Chapter Text
Pitch black. That is all she can remember. The night before was cold and dark. Ash recalled having to hold her breath. Licking the sea salt from her lips, a groan escaped her.
'What happened? I was on the deck, then everything went blank,' she thought as she rolled over on her wet bedding. Slowly patting the area around her, her brain registers that she was in fact on sandy ground. Brown eyes shooting open only the be blinded by the sun overhead.
Blinking a few times to adjust, Ash slowly sits up to take in a beautiful beach in front of her.
"How did I get here? I was on the cruise ship," muttering to herself as she tries to recall the night before. The more she thought, the less she could remember. 'Did I fall overboard and no one notice? Was I pushed? Why can't I remember? The panic started to rise in her chest as she looked around for any clue to explain her situation to her.
In the end, it was just her on an unknown beach/island with no supplies. A frustrated scream escaped her for a good while. Tears started to run down her face as the reality of her situation set itself in.
"I was barely surviving before and now I must be Jane of the jungle!?"
After a minute of only the sounds of the waves brushing up against her, did she decided to act.
"Well, no use crying about it now. I need to get food, water, a shelter, and a fire going before dark. Thank God for survival horror games. I at least know the basics from that," she very dryly spoke already feeling the start of dehydration. Not wanting to get lost, Ash went to the forest line to get a stick to mark her place on the beach out of the tides' reach. Now armed with her trusty stick, she affectionately named Steve, did she start to explore the forest deeper in.
Watching where she stepped, Ash did her best to try and identify the plants around her but none of them could she name. There were sounds of birds chirping so she knew she didn't have to worry about large animals nearby. Every so often she would stop listening to the sound of running water. If she heard something close, she would mark her spot with sticks and rocks.
What felt like forever was when she came across exactly what she was looking for. A clear stream of running water. There was still a chance of parasites and infection but a lot safer than trying to boil sand and salt from sea water.
Dropping Steve, Ash knelt down and greedily drank up her fill of water. Once her thirst was quenched, she took a good look around. She spotted some rocks along the stream's riverbed and started to sort through them. There were a handful that felt like they could become good tools for her, so she pocketed them before grabbing Steve again to try to head back to the beach.
It wasn't too hard for her to make her way back; she did accidentally veer off a bit once or twice. But that led her to some bananas and berry bushes she could eat from. So, she managed to bring some of the fruit back with her.
Since she didn't want sand on her food, Ash improvised using her bra as a small carrier hanging from a tree branch. Now her chest felt better, and her food stayed clean and bug free.
"Now, I should get some wood to burn and make something to sleep on," a tired sigh escaped her exhausted body. She'll rest once that is done.
Staying along the beach, Ash grabbed the driest wood she could find and pulled it off to the side of her impromptu spot. Next step was to get some big rocks to surround the wood to protect the fire and herself. This set up must have taken at least two hours before she could attempt to start the fire.
Starting the fire was the worst for her. Ash must have tried 30 times and make her hands go raw rubbing sticks together to make a spark, but the second it started she hurriedly feed it dry leaves to make it bigger without snuffing it out. Once it was going strong, did she take a break to eat and try to figure out her game plan to survive.
'Well not too bad Ash. You did it. A fire and some food. Yeah, I hate fruit but can't be picky now. I need to make a bed, so I don't lose my body heat to the ground and keep this fire going all night,' another sigh left her as she took note of the sun's position. 'I only have a few hours left. I better get started on the bed and make a real shelter tomorrow,' the depression started to sink in but with a quick shake of her head and a good whack from Steve, Ash was back on track to trying to survive.
For the rest of the day, she gathered vines, large leaves, and a few decent sizes of logs to make a functional bed. Using the vines to tie the logs together, she uses as many leaves as she could to cushion it. It didn't turn out very comfortable, but it was better than the ground.
The sun was setting as she looked around her attempts to start a shelter. 'Not too bad considering I have no training whatsoever. Just got to keep the fire going and make something to hide in if it rains,' exhaustion from the day started to seep into her body as she sat down to add more logs to the fire.
