013

Chapter Thirteen

Gently eased from sleep by the rolling waves which lap against the golden sand, Saul rolls over with a groan. As his eyes crack open, a state of alarm overcomes him at the absence in his tent. Bolting up. he glances around for Alieana. Pulling on his boots, he stumbles into the morning sunlight, the breeze is clean and very refreshing. Scanning his surroundings, his eyes fall upon a seated figure perched in the sand, a second later the figure registers in his brain to be Alieana. Saul smiles faintly and strolls to her side as she sits stoically gazing at the horizon. Her bare feet are being lapped gently by the tide as her radiant blaze of hair shimmers brilliantly in the morning sun. Alieana still doesn't say a word, she just smiles up at Saul and tugs on his boot to instruct him to take a seat. Saul sits and puts his arm around her.

"What are we doing?"

"What do you mean?" Saul shoots her a sideways glance.

"What are we doing here? What are we trying to achieve?"

"Well, I don't really know..."

"Its just... do you think we're on a hopeless endeavor?"

"Don't tell Johan but honestly, I think we're living on a prayer," Saul says after a long pause. "But I think me and Johan both need some closure since the only home we've known doesn't exist any longer."

"Yeah..."

"Why did you come along?" Saul throws his own question back.

"Well, I had a couple of reasons..."

"Yeah?"

"I knew if we stayed in Scotland we would have died there, scared and miserable. So I figured, why not go out on an adventure and see things I never thought I'd see. There's nothing to live for back home..."

"I admire that. What were the other reasons?"

"Well, anytime I looked at the those rolling hills and snowy mountains, all I could see in my mind was my pa."

"I think that's my bigegst fear of going home," Saul starts. "I fear that when we get there, things will look the same but it will just be a facade that hides the present day hell that has befallen it."

As the dawn turns into late morning, the others slowly rise. Fergus emerges first with a large stretch and bellowing yawn, he rubs the sun from his eyes and strolls up the beach toward the smoldering bonfire. A few minutes later, Iasan limps from his hut and glances around, he grumbles something and goes back inside wearing his usual scowl. Baron is next as he struts from his dwelling and strolls toward the glistening water. With a satisfied stretch, he strips down and leaps into the rolling water. With a powerful breast stroke, he glides back and forth with ease.

Faux pops her head from her hut and nervously walks into the sunlight, her little brother Raul grasps firmly at her hand. She wears a concerned look as she approaches Saul and Alieana.

"Good morning sweetie," Alieana greats her.

"Morning..."

"Whats the matter?"

"Where's Torri?"

"She's not in your hut?"

"No..."

"Well, don't fret, Im sure she'll show up," Alieana reassures her. "You know how she is, she probably couldn't sleep and went for a walk down the beach."

"Yeah..."

"Sit with us," Alieana invites them and they promptly perch down on the sand beside them.

About twenty minutes later, the captain and Orabella wake and join them on the now warming sand. As Orabella acknowledges Torri's absence, the young girl comes strolling down the beach with a twinkle in her eye and a bounce in her step. Alieana acknowledges her first.

"Where'd you go?"

"Couldn't sleep, went for a walk," Torri replies nonchalantly and plops down next to Faux.

"Oh, okay."

"How much longer are we going to be here?" Torri asks impatiently.

"I don't know, why? You don't like it here?" Alieana asks in a surprised tone as their surroundings are nothing short of utopian.

"These people are idiots," she grumbles. Alieana just shrugs to agree with her sisters sentiment.

With Son and Gaahl leaving their hut and heading off in the same direction as Fergus, the only one left at slumber is Johan, who still hasn't emerged from his small hut.

Iasan soon reemerges and waddles down the beach in the direction of the rest of the crew. He walks to the edge of the water and takes a deep, satisfied breath of the ocean air. As he slowly exhales, he turns to the captain with his usual crazy bugged eyes.

"Is thar seriously any point ter stayin' here?" Iasan starts, "these zealots got only the rags on their backs and nothin' more, they got nuthin ter offer."

"It may seam that way my friend but I'm sure these forests behold some sort of animals or roughage so we don't have to continue on like beggars eating broth and potatoes."

"Bah! Just keep em away from me," Iasan grumbles and lips back up to his solitary hut.

"When do we start scavenging?" Saul asks.

