Miranda looked up as the first droplets of rain hit her arm. Settling with Kaeori on the ground against a palm tree, she sat there with the wind whipping her hair around to wait out the rain. The sea had turned a dark gray green with the clouds covering the sky. The waves went from their normal tumbling to a larger, white-crested frenzy. She looked at them longing, remembering playing in similar waves with her friends in Hawaii. Standing, she looked at the others, "Hey all, we are going to get wet anyways. I'm going to have some fun." Handing her fish to Jack, she waved and headed onto the fine sand. Walking towards the ocean, she smiled at the joy of being back in the water.

Jack took the fish from her with the apparent expression of surprised. Looking the fish over, he shrugged and pulled out his pocket knife. Deftly gutting them, he easily wrapped them in long green leaves and leaned beside the fire shelter. Tossing them on top the wood to smoke and cook, he said, "I'm going to go wash off these guts in the ocean. Be right back." Stepping away and heading toward the beach, he felt the rainstorm's wind and rain hit him across his bare chest. Refreshing, but being wet hadn't been exactly in his plans.

---------- Post added 11-20-2012 at 03:32 PM ----------

((Yes, I swam in the ocean during rain storms in both Hawaii and in the Philippines. It is quite fun! I was soaked afterwards too ^_^))

Hearing Miranda's words, Jessie's heart soared. She grinned and dropped her backpack at the base of a palm tree. Wait for me, she called after Miranda. Come on Shayera, let's have some fun. She raced out onto the sand and into the rain. Miranda was already in the waves and Jessie ran to join in, pulling the ponytail out of her hair as she ran.

Jason looked between the retreating figure and Shayera. Do you want to go or would you rather stay here? He would stay with her if she wanted to stay here. Jessie won't hate you if you don't go. He reassured her. Horses and water and storms have really been the only times she's felt alive or acted like a kid since her parents died, he reminisced, remembering her telling him that long ago. Maybe that's part of her fascination with the stallion, he mused, before shaking the thoughts off. Sorry about the tangent, he apologized, ducking his head in embarrassment.

(To much revealed Maiden? And I did that in the Dominican Republic when I was there. It was great.)

(You are doing fine Silver. I loved it so much. Even if you are completely soaked lol)

Miranda raced ahead, happy to know she wasn't going swimming alone. Reaching the ocean, she slowed and walked into. The waves raced past her feet behind her, before pulling back out into the ocean. She kept going, relishing the feel of the water rising towards her calves and then the waves rising them up to her knees. The slope was gentle and water clear. Stopping there to wait for Jessie, she felt herself finally feeling alive. The salt water soaked into Jack's t-shirt that was wrapped around her leg, but the resulting sting didn't phase her. Just another element to this moment that told her she was alive.

Jessie charged into the water, coming to a halt as it rose to her calves. She threw her head back, feeling the wind in her hair, the rain on her face and the water around her legs. Her heart soared and she felt ALIVE! The water pulled at her legs as the waves slipped back out to sea, coming back to crash around her. She turned to Miranda with wild fire burning in her eyes. Let's get wet! She charged into the surf, diving in when it got to hard to run.

Smiling really for the first time since getting here, Miranda walked after her until the water was up to her chest. Turning her back to the ocean, she enjoyed jumping with each wave and falling back. The energy of the surf moving into her. She could do this for an hour or two without boredom. The white sand on the beach turning gray with the rain filling it. Their campfire slowly going out. She might regret this later and need to wash the salt off at the creek. For now though, this was heaven.

Jack watched the girls playing out in the water and chuckled to himself. Turning, he leaned his back against the palm and closed his eyes. The raindrops dripped from his hair and down his chest. He wondered what they would do if it rained while they were sleeping. At least the surf hadn't come up as far as he had feared it would during the night. The tides here wouldn't cover the entire beach unless a typhoon came through.

