When I Walked Down to the Beach

[Liminal]

Continued from here

The path toward the beach seemed to be well-worn, but there was little indication of why this would be so. The jungle didn't seem to be any different, and the pathway was entirely clear of litter and other debris.

The group walked for perhaps a full bell. The path wound around massive trees, their bark slicked with moisture. The air was uncomfortably still, and the heat and humidity oppressive. It was hard to tell if the moisture that collected on one's skin was condensation or sweat -- but either way, it was nearly impossible to get rid of.

However, it was the stillness of the air that enabled the group to hear a sound. Or, more precisely, a series of sounds. As the travelers paused at yet another bend in the path, a low, distant murmur could be detected from some ways ahead. It was hard to identify, but it sounded almost like a crowd of people. The vegetation was too thick and the path too winding, however, for anyone to be able to see what precisely was going on.

[Iskessah]

As they walked, Iskessah took the time to really appreciate the weather. It was such a stark contrast to the freezing wind of Zeltiva that she had so recently escaped. It seemed that she had gone from the coldest place she'd ever been, to the warmest in just a few days. Really, having grown up in Southern Taldera and spending most of her life in Ravok, she had never been anywhere this warm. Being cold-blooded, she was enjoying the heat much more than her warm-blooded companion. They paused to take a water-break, and that was when Iskessah picked up the sound. She frowned and stood up straighter, trying to listen. Whatever it was, it sounded like a lot of people. It's a trap! her mind tried to scream at her, but she dismissed this as unhelpful paranoia. Even if it were some sort of trap, it still needed investigating. She debated various ways to approach the sound. Again she missed the heightened senses of her other forms, and she very nearly stripped down to shift right there. But she shook her head and tried to think rationally. Her reasons for going in human form still applied; it was the form the island would most likely expect, and she didn't want to tip her hand too early if they got into trouble. In any case, in order to find out more about what she was now almost convinced was a trap, one of them would have to get closer, maybe even close enough to risk getting caught by whatever was ahead. Part of her wanted to do the smart thing, to turn around right now and go back to the boat, maybe even build a nice little nest somewhere where she wouldn't have to run into the island's possibly dangerous inhabitants. But she had lived in a hostile environment long enough to know that the only way to be remotely safe was to understand how the system worked. Whether it be hunting in Taldera, or collecting rumors and gossip in Ravok, or whatever strange patterns of behavior Darva exhibited, she would have to learn them sooner or later if she wanted to survive. Having made up her mind, she gave her orders to the boy who had been assigned to her. (He was neither Dhani nor female, and so it was obvious that Iskessah was in charge.) "Ssstay here. I am going to ssscout the trail ahead. If I do not return..." She trailed off. She wasn't sure what would happen. If whatever was ahead was dangerous enough to detain her, then she didn't think there was much he could do to help. "Ssstay hidden. And do what you think isss bessst." Without waiting for argument, she turned and jogged down the path, trying to stay low, and slowing down as the rumbling became louder. At every bend in the path, she stayed close to the tree line, and approached slowly and carefully, trying not to reveal her presence if at all possible. It was frustrating trying to rely only on her eyes, but if she were caught, better she be underestimated.

[Lucas Arias]

Lucas did not appreciate the weather. He very much preferred the freezing winds of Zeltiva. The colder the better. He also absolutely loved thunderstorms and rain. But he didn’t like this particular kind of moisture. His clothes stuck to his body, and when he wiped his forehead, his hand came back wet. Where he was the god of storms when he needed him? Where was Morwen?

The path they walked on was well worn. That circumstance distracted him from the unpleasant weather for a moment. He couldn’t help but wonder why this was the case. Had other people walked here before? Was somebody living on the island? He tried to remember whether Charm had mentioned anything about other people living on the island.

As he heard the sound in the distance, he froze for a moment and looked at Isskessah. She had apparently heard it as well. “What do you think this is?” he whispered.

