One of the Damned (Peregrine x Eli)

[Peregrine]

Zalika stood with her feet firmly planted on the rocking deck of the two person boat which was slowly making its way into the cove. The water was calm and smooth, almost glassy, and so clear that it almost looked as though she could stick her arm in up to the elbow and touch the sandy bottom. Yet the simple fact that the bay looked so calm was precisely the fact that worried her.

So far, the places that looked the easiest to sail always wound up to be the most challenging. And there was no part of their voyage that could be called easy. It was no wonder the natives called the ring of islands the Devil's Trap, because, at least as far as the legends were concerned, no one who went in ever came back out. And Zali had indeed seen plenty of evidence of the ill fated journey of the ships that had entered the Trap, most of them run aground against the shallow shoals that could not be seen from deck, or trapped in a passage that had looked wide enough to safely pass through, but was actually narrow enough to trap the ship between the edges of the cliff face. The treasure on some of those ships alone would be enough to make anyone's fortune, but those who came in to the maze to scavenge vanished just the same as those who were hunting for the legendary treasure rumored to be waiting for the first person who could make it to the center and claim it.

But the legends never stopped anyone. In fact, if the evidence about them was to be believed, the darker the legends surrounding this island became, the more people it had lured to their death. She had glimpsed the skeletons of countless fools drifting in the fast current just below the surface, the current that had smashed just as many ships against the cliff sides as the shoals had ripped the keel off of. Two more fools? She mused briefly, glancing over at her traveling companion and long-term friend, Adriel.

The two were about as different in appearance as it was possible for people to get. Adriel was caramel-colored, and his hair was the bleached blonde of those who spent their lives under the sun. Zali, on the other hand, was so dark brown that she could almost be called black, and her tar dark hair reflected orange in the sun. Her features, though, were fine-boned and straight, unlike many of the dark-skinned companions she had traveled with in her twenty four years of life. The thing that made her stand out the most, though, were her pale grey eyes which, when combined with her dark skin, made her come across as a ghost or some sort of malevolent spirit. Once, in her early childhood journeys, she had been accused of witchcraft, and she had gleefully kept all the villagers cowering under her "power" right up until her parents had come back ashore to find her, and gave her a firm spanking. The sight of their "witch" being abused such had emboldened the local people, and her parents had been forced to sail away, goods untraded, before their ship was burnt to the ground.

What bound Zali and Adriel together so firmly was not their appearance, but their attitudes. Both possessed a soul bound towards chaos and adventure, and neither was satisfied with doing things halfway. When the merchant ship with which they had been traveling unceremoniously dumped the two troublemakers at a small, native port and sailed away, the two had taken just enough time to take stock of their situation before using their small pocket of remaining gold to purchase a boat and sail away towards the Trap. By that point, the locals had seen enough fools that they didn't even try to stop them. Instead, they had gathered all of the two traveler's extra supplies, saying that they would "guard" it until their return, hurried them on their way, and promptly begun fighting over who would have the right to lay claim to what belongings.

Zali cared little for their antics. She had acknowledged, even before stepping foot aboard their new, little ship, that there was a chance that neither herself nor Adriel were coming back alive. And if they were, the few belongings they had would not matter, for they would soon be the richest people in the world. Besides, everything that she needed to survive never left her person, so there was no way for the villagers to get at the things that truly mattered: A length of rope, bound around her shoulder and cunningly designed as a part of her clothing, with a large canister of water and a smaller container of alcohol strapped on. Two knives strapped to her shins, a dagger strapped to her back. A firestarter, a compass, a small handful of tinder, and a few other completely essential items secured in a waterproof leather bag around her neck. None of it able to be dropped, stolen, or easily lost, should she take an unexpected plunge into the brine. Her clothes were made of a strong, fine material resistant not only to water, but to fire as well. They served her far better than any sleeping bag at keeping her warm and dry in the tropical climate.

And, despite the dangers of the sailing portion of their journey, Zali and Adriel had made it to their destination remarkably intact. Later, when night had fallen and the two of them were safely sequestered around a small campfire, Zali would boast of her skills in sailing, whether Adriel wanted to hear it or not. But boasting right now would do her little good if, at a moment of inattention, she ran their boat aground in sight of their destination.

Despite her ritualistic anticipation of problems, the cove was almost completely free of hazardous obstacles. Only one ship was sunk in the cove, its mast rising out of the water, but it was just as likely that some violent storm had pulled it off of the shore and dragged it into the water, because it did not seem as though there was anything upon which it could have damaged itself.

The shore, a narrow beach covered in white sand, a few trees, and large piles of seaweed, was another testament to the dangers of what they were approaching. Easily twenty boats, a few larger, but most the same size or smaller than the ship Zali now navigated, were moored at various locations along the curving beach. She let out a sigh, but continued her careful navigation of the ship, pulling up close to the shore before shouting at Adriel to drop the anchor. The boat skidded to a halt, and spun slightly, so that it was facing lengthwise to the shore. Zali let out a sigh, but hopped into the water, letting out a small hiss as the cold saltwater soaked her up to her waist. She pulled the boat in towards shore, until it got too heavy for her to be able to move by herself.

"Are you going to help, or just sit up there?" she complained good-naturedly.

Personally, Zali doubted the truth of it when people said that no one had ever come back alive after entering into the Trap. If that was the case, the location of the temple, and the river that emptied into the cove and was the most efficient way to get to aforementioned temple, would never be known. Most likely, the treasure had been claimed long ago, and the myths kept circulating simply because no one had ever bothered to tell everyone else that there was nothing there anymore. And there was no doubting that the route was dangerous. The many close scrapes even her little boat had been forced to face to get here gave clear evidence of that. But the fact that there might be no treasure waiting at the end of their journey didn't bother Zali all that much. For her, the best part of all this was the adventure.

She double checked that all of her possessions were solidly in place, shook some of the water out of her boots, and turned to her friend.

"You ready to go?" she asked Adriel, a wild, almost feral grin plastered across her face.

 

[Eli]

The white-haired boy relaxed at the edge of the boat. He studied the chain of small islands, they seemed peaceful, but perhaps the jungles hid deadly traps, or maybe these peninsulas housed a tribe of cannibals? The few images that danced around in his head was endless. The splash Zali created rocked the boat and he tore away from his day-dream. It was amusing to see her pull the boat toward the shore, he watched her with a smirk on his lips.
"Are you going to help, or just sit up there?" She complained good-naturedly.


