It was rare that she ran across a former opponent who showed mercy to her. Metamorphi was an honorable man. The world needed at least one. She worried a bit when he stared at her, but he ended up just asking how they were going to get off of the island.

"I'll take you," Jemmy said. Metamorphi deserved a reward for his chivalry. "I can teleport us to anywhere you want to go. That ghoul can't come, though. He's a meanie." She stuck her tongue out at Vernon again.

"You'll take them both."

Jemmy gaped at the panther. Her eyes started to glow a bright orange. She did not like being given orders. "WHAT? Don't you know who I am?"

The panther yawned, unimpressed by Jemmy's glowing eyes and raised voice. "Consider it a favor for returning your memories, Lord of Chaos. I didn't have to do that, either."

Jemmy frowned. He wasn't afraid of her. Granted, the realm of Chaos wasn't in the best of shapes these days, but still they deserved some fear. Didn't they? "Who exactly are you? You're not one of the Endless, are you?"

The panther laughed. "What are you talking about? I'm just a panther." Jemmy shook her fists in frustration as the panther faded into nothingness before her eyes.

"That's not an answer!" She sighed. Calming down, she looked at Vernon and Metamorphi. She held her hands out to them. "Take a hand, both of you. Next stop, Jump City."

For all his foolhardy bluster Scapegoat knew it was futile to attack a cosmic being with little more than ill intentions. Asking politely really was all that could be done. Having been refused, the ghoul settled back into a disappointed expression. Ah well. Better luck next once-in-a-lifetime chance. Failure no doubt opened him up to rightful torture from his overlords, but the Lord of Chaos likely had even worse tricks up her sleeve. The panther did not overstate her decimation potential.

Said panther disappeared into thin air, as if his very essence had been swept up by the breeze. Scapegoat experienced a revelation. He knew who this mysterious entity was now. And this place. He was blind not to have seen it before. To think the Cheshire Cat himself had brought them to Wonderland. What a privilege!

"Come on Chris. We've been voted off the island." The ghoul reached down to take Jemmy's hand, "This was fun we should do it more often. How's next Saturday for you guys?"

Metamorphi watched the Panther fade away and grabbed Jemmy's hand, he didn't want to be in her grip for too long, he knew how evil she was now, he just wanted to get off this island and fast. He turned to Vernon That's not funny, I'm never coming here again, even if it was possible for me to come here... and don't call me Chris

The panther had called Jemmy a coward, and Jemmy didn't like that. She couldn't really call herself brave, but she didn't like people pointing out her flaws, and she despised it even more coming from an overgrown cat. She had to agree with Metamorphi, she wasn't ever coming back here. Nobody would judge her like that again. Nobody would make her vulnerable. She didn't know who the panther was, but she didn't like him.

If she ever got the chance, she would kill him.

Both Vernon and Metamorphi grabbed her hands and Jemmy sighed. "Well, it's been dumb. Let's get out of here." With that, the three of them were teleported off the island and back to Jump City.

The End.

OOC: This was a really fun thread! Thank you to both of you.