Life In The Kalahari Kingdom: Through A Meerkat's Eyes

Chapter 6: Sky Savior, The Accidently Helpful Vulture

"Liz? LIZ?!" I heard Toad call, his voice sounding more frightened the second time my name escaped his mouth as he shook me to try to keep me from losing consciousness again, which causes me to grimace as the action sends a tremendous amount of pain through my muscles.

Deprived of the strength to move at the moment, my blurry gaze remains fixed on the sky, confusion forming on my visage when the brown splotch disappears from my field of vision. Hey! Where'd my escort to Heaven go? Whatever...I need to respond to Toad immediately to avert him having another freak out. He needs to realize we're in a vulnerable position right now and if he attracts an aerial or terrestrial predator it could be a death sentence for both of us. I part my lips, trying to speak. C'mon on mouth, say something! I'm fine, don't worry about me. I'm fine, just waiting for my body to comply with my brain's command to move. I'm fine, like a Pokémon, I'm using Rest to restore my energy. Something!

What ends up escaping my mouth is a groan of pain, followed bluntly by, "Toad...I...I'm dying...I think you exploded my organs..." Jeez it was raspy too, like a character dying in a movie.

Suddenly I gain enough strength to introduce my left palm to my face. Not the words I wanted to use! Now he's definitely going to freak out! Good job, Liz! Why do you have to be blunt at a time like this?!

"What?! No! Don't you dare tell me you're dying! Please tell me you're just pulling another prank, Elizabeth, Please! I didn't really mean I'd kill you before the scorpion venom does, I was only kidding!" Toad sobbed towards the end of his sentence, helping me into a sitting position and embracing me to a point where I grunt from getting the oxygen squeezed out of me again. At least he didn't smoosh my face against his torso this time.

Aw, man, there he goes, pulling on my heartstrings again. I hate it when Toad cries. He makes me wanna cry! It doesn't help that he looks like a precious cinnamon roll right now either!     

"Toad, please calm down. You need to help me move further into the shade of the tree. Remember, we're supposed to be minimizing our chances of attracting the attention of predators." I reminded him softly, stroking his soft tufts of hair with my right hand, this time to soothe him, though he flinches and pulls his head away at first, thinking I'm gonna rough it up again. Sue me! My maternal instincts are kicking in!

Toad's sobs lessen to every now and then sniffles and his cobalt orbs make contact with my hazel ones, his look of fear changing to a look of determination. I risked my life trying to obtain rehydrating sustenance for Toad, so I'm putting my trust in him to shield me from predators. God, help me...I feel Toad take hold of my left arm and drape it across the upper part of his back, then slowly lift me up to my feet, a sense of security spreading through my system as I felt him wrap his right arm around the back of my waist and start to guide me towards the tree. Upon gazing to my right to survey the area for threats, the landscape in my line of vision morphs into what I'll start calling kaleidoscope vision, causing me to immediately shift my hazel orbs to the ground as I felt a sense of nausea blossom in my stomach. I gag and put both my hands to my mouth to suppress the building stomach lava. For the love of God, body, stop hallucinating and having these awful dizzy spells! I feel like I'm gonna projectile vomit my stomach at any given moment! A pulsating burning sensation radiates up my left leg with each step I take, causing me to bite the inside of my left cheek, though not hard enough to draw blood, just to make it sore for a while. Feeling like I'm salivating heavily again, I wipe my mouth on my left arm, closing my eyes as the wave of dizziness got worse. If Toad hadn't been supporting me, I would've lost my balance and toppled onto my side. I feel Toad lower me, propping my back against the rough texture of the barky trunk. As the peaceful ambience of the Kalahari, from the breeze rustling nearby vegetation to the vocalizations of a variety of wildlife, caress my ear canals I start to feel drowsy. It's so... soothing... like a... lullaby. I could just.... fall aslee--

I was about to give the world of calming darkness a welcoming embrace when I felt a pair of hands cup my cheeks, the right one gently tapping my left cheek a few times, causing me to part my eyelids half way, my vision changing from kaleidoscope to clear as the determined visage of Toad comes into focus, along with the rest of my senses.

"No way you are losing consciousness on me again, what if you never wake up this time?! C'mon, Liz, keep your eyes open! Don't you dare give up!" Toad commands, applying enough force behind the next couple of taps to my left cheek that it causes me to fully open my eyes. "I'm forbidding you from walking through the golden gates of Heaven, you need to fight for meerkats!"

"Right! Meerkats!" I exclaimed in realization as I summon the strength to spring my body up into a straight posture sitting position, grunting as the brisk action flares up the aches in my muscles and the burning sensation radiating up my left leg. Remembering that our goal is to find a mob before the sun completely sets, my hazel orbs shift from Toad to gaze across a row of high level grass ten feet away from us, a sense of excitement flowing through me when I think I just heard a series of peeps emit from that area.

I gasp ecstatically, shifting myself onto my hands and knees and lowering my body in preparation to sprint towards the grass like a track runner, ignoring the radiating pains throughout my body, "Toad!"

He jolts in alarm, most likely anxious about my condition, "N-n-now what's wrong?"

"I think...I think I just heard a meerkat in the grass over there!" I point at the grass with my left index finger.

"R-really? I didn't hear anything, unless it was drowned out by my heart pounding in my non-existent ears." I heard Toad say, attracting my attention to a side of his head where an ear would be.

I raise my left eyebrow in wonder. How exactly are Toads able to hear without a pair of visual ears? Do they have holes in the sides of their heads? I shrug as I return visual contact with the row of swaying grass. In the background three zebra clop nonchalantly across the terrain, pausing every now and then to nibble on low level vegetation. Prolonging my gaze at their uniquely patterned stripes causes me to squint my eyes. I was never really fond of black and white stripe patterns. They give the illusion that they're rippling from right to left, up and down, swirling, or whatever, and it makes me dizzy. I really shouldn't be staring at the zebras' stripes while sensations of nausea continue to spread through my stomach, but their majestic patterns are just so mesmerizing. The heatwave rippling across the terrain morphs the zebras' stripes into hypnotic patterns, rendering me unable to avert my eyes. It's as if I've been put under a spell. My brain commands my body to turn away, to return my focus on pursuing a mob of meerkats that could potentially be foraging in the nearby vegetation at this very moment, but it won't listen, not even summoning the adequate strength to twitch a finger. Resisting admiring the zebras' stripes is futile, they have me hypnotized. Suddenly the stripes change from black and white to a variety of colors, making the zebras look like the ones you see on Fruit Stripe Gum wrappers. I suddenly have a mighty need for gum! I'm snapped out of my trance when I feel something make impact with my right side, sending me toppling over onto my left side with a grunt. I widen my blurry vision and a sense of horror spreads through my system, adrenaline entering my bloodstream, thinking we're being attacked by a predator. I clench my left fist as I turn the upper part of my body, ready to fend off whatever is applying pressure along my torso with a powerful punch when my vision clears, revealing Toad's terrified baby face.

"It's okay, Liz, it's just me." Toad places his right hand on my left hand, sending a sense of relief through my system.

I inhale then exhale to calm my rapid pulse and relax my constricted muscles and trembling extremities, "Oh, thank the spirits! Toad, I coulda walloped you! What's going on? Why did you--mmmph!" He cuts me off by placing both of his palms over my mouth.

"Hush! Now it's your turn to shut your face hole. You'll attract the attention of the Ugly Flying Turkey Monster!" Toad whisper yelled anxiously, his eyes wide with terror.

I make a muffled noise of confusion. Ugly Flying... Turkey Monster? Is it possible that the heat is starting to make Toad hallucinate now? Great. Just great. Both of us tripping would steer us in the direction of total disaster! Suddenly, Toad points in the direction of the camel thorn tree with his right index finger and I gaze up to make visual contact with a medium sized bird perched on one of the branches located closer to the top of the tree. It appears to have down feathers along the head and neck, which is adorned with a white ruff, very broad wings, a whitish back that contrasts with various shades of grey along its torso, short tail feathers and an intimidating visage. A chill ripples up my spine as I recognize what type of avian creature it is.

