Friendship Through Turtles

By: Aubrie1234

It was supposed to be a normal day. Though, with the Kratts, a normal day is just spending time with the animals, nothing bad happening. But then the one time the Kratts are left alone in the Tortuga, disaster strikes. It had been out of nowhere, the storm that came upon them. Aviva, Jimmy, and Koki were unable to get back to the ship in time and were forced to take shelter elsewhere, hopelessly watching as a rain-wrapped tornado, almost completely invisible, sucked up the Tortuga and the brothers to who knows where. Honestly, it was feeling like they were in some sort of twisted version of the Wizard of Oz, except this was real and terrifying.

Martin groaned as he slowly came to. The tornado had come out of nowhere and sent them flying. They couldn't have avoided it anyway, as the storm was too rough for them to fly the Tortuga through. As it was, he was lucky enough to be alive. But what about his brother?

"Chris?" he called weakly, hoping for an answer. Nothing. Opening his eyes, he winced at the sunlight that filtered through the broken skylight at the top of the ship's shell. At least they were rightside-up. But that didn't mean they weren't hurt or the ship was damaged. First, he had to find his brother. Second, check the Tortuga for major damage. Third, repair what could be repaired. As the Tortuga was like a fortress at times, he and Chris had ample time to figure out where they were once everything was working again.

Pushing off the pile of overturned chairs he had been laying on, he nearly lost his balance and grabbed hold of the island in the middle of the room to steady himself. As he did, he looked around, trying to assess the damage. As it was, the ship didn't look all that bad on the inside except for a lot of water and twigs, from what he could see. However, Chris was nowhere in sight, and he would know more about if the Tortuga was in bad shape than Martin ever would. But, looking to the Control Room, the blond frowned. The door was blocked by large chucks of branches and debris, which had most likely flown in after the skylight was broken. One of the many exits was in there, through the turtle-shaped ship's mouth, and it was also where the main controls were. Without them, there was no chance of flying the Tortuga, if it still even flew at all.

Once he was sure his balance was back, Martin tried tugging at the debris. However, it didn't budge, not even a centimeter. There was no way he was going to be able to move it without animal powers. And speaking of that, he was wearing his CPS. Was it still in working condition? Looking down and tapping them, he sighed in relief as they lit up. Both the gloves and the suit seemed to be working, thankfully. But as he looked around for his backpack (which held not only his CPS Discs but also all of his animal samples so he could transform), he found it missing. Either it was also stuck in the Control Room or had flown out the skylight. If it was the later, Aviva would skin him alive before any of the villains ever got the chance.

Martin shivered at the thought, and as he peeked into the sleeping quarters, a cold feeling appeared in his stomach. The hallway was trashed, like the rest of the ship, but something was stuck in between the doors of his room. Immediately recognizing it as Chris' backpack, he forced the doors open and grabbed it. Out fell his brother's CPS and Discs at the movement. Wherever Chris was, he had no protection, which worried the elder to no end. He jumped when he heard a beeping, which came from his CreaturePod. It was in his pocket and somehow had survived, despite how many times he had broken it before. What a lucky break! And, much to his relief, Chris was on the other end, looking no worse for wear than his brother. And, judging by the background, he was stuck in the Control Room.

"Hey Martin!" he greeted, "You okay?"

"Yeah, bro. How are you?"

"Fine. Can't get through the doors, though."

"They're blocked and I don't have my animal samples with me."

"Backpack's in here with me." Chris sighed, "And I don't have my suit or my Discs."

"I found them and they're still working, but without the samples, I can't get to you. How's the ship?"

"From what I can figure, we still have some power, but it's off right now. I can't access it from in here, so some cables must have been cut. The windows are also stuck with wet and matted debris, so I can't get out. What's going on at your end?"

"Waterlogged all over the place, with a few twigs here and there. The skylight's broken, letting in everything that caused this mess." Martin gave a childish grin, "It's a wonder how anything's working, let alone how we survived, huh?" Chris smiled back.

"Yeah. But since we can't get the power back on right now, see if you can find some help to get me out of here. Keep your CreaturePod on you and don't use it unless you have to, as we need to conserve energy for now. And take my Discs with you, just in case you need them." Martin saluted.

"Won't let you down, bro!" And with those words, he turned off the CreaturePod, letting his face fall. Very rarely did he fear for his brother, but now was one of those times. Both he and Chris realized, even if they didn't mention it, that the brunette would run out of air in a few hours (more or less, hopefully more) if something wasn't done. If he was to save Chris, Martin would need to find help and fast.

Taking out the special keychain Aviva had given him for Christmas and tucking the brunette's Discs into his pocket, the blond brother went into the belly of the ship, hoping to find a machine that worked. If not, he would have to go out on foot, and he really didn't want to do that, as he might not get help in time. Chris' life was riding on his decisions, so he couldn't fail his little brother now.

Despite how the windows were sealed shut, Chris could still see out of them. The Tortuga had crashed in a forest of what seemed to be redwoods. But that was impossible. They had been in the Plains when they had been picked up, hundreds of miles from California, where the few redwood forests still stood. This forest even looked untouched, as impossible as it sounded.

