The Panther prowls toward us, growling menacingly. It's movements are completely silent, yellow eyes never leaving us.
"Oh no..."
I begin to take a step back, but Kai squeezes my shoulder tighter, stilling me. His voice is a whisper at my ear.
"If we run, it'll chase us, and we'll be done for."
Kai carefully unsheathes the diving knife at his thigh and takes a cautious step forward, placing himself between me and the panther.
"What are you doing?"
At my raised voice, the panther roars and takes a swipe in our direction.
"You need me to spell it out for you? I'm going to kill it before it kills us? "
"You can't kill it...you could get hurt."
"Appreciate the concern, but our options are pretty slim."
"Your small knife against its claws? You lose every time."
The panther releases a low rumble as it glares at us with its yellow eyes.
"You have a better idea? "
"We need to scare it away. If we stand our ground and look big, we can convince it that we're the predators."
The panther drops its head, ready to pounce.
"Whatever we're doing, we need to hurry."
"Quick, let's link our arms. Make it look like we're one giant creature."
Slowly, Kai links his right arm through my left. We both raise our free arms wide.
"Stand on your tiptoes...we'll look bigger."
I nod, then follow his suggestion, carefully balancing in the sandy dirt. The panther pauses momentarily taken aback by our bigger form. Then its face twists in anger, and it bares its teeth at us. It shifts its haunches rapidly, like it's about to strike!
"Dammit! It's not working."
"Scream as loud as you can. AHHHHHH!!!!!! "
"GRAAAAAA!!!"
The panther shirks back in the branches as Kai and I shout...then flees into the safety of the greenery! Once we're sure the panther is gone, I unlink my arm from Kai's, then wrap him in a tight embrace.
"We did it. We actually survived."
Kai pauses for a moment before returning the hug. He pats my back awkwardly as I release him.
"Told you we didn't have to kill it."
"Is this really the time for a 'told you so'?"
"It's always the time when I'm right."
I look at where the panther was, then back at Kai's knife.
"You really would've risked your life fighting that thing?"
"Yes. It's my job to keep you safe."
He twirls his knife in his hand.
"Which includes teaching you how to use this too."
"You really think that's necessary?"
"We don't know what else lurks in the jungle... And I can't guarantee I'll always be around to save you."
I meet his eyes, a mix of concern brewing within their depths.
"Let me show you a few things. Teach you to hold your ground."
"You raise a good point. I should be better prepared in case we get into danger like that again."
"Let's find somewhere we'll have more room."
I follow Kai through the thicket of trees until we come upon a small clearing.
"This'll do... Have you ever used a knife before?"
"Does a butter knife count?"
"Only if you're fighting toast."
Kai looks around us, then leans down to pick up a stick that's about the same size as his diving knife.
"Here. Let's use this for practice for now."
"But it's so small. It's like you don't trust me, Kai."
"Damn right. I don't want any accidental flesh wounds today."
I take the stick from him and slash the air with it a few times.
"Careful there. It's not a sword."
"You're right, it's a twig."
"Well, let's start practicing with your twig. I can't teach you the proper stance or a good defensive move. Your choice."
"Show me the right stance. Gotta master the basics, right?"
Kai takes a step back with one foot, angling his body and positioning his legs shoulder-width apart. I can't help but notice the tone of his muscles in the sunlight.
"You want to slightly bend your knees for ease of motion, and turn your body to make your opponent's target as small as possible."
I try and mimic his stance, holding out my twig.
"Voila. Stance mastered."
"Heh. Not quite."
He moves behind me, pressing close against my body as he grips my hips to rotate my body. He then puts one leg between mine and forces my back foot farther to the side. My heart skips a beat when his thigh tenses against mine.
"Now?"
"Almost."
His voice is a low growl in my ear. He slides one hand up my side and down the length of my arm, then adjusts my hold on the twig.
"Visualize your target, hold your ground, then strike."
At Kai's urging, I lunge at the invisible target ahead, his body moving in perfect sync with mine. His breath warms the back of my neck.
"It's easier with you here."
