Mature: Desert Moon

[Soran Nightblade]

"Goodnight," he answered. Her body formed a shield between his chest and the heat of the fire. He could hear her heart's rhythm, his favorite melody. He fell asleep to the song of her body and didn't move a muscle until well into the morning the next day.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele didn't budge or even considered leaving bed until midday. When she moved her body felt sore, but not as heavy and lifeless as it had yesterday. In a few days the soreness would leave and she'd be back to her normal self.

There wasn't any motivation to leave their shelter. They had no place to go. Nothing to really do accept hunt or fish. But, if she lied around she'd only think about her daughter being so frightened about the loss of her parents. She'd dwell on the fact they may never be rescued from the island. That her daughter would grow up without them.

So, Tenele decided to do a little more exploring, but at a much calmer pace than yesterday.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad opened his eyes to the sweet smell of banana leaves and coconuts. He looked around the teepee, and didn't see Tenele around. Must have gone to explore. The night before came back to him in a rush, and he smiled. It took the sting out of his dried-out wound as he sat up and pushed to his feet. His body hurt significantly less, allowing him to move better. Instead of aching through his bones, the wound now tormented his chest only. He stepped out of the tent and looked around. He didn't see Tenele, but he doubted she could get in too much danger here. She knew how to take care of herself; yesterday proved it. Her body just hadn't been up to the task.

He needed to find her food.

But first, he looked down over the freshwater pool and the tree trunk Tenele had propped up to climb in and out. The vampire grinned at her resourcefulness and went to work. He dug his claws into the trunk at one-foot increments, carving out little wedges as handholds. That should make climbing it a little safer and easier. A half hour later, he was down in the pool. He stripped off his shorts and laid them on the rocks to dry while he stepped in up to his waist. He was glad he was alone as he scrubbed out his wound with his fingertips. The sand cut and grated at the puckered flesh, and the wound was not the least bit attractive, but he did manage to get it clean. He leaned back in the cold water and let it cool his burning flesh, closing his eyes.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele wandered back, having picked an assortment of jungle flowers. All of which had a potential for being poisonous, but Tenele didn't even consider that. She peeked in their shelter, and not seeing him went towards the water hole. She paused when she spotted his shorts on the rocks drying.

For a moment she thought about going back inside and giving him his privacy. But, she was overly curious. This was her husband after all. What was the harm in peeking?

She tip-toed to the edge, forgetting the vampire had excellent hearing, and crouched down to hide behind the rocks. She peeked over them, her silver hair catching the light. She exhaled a soft breath as she watched him float naked in the pretty water. The wound on his chest looked terrible, but the rest of him looked... Her body grew hot. It remembered him, even if her mind didn't.

She swallowed, slinking back away from the hole. She rolled onto her back and stared off at the clouds, her knees pointed to the sky. She slung an arm over her eyes to blot out the light. The flowers spilled around her body, and she bathed in the warm summer heat.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad didn't miss the sound of Tenele's pulse and the soft rustling of grass above him. He grinned smugly at the thought of her watching. A while later, he left the water and drew his shorts back on. He didn't have any fabric left from his shirt to try to cover the wound on his chest, so he was going to have to let it show. He scaled the tree back to the grass near their teepee and grinned as he spotted Tenele lying down and surrounded by the flowers she'd found. "Did I make you faint?" he teased, crouching at her feet and watching her with a mischievous grin.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele lifted her arm. He knew she'd seen him? "No," she replied. "I was just concerned you may need help. That's all. Clearly you were doing fine so I decided to work on my tan." She smoothed the short skirt. "Not that you needed help washing. I was just checking on you. That's all."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad smiled wickedly. "Thanks for your concern," he said with a wink, and stepped over her to head toward the shore. "There should be some good things to eat down by the water."

[Emora Deen]

Tenele jumped up. His mention of things to eat reminded her just how hungry she was. She stole a coconut from the pile and followed him back to shore. "There is fish, or seaweed, or maybe even mussels, or clams!" The more she talked about food the hungrier she got. "You just washed, are you sure you want to expose your wound to salt water so soon? I can go in after my food."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad paused at the thought of salt water biting into the raw skin. "I'll wade in the shallows," he conceded. He studied the cluster of rocks in the shallows. It was a good thing they'd washed up on the sandy side of the island. He stepped out over the rocks, still as anything, and studied the water. After a few minutes, he spotted what he wanted. A claw shot from his hand like a spear, driving into the water. He drew it up with a crab impaled on it, and waved the flailing creature at his wife.

[Emora Deen]

"Good job!" Tenele laughed, she clapped her hands together and walked out into the water to meet him. She lifted her skirt enough to create a place to hold the things he caught, smiling up at him as she offered to take the crab. She was careful with it, a little afraid it might pinch her on reflex. When she settled the dead creature into her make-shift bowl she turned her eyes to the ocean floor for another. "There! I think I see another one!"

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad peered into the water and grinned. Within fifteen minutes, they had four more crabs. "Guess I'm building a spit for the fire today," the vampire said, a little high on himself. It felt good to provide for her and know she could eat as much as she wanted.

[Emora Deen]

"They are going to be delicious," she assured him. "Thank you." Tenele looked to be weighing something, and then she stepped forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. She backed away, flushing, and turned towards shore.

Back at camp Tenele arranged the crabs on a leaf near the fire for whenever Vlad would build the contraption needed to cook them. "I'm going to bathe. My hair is so dry and tangled from the salt water I doubt it will ever be soft again." She backed towards the pit that Vlad had washed in, contemplating whether he would peek on her just as she'd peeked on him. She hadn't decided whether she was bothered by the thought or not. After all, she'd made the decision to be with him.

Tenele waited until she was down in the pit of water before she stripped her clothing off. She washed them and then tossed them up onto the rocks. For the next few minutes she washed her hair, running fingers through it to get out the nots, and swam around for the glorious feel of cool water against her sun-warmed skin.

[Soran Nightblade]

It was with great self-restraint that Vlad managed to respect Tenele's privacy and focus on cooking. Within a short while, he had the crabs roasting festively on a green branch hung between two rocks.

he went outside to the edge of the basin, without looking down. "Food's ready," he called.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele climbed up the ladder, grabbing her clothes halfway up. She pulled the dress on while balancing on the ladder, and she managed to do it without falling back into the water. The fabric wasn't dry, so it clung to her slick body. She peeked out of the hole, contemplating just staying where she was until it was dry.

Eventually she gathered the courage to walk back into their shelter. She knelt next to him. "Oh, it smells so good," she hummed.

Tenele didn't waste time. She barely had the restraint to crack the shells. She thought she might have looked like some wild barbarian eating, but at the same time she didn't care. When she was finished she fell back against the leaves, smoothing her hands over her damp full belly. "So good."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad stoked the fire contentedly while he watched her eat. "We'll keep the flames going for a few days. If anyone's sailing nearby, they will see it."

He knew that wasn't likely. Hajara had only just opened to the continent, and trade routes weren't well established yet. It would happen, eventually, and a smoke signal would raise the chances of being found. But it probably would be longer than he could hold out.

"Tenele,... we should begin planning for what happens if no one returns," he said carefully. He doubted she was going to like the conversation."