First story not about Criminal Minds. Shocking, isn't it? I've decided I wanted to expand my writing to another fandom, but not to worry, this won't impact my CM writing. The majority of my work will still be for Criminal Minds, just an occasional non-CM fic here and there...

I used to watch The Wild Thornberrys when it was still on TV, I've been watching episodes on YouTube and have recently gained a newfound love for the show. And then this idea came to mind.

I do not own The Wild Thornberrys.

Several birds chirped as they flew about above the treeline. Down below sat a large, two-story motorhome, two of it's occupants were seated at a blue picnic table getting ready for breakfast, pancakes and maple syrup to be exact. The door to the black and yellow colored communications vehicle opened, a chimpanzee stretched and yawned as he went down the steps and onto the ground. He stopped and lifted his nose to the air, the smell of hot pancakes brought a goofy grin to his face and nearly had him floating toward the table. Seated at the opposite side, a redheaded pigtailed girl smiled and waved at the hungry animal.

"Good morning, Darwin." She said.

"Oh, good morning, Eliza." Darwin replied as he sat down on the bench. "And good morning to you!" He said upon laying eyes at a plate piled with pancakes, he twiddled his fingers in anticipation.

To Darwin's left, a blonde-haired teenager was sat down. She scoffed as she grabbed an empty plate. "Why do my parents allow animals at the table?" She groaned as she served herself two pancakes. "Then again, why do my parents still make me come along with them on their traveling documentaries?"

"Come on, Debbie, you know you like it out here." Eliza smirked. "Remember that panda bear cub, those dolphins, all those tribesmen you thought were cute, and-"

"Shut your pie hole, you dweeb." Came the typical reply. "Okay, so maybe it isn't always bad, but just wait until your my age, you'll start to realize just how I feel- Ah!" Debbie cried out when a mop of wild brown hair suddenly jumped from underneath the table and on her lap. The boy babbled happily, his hands were covered in mud. "Donnie!" The teen yelled in frustration. "I just took a shower this morning! And I gave you a bath last night!"

The hyper child was not fazed at all by the young woman's shrieks, but he did have to jump to avoid being grabbed by her. "Get back here!" Debbie shouted as she took off after the boy, her arms outstretched as she chased him around the camp. Eliza laughed at her older sister's dismay while Darwin helped himself to the food.

"I could use some help here!" Debbie growled. Donnie ran for cover underneath the commvee. Debbie was close to nabbing him when the door opened and a pair of legs prevented her from doing so. She looked up and saw her mother staring down at her.

"Is Donnie giving you a hard time again?" She spoke, which was more of a statement than a question.

"Huh? Oh, no, I was just showing him how to, uh, play tag! Yeah, that's it!"

Marianne rolled her eyes at her oldest daughter's fib. She was oblivious to the mud splatter on Debbie's clothes and the fact that Donnie was trying to hide from her. Knowing that Debbie was currently occupied, Donnie seized the chance to vacate his shelter and took off again. Debbie made no move to chase him a second time.

"Marianne, dearest. Almost ready to go film some giraffes?" A nasally, British accent called from the commvee.

"Ready when you are, Nigel." Marianne responded, then turned to Debbie. "Debbie, we can take Donnie with us if it will make things easier for you. Giraffes are usually calm, so I don't see why Donnie couldn't come-"

"Thanks, mom." Came an immediate reply. Debbie tried to be as calm as she could, but it took a lot of willpower not to jump for joy. She didn't always mind Donnie, but today was just one of those days where she wanted to rip her hair out, and it was still morning.

"Nigel, Donnie's coming with us." Marianne stated when Nigel appeared from the commvee.

"Splendid!" Nigel said enthusiastically. "A change of scenery is probably just what the boy is itching for!"

"Change of scenery?" Debbie repeated. "Are you kidding me? We travel around the world." She sighed and shook of her head. Marianne drove the mini-comm out from it's compartment within the commvee and Nigel loaded their needed equipment into the back.

"Wee, wee, wee! Ride, ride, ride!" Donnie cheered as he jumped up and down excitedly..

"Right, off we go then." Nigel lifted Donnie up and sat him between him and Marianne.

"Hey, Mom, is it all right if me and Darwin go explore?" Eliza asked.

"Sure, just be careful, don't wander too far, and-"

"Be back by dinner." Eliza finished. "As always, gotcha!"

"Have fun, Poppet!" Nigel waved. Marianne started the engine and they slowly disappeared in the distance, the sounds of Donnie's familiar babbling fading the further away they got. Darwin sighed.

"Don't tell me you're wigging out already." Eliza said.

"It's not that," Darwin explained. "It's just that, well, how come your parents never tell me to have a good time, or to 'be careful'? Which is something you're still learning how to do." He pointed out.

"Well, Darwin, they are my parents. To them, you're just a chimp, they don't know that you can understand what they say."

"Well, sometimes I wish they would!" Darwin complained. "Sometimes I want to be told goodnight, or be tucked in, or told to get well soon when I'm not feeling well."

