"Hey! Knock it off! Please! I am harmless, seriously!" I woke up to feel the small shack being shook by something outside the walls. Heavy breathing and deep grunting was heard every time the makeshift building violently shook.
I grabbed what I could and ripped the strip lock off the door and practically fell on the ground due to the shaking. Running to the side I saw what had so kindly woken me up. A turtle. A giant fucking turtle was headbutting my house for some reason. Didn't seem like it was too dangerous as it looked at me and let out a strangely deep cry. After looking at me for a moment it continued hitting its head against my wall.
"Alright, calm down there, Michelangelo, let's not wreck my house." The orange tinge on the spiked shell made me think of my favorite ninja turtle. That and its odd behavior.
Approaching it, I saw that it was taller than me by a few inches. When I was close enough to touch, its eyes moved to me and all of a sudden it started to hurry towards me, snapping towards my waist.
"What!? Hey, stop that! Dude, stop!" I was backtracking as quickly as I could, reaching behind me for my door when its powerful mouth latched onto one of the pouches I had tied around my makeshift belt. It clicked in my head what the turtle was trying to do. I gripped the pouch and ripped it from the turtle, somehow managing to take it back from it. "Hungry? Let's share then since I'm hungry too."
I held the pouch in front of me and walked slowly to the fire pit where I sat down. The turtle followed me and kept grunting, snapping its mouth every so often towards the pouch as I restarted the fire. It was surprisingly easier than the day before which made me pleased. Once the fire was started I opened up the pouches and emptied the berries on one of the remaining large leafs I had. The turtle seemed more excited about the less sweet small grape ones so I pushed the pile towards it and ate the remaining blue and red ones I still had remaining from the night before. The turtle finished its pile quicker than I did mine and began nudging its head towards mine.
"Nope, these are mine. I thought you were a turtle, not a piggy. You should have taken your time with yours. Not my problem." I spoke as if I was scolding the turtle and as if it understood my firm tone, it let out an annoyed snort, its hot breath bathing my face. "Pout all you want, buddy. I shared already."
I turned back to my food and only managed to eat a small handful of berries before my body was practically thrown forward by what I assumed was only a gentle nudge. Letting out an annoyed sigh, I push my berries towards the turtle and watched it eat. It was docile enough that it let me rub my hand on its head. Its skin felt tougher than a regular turtle's. It reminded me of the triceratops I met yesterday. Looking around out of curiosity, I found the gentle dinosaur roaming on the far edge of the beach just grazing in the nearby bushes.
The sun wasn't too high in the sky so I figured it was still morning. I wasn't that good at telling the time of day due to the sun's position but I felt fairly certain that I was right in my guess.
I swallowed all the water in the canteen and filled it up in the ocean. I then wiped off the sweat I gained while I slept and did my best to not pick at my flaking sun-burnt skin. It was a little painful having the scratchy fabric pressing down on it but it felt a little better once I soaked my shirt in the water and put it back on. Then I got to work.
I grabbed as many thick branches as I could from the base of the trees and grabbed a few larger stones and carried the lot of them back to my area. Grabbing a good sized rock, I placed it against the rock I used yesterday as a cutting board for the small dinosaurs. Using another rock, I struck it against the one in my hand in order to chip off as many flakes as I could. Not used to the physical effort, my arms soon got tired. I took a tired breath but kept working on my project.
A sudden warmth was pressed against my back and I turned my head around. There, resting behind me, was the turtle. Its head was leaning against my back. I made eye contact with it and it gave me a lazy grunt before shutting its eyes. It was a heavy warmth and a little difficult to keep my back straight but I managed to the best of my ability.
Once I got used to the feeling, I continued to chisel at the rock in my hand. Before long I managed to form the bottom into a sharp point. The I ripped another thing strip off the bottom of my shirt and used it to attach the rock to one of the thick sticks. I tied it as tight as I could, even cutting a few gashes in the stick and other end of the rock to make sure it didn't slide off either. I waved it around as hard as I could and was thankful to see no wobbling. It was secure.
"Sorry, but I need to move now." I spoke gently to the sleepy turtle and gently pat its head as I stood up. It seemed a little annoyed and began raising to its own feet but I stopped it with more gentle patting. "You stay here, buddy. Maybe if we run into one another again I have more berries to share with you. Wouldn't that be fun?"
