Filia and Amelia give each other knowing looks.

Amelia: At least we all made it back to our own beds Miss Lina.

Lina glared at her balefully from under her pillow. What gave Amelia the right to be so cheerful this morning, when by all rights she should have a rotten hangover.

Filia peered between a couple of the bamboo slats of the roughly constructed blinds, and grimaced.

Filia: Its late morning, we should probably get up. The boys have probably been up for hours.

She stands, turns an interesting shade of green, and sits down on the bed again.

Lina wears a dubious expression, but they all paused to listen for any noise from outside or the neighboring hut. From the sound of things the boys were indeed up, and arguing about something.

The girls exchanged looks, hastily drew on some clothing, and tumbled out of their hut. The boys looked over at them.

Rezo: Ah, there are our sleeping beauties now.

Lina facefaults: Eh?

Rezo just smiled. In fact, all the guys were smiling.

The girls began to get a bad feeling about this.

Filia: What's going on?

Xellos: It’s a secret.

Rezo bops him over the head with his staff.

Rezo: It's not a secret. We want them to help.

Amelia: Help with what?

Xellos: It’s a se-

Rezo: Xellos!

Normally Xellos would have delighted in tormenting the blind priest, but something in the tone of Rezo's voice promised imminent death should he continue, and for once he shut up without argument.

Gourry: Go on Rezo, tell them!

Rezo: What would you say if I told you we'd found something to eat other than coconuts and Funky Fruit. Something much better.

Amelia: Better than Funky Fruit?

Rezo shrugged.

Rezo: It doesn't leave you feeling like you scrubbed out your stomach with a toilet brush in the morning.

Lina: Ok already, so what is it?

Rezo: Meat.

Girls: Meat???

Filia: But there aren't any animals on the Island, we looked.

Rezo: Well perhaps we didn't look hard enough.

He indicated the area around which the guys had been standing, and they parted to allow the girls a look. There in the dirt were paw prints. Big paw prints.

Girls: Ulp!

Lina: So what do you think made them?

Zelgadis: Something large and feline by the looks of things.

Amelia: Eeek! You mean there's a lion on the island?

Zelgadis: Tiger, more likely.

Amelia: But it could hunt us down and kill us!

Xellos and Gourry grinned, though for different reasons.

Gourry: That's why we're going to hunt it down first!

Filia: But the poor thing, its just a big pussy cat!

Gourry: A big pussycat with huge teeth and claws that could rip you to shreds in the night.

Filia gasped, and her hand involuntarily made a move for the Big Black Mace ™.

Lina: But how are we going to kill it? Its not like we can just Fireball it, unless you like your meat charcoaled?

The was the creak of bamboo behind them.

Zangulus: Eh? What?

Zang and Martina stumble out of their hut.

Martina: What'cha looking at.

They both wander over, looking a little rumpled, and check out the footprints.

Gourry: We're going to catch it and eat it!

Zangulus: You sure that's a good idea? This stinks of a Guest writer.

Xellos: As long as they're providing the food. I'm not going to look a gift cat in the mouth.

Martina: So how are you going to catch it?

Rezo: Well, Filia could go after it in dragon form. I'm sure it'd be no match for a Gold Dragon.

Filia: Rezo! What if it has kittens!

Xellos: Then they can grow up and eat you too.

Filia: Eeeek! No! The poor things! You horrible horrible people!

Filia gets so upset she morphs into dragon form and flaps off to some other part of the island.

Xellos: Mmmm, yummy.

Lina: Xellos, that's not nice.

Xellos grins happily. Lina thumps him on the head. He frowns at her, whacks her over the head with his staff, and the fight is on. After a few moments Rezo wades into the fight cloud and pulls Lina and Xellos out of it, holding each by collar.

Rezo: Enough.

He releases them and they drop to the ground, where they straighten their gear and glare at each other.

Amelia: Gee, everyone's really getting grumpy with each other.

Zel: We’ve been cooped up together with nothing to do except get on each others nerves. What do you expect?

Amelia: But life is wonderful Mr. Zelgadis! Everyone should be happy!

Zelgadis mutters something about certain young clerics being particularly annoying.

Martina completely ignored what Amelia said.

Martina: That's right! How can Zang and I get any privacy with you lot always around.

Lina: Well maybe if you went somewhere else on the island, or at least weren't so obvious about it.

Martina: HowHJHHow do you mean, not so obvious about it?

Xellos pulls a gag out of his pocket and offered it to Zangulus.

Martina went bright red. Gourry scratched his head.

Gourry: How come you have that Xellos?

Zelgadis: Because he's sleeping with every second writer, including the Queen.

