A shadowy figure of a mouse in a trenchcoat and fedora looks up from his case notes as a he catches sight of a familiar face.

At last.

Well, I see that hacking into that bozo's account wasn't a waste of time. We meet again, as I knew we would, and I'd bet my last piece of white cheddar that we're after the same thing again. We always seem to meet up in these situations. Call it luck, call it fate... it's good to see ya again. The investigatin' business has been slower than an Ooze mouse recently. An adventure like this may be just what I need.

He looks over the paper the Wrangler hands him, noting every detail

At least they drew an accurate picture this time. Last poster I saw one of these hanging around town, they had forgotten to draw the wings.

The Hardboiled detective sits silently for a time... thoughts of this Myterious Pygmy Wrangler from a far off land, the riches to be gained, and the taste of Super Brie swirled in his head

Sister, that reward is as good as ours. I can sniff out a golden egg all the way from the top of Zugzwang's Tower. Let's go scramble some egg poachers

Another figure, this one cloaked and hooded in dark blue and red, appears on the scene. Careful observers might note bits of red and green under the hood.

Dragons? Mice? Eggs? Mysterious Pygmy Wranglers?

It's all so confusing. Just when I think I'm beginning to understand all the strange things on your earth, more new and wonderful things appear. Well, that's what makes it fun!

Good luck, I guess, on your adventures, though I don't know what you're talking about.

A few hours later the Pygmy Wrangler and her companion, the mysterious Hardboiled detective, stand on a post overlooking the Harbour.

Hydra mice are said to be in the waters here, but they aren’t really trouble… you don’t know trouble til you’ve tangled with a Leviathan or Squeaken… That, my friend, is trouble- believe me know it well…

She pauses for a moment staring distantly into the sea and the horizon. Quickly though she returns to her senses…

Our real problem here will be sneaking on to the ship without getting our tails stuck in a trap or being sighted by a hunter. Be wary of cheese freely lying around… especially if it’s near any chrome or jade!

She pulls out map with various circles and markings indicating possible locations of dragon or egg activity. The scars on her paws were from years of tangling with the feisty pygmies, but it was a job she enjoyed… she liked a challenge, a puzzle a fight… and this was the perfect opportunity. She studied the entrance and the sides of the ship carefully… at last she quickly packed the map back in her pocket… eyeing an opening.

If you’re ready it’s now or never, just follow my lead….

and quickly she dashed around crates and boxes, jumping up on boards making her way to an open window…

Keeping pace with the Wrangler, no small feat for a flatfoot, the pair find themselves inside the ship

Perfection.

Unless my nose is mistaken (which it never is), we're in the galley. Good. The heart of a ship, if you believe the local tavern scum. We should investigate, but we ain't stayin long! I worked a case for an old sea rat down at these docks once, and I memorized the schedules. This here is the Huntington... it's due to leave any minute now, and I'd rather charter my personal boat to get us out on the waters... the Leviathans don't usually notice the small fry... Squeaken are probably safe too, if we travel at night.

He feels a small twinge of uneasiness as he thinks of the one danger neither of them had spoken of... the fearsome Hydra. They had encountered them before, and had bested a horde of them is a hand to hand fight. Weapons were of little use, for as every mouse and hunter alike know, when you cut off one head, two more will take it's place. He doesn't mention the possibility to his companion, but judging by the look on her face as they climbed up to gaze out a porthole, he knew he didn't need to. It was the same look that was on both of their faces months ago...

Well, nothing out there, 'cept blue stuff. Just to be sure this boat didn't have a passenger hauling shiny cargo on board before us, I'll check these windows, and any other su...

They both turn as they hear a crash from somewhere behind them. The window they come in through would no longer serve them as an exit. It had been bolted shut. The Wrangler and the detective each rushed to check the other portholes. Bolted.

Why does this ALWAYS happen to us?

The clanging of a bell echoes throughout the ship. Too late to go anywhere. They try the door to the captain's cabin... locked.