Ash's first night was an unrestful one. The bugs biting her, the random sounds from the jungle/forest, and the uncomfortable bed made sleep impossible for her. With a stiff back and shoulders, Ash got up to attend her fire before eating some breakfast. "I'll have to get some kind of meat soon or I'll end up feeling really sick. Fish may be my best bet. I'll look and see if there are other animals here as I get supplies for a better shelter," she continues to ramble to herself. Voicing her thoughts made the isolation more bearable. Little did she know; a curious creature has stumbled upon her. Watching and waiting.
(Pierrot view)
His hunt was going well today. There was a school of fish nearby and he quickly caught his fill. Unlike the rest of his pod, he must rely on his skill and reflexes to catch his meals. The scar along his neck marked the internal damage to his throat, thus he lost his ability to properly sing to bring his prey to him.
But that was an injury from the far past. One he didn't like to dwell on.
Since he was full, he thought it would be a good idea to bask on his favorite rock and enjoy the sunshine and quiet.
Today was a rare day when Harlequin didn't follow and bother him or mess with his hunt. With a smile upon his pale face, Pierrot casually swam up to the surface towards the nearby island. He loves watching the birds and the few land mammals scurry across the sand. Very few times, he would catch one or two as a treat when he got an old craving.
As he saw his rock, he happily swam towards it and started to climb on top of it. Just as he started to get comfortable, did he notice something different on the beach.
There was light coming from the ground. A light he thought he would never see again. A small bit of fear crept up on him as he hid himself behind the rock but kept his eyes open for the one type of creature; he knows of to create fire.
There was nothing near it for quite a while, as he observed more of the area. There was some food he had seen the land prey eat hanging from the tree by the fire as well as an unusually large pile of leaves.
Not long after, he started to hear something approaching the area. Keeping out of sight, he watched slowly growing hungry.
If this creature is what he thinks it is, he'll have to come get the pod for a small feast. It has been almost 15 seasons since they enjoyed HUMAN flesh.
The rustling grew louder, and the plants started to shake and make small movements. Stepping out on the beach was indeed a human.
A strange looking one. It didn't look like any of the others he and his pod had encountered before.
It was smaller for one, maybe a runt or guppie? Even their body shape was different. There were more curves and more fat on its chest area.
His curiosity outgrew his hunger at this point as he continues watching it. The human was dragging out some logs about the size of itself before falling tired from their scavenging. One for a moment did they rest, before pulling out some rocks and hitting them together.
'That's strange? What does it think it will accomplish by hitting rocks together? Is it for decorating their nest? They should focus on making the nest more secure before anything else,' he thought as he continues watching, partially memorized at its strange behavior. After a few hits one of the rocks breaks and he finally hears its voice, "Yes! Almost there! Beware you stupid wood! Once my tool is done, I'm going to chop you up!”
A shiver went down his spine to his tail fins at hearing its voice. He now knows why he hasn't recognized it as a human. It was a carrier human! Every human they have come across has always been a seed bearer. Like sirens, humans must keep their carries far from the danger of the sea. But that bares the question. How did this one get here? Was she abandoned by her own kind? Where was her pod or mate?
She had a very beautiful voice, surely she already had a mate, but why were they making her scavenge or building a shelter?
He continued watching and after a while, it was clear. She was alone. No one to protect her but herself. More cuts and marks appear on her hands as she works, the more he starts to feel pity.
He wants to get closer, but he doesn't know if human carries are as aggressive as their seed bears. Best to watch her from afar for now.
Thus, for the rest of the day, he watches. He was surprised that the rock she was hitting was tied to a stick, and she started using it to break apart the dead wood around her. She created a tool to make up for not having the sharp claws needed to make her ideal shelter. She spends her time cutting the wood to the ideal shape before gathering more wood and foliage. Night was approaching when she finally stopped. She had created a functional shelter near her fire and was laying down on her nesting in exhaustion. It looks like she won't be hunting today. Maybe she'll like a fish. But how can he give it to her without being seen?