Daven I

Thunk!

Daven's stone axe lodged itself into the fallen log. There was a satisfying crunch as the blade sunk into the wood. He placed his foot on the lumber and pulled the axe free, grimacing from the effort.

Daven tightened his grip on the axe and felt his muscles contract. His arms and shoulders stung as if aflame but he welcomed the pain. It felt like an improvement over before, if only slightly. He was growing stronger every day but the process was long and exhausting. Daven spent hours labouring on various projects; cutting trees, dragging lumber, splitting planks, and hauling rocks around. There was, of course, some pretext for the work, but Daven hardly cared about why he was labouring on the project. The other survivors wanted to establish a secure line of shelters along the coast but Daven was motivated for an entirely different reason. He wanted to become stronger for Alys.

Daven's physical appearance had never much bothered him before, but things were different now. It hadn't mattered one bit when he was alone with Alys; she had always made him feel appreciated. But things had changed after they joined up with the other survivors. Daven felt skinny and weak in comparison to the other men. . . particularly Otto.

Daven clenched his axe handle, grit his teeth, and slammed his blade into the log harder than before.

He had seen the way Alys looked at Otto, the way her eyes would light up whenever he was near. It made Daven feel nauseous just to think about it, but those poisonous thoughts were constantly infiltrating his head. Daven looked at himself internally, tried to understand what Otto possessed that he didn't. It isn't just his body, he realized. No, it's more than that, it's his personality as well.

Daven brought his axe up to his shoulder and sent it hurtling toward the lumber again.

He felt like an outcast in the group, even though the others had tried their best to welcome him. No matter how many times they included him in their discussions, or brought him along for expeditions, Daven felt like an outsider. He always felt shy, nervous, and painfully awkward around the others. Alys was different. She got along great with everybody. Perhaps it was because of her dazzling smile, her charming laugh, or her way of making you feel like the only person in the world. Alys fit into the group as if she had always belonged. It was pure agony for Daven to watch her slowly drifting away from him as she made new friends.

Daven missed the time they had been alone, those precious few weeks after they had escaped from death together. He had never felt better than when he saved Alys from those disgusting men. The days that followed his journey north had been rough, but it hardly mattered. Daven had been with Alys, and that had been his only desire from the very start. He had been entranced by her from the moment he washed onto the island, with the most beautiful woman in the world standing over him like an angel. The other survivors likened the island to hell, but for Daven, it was nothing short of heaven.

During their journey north, there had been no one to steal her attention away, no one to detract from their time together. It had been wonderful yet Daven often felt guilty for cherishing that time. The only reason they had been alone was because of Lucy's death and although Daven had never been particularly close with the child, he still felt sad from her loss. Daven knew how much it had impacted Alys, but he had been there to comfort her when she needed it most. Alys had never realized it, in fact, she still seemed oblivious. Daven felt as if she had taken him for granted. How hard was it for her to see? He had been there for her in her time of need, in fact he had been there from the very start.

As was often the case with thinking about Alys, Daven felt frustrated and jealous, but most of all confused. He didn't understand what he did wrong, or what he should have done to win her attention. It was impossible to tell what she wanted. Just thinking about Alys hurt him more than any physical wound. He thought about how close they had been before, how they were drifting apart now. It was frightening and confusing and impossible to understand. Daven had no idea what to do, how to fix what had happened, and it hurt just to think about her.

There was a light tap on his shoulder, just the faintest touch yet it sent him whirling around all the same. Daven's axe flashed up but he quickly lowered the weapon, abashed. It was only Willam, with an expression of concern shadowing his tired face. The old man pointed at the ruined pile of pulp that Daven had been hacking at.

"I believe you've already slain your foe. That log should no longer trouble you. . ."

"S-sorry, I got a bit -"

"- Distracted?" William inquired.

"Just so."

Willam stroked his wispy white beard thoughtfully. "Aye, I called you a few times but you seemed too focused on that log." He indicated the ruined pile of splinters with his foot. "Is anything troubling your mind, perchance?"

Daven managed to regain his composure before the other man could inquire further. "No, no. . . I'm just a little tired is all. It's truly nothing to fret about."

