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For the next few hours before sunrise Jack and Dan trudged along the forest floor heading in some kind of direction. Jack didn't know which because of all the blasted trees, but he supposed it didn't matter. They were on an island after all, and islands have ocean on all sides.
Just as the sky was turning gray, and there was the sound of waking birdcalls, Dan stopped.
"Okay, we'll. stop here for. now" she panted, which was strange since they had been walking at a very slow pace, and Dan usually almost ran everywhere.
So Jack threw himself against a tree, rested his back against its base and fell into a doze. Well, not right away. For a short while before he finally blacked out, he watched Dan as she settled herself against a tree across from him. She crossed her legs and sank slowly to the ground, wincing slightly before finding herself on the ground with her legs crossed. Jacks' last image of her was a small rather battered looking girl, leaning against a tree and craning her neck to look at the sky.
Then he was dozing lightly.
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It seemed only seconds before Jack was awake.
There had been a noise, he was sure of it.
There it was again. It sounded like someone sneaking up on the two sleepers.
Jack looked at Dan; her eyes were open and alert. He opened his mouth to tell her that he thought it coming from behind her, when she shook her head slightly. So Jack shut up, and tried to breathe normally, as if asleep.
It appeared Dan did the same. The noise drew closer, and closer.
Then it stopped.
The forest returned to normal, the birds and insects that had been quiet started to again call. Still Jack and Dan didn't move. Slowly Jack relaxed, everything was back to normal.
The pirate looked at the girl across from him, she stared back openly, frowning slightly.
Without warning a hand sprung from behind the tree she was leaning against. It clapped over her mouth as another arm held her stomach.
Jack let out a yell of surprise and challenge as he sprang to his feet. The sneak of a kidnapper stepped out from behind the tree, one arm around Dans neck, the other around her middle, clutching her to him.
The captor was a smarmy middle-aged man, with hardly any teeth and stringy brown hair with a scraggly beard.
He grinned at Jack over Dans shoulder. Jack froze in his tracks at the look he was receiving. Then his survival instincts kicked in and he dodged just in the nick of time as a second attacker swung at him with his fist.
Jack ducked again, and rolled to the right. He looked up to see the man stagger at the lack of contact, and using this opportunity, he snatched a glance at Dan.
She was having to inhale the mans odor far too much and she was agitated. But once the second man showed himself and there didn't appear to be anymore she grinned maliciously and Jack blinked, and promptly moved away from Dan as a feral look crossed over her face and her eyes went flinty.
With a wicked grin the wounded girl kicked the man that held her in the face with her boot tip. He had not been expecting that since it meant her leg was pressed against her chest. It caught him square on the nose and he let out a yell of pain and surprise, as he staggered back and alerted his friend. The second man turned from Jack and full on charged at his companion.
He took a swing at Dans head, which she ducked causing the man that was supposed to be aiding his friend to hit the smarmy man in the jaw. While she was down and between the two men, Dan rammed her shoulder into the second mans stomach/groin and threw him back to the leaf cover ground. There he clutched his winded stomach and hiccupped a few times. However the first man was now recovered and in his right hand he wielded a knife.
He thrust at Dan, and she sidestepped only just avoiding it. He then swung at her middle so that she could not duck nor jump without the use of her arms. Instead she fell to the forest floor and kicked the mans legs from under him, when he fell she kicked the knife away and kicked him in the face with her boot heel.
This time his head cracked back and he lay limp.
Dan attempted to stand; she rolled onto her knees, and began to rise. Unfortunately the second man, now clutching the knife, was standing over her. As soon as she was on her knees, she saw the unfamiliar pair of boots right in front of her, and threw herself side ways again to avoid the blow. The man aimed a kick at her as she scooted away. He contacted Dans ribs, which caused the girl to roll onto her back, and curl slightly in pain.
The bloodthirsty man tightened his grip on the knife and went to drive it into her chest when Jack slammed into him with full force. The man stumbled and fell to the ground, Jack on top of him.
The pirate captain punched the man in the back of the head, then lifted his head by his hair and punched him again. This time rendering him unconscious.
Getting off the man he went to help Dan to her feet.
When he reached her he found that she was still breathing hard, only slightly aware that the threat of her attacker was gone.
When he drew close enough her eyes locked onto him, they were glazed with pain.
"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.
Her eyes sharpened a little at the question and he could see her struggling to breathe normally enough to answer.
"I'm fine" she croaked, and tried to sit up. Which caused her to spasm slightly, so she lay back down. Jacks' eyebrows knitted together in concern.
"He got you in the ribs didn't he?" he asked mildly, a thought starting to bloom in his mind.
"Yeah, but it's okay, just a little winded that's all" she assured him. Still breathing erratically.
Jack highly doubted that. If she had been winded for this long she'd be dead by now.
But all of a sudden he was thinking over her pained actions the last couple of days.
He immediately reached out before she could defend herself, and poked her sharply in the ribs. She winced and pulled away. His suspicions were confirmed. "Oh" was all he said, as the sky lightened and dawn peaked its' first golden rays into the heavens.
