Inside a small cave of rocks and roots of big trees Logan watched Jean sleep, curled against a bed of moss and leaves. Her fever had broken, but she was still weak, pale, and barely had the strength to move.
He was lucky to find at least so shelter.
He sat just a few feet away, near the cave entrance... a shallow cavern tucked between boulders, shaded by thick roots. It had been a lucky find.
It shielded them from the rain, and the ground was surprisingly dry. He even managed to pile so dried roots for insulation.
But then he heard it.
A guttural snort.
His body tensed. He rose slowly, stepping out of the cave entrance just far enough to scan the shadows between the trees.
Branches cracked.
Heavy footsteps shuffled through the underbrush.
Then it ca into view.
The sa wild boar. Larger in the light, with patches of dried blood clinging to its flank... remnants from their last encounter. One eye was bloodshot, and its tusks glinted wickedly beneath the afternoon sun.
Logan’s heart sank. "What the fuck!"
He looked back at the cave... Jean, still asleep. Too weak to run. Too vulnerable to scream.
No options.
This wasn’t a shelter. It was the boar’s den.
With no ti to think, Logan grabbed a thick branch and stepped forward. "You again?" he muttered, planting his feet in the dirt.
The boar lowered its head and charged towards him. And then...
Impact! The boar ca rushing towards him in a blink.
Logan was thrown back, crashing against a tree trunk but he held onto the branch. With a furious roar, he swung it, catching the boar across the side of its face. It shrieked and stumbled.
He didn’t give it ti to recover.
He jumped onto its back, jabbing the branch against its neck, trying to steer it away from the cave. It bucked, throwing him off again.
But then...
A stone hit the boar’s eye.
Jean. He looked her way...
She was sitting at the mouth of the cave, trembling, another rock in hand.
"Leave him alone!" she croaked.
Logan didn’t hesitate. Hello feared that the wild boar would run towards her.
He lunged forward with all his weight, ramming the branch into the boar’s throat. The beast gave one last desperate thrash before collapsing.
Breathless and shaking, Logan stood over the boar’s body.
Then he turned to Jean.
She was pale, sweat dripping down her face but her eyes were locked on his, wide with fear and sothing else.
"You idiot," she whispered.
Logan dropped the branch, panting. "I told you I’d keep you safe."
Jean leaned against the cave wall, her breath shallow, hands trembling from the fever and the adrenaline. Logan stood over the lifeless boar, chest heaving, dirt and blood sared across his arms.
"You okay?" he asked, voice rough but steady.
She nodded weakly, wiping her forehead. "You didn’t have to fight it alone," she mumbled.
He arched his brow. "You could barely stand."
Jean didn’t argue. Instead, her gaze shifted toward the massive creature lying in the dirt, its body still warm, its chest no longer rising.
Then the idea struck her.
"We should eat it," she said flatly.
Logan blinked. "What?"
"The boar. It’s food." Her voice was quiet but firm. "We’re running out of fish. And I’m sick. We need protein, and you’re not catching enough to keep us both strong."
Logan stared at her, half in disbelief, half impressed.
"You’re serious?"
Jean t his eyes. "I’m not letting either of us die out here. We didn’t fight that thing just to starve to death."
Logan glanced back at the boar, then down at his bruised hands. "Alright," he muttered. "You win."
He started dragging the heavy body closer to a clearing. "You’re lucky I paid attention during survival training."
Jean managed a faint smile. "You’re lucky I rembered pigs are edible."
Logan looked over his shoulder. "I’m not butchering it alone."
She didn’t flinch. "I’ll help. Just... give a minute."
Their eyes t again. This ti, no insults, no bitterness... just two people trying to survive. Maybe for the first ti, the island had truly brought them onto the sa side.
Night fell quickly over the forest, blanketing the cave in cool darkness. The fire crackled low, its glow flickering against the jagged rock walls.
Logan sat on a flat stone, sharpening a stick into a makeshift spit. But it was Jean who stood over the boar now, sleeves rolled up, eyes sharp with focus.
Logan watched as she carefully sliced into the animal’s thick hide. Her hands were trembling from weakness, but her movents were precise.
"You’ve done this before?" he asked, genuinely curious.
Jean didn’t look up. "No. But I know anatomy better than you think. I studied a lot for my skincare line... animal fats, preservation thods. My job demanded research."
He leaned back, eyebrows raised. "That’s... unexpected."
She glanced at him. "Most things about are."
Logan smirked faintly but said nothing more, just watched her work. Jean sectioned the boar with asured care, separating the at from the unusable parts. Her hair stuck to her forehead from sweat and lingering fever, but she didn’t stop.
Eventually, she sat back, breathing heavily. "Help hang the at over the fire."
Logan stood imdiately and obeyed, not out of obligation but because in that mont, he was honestly impressed.
The next morning...
Jean stirred under the light touch of the morning breeze, her body aching but her fever finally cooled. She blinked, expecting to see Logan nearby, but he wasn’t there.
Her heart skipped. Had he gone again without a word?
But then... on the dirt near the edge of the clearing, she saw a line of small stones arranged in a winding trail. It wasn’t much, but sothing about it made her chest tighten.
She followed them.
They led her through tall trees, over damp roots, until she heard the sound of water. A stream. And Logan, crouched beside it, washing his blood-stained hands.
His shirt was off, revealing bruises along his torso... souvenirs from the boar fight. A few clean cuts on his arm were tied with strips of cloth. He didn’t notice her at first.
Jean stepped forward. "You left a trail."
Logan glanced back. "Didn’t want you to think I’d disappeared."
Her throat dried at the softness in his voice. "Why not?"
He shrugged and returned to washing. "Because I said so things... and so did you. But I don’t hate you, Jean. I don’t know if I ever did."
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