Role Play Live : Group : A Pirate’s Life.
Land Lovers – Part Five
Mystery of a Mermaid’s Map
Writers:
LadyBelz
MaylionCarrendar
CharlotteCarrendar
[LadyBelz]: The drums had long since stopped their thrumming and the silence of the night was broken by the animals deep within the jungle of trees that made up the center of the island. On its farthest side, where no one had yet to step was a cove. Surrounded on all sides by steep cliff faces and a beautiful waterfall, it was truly a paradise to those who were lucky enough to find it. The water of the falls was fresh and pure, as if the hand of God herself had blessed its very essence and the cove was so clear you could nearly see the bottom. It appeared to be untouched, uninhabitated…
If anyone had been watching, they would have witnessed an unusual sight. A small smattering of bubbles marred the calm surface of the cove, sending ripples outward. As time went on, the bubbling grew in frequency and intensity, nearly frothing with the force of an erupting volcano. There was a splash and then, surprisingly, a head broke the surface of the water. Green eyes, almost the same color as the reefs of the cove, turned up toward the moon, a small smile splitting open the lips of the creature who now floated upon the waters of the cove. Turning, the creature almost seemed to glide toward the shore, pulling itself from the water without sound. Scales, the colors of aquamarine and burnt copper adorned the lower half of the body and if one were to look closer, would see those scales slowly vanish and morph into human legs as if they had never been. Human feet gained ground until the creature stood upright. With a last look up at the moon, the creature disappeared into the trees as silently as it had appeared, heading toward the firelight that was seen in the far distance…
[MaylionCarrendar] : – Nothing .. as if he had expected something else. he stood there in the rain like a wet dog shivering of the cold and affraid of the unexpected. The situation had him thinking about what secrets lied deeper in the forest. As he flopped his butt down on a branch and groomed his hair like a real lady he heard the voice of Madeline saying she was coming in a minute. Jack rolled his eyes knowing she must have heard his earlier screams and just ignored him. How could she leave such an old man behind? He rubbed his hands while hearing the breaking of branches and the shovels between the leafs. As he looked up he saw Madeline standing a few meters away looking at him with what he thought a pity look on her face. (Jack) ” .. no more arguments, Women always win those. I don’t feel like building a hut either.. We should gather a group and look at those skulls. Believe it or not — except from my feelings of lust, i also have suspicious feelings about this whole situation. ”
As he stood up he rubbed his knees and to wrench the water from his soaked clothes, he seemed to be all serious. But not completely being over the joking-Character, he walked in the direction of the beach he threw a joking smile at Madeline. (Jack) ” Unless,.. you are afraid ma’am. Jack is here to protect you.. ” He damn well knew it would probably be the other way around. His smile pretty much revealed his complete personality. a loser.
*
[CharlotteCarrendar] : – The rain was unrelenting, and Madeline was now thoroughly soaked to the skin. Had she still been on her own, she would have removed her clothes, and bathed, using the soap like sap of aloe vera, and then waited out the storm, in her hut. This was no longer a possiblity for her, and she knew she was just going to have to suck it up, and get used to being sodden. Jack, certainly was not fairing any better. Looking like a wet shaggy dog, he attempted to draw his hand back through his bedraggled locks, and imporve his appearance, whilst sitting on a tree branch. Setting down the pot of fresh water, she regarded him with a critical eye. Already wary of him, since he appeared to be argumentive at best, he now wished to turn a new leaf, so to speak. Jack made it clear he was not keen to be building huts at this hour, and rightfully so, it was a fruitless exercise given the damp conditions. On suggestion that they should form a group, to go search out the skull crossroad marker, Madeline was somewhat shocked. “You people have barely landed, and…you wish to dice with death?” She then pointed into the dense follage and turned her head back so fast towards him, that a spray of water whipped off her head. “They just finished drumming….God in heavens only knows what that means. I wouldn’t be surprised if they do some ritual sacrifice. Why else would there be skulls as a warning?”