It gave a happy grunt and let out a huge yawn before settling back in the sand. I put out the fire and grabbed my new spear and canteen and began walking.
The first day was used to get used to the weird place. I was going to use this day to start figuring things out. I also wanted to get away from the area in case the guys from last night actually did show back up.
My feet were already a little sore after walking through the trees for only a few minutes. If I had to be honest, I was a pretty sheltered and spoiled girl. My parents always told me how delicate I was even though I hated it. Turns out they were right. I went to the gym when I could, but that did little to prepare me for a trek through the trees. Especially barefoot. The man had left me a pair of thin shoes but they were way too big so I left them behind.
I stayed as close to the beach as possible while sticking to the trees. There was a lot more wildlife than I had ever expected. I didn't know the name for half of the creatures, but I came up with a few. Most were just pop culture references to make things a little more relaxed for me.
I saw quite a few turtle roaming around and some more of those tiny dinosaurs. Just the sight of those little ankle-biters made my injuries throb. Felt very little pity in stabbing them when they ran up to me. Couldn't risk any new wounds plus it was very cathartic killing the damn thing.
"What the hell do chickens have to do with dinosaurs?" I stopped my upward trek on the elevated path I had made for myself and looked down at the beach where I saw small chickens just wandering about. None were close enough to really take a look at but I did my best and let out an excited laugh when I realized what they actually were. "Dodo birds! They have actual dodo birds here!"
No clue why, but I was oddly more shocked to see a dodo bird than I had been seeing a triceratops.
Below me the beach began to frame a small river that I kept looking down into. I couldn't see much under the water from the rocky hill I stood on but I could recognize the most majestic of beasts swimming around. Its form was forever imprinted in my head and heart since birth. They were a symbol of our nation and among the most beautiful and respected. I found...
A beaver.
I had never felt more Canadian than I did in that moment in some random jungle, surrounded by dinosaurs and looking down at a beaver. Surprised I didn't belt out the national anthem right then and there.
My joy only lasted for a short moment before it turned to pure unbridled rage. A dark shape moved quickly through the water until it came to the beaver and the water turned a pale shade of red and I was able to hear the thrashing in the water from where I was. Every so often the attacker emerged from the water, the beaver fighting bravely in its huge jaw.
"Hey, Dundee, fuck off!" I screamed at the crocodile without a care for my own safety which I admit was pretty stupid but there was no stopping me right now. The fighting in the water continued before I saw the crocodile slowly walk onto the beach across from river and drop the now lifeless body, biting into it violently. "Consider yourself an enemy of Canada! You will rue this day, fucker!"
Reining in my anger as best I could, I hurried away from the ledge of the hill before I was spotted and became the new target of the Canadian killer.
In order to change my train of thought, I looked up and saw the giant green obelisk. Though the red one had seemed closer, I wasn't able to get to it without submerging myself in the ocean to cross over to the next land mass on the island. The green one seemed easier to get to. At least I hoped it was.
The hill was now descending. At the bottom I saw smaller, more vein covered trees sitting in the water. I had only one thought.
This is my swamp now.
I couldn't help but snicker as I continued towards the area. Behind it I saw towering, thick trees. Their trunks had a red tinge in the bright sun and gave off a very pleasing sight. Going through it would take me away from the obelisk but it was drawing me to it. I was sure I'd find a new place to make camp and probably find some food.
I didn't hear anything besides the distant sounds of animals living their lives but I did vaguely notice something in my peripheral vision. The bushes a little in front of me moved in a different way than the others. Not risking seeing what emerged from the bush, I turned on my heel and ran the other way. I heard an angry hiss behind me and knew I made the right decision. I didn't know the size of the snake behind me but I hoped I could outrun it.
Adrenaline kicked in the second I felt a stitch form in my side and I was thankful for the second wind as I sprinted through the jungle, my bare feet almost certainly getting cut up on rocks and sticks. I didn't feel any pain as I ran. Fear had overpowered everything. The hissing continued, getting louder as the snake got closer. It was only a matter of moments before I was taken down.
