Chapter 5: The Shoreline
A beach is not only a sweep of sand, but shells of sea creatures, the sea glass, the seaweed, the incongruous objects washed up by the ocean.
-Henry Grunwald
Day 4
The Western Approach
I felt a gentle nudge on my cheek. It didn't quite wake me, but it was enough to make me stir. I didn't want to wake up. I just wanted to sleep forever. The nudge came again. I furrowed my brow and weakly tried to brush it away. The nudge turned into a slap and I jolted awake. I was lying face down in the sand, water lapping against my feet. I glanced up to see Brownie sitting in front of me. He lifted his arm to slap me again when I spoke up.
"Hey I-" I descended into a coughing fit as I realized how dry my mouth was. I coughed hard and spit out some sand. There was red liquid in the spit. "Shit... What-" my eyes widened as I remembered what had happened. I propped my arms under me and lifted my head. "MIRA-ack" I cried out in pain and fell back down as pain erupted from my lower body. I rolled over slowly and looked down. A small stick had embedded itself between my ribs on my right side. Now that was something stuck in me that WASN'T supposed to be there. My cloth shirt was soaked red on that side. I clutched my side and tried to sit up. "... Agh fuck... Ok, that's really bad..." Brownie chattered to get my attention. I looked at the small monkey and he ran down the beach. My eyes followed him until he stopped just short of another figure lying in the sand.
They weren't moving.
"Oh no..." I managed to roll onto all fours. "Mira... Hey..." Another cough escaped my throat, this time flecks of red dotted the sand. "Kiddo, you ok?"
I dragged myself across the sand, wincing through each movement. "Hey I know you're the prank master, but if you're pulling one now, it isn't funny." I pulled myself up beside her and rolled her onto her back. I lowered my ear to her chest and listened. Her heart beat steadily and her chest rose and fell. I let out a sigh of relief that became another cough. I was really starting to notice the metallic taste in my mouth. I sat back and surveyed the rest of her. Other than a few bruises and a nasty black eye, I couldn't see anything wrong. I relaxed a little bit, only for pain to spike in my side again. I grit my teeth and held my ribs again. Brownie brushed up against my leg, looking at me questioningly. I looked down at the little monkey. "She'll be okay, just a little banged up at the moment." I'm not sure if he understood, but he curled up next to her. I lifted my implant up. "As for me, however..."
Health: 18.6 / 110
And dropping.
"Dammit..." I looked through my inventory for anything to help my situation. There were still a few berries and the meat packed from yesterday, as well as several plant fibers. I pulled out a bushel of white berries and the plant fibers. I lifted Mira's head and opened her mouth, placing a few of the small berries inside. She moved her jaw slightly to chew them before swallowing. "Hate to wake you, but I might need some help."
I checked my belt to see what I still had on me. My club and waterskin were still there, but my hatchet was nowhere to be seen. I decided to get a better look at my wound. I carefully pulled off my shirt and gently probed the area. It didn't seem that deep, but pulling it out would not be smart. Blood slowly trickled from the wound and made a dark patch in the sand. I opened my inventory and looked at myself in the display. I was bleeding slightly from the bite mark on my arm as well as a gash on my forehead. I was covered head-to-toe in bruises and scratches, and obviously the protrusion from my side. I had lost my shoes in the water and my pants were ripped on the knees, revealing more cuts on my kneecaps. If I didn't look like hell before, I definitely do now. Despite everything, it seems like I got away pretty well. Except for one thing.
"The bag!"
I glanced around to see if it had washed up anywhere. Down the beach, I could see the cliff we had jumped from. The water below was littered with jagged rocks. That fact we hadn't landed on those was a miracle in itself. Hooked on one of the closer rocks was the bag. It must have fallen off when we fell and landed there. Hopefully the book wasn't wet, I was betting a lot on it still being readable.
Below me Mira stirred. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times before bolting upright. "Where...?" She looked around before her gaze landed on me.
I waved casually. "Morning kid."
Her eyes widened as she remembered last night's events. "Frank! What happened? Where are we?"
"I'm pretty sure we washed ashore. The cliff is just down the beach." I nodded towards the ledge before looking back to her. "You aren't hurt, are you?"
She checked herself over before replying. "No, I'm fine."
I smiled. "That's good. But I'm afraid I can't say the same." I moved my hand away from the stick.