Maybe he was right, that they should investigate their unknown foe. Jack however, had risen, and started off in the direction of the beach, causally tossing her a remark, that only had her temper flare. ” Unless,.. you are afraid ma’am. Jack is here to protect you.. ” If you could have captured her expression, it was like she was trying to catch flies, willingly. This, Jack, was so sure of himself. The Grand Poobah of Protection to all women on the Island now. King Fuzzy nuts had arrived. Saints be praised. Picking up the pot of water, she followed on after him, hoping in her mind he stood on a scorpion, and then could teach her how to dance. <3>
[LadyBelz:] The rain had caught the creature by surprise but only for the moment. Such was the way of things out here. Brushing wet strands of hair back so that visibility was retained, they continued, sure-footed, through the dense foliage. The edge of a make-shift hut could be seen from their position and the creature moved closer, pausing upon hearing the voices. “They just finished drumming….God in heavens only knows what that means. I wouldn’t be surprised if they do some ritual sacrifice. Why else would there be skulls as a warning?” Lips curved into a smile, teeth gleaming in the rainy darkness. “If only they knew the truth!” was the thought going through the creature’s mind. Edging around, the creature could make out two people standing outside the hut, arguing and getting soaked to the bone. Curious as to what they were doing, the creature moved closer… -SNAP- …the sound of the twig snapping was loud, even with the rain masking the other sounds of the jungle. The creature froze, the foliage hiding their position as the wait was on to see if they would be discovered…
*
CharlotteCarrendar:- Following along behind the all too smelly Jack, there was a sound that came from behind Madeline. ~SNAP~ A quick jerk of the head with water spraying from her drenched locks, trickled down her back, as the thunder loomed and roared over head. This was starting to get a bit…too much for Madeline’s state of mind. Slowly she set down the pot of water, and up ahead, Jack and continued back to the shore camp, leaving Madeline alone in the brush, with whatever it was that made that sound. The caw of a Macaw rang out, then a hoot hoot, like even those of nature found this to be intimidating. Madeline swallowed the rising spittle that was forming in her mouth, and slowly turned on the toe of her right foot, her remanent strips of clothing clinging to her sodden form. From behind her, she withdrew a sharpened piece of bone, that had been crafted into a dagger of sorts. Could it be the pumas she had encountered before, that ravaged the local lemur population? Even this close to shore was a bit hairy for them.
Madeline’s eyes darted left and right, trying to make out the colouring of the creature following her through the jungle of the lost island. Tensing, her fingers curled tightly around the woven string handle, her knuckles turning white beneath her sun kissed olive skin. “I’m…not afraid.” she spoke out loud what she prayed her own mind would believe. In the distance, along the shore, she could hear the voices raised of the latest castaways, calling out for Madeline….they knew she had not yet come back with Jack. But were they foolish enough to venture into the forest unprepared? Had Jack even cared what became of her?
Slowly, Madeline crept towards the direction the snap came from. Her bare feet padding upon the rain soaked leaf litter. Whoever was hiding, would be able to see, and hear her clearly.
*
LadyBelz: – The creature dared not breath as the woman before her paused in her steps. Slowly and carefully, they backtracked deeper into the foliage, easily blending in with the surrounding vegetation, the dark of night also hiding their form from curious eyes. Cautious now, the creature continued to peer out toward the woman, who was now clutching a weapon in her shaking hands. The rain easily masked the sound of the footsteps and no tracks were left in the soaking wet ground to mark the creature’s passage. Curiosity about the human presence on the island stayed their hand. Would they be violent? Would they be kind? The creature was unsure. They remained in their hiding place, assured that they were well-hidden. Aquamarine eyes stared between the wet leaves of the jungle, darting once to the skies above to calculate the approaching dawn. They didn’t want to be caught out during daylight, wanting to return to the sanctuary of the cove in the distance to spy another day. Dawn was still a few hours away. The creature waited…silent…cautious…curious…
*
CharlotteCarrendar:- The smatter of the rain upon the giant palms mixed with the flashes of lightning that spirited down from the heavens, illuminating the moon and the folliage. For a split second, Madeline could have sworn she spotted a pair of aquamarine eyes, that glistened like crystal baubles within the green of the jungle. Could it have been her imagination, or perhaps was she seeing things from the water that continued to fall and blur her vision. Then, silence. The heavens seemed to part and the rain slowed considerable, though still dripping from the overhead canopy. All now was the inner sound of her own heart beat, and that of her rapid breath, with her own breath showing to be warmer than the cool air brought on by the rains. Madeline panted for a few seconds, as she slowly lowered her hand the contained the dagger. A cheer from the group on the beach that for now there was reprieve from the torrential deluge, and that maybe that by the morning, there would be a chance that clothing and other items dragged from the sea, would be given a chance to dry. Maybe even a time to dry out fire wood, to warm their shivering bodies.
