Silver Waves

One

Nami arched her back, groaning as the bones along her spine cracked and popped, releasing the tension of her day. It had been spent hard at work, hunting for the Tribe, and lugging back the huge carcasses of her kills. Finally, the slowly descending twilight had signaled the end of the Tribe's working hours, and Nami turned to watch the sun sink below the mountains on the western side of the island, giving the soaring peaks temporary golden halos.

Many of the other Tribesfolk had already retired to their huts, tired from the day's labor in the humid, jungle heat. Nami was ready to turn in as well, after her ritual of watching the sunset concluded. As the great, fiery home of the sun god, Zua, kissed the horizon, she shook her long brown tresses out of the tight bun atop her head, sliding her hands through the locks to massage her sore scalp.

The Tribe all had dark hair, ranging from brown to black, though Nami's was a somewhat unusual blend of chocolate coloring with copper highlights, brought out by the sun. It curled heavily down her back, ending just above her tailbone, much longer than many Hunters let it grow.

Shaking her head to further loosen her curls, Nami breathed a contented sigh, and smiled at one of the Mothers, Inana, as she tugged her sleepy young daughter into the Children's hut.

Nami stepped toward her own hut, shared with the unwed girls of the Tribe, but just before she reached the dwelling, she was distracted by the sound of foliage rustling to her right, a subtle whisper of shifting leaves at the beginning of the island's jungle, just outside the boundary fence of the Tribe. She whipped her head toward the sound and glimpsed moon-pale skin, the bare legs of some islander, who was quickly swallowed by darkness as they disappeared into the shadows of the wood.

Curious as to who would be out at this late hour, breaking the strictly enforced curfew of the village, Nami glanced around, and, seeing no one watching, entered the jungle just as the moon began to rise, slipping through the trees as quietly as a mouse, following the snaps and rustles of the stranger ahead of her.

She had made the decision to follow the figure mostly out of curiosity, and hadn't given the choice a second thought. Now, though, standing under the towering, lightless trees, her bare feet sinking into the soft grass and leaf-mold of the forest floor, she began to feel apprehensive. The jungle was wild, home to the huge cats that the Tribe feared, venomous snakes and poisonous amphibians, gargantuan spiders, and all manner of animals that lurked in the dark. Even some of the flora was deadly, their spines or leaves or petals coated in toxins that could bring down a grown man with one touch. Nami was one of the Tribe's hunters, and knew her way around the jungle and its hazards from careful training, but even she didn't wish to tangle with the creatures of the night-cloaked wood.

She shook herself, wanting to think logically. She could go back to the village, but whoever was in the jungle ahead of her was as alone as she was, and they could get hurt. Nami weighed her options. Sneak past the sentries and go back to the Tribe, she thought, or follow the person through the jungle, ready to help if they need it and bring them back safely. I could get in real trouble for this... but what if it's one of the kids trying to explore? They could get lost, or worse...

At the thought of one of the Tribe's children alone and injured, she made up her mind and began to move, ears perked for the abnormal din of a human wandering the forest. One of the jungle's resident animals would slip through the darkness in silence, and it was easy to pick up the noisy trail of a Tribesperson. As she moved through the thick forest, up the gentle slope of the base of the mountain, following the mystery figure, she realized she was making her way towards the closest cliff to the village, the Mistrock, from which a waterfall supplied the Tribe with fresh water.