On an island in the sun.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

Startled, Cambridge held back a yell. "Do people come here often then," he asked, hoping for something of an answer. There could be no way; this wasn't on any of the maps, and nobody had said anything about an island anywhere near where they were. Perhaps they had come across the island, but had encountered the same stubborn silence that he had?

--

"Of course, it's no trouble." Jacobe sat by Johnathan, leaving out that the boy was in his usual dinner spot. Shortly after, Mari walked out with a pot of stew. "It's rabbit, celery, and some spices," she explained. "I don't know if you've ever had anything like it before."

"It's really good," Shailee said. "Especially when you dip bread in it."

@ catharsis.

"Oh, no, no. That isn't what I had meant." She panicked for a moment since many people came near the island, only passing it by a few miles from the coast. Of course, she would always find out their intentions from swimming a little too closely to the boat and attempt to steer them away from the island using various techniques. "People don't come here often.. They come close but never actually stop to visit.. is what I meant." Lyra quickly corrected herself with a light laugh.

--

A few moments later, Johnathan smelled something delicious, letting it fill his nostrils and arouse his appetite. "I haven't, but it smells impeccable, so I think I will enjoy it," He replied with his stomach growl cutting in with agreement. The idea of eating an adorable rabbit was something that he had never thought of before but he was completely starving at this point.

@ catharsis.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

((Damn, I replied, it must not have went through, Mibba broke right after but I assumed it worked))

"Alright. But my people and I are going to come back later tomorrow, to keep exploring, but we'll stay away from your people," Cambridge promised. The boat from the larger ship was coming back in. "I would thank you for your help, but, well..." He shrugged.

--

They finished dinner, then Jacobe found some of his old clothes that would fit Johnathan. Shailee showed him to the bathroom so he could shower and change, and showed him where the towels and soaps were. "When you're done, just come into the living room. Mari and I will fix up the guest room for you, and you can stay as long as you need to," she said with a smile.

@ catharsis.

(Ugh, I hate when that happens. The servers need to be fixed)

Lyra gave a small nod since that would be the best she could get out of them. "Of course.. I hope you enjoy everything that the island has to offer." Watching the boat coming into view, she cleared her throat and turned to excuse herself from the conversation. "It's no problem. I wish I could have been more help, but, obviously, I couldn't give what you needed." With that, she turned on her heel to leave through the jungle that she had come through. She paused to glance over her shoulder before interjecting,"Just be careful. There are some things here that we do not even challenge."

--

Johnathan smiled then reached out to take the clothes from Jacobe since his clothes were basically shreds. "Thank you." He offered a smile and followed Shailee into the bathroom. It was nothing like back at home, but it was better than nothing. He gave a small nod and placed the clothes down onto the countertop of the sink. Closing the door behind her, he stripped off his clothes and entered inside of the shower. Johnathan scraped off the grime from his skin and hair with a sigh using the soap. Within a matter of minutes, he dried himself off with the towel. Pulling on his clothes, he exited the bathroom to go back to the living room. "So, I am guessing that I look a lot better?" He chuckled a little since he was sure he looked better without the sludge on him.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

(Right? Sometimes it takes forever to load a page.)

Cambridge considered heeding the girl's notice, but he couldn't take it too seriously, considering she was so against telling him anything and wanted him gone so badly. He returned to the ship and, after writing an account in the ship's log, he relayed the story to his men. "So, crew. We have two options. Sail on, and see if we find somewhere else, or stay here and look around a little more. What do you think?" he asked, already knowing his answer. His adviser, Colonel Bridge, answered first, "We'll stay, find anything worth something, and then go back home. I'm tired of being on the sea."

Cambridge grinned. "So half of us will go back tomorrow, and half will stay with the ship. Make your decisions by dawn."

--

Shailee looked Johnathan over. He definitely looked better, now that he had cleaned up. "I'll, um, take you to your room," she said. She led him upstairs and down the hall to the guest room, which was across the hall from her own room. "Here you go," she said brightly. "I'm right across the hall if you need anything. Go ahead and rest as long as you need to. Jacobe should be able to find out something tomorrow."