Fortunately he didn’t try to argue with the Dhani. Lucas was entirely content with letting her go (and possibly die) first. He’d just hide in a tree or behind a bush, and if worse came to worst, he’d ask Kelwyn for help.

“I’ll stay here”, he assured her and added, “Be careful!” Once she was out of sight, the former squire took a look at his surroundings to see if there were any good hiding places nearby.

[Liminal]

There were any number of trees, vines, and other foliage for Lucas to hide behind, should he feel the need. But, as soon as Iskessah disappeared, Lucas would find himself again in the uneasy near-silence, punctuated by whatever distant noises had been present before. No one seemed to be approaching.

As for Iskessah, she would proceed perhaps a few hundred feet with no disruption. Then, as she rounded a bend, her cover suddenly disappeared as the path opened onto a small clearing.

Within the clearing, there was a fire pit. Two men and a woman were sitting around it, eating some sort of pale fruit. They were wearing rough, coarse clothes that seemed to have seen better days. They were speaking to each other, and didn't catch sight of the Dhani.

"...that's the problem with these kinds of days," the woman was saying.

"Blasted lack of wind," one of the men replied. "How long has it been since we've had a breeze?"

The other man shrugged. "Who knows. We can't do anything about it regardless. Least we've got good food." He held up the fruit in his hand. "Makes the heat bearable."

[Iskessah]

When she realized she was in the open, Iskessah immediately froze. Her muscles were tense as she warred between being ready for action and trying to remain unnoticed. The humans in the clearing she'd stumbled into did not seem to be looking at her, however, and as long as she didn't make any sudden movements, she might be able to keep it that way. The first thing she noticed was that the group was speaking Common. She was struck by a moment of confusion as information sorted itself out in her brain. The maps Charm had were written in a different language, so the odds that any Natives spoke Common, at least among their own, were slim. That led Iskessah to believe that this trio was NOT native to the island. Maybe they were remnants of another exploratory mission. She started to take a step toward the group, having determined they were most likely not hostile, when she was suddenly stuck by something one of the men had said. No wind. Iskessah didn't know much about sailing, but she at least knew it didn't work so well without wind. If no wind blew on this island, which, from her brief experience, seemed to be the case, it might explain why no one had ever been able to leave. She hoped that was the only reason, as she started brainstorming ways one could escape an island other than by sail. Still, such concerns were less immediate, so she resumed her steady tread towards the group. If they were, as she suspected, a previous exploring party, her best tactic would be openness and honesty. No need to startle them like cornered prey when they could be more useful as willing allies. "Hello!" she called out in as clear a voice as she could muster when she was close enough. She kept her hands casually at her sides, but in plain view, in case they were suspicious sorts. She would have to gauge their reaction to a stranger such as her before she could decide how much to trust them.

[Lucas Arias]

Fortunately the area around him seemed to contain a lot of potential hiding places, so Lucas spent the next couple of chimes looking for the best one. He looked behind a couple of trees and bushes to be sure that there were no nasty surprises waiting for him, such as snakes and similiar creatures. And then he parted the branches of a particularly big bush and went in.

Nobody could see him now. The bush had another advantage as well: He would stay dry if it ever started to rain. It was almost like a cozy little cave. Well, not really. It would have been cozy if it were a little cooler, but as it was the former squire just couldn’t stop sweating.

It was annoying. It was also just a little too quiet for the young man who preferred loud noises, screams, laughter, thunderstorms and music. After a while he considered leaving his hiding place again. And then he thought about staying. Finally he decided that he would come after Iskessah if she didn’t come back after half a bell or so.

She would probably come back though. Wasn’t she a Dhani, and weren’t Dhani predators? She could probably just change into her snake form and kill whatever monsters came her way.

[Liminal]

OOC: I'll always be sorry I didn't move this forward again before leaving. At any rate, the truncated end of the story is here.

[Liminal]

As requested, an XP award for Iskessah: +1 Observation, +1 Investigation ^_^