"Do you need a hand?" I almost stopped when I heard the familiar voice. In front of me, riding his raptor was the man from the night before. He was off to the side a little ways and was able to see the situation I was in. Without warning he and his raptor ran directly towards me. I wasn't sure which way to run now. I was still being chased by a snake that I was sure was just as jumbo as the turtle and now a raptor was involved. But it seemed my fears didn't need to continue when I heard a hiss get cut short by a sickening crunch. I stopped running so suddenly that I tripped over my own feet and flew forward and hit the ground hard. Once again my palms were scratched up and bleeding due to stopping my fall.
When I looked behind me I saw the raptor biting down into the limp snake that was bigger than I had even imagined. It was massive, probably bigger than an anaconda. The man paid it no mind as he climbed off his mount and crossed over to me.
"Are you okay down there? I can not imagine that it is much fun on the ground like that." I hadn't realized the other times I had heard him speak that he had a thick German accent. Once he was in front of me I was able to see that he was built like a damn house. Blonde hair and blue eyes with an angry looking face. Paired with a walking meat grinder, I felt very intimidated.
"I'm fine. I like the ground." I felt defensive, lying even though I was in an uncomfortable position.
His sharp eyes narrowed a fraction. Gripping my forearm, he pulled me to my feet almost roughly and looked me up and down with a nod.
"You are fine. The clothes fit you poorly but your skin is warm. Not feverish. Skinny but healthy enough. Come on, we are going." After looking as if he was appraising me, the guy began leading me over to where his raptor was still eating.
"Excuse me!? Let go, asshole! Why the hell would I go anywhere with you?" I struggled in vain to pull myself free of his grasp.
"Watch your language, woman." He turned on me quickly and his eyes bore into mine, anger flaring. "You ask me why you would come with me? The answer is simple: You owe me everything you are as a thank you for not only saving your life just now but also for the clothes on your back. You ate the food. You hold the canteen. You built the house. Now you work off your debt to me."
"What? What sort of reasoning is that!? I thought you were being a nice person when you helped last night." Digging my heels in the dirt, I pushed at the hand he was pulling me with.
The man let out an unamused laugh and looked at me. "Why would I offer my assistance for free? If you thought my kindness last night was true, why did you not come out when I spoke to you? Your lies are as transparent as they are irritating. You would do yourself a kindness to be more honest by the time we reach the camp."
"Dude, I said I'm not going!" I knew I was trying to give up my chance to find more people and get answers about this island, but I didn't care. This man was forceful and had an air about him that screamed at me not to trust him to not hurt me even if I decided to go along with him.
"My name is not dude. You will address me as everyone does. My name is Friedrich. Use it."
"Fuck. You." We were practically at the raptor's side when I finally managed to get myself free from him by digging my nails into the flesh on the back of his hand. He let go in surprise and I ran back to where I fell before and gripped my makeshift spear. I heard his heavy footfalls behind me and wheeled around to point the sharpened tip at him. "Don't come any closer."
"You are trembling. Do you really think you are capable of taking a life? The life of your savior?" Friedrich chuckled now as if actually amused and spread his arms out. "Please. I will not fight back. I allow you to give me your very best shot."
His attitude pissed me off more than his demeanor scared me. I had never been talked to in this way. Like I said, I was fairly sheltered. But he was right. I could see the spear in my hands shaking.
"I will even help you. Remember, this is a fight for your freedom. Show me how much you desire it." Now he took the spear in his hands and moved it until the tip was just above his heart.
"You're right. I can't kill you. Hurting you seems different though." I pulled the spear away only to jab it violently at his arm. I was a little surprised to see blood stain his sleeve but I couldn't focus on it. I kept a firm grip on my canteen and spear as I ran from the angry man and went straight to the river I had been looking into earlier. Without thinking about it, I jumped. Wind whipped around me, tangling my hair in my face. I hit the water and felt the cool liquid surround me. It took a moment to straighten myself out in the water enough to kick off the ground hard enough to propel me to the surface. I let out a gasping breath and kicked my legs to get me to the shore that was further from Friedrich.
"You can not run for long on your own, woman. Understand that. I will not be so kind when I find you." I could hear him yelling at me but did my best to pay him no mind. Instead I hurried out of the water, thankful that the crocodile from before was nowhere to be seen. That didn't mean I was safe. If anything I was now in more danger than ever before. I was being hunted.
