Sam Snow.
Kit Casey.
The Creature Cases!
The Secret of the Sand Serpent.
Here we go.
Thanks for the melon, mister.
Well, I sure sold a lot of fruit for my first day in a new town.
Time to close up shop.
Run! Get inside! Hurry!
See the rain on them there hills?
That means it's a-coming back!
What's coming back?
The Sand Serpent, of course!
It'll pull you right underground! Run!
Right. Sand Serpent.
I'll be careful.
Heh. Thank you.
Huh?
My melon! Something took it!
-No!
Kit?
All right, all right, I admit it.
Sam, I've never told you this, but I'm kinda sorta afraid of the vacuum.
The vacuum?
Unless you were gonna ask me something else, in which case, I'm kidding.
Sorry, Kit. I had no idea.
Can I ask why you're afraid of the vacuum?
I know it's silly, but the vacuum's just so loud.
You know, fear is like a cage. A cage with only one way out.
-The door? -No, it's just a saying!
The only way out is to face your fear.
Face my fear?
That's right. You've got to face what you're afraid of
so you can see that it isn't so scary.
-Now, I'm going to turn this back on…
The CLADE crest!
Facing my fears will have to wait.
Director Scratch has a new Creature Case for us.
Agents, I've got a particularly strange case for you today.
Take a look at this.
Uh… What are we looking at?
According to local legend,
this is the work of a mysterious creature called the Sand Serpent.
Hm… Serpent means snake. Is the Sand Serpent some kind of snake?
That's what you two need to figure out.
All we know is that it's terrorizing these townsfolk.
They're all afraid of getting pulled underground.
Good thing Sam and I aren't afraid
of mysterious Sand Serpents.
Nope. Just the vacuum clea--
You can count on us, Director.
Now arriving at destination biome,
South American Desert.
Excuse us.
I'm Agent Sam Snow.
And I'm Agent Kit Casey. Mind answering a few questions?
Who's gonna pay for my stolen melon? That's the question.
Uh, we hear you've had a problem with a sand snake?
Serpent.
Excuse me?
Here we go.
You said "sand snake."
But it's a serpent. The Sand Serpent!
I thought you said serpent is just another name for snake.
Go along with it.
What can you tell us about this Sand Serpent?
Nobody knows what it is, or what it wants, but it can pull you right underground!
Like my poor melons.
Every time it rains up in them there hills,
the Sand Serpent comes and terrorizes the town!
Watch out! Run! Hurry!
The Sand Serpent! It's back!
Quick! Get off the ground, or it'll pull you under!
We've got to help them!
Look out!
Whoa!
Come on! Get off the ground!
Quick! Up, up, up!
Not again!
It's a-coming for me!
Uh, uh!
It's leaving.
Everyone okay?
No. Another one of my melons was taken by that no-good stinkin' sand snake.
Sand Serpent!
You said it only comes when it rains on them there hills.
Well, it sure ain't raining now.
Well, it's never done that before.
Guess it does now.
We're used to it coming every once in a while,
but twice in one day is too much!
I'm not made of melons.
Don't worry, folks.
We'll take care of this. We know what we're doing.
What are we doing?
Good question.
We need to get a look at this "Sand Serpent,"
-but it never seems to come above ground. -Not a problem.
Clu-Bot, go.
This Clu-Bot can track the Sand Serpent through its tunnels
so we can see what we're dealing with.
There! That's it!
It looks like it has fur and claws. Doesn't look like a snake to me.
It's on the move again.
We can't get close. It's kicking up too much sand.
Oh.
The Clu-Bot crashed into something.
This wall must go down pretty deep, but the Serpent avoided it just in time.
If we could somehow corner the creature at this wall, we could catch it.
But how do we make it go where we want?
-Huh? You saw that, right?
Uh-huh. And I heard it too.
The Sand Serpent lives underground,
but it zips away whenever there's a big noise above ground.
It's gotta have good hearing to find its way around in those tunnels.
Must not like loud noises.
And that's how we catch it!
The next time the Serpent comes back,
we'll be ready for it.
Folks, we've figured out the Sand Serpent isn't a snake at all,
and it doesn't like loud noises.
So? What is it?
Time to find out. Everyone bring their pots and pans?
-Yeah. You bet. -Great!
-Now…
…Kit and I will position you around town.
Then, when we tell you,
make as much noise as possible!
The noise will drive the creature smack into the underground wall.
And that's when we'll catch it.
Now, who's ready to stop that Sand Serpent?
This is where you say, "We are!"
Come on, folks. There's nothing to be afraid of.
