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Earendil smiled and nodded. "It would seem so," he murmured; and then he turned away and beckoned for Lin to follow him out of the shelter.

"So I was thinking," he commented as they reached the outdoors once more. "What if we were to catch a pile of fish and cure them so that we could have some meat while we're out mapping? As much as I did like Kelirahc's fruit, I missed having meat in my diet."

Earendil chuckled. "Good. Then what say we send a message to those men on the boat? See if they can't get a bit more than what they're planning."

Though he was sure they would bring back enough anyways, he just wanted to be sure.

Earendil grinned and knelt down, and, setting Senka on his shoulder, rummaged around in his bag. "Could always use this," he chuckled, pulling out his bow. "They're too far out for just about anything else, unless you and I somehow commandeer a longboat, even though you and I both know that we oughtn't take one out on our own."

Earendil rummaged around a bit more until he found a piece of paper and a pencil, and then he scribbled down a note and wrapped the paper around an arrow.

"One thing about mapmaking," he commented as he stood up, bow and arrow in hand, "it really makes you aware of distance, no matter the terrain."

And he had to have every bit of his aim perfect so that he wouldn't be putting any of the crewmen in danger.

"Senka," he added as an afterthought, "you may want to go back to Lin for a moment."

Earendil turned and nocked the arrow, aiming it towards the boat. He breathed deeply, then let it out and concentrated, one finger pointing towards the boat as he pulled the string back. His jaw clenched and unclenched as he thought it through, and then he released the arrow. It sailed through the air and hit the boat only a moment later, startling the crewmen who were in it. One of them took the arrow out of the stern of the boat and removed the paper from it, and a moment later all of the crewmen on the boat started laughing. Then the one who had read the note stood up carefully and saluted Earendil sharply.

Earendil grinned and saluted back, then lowered his bow and returned it to his bag.

"And that," he said smugly, "is that."

"Well, I was thinking I should wash my clothes," Earendil said thoughtfully, "and of course we need to gather food and water ... definitely talk to Arwen and Roydon ... and then once the men are back with some fish, we can prepare them, and then once all of that is done .... well I'm sure it will be time for bed by then, but tomorrow then we'll be ready to head out first thing."

He looked down at Lin. "What do you think?"

Over the course of the next month, much stayed the same - they would go out, map an area, return and resupply, washing their clothes and getting a proper rest, and then head out again for a week or so. Sometimes it would just be the two of them, and sometimes Storm and Starr would accompany them, eager to get away from the beach again, and sometimes Kelirahc and Leyenda would come with them, and sometimes Rhea, and sometimes all of them.

One day, when Earendil and Lin were alone out in the jungle (other than Senka), Earendil paused and sniffed at the air. Something smelled a bit off to him ... but he couldn't put his finger on whatever it was. It was thicker, perhaps, more ... moist ...

He looked up, but the sky was hidden by the canopy of leaves above them. He pursed his lips thoughtfully, wondering if it would be worth climbing a tree to see what was going on.

Earendil watched Lin as she began to climb the tree, his eyes filled with amusement and admiration. He had never climbed a tree before, and didn't really know how, and wasn't sure he wanted to try.

"Mind-reader," he chuckled as Lin disappeared into the leaves. Then he called up to her, "What's going on up there?"

Above the tree-tops, dark clouds were rolling in - and fast. Thick and heavy, they were already blotting out the tropic sun, and it was quickly growing very dark.