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A trip to the north with nearly below-freezing temperatures is, at best, the last resort for a lot of people who want to spend their free time with nature. Who would want to go through all the trouble of packing equipment to survive the harsh cold? A sensible person would answer none. A person who seeks adventure, however, would actively travel far and wide to experience such an extreme climate.
And for a certain macaque, it's the perfect location to conduct research on water seeping through the mountains.
Kwazii would like to think otherwise.
"Remind me again why we're in these scurvy wintery mountains, me hearty." The cat shivers, rubbing his gloved paws together for more warmth. Summer in the Himalayas doesn't feel like the summers Kwazii has experienced. The afternoon sun doesn't even feel warm at all! Every corner of his eye is filled with nothing but mountains and snow—
—also a macaque in an Octonauts winter coat, piercing a sampling pole right through the ground. With a quick yank, Paani retrieves the ground sample and activates his Octo-watch with his free paw for a new log.
"Hydrology log: according to my sampling pole, it seems that the amount of groundwater this year has decreased due to the decline of glaciers in the Himalayas - which is very alarming. While the melting of glaciers can significantly increase river water, it could lead to extensive flooding-" end of log.
"The water here is changing at an alarming rate," is Paani's reply, eyes focused on the sampling pole. "We really need to observe more of these changes to help the critters who live nearby."
"Aye, matey. But all this snow is no place for a pirate!"
In all honesty, Kwazii doesn't know why he even agreed to join Paani on his trip to the Himalayas, being openly not too fond of the cold. He could've called his grandfather to tag along for a sail or just stayed near the Octopod to ride the gup-b. But no, out of all the most desirable options, he got stuck with a choice he never even considered until the captain called Paani for his research update.
'It could be dangerous to go alone in a freezing mountain like that!' Was his conjecture and Kwazii wishes he hadn't said anything after the captain replied 'Good idea, Kwazii. We'll have Dashi drop you off in the Octoray.'
And so, for a couple of hours, Kwazii found himself reluctantly accompanying one of the Octo-Agents. They've done nothing but walk around the mountains while Paani records every hint of change in the snow. So much for an adventure.
"It's not all bad," Paani starts. "Plenty of treasures lie in these snowy mountains."
At the mention of 'treasures,' Kwazii's ears instantly perk up, energy back again as if he hasn't been so dejected a couple of seconds ago. "Treasures?! Now yer talking! What are we looking for, me hearty?"
Paani resists the urge to chuckle, noting to himself that any mentions of ghosts, treasure, and mystery will instantly make Kwazii forget about the cold.
Well, he's not entirely baiting the other. There really are treasures in these mountains. "Follow me."
"You don't have to tell me twice! Yeow!"
Halfway through their trek, Paani begins to retell his story when he last went to the Himalayas and he really had to be quiet — a story he once told to a ruffed grouse named 'Gus.' Kwazii listens intently, nodding every now and again even if Paani can't see him from behind.
"You're telling me that you went to this scurvy, icy land alone?!" He remarks, following behind the other as they hike the inches-thick snow. Paani is unbothered, as though he's used to traveling without any companions. He can't say he's surprised. The Octonauts did meet Paani all by himself. Most scientists like to conduct independent research, anyway.
"It was a splashing experience! You should try it, Kwazii. The Himalayas is not as scary as it seems."
"Scared? I'm not scared of an old icecap! All I'm sayin' is, it would've been a lot better adventure if someone was with you! Just like what me ol' grandad used to say 'A pirate with a crew makes old memories ane-"
"We're here!"
Paani stops in his tracks and turns toward the setting sun. Curious as to what's so important that he got so abruptly cut off mid-sentence, Kwazii follows the gesture. And in a moment of serenity, Kwazii finds himself nearly speechless.
From above they could see the sun halfway beneath the horizon, coloring the sky in peach and blue; rays shine above the ice caps and through the snowy terrain below. Birds fly above them, wings fluttering from a distance. Snowy mountains arrayed with a sea of clouds stretching from one end to the other, like a scene straight out of a painting.
Definitely not the treasure he was hoping for, but still a pleasant surprise. Without enough words to describe how awestruck he is, he settles for an instinctive catchphrase.
"Shiver me whiskers."
"Quite a sight, isn't it?" Paani whispers with a smile, careful not to ruin the moment.
Kwazii nods, still not taking his eyes off the scene. "Aye, matey. I'm sure Dashi would love to take a picture of this sunset!"
Paani blinks. "The sunset? Oh, no. I'm actually referring to the meltwater below, see?" He states, gesturing to the wide lake hundreds of meters below them.