"It's ok! Everyone rants sometimes. No, I'd rather stay here. I, uh, don't like the water very much." Shayera shivered involentarily, remembering the reluctant swim she had had.....was it yesterday? "I like storms, too," she said, blushing slightly. She had never told anyone except her mother that... "Uh, do you know Jessica from before?" Her voice came out as a sqeak, she had never really taked to a guy by herself before and she had no idea what to do. She looked over at Jack relaxing nearby and wished she could be that relaxed.

Jason smiled. Relax, I don't bite. He turned his gaze out to where Jessie frolicked in the waves. I met her when she was in a foster home in my town. It wasn't long after her parents died and the foster home wasn't the best. I was the only person she would really talk too. She moved a year and a half later, I didn't see her again until the cruise. He looked back and smiled. She seems to trust you which is good. She needs a female friend, someone she can talk to about crushes and things.

Kaeori smiled softly as she watched the girls frolic in the water. They looked so happy and carefree. She suddenly felt a small pain in her chest. Kaeori sighed, knowing the pain had come from the absence of her brother Jaden, and stood up suddenly. She mentally went through the list of necessary things to survive. They had a small fire, a supply of water not far off, and a semi-reliable source of food if Miranda taught everyone how to fish. They weren't exactly well off, but maybe they could manage. The only thing left to build was a shelter. Kaeori frowned slightly at the options for a suitable "home". They weren't exactly in LA where every house seemed marvelous. Here, they were going to have a ramshackle shack at best. She had a fairly good idea for what to make the house out of, but she wasn't exactly sure if the whole group would go along with it. She didn't really know if they were a group at all... They didn't even know eachother well. What if someone was unpredictable or dangerous? The best thing to do was to keep to herself and not get wrapped up in others needs. Sure, it was selfish, but she would do anything to get back to Jaden, even if it meant going off on her own on the island. ((Which would most likely not happen..))

Kaeori slipped away into the forest and headed away from the group. She wanted to go explore and maybe find a cave or something where they could all settle. She left the majority of the medical supplies at the beach, taking only a bandage with her in case of emergency. As she got further and further into the woods, the foliage grew thicker. She found a mass of vines that were at least two inches thick. Within a half an hour, she had pulled down a clump of the vines. Her hands were raw and scratched, but she didn't care. She sat in the woods twisting and turning the vines into a makeshift roof. There were a few open holes which she wove large leaves into. When everything was locked into place, she began slopping on layers of mud. At first it was a very thin layer which was followed by two slightly thicker layers. The mud was a deep rich brown, which would attract the sunlight and hopefully keep in some heat at night. The "roof" was big enough so that everyone could fit under it if they wanted to. Kaeori began lugging the "roof" back to the beach. It had taken her hours to build and was at least twenty five pounds. She hoped Jessica, Shayera, Jack, Jason, and Miranda would like it. If not, she would find her own use for it. She was proud of her shabby creation.

Miranda stayed out in the ocean long after the rain had stopped. Some clouds remained, but she didn't care. The water was refreshing to her and the ocean breeze her strength. It had been several hours though and she knew that the fish were probably done. She had seen Jack wrapping them in leaves for the fire as she had left. Might be a good idea to enjoy lunch. Turning, she started surfing the waves with her body. As a wave came up, she would swim with it as it reached her and then moved on. That moment of extra pull towards shore was invigorating. Finally standing, she wearily started walking on her own two feet. Gravity was stronger when you were out of the water.

Jack was completely dry. Since the rain had stopped, the breeze that ocean sides sported had tugged and pulled at his short hair and pants. Now they were not even slightly damp, which he was happy for. He had kept the fire inside the small shelter burning. With some thought, he had carefully set up four more forked branches into the sand, two on each side of the opening but in the middle. That way two longer branches could lay across the fire without touching the flames. Getting a bit warmer than he liked, he had slowly lashed smaller straight rods on those two parallel beams to make a sort of platform. Just short of a yard long and only a foot wide, it didn't provide much to work with. However they could keep food warm on top of it.