I turn my head slightly to look at him sidelong, his face mere inches from mine. Kai's eyes flicker to my lips for a tense moment...but he suddenly clears his throat and steps away from me.
"Practice makes perfect."
He sheaths his knife, then picks up a stick for himself. He cocks an eyebrow in challenge.
"Let's see what you've got."
"More than you bargained for, I'd bet."
Kai and I start to circle each other, studying each other carefully.
"Huh. Lotta talk, but not much action."
My eyes narrow. I lunge forward, trying to poke his right arm with my stick...but he easily sidesteps me and sweeps out his leg to try and trip me! I hit his leg with my stick, knocking him off balance...but he snakes an arm around my waist, carrying me to the ground with him!
"Whoa!"
I lie flat on my back while Kai hovers over me, pinning me to the ground with a hand locked around each of my wrists.
"Nice try."
I can feel the pounding of Kai's heart as he presses down against me, the muscles in his arms straining on either side of me.
"All part of my plan."
A smile twitches on his lips, but he quickly suppresses it and stands before helping me to my feet.
"If you're gonna trip someone, dodge their grab too."
"Good to know."
I get back into my stance, feeling a little more confident. Kai swipes at my middle, forcing me to jump back.
"Missed me."
I lash out with my own stick, trying to catch him off guard...but Kai grabs my outstretched arm with his free hand and pulls me toward him.
"Got you."
He locks my body against his, wedging my weapon between the two of us and rendering it useless.
"What's your next move, Doc?"
I suddenly close the distance between our lips, capturing him in a fiery kiss. He kisses me back. Images from the waterfall swim in my mind as he cups the back of my neck with his free hand, pulling me in closer. The sparring forgotten, his body relaxes. I take the opportunity to slip my hand free and poke the tip of the stick against his chest.
"And now you're dead."
He looks down at the stick and then back at me with a wolfish smile.
"You don't fight fair."
"I think we've earned a break now."
The two of us walk back to the waterfall and sit on its bank, dipping our feet into the cool water. I fill one of the beakers and take a long deep drink.
"That move with the panther back there was risky. How'd you know it would work?"
"To be fair, it was no riskier than hand-to-hand combat with an apex predator. But to answer your question, I've spent the last ten years studying animals and plants in their natural ecosystems. It comes with the territory."
"So why'd you agree to the training?"
"As much as I wish I could, I don't think I can science my way out of every problem. Plus...I wanted to see you in action. I had a feeling you could handle yourself."
"And what made you think that?"
"Well...you've already saved me a few times."
I look at him sheepishly, remembering the feeling of his arms around me as he rescued me from drowning.
"Anyone willing to save a stranger is probably used to protecting people. I trusted that you knew what you were doing..."
Kai turns to look at me. After a moment, he reaches out to brush a stray leaf out of my hair.
"I haven't really had anyone I've wanted to protect in a while."
His fingers linger against my cheek as he holds my gaze.
"Kai..."
Just as I'm sure he's about to do more, he drops his hand and busies himself with the water.
"Anyway, hope you don't need them. But at least you're ready if you do."
As the tension of the moment dissipates, I stand up and brush myself off.
"We should probably take some water back to the beach."
I retrieve the beakers from my bag, then focus on filling them with fresh water.
"You sure you don't want to argue that we need to do something else first?"
"I already won that battle a few hours ago. Or did you forget why we stayed around the waterfall?"
"As if I could forget the reason..."
His darkened gaze sends me back to that kiss on top of the waterfall...
"Jumping off the waterfall comes to mind."
His eyes dip down to my lips. My breath catches in my throat.
"But I wouldn't say you won earlier."
"What would you call it then?"
"Actually agreeing for once."
I roll my eyes, then return my attention to the beakers. Kai changes back into his clothes, then helps me collect as much water as we can hold.
"This should be good enough for now. We need to return to the beach before it gets dark."
After trekking through the jungle, Kai and I return to the beach with our collection of fresh water.
"We've got water, but we still need food, fire, and shelter."
"You're the survival expert here. What's your priority?"
"Food's tempting. But it's getting dark, and we need fire for when the sun goes down."
