Katchi: *Hording a chocolate egg* ^.^ I like Easter.
Cairis: I like after Easter...when everything is cheap! Anywho...I realized as I was writing this that I needed a fair bit of time to go by before I could get to the next real plot point-
Katchi: plot? *blinks*
Cairis: -.- Annnddd...so, this chapter plus likely the next does just that. I also realized I've been ending on cliffhangers this whole time and figured I just couldn't brake with tradition.
Katchi: That was my idea. *mischievous grin*
*Cairis points at Katchi and hangs a sign that reads, "Blame the muse."*
-----
Lightning stretched across the sky in a sizzling cascade of brilliant light. Joe closed his eyes against the sudden flash and then reached for the next rock. He was almost at the top of the small cliff face, if he could just get there in time...
Blindly Joe grabbed for another hold, his fingers gripping wet soil as he hauled himself forcibly upward and almost frantically searched the blackened sky. "Where is it!" Joe demanded into the deafening rain. Another flash of lightening ripped through the clouds but it was enough to give Joe a glimpse of the helicopter currently circling the island.
Its searchlight was merely a dim spot amidst the storm's rage and Joe nearly lost sight of it again as he bowled his way haphazardly down the other side of the hill. He'd spotted it first back on the beach and with a surge of hope had sent up the flare, but his timing had been just off and the helicopter had turned away unseeing.
Letting out a small grunt as his shoulder slammed into a tree, Joe quickly continued his pursuit weaving his way through the black jungle in search of the island's edge. He just needed to get close enough before he shot the other flare. All at once the trees broke and Joe was running along a wall of rock.
There, in front of him, the helicopter was turning around again. Making sure he would be seen this time, Joe waited and then fired the last flare above his head. The burst of red light shot upwards almost directly into the helicopter's path, but at the same time the storm threw its own flare. The burst of lightning, as if attracted by the small red light crackled above him, blanketing the sky in yet another blinding spectacle. Shaking, Joe blinked back tears staring heavenward with breathless hope. Had they seen it?
The helicopter hovered another moment, but all once turned and headed away, back out over the ocean. Shoulders sagging, Joe sank to the ground in defeat. His hands curled into fists as frustration raged through him and for a long time all Joe could do was stare out into the blackness of the ocean too angry to worry about anything else.
The storm once more lit the sky, the sharp wind cutting at the trees with a howl as deafening as the rain. Turning his face up to the sky, Joe closed his eyes, letting the cold of the rain pound the frustration away, but it wasn't until a piece of lightning hit the water close enough that Joe could actually feel the tingle of the resulting electric charge that he really came back to himself.
Scrambling back into the tree's edge, Joe looked about as if realizing where he was for the first time. It'd take him a bit to get back to the beach..."The stuff!" It was likely all gone, washed away in the rain, and the flare gun was useless now. Joe groaned. "Frank's going to kill me!" He didn't really think about the logistics of that particular worry, but thoughts of his brother filled Joe with anxiety. Not only had he lost the little stuff they had, but he'd also left Frank alone for a surmountable length of time. Joe knew his brother well enough to know Frank likely thought the worst and only hoped he hadn't done anything crazy...like try to stand on his own.
------
Frank didn't remember when Joe came back, but then, he didn't remember falling asleep, either. He was just relieved that when he opened his eyes his brother was there with him. Not too happy looking mind you, but the younger Hardy smiled when he noticed Frank's eyes were open. "Morning."
"Morning."
The storm had passed and the sun was already shinning through the leaves above, but Frank was still quite damp and a tad chilly. His hands were also stinging and while his injured leg felt like it'd fallen asleep, Frank had an idea it wouldn't be too happy when it woke. Confused he looked at his stinging hands. They were a little red, but not terribly so. He remembered he'd tried to get up on his own but hadn't gotten too far with his attempt. But Joe hadn't gotten back yet...
Frank looked over at his brother, once again catching a glimpse of the sorrow hidden in his brother's face before it was covered by an attempt at bravado. "What happened?" Frank asked simply.
"I wasn't able to save our stuff." Joe picked up a nearby coconut and handed it to Frank. "I made a couple more canteens. Found another rock that cuts well. And the tarp back at the beach is full of rainwater. They're the only things that survived. Well, expect for your pocket knife and the lighter which were in my pocket."