Xellos grinned.

Xellos: Fairs fair. You're sleeping with the other half.

Zelgadis turned a beautiful shade of pink.

Amelia: Wah! Mr Zelgadis!

Zel glares at Xellos, not because he's worried about Amelia's hurt feelings, but now she's going to be moping around and whinging for the next hour.

Xellos smiled happily: Decisions decisions, eh Zel?
Zelgadis: Xellos, shut up.

Gourry: Yeah, Xellos, shut up. You're always being mean.

Zangulus: Why don't you shut up, Stone Boy. Its only the truth. And I'm sick of you moping around the place complaining all the time about being a chimera, and how horrible your life is etc.

Amelia: Yeah, you look absolutely gorgeous!

Zel: Thanks, I'm sure.

Zang: See, there you go again.

Gourry: Hey, leave Zel alone.

Martina: Look you great brainless blonde, why don't you just stick to what what you're good at and leave the thinking to the rest of us.

Zang: Hey, I'm a better swordsman than he is!

Martina purred: Of course.

Zang, going red: I didn't mean like that.

Lina: Will you two get a room!

Martina: Why? Why don't you just go away if you don't like it?

Lina: You should be the one's to go away! We were here first!

Martina: Like that is it now?

Amelia (totally oblivious to everything that's been said in the meantime): But….. but…. Mr Zelgadis!

Zang, Martina, Xellos: Amelia, shut up!

Amelia: Wah!

Lina: Hey, you can't treat her like that.

Xellos, grinning: Just did.

Lina: You Mazuko freak! FIRE-

Rezo: NO!

For a moment it looked like Lina would turn her fireball on him, and the tension in the air was palpable as the two underwent the psychic equivalent of a staring contest.

Lina, in a threatening whisper: Why not.

Rezo: Because if you do there won't be anything left of the huts. And then Zang and Martina really won't be able to get a room.

Lina paused, realised that he had a point, and let the fireball subside.

Rezo: Are we finished biting off each other's heads?

Zelgadis grumbled something, but otherwise everyone was quiet.

Rezo: Alright. I think the best solution is to keep ourselves busy. Lets focus on catching this tiger or whatever it is. We'll need to build traps and organise a hunt.

Rezo wasn't actually worried whether or not they blew each other to smithereens, but he was hungry, and sick of coconuts.

Gourry: I'll hunt!

Zang: Me too!

Lina: And me!

Xellos: I'll work on traps.

Amelia: I'll set up everything to cook it.

Martina: I'll help.

Rezo: Zelgadis. You and I are working on traps as well.

Zel just rolled his eyes. The last people in the world he wanted to be working with were Xellos and his grandfather. Still…..

Zel: Alright.

Lina: Hey Rezo, who died and gave you command?

Rezo: I am the skipper.

Lina: I don't see a boat. And how much do you know about hunting anyway.

Rezo: More than you.

Lina pouted, but shut up.

Rezo clapped his hands together: Alright, you have your jobs to do, lets get to it.

Rezo had proved right about one thing, preparing to catch the tiger did stop any further attempts at mass murder by any of the castaways.

Having set several rope and net traps, as well as a few magical ones, he wanders around to see how the others are doing.

Martina and the now returned Filia had prepared a huge roasting pit to cook the meat, and have prepared coconuts in five different ways to go with it. There's even coconut and funky-fruit sorbet for desert, courtesy of a Freeze Arrow or two.

The hunters are sharpening their swords and practicing together, and it would seem Xellos has decided to join them. He's wearing a beige safari outfit, complete with pith helmet and flint-lock rifle that he's busy polishing.

Rezo: Xellos, I thought you were setting traps.

Xellos: Oh, I have, they're over there.

He waved a hand vaguely.

Rezo set off to investigate, and as a precaution cast Levitation.

He found several ropes laid out, and tied to trees, ready to spring back and suspend the trappee from the tree. On closer inspection it appeared that Xellos had used funky fruit as bait. Rezo shook his head.

Zelgadis wasn't too difficult to find, all Rezo had to do was follow the stream of Amelia's chatter.

It appeared that several pits had been dug in the area, and covered over with leaves and debris. Amelia was perched at the edge of an uncovered pit, chattering away happily. At the bottom Zelgadis was digging for China.

Rezo: Amelia. Martina and Filia need your help. They can’t get the Coconut Surprise right.

Amelia: Hai!

She scuttled off.

Zelgadis sighed: Thankyou.

Rezo: I'm not all evil. I think the hole's deep enough, by the way.