@ catharsis.

(Yup. Either that or the page decides not to load)

When she returned back to the village, she alerted them of the ship's presence wanting to stay. Her father was displeased but there was nothing else she could do to prevent it. He ordered that they take turns watching their lands as well as their ocean. He wanted eyes on them at every single point in time. Lyra knew that would give her some peace of mind to see them around her lands as well. "I will take the first shift, Father. I will go for the lands." She nodded at them before leaving before that could object to it. If she was reason why they noticed the island, she would take care of it.

--

Opening the door to the guest bedroom, he was delighted to see that it had a comfortable looking bed. He could really use some rest after all of that. "Alright. Good night, Shailee." With a yawn, he stretched his arms over his head. Johnathan sighed when he lowered his arms back down to his sides,"I really hope that my friends are alright. Hopefully, Jacobe will know tomorrow." Offering a small smile, he turned on his heel and went inside of the room.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX
(Mibba I am so done with you. I typed my reply, after working on it for a few days when I got the chance, hit submit and wow I was logged out. Ughhhh. At least I have the next few days off now though!)

Cambridge did not sleep well. He had to find something on this island, anything at all, or his crew was likely to desert him somewhere. They were growing wary, angry that they had to accompany the prince around the sea to protect his honour. After all, it wasn't their fault, they hadn't done anything wrong. He told his men to carry one weapon only, to be used only if they encounted dangerous wildlife. He waited on the deck at dawn, pacing around nervously.

--

Jacobe left early in the morning, promising to find out anything he could about a shipwreck. A few hours after he left, Shailee woke up and helped Mari prepare brunch for them and Johnathan. They made a variety of raw and cooked fruit, their standard, and hoped that Johnathan would like it. "Should I wake him?" Shailee asked, looking at the clock. He had been asleep for over 12 hours. "Go ahead, check on him. He might still need his rest though," Mari replied. So Shailee went upstairs and carefully knocked on Johnathan's door.

@ catharsis.

(Ahh, that's horrible. Before you hit submit copy the response just in case it doesn't go through. That's what I usually do now.)

Moving through the shadows of the wildlife, she spotted the Lieutenant pacing around on his ship by squinting her eyes. It seemed that they hadn't left for their voyage around the island yet. Lyra sighed not knowing how to approach this matter: it would be easier to travel by water but it would risk exposure or not risk exposure but be more vulnerable to detection on land. Quietly waiting in the bushes, she decided that she would just figure it out later.

--

As soon as his head hit the pillow, it was lights out for the ship-wreck survivor. Johnathan continued to sleep throughout the night like a rock; there was no sound or movement that could wake him from slumber. Despite the knock on the door, the young man continued to sleep on without a care in the world. It hadn't even felt like he was asleep for more than twelve hours and could go for another few with no problem.

@ XxLithiumWingsxX

(Yeah, that's the new game plan. Ugh.)

His crew arrived after he had taken a few turns around the deck, yawning and stretching the sleep out of their limbs. They seemed a little enthusiastic, but he knew that would wear out after a few hours of wandering in the forest. "Everyone ready?" Cambridge asked. "No violence, now, unless your life or wellbeing depends on it. These people don't want anything to do with us." The crew agreed, so he gave the order to board the small boats and return to the island.

--

Shailee knocked again, louder this time. She was slightly worried; what if something had happened to him in the middle of the night? He could definitely have more injuries than he let on. Or maybe the rabbit stew? It could have something he was allergic to. "Johnathan?" she asked softly.

@ catharsis.

Lyra could see the smaller boats coming towards the main island, getting increasingly closer every second. The nerves were starting to get the best of her as her mind started to go through the worst-case scenarios. Maybe the crew would find out that she had been following her and capture or kill her. Then, her parents would lose their only daughter, the successor to the head of the tribe. A headache started to form at the thought of the chaos that would start.

--

This time, Johnathan heard a noise in the distance and merely groaned before turning onto his stomach. Whatever or whoever that was needed to go away or come back in a few hours. "Five minutes." He mumbled to himself then buried his face further into the pillow.