Claire didn't always have much to do. Mostly, her days consisted of sitting around her hut, hunting and waiting for her friend to come tell her the latest news. Sometimes, she saw the workers of the enemy and that was always a busy day; but as of yet, she still couldn't find Aaron. Sometimes, she just sat cross-legged, her gun in her lap and thought.
She thought about the time that had passed, however long that had been. Really, she had no idea; it felt like a life time. She still couldn't believe they'd left her behind. After so long, they'd all survived together and then not a single thought to her or Aaron… She sighed, there was no use dwelling on that now, she knew that. Things were different now. She had her friend.
Granted, to begin with, he had kind of scared her, made her somewhat uncomfortable. But, in time, she had come to realise he knew more about this island than anyone. He was wise and mystical, and he had promised to take care of her and as of yet, had never broken that promise. He had her best interests at heart, she knew that.
That was why, when they first met, he had left her alone for weeks. She'd built her own hut and it had made her feel independent. She'd learnt to hunt, to cook her kills; to really survive on her own… but knowing, she was never really alone and never really in any true danger. Her friend wouldn't allow harm to come to her, not really.
Still, with her friend away for weeks a time, she grew lonely. She missed Aaron. She could hear his crying in her head but she couldn't comfort him. Until one day, she decided to make the trip to the beach and retrieve Aaron's cot. Still there, just gathering dust, with his soft blanket and even his bottle. That was hard. She had broken down and cried on her knee's and that's when she'd heard his cry in her head, louder than ever before. It came from the jungle and so she pulled the cot, with difficulty, through the jungle towards the sound. Her baby needed her, and just as much, she needed him.
And there he was; just lying in the jungle, waiting for her to find him. She picked him up and put him in his cot, where he was meant to be.
"It's okay, Aaron, mama's got you now," Claire cooed, "I'm never leaving you, again."
Some days, she knew it was just a wolf skull and some bones but some days, she truly believed she was back with her son. Some days, she needed to believe that sick, rotting item in her beautiful cot was really her lively, healthy boy. She'd feed him and rock him, but mostly just hold him close to her body as they filled each others hearts with a warm tingling; pretending like this was home.
But Claire knew… She knew this wasn't home. This hut she had crafted with her own two hands, somehow the most independent move she'd ever made, but this couldn't possibly be her home, her place in the world, could it? Her friend made it feel like that way, but he was so busy doing whatever it was he did on the island.
And this day, she knew that wolf skull wasn't her precious Aaron. She knew those men who traipsed through the jungle like it was theirs had taken her baby. Taken him to that temple, taken him away from her. She would get him back; she needed him and he needed her. She was his mum and she would be his saviour, she thought, as she pulled her familiar gun over her shoulder and headed into the jungle.
What she saw next would both confuse and intrigue her, but nothing would distract her from finding Aaron.