The onyx eyed fellow stared at her for a moment, actually weighing the options he had-his way of teasing her. He took off his back leather boots and sighed.


"Coming to your rescue, Capt'n." He saluted her and jumped into the water that reached to his hips. The grainy texture of the sand woke memories of his childhood, a smile curled on his lips as he played in it with his toes; which caused the water to fog up. His little moment of childishness faded as quick as it appeared and now it was back to business. He secured his footing before pulling the small vessel to shore. Satisfied with their teamwork, he dusted off his feet before putting on his boots again.


"You ready to go?" She asked him. He saw her wild grin that appeared on her lips.


He gave her a toothy grin. " Of course." He answered. One of the main reason he liked to travel with his friend was her undying thirst for adventure and the unknown. The world didn't seem so dull with her around. Even if their adventures would bear no treasures, the thrill and memories were worth it all. He walked a few steps ahead and scouted the edge of the thick forest. He raised his brows, they couldn't just jump into the jungle and hope for the best.

He carefully ventured ahead of his friend, brushing through bushes and small hedges. Forging a trail was troublesome, but someone had to do it. The walk seemed like an eternity, before he came to a clearing. Now there was more room to explore. He inspected the steep hill and looked. He climbed up the slope the view he had from up there was breathtaking.

"Hey, Zali -Check out this view!" He shouted.The echo of his voice stirred some tropical birds into flight.


From his this height it was easier to see his dark-skinned companion catching up to him.

"Where to next?" Concerned with the safety of his captain, he failed to watch out for his own. His boot caught the edge of a wild root and he lost his balance. He attempted to grab hold of some branches, but they were not strong enough to support his weight. When the branch snapped he slid down the steep hill. his hands reached out for something to hold, but everything he grabbed broke or snapped in half, which made him curse the way down.

Once his slide ended he laughed and patted himself down to make sure everything was in tact and functioning correctly.

"I am okay! Still alive!" He shouted. He looked around and saw something in a bush that demanded his attention. He reached his hand in carefully, touching the object. Carefully, he withdrew the dagger he always kept with him and pried at the object. It took him nearly a minute, but finally he loosened it from its earthen prison.

What he held in his hand was an intact skull. He was surprised but at the same time excited. So, there were people on this island. Perhaps that ship they saw earlier belonged to this fragment of a skeleton. He inspected it closely and found a gold tooth, and loosened it. A small treasure, he would show Zali later. They needed all the money and gold they could get.

"So, from this hill we have a great view of the Island." He laughed brushing the dirt off of his pants. The skull was still firmly clasped in his hand

 

[Peregrine]

The sand on the beach was soft and warm, Zali could feel it through the soles of her shoes. She paused for a moment, bending over to run her fingers through the fine, white grain. Then she straightened up, and quickly double checked that all of her supplies were in place, lightly touching each spot. By now she was so familiar with their feel and weight that she didn't need more than that brief second to confirm their presence. As soon as that task was completed, she returned to the boat that they had sailed. The villagers may have taken all their unnecessary supplies, but Zali wasn't about to let them walk away with her extra survival supplies. A light blanket, first aid, extra socks, and, of course, food, all wrapped in water-tight packages so as to protect at least some of it from a dunking. She swung the heavy pack over her shoulders, grunting slightly, before tying the attached rope around her waist to get most of the weight off of her shoulders and onto her hips. Satisfied, she nodded once, crisply, before turning around to face the forest.

Somehow, she was not surprised to see the retreating figure of Adriel vanishing into the woods. She let out a quick, exasperated sigh, before shouting after him, "Adriel! Where are you going?" He, however, seemed to be deaf to her calls. Zali growled in frustration, kicking her boot irritably through the sand before quickly untying her pack, dropping it to the beach, and hurrying off after Adriel. She would give him a very thorough tongue thrashing when she caught up to him.

Despite the fact that Adriel was in front of her, and was therefore clearing a path through which she could walk, it was not easy progress. The jungle-like forest was thick with undergrowth, and the trees were close growing. All of the branches that Adriel pushed out of the way, or small shrubs he stepped on were resilient enough to spring back into proper position only a few seconds after he moved past them. Grumbling to herself, Zali stalked through the vegetation, pushing each branch out of the way as though it had done her some personal harm.

She didn't catch up to Adriel until he finally stopped at the top of a hill in an unexpected clearing in the forest. Zali looked around carefully before scrambling her way up the hill after him. When the plan-life was this profuse, it was rare to find clearings. Hopefully this one did not have any hidden secrets they would not enjoy finding.

"You ass," Zali grumbled, only slightly out of breath from her rapid chase. She opened her mouth, fully prepared to start lashing out at her wayward friend, when he tripped and went tumbling down the other side of the hill. She stood still for a moment, listening to Adriel's rough descent, before catching the floating sound of his laughter on the breeze. Most of life seemed to bounce off her friend.

In response to his shouted update on his well-being, Zali called out "Enjoy that. You might not be when I get down there." She cast the hill one scrutinizing glance before following after him with significantly more grace. There was just enough loose soil and rocks on the hill to allow her to easily slide down. She was accompanied by a cloud of dust and plant matter, but at the bottom of the hill she was still standing upright. Dusting herself off quickly, Zali strode with tempered indignation over to Adriel.

However, reacting to her friends wild grin and glowing eyes, she felt much of her irritation at his impatient actions fading away. "You really make things hard for me sometimes." She finally said with a sigh. "There was a small river at the beach. According to rumor, following it inland will lead to an old temple.

"However, we might as well take advantage of your little... excursion now that we are here." She eyes the old skull that was in Adriel's hand, the white bone yellowed to a light brown with the passage of time.

"Made a new friend, did we?"

 

[Eli]

Adriel watched his partner descent down the hill, with much more grace. With her nostrils flared in anger,the bleach-blonde man braced himself for the consequences for his reckless behavior. He knew rushing into things head first wasn't something his captain was fond of, nor was it a clever thing to do. But he got excited for their new adventure. As Zali approached him and he flinched out of sheer habit. Instead of getting punched he received a sigh that was followed with words of annoyance

Sometimes the caramel hued male was hard to deal with and he knew this.

"I'm sorry for the hardships I cause you." His smile was apologetic.

