Silence on Dirty Ground

[Karuka]

Closed to Valentine

A cold splash beat against Karuka's legs, waking her. Her head felt like it was splitting, and the sun's intensity didn't make it any better. Without opening her eyes, she grabbed a handful of the ground beneath her to try and drag herself away. To her surprise, though, it slid through her fingers, offering no traction.

Sand...

The red-head opened her eyes, painfully pulling herself up until she was sitting, and squinted painfully at her surroundings. She was looking out on the ocean as the tide made its way in. Beside her were her backpack, containing all her belongings, and her staff, and her knife belt was still on her waist. The bag's clasp was still tight, meaning she probably hadn't lost anything, but her silk outfit was probably ruined.

I'll find a use for it... She opened the bag, finding her waterskin and taking a deep swig of the slightly brackish water. There was a lush forest not a hundred yards behind her, meaning plentiful streams, or at the very least, daily rains. Forests also meant food, so if she was stranded, survival would be an easy matter.

What the Hel happened, though...? She shook her head. She'd been on a boat to Istraloth, since it was one place she hadn't been yet, and a sudden squall had sunk it.

How did I get here, though? She remembered flailing about in the water, struggling to keep her head up, but she didn't think it would have been enough to get her here; she didn't know how to swim. Maybe I grabbed a barrel or something?

She started looking around for anything else that might have washed up, wanting both an answer to how she'd come to be here as well as get a head start on survival. There were a few pieces of driftwood strewn on the beach, but what she saw amidst it brought her straight to her feet. There appeared to be a man lying in the sand, not responding to the waves pulling at him.

She jogged over, hoping he was still alive. Two people had a better chance of immediate survival than just one, and a companion could stave off the dementia that frequented hermits. She wasn't quite sure he was alive, though, when she first saw him.

A nasty gash ran down his temple, staining his silver hair; it looked as though he had hit his head hard on something as the boat was going down. When she knelt beside him, though, she saw his chest rise - he was breathing. He wouldn't be breathing much longer if he hadn't moved by the time the tide came in, and Karuka doubted that he'd be waking up to move himself.

How to do this...? If it hadn't been for the tide, she'd have let him lie. She didn't know how badly he was hurt, and moving him might kill him...but the tide would kill him, so there wasn't much choice. She didn't have a sled to move him onto, or any way to carry him, so she'd have to drag him herself.

Crouching down over him, she lifted his head, letting it rest on her shoulder while she slid her arms under his shoulders and started scuttling back toward the shade, clenching her teeth. When she finally set him back down, it was in the shade, and she sat down beside him, closing her eyes and breathing hard.

"Malchadan...you're heavy." Dropping her bag, she went and grabbed her staff before heading back to sit next to him. She hoped it would rain fairly soon; the sun hadn't been good for either of them and fresh water would be a blessing. Her strange and unconscious companion still seemed to be breathing, which was, at the moment, a good thing.

Whether it would remain so...well, she'd have to wait for him to wake up to know for certain.

[Valentine]

The first things that he felt were the torturous rays of the sun, invisible miniature spears tearing into his pale flesh like a ravenous beast. Not yet did he have strength to move to resist them, for his body ached with every breath that he took. The stench of blood filled his nostrils and the trickling sensation down the back of his head told him that the smell was coming from him. Kadarus knew now that he was not dead or hallucinating, the pain all over him told him otherwise. He still had the luxury of feeling, a privilege only a man who was alive and kicking had.

He felt something pull him up and tug him along, the steady breaths of a female telling him who it was. Gradually, his body was dragged along the sand to a shady sanctuary where the sun could not reach him. Without any support, the samurai’s body fell like a rag doll to the sandy ground.

Still, these conditions were more hospitable than the ones he had woken up to and Kadarus could feel his strength gradually returning without the relentless torment of the blazing sun. He took deep breaths which sent his bare chest up and down, filling his body with oxygen as he felt the consciousness fully return to him. His hands, previously limp at his side dug into the sand as the first signs of returning vigour were revealed.

A voice, gentle yet strong, rang in his ears, reminding him of the saviour that had apparently rescued him. His eyes found the will to open in an instant. One moment they were shut and the next they were agape, yellow orbs staring forward and studying what lay before them. A giant green leaf swayed in the wind high above his head, blocking most of the clear blue sky from view.