Now, he used to pieces of wood like oversized chopsticks to pull the fish out and place them on top that little platform inside the fire shelter. The once green leaves were scorched and crisp, but if he had put enough layers on there, then the fish inside should be okay. Hearing something, he looked up and saw Kae returning. "Hey girl, wow..." he jumped up and hurried to her. Reaching out to help pull the monstrous thing, he commented, "This is really cool, but uh, what is it?" Helping pull it back, he couldn't help but notice the well weaved vines, packed dirt, and leaf patching. This girl knew a thing or two. That really impressed him. She must have a purpose in mind.

Jessie turned and watched Miranda swim in. Seeing the activity beginning to take place on shore, she figured it was time for her to head in too. She rode the waves back in and jogged up onto the beach. She shivered as the breeze hit her wet body. Jessie jogged back towards camp in time to see Kaeori dragging in something big and flat, Jack coming to help. She slowed when she saw Jason running to help too. Kaeori would have enough help. She slowed, shoving her wet hair back out of her face.

Jason saw Kaeori and Jack and ran to help. What do we have here? He asked, grabbing a side. It looked like a roof made out of vines and leaves and mud.

Miranda leaned an arm against a tree, making sure to stay where the wind could whip past her. Slowly it worked through her hair and clothes, drying them out. She would have to make sure to wash the salt off later. Jessie jogged past and she turned to see what the big deal was. Kae had evidently been busy for the last few hours. She had the boys helping her bring something in. Miranda's eyes narrowed at the girl's hands. Blistered and bleeding. Hard work most likely was the cause but what in the girl's mind would compel her to continue with such injuries? It had to hurt.

Kaeori smiled up at Jason and Jack as they came to help her. "It's basically a bunch of vines and leaves woven together with a few layers of mud on top. It's basically a roof.. I guess. Once the mud dries, it will become hard and durable. It should draw in some heat because its darker than its surroundings, and hopefully retain it when it cools off at night." She released the giant mess and wiped the remaining dirt from her hands onto her pants. The blisters and burns throbbed, and she winced slightly. It would be no problem for her to fix it up later anyway, so it didn't matter much. "We could always use it as a garden if you guys would rather find a cave or something." She giggled softly at herself.

Jack laughed at her easy going manner. "No worries. We can twist some rope and tie it between three or four palms. From there we put this on top to be tied on and use some long branches to make supports for the sides. Doing something similar with palm branches and mud, like what you did for the roof, will work for walls. It will all afternoon. If we work on it hard though, we could probably be done before we go to sleep."

Feeling dry, Miranda turned from the scene to go check on the fish. Quickly with short contact with one of the fish, she got one partially unwrapped. Looked like the skin was coming off easily. The steam coming out testified to it's being warm enough. Stepping back and straightening up, she said, "Lunch is ready."

"I can do it if you'd like. It wont take long now that I've got the hang of it. You could continue on the fire and help Miranda and Jessica. They're wounded and may need some help from time to time." She nodded to Jack and Jason. At the sound of Mirandas voice she perked up. Lunch? Wow, Miranda was really something if she was able to make lunch for everyone. Kaeori wanted to go eat since she had yet to since they crashed, but she decided against it. If she was going to continue weaving and packing on mud, her hands needed to be taken care of. She walked to her medical bag and pulled out the rubbing alcohol. She soaked the bandage that she had removed from her pocket and gingerly wrapped it around her hands. She then ripped off a tiny piece of her shirt and secured it around the wet bandage. She was glad that she had remembered to throw on clothes over her bathing suit. It would have been terrible if she had crashed with that skimpy piece of clothing on.

Jack reached in and pulled the fish off the platform. His callused hands not minding the heat as much as Miranda seemed to. Unwrapping them, he put them on water-smoothed wood and handed them out. Jason, Jessie, and Jessica each were given theirs. Miranda settled with hers. Jack took his and Kae's, then walked over to her. "Hey tough one, stop playing martyr and eat a little." He winked at her as he handed the fish on a flat stick towards her. "Eat up while it's hot. There are five of us so I'm sure we can tackle the work later." Maybe, he thought, give Jessica the easy job of gathering palm branches due to her shoulder.