Zelgadis snorted, then leviated himself up to ground level. When he did so, Rezo looked him over, then peered into the hole. 'Seeing' nothing, he looked back again.

Rezo: Where's the shovel?

Zelgadis, looking tired: About three holes back.

He jerked him thumb over his shoulder. Rezo shook his head in wonder.

Rezo: That bad?

Zelgadis: You haven't travelled with her. And she doesn't proclaim her undying love for you on a regular basis.

Rezo: True. Come on, let's finish this.

For perhaps the first time in their lives grandfather and grandson worked quietly together in a mutual understanding, and silent commiseration. Amelia can do that to you.

When everyone had gathered together in the clearing, the four intrepid hunters geared themselves up and set out, to much cheering and encouragement from the rest.

Lina: So how are we going to find the Tiger?

Xellos: It should come out hunting at night.

Zangulus: And this is a good thing?

Xellos: Its ok, we'll just use Gourry as bait.

Lina glanced over to where the afore mentioned Swordsman of Light should be, and found him several metres back, peering into the trees.

Lina: What's up Gourry?

Gourry: Thought I heard something.

Lina sent a light spell floating over, but they could see nothing. Gourry shrugged and they continued on.

On the branch of a tree that had been just beyond the reach of Lina's light spell, a pair of green eyes glowed softly, watching the intrepid hunters. Once they had passed the glow dimmed, and a shadow only marginally darker than the night about it slipped off into the undergrowth.

Back at the clearing, Filia yawned delicately.

Filia: I wonder how long they're going to be?

Rezo: Well, if they can get over their own hormone induced egos and just chase the thing into a trap, not too long. If they insist on killing it themselves it may take a while.

Amelia: Hey, we could sing campfire songs while we're waiting! Life is wonderful….

Without turning Rezo whacks Amelia over the head with his staff. She slumps where she's sitting, out for the count.

Rezo, quietly: Amelia my dear, there are some things worse than death. Your singing is one of them.

A pair of green eyes watches from the undergrowth briefly before dissapearing.

Now deep in the heart of the bejungled island, our intrepid hunters are quietly and carefully tracking the beast, following a trail of pawprints through the undergrowth. Lina pauses, straightens up and looks around.

Lina: Xellos..

Xellos is walking along, rifle in hand and nose an inch above the ground.

Xellos: What?

Lina: I think we're going around in circles.

Zangulus: Don't be rediculous, why would we be doing that?

Lina points. Right nearby another set of paw prints heads off in the opposite direction.

Gourry: Two tigers?

Xellos: Or one very clever kitty.

Zangulus: But tigers or whatever aren't that smart!

Lina: With some of these Guest Writers, anything's possible.

Xellos: I think something's fishy.

As the four stand there frowning at each other and the footprints, there's a movement in the bushes. Gourry grins, hefts the Sword of Light like some kind of outlandish spear, and dissapears after the movement.

There's a moment of silence, then suddenly Gourry shoots upwards, upside down, suspended by a piece of rope around his ankle, and comes to a stop several metres above their heads.

Gourry: Help!!!

Unable to help themselves, the others stagger about in paraxisms of laughter. Trust Gourry to get caught by one of their own traps.

Xellos: You've got to admit, it’s a good trap.

He smiles happily.

Gourry, swinging gently: Uh, guys, can you get me down now?

In the shadows of the trees nearby, something with big teeth grins, and a Funky fruit flashes up in the dim light, followed by a 'smack', as though someone had just tossed it and caught it again. The green eyes glow, then dissapear as the creature makes its way off through the trees. The last thing to dissapear is the tip of a stripy tail.

Back at the huts, its getting quite dark, but the fire illuminates the figures moving around preparing for the feast. Filia and Amelia, who has been allowed to help providing she doesn't sing, are setting the table, Zel is sharpening a skinning knife, Martina is preparing some sort of seasoning, and Rezo is supervising from his chair at the edge of the clearing, just a red-tinted shadow.

As they go about their preparations, Gourry's shout of 'Help!!!' can be heard quite distinctly. Everyone looks up.

Zel: I wonder what he's done know.

Amelia: They're in trouble! We have to help them! The Hammer of Justice will not allow our friends to remain in Danger! Fear not, brave friends….

Amelia looks up into Rezo's scowl, which is quite impressive considering his eyes are closed.

Rezo: Is that really nessessary?

Filia: Probably not, but she's got a point.

Martina: Yeah, we can't let the lion or tiger or whatever get them.

Rezo: True.

Zel straps on his sword.

Zel: Come on then, lets see what trouble blondie's gotten himself into this time.

