Savages

Chapter Two- Thought to be Alone

Margaret took a piece of loose lace from her chest before placing it on her swollen ankle as Beth looked through the jungle for food. Placing the final knot towards the mid-section of her calf, she felt as if she had been being watched and turned quickly.

"I hope you find food quickly...I fear my mental state is deteriorating quickly..." She spoke aloud before moving to her foot and seeing she could walk, just followed by pain. Margaret placed her weight on a tree on the edge of the jungle line before seeing the figure of a person. Upon seeing her, the figure moved quickly through the jungle and moved passed the leaves on the ground before she followed it. Struggling to keep up with her wound, she found herself in the middle of the jungle covered by overhead branches that covered her in darkness from the sun.

She turned to attempt a way back but found a cougar to be challenging her from across the way. Moving stealthily through the trees, she looked around for an escape route and found only a small tree stump to give her any chance to survive. She ran towards it before finding air between her toes aside from the ground. Thoughts of death and the feeling of floating, she thought she may have reached heaven. But upon opening her eyes, she found she was in the arms of someone. She went to scream before his mouth went over hers. In one arm, he held her close before showing a spear in his other hand. She kept still, knowing the danger the animal now caused before he threw it and it yelped, falling to the ground and letting out it final breaths.

Margaret was unsure how to address her cryptic savior-if that is what he had been. The man she looked at looked as if he had never known of a newspaper or a suit. He wore a cloth covering his waist to right above his knees and nothing else. Some form of tattoo was placed upon his shoulder that was written in a language foreign to her. His skin was dark-almost as if he was constantly in the sun-which was expected as he lived in the jungle. But his eyes made her freeze as they were similar to that of a threatening animal. Gray with a hint of green as the sun hit them, they hypnotized her as his broad arms carried her back to the ground as he moved down the branches that surprisingly held him.

"Who are you?"

He remained quiet as he acted as if he had not heard her words. He moved towards the animal before removing the spear and using the sharp end to gut the animal as she gasped. The sound startled him as he looked back to her with wide eyes-almost as if he was angry for her surprise. He quickly resumed his gutting the animal before turning back to her, offering her a piece of the meat before she shook her head, trying to hide her disgust. Before she could speak, he was moving through the jungle, following him through uncharted territory-making it impossible for her to focus on direction. She spoke of her first encounter with him-as he saw her bathe, and how she found it improper as well as impolite as her glare met with him as he turned suddenly, breathing like a bull in her direction.

"What is your name?" She asked as he turned away from her.

"Agrios." He said as he pointed to his heart. His palm then moved to her chest as it was placed over her heart. Awaiting her name, she found her pulse to race as he touched her.

"Margaret."

He repeated her name, making her feel nearly safe to his rough touch. She saw how his hands were scarred from years of fighting for survival.

"How long have you been here Agrios?"

He did not respond as she then believed he had not known any English. But he had to have gotten to the island in some way. Agrios moved apart some long hanging branches before showing his residence. Made from pieces of a boat, it showed an old bed used now worn down and cut with holes, even a blood stain near the feet covered loosely with an old sheet. Maps hung inside his shelter in what appeared to be mimicked photographs as he had drawn on the empty sections with drawings of animals and objects such as food and even a sunrise.

She moved her fingers along the objects before coming across a dress. A long red gown that appeared tight in the bodice and scandalous for the Victorian era. Placing it up to her, she found it was nearly her size-maybe one too big.

"Mother's." He spoke low as she caught the word as he saw on his bed, leaning against the back of the makeshift wall with his legs crossed and pressed up against his chest, his arms hanging over his knees.

"Is she here?"

He shook his head as she placed the dress back over the hanging mirror without glass.

"How long have you been here?" She went to sit by him and noticed how his gaze was large to her close proximity-almost as if he was scared of her, or intrigued-possibly both. She asked again, now with her gaze on the rest of his camp as she saw food in an old piece of armor upon the ground. "How old are you?"

The man moved from his spot before moving behind the "tent" and giving her a book.

"A dictionary?" She read it aloud as he nodded.

"I am...trying to understand....to teach..." He pointed at himself.

"You are doing fairly well. Do you want help?"

He nodded.

"Can you understand me?"

He nodded again.

"But you cannot speak it?"

"Not...well..." He said with his deep voice speaking nervously at her, with his gaze on her hands.

"Can you count?" He looked confused.

"One...two...three?"

He nodded. "Can you tell me by counting how many years you have been here? Or how old you are? What year you came here?"

He hesitated before moving back to his feet and handing her a photograph. In it, was a small boy standing betwixt an older gentleman and a beautiful woman whose gaze was looking off the photograph.

"Is this you?"

He nodded. On his fingers, he held up seven before pointing at him.

"Was this close to the time you came here?"

He nodded.

"I was..." He lifted up his fingers.

"Seven? How tragic..."

"Tragic?"

"Sad...and..possibly preventable..." Although it ached in her stomach to ask, she felt she had to know. "Were you brought here on a ship?"

He looked at her as if she had read his mind.

"You know?"

"I was too. But large waves hurt us. Tore the ship apart, now into strips of metals. The captain and his men were killed..."

"The animals...they smell...the blood..."

"I never thought of it..." She confessed as she suddenly felt his hand on her foot as her breathing increased.

"Hurt?" He asked as she nodded, wincing at his touch. Agrios was careful with her foot before placing it on a rolled up blanket, in use of a pillow as it was obvious he was without one. He showed for her to rest by leaning against the wall of the tent as she nodded and he moved across the camp. He returned with some long strip of plant before moving towards her. Placing her foot across his lap slowly, he removed the lace she had in place to cover her wound before setting it beside it. Taking the long strip of plant, he wrapped it around her foot and applied pressure as he then used small strips of rope before tying it on.

"It is like shoe." She smirked before pulling the book from beside her and he looked to her with confusion.

"I can teach you...if you like...what things are..."

He nodded.

"Great thanks...Margaret..." He spoke her name in separate syllables, something she found sweet as she did as promised and helped him, not realizing how comfortable she was with the newly discovered savage.