"As soon as possible, Im not sure about Fergus but I'm positive my mates went to find something to eat. Let's go find them and plan our next expedition," the captain stands with a smile and gives his wife a hand up. They all walk in the direction of the high steeple but find it odd that the beach remains eerily vacant. The tiny Raul notices this as it strikes him odd as well.

"Where is everybody?"

"Probably a morning congregation or something," the captain suggests.

"S**t! What about Johan?" Saul stops in his tracks.

"Let the fellow sleep, I know he needs it," Orabella replies.

"Yeah, thats probably a good idea."

The lightly smoking bonfire draws near accompanied by the aroma of burn meat and charred wood. Fergus, Son and Gaahl sit around the fire nibbling on leftover scraps. To great the new arrivals, Son stands and bows, inviting them to join in on the food. The captain addresses them.

"Where has everyone gone?"

"They flocked to the steeple 'bout an hour ago," Gaahl replies through a mouthful of unknown animal flesh.

"That's what I gathered, lets eat quickly and begin our scavenging before they come back," the captain scoops up some food and swallows it ravenously like a starving seagull. They eat fast in order to vacate the beach before their loony hosts return. When adequately filled up, the captain stands and smacks his hands together to once again gain their attention.

"Alright crew, here's the plan... Orabella and myself will head off down the beach to the Eastern tip of the island. We'll look for fish, crabs, plants, and coconuts. You three big men, I want you three to head into the forest to find if any beats inhabit this island. Saul and the young lady, I want you to head to the western tip of the island to look for something edible. As for you young ones, I'll have you stay at our campsite to dig up shellfish in the shallows, you can also fill Mr. Kristmas in when he finally awakes."

"Im gonna get the most!" Raul yells excitedly.

"Thats the spirit," the captain rubs the little boy's head and they all head off in different directions to fulfill their duties as crew.

"How do you want to do this?" Saul asks Alieana as they stroll along, leaving their campsite behind.

"What do mean?"

"I mean, I think one of us should walk along the tree line while the other walks the water line so we cover as much area as possible."

"That sounds good, which one do you want?"

"Umm, are you better with plants or sea creatures?"

"Well, I like the sand between my toes, I'll take the water line," she smiles at Saul, kisses him on the chin and scampers down to the ebbing water line. Saul smiles and strolls to the thick underbrush that barricades the forest from the sea. The deep green forest is still and eerily quiet. Saul scans the scrubby vegetation for something that looks edible, which isn't much. The common plant is a thin and brittle, wiry grass that crumbles when touched. Although, every ten or twenty yards he come upon a short, fat flower that leads to a round, meaty bulb. He hauls each one from the dirt, brushes it off, and shoves it into his pocket.

Alieana on the other hand, walks along the water which is up to her ankles. The main thing she finds are small, pearly snails that she gathers into her shirt which she has removed and tied into a makeshift sling. An occasional oyster also makes for a special treat.

Every one hundred yards or so a small creature scampers from the waterline back into the forests. Their superior speed doesn't allow for a clean shot though.

On they walk, just enjoying the warm sea breeze and the relaxing sound of small birds chirping in the foliage. 

Arriving at a small bend, their jaws drop with awe and they glance at each other with stunned smiles. A small stream running into the ocean creates a boundary between them and a small grove of banana trees, which are abundant with bright yellow fruit.

"That should make the captain very happy," Saul chuckles to Alieana across the beach.

"It's making me really happy, I haven't tasted anything sweet in the longest time."

"Lets start gathering," Saul rubs his hands together. Alieana removes her shirt-sling from across her chest, ties it off to prevent the snails from escaping and places it in the shallow water to keep them fresh. They cross the babbling stream and stand amongst half a dozen tall banana trees. Alieana is the first to realize the current problem with the bananas.

"Umm, how are getting them down?"

"Let me see," Saul ponders by running his fingers through his hair.

"Could we shoot them down?"

"Maybe, but it would get everyone worried and I doubt the natives would like that too much."

They'll just think it's Fergus and the other's."

"Okay, here, you shoot and I'll try to catch them so we damage as few as possible," he hands Alieana his 9mm.

"I can't just use mine?" Alieana pats her .357.

"This won't do as much damage," Saul says referring to the 9mm. "Just aim for the base and squeeze a shot off.

Saul stands under the curved peaks of the trees and looks up, bracing for the crack of the pistol and the subsequent falling bundle of bananas.