Frank took a grateful swallow of the clean water; it was quite a bit better tasting than what they'd gotten from the waterhole. He looked up at his brother, lips twitching with a small smile. "So, we really didn't loose that much then, uh?" Joe looked startled, but after a moment a smile twitched at his lips too, and some of the gloominess in his eyes lifted.
Joe settled down next to Frank and handed him a handful of nuts as well as a few pieces of coconut. It really wasn't enough, but they'd been surviving on it so far. "I want to go search for a better shelter spot."
Frowning, Frank regarded his brother. Joe hadn't actually said what had happened to delay him last night, and he had that look in his eyes that told Frank Joe was hiding something. "You might not find anything. What's wrong with this place?"
Yet instead of the stubborn protest Frank had expected, Joe just grinned, laughter creasing his eyes. "I take it you haven't noticed the nettles?"
Craning his head about, Frank spotted the nefarious plants and groaned. They were practically surrounded by them. "No. I hadn't. But it does explain a few things," Frank grumbled thinking of his stinging hands. He must have grabbed a few in his struggle to get up last night. They weren't fairly large plants, about as tall as a small fern, but the plant's natural defense caused pain to any who touched their stems and under their leaves. Not something Frank wanted to repeat any time soon.
Standing up still grinning Joe told him. "I'll be back soon. I just want to check something out."
"Joe," Frank called out, but his brother had already disappeared through the trees. Check what out? Frustrated to once again find himself alone and powerless, Frank glared up at the calmly waving treetops. The song of a bird reached out to him and Frank only glared harder.
-----
Joe broke through the tree line at near the same spot he had the night before. The wind was substantially lighter here, mostly coming from the other direction, and Joe could see that even the waves seemed to be still on this side of the island. He looked up and down the coast and spotted what he'd seen before, but had been too preoccupied to really take notice of. It was a small cove, or better described a small depression in the curvature of the island.
Making his way carefully over, Joe smiled as he looked down on his find. A wall of rock protected the sides of the small inlet while the trees receded back enough to provide some space and yet still cover the spot somewhat with their leaves. Even better was the pool of water the waves didn't bother. In fact, the more Joe thought about it the more he reasoned that even at full tide the place wouldn't be disturbed too much.
Crouching down at the inlet's edge, Joe gazed intently down into the murky water. Large smoothed away rocks lined the bottom and it was hard to make much out among the many shadows but after a moment Joe was rewarded with the sight of movement. Not only would it be a good shelter for the Hardy's, but the calm waters made the spot a natural haven for the sea life, too.
Feeling somewhat excited, Joe quickly made his way back to Frank. The sooner they got moved, the sooner Joe could get to actually catching a fish.
The move over was painful for both brothers. Joe hadn't quite realized just how exhausted he was until he had to support both of them, but the look of approval on Frank's face when he saw the site made it all worth it. "How did you find this place?" Frank asked through gritted teeth, although he was smiling.
Joe shuffled a little uneasily, and then with shrug said, "I was exploring earlier and noticed it." He was sure Frank didn't believe him, but his older brother said nothing and leaned back against one of the trees. Joe wasn't so sure why he was so reluctant to tell Frank about the helicopter. Frank had been so sure they'd be rescued one day that Joe just didn't want to disappoint him. It was hard enough thinking how close the helicopter had been that Joe didn't want Frank to go through the same anxiety he was feeling over it. If only he'd gotten closer before using the first flare.
"There's fish here. After I get the water I'm going to try and catch one," Joe stated distracting himself from his own brooding thoughts.
"Have you thought of how?"
He hadn't. Joe looked around. This wasn't a closed off tide pool for the fish to be stuck in so chasing it around with his jacket wasn't going to work. "I'll find a spear or something."
"A net would be better."
"We don't have a net." Joe frowned. Why was Frank smiling? He had that deep thought look on his face that said he was thinking of being clever.
"We can make a net," Frank told him simply.
"Frank," Joe groaned. "I have a hard enough time with everything else, it'd take forever for me to make a net!"
Frank glared at him. "What am I? An invalid!"
Yes! But Joe didn't say it and visibly grimaced at the chastisement. He'd been doing everything for so many days now he hadn't even considered Frank would do it himself. "It'll still take a while." Joe stubbornly stated.
"Believe me, I have the time."
