Part 2
Jack ye not lis-"
"I heard ya Ana. You're right that we might run into others. Tell the men to carry on their effects. We can't be too sure we won't run into trouble." She nodded but remained standing and staring at him. It seemed like she wanted to say something but didn't. Eventually she left and he stared at the island. Landfall was approaching and fast.
Not ten minutes later...
The first thing Jack noticed when the Pearl quietly slipped to the shore was the birds. Before there had seemed so many, now there was a handful at most. Perhaps, he thought, they made their way to the other side of the island. His crew stood waiting alongside the deck for orders.
"Alright we go in groups of twos and threes and scout thee entire spit o' land. No one goes anywhere alone savvy?" They all agreed and split into their self assigned groups of twos and threes. Originally Anamaria was going to follow a group of the lower pirates, but ended up with Jack when no one wanted to take orders from her if they didn't have to. Gibbs ended up pairing off with young Thomas.
"What do ye think we'll find here Jack?"
She whispered as they moved side by side through the underbush. Jack could feel the sun even though the forest green, and the zipping of mosquitos was ever present. He listened for anything out of the ordinary, but found nothing. All he could hear anyway was Anamaria. Her shallow breathing as she hacked at plants, the occasional trump of her heavy boots as she moved behind him and to his side, the swish of her blade, the swirl of wind as it whipped through her hair, and the somewhat irritated sigh she let out every few minutes while remaining crouched. Everything captivated his attention, yet left him feeling unfocused.
"Nothing really, but we must remain on guard. Ye said so yerself aye?"
"I know."
She said looking him in the eyes as they stood directly side by side, making him stumble on his next step. Eventually, they passed through the thick underbush and came along a clearing. There was lots and lots of sand in what looked like a shallow depression of land. There were dark trees surrounding the opening, not just from where they hacked through. Jack figured it had once been home to some natives. He carefully scanned the area for recent activity like animal bones, smoke, arrows, but found nothing.
"Hmm...looks like its been deserted." He said sitting down on a large rock near a tree and preceding to empty his waterlogged boots of their collected sand. Anamaria nodded silently before looking from the way they came to the opening in front of them and back. She sighed heavily and he looked up frowning.
"What's wrong luv?"
"I'm disappointed we be alone here Jack. I mean no natives, no animals, no sailors."
"What do ye mean?" He asked and she only shrugged sitting down by him and repeating his action with her own boots. They remained like that just sitting on the ground, emptying their boots in the silence, and with the sunlight coming in.
"This is a nice spot aye Jack? I mean it would have been even better had we had a fight on own hands and won, but it's just...it be peaceful."
She said smiling and stretching letting the sun warm her. He nodded staring at her as if fully seeing her for the first time. He stared at her brown hair noticing the way it tumbled down one side and almost touching the ground. It matched the brown of her skin, which the sun had recently made a bit darker yet still as enticing. He thought of what she once said about her mother's family being in slavery in the Caribbean long before she was born, and how proud she was of her African race. The warm of her eyes he found interesting and bright as she looked his way before staring up at the clouds. He frowned to himself looking away hating how she fascinated him, and how much of a coward he was to say anything about it.
"We should go find the others, luv."
"But Jack it's so nice here."
"All the same, if they find treasure or better yet rum I wanna be there Ana." He said standing and offering her his hand, which she scoffed at before standing too. She was a bit angry he knew but they couldn't sit in the sun forever. She rolled her eyes at him when he asked if she would like a break halfway back through the underbush.
"Don't treat me like that because I'm a woman Jack. I don't need a break now let's press on." He sighed and stood still in front of her noticing how he slightly towered over her that close. She didn't look directly at him, but a smile played at the corner of her mouth.
"What ye stop for Jack?" She asked and he went to speak but couldn't find any words. She silently waited but he only shook his head before backing up.
"Nothing let's go find the others."