Chapter 3

You're a fool. A stupid, careless nitwit! Ja'far cursed himself for the umpteenth time that day as he brushed aside a branch that had gotten in his face. He didn't want to admit it, but he was completely lost in this tropic jungle. Why hadn't he demand the girl to show him the way to the bay? Or perhaps ask for a map of some sort before making a run?

Ah, right. Because somehow that Sinbad-pirate had a knack for making him flustered and throw his most basic of rationalities out of the window. But a part of him knew that the fault laid with himself. He had been getting soft as of late with easy deliveries.

So it was entirely up to him to redeem his own mistake and try to find his way out.

At first Ja'far had tried climbing the tallest tree nearby to give him a clear view of the surrounding landscape. Tried being the keyword. He learned soon to his frustration and embarrassment that climbing a tree was a harder feat than he thought and he was only making a further fool of himself by repeatedly failing.

Next he tried searching for the tallest rock or hill, but was once again discouraged by the dense vegetation. It seems that no amount of hacking with the knife could lessen the foliage as more sprung up in the fallen's stead. To make things worse, the sun was steadily making a downward trek towards the horizon and all around him the shadows grew.

This is getting ridiculous, Ja'far sighed as he deposited himself underneath a tree that he had passed by three times. The marks on the bark carved by his knife were the only indication that he had been in this place before, or else he wouldn't have recognized one tree from the next. Normally he prided himself on his observation and memory skills, but in this alien environment, Ja'far found his skills severely challenged and put to shame. The leaves and trees leered back at him, as if mocking his inability to distinguish one from the other and for a few moments, he found joy in hacking down as many greens as he could reach with his knife. Eventually the anger subsided, replaced by lethargy and an urge to sleep.

Well, it looked like he wouldn't be making further progress that day and he might as well find somewhere to rest. The root looked like a good spot to lie upon. Ja'far hunted about, gathering pieces of dried timber and forming a fire ring with it. If he stayed the night in the wild, he might as well build a fire to keep him warm. That is, if he could start a fire first.

The clerk sifted through his pockets but turned up with nothing. He had left his tinder box along with his precious bullets in the oil sack, of which the pirates have so conveniently taken from him. A few rocks nearby looked promising, but tried as he might, he could not coax a single spark from the solids. How did the good-for-nothing adventurers made it sound so easy when they recited their tales in the bars?

Finally realizing that striking a fire was as impossible as climbing a tree, Ja'far gave up and settled himself comfortably - or as comfortable as he could get it to be - between the nook and crannies of the root.

Yet sleep evaded him. The shadows around him grew heavier and merged with one another until there was nothing but deep, inky blackness. Ja'far tried stretching his fingers a few times in front of his face, but he couldn't make out a single thing. What he could make out, however, were twin spots of eyes that disappeared and appeared amongst the shadows. Some were small, others big; some stayed near the ground, whereas others hung high amongst the trees. He wasn't sure if they were looking at him because every time he stared right back at those eyes, they blinked out, only to appear some distance off.

Rubbing his eyes, Ja'far swore a few of those eyes just got closer to him. His fingers gripped the hilt of his knife until it shook with the tension of taut muscles. When he thought the eyes got too close, he picked up dry woods or rocks from nearby and threw it into the inky darkness, watching with satisfaction as all the eyes disappeared in an instant and the incessant sounds of the wilderness around him grew mute. The moment was short-lived as slowly, one by one, eyes began appearing again, and the din of insects escalated louder than before.

Ja'far pressed his back closely to the root, knowing that it would provide some protection. His only solace was the knife in his hand, capable of tearing through flesh just as well as any tooth and claw of a wild beast. For the rest of the night Ja'far didn't let his guard down, sending projectiles occasionally into the darkness around him in an attempt to frighten away any predators.

When morning came the clerk found himself not only sleep-deprived, but in a fouler mood than usual. Those eyes retreated along with the break of dawn and the fight seeped out from Ja'far as he sighed in relief. He couldn't remember a time he had been gladder to see the sun. But there was no time for rest. He needed to get back to the safety of the ship.

"Just follow the sound of the sea, just follow the sound of the-damn it, this is not helping at all," Ja'far gritted his teeth. No matter which direction he moved in he could only hear the distant lull of waves breaking but never once making any progress towards it. And still around him the island trees loomed tall and ominous, blocking his view.

A sudden rustling caught his attention. Ja'far looked upwards and saw shadows darting through the leaves. When one of the shadows called out, he recognized it immediately: monkeys. Wild island monkeys that were very unlike those caged ones that he came across in the markets. These monkeys were highly territorial and hostile against any intruders, which, Ja'far quickly concluded, he was one.

Without taking the time to think, he bolted.

Had he been fighting a lone primate, Ja'far would have stayed back and met it head-on. But when there was a group, there was nothing the clerk could do but run for his life. The moment he turned his back on the creatures, it was as if a silent signal had been given for the chase to start and they were after him in the blink of an eye.

A string of profanities escaped Ja'far's mouth as he blindly tore through the underbrush, ignoring the tears and stinging cuts from different bushes. By now his shirt was no better than the pirates', torn and only hanging onto his frame by a few well-placed seams. The horde of monkey was still closing on him though, unrelenting in their pursuit.

And then suddenly he was on a beach, having somehow dash through the thick foliage. He stumbled a bit as his foot met soft sand but he was glad to note that the monkeys hesitated, loitering by the edge of the forest yet not willing to come out from the protectiveness of their canopy cover. At least for the moment he was safe from these creatures, so long as he stayed on the beach. The unfortunate thing was, it was a very small beach in which he could even see the other end of the shore from his current position. It was also not the bay where their ship had landed.

