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Shipwreck Island 2

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I woke in the morning with a small gasp. It was a new thing and kind of annoying as it seemed the last thing I did before waking up was dream of drowning. I hated it, as I knew I could swim, but I also knew I wasn't the strongest of swimmers. I sighed a bit, rubbing my hand over my face as I tried to wake up completely. I glanced down, finding that I was definitely not where I had fallen asleep and had a piece of thin leather draped over me. Turning my eyes around the cave, I finally found Britt asleep sitting against the wall. I frowned a bit and moved to drape his blanket over him as I went to check if my clothes were dry enough to put on.

I sighed when they were at least dry enough to put on and pulled my jeans on. I felt weird walking around naked, especially with someone who wanted nothing to do with me like that. I moved back to where the netting was, determined to finish this for him. It was the least I could do anyhow.

"I thought you'd leave right away," Britt muttered and I raised my red eyes to him slowly.

"Why? Because you think I'm some sort of monster that would hurt you?" I asked tiredly without any sort of venom. It had hurt, but I'd already cried it all out and now I just didn't have the emotion in me.

"I don't think you're a monster," he denied and I cast a wary glance in his direction. Just about everyone I had ever met assumed something about me. But I didn't feel like arguing the point. I had a lot of mind numbing work to do on the net to get it finished and get out of his hair.

"Well, that's good," I muttered and turned my attention back to the net. "The rain stopped, but now everything's covered in fog. Sort of makes things creepy." He nodded in agreement.

"Stick to the beach. Even I get lost in the jungle when there's fog," he supplied. Again I had to glance up at him in confusion.

"Does that mean you wish for me to leave?" I asked, my fingers going still. "Even so... I want to finish this for you. It's the least I can do."

"No," he mumbled. "I don't want you to leave. But you do. And you don't have to do that. You don't owe me anything." I sighed a bit and groaned to myself. He was assuming something about based on something I had done or said. I hated that.

"I do not..." I muttered. "I only thought it was best that I left because I was attracted to you and unlike you, I still crave the touch of another person. You said they're stupid for wasting their energy on such activities and I agree somewhat, but I can understand the need to feel wanted. So I dunno what to do." He lowered his eyes to the floor and his brow furrowed as he thought.

"If... if you tell me what you want... will you stay?" he asked softly.

"For now... I just don't want to run you out of your bed again... And I'll stay, as long as you want me here," I replied just as softly before returning to fixing the net. I knew that I'd hate myself for forcing him to do anything, even if it didn't cause him pain, so I'd take a casual relationship. Just not waking up to find him sleeping halfway across the cave would be enough. He was silent and I caught a nod of agreement from the corner of my eye. After awhile of silence he got up and started the fire up again.

"If you're hungry, I can warm up some of the pig," he offered. I looked up from my trance of knot tying and nodded blankly. It took a minute to pull me out of my zone and once I was, I realized that I was hungry and my fingers were aching. I groaned and stretched my back before wiggling my fingers to ease the stiffness that had seemed into them. He reached over and sliced off a large bit of meat before putting it on a stick and positioning it near the fire.

"It'll be heated again a few," he supplied. "I'm gonna get the water buckets," he added as he got to his feet and headed out into the thick mist. I put the net to the side for a moment to stand up and stretch more thoroughly. Even though his bed had been much more comfortable that the sand at the edge of the beach, it still wasn't a mattress. And my body was being slow in adjusting to the difference in surfaces. Britt slowly moved the buckets filled to the brim with water into the cave. As he came in with what I assumed to be the last bucket he looked over at me.

"People are calling for you," he informed, jerking his head towards the cave opening. I frowned a little, but nodded, not entirely surprised.

"It's probably them..." I murmured, but didn't make an immediate attempt to go calm the shouting voices he'd probably heard. "I almost don't want to go out there... I'm not sure what to even say..." He frowned some as well and scratched the back of his neck.

"I won't be much help there..." he muttered awkwardly. I sighed a little and ran my hand through my hair.

"Well... I should at least let them stop looking..." I muttered and started towards the mouth of the cave. I needed to tell them that I wasn't going back to the camp, though I did expect argument at least on Clark's behalf. He seemed intent on keeping us all together and all alive. As soon as I stepped out of the cave I heard it. The sound of my name being called only to be muffled by the blanket of fog that killed the majority of sight. "Go back!" I yelled, wrapping my arms around myself to fight off the chill the mist brought with it.

