'Wild'

Chapter 2: The Great Light

It was after a meal of Coconut Crab that I went out to the beach that evening. The waves that crashed against the shore tickled the ends of my toes with the soothing touch of sea foam. Yet, as I look off in the distance, I saw something I had never seen before. The moon has risen, and the sun had already set. And yet there was a very strange glow.

It looked like one of the communal fires, but much greater in size and seemed to come up from the sea. The hours had passed, and my other two brothers had taken notice of this strange occurrence. The light was orange in color, like the finale of a sunset, and yet the sky was cloaked in the darkness of the night. Slowly, the light would begin to fade.

We looked to each other. None of us had any idea what that was. It was the first time any of us had seen such a thing on the sea. We went back to the communal huts for our rest, yet sleep was difficult to come by that night. The three of us had pondered what we saw that night. Tired and weary, we had woken up the next morning to see to our tasks

I went fishing at the shore with a spear in hand. A section of the shore was littered with shattered pieces of white wood, and other debris. I wondered if this was from the light we saw the other night? From the pieces of wood, there appeared to be a body. I had never seen anything like this one. It had a short muzzle, and had fur the color of sea foam.

Looking at this strange 'thing', I went up to it and poked it lightly with the other end of my spear. He had this odd-looking short stump at the end of his lower back. I gently put down my spear, and went up to have a closer look. I went up to his face to see that this 'thing', this 'outsider', is a male of some type. I gently put my paw up near to his muzzle

I can feel it. He is breathing slowly, and steadily. He is alive. I got up from crouching down near him, and I left on my way to tell the news to the other two. Over a breakfast of mangos and mangosteens, we pondered amongst each other on what we must do? We will not kill him. He is alive, but he's in a weakened state. We agreed to help the 'outsider'

We decided to let him rest on the shore for now. Perhaps he is in need of food? Thus, with that in mind, we still kept our distance and offered him food in the form of what this island provides with her bounty: mangos, mangosteens, passion fruits, rambutan, and some flesh in the form of raw fish. It was after one day after feeding it, the male vanished

Just then, I ran and I dived into a bush near a coconut palm. The 'outsider' was now up, and moving about on his own. He had short pointed ears like the blades of a spear. He was clothed in a cloth of some kind that masked the shape of his form, not like us. The 'outsider' is big, and his tone looked to have been carved of the very stone of this island.

'Who are you? I pondered to myself

'What are you?' I added to said thoughts

'What brought you here?' I also pondered

From the shadows of the bush, I watched with my brown eyes as this 'outsider' made a fire from the debris, and used it to cook the fish. I can conclude that this 'outsider' is not truly helpless. He cannot see me, but I can see him. When he rested, I made my leave of the bush and walked along the trail back to a communal hut. We know nothing of 'him'.

We know less about him than we know more. Who was this 'outsider'? Where did he come from? Was that 'light' an omen of his coming to the island? Still, with this 'outsider' on the island, we did our best to live our lives. We groomed each other, and we look after each other while caring for this 'outsider'. Is this what others look like outside of our land?

It took time, but eventually this 'outsider' will start to venture on his own. We stayed to the bushes, and climbed up the trees to observe this 'thing'. We kept off the forest trails, knowing he may venture on them when he finds them. My brothers in the tribe ventured to go fishing, and hunting at the other beach. I saw to observing the 'outsider' for them.

With good reason, we agreed that taking the long way around the beaches to the communal huts was the safest way. It gave us the best opportunity to avoid him, and keep our distance until we decide that the 'outsider' is not a threat to us. Keeping my movements silent, I watched him at a distance. It seemed this 'outsider' has found our bathing pool.

His nose was light pink like the inside of a seashell, and his eyes are brown like ours. To my surprise, the 'outsider' was shedding his cloth like a snake would shed it's skin. Other than that odd-looking 'thing' he has on his lower back, he does look similar to us. Still, I am not about to let down my guard just yet for the 'outsider'. Neither will my two kinfolk

It has been nearly three hundred years since any one of us has seen a mature grown male. It was a most peculiar sight as we are so used to seeing ourselves. I watched as this 'outsider' dipped his foot into the water. He pulled his foot back, and seemed to smile to himself. He dived into the water with a grace similar to our own, and he went for a swim.

While the 'outsider' was underwater, I made my leave to join up with the other two. I explained in our own way that I saw the 'outsider' shed his cloth, and go for a swim. The two suspected the 'outsider' to be part serpent. We walked around the island with the catch of a haddock. At the communal hut, my brother cooked it while I groomed the other.

I gently graded his fur with the bone comb which all of us take a liking to, and pulled out bits of leaves and sand from his spotted fur. I dusted off his bum, and I gave it to light little taps to say that he is done. As he turned the fish over the fire, my other brother wanted the same treatment. It won't be long now before we will have to face this 'outsider'