Piggy sat on the bright shoreline, allowing his feet to be licked by the ocean. The sun beat down upon him and gave his cheeks a pink tinge. He wiped some sweat from his brow, fruitlessly gazing upon the horizon for a ship. He had perviously thought he saw large white sails, but was disappointed to realize it was only a cruel cloud formation. They hadn't been on the island long but things were already beginning to get out of hand. Between nobody's interest in listening to his ideas (the sundial would have been so useful too), and Jack's ever mounting desire for power (clearly displayed in his craving to hunt, to show his strength) their situation looked rather grim.
"Hello Piggy" said a soft voice behind him. Piggy turned, it was Simon. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing at all really. Hoping a ship might come by." He let his chin rest in his pudgy hands.
"How do you feel about Talia?" asked Simon taking a seat next to Piggy, flicking his hair over his shoulder.
"Dunno, she seems a bit rude to me. Kind of full of herself. The way she spoke to Jack was a little unnecessary, even if she did get a punch in too."
"Yeah" Simon agreed. A cool breeze blew across them before anything else was said. "But, she's probably just scared. Even more scared than the rest of us."
"You think?" asked Piggy turning to face Simon who looked back at him with a calm smile.
"Yeah. I do. She's the only girl on an island full of boys. She's trying to prove she's not some dumb sissy. So she's kinda rude in the process. I'd be scared too."
"I am scared" said Piggy. "I'm worried more bad things are going to happen before any good does."
"Only time will tell I suppose" said Simon looking out at the ocean which twinkled in the sunlight. They sat there in silence for a while longer until the tide came in far enough to force them back. They watched some littluns play together in the sand, they were so free from worry. If only the biguns could have that particular lease on life.
It was true the very young ones didn't fight as much. They didn't have the need to. They hadn't begun to grow up yet. The animal inside of them hadn't woken up yet. But it awakens in everyone at some point. It comes at different ages for different people, but it lives within everyone. And when it first wakes up it is an angry brute. For the next few years it claws and scratches at you, you change by it's own will and control, not your own. It eventually calms down and learns to accept it's prison, but will never go back to sleep. It will rest only when you, eternally, do.
"Listen, I think we just got off on the wrong foot thats all" Talia explained to Jack, whom was quietly treading through the forrest. "I want to thank you for letting me tag along... really I do."
"Will you just forget it and be quiet. You may fight like a boy but you still talk like a girl." Jack was attempting to focus, and the last thing he needed was a girl twittering on about 'thank-you's' and being all polite. Talia frowned, spear in hand, hands on hips. Jack ignored her, he closed his eyes and let the breeze carry the scent of the forrest past him. He inhaled deeply, the air was hot and thick.
He opened his eyes and broke out into a run, hearing the foot steps of Talia at his heals. He stopped abruptly without warning. Talia skidded to a halt behind him and he felt her weight on his back as she tried not to knock him over. The touch of her warm hands on his skin as she steadied herself. Her hot breath on the nape of his neck contrasted the cool air that suddenly rushed passed them
The bushes nearby rustled and Jack sharply turned his head, his breath slow and concentrated. Jack readied his spear and bit his lower lip. Wordlessly he signaled Talia to travel around the excited bush. As silently as she could, Talia slowly made her way towards the other side of the bush. Clumsily she stepped on a twig which despite it's small stature, made the most obnoxious 'crack' as it snapped.
The bush fell silent and Jack scowled at Talia. The three of them, Jack Talia and the pig, were bound together by listening. Talia searched for another place to take a step, she found none. With all of the sticks and dry leaves everywhere, there was not a single place she could move without frightening the creature in the bush.
She looked above her and found her savior. A large tree with a generous amount of wide branches, the easiest to climb. Holding her spear in between her arm and her side, she hoisted herself up onto the first branch. She continued climbing until she could see into the back of the thinning bush. She hung onto one branch, and let her weight fall to one side, allowing her to further examine the scene.