"Kayce! Where are you?" I heard Clark yell back and sighed. I didn't figure he was going to make this easy.

"Just go back!" I called again, bouncing slightly on my toes in agitation. I knew the more I talked the closer they would get and I didn't want them facing me. I didn't really want to explain anything.

"Kayce, stop being a dillweed and come back to camp," Damian called, closer than where Clark had been before. I was starting to be able to make out their sillouettes in the mist.

"Are you alright, Kayce? Why won't you tell us where you are?" Clark said, near enough now that he didn't have to yell anymore. I sighed in exasperation and gave up on making them go back before having to face them.

"I'm fine," I replied. "I'm just not coming back to camp." I heard Damian groan and Taylor mutter something as what I presumed to be her shadow moved closer to one of them. "Just go away."

"What the fuck!?" Damian suddenly screamed. I saw an extra shadow against the mist and knew that Britt had come up behind him.

"Damian!" Taylor shrieked and I saw her take a step back. I walked forward a bit so that I could actually see what was going on. "Don't hurt him, please!" I sighed a bit and glanced over at Clark.

"So... Do you still believe that I was hallucinating yesterday?" I asked, frowning deeply.

"Kayce..." Clark muttered. "What is going on? Who is this guy and why aren't you coming back to camp? I don't think it's a wise idea with someone so dangerous around." Damian gave a strangled cry of fear and I turned my eyes back to him, but I was looking more at Britt.

"T-tell this fucker to b-back off!" Damian squealed and I felt my eyebrow go up. I was pretty interested in seeing this side of the guy who'd always come across as tough as nails.

"I don't control him," I said honestly. "He's just protecting himself and apparently at the moment you appear to be the biggest threat. Just suck it up and quit acting like a bitch," I added, even though Britt had scared the hell out of me the same way. "And Clark... I'm not coming back because I'm tired of the awkwardness of listening to the two of you fuck Taylor nightly. You treat me like I'm helpless and I'm tired of waiting for someone to figure out that I'm gay and be kicked out of camp."

"Wait... You're gay?" Clark said in surprise and Taylor scoffed a bit.

"Of course he is," she said confidently. "Why do you think I didn't try to include him? He's just too much like a girl to be straight." I looked off to the side, uncomfortable with the disgust that crossed both Damian and Clark's faces. "Just tell me you aren't trying to turn Tarzan here gay too, fag boy," she added, suddenly not seeming so afraid of the man who held a knife the throat of her black haired lover. Britt frowned a bit and I could only thank my stars that I hadn't made the same reference. He narrowed his eyes and turned the knife so that the tip was digging into Damian's collarbone slightly. A small dot of blood bubbles up instantly as Damian screamed in fright.

"My name isn't Tarzan," he growled at Taylor. I sighed a bit as her eyes were raking over his still completely bare body. I knew that look. She was sizing him up and she wanted him.

"Of course it isn't, babe," she said, smirking despite the pleading look Damian was giving her. Clark put a hand on my arm, pulling me away slightly.

"Kayce... This guy is dangerous. You're safer if you stay with us rather than with him," he said, keeping a careful eye on Britt. I shook my head. "Kayce, come on, think clearly here. You already said he put a knife to your throat and now he's holding Damian. Can you really trust him?" My frown deepened considerably.

"I didn't say I wasn't coming back to camp because of him," I pointed out. "I said I wasn't coming back because it's extremely gross and uncomfortable to listen to you two fuck Taylor. Whorish moans and animalistic grunts are not what I want to listen to when trying to sleep. And I damn sure don't want to be near you guys. Especially now. Now... I don't trust you."

"I could make it easy to get some sleep," Britt commented, drawing my attention back to him to find that he had lowered his knife to press into Damian's groin. Damian screamed and his hand slid around to try to protect himself, despite the fact that the blade's tip was already touching him.

"This bastard's crazy!" he squealed in a high-pitched voice. I rolled my eyes some and Clark jerked me back around to face him.

"Kayce! Can't you see that you're in danger around this guy?" he asked. "He could easily kill you and probably without a second thought. Open your eyes to the situation already!" I groaned and shoved him away.

"And being around him is more dangerous that you two?" I snapped. "Assuming you don't beat me to a pulp for 'looking at you', who's to say you don't decide to use me one night when Taylor doesn't want to play with you? Sorry... But I don't trust you guys. And I'm not coming back. Just... leave me to my own." Britt narrowed his eyes.