Realizing the quick misunderstanding that is honestly quite embarrassing (much to Kwazii's liking), the cat clears his throat awkwardly, crossing his arms to feign confidence. "I knew that."
Just a second before Paani gets to record the meltwater in his log, his and Kwazii's Octo-Watches beep.
Winter storm alert.
Paani presses the notification with a nonchalant expression. "That's not good. It seems that a blizzard is heading this way."
Kwazii, however, has a more vocal reaction. "A blizzard?! That watch is pullin' me paw! How can there be a snowstorm-"
Paani points over Kwazii's shoulder.
"What are you pointing at, me hea- oh."
Well, the afternoon just got a whole lot better.
An unusually strong gust of wind introduces itself, followed by dark clouds up ahead. They look at each other, realizing the urgency of their situation, and run to search for a nearby cave.
Fortunately, they don't have to look far after spotting a cave ahead. The wind aids their walk by gently pushing them from behind; paws press on the mountain wall as they climb, carefully treading the thick snow. One wrong move and they could fall off the cliff just beside them.
This is certainly not the type of mission Kwazii is hoping for.
When they finally reach the cave, Kwazii expects Paani to go inside with him — as a normal person would. To his surprise, the macaque runs near the edge, lowering his gaze to what seems to be another lake.
"Paani?!"
"I'll just quickly map this one on my log."
Kwazii looks behind him; those clouds are definitely not going to wait till he finishes. "I don't think there's enough time for that, me hearty."
Paani, who knows what Kwazii is warning about, also knows that he won't take long in recording the other lake. It's not until another sound that he stops mapping. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
For a moment, they hear silence— quite ironic for a blizzard about to reach them, in Kwazii's expert opinion.
Just then, bits of snow start to fall above them— large chunks of ground snow instead of specks.
"Avast! Avalanche right up ahead!" Kwazii exclaims, mind racing through a million directions for a way of escape. Paani looks below, quickly considering jumping over. Kwazii instantly notices the glint of excitement when the macaque inched closer to the edge of the cliff and grabs his paw to take cover in the cave in a matter of seconds.
Sighs of relief echo as soon as they're inside— mostly from Kwazii; a wall of thick snow now towers over their only exit. "You trapped us!" Is Paani's first reaction before muttering "—but thanks."
"You were going to jump over that cliff! I helped get us to safety." Kwazii proudly declares — then it hits him.
Perhaps that's the reason why the captain wanted him to accompany Paani. The macaque is terrifyingly rash — even for him. The prospect of running from danger seems to always excite the other — and while Kwazii understands his sentiment, he can't help but worry that he'll do something impulsive again.
Kwazii can't even count on his paws the number of times Paani nearly hurt himself- and he has four paws. Granted, it is in their unspoken job requirement to be in constant danger while researching or saving other animals, but incidents usually happen while being accompanied. It's been a recurring thought, one that plagued his mind whenever sips of the past traversed ears; how many times has Paani been in danger without anyone to save him?
"Hmm, better sound the Octo-Alert." The macaque says to himself, a mutter so low yet enough to be heard inside the hollow corners of the cave walls.
With the Octonauts just a call away for contact, he needn't have to worry about the past happening again.
I'm just glad you met us.
"Sorry, what was that?"
Kwazii looks around the withered rocks on the cave walls in a poor attempt to hide his panic. "Nothing."
The thought must have consumed him so much that the dialogue exchange in his brain is voicing itself. Good thing Paani didn't hear it clearly.
Saved by further embarrassment, the HQ immediately answers — as expected. "Paani, Kwazii, report please," is Captain Barnacles' form of greeting; his image is slightly glitching from the interrupted signal.
Kwazii runs towards Paani's Octo-Watch. "Captain! We're trapped inside a cave with no way out!"
"An avalanche covered the exit and there's a big blizzard right outside," Paani states, moving his tail toward the snow wall.
The captain hums in understanding, squinting his eyes towards the small section above the wall without snow covering it; though not big enough for them to squeeze through. "Hmm... that hole above should be enough ventilation to make a fire without the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning. Do you have any resources with you?"
Paani scours his backpack and retrieves several dry wood and rocks gathered by chance from their hours of hiking the mountain. "Yes, captain."
"Very well. Make sure to keep yourselves warm. That cave should be enough shelter from the blizzard. And don't worry, we'll be there as fast as we can. Peso, Dashi, with me to the Octo-Ray."
Ayes from the other line sounds before the connection cuts entirely. At the mention of 'warmth,' Kwazii suddenly feels his whiskers shiver; the adrenaline from earlier dissipating entirely.
"C-Can't we just d-dig our way o-out?" He asks, shaking from head to toe. In his peripheral, Paani begins to light a fire over the fuel, a flint on one paw and a smaller flint on the other.