Sitting against the door or the cold, wet floor, Chris tried to regulate his breathing. He had to make the air last as long as he could. In all the time he had been a Wild Kratt, he had never imagined the Tortuga would be his tomb. Maybe getting crushed in a submarine or eaten by an animal, sure, even running out of air in a cave, but never in the place he had called a second home. He looked up when there was a tapping at the window and brightened at the sight of his brother on the other side, riding a Buzz Bike. Their fastest mode of transportation besides the Tortuga and the Cheetah Racers (which were out of commission at the moment), it was their best chance at finding help.

Giving a thumbs up and mouthing 'I'll be back soon!', Martin sped off, leaving Chris alone again. Though he trusted the blond greatly, the younger couldn't help but feel hopelessness creep back into his heart at the disappearance of his older brother. He thought he had outgrown Martin, and yet... He still wished his brother was back and by his side. He didn't want to die alone, if he did.

Roto-Wolf King, as all animal rulers did, had a responsibility to see over all of his territory, checking it once or twice for things his subjects might have missed. And though his main kingdom was located in the Barbed Iron Forest, part of it jutted out into the redwood forest surrounding it. As it was, that was when he and a scouting team encountered the desperate human.

All of them looked up in surprise when something sped by over their heads, too fast to see. It had sounded like fireflies, but they had never come into Roto's territory before, even if they were under their king's orders. Growling, Roto-Wolf King ordered everyone into the sky and to corner the unknown object, in case it had devastating properties. With some manuvering, they managed to do so, but not without a little surprise.

Like them, in the air, was a human riding some sort of giant firefly, half as big as its king, but it didn't seem to be a firefly at all. In fact, it was more mechanical than animal, similarly shaped but not exactly a firefly. As for the human, he was much taller and longer in the legs than any regular one (in a scarily similar way to how the king and other Roto-Wolves were physically built) and looked quite worried and haggard. Not only that, but he seemed as surprised at their appearance as they were of him.

"Who are you?" Roto growled, his territorial instincts bubbling up as he raised his claws, ready to fire, "Answer me now or we will shoot you down!"

"I-I'm Martin." At first he seemed frightened by the fact Roto could talk, but then a new, hopeful light came to his eyes, "Please, you have to help me! My brother is trapped and I can't save him by myself!" The helicopter wolves glanced at one another.

"How do we know you're not lying?"

"You have to trust me!" Martin begged, "I'll give you anything you want, as long as you save my brother!"

"No need for that." Roto-Wolf King lowered his claws, his subjects following, "Just lead the way." Martin grinned and led the way as the other wolves shared surprised glances. One barked as they began to follow, asking if it was the right decision.

"I believe so." his king answered, "I've never seen a more desperate human, even in the other kingdoms. However, keep an eye on him. We can't completely trust him, not yet."

And with what they were about to see, trust issues were either going to be a big problem, or not a problem at all.

Landing the Buzz Bike, Martin quickly scrambled off and looked behind him. The flying wolves landed as well, staring up at the Tortuga in wonder. The blond was pretty certain he was in some sort of strange world because one, animals couldn't talk or acted human. And two, wolves didn't fly like helicopters nor did they walk or stand upright.

"This way!" he called, getting their attention as he jumped and grabbed hold of the opening in the Tortuga's side, pulling himself up. As there was no power, he had to force the door open himself and the ramp hadn't gone down either. Flying up, the wolves followed right behind him, looking around a little as he went to the pile of debris.

"This is blocking the door to where my brother is." he explained, "It's too heavy for me to move on my own and would take too much time to pull apart."

"What about the windows?" asked the differently-colored wolf, who Martin surmised was the leader, as he was the only one who spoke.

"They're covered, not letting air in. If I could find a way to brush the leaves off and open them, I would."

"Hmm..." the leader turned to the other wolves, "Help him and get as many strong brushes and brooms as you can. I'm going to Big Green to ask for Husky's help."

Big Green? Martin wondered, Maybe that's their home. Who's Husky, though?

"Thank you." The leader turned to the human.

"Don't thank us just yet. Your brother is still in danger, after all." Turning on the blades, the leader flew out of the Tortuga. Some of the wolves left after him, most likely under his orders to get brushes, as some stayed behind.

"Here, let's try pushing together." Martin suggested. The wolves responded easily, going to his side and helping to push at the debris, but it didn't budge. Other wolves then came back and began passing out brushes, where Martin got the idea of what their leader wanted them to do. As soon as they had a brush, the wolves flew outside and began brushing the gunk away from the windows. Getting on his Buzz Bike, Martin joined them and opened each window they cleaned, though they were still stuck in too shallow a way for Chris to climb out. As it was, the green brother was practically speechless at what he was seeing.

"Miss me?" Martin grinned, his voice snapping Chris out of his shock.

"How- How is this even-?!" The blond shrugged.

"I have no idea." he leaned closer with a more somber face, "How are you doing?" Chris smiled and grabbed Martin's hand, which had been placed through the small gap.