Shoving Toad off of me, causing him to emit a yelp of surprise, the menacing looking bird shifts its eyes from the distant landscape to the ground at the same time, putting us in its line of vision. I shift into an Indian style sitting position, a flagitious squawk emitting from the bird's beak as its dark eyes make contact with my hazel ones. My heart rate elevates, imagining the bird must be thinking, "well, well, well, what do we have here. Fresh dying meat. Those peculiar two legged things look absolutely delicious."

"Liz, why'd you push me away?! I was trying to shield you from that hideous turkey be---"I avert my eyes from the "Hideous Turkey Monster" to see Toad stagger backwards in horror as he notices it's gazing down upon us. "Gaaaaggh! We've been spotted!"

Upon turning to face me, Toad heroically screams, "Activating Self Sacrificial Body Shield Mode!" Then lunges himself at me, causing me to let out a yelp of protest before he grasps ahold of my shoulders with both his hands and shoves me to the ground on my back, pressing my head and torso into the sand with his torso, causing me to grunt and clench my teeth as the pulsating, burning sensation in my left leg flares up from my body being jostled. At the last second before my body made contact with the ground, I turned my head to the left so Toad's Pillsbury Doughboy belly wouldn't suffocate me to death upon impact. In my right peripheral vision I notice that Toad's side is exposed. A mischievous smirk tugs at the right corner of my lips. Big mistake, buddy. Now you shall fall victim to my tickle attack! Lifting both my hands to Toad's sides, I commence my tickle assault, causing him to erupt into screaming fit of laughter and instinctively throw himself off me, landing on his back, his arms wrapped around his torso to protect his precious belly from more tickles as he writhes on the ground. Propping myself on my elbows, I shift my eyes from Toad to the "Ugly, Hideous Turkey Monster Beast" and snort when I see it's pulled its head back, directing a confused, wide eyed gaze at Toad's spazzing body, probably wondering what the heck is wrong with him. Having had enough of Toad's fracas, I turn and jab him in the right side of his ribs with my left index finger, causing him to spring up into a sitting position and clutch the area where I poked him.

"Ow! Jeez that hurt!" Toad makes a bunch of angry noises, then lets out a squeak when his gaze returns to our new creepy looking visitor.            

"Activating your Self Sacrificial Body Shield Mode won't be necessary for this guy, bud. It's an African white-backed vulture. It's a scavenger, often seen devouring the flesh of deceased animals. Sometimes they'll loiter around the dying, waiting for them to succumb to the Kalahari's unforgiving environment." I explained as I returned visual contact with the confused vulture, receiving a noise of disgust from Toad in response.

"It'll only eat us when we die, which is why it's here, though I feel it was mostly attracted to my deteriorating condition and is waiting for me to croak." My left eye twitches in repulsion as an image of a vulture peeling the flesh off my corpse appears in my mind. "Nope!  No way in Lethal Lava Land is my final resting place going to be in the belly of a vulture!"

Feeling a glob of saliva foaming through my lips, I wipe it off across my left sleeve and grimace in disgust. In my right peripheral vision I see a smirk tug at the left corner of Toad's lips and turn my head to see him shaking his head and hands in an "eating us would be a terrible idea" sort of way, like he was struck with an idea after seeing me foam at the mouth.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no, you don't wanna eat us, Mr. Ugly Flying Turkey Monster." The vulture emits a low squawk and bristles its feathers, causing me to snort in amusement as it appears to be offended by the name Toad permanently stuck it with. Ya know vultures do kind of look like if a turkey survived a nuclear holocaust. "We're rabid," he finishes, forming bubbled saliva along his lips that starts to run down his chin.

I return my gaze to Mr. or Mrs. Ugly Flying Turkey Monster to see what its reaction is to Toad telling it that we're "rabid." Its head is tilted to the right with an expression of utter confusion formed on its visage, surely having second thoughts about its choice of entrée.

I clear my throat to suppress the developing urge to burst into a fit of giggles, not wanting the vulture to find out we're fibbing, "Y-yeah, unfortunately we've contracted this strange disease that's dissolving our brains. If you eat us you'll suffer a horribly painful death," I warned, smacking both my hands to my mouth as I snicker involuntarily.

The Ugly Flying Turkey Monster emits a low squawk and lowers its head, glaring at us suspiciously, but still unsure of what exactly to make of us. I hear Toad emit a nervous laugh.

"Liz, I don't think it believes us." I heard Toad whisper a few inches from my left ear.

Removing my hands from my mouth, I return a glare to Ugly Flying Turkey Monster, determined not to let the scorpion venom circulating through my system cease my life functions and turn me into vulture chow, not when I'm so close to locating a mob of meerkats!

"C'mon, bud, we can't afford to let Flying Mutated Turkey Monster stare us to death." I said as I shift my body towards the swaying row of high level grass I think I heard the vocalization of meerkats emit from, positioning myself on my hands and knees again to try to push myself up to my feet. "We've gotta follow that mob of meerkats before we lose them!"

"But, Liz, I haven't seen or heard any meerkats through that grass. I think you're venom intoxicated mind just played a trick on you." Toad said, not believing me.

"B-but the noise it made sounded so real! It couldn't've been a hallucination!" I gasp excitedly as I'm struck with an idea. "Maybe it's not a mob, but a roving male moving through the grass."

"A what?" Toad questioned, drawing my hazel orbs to his adorably confused face.

"When male meerkats reach the age of one year they often leave their mobs to meet female meerkats to create their own mobs with." I explained, returning my gaze to the vegetation. "Maybe you didn't hear or see him because he was moving at a brisk pace."

I heard Toad emit a hum of uncertainty, "I guess that makes sense."

"Hey, if we follow him we might find a meerkat group, c'mon, buddy!" Turning my upper body, I thrust my left hand to grasp Toad's right wrist, but he ends up swiftly grabbing my wrist, causing me to gasp in surprise.

"Don't even, or I will contort your body into a pretzel. How many times do I have to tell you not to drag me around?!" Toad reprimanded, rubbing his left temple with the fingers of is left hand to alleviate a developing headache I'm most likely responsible for giving him.

"D'oh, sorry!" I apologize, facepalming and squeezing my eyes shut as an image of Toad rearranging my body into an uncomfortable shape plays through my mind. C'mon brain, stop forgetting not to manhandle Toad, gosh dang it! Remember, he had also threatened to rearrange my face into a Picasso painting earlier.

"Anyway-" I heard Toad start, causing me to remove my right hand from my face and part my lids to make eye contact with him as he places his right hand on my left arm, "you shouldn't be moving around, you need to rest until the effects of the scorpion venom wears off."

"I feel better, really." I lied, blinking a few times as another wave of dizziness spreads through my head, causing me to avert my gaze from Toad to a row of grass to my right as my vision starts to spin, not wanting to panic him.

"You can't fool me when you're face is turning as white as a Boo." Toad points out with a scoff, placing the palm of his left hand against my right cheek to return my gaze to his.

Suddenly, in my right peripheral vision, I see what appears to be the black tip of a meerkat's tail protruding through the top of the row of grass, causing me to pivot on my feet, pulling myself out of Toad's touch, and gasp ecstatically.

"THERE!" I exclaim loudly, pointing with my left index finger as my blurry hazel orbs follow the tail's brisk movement through the grass.

"WHAT?!" Toad squeaks in alarmed confusion.

"MUST FOLLOW!"