"Why?" Eliza asked. "You have me to do those things for you."

"That's the thing, you can talk to all animals, while I can only talk to one human!"

"But you never complained about that before." Eliza pointed out. "And besides, what's wrong with me?"

The gray-haired primate sighed again. "It's not you, Eliza, I mean we are best friends after all. It's just that I wish your parents would communicate with me once in a while. Just look at Donnie, he can't speak English and they talk to him more than me."

"Darwin, I think you're being a little ridiculous." Eliza said. "Only me and Debbie know my secret about being able to talk to animals. To me, animals speak English just like me, but to everyone else, we just make animal noises. To everyone else, animals sound like they should, It's only me who can understand what's being said. It's not you, it's just them."

Darwin sighed a third time. "I suppose you're right, but to be able to communicate with your family more, to actually feel more like one of the family, that would be all I ask for."

"What are you talking about? You are one of the family." Eliza tried to convince.

"When has anyone ever addressed meas 'Darwin Thornberry'? Hmm?" The chimp stuck him hands on his hips.

"I'm sorry, Dar." Eliza finally said after a moment of silence. "I never knew you felt this way. I could make an arrangement with my parents whenever we meet new people?" She offered.

"No, that's alright." Darwin replied. "I wouldn't want your parents to look or feel silly. Considering they already have Donnie to put up with."

Eliza said nothing, but she smiled at Darwin's remark. The chimp shared a slight smirk of his own. "I suppose you still want to go exploring?"

The 12-year old debated for a minute. "Only if you want to." She said.

"Fine by me." Darwin answered.

"Yes!" Eliza cheered. "I'm going to change real quick before we go, it's hot out here." She waved a hand in front of her face before heading for the commvee. Darwin waited until the girl returned sporting a familiar outfit; khaki shorts with a belt, and a light blue tank top.

"Ready?" Eliza asked, righting a backpack on her shoulders.

"Whenever you are." Darwin shrugged. With that, they headed for one of the roads leading toward the savannah. Debbie looked up from her magazine, taking note that she had the whole camp to herself. No geeky sisters, annoying, wild little boys, or monkeys in sight.

"Finally!" The blonde rushed inside the commvee and shut the door. The entire vehicle soon began to rattle as rock music blasted from the stereo speakers.

"By the way, what is it you're looking for this time?" Darwin questioned as they walked down the road.

"A honey badger." Eliza answered. "I've always wanted to talk to one of those!"

"Oh, that's nice." Darwin almost brushed off her response. "You want to talk to a WHAT?!"

Brie and Sloan Blackburn, two former poachers, put away thanks to none other than a little brat. They never forgot about the whole ordeal, it was because of that Thornberry girl that they ended up behind bars. The criminal couple vowed to one day get revenge, and when the opportunity came, they would not fail this time, because animals were no longer their number one priority, instead, going after the person who caused their downfall was on their bucket list. They weren't yet sure how they would do it, or when they would, but with each passing day, they knew it would happen someday. And when Sloan would get his hands on the child...Well, so many ideas, so little time.

That was in the past however, they weren't going to rot in prison because of a 12-year old. It took a lot of planning, and to this day, Brie still wasn't sure how it was successful, but apparently the sick prisoner routine still works in some cases. But it wouldn't be long until it was was discovered that they had escaped, and they knew they had only a limited amount of time if they were going to avenge their 'career' in poaching.

They had no idea where the family was currently located, but they tried to make the best of guesses. As if luck was still on their side, Brie pointed out a distinctive sound coming from nearby, the two went to investigate, needing to make sure it wasn't any sort of law enforcement. It wasn't, it was just some girl and a chimpanzee.

They halted when realization struck them like a sack of bricks. "It's her!" Brie whispered.

Sloan grinned fiendishly as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Get the tranquilizer gun."

"Do you have any idea on what honey badgers are even like?"

"Of course I do." Eliza reassured.

"I'm not convinced." Darwin folded his arms. "They're mean, viscous little beasts. They have the attitude of a wolverine, and they look like a skunk, though thankfully they don't smell like them. Oh, and did I mention they were mean and viscous?"

"Relax, Dar, I bet the honey badger will be surprised to see a talking human." Filling with excitement, Eliza picked up the pace, leaving an unhappy Darwin struggling to keep up with her.

"Imagine what it'd be like if I could talk to other humans, it would certainly be interesting." Darwin sighed dreamily.

"I guess when I think about it from your perspective, Darwin, it would be kinda cool." Eliza agreed. "But you have to remember, it's me who can talk to animals, not the other way around."

"I know." The chimp said. "Just don't rub it in, alright?" He smiled, indicating that the conversation was finished. The two continued their way through the jungle, mindset on finding a honey badger. One of them more reluctant than the other.