I ran through the jungle in an attempt to put as much distance between us. I heard creatures around me and didn't stop running. Branches and leafs hit my face, making my eyes sting. I was probably bleeding due to a few of them. The trees were dense enough that not much sun got through and I found it difficult to avoid rocks and exposed roots. I tripped multiple times and each time was a struggle to keep quiet. It seemed like I was constantly hitting the exact same spot on my leg, making it more bruised and tender.
The ground began inclining and it nearly made me fall to my knees. I was exhausted from running already and had no idea what direction I was even going in. No clue if I was running towards more dangerous creatures.
Upon reaching the top of the hill, I finally collapsed in order to gasp for breath. I felt as if I was dying due to the severe stitch in my side. It was as if all my pain returned at once the moment I filled my lungs with a deep breath. The soles of my feet felt as if they were on fire and were certainly cut up from how they stung when the breeze passed over them. The scabs on my ankles had be torn off at some point and now the open wounds were brushing against the legs of my pants. I brought my hand up to the painful parts of my face and saw blood on my fingertips.
I brought the canteen to my mouth and downed the water in a few large gulps. Desperate for more, I shook it above my mouth and lapped up the few drops that slowly dripped out. My limbs felt tired and I found myself unable to move well. The trees weren't as thick on the top of the hill and the sun shone through the leafs. The grass under me felt cool and I felt my body begin to relax but I couldn't. Well I knew that I shouldn't but I was helpless at the moment. My emotions had been running high and now I felt drained both emotionally and physically.
A nearby bush spiked my fear once again. I weakly grabbed my fallen spear, desperate to survive whatever it was but my fingers wouldn't wrap fully around the stick and it slowly rolled out of my grasp. The rustling got louder and my fear got the best of me.
"Get away! Please just leave me alone! Please please please! I'm begging you to not hurt me! Please!" Tears were streaming down my face as I screamed in the direction of the bushes. When the movement didn't stop, I squeezed my eyes shut in order to not see my death coming.
"I never thought I would meet someone so terrified of a fat chicken." An annoyed, Italian accented voice spoke and my mouth was covered by a warm hand, my cries cut short. My eyes snapped opened and I saw another man crouching next to me, his dark eyes narrowed. After the first actual person I met I couldn't help but scream again, louder this time. My fatigue was forgotten and I pushed the man away and did my best to crawl to my spear. "Shut up unless you want to be eaten!" My body was pulled back and a knee was pressed into my back, one of his hands pinning my arms behind my back while the other one covered my mouth. "I will keep you like this until you calm yourself down. I don't plan on dying due to your stupidity."
I struggled against the man but considering he was on top of me and clearly stronger, I found myself once again at a disadvantage against a man. I did manage to see what he meant about fat chicken though. A dodo had emerged from the bushes and seemed to be randomly wandering around, even coming up to where I was pinned and pecked my face a bit. If I had been hoping the guy would shoo it away, I was wrong. He just let it do its thing while he kept me pinned.
My fear and anger got replaced by annoyance now. I shook my head angrily in the direction of the bird to no avail.
"If you do not scream, I will send the fat chicken away. Nod if you understand."
I slowly nodded, still not shooing the bird away.
"Now nod if you will not scream."
Again I nodded.
"Good. Now nod if you will not attempt to stab me with your sad little stick."
When I hesitated the man tightened his grip on my arms, straining my shoulders and dug his knee deeper in my back. Just to get away from the pain I nodded. True to his word, he released me and smacked the dodo on the head like an alarm clock. It let out a surprised squawk before running away from us.
I crawled away from the guy and gripped my spear. I didn't raise it at all but I did feel safer just holding it. The man looked me over with a suspicious gaze. I looked him over the same way. He was tall and seemed pretty strong but I couldn't tell by how the shirt hung off his chest loosely. He had tanned skin and dark hair that hung just above his shoulders. I was sure that if it wasn't as wavy as it was then it would definitely be past his shoulders. His eyes weren't as dark as I had initially thought. With the sun shining on them I saw that they were a steely gray. He seemed less wary of me and more annoyed.
"Are you with the First Brothers tribe?" The way he asked it made me feel like he wouldn't believe me no matter my answer.
"First Brothers? Look, I'm not sure how to say this to you, but I need to be a guy to be a brother. Last time I checked I had tits. And I'm missing the, you know, parts to be a brother." I retaliated with sarcasm considering how well it had worked for me earlier.