As I shift my right leg to start sprinting after the roving meerkat, I feel my right foot make contact with a clump of sand, sending me crashing face first to the ground, particles of sand stinging as they enter my nasal and ear passages. Fortunately none of the sand particles entered my eyes or mouth because I had them closed. As I feel the snot in my nostrils starting to form the particles of sand into clumps, obstructing my ability to breathe, a sense of panic enters my bloodstream, tempting me to open my mouth in order to supply my lungs with oxygen. I resist, knowing I could inhale sand into my lungs and drown. The sense of panic spreading through my system intensifies as an image of me being absorbed into a quick sand pit while screaming plays through my mind. Is it my imagination or does it suddenly feel like my face is sinking? Oh God! What if I fell into an area of quick sand?! I gasp, inhaling a clump of sand into my mouth, causing me to bolt up right on my feet coughing and spitting chunks of the coarse ground material out of my mouth.

"Liz! Are you alright?!" I heard Toad call out worriedly beside me as I felt him place one of his hands on my back and start rubbing soothing circles in hopes to alleviate my distress.

"I'm fine." I choke out between coughs, trying not to sound too distressed. I really don't want him to freak out right now, so calm down, girl. This isn't Shifting Sand Land.

I collapse to my knees, bringing Toad down with me and make a gagging noise as I'm suddenly struck with a strong sense of nausea that spreads through my stomach. As I feel Toad remove his hand from my back, I put my hands to my mouth, praying not to projectile vomit whatever is left in my stomach.

"Okay, maybe not." I gagged, squeezing my eyes shut and pressing my mouth against the inner elbow of my right arm as I feel the stomach lava ascending my esophagus. I can just imagine my body sounding an alarm screaming, "Warning! Warning! Mount Elizabeth is about to erupt, so Toad, you'd better skedaddle outta the way before she upchucks all over ya!"

Apparently Toad doesn't heed my body's warning as I hear him order, "Alright, C'mon, Liz, get your butt back over to the camel thorn tree," upon grabbing my right arm with both his hands and pulling me up, putting the palm of one his hands against the middle of my lower back to prevent me from collapsing again. I grunt in an effort to force down the stomach lava that's trying to enter my mouth when I feel Toad gently turn me around and lower me to the ground, propping my back against the trunk of the camel thorn tree again.

"If you wanna live to see any meerkats, you'll stay put until you're body can resist the scorpion venom." Toad tells me firmly, my eyelids parting, having realized I still had them closed, to see his arms folded across his chest and an authoritative expression formed on his visage.

"But-" I start to protest when Toad cuts me off by sputtering nonsense.

"I'll sit on you if I have to, and don't even think about tickling me. I'll pin down your arms again so you can't." Toad warns, grasping the sides of my biceps with both his hands to emphasize, causing me to gasp, his serious cobalt orbs burning into my hazel ones.

I glare and bite the inside of my left cheek in a pouting manner, wanting so badly to place the palm of my left hand against Toad's face and shove him away but can't muster the strength to do it. I exhale a defeated sigh. It'd be worthless anyway. In my debilitated condition I wouldn't stand a chance. Toad would vanquish me in two seconds flat and I sure as hell don't want to endure another wrestling match with him. I keep forgetting that he can be crazy Donkey Kong strong! So, I have no choice but to stay put. Man, this really sucks!  

"While you rest here I'm going to retrieve my ha-er-mushroom cap from that bush." Toad said, still embarrassed and in disbelief over his secret being revealed.

My eyes follow Toad's trek to the bush where his mushroom cap is still attached, watching impatiently as he assesses the situation. From what I can tell the bush is latched onto that thing very tightly, like an anaconda constricting its prey. It ain't gonna let go! Toad would have better luck collecting one million red coins than retrieving his mushroom cap. I bet he ends up ripping it. Shifting myself into a more comfortable sitting position against the tree, I avert my eyes away from Toad the moment he starts to try to pull his mushroom cap free, his grunts and profanities echoing through the air. Upon making visual contact with a row of tall grass, an uneasy sensation spreads through my stomach. No, it's not the 'I-think-I-gotta-throw-up' type of feeling this time. It's more like an 'I've-got-a-feeling-something-is-wrong' type of sensation. That meerkat I thought I saw and heard earlier...What if it wasn't a hallucination? What if it was an actual flesh, blood and fur meerkat in need? It could be separated from its group and is sick or injured. Maybe it's an evicted female in need of protection. I can't just sit here and rest! A meerkat's welfare could be in jeopardy! With a bit of difficulty, I pull myself up into a slouched standing position, but collapse to the ground on my back when I feel that the muscles in my legs have grown numb.

I groan in frustration, "Great, I can't feel my legs, Why?!" As I shift myself into a reclined sitting position using my elbows to prop myself up. "C'mon you stupid legs work!"  

I gasp as I'm suddenly struck with a horrifying realization, "Wait, I can't feel my legs?! Oh-no....That means...I must be entering the imminent death stage of scorpion envenomation: paralysis! Th-that just leaves convulsions, then death!"

A low, drawn out squawk enters my auditory senses, causing me to shift my hazel orbs from my feet to scan up the trunk of the camel thorn tree, a "Duaaah!" of surprise erupting from my mouth as I make visual contact with the vulture still perched on the branch located near the top. He's watching me with a voracious look glinting in his eyes. Eh, I've just decided Ugly Flying Turkey Monster is a male.

"Whoa, hello." I giggled amiably, "I-I totally forgot you were still hanging around. Get it? Hanging around? Because you're hanging on a branch." I added the pun jokingly, abruptly cutting my giggling off with a scoff and roll of my eyes.

I mentally facepalm. God, I can see a lot of pun jokes coming from being in Africa.

Ugly Flying Turkey Monster emits a confused squawk and raises a brow, not understanding the joke. The confused expression quickly turns into a "Why won't you just die so I can devour your tasty looking flesh already" look. As a yell of extreme frustration resounds through the air behind me, causing me to give a startled gasp and Ugly Flying Turkey Monster to shift his gaze from me to the direction the shouting came from, I turn my head to see Toad still engaged in a tug of war battle with the bush.

"LET GO OF MY HAT, YOU STUPID BUSH!" Toad shrieks furiously while pulling his hat aggressively.

A sense of anxiety spreads from my chest to my stomach. Already unnerved by the possibility that the vulture's presence could attract other predators to our location, Toad screeching furiously at the top of his lungs like a deranged demon could increase that risk considerably, making me want to pick up a rock and knock him out with it to shut him up. The vulture and I return eye contact at the same time, that spine chilling voracious expression retuning to his visage.

"L-look, seriously, you don't want to eat me. I mean, you don't even know what I am. Who knows what kind of parasites I may be carrying. They could devour you from the inside out or something." I warn, hoping to discourage the vulture from wanting to hang around any longer.

He just sits there and stares, as if expecting me to suddenly collapse and croak. I glare at him with displeasure and cross my arms. Stubborn flying mutated turkey!

"Oh please, don't get your hopes up, mutated death turkey. I'm not going anywhere any time soon. I have life goals to fulfill," Shifting my eyes to Toad, then back to the vulture, I add, "And if you'll excuse me, I need to help my friend out of his little predicament."

As I once again shift onto my hands and knees, I feel the particles of sand shift in my nasal cavities, causing a horrendous sounding sneeze to erupt from my mouth, jostling my body back a bit and sending the sand particles spraying out of my nostrils in all directions. A startled squawk sounds from behind me and I turn my head over my right shoulder to see the vulture with his wings partially spread out, as if he was preparing to take flight. The feathers along the back of his torso are bristled and his eyes are wide, thinking I was going to explode into a million pieces. I mentally laugh at his comical looking pose. Ugly Flying Turkey Monster is actually quite entertaining and funny. He's starting to grow on me. I'm starting to hope he hangs around for a little while longer. No! He's a scavenger. What if his presence attracts jackals, lions and hyenas to our location? He has to go, like now!

"Please tell me you're leaving?" I ask with a tone of hope in my voice, my eyes widening and a pleading grin spreading across my face.

That stupid voracious expression returns to the vulture's face and the feathers along the back of his torso flatten, returning to the pose he was in before with his wings folded against his sides, unfortunately undeterred by my strange and loud mouth noise.