He patted his friend on the back with another wild grin plastered on his face.

"That's the spirit, Capt'n that's just what we need. And Peter would be pleased too." He laughed and now their new friend had a name. He set the skull down on a near by rock.

He made sure not to venture too far this time and slowly fought his way through the thick green forest. He could heard the roar of the river that snaked its' way deeper into the jungle. The urge to explore was strong, but he decided to wait for his captain's command.

He wiped the sweat off of his forehead, the humid climate was something he could never get used to.
He could hear a rustle in the bushes, he ignored it. An uneasy feeling began to wash over the boy's body. he felt the heat of someone starring at him in the back of his neck. He spun around quickly his eyes searching frantically for another person, but there was no one there. He could still hear the faint sound of snapping twigs and rustling leaves. Maybe he was tired and his paranoia was getting the better of him

"The native animals on this Island are sure active." He mused to himself, as a cold shiver ran down his spine.
He decided to return to Zali and Peter maybe that anxious feeling would go away with time.

 

[Peregrine]

Zali cast an irritated glance at the skull as Adriel wandered away. The last thing she wanted right now was to be reminded of exactly how many people had died on this island. People who had wandered into some sort of trap, and never come back out of it. Had the trap already been sprung around them, or were they simply wandering closer and closer to the trigger?

Trusting that Adriel would shout if he did manage to spring any deadly traps, Zali turned away from the direction that he had gone, knocking over the skull as she went. She carefully climbed her way back up to the exposed hill, moving warily. She had already noted the strange nature of the clearing, but finding a skull seemed to put a whole new portent onto it. All the same, it would be very possible for Adriel and her to get turned around if they weren't careful. The last thing Zali wanted to do was not be able to find the beach, and the supplies that waited there for them.

She paused at the top of the hill, crouched low to the ground. Everything in the clearing seemed calm, and there were no unexpected signs of disturbance, only the ones that Adriel and she had made on their way down. She straightened from her crouch, walking with cat-like grace into the center of the clearing, eyes never standing still.

It was just possible to catch a glimpse of the sandy beach from the promontory, and a small sigh of relief escaped Zali's lips. She knew that the beach was south of them, but that did not meant that she wanted to rely only upon that to get them back. Now she would be able to set up at least a general course before they started to try and make their way back through the forest.

Suddenly, Zali felt certain that there were eyes on her. She whirled about, her hand dropping onto the dagger at her back. In an instant it was in her hand, and she almost hurled it into the undergrowth in one fluid motion. Only the knowledge that it might be Adriel caused her to hesitate, although by this point he should know far better than to try and sneak up on her.

"Adriel?" she called out, somehow knowing that he wouldn't answer. The forest seemed to absorb her query, and its only answer was silence. She kept the dagger in her hand, spinning slowly on the spot. Suddenly, she was very uncomfortable with the fact that she was standing out in the open, while the shadows of the forest could be hiding many things from her eyes. She dropped into a lower stance, back straight and glare fierce. THere was no reason for her to suddenly start believing the legends about this forest, but something about the silence, about the way it felt like there were eyes on her, caused her to hesitate.

If there was something out there, why hadn't it attacked yet? The only answer that came easily to mind was not comforting at all; whatever it was had something more in mind for them than death. A slight shiver coursed down her back, but she bared her teeth at her own fear. There was nothing in this world that she could not fight. But she still left the clearing more than willingly, darting suddenly towards the edge that Adriel and she had descended only a few minutes before. She was not going to be coming back up here again. She knew where the beach was, and they would make their way there without passing through the clearing again.

She found Adriel waiting by the skull, something in his face telling her that the same nerves that had struck her had found him. Her eyes were drawn to the skull again, and one of her grandmother's stories suddenly came to mind. Don't disturb the restless spirits that linger around the dead. Her lola had only been able to scare her with such stories when she was very young, but now she found herself wondering. Wondering, and hating herself for wondering.

"Let's get back to the beach," she told Adriel. "And leave that thing," here an accusatory finger pointed at the skull, "where you found it."

 

[Eli]

Adriel's eyes narrowed at the skull. This thing had an ominous feel the more he inspected it. Reaching for it he felt a heavy aura surround him. The caramel- colored boy did not believe in folklore, or myths, nothing ever woke the natural superstition in his body, but this inauspicious island might've done the trick.


The blond crouched down and placed the skull back into the brush, but then he felt something cold reach for his own arm. The male snatched his hand away from the hidden burrow and made a quick retreat. His heart pounding in his chest the pirate watched the bush, reaching for his dagger, prepared for the worse.

Quickly his fear subsided as the docile centipede scurried from the growth and scuttled about the forest grounds. Adriel let out a sigh of relief followed by a light chuckled. This isle was getting the better of him.

"All this tension for nothing." He mused with a more relaxed smile. The onyx-eyed male turned his attention to his partner. When Zali had a bad feeling about a place it was best to listen to the captain.

She had a hand for this type situation and he would not argue with on this particular island. Even he did not like the jungle. Whatever was watching them was just waiting for the right moment to make its move.


But what good would it to the twosome if they would just sit at the beach and wait.

"What do you suggest we do, Capt'n?" He was curious on the plan the dark-skinned woman might have.


He glanced back at the entrance of the forest. Narrowing his eyes he saw what looked like a shadow of a person. Body stiffening again and the hairs on the back of his neck stood straight. It didn't move whatever it was. He turned to Zali alarmed.

"Hey- there is someone watching us." turning back to face the forest, the white haired male noticed there was no one there any longer. Confused he looked at the captain. What was going on in this strange place.

 

[Peregrine]

Normally Zalika would have laughed at her friend for allowing himself to be startled by a bug. Normally. Now, however, she felt that she could almost understand his sentiments. It felt like there were spiders crawling up her back, and she was still certain there were eyes on her.

"No matter what we do, we need to get back to the beach to pick up..." Zali began, but was interrupted by Adriel's alarmed words. This time she didn't hesitate. Her dagger was in her hand in an instant, and an instant later it was spiraling away into the undergrowth. There was no sound but that of a small object hitting soft dirt, and even that seemed strangely muffled by the trees.

Zali nodded at Adriel, not at all scolding him for his comment. Seeing shadows was rarely a good thing, but Zali had felt those shadows herself. In all honesty, she felt them still. Warily, she recollected her dagger, but she kept it in her hand, ready to throw it again at a moment's notice.