"Body has nothing to do with it. Now answer seriously if you don't want me to bash your head into the rock you had tried hiding against." He took a stride towards me with an angrier look than before.
"Wait a second! I'm not part of any tribe, First Brothers or otherwise! I promise. I just got here." I raised my spear towards him but just like Friedrich, he didn't seem fazed.
My words stopped him in his tracks. "Just got here? Today?"
"No, I woke up on the beach yesterday. Been trying to figure things out. Why? When did you get here?" I figured now was the best time to get answers. Or so I thought.
"That's none of your business." He said that and turned away before walking.
"What!? Hey, that's not fair!" I grabbed my canteen and got to my feet only to fall over due to the harsh stinging on my soles. I hit the ground with a feeble cry. I saw the man getting further away through the tears that blurred my eyes. "Please don't leave me here to die! Please... I need help..."
I didn't know if he heard me but I was sure he didn't care if he did. He may have threatened me but it felt like he had a reason. He pinned me to stop me from screaming and didn't actually try to hurt me. Not only did he seem to know more about the island than I did but he was an actual person. We had a semi, not really, normal conversation that didn't leave me scared for my life. And now he was gone.
Doing my best to not cry, I sat up and wiped my eyes. Since the legs of my pants were too long I ripped off the parts that I had rolled up and ripped it into thin strips to wrap around my feet. Once they were protected from most of the elements, I slowly got to my feet and made my way down the opposite side of the hill that the guy went down, doing everything I could not to stumble or wince. I still wanted to put more distance between me and Friedrich and following the guy would only lead me in his direction.
It was painful moving down the hill. Every step felt like stepping on glass but I kept moving. I had to find somewhere to hide and heal.
"Thank fuck..." I let out a sigh of relief when I hit the bottom of the hill. My toes hit the warm sand of the beach and I saw the ocean stretched out in front of me. It seemed more beautiful to me than before. I crossed the beach and threw myself into the water. It felt incredible. Soaking through the fabric that covered my wounds, it stung once it made contact but soon turned soothing. I knew I needed to keep moving but a momentary rest was much needed.
🦕~💠~🦖
The sun was just beginning to set and I couldn't be more exhausted. Since I left the ocean I had not stopped walking. I was covered in blood, sweat and wounds. It had been one hell of a day. But at least I wasn't alone anymore.
In my arms was sleeping dinosaur. It was about the height of a two year old when standing on its hind legs with a tail almost the same length. The frill around its neck twitched slightly as it slept. I was honestly surprised I decided to bring the thing with me after it tried to kill me.
Earlier while walking along the beach I had run into the creature. It ended up spitting something in my face. Whatever it was stung and basically blinded me until I was able to wipe my eyes clear of it. During the time I took to clear my eyes it took the advantage to attack me with its sharp talons and teeth, its shrill cry ringing in my ears. I had managed to knock it away with my spear and thought that was that. Not a chance. Since I was unable to see, I hadn't noticed the second one which attacked just as aggressively as its friend. I got one eye clear and saw enough to know where to thrust my spear and managed to get it directly in the stomach. I rinsed out my other eye in the ocean and returned to where I smacked away the first one that initially attack me. It wasn't dead and instead was knocked out either due to how my spear hit it or how it landed. I wanted to kill it. I had wounds with blood dripping down and soaking into the sand that showed that it would have killed me. But I couldn't manage to bring down my spear on its sleeping body. It just looked too docile and kind of cute.
In the end I picked it and its dead friend up and started walking again. When I found a safer seeming area, I made a fire and took apart the dead one with my spear. It was just as disgusting as the previous day and once again I threw up when I cut it open. But I managed to get it gutted enough to cut into chunks. I had noticed that when I cut the meat, the sleeping dinosaur stirred a bit with its eyes fixated on the food. Although I wasn't sure if it could be considered cannibalism or not, I pushed a smaller piece of the meat towards its mouth and watched as it ate it before falling asleep again. It reminded me of bribing a dog with a treat in order to pet it.
I only cooked half the meat to eat and cut the rest of it up to give to the dinosaur in my arms. I placed the chunks into one of the empty pouches on my waist and fed it whenever it seemed to be hungry.