"Okay sweetie, when ever you're ready," Saul stands on the balls of his feet. In the next second, a loud crack rings out, sending the small birds in the underbrush flying away franticly. The hot hunk of lead belches from the barrel, propelled by rapidly expanding gases. It hurtles through the air and smacks hard against the soft wood of a low hanging banana tree. Wood chips rain down followed shortly by the plummeting bundle of green and yellow.

Saul steps forward to the falling fruit and puts his hands out and braces for their weight. Just as the cluster reaches his hands, Saul crouches slightly to absorb their force. The hard peels make contact with Saul's forearms with a soft thud. One bundle, a success.

"Nice catch!"

"Nice shot," Saul places the bundle of bananas gently on the ground and looks back to the treetops. "Let's try one more."

So they take up their positions once more with Saul swaying back and forth, concentrating on the bananas above him and Alieana aiming carefully down the barrel of the nine millimeter. Once again, a shot rings out followed by scattering woodchips and a yellow streak racing for the ground. As Saul steps back to get into range, a thick root jutting from the dirt grabs ahold of his boot heel. In a frantic splay of arms and legs, Saul tumbles to the ground a*s over teakettle. The bundle of bananas land with a smack a couple feet from his head. As they make contact, many of the fruit split and send their soft insides all over the ground. More then half the bundle is most certainly ruined. Saul rolls over rubbing his backside as Alieana rushes to his side.

"Im so sorry sweetie! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Im okay. Most of them look ruined though," disappointment covers Saul's face.

"At least you're okay, and Im sure we can salvage some of them," she steps back to inspect the damaged fruit. The bottom portion is almost completely ruined as the individual pods are smashed and oozing flesh. Alieana takes out her dagger and carefully cuts away the damaged sections. Once finished, the bundle is only about the size of a basketball. Saul grumbles, still upset about screwing it up.

"That didn't leave much..."

"There's still no sense in letting it go to waste," Alieana replies. "Okay, get ready so we can get one more."

"Alright," Saul takes a deep breath and looks back up into the tree tops. One more time, Alieana squeezes off a shot and a bundle of bananas plummets into Saul's waiting arms.

"Wow, that was a big one," Saul places the bananas next to the first bundle.

"I think we got enough to satisfy everyone."

"Let's go see if Johan is up yet," Saul leans forward and gives Alieana kiss. He lifts the bananas with one in each hand. Alieana retrieves the basketball sized bundle and scampers to the water to retrieve her periwinkles and oysters. They walk slowly all the way back to their huts with smiles on their faces and peps in their steps. The warm sea breeze and soft sand underfoot properly wash away any care they could possibly have, at least for this moment in time.

As Orabella's endlessly long, silky-smooth legs prance down the beach in front of him, Captain Valentino can't help but shed a loving smile. The warm sea breeze blows through her hair sending it in a magical cascade of black silk. She has shed her binding corset and tight pants in favor of her bra and panties covered only by a thin, silk shawl that is gently draped around her tiny waist. With a free spirited smile, she turns to the captain and gives him a wink.

"What are we looking for boss?"

"Anything worth eating beautiful."

"What animals do you think live here?" she questions while skipping backwards in the ankle-deep water.

"I don't think much in the way of mammals, just mice and voles, I've also read about giant rats."

"How delicious," Orabella says jokingly.

"The marine life is what will sustain us here. I also read that some of the palm trees here bare edible dates, I'll keep my eyes open for some of those."

"Oh look a crab!" Orabella tenses and bends over to try and capture a rather large red crab. Noticing it's being hunted, the crab stops and holds it claws up in a defensive manor. Orabella steps back, lifts her foot and brings it down directly in the center of the crab's hard shell, out of reach from the snapping claws. Carefully, she slides her hand under the crab and lifts out of the water. She skips back across the sand to the captain who promptly takes it from her and snaps off it's flailing claws. Carrying a burlap bag, the captain tosses the crab and its claws inside and continues to walk with Orabella kicking along in the shallows.

After a couple hundred yards, the lack of food begins to wear on the captain. His vision pierces the thick trees trying to find some edible dates that he read so much about on these islands. Orabella scoops up a half dozen oysters from the shallows along with three more crabs.

