Stranded Love

You Can't Succeed If You Don't Try

DAY THREE

Kiara strikes at the rock in her left hand with another one in her right. She's attempting to smash the rock into a thin shard that she can use as the blade for her makeshift spear. Cleo has already gathered heaps of dried bark strips that can be utilised as rope to attach the shard to the perfect stick that JJ found for a spear shaft.

As she sits alone on the plateau above their camp, the wind making her hair flap, Kiara questions whether she actually has it in her to kill an animal. She's not vegan or anything, but she advocates heavily for the environment and she feels as though she would be going against it by killing. But she has to remind herself that this is the way it is. She cannot live off berries and bananas forever. Her body needs protein and this will be the only way to get it.

The force of her hits finally pay off when a thin and pointed stone shard falls onto the grass at her bare feet. Kiara smiles at this. She picks it up and runs her fingers along the smooth edge. Satisfied, she grasps the spear shaft resting by her thigh and a long strand of dried bark draped over her knee. In a continuous rhythm, the Carrera girl winds the strand atop the base of the shard and around the tip of the stick, tying them both together. She knots the bark and wiggles the stone blade with her fingers. It's loose. Deeming it too unsturdy, Kiara adds another strip to make the bond tighter. Last thing she would want is the shard to come loose when she's about to spear a fish.

The spear is light in her hands as she wields it. She throws it up, thrusts it forward and spins it around. The weight of the weapon is something she doesn't know how to feel about.

"Survival 101 with Kiara Carrera: How to make a spear," JJ's voice rises from behind her.     She doesn't miss the pride in his words. "Remind me not to make a sexist comment."

Kiara scoffs, narrowing her eyes at him. "You know better than to do that anyway."

"If I want to live, yes." JJ twirls his own spear in front of him. It looks just about the same as hers. His face lights up with excitement. "Come on, let's get some supper."

Kiara steps forward a singular, tentative step and then falters before stopping entirely. She swallows thickly and shakes her head as JJ begins to walk away from her. "I don't know if I can do it, J," Kiara hesitates, uncertainty marking the many creases in her expression.

JJ hears the disquietude in her voice and he turns to face her, gaze soft. He approaches her. "Hey, it's okay. If you don't want to do this then that's fine," he reassures her honestly. "You can just watch or join Sarah in making bowls out of finished coconuts."

Kiara appreciates his understanding and considers the offer to join Sarah. She's already spent most of her day weaving leaves together with the Cameron girl and she kinda wants to do something other than sit by the fire and craft stuff. So she accepts JJ's offer to just watch him hunt.

"This way." The blond exaggeratedly gestures for her to follow him towards the beach neighbouring their camp. He's happy she decided to come with him.

JJ has this golden smile on his face which expresses how truly happy he is. The Outer Banks offered him nothing but reminders of how he was beaten and how he's viewed as nothing more than a thief and a liar. But Poguelandia is where he can thrive with his best friends, where he has no obligations but to hunt for food and ensure the fire is always burning.

The pair scale down the rocky terrain together, careful with their footing because the last thing they would want is to break an ankle. JJ extends his hand out for Kiara to take and she does, grateful for the added stability whilst traversing this new landscape.

The beach boasts more boulders, both big and small, and less sand than the one they've settled on. There's patches of yellow grass or moss in between the dotted field of rocks. JJ guides her over to the flatter sand landing where there's no rocks and mostly shallow water. Kiara can tell that this rockier beach is perfect for sealife to hide in, making it an ideal spot for hunting.