Now I was approaching the beach that I had been at the night before. The red obelisk was shining brighter in the darkening sky and I felt a sense of deja vu. It wasn't the exact same though. A small river separated me from my makeshift home. My arms tightened around the dinosaur sleeping in my arms and I had no desire to set it down. At least until it tried to kill me again. I knew I was probably going to regret carrying the creature around, but I was a big softy. And I was really eager to not be left alone again.
"Mikey?!" I felt surprised to see my turtle friend from earlier slowly run up to me on the beach. I felt a little guilty since I had no berries to give it like I had promised it. It nudged me with its head and let out a deep noise while looking towards the beach on the other side of the river. "Sorry, buddy, I gotta stay here. Can't let this one go."
I tried to gesture with my head to the dinosaur in my arms and the turtle let out a dismissive snort. It nudged me with its body now. The spikes on its shell weren't sharpened to a point, but they were still hard as hell and hurt when they hit me.
"Knock that off, it hurts." I took a step away from the turtle only to have it follow me and nudge me with its shell once again. Frowning, I looked between the shell and the turtle's head. "You want me to get on or something?"
Grunting, it lowered itself on the sand enough for me to climb on just enough to not fall off without using hands. My body swayed when it got to its feet and slowly made its way to the water. As if startled by the sudden movement, the dinosaur in my arms stirred and let out a soft cry.
"Shhh shh, it's okay." I soothed it and pressed a piece of meat in its mouth. It ate it and I focused on the turtle again. We were now in the water, moving a lot faster than I expected the turtle to be able to move. My feet hung in the water and the breeze felt stronger against my cheeks. My ass hurt from sitting on the turtle's shell, but that was nothing compared to my other pains.
The turtle carried me to the exact spot I had left it at earlier in the day. But it wasn't the same anymore. The fire pit was destroyed and the rocks were strewn about and my little house had been knocked over and the pieces of it scattered.
I knew that no dinosaur would have done something like this. Friedrich must have either done this when he saw that I had left before he showed back up or after I ran away from him. It was spiteful and petty, and while it inconvenienced me since I had to fix it all, I respected it a little bit. Pettiness was a personal favorite of mine. But I wasn't in the mood to appreciate it.
Needing to fix it all, I got off the turtle and set down the dinosaur before collecting the rocks to place them back in a circle. I was in the middle of gathering sticks and kindling when I felt something against my legs. Looking down, I saw the dinosaur that I had thought was sleeping. Gripping the stick in my hand, I waited for it to make its move. But it didn't. Instead it just looked at me with a more affectionate look than before and rubbed its head against my leg.
I felt a little freaked out and braced myself for its attack. Basically I just covered my eyes with my hands and froze in place. Not the best survival instinct but an instinct none the less. But it didn't attack. I heard it make a quiet almost purring like noise in the back of its throat and instead just nudged my meat pouch with its snout. I tossed a piece a little down the beach and watched as the little dino took off. It tore into the meat, swallowing it practically whole and ran back to my side with an expectant look.
"Uh...How 'bout we wait a bit before I give you any more, yeah?" Though shaking slightly, I reached down to gently pat its head. It made what I was hoping was an affectionate noise.
I have a dino dog... Cool. This is normal. Completely normal.
Trying to digest what was happening, I returned to rebuilding my campfire. Once I got it going I turned to my broken home and got to fixing that as well. I made it a little more different than before. I dragged only the roof and one of the walls to the trees and off the bare part of the beach that I slept on the previous night. Laying the wall on the ground as a type of floor, I stuck two relatively sturdy branches in the sand until they wouldn't shake when I shook them. Since they were so far in, they stood shorter than I was but that was fine. I didn't want it too tall. I then placed the roof above the wall, securing it with thin strips of other branches that I had gathered up. After placing a few large rocks at the back of the wall where it angled down to meet the ground and secured it even more. With just the two parts of the house I had made an even more sturdy shelter than the night before where I had four walls. I put a few larger leafy branches on the top and around the exposed sides, tying them to the wall frames. There were a few boulders around where I made my little house that hid it even more in the shady area. Even from a short distance away it was a little difficult to see it and when it was night time it would be near impossible. By the time I was done, the sun was almost fully down and I was once again drenched in sweat, the saltiness of it permeating my open wounds.
