When she woke up Jasper and Monty were no longer there. Instead Lincoln hovered by her bedside, pacing nervously across the floor. Her head was pounding and she ached all throughout her body. Groggily she opened her eyes once more, and this time Lincoln took notice. He quickly rushed to her side and crouched next to her awkwardly, his large hand over top of hers.
"How are you, are you feeling better?"
Her throat felt too dry to speak but still she forced words out.
"Sore. What happened to me?"
"The sea monster scratched your leg with its fins. They release a sedative from the fins which usually sends its prey into a deep sleep. You were lucky Jasper was there to get you out of the water."
Octavia feels her breath stuttering. Not even a day and she had already almost lost her life. Way to make a good impression in a new place, by proving she was one of the weak. Octavia sighed and rested her head against the pillow behind her. Lincolns hand was still resting on hers and Octavia turned her hand over to grasp his. She jokes with him.
"Well at least I met some local wildlife."
Lincoln snorts.
"If you wanted to meet some wildlife, you could've just asked. Come on, I have something to show you."
Octavia hops off the bed and puts her boots, body aching in protest. But no matter how much she hurts, she puts on a brave face, after all, Lincoln had something to show her. They walked through the forest, at first sticking to the pathways, but soon Lincoln takes her off the trails, holding branches out of her way as she nimbly slips under them. Soon they arrive in a small mossy clearing. A single butterfly sits on a rock. At first, Octavia doesn't notice anything different about it, but as the sun starts to set, she realizes something. The butterfly is glowing. Octavia feels a smile starting on her face as she steps farther into the clearing and closer to the butterfly. She leans down to observe it in wonder, when she suddenly feels something on her arm. Another butterfly. She makes sure to slowly stand leaving her arms spread out. Butterfly after butterfly flutter down from the trees, aligning themselves on her arms. Octavia spins in the clearing in delight, marveling at the electric blue luminescence of the butterflies on her arms. As the sun finally sinks below the surface and they are left in the glow of the butterflies on her arms, something starts to happen. First the trees light up and she realizes as she looks up at them in shock that there are hundreds of butterflies on them. She steps and something below her foot lights up and she steps again. Mushrooms growing in between pockets of moss light up as flower after flower around the clearing start to glow spreading from the very roots to the petals. The butterflies on her arms fly off and following their lead, hundreds of butterflies on the trees take to the air. Lincoln is standing beside her and reaching down she grabs his hand. They stand in the clearing, hands intertwined, and Octavia starts to feel something flutter within her heart.