Willam seemed to know something was wrong, regardless of Daven's falsehood. The old man scrutinized him a moment longer. "As you say. I'll always be there if you need a fellow outcast to talk with. Now, let's get back to the task at hand, shall we?"

Crack!

A thunderous roar echoed through the forest, shaking the very trees and sending flocks of vibrant birds winging into the air. The deafening cry was followed by the sound of an ancient tree crashing into the earth a heartbeat later. Branches splintered and limbs cracked as wood met dirt. A large grey therapod clambered over the fallen tree and let loose another earth-shaking roar. The monster lashed its thick grey tail impatiently, growling low and deep.

Willam smiled and stroked the carnivore's silver muzzle. Argentum rumbled happily under his master's touch. It was still hard to believe how quickly the Tyrannosaurus had grown. When Daven had first encountered the beast, Argentum was only slightly shorter than him and twice as heavy. Presently, the silver carnivore towered over Daven by a few heads and must have weighed at least eight hundred pounds. Argentum's neck and tail were thick with muscle, and his jaws were strong enough to crush an adult human in a single bite. The only thing more frightening than the juvenile's size was his potential. According to Willam, his pet was only a fraction of his final size. Agentum was currently a bit larger than a raptor but he would eventually grow ten times larger.

Willam turned back to Daven, grinning. "It seems Argentum would like us to return to work. Come now, this shelter won't build itself."

With that, the old man grabbed his axe and started hacking at the fallen oak. Argentum snorted at Daven before stomping into the forest to knock down more trees, his muscular silver tail swaying as he went. Daven shook his head to clear all thoughts of Alys, brandished his axe high above his head, and brought it screaming down onto the unsuspecting lumber.

The logs lined the beach like miniature ships ready to sail into a vast sandy sea. Daven and Willam each grabbed an end of the closest log and hauled it to a flat section of the coast overlooking the sea. Grunting with effort, the two men maneuvered the lumber into a deep sandy hole. It stuck out of the beach like a totem pole, stout and proud. Daven and Willam repeated the process until the first pillar was joined by its twin. The two men each leaned a log diagonally against a pillar. In the end, they were left with the framework for a wooden lean-to,

Daven and Willam laid wooden planks over the slanted beams, forming a crude ceiling. Willam wove palm fronds in between the planks to act as shingling for the roof, while Daven hammered planks into the front until only a small entrance remained as the door. He left a few planks near the cavity, so they could be put up or taken down as needed.

When the lean-to itself was completed, Willam retrieved supplies that they had brought from their base and stashed it inside the shelter; baskets filled with roots, yams, and berries; wooden bowls; hide waterskins; a fur cot; three spears with bone spearheads; a bone dagger; a stone axe; and finally, a set of hide clothing. The supplies would be enough to sustain a new castaway for a few days. After that, they would have to provide for themselves.

The supplies seemed far too meagre for Daven's liking. If it were up to him, he would have provided more food for the new castaways. At the same time, however, he understood how many resources it took to supply a single lean-to. It would be impossible to stock each and every shelter with sufficient provisions, especially considering how many checkpoints Otto intended to build. In the end, it was a choice between supplying a handful of survivors very well or giving a much larger number of castaways a chance at survival. Otto reasoned that it would be better to assist a large amount, and the matter was decided.

"We're done," Willam said. He glanced at the glaring midday sun. "On schedule as well."

"We made good progress," Willam replied, feeling content.

The brief moment of elation was enough to clear his mind for a second, and for the first time that day, Daven took pride in his contributions to the project. He knew firsthand how difficult a survivor's first few days on the Island were. Had it not been for Alys' quick intervention, he would have been raptor meat within minutes of waking up on the coast. Even after that, he and Alys would surely have perished if Lucy had not saved them from the vicious nightmares. Daven could only imagine the fates of hundreds of survivors who had not been as fortunate as him, survivors that washed ashore alone and afraid. Without any outside support, the helpless beginners were doomed to early deaths.

Daven began to realize the significance of this project. There was so much more meaning behind his labour than simply impressing Alys; the lives of other humans depended on his effort. He only hoped it was not too late, and that his contributions would be enough to make a difference in their lives.

