"Snakes, wolves, claws, vampires," Douena says unhappily. "Too many maybes and not enough certainties." She has removed her toy boat from her pack and is methodically filling it with shredded leaves and blades of grass. "And I'm too little to pounce on anyone."
Mahjik tries to get the jump on Sasha again, just when she's off her guard as she is letting the class retire for the heat break - but even before his intention could be fully realized he stares into a dagger that Sasha holds a mere inch from his face. "Not this time, Mahjik", she says smiling.
Mahjik tries to get the jump on Sasha again, just when she's off her guard as she is letting the class retire for the heat break 1d20 + 3 - but even before his intention could be fully realized he stares into a dagger that Sasha holds a mere inch from his face. "Not this time, Mahjik", she says smiling.
You wait out the hot hours of the afternoon, which eventually break with yet another downpour. Once the rain calms down, you return to practicing. This time, Sasha moves everyone closer to the cliff edge. Not the very edge--not close enough to worry about actually falling over, but close enough to "pretend" to fall over. She resumes the practicing much as before, but this time, each time someone successfully gets the jump on another, that person is declared to have "pushed" the other person off the edge and the pushed person is out. Once there is only one person left, that person is declared the winner and you start all over again.
Douena sticks close to Lorenz, and every time he stumbles or missteps, she pounces to try to get credit for it.
During the training, Urza is middle of the pack. He is determined though and learns from his failures. When the time comes, Urza will be ready.
"Looks like it has come down to this: ", Mahjik says, a look of grim determination on his face. He locks his eyes with Lorenz in the time-honored way of he-who-blinks-first-loses.
Lorenz turns to Mahjik, his blue eyes narrowed into a squint in a poor effort at ferocity that's spoiled by his wide grin. "Wise man's words won't protect you now!" He says, giggling. Then he leaps forward in an attempt to trip Mahjik.
Unfortunately, Mahjik skillfully steps to the side at the last second and Lorenz plows directly into Douena instead, who had been waiting to take advantage of the sell-sword's clumsiness.
As the day draws to a close, you all return wearily to the camp, where Jask has the evening's meal already prepared for you, selected from the mound that Makoa has brought back, which included monkeys, lizards, and birds. You all dig in hungrily.
"Since we have so much food, do you want to come with us exploring tomorrow, Sasha? Or do you have to stay behind and watch your egg?" Douena uses her newfound quickness to try to snatch a bite of food from Gelik's share.
Gelik glares at Douena. Then he suddenly grins and casts a spell. With a slight wave of his hand, all of Douena's food lifts off her plate and floats over to his plate.
Sasha shrugs. "I could, I suppose. However, as much as this food looks like a lot, with a group our size, we'll get through it pretty fast. Somebody should keep hunting so that the supply is constantly restocked. Besides, I don't want to take my egg with us and put it in danger, and I don't trust Gelik to look after it...for..." She trails off as she watches Douena's food lift through the air seemingly of its own accord. Then she laughs.
Gelik is so smug watching Douena's expression that he doesn't notice the newly arrived food not really settling on his plate. When he tries to grab some he finds it absent. Everybody seems to be enjoying their food - good cooking there Jask! - Mahjik certainly is enjoying his helping, his expression of delight not that much different from his usual grins.
Hiding a smirk at Gelik's bewilderment , Douena gazes across the camp at Lorenz. "Maybe we should have less food. It's too quiet around here when Lorenz has his mouth full."
"But that's my plan! I can't let Gelik be out-shined just yet! He keeps himself clean with that bit of magic he's got, so he must be respected!"
Makoa can only keep his face blank for so long before he smiles and goes back to eating.
"Make fun all you want," Gelik says, "but it's true." He adjusts his hat then goes back to eating, only to discover his food is gone. He looks around, trying to figure out who took it. He looks quite annoyed for a moment, then bursts out laughing. "Very impressive whoever you are. Very impressive indeed!"
When dusk approaches, Douena noticeably moves her sleeping space to the far-western side of the camp, as far as she can get from the place the monkey was found.
As the evening sneaks upon the camp, Mahjik settles down with Jask - his antics from earlier still fresh on his mind. "Wise woman once said, that a family can be many things, as long as they can laugh together and support each other. I'm not sure if I fully comprehend her lesson yet, but today feels like the kind of day she would have enjoyed. But you, Jask, have been quiet. I hope this is only you conserving your energy and resting. Don't let our fun allow you to be neglected." Mahjik smiles as he converses with Jask while he attends to his illness. Taking his time to do the little things that Jask has trouble to do himself in stemming the body's defenses against the sickness.