She saw the large hindquarters, quivering in anticipation of some kind of attack. A prickly brown tail whipped around like some grotesque windmill. It was no doubt, a young pig trembling before her, fowling up the air, stifling frightened noises within it's own snout. Talia looked at Jack and pointed excitedly towards the swine, bobbing her head up and down.
A slow smile spread across Jack's chapped lips, his first kill was upon him. Not again would he hesitate before stabbing the thing. What a childish thing for him to do, spare the pig. Never again. He backed up and took a readied position, ready to ram his spear into the first chunk of flesh it found. He pantomimed a stabbing action and pointed at Talia, hopefully she could comprehend his motion. She nodded curtly and placed her thin spear, lengthwise, in her mouth as she silently shimmied down the tree trunk out of sight. An earsplitting squeal pierced the thick air as the pig came plummeting out of the thicket, a spear plunged into it's back leg.
In one fluid motion Jack hurtled his weapon into the pig, another loud cry echoed throughout the forrest. It swayed where it stood and cried out again, ran about in circles. Jack threw his arms about the animal's neck, thrusting all of his weight onto it's back. He grabbed his knife from his pocket and raised it to the animal's throat. His heart beat fast as he moved the blade against the pig's thick hide. He beamed as he saw the blood drain from the swine's neck and felt the body go limp. Then it was only him, he sat there a gutted pig in his arms, the strong scent of it's blood lingered in his nostrils. A thrill of excitement washed over him, now he was the powerful one. Ralph couldn't do what he did. Any old boy could build a hut, it took a true leader to kill and provide food for his tribe.
Jack looked up and saw Talia standing in front of the bush. She walked over to him and crouched next to him, infiltrating his moment. She thoughtfully gazed at the pig for a moment then turned to him.
"Great job" she said smiling at him. Jack turned to her and at first said nothing. But her smile never wavered, her brown eyes connected to his own blue ones. Finally he smiled back at her, scratching the back of his head.
"You didn't do to awfully yourself, I suppose" he said decorating her nose with some of the pig's spilt blood. Instead of completely recoiling in disgust Talia smeared a handprint of the stuff across Jack's face. He wrinkled his nose and she laughed. "Do I have to beat your ass again?" he said only half menacingly.
"No, I assure you once was enough" she said as she stood, giggling. She offered her blood stained hand to Jack, he took it and was raised to his feet. "Lets bring it to the fire, we can cook it there and fetch everyone else later." She stooped and reached for the front part of the pig while he lifted it's rear. They began their trek towards the great signal fire in silence. There was the occasional grunt, or a rolling of dirt under a heavy step, but the hunters were far too lost in their own thoughts to speak.
The feelings that coursed through Jack as he killed the pig worried him. The energies that flowed through him as he tore open it's flesh made him feel more whole. By spoiling that pure creature, by letting out all aggression, all of the hostility pent up within his own heart, it brought him to another place entirely.
What made him ever more nervous were the feeling he had as he attacked Talia not only hours before, and how he felt when she fought back. Something inside of him stirred and cried to be free when he first struck her. When she struck his face, whatever was inside of him rejoiced. It made him angry, and he in turn overpowered her but that something inside of him wanted her to fight back. This conflicting body and spirit plagued him.
The silence was getting very heavy, and boded too much for Talia. She felt she made a mistake watching Jack kill the pig. Seeing all the violence and power he held within him disturbed her. Boys held that in normally, at least, the ones at school did. She had never seen her brothers have frantic outbursts like that. Manic, wild ones. The look of satisfaction his face held as the blood spilled all around him. The ferocity in which he attacked the beast with, it all sent shivers down her spine. But now he walked as normal as could be.
'You can't suppose it's only him' she thought to herself. 'I will bet you, all the boys are like that. You just haven't spent enough time with 'em yet.' She sighed and hoped she was correct. Perhaps all boys were like that on the inside. Perhaps all people were like that. As she was prepping herself to first injure the pig, she felt a surge of power within her. Knowing that she had the power to harm or even kill another creature both scared and excited her to the point of where the two feelings merged. It was a dangerous notion. Her thoughts faltered, she did not known what sentiments were occurring within her own soul.