"You heard him. Go," he said, turning the knife in his hand so that it rotated against Damian's groin. The boy whimpered in fear.

"Fine, Kayce... I just hope we don't find your corpse on the beach some morning," Clark muttered before pushing past me. I looked down at the sand, not because I feared his words might come true, but because it hurt that Britt could be seen like that.

"Hopefully I'll see you again, jungle man," Taylor said softly as she turned to follow Clark. Britt waited until they were several feet away before turning with Damian so he was still facing the other two. I saw his muscles flex a little before the sound of a gentle trickle reached my ears. Damian whimpered some and his face turned red.

"Pathetic..." Britt muttered. "Peeing yourself over a little knife..." he added before pushing him away slightly. Damian stumbled a few steps before hurrying after Clark and Taylor. I moved a couple of steps over to Britt and looked up at him questioningly.

"Can I ask why?" I asked softly, my expression soft.

"Why what?" he asked back, turning to look down at me.

"Why you came up on Damian like that..." I clarified, rewrapping my arms around myself to fend off the cold creeping back into me. He shrugged a bit.

"I don't like him," he answered simply. "He reminds me of some of the pirates," he added almost as an afterthought. I sighed a little and tilted my head forward, resting it against his chest.

"Ah well... Least I wasn't alone in that first impression..." I muttered. Another soft sigh and I picked my head up, turning to head back to the warmth of the fire. "Come on... I'll bet that pig's hot by now..." He nodded in agreement and I felt him hesitantly grab my shirt as he started for the fire and the cave. I smiled a little at the hesitant contact, happy with the small action even if he did seem unsure. He was still silent though, but it was forgivable.

"Did he really piss himself?" I asked, trying to strike up some sort of conversation. He chuckled.

"All down his front," he answered with a smile. I couldn't stop myself from giggling at the thought of pretty rich boy pissing himself, even if I doubted my reaction would have been much different.

"Ah I would have loved to have actually seen the look on his face when he did," I said. "I'll bet it was priceless. And he'll probably lose several points with Taylor just for screaming like a girl." He chuckled again.

"The people who try to be tough are always the weakest," he commented. "But I wasn't expecting him to be quite that scared." I giggled again as I sat down next to the net before turning my eyes to him.

"And those like me?" I asked softly. He tilted my head to the side and held my chin with two fingers as he looked straight into my eyes. I felt my chest tighten a little even though I knew nothing more would come of it. I could hope.

"You... are underestimated," he murmured after a moment. He slowly pulled back and went to pull the pork on a stick up from the ground to give to me. "You'll pull out surprises from time to time." I found myself blushing a bit.

"I do hope you're planning to have some of this..." I murmured. "My appetite is usually as small as I am." He shrugged some.

"Eat what you can. No reason to starve if you have plenty of food. If there's leftovers, I'll eat them then. I don't usually eat in the mornings anyway," he said, going to the crate of things and pulling out what looked like a fishing pole. Although it seemed a bit broken.

"Alright then," I said and took a bite as I watched him. I was interested in learning how to survive here now that I knew I wouldn't be leaving anytime soon and Britt was a perfect specimen to learn from. He'd managed it for years now, even if things like weaving still seemed to elude him. He sat down closer to the fire and was quickly absorbed in the task of repairing the pole. And I was absorbed in watching him. I ate until my stomach protested as he tied green sticks together with twine. "Britt... Here, I can't eat anymore," I said offering him a little less than half of what he had given me. Even if I shouldn't go hungry when there was food, it didn't mean that it should be wasted either. He reached out and took it from me.

"Alright, I'll finish it," he said before taking a bite and jabbing the stick in the ground next to him so he could keep working. "Hopefully the fog burns off by midday or so. I have some traps set up that I should go check..." he said as he tightened another knot and sliced the extra twine off.

"I want to go with you," I said almost immediately. I really did want to see how adapted he had become and how he built his traps. I wasn't a boyscout like Clark, but my mind was quickly adapting to trying to figure out how to make things work with what I had available. I wasn't absolutely sure why when Britt was here, but then I didn't know how long he would want me around either. He looked up in surprise.

"Alright, if the fog clears up, we can go check them," he agreed. "I don't have too many around because the pirates would notice them, but there's about six or so that I use." I nodded, smiling a bit that he would be willing to take me along, even if I was pretty useless to him.