Lorenz watches the trickery of the food with his face rapidly reddening as he attempts to keep from laughing out loud and spraying food all over the place. When Douena comments on his quiet, he start coughing and choking, forcing the food down his throat and grasping desperately for his waterskin to wash it down.
As the evening sneaks upon the camp, Mahjik settles down with Jask - his antics from earlier still fresh on his mind. "Wise woman once said, that a family can be many things, as long as they can laugh together and support each other. I'm not sure if I fully comprehend her lesson yet, but today feels like the kind of day she would have enjoyed. But you, Jask, have been quiet. I hope this is only you conserving your energy and resting. Don't let our fun allow you to be neglected." Mahjik smiles as he converses with Jask while he attends to his illness. Taking his time to do the little things that Jask has trouble to do himself in stemming the body's defenses against the sickness. 10 + 3 + 2
Jask smiles. "Don't worry, Mahjik. My quietness is, as you say, because I am trying to rest as much as I can and not exert much. The better for recovery. I am also using the time to contemplate and to pray. I am trying to make sense of what few clues we have regarding the events that have happened around us. With Nethys's help, perhaps I will eventually reach a conclusion. But do not worry, I do not feel neglected. Not in the slightest. Thank you for your help."
During her watch, Douena hunches up defensively next to the reassuring bulk of Makoa, her eyes darting around the fringe of jungle that surrounds the campsite but returning again and again to the area where the dead monkey was found. "I hope we can find a good place for a new camp tomorrow. I don't like thinking that whatever-it-was knows right where to find us. Do you think we'll see it if it comes back? Mahjik and Ishirou didn't see it or they would have woke us all up, but in my dream, I saw its glowy eyes just as plain as can be." She looks up at the half-orc shamefacedly. "I know you think I'm not very brave, but it reminds me of nightmares I used to have when I was little -- some awful something out there in the darkness that I can't get away from. I don't think I'd be so scared if I knew what it looked like."
"I've learned two things about people's fears. They don't like what they don't understand, and they don't like it when they can't see. People thought there was a werewolf in the forest when rumors about me spread into town. They calmed down when they learned I couldn't change shape. Still didn't like the way my eyes shined at night, or the eyes of my pack."
"I don't think less of you at all Douena. Courage doesn't mean you have no fear, it means your willing to face it."
He continues to stare intensely at something across the fire, and continues to as he whispers to her.
"For instance, I'm having a staring contest with the Alpha from my pack, and I'm scared to end it. I know he's not there, but that doesn't mean I'm brave enough to look away."
"So, Aerys, another day. How are you doing?" Urza asks her while they are on watch.
Douena smiles and leans her head against Makoa's well-muscled arm. "I'm glad I'm on watch with you and not Gelik. I suppose there are places in this world where it's a good thing to be clean, but he's landed in a poor place for his style of earning respect. I don't think there's anything on this island that's going to be impressed by tidiness."
"So, Aerys, another day. How are you doing?" Urza asks her while they are on watch.
Aerys shrugs. "Dying for a drink. But better. Much better. I think I'm starting to feel almost...well...normal." She smiles.
Makoa looks at Douena and returns the smile, before he he remembers the apparition and quickly looks back up.
"Where'd he go?"" He says as he looks around, trying to find the phantom lupine.
"I think the tidiness is a way to deal with something. Some people are like that. Even me. I used to look out a window every night, watching the moon, just because it reminded me of the forest."
Douena thinks about what Makoa has said for a moment. "So you think Gelik keeps himself so tidy because it reminds him of someplace -- a city probably -- where he was respected. It's a way of keeping in touch with something important to him, something that he's lost."
Douena smiles and leans her head against Makoa's well-muscled arm. "I'm glad I'm on watch with you and not Gelik. I suppose there are places in this world where it's a good thing to be clean, but he's landed in a poor place for his style of earning respect. I don't think there's anything on this island that's going to be impressed by tidiness."
"Wise man looks to all when seeking answers. And I think you, Ishirou-san, are likely to be the most experienced of our group. If you have a theory or insight on this issue with the dead monkey... I very much would like to hear it."