Kadarus groaned, a throaty sound that confirmed that he really was alive, though there was little other reason or explanation to his situation other than that simple fact. His hands pushed into the sand, trying to push his body upwards, but that tiresome act was beyond his depleted reserves of strength for now. Kadarus turned his head, eyes seeing the expected sight of the female who had dragged him into the cool shade.

“Who are you?” he said, his voice weak and dry from dehydration.

There was no menace or hostility about her and this was what relaxed Kadarus. He was almost certain that it was her that had protected him and given him the opportunity to recover. Feelings of thanks and relief filled his body and he embraced them, somehow forcing his lips to perk upwards at their sides into a crude, subtle smile.

He blinked once, trying in vain to remove the glare of the sun from his vision. Her red hair, gracefully dancing in the light breeze that blew across her, was one of many things he wanted to keep an unobstructed view on.

[Karuka]

The damage hadn't been as bad as Karuka had feared; the skirt of her blue silk outfit was ruined, but the top wasn't, and the top was much cooler than the sturdy vlince blouse that normally covered her torso, and she was more than glad to change into it. Meanwhile, she could use thread from the skirt to stitch up her unconscious companion's head wound, so she started soaking a length of it in alcohol to clean it off.

She was almost surprised when he spoke; with a head wound that bad, she'd have been surprised to see him awake for the rest of the day, if not longer. His eyes, although an unusual color, were clear and only slightly confused, and apparently he could move his arms. These were all good things, and Karuka moved over to kneel in the soft earth beside him, opening her water skin and holding it to his lips to drink.

"My name," she answered, "is Karuka O'Sheean. Fellow shipwreckee." She lifted the skin after he'd had a couple of mouthfuls; she hadn't had the chance to find a stream yet and didn't know how long it would be before a rain. Brackish though her water was, it was all they had at the moment.

"How are you feeling? Can you feel your legs?" She dampened a small cloth with alcohol from a bottle that had been on the beach. "This is going to hurt, but it's going to prevent infection," she told him before starting to clean it. "When it's clean, I'm going to stitch it up nice and neat so that it heals faster."

She tilted her head to look into his eyes, figuring to keep up a conversation to distract him while she cleaned and stitched his wound. "So, what's your name, and what brings you to Istraloth?"

[Valentine]

So many words swam about in his mind, each with their own confusing image as accompaniment. When she had finished speaking and all she had to say registered by his aching head, Kadarus’ mind felt like an abstract of images, jumbled together into an incoherent mess. Nothing of what she said made any sense or triggered any sort of familiarity with him.

Kadarus thought back, trying to think of the last event his brain remembered, but all he got was a dull pain that discouraged any probing of that sort. He squinted and turned his head away, rejecting his rescuer’s offer of water. His palms pushed into the ground, now with enough strength to hoist his formidable torso into an upright position. Despite the headache whenever he tried to do any sort of thinking, Kadarus could feel his body gradually replenish with vitality.

“Shipwreck?” he repeated, his weak voice slightly steadier than before. He turned his head to look at her, to see whether she was being serious. There was mirth in the tone of her voice despite their situation, but Kadarus could tell that she was being entirely serious. “I don’t... I don’t remember anything about Istraloth or a ship.”

Istraloth and ship wrecks... there was too much information in his head and it only worsened the throbs and aches in his head. Kadarus brushed the silver hair from his face in frustration with one hand, his other reaching for an outstretched branch at a nearby tree. His fingers clumsily wrapped around the branch before their grip tightened. Kadarus turned his head upwards to look at it, closing his eyes briefly and summoning might from the reserves of strength in his body. With much effort, he groaned as he managed to pull himself to his feet. He panted loudly though from the vigorous act and leaned against the tree, looking down at the red haired female who was speaking to him.

“My name... My name...” he began, stuttering for a moment before the word came to him, relieved that at least he remembered something. “My name is Kadarus.”

That was about all that he could remember at this moment though, for the smell of blood down the back of his head was still in his nostrils. It was too soon to hope to delve deeper in search of memories, but he was still frustrated that he knew next to nothing about himself or where he was.

“And I do not need your help.”

His weak voice betrayed his attempted coldness, even if his icy nature was more from frustration than personality.

[Karuka]

Karuka shrugged, looking up at the now-standing Kadarus. "I never said that you did need my help. But you're here and so am I, and it's not going to do either of us any harm to get that stitched up."