They finally come to a small date tree, however, the leaves are dry and falling off. A few dates hang to the decrepit branches but not enough to satisfy the captain who sighs with disappointment and begins to pick the dates. Shots ring out from somewhere on the island and the captains smile returns quickly.

"Well at least Son and Gaahl found some game," the captain tosses the dates into the bag and he turns to his beautiful Orabella.

"Want to keep walking or are we set to go back?"

"I think we can head back," the captain walks to her, puts his hand on her waist and gives her an appreciative kiss.

They stroll all the way back down the beach close at each others sides until the campsite is back within view.

The forests of this particular island are thick and green with pines, palms, and even a few oak trees. Small birds flit around over head in alarm. Fergus leads the way as he is the only one with a firearm. Son and Gaahl are armed only with their machete and axe. They observantly gaze through the foliage for signs of wildlife.

"What kinds s**t yer think lives here?" Fergus whispers.

"Captain not say," Son whispers back.

"Quiet or we'll scare them away," Gaahl quells them.

So they continue to stalk in silence for twenty minutes when a loud rustling draws their attention. The muffled noise come from behind a large rock. Fergus puts his hand down signaling for them to freeze. Fergus draws his Desert Eagle and stealthily strafes around the large stone jutting from the dirt. As he comes around on the rustling noise, his eyes fall upon an animal foraging for food on the forest floor. Fergus stands completely still with his .50 caliber raised, waiting for the beast to turn away from him. The animal is about the size of a goat but round and furry. It's cheeks are round and fat and its tail, long and rat-like. As the beast turns for a perfect broadside angle, Fergus puts his crosshairs directly on the giant rat's ear. He squeezes the trigger and the giant cartridge smashes into the temple of the beast. The head is blown clear from the body in a pulse of splattered brains and shards of broken bone.

"Alright guys," Fergus calls out to Son and Gaahl and they soon emerge from through the trees.

"What is it?" Gaahl grabs the large rodent by its long leathery tail and hoists it into the air.

"Some sorta giant rat."

"Eat good?" Son asks.

"Hope so," Gaahl replies.

"Wait here," Son draws his machete and glances about as if looking for something in particular. He finds a small sapling with no branches for about ten yards. He pulls back the thick blade and with one fell swoop, lops the sapling down. With one more strong swing, he cuts the top leaving him with a ten yard, thick, sturdy staff. He points it out to Gaahl who gets the idea. From his pocket, Gaahl pulls a small bundle of steel wire. He quickly binds the rat's back legs together and slide it down the length of the staff Son created. They place one end on each of their shoulders and give Fergus a look to say they are ready to move on.

They continue to hunt for the rest of the day until the sunlight is almost completely drained from the forest. They finally decide to head back so they wouldn't have to worry about traveling in the dark. The staff is now draped with eight, fat rats swinging back and forth with bubbling red stumps for heads.

The journey back takes much longer then the trip in for two reason. One, the extra load of the rats, and two, the course is different due to the changing light. But soon enough they see a blazing bonfire peeking through the cover of the trees.

"Im gonna go get me some cute little island girl," Fergus chuckles and picks up his pace.

Torri, Faux, and Raul walk back to their huts to find Johan still sleeping soundly. They head for the water to fulfill their duties of scouring the surf for something worth eating. Raul runs ahead and begins splashing in the water.

"Hey buddy," Torri calls to him, "I bet I can find more oysters then you."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Wanna have a competition?" Torri teases him.

"Where do you find them?"

"Look in the sand," Torri strips down to her underwear and joins Raul in the warm water. Faux just stands back and smiles. Torri and Raul head in different directions. Bent over with their fingers scouring the finely granulated sand.

"One!" Torri calls out causing Raul to look faster.

"Two!" Torri calls out as she finds a second and tosses it to Faux still back at the shore.

"I got one!" Raul pulls it from the sand and chucks it to his sister.

They go back and forth for about thirty minutes when Baron comes back from a long swim. Raul notices and scurries after him.

"Wanna help?"

"Help with what?" Baron is in a much happier mood then when he was cooped up on the ship.

"Find oysters."

"Hmm, wait here, I got something better." Baron turns back to the open water and begins to swim out to the depths. He gets to his desired spot and turns back around to face Raul. With a thumbs up, he dives down into the depths.

