In Chains

Bones

Bepo breathed in the humid air of the forest and curled his nose up in disgust. The substance from the dart he found aboard the pirate ship was getting stronger the further in he trekked; the source was bound to be nearby, he assumed. A sense of hope rose in his chest. He honestly disliked this island. Something about it seemed beastly to him. No one was around, but it felt like eyes were on him, gauging him. His fur stood up in fear; he marched faster just to get this over and done with.

"Wait up. I was talking to you," Shachi moaned. He raced to catch up, choking on a sob as he walked next to the bear. "What did I do wrong? I don't understand."

Bepo sighed. Was he still going on about this? Humans and their fixed ideas; the eeriness of the forest seemed more pressing to him, though a distraction from his thoughts might be just what he needed.

"Have you tried talking to her? She might appreciate you taking responsibility for your actions."

The human woman Samira was the one Bepo was referring to. His crewmates had become enamored with her. She seemed nice – no hostel energy. He hadn't spoken to her yet, but his captain made it evident that she was trouble, so he tried to stay clear of her. Even so, her dynamism with the others made him a little eager to start a conversation with her.

"Is she really worth the trouble?"

Shachi grunted. "Of course, and I haven't done anything wrong; she just starting ignoring me. Ya know, you're not very good at giving advice."

"Sorry I can't be any help," Bepo apologized. He had no idea how humans worked. His fur ruffled in aggravation. "I can barely think with this smell up my nose, and not to mention this place is freaking me the hell out."

He groaned and frantically rubbed his nose.

"Captain did say it was mostly uncharted," Shachi mentioned, tone shifting. He crossed his arms over his chest, an icy chill made him shiver in fright.

Massive kapok trees hovered over him like giants; their trunks as wide as the mangroves back on the archipelago. Eerie noises echoed across their wide branches, that in his mind seemed to reach like hands down on him and his crew. Damn the bear for making his thoughts wonder.

"Yeah ... me too. But once we find what the Captain is looking for, we can leave."

Bepo sighed; he knew that. He didn't however know what Law wanted with the crew of the abandoned pirate ship, but he assumed his reason had to do with Samira and the poisoned dart, or something he wasn't sure was safe for the crew to know yet. In any case, Bepo was along for the ride.

"I hope we find them soon," he mentioned with a gloomy whine. "It's extremely too hot."

--

Poor dear.

Samira frowned; Bepo was in obvious grief. If she was hot, she knew that he was bound to be. The boiler suit was keeping the insects out, but the heat was trapped inside the fabric. Her thighs were sweating, and she feared the material would eventually cause them to chafe.

She dared a glance at Law – he was in no better shape – then removed the heavy satchel from her back, rummaging through it until she found a bottle of water amongst the supplies; there were three more, all sweating and a little warm.

"Mester (mister) Trafalgar. Do you mind if I or someone else gives this to Bepo? He looks as though he needs it."

Law glanced at her in interest, then moved his gold eyes towards the bottle. A coy grin pulled at his lips. "How sweet of you, Amunet-ya. I'm sure he'll be pleased."

Her face warmed up. "I'd hope so. There's more if you want one too."

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm fine. Have one if you want." He motioned for Penguin to come near and ordered for him to take the bottle to Bepo – compliments of Samira.