Mira paled. "Oh god. That's blood. That's a lot of blood. That's really bad ohnoyourehurtreallybadand-"
I put a hand on her shoulder to calm her, although she didn't take her eyes off the gash. "Hey, hey. I know it's pretty grim, but I need you to be brave for a little bit, ok? I need your help with something."
She pulled her eyes off my injury. "What?"
"I need you to go get Joe's bag." I pointed towards the rocks. "It should be shallow there, so getting to it shouldn't be a problem." I looked back to her. "Do you think you can do that?"
She swallowed hard but nodded. She stood up and began walking towards the rocks. I leaned back and tried to soak up the blood with my shirt. Brownie suddenly jumped and howled. I looked down to see him pointing towards a spot on the tree line. I followed his aim to see bright feathers sticking out from the brush.
Bright orange feathers.
"Oh shit. Mira!" I tried to get her attention. She turned back to me, but I knew I could do little more than warn her. "Move! Run!" I waved frantically with one arm. "Get away from the trees!"
Mira turned towards the trees and froze as the two-legged predator stepped out. The raptor from before had wandered this far down the beach. The lizard turned and eyed Mira. I opened its mouth to growl, but only drool came out. I noticed something seemed very off about it. It moved slowly, and reacted to Mira in an almost delayed manner. I yelled to try and divert the creature's attention. "Hey! Featherbrain! You want an easy meal!?" The lizard turned towards me. Only then did I notice it's eyes. They were foggy and unfocused. It turned and took a step towards me, revealing a stab wound in it's side. A familiarly shaped stab wound. The lizard stumbled it's next few steps before collapsing to the beach, unconscious. Mira and I stared at the predator in shock before a chitter broke the silence. An all-too-familiar chitter. Moments later the large scorpion emerged from the brush, scuttling towards the downed raptor. Mira gasped at the sight of it and fell backwards in fright.
Oh no.
The large insect turned towards the sound. I noticed the arrow was still lodged in its eye, as it had to turn all the way around to get a good look. Considering its options, the large insect chose to advance towards the new target: Mira.
"Mira get up! Go! Run for the rocks!"
She didn't need to be told twice. Mira scrambled up and ran towards the rocky outcroppings. The scorpion was gaining though, and Mira cried out for help as she ran. Brownie dashed from my side and towards the insect. He hopped on its back and smeared a brown substance over the scorpion's face. The large insect screeched in disgust and lashed its tail at the small monkey. Brownie was off and scampering away before it could land a hit. The bug wiped its face with a claw and resumed its pursuit, only temporarily stunned. It's was enough time, however, for Mira to climb up the rock and procure the bag. The scorpion quickly reached the base of the shallow rock and began lashing at her. Mira pulled her legs up close and cried out in panic. "Help! Someone please!"
I needed to get up. I needed to help. I was so tired of not having a break with this island. I was so pissed that nothing could calm down for one goddamn day. I got up to one knee, then pushed myself up, gritting through the pain. I took a few steps before stumbling again. I cried out again and looked up towards Mira. The scorpion was relentless, and she was slipping on the wet surface. I forced myself up again.
"I made a promise." I muttered. "I made a promise to protect her." Anger surged through me as I limped forward. "I don't know anything about myself, but so far I've been a man of my word. And that's something I can hold onto." I pulled the club off my belt. "So if you think I'm gonna let go of that because of some stupid injury..." The scorpion had yet to notice me approach it. Mira had slid down within striking range. It poised its tail and took aim. "THEN YOU DON'T KNOW JACK SHIT ABOUT ME EITHER!" I reached out and grabbed its tail. I leaned back and dragged the insect from the water. The bug squealed in surprise and tried to thrash, but I held it firm. I raised the club and brought it down hard on the protruding arrow, hammering it through the insect's head. The scorpion screeched and writhed in pain. I brought the club down on its head again screaming. "I'm sick of always running! I'm sick of things trying to kill me! And most of all..." I punctuated each word with a bash from the club. "I'M. SICK. OF. YOU!" Its head was little more than pulp floating in the water at the end of my rant. The insect lay still.
I fell back on my rear and clutched my side. I wasn't doing too hot after that. I pulled open my inventory;
Health: 11.2 / 110
"Ok, I'm done." I leaned back and flopped against the sand.
Mira bent down beside me. "Are you ok? Frank!"