Baron's body cuts down through the water like a knife. With three power strokes, he reaches the ocean floor. The sand has given way to jagged, volcanic rock and wispy kelp. He opens his eyes to see a few dark shadows moving about. With two swipes of his arms, he scoops up two of the scurrying creatures. He pushes off of the floor with his powerful legs and emerges back into the sunlight. Using just his legs, he propels back to shore to the excited eyes of Raul.

"Wow!" the young boy cries out at the two large, clawless rock lobsters clutched in the Turk's hands. As the young boy is carrying on, Johan emerges from his hut. He looks very refreshed. With a well rested stride, he joins Faux at the waterline.

"Good morning."

"Hello..."

"Where is everyone?"

"They went to gather food," Faux says quickly.

"Come and help us!" Raul yells from the water drawing a smile from Johan's face.

"Help with what?"

"Lobster!" Raul hops up and down.

"I don't think Im quite the diver he is."

"Find something to put them in," Baron suggests as he wades toward the shore. So at Baron's suggestion, Johan runs up the beach and finds a large, wicker basket. He brings it to Baron who places it in the shallows to filter in the water and tosses the lobsters inside. Raul excitedly jumps after Baron.

"More, more, more!"

"Calm down little one," Baron rubs the boys head.

"Im not little!"

"I'll be right back."

Once again, Baron runs into the water, dives head first and strokes out to the open water and takes a dive. With a forty-five second dive, he reemerges with yet two more spiny rock lobsters. Raul is ecstatic.

They continue to scavenge and frolic in the water. Baron dives for lobsters, Raul, Faux, and Torri forage for buried oysters, and Johan paces the sand looking for something that isn't there. He finally looks up to see Saul and Alieana strolling back into their presence from down the beach. Saul has two large bundles of bananas in his hands and Alieana carries one smaller bundle and her shirt bulges with edible sea creatures as she greats him.

"Hey sleepy head."

"What do you have their?" Johan asks as Torri comes bounding from the water to great her sister.

"Well we found a small banana grove, and these are just some snails and oysters," Alieana opens the water logged shirt to show them the numerous periwinkles and half a dozen oysters.

"Yum, bananas."

"Here sweetie, give one to Faux and Raul too," Alieana hands her three and she takes them down the beach to the others.

"How are we going to preserve them?" Johan asks. "Won't they go bad rather quickly?"

"I think we can fry them," Saul cuts in.

"Yeah?"

"What have you guys come up with?" Alieana calls out to the kids still scrounging around in the water.

"Oysters!" Raul yells with two held high in the air.

"The Turk has been diving for lobsters too. I think he's got at least half a dozen now," Johan says.

"Really? Thats great," Alieana sets down her snails and oysters in the basket with the confined lobsters which number closer to ten. As she turns back to Saul, Baron remerges from the depths, baring one lobster in his hands. He plops it into the wicker basket and greats the new arrivals.

"Great, great, those bananas can go right in the rowboat," Baron instructs Saul who promptly obeys by carefully placing the fruit under the benches of the dingy. Saul turns back to Johan.

"The other's aren't back yet?"

"Nope, where did they go?"

"The captain and Orabella went in the opposite direction down the beach and Fergus and the two mates went into the forest to hunt."

"So what do we do until they return?"

"Maybe we can do something with this food. to preserve it." Alieana suggests.

"Let's build a fire," Saul says as he walks toward the forest to find burnable supplies.

So they begin to gather blown down wood until the captain and Orabella return. The captain and his beautiful wife walk back into the campsite and a considerable smile crosses their faces at the sight of the many bananas, basket of seafood and the building campfire. They set down their smaller loads and great the others.

"Excellent! Where'd all the lobsters come from?" the captain peers down into the woven basket.

"Apparently your mechanic is quite the diver," Saul says.

"I should have known," the captain glances down the beach to the ripped Baron who still sits in the water with the enigmatic Raul. Shots ring out from deep within the forest.

"Looks like we'll be getting some meat too," Saul says to the captain.

"Where are all the natives?" Johan looks around suspiciously.

"Are they still worshipping?"

"It looks as though they are," the captain glances around, "I think they come out and have rituals around the fire during the evenings."

"Well, the less of 'em 'round the better," Iasan limps from his hut with his usual scowl. The captain, almost as if doing it to annoy him, greets Iasan with a big smile and open arms.

"Good afternoon my fine friend."

"When we gettin' off this rock?"

"As soon as we gather enough supplies. We're well on our way."

