He woke at dawn, although he was not brushed by the light it brought. The first thing that his eyes noticed was pure darkness. By the time he got rid of his dazed thoughts, an hour had passed. With a deep groan, he finally sat up, noting how his whole body was sore. He did not try to stand up yet, because he saw multiple cuts and bleeding wounds on his limbs. None were lethal, but it certainly was making it hard to ponder his situation.

“Gods be dammed.”

His captain would have smacked the back of his head for that profanity, but that would never happen again. That notion only made him angrier, and that in turn caused him to scowl with furious determination.

The drop from the canopies had been brutal, nasty. But that was the least of his concerns now, because there were worse things to worry about at the moment. He was bleeding faintly, and that posed multiple risks.

Olve huffed and began to pay mind to each important factor, one at a time. First, he reached into a pocket, to make sure that he still carried the royal necklace. Once he felt that chain, he retracted his hand and moved it to his right leg.

“No broken bones…”

There was a deep cut, however. His blood was pouring down onto the earth. It was nothing but a few drops, but it still left a scent. That panther could sense him, but he was sure that it would not crawl down from the upper canopies to him. It was not due to the fact that a broken tusk laid broken nearby, fallen with him.

He eyed carefully the huge humid earth around him. The ground was pulsing, slowly, like a heartbeat. Things were moving deep underground, stirred by the scent of his blood. The huge anthills that plagued the depths of the jungle were closed, but he knew that they would not stay like that for too long.

All ever reluctant, he decided to stand and move away, not without grabbing that tusk as an improvised weapon. He had to find another place to lay down and mend his cuts, or else. Everything was out to kill him, and he would perish if he stayed put.

He did not go too far. As soon as he stopped feeling the pulsing of the earth, he dropped by a small crag. He had to tear at his jacket with the fang to procure some improvised bandages, which only spoiled his mood more.

“Everyone must go on a murderous spree, out of greed. Damn the insurgents and those filthy pirates. What’s next?”

He was tempted to curse the wildlife of the jungle, but he did not do so. They were not out to get him for some silly politics, nor a royal chain. Humanity was more dangerous.

Once he was done bandaging his wounds, he closed his eyes and laid back against the rocks. The earth was growing still, because whatever lurked stopped sensing the scent of his blood. That would win him time. Not much, but some.

————

 

“Capt’n, if I may-“

“You may not. Shut it.”

Barbara slid down a vine without looking back at them, jumping onto a lower canopy. On their way through the mossy jungle, she had killed already three spiked slugs. She did not take kindly to them falling onto her from above to leech her blood.

Although those animals were easy to kill, they were still dangerous and of the size of a dog. A brunette shuddered, disgusted as she stepped on the slime the corpse left behind. Her disgruntled gasp was very low pitched, yet she was ignored by the rest.

All climbed carefully downwards, following their captain without halt. She was always ahead, adamant. Her green eyes narrowed as she reached the shadows of some trees, for she sensed something.

Barbara scowled, hearing a subtle movement. Without a hint of fear or unease, she tilted her head and glared at those sharp yellow eyes, which stared at her from a nearby branch. The panther was looking at her intently, and it did not take too long for her crew to freeze when they spotted it too.

Some took their pistols out, very slowly. However, no one needed to shoot. When the panther growled down at Barbara and tensed to hint a lunge, she hissed right back. The animal seemed to flinch, startled by how she bared her own teeth and hands, as if ready to wrestle it.

Although she was slender, she was still tall, and she packed some muscle under her long red coat. Her gaze was also aflame, raging. If she had to tear apart an obstacle, living or not, she would.

The panther knew it could rip her apart, but that it would be wounded in the process as well. Few predators wasted time with other hunters. And so, it leaned, but not to lunge. The whole crew sighed when it jumped into the shadows, without making a move to tackle them.