The very ground trembled as Argentum stomped over to where Daven and Willam were standing. Patches was perched atop the Tyrannosaurus' head, chattering and chirping as his furry head swiveled around. Daven smiled nervously at his pet otter, who seemed to have the heart of a lion. It was unnerving to see the small creature balanced atop the massive carnivore's head, even though Argentum did not seem to mind. In fact, the Tyrannosaurus hardly seemed to notice his passenger.

The juvenile rumbled low in his chest and lowered his head to receive affection from his owner. Willam happily stroked Argentum's side, while Patches took advantage of the lower elevation to jump to the ground. The otter swiftly scampered up Daven's back and curled himself around his neck, like a scarf. Daven smiled and caressed his furry companion. Patches would follow him around wherever he went, though the otter often got bored when Daven had to perform dull repetitive tasks such as splitting wood or constructing shelters. Patches would usually scamper into the undergrowth to find something to entertain himself with, such as a shiny pebble or bright flower. However, the otter always seemed to know when it was time to leave, and returned moments before Daven and Willam moved on.

Willam patted Argentum's flank and the great grey beast sank to the ground. Willam retrieved a custom-built saddle from beside the shelter and harnessed it to his pet. When the saddle was safely secured, Willam swung himself onto the carnivore's back. Daven climbed into the second seat a moment later. The world shifted and swayed violently as Argentum lurched to his feet. Daven had to grip the saddle's wooden handles to avoid falling off. He was still getting used to riding the beast, just as Argentum was getting used to being ridden.

The juvenile tossed his head and growled impatiently, awaiting instructions from his master. Willam urged his mount toward the ocean with a gentle flick of the harness. Argentum obliged, thundering toward the waves and stopping when Willam dug his heels into the beast's sides. The old man wheeled his pet around so they were facing the shelter. Daven craned his neck to admire the base. It was visible from the shore, just as they intended it to be. Hopefully, new survivors would not have trouble finding the lean-to.

"I wonder where our escort has gone," Willam wondered aloud.

"They won't be far, I would say." Daven put in.

"Aye, they'll find us eventually. We should get moving." Willam flicked the reins and Argentum started thundering down the coast, heading southeast.

Daven looked out to the sea as they jostled along. He stared at the frothing green-blue waves, mesmerized by the shining allure of their ever-shifting movement. Swells and troughs climbed over one another, appearing and disappearing before lapping against the sandy coast. Daven's eyes flicked upward to where gulls were circling overhead. The sleek white birds squawked and screamed at one another, occasionally diving below the waves and reappearing moments later with massive fish writhing in their beaks.

Daven turned his glance to the jungle, with its endless shadows and mysteries. He never ventured very far into the shadowy bowels of the rainforest, for fear of the monsters that dwelled within. He had learned his lesson with the raptors and was not keen to repeat that experience.

The trees blurred together as Argentum hurtled forward. They thundered past clueless crabs and trilobites scuttling along the beach. Startled dodo birds would squawk indignantly as they passed by. Argentum would occasionally scoop up one of the chubby fowl whole, crunching and chewing on the snack as he ran. Other creatures were more wary of the growing carnivore. Huge turtles would curl into their shells, and fleet-footed gallimimus would flee in the opposite direction upon seeing Argentum charging down the coast.

They were a few minutes south of the newly erected lean-to when a snorting parasaur came hurtling out of the jungle, its eyes white with fear. The parasaur was bleeding from a dozen claw marks yet it barrelled onward. Snarls and barks echoed behind the fleeing herbivore. The parasaur was a few strides away from the jungle when a direwolf darted out from the undergrowth, hard on its heels. The first wolf was joined by a second, then a third.

Emboldened by the scent of fresh blood, Argentum beelined straight for the wounded beast and closed his jaws around its neck with a heavy crunch! The juvenile's erratic movement almost threw his passengers off. Daven barely managed to avoid tumbling off the saddle, and Patches had to cling on for dear life. Argentum came to a rapid stop, his claws digging into the sand and sending a fine plume of dust into the air. The three direwolves approached the carcass, growling and snarling. Argentum roared back, shaking the very beach beneath their paws. The wolves hesitated and paused a few feet away from the corpse.

