Chapter 2: Meeting the Neighbours

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

"AHHHHHHH!"

Jack was awoken suddenly with a loud yell from Jack Sparrow. Opening his eyes, he saw why and followed suit with a yell of his own. Their little campsite was surrounded by a large group of people. At least, Jack thought they were people. They looked human, but every inch of them was covered in a white, armour of some sort, with openings only for the eyes and mouth. Captain Jack was busy wrestling with a few of them, rolling around in the sand like a bunch of dogs.

Realizing that he was still tied in the position Jack had put him in the night before, the time traveller gazed up at the thing standing in front of him and smiled nervously. This wasn't good…

- - -

Jack grunted and once again pushed at the boulder in front of him, straining to move it. The amoured things were indeed people, they lived on the island next to where Jack had been stranded. From what he had figured out, they must have heard the pair the night before and thought they were devils come to attack them for displeasing their god, or "Sha-sha" as the natives called it. So they had taken matters into their own hands and had captured the two devils before they could attack the island. After being tied to a pole, Jack had been taken by boat to the natives' island and put to work pushing a boulder. Captain Jack had vanished shortly after knocking out two of the natives back on the first island.

"Ki! Hav sa nat!" the native standing beside Jack shouted, brandishing the whip he carried. Lowering his head, Jack gritted his teeth and shoved the rock with all of his strength, but the lump of earth refused to move. Seeing the man take a step forward, the man tried in vain to move the rock, but to no avail. Jack had been given back his pants, but nothing more. Stripped to the waist, he had been tied to another smaller rock to prevent him from escaping and forced to push the boulder uphill. If he failed to move the rock, he was whipped. Several times.

"Ka!" With the shout the whip lashed out, hitting Jack hard in the back. His brown eyes shut tight, the man moaned softly as the whip landed once more on his bare skin, leaving a bloody slash in it's wake. His back already bore about six whip marks, each bleeding and very sore.

Dropping to his knees, Jack shook his head as the man grabbed what hair he could find and attempted to drag him back onto his feet. Due to the fact that Jack has close-cropped hair, there wasn't much to grab on to. Realizing that Jack wasn't going to push anymore, the native stepped back and started hitting him at random, not caring where the blows fell. Exhausted from spending all day pushing the boulder, Jack raised his arms and covered his head, trying to shield his face from the kiss of the whip. Finally, after losing count of all the marks on his body, Jack passed out, the man still beating him.

Jack was brought back to wakefulness by having cold sea water tossed in his face. Feeling the salt water run into his wound, he screamed in pain, but was silenced by a hard slap to the face. Still moaning in agony, he gazed blurrily up into the face of death itself. Well, it wasn't death come to release him from his earthly roots, but it looked like it. The man leaning over him was wearing a mask made out of an assortment of bones, some weathered and yellow, others shiny and white. A few still had bits of flesh clinging to them. The thing was held together using a form of homemade glue.

"Uhhh…" Feeling sick just looking at mask, Jack turn his head away from the horrible sight. A soft chuckle came from the hole that served as a mouth, also emitting a rancid smell of raw meat, salt, and something Jack couldn't identify. "So you think you can defy us, your masters, eh boy?" came a hoarse whisper from the man. "If you value your worthless life, you better think again!"

Jack gave the man a startled glance, surprised he spoke English. He hadn't been able to understand the other natives before because the TARDIS wasn't around to provide a translation, so finding someone he could understand must be a good sign. The again…maybe not. Either way, Jack vowed to find a way out of this mess and get back to the Doctor and Rose, or at least find Captain Jack. He prided himself on being strong and not needing much help, and being able to survive on his own. He had done that for years, and he wasn't going to stop now just because he had run into a band of abusive natives.

Deciding it would be best to just agree and play along for now, Jack nodded slowly, wincing at the pain in his neck. He had taken quite a beating, and there would be many scars as a result.

"Good boy. Now, I'm gonna hand you over to Otto here, and he'll tell you the law of Avonic Island." Clapping a large hand on Jack's shoulder the man turned and walk back to the tribe of natives who had gathered to watch the spectacle. A small man stepped away from the group, his dark brown skin shining in the light of the setting sun. His face, arms and chest were streaked with yellow paint, forming large Xs when the lines crossed.

Otto crossed over to where Jack lay on the ground and lifted him to his feet by the leather collar that had been attached to him while he was unconscious. Half choking, Jack was dragged down a small path, leaves and flowers slapping at his body. The native might be small, but he sure was strong! Finally, Jack was thrown face-first onto the ground. Spitting out a mouthful of dirt, Jack levered himself to his feet, only to be pushed back down roughly.

"Stay down." the man ordered, his voice deep. Rising to his knees this time, Jack looked around and gasped. The pair was on top of a tall cliff, clear of the trees. A gulf separated the cliff from another, slightly taller one, both red in the dying light. Between the two cliffs was a channel of water, turned a deep blue shade because of the time of day. It would have been an idyllic spot except for the rows of rough cages lines up on the edge of both cliffs. Men sat in them, many bleeding or moaning in pain, all thin and sick-looking.

Pointing towards the nearest cage, Otto said, "You misbehave, you go there. You be good, you stay free. Savvy?"

"Savvy." Jack replied, staring at the cages. Why were there so many men on this island? And where had Captain Jack disappeared to?