He shook his head, still refusing, and Karuka sighed, leaning back. It was too hot and humid to argue with someone who wouldn't let anything be done for his own good. "Daoine," she grumbled; a complaint against all men and their tendencies to be stupid. Deciding that since he was awake and strong enough to stand, he didn't need her constant supervision, she looked up at the trees that covered the island, brushing a curl out of her face. At the very least, she'd been stranded with a foolish man on an island with fruit-bearing trees, as strange as the fruit looked.

She grabbed one that had fallen to the ground, a strange, hard and kind of hairy fruit that looked different from its tree-bound kindred. Whatever it was, it was probably ripe, so she plunged one of her daggers into the shell to see what it was she'd discovered. Pulling the dagger back out was some work, but she was rewarded by a splash of liquid. It smelled a little strange, but sweet, and when she took a cautious sip, it was definitely good to drink.

"Would you like me to open one for you?" she offered to the stranger she'd dragged from the tide. "Save us from going to look for fresh water before it cools down later."

[Valentine]

Her benevolent words, offering help, fell on deaf ears.

Kadarus was apparently not one fortunate enough to be the recipient of very much kindness these days because as she spoke, he felt his eyes cringe and scrutinize her offers with a degree of suspicion. Already, his woozy mind was beginning to work through the gears of apprehension and scepticism, hinting to him he had survived thing long without the kindness of strangers to help him along. Even though he could sense no maliciousness in her, Kadarus still had enough of a sense of himself in his groggy mind to deny her any of his trust. His face did not betray any of his emotions and with every moment he stayed conscious, he was feeling more and more confident that he could survive by himself.

It wasn’t so much that Kadarus didn’t want to trust as much as he knew that he could not trust without feeling vulnerable. His brain was bordering on amnesiac when it came to memories, but his personality was coming to him in bits and pieces in the form of feelings that surfaced in reaction to the things Karuka said. He felt bullish and assured about his survival chances, which went some way to justify his decision to reject her assistance. Kadarus, the one that could barely remember anything about himself, was almost dispirited by what he was doing, turning his back on someone that appeared so eager to help him.

But the strange sense of distrust pervading every second since he awoke could not be ignored. He had no reason to trust anything that she said, for he had not known her or even garnered any sense of familiarity from her. These circumstances were suspicious enough on their own without someone that was apparently so eager to help him. Kadarus, despite the little that he could remember about himself, knew at least that he was not so wet behind the ears that he trusted and took the first sign of altruism given to him on face value.

“I do not need anything from you,” he said unequivocally, the strength in his voice somewhat renewed now. His body was also displaying this new found vigour, standing almost upright without relying on the tree for support. “I do not know who you are, nor why you appear so ardent to help me, but I have been alive for long enough to know a thing or two about trust and you...”

There was a hesitant forlorn his voice, but he pushed through it, knowing that even if it was not the right thing to do, it certainly was the required thing if he wanted to survive.

“... have not done enough to earn mine.”

There was strength enough in his body for Kadarus to move away from the tree and limply begin to walk away, but not enough for him to get through the remorse or survive the realization that the person he was, the person he could not remember was not a person that he wanted to be.

[Karuka]

I've seen plenty of right stupid men Hel-bent on getting themselves killed, but never one yet who would move injured and dehydrated on his own through a hot and unfamiliar environment when there's help readily available.

Having known enough stubborn men to know that she wouldn't be able to persuade him that two people stood a better chance of surviving than one. He'd probably convince himself of that when either she found him passed out from dehydration and blood loss or he got into enough trouble to realize that whether or not he trusted her, his chances of survival greatly increased around her.

So she let him walk away, prying open her coconut and waiting for the tide to wash things in while she ate.

When she did venture back out onto the beach, she found a lot of driftwood, which she pulled in, just in case further explorations let her know that she was indeed stranded long-term, some oil and pitch, which would make good torches, and a few tools, but everything else that might have been useful had been ruined by the water.

I should count myself fortunate that at least there is abundant food in this place...we'll just see if there are dangers to match the beauty...

What salvaging she could do having been done, Karuka made it her business to find a source of fresh water. She'd been hoping for a hard rain to show her the way, but so far, it had remained clear and humid. To avoid getting lost, she cut wedges into the bark of trees. It took her more than an hour of wandering, but eventually the sound of running water fell upon her ears, and in another few steps of pushing through the dense underbrush, she almost fell into a small river.