"Aint nothin here but bibles and gals with hairy snatches. Wake me when we leave," and Iasan hobbles back into his hut.

After a couple hours of peeling, chopping and frying the bananas into chips using an old sheet of steel siding, Fergus, Son, and Gaahl come trudging from the forest. Over their shoulders drape many, fat, ugly, headless giant rats.

"What the hell are those?" the captain looks at the carcasses with a hint of disgust in his face, but also a hint of a smile.

"Some big a*s rats," Fergus laughs from deep in his stomach.

"How we preserve them?" Gaahl drops the heavy load and brushes his hands off.

"I need to ask Gabriel about acquiring some salt," the captain replies.

"Where them bible thumpers anyways?" Fergus asks.

"They should be about any moment now."

"Well, let's gut 'em an' find some salt so they won't go bad," Fergus turns to Son who is drawing his machete in order process the fresh rat meat. Fergus, Gaahl, and Son chop and dice as natives slowly filter from the chapel. The amount of partisans is far larger then what's suitable for the size of the church. The dark-skinned natives congregate to the large fire pit and begin to light a blaze. Chanting soon follows.

"Wait here," the captain turns and walks in the direction of the column of smoke beginning to reach into the sky. As he approaches, the chanting grows louder and more intense. It abruptly stops and the natives start their feast. Brother Gabriel sits at the head of the group at table standing above everyone. His dumpy wife sits by his side along with the rebellious Regan.

"Good evening Brother Valentino, do you need something?"

"I was wondering if you had a supply of salt?" the captain asks in his most polite voice.

"What for my friend?"

"We need a means to preserve our food."

"Ariel, get this fine fellow a supply of salt."

"Thank you brother," the captain bows.

"Why for does your crew not join us during the evenings?" Gabriel finally looks up.

"I was lead to believe you wanted us not to be in your way?"

"No my brother, not at all. Please, join us."

"I will inform the crew," the captain turns to leave and Areil is instantly there, holding a large brick of salt in her hands.

"As you wished Mister Ferrari."

"Thank you my dear," the captain walks briskly back to the crew, that are hard at work processing all their food. They quickly disembowel, cook, and salt all their gathered meat. The rats are chopped into steaks and roasts while the lobsters, oysters, and snails are boiled together, unshelled, and preserved in the salt. Oddly, the rat meat resembles that of turkey or chicken rather then pork or beef. They load the new food into the rowboat and walk in a group to the large bonfire and spiritual gathering. They eat and sing around the fire, again creating a momentary escape from the stark reality of the destroyed world. Many continue to sing and dance into the early morning. Gabriel bows to his minions and the crew and takes his wife off to their hut for slumber. Saul and Alieana soon follow as they walk to their hut holding each other close. Feeling a bit out of place, Johan saunters back to his low lying hut, crawls inside and drifts into sleep. Fearful of what the reaction would be, Faux and Torri head back to their hut to cuddle with Raul in tow. The captain and Orabella head off to bed next when the captain scoops his beautiful wife up off her feet and carries her back to their tent. Son also soon leaves to take part in his exercises. Soon, the only ones left up are Fergus and Gaahl who are craving the taste of alcohol and the touch of a woman. Gaahl finally grumbles and lumbers back to his hut. Not seeing any whiskey or prostitutes, Fergus also does the same. His now bare feet are massaged by the soft sand with each step in the direction of his hut. The ocean at night is even more breathtaking then during the day. The same warm breeze still blows but the eerie glow of the sun behind the horizon, shining on some other part of the globe, is what puts goosebumps on the skin.

A low rustling comes from the brush behind Fergus and he draws his pistol with caution. As his eyes come into focus, his vision falls upon the devilish face of the young Regan. A small smirk crosses her face and she tiptoes from the shadows into Fergus' large arms.

"Hello, me dear," a very large smile crosses his face.

"Hey..."

"What can I do fer ya?"

"Well.... I never caught your name..."

"Fergus me dear. Regan right?"

"Mhm," she rubs against him.

"You have a husband?" Fergus looks around nervously to make sure no ones is watching.

"Nope, I've never been with a man," her whispers drive Fergus insane.

"Well, i got a big ole hut right over there."

"Lead the way big man."

Fergus feels a swell in his belly as he scoops the petite Regan over his shoulder and brings her back to his tent.

Author's Note

Suggestions?