"Good. Come." Otto muttered, grabbing the collar and pulling Jack back towards the camp. "Food is ready." Food! At the mention of the word, Jack's stomach growled loudly, reminding him that he had yet to eat that day. Hopefully the food would be something edible, not bark or grass.

Back at the camp, Jack was tied to a tree and left alone, his injuries untreated and his stomach still empty. Hanging his head, he tried to ignore the smell of the meal and the chatter of the natives. His back was in agony, but he resisted the urge to moan. If he was to survive here, he had to at least appear strong. He stood that way for hours, as the natives ate, dance, sang and finally went to sleep.

"Well, you are a sorry sight to see, mate." said a familiar voice from the branch above him.

"Jack!" the time traveller gasped, hardly able to believe his eyes. Silhouetted by the full moon, the pirate looked none the worse for wear after his encounter with the natives.

"Captain Jack, lad. Remember that." Sparrow muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Er…yeah, sorry." Jack replied, wondering why the man was so touchy about the title.

"Great. Now that we have that settled, how 'bout we get off of this wretched island?" The man asked, swinging his dangling feet back and forth. The three-pointed hat was planted firmly on his head, and although he looked a bit damp, seemed to be in high spirits.

"Sounds good to me. But…I'm not sure how well I can walk. I took a bit of a beating earlier." Jack confessed, slightly embarrassed. He could stand up, and walk a bit, but running and swimming were out. He just didn't have the strength for it.

"I'm not carrying you. Besides, me boat is just over thataways." Captain Jack said, giving the younger man a stern look and jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

"Ok…I can manage."

"Excellent. Let's go." Hopping down off the branch, he proceeded to cut away the bindings and walk off, doing a little jig as he walked. Jack followed slowly after him, stumbling over some tree roots. The man ahead of him glanced back once or twice to check that Jack was still standing, then hurried onwards, forcing his companion to move faster.

Suddenly Captain Jack came to a halt, motioning for Jack to do the same. Slowing down, he crept up beside the pirate and peered over his shoulder. Suppressing a groan, Jack looked around to see if they could leave another way. Right in front of them was the masked man that had spoken to Jack earlier. He was sprawled over some palm leaves, flat on his back, sound asleep.

"Hmmm…." the pirate murmured, turning towards Jack. "I might be able to get past him, but ya can't." he stated, staring the other man in the eye. "But," he continued, raising a finger. "I have a plan that will confuse this lot and allow us to escape. Watch this." Putting two fingers in his mouth, he let out a piercing whistle. As the sound echoed over Avonic Island, the captain pulled jack backwards and into the tangle of vines, leaves and trees. As they picked their way through the forest, yells arose from the camp behind them, altering them to the fact that the natives had woken up.

"Why did you do that for? They're gonna come after us once the realize I'm gone!" Jack hissed as he fought his way through a net of vines blocking his path.

"No, they aren't. Cause the will be busy fighting off my crew." the captain replied with a chuckle, the duo exiting the forest at long last. "See, my ship is right…" the pirate trailed off as he glanced around, obviously looking for something.

The pair were facing the ocean, the surf lapping gently at the shore. There was no ship, not even a hint that one had ever been there. Captain Jack was roaming around looking up and down the beach, searching for his boat. Turning around in a circle, he faced Jack again and shrugged.

"Ya'see, I thought I left the boat here…but it must be on the other side of the island. Let me just check." Digging around in his pocket, he pulled out a battered compass and flipped the top open. Turning around, he held the compass up and waved it in the air. Frowning, he waved it again, and nodded. "There it is. Right over….there!"

Jack turned and looked in the direction the captain had pointed in, just as a large ship with black sails came around a bend. The waves breaking across the bow, the ship looked majestic and proud. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Jack glanced over and saw that the pirate was looking solemnly at him.

"Before you got on the Black Pearl, there are a few things I absolutely must tell you. One: Always call me Captain Jack. Captain will work too, but only around my crew. Two: If you want rum, ask me first. Don't listen to what anyone else tell you, just come to me. Three: Ignore the monkey. Don't ask, just do it Four: RUN!"

A second later, a spear shot over Jack's head, landing a few meters away in the sand. Whirling around, Jack saw that a band of natives were staring at them, all holding spears or clubs. At the front was the masked man, a large spear in his hand. Backing away, he faced the ship again and saw that Captain Jack was running full out towards it. Chest out, head back, boots kicking up a large amount of sand and arms flailing like mad, the pirate wasn't wasting any time getting to safety. In Jack's eyes, he looked quite funny. Plus he was staggering a bit. Realizing that he was in danger of being put in the cages, Jack started to run towards the ship as well. He was doing great until he tripped and fell on his face, his back feeling like it was on fire.

"Ouch…" the time traveller muttered, the sand in his open wounds intensifying the pain. Feet pounded past him as the natives went after Captain Jack and his ship, spurred on by shouts from the English man. He was rolled over by a boot toe, his back hurting even more as the sand found its way into the whip marks. Seeing him grimace in pain, the masked man laughed, giving Jack a hard kick in the ribs to add to his discomfort.

As the man rolled around in the sand, trying to catch his breath, Otto strolled over and yanked him to his feet via the collar. Grinning, the native leaned in and muttered, "It's time for the cages, mate!"