“MADELINE?!” A voice called from the beach camp. Possibly male though hard to tell. Madeline took one last look to where she had seen the beautiful eyes, and then turned back towards camp, sheathing her bone dagger as she did so. Was this a lucky escape? Or would the creature hidden behind the forest green follow?
*
LadyBelz: – Head tilted to the side, the creature took in every nuance of the woman. Slowly the dagger was put away, but the woman was still in “fight or flight” mode and it would only take one little sound or movement to put her into action. “MADELINE?!” came the shout further away, causing the woman to jump. It might have been imagined, but the creature seemed to hear the slight sound of surprise that passed the woman shivering lips. The name was repeated in a soft whisper, carried upon the wind toward the so-named woman as the rain slowly began to dissipate, like a faucet being shut off after a cleansing shower. The moon, covered my storm clouds, slowly peeked into existence, fighting the remaining clouds for dominance in the sky. The creature moved deeper into the shadows, all the while moving around the woman and toward the camping site of the castaways of its island home. Curiosity killed the cat…but satisfaction brought him back…or her…as was the case. The creature whispered the woman’s name once more, this time from behind her, but still out of sight…
*
CharlotteCarrendar: – Light steps from the castaway as she tried to make her way through the dense jungle in the direction of the beach camp, but….there was a strange echo in the wind, of her own name, as if sound was being blown through a shell or a fallen log. But…that’s impossible. At first, she tried to dismiss the sound, and focus more on not getting cut by the thorn vines, that hung down from the trees. They always left cuts and swelling rashes upon her fair skin. ~Madddellinnnneeee~ the whispers continued, and this had the castaway start to believe, that maybe it was the ghosts of the fallen that had been killed by the mysterious mud men of the island. “EEEK!” she shrieked, throwing up her hands and running; flailing, being scratched and torn at by the stinging thorns.
It was like the whispering voices were actually following her, and she went running off down the WRONG track, her hair spilling out from her unkempt ponytail and splashing down her back. Her neck twisted as with wide eyes, she sought the ghosts that whispered her name, till coming to a large tree. But on reaching it, she accidentally stepped on a trap, and a large spiked piece of bamboo, shot up out of the ground, with the remains of a long dead pirate skewered upon it. “AAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!” Madeline screamed, as a snake started to slide out of the open jaw of its skull.
*
LadyBelz: – A smallish hand covered an amused laugh as Madeline shrieked like a banshee and took off running. She continued to follow along, nearly giving herself away as an old trap was tripped and a long-dead skull of a pirate on a sharpened bamboo stake appeared before the frightened woman. Further the amusement went as a snake eased its way from between rotted jaws, its rest disturbed by both the movement and the noise of the woman’s screams. Other footsteps were heard in the undergrowth and the creature beat a hasty retreat, not wanting to be caught out so early in the game. But she remained nearby, still curious about the people upon her island.
*
CharlotteCarrendar:- Poor Madeline practically had a heart attack,and staggered back, falling on her ass, crawling back like a crab trying to get distance between her and the snake riddled corpse. The cries coming from Madeline could be akin to that of a donkey having a hot potato rammed up its ass hard. The snake slid all the way out of the skull, and landed upon the sodden ground, probably more frightened of the sound that Madeline was making more so than she was afraid of it. The charge of heavy foot falls came from the beach camp, as soon some of the shipwrecked survivors came upon this most gruesome find.
“Cor…that’s a bleeding pirate.” Cried one. “He’s not very healthy” said another. Madeline was positively gasping for breath, her chest heaving violently, being that was the last thing she expected to see on this god forsaken island. But if one looked close enough, the pirate had a scroll in his bony skeletal hand. And it wasn’t just any old scroll….it was a treasure map.