"Jean-Claud Van Dammit!" I curse angrily, turning to face the vulture upon standing up, ignoring the pulsating, burning sensation that radiates up my left leg from applying weight on it.

I smirk at the vulture, suddenly struck with an idea, "Maybe if I make annoying mouth noises, you'll fly away."

The vulture watches me with that "why-won't-you-just-die" look on his face as I approach the base of the tree in a limping manner, biting the inside of my right cheek as the pulsating, burning sensation intensifies with each step I take with my left foot. Halting at the base of the tree, I start to emit all sorts of strange noises, ranging from obnoxious snorts, to banshee screeches, to silly and/or pathetic sounding roars, to incomprehensible gibberish words. The vulture just looks at me unfazed and appears to want to flutter down and peck me to death. If I had fur along my back like a meerkat it'd be bristling with frustration right about now.

"Hey, Liz!" In response to Toad's call, I avert my eyes from the vulture to turn my head in his direction, his hunched over and panting form entering the center of my vision. "If you're starting to feel better enough to entertain that mutated turkey, can you please come over here and help me get my hat unstuck?"

I am actually starting to feel better. The waves of nausea have receded from my stomach and I've regained feeling in my legs shortly after they started going numb. Also I haven't experienced another episode of dizziness and psychedelic vision for several minutes. I'm still experiencing radiating pain in my left leg though. A smile of hope spreads across my face. Hey, maybe my body is starting to resist the scorpion venom!

"Sure thing, bud!" My voice comes out sounding more rejuvenated.

My gaze shifts from Toad to see the vulture with his head turned down to the right, nibbling along his folded right wing. Either he's lost interest in me or has a case of the fleas. Returning my gaze to Toad, whom has determinedly returned to the tug-o-war battle with the bush, I was about to take a step with my right foot when I felt something make impact with the top of my head hard enough to cause a pain that's similar to being flicked.

"Ow!" I exclaim, rubbing the top of my head with my left hand, "What the...?"

Instinctively I shift my gaze to the ground to search for what made impact with my head. Upon turning in the direction of the tree, what looks like a grape sized fruit enters the center of my vision. Widening my eyes at the thought of something, I shift my gaze back up to the vulture, glaring suspiciously when I see he's still preening himself.

"Hey, turkey mutant." I deliberately address, successfully attracting the aggravated vulture's attention, "Don't act innocent. I know you just tried to kill me with this piece of fruit," I accuse, pointing my right index finger at the ridiculous attempted murder weapon.

The vulture shifts his gaze from me to the fruit, then gazes back at me and emits a confused squawk. My eyes widen with realization and a sense of rejoice spreads through my system.

"Wait a minute, fruit?!" I say excitedly to myself, turning to see another one a few inches away from the first, "Oh, there's actually two! And they look pretty juicy. Just what Toad and I need to rehydrate ourselves."

Bending down and picking up fruit number one in my left hand and fruit number two in right hand, my mouth starts to water at the feel of the texture. It reminds me of a peach, fuzzy and soft. Upon standing up, I bring fruit number one to my nose, humming in delight when a sweet scent enters my nostrils.

"Ooooh, that smells delicious!" I exclaim with delight, my taste buds tingling.

Turning in Toad's direction, I call out, "Hey, buddy!" He turns his head in my direction while keeping a firm grip on his hat, his cobalt orbs making curious contact with the two fruits in my hands. "Stop playing Tug-O-War with nature and come have some fruit!"

"Finally!" He rejoices, relinquishing his hat and starts running towards me, "Something that can save me from turning into a dry bones!"

When the distance between us is reduced to three feet, Toad suddenly skids to a halt, shifting his cobalt orbs from the fruit to me with a nervous expression formed on his face.

"Wait, do you know if those are even safe to eat?" Toad asks, gazing at the fruit suspiciously.

"Yes!" I exclaim with a grin spreading across my face as I remember reading about these fruits in a book back in the real world a long time ago. "These are camel thorn tree berries. They're an excellent source of water, vitamin C, antioxidants and even healing properties."

"Healing properties?" An expression of hope brightens Toad's face. "So, if I eat one it'll make my bruises disappear?"

"Unfortunately these fruits can't make wounds disappear or cure status effects like the fruits in the Mushroom Kingdom can. They only possess properties that can restore your energy and alleviate inflammation." I explain, receiving a noise of disappointment from Toad.

"This should help to reduce the swelling in my left ankle and make it easier for me to continue on our trek across the Kalahari." I said, gazing down with relief at fruit number one in my left hand.

I lift my gaze from the fruit to see Toad gazing up at the camel thorn tree curiously. "The vulture knocked them down."

Toad's look of curiosity changes to a look of joyful relief, "Oh, you're a life saver Ugly Flying Turkey Monster!" I hear the vulture emit a low, disgruntled squawk, either offended by the ridiculous name or frustrated he ruined his chance to watch me deteriorate to a corpse, "thank you so much!" And gaze up to see it directing a death glare at Toad.

"Ya know what, Ugly Flying Turkey Monster sounds ridiculous." I said, cradling the fruit in my arms while shaking my head with a chuckle. "I was thinking Flying Grim Reaper or Flying Corpse Eater would be more fitting for his ominous appearance."

"Flying Corpse Eater." Toad chuckles as if the name would be fitting, "Reminds me of those dreadful looking zombie vultures in that zombie apocalypse game we played around Halloween."

Cradling the fruit against my chest, I blink in realization. Ah, that's right. We have video games back at the castle! Another activity we could've engaged in if the wish didn't work. I could easily spend several hours a day playing video games. It's one of my most favorite activities to do during the holidays. I exhale longingly, having suddenly developed the urge to play video games. I haven't played them for a while and being left behind by the Mario Crew had given us the perfect opportunity to rekindle our bond with them! But Nope! I had to follow my desire of making a selfish, risky wish, which I'm starting to feel terrible about. It's only our first day in Africa and we're already miserable! Hot, Bruised, dehydrated, exhausted, Toad with his ripped shirt and probably soon to be shredded mushroom cap and me battling the effects of a scorpion sting. Meerkats have to spend their entire lives being on alert for danger, from the moment they emerge from their burrow, to when they leave to forage and to when they return home. Just several hours of viewing the world through a meerkat's perspective has me feeling totally drained. Well, 'least we got fruit now.

"Ah, yes, Zombie Kingdom," Is what I remember the game being called, shifting my hazel orbs back to the vulture that is still death glaring us, "Ya know, he kinda does look like the zombie vultures from that game. How about we call him Rigamortis."

Bristling his feathers and flapping his wings a couple times as he adjusts himself on the branch, the vulture emits a displeased squawk, eliciting a startled yelp from Toad.

"Uh, I-I think the names we're giving him are making him angrier. He looks like he wants to fly down here and rip the flesh off our bones alive at any given moment!" Toad quivers, moving behind me for protection.

Shifting my eyes from the vulture to Toad, to the fruit, then back to the vulture, an apologetic chuckle emits from my mouth, "Please excuse me Ugly-er, vulture for my lack of manners. I should really be thanking you for blessing us with these delicious looking fruits. Looks like you have no other choice but to move on to something that's already dead, huh" I finish with a smirk.

The vulture emits another displeased squawk and flaps his wings in frustration, like a villain that just had one of his plans thwarted. Toad emits a startled squeak, probably thinking the vulture was about to come down and make us die.

"But before you make your defeated departure, we'd like to give you a proper name." I said, glancing back at Toad. "Well, buddy, since you've been naming animals we come across, I'll let you do the honors."

Toad steps out from behind me, his fingers intertwined as he glances up at the vulture nervously. His face suddenly lights up as if an idea has struck him.

"I know! Lets call him Paul!" Toad exclaims vibrantly, separating his hands. The vulture blinks in confusion.