"Nothing that has not already been said," Ishirou says. His head turns slowly as he scans across the clearing. "Something watches us. The monkey was a warning that we have entered its territory." He stares out towards the cliff edge. "We must be vigilant."
When she is roused in the morning by the last watch, Douena rolls over, then suddenly sits bolt upright. "Well, that was odd," she says.
Sasha, still lying down, looks over at Douena. "What was odd? Another dream?" She rubs her eyes and sits up.
Douena smiles over at Sasha. "No dreams at all. Whatever that thing was, it must not have come back last night."
At first Lorenz is extra alert, often crossing toward where the monkey had been found earlier that morning, staring up at the sky, looking amongst the trees for large, glowing red eyes and jumping at every sound.
After a while, however, he relaxes and strolls over to where Sasha is keeping watch. "I want to thank you for your lessons today. I found it very instructive. It's so wonderful to be able to learn and improve from our experiences and I just wish there was some way that I could give back. If there's anything I might be able to teach you, I'd be happy to offer it. Or, you know, if I can return the favor in some other way sometime, I'd be glad to. Anyway, thanks. You were a marvelous instructor."
"Thank you!" Sasha says with a wide grin. "I'm glad you liked how it went. I was really kind of nervous about the whole situation. It's not something I've ever done before." She gazes over to her egg and points to it. "As for paying me back, I was already paying you back for helping me get that, so you don't need to pay me back. However, if you really want to, then just help see to it that we get off this island. That'll be payback enough."
"Well, that's a relief," Sasha says to Douena. "Maybe whatever it is has decided to back off since we weren't frightened away." She shrugs. "Maybe."
"What are we going to look for today?" Douena asks. "Jask's shipwreck or Ishirou's treasure?"
"Wise man would not get ahead of himself. We've only just settled in here - let us explore first. Should we first go along the west again? That way we have a definite destination again and can make sure that we're not missing out on anything as we make our way along the island."
Jask begins serving breakfast, consisting of some berries and left-overs from last night's dinner. "I agree with Mahjik," he says. "The shipwreck and treasure should take second place to learning as much about this island so that we can find a way off. Of course, if you should come across either of them while you explore, that's different. Also, don't forget there's still the mystery of Ieana and the captain." With breakfast served, he sits back and begins to eat his own.
Aakif nods along with Jask and Mahjik. "I agree. We need to check the area near the camp for potential dangers before we start looking for anything specific."
"Well, you can't expect every night to have dreams, now can you?"
"Whatever we do choose to do, we need to keep a careful watch on the trees. Whatever left us that monkey didn't walk on the ground. Everyone needs to be very watchful until we know the danger has past."
Makoa stands and stretches after he finishes eating, something he hasn't done since he woke up on the beach.
Douena visibly deflates and kicks at the undergrowth. "But we know what's that way: a flappybite nest and a high cliff we can't get down to the beach by. It's boring exploring where we've already been." She stops and considers. "On the other hand, if we go back by the flappybite nest, Urza can try to get one for dinner again. That could be fun."
"Well, we should be able to do two things in one: we have a fair idea of where to go, what to expect and the distance involved - so I suspect it will not occupy our whole day. In other words we might be able to combine the exploration with a hunting element; Sasha could come with us, today at least. Or does one of the others maybe feel like stretching their legs with us?"
Sasha leans forward. "That sounds interesting, although are you sure it wouldn't slow you down?"
Douena heaves a deep sigh as she gazes out at the breath-taking view which has, nonetheless, already started to grow stale for her. "We don't want to get rescued before we even have a chance to explore the whole island. Think of all the things we might miss out on seeing!"
Lorenz looks up from where he'd been staring into space. "I agree with Douena. I have no desire to retrace old ground. We should explore the unknown!"
He stands and stretches, reaching for his armor and weapons. "I think we should continue following the shoreline, keeping our eyes open for ships, but in the direction we haven't yet gone."
Sasha's face brightens and she speaks excitedly, "I have an idea! We can see from here that the cliff moves away from the beach to the south. So, if you go along the coastline, I could come along and instead of hunting, which might slow you down, I could fish when we stop to rest for the hot hours!"
"And fishing is something we can all do easily, so we could bring back plenty of fish." He stops and thinks for a moment. "We may want to cook them at the coast though, so the smell of dead fish in the hot sun doesn't attract unwanted attention. Probably wouldn't smell too good either."
"Well then, why not. Shall we go out explore then?"
"Sounds like a good plan to me."