"Don't go wandering away. I don't want to hit you by mistake," she told Adriel. It was clear that she was antsy, and even a touch of movement would be enough to get her to throw the small weapon again. "We've got to get back to the beach no matter what. Our supplies are there, and I'm not about to go deeper into this island with what we've got on our backs right now." What she left unsaid was that was also where their boat was. Zali was not one to abandon an adventure to superstition, but she was not ready to completely dismiss the idea at the moment. She would keep the thought of running to herself for now, and wait to see what was waiting for them on the journey back to the beach.

The two friends pushed their way back through the jungle warily. A broken leaf stem or a bent branch was enough to keep them on the course they had walked before. A part of Zali feared that there was going to be some sort of trap on the obviously-marked path, but she was more unwilling to wander off into unknown territory and risk walking in circles until they died of dehydration.

But there was nothing waiting for them on the walk back. The beach was warm and sunlit, and the shadows that had haunted Zali seemed to vanish with the growing light and heat. Their boat was right where they had left it, and Zali's supplies were unharmed. She let out a small breath as all of the superstition fled from her mind.

"Go get your pack," she told Adriel calmly. "Lets see what is waiting for us deeper in this strange devil's trap. But this time, we'll follow the river." Following her own instructions, Zali quickly sheathed her dagger and bent to pick up the pack she had left in the sand. She dusted off as much of the grit as possible, before throwing it over her back.

 

[Eli]

That wasn't something the dark- skinned woman had to repeat twice. The young pirate followed her closely not taking his eyes off his surroundings. He was on high alert and his natural paranoia only added fuel to the fire. It was becoming harder to focus with his back turned to the clearing they left.

It was as if something was trying to reach for him. The onyx eyed fellow cleared his throat grasping his dagger tighter that his knuckles began to turn white.

"Aye," He agreed. Now was not the time to go out and explore as if it was a field trip, nor did the blond want to be at the end of Zali's blade.

He felt relief wash over him as they escaped the clasp of the forest. The sun warmed his caramel skin and a small content smile crept over his lips, for a split moment the forest did not matter to him. Zali directed him to get his fair share of supplies. The male clapped his hands together before hoisting them on his back. A small gesture to mentally prepare himself for a long venture.


Adriel was getting acquainted with the thought of following the river that led straight into the forest. Now is mind imagined what could lurk in the waters. Setting those little scenarios aside, he fastened the supplies one last time to make sure they were secure.

His fingers entwined the talisman of that attached on his necklace something that he did if he had a bad feeling, or felt insecure about something. The amulet was a fishhook. A small keepsake that his family members gave him before he left them. It was worthless in the eyes of others, but to him, it meant something.

Why did this island cause him so much inner turmoil - no, he wouldn't let a piece of land gain control over his emotions like that. Adriel nodded a determined look on his face.

"Ready when you are Zali." A wild grin on his face again . Whatever this Island has in store the twosome could face it.

 

[Peregrine]

As soon as Adriel was ready to go, Zali was walking towards the small river. At the edge of the jungle, no longer constrained by trees, the water spread outwards, flooding over a good portion of the beach and making it so that the water couldn't even cover the top of her boots. However, looking into the trees, Zali couldn't help but consider it a good thing that both she and Adriel were very used to water, for there was no shore along the river on which they could walk. The two friends would have to wade. She let out a sigh, gave Adriel one more moment to catch up, and then walked between the trees once more.

At least here there was no underbrush. And, to her surprise but pleasure, the tug of the water was surprisingly gentle on her feet. Zali had waded through many a water crossing, and it had always seemed to her that the rivers were always looking to tug her off of her feet and give her a good soaking. This river, however, seemed to invite such foot-travel.

Zali didn't know whether to take this as a good sign or a bad sign. It was certainly a change from the bushwhacking that she and Adriel had been forced to perform to get to the hilled clearing, but nor did it seem like entry into this forest should be as easy as that. Zali forced herself to recall the bright comfort of the beach, and the peace of mind it had granted her. There she was certain that there was nothing bad waiting for her in these woods. Why could she not find that same certainty now that she was actually in the forest?

She barely saw the gossamer thread across their path before she would have walked into it. Her hand flashed out, running into Adriel's chest, and bringing him to a sudden halt. The thing looked like a strand of spidersilk, so fine that if it hadn't been for a single ray of sunlight breaking through the overhead branches she never would have seen it. Perhaps it was far more than paranoia to think that such a thing could bring them harm, but the paranoia of the jungle had come back to her full force. The branches over the small river were laced together so tightly that the sunlight that came through was spattered at best. It felt like they were walking through a tunnel. One that should have been closing behind them, but was staying open, just to reassure them that they were safe. Adriel cast her a look and opened his mouth to speak, but she put a finger to her lips, urging him towards an uncertain silence.

She pushed them back a couple of paces, before carefully picking up a small pebble through the water. It splattered drops of water on her pants as she weighed it carefully in her hand, getting a sense of it, before throwing it towards the spot that the silk ran across the path. From this distance the strand was invisible, but her eyes had never left the spot where it should be. The rock arced smoothly through the air, before striking the cobweb.

And then the rock stopped moving. It looked like it was hanging in the middle of the air, supported by nothing. Suddenly the rock shivered, before it was enveloped in more of the strange filaments. They wrapped around the rock, covering it completely, before pulling in opposite directions. For a moment the threads went tight, and then there was a sharp crack. Several chunks of rock fell into the water with faint plinks, and the rest were pulled away into the surrounding forest by the threads.

"Bloody hell," Zali whispered, a shiver running down her back. The little filament that had originally sprung the trap shivered, before vanishing into the forest, almost as though it knew, now that it had been sprung, it wasn't going to catch its intended prey.

Zali whirled about quickly, looking back down the river they way she had come. At first it appeared perfectly empty, but gradually she began to notice the shimmering webs that crossed the path, over and over. She had thought that the tunnel wasn't closing behind them because she hadn't seen anything blocking their passage, but they were blocked in all the same. She splashed her way over to the forest and was about to push her way in when she noticed another one of the silken threads blocking her path.

Zali stumbled backwards, her eyes going wide. She nearly tripped over a rock fully submerged in the water, but the current of the river seemed to grab her and keep her upright.