*
LadyBelz: – Sea colored eyes took in the others that were now surrounding poor, frightened Madeline. They weren’t very observant if they had yet to see the scrolled parchment clutched tightly in one boney hand. Eyes widened in shock as the creature recognized it for what it was…the map to her hidden cove. Eyes glinting in anger, she recalled the moments that lead up to its making…and the consequences afterward. She had never forgiven the man who had stolen it and a whole lot more from her, and now, seeing the rotting skeleton of the one who had betrayed her, she could no longer seek revenge. But she needed to get that map back as soon as humanly possible. Ducking low, she continued to watch…and wait for opportunity to come knocking…
*
CharlotteCarrendar: – One of the castaways, a small lad named Jimeon, helped Madeline to her feet, his hand resting on her ass for a few moments longer than it should have. “Oi..you keep your wandering hands to ya self.” She said indignantly, not liking being felt up by these bedraggled sailors. “Sorry Ma’am…me hand..slipped.” Likely story too. The fact the rotting corpse looked so hideous itself, was enough for even the hardest and strongest amongest the sailors to not take another look, accept for Madeline, who did spy something, but only to have her attention drawn away by the crackle of a gun shot, out near the beach. “What in blazes?” She cried. Could it have been a musket? Who would have even had dry gun powder? The entire group all raced back towards the beach, to see what caused the ruckus….leaving the aquatic maiden and the dead pirate to get….reacquainted…-
*
LadyBelz: -The sound of a gun firing echoed around everyone present, causing them all to rush toward the sound. But for one, it caused a different reaction…Panic. But she couldn’t leave, not until the map was in her hands. She waited a moment of two, praying that no one would return before she silently crept forward, hand extended toward the dead pirate and the map within it’s ebony white clutches. Slowly her hand moved foward as she held her breath, glancing about like a scared filly. It would be bad if she were to be discovered now, very bad indeed. Another few inches and the map would be in her hands…
*
CharlotteCarrendar: – As the others fled back through the jungles towards the beach, Madeline realised during the feel up session of the wandering hands of Jimeon, that her bone carved dagger must have fallen upon the ground, when she got scared to death by the dead pirate on the bamboo stake. “I forgot my…” Madeline started to say, turning back and backtracking to the spot where she thought she dropped it. Coming through the clearing, she sees a gorgeous “naked?” woman trying to prize something from the dead hand of the pirate. “Where did you come from?” Madeline exclaimed, seeing her, as she was about to bend down and pick up her bone dagger from the wet ground. Why was she there? And…where were her clothes?
*
LadyBelz: – She was almost…there! She had a fingerhold of the map when Madeline came crashing back into the clearing. Both women froze for a moment before Madeline began to speak to the other woman. “Where did you come from?” was the questions on Madeline’s lips. Seeing her reach for the dagger, the unknown woman hissed like a scalded cat and scampered into the jungle, unknowingly leaving the scroll behind. She was light on her feet and left no sign of her passing, not one footprint, not one disturbed leaf or broken branch or any scrap of cloth from the sarong that had been wrapped around her waist. She was simply there one moment…gone the next…
*
CharlotteCarrendar: – Both women frozen, like a hunter and its prey, only Madeline was more curious if anything. A flick of her fingers toward her dagger, and the beauty with the aquamarine eyes was off like a shot, hissing like some wounded cat. She fled on her light feet, as Madeline snatched up her dagger and then realized that she was gone. “Blast…” Madeline said, only seeing that whatever the girl was trying to take from the pirate..was still there. One look around, to see if anyone followed her, and found she was indeed alone this time. Tenative steps traced to where the mystery girl had stood. Madeline checked all around the pirate for more booby traps, and then, she slowly reached out for the scroll, and tried to tug it from the dead pirate’s hand. But the hand, didn’t want to let go. Madeline tugged a bit harder and then the whole pirate started to lurch towards her, as Madeline frantically tugged on the damn piece of paper. “Give…it…to…MEEEEEE!” one last tug and a quick side step, and she was triumphant, as the dead pirate and bamboo pole fell to the ground with a loud slap. Madeline did a little dance of victory against the dead pirate, and then without looking at the paper, she took off back to camp, where she would find out the mystery of the aging paper scroll. But first…who fired off the gun…and why? So many new mysteries needed solving. This was fast becoming Dead man’s Island, for a reason.-
*
LadyBelz: – Out of breath, she was cursing herself the fool for leaving behind something so important. And now there was a chance that the woman, Madeline had it in her possession. Dawn began to break over the horizon and she knew that her time upon land was at an end for the night. Sighing, she made her way back to the lagoon of the cove, removing her sarong and placing it in her hidden place where she kept such things. She slipped into the water with nary a splash, feeling her legs contort back to their original fin shape. She stretched her fins skyward for a moment before she sprung into the air like a dolphin, splashing downward into the water like Bruce Jenner executing a perfect 10-point dive in the Olympics. Downward she swam, away from the coming dawn and into deeper ocean waters, returning to her home beneath the sea until she could return. Then she would see about getting her hands on her property before the castaways were rescued…
*
