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 Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:21 pm
The iguana-girl looked up at Ian as he spoke, her frown returning. He was right... both of them were probably doomed to the same fate everyone else was. She sighed, now unable to think of any real reassurance for Rex or Avery and let Ambrose handle it.
Now that she thought about it... what if they did get rescued? What would happen to all of them that had changed already? What would happen to her? She started to get worried that they would get rescued... she had no place to go. Her long, clawed fingers reached up and fiddled with the locket around her neck. No, she couldn't think like that... no matter what happened to her, most of the people on this island deserved to go back home. They had a home to go back to.
"Right." Amaya nodded to Avery, unable to come up with much else in the reassurance area. "We can make a fire... and get you some water and food." She wanted to say 'until you get rescued'... but she wasn't sure if that was a good thing to say at the moment.
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:30 pm
Ian nodded as Ambrose planned a fire. A fire was a really good idea. "There is a stream not far into the jungle. The water isn't as clean as it could be, but it is better than salt water. If we are going to stay on the beach I know where it is and if anyone had anything to carry water in I could bring some back. As for food I do not know much about where to find any; I eat leaves and grasses."
Ian was no longer ashamed to admit it. He was part deer now. He accepted that. He only wished that he was human again. Ian also had no clue how to get a fire started, he would leave that to Ambrose. He could get some wood however.
"I want ye to get rescued. If the doctors do reappear I want you to be as far away from this island as you could possibly get." Ian had already made up his mind that if rescue did come he would stay on the island. There was nowhere for a deerman on the mainland.
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:36 pm
Ambrose seemed more than happy to leap to agreement with Avery. "I'm sure they will! My camp already has a fire going, we could build a bonfire on the beach... and bring a torch from our fire... " Ambrose almost immediately started togo back into planning mode.
"You couldn't have washed far without a life raft or anything.... "
The wolf did sense the nervousness from his scaled 'sister' and he looked trepidiouly back to her again.... maybe it was just the new company... feeling sorry for them for being drug into all of this perhaps...? He gave her hand a squeeze again.
"Our camp probably still has some meat as well.... we were kind of split up when the buildings shut down." His ear flicked back in irritation. "We've spent the last month or so tryign to salvage what we could from the jungle... find out where the rest of us went. The Island is deceptively large."
Indeed, there was a makeshift spear strapped with vine to his back, a knife at the waistline of what looked like plaid sleeppants. They were branches that looked like twisted metal was tied to the ends.
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:52 pm
As if on cue, Avery's stomach growled at the mention of food. "I... I guess I'm a little hungry... and I could use some water, too," he said, grinning sheepishly. "I guess a shower is too much to hope for right now? I've got sand in my cuts, and they sting a bit..."
Avery glanced at Rex, not wanting to go anywhere with these other people without him. He was the only one that was completely normal on this island, it seemed. Again, he felt relief that the man was here with him... but guilt that it was his fault Rex was even here.
"How many more of you are there?" Avery asked. "And is the camp very far from here?
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:58 pm
Amaya nodded to all of them. "I can probably gather some fruit. Though I don't have anything on me to carry water with... obviously." She nodded to Ambrose, knowing that getting some supplies from their camp and bringing them back was probably a pretty good idea.
Silently she agreed with Ian, even though neither of them spoke it outloud. If a ship was to come... she would probably choose to stay on the island with the few who chose the same. She had no family, the only realy family she had since her grandmother had died was right here. Beyond that, she had nothing else.
She then looked to Avery, glad that he seemed to have calmed down considerably. "It'd probably be better to wash your cuts out with salt water. Doesn't it help heal them?" She asked no one in particular. "And the camp is North of here." Amaya said, pointing a little again.
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 7:15 pm
Ian nodded again and smiled again, feeling a little more at ease. But almost scowled at Avery's question of how many people were on the island. "More than twenty people are here." At least that was about how many people that Ian had met.
"Would you mind if I stayed at your camp with ye? I've been sleeping wherever I can in the jungle, wandering around looking for people." Ian felt a pang of regret. Emerwyn, Julian, and Chana were alone in the jungle for all he knew. "Fruit?" Ian's eyes lit up. He hadn't had fruit in a long while and he loved it. What he wouldn't have given for a tomato or an apple right then. . .
"Sorry, no shower. I want one too, but all the duplexes are locked according to someone else I've talked to."
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 7:19 pm
"You're welcome to either come back to our campsite.... You too Ian. We've been building lean-to's and are by the river for easy access to fresh water. We've been collecting people after a fashion - safety in numbers and we can work together to gather resources. Alternatively, you are free to stay here on the beach... or anywhere else, really. But I would think that trying to set up a signal fire while the boat stil might be looking for you would probably be a good idea. I don't mind gathering some firewood to bring over here. If you want to stay by the fire and have things brought to you, or go with someone to clean your wound and get some food is your decision."
He gestured to the north. "I'd say our camp is probably.... somewhere between thirty minutes and an hour's walk from here. Not that far. In total..... given the number of occupied duplexes before we got locked out.... probably around thirty of us."
Ambrose turned to Amaya as he headed back to where he had seen a collection of driftwood. "Feel free to come with me to get the bonfire going, or you can help them find the stream and food."
((Translation - I should proabably be heading out >> - so Ambrose is off for firewood - and I'm out of the rotation :3))
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 8:14 pm
"I think I'm gonna look for some fruit, then come back here." The lizard-girl said to Ambrose and the others with a nod and a tiny smile before turning and heading into the brush.
((And from here on out I guess we'll be spot-posting until were all back on at the same time.))