I smiled. "Didn't I tell you to call me Francis?" I tried to chuckle, but it hurt too bad. "You mentioned someone in town right? You know how to get there?"
Mira's eyes teared up, but she nodded. "Yeah, Mrs. Ellen's house."
"Good. Go there. She can probably keep you safe." My vision became spotty.
"No! I'm not leaving you here!"
I coughed hard. "Mira, I'm telling you, go-"
"No! You left Joe behind and now he's..." Her tears spilled her face and she trailed off. "If I leave you behind, you'll..."
"Mira, please. I'm-"
"No!" She shot up and dug through the bag. "Please, please... Yes!" She pulled out a small red vial. Medical Brew. She uncorked the cap and drizzled the contents on my gash.
I screamed in pain. Medical Brew really is liquid fire. She rubbed the substance around and into the wound, inciting more painful yells. My whole body tensed in pain from the medicine. After several moments in agony, the pain finally dulled. I breathed heavily, my throat raw from dryness and yelling. I lifted my arm and checked my inventory again;
Health: 6.5 / 110
And rising.
I looked up at Mira who was shaking and staring at the blood. I reached up and squeezed her arm. "Hey." She looked to me. "You did good. That was a good idea." She smiled and more tears rolled down her face. I leaned back into the sand. "I guess protection can be a two-way street..."
We set up a campfire alongside some more rocks while we waited for me to recover enough to walk. I had torn up my shirt and tied off the scraps with plant fibers to make some makeshift bandages. I carefully lined up where the stick would be before poking a hole in the bandage and sliding it over it. The bleeding may have stopped, but if that thing came out now, we wouldn't be able to stop it. Meat sizzled on the fire as it cooked. We hadn't eaten since yesterday morning and even half-cooked meat seemed appetizing. The meat was going to go bad soon anyway, so we might as well cook it all.
I surveyed the beach and collected some sticks and flat stones. When I found one of each I was satisfied with, I used the stone to carve out a small notch in the stick. I slotted the stone within the notch and wrapped it with plant fibers to secure it. I gave my flimsy hatchet a few experimental swings. It held together well enough, so I figured it was fit to use. I walked over the the scorpion shell and began hacking away at it. Joe mentioned that insect shells went for a good price in town, so maybe this would prove useful. After all, didn't he say to never waste anything? I washed the blood off the harvested segments and tossed the meat to the side. I don't care how hungry I might be; I'm not eating a giant bug. Mira sat by the water's edge, washing her hands. It had been a while since the blood had washed off, but she kept at it. After packing the shells into the satchel, I walked over to her and knelt down.
I scooped her into a hug, as tight as I could without aggravating my injury. She flinched at the embrace, but otherwise didn't say anything. I held her for a while before she started shaking. I looked down to see she was silently sobbing. Despite the tough girl act she likes to put on, she was obviously very frail. She wasn't used to this in the slightest. It spoke wonders about Joe's skills as a parental guardian, but didn't bode well for her now. She was just a kid, barely nine years old. She shouldn't have to deal with this kind of stress. I rubbed her back gently to try and soothe her tears. I spoke softly to her. "It's alright. We're ok. You've been so brave." My expression fell a bit. "I'm so sorry. It's my fault we're here. I'm not Joe. I couldn't protect you from everything." I stood up and took her hand. "C'mon. You're soaking wet. I can't have you catching a cold now." I led her over to the fire where she lied down beside it. Within a few moments, her breathing took on the rhythmic pattern of sleep. She had to be so tired, she deserved a rest.
I sat down against a log and stirred the fire with a stick, sending sparks into the air. I pulled the chunks of meat off the sticks I had speared them on and bit into one. It was crispy and overdone, but edible. I packed up the rest in the satchel for Mira when she wakes up. While in the bag, I pulled out the book and flipped through it. The amount of information in it was astounding; maps, detailed dossiers of dinosaurs, in-depth instructions for making various materials, even descriptions of tribes and people. Joe wasn't exaggerating when he said this was a long project. This book must have taken years to assemble. Woven into the rear cover was a sleeve filled with multi-colored stencils. On the back of the last page was a note addressed to the reader.
Should this journal find itself in new hands, then you may assume something became of it's author. You will find the information recorded to be helpful and possibly life-saving, so treat this with care. I know you have no obligation to do so, but I would ask a favor of the finder of this book; at the center of this island is a forest. A forest of trees wider than a Stego and taller than a Bronto. Take this book to that forest. There are people there who need this information desperately. If you can do this, then you will have done an old soul a great kindness. May the island grant you favor in your endeavors.