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For the next few hours before sunrise Jack and Dan trudged along the forest floor heading in some kind of direction. Jack didn't know which because of all the blasted trees, but he supposed it didn't matter. They were on an island after all, and islands have ocean on all sides.
Just as the sky was turning gray, and there was the sound of waking birdcalls, Dan stopped.
"Okay, we'll. stop here for. now" she panted, which was strange since they had been walking at a very slow pace, and Dan usually almost ran everywhere.
So Jack threw himself against a tree, rested his back against its base and fell into a doze. Well, not right away. For a short while before he finally blacked out, he watched Dan as she settled herself against a tree across from him. She crossed her legs and sank slowly to the ground, wincing slightly before finding herself on the ground with her legs crossed. Jacks' last image of her was a small rather battered looking girl, leaning against a tree and craning her neck to look at the sky.
Then he was dozing lightly.
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It seemed only seconds before Jack was awake.
There had been a noise, he was sure of it.
There it was again. It sounded like someone sneaking up on the two sleepers.
Jack looked at Dan; her eyes were open and alert. He opened his mouth to tell her that he thought it coming from behind her, when she shook her head slightly. So Jack shut up, and tried to breathe normally, as if asleep.
It appeared Dan did the same. The noise drew closer, and closer.
Then it stopped.
The forest returned to normal, the birds and insects that had been quiet started to again call. Still Jack and Dan didn't move. Slowly Jack relaxed, everything was back to normal.
The pirate looked at the girl across from him, she stared back openly, frowning slightly.
Without warning a hand sprung from behind the tree she was leaning against. It clapped over her mouth as another arm held her stomach.
Jack let out a yell of surprise and challenge as he sprang to his feet. The sneak of a kidnapper stepped out from behind the tree, one arm around Dans neck, the other around her middle, clutching her to him.
The captor was a smarmy middle-aged man, with hardly any teeth and stringy brown hair with a scraggly beard.
He grinned at Jack over Dans shoulder. Jack froze in his tracks at the look he was receiving. Then his survival instincts kicked in and he dodged just in the nick of time as a second attacker swung at him with his fist.
Jack ducked again, and rolled to the right. He looked up to see the man stagger at the lack of contact, and using this opportunity, he snatched a glance at Dan.
She was having to inhale the mans odor far too much and she was agitated. But once the second man showed himself and there didn't appear to be anymore she grinned maliciously and Jack blinked, and promptly moved away from Dan as a feral look crossed over her face and her eyes went flinty.
With a wicked grin the wounded girl kicked the man that held her in the face with her boot tip. He had not been expecting that since it meant her leg was pressed against her chest. It caught him square on the nose and he let out a yell of pain and surprise, as he staggered back and alerted his friend. The second man turned from Jack and full on charged at his companion.
He took a swing at Dans head, which she ducked causing the man that was supposed to be aiding his friend to hit the smarmy man in the jaw. While she was down and between the two men, Dan rammed her shoulder into the second mans stomach/groin and threw him back to the leaf cover ground. There he clutched his winded stomach and hiccupped a few times. However the first man was now recovered and in his right hand he wielded a knife.
He thrust at Dan, and she sidestepped only just avoiding it. He then swung at her middle so that she could not duck nor jump without the use of her arms. Instead she fell to the forest floor and kicked the mans legs from under him, when he fell she kicked the knife away and kicked him in the face with her boot heel.
This time his head cracked back and he lay limp.
Dan attempted to stand; she rolled onto her knees, and began to rise. Unfortunately the second man, now clutching the knife, was standing over her. As soon as she was on her knees, she saw the unfamiliar pair of boots right in front of her, and threw herself side ways again to avoid the blow. The man aimed a kick at her as she scooted away. He contacted Dans ribs, which caused the girl to roll onto her back, and curl slightly in pain.
The bloodthirsty man tightened his grip on the knife and went to drive it into her chest when Jack slammed into him with full force. The man stumbled and fell to the ground, Jack on top of him.
The pirate captain punched the man in the back of the head, then lifted his head by his hair and punched him again. This time rendering him unconscious.
Getting off the man he went to help Dan to her feet.
When he reached her he found that she was still breathing hard, only slightly aware that the threat of her attacker was gone.
When he drew close enough her eyes locked onto him, they were glazed with pain.
"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.
Her eyes sharpened a little at the question and he could see her struggling to breathe normally enough to answer.
"I'm fine" she croaked, and tried to sit up. Which caused her to spasm slightly, so she lay back down. Jacks' eyebrows knitted together in concern.
"He got you in the ribs didn't he?" he asked mildly, a thought starting to bloom in his mind.
"Yeah, but it's okay, just a little winded that's all" she assured him. Still breathing erratically.
Jack highly doubted that. If she had been winded for this long she'd be dead by now.
But all of a sudden he was thinking over her pained actions the last couple of days.
He immediately reached out before she could defend herself, and poked her sharply in the ribs. She winced and pulled away. His suspicions were confirmed. "Oh" was all he said, as the sky lightened and dawn peaked its' first golden rays into the heavens.
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