The Shipwrecked Island by Joey Smith.

The Shipwrecked Island by Joey Smith.

Part One: The Island.

Edith lived alone on the large island in the middle of the sea. In fact, Edith has lived here most of her life. When she was around thirteen, she was on a ship with rare artifacts heading to the Other World. The ship, however, was caught in a horrible storm caused by the sea gods. The ship crashed on this island, so far away from civilization. Edith and an older woman named Ivy were the only survivors. The ship's valuable cargo disappeared, never to be seen again. For seven years, the two lived on the island. Ivy taught Edith how to hunt for food, hide from predators, and many other things. Weird creatures and deities roamed on the island. Ivy and Edith would hunt deer with wings called Alatus. But the two hid from terrifying creatures that lived on the island. Unfortunately, Ivy died from a disease brought by the Alatus. Edith mourned Ivy's death for years. Edith had tried multiple times to leave the island, but in the end failed. The storms that were in the sea were so strong and violent, especially during the summer months. Now thirty six years later, Edith still lived here, on the island.

Every single day, Edith would wake up, wash herself in the warm springs, and hunt for food. After spending so many years on the island, Edith knew every nook and cranny and hiding space here. The only part of the island Edith would never go to was the Northern shore. Not only that's where the ship crashed all those years ago, but also the Northern Shore is where the terrifying beasts of the island lived. Some of those terrifying beasts were Azures: dark blue and gray humanoid creatures that had tongues five feet long and webbed feet for swimming. Edith had never spoken to anyone but her parents and Ivy, but that was years ago.

One cool early Autumn morning, Edith was out hunting. She trekked along the Eastern side of the island, looking for Alatus. She held the bow and arrows that she had carved and made herself. She crept through the tall grass and cattails, silently hoping to spot an Alatus. Then, she heard a twig snap behind her. Edith slowly turned and saw a tall Alatus grazing in the swaying tall grass. Based on its size and huge three foot tall antlers, it was a buck. Edith took a deep breath and pointed the arrow at the prey. She squinted as she put the arrow in the bow. She pulled the arrow back, the wood bow creaking. Then, as she was about to launch the arrow, a loud boom shook the ground. Edith gasped as the buck whined and ran off. Edith groaned in annoyance and chased after the Alatus.

The Alatus was a fast creature. It darted over creeks and raced through the tall grass. Edith ran after it. Male Alatus were rare to find, and Edith didn't want one to go to waste. The Eastern shore laid on the other side of the tall grass. Edith raced after the beast, her wild heart pounding. Though the Alatus creatures have wings, they only show them as a display for mating. Edith sprang out of the tall swaying grass and onto the sandy Eastern shore. The Alatus ran along the shore, sand flying in the air. Edith raced after him as she grabbed an iron knife from her pocket. Edith grunted as she threw the knife at the buck. The knife hit the buck's right side in an instant. The buck screeched in pain as it stumbled to the ground. Edith approached the beast, ready to finish him off. But another boom shook the ground. Edith gasped as more booms could be heard. She looked ahead and gasped in shock. A ship–a random ship, crashed into the Eastern shore. Pieces and huge parts of the ship fell onto the shore, that must have been making the booming noises. The ship was a glossy maroon and gold. The flag on the center of the ship fell into the waves, swallowed up by the earth. Edith stared at the sight. She hadn't seen a ship in years, let alone a dazzling one. The Alatus grunted as it managed to get up and run away. Edith didn't even notice the beast run, she was too focused on the crashed ship. Then she saw a person crawl out of the wreck. Edith tensed at what she saw. She hadn't seen another human in over thirty years. The person was a male, maybe around the age of forty? The person looked up towards Edith from across the shore. The two held eye contact. Edith grabbed a longer knife from her left pocket. Edith viewed any outsiders as threats. The man staggered up and started to approach Edith. Edith panicked, she didn't know what to do.