Easy for you to say.
You didn't grow up hearing bedtime stories about the terrifying Sand Serpent!
I'm mighty scared of that thing.
We are.
You know, someone once told me that fear is like a cage.
A cage with only one way out.
-The door? -Bending the bars?
It's just a saying!
The only way out is to face your fear.
-Oh yeah. -I get it.
Whether you're scared of a legendary creature under the sand
or a vacuum cleaner…
Vacuum cleaner?
…sooner or later, we all have to face our fears
so we can see that they're not so scary.
Now, who's with me?
We are!
Sand Serpent!
It's a-coming!
Positions, everyone! Go, go, go!
Mr. Root, make some noise.
-It's working! -Bang those pots!
Keep steering it toward the wall!
-Now! -Hey!
I… I can't!
Face your fear! You can do this.
Oh…
Yee-haw!
Whiskers, it worked.
Now, let's see what the Sand Serpent really is.
Uh… Uh? Eh…
How's it going, everybody?
-Huh? -That's the Sand Serpent?
Sand Serpent? Where? Where?
Wait. What's a Sand Serpent?
Of course!
Sam, it's a pink fairy armadillo.
A pink fairy?
Now who's telling tall tales?
Hey. I'll have you know, I'm a pink fairy armadillo.
It all adds up.
Pink fairy armadillos have fur, claws for digging,
and they're rarely seen above ground.
Let me guess.
You live over there in the hills.
Except when it rains.
Then, my tunnels fill up with water. Oh, it's terrible.
So, I come down here.
Just like the legend says.
But it's not raining now. Why come back to town?
I'm sorry for scaring everyone,
but earlier, I tasted the most delicious, amazing fruit I've ever had!
And I want more.
What?
He's talking about my melons!
No wonder you stuck around.
I bet those tasted a lot better
than the insects and grubs you usually eat.
You can say that again.
I've never had anything like them.
You hear that, folks?
I got the only fruit in town
-that's pink-fairy-armadillo-approved!
Mr. Root, if our little friend promises not to cause any more trouble,
do you think you could give him some melon seeds?
Then I could grow my own melons!
It's a deal.
Thanks!
Hasta la vista!
That's one more Creature Case…
Closed.
And thanks to you, we all faced our fears.
Well, not quite.
Mice Squad Fact File.
-Status?
System Settings?
Update. Armadillos.
Pink fairy armadillos have large claws
on their front and back legs.
They use their claws to quickly dig through sand.
Pink fairy armadillos have small eyes…
…so their hearing helps them get around.
They sometimes leave their homes due to weather changes.
When it rains, their tunnels might fill with water. Yikes!
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The Disappearance of Peggy Scratch.
R.O.N., status report.
We are above the Atlantic Ocean, near the equator.
Roger that. We'll get back to CLADE fastest if we head west.
Uh, I think you mean east.
No, I definitely meant west. I'm the one navigating here.
Yeah, and I'm the one steering.
-Whoa!
Sorry about that, Director.
Just a little turbulence, but we should be all good now.
Not to get ahead of ourselves, but I think Kit and I are acing this flight test.
Agents, you're doing well individually,
but your teamwork could use some improvement.
Huh? But we work so well together.
Like worms and dirt.
Yeah. Kit and I--
Wait. Am I the dirt or the worm here?
Power failure.
I got this.
No, I got this. I'm the captain.
Captain? You're not the captain.
I'm navigating, which means I'm the capt--
Agents, the jet.
System failure. Prepare for crash landing.
-Excuse me.
Watch out.
Everybody okay?
I think so.
Hm… That was some landing, agents.
Where are we?
-I don't know.
I don't see anyone around.
It's kinda spooky, isn't it?
R.O.N., how's the engine? Is anything broken?
Error.
Yep. Something's broken. I'll check the systems one by one.
Nah, that'll take forever.
I'll pop the control hatch and root around until I find the problem.
Kit, we need to do this carefully.
No, we need to do this quickly.
Right, Director?
Uh… Director?
Where'd she go?
Director Scratch?
I don't see her.
Director Scratch? Come in, Director.
Hm. Maybe the Mice Squad have seen her.
Always seem to be in the right place at the right time.
They're on vacation this week, remember?
-We love you, Bill and Jill!
Sam, Director Scratch is missing.
Our flight test has turned into a full-blown Creature Case.
This is usually when Director Scratch explains our mission.
But since she's not here, I guess we explain it to ourselves?
Oo, oo! Let me try.
Agents, your mission is to find me,
Director Peggy Scratch.
I was here, and now I'm not. Where did I go?