"We'll lose a lot of sweat if we dig through," he strikes the flints together, taking a couple more attempts until the sparks grow brighter. "The wall of snow acts like an insulator so we won't get too cold. In a way, being trapped here with a blizzard outside is a kind of a good thing." As a small flame finally ignites, Paani smiles in accomplishment and blows lightly to keep the fire burning.
Without anything else Kwazii can do, he sits near the fire, arms wrapping around his curled knees— almost like an abandoned kitten; his back leans against the walls. He settles for comfort; the flame may be small but it would do for now. Kwazii just hopes that the others would get there soon; his whiskers are literally shivering.
After the flame grows, Paani sits across the other, fully content. He quickly glances over to Kwazii and sees him completely shrunk and curled, shivering all over. Realizing that the flame must not be enough to keep him warm, Paani contemplates for a second; another impulsive thought crosses his mind but could be helpful nonetheless. His musing is what finds his paws rummaging through his backpack for a certain item.
Confused, Kwazii can only stare at him, too cold to even say anything. Even with his coat on, no one can entirely defeat the cold. It's colder than a pirate's snowball treasure chest!
In his stupor, the macaque walks over to him, a folded blue blanket in his paw. "This should be enough to keep us warm through the night," he says, holding up the blanket in full view.
Kwazii stares at it, incredulous. Surely, if he takes the blanket, Paani won't have anything to use, right? "H-How can that be enough for both of us, matey?"
Without warning, the macaque scoots over to him, closing the distance between each other as he takes a seat. Actually no, that's not worded right. There's not an inch of distance between them, and that reality is now sending Kwazii's brain to overdrive. The perpetrator for his current brain explosions hums — almost proudly — and wraps the blanket over their knees.
"There," Paani smiles, gaze landing on the fire instead of him. "That should do it."
Kwazii doesn't know if being trapped inside a cave while a storm is brewing outside is worse than whatever this is. Life before he became an Octonaut, while daring and adventurous, was a lot less fulfilling. His grandfather was the only closest person he ever had, and a gesture like this could only happen between a grandfather comforting his grandson— or so he thought. Strangely enough, he doesn't find it uncomfortable— far from it. The action took him by surprise, of course, but it feels almost... warm.
"W-What's this for?" Is what his vocal cords manage to say and Kwazii hates how his voice nearly cracks; though ever thankful that he could excuse his cracking voice for shivering.
Paani still doesn't face him; instead, he watches the crackling flames before saying "Sharing body heat helps when it's cold outside. The cave isn't small enough to do that for us, so we'll just have to improvise."
Kwazii wonders how Paani can say that with a straight face. He imagines a different universe where the two of them are not Octonauts and just happened to be trapped inside this cave together. There wouldn't be anything like sharing a blanket or body heat; they would just be sitting on opposite sides of the cave while awkwardly waiting for someone to rescue them.
But they're not strangers and maybe... Kwazii wouldn't have it any other way.
A couple of seconds pass before Kwazii realizes that he's been uncharacteristically quiet after Paani's answer, and awkwardly shifts in his position. "Well-" he clears his throat. "You certainly do know a lot about being in the snow."
Paani looks at him now, with a small amused smile. "Thanks! Happens a lot when you travel alone. You really have to improvise and prepare."
"Aye, matey. Me pirate days had me washing up on shore without company!" Kwazii exclaims, slightly raising his paw for dramatization.
"Those days were harder than a pirate's forehead! I sailed rough waves that nearly knocked me overboard and went through caves in search of me grandad's treasure! One of the caves looked like this one, with only one passage for the entrance and exit. It was dark, deep, and scarier than any ghost you could imagine! Legend has it that caves like that and this, are haunted by ghosts who never found a way out."
Everything falls silent; only the blizzard howls in its wake, masking the crackling of the fire as its embers quietly rise above the cave ceiling. Kwazii's ears twitch, waiting for a sound; a confirmation from anyone that there's nothing amiss.
Just then, he feels something touch his shoulder, one that's away from Paani. It's something... something he doesn't want to look at. But he does. Slowly.
And something... something is on his shoulder... something—
"Boo."
Kwazii jumps with a loud 'yeow!'
Actually, less than a jump and more like the back of his head bumping onto Paani's forehead. Breathing rapidly, Kwazii regains his composure and realizes that the perpetrator is none other than the macaque — now laughing at his expense.
"You really need to stop doing that," Kwazii glares at him. In return, he receives another laugh and a warmer atmosphere to add.
"Only if you stop falling for it."
He can't even think of a good comeback for that.