-Jahova the Informer
I read the note several times over. For all I know, this could be Joe's last request. I considered his task for a while. The note stated I would have to journey to the center of the island. So far I had only seen the beaches and a river, I didn't know what the rest of the island had to offer. I flipped through to the map. It had a grid overlaying the map itself, denoting latitudes and longitudes. The island was large, if the landmarks were anything to go by. It had two large rivers bisecting it from the northeast to the southwest, with a delta-like formation of land masses at either end. There we several mountains on the north side, especially in what appeared to be a snow-covered region. There were several colored areas denoting changes in the environment; dark grey for mountains, green for forests, dark brown for a section in the center, and a light yellow-green for what seemed to be swamps. The swamps surrounded the brown area in the center labeled only as Redwood Forests. The map had several labels over various points of interest; everything from broad regions to isolated points denoted by numbers. I flipped the page and saw a list of numbers followed by descriptions of what was located at that point on the map. Everything from caves to towns. "... Slipstream Temple, The Black City, Arkadia... What?" I flipped back to the map. What really drew my attention were three large pillars sketched on different places. A blue one at the peak of the snow mountains, a red one in the southwest corner, and a green one on the far east side. The way they were drawn made them seem more prevalent than any other mark on the map. I didn't have a lot of time to theorize as a rustle from nearby grabbed my attention.
I put the book down and turned to Mira. "Awake so soon?" I paused. Mira was still fast asleep by the fire. Brownie was cuddled up beside her, so it couldn't have been him. I tensed and glanced about. There shouldn't have been anything else on the beach except-
"The raptor!" We had just left it there on the beach. I braced my arms on the log and pulled myself up. I limped towards where the lizard had collapsed. As I rounded a boulder, I spotted the raptor still lying in the sand. I let out a sigh of relief, only to gasp quietly as the lizard's form shifted lightly. It was waking up. "Oh that's not good..." I was in no state to fight again, and Mira was still sound asleep. If it got past me, she wouldn't see it coming. I patted my pants for my club, eyes widening when I realized I left it back at the fire. "Shit..." I pulled open my inventory and scanned it for anything I could use. All I had were berries and fibers. I threw down my arm in frustration. "No. No, there has to be-" A thought hit me. Berries. I pulled open my inventory again, heart racing as a plan formed. My eyes flicked about the interface until I spotted what I needed. I pulled out a handful of black berries and limped towards the creature. I knelt down next to the raptor as it stirred. It's eyes opened and darted about before landing on me. It recoiled in surprise and tried to stand, but I dove forward and pinned it to the ground. It thrashed, eyes wild with fear as it tried to escape. It opened its mouth and let out a distressed cry. I wedged the fistful of berries in its open mouth and slammed its jaw shut. "Go to sleep go to sleep go sleep go to sleep!" The lizard flailed and bucked as it tried to spit out the bitter substance, but it was clear that it was losing the fight. It's efforts dulled and its eyes began to lose focus. It kept staring at me in fear until it drifted off once again, the berries having the desired effect. Once I was sure that the raptor was truly out cold, I released it. "Bed time, buddy." I smiled at my next phrase. "Don't let that defeat get to you. You'll end up deep-rest." I laughed lightly at my own joke before glancing around. "Geeze, tough crowd..." Despite no one being around. I had no idea how long the sedative would last for, so it was probably a good idea to get moving.
I shook Mira gently. "Hey kiddo, it's time to get up." Mira mumbled in protest and rolled over. "Oh don't give me that." Mira remained still. "We have to get moving soon. I don't want the day to get away from us." Mira responded by curling around Brownie like a stuffed animal. I looked at her with an amused smile. "Oh... So it's gonna be like that, huh?" I stood up and stroked my non-existing beard in a pensive stance. I smiled and began my delivery. "Man, you make sleeping look so easy. In fact, I bet you could do it with your eyes closed." Mira didn't make a sound, but silent giggles shook her frame. "You know, I heard about a guy who had a dream where people wouldn't stop offending him. Needless to say, he didn't take that lying down." A small snort escaped her but she smothered it quickly. I kept them coming. "Did you hear about the guy who had a sleeping sickness? He was bedridden for weeks!" I fired out another. "So a guy comes into my room and asks if I'm going to sleep all day. I tell him that I wouldn't dream of it."