"Roger that. I'll go fetch us some wood."
Kai makes himself busy at the beach. I head to the jungle's edge, picking up all the dry brush and sticks I can hold.
"This should do nicely. These rocks might help for a pit too. Should keep the fire contained."
As I move through some palms to reach the rocks, the glint of metal in the sunlight catches my eye.
"A knife? How did this get here?"
I'm just about to take a step closer when I hear a branch snap behind me! I whirl toward the noise, but its source is hidden in the brush.
I hope it's not another panther.
"Kai? Can you come here for a bit?"
My eyes don't leave the tree line as he hurries over to me.
"What's wrong? Stick too pointy for you?"
"There's something in the trees...right over there."
Kai retrieves the knife at his waist, then carefully approaches where I'm pointing... Then suddenly, a rabbit drats out of the underbrush and hops past me!
"Gotta watch out for bunnies. They'll smother you with cuteness."
I glare at him, then turn back to investigate the blade I saw earlier...but it's not there.
"I could've sworn I saw a knife over here..."
"I'm holding it right here."
"Not that one. It was larger and had an odd shape to it...but maybe I just imagined it."
"Or the rabbit hopped off with it."
I return to the beach with my wood and rocks. Kai organizes my findings around the fire pit he's already dug into the sand.
"Now we've got everything for the fire pit...except the actual fire."
"With the sun so low, our best bet is a friction fire...unless you've got flint."
"Yeah, let me just pull some out of my back pocket."
"You're the science girl. It was worth an ask."
He wraps a frayed piece of rope around a small stick, then sandwiches it between two carved out pieces of wood.
"We'll take turns pulling on the ends of the rope as fast as we can to get the flame started."
"You realize I know how friction creates heat, and in turn, fire. It's basic physics."
"Then this should be quick. We just need to work together."
I pull my end of the rope, then Kai tugs on his. It shifts back and forth between us, spinning the stick in place.
"We need more speed."
I watch Kai carefully. When he pulls, I give slack. When he gives slack, I pull. The wood starts to smoke.
"KAI: Almost there..."
We work completely in sync for a few more minutes...until we get an ember!
"It's working!"
"Quick, we need to blow on it."
Kai and I both lean down to blow on the faint spark. Our foreheads nearly touch as the kindling ignites...
"Fire. We did it."
I look over at Kai, a hint of a smile playing across his lips.
"We made a pretty good team, huh?"
"Wow. An actual compliment from Captain Kai. No sarcasm detected."
"Keep it up and there will be."
Kai stokes the fire into a small inferno, then looks over at the beakers of water.
"We're going to need more containers to put food and things in."
"We've got plenty of large boxes...but not much in the way of smaller things."
With deft hands, Kai takes some fallen palm fronds and folds and twists them into a bowl, complete with a few rose-like flowers.
"Wow. Never took you for someone who could weave so intricately."
"I'm a man of many talents."
"Do you think one will be enough though?"
"Doesn't matter. I don't have time to make more. I need to rig up a hammock before dark otherwise we're sleeping on the ground."
"I feel bad that you're doing all this work."
"I could spare the time to teach you how to weave bowls. Then I can focus on the hammock while you make more. Hell, makeover this entire camp if you want to. We're going to be here a while. Might as well make it comfortable."
I look around the beach and imagine what you could do with your limited supplies.
"I'm a fast learner."
"And so humble too."
Kai picks up one of the palm fronds and expertly separates it into two halves along the center stalk. He hands me one.
"So, first you want to lay it out flat in front of you like this..."
I lay my side of the frond down on the sand like he showed me, the tips of the leaves facing away from me.
"How good are you at braiding?"
"I could braid anything in my sleep."
"And yet I don't remember you braiding anything while you slept last night."
"I also don't remember you handing me anything to braid."
"Fair point."
He hands me three loose palm fronds with a challenging smirk.
"And now?"
"Please."
I close my eyes and begin to braid the loose palm fronds in my hands.
"Not bad. So for this, you're basically making a giant wraparound braid..."
Kai places his hands over mine as I work, then adds a couple more fronds in.
