the ISLE

Yang Bergaris Satu

“Jack! Deug zoj na! U chemmog qaal il!” (Wait for me! I cannot keep up!)

They had been traveling for several days now, and her body was still not up for such arduous activity. Her limbs were weak, the muscles in her legs shook badly, and she was hot and achy. She needed rest. Lantern turned at her call, his face creased in concern. This was the third time they had to stop today. He was worried that their pace, although slow, was too hard on her.

“Are you okay Nuri?”

“Nuri stop," she panted, sinking to the ground. Sweat glistened on her face and neck like small diamond droplets. He could see the trembling in her hands as she unstrapped her pack and tossed it aside. There would be no persuading her to keep going for a few minutes. Glancing around, he decided it would do them both good to catch their breath.

“We can rest for a while. Here,” unslinging a water pouch, he held it out. “Maybe you should drink something.”

She accepted it eagerly from him, and Jack watched as she gratefully took long swallows.

“Tank...th...thank oou, Jack.” Smiling, Nuri handed back the pouch, careful not to meet his eyes or touch him.

“You’re welcome.”

Choosing the view from a large boulder that gave him access to the surrounding area, he drank from the pouch, studying the terrain. He was always on alert, keeping a sharp eye on what was going on around them. Though she had not known him long, this strange man was gaining her trust. There was bold confidence in him, a sure gleam in his eyes. The finality of his decisions lent her faith in them, and his physical prowess gave her hope of safety and security. Though nothing like the men of her people, his actions spoke louder than any communication gaps could.

Lying back in the thick carpet of grass, Nuri was grateful Jack did not drive her to keep up a fast pace. She had not felt well since the birth of her dead son. The warm sun felt so good on her face that she closed her eyes soaking it in. Her mind turned to the words of his language, the process of learning them like stumbling over the twisted and jutting roots in the jungle. When he spoke, his words often ran together, almost indistinguishable. At first, she had trouble identifying individual sounds. Therefore, Jack had taken to pointing out everything they passed on their trek, giving her the ‘English’ word for it. Soon she was able to repeat it back correctly, and learning came easier.

The first word after Jack had been stop. That meant ‘gol’ or do not move, wait or halt. It was multifunctional so he had decided it was the best first word for her. She smiled when she thought of him trying to teach her his language. His eyes were so expressive, conveying hope, joy, praise, and frustration. They were the most unusual color, like nothing she had ever seen before…the color of the sky, richly blue but yet dark like thunderclouds. She liked to look at them but was careful that he did not notice, for it would be inappropriate as she was not his mate.

“Nuri?”

She was snapped back to present at the sound of her name and pushed up to one elbow.

“Nuri, we need to keep moving. It’s probably not safe to stay here too long.”

Lantern had approached and was holding out his hand to help her to her feet. She knew he wanted to keep going. Groaning within herself, she allowed him to take her hand and Lantern gently pulled her upright. Her skin twitched at the contact, but her muscles were weak and she was exhausted.

“Come on. I think we can reach a place to camp by nightfall, but we have to keep moving.”

Not understanding all that he said, but getting the gist of it, Nuri nodded and tugged the pack onto her shoulders. It was heavy, and her muscles ached immediately.