"You're always pullin' me paw," Kwazii remarks, fixing his position and bringing the blanket over to his knees.
Paani smiles, drawing their proximity closer. "It's more fun this way. At least you're warmer now, right Kwazii?"
The cat in question rubs his shoulders together for confirmation. "Well, I'll be a sea monkey's uncle. You sure do know a lot about being warm!" Not a moment too soon, he yawns.
Due to the nature of yawning being quite contagious, Paani finds himself yawning as well. "Well, I do feel sleepy myself. A bit."
"Sleepy?! Who says I'm sleepy? I'm as alive as a ship on an ocean st-" Kwazii's head comically drops before he finishes the sentence as a series of snores follow suit.
"Kwazii?" Another snore returns his reaction. Paani almost follows him to dreamscape when he hears- no, feels something quivering against him. Low, steady, and certainly not coming from himself. Threads of information weave themselves in Paani's mind when he remembers that Kwazii is a cat.
"Incredible, he purrs when asleep- no. Probably when sleeping during cold weather."
Shaking his head in amusement, Paani marvels at the drastic difference when Kwazii's asleep and awake. For instance, the cat can be quite the storyteller and a certified daredevil when active while he can be a strangely comfortable and silent kitten at night.
Although... there is another difference he'd rather keep to himself.
Observing others is a habit he's been open with, often expressing his findings to the creature he's been studying. It's an easy task. When it came to Kwazii, however, studying him without being noticed became a challenge. As someone who likes difficulty, Paani turned it into some sort of game for himself, to count the instances he would sneak scrutiny when Kwazii wasn't looking, often quickly pretending that he never did it when Kwazii asked what he was doing.
But now... he can study Kwazii's features a bit better when his eyes are tightly shut; the way Kwazii's whiskers twitch as he snores, the low, steady purring, and the way his head keeps jolting upward to keep it from getting a stiff neck. He's pretty interesting — in Paani's expert opinion.
In a way, he notices their similarities which makes them both clash and click. It's a bit amusing how much banter they can go through while working together perfectly. Paani has grown comfortable with their dynamic and, as honest as Paani can get, it makes him feel... less lonely.
"I'm just glad you met us."
He would be lying if he claimed he'd never heard what Kwazii had said. The cave is small enough to let even the smallest needle falling be heard by anyone. Though, his mouth could only respond with a question by the time he had processed what was already said. Kwazii was probably embarrassed by his own statement, enough for him to deny its existence.
There might not be much of an explanation as to why Kwazii suddenly said it but Paani could slightly guess why.
Paani knows how hard it is to be attached, especially in his line of work. He can't protect everyone even if he wants to. When he does succeed, however, it's always time to move on to the next mission, leaving the friends he made along the way. It's not all bad, as he can always visit anytime. But inanimate objects have somehow kept him company for the longest time and he can't imagine what it would be like to lose them. Perhaps there's a small fear of that happening to him with real people. Maybe one day, he can admit the truth he's been endlessly ignoring. He doesn't surely know himself, so he focuses on the present and what's in front of him.
And the one person in front of him now is the very first Octonaut he encountered and befriended. Paani has been to the Himalayas more times than he can count. Surely, he'll return again for another research, but his trip now somehow outshined every moment he traversed these mountains. He has the Octonauts to thank for that.
There's no use worrying about silly things when reality has so much more to offer than his worries about the future.
And maybe, even for just a little bit tonight, he can let himself be closer to someone else again.
Resolved in his perusal, Paani uses his prehensile tail to press Kwazii's head on his shoulder; finally drifting off to sleep.
Around 2 hours after the avalanche, a familiar polar bear bursts through the freshly dug snow, Peso following behind his right and Dashi on the other.
It doesn't take them another second to spot Kwazii and Paani peacefully sleeping with a shared blanket.
Dashi and Peso exchange a look, followed by silent chuckles. Quick to grab her camera, Dashi snaps a photo of the two; an image of Kwazii leaning onto Paani's shoulder as Paani's tail wraps around Kwazii.
The three Octonauts share not even a word but their silence collectively agrees that this moment, where two of their most outspoken members of the team are now snuggled together like a pair of cold ducklings, is bound to be engraved in their memories for a long, long time. Dashi even has a physical copy of that memory — for a keepsake, of course.
After careful consideration (more synchronized nods to each other), they decide to bring in more warming equipment as they wait for the two to awaken.
One that's fully conscious has eyes tightly shut despite not being asleep. In fact, he had been awake for several minutes before help arrived. It's not often that he indulges in resting, especially when someone else is involved. So he'll worry about the repercussions later, and a small, satisfied smile tugs on Paani's face.