The water was clear and smelled fresh, and when she reached in to grab a handful, it was cold and refreshing on her skin. It was sweet and crisp to the taste, and Karuka wasted no time in pouring the tainted water from her goatskin and filling it from the river and returned to the little beach-side clearing that would be her camp until she either found a way off the island or a better campsite.

A little arrangement of driftwood planks into a platform and a thick bed of vegetation later, she had a place that would have her off the ground to sleep, and a fire should keep almost anything away, so once that was done, she sat down with another coconut. The bugs that had been biting at her so fiercely that she'd been forced to pull her vlince shirt on vanished when the scent of smoke filled the area and she was able to sit and relax in the much cooler silk, barefoot and bare-armed, stranded but safe, at least momentarily.

And considering some of the things I've been through...this is actually a pretty good place to be.

[Valentine]

The sandy, barren beach eventually gave way to a lush green forest in a transformation so gradual and progressive that even the woozy Kadarus noticed. His feet gently trudged along the ground, noticing that as they moved, the sand which sucked them into the ground was slowly becoming no more, instead replaced by soft, fertile soil and eventually blades of grass. The ambience around here was more comfortable too, with the tall trees and their canopies shielding his body from the sun. But there was no escape from the seemingly voracious humidity, which attacked his unaccustomed body, sending wave after wave of sweat pouring from his skin, soaking into his clothes and causing his breath to lose its steadiness.

Kadarus breathed in heavy pants now, his fragile body recovering in less than ideal conditions. More than once a though of regret had passed his mind that he had not taken up Karuka’s offer. No matter what situation one was in, it was always better to have company. Kadarus felt that at any moment he could collapse from a combination of dehydration and heat stroke. His body felt warm and he no longer had the strength to walk upright. His back was hunched over, his hands grabbing onto whatever rogue branch was within his reach to support his body as he pulled it along. His vision was blurry again and his silver hair, soaked to the root with sweat, obscuring it even further.

His feet moved seemingly of their own accord now, for Kadarus’ weak mind no longer possessed the vitality to guide them. Aimlessly he ambled through the forest, each step heavier than the last. His breath grew increasingly laboured as well, his back hunching ever forward. Beads of sweat formed on his face, only to be shoved off moments after by newly formed ones. The hefty man was a noise machine, with no shortage of sounds being emitted from his person. This caused no shortage of curiosity from the indigenous that dwelled here. With every step he made, more and more eyes were being focused on his ailing body.

But then, hope. His senses had been dulled as his body began its struggle to survive, but they suddenly sprung to life as close to a true-to-life mirage presented itself. The first of his senses to be triggered was his hearing, which instantly sent twinges through his body as the gentle sound of water lapping and flowing rang through. Eyes opened, silver hair was tossed back and eyes almost glowed in happiness at what they saw. A stream, with water as clean as he had ever seen was no more than a few feet away. Kadarus’ feet sprung forward, his body falling to its knees at the stream.

His face plunged downwards, his lusty tongue lapping at the water, replenishing his body with the precious liquid that it so drastically needed.

[Karuka]

Coconuts, as good as they were, seemed to be the tropical potato. That meant that they'd keep you alive for as long as you could stand eating them, but without other foods to supplement it, the body would soon miss those other essential nutrients, and start to slow down. Since there was still enough light to last for several hours and Karuka wasn't the sort to let grass grow under her feet, she decided to go fishing.

And maybe I won't come back here...

Working near her fire, she dipped several strips of cloth in the pitch that she'd found, wrapping them around branches to make long-lasting torches. The jars of oil went into her bag, nestled into the folds of her cloak, and what liquor there was followed suit. It wouldn't do to just drink the alcohol; heavens only knew when she'd need a handy disinfectant.

That done, she slipped her vlince shirt back on over her light silk and made a loose net out of the thin, stretchy vines that grew so abundantly, putting a few coconuts she could in it before putting out her fire. While she was sure there would be more good food deeper in the island, it wasn't a complete guarantee, and she had learned years ago to take food supplies whenever possible.