"A-actually may I make a suggestion?" I timidly ask, feeling guilty that I'm stealing his honor for a moment.

"You're not going to suggest a difficult to pronounce African name, are you?" Toad jokes with a smirk.

"No." I giggled, "I was thinking of a name with meaning. I mean it was like he was good fortune that took on the form of a vulture."

"Well this Good Fortune is awfully grim to take on the form of a vulture. Why couldn't it have taken on the form of something that won't try to kill us if we turn our backs, like a butterfly or hummingbird?" Toad wonders, gazing at the vulture with an expression of anxiety formed on his face.

I scoff, "Because the Kalahari doesn't have that kind of mercy. Like Australia everything has to be scary or cruel, even the landscape."

Toad anxiously shifts his cobalt orbs from the vulture to the bush where his hat is stuck, then returns them to the vulture that is still watching us with his squinty eyed death glare, causing Toad to emit a startled squeak.

"Anyways, we were going to name him. The name I had in mind for him is Sky Savior." I announce, shifting the fruits in my arms.

"Sky Savior..." Toad repeats. "I actually like the sound of that."

"It's settled then." I said, giving the fruit in my right hand to Toad, then lifted the one in my left hand up in the air to make a toast, "Cheers to Sky Savior!"

Sky Savior watches us in absolute confusion and disbelief. Usually vultures are perceived as entities of imminent death and decay, not something to be revered. While gazing at Sky Savior I notice a scar extending from above his right eye to across the top of his cranium. He probably took a harsh swat from the claws of a lion when fearlessly trying to swipe a piece of its kill. A grin of amazement spreads across my face as this scenario plays in my mind. How badass! This vulture must be used to creatures being intimidated by him, not facing him with fascination or courage.

"Oh wow this is really delicious!" I'm snapped out of my trance of amazement when those words from Toad enter my auditory senses, making me shift my eyes from Sky Savior to gaze down at the fruit in my left hand that I had lowered from the air. Oh yeah the fruit. I'd better gobble it down. Bonnie, Clyde or some other drongo could swipe it if given the chance. Bringing the fruit up to my lips, I sink my teeth into the satisfyingly juicy flesh, a sense of pleasure flowing through my system as a sweet flavor spreads through my taste buds.

"Mmmmm wow this is delicious, like one died and went to Heaven delicious." I muttered moreso to myself, closing my eyes and grinning in delight, "Amazing. Actually reminds me of a strawberry. Man I can go for a pack of those right now."

"Finally, life replenishing moisture!" Opening my eyes, I see Toad devouring his fruit like a famished animal, coughing a few times between bites.

"Whoa, buddy, jeez slow down! You're not Kirby!" I scolded him worriedly.

"But I couldn't resist." My eyes widen as the last chunk of his fruit disappears in a swallow, amazed he didn't actually choke "That was the best fruit I've ever had! I wish these grew in the Mushroom Kingdom. I'd love to use them in a recipe."

Once I finished the remainder of my fruit, my eyes shift back to Sky Savior. There appears to be a look of disappointment on his face because we didn't choke. If he was bold enough to take on a pride of lions for a piece of a carcass I start to think what if he swoops down to start ripping the flesh off our bones...A chill ascends my spine as an image of Sky Savior plucking the flesh off me plays in my mind, reminding me of a scene I saw in a movie where a vulture swooped down and started eating someone. I shake my head in doubt. Nah. I'm pretty sure if he wanted to do that he would've done it already. I think he's rather entertained by us. The craving for more fruit draws my eyes from Sky Savior to the length of one of the branches, a growl of frustration leaving my mouth seeing that it's full of them. Darn! I noticed the branch Sky Savior is perched on has a minimal amount of the fruit and Toad and I can't jump like the Mario Brothers can. God, it'd be awesome to jump dozens of feet into the air so we could reach stuff! C'mon Sky Savior switch branches! I glare at him wishing I could move him with my mind. He glares back, engaging me in a staring contest.

I'm pulled out of the stare down when I feel the weight of Toad's right hand on my left shoulder, "Liz, there's no way we can get more of those fruits. Sky Savior is hoping we die so he won't knock any more down for us."

I'm suddenly struck with an idea, "Wait, there's something else I wanna try."

"What?" Toad questions, putting his hands on his hips and raising his right brow, doubtful whatever it is will work.

"The Naruto tree climbing thingy." I reveal with a look of determination, clasping my hands together in preparation to make hand signs.

Toad scoffs incredulously, "Liz, you don't have that ability. That only works in the Naruto universe, not the Mushroom Kingdom or real world."

"Won't hurt to give it a try." My hazel orbs return to Sky Savior, hoping he won't interfere with my mission. Maybe if I give him the Luigi death stare he won't try anything.

"I'm pretty sure it will. Remember your leg...and the scorpion venom! The more you move around you'll-" Feeling Toad worriedly placing his hands on my left arm, I cut him off by pulling out of his grip, slowly moving towards the tree.

"Doesn't bother me anymore." Really, it doesn't. I have full mobility of my body now and the burning pulsating sensation in my left leg has subsided to just a dull ache. Must've been the healing properties of the fruit.

"This is worthless. Forget about the fruit. Help me get my hat detached from the bush!" I hear Toad demand from behind me as my hazel orbs scan the base of the tree for a sloped part.

"I dunno, buddy. From the looks of it that bush was winning the tug-of-war. I bet you 100 gold coins it's gonna rip." I halt my movements around the base of the tree, glancing back at Toad in amusement.

"It won't rip! My hat is made of really strong material. It just needs to be methodically plucked from the thorns." He fiercely defends, clenching his fists in unwillingness to give up salvaging his precious head gear.

I shake my head in doubt, smirking with amusement, as I return my gaze to the tree trunk, "Fine. Guess I'll have to get it back myself then," I heard Toad say in frustration behind me.

Yes, I know... What I'm doing is totally worthless too but I've always wanted to give this a try. Hey, sometimes Toad and I can't resist taking on a challenge. My hazel orbs make contact with a sloped area on the right side of the base of the tree trunk. Yes! Now if I can focus my energy into my feet I should be able to Naruto run up the trunk. I know I'm failing epically at making the hand signs as I move my fingers together, my eyes closed in concentration as I imagine the justu activation sound effect in my head. Opening my eyes I launch myself into a sprint, my arms spread out behind me like a Naruto character. As the distance between me and the tree rapidly decreases I wonder how high I can climb up the trunk before I ungracefully fall on my face. Suddenly I feel the front of my right foot slip on the base of the trunk, causing my forehead to collide with the rough textured bark, sending a wave of pain through the top of my head as I slide to the ground letting out grunts that I imitate from the Angry Beavers. Great. That's probably going to leave a bruise that'll cause an annoying ass headache later on. Yup, exactly what I thought would happen. The Naruto run tree climbing training thing ended in failure. Ah, it was fun to try though. Shifting onto my back, my hazel orbs make contact with Sky Savior at the same time as a ripping sound enters my auditory senses.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" I gasp and jolt up into a sitting position, making visual contact with an angry crying Toad gripping his ripped hat, my heart rate elevated worried the volume of his voice would attract aerial and terrestrial predators. Sky Savior and a bunch of other birds enter my line of vision, flying across the sky, most likely startled by Toad's scream. I exhale a sigh and facepalm with my left hand. I knew his hat would rip!

End Chapter 6

Chapter 7 The Faults And Luxuries Of Kalahari Hotels

Toad spent what felt like hours, but was probably actually just several minutes, gazing sorrowfully at the bush his mushroom hat was ripped apart from, his head hung low while he fidgeted with the other part of the material in his hands. My right hand is placed on his left shoulder for comfort as my hazel orbs frequently scan the terrain and sky for threats, a feeling of impatience flowing through me as the spot I remember seeing what looked like a meerkat tail through the top of the grass enters my field of vision.