As they traveled, Darwin's right ear twitched. He'd never known himself for having a sixth sense, but something felt wrong, not that he hasn't experienced such a feeling a lot when he accompanied Eliza on an adventure, but this was different. Something truly felt out of place, like something really bad was going to happen. Darwin knew Eliza well enough that if he told her, she would just call him out for being cowardly. But it wasn't that kind of fear that the primate was feeling, he felt a need to stay close to the redhead, as if she would disappear if he didn't. Maybe I'm regaining some of my animal instincts? He wondered. But what would be causing him to feel like this, besides the idea of getting attacked or chased by a honey badger? Were they already being stalked by some hungry animal just waiting to eat a chimp with a human girl as a side-dish? Or was it something else? The further away from camp they got, the harder Darwin noticed it became to continue walking. Something was off, and he felt that if he kept walking, something cataclysmic would happen suddenly.

"Eliza, something doesn't feel right. I think we should turn back." Darwin knew she wasn't likely to listen, but he had to try something.

"Come on, Darwin, don't be such a scaredy cat." Eliza chuckled.

"Technically, I think the term would be 'scaredy chimp', but that's not the point." Darwin ceased her left arm but she continued on. "I've got a really bad feeling, and I don't think it has anything to do with honey badgers."

"Just calm down, will ya?" She persisted. "We've faced wild animals dozens of times. Nothing bad is going to happen."

A distinctive shot rang out through the jungle. Darwin screamed and instantly cowered to the ground. He heard Eliza cry out "Ow!" and he quickly removed his hands from his face to see the 12-year old looking at her right arm. Fearing the worst, Darwin got to his feet.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" The worried primate asked.

"No, not really." Eliza answered.

"Then what's that in your arm?" Darwin pointed.

"It looks like a tranquilizer dart."

"A tranquilizer dart?" He repeated. "How would one get out here? Or who would fire something like that at another human? Unless it was meant for me?"

"I don't know, Dar, but I think I'm gonna take a nap..." Sighing, Eliza laid down on the ground and curled into a slumbering ball.

"First you want to talk to a honey badger, and now you want to sleep in the middle of the jungle?" Darwin joked sarcastically, but was disappointed when his only response was light snoring. "Oh, come on, Eliza! Wake up!" He removed the dart from her arm and shook her, hoping for this to be just a trick, but it didn't take him long to realize that the girl wasn't playing around, she really was out cold.

Some bushes rustled, startling Darwin. Hooting nervously, he glanced over and saw two people approach him and Eliza. It wasn't the fact that they were carrying a large gun and some rope that frightened him, but because he knew who they were.

"Good shot, Sloan." Brie complimented.

"Now let's get the little brat to the truck." Sloan grumbled. Bending over, he grasped Eliza's wrists while Brie held onto her ankles. Darwin started to panic when they began carrying her away. He howled and screamed at the two poachers, but they did nothing. Finally, Sloan let go of Eliza and carelessly dropped her unconscious body. Growling, he pulled out the tranquilizer gun and aimed it at Darwin. Screaming, the chimp fled down the road, Sloan fired the dart, but he missed and hit a tree.

"Damn it, I missed." He seethed.

"Forget the monkey, Sloan," Brie said. "Let's get out of here before somebody sees us."

Nodding, he picked up Eliza and they continued away from the road to where their vehicle rested. When the Thornberry kid would eventually wake up, that's when the 'fun' would begin.

"I've got get help." Darwin panted as he raced back to camp. He wasn't sure how he would be able to tell the family that Eliza had just been kidnapped, but he had to try. She was now at the mercy of two people who hated her guts more than anything. He didn't want to think about what she might be going through right now, not that he wanted to. He hoped that she would stay asleep for as long as it took to get her back. Darwin saw the familiar colors of the commvee up ahead. The primate was a little disappointed to see only Debbie on her lawn chair, reading one of her copies of 'Teenage Wasteland' while listening to music on her headphones. Groaning, Darwin knew it was a long shot, but maybe if she knew that her sister was in danger, she just might listen to him.

"Debbie! Debbie!" Darwin called, stopping beside her, he continued. "Debbie, Eliza's been kidnapped by-"

Debbie tore her gaze from her magazine to see only Darwin making sounds. "What do you want, you filthy animal?"

"Debbie, I told you, Eliza's been-"

"-Hoo, hoo, hah, hah!" Debbie rolled her eyes. "What ever it is you're trying to tell me, I'm not interested." She returned to her magazine.

"Debbie! How could you say that? She's your sister!"

Debbie scoffed. "Go play with Eliza or something." She made a lazy attempt to shoo the frantic chimp away with her hand. "If you're hungry, there's cheese crunchies in the commvee. I am not getting up to get them for you."

Sighing in defeat, Darwin turned and headed back down the road. "What am I going to do? Debbie won't listen to me, I don't know where the parents are and when they'll get back, Eliza's in danger, and she's the only human I can talk to." Darwin sat down on a large rock and rested his head in his hands. "If only I could talk to other humans."

"So, you want to talk to humans, you say?"

Darwin screamed and looked around to find out where the source of the voice came from. "Who said that?" He demanded with fear lacing his own voice. The voice emitted a warm chuckle and a figure appeared from some foliage.

"It was I, Shaman Mnyambo."

To be continued...