She kept yelling, demanding them to row faster. When their boats reached the shores, she was the first to jump onto the sand, with urgency and intent. Her eyes pierced the beach, in hopes of spotting her target. No one dared say a word as she gripped her pistol tighter, for she did not see the sailor.

Barbara let out a snarled breath, trying to maintain her composure. Her blood was boiling, because her heart was enraged. Only Olivia dared step closer to her, coughing to assert her opinion.

“Capt’n…” Those avaricious eyes glared, with annoyance at first, then outrage. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to chase that cabin boy.”

The two had noted very well that there were footprints on the sand, even if they had faded slightly by now. They led to the jungle ahead, and it was an ominous notion, for all knew that this island was plagued by deadly things.

Perhaps that man had evaded them by venturing into the wilderness, but he would not escape the wildlife that inhabited it. He was a dead man, no matter what. And if they kept chasing maybe they would perish too.

“We got a grand loot from their ship, enough to drink away for at least a year. We don’t need-“

“That necklace is worth a kingdom, a whole empire.”

“If we tried to blackmail the royalty, someone would end up hanging. We can’t sell it for much; no pirate can offer that much gold.”

“I don’t wish to sell it!” Barbara unsheathed her sword, barking loudly at them all. “We’re moving into that jungle, and we are ripping that trinket from his cold dead hands!”

She took a firm step forwards, which all her crew doubted to follow. Everyone exchanged apprehensive glances, even some low whispers, slightly afraid of her order. It was not because they were cowards; they were one of the most notorious pirate crews in the seas after all.

They were scared of the jungle and what roamed it, and with good reason. Many deadly creatures lurked in it, constantly searching for prey in the dark. There were not only animals that could rip them apart, but the natives of the land as well.

This island was not claimed by the empire, because the humans that lived in it were to be feared. With luck, that sailor would be torn apart by a simple volcanic lizard, and they would only need to search through the gory scraps to get the trinket. On the other hand, if he were to be snatched by those savages… they would never retrieve the necklace.

They had no choice unless they assembled a mutiny, so they began to follow Barbara towards the shade of the tall vegetation. Huge palm trees and towering bushes soon loomed over them all, and the paths between them were not easy to traverse. Still, their captain advanced adamantly, never looking away from the shadows ahead.

The hunt was on, and he would be prey no matter what. Fate would decide what would bring his end, and how painful his death would be.

He better pray that a beast finds him first, for I’ll gut or keelhaul him.

—————–

 

The sun had shined intensely over the island, yet not even its bright gleams could pierce the shadows that loomed over him. He had ventured into the jungle, well aware of how the thick mass of branches and vines would entrap him in darkness.

There was no way of knowing where to go. He kept moving through the labyrinthine mass of plant life, which sometimes formed green tunnels for him to traverse. All were made of thick branches and long huge stems. If he did not know any better, he would say that he was crossing the veins of an eldritch creature that rested on the island.

By the time the sun descended in the sky, he had followed paths that led him high above, to the canopies of the trees. The jungle was so dense and heavy that it formed multiple grounds, up and below. It was disorienting and discouraging, but anything was better than getting caught by those fiends.

He stepped surely but warily on the grassy ground; it was composed of dense leaves and vines, which had fused together in their development, ages ago. Sometimes, the ground was made of stone, for some trees had torn the earth below and risen with it as they grew.

What little light he had, he lost eventually. The shadows grew, somehow, as if they were alive and glad to see the sun fade. He had no choice but to stop advancing; his eyes managed to notice a small patch of earth by a huge tree trunk, which pierced the canopies above.

Olve sat slowly and leaned against the tree. His hands gathered a few dried leaves and sticks and piled them up urgently. The jungle was noisy, but with the day gone, it became a cacophony. Things let out strange wails in the distance, and whatever animal they were, he did not recognize them; for better or worse.

A small gleam soon greeted him, which offered him slight comfort. He made a small fire, away from the plants that surrounded the patch of earth. While hearing those distant screeches, he was tempted to let the jungle burn. However, he knew he would perish in the blaze, so he kept the fire at bay.