Barbara relaxed and scoffed, cracking her neck. Next, she eyed her surroundings with interest. There was a patch of earth nearby, and the canopy that surrounded it had clearly been stepped on. It was leaning, and many vines looked torn, unable to sustain any weight.

She was the first to notice the small hints of fire on that earth. Her mind was as sharp as her cutlass, and she quickly recalled how the panther was missing a tusk. All that she saw was not a coincidence.

“He’s near.”

Her green eyes glared down, like a predator. Perhaps the panther did not crawl down to chase, but she did without hesitation. She unsheathed her sword and held its blade between her teeth, to then slide down a hanging vine. Her mates shuddered again, dreading the fact that the fugitive was in the depths of the jungle. They would have to get down there too or risk enraging their captain.

“I should have stayed back in the ship with Dolores…”

All sent Maria an incredulous glance, knowing well she was not scared, but simply disgusted by the slimy wildlife. Olivia was the one to scold the brunette, needing to assert discipline as the second in command.

“Quit whining you colt.” She snarled, eyeing the surrounding shadows apprehensively. “You should have stayed in her place, yes. Her good aim would do wonders here.”

Barbara trusted greatly in her whole crew, a rare fact between pirates. Another captain would have doubted to leave the third in command in charge of overseeing the ship, for it could be stolen.

Others would have orchestrated a mutiny by now, and although they did ponder the possibility, they refused to entertain much the idea. They simply sighed again and kept following, loyal to her wishes.

—————-

 

He had found momentary solace. Sadly, luck never lasted for long. His blue eyes opened sharply, for he heard rustling leaves. He stood slowly with a silent hiss, glaring at the distance. They were coming. Those echoes were caused by humans, not animals.

He slowly backed away, trying to stay concealed in the shadows. If he stayed put, they would eventually find him. And if he ran… that would lead to the same outcome, for they would hear him. And so, he moved very slowly, stepping back through the bushes. He kept putting distance, yet it was being erased. When he managed to hear the voices, he unsheathed the sharp tusk from his belt. It was no sword and less dangerous than a dagger, but desperate times justified dire measures.

“Captain!” Judging by the snarls and curses, they spotted where he had landed after his fall. “The blood is relatively fresh.”

A pistol was cocked, then, slowly aimed. He tensed, for there was a pause… which was finalized by a shot. He cringed as he stared at the hole the bullet left, on a tree that was not too far from him. There was the threat, shouted by the bloodthirsty captain.

“Cabin boy, I know you are there!” Olve hid more against some rocks while Barbara followed the trail of blood, glaring at the shadows. “Come out and I will give you a quick death!”

In her eyes that was a very good bargain, so she was offended when she was answered with silence. She yelled again, warning him, knowing well he was hiding nearby.

“Believe me, keelhauling is a very unpleasant way to go! If you resist while we drag you back to our ship, we may end up skinning you alive instead! What do you prefer, a quick shot through your skull or a dagger slicing you open? We will gut you, starting with a stab on your gr-“

She stopped, tensing to pay mind to the sounds of the jungle. He had moved, and she heard it. With a snarl, she pointed her pistol again, shooting promptly. Her crew unsheathed their weapons, for he bolted out of the shadows and they caught a glimpse of him.

Barbara grinned angrily, seeing Olve run. She cocked her pistol again, being the first to dash with a determined and resentful whisper.

“Very well, I’ll gut you like a fish.”

She jumped over a fallen log, chasing like a wolf that had set eyes on a sheep. Her crew was much slower, not as passionate about their objective. She kept shooting ahead, trying to strike him down, but he evaded all bullets by manoeuvring around the trees and rocks.

Running did not help him any. Like a hound, she followed his trail. His moves had opened one of his cuts, and the bandage could not keep the droplets of blood from falling. That led her to a huge crooked tree, full of crannies and void alcoves between its trunk.

There was no point in shooting anymore. She put her pistol in her belt and held her cutlass tighter in her left hand, turning around a huge root that concealed his presence. He had stopped against the trunk to catch his breath, having noticed well that he was bleeding. They met gazes again, this time much more angrily.

