Let's Write Together- The Dung Flipper's Pearl

This is an experimental Creative Write/Free write. I wrote this in the Hive.Pizza DiscordPizza Guild Discord while sharing my screen and asking for input/direction/whatever from the community. I think it will be an interesting way to construct a post and have no idea how this will turn out!

Rules!
They are few:

Anyone else in the voice channel's input overrides mine- I will type and incorporate ideas and input as I do- ANYONE in voice can make me edit or whatever!

Pizza Tips for participants throughout the event.

Other than that this is a standard free writing format! So lets GOOOOOOO!

Art by the wonderful @anikekirsten! Thanks for your amazing contributions!

Captain Silver F. Insomnia seemed completely oblivious to the presence of the enormous Mustachiod Crab towering over them and feasting upon their dreems. They absent mindedly plucked at the strings of the makeshift banjo cradled in their arms like a sleeping baby. Both the captain and the crab were equally unaware of Dirk Dirigible and Portia who stood dumbstruck at the terrible sight. Quintin McSparrow the Lowlander (there can be only one), however, was quick to jump into action. He shook Dirk and Portia out of their reverie and immediately dashed towards Captain Insomnia.

The crab continued to feast upon the delectable dreems it plucked from the skull of the Captain, content to feast uninterrupted and ignore the three newcomers.

As Quintin neared the Captain, he began to slow and stumble in the deep, shifting muck of the damp forest trail. It was far less steady footing than even the treacherous white sands of the long undisturbed beach. He fell on his face with a squelch not 10 feet from the dreeming captain. Out of the undergrowth a dung flipper suddenly skipped onto the trail using its bony fins to propel it swiftly across the damp surface. In seconds it had climbed onto the back of Quintin McSparrow's head and dislodged his hat. The poor man let out a groan as he struggled to push himself out of the mud in which he was steadily sinking.

Dirk and Portia hadn't had time to move, they had barely recovered from the shock of the giant Mustachio'd Crab, the presence of another strange beast stunned them once more. Little was known about the dung flipper species. It appeared to be descedent from the common mud skippers found on shores and in swamps of the tropics. However, these creatures were far larger, and had evolved a specialized purpose. They were known for their strange eating habits and could only be found on the purest, white beaches composed of the biological waste of a particular species of coral eating fish. Unfortunately, yes. The pristine white beaches of Calm Island were composed almost entirely of Fish Poo. This species had earned its name from the strange habit of consuming this biological waste and excreting pristine, iridescent black pearls of substantial size. These pearls were exceedingly rare, each Dung Flipper was known to produce a single pearl in its life cycle and the pearls themselves were known to host substantial magical power.

The presence on the island of the Dung Flipper suggested to Dirk and Portia that even more wealth could be discovered here, the two forgot about poor Quintin McSparrow as he slowly suffocated and began to argue about whether to capture the Dung Flipper or stick to their plan to rescue Captain Insomnia and acquire the creatures enormous wealth.

"If we can distract the crab, you can grab the Dung Flipper, we'll be as rich as Insomnia with the power of one of those pearls!"

"Aye, but there be no guarantee the creature hasn't already laid its pearl! We can't give up on Insomnia for a fleeting chance at magical power. Give me the banjo strings Portia, I'll rescue the Captain myself! Go get your pearl if you must!" Dirk reached for the four strings draped over his sisters shoulder. She quickly stepped back dodging his grasping fingers easily.

"I'll be holding on to these until we capture the Dung Flipper. Insomnia's not going anywhere with that beast feasting on her dreems. With the power of the pearl we will be able to capture it as well!"

"FOOL! Why get sidetracked when everything we have ever worked for is within our grasp! Give me those strings or I swear on my ship I'll take them from ye."

"You couldn't take em from me if ye tried, Dirk. I've won every fight we've ever had since we were tots!"

"Brats, that's what Ma always called us." Dirk replied, Portia let out an enormous laugh.

"Ma always did know how to start a good scrap between us, kept us from finding more trouble!"

"Well she ain't here to stop me when I'm winning this time Portia." With that Dirk lunged forwards once more, and this time managed to grasp the ends of the banjo strings still draped over Portia's shoulder. Her hands moved like snakes and managed to snatch the other end just as Dirk had nearly pulled them clear. The two pulled hard on the strings, and with a sickening THWANNANANGGGGGGG!!!! The four strings snapped all at once.

The two looked at each other, dumbfounded. Both knew that the Juu Juu Bee King had already been plucked clean of its hair. There were no more banjo strings to be found. The Dung Flipper had finally crawled off of Quintons now still corpse and was squirming its way towards Insomnia where she still sat in the shade cast by the carapace held aloft on ten gigantic crab legs above her.

Dirk drew a deep breath as his face reddened and the left half of his mustache bristled like an alley cat taken by surprise while searching a trash can.

"Take it easy brother, we can still have Insomnias fortune, but now we MUST capture the Dung Flipper. Without it's pearl we have no hope." Portia attempted to calm him, she knew her brother well enough to see the portent of his suddenly ruddy face and uneven bristles. "The creature is still here, we can catch it."

Dirk drew another deep breath. His mustache did not return to normal.

"How do you suppose we catch it dear sister." He expounded through gritted teeth. "It's beneath the crab now and I for one am not inclined to risk my own Dreems being consumed!" Dirk had always become inordinately polite when he was furious. He had always managed to deflect punishment from Ma that way and Portia knew it.

"We must try to lure it away. It seemed to be interested in Quinton when he fell, mayhaps we can fool it somehow."

"I suppose I have no choice but to follow your lead once again, dear sister. I'll happily watch you fall on your face to attract a Dung Flipper." The glint in his eye betrayed his amusement at the thought. His mustache still had not returned to normal. With that final exchange the two of them began to edge around the enormous Mustachiod Crab that still paid them no heed. It had not moved a single one of its legs and seemed to be in some sort of feeding trance as it continued to consume Insomnias dreems. It only took moments for the brother and sister to intercept the Dung Flippers path and cut it off.

Once she was in full view of the Dung Flipper it stopped in confusion at her sudden appearance. Dirk stood back, prepared to laugh off his fury if this somehow worked. His sister ensured that the creature was watching her, and then turned and ran headlong into the shade of the trees. she had barely left the bath when she deliberately dove face first into a pile of mulch and muck.

To Dirk's amazement the creature seemed interested. It quickly squelched its way off the path and perched upon his sisters dairy air as it rose above her crumpled form, half buried in the humous leaf litter of the forest floor. It appeared proud of itself, as some sort of explorer successfully climbing a mountain. It let out a sudden chirp, and from beneath the damp mud of the forest trail many more Dung Flippers rose and began to circle around the fallen pirate.