The fallowing morning arrived. Dean was out in the forest searching for materials to help make the cabana larger and stronger when he came across the first of the panther tracks. Indented in some moist soil, Dean knew that the panther they heard on the beach must be nearby to have made the print. Following the tracks for about fifty feet, Dean lost the trail as the jaguar moved into denser jungle.
Heading back to where he had started, Dean thought about the day that he had first killed the jaguar that had tried to kill him. He remembered how easily the knife had sliced into the neck of the animal as it descended upon him. He remembered the way that the blood had come gushing out of the wound and covered him with its wet warmth. But, the two things that were most vivid in his mind were the metallic taste of the blood in his mouth and the way that the light had gone out of the eyes of the creature as it laid on the forest floor. Feeling the skin that he was now wearing, Dean smiled and wondered if he would have to face any more of the jaguars that lived on the island.
Gathering the materials that he needed for the cabana, Dean headed back making sure to keep the knife in his hand.
When Dean arrived at the lagoon, he found Emma gone. Not too worried, Dean started to work on making a device to hold a pot Emma had devised over the fire. Spearing the meat and holding it in the flames cooked the meat, but it was always the chance of under or over cooking their food. Using the makeshift pot, Dean and Emma could reduce the chance of under or over cooking and prevent the juices from falling into the fire.
Hearing a rustling in the bushes coming from behind him, Dean picked up his knife and turned to see what approached. Coming from the direction of the beach, Emma appeared eating a banana. At first Dean did not notice, but the moment Emma finished the banana she was eating and threw the peal into the brush, Dean saw that she was now wearing the garment that he had made from some of the jaguar skin. Knowing that she would be self-conscious, Dean returned to his work.
After finishing his pot stand which took about two hours, Dean went and gathered his spear and headed to the steam were he did most of the fishing. As Dean approached the area where he usually waded in, he heard footsteps behind him following. Wading into the cool water, he was not surprised to find Emma watching him on the shore as he waited for fish to move closer.
Standing still and speaking softly, Dean asked, "So, how do you like it?"
Looking up into the sky, Emma responded by asking, "Do you think I will have any problems giving birth here? I know that women have been having babies since man first walked the Earth, but what would we do if there are complications with the birth?"
"We'll deal with them, like we have dealt with everything else since landing here." Dean after a few moments replied trying to spear a fish. Keeping his eyes on the creatures moving under the water, he asked, "Is it just the birth that has you concerned Em, or is it about what happens afterward?"
Looking over at the young man standing in the water holding a spear ready to pierce a fish, she smiled. "The larger my belly gets, the more worried I am that we wont be able to provide for our kid and less worried about whether or not there will be problems."
Seeing a smile appear on his face, Emma asked, "What?"
Glancing up at her before turning his attention back to the water, "The larger your belly gets, the more worried I am that we wont be able to provide as well. But then I realize," he continued, as he thrust his spear into the water, missing. "For all the problems that our kid will have growing up on an island, and for all the things that we will not be able to provide, I sometimes think that I'm more scared of what your dad will do to me if we're ever found Prom Queen."
Emma could not help but giggle as he thrust his spear into the water again. Thinking of her family and friends was still hard for Emma. Dean would see a sad look whenever she was thinking about their old life. At first he would try to cheer her up, but he soon realized that Emma needed these moments for her own sanity.
Continuing to watch, Emma asked, "How long do you think I'll be able to fit in this piece of clothing you made me before I my belly out grows it?"
Thrusting his spear into the water again and coming up with a fish, "I used some of the material from the clothes that we brought with us to make them. I have enough to make it bigger while we try to figure out how to make more clothes." Smiling and getting out of the water, Dean placed the fish he had caught next to her and leaned down to where Emma sat on a rock beside the stream. Kissing her, "After all, we can't have out kid running around naked." Turning and getting back into the water, "By the way, I was thinking about trying to expand our home by using some of the surrounding trees. What do you think, Em?"
When Dean didn't get a respond right away, he thought that Emma was just thinking, but the silence dragged on, Dean finally turned to see a stunned expression on her face. Slipping out of the water quickly while trying not to startle the fish, Dean walked up to Emma and knelt down in front of her. Taking her face in his hands and directing it so that she was forced to look at him, "Emma, what's wrong? Come on Prom Queen, don't do this to me."
Seeming to suddenly realize he was standing in front of her, she asked, "What did you just say?"
"About what?"
"About the lagoon being home."
Not sure where she was going with this, Dean leaned back. Sitting down, he said, "I didn't mean it like that Em."
"I know," she responded immediately. "But, I never really thought of this place as home until you just said that." Seeing the confusion on Dean's face, "When we first got here, I could not wait to get home. All I could think about was what I was missing in school and everything that my friends and family must be doing."
"Yeah." Dean said hesitantly.
"We've been here for over eighteen months. I got pregnant here. I'll probably have our baby here." Still seeing confusion on his face she said, "I didn't realize I had started to think of this place as home until you just said that." Then smiling, Emma kissed Dean and left to gather supplies, leaving him to wonder if that was good or bad.