So that afternoon Joe searched about for the right materials that Frank would need. The island was covered in fibrous plants of one kind or another and it didn't take too long for Joe to collect enough of an assortment to leave Frank with something to do for quite some time. The elder Hardy had insisted on sitting rather than lying down so he could work better, but the grimace on his face worried Joe.
"Are you sure you're all right like that?" Joe asked dropping his last armload down beside his brother.
"I'm fine," Frank growled out startling Joe. Then Frank sighed, saying, "I'm just tired of staring at trees all day."
Joe's lips twitching into a grin. "Well now you can watch me fish."
"What are you going to use?"
"A spear. I've seen it done before, I'm sure I can do it." Joe was determined they were going to eat fish tonight. He wanted to get going right away, but was still worried about Frank and hesitant to leave again until he noticed the small hint of laughter in Frank's eyes.
"I'm sure you can," Frank said to him encouragingly, but Joe could hear his brother's silent laughter and gave him a mock scowl.
"And I will." He strode off to find his spear. A lot of driftwood had been washed up on the beach after the storm. Most of it wasn't too usable, but Joe finally found something that he felt would work. Using the pocketknife Joe carefully honed the end of his spear to a point and made his way back to their little cove.
It was a lot harder than Joe had guessed. He tried throwing the spear at the fish only to have it bounce unsuccessfully off the bounders. And every time Joe had to wade into the water to retrieve the spear he had to wait a while before seeing any fish around again. After the fifth attempt Joe tried instead to just stand in the water and try jabbing the fish from there as they approached. That didn't work either. The mere motion of the spear moving through the water was enough to push the fish out of the spear's path even when his aim was true.
After a while Joe finally just tossed the spear up on the stony bank and instead waited half buried in the water. He was almost completely frozen before a fish finally approached close enough. But with determination fueling his motions, Joe dove for his prey, numb fingers sliding around the small slippery form in seconds. With one quick haul Joe managed to pull the fish out of the water and toss it towards the shore.
"Hay!" Frank cried out as he was suddenly pelted by the flying fish.
"Sorry," Joe called to him, but didn't stop himself from grinning. After hours of failure he finally had caught something. It wasn't large, but it was something. And Joe spent the next hour or so as frozen as a Popsicle, but successful with catching at least two more fish.
They had no problem obtaining enough food to survive on after that and the two boys settled into something of a routine over the next week. While Frank still couldn't move much, he tended the fire and worked on his net. He'd also woven rope and made slings for Joe to tie the tarp with. They'd lost the second tarp to the storm and decided the one was big enough to cut in half and still be effective. One half they used to store and catch rain water while the other Joe used as a bag. Then the second one got cut down again to create a cartable water bag and a more normal carrying sack.
Joe did all the strenuous labor, but he quickly became accustomed to it and it soon became nothing at all for him to spend half the morning carrying water from the waterhole and the other half collecting nuts and coconuts. Catching fish tended to take up most of the afternoon, at least while Frank was still working on the net.
The real test came when another storm finally blew in. It wasn't nearly as bad as the previous storm had been, but they were still pleased to find their little sheltered area held up quite nicely. While they still became quite thoroughly soaked, the wind barely touched them.
"You know," Frank said as they sat in the rain calmly watching the storm's light show across the water. "I think with a bit of time I can make enough rope that we could even make an actual shelter of sorts."
Joe looked over at his brother surprised to see a small smile on his face. The storm had reminded Joe of the failed rescue attempt and brought with it a whole brood of suppressed emotions. For some reason seeing Frank smiling right now really bothered him. Hadn't it been Frank who had insisted they'd be found against Joe's disbelief? Joe wondered when the roles had reversed and quietly turned back to watch the storm pass harmlessly by.
The next day Joe went back to the beach and using the driftwood formed the word help on the sand. When he was done he looked at it carefully. There was a chance someone might see it. It was something at least. He was still quite broody for most of the day, and while he easily fell back into his routine that afternoon, instead of fishing, Joe promptly announced that he was going for a walk.
"Be careful," Frank immediately warned. "Aaron's still out there."
Joe didn't reply but hurriedly left. Aaron hadn't even crossed his mind. It'd been nice to forget about the man for a while and hearing the smuggler's name only added anger to Joe's depression.