"I know it looks ridiculous," The sound of Toad's depressed voice draws my eyes back to him, "crying over a hat but these mushroom caps...they're a part of us Toads. To lose one is like someone losing an arm or a leg."

The feeling of impatience is immediately replaced with a feeling of guilt, "Ah, man, I'm sorry, buddy. I feel so bad for getting you stuck in that bush. I promise that when we get back to the Mushroom Kingdom I'll buy you a new mushroom cap, maybe even one with cool designs." Toad and I turn to face each other at the same time, my right hand still on his left shoulder.

"Thanks, Liz. I appreciate the kind offer." Toad says, taking his right hand off the torn mushroom cap to give my left hand an appreciative squeeze, "but this particular mushroom cap was special to me. My momma fitted me with it when I was a newborn."

I feel an ache of guilt grow in my chest and take a step back. Please don't give me a sob story. That'll just shatter my heart into itty bitty pieces finding out I was responsible for destroying a piece of a precious memory!

"Oh jeez, I'm so, so sorry, bud, is-is she...." I stutter, grabbing a chunk of my hair with my left hand, my emotions rising.

"Relax. There's no cliche sob story behind my mushroom cap." Toad reassures, moving his right hand to my left shoulder, causing my body to loosen up in relaxation, my left hand and shoulders lowering. "Momma's still alive. She works at Tayce T's restaurant as a chef and she's one of the Mushroom Kingdom's best."

"So that's where you got you're amazing chef skills from. I'm glad to hear your mother is doing well." I smile, a warm feeling spreading through my chest.

"Thanks. She makes clothes too." Toad gazes at the part of the mushroom cap attached to the bush, then shifts his gaze to the part between his hands, "She could always make me a new one whenever we return to the Mushroom Kingdom."

I watch, an ache of sympathy replacing the warm sensation in my chest, as Toad tosses the torn cap to the ground. Poor guy. We're not even through our first day here and already the exposed skin through the holes of the back of his shirt is sunburnt. Without the protection of his Mushroom cap Toad will look like a walking red hot poker. I hear Toad exhale a sigh like he misses something, his sunburnt back now facing me.

"It was my mother and Tayce T that greatly inspired me to become a professional chef. Oh man, I could really go for a plate of one of their meals right about now." Toad says in a yearning tone, rubbing his belly.

"I remember hearing the Mario brothers and people around Toad Town talking about how excellent Tayce T's restaurant is but never got around to trying it." I said, dropping my head in regret, a wave of uncertainty rippling through me.

It makes me sad to think there's a possibility we won't ever get to go out to eat again. I really enjoy consuming actual food and going out to eat, voraciously stuffing my face with my favorite fruits and vegetables, savoring a plate of greasy meatloaf and fluffy mashed potatoes with peas, along with several other delectable foods. As an image of a molten chocolate lava cake appears in my mind my heart breaks. Augh man, I may never get to eat chocolate ever again...I'll die of chocolate deprivation! No, I just need to use my imagination. Imagine that bugs are covered in chocolate. Make my brain believe I'm eating chocolate then the bugs will taste sweet.

"We'll get there someday." I felt a couple reassuring taps on my left arm and shifted my hazel orbs up to meet Toad's determined cobalt blue ones, a gleam of delight brightening his pupils, "You'll love it! The food is absolutely amazing! Oh, I wonder if more fruit fell when Sky Savior flew away. I've gotta take some with us! The residents of Toad Town would be totally blown away at how delicious they taste!"

Moving on from his destroyed mushroom cap surprisingly quicker than I thought he would, I watch Toad jog excitedly over to the base of the tree, his eyes scanning the ground in focus as he began walking around it. I knew Toad loved food but doesn't he want to take his precious mushroom cap with us? Maybe instead of getting him a new one when we return to the Mushroom Kingdom there's gotta be somebody that could repair it, I wonder as I pick up the piece Toad tossed on the ground in my right hand. I gaze at it sadly, a sense of guilt spreading from my stomach to my chest. I feel terrible that I'm the cause of the destruction of Toad's maternally made mushroom cap. It's like he had a piece of his mother with him every adventure he went on, certainly missing her greatly. I wanna make it up to him by restoring it to its original form... somehow. Remembering my sweat pants have pockets, I put the tattered piece in the right one as I detach the other piece from the bush, putting it in my left pocket.

I shift my gaze to Toad to hear him say, "Doesn't look like Sky Savior gifted us with anymore fruit. Uuurgh, I hate that the real world doesn't have any power items. And tackling the tree to knock more down at this size would be hopeless and painful" He gazes up at the branches, exhaling in disappointment, "I wanted to make camel thorn tree berry pie...."

"You could still collect some, buddy. The book I read about these berries in said they're common throughout the Kalahari," I said, wincing as I limped over to Toad, a mild burning sensation spreading from my ankle to my calf each time I placed weight on my left foot.

Toad gasps excitedly, "Really?! Lets go find them!"

Suddenly Toad's body sways and he nearly collapses but I catch him under the arms before he could hit the ground.

"Whoa! Toad, are you okay?" I asked, a sense of anxiety developing in my chest as I receive no response.

Feeling Toad's weight growing heavier in my arms, causing a burning sensation to develop in the muscles, I kneel down, laying him on his back, my eyes blinking in half confusion, half annoyance as I see he's unconscious. Ah man, he fainted again?! The other times he passed out he was startled, terrified or disgusted. What happened this time? Maybe the excitement of finding more fruit was intense enough to KO him? Or maybe the destruction of his maternally made mushroom cap caused him so much emotions that it's depleted him of the last bit of his energy...I lower my head remorsefully. Poor guy...Upon gazing at Toad's forehead I notice beads of sweat glistening on his skin, sending a sense of alarm through my system. That's right! His body has been producing a copious amount of sweat for hours! He must've collapsed from heat exhaustion. I've gotta get him out of the sun's scorching rays. Bending down and grabbing Toad under the arms, I drag his limp, heavy body across the sand to a shady spot under the tree, leaning his back against the base. I gaze at him sympathetically, playing with a tuft of his hair affectionately. Of course the cute little fungus man would eventually drop after dragging my body across the ground in scorching temperatures for a couple hours when I passed out earlier from the scorpion venom. Truth be told he's not the only one that's put on some pounds over the past few months. Lifting my shirt, my hazel orbs shift from the unconscious Toad to my plump stomach, my hands gripping and squeezing a hunk of the flesh, a smile of amusement spreads across my face. I call it my chocolate belly because I consume a ridiculous amount of chocolate. The Kalahari diet, which consists of fruits and bugs, will make chocolate belly go bye bye. Shifting my gaze to the landscape, specifically the row of grass where I had seen that "meerkat," a feeling of conflict develops in my stomach. I really, really wanna find out where that "meerkat" went but...I shift my hazel orbs back to Toad. I'd have to carry him, which would be a terrible idea considering it's the hottest part of the day in the Kalahari and I'd risk succumbing to a heat related illness myself or getting us killed by a predator. Shifting myself into an Indian style sitting position next to Toad, I cross my arms and lean my back against the base of the tree, a look of disappointment formed on my face. It's smart just to stay here until Toad regains consciousness. The chances of catching up to that "meerkat" are probably slim anyway.

I shift my gaze back to Toad, smiling affectionately. "It's okay, buddy. It's your turn to rest. That scorpion venom induced nap I had earlier, combined with the camel thorn tree berry restored my energy so I feel alert enough to keep watch while we be like meerkats and take a siesta until the temperature starts to decline."