Going back over to where I left my new little friend, I crouched down to try lifting it back up to bring to the hut but it wasn't having that. The second I took its feet off the ground it began to violently squirm in my arms and let out odd cries, its sharp talons nicking my skin. It was surprising enough that I dropped it on the sand and made it land on its back. My arms and legs were already fairly cut up due to it and its friend. From how I dropped it I expected it to now attack me once again but other than shaking the sand off its hide, it didn't seem hostile.
"Okay, no more picking you up then. Got it." Though bleeding, I was glad I figured out a dislike of the vicious little beast. Instead it followed me over to the shadowed house and got inside when I moved the leafs out of the way as a makeshift doorway.
Once it was inside I left it there and went to the water shore line. Stripping down to nothing, I left my clothes by the fire to keep them warm and slowly submerged myself in the water. I didn't have any soap or anything, but I did my best to scrub myself clean. Every time I brushed my hands over the wounds I felt more grains of sand and dirt fall from them and collect on the ocean floor. It was cold but I still used my fingers to viciously dig into my scalp in an attempt to get all the sweat, blood and dirt out. I didn't feel clean but I felt better than before. I rung out my hair the best I could and made my way to the fire. The breeze wasn't as strong as it was the previous night so I didn't feel as cool while I let the fire dry me off.
I made a decision between my shirt or my pants and then gripped my still too long pants in my hand before ripping it into strips. I did my best to wrap the strips over the multiple wounds I had just cleaned. I ended up looking a little like a mummy due to all of them. I shook out the shirt to get any crap of it and saw flakes of my skin fly out from where I was shedding due to my sunburn. The shirt was still so large on me even after I tore strips off it earlier that it reached just above my mid thigh. It would have to work for now.
I cooked up half the meat I had left and saved the rest of the raw stuff for... the dinosaur.
It needs a name. Wait, is calling it 'it' rude? How do I even check the gender?
I sent a curious look towards the direction of the hut which was now practically invisible among the trees with the lack of sunlight. The thought of diddling a dinosaur didn't sound all that exciting to me. But if it was going to be hanging out with me then I needed to know. Maybe I would just chuck it at other dinos its type and see if it did some diddling itself. Seeing the position would be a pretty good tell but that sounded a little like dinosaur porn which I didn't think would do anything for me or any sane person. I'd figure it out.
After I ate, I put out the fire and shuffled around in the dark until I reached my little home. I didn't trip once which I believed boded well for me.
"Eat up. I don't want to wake up with any missing fingers." In the dark I tossed the remaining raw meat into the corner of my shack and heard the spitter run to it. There was a thump outside and a familiar yawn. Reaching a hand out between the leafs, I felt the spiky shell of the turtle. It had laid down just in front of the entrance and seemed calm. I gave it a gentle pat on the head. "Night, buddy."
It was a weird life but it seemed to really be mine now. Was it terrifying? Yes. Was I going to die? More than likely. Was I going to give it my best shot? Damn right.
I was trying to pep myself up while listening to the deep yet gentle breathing of the two slumbering beasts around me.
I had nearly dozed off myself when a noise got my attention. I wasn't typically a jumpy person but after two days on this island I felt that I had a good cause to be.
Not knowing if Friedrich had decided to check if I returned to the beach or not, I quietly moved to the front leafs and moved them aside to look down the beach. Branches were crunching on the ground next to my hut but kept walking past until whoever it was reached the mostly bare beach. I saw a shadow moving around my freshly put out fire. It was too dark to make out who it was but I really hoped they were friendly. Also hoped they would let me get some sleep.
I couldn't tell what they were doing until the fire started back up. In the dark they had been able to easily start the fire within a few moments of being around. I felt a little shown up. But at least I was now able to see who it was.
The man who had pinned me down earlier and called dodo birds fat chicken. While it was a super cute name, I hated that he thought of it first. He didn't sit around the fire and didn't seem to be wanting to relax. I silently watched him shift through the discarded remains of my old home, looking frustrated and annoyed. He muttered something to himself and pulled something out of his pocket then wrapped it around one of the discarded sticks and lit it on fire. Now hold a torch, the guy began looking around the beach before turning his attention towards the trees where I was hiding.
Can't I just have one good night? Is that seriously too much to ask?