"Thanks, Britt," I said softly and picked up the net. "It should only take me a couple of days to fix this up properly. But... how did you want it to work? With a drawstring type pull to close it up? Or with weights spread around the edges to trap?"

"With weights. I can throw it on top of fish and catch them that way or drop it on animals on land and it'll work for both," he said, putting the twine off to the side and grabbing a hollow reed. He sliced it open and put it around the knot of extra support.

"Okay. I'll leave lengths of leather on the edges to tie some sort of weight to," I said, laying back on the floor to keep my back from cramping up as I worked. It had the unfortunate side effect of making my arms tired faster because I had to hold it up over my face to see what I was doing. But it was much better than being hunched over for hours on end. After awhile I heard him get up with a groan as he stretched and his joints cracked.

"We should probably go check the traps if you still want to," he said and I looked over to see him strapping on the scrap of leather that hid his privates from view. I was both relieved and disappointed that the temptation had been lifted. He tied his knife to his thigh as well and put out the fire. I put the net aside and quickly got to my feet.

"Yeah, I still want to go," I said, moving to where he was. I didn't want to be left alone in the cave and I did want to be around him longer. I followed him as he made his way out of the cave and up the small path into the jungle. Pretty soon the path disappeared though and the jungle took over again.

"I can't keep the traps near the cave. The animals stopped coming around when they realized I lived there. So I have to put them out a ways," he supplied as he climbed over a large log. I quickly followed him over though it was a bit more difficult for my shorter legs.

"I can understand that... Though I'm surprised that they don't come around to scavenge your food," I said. "But I guess they're smarter when humans aren't destroying their natural habitats..."

"They do steal my food on occasion but only a few bold ones. Most of the time they can't get too much though. Especially, when it's all in the cave. The birds are the biggest problem really," he said, pausing as he examined a tree. He took a left and started up a slow but steady slope.

"Birds? Have you ever thought of creating wind chimes? They keep birds away from places for some strange reason," I said, following him as best I could. He paused and looked back.

"Wind chimes? Aren't those made out of metal though?" he asked in confusion. I shook my head a bit.

"Mostly, but they can be made of other things as well," I said. "I've seen them made out of hollow wood and seashells, as well as things like bottle caps and shards of melted glass." His eyebrow went up in surprise at that.

"Well, there's definitely a lot of seashells I can use..." he muttered as he started walking again. I shook my head some, smiling as I may have given him a useful idea.

"If you want, when we get back or tomorrow, I'll go find you some shells," I offered, my eyes trying to stay focused on his strong back. It was just hard when there was such a sexy, muscular ass there to stare at.

"Mm... yeah, we can try it," he agreed as he reached down and pulled out his knife. He motioned for me to be quiet as he slowly peered over some bushes. "Rabbit," he murmured. I bit my lip a little as I knew what would happen next and peered over the bush myself to see the trap. I felt sorry for the little furball, but I understood the need to eat. He pushed through the bush and grabbed the front of the cage. The rabbit instantly started going crazy and he flipped the cage up so that it couldn't jump out. Without an ounce of hesitation, he reached in and grabbed it around the neck. He hauled it out and quickly pierced its chest with his knife. The rabbit squealed but died quickly.

"Ugh... I suddenly am very glad I never had any desire for pets..." I murmured as the underside of the brown rabbit darkened with blood. I reached out to take it from him so he could reset the trap if he needed to. He handed it over before putting the knife back in its holder. He crouched down and carefully reset the trap. It looked a lot like most humane hunter traps, but without springs it probably wasn't as effective. "That trap works best on medium sized animals doesn't it? Like foxes and rabbits as opposed to squirrels or jungle cats?" I asked, looking over the trap again.

"Mmhmm, squirrels aren't really worth the effort of skinning and cooking and I've never tried to catch a jungle cat. They're a little higher on the danger list than most things," he said, carefully stepping back from the hair trigger trap. "The next one's just over this way," he said, pointing to the bushes across from where we had come out. I nodded and followed him over as silently as I could considering I was holding a dead rabbit by the ears and barefoot when I wasn't used to being that way in the woods. The cage was empty so he just let it be and started down the hill again.

