Academy Island

Runaway

The startle his dry voice gave me ran it's course through my backbone before I was able to calm it to a nice steady prickle. He was right behind me, Mr. Triggerfinger himself. How he had snuck up on me so quietly without me noticing was disturbing. I'd have to be more aware when I was out here, tuck my emotions away so they wouldn't distract me. If I was going to live that is. I kept my hold on my stick, using it to help me balance. I wouldn't allow myself even a small cry of pain to betray my stinging feet, my back a lie, straight and stiff, stick at the ready. I didn't dare look back to see what he looked like, afraid to show how vulnerable I was by letting him see my face. He'd been scary enough, big and hulking in the dark. There were already many reasons to steer clear of the men's camp chalked up. I didn't need another one, I'd been convinced as it was that I needed to find my own way of surviving my mess in this godforsaken place, even if it meant I died in a flurry of tearing teeth and claws.

"It's dangerous out here. Come back to camp before you get hurt."

All thoughts of returning to the camp to apologize flew away with the irony of his words. I almost laughed, but settled for clicking my tongue at him and climbing over the log in the opposite direction from the camp, my irritation wonderfully helpful in keeping my inward cries of pain silent. I growled through each step instead, hoping it helped achieve the 'leave me alone, go away' vibe I was trying for. The stick was helpful too, helping keep some of my weight off my worst foot when I used it like a staff. Light began filtering down, predawn etching out gray details in the mesh of plants. It was enough to make my way more confidently through the natural paths I was becoming more familiar with. I had made it quite a ways before he sighed behind me, as exasperated with me leaving as I was with him following me.

"I'll just keep following you to make sure you're safe. Give up and come back to camp."

I refused to answer him. I would climb the outer slope on the north side of the volcano so I could look around from above when daylight revealed the terrain and decide where I wanted to go from there. After that, I would lick condensation on the plants until I found water, and then learn how to fish somehow...

"Are you even listening to me?"

No. No I wasn't. I had the makings of a plan, and it didn't include getting shot at again. He grumbled behind me as the ground became steeper, leading up to the volcano's rocky base where less plant life grew. I plowed on ahead. Maybe if the going was tougher, he would give up and head back to his friends. He growled, sounding annoyed. Good. Give up now and let me go on my miserable way.

"This is seriously childish. The jungle is dangerous."

Phht. "You men are dangerous."

I bit at my lip against my slip and stared resolutely ahead as I limped and slammed the end of my stick into the ground unnecessarily hard to help myself along. I hadn't meant to give him even the time of day. He blew out an exasperated breath that almost sounded relieved, for what I don't know. I was furious with him. I wanted him to go away and leave me to my limping, licking my wounds in privacy. His footsteps sped up, closing the distance between us and I spun, crouching and holding my stick up as threateningly as I could manage.

He was an unshaven, tanned, wolf of a man with a scowl and the glint of gold in his ear, every bit as large and looming and dark as he'd been in that hut, with that cursed gun slung across the back of his shoulders. He stopped, holding his hand up in surrender. What I didn't expect was the other man just a few yards behind him, silently following us both and coming to a fluid halt when his silver eyes met mine. This must be the other man that had been outside the door. He wore dark gray slacks and a white button up shirt left open at the collar, rolled up at the sleeves. Surprisingly neat and clean except for the shadow of a beard on his chiseled face. My first impression of him was that he looked more like he belonged in a board room, making killer business deals than he did in this unrestrained kingdom.

Well this was great. A wolf and a shark were on my tail, or at least that's what it felt like to me. Tigers aside, mother's warnings seemed more and more true the more interactions I had with this group. I faced them both head on and grounded my feet solidly on the crunchy pumice, either to make a stand or to launch into a run, whatever was needful. Mr. Shark came up behind wolfy man and they shared a glance before they both turned their alarming attention back on me. Wolf man flitted his dark eyes up the slope I was ascending briefly, dropping them back to mine with one dark eyebrow lifted.

"You're never going to make it to the top."

I cocked an eyebrow back at him at that. I hadn't meant to climb the volcano behind me to it's peak this time, but his assuming that I couldn't when I already had jabbed against my last nerve.

"I'll be fine. Better than with all of you shooting and possibly killing me anyway." I barked.

That seemed to piss him off. He scoffed and lifted the gun off his shoulders, throwing it to his companion. There was only a second to note the way it was deftly thrown and caught before Mr. Shark leveled the weapon at Wolfy man's clenched middle. My eyes widened at the two staring at each other, one in determination and the other in cool confidence. They couldn't be serious.

Sudden gunfire reassured me they were. I gasped, horrified there would be blood any second now. Wolf man nodded in thanks to the man that had just shot him in cold blood and lifted his shirt up so I could see his wound. I gaped at the skin he'd revealed for a moment before it kicked in that his stomach was clean, only pocks of red here and there along the line of his abs to show for the abuse. He let his shirt down again and I gaped up at him, confused.

"It's rock salt. We scare rats and snakes with it, but it doesn't kill or maim. Well, it'd probably kill a bug. That's it. You're not in danger. So stop being so..."

He took another step towards me and I shifted a foot back, every muscle alert. The wind blowing a wisp of my hair over the right side of my cheek had me swinging my staff from him and pointing it at a sparse group of palms twenty yards off just behind me. I could just catch his palmy coconut scent, and the hint of all the mango he'd probably indulged in last night.

"Don't you dare try to cut me off Luke!"

His contrite face appeared around a palm trunk he'd been hiding behind, just a little off from where I'd thought he was. He looked to the two stalkers and shook his head.

"I told you it wouldn't work Mr. Blackbourne."

I looked back into the eyes of the gray eyed man and flinched at the cool appraisal he was giving me. Even his name sounded ominous. These guys were scarier than I thought, with or without the guns. It made me paranoid of every sound I heard, trying to determine if the others were surrounding me somehow. The one that reminded me of a shark, Mr. Blackbourne, put his hand up and waved forward, bringing three of them, Kota, Nathan, and Victor from their cover behind the two, appearing from behind the plants and trunks like ghosts emerging from the jungle. I choked, my whole frame shaking as they all walked up behind the two that had followed me, their eyes all the same shade of worried concern. A ripple in my resolve shook me. There was a pause in them all when they caught up to the posse leaders, and then Mr. Blackbourne did something unexpected.

He sat down in the dirt.

Wolfy man looked as confused as I felt, but he too, reluctantly, sat down with an ungraceful thump. The others following his example without a word, all of them facing me. It looked just like a pow-wow, except for the fact that all the men had worn but modern clothing, button up shirts with the sleeves rolled up, tank tops, shorts and such. Maybe this was just that. They all looked at me expectantly, like I was supposed to follow their lead. I held my stance. I didn't know what it was with these guys and what they were trying to pull, but I wasn't going to let myself get tricked into letting my guard down, even if...no. I narrowed my eyes at them all, but mostly at the one who seemed to be calling the shots, Mr. Blackbourne. I'd start with him.

"What do you want?"

His mouth hinted at a frown, displeased. "To apologize for frightening you, and to ask you to return to our camp."