Argentum dipped his head to the carcass and ripped off a huge chunk of meat. Willam nervously urged his mount to back away from the corpse. For an instant, it did not seem the Tyrannosaurus would comply. After a few seconds, however, Argentum gradually began backing away.

"Don't eat our escort, Argentum," Willam half-joked.

The juvenile growled and bent his head to feast on the fresh kill. Willam sighed in relief as the direwolves came to feed on the corpse. The tension from earlier abated, if only slightly. One of the wolves would always watch Argentum while the others feasted. Daven recognized Dust from the trio of wolves, the beta male of Winter's pack. The great direwolf had a dusty brown coat and dark black eyes, large and observant.

The beasts all ate their share of the kill and the parasaur carcass disappeared within a matter of minutes. When the last morsel had disappeared, Willam wheeled Argentum around to the south and urged him into a lumbering sprint. The three wolves fell in behind them.

They travelled along the coast for a while before Willam dug his heels into Argentum's flanks and slowed the Tyrannosaurus to a halt. He gently nudged the juvenile and Argentum sank to the earth. Willam dismounted the beast and Daven followed him down. The three direwolves padded over to the shade of the jungle, panting in the midday heat. Their thick coats made it especially uncomfortable for them to be this far south.

"This looks as good a place as any to begin," Willam said as he surveyed the beach.

Daven nodded and produced a hide sack from his belt. He shook the sack a few times to stretch it out and slung it over his shoulder. Willam produced a similar bag and mirrored the process. The two men headed off in opposite directions. Daven paced along the northern side of the beach, searching for rocks and shells, driftwood and debris. Whenever he found a sizable object, he would stash it in his hide sack. Patches leapt onto the sand to help him search, though the otter only seemed interested in collecting the shiniest shells and rocks. Daven convened with Willam when his sack was bulging and heavy. They both spilled the contents of their sacks onto the beach and began arranging the objects to form a large arrow, pointing in the direction of their newly constructed shelter. The direction arrow would be impossible for any wandering survivor to miss.

When the two men had finished arranging the arrow, they mounted Argentum and rode further down the beach. They repeated this process of constructing arrows as the sun slowly sank lower in the sky. Daven fell into a pattern as he worked. They had been doing this for days now. Daven had already lost count, due to the repetitive nature of his work. His schedule was always the same; wake up, eat a hasty breakfast, mount Argentum with Willam and ride off, construct a shelter, and spend the rest of the day building arrows that pointed to the newly erected base. They were able to build a single structure every day. I could figure out how many days I've been doing this by counting the structures along the coast when we return tonight, Daven thought to himself. Oh, bother, what would be the point? Time seemed to work strangely on the Island, when the days all blurred together. It was better to forget that time existed altogether and focus on the present.

Daven's thoughts inevitably circled back to Alys, as they always did. More than anything, he had wanted to be partnered with Alys for the task of building structures. However, Otto had decided otherwise. While contemplating the project, he decided it would be best to split into two groups so they could cover the coast with shelters faster. Otto, Joseph and Alys formed one group, while Daven and Willam formed the second. Perhaps the others did not trust Daven and Alys to be alone together. After all, their very first encounter with Otto's group had been a tense standoff that the others were not likely to forget. Willam seemed to have forgiven them already, but Otto and Joseph were still a bit wary. Thus, the two men insisted on arranging their groups in such a way that Daven and Alys could be watched.

Apart from their first encounter, no major conflict had arisen within the camp. Otto's group seemed trustworthy enough, and neither Daven nor Alys had caused any trouble. The castaways lived in peace and harmony, which was for the best. They would only be able to survive and thrive if they were united. A fractured group with internal rivalries would surely perish. Aside from day-to-day survival, there were also long-term goals to keep in mind. Namely helping new castaways survive the island, but also avoiding the larger and more dangerous tribes. Daven only knew of Keith's group, but there were surely other tribes populating the Island. Otto was formidable with his pack of direwolves, but surely he could not hope to stand against the might of the slavers, with their sheer manpower and all their domesticated warbeasts.