By now Mira was having trouble containing her laughter. She tried not to move, but her non-stop snickering betrayed her act. Brownie eventually pulled himself away and eyed me loathingly. Mira stretched out an arm to try and get him back, but with no luck. "Nooooooo..."
I chuckled deeply. Despite our situation, it was nice to know we could still have a light moment. Mira rolled back over and looked up. I smiled and held up the bag. "Breakfast?"
Mira sat up and a loud growl from her stomach answered for her. "... Excuse me."
I jumped in mock surprise. "Whaaaaat!? The little brat knows manners!?" I gestured dramatically.
Mira giggled at the display and stood up. She posed equally dramatically and spoke in an over-the-top voice. "I'll have you know, good sir, that I have received the highest level of education in speaking politely."
I chuckled and took a flamboyant bow. "Forgive me! I had no idea I was in the presence of such an esteemed member of society!"
Mira turned up her nose, but broke into a smug smile. "I might forgive something so terrible. If-" she turned back to me and held out her hand. "You provide me with breakfast."
I pulled the bag open and presented the cooked meat. "Anything for you, dear madam! But I'm afraid we must take this meal to go!" I glanced at the sun which was reaching its peak. I didn't know how much more we had to walk before we reached the town, and the last thing I wanted was to arrive at nightfall.
Mira pouted. "Alright." She took the meat and began biting into it. After chewing it for a minute she made a face.
"Yeah, I'm probably not the best cook. Sorry."
"No kidding, this tastes like spoiled mejo berries." She stuck her tongue out.
"Well get used to it. That's breakfast." I looked up at the sky. "Or lunch now, I guess." I picked up my meager belongings and packed them away before kicking some sand into the fire, smothering it. I slung the bag over my shoulder and nodded down the beach. "C'mon. We've got some walking to do."
Mira let Brownie hop up on her shoulder and nodded. We both turned and walked southward. As we made our way out of the rocks though, we passed the raptor, still passed out in the sand. I stopped and stared at the creature for a minute, considering it. It's face contorted in pain as it slept. It was probably starving. This thing was denied food, kicked from its pack, and attacked by a massive bug. Then I came along and forced narcotic down his throat. It's been just plain unlucky. In a way it actually reminded me of... Well... Me. I frowned though, the difference between me and him was that Joe helped me get on my feet each time. I sighed, considering something.
Mira noticed I had stopped and turned around. "What are you doing?"
I let out a laugh. "Probably something stupid." I rummaged through the bag for the last piece of meat and tossed it near the lizard. "Let's hope your luck turns around buddy. Even if you didn't laugh at my jokes." Satisfied, I turned and caught up with Mira.
We had a long walk ahead of us.
A/N:
Hey guess what! As of posting chapter 5, aWoTaS is now the longest Ark fanfic on the archive!
Edit: Awesome. So... why did you write 2 chapters in as many days?
Because the fans demanded content.
Edit: ...So 3 people left reviews that said something like "Can't wait" or "Hurry up with the next chapter" and that's all the motivation you need to destroy the word count of most college exam papers?
Precisely. The support I've seen for this story has been overwhelmingly positive. Someone even PM'd me and asked me if this story was going to be over 30 chapters "like alot of good fanfics."
Let me put it to you this way; I've planned out... what? Over 8 different distinct locations across the Ark? All of which involve their own story arcs and characters. And that's not even including chapters based on minor locations or ones devoted to character or background development. Or filler chapters, if I decide to have those. On top of all that, the Ark devs might still release even MORE content that I could implement into this story. I mean, they just released prehistoric BEES. I could have SO much fun with that. I'd be surprised if this story DIDN'T end up being 30 chapters or more. And even if it is around that number, you can bet the word count of these chapters is gonna stay pretty darn high.
Edit: But it's not like the speed that these chapters come out is at all related to the amount of positive reviews, favorites, or follows, right?
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight... I mean hypothetically if someone wanted to leave a review, favorite, or follow the story, then possibly the next chapter might come out faster.
Edit: ...
But really though, feel free to let me know what your thoughts are on the story. If you like what I'm doing, have something you might want to see, or just flat out want to inflate my ego, let me know! Reviews are the best form of feedback I have.
As always, try to have a good laugh today.
-TheSurvivingComedian