This ship is watertight. There's no way out. Looks like someone wants to give us an all expenses payed cruise. How utterly charming.

He works with the Wrangler to calculate their destination... it's a clear night, and the stars are in plain sight. They come to a conclusion:

Looks like you're goin back to your old stomping grounds, angel... we're headed for the jungles...

The hardened sleuth takes one more look out the starboard porthole

And who knows what lies in wait on the way...

After a small amount of time spent exploring the ship and interviewing (although it sounded more like her companion was interrogating) the local ship residents… the pair decided to turn it in for the night… But the Wrangler woke with a start. She listened carefully… something was very wrong… she ran to her companion’s room and knocked on the door loudly… She paused for a moment then knocked harder.

Get up! We’re in trouble!

At last the door opened… simultaneously a roar and shouts came from above.

C’mon! This way…

She rushed ahead and up the stairs, heart racing… through a nearby porthole she saw the source of the roaring… a Leviathan. A large crack came from above and she shoved her companion into the stairway as water began to pour into the room from which they came. They rushed for the life boats, but she lost sight of her companion in the chaos.

A wave came up and splashed her overboard. She struggled to get to the surface, some of the rope was still entangled on her legs, and she was not a very good swimmer. Her lungs screamed… the beast was distracted by the large ship at least, but she avoided him. Her chest was burning, her lungs felt as though they would explode, her heart threatened to beat them to it. She finally broke the surface exhausted, but found herself next to a small life boat… Her companion’s paw had grabbed her shirt, and pulled her into the boat. She coughed exhausted… happy to see him. She looked around though…

No oars?

They were now adrift, victims of the current.

Relief.

This was the one thought on the sleuth's mind, replacing the sheer inner panic that had grabbed at him when the Leviathan struck, when he had lost sight of his companion... it was all a blur. He had immediately taken a lifeboat after finding himself alone, and doubled back, knowing the Wrangler would make her way out. But this was the last boat standing, going by a quick survey of the destruction, so he held his course

She's sure taking her sweet time about it.

The boat rocked violently as the Leviathan's tail swept under the boat, breaking the oar he had in the water. He grumbled under his breath, as he tried to steady the boat with the one remaining oar.

C'mon baby, hold together... oh rats.

The beast's head was coming right down on him. He swung the oar in a skyward arc, making contact with the nose, sending splinters everywhere. An awful bellow followed, as the Leviathan disappeared below

It won't stay down... not for long.

He looked down at the fragment of an oar handle that he still held, and chucked it overboard. That's when he saw his companion's paw reaching up from the deep, and threw himself against the side of the boat as he hauled her carefully on board, that relief washing over him. But he didn't show it. He couldn't.

No, no oars.

They drifted until dawn, the detective staring cautiously at the water. Not a sign to be seen of the great serpent. This didn't give him the comfort he had hoped it would. Not by a long shot. They had manged to skirt the jungles, he was glad of this... but they seemed to be headed for a small cove, on the opposite side of the island, as far as they could tell at least.

This could be worse I suppose. Like that case in the Cats.... you remember that one?

The boat stops close to shore, and the pair wade out to shore, near the mouth of the cove. Suddenly, the realization of where there were struck the sleuth

Ya know, maybe this couldn't be worse. This is THE cove... the one you hear ghost stories about. Most of them originate right here. Stick close. This ain't exactly paradise.

Don’t remind me about the catacombs… next time I see a skeleton I’m making sure I have my whip ready… Not to mention Ravenous Zombies…

She surveys the shoreline… looking for possible clues…

Hey look at this! This almost looks like a dragon’s footprint… and there’s another over there… and another.

They follow the trail for a ways until it comes to an abrupt halt… at its end a series of smaller tracks surrounding the larger ones, a bunch of charred ash around the ground.