"Good. I'm glad you found some help as quick as you did." Martin gripped Chris' hand tightly.

"We'll get you out of there soon, I promise." The brunette squeezed his brother's hand in reassurance.

"I know you will."

"Husky!" snapped Roto, sticking his head into Second Squad's Meeting Room and scaring the stuffing out of them.

"What do you want?" the liger growled, placing down the dumbbell he had nearly dropped moments before.

"I need your assistance in my kingdom."

"With what?"

"A human is trapped and your fire breath may be able to help him." Husky raised a questioning eyebrow, as did the rest of Second Squad.

"Why only him?" Alpha Girl asked, "Why not the rest of us?"

"Only he is needed, no one else." the wolf answered.

"Doesn't mean we can't tag along though." Archer Lee pointed out. Roto bared his teeth in a snarl. He didn't have time for this.

"Only. Husky." he bit out before leaving.

"I'm sure it's nothing." the liger assured as he popped the top off of his seat, which lead down to the turtle tubes, "You know how he is. As it is, I should be back in a few hours, since the Barbed Iron Forest is so far away."

"He didn't have to get so angry at us wanting to come along, though." Kowloon crossed his arms, "Think he's hiding something?" The Liger King gave him a stern glare.

"Leave it be, Kowloon." he then left, stuffing himself down the tube.

Roto lead the way from above, not going directly into his kingdom but to the redwood outskirts, where Husky followed on his turtle. Neither animal were able to mask their surprise upon seeing the giant, turtle-like ship. It was as big as Big Green's shell at the very least! The outside was empty, which meant everyone must have gone back inside.

"They're in here." Husky nodded, leaving the shocked turtle behind and easily hauling himself into the hole after Roto. Wolves and Martin were cleaning up as best they could, drying things and throwing out twigs, nearly throwing out Jimmy's controller once or twice, which Martin managed to save at the last second. Jimmy would be the one to skin him alive if the controller was ever lost or destroyed. Upon seeing him, one of the wolves gave his king a report.

"It seems a thing called glass covers the windows, preventing weather from entering, but it's also stuck in the windows. Martin's brother isn't able to escape that way, but at least he can breathe now." Roto explained, as most animals could only understand others of their kind or (in rare cases, like the rulers) human language. Husky nodded as Martin caught sight of them. Quickly seeing the stripes on the Liger King, the blond human recognized what type of animal Husky was and knew not to anger him, as if he didn't know already from the liger's size.

"My name is Golden Eye Husky." Husky nodded to Martin, "Roto said you needed some help?" Glancing at the Roto-Wolf King, the elder brother nodded.

"Yeah. The debris over there," he gestured to the giant pile, "it's too heavy to move and we've tried pulling it apart, but it's no use." Husky snorted.

"Then you obviously don't know the power of the ligers." Noting the metal door behind the debris, the Liger King took a deep breath and slowly let it out. If he heated up the door too much, then Martin may never get his brother back from the room. The human's jaw dropped, dumbstruck at what Husky could do. He stared in wonder as the pile was burned away and the liger did the work of opening the slightly heated doors for him. Chris, at the sight of Husky, yelped and scrambled backward. Both animal kings raised eyebrows in curiosity of the actions. It was obvious from the beginning that the two nor the ship was from around there, but they should have heard of Hidden Kingdom, right? The more that happened, the more it looked like the two were complete strangers to the land.

"Chris!" Martin rushed past Husky to hug his brother, happiness in his features.

"Can't...breathe!" the brunette waved his arms helplessly as he was accidentally choked. The blond quickly pulled away, sheepishly chuckling.

"Sorry. Got a bit too excited, didn't I?"

"You can say that again. Here's your backpack." Chris gave Martin the bag, only to have his bag given to him in return.

"There's your's."

"Well then." Roto spoke up, crossing his arms, "Why are you here? Where did you come from?" The brothers shared a glance.

"...Would you believe us if we said we have no idea how we got here?" Roto scowled while Husky chuckled.

"And anyway, I'm pretty sure where we came from doesn't exist here." Chris added, getting their attention.

"What do you mean?" Martin asked, confused.

"Where we come from, animals... They don't have the same smarts and society you have." he said to the kings, "I think Martin and I might have been taken from our world and put into your's for some reason."

"From a different world, huh?" Husky mused, "I think the monkeys might be able to help on that part. They're the most knowledgeable animals here. And we might as well tell you what's going on here, then you can tell us about your world. How does that sound?" Martin and Chris shared another glance.

"Sure." Martin held out a hand, "I'm Martin and this is Chris, my little brother." Husky took and gently shook the offered hand.

"Golden Eye Husky, king of the Ligers. This is Roto, king of the Roto-Wolves." Said wolves began to crowd around the entrance to the Control Room as Husky and Roto began to explain what was happening in the Hidden Kingdom at the moment.

...Am I seriously the only one who saw this crossover coming? Anyway, this is set after the end of Hero: 108 and who-knows-when in Wild Kratts. But, as I have seen neither show in a while, sorry if they seem OOC. But what do you think? What will happen? Please review and I might tell you!