It's up to you to find out.
Yeah. Actually, this isn't funny.
No. It's creepy. It's like she just vanished.
Creepy or not, we're detectives, and we're going to find her.
Let's look for clues.
I'm not finding any trace of Director Scratch. You?
Nothin'.
Uh, Sam? Do you feel like we're being watched?
-Watched? No. That's ridiculou--
I take it back. There's definitely something out there.
Hold up.
Look at this.
A feather! Do you think it belongs to Director Scratch?
I'll compare it to one of her feathers from my database.
You have her feathers in there?
Oh sure. I've scanned lots of stuff.
Snake scales, crab shells, even your fur and whiskers.
Um…
Here we go. Director Scratch's feathers.
And… it's not a match.
This feather feels different. Almost like fur.
So there must be another bird on this island.
But where?
I haven't seen any in the air.
Kit, look!
Director Scratch's necklace!
What in the woolly world?!
After it!
What is that thing?
I don't know,
but it sure is quick.
Whoa!
They're birds, but why are they running, not flying?
Sam, they're not flying, because they can't fly!
We must be on Inaccessible Island,
and these are Inaccessible Island rails!
Inaccessible what now?
Inaccessible Island rails.
This is the only place in the world they live.
They're the world's smallest birds that don't fly!
-Maybe they've seen the Director. -Sam, wait!
-Excuse me. I'm Agent Sam Snow, and--
Whoa!
-I was trying to tell you.
These rails are really shy.
But I can put 'em at ease with some birdcalls.
Ahem.
You really sound just like them.
What do you want?
We don't mean you any harm. We just wanna ask you a few questions.
Hm. I don't know about that.
We're looking for our boss.
Have you seen this chicken?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Right.
Can we take a look around your village?
No!
Um… What was that all about?
Inaccessible Island rails are very territorial.
They don't like strangers coming near their homes.
Time to think of a new plan.
Those rails must know something about Director Scratch.
Hm…
We'll have to sneak in to investigate.
We could parachute in or dig a tunnel under the walls.
-Or we could-- -That'll never work!
We should tell them we're delivering a pizza!
Pizza? Where are we gonna get a pizza?
We just have to say
-we have a pizza and then-- Huh.
Hey. That's a nice rock.
Yeah, I know. It's my rock.
It's gonna be my rock soon.
Ha! You'll have to fight me for it.
Are those rails dancing?
They're fighting, rail-style.
It's how they protect their territory.
Hey, you! Get away from my rock!
Guess she's the winner.
Nice moves, Sam.
Whoops. I didn't realize I was doing that.
You're moving just like the rails.
And that's how we're gonna get inside!
What do you mean?
If you challenge the rails with your dancing and win,
they'd have to let us into their village!
But moves are only half the fight. We need rail noises too.
Which you know how to make!
Whiskers, that's it!
If we work together, we can dance and sound just like a rail
and challenge the champion.
It's gonna take skill,
and it's gonna take teamwork. What do you say?
I say let's dance.
How do I look?
Just like a rail. Come on!
Hey.
Let me into the village!
You're pretty big for an Inaccessible Island rail.
I…
Uh… My mom says I've always been big-boned.
Hm…
Well, still can't come into our village without a fight.
You're on.
You don't see that every day.
Woo-hoo! Go!
Go!
-Who do you think's gonna win? -Not sure.
This new guy's got moves,
but nobody's ever beat the champ.
Go!
Keep it up, Sam. You're doing great.
Go!
I've seen some moves in my day, but that was really something.
You may enter the village.
Open the gate!
Director Scratch?
Well done, agents.
-You're all right! -Where've you been?
Right here in the village. The rails are old friends of mine.
They helped me set up this little test for you.
You mean, this was a test too?
That's right. A teamwork test.
I needed to see if you two could work together.
And I must say, you did exceptionally well.
Teamwork test passed.
And another Creature Case closed.
Well, ain't that somethin'.
Nice dancin', partner.
Couldn't have done it without you, partner.
All systems go.
Prepare for takeoff.
Wow, Director. How'd you fix R.O.N. up so fast?
Actually, he was never broken.
I programmed R.O.N. to shut down as part of your test.
I can't believe we fell for that.
Back to CLADE, agents. The test is over.
Or is it?
Mice Squad Fact File.
-Status?
System Settings?
Update. Island rails.
Inaccessible Island rails are the world's smallest flightless bird.
Even though they have wings, they can't fly.
They only live one place in the world.
Inaccessible Island.
Island rails protect their homes by hopping around and making birdcalls.
It looks like dancing.
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