At first he just let himself wander wherever his feet carried him, but after a while, Joe started actually exploring the island. He stayed carefully away from the 'hill' that Aaron said he'd camp on, and so explored much of the center of the island as well as further around the coast. He even found the plane wreckage again. As he'd expected the jungle growth was quickly invading the remains, but the smell of death was still strong enough to cause Joe to gag and reel away in horror.
There was just no way he was going back there, and mentally marking where it was in his head, Joe moved quickly away following the route he originally had taken to the waterhole. It was quiet and still and familiar, and after a few minutes to let his insides settle back into their proper places, Joe set out again in the opposite direction.
The light was starting to wan when Joe came across a pocket of odd-looking trees along with something that looked quite familiar. Joe picked up one of the split fallen fruits from off the ground and cautiously smelled it. It looked and smelled like a papaya, but in truth, he'd only had papaya on the odd occasion and these were much bigger than any he'd ever had. The ground was covered with the large fruits and for the most part taken apart by the local bird life. A good sign that even if it wasn't the fruit he thought it was it was still edible.
Searching around Joe managed to find three unblemished fruits and hefting them in his arms headed back to their site. It was dark by the time he got back, but Frank already had a fire going and eagerly greeted. "Guess what I finished?"
"The net?" Frank nodded and Joe grinned dropped the fruits next to the fire. "I've got something new, too."
Frank's eyes widened in delight. "Are those papayas?"
"I think so" Opening one up and tasting the sweet meat inside it basically confirmed that they were. They didn't have fish that night, but they had something just as good.
"So let's see this net," Joe said around a mouthful of nuts and fruit. Even the coconut didn't taste as horrible as it usually did. Frank held a part of it up for Joe to see. It wasn't exactly pretty but it looked functional.
"I'm thinking we'll need to tie some rocks to it to weigh it down, and it might be a bit awkward for just one person to handle..." Frank trailed away deep in thought as a small disconcerted look crossed his face.
Trying to sound reassuring, Joe quickly stated encouragingly, "I'm sure we'll figure it out." With the discovery of the fruit Joe had managed to loose most of his dark thoughts and he was desperate to see his brother happy right now, but Frank didn't return his smile as he'd hoped.
"Joe? Why do you think Aaron only wanted your knife?"
Joe's smile fell instant and the gloomy feelings returned with a vengeance. "Why bring him up, can't we talk about something else?"
"Think about it Joe, why only the knife, why not the lighter? Fire's just as important here."
"Maybe he didn't know I had it," Joe argued, increasingly uncomfortable with this subject. "He never actually saw me use it."
Yet Frank wasn't satisfied and outright stated. "I think he's hiding something."
"Like what?"
"The diamonds most likely."
"So?" Joe demanded. "What does it matter? We're stuck here Frank and there's nothing we can do about it!" He turned away upset and unwilling to see Frank's expression. He didn't know why it was bothering him so much, Frank was just doing what they'd always done before, reasoned things out. And with some thought he would have to agree with his brother, Aaron was hiding something, but right now, that just didn't mean anything to him.
"Joe."
For one very long minute Joe considered just not answering, but the frustration was only growing and Joe knew soon he wouldn't be able to keep control over his emotions. He'd been suppressing so much without even realizing it that it was all just surging forward with relentless fury.
"Joe," Frank said again, softer.
Throat painfully constricting, Joe finally turned back to his brother, for once grateful for the rain as it hid his tears. "I don't want to talk Frank."
"All right." Then his elder brother leaned his head back, closing his eyes as the rain gently washed his face. They sat in silence for a bit, and then Joe heard his brother quietly say, "I don't want to be here, too. But I don't want to loose myself either."
Frank hadn't moved, and so Joe didn't respond, but Frank's words stuck in his head and he spent half the night awake thinking.
The rain let up sometime close to dawn. It was hard to tell since the clouds didn't part till the late afternoon, but between the steady warmth and sheer amount of time that Joe spent in the water fishing, he had long ago stopped worrying about getting dry.
It was still well into morning before Joe actually woke up. He was surprised Frank hadn't woken him, and rolled over to tell his brother just that only to find the spot Frank usually resided in vacated. A surge of panic brought him instantly to his feet, and a moment later relief washed through him as he spied his brother close by.
Frank was sitting on one of the larger rocks lining the inlet with his net half draped over him and half in the water.
"Frank! Just what do you think you're doing!" Joe demanded, angry with concern.
Yet Frank just looked up at him and smiled. "Good, you're awake. I really think this will work better with two people."