“End of the line.” She tilted her head at him, eyeing his right pocket. “Surrender it.”

He scoffed with a grin even if he was cornered, noting how she was keeping three steps of distance. His free hand was still holding the tusk, and it was clear she was aware that he had faced that panther.

“Come and take it.”

Barbara had spent all her life between crooks and snarky weasels, so she was not faced by that taunt. She simply gave Olve a blank look, nodding down at her pistol.

“Are you really going to make me waste more bullets?”

“Pirates can be quite frugal when it does not come to alcohol…”

“This ammo is expensive, and yes, I do love a good wine.” She insisted, not needing to point out how her crew was now surrounding the huge tree, stealing away all chances of escaping. “My offer still stands. A clean slice through your throat. I won’t spare you, not after having to get into this filthy jungle due to your little trick, bastardo.”

“Not my fault that you did not know the chest was empty.”

“Deceit does not require a direct lie, remember?” She was getting tired, and she was not liking the smirk that was growing slowly on his face. “Don’t bother with more taunts. Even if I am amused by your boldness, I want to have that thing already, so-“

She shut up, and all her crew tensed. He was the only one to not pale, for he had predicted the rumble that they felt. The earth was pulsing once more, for the things that lurked deep had been startled.

All pirates eyed their surroundings more carefully. Some cursed, others snarled, while a squeamish brunette said a prayer. There were anthills concealed between the foliage and trees, and they were shifting, beating like a heartbeat.

“Que demonios-?“

Barbara could not finish that sentence. Even Olve gasped in fear, because it was not one of those anthills what broke open first, but the very tree near them. Both stumbled aside, scrambling as huge pincers tore the insides of the trunk, emerging near the two.

All pirates screamed or dashed, seeing huge insects dig out of the humid earth, breaking through the ground. Some pincers did not emerge from the anthills, not needing those orifices to surge through towards them.

Those things were like ants, but bigger than a bear; they had sensed the vibrations of their yells, the gunshots, and the blood. His presence had been known beforehand, but his scent had not been enough to lure them out.

Those huge antennae were trying to brush them, and even if their bug-eyed gazes could not hint emotion, there was clear gluttony in them. Swords were swung, and pistols were aimed. Sadly, nothing could pierce through the exoskeleton of the ants. It was not because they were rough as stone, but because these creatures encased themselves with layers of rough amber.

The crew dispersed slightly, having to back away. They could not fight the ants, but they could outrun them. All were being divided, for the insects kept surging continuously out of the ground, to circle them.

“Captain!” Olivia yelled, seeing Barbara do something dreadful. “Please, don’t-!”

She was ignored. Their target had taken his chance to bolt away, and her captain had noticed that fact between the chaos of pincers and tall black thoraxes. There she went again, without a second thought.

Olivia cursed and tried to sidestep to find a way towards Barbara, but she had to back off when pincers came close to her neck. She promptly ordered her nearby mates to keep retreating, not having much choice.

No one was able to follow the path the two took, far too preoccupied with their own survival. There were many threats between them, a strike of luck for one.

Olve panted as he fled away. He snuck a glance back, and he could not avoid letting out a profanity. The ants were not able to chase him… but another did.

“What will it take for this madwoman to back off?!”

If she had heard him, she would have shouted back, to affirm that nothing would deter her. She followed the path he ran through, cutting any vine she came across with her cutlass. Her crew was now far behind, but she did not care.

She was pissed, affronted by the fact that he avoided her twice now. Her green eyes were piercing him from a distance while she ran, even if she was only catching glimpses of him. Before, her attacks were not personal. Now they were.

Olve kept running blindly, and Barbara chased without hesitance. Both headed deeper into the island, uncaring of what threats they could encounter deep within it. They were too focused on each other to ponder what fate they would find in the distance.