"We'll be lucky if we managed to get another," he commented as he grabbed a tree to stop himself from going down the hill too fast. "Usually I only get one or two at a time." I nodded and had to grab him to keep myself from pitching forward, my arm sliding easily around his waist. Once I had regained my balance, I pulled my arm back and looked down sheepishly.

"Sorry... I almost fell..." I murmured.

"It's alright," he assured me. "I'd rather you grab me than fall. Getting an injury out here -even a small one- can be very dangerous." I nodded, frowning deeply as I looked down at the ground.

"I know..." I murmured. "There was originally five of us..."

"I see..." he said, carefully side stepping down the hill. "What happened to him?" I frowned deeper, even as I mimicked his movements so I wouldn't fall.

"He gashed his leg on a piece of debris from the boat," I muttered. "Infection killed him a couple days ago."

"That's unfortunate," he said as we reached the bottom of the hill. He glanced over at what I assumed to be another trap, but didn't move to it. "Was he important to you?" he asked as he kept moving.

"He was my professor..." I replied softly. "He was why I was even on that boat to begin with. We were heading for an island where they'd discovered some ancient ruins and we were going to help study and uncover them." He nodded some.

"All the more reason to be careful then," he said as he pushed a branch out of the way so that it wouldn't hit him in the face. I ducked under it, finding that route a bit easier.

"Of course... I wouldn't want to die like that..." I murmured, sticking close behind him and trying to be careful not to get the rabbit's blood on me.

"No. I would prefer a fast death myself," he agreed, moving carefully as we walked through the brush. "There's a spring up ahead if you want to stop and get something to drink," he informed. I nodded a bit, licking my dry lips a bit.

"Yeah... that would be good," I said softly. He slipped through the next bush and almost stumbled across the edge of the spring.

"Here, careful, there's a bit of a drop." I nodded and carefully stepped down to the edge of the water before getting on my knees. I used one hand to gently scoop the water out and bring it to my lips. It took a few handfuls, but I did manage to quench my thirst even if I soaked the front of my shirt some. He bent down and drank some himself before wiping his mouth and then wetting his face and the back of his neck. "We're half way through the traps. The other three are closer to where we first met though, so it's a bit of a hike."

"That's fine," I said, smiling at him as stood back up. "I don't mind hiking at all. Though... if you know of any fruit trees, I could use some." He thought for a moment.

"Well, there's a bunch of berries near where the next cage is. Luckily, I know they aren't poisonous so you can eat them. I've sorta lost my taste for bananas though. I ate them nonstop for a long time cause I couldn't manage to hunt well." I chuckled softly.

"I'm just a bit more aware of what my body needs, that's all," I said. "I won't make you eat any of them. I just need the vitamins that bananas and berries contain. But that does explain why you let me leave with the bananas yesterday." He nodded some.

"I can't stand bananas," he grumbled. "They make me sick to my stomach." I smiled a bit at him, giggling silently at the child-like grumbling.

"I suppose that would do that if you ate too many of them in a short amount of time," I said in agreement. "But my tongue hasn't run into that issue quite yet. And I don't want to deal with muscle cramps from lack of potassium."

"Potassum?" he echoed. "What's potassum?" I giggled at the mispronunciation as I followed him.

"Potassium," I corrected, smiling. "It's a vitamin that helps prevent muscle cramping. It has other uses, I'm sure, but that was the one my mom always harped on. I used to get bad leg cramps when I was little."

"Oh..." He bit his lip some and glanced over at me. "Do... do you mind telling me about your family? I don't really remember mine..." I gave him a small sad smile and nodded.

"I don't mind," I replied. "It was just my mother and me, though. I never knew my dad as he split as soon as he found out my mom was pregnant and he didn't fight for visitation and she didn't fight for child support. She just raised me the best she could. And I was a momma's boy from the very beginning, always hiding behind her when we met new people. The leg cramps just made it easier to become more in touch with more feminine skills, cause she was afraid to let me play sports. I stayed inside, read a lot of books and learned to cook. She was great..." He looked down as he walked towards the next trap.

"I remember... sitting on someone's lap and trying to steal cookies from a plate," he murmured. "Someone laughed... they thought it was cute..." I smiled and reached forward to grab his hand and give a reassuring squeeze.

"It's still a memory... even if you can't remember who they were. It's still something that seems like it should be cherished..." I said softly before letting go of his hand. He nodded some and pointed ahead.