Ja'far sighed as he trekked his way to the other side of the beach where there was a cliff wall. There were some large boulders that had fallen from the cliff face which offered plenty of shade. If he couldn't return to the forest for the time being, he might as well stay out of the sun.

By and by, Ja'far dozed off as he waited for the monkeys to disappear.

~oOo~

The clerk woke up with a start to something else beside the sound of waves. He strained his ears and tried to identify the source of disturbance - there was a soft pitter-patter and little sprinkles of water on his face, so it must be raining right now, and there was also snoring, so someone else-

Ja'far's thought came to a screeching halt as he backtracked. There was snoring from someone just to his left. That person was even leaning slightly onto him! No wonder he felt so cocooned and warm in this dreary weather.

He sprang wide awake in a second and was onto the person, grappling with flailing hands to reach for the person's throat. The man was being stubborn by shielding his face with his hands; blocking Ja'far's every attempt at throttling the other.

The two struggled for some time before the man got a foot out and landed a swift kick in Ja'far's stomach, throwing the clerk backwards and coughing.

"I'd prefer a gentler wake-up, something like a kiss," Sinbad sat up and rubbed at his reddening wrists.

"Why are you here?" Ja'far asked incredulously, aware that Sinbad's coat was draped around his body and keeping the heat in. He wanted to discard it away, but realize the sorry state of his own clothing and decided against it. Sometimes swallowing his pride was more important than risking hypothermia.

Sinbad gave his non-committal shrug again as if he didn't know the reason himself. "Pisti said that you were walking in the opposite direction of the bay and I thought I would confirm it myself."

There was that teasing smile that set Ja'far's temper on edge. "Oh? Perhaps it would have been more courteous of her to tell me that in advance," he gritted out, plotting murder in his mind. If only he had his pistols, he would go after Sinbad first, then Pisti (little girl or no) and then maybe that darn crew member that destroyed his documents during the fray a few nights ago.

"Pisti tends to have a mischievous streak," Sinbad scratched his head, looking almost apologetic had it not been for the smile that split his face.

"She'd better grow out of it soon or else no one is going to want her," Ja'far muttered more to himself than Sinbad. But when he noticed Sinbad giving him a queer look, he asked, "What?"

Sinbad shook his head. "Nah, just thinking that Pisti is already a grown woman, but she still has the personality of a child." At Ja'far's incredulous look, he added, "she might even have had a few rounds with some of the guys back in the den - don't ask me why I know."

"...you sure know a lot."

"Definitely. At least I know not to turn my back against a group of monkeys," Sinbad leaned back against the rock, keeping a careful eye on the knife in Ja'far's hand in case...well, in case the white-haired man decided that he would be a good chopping board, which, judging by the man's expression, was a very likely possibility.

"You saw that?" Ja'far tried very hard to reign in his temper. That bastard saw him being chased by a bunch of monkeys and probably found entertainment in it.

"Mmhmm, and I saw how you tried to 'climb' all those trees. You'd a rather cute expression when you fell."

That just made it ten times more humiliating than being seen running away from monkeys. Ja'far willed himself to not take a knife to the man beside him. Somehow he had a feeling that the plan would backfire, as with everything that had happened since he came onto this island.

"You know, I've been thinking," Sinbad began, ignoring the fuming man beside him, "I want you to join my family."

Ja'far spluttered. Where had that thought come from? "Excuse me?"

"I've been keeping an eye on you and I like what I see. You are fearless, skilled in handling weapons and apparently good with numbers, I think. Besides," Sinbad leaned forward till he was almost touching nose with the clerk, "I find your appearance fascinating as well. I've never seen someone like you before. You will be a very valuable asset to my family." He trailed a finger across Ja'far's cheek, across those flecks of dark brown on pale skin and brushed the tips of his fingers against white hair.

For a moment Ja'far was enraptured by the emotions held in the pirate's eyes: there was determination, desire and an overwhelming confidence that he would get what he want. But the moment passed just as quickly and Ja'far knocked Sinbad's hand aside, his expression drawn into an angry frown. "I don't exactly associate myself with thieves."

"What are 'thieves' but another method of surviving?"

"You kill too."

"Survival only for the fittest," Sinbad replied just as smoothly. "It's either I eliminate them or they come and kill my family. The choice seems obvious, don't you think?"

Ja'far barked out a harsh laugh. "And so you destroy who knows how many other families? Sorry, but I decline your offer." He noted that the sky was lightening up somewhat and the rain had dwindled down considerably. "If there's nothing else you would like to say, I will get going then." He stripped off the jacket from his body and threw it back to the pirate.

Sinbad was up on his feet and before Ja'far could even blink, his hand had reached out and gripped the younger man's chin firmly. "Oh? But I don't remember giving you a choice? I recall saying 'I want you to join my family'."

Ja'far swatted the hand aside and jumped a few distance away. He pulled out the knife and point it towards Sinbad. "And what makes you think that I would join your little family?"

The pirate didn't even blink at the weapon aimed at him. "Simple - your ship's stuck and there is nowhere you could go until you repair it. But as long as my family is on this island, you and your crewmates will never get the required supplies." He turned and began walking away from the clerk. "You'll come around soon. It's part of your nature."

The last sentence caught Ja'far off guard as he stared at Sinbad's retreating figure. Part of his nature? What did the man mean?

A/N: Lazy Gaga, spiritleopard, Rainbow, denOden and all the many other people who favorited and followed the story: thank you very much. It makes my day to know you guys are enjoying the story!