"Yeah,
Cutter's house of cards really came crashing down last night," Skywise
says on Day 40. "He watches his best ally get voted out - only find out
Scouter wasn't his ally after all. He thought Scouter was going to help
him get rid of Rayek, and then he finds out Scouter was plotting with Rayek
to get rid of him! It didn't really help matters when he found out... heh,
that Rayek and Ember and I had secretly formed our own bloc not too long
after the merge. Yeah - he's kinda pissed right now."
Cutter: Dewshine tells me that she and Scouter had an understanding with Rayek! With Rayek! Who was Scouter planning to betray? Was he lying to me, or Rayek? Does Dewshine know? Is she lying too? And Skywise! How could he not tell me that Scouter was playing me false? How could he side against me with Ember?Cutter and Dewshine sleep out on the sand away from the cave over the night of Day 39, and by morning they continue to give the rest of the tribe the cold shoulder. "I will never forgive Rayek for this," Dewshine says. "Dewshine and I have to stick together," Cutter says. "Maybe she was going to vote me off before, but now we know we're each other's only hope." Indeed, by mid-morning Dewshine was shyly approaching Pike, trying to form a new alliance against the foursome of Ember, Skywise, Rayek and Venka.Ember: Yeah, Venka and I had our heads together from the merge on, but we really cemented our alliance at the spa that night. Scouter thought he had me right where he wanted, and Father thought he was in control the whole time. Well, they won't underestimate me as chief again, I can tell you that.
Rayek: Why did I turn against Scouter and side with Ember? Mehh, basically I can trust Ember's word more than Scouter's.
Venka: We're planning to go into the Final Four with Father, myself, Ember and Skywise. That was the arrangement we made then, and I intend to honour it.
Dewshine: Cutter and I are all alone. But if we can get Pike on our side, we stand something of a chance. Cutter and I were up all night talking, and we think our new plan is to get Pike in our camp, then to approach Skywise about forming a new bloc. Pike knows he's the fifth wheel in their plans, and Skywise might be coaxed back to our side if we can offer him better odds.At noon on Day 40, Teir gathered the elves for the latest reward challenge. It's a memory game, to be played for a mystery prize. The elves have to memorize the names of ten different tropical fishes, matched with paintings of the fish that the elves can only look at for 10 seconds. The challenge is over quickly, as the elves with poor memory drop out. Cutter goes, then Pike, then Dewshine, and Ember. Rayek, Skywise and Venka go into a bonus round, memorizing five different kinds of fish in 5 seconds. Rayek and Skywise drop out, and Venka is left victorious.Skywise: I find it so funny that Cutter just assumed I'd be on his side. Well, he knows he's at the end of his rope, and there isn't a thing he can do now to get me to support him.
"Want to know what you just won?" Teir asks. "Well, you'll be seeing those fish close up in a few hours. A boat is waiting to take you out to the barrier reefs, where you and one friend will go on a scuba-diving adventure. Time for you to choose who will go with you."
Venka looks left and right. "Oohhh, Ember, I really want to pay you back for that spa trip you took me on... but..."
Ember: It's okay - really. Take whoever you want.Rayek laughs and runs over the Venka. Father and daughter embrace, and Teir leads them away, while the five remaining elves trek back to camp. "No, I'm not upset that Venka picked Rayek to go with her," Ember says as they return to their caves. "They have a lot of bonding to catch up on. Am I worried that they're plotting against me and Skywise? No - no... I trust them both."Venka: Father? Do you want to go scuba diving?
Cutter: It wouldn't surprise me at all. Venka is more Rayek's seed that she'll ever admit. Oh, she's shown her true colours. Those two are probably already rewriting their game plan. If Ember is smart she'll make peace with me and let me help her get rid of those two snakes.Rayek and Venka dine on a light lunch in the speedboat on the way out to reef. "So... who are we taking out tonight?" Rayek asks. Venka shrugs. "Cutter first. He's the main threat. And Ember's aching for a chance to cut him off." The two toast with champagne, then sit back and enjoy the sunshine. Half an hour later, then arrive at the reef. Another speedboat is moored at the reef, and Venka cries out as she recognizes an elf standing in the boat. "Zhanteeeee!"Skywise: Cutter and Dewshine are doing their damnedest to scare us. Yeah... it is a little creepy the way Venka took her closest ally rather than trying to reinforce the alliance with me or Ember. But I'm not going to go paranoid at the drop of a hat. That'll play right into Cutter's plan.
"Venka!
Ohh, I was hoping you'd win this one," Zhantee laughs. As the speedboat
idled up alongside the second boat, Venka bounds across into Zhantee's
boat and embraces her lovemate. Teir turns off the engine to their boat,
then climbs over into Zhantee's boat. He explains that Zhantee has been
spending his time scuba-diving since he was voted out of New Blood, and
that he will show Venka and Rayek all the best parts of the reef.