Meanwhile Xellos is shinnying his way up the tree, hunting knife in his teeth, Indiana Jones style. Gourry looks a little doubtful.

Gourry: Uh, Xellos, is that such a good idea? If you cut the rope, I'll fall.

Xellos, mouth full of knife: An viff iff a frobrem?

Lina sighs.

Lina: LEVITATION!

She hovers up to Gourry's level and grabs his other ankle.

Lina: Go for it Xellos.

Xellos reaches the branch that Gourry's suspended from anf takes the knife out of his mouth. He pouts.

Xellos: You spoiled the look! I had the action adventurer look going until you did that!

Lina: Fruitcake.

Xellos ignores her and slashes the rope. Gourry plummets tot he ground with a crash. Lina's left holding a boot. Xellos grins

Gourry, faintly: Itai!

Lina: Oops.

Zangulus: Can we get on with it now?

The sound of lots of things crashing through the undergrowth makes them all turn to look.

Gourry: Lots of tigers?

Lina throws Gourry's boot at him, then draws her sword and advances cautiously.

Lina: Come one, I'm sick if this, and I'm HUNGRY!!!

She sprouts little fangs. The others blanch. Lina when she's hungry is not to be messed with.

The others join her, armed, prepared to meet whatever appears through the undergrowth.

Rezo, Amelia, Filia, Zelgadis and Martina burst out of the bushes and find themselves faced with an interesting array of weaponry. Amelia shrieks, steps back, and falls down one of Zel's pit traps. Martina, having come face to face with a very hungry and none too happy Lina, turns and runs, but doesn't get very far as she springs one of Rezo's net traps, and finds herself swinging from the canopy. Filia instinctively brings out the Big Black Mace ™ and clobbers Zangulus, who's eyes roll up into his head as he staggers backwards, and reveals the location of another pit trap.

Lina, seeing only people attacking, lets loose a fireball, roasting Filia, who turns and does her Dragon Scream thing and obliterates a thin path of forest, narrowly missing Lina herself. Xellos thinks this is all very funny, until Lina steps back into him, and they both fall back into a magical spiderweb, and end up suspended at funny angles, stuck to each other.

Gourry frowns at all the noise, unable to see any actual attackers.

Gourry: Hey guys….

Zel: What?

The remaining four pause and look around. Xellos giggles from where he and Lina are trapped.

Lina: Just wait till I get out of here Fruitcake! What stupid kind of trap is this!

Xellos: Actually, its Rezo's.

Lina: You're both dead!

Zel rolls his eyes and reaches over to pull them out.

Rezo: I wouldn't do that..

Too late. The web grabs Zel and now there's three of them sandwiched on the web.

Xellos: Mmm, threesome.

Lina: Arrgh!

From behind them Zangulus' voice floats up out of the nearby hole.

Zang: Can someone help me out please? And why is there a shovel down here?

Filia pick's up Gourry's rope from the trap and walks over to the edge of the hole. She lowers the rope.

Filia: Here, grab this.

Just as she's balanced on the edge of the hole, a large funky fruit comes sailing across the clearing and hits her square in the back, pitching the Golden Dragon into the hole aswell.

Zang: Ooff!

Filia: Oops, sorry.

Gourry scrathces his head.

Gourry; Where'd that come from?

There's a rustle in the bushes in the general direction from which the fruit came. Gourry goes over to investigate. Two seconds later he is once again suspended from the tree tops. Lina cringes.

Lina: Gee Gourry, not twice in one day.

Rezo stands there, determined not to move because if he does he know's he's going to fall afoul of something.

LOD, under her breath: Stubourn whatsit.

A rope loop moves along the ground, seemingly of its own accord, until its right in front of the Red Priest.

Rezo listens carefully, but though he hears nothing, he feels a sudden push in the middle of his back, and has to stagger forward or fall over. In retrospect the latter might have been preferable. He soon finds himself suspended by an ankle, robes up over his head, and the recipient of a large number of cat-calls.

Xellos: Phh-phew. Nice boxers Rezo!

The others laugh.

LOD: Hmm, Care Bear boxers, who knew.

Stepping out from the bushes, their tormentor becomes visible for the first time, and it becomes apparent that she's also their quarry. A cat spirit, the Lord of Daydreams stands below some and above others, laughing. This was a great way to spend an afternoon.

Rezo looks down through the skirt of his robes, to the small patch of ground he can see, and glares at her.

Rezo: That's hardly funny.

LOD: Is where I'm standing. Nice boxers, by the way.

Rezo's face turns the same shade as his robes.

LOD wanders over and picks up the Funky Fruit. She tosses it meditively and serveys her captives. This could be fun.