As always when publishing new stories, I always include the second chapter.
Chapter Two: Always More
Ro barely slept last night. The deafening winds, crashing waves, and thrashing kept her awake and not because of the noise. She was on her feet for most of the night, running to all corners of the island as the storm built; every nook, cave, and nest. Ro had to ensure that all the animals were safe, that they had a rock ceiling or a sturdy canopy above their heads; that all the young were nestled with their parents.
Once Ro returned to her so-called room on the island, she didn't crash and sleep, and the storm didn't simmer. A few raindrops leak through holes in the leafy canopy above but it won't be a problem, at least she hopes.
She wrings out her hair and the ends of her island dress as she walks over to the small rock ledge where Tika, Sagi, and Azul are nestled underneath, lying on their banana leaves. Ro takes a seat, leaning against the cool rock wall. She listens to the rain pattering against the trees and thunder rolling as she closes her eyes.
-o-
When the sun rose and its bright light shone across the island, Ro's eyes slowly open as it hits her face. Her hair and clothes have dried overnight. She yawns, stretching her arms before combing her fingers through her hair, taking out the frayed braid. The birds chirp through the island as her animal friends behind her awake.
"What a night, what a storm!" Sagi exclaims, stretching his paws forwards and arching his back until it satisfyingly cracks. "Reminds me of the storm that brought you."
Ro smiles as she starts braiding her hair. "Good morning to you too, Sagi."
"Thank the skies my feathers remained dry," Azul states. The peacock opens his colourful feathers not only to air them but to put them on display as he starts to stretch his legs and put on a show. "Though I would've loved a morning bask."
"Come on!" Tika exclaims excitedly as Ro picks an island rose from the overhanging vines. She stops her feet, waiting at the path that breaks into the rest of the island. "Let's see if the storm left us any treasure!"
-o-
The storm left the island a mess but it's still salvageable. Ro and the others start their trek, tossing falling branches to the side and checking the other animals. Along the way, they would pick some fruits and nibble on them amongst their songs and laughs.
But when they arrive at the beach, that's when they see the true consequences of the storm, more so since it's an open space sandwiched between the jungle and the ocean. Branches, vines, flowers, and palm leaves litter the white sand. Debris from the ocean marks its place upon washing up last night.
"Ah!" Azul screeches, branching his feather. "My beach! Where am I supposed to bask?"
"Relax, Azul," Ro says as she starts piling up the palm leaves. They'll be reused as sleeping mats if in a good enough condition. "Your precious beach will be back in no time."
"I'll be waiting," Azul walks over to a palm tree and sits in the shade.
"We're friends for what reason?" Tika questions as she bunches some branches with her trunk.
"Limited inventory," Sagi mutters out of range so Azul doesn't hear him.
Minus Azul, the group scatters along the beach to clean things up. Ro walks past a lot of debris, mentally dividing the wooden ship leftovers as firewood or potential decor if there was a royal seal or a name painted across it. She can't help but notice how much more ship pieces there are. It doesn't look like an entire ship, which Ro doesn't want.
She sees a sail still attached to its mast, lodged into the sand like a flag. As it flutters in the breeze, Ro's eyes catch something in the sand behind it. At first, she thought it was an animal, a dolphin washed onto shore.
Ro runs over and stops when she sees what's really there. It's not a dolphin or any animal. It has two arms, legs, and hands like her.
They're the same but they're not.
His dark hair is long and dishevelled, clothes wrinkled as he basks in the sun. Ro isn't sure how long he's been lying here in the sun or when he washed onto shore.
Shipwrecked, she guesses.
Ro kneels in the sand next to him, skeptical to touch. She looks at his chest which is slowly rising and falling. Breathing. That's good. Ro should look for other life signs but she isn't sure what. When she first found a stranded dolphin struggling to get back to sea, Sagi taught her how to search for a pulse. It'll be in a different place for humans so Ro starts at the neck.
The moment her fingers contact the skin on his neck, his eyes burst open and Ro leaps back, falling on the sand. She watches him cautiously awaking, coming back to life.
"I'm Ro," she tries to introduce, "you're okay."
He starts gasping for air, coughing like his life depending on it which it probably does. Ro scurries back to him, grabbing his arm and holding his back to help him onto his side so the water coming out would expel onto the sand. She pats his back as he hacks until his body calms. Once he's finished and starts to relax, he looks up at her.
Ro's heart stops when they lock eyes. Her body warms as she continued to hold him in her arms, and she knows it's not from the sun. She isn't sure what to say but feels the need to fix her hair.
"Wow…" he mutters, looking behind him.
Ro follows his eyes towards the island. She scans the beach and notices Tika, Sagi, and Azul searching for her so she waves them over.
"Where are we?" He asks softly.
"My island," Ro says as her friends arrive, stepping more skeptically once they see him, "or, our island, I should say."