Zhantee: Oh, if you think swimming with a shield is better than flying - scuba-diving's even better! I just love poking around in caves and looking for sharks and just sitting down on the bottom and watching the fish swim overhead. I took Venka and Rayek to his sinkhole where the turtles like to sleep. The turtles were just waking up, and so we hitched a ride on their backs.Venka and Rayek return to camp at sunset, and endure the many questions from their comrades with good grace. "Bahh, I'm just as glad I didn't win," Cutter sneers. Pike wants to know all about what they ate for lunch, while Dewshine plays up her questions with the cutest smile and largest dimple she can manage. "Good grace and a chirpy voice can mean the difference between life and death - but the fact is, if Cutter wins immunity I am royally drukked."Venka: It was wonderful to see my dear lovemate again. And the scuba-diving was unbelievable.
Rayek: I really felt like a bit of a third wheel at first. But as soon as we were under the water I knew I'd remember this forever. It's... augh, this is so cliche, but it's so damned peaceful.
On Day 41, the elves assemble for immunity challenge. Dewshine relinquishes the wolf'shead necklace, and Teir introduces the new challenge. It's a Trial of Hand. "Oooh, goody!" Cutter exclaims. "I can whoop Rayek's ass all over again." Dewshine hands over the necklace, and Teir groups the elves into pairs. Dewshine and Venka fight blindfolded on the poles-and-barrel first, and to everyone's surprise, Dewshine throws Venka within 10 seconds.
"Dewshine wanted it more," Skywise rules.
Next Cutter and Skywise fight, and Cutter throws Skywise after several moves. Ember and Pike take their turn, and they wrestle for several long moments. Finally, Pike's foot slips on the left pole, and one tug from Ember sends him flying. Next Ember and Dewshine meet on the poles, and Dewshine ruthlessly knocks Ember off her perch. Cutter then faces Rayek. Everyone waits expectantly to see how this remath will turn out.
Cutter
expects an easy victory, and is surprised to see how well Rayek still fights.
Cutter sways on the poles, then falls flat on his face, swallowing a tablespoon
of dirt. Rayek proceeds to dance a happy-dance over his body, until Teir
reminds him that he has to fight Dewshine to win immunity. Rayek mounts
the poles and slips his headband back in place. Dewshine takes his hand
and the match begins. The two fight for several minutes, wobbling on the
poles, until at last Dewshine throws Rayek.
Teir: Dewshine - Immunity for the second consecutive time!The elves return to camp, contemplating the next day's tribal council. "We all know Cutter's going to go," Skywise says. "He's pretty much running on fear. I know he's been hitting up Pike for an alliance. Now I'll bet he'll go after me." Sure enough, Pike soon confesses to the camera that Cutter has been pressuring him to vote for Ember. "He was saying how he's been my chief a lot longer than Ember, and I owe him."Rayek: I lost to the scrawny bisexual bimbo?!?!
Dewshine: Woo-hoo! I beat the sourpuss, I beat the sourpuss. Cuteness always triumphs.
Rayek: Ahh, shut yer yap!
"We ran out of water, and I volunteered for a late-night water run,"
Skywise says. "Just so we'd have fresh water right when we woke up. And
when I was coming down the hill, there was Cutter, standing in the one
patch of seductive-blue-moonlight in the entire forest. Before I know it,
he's standing in leaf-shadows, looking like something out of "Book 2 -
the Firefly Scene" and 
begging
me, me, his brother in all but blood, his (insert soulname here), to support
him, to stand by him, to be his loyal companion through thick and thin.
It was all this sick, manipulative, vaguely homoerotic attempt to get me
to betray my loyalties."
Cutter: I put my heart on the line - and he wouldn't even commit, one way or the other. He just shrugged and said he had to go. I don't know what I'm going to do... when my own brother deserts me... oh Bearclaw, Joyleaf, guide me!At sunset on Day 42, the seven elves gather at tribal council. Scouter, newly bathed and dressed in fresh clothes, joins Nightfall on the jury bench. Cutter is very dejected when Teir asks him to describe the last three days. "It's been... interesting... and very... enlightening." He reflects. "But... I'll be a lot happier when... tonight is behind me." Teir nods, then directs the elves to go vote. Cutter goes first, followed by Ember. One by one the elves cast their votes. Teir then returns and reads the votes out one by one. Two votes for Venka, five votes for Cutter.
Dewshine: Why did I vote for Venka? Because Cutter told to me to. Because I support him, and because every vote against Venka will come in handy soon enough. I agreed to support Cutter and vote for anyone he says. We decided on Venka because she's the most devious one of the lot, and she deserves to fall.Cutter gets up, grudgingly, and offered his torch to be snuffed out. "Cutter, the tribe has spoken," Teir says. "It's time for you to leave."Venka: So Dewshine voted for me, did she? Unless it was Pike - but I can't believe he would turn on me.
| CUTTER'S LAST WORDS |
| I could see this day coming, but I thought I could hold out a little longer. Is this the Way - the old dying to make way for the young? Maybe... maybe I've lost my way, maybe that's why I was trying to predict what everyone would do and counter it. But I misjudged Rayek, and Venka, and Ember and even Skywise. This should teach me to stay in the Now. |