The small dinosaur, that I had expected to be sleeping, was next to me at the entrance, its eyes fixated on the man slowly making his way towards us. Before I could calm it down since it seemed on edge, it jumped out with a shrill cry, almost like a bird and a rattlesnake and ran at the man. I saw its frill spread out around its neck when it was close enough to be illuminated by the torch light. The guy obviously knew what these things did but acted too slowly. I watched in horror as my little buddy spit its painful green liquid at the man's eyes before jumping at him, slashing at him and biting where he could. I was stunned for a moment before I saw him grab my dinosaur and toss it away. It was obviously a struggle to open his eyes with the stuff covering them but he still managed to land a solid kick on the small creature hard enough to send it flying over the sand where it landed with a hard thump.
"Stop it! Please don't kill it!" I ran out just as the man approached it, a rock in his empty hand. I could see shock on his face when I put myself between him and the thing that just tried to kill him. Without hesitation I wrapped my arms around it and glared at him. "Don't you dare lay a hand on it."
"Your pet tried to kill me. You can't blame me for getting even." He let out a dismissive noise and threw down the rock to wipe more of the dinosaurs liquid from his eyes.
"Friend, not pet." I felt defensive but also pity when I saw the guy put on a tough face even though he was clearly in pain. I gave my buddy a gentle pat and slowly approached the guy, making sure to keep my hands where he could see them. "Come here. I can help you."
"I don't need your help."
"Tough, 'cause you're getting it."I had no patience for tough guys who didn't admit when they needed someone. Acting brave wouldn't get you the help you need, on this island or back home. I ignored his protests and led him by the arm to the water's edge and practically pushed him down. His annoyed words turned to muttered complaining but he didn't fight me off as I worked on washing his eyes out, wiping them dry with the hem of my shirt.
"That always stings like hell." Rubbing his own eyes once they were dry, the guy got to his feet without saying a word of thanks.
"What, not going to say thank you? Where's your manners?" I stood in front of him and placed my hands on my hips. My little buddy made a hissing noise behind him but the guy's annoyed expression didn't change.
"Why would I thank you? I didn't make a request of you, you acted on your own. This isn't place where acting high and mighty will get you far." He walked past me at this point.
"Wait, can you at least tell me why you're here? Or where here is?" I had more questions but those were the only two I could manage to get out.
He didn't even look at me, just kept walking. "No. Find out for yourself. We're in the situation."
"Just stop!" I needed something more than that and physically tackled him to the sand. I couldn't exactly match the pin he did to me earlier so I settled for putting all my strength into pressing his shoulders in the sand. Didn't even keep him still for half a minute before I found myself on my back and pinned myself. His hands kept mine pinned above my head and his knees dug into the soft flesh of my thighs, pressing the bare skin into the coarse sand. My little buddy was apparently worried that I was in danger because once again its frills flared up. I shouted at it to stay put and it seemed to work. I had to do the same with the turtle, who for some reason was slowly charging at the guy above me.
"If you plan to survive then I will give you one piece of advice. Listen close because I will not repeat myself." He waited until I stopped struggling against him. "Do not pick a fight with anything stronger than you. Human or beast. This frail body of yours was not meant for a world like this so even if you do listen to me, I doubt you will make it to day five."
"Day five? Is that an important day? What happens on day five?" The guy wasn't making me feel any better about being here.
"It doesn't hold anything special but it's three days away. You are struggling this much after only two. I'm not fully sure how you even lasted this long." I felt as if he was making fun of me. His knees push into my thighs harder when he got to his feet. I wouldn't be surprised if I bruised later.
Frustrated with him and the confusion he added, I did the only thing I could think of when he began walking away again. I didn't even think about how stupid it would be when I opened my mouth and let out a high pitched scream.
"What are you doing!?" Whipping around, the guy charged back to me and now tackled me back on the sand. I could hear the loud slapping noise of his hand hitting my mouth as the remains of my scream echoed in the air. His torch was discarded in the sand next to us and I could clearly see fury in his eyes. His fingers dug into my cheeks and he actually began shaking my head, smashing it into the ground a few times until I felt dizzy and beyond that. His other hand was wrapped around my throat and seemed to be squeezing as hard as he could.
Once he let go, i just laid there weakly gasping. I couldn't hear what the guy was saying. The shock and the physical effect of what he did made it difficult for me to focus. All of a sudden I felt completely drained and couldn't even push myself up to try getting my bearings. The light of the torch got dimmer until I lost consciousnesses.