Shifting my eyes to vigilantly scan the landscape, I'm disappointed the heard of blue wildebeest and zebra are no longer in my field of vision. It's too bad because watching their majestic forms move leisurely through the vegetation was such a delight. What meets my field of vision now is the heatwave rippling across the terrain, morphing the structures of nature into strange psychedelic patterns. Clearly, it's hot enough for them to have commenced a journey to find an area of the Kalahari that has moisture. It felt like an hour had elapsed before a form of wildlife appeared. As five gemsbok make their way across the terrain the rippling heatwave distorts their forms, making them look like they turned invisible a few times. They vanish from my field of vision behind a row of camel thorn trees, the row of grass in the foreground swaying gently in the warm breeze, a sigh through the nose of relief leaving me as it wafts through my hair acting as a brief source of natural air conditioning. I gaze at the vegetation for what feels like several minutes, giving a single blink when I think I spot the head of a meerkat protrude from the top of a tuft of high-level grass, sending a sense of hope and excitement through my system, my body springing forward. Maybe it's that "meerkat" returning! Maybe it saw us earlier and is curious. When I blink again the image of the "meerkat" moving through the grass vanishes, sending a sense of disappointment through me. Le sad sigh, guess not...Feeling beads of sweat oozing down the sides of my face, back and chest, I realize it may just be my overheated mind playing tricks on me. Ooof, even in the shade it's scorching hot! I lean back against the tree as my entire body feels like it's being cooked in an oven. I gaze back at the vegetation as a wishful thought comes to mind. Imagine if that meerkat was one of the individuals from the Gosa Meerkat Mob from the documentary Kalahari Meerkats, like Cleopatra the dominant female, or Gandalf the dominant male, or the adventurous duo males Starsky and Hutch, caring sisters Pricilla and Matimba and the others. This portion of the Kalahari looks like where they resided, with the russet-colored sand, mountains and hay colored grass. I lower my head doubtfully. They haven't been followed by researchers and a film crew in like 10 years so there's a chance they're no longer around. But man imagine how awesome it'd be if they could talk. They'd have all sorts of amazing stories to tell! Another remarkable meerkat that comes to mind is brave little Kolo from the documentary movie The Meerkats. That movie was released over a decade ago so there's no way Kolo would still be alive today. Encountering him as an elder would be so amazing though, the stories he'd have to share would be absolutely captivating! And as for Sage from my book A Meerkat's Life Saga she was born in the earlier 2000s and her mob disappeared is what I heard so there's no way she's still alive. My hazel orbs shift from the vegetation to the sky, scanning for any potential avian threats. Thankfully all I see are small harmless birds playing aerial tag. Nah, any meerkats we encounter will most likely be completely wild and unhabituated by humans. As my hazel orbs scan the sky, a small cloud enters the center of my vision. I squint my eyes in concentration. Maybe if I think hard enough, I can make it grow into an enormous cumulonimbus cloud and produce rain. I release a sigh knowing that'd be impossible. I spend what feels like an hour drawing various things in the sand with my left index finger, my chin resting in the palm of my right hand as I have my right elbow propped on my right thigh, a smile spread across my face as I finish drawing an adorable looking baby meerkat. I shift my eyes from my drawings to Toad, a sense of anxiety developing in my stomach when I see he hasn't regained consciousness yet. I should probably check and make sure the Kalahari hasn't unalived him already. Leaning over, I place the index and middle fingers of my right hand under Toad's jaw to check his pulse, a sense of relief flowing through me as I felt he has one. Thank the Star Spirits, he's still alive! I lean away from Toad, crossing my arms. I stare at him for several minutes, the sense of impatience returning. I have the urge to wake him up. Inhaling a breath of determination, I shift my eyes from Toad to scan the Kalahari landscape, believing a mob of meerkats must be somewhere in the vicinity, that we have a good chance of locating them before dark. The nagging feeling in my soul just says so! I shift my body so that I'm sitting on my knees in front of Toad, a sense of anxiety spreading through me as I can hardly tell if his body is rising and falling with his breathing. Is he really okay? He looks as dead as a Dry Bones...

Leaning to the left, I discover Toad does indeed have an ear hole. Ah, so Toads do have ear holes. That gives me an idea. "Wakey, wakey grass cupcake" I whisper before blowing into his left ear hole. That should make him shiver into consciousness. A minute lapses of him not moving.

"Nope?" I raise a brow in confusion, straightening my body and crossing my arms. "It's been effective on everyone else I've done that to."

I lift his left arm with my right hand and let it drop to the ground, not receiving a response, then poke his right cheek with my left index finger. Still nothing.

"What is he in hibernation mode?" I wonder, putting a finger to my chin. "He's really out of it. His HP must be zero. Urrrgh I should've grabbed some power and healing items before we left!" I facepalm with my right hand. "A 1Up Mushroom would be fantastic to have right now. That is...if Mushroom Kingdom power items even work in the real world." My body slouches in doubt.

An idea hits me, one that I don't really want to go through with. I exhale a sigh of reluctance, rolling my eyes, "Guess I'll have to risk sustaining an injury again."

"Tickle attack!" I call out as I run my fingers up, down and across Toad's torso. There's not even a single twitch from him. "Dayum, he's sleeping like a Snorlax."

I turn the upper part of my body, scanning the Kalahari landscape with a look of determination formed on my face. Screw it. I'm gonna pick up Toad and resume our search for a meerkat mob. I really don't feel like staying at this camel thorn tree any longer. Who knows when Toad could regain consciousness. He may not wake up until dark and I don't want us to be above ground by then as the nocturnal predators will be making their appearances. It's approaching the time for us to start looking for a Kalahari hotel to check into anyways. Placing my right arm under Toad's upper back and my left arm under his legs, I lift him up, carrying him bridal style, as I start walking towards the row of vegetation where I saw the "meerkats." The heat emanating from Toad's body spreads through my arms and torso as I'm holding him protectively close to my body, my eyes scanning the landscape and sky for threats. Thankfully there are none in the area. Upon entering the vegetation, I walk at a brisk pace, the blades of grass brushing against us along the way, not rough enough to wake up Toad though. Each time I apply weight on my left foot, a burning sensation spreads from my ankle to my calf causing me to wince and limp every other step but at least the effects of the scorpion venom aren't incapacitating anymore. At this point I'll just need a good night's sleep and I should be fully recovered by tomorrow. I'm glad this patch of grass only reaches up to my neck. It makes it easier to spot threats from a distance and any meerkats that may appear. Shifting my gaze to the mountains in the distance, a sense of pleasure flows through me, glad I can enjoy the beautiful view of the landscape while hiking. Turning my head to the right, a bush enters my field of vision that my mind imagines a meerkat is positioned at the top of, vigilantly surveying the landscape for danger, prepared to selflessly protect its mob with its life. It reminds me of another admirable meerkat in a documentary that I recently saw called Meerkat: A Dynasties Special. The film follows a young dominant female named Maghogho living in the harsh beauty of the Makgadikgadi salt pans. I pray her and her mob are still going strong. Imagine if we encounter and can communicate with them. I'd be so ecstatic! I'd like to know how Maghogho gained her facial scar.