Looks like our Dragon was here… and there was a struggle…

You know we really should ask the locals if they’ve seen anyt…

She looked around, ears twitching to some unknown noise… then she saw a very pale hunched up creature walking out of a nearby cave… It looked rather distraught and frustrated. Mumbling something about its “golden precious”

You and I remember the Catacombs very differently...

The two stare at the creature, who seems to be having a discussion... with himself

What's so odd about that? You do it all the time, Wrangler. Don't stare. Let's see what we can get out of it.

They approach cautiously. The creature stands there, it's back to them.

You, yeah you... know anything about an... egg?

The creuture snapps it;s head around, fixing it's red eyes on the pair. "Eggses? We knows nothing about nasty eggses, we hate nasty eggses, except when we eats them!

Well you couldn't really eat this one, buddy. It's a dragon egg, and more than that, it's gold.

The thing's eye light up. Gold! Shiny! Precious... iz my preeecious....

Where is it, tell us now!

They stole it from us!

Who?!

There's no more information to be had from the thing. The last question had thrown him into a rage. "They STOLE it, they STOLE it! The Master, he stole it!

Let's run. I think I know where we'll find that egg...

The two ran around to a protected grove, where they made camp for the night. as the sun rose, they both studied the Wrangler's nap, which she had taken the precaution of stowing in her waterproof pocket.

If our hunch is correct, the search will coming to an end soon. There's only one mouse in these parts that creature would call "Master". The one who was once master of this entire island. He was kicked out by his underlings long ago, but you know as well as I do that some mice aren't stopped by exile. Or death, for that matter. Balack, master of the enslaved, and not a real nice guy...

After interrogating several members of the tribes surrounding the cove, they had gleaned enough information to follow a few simple clues right to the cave where one terrified native had seen Balack just a day ago. Thanks to the top notch tracking skills of the Wrangler (as well as her whip), it wasn't long before they were at the entrance to cave, from which an eerie green light shone forth. They each whipped out their flashlights as the pressed onward, seemingly downward, until they came to a dead end.

Except we know that there has to be a secret panel here somewhere. There always is.

The Wrangler ran her paw over a rune embedded in the wall, and before either could figure out what had just happened, they were on the other side of the wall, in a small cavern thick with green fog. The Wrangler pulled her bandana over her nose, the sleuth followed suit with his trenchcoat. As their eyes became accustomed to the green, the trained eye of the detective caught a glint of light near the back of the cave. He signaled to his companion, who had also seen it, and they raced as fast as they could towards it. Then they stopped abruptly

Well ain't you a sight for sore eyes.

Their flashlight beams shone on the object in front of them, there was no mistaking it, for there was only one like it in Gnawnia. The golden egg... the WINGED golden egg, as the gumshoe observed. It was hooked up to a strange device, almost otherworldly in appearance, covered in undecipherable runes...

I'd bet my hat someone is trying to tap into the raw power of this egg. I don't know what this set up is, but it ain't no hunter's trap. This thing looks powerful enough to tear open a hole in space and time. It's a threat to all mice and hunters alike. And if it belongs to who I think it does.... c'mon, we gotta leave, now.

The Wrangler refuse to leave without the egg. The two work frantically to pry open the clamps holding the egg in the contraption. The fog seemed to be thickening. With one strong, coordinated tug, the egg popped free.

NOW we leave!

The detective held the egg as his companion ran her hand over the wall, looking for the switch to let them back out on the other side. They both coughed, as the fog became almost unbearably thick. An evil laugh shook the cave, and the floor beneath their feet started to crack open like an eggshell. The Wrangler finds he right switch, and opens the door, as the detective struggles to keep his footing. He tosses the egg to her, and they run out the door, the floor disappearing into the earth behind them. They kept running toward the light, jumping rocks, dodging falling debris with ease (or at least the Wrangler found it easy, this was her hobby after all), tossing the egg back and forth, until at last, they stepped out into the sunlight. Just in time too, they found, as the mouth of the cave was no longer to be seen. It had... vanished.