"Adriel," she said, her voice forced calm. "I think we may have just walked into a trap."

There was only one option left to the two of them. They had to continue forward, up the river.

"Well," she continued, a forced smile touching her lips, "That is the way we wanted to go anyways." Gradually the smile began to spread into a true one, and while the paranoia did not fade the fear almost entirely vanished. "Let's show whatever this is that we aren't afraid of it."

 

[Eli]

Adriel didn't believe in being a ccowardly behavior nor throwing the towel in early. The male had the urge voice his doubts to his captain, but he'd followed her all these years, entrusting his life to her and they always managed to come out unharmed for the most part. He kept his thoughts to himself there was no way he would give in on these mind tricks.



The white-haired boy tagged along behind his captain keeping a sharp eye out for anything that might seem out of the ordinary, but with this jungle everything seemed strange and out-of-place.



Just when he wanted to make a joke about this adventure he felt Zali's firm hand placed against his chest. Confused his gaze wandered to the floating rock and the gruesome death it had. All the alarms went off in his head he panicked. Being enclosed by those silken threads instilled fear in his mind. He realized his own mortality and that was something he could not shake so easily out of his mind. Something began feeding his unnerved mind with more negative thoughts.



He didn't know what to do, his brain wasn't functioning anymore. The only thing that snapped him back to reality was his friend. He whirledaround to see her submerged in water. The Caramel skinned boy followed suit. Something about the clear liquid calmed his nerves. This jungle was playing mind tricks on him and it was something that would not be good in the long-term.



"You don't say, capt'n." He couldn't help but chuckle. The water brushing against his skin made his mood lighter.



Whatever it knew how to play with the minds of its unwanted visitors and Zali was right they could not show any fear , it only fed off of negative vibes.



"Right," he agreed a devious smile on his face "We made it this far and there is no turning back. Lead the way." He added with new-foundconfidence.



He was glad to have his dear Captain around, with anyone else it would not be as exciting.

 

[Peregrine]

At that point their progress slowed to something that could be generously described as a crawl. Neither of them were willing to stride forward boldly as they had been doing moments before as the paranoia heightened to a fever pitch. Every small rustle in the forest seemed like another trap about to spring and close down around them. Several times Zali was absolutely certain that there was something in the woods watching them. But she kept her knife sheathed, even if her hand often closed reflexively around the hilt. If she threw it into the woods now, it was very possible that she would never get it back. She trusted her instincts, but even if she hit something the threads would likely keep her from going to investigate.

Instead all she did was stare at everything and anything. If she noticed something even minorly suspicious she would bring both herself And Adriel to a halt, attempting a trigger from the distance.

As they wound upstream, the lack of things threatening them began to wear on her nerves even more than the traps would. It was almost as though the jungle was trying to lure them into a false sense of security. But the threads still appeared behind them as they progressed forward, trapping them in the riverbed.

Around another bend in the trees, and the river began to open up. At first it was subtle, a hint or two of sunlight dropping in through the interwoven branches above, but it rapidly began to increase the further they walked. Soon enough the overhead branches were completely separated, allowing Zali a glimpse of the sky for the first time since they had entered into the jungle for the second time. She let out a small breath, but her level of awareness cranked up another notch, something she had not believed was possible.

But their path was as set now as it had been moments before, as neither of them had wings.

The river continued to spread, and it lessened from a faint flood of water into a trickle that wound its way among the rocks. Zali shook off her feet in irritation as she stepped out of the water and onto one of the rocky divide. She found herself grateful for the several pairs of dry socks she had packed along with her; damp feet were never fun. Up ahead, however, the water began to get deeper again. She walked up a little further, before peering out around some of the trees.

It was a small lake, with almost every shore in viewing distance, but it was also oddly deep. The water ran right up to the edges of the trees, and she could see through the clear blue water that the bank ran down at an angle that should have been almost impossible in still water.

Zali was not afraid of swimming. She had been on the ocean her whole life, and was confident enough in her abilities that she suspected she could even survive swimming in a full-on thunderstorm. There should have been no reason for her not to swim across the little lake. It would barely take her thirty seconds to cross, although the pack might slow her down more than a little bit.

There shouldn't have been a reason, but there was. She could feel it twisting around in her gut, the same sort of certainty that had come the moment she had seen that little string across the path in front of her.

"I don't want to swim that," she stated, flat out, to Adriel. "Please tell me you have a possible alternative?"

 

[Eli]

He could definitely feel it- most of the energy he had at the beginning was not in this journey anymore. His feet felt heavy and from this point, every step was hesitant. It didn't help much that they both knew something was watching them, but by whom, that was the question on his mind. It felt as if someone was gawking at the pair, perhaps something was right behind, them encircling the two like pray. Now, his fantasy was getting the better of him. But just to be safe, the onyx –eyed male made sure that he saw nothing but the silver threads behind him.

There were no spoken words between the two adventurous, only the occasional glance and gesture; that something wasn't right. Zali would place her hand on his chest to make him stop for a moment, when she deemed something out of the ordinary. Then they would continue if it was clear. He didn't even need to say anything about the false security the forest was attempting to create. Adriel knew going back was not an option at this point.

When the interwoven branches began to open up a little a small wave of relief washed over him when he saw the sky. The sunlight warmed his body. The thick woodland made the young male lose all sense of time. But it wasn't dark yet, so that was a good sign for them. He would hate the idea of seeing the forest at night.

He followed Zali's lead when she stepped out of the water to dry her feet, he was thankful when the captain offered him a pair too. The bleach blond male wasn't a big fan of damp feet either. He rested for a moment, before he would catch up with his captain. When he gathered his new-found strength he followed. The view was grand he studied every inch of the scenery. The lake, however, was another story.

Adriel grew up in a small fisher village and used to hunt in deep waters, open wild untamed waves, and everything in between. He definitely was not worried about his captain. Although, he could tell she was having second thoughts about swimming across the lake. He studied the step decline of the bank. There was defiantly something off, the onyx eyed male just couldn't put his finger on it. He studied the drop into the lake's abyss.

"Still waters are deep, they say." He mused to himself.

Zali's refusal to swim the across was erasing one of the few options they had. He glanced at the lake again, and he could have sworn something starred right back at him. But he wrote it off as his mind playing a trick on him, a sadistic one at that. It looked so normal, that it had to be a trap. There was no way it could just be a lake.

