She peeked through the foliage at the newcomers, her fingers digging into the earth as she squanted. A frown pulling at the edges of her mouth. Down the slope, a mangled mess of roots and overgrown plants, was the bay. It’s waters the softest tint of blue, populated with fish that darted through the warm colored coral against white sands. The rocks that speckled the edges and trailed out to sea offering a suitable place to perch from as one fished, a local favorite. Yet, instead of locals...it was them.

 Nerida growled, the sound low and deep in the back of her throat, as she let go of the large leaves she hid behind. She brought her thumb to her mouth, biting at the nail. Some of them were cleaner than the others, dressed in what one could only assume were rags. Nerida crept along the treeline, hiding within the monstrous plants that dominated the area. The leaves were broad and flat, with some of them reaching the size of a grown man. Long twisting vines dripped from the tree branches. A variety of curious flowers decorating any empty space they could root in. 

She watched the outsiders running amuck with their weapons dangling from their hips, the sun glinting off of the metal and casting little sun reflections across the ground. She groaned. Pirates, the local assumed. Why were they here? What did they want? When would they be going away? She wiped sticky strands of hair from her cheek, the day promising to be hot, as she scanned the scene looking for the person that was most likely to be the captain of the group.

Down below, men shouted and trudged through the sands. Clouds of it dusting the air as the crew haphazardly tossed barrels, crates, and general supplies about. A tall man wearing a hat, a feather and the tails of a tied bandana swaying in the breeze, stomped down the ramp. Accompanied by a woman, just as tall as he. Her hair was dual braided, the two pieces twisted into a bun on the back of her head. They were cleaner than the rest, the woman carrying a stack of parchment as she chatted to the man. 

The crew showed respect to the two as they survived the beach, Nerida watching all the while. She bit down on her nail, flinching as it broke. A small bead of blood oozing up. She sat down and licked at her finger, stressed over these strangers' arrival. 

For the next few hours she watched as the crew set about chopping wood, gathering food, and building a makeshift camp on the beach. They were close enough to the forest line so that the waves wouldn’t creep up on them while they slept but far enough so that they couldn’t be amused by any feral animals or angry tribes. Eventually, a group of three took to the woods. The group intended to scout the area before the sun set. 

Among them was the women from earlier, a chatty short man with a long bread, and a stocky man. The third reminded Nerida of a bear she had once seen while visiting a city on the mainland. 

“Aye, Anders...keep running ya mouth and not even the birds will be here to welcome us.” The larger of the two men rubbed his forehead, the squawking of the birds grating on his nerves. Oh, how he needed a drink. 

“Don’t be like that!” Anders laughed, patting the younger man on his back. “Now, how large was this island Miss. First mate?” The woman paused, unfolding the papers under her arm. 

“Supposedly, it’s a rather large island...with sub islands surrounding it. If the rumors are to be true...it could easily be three to five days before we reach the area we need to search.” She sighed, closing her eyes. During her investigations, she was told of how mountainous some reigns of the island was and of how difficult they were to navigate.  

The younger man frowned, pulling at his tight black bread. “That isn’t ideal.” He muttered, mauling it over in his mind before the shifting of something in the brush caught the corner of his eye.

 Perhaps it was an animal. 

Or a local. 

“No, it is not.” The first mate agreed, carefully stepping over a fallen branch. “Boreal,” She called when they noticed he was staring off. “Are you coming? We have much ground to cover and we need to figure out if there are any hostile locals in the area before nightfall.” 

They walked some distance, all the while the woman marking what Nerida could only assume was a map. The black coal pencil she used had tinted her fingers black, a look that reminded Nerida of one of the highly respected shamans from the tribe she stayed with. Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the forest...coming from the direction of the coast. The underbelly of the forest was shivering in movement as startled creatures scurried to safety. 

Boreal flinched as the first mate nearly, soundlessly jumped out of her skin, hand clenching her chest. Andres yipped in surprise as Nerida gasped loudly, taken by surprise both by the sound and the birds that took off near where she was hiding. 

“Jesus fucking chirst.” Andres eyebrows scrunched as he rubbed the back of his head. “What are they doing back there? Blowing up our damn ship?” He shook his head before glancing at the women, a smile splitting his face. “Blimey Crawford, you act cool as a cucumber but ye honestly nothing but a scaredy cat.” 

At the mockery, Crawford clenched her jaw as she tilted her head. She approached Andres, chewing him out as Boreal turned to the sound he was sure he had heard. “I heard you,” His voice boomed, silencing his two crew mates. “Show yourself because if I have to dig you out, neither of us will be pleased.” Boreal wasn’t entirely convinced someone was there but it was better to check than not. 

Nerida sat on the ground, her eyes wide and hands clasped over her mouth. The silence that followed was defting, the forest still from the shock of the explosion. Her eyes darted back and forth along the ground as she frantically thought about what she should do. 

Neither of the crew members spoke, waiting for the little scene to come to an end. Boreal clicked his tongue and took a step forward. “I do not enjoy repeating myself, so if you are there...now is ye last warning before I root ya out and take a piece of your body as payment for the trouble.” He shrugged, taking another lazy step forward. “Maybe it’s an eye, maybe it’s a whole arm.” 

This was bad. So bad, Nerida had a mission of gaining intel but she cursed herself for following too closely and she definitely did not wish to lose any part of her. She cursed once more under her breath, heart pounding. Despite the shade that covered them, she felt hot. Sticky, the breeze from the sea doing little to cool her skin. The woman stood, her slim fingers pulling the leaves far enough down to reveal her blue eyes. Dark wild hair haloed around her head, blunt bangs covering her forehand. Those eyes scanned the group before narrowing onto the man who had spoken. In defiance, Nerida retorted “You don’t belong here.” 