"There's the berry bush," he muttered before veering slightly to the right to check the trap. I pulled my shirt off, tying the bottom into a knot to turn it into a bag of sorts. Quickly, I pulled the blackberries from the bush and dropped them into the shirt. I wouldn't need too much, but I didn't know how often he checked his traps and I knew the next couple days were full of other things to do. He came over a few minutes later and pulled some berries off the bush, popping them in his mouth. He made a face at the bitter taste of berries that weren't fully ripened, but I liked my berries a little bitter sometimes.

"Bitter, aren't they?" I commented softly as I stood up straight and slipped a couple of the blackberries into my mouth. It was just right as far as I was concerned. He shrugged a little.

"I've gotten used to eating things that are a little off," he said, putting another in his mouth. "You can't afford to be picky out here." I nodded in agreement.

"But I'm not picky... As long as I can find some fruits every few days at least," I said, smiling up at him. I couldn't help it. I just wanted to see him smile, if even a little. He smiled a little and I felt my heart melt a little more.

"There is plenty of that here. You'll just have to share with the animals," he said before tilting his head to the side. "Come on, the next trap is this way." He carefully climbed over a large rock and waited for me to make my own way over before continuing on to the next trap.

"You really did spread the traps out, didn't you?" I asked. I wasn't tired, but I could just imagine how long it must take him to check the traps. "What kind of bait do you use?" He shrugged a little.

"I don't have many options for bait really. Berries seem to work the best for squirrels and such and rabbits... rabbits come in whenever they feel like it. It's easier to get bait to fish with," he said as he climbed over a log. Sometimes I can go weeks without catching anything." I frowned a bit at that.

"Rabbits... tend to prefer vegetables... I wonder if there are any on natural ones on this island.." I muttered to myself. "Must be since there are rabbits here... Oh... but if you ever have like meat you would eat because it's starting to spoil, you can use it to catch meat eaters. Though... that might be bad. If it attracts anything bigger than a fox..."

"That's exactly why I used spoiled meat for fishing and not the traps." He paused and lifted his right leg a bit to point to a large scar around his calf. "I caught a fox once and when I tried to get it out, it bit me. Didn't even get the stupid thing. So I've stayed away from trying to catch carnivores." I nodded in understanding, my eyes on the scar.

"You're quite lucky..." I murmured to myself more than him. "Forget infection... the thing could have had rabies and everything would have been over..."

"Yeah... I thought I was gonna die. It bled everywhere and I couldn't hardly walk anywhere. I managed to survive though," he said as he started to walk again. "But I shouldn't have survived. I shouldn't have survived any of the things that I have. I can't explain it, but I just keep living..." I frowned a little.

"You have a will to survive..." I murmured. "Even if you're not aware of it. You keep pushing forward despite the odds stacked against you..." My mother had been like that. She'd kept fighting and living until she got to the goal she'd set for herself. It wasn't until then that everything she'd fought off came crashing down on her at once and she was gone within a month of seeing her goal through. He sighed a bit.

"I suppose... but I'm not even sure why I bother... if the pirates find out I'm still alive, they'll kill me. And I doubt I'll ever get off this island... Surviving just seems so pointless..." My frown deepened considerably.

"It's not pointless! It's never pointless!" I snapped unexplicably hurt by such depressing words. "I'll bet the majority of the pirates who would even know who you are have died or retired. And... something will happen eventually... to get us off this island... I know it will..." My voice trailed off as I quickly became ashamed of snapping at him like I had. But if he hadn't survived, then I'd have never met him... And who knew what would have happened then. He studied me carefully for a moment before sighing.

"I didn't mean to upset you. It's just hard to stay happy when I've been here for so long already. I really, really, really hate this place." I nodded a little and looked off to the side.

"I don't expect you to be happy..." I murmured. "I'm not even happy to be stuck on this island. But I am happy to have met you and I'll take that little bit right now."

"Thanks..." he muttered before turning back to the direction he was going. He made a quick glance behind a tree and kept walking. My guess was that the trap there was empty as well. It was probably a good thing he was capable of killing the wild boars. If his traps were the best he had for catching food, then he'd be in a heap of trouble.

"One more?" I asked to make sure I had counted right. I was thoroughly lost at the moment, but I figured given enough time I would eventually become more used to making my way through the jungle.

"Yes," he answered. "It's just up ahead." He pushed his way through a bush and there laid what was left of a trap, having been torn apart and crushed. "Looks like it had something in it..." he grumbled, getting closer to examine the remains. "Looks like a fox or a cat got to it first though..." I frowned a bit.