"B-but.. I wasn't.. Okay. Thanks." She took the fish from him and nibbled on it. She hated fish, but it tasted like the best thing in the world at that moment. She had to eat slowly because her hands were bothering her, but nevertheless it was finished quickly. Keaori thought about what Jack said. Maybe the five of them really could work together and actually be a well oiled group. She smiled to herself at the thought. She made a mental note to learn more about the others as time went on.

Jack ate his and thought afterwards how he could have easily eaten another two or three. Shrugging it off though and glad for the protein, he strolled out onto the beach towards the creek. The soft sand felt good to his bare feet, his flip flops lost long ago. Reaching the creek, he washed up and then started walking back.

Miranda saw Jack head towards the creek and purposefully waited until he was coming back before she went. She was planning on washing more than her hands. The sea salt on her skin and in her hair was a grinding powder that would soon create a rash if she didn't rinse it off. Standing, she lightly headed out.

Jessie finished her fish and stretched. Some food in her belly and she was feeling much better. She leaned back against one of the palm trees and before she knew it she had dosed off. The black stallion came out of the trees and stopped, tossing his head. His eyes locked onto her's and he came forward, until his forehead touched her. Electricity shot through her body and she jerked... waking herself up. She looked around to see if any of the others had noticed.

Shayera jumped slightly as Jessica jerked hard beside her, waking her friend up from dozing and breaking Shayera out of her daydream . "Jessica! Are you ok?!" she whispered frantically, not wanting to draw attention just incase it was a bad dream. After their experiences, they were bound to have a few as time went on.

Jessie shook of the last bits of sleep and dream and looked into the concerned face next to her. Just a dream, she answered, not sure if she dared say more. Would the other girl understand? Maybe she was as crazy as everyone thought for trying to tame the stallion and yet the dreams and her heart told her she wasn't.

"The wreck....or the horse?" Shayera asked timidly. Jessica apparently loved horses, but that wild beast was too dangerous for her to be thinking about!

Jessie looked at her and thought of lying but knew she couldn't. With a deep sigh, she laid her back against the tree again. "Honestly the horse. I have been dreaming about that very horse out there for about a year now. Not just any black horse, that very one!" She shook her head. "I know it sounds stupid, but I know that we are meant to be together. I KNOW I can win his heart."

Jake got back to camp and stretched. Everyone, except Miranda, was laying around enjoying the few minutes of peace that came after a meal. He grinned and went to make some rope. He didn't know where Kea had found the vines, but he did know how to twist his own strong material for lashing things together. It wouldn't take long, maybe half an hour. He got a good pile of the palm branches and started stripping the leaves off. Then twisting them so that he would have something strong. As he sat there, he began eyeing the trees around them as well as the ground. There was three trees off to the side that might work. With the "oven" he had made earlier between that and the beach, it could work as a dwelling area. Shelter was needed though unless they wanted to be drenched daily by the rain.

Kaeori turned her head toward Jessica and Shayera. They were mentioning horses over and over again since they had crashed on the island. She made a mental note to ask them about it one day. Sighing, she pushed herself of the sandy beach and ran her fingers through her hair. It was probably a rats nest.. literally. She unlaced half of her shoelace and cut it off on a sharp rock. She used the lace to tie up her hair into a high ponytail and headed off into the woods. She figured that it would be best to get the vines and palm leaves before dark so that everyone could help. It took her a short while to find the same spot she had found the materials before, but in an hour or so she had pulled down enough vines to equal two times her weight. She made several trips to the beach and back, bringing several pounds of the vines at a time. Once all of the vines had reached the beach, she called out to Jessica and Shayera. "Sorry to interrupt.. but would you two like to help? It would go by so much quicker with four extra hands."

Jake strode over with the rope he had made. Noting the vines, he suggested, "I made some rope we can use. Maybe for hammocks later. I found a good location if you want to look it over." He turned and pointed towards the three trees, "Would those do? There is plenty of sand under them despite being back from the beach. They are spaced evenly apart making it easier to have three good long sides."