Boreal raised a single eyebrow, his tattoo’d arms crossing over his chest in amusement. “And I suppose that you do?” He offered a lopsided grin. “Lurking along the ground like a fucking snake, stalking strangers?” 

Nerida stiffed at the comment, insulted. She shoved the leaves further down. “I live here! You-” She jabbed an accusing finger at the bunch. “You are intruders and pirates at that! I saw your ship.” She narrowed her eyes, her small shoulders bunching as she stood her ground. Boreal’s eyes widen in amazement, a disbelieving smile on his face. “And pirates are only ever up to no good and whatever you are here for doesn’t matter because it’s not for you to have.” She hissed before offering an annoyed laugh. “So why don’t you just go away before you bother the locals any more than you already have?” 

Boreal dropped his arms to his sides, a hearty laugh shuddering through his body as Crawford whispered. “Wow.” She placed blackened fingers against her lips as she stared on in utter disbelief. Andres joined Boreal in laughing, the smaller man placing his hand on his buddy's shoulder. 

“Oh my, the lass has some gull. I’ll give her that. Crinky.” Andres shook his head before looking her up and down. “A pretty little thing, on top of it.” He added, appreciating her caramel skin, her even darker colored hair, and those fierce ocean blue eyes. Nerida flinched away at the comment, releasing the leaves that she was clutching. The board crept back into place as Boreal approached the woman, snatching up her thin wrist and yanking her out of the foliage. 

“That’s no way to greet travelers.” He held her arm up as Nerida clawed at his fist and got inches from her face. “And we are guests to your lovely little island here. Who knows, maybe we’re looking to move in.” He chided, a wicked grin splitting his face. Boreal lazily waved her wrist in the air, dragging her aimlessly as he spoke. “Maybe we can be friends, ya? You can help us out on our little adventure…” Nerida did her best to keep from tripping, her face glowing red from a mixture of anger and embarrassment. “Maybe then, I won't be inclined to cause any mischief. What do ya say?” It wasn’t a question. Boreal had already decided to take her captive. He turned to Andres. “Do you have any rope on you?” 

“Always boss,” Andres adjusted his belt to unhook the coil of rope he carried from his person. He placed it in the others hand, the weight of it bending his fingers. Crawford tapped her cheek, questioning. “Is this wise?” 

“Let go of me! Let! Go!” Nerida hollered, kicking at the scallywag as he bound her wrist. She tried to squirm free but that resulted in Boreal tightening the rope, Nerida hissed as it cut into her skin. 

“Of course.” Boreal hummed, twisting the extra length around his fist. “She’s a local. Who better to give us a tour of the place?” He laughed,  giving a soft tug at the rope. Nerida seethed in her rage, quickly realizing that using force would not help get herself free. This man was built like a small mountain, muscles bulging underneath his clothing. 

So she walked, Boreal mostly silent as the other two chatted, all the while filling out the map and writing notes either near a location or on the back. Crawford would toss her the occasional glance while Andres rarely looked at her. Eventually, a wall of vines blocked their path; Crawford dutifully annotating it’s coordinates on the map. Andres took to hacking at the plants, sweat dripping from his face and arms as he swung. 

“Man, it is too damn hot for this.” He used his sleeve to wipe at his face. “And these are never ending.” He spat, sitting down under the shade of a twisted tree. Sun filtered through the treetops, speckling the ground in light. Crawford sighed, noticed the interest that their captive had taken in the map and rolled it up. Tapping the tube against her palm. 

Boreal surveyed the area, shielding his eyes from the bright light as he looked to the sky; the sun at its highest peak of the day. Nerida fidgeted, the rope causing her skin to itch. “It’s easier to go with the forest instead of against it.” She breathed, leaning against a tree. She brushed hair from her temple. “Besides, it’s only going to get hotter until the sun is below the horizon.” She eye’d the three of them. “And those clothes are only going to get heavier. More suffocating.” She mused, brushed loose moss from her bare feet. Boreal and Crawford glanced at her while Andres took a moment to rest his eyes. 

Nerida shrugged, “ This is nothing,” She gestured to the wall of vines, seemingly stronger than any concrete. “Up ahead there is a lot of knotted tree roots, undergrowth, tangles of vegetation…” Boreal considered this. Considered if she was lying or not. He rolled his neck, popping it, sweat rolling down his nape. Crawford stepped forward. 

“If we head that way, we should exit out on the other side of our encampment.” She crossed her arms, resting her cheek against her fist. “This was only a survey trip and I think we learned a great deal. Plus, going that way we can check if that area is clear of locals as well…” She looked at Nerida, the thought of asking her for information having crossed her mind but the woman was yet to be trusted. 

Boreal looked at Andres, the man looking older than he was. It was true, they had underprepared for the weather. It was rarely an issue, if ever. Finally, he nodded in agreement and the four of them hurried off. 

As they walked, the sound of waves became louder and louder. “Um, I appreciate the invite to dinner but I really gotta be going…” Nerida planted her feet into the ground, the other three glancing back at her. “How long do you plan on keeping me against my will?” Her eyes narrowed, the woman jerking up at the rope with all her might. 

Boreal stepped towards her, wrapping the slack around his hand as he neared. “Until I tire of you, then who knows...perhaps I’ll feed ya to the crew or toss you into the ocean.” He bit, shoving his shoulder into her stomach and hostling her up. Boreal held her there, despite her squirming until they reached the beach. It was here that he discarded her into the dunes, commanding Andres to secure her to one of the heavy crates. “Get comfortable princess, we’re in it for the long haul.” He called over his shoulder as he walked away.