"Frank!" Joe exclaimed exasperated. "You shouldn't be moving about or your going to hurt yourself. I could have done this, you could have woken me."
"It'll still work better with two of us," Frank told him trying to sound reasonable. "I couldn't very well stay there my whole life. And besides, my leg doesn't hurt as much anymore."
"You mean you can ignore it better now," Joe corrected.
Frank shrugged. "Come on. Get in, I want to try this out!"
The net was a great success, and Frank was right, it worked much better with two of them then it would have for one. Within just an hour they'd already caught three fish and promptly eaten them raw. Finding dry fuel for a fire would have taken too much effort, plus Joe already planned to go back to that patch of papayas he'd found.
"So now that the net is finished, what do you plan to do?" Joe questioned with a grin as he got out and tried straining the excess water off.
"I guess I'll make another one. Or think of a way to make a thatch roof or something."
"What about a lobster trap?"
Frank just gave him a look then calmly asked, "And have you seen any lobsters around?"
"Good point." Joe grinned and then laughed. Their success had made him feel amazingly good, even more because it was something they had done together. For the first time Joe actually felt normal inside. Still grinning, Joe grabbed up the water and carry sacks, filling the first with some of the collected rainwater. By the time he turned back Frank was already inching his way back. "Do you-"
"No." Frank's response, while abrupt, was quite clear. He was doing this on his own.
"I'm going to go pick up some more supplies. Be back later." The thought of Frank hurting himself, especially now, worried Joe, but he knew this was important to Frank. It was what his brother had said the night before that had really reassured Joe. The idea of loosing oneself wasn't something Joe fully understood, but independence he did, and he'd spent a fair bit of the night trying to imagine himself in Frank's position. Joe was sure he wouldn't have been so patient.
The day warmed up pretty quickly, even without the sun and Joe was soon sweating as he walked around lining the bottom of his sack with nuts. By the time he'd reached the tropical orchard of papayas he'd already drunk half his water supply.
Coming out of the surrounding jungle Joe disrupted a group of birds having their afternoon meal. They briefly took to wing with startled cries but quickly resettled. Eyeing them warily, Joe cautiously moved around the flock checking for whole fruits. The birds basically ignored him.
Unfortunately, the birds also had pecked and pocketed near all the fruit that lined the ground. Refusing to be discouraged, Joe examined the trees. The stood a couple feet taller than himself, and the fruits were only just out of reach. He needed a ladder, or something he could stand on, but nothing around looked like it would work.
"I wonder if Frank would have ideas for a rope ladder," Joe mused out loud. He still didn't want to go back empty handed and collecting a bundle of fronds from the neighboring palm trees tried to create a mound he could stand on.
It wasn't too steady but if he reached up to his full extent his fingers could just reach the green stem holding the papayas in place. He yanked on the fruit itself, but it didn't want to come free, so Joe pulled out the pocketknife and tried cutting at the stem. A milky sap dripped down his fingers, but the fruit finally came free. It was much firmer than its fallen counterparts, likely not ripe yet, but a couple days in the sun would easily change that and Joe reached to cut off another.
The stretch up was precarious to say the least and again the white sap dripped down his hands, but the fruit came off with a jerk and Joe let out a startled cry as he lost his footing, once again upsetting the local birds. He chuckled at their scolding and put the papaya with the other one in his bag. Tired, he rubbed at the sweat in his eyes.
It was a mistake he realized a second too late. Like an explosion of pain Joe's eyes teared up and he cried out for real this time. They burned as if every nerve had suddenly exploded. The shock was so strong that Joe didn't even feel himself hit the ground and it was by instinct alone that Joe's hands sought the water sack.
He forced his eyes open as he poured the cool liquid on his face, and at first the water only seemed to antagonize the burn, but after a moment the pain began fading if just a little. Pulling in uneven breaths Joe waited for it to pass, all the while chastising himself for being so careless. He hadn't even thought about it, but then, he'd gotten used to having dirty hands, it just hadn't occurred to him that the sap would have a reaction like this.
Joe wasn't sure exactly how much time passed, or how long it was before he realized his eyes were in fact open. With fear Joe experimentally waved his hand in front of his face. His eyes were still watering freely, but they were open. He could just make out some flicker of movement, but it wasn't enough and realization hit Joe like a rock. He was blind.