"Right, alternatives," He clapped his hands together, and scoured for a perhaps a path, the shrubs were thick and he was having a hard time fighting through them- as if they were forcing them to dive into the lake.

He looked back at Zali "Well, we could cut out ways through the shrubs and everything else." He offered as an option.

"Maybe even test the waters, to make sure it is safe to swim in?" his second option. Perhaps this would ease her mind a little…

"Or do you have a few ideas?" He asked, silently he hoped they'd find a plan both would be satisfied with.
His relationship with water as far as he could remember good, besides one or two memories that were more of a blur to him, but that was in the past and he didn't like to dwell in it.

 

[Peregrine]

Zali listened carefully to Adriel's suggestions, but her eyes never left the water. The sensation of eyes on her back seemed to have doubled, tripled, maybe even quadrupled while she stood on the banks of the shore. The weight of it was almost suffocating, an unseen force that was waiting, waiting, and constantly judging. She hated the sensation, and desperately longed to give whatever or whoever it was a piece of her mind on the matter, but every sense except for that niggling feeling told her that there was no human around her. Briefly her mind flitted to ghosts, but she dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it arrived. There was something wrong with this island, and she fully acknowledged that she and Adriel may have made a much greater mistake coming to this island than they yet knew, but they were here, and the only way was forward.

As if to remind herself of this fact, Zali glanced over her shoulder, back up the creekbed the way they had come. She felt her heart almost immediately leap into her throat. The threads that had been closing the path behind them had not stopped moving just because the two adventurers had. Even as she watched, another one flew out of the darkness of the forest, spreading across the path. At this rate, they had less than five minutes to figure out what they were going to do, before a thread caught them and tore them apart.

Zali could feel her heart pounding in her ears, could feel the tidal current of blood through her arms and legs, and knew she was panicking. But her mind seemed calm and still, despite everything that was going on around them.

"We don't have much time," she told Aldriel, voice cool and clipped, as she bent down to pick up one of the rocks in the streambed. She grabbed a small rock, and tossed it out into the pond. It landed with a small splash, and quickly vanished down into the darkness. Both of them waited a terse moment for something, some cataclysmic happening, or for a monster to lunge out of the darkness, mouth gaping like in the most absurd of the legends of deep-sea monsters. There was only silence. And, as ever, Zali was not comforted by this.

Hesitantly, Zali stepped forward, right up to the edge of the water where the steep bank began. She reached out a finger, and gently touched the surface of the water. She pulled her hand back quickly, but felt a sickening sensation as the water tried to grab onto her finger, and pull her down to the depths. It wasn't painful, but it was entirely disconcerting. If she had touched the water with any less speed, it felt as though it would have truly pulled her down into it, like some sort of absurd, deadly quicksand. She lunged quickly away from the water, not thinking about anything except putting some distance between herself and that uncertain depths. But while both she and Adriel had been watching the water, waiting for anything, large, snake-like branches from the trees had begun dropping down towards them. As she moved, Zali ran right into one of those branches.

It began to wrap around her immediately, pinning her hands to her side, and sent out small, shoot-like tendrils that began to grow along her body, every place the major vine touched. Zali shrieked and wiggled, desperately trying to close her hand on the knife in her back, but even as she was reaching she felt the tip of the vine close around the knife handle and yank it out of her wasitband. With a quick flick, the knife was flung deep into the forest.

"Adriel," she called desperately, uncertain of what exactly she wanted from her friend. She wanted him to save her from this mess, to watch her back as he always had, but at the same time she did not want him to get caught in the vines either. It seemed that, like the threads, now that they had caught their prey they came to life. The other branches were starting to wave, flicking about curiously in search of their second target.

All the while, the threads continued to approach, unhurried and unstoppable.

 

[Eli]

Although Zali listened, he knew his captain's thoughts were preoccupied with other things. It made him grow tense. The water being the blockade in their minds. It just didn't seem right. A cold shudder ran through his body as he took his eyes off of the clear liquid and refocused on his partner. He should have the dark-skinned woman out of coming to this island, but he was just as hungry for this adventure as she. No matter, they were both in this together and they would find what they were looking for. Hopefully before whatever was on this island found them. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet and took a few steps towards the bank of the lake and peered into depths of it.

Before he could form a sentence he noticed the panic look on Zali's face. Oh boy, he'd almost forgotten about those creepy little threads. He came up next to her and whistled, "I think it may even be less than that." He watched her work and look for a way out. He kept an eye on the silver threads and backed away as one caught a few strands of his white hair and pulled them out. He backed away and grew antsy. He wanted to get the hell away from there and fast. He heard the slosh of the water when his friend threw the rock in. He watched her carefully as she approached the lake. He was ready to help her if she was in any danger.

His attention thwarted by an unfamiliar noise. The rustle of leaves, and snapping of twigs captured his senses. Onyx eyes focused on the forest taking is focus completely off of Zali, for just a minute. The male turned around to confirm if she heard the noise to, but the sight he saw made him forget all about the sounds of the forest. He stepped back in shock to be met by a slithering vine wrapping itself around his leg. Quickly grabbing the dagger from his free leg he cut through it and jumped back almost forgetting about the threads behind him. Great, now there was something else that was trying to kill them. Occupied with fighting off the branches he did not notice that Zali became unarmed by the plant life and slowly being engulfed by the branches and vines.

"Adriel." Her voice called for his aide. He reacted quickly and leaped onto one of the larger branches and cut it lose, but the more chopped away the more came at him. One of the vines grazed his eyebrow and pushed him to the ground. With a loud thud he was on the ground struggling to regain his balance. The blood blinded his left eye a little. So, he had only one eye to work with. Nothing that was to challenging for the pirate.

With dagger in hand he slashed through more vines and thicket branches. He only had the objective; to free his friend.

The more he ripped through them the more he would get pulled away and he would need to start anew. It was physically tiring, than he remembered something-in his bag he had a small hatched. He ran toward the bag and dug through the supplies all the while he was fighting off the vines that tried to immobilize him. One of the trailing plants grabbed a hold of his wrist while the other smacked the weapon away. Unarmed he used his strength to tear through the plant. While hastily searching for a new weapon. When he found it, he rushed back to Zali and began to cut her free.

The plants here were really lively and they made it their main priority to obstruct the young male from his goal, but finally he reached his partner.

