the ISLE

Strange Beginning

Working together, they picked up the small campsite, buried the fire, and covered the coals with sand. Should anyone come looking, the pair would not be so easy to find, something both were eager to achieve. Jack could see his companion was already tired, her skin pale, so he gently motioned her toward the cave, hoping it was non-threatening. Her expression didn't change, but she staunchly refused to go first, keeping her eyes turned away until he went first then she fell in step behind.

Inside, she looked around the space first, then chose the left side, digging a small bed in the sand up against the wall. Laying down, she glanced in his direction, conveying something like 'stay on your side'. Obligingly, Lantern chose opposite her but slightly closer to the entrance. Just in case they received unexpected guests. Thrusting his knife into the sand, he lay down, his hand comfortably around the hilt, his body ready. Just in case.

In the dim light of the cave, they lay silent, each with their own thoughts and worries. Lantern could not guess what she was thinking, but he knew well his concerns. His new companion was heavy with child, painfully thin, and weak. It would be up to him to keep her safe so long as she needed him. Though he knew little of such things, Jack assumed the time of birth was not far off, which brought into sharp focus another question. Who was the father, and where was he?

Watching until she fell asleep, the sounds of her deep even breaths were a comfort to him after so long on his own. Yet, that too made his existence harder, for she was a life to provide for, to protect, and he'd lost so many not that long ago. That line of thinking turned his mood sour, so he shifted a little to see outside the rocky passage. Clouds were gathering, and rain would soon wipe away whatever traces they had left behind of their presence. If they could make it to sunset each night, perhaps they could buy themselves more time.

When the rain did start Lantern was still awake. A small gasp from his new cave mate drew his attention back from the outside. She was dreaming, her eyes squeezed shut, mouth twisted in a grimace. With short gasps, throwing her head back, a soft guttural cry came from her throat. Deep in the distress of some nightmare, her facial muscles twitched with desperation as her fingers clenched hard.

Hoping the sounds of the rain would mask her cries Jack left his post slowly approaching to rest a hand lightly on her shoulder. She shuddered and pulled away without waking. Soft keening replaced her cries, tears slipping from behind her closed eyelids. Lantern was at a loss as to how to comfort her, but he felt such pity for this poor creature that he could not leave. Settling in, he lifted her head onto his lap, a hand soothingly stroking her hair. In time, she settled down and the weeping stopped, replaced with whispers of sound.

"U en mog chijhaw..."

"It's all right," he murmured. "You're safe."

"Lpaeha..."

Unable to think of anything else to do, Jack continued to stroke her hair until she fell back into a deep sleep. Her words had been soft, with little fluctuation. Perhaps it was because she was sleeping, but she almost swallowed some of the sounds, as if unwilling to enunciate. Whatever language it was, it made no sense, with nothing familiar about it. He stayed where he was until his neck and shoulders began to ache, then gently eased her back to the sand. Brushing a strand of hair from her cheek, he smiled sadly.

"Sleep well."

When morning broke her eyes gradually blinked open. Knowing she'd had a nightmare and still tasting the bitterness of tears in her mouth, she slowly sat up. It was then she noticed the deep impression in the sand next to her. Fingertips lightly tracing the ripples she frowned, looking toward the strange man she had attached herself to. A question formed in her mind. Had it been his voice she had heard in her dreams? It was hard to remember.