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 8:55 pm
Rex had stayed quite through most of the conversation, not exactly having much to add but the occasional nod or murmer of agreement.
And the plan was such: find supplies, meet up and Ambrose's camp to the north and make a signal fire for any remote hope of being saved.
All of this hit Rex quite hard, and while remaining level-headed about the ordeal on the outside, he was really scared as hell. His mind was screaming, as were the cuts and gashes all over his body. "The salt water would sting like crazy, but it might help clean the wound. Also, if you have any alcohol, that could help kill any bacteria." He looked out to the ocean, "And my clothes were just getting dry, too." He smiled, taking another glance at these new people.
Rex wondered, what would happen if they were saved? He would go back home to his mundane job, empty apartment and lonely life. Sounds like a blast... If the Lord destined him to be here on this island, then so be it. Who knows, being an animal could be a whole new adventure, only experienced by the people on this island. But that wasn't right, he couldn't live on this island forever, right? He'd end up like one of those people on a Missing Persons show. It's not like the world would leave him behind... right? But maybe becoming an animal would be the best thing tha could happen to him, everything hadn't exactly been in his favor since he was a kid. I wonder what animal I'll beco-- No, stop it, Christian! Things will begin looking up soon.
He waved goodbye to Ambrose, "I may as well get to cleaing these cuts before they get infected." Rex looked to Avery, then to Amaya, Ian and Colche. "We'll meet up at your camp later. Hour or so's walk to the north, right? Thanks for... explaining everything to us. It means alot that you'd take the time to sort things out." He smiled, his teeth just breaking the lip-line, then turned to Avery and beckoned for him to follow.
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 8:33 am
Avery cringed at the idea of more salt water and, even worse, cleaning his wounds out with it. Just get it over with, and then you'll get to eat when the lizard girl... Amaya, comes back with some food, he thought to himself.
"Er... yeah, thanks. Catch up with you all later," Avery said, before turning and following Rex to the shore again. He didn't understand why salt water would be better for cleaning out wounds than fresh water, but Avery guessed these people know more about it than he does, so he'll just have to go along with it.
When they arrived back at the shoreline, Avery walked into the water until it was up to his knees, unconcerned about getting his clothes wet again. He crouched down, and dunked both his arms under the water, inhaling sharply when the salt stung his cuts. "That hurts..." he muttered.
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 10:26 am
"Okay.." Rex shook his head and prepped himself for the pain that was going to ensue rather soon, "We were just out there for hours right? What's a little more stingin' gonna do?" He gave another uneasy smile, walked about 15 feet out and dove under. Everywhere, select patches of skin patches of skin burned as they were enveloped in salt water. His head poked out, bobbing on the surface with his black tie floating around his face. His face wrinkled in a pained grin and looked back to see how Avery was doing. "I don't know how this works, but it gets the job done." Planting his feet on the sea's sandy floor, he stood up and wiped the water off of his face, then continued to rub gently at the slices and punctures. "You doing alright?" He paused... thinking over his words, "This whole island thing is... quite a trip."
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:45 am
Avery watched with shock as Rex dived right into the water. Did nothing phase this man? Avery had a hard enough time just putting his arms in the water, and . He looked down at the water, feeling suddenly very useless. He can's swim, he doesn't even know how to start a fire, and he can't even fight to protect himself. All he can do is reply on other people to save him...
He looked up again when Rex spoke, gently rubbing his arms. "Yeah... that's one way of putting it," Avery said. "Where do you think we are..? How can experiments like this be legal? You'd think PETA would be all over their asses... and you'd think this kind of thing would be on the news, but I've never heard of it."
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 2:16 pm
Meanwhile, as promised, Ambrose spends the next several hours collecting driftwood, dry fallen branches, dry mosses and other kindling onto a huge stack on the Eastern beach, above the tide-line.
His work is fervent, the looming image in his mind of a huge cruiseliner, perhaps just out of view. Their salvation. They can get off of this island if he can just get this fire going to signal them. He tosses on lots of small branches with leaves that perhaps will smoke once the fire gets going.
Finally, there is a stack of wood on the beach nearly as tall as the wolfman himself is, and he grabs a final piece of wood to go fetch a starter from his own fire.
Finally, setting fire to the heap, Ambrose sits down by the bonfire - a good dozen feet away, to wait.
However, as he does get the thing lit at long last, the looming shapes of dark clouds on the horizon start to cloud over Ambrose's hopes just as much as they do the skies.
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 3:26 pm
Over the next few hours, distant darkness on the horizon edges its way closer. Rumbling roars of thunder peal over the island and the sky seems to close in on the island below it like a shroud.
With a CRACK a few lightning strikes hit the island on the mountainside signaling the commencement of the rains.
THe rains are smothering, seeking and destroying dry wood and fires. And that's just the begining, the winds tear through the trees, scattering unsecured objects, damaging shelters.
The bright sunny skies could only last so long...
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Island of Moreau Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 5:52 pm
The cold water had left Rex unphased because of his many hours swimming in freezing water. Over the years, it didn't become much of a big deal. besides, the cold waters of the Carribean were nothing compared to his winter waters back home.
Then he looked to Avery, rubs his hands on the tender spot on his neck once more. "Legal? I doubt it. Unless this is some secret government base..." He trailed off in thought then drudged his way back onto the sandy beach. the warmth was nice and nothing sounded better than a hot shower.
Rex looked to the horizon from which they were washed in when he noticed some clouds forming in the distance, "Well it looks like it's not all blue skies here." he smiled, pausing to enjoy the moment, before snapping to reality. "Uhh... wounds nice and clean? I reckon we oughta head back and find that... Ambrose was his? Damn, I never introduced myself."
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