"I got you." He said through gritted teeth. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her free. Adriel could not support both of their weight, so the duo went rolling down creek bed.
They began to slow down, stopping at the water's edge. Out of breath he looked around if there were more vines to fight off.

With Zali on top of him, the bleach-blond male still held her close just in case he needed to protect her again. When the cost seemed clear he he rubbed his eye free of the blood and he applied some pressure on the cut. A small smirk graced his face.

"I could get used to this position, capt'n." A wisecrack at a time like this, the white-haired male could not help himself.

 

[Peregrine]

"Focus, Adriel," was Zali's only reply. Normally she would have gladly taken the opportunity to tease her partner about being the bottom, but now her mind was centered on the three dangers that surrounded them. She would thank him for saving her life later, when it wouldn't get both of them killed. But, to her surprise, it seemed that the plants had gone still now that both of them had escaped. She let out a relieved sigh, before feeling a spark of frustration. The tussle with the vines had caused them to lose everything that wasn't directly secured to their person. All of the food, water, and extra survival gear had been in the packs, and both packs had been dragged away by the vines once the fight was over. The only weapons they had at this point was two small knives that Zali had in her boots, and the hatchet that Adriel had somehow managed to hold on to during the tussle. They still had no way to get across the pond because of the strange water that seemed ready to grab them and pull them down into the depths, they couldn't go through the forest because of the vines, and the threads kept them from heading back.

Suddenly remembering the threads Zali hopped to her feet, checking back the way they had come. The threads were still drawing closer. They had, at most, two minutes. Two minutes to somehow save their lives. She reached down and quickly helped Adriel to his feet, before turning to face the water once more.

There had to be a way out of this situation. The belief didn't come from any sort of optimism in their unprecedented ability to survive thus far, but was rather based on the facts of the situation. Whatever was on this isldn, it was like nothing that Zali or Adriel had ever experienced before. Most likely, there was nothing like it in the entire world. If whatever it was wanted them dead, Zali fully believed that they would be dead. The vines could have immediately crushed the life out of them, or the threads could have surrounded them on all sides right at the beginning. No, whatever this was, it was possible for them to continue forward.

The thought didn't really give Zali much comfort. She felt like a toy, some sort of rat in a maze, dancing for the entertainment of some unknown observer, and she hated it. Hated the constant feeling that someone was watching her, even as every sense she possessed told her she was wrong, hated the feeling of cold sweat on the back of her neck, and the pounding of her heart. She did not like being afraid of ghosts. When she got to the end of this, she would be sure to give whatever was toying them a piece of her mind. It would not be a particularly nice piece. Hopefully it would end with one of her two remaining knives sticking out of her tormenter's head.

But for now she pushed both the fear and the rage away. Neither would help her right now.She had to be cunning and brave, and find the way forward. Because forward was all they had anymore.

Zali froze, staring at the far shore of the water, the thought playing on loop in her head. Forward. Forward. A shiver ran up her spine as she remembered the feeling of the water grabbing her and tugging at her finger, pulling her down towards what looked like a bottomless abyss. But the threads were coming closer, and she knew that the vines were not gone. It was the only choice they had.

"We have to go into the water," she said, desperately trying to keep her voice steady. Perhaps she succeeded, but the wide-eyed look of fear would probably do much to belay any success.

 

[Eli]

"Right, my apologies capt'n." He said with a sheepish grin. When Zali stood up, he took the time to mourn the loss of their supplies, with an exaggerated sigh. There was no need to cry over spilt milk; although, it irked him just like it did his captain. The onyx-eyed male picked up the hatchet off the ground and secured it to his belt. Then brushed the excess dirt off of his clothes before grabbing his friend's hand and jumping on his feet.

He knew the small moment of relief was short-lived, and he did not need to voice is anxiety of the silver wires. Because, Zali already knew they were in trouble, her facial expression were like a gateway into her thoughts-well, for him. Now they stood there with another threat gained, no process made, and no supplies. He could not shake the feeling that things were about to turn sour for them.

Adriel edged closer to his captain as those strings approached them. Every part of the forest littered with shimmering threads. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up thinking about the damage they could cause and they didn't have much time left. Both of them now turned towards their only option. The lake. The white-haired male carefully studied his captain's pale grey eyes. Looking for a glimmer of hope- an idea even. Just something that would ease his own nerves.

But atlas, there was nothing but silence. So many thoughts raced through his head, on ways to get across. Everything he could imagine would take too long to execute. As of now, time was not their friend. Toying with several ideas in his head; was this all a test? If so, how would they know if they passed or failed? The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. But just who or what was watching them on this island and what were they going to gain from it.

As his onyx eyes met Zali's grey ones he knew they were on the same page. Adriel did not want to entertain the thought that something was putting them through this for sport. It was sick and angered him more.

With their option limited he was glad that they managed to survive thus far. The team's walk was short. He watched as Zali stare at the water with hesitation. Most likely replaying the scene from earlier. Even though he could understand the nervousness of his captain time was of the essence and the blond did not want, whatever was watching them, to change its' mind.

The longer his onyx eyes stayed fixed on the water the anxious he would get.
Finally, Zali spoke the words he was afraid of. They needed to into the water.
"I knew you would say that." He answered taking in a deep breath, and moments later exhaling it to keep calm.

He had to psyche himself up to get ready to get into the water. He put his left foot in slowly and glanced over his shoulder. He wanted to say something, but it was to late. An unknown force dragged him to the abyss. His face for a brief moment broke the surface for him to take one more large gulp of air.


He trashed about himself in a panic and whatever was holding him down had a good grip on his feet. His head came back up for another breath.
"Zali!" He could utter before being forced down again.

The more he moved in tense wild movements the less air he had and for him his vision began to get more and more blurred.

 

[Peregrine]

Zalika felt a small smile creep across her face as adriel moved towards the edge of the water only moments after she spoke. They had met a long time ago, but Zali still didn't know what she had done to earn such a loyal friend. They were very different people, even though both of their blood belonged to the sea, and in any other life they never would have met. Whatever force in this world had driven them together, if there was a force at all, Zali took a moment in that risky situation to pause and thank it. There was no one else she could count to trust her word the way Adriel did.