"Doesn't really look like most of the trap is salvagable. Maybe the trap door..." I muttered, looking over his shoulder the best I could. He sighed and picked apart the broken pieces before standing.

"I don't think it is... There are some cracks in the wood. I'd just break again when something gets caught inside and tries to get out." He ran a hand through his hair and turned. "Well... at least we have the one. Let's get back. I have to skin and gut that rabbit." I nodded and switched the hand that the rabbit was it, my fingers starting to cramp a little from holding the ears so tightly for so long.

"Yeah..." I agreed softly, my nose crinkling a bit at the thought of gutting the rabbit. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything about it before starting back towards the cave. He'd managed to make a big loop when checking the traps so it took almost no time at all before we were back at the beach. When we reached the mouth of the cave, he held out his hand for the rabbit and I gave it to him. I put my shirt with the few servings of berries in it in the cave before heading down to the water. My hands felt dirty even if I knew that they really weren't. I'd avoided the blood on the rabbit pretty well, but it was like Lady MacBeth from Hamlet. My hands were covered in imagined blood.

By the time I was done washing my hands in the salty waves, my pant legs were soaked and Britt was putting the rabbit meat onto sticks. I assumed it meant he was going to do something like smoke them, but I wasn't overly sure of how any of that worked. I stopped long enough to watch what he was doing for a minute before leaning against the outside of the cave. The sun was warm on my skin and though I was hot, I kind of liked the feel as opposed to being inside right then. I would have brought the net out here to work on, but it was a lot of net and more hassle than it was worth.

"I... think I might take a walk... see if I can't find some shells for that windchime idea..." I murmured before starting down the beach away from where my previous camp had been. I did pick up a few shells as I walked along, mostly thicker shells so I wouldn't have to worry about them breaking too easily when a hole was punched through them. But I also made sure to pick up shiny ones. I knew that shiny things attracted birds, but at the same time it distracted them away from the food Britt would be trying to store.

My eyes caught sight of a cave opening, a little high up the cliff face than my head. It must have been the one Britt had said I would need a ladder for. I set my collected shells in a pile on the ground before reaching up to grab the lip of the cave. I pulled myself up as my toes found nooks and crannies to use for extra leverage. Sitting on the edge to catch my breath, I looked around the cave as best I could. It seemed bigger than Britt's but I could understand the difficulties of trying to make a shelter here. Besides needing a ladder to get in and out, it would be difficult to get things into the cave itself.

I could see the possibilities of this cave as a possible place to live should Britt ever not want me around. It would take a good bit of work to fix it up right, but I was sure I might be able to do it. With ideas in my head, I jumped down from the cave mouth into the sand below. A ladder was definitely in order since my luck would be that I'd break my ankle doing that. I collected my shells and resumed my walk, my mind now flooding with ways to make everything work. I could do it. I just needed to have faith in myself.

I walked until I realized how low on the horizon the sun had gotten before starting to make my way back towards Britt's cave. My legs were definitely a bit more sore, but it was nice to have gotten the exercise. And I had a pocket full of shells to show for my exploration. Britt was sitting with his eyes closed outside of his cave as I came up, but at the sound of me his eye opened.

"Find any?" he asked. I smiled a bit and emptied my pockets.

"I dunno how well they'll work, but they've the right thickness," I said as I held them out for him to see. He took one from me and turned it over a few times.

"Mm, I'll take your word for it," he said, handing it back. He laid back down completely with his head cushioned by his arms and closed his eyes. "The sun feels so nice after this morning..." he muttered.

"That it does," I agreed, unable to stop myself from taking in the well sculpted body again. My blood began to get a bit too hot and I bit my lip before forcing my eyes away. Shaking my head, I cleared my throat some before ducking into the cave. I needed to keep my mind clear of thoughts like that else I was going to have a very difficult time.

"Is something wrong, Kayce?" Britt asked and I jumped, turning around to face him. I felt my face flush some as I fought not to look away like I normally would.

"Ah, no... Why do you ask?" I asked after clearing my throat again.

"You keep clearing your throat. That usually means you want to say something, right?" he asked with a slight frown.

"Ah, usually that's right..." I murmured. "But.. it's not that I want to say something. I was just... daydreaming a bit and it was getting me a little hot under the collar..." I blushed darkly at the admission. "I'm only saying something... because I don't want you to think something's wrong..."