"Then take the end leaf and use it with the next two leaves to start another braid. You'll do that until you reach the end and tie them off."
"I can do that..."
"You know where to find me if you have problems."
I get to work on the bowls as Kai starts on the hammock. I have to stop and start again a few times, but eventually I have the makings of a bowl.
"Damn. You sure you haven't done this before?"
"It's nothing compared to that hammock. I mean, look at it."
"Eh. I'm not done yet. Make sure to tie those knots tight on the bowls. Otherwise they'll never hold."
"Like this?"
He takes the bowl from me and examines it closer.
"Great, now make about 10 more."
"Such a task master."
I start another bowl while Kai returns to the hammock, weaving bits of tattered sail into the palm fronds. When my hands start to ache, I stretch and gather up the scraps of fabric he's discarded. I tie some around pieces of driftwood and place them in the sand around the beach.
"What're you doing over there?"
"You said to give the camp a makeover. So that's what I'm doing. Besides, if anyone happens to sail by, they're more likely to notice our camp."
I continue my work, using a rock to hammer the rest of my makeshift flags into the ground.
"It's starting to come together."
"Still needs a name."
"Let's call it...TXT"
"Sure. Why not. TXT it is."
"I declare this camp, TXT, open."
As Kai finishes up the hammock, I gather whatever supplies I can to make TXT homey. I eye some of our extra supplies and palm fronds.
Maybe I can weave Kai something from this. Prove how good I am at braiding.
I cut a small piece of a palm frond on a rock and weave it into an intricate bracelet. I head over to Kai as he ties off the excess rope securing the hammock.
"Hey, I have something for you. Close your eyes and hold out your hand."
"Nice try."
"I guess you don't want your gift then."
His eyes narrow before he finally relents. He closes his eyes and holds out one of his hands. I slip the bracelet on him, my fingers lingering over the exposed skin at his wrist. He opens his eyes after I've placed it on him, looking down at it in surprise.
"You made this for me?"
"You lost most of your stuff in the storm. I thought you'd like something new."
He twirls the bracelet around his wrist, a small smile on his lips.
"It's great. And unexpected. Thank you..."
I return his smile, suddenly feeling a little shy. The two of us look around at the newly-completed camp.
"I guess for now, it's home sweet home."
"I think you mean home sweet TXT. You know, I think we did a pretty good job."
As night falls, we both collapse around our new fire pit and relax a little.
"I'm completely spent."
"Means you worked hard today."
We both stare into the crackling fire for a few moments.
"As long as I don't think much about it, this feels just like camping. Though haven't I been in years."
"Where was your favorite place to camp?"
"I always enjoyed camping up in the mountains with the cool, crisp air."
"A bit different than the hot, humid air of these mountains."
"Pretty much the opposite. Up in the mountains, you can camp for a week and not see another person."
"Sorry to ruin that for you."
"Don't be. You haven't."
My cheeks warm, and not from the fire, as Kai holds my haze. I quickly look away and poke the fire with some driftwood.
"What about you? You must have some camping stories."
"My family didn't have much, so we did a lot of beach camping instead of big vacations. My parents had this knack for making ordinary things feel special, no matter how many times we'd been to that beach."
"That's so sweet. What kinds of things?"
"We'd make a fire like this and grill pineapples, papayas, bananas, whatever fruit we could find."
"Sounds like the perfect summer night to me."
"It's not complete without a little music..."
Kai retrieves his rescued ukulele from his bag.
"Do I finally get that concert? You did promise to serenade me."
"And I keep my promises."
He starts to strum out a melody on the ukulele. I close my eyes and enjoy the soft music mixing with the steady crash of the waves.
"You're pretty good at this."
"I'm alright. Nothing to brag about."
Kai starts to sing with a certain gentleness to his voice I've never heard before.
"Pado wi...neolbgo puleun bada geonneoseo salang-i naleul gidaligo iss-eoss-eoyo..."
He begins to switch between English and another language I'm unfamiliar with. I realize his eyes have never left me as he sings. The fire plays off his face, its crackles harmonizing with his voice while his callused fingers pluck each chord.