Done cleaning up her camp, Karuka followed her path back to the stream, moving at a relaxed pace. There was so much to find out about this new place; as she'd suspected, there was the occasional edible plant, and even some scat from small animals that, if there wasn't a way off the island, she'd be able to hunt later, once she had shelter. There were soft twitters and loud screams from various birds, most of which could also be hunted if the need arose. But for now, she was on her way to the stream, and she knew she'd seen fish.

She heard it before she saw it, once more, and then she smelled it; finally she parted the large fronds and stood on the shallow banks.

She didn't see Kadarus at first; he was downstream of her and after she had her belongings and supplies stashed safely on a large, fairly flat rock, she probed her way into the frigid water, bare feet sliding carefully over the sharp rocks that the young river boasted. When she did see him, she watched him drink for a second before looking once more into the thigh-deep water, teeming with fish of all sizes and many shapes, all of which looked delicious. Now she just had to stay still and quiet while the fish settled around her.

The bigger fish tended to move slower than the tiny ones, and, not knowing better than to see human legs and toes as a warning to flee, they soon stopped avoiding the red-head who was out to murder and devour one of their plentiful number.

It was all over in a flash; a brown hand plunged beneath the surface, grabbed a big one by its tail, then ripped its thrashing body to the surface, slammed it against the water with all the force it could muster, and tossed its stunned and helpless victim to the shore while the other fish scattered like a startled herd of gazelle. But one fish as big as that one was more than enough for Karuka, and it was with a triumphant grin that she made her careful way back to shore.

We could have definitely shipwrecked in a worse place than this.

[Valentine]

As he lapped in the water with all the tact of a slobbering dog, Kadarus felt waves of energy flow into his body, revitalizing him and filling him with renewed energy. Suddenly, the humidity and heat didn’t tax him as much as they had before. He didn’t feel woozy or giddy anymore, his mind quickly recovering with every drop that he sent down his throat. Products of his tired amble here like minor cuts and bruises seemed to heal as he drank, his skin seemingly pulling itself together where it had torn before.

By the time he pulled his head from the water, Kadarus was a new man. His weakness had faded as the water had entered his body, revealing the beast of a man that lay beneath. Formidable muscles twanged with energy and eager eyes scanned the area with renewed vigour and purpose. His thighs almost seemed to growl in might as they pushed into the muddy banks of the river, sending Kadarus’ body upright. A task that had been so difficult before was now as easy as it should be, a sign of his startling recovery.

Perhaps the only disappointment on his mind was that despite the fantastic state his body was now in, Kadarus’ mind had not followed suit. While the headaches were gone, the loss of memory remained. His errant hand moved almost instinctively for the back of his head for the formidable wound. To his surprise, it was gone.

Mere hours ago, that wound had been the focus of his anguish but now it had left, with nothing physical remaining. Only the holes in his memory stayed with him, a reminder that the wound was no figment of his imagination. Had he healed himself somehow? Kadarus had felt his body pull itself together over minor wounds and bruises, but had it repaired the hole in his head as well?

He could not decide what was worse, the staggering weakness he had experienced before or the torrent of questions that presented themselves to him now.

[Karuka]

As Karuka finally set foot back on shore, she suddenly got a sense that she was being watched. It wasn't an uncommon feeling; she was an exotic-looking girl, she usually attracted a few stares. But here? And it felt more like she was being stalked than ogled.

It was a sense she'd learned to trust, and she stepped back into her shoes, tossing the dazed fish back into the water so that she could grab her weapon.

Kadarus is still downstream. Even though he didn't want her help, if an attack was coming, two would be safer than one, and that worked for him as well.

The world seemed to grow more vivid around her as she searched instinctively for anything that might leap out and attack her. The hum of the innumerable insects, the rush of the water as it went on its course and fluting calls of island birds, sounds she'd tuned out, filled her ears once more as she listened for any sound out of place. Her eyes flicked around the intensely green foliage, looking for any shadow that moved out of place as she made her cautious way toward Kade.

Suddenly she "saw" something darting for her leg and moved her staff to intercept it a moment before a tiny dart reached her. It embedded itself in the wood, quivering there. We'll never see an attacker.

"GET DOWN!" she yelled to the man she'd been shipwrecked with as a dozen more darts flew in. Some she blocked, some she dodged as she broke into a run, but she didn't get more than a few steps before something sharp embedded itself in her shoulder. She pulled it out, trying to escape her unseen attackers, but a few steps later her vision blurred, and as the ground rushed up at her, it slowly went black.