"Oh, alright then," he said. "I'm gonna go for a swim and get the sand off of me before dinner. You're welcome to join me if you want," he said, removing the leather that hid his privates from view before removing his blade. He didn't wait for an answer before heading out of the cave and towards the water. I bit my lip hard at that. It was just a tease. Everything was tease and a test of my willpower. With a heavy sigh, I slipped out of my jeans and walked out to join him, keeping my half aroused length covered with my hands. He stretched a bit and sank down in the surf as white bubbles broke around him.

"It's still a bit chilly from the storm," he commented, cupping some water in his hand pouring it over his shoulder. I sighed deeply, sinking into the chilled water. It was almost as good as a cold shower.

"It helps..." I murmured, sinking to my knees in shallower water. My legs were too tired to think about attempting to tread water, let alone swim.

"Helps with what?" he asked, ducking his head down so that his hair got hit with a wave and soaking wet.

"Remove arousal..." I muttered, laying back some so my upper back was floating on top of the water some.

"Oh. Well, I don't know much about that. But I would be careful if I were you. There can be pretty rough waves for a few days after a storm," he began as he dived forward through a wave and then resurfaced on the other side.

"Ah, well that would make it a good thing I'm in shallow water then..." I muttered as my body was rocked by the wave he had dived under. "I doubt I could handle trying to actually swim at the moment anyhow... Rough waves or not." He smiled some.

"Well, I'm here so don't worry. I'll keep you from being dragged out to sea," he promised before pushing his wet hair over his shoulder. I turned a bit to face him, having to get up off my knees so that the waves didn't hit me in the face.

"And... why would you worry about that?" I asked, moving through the water slowly towards him.

"Because I don't want you to be washed out to sea?" he said as I got closer. "So I'll keep you from doing that." I smiled even though I was a little disappointed, but I knew nothing changed over night. I would simply have to get used to the fact that I was merely a friend and nothing more.

"That's good..." I said, stopping a few feet from him as the waves kept tring to push me backwards. Even the ocean knew I shouldn't get too close. He tilted his head to the side slightly.

"Are you sure? You don't sound happy..." he said lifting a finger to trace the curve of my lips. "I haven't upset you, have I?" I shook my head slightly, my smile widening just a bit.

"No, you haven't. I upset myself," I replied. I tilted my head slightly to press a small kiss to the tip of his finger. He blinked a bit and his face flushed before he pulled his hand back, looking off to the side.

"Well, it seems silly to upset yourself..." he muttered. I felt my chest tighten, fearing that I had overstepped my boundaries. I started letting the waves push me back towards the shore, but didn't get far with the current pulling my legs in the other direction and to the left.

"Yes... It is silly... And I am sadly a silly person..." I said softly. He watched me for a brief moment before he suddenly moved and pressed his lips to mine. He was quick to pull away again, blushing darkly and hurried out of the water. I turned, watching him with my fingers pressed to my lips. He'd kissed me. Moments ago I had been wanting to cry for fear of having pushed too far and now I wanted to cry with relief. He'd kissed me. I was so surprised and in so much shock, I forgot that the undercurrent was pulling me further down shore.

Eventually though my elation did fade enough for me to realize that Britt's cave was getting too far away. I didn't start to panic until I didn't make any headway on returning to that part of the beach. Somehow through my frantic kicking and pulling I did manage to find shore, but I was quite a ways from Britt's abode. My legs felt like jelly and I couldn't make them support my weight enough to stand, let alone walk back. I curled up on the sand, cursing myself for being stupid.

I shivered some as the air began to cool off and the chilled water on my skin became colder. I knew I needed to get back. Something in my gut told me that Britt would assume I'd left because he'd kissed me and completely forget that I had said I wouldn't be able to fight the waves. That just seemed like something he would do. Or he'd panic remembering that I had said that and worry himself into a frenzy. I laughed bitterly at that. Again with the wishful thinking.

The last of the light left the sky and I curled into myself as much as I could to fend off the chill. I wouldn't change having Britt kiss me, but I definitely could have come out of my funk faster. I shivered again and let the hope that Britt might actually look for me seep into my head. Even if I knew better.
oh and for the record Kayce is pronounced case not Casey :)
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babyblueskii's avatar
I think you got your style back on this one Miss.