"Kai, I've never heard something so beautiful before."
My eyelids start to droop from exhaustion as his song comes to a close. He puts the ukulele away and lets out a big yawn.
"We should get some rest. Tomorrow, we'll need to scavenge for food. Go ahead and take the hammock. I was only able to make the one before losing the light..."
"Where are you going to sleep then?"
"I can rough it in the sand. Wouldn't be the first time."
"If you're sure...I guess then, goodnight."
I climb into the hammock, then look back at Kai laying next to the fire, using his pack as a pillow. He shifts in place, trying to get comfortable.
Maybe I should invite him to share the hammock with me. We could both fit...if we don't mind sleeping a bit snuggled up.
"Kai, you don't look comfortable. Come join me in the hammock."
"I'm fine. This bag's alright as a pillow."
"Stop being such a tough guy for once. I insist. Besides...I need you to keep me warm."
"It's humid and hot out."
"But I sleep so much better when someone's curled up with me..."
Kai thinks for a moment before gently smirking at me.
"All right then, twist my arm about it."
I hold the sides open so that Kai can climb in after me. Both of us lay on our backs with our arms awkwardly squished up against each other.
"If you shift your hand like that..." I begin to say.
"Watch my throat!"
I try to get comfortable for a few minutes, but wind up just as squished as before.
"So maybe there's not as much room as I thought..."
"If we want to make this work, we're gonna have to lay on our sides. That is...if you don't mind getting closer."
His lips kink to one side, and all I can think about is his skin pressed against mine.
"We should definitely do that. But I want to be the little spoon. I'm always the little spoon."
"Yeah? You're always the little spoon when you're sharing a hammock on a deserted island with a man you just met?"
"Signs point to yes."
Kai chuckles as we both turn over on our sides, his chest pressed against my back. He slings an arm over my waist as the other snakes beneath my head like a pillow. I'm silent for a while, unsure of what to say. I can hear Kai's breathing start to slow.
"Sleep well..." I whisper sweetly.
His warm breath tickles the sensitive skin below my ear, sending a spark through me. I melt into him, all my worries completely gone.
"You too..."
His arms are a comfort around me. The steady rhythm of his breathing combined with the crashing of the waves against the shore relaxes me. I focus on the gentle sway of the hammock and fall into a deep, peaceful sleep...
The next morning, sunlight streams down onto the beach. Eyes still shut tight against the bright light, I roll over. But I stop when I feel Kai's arm still secure around me. He drowsily stirs awake.
"Good morning."
"Morning..."
His gaze watches me for a lingering moment...then he sleepily rolls over and kisses me deeply!
"Oh! Ohhhh..."
He parts my lips with his tongue, and a shiver runs down my spine.
"(Y/N)..."
He carefully shifts in the hammock, so he's on top of me. I grab his shirt and drag him back down, capturing his lips with mine. My hands snakes down his back until I feel his firm ass in my grasp. He moans, his breath hot against my skin. I break away from Kai's lips for a moment to rip my top off, tossing it into the sand.
"It's so hot out here."
His breath catches as he drinks my bare chest in.
"Maybe I can help."
He licks a long stripe against my stomach. A jolt of ecstasy shoots through me, and I ache between my legs. Kai flashes a mischievous smirk before his mouth captures my breast. My nipple stands on end as his tongue swirls around...
"Yes! Please..."
His lips crash down on mine again. Our bodies tangle together, building to a new crescendo. Our kisses come faster, more desperate... I writhe against the rocking hammock, begging for Kai to be closer...
"I need..."
Kai fingers the waistband of my underwear, about to respond... when the hammock tilts, casting me and Kai onto the ground!
"Oops. Maybe that's a sign..."
"Yeah, we should get a move on for the day. We're burning daylight."
I feel my cheeks warm and ignore Kai as I put my shirt back on.
"What's even on today's agenda?"
"How hungry are you, Doc?"
My stomach betrays me, growling loudly at the thought of food.
"I...could eat."
"That's what I thought."
He tosses my bag at me. It lands in the sand with a thud.
"Grab your stuff and follow me. We won't survive without food."