Every so often I'd shift my eyes from the landscape in front of me to scan the terrain and sky for danger. I'm startled when I make visual contact with two dots soaring in the sky in the distance, a sense of anxiety spreading from my chest to my stomach as I imagine it's the martial eagle returning with a partner. It's hard to tell exactly what kind of birds they are but they appear to be birds of prey. Instinctively I press Toad protectively against my body, trying not to suffocate him in the process, praying the birds don't soar in our direction. Thankfully they seem to be focused on a patch of vegetation in the distance, so I relax. I smile, imagining the view of the Kalahari must be magnificent from up there. I watch the birds vigilantly until they vanish from my field of vision, sending a sense of relief through my system. I return to surveying the landscape every few minutes. I don't see any more birds of prey or any other vicious carnivores, thank goodness, so I'm going to enjoy the peaceful ambience of the Kalahari. Listening to the chorus of birds and insect sounds and the breeze rustling the vegetation, I allow my mind to enter reverie land, playing out scenarios of how we could encounter meerkats. Upon shifting my eyes straight ahead, my imagination plays out a mob of meerkats leaping towards us through the grass, tails erect and hind legs kicking into the air aggressively. The imaginary sentry has alerted his group to the trespassers and they're in literal hippity hoppity get off our property mode! I lower my head in disappointment. Of course, my imagination plays out the most realistic scenario to unfold. It causes me to feel a moment of pessimism, but I quickly mentally swat it away. Then my imagination plays out a meerkat pup stepping out from the blades of grass a few feet in front of me appearing to be frightened and bewildered while emitting distress vocalizations. Oooh, what if we encounter a lost meerkat pup? Surely a meerkat mob would reward us with membership if we returned one of their precious little ones. A butterfly fluttering across the top of my field of vision sends a sense of excitement through me. Without a doubt this field of grass would be attractive to a meerkat. It's teeming with insects, from that butterfly fluttering out of sight, to a grasshopper landing on a blade of grass to my right and a millipede briefly interrupting my hike as it scurries in front of me. Ahhh how adorable it'd be to see a meerkat pup come prancing through the blades of grass after that butterfly, I think as the butterfly flutters across the field of my vision again. A more exciting thought enters my mind. A litter of 5 meerkat pups embarking on an exploration of the Kalahari with plans to play tag and hide and seek in the vegetation as if they're the mischievous Fearsome 5 Yoshi kids in meerkat form frolic through the grass. They invite us to join them on their exhilarating adventure! Pretty sure a frantic Sushi in meerkat form will come looking for them. Oof, I imagine reuniting them with their group would be a literal pain in the rear, I think as an image of a puff adder plunging its venomous fangs into my left buttock as I shield one of the meerkat pups from it appears in my mind. Err, thinking of snakes, I say in my mind, I really shouldn't be lowering my guard while walking through the grass. I must resist the sense of relaxation and stay vigilant at all times, protect Toad while he's incapacitated. I shake my head as I start to feel like zoning out again. Brain, you're forbidden from entering dreamworld! I shift my hazel orbs from the landscape in front of me to the ground, to the sky, left, right and repeat this cycle for what feels like hours, making visual contact with harmless birds fluttering through the air, chilling on the branches of trees and more antelope migrating through the terrain in the distance. The only problem I've been having during this trek is with the annoying flies buzzing around my face. Would be nice if I had the use of my hands so I can swat the little pests away, I think as I blow a fly off the tip of my nose. Thank Heavens they're not bees. Otherwise I would've yeeted Toad across the Kalahari Desert in a moment of panic! I hate anything that flies and wields a stinger! Man, I hope Toad wakes up soon. The muscles in my arms are burning! I could just....I lower my arms, watching with the hope that Toad will wake up when his body makes impact with the ground. I'm disappointed he doesn't.

"Dinner time!" I jolt in alarm as a spine chilling reptilian voice emits from the grass to my right.

I watch in horror as the head of a puff adder springs out from the grass, plunging its venomous fangs into Toad's back, blood oozing from the puncture wounds. It's a literal second that he's yanked into the grass, too fast for me to be able to save him.

"NO, TOOOOOAAAAAAD!!!!" I shriek so loud it hurts my throat.

"Liz, Liz, LIZ!" A familiar voice enters my auditory senses, causing the horrific scene before me to fade, being replaced with a now conscious Toad in my arms, both his hands placed on my cheeks, "There you are. See? I'm literally still in your arms safe."

After Toad removes his hands from my face, I realize I'm breathing rapidly and my heart is elevated to a rapid rhythm, body trembling with terror, the look on Toad's face changing from confusion to concern.

"Liz, you look so pale. What happened? Was it another hallucination?" Toad asked, rubbing his left hand up and down my right arm to comfort me.

I emit a growl of anger, "Stupid brain! Playing tricks on me again. Heh, guess the effects of the scorpion venom haven't completely worn off. Well of course all the moving around will do that to me as it may be in my system for a while. Anyway glad to see you're awake buddy. How do you feel?"

"Much better. Oh, hey did you find any more camel thorn tree berries while I was out?" Toad asks, tilting his head with hope.

"Nah, just a ton of-"

Le gasp, "Camel thorn tree!" Toad exclaimed ecstatically as he pointed with his right index finger. "Yeeeee!" He cheers as he leaps vertically out of my arms, my upper body hunching forward in relief from supporting his weight, head turning to make visual contact with Toad running through an opening in the grass towards a camel thorn tree situated in more open terrain.

Suddenly I see him skid to a stop, emitting a girlish scream and flailing his arms around frantically, throwing his body around in a staggering manner. I'm confused for a second until I catch a glimpse of something scurrying around his torso at a swift pace.

"Liz, help me! Get it off, get it off!" He shrieks, trying to brush the creature off him.

Straightening my body, I can't help but emit a snicker of amusement at Toad's situation. The way he's freaking out looks funny. He's probably freaking out over some harmless bug, I think as I start to approach him. When the distance between us is reduced to 3 feet, Toad motions as if he's throwing something, my body jolting as I felt something make impact with my left shoulder, a squeak emitting from my mouth as I make visual contact with a spider. Ick! It's one of those freaky looking Camel Spiders too! They're not venomous but I've read their bite can pierce human flesh, causing a painful bite. It shifts to make eye contact with me, a tingle of anxiety spreading from my chest to my stomach.

"Please don't bite me freaky looking spider." It just stares at me with what I imagine is a look of curiosity, like what is this strange looking creature I'm walking on.

"Don't worry, Liz, I won't let it dissolve your flesh and eat you under my watch." I turn to see that Toad is approaching me with a clump of grass blades clenched in his right hand, a look of ferocity formed on his face. "No running away this time!"

As Toad raised his right hand, preparing to squash the creepy arachnid, in my left peripheral vision I see it swiftly drop to the ground, my eyes shifting to see it burry into the sand, vanishing from view at the same time as I hear a yell emit from Toad. I feel the blades of grass make impact with my left shoulder, causing me to yelp and my body to jolt at how it stung more than I thought it would. I lift my head to see Toad looking around anxiously, his right hand raised ready to defend himself with his grass whip.

"Oh, shitake mushrooms, it disappeared! Where'd it go? Did it use Dig? Is it gonna burst out of the ground and spit flesh melting acid at us?" Toad panics, staggering backwards, probably praying it doesn't burst from the ground beneath his feet.

"You can relax, buddy," I giggled in amusement, "it doesn't want to fight you. That was a camel spider. Sure, they're ominous looking but can't kill you. They're also known as solifuges and wind scorpions. They're arachnids that are neither true scorpions nor true spiders. They are beneficial predators related to spiders and are found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Sun spiders are usually nocturnal and have pairs of pincers at the tips of their chelicerae. They are not venomous, but their sharp mouthparts can pierce human flesh and cause a painful bite."

"That still sounds very unpleasant. I wish I punished it for nearly putting an end to my mission." Toad glares, tightening his grip on the grass whip. Pivoting on his feet, he emits an excited gasp upon returning eye contact with the camel thorn tree, dropping the grass whip on the ground "That I now get to continue, yeeee!"

I watch him run towards the camel thorn tree making an excited vocalization, thankfully not being attacked by another camel spider along the way. Imagine if they released a scent to call for reinforcements. I shiver as an image of me and Toad being attacked by a swarm of camel spiders plays in my mind. I start to walk towards the camel thorn tree, my eyes following Toad as he moves around the base, gazing down at the ground while I heard him say, " Please let there be some camel thorn berries. I must have some for my plans!" Seconds later he steps out of view behind the tree. Anxiety spreads from my chest to my stomach as I imagine our commotion with the camel spider may have attracted the attention of a predator and I turn the upper part of my body to the right, hazel eyes scanning what I realize is a growing dark landscape, the sound of barking geckos now reaching my auditory senses. Giggling Goombas, is it really evening already, I think as I turn my back to the camel thorn tree, shifting my eyes up to make visual contact with the orange, purple and red hues of the sky, the sun appearing as an enormous, vibrant ball on the horizon, its rays illuminating parts of the Kalahari in an orange glow.