He made himself small against the tree trunk, eyeing all that surrounded him with great wariness. Although he was a strong and buff man, he felt insignificant at the moment, mere prey. The more time passed, the more he hated the fact that he was forced to stop moving.

In minutes, he realized something, and he did not know if it was a good thing or not. The echoes of the wildlife had faded gradually, to then grow silent. The only sounds he could hear came from the flames of his improvised camp.

He tensed, subtly. His hand moved and grasped a sharp stick, for he quickly noted that he was unarmed… and that something was staring at him. He could not see it, but it was clear that he was being observed, intently.

An eternity seemed to pass, but the silence was eventually broken. His blue eyes widened and his body jerked upright, for there was a snap, followed by the sound of something lunging. Moved by instinct, he found himself bolting aside, just as a big shadow slammed itself against the trunk he had been resting on.

He let out a huge trembling gasp, standing to his feet as the animal hissed in anger. It turned around elegantly, baring its sharp fangs and long black tusks. A tusked panther, dark as the night, as dangerous as death itself.

It was not the deadliest animal in the jungle, but it was perilous enough to rip him to shreds with ease. As big as a lion, and with a hide as thick as the one of a boar, there was no way for him to kill it. He had to find a way to flee, or else.

Those sharp yellow eyes were wide with hunger. It began to lean again, circling him, growling low as it analyzed its options. Both were aware that it had failed its first lunge, and that now there was a fire between them.

Against all instinct, Olve dashed forward towards the beast, instead of running away. It tried to jump at him, but then stopped when he swung the stick he held. That move was not aimed at it, but at the flames.

The panther hissed again, tucking its ears back in alarm. Olve was now wielding the branch between them, aflame. He thanked the gods that it had caught ablaze, because if it had not, he would have been pierced by those two long tusks that peeked from its maws.

“Off, beast…”

He had always been more a dog person. When he was a child living in the streets, cats often dashed and stole whatever food he managed for the day. He would gladly strike this big one due to spite, even if it could make a meal out of him.

It waited for a few seconds, but then it lunged at him, once more. Any other man would have flinched and been tackled, to then have their throat ripped out. He, on the other hand, stayed firm and swung his improvised weapon.

It growled loudly this time, struck by the flaming point of the stick squarely. He let it jump close to him, to then hit those open maws. There was a loud crack as one of those tusks fell broken, to then roll off the canopy into the dark depths below.

Olve panted and took multiple steps away, seeing it recoil on the patch of earth. It spent a few seconds brushing its broken tusk with a claw, wailing in pain. That shock and deterrence did not last forever. It pierced him again with its gaze, no longer seeing him as prey, but a foe it hated.

The feline did not have the same intelligence as a human; its mind was sharp, different. Although it did not know how to use tools or form speech, it did hold emotion, mainly resent. Those yellow irises moved subtly, hinting thought.

Before he could react, the panther dashed. It did not do so to try to tackle him again, nor to try to claw at him. No, it bolted to a side, by him. He flinched, but not because his flesh was torn. That remaining tusk and sharp claws slammed onto some nearby vines, which clung onto multiple trees.

Loud snaps echoed as nails tore what supported the bed of vines and leaves. In any other case, the canopy would have prevailed high above… but it was sustaining his weight. The base leaned, not suddenly, but still fast. He lost his balance, while the beast climbed up to safety onto a trunk.

With a startled yell, he tumbled back and fell through the vines that untangled in a butterfly effect. That animal simply stared coldly as he plunged into the shadows below, the flaming stick falling along with him.

In seconds, that glimmer faded, much like his alarmed scream. There were no more signs of him, for he dropped into the depths of the jungle, far away from the canopies. There were thuds, and the animal pondered if any were deadly.

After a few moments, silence. The panther jumped onto another leafy cover, to then look down pragmatically. It quickly lost interest in the man that broke one of its tusks, turning away into the high shadows instead.

Far below, a figure laid unconscious in the darkness, battered but alive. The wails of the jungle soon resumed, for no predator lurked in search of prey… for now.