SEASICK

84- In the Bushes

When Alana snapped out of her thoughts, she realized the men were already getting to work constructing their tents. Even more shame washed over her as she stood doing nothing.
"Kazumi, is there anything I could do to help?" She asked hopefully, clasping her hands behind her back with a smile.
"No." The captain flatly responded.
Alana could not say she was thrown, after her job as a maid dwindled Kazumi had never asked her to lift a finger.
"Please?" She urged. "Anything at all, I would like to be helpful."

Kazumi formed his lips to say 'no' once more, but he thought back to her words on the roof and her smile the days before after allowing her to assist with the maps. Her fear of being in the way and a bother to them floated through his mind as he thought for a moment.
"Stay close to this clearing and find firewood, proper firewood." He ordered, his heart fluttering at the excited smile Alana gifted him.
"Okie dokie!" Alana nodded, practically skipping off without the faintest clue what proper firewood would be.
"Be careful, dear!" Leopoldo called out behind her as worry settled into his brow.
"Should we let her out of our sight?" Leven looked to Kazumi. "Should one of us go with her?"
Kazumi sighed through his nose as he tied sticks together.
"Alana may be our prisoner, but she is important to me. I do not want her to feel as such and grow to resent us. As long as we can hear her, it will be fine." Kazumi replied with little emotion. "We know better than anyone what not having any freedom will do to a person."
The others said nothing else on the matter, focusing on their task at hand as their ears fixed tightly in on the crunching leaves in the distance.

Alana placed a balled fist on her hip as she stared down at the forest floor. "Firewood..." She softly spoke looking between a twig and a fallen branch.
"Both?" She shrugged as she bent down to add to her collection of various-sized wood. She cradled the pile in one arm like it were a baby and moved on.
"Is this enough?" Alana mused to herself again, glancing down at her collection.
She huffed out and decided it was better to have more than not enough.

"Little dove~!" Ivo called out. "You're going a bit too far!"
Alana turned on her heel, seeing that she indeed was straying a bit.
"Okay!" She called back, beginning to head back toward the group.
She did not make it three steps before a slight, concerning, crackling that did not come from below herself caught her attention. Her eyes flickered to her left and then her right, seeing not even a squirrel scurrying about. An uneasy chill ran through her and Alana began to walk once more until another snapping twig curbed her pace.

"Hello?" She whispered, feeling silly for doing so.
Nothing, not even a rustling leaf, so she once more felt she could move until the bush to her right shook a bit.
Alana had no urge to go toward it, not a single bone in her body wanted to investigate what lurked behind the brush. Except for one nagging feeling that told her to make sure it was nothing to be afraid of, to ease her mind.
Alana took a hesitant step toward the bush, moving so slowly she felt like she was barely closing the gap.
"Hello?" She said once more as if the creature would respond.
Should I call for one of the guys to look? She bit her bottom lips flicking her eyes to the pirates in the distance. Alana quickly pushed that idea from her mind, telling herself that she would only look stupid should it be a rabbit or some other small, innocent creature.
I will just take a quick peek, it is probably a chipmunk, nothing scary at all. Prove that I'm just a silly girl, after all. Alana told herself as her hand reached out for the bush's branches.
Her fingertips were unable to touch a singular leaf as gray fur shot from the bush, large jagged teeth engulfing her sight. Alana released a scream so loud one would think she was being murdered, dropping her firewood at her feet as she recoiled from the animal.
However, another human scream followed hers, just as fearful as Alana's.
Alana took a split second to take in the sight once more as she stumbled back, seeing that under the hide of a wolf was a young boy. He wore a frantic look as his chest heaved, not expecting Alana to scream so loudly. The boy in animal fur looked to be in his early teens, maybe preteens, with skin dark like her father's, riddled with small scars, and lips as full as hers.
"Oh, my!" Alana breathed out sweet relief. "I am so sorry! I did not mean to scare you!"
The boy looked as if he was about to speak but Alana was ripped from the ground into a protective embrace, her sight blocked by the backs of three others.
Her eyes quickly glanced at the man who held her, his green eyes glued down to the boy.