Her thought were suddenly interrupted by a loud splash, and Zali looked around wildly, quickly realizing that she could no longer see Adriel. It only took a moment for zali to realize that the invisible force she had felt grab her finger when she had briefly touched the water had grabbed Adriel the moment his foot had brushed the surface of the water, and had pulled him under. Panic closed her throat as she found herself wondering if she had just sent her friend to his death. She raced to the edge, hesitating on the bank, trying to ignore the sight of her friend thrashing under the surface, desperate for air.

But... there was something odd about the sight before her eyes. Zali knew that Adriel had been pulled downwards, yet there he was, no less than three feet below the surface of the water. Breathing heavily, trying desperately to contain the sickening sensation in her stomach, Zali sat down on the bank, and carefully lowered herself straight down into the water off the clifflike bank. But, before she was even submerged up to her waist, her feet hit bottom. A bottom that she could not see.

The water grabbed her, tugged her down, tried to destabilize her, but because she was not off balance when she entered the water it could do nothing to her. Moving through it was agonizingly slow, and all she could picture was her last glimpse of where Adriel had gone under, and hear the him crying out her name in panic. But if she allowed the strange, living water to pull her under as well, there would be no hope for either of them.

Adriel was floating quietly below the surface of the water, and Zali threw caution to the winds and pushed herself forward as fast as she could go, before plunging briefly under the water and grabbing onto him. It took every ounce of strength in her body to lift both of their heads above the surface of the water again, and then to stand up, but she kept Adriel's shoulders tightly in her hands as he blindly clung to her like a baby lemur.

"It's ok." she said softly but firmly. "Adriel. It's ok. You can stand up now."

 

[Eli]

Adriel saw his life flash before him. He remembered things that he'd forgotten about; his family, he remembered them. He never thought or talked about them. Not even Zalika knew about them, nor did he ever talk about his sister. His mind began to fade as he lost consciousness, the only thing he saw was a dark hand reaching for him.

Followed by coughing and gasping of air. He held on tightly to his captain's body. Dazed and confused. She was telling him to calm down and that he could stand up again. Why didn't she know that they were in too deep? He felt a familiar texture scrape his knees. Sand?

He finally released her, and got up. Realizing that the water reached to his waist. He was in waist deep water. He coughed once more and looked at Zali. His brain and his mouth were not working in unison so all he could do was gesture wildly to water and him.
"I-uh- and the water. It looked deep, alright?!" He could see a small smile tug at her lips, and his face flushed, he was really embarrassed that he caused such a panic.


He looked at her, and gave her a sheepish grin "Look, do me a favor and let's not discus this again. Never. Again." He said.

The white-haired man looked around and then back at his friend. "Shall we continue?" He chuckled. That was his only option after his little episode. Sometimes it was better to laugh about yourself.

He could see those silver threads shimmering in the distance, it wouldn't be too long until they caught up to them. At first he moved slowly following Zali's foot pattern, he stumbled every so often, but with time he got the hang of it and moved much smoother. Yet, still, that weird tug he felt earlier still remained.

 

[Peregrine]

Their walk to the other side of the pond was slow and cautious. The water fought them every step of the way, and even a small misstep was enough to send them under the water. Neither of them would have been able to survive if they had tried to walk across alone. But, the whole time, Zali was struck by the unnerving sensation that this was exactly what this strange, impossible island wanted them to be doing. Every step of the way, they had encountered dangers that, under the right circumstances, would be deadly in an instant. Even now, if they were supposed to die, the water could simply surge up over both of them, and no matter how good of swimmers or how used to the water, the two of them would die. Why weren't they dead?

All the same, underneath all the fear and uncertainty and rage at being nothing but a toy to this island, Zalika still felt the same drive she always felt when faced with something new and potentially rewarding. Excitement. Curiosity. They weren't dead yet, and as long as they stayed clever they wouldn't die. The legends of the dangers of this island were true, and that meant the legends about the treasure just might be true as well. There was a reward waiting for them somewhere.

Zali and Adriel finally made it to the far shore, and getting back out was a slow and exhausting process. They might be able to stand upright, but trying to draw their bodies up out of the water was like trying to lift hundred pound bags with a foot. Finally, exhausted and panting, the two of them managed to crawl onto the bank, the threads still right behind them. It was a miracle they weren't panicking. But perhaps that was what these tests were about. If they panicked at any point in this journey, they wouldn't be alive right now. Taking that thought firmly in hand like a lifeline, Zali stood up, trying to brush a little bit of the mud off her dripping clothes.

"We're alright," she told Adriel softly, resting a hand on his shoulder. "And we will continue to be alright. We've just got to stay calm, no matter what, and keep moving forward."

At this point, they had no more supplies. The vines on the other side of the river had taken all of Zali's weapons, and Adriel's hatchet had been lost while he was floundering in the deep water. Zali still had her small bag of absolutely essential items tied around her neck, as well as a length of rope, but other than that they were going to have to improvise. She sighed, unsticking a wet strand of fire black hair from her cheek, before tucking it behind her ear.

 

[Eli]

If it Zali hadn't been there, he would be at the bottom of Davie John's locker. It was his sense of folly that was his weakness; going into things head first without thinking. It was something he would need to work on. Adriel's sense of getting into trouble wasn't flattering and his captain had to pull him out of sticky situations, more than once. But that's what made him so loyal. He could count on her to be there no matter what, and the onyx-eyed man would always be there for her. He valued their friendship.

Zalika was right about this Island, something mysterious forced them to always move forward and not look back. It send a chill down his spine. He didn't know why they weren't dead yet. He was thankful that they were. In a way it sparked his excitement even more, maybe it was his adrenaline that coursed through his vein. With every wobbly step the next one became stronger, more confident.

Until they crawled on the other side of the bank of the pond. He huffed and rested his hands on his knees. Adriel's lungs still burned from swallowing the water. He coughed a little, he felt Zali rest her hand on his shoulder. She gave it a reassuring squeeze, followed by words of encouragement.
With most of their supplies gone, besides the essentials the captain held onto, and their clothes soaked the white-haired man straightened his posture and gave her a smile and a nod. "Then let's move forward." Some of his optimism that he lost a while back, returned.

He felt a wave of calm wash over him. Most of his confidence regained. He followed the dark-skinned woman in front of him and watched for more traps or anything suspicious of the sort. With the silence and only the sounds of the Island, he spoke to hear something else.

"So, this Island. Do you think, there is something, or someone else on it?" He inquired.