Daven knew his group needed allies, but so far they had not seen any other tribes. Hopefully a handful of new castaways would join their group, but even then the beginners would be more troublesome than helpful. What they really needed was experienced allies, possibly with domesticated creatures of their own. Until then, Daven and his friends could only hope to help as many castaways as they could. Perhaps a few of the new survivors would choose to join them. After all, there was strength in numbers. Unfortunately, so far Daven and Willam had only encountered corpses and skeletons. Alys said that her group had not fared any better.

Daven was watching the clouds swirl and shift from orange to rose-gold atop Argentum's back when the direwolves accompanying them let loose a long howl. Their ululating cries were answered by the howling of more wolves, further down the beach. Daven craned his neck to see Winter and four of his pack loping to meet them. The wolves were pulling a wooden wagon with Otto at the reigns. Seated behind him were Joseph and Alys, who waved when they saw Argentum. Daven waved back as the two groups reunited.

"How was the day, old friend?" Otto called out as he drew near.

"Just fine," Willam replied. "We had no troubles. And yourself?"

"Nothing the wolves couldn't handle."

The wagon pulled up beside Argentum. Daven could tell it was really just the sled, but with wheels fixed to the axles so it could travel along the beach. Otto inclined his head at Daven. "Good to see you, Daven."

"A-and you, Otto," Daven stuttered. The wolf man made him uneasy with his wild grey eyes.

Joseph silently nodded at Daven, stoic as ever. I need to get on his good side, Daven reflected to himself. All his worries melted away when Alys graced him with a smile. Daven managed to return her kindness with a smile of his own. There was no time to exchange any words, for the others were already preparing to leave.

"It seems like Argentum's grown larger, just today alone," Otto remarked.

"Aye, he's larger than a raptor now." Willam smiled.

"Let's see if he can match a raptor's speed. Race you home?" Otto gripped his reins enthusiastically.

"You've got yourself a deal," Willam grinned back. He kicked Argentum into a sprint before Otto could get another word in.

"Hey, that's unfair!" They heard Otto shout from behind. Joseph laughed and Alys chuckled as Otto flicked his reins to make up for lost ground.

Author's Note: Happy New Years everyone! Sorry for how late this one was. I've been incredibly busy with school. Anyways, I just wanted to let you all know that this story is far from dead. I have so much more planned to write, it's just going to take a while to write it all. . .

Raimon, thank you for your support! It remains to be seen whether any pairings will emerge

Girlbook, thank you for the continued support. The last chapter was indeed very sad, hopefully this one caused less tears.

Changeling Man, thanks for your support, I intended to add more characters since the beginning of this story!

SoulEater841, thank you for the support, I'm grateful for you and everyone else that has decided to follow this story!

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King Endercreeper, thank you for the long review. I really appreciate the time you took to critique my writing and I will try to keep your suggestions in mind for the future. I'll do my best to make some changes so the story will flow much smoother in later chapters. Thanks once again for the review and the continued support!

joshben4c, thank you for the kind review! Fortunately, I'm fine at the moment but if I ever need help I'll let you know!

Blueberrium, if you think those tragedies are bad, just wait and see what I have planned ;)

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Rich-Kun, I'm glad to hear this was your first review! Thank you for the support and I fully intend to keep updating this story in the future.

JimMoriatyH1, I'm glad that you're enjoying my story so far! I hope you continue to enjoy what I have planned for the future.

KingStar2328, thank you for the support! I'm glad you enjoyed my story so far!

DefendIce, unfortunately the time period I envisioned this story being set in does not have any firearms, and I wanted to keep the feeling of medieval dinosaur island. That being said, I do intend to add metal tools and armor very soon. The aging is not going to be based on ARK times and it will take over a year for Argentum to reach maturity. Anyway, thank you for the review!

Philip Cohen, thank you for the support! This chapter may not live up to the last, but I have some exciting chapters planned.

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Guest, that remains to be seen but it is a possibility.

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Thanks for taking the time to check out my first fanfiction, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I will try my best to upload as regularly as possible. Feel free to comment, ask question or criticize my story, review is always welcome. And if you like what you saw, make sure to check out the other ARK: Survival Evolved fanfictions out there. Have a great rest of your day or night.

-DaRumpyBurr