18

"What are you doing?" She choked, avoiding his gaze. The pesky drumming in her chest accelerates into new heights. Tahlia feels like she is going to suffocate but her mind was still aware of everything going on around her.

"That's weird." He uttered quite loudly, and the hand that was holding her waist hostage let her go. Something dawned on him. "You feel different." he mused, carefully taking a step away with his sprained leg.

"Do it again and I'll drown you." she warned menacingly. She could not get her heart rate to slow down. Turning away from him, she even ventured farther away from where he was standing. Thankfully, Talon did not follow him and instead fell into a thoughtful silence.

She let him and proceeded with her ablutions. The huge rock provided her little privacy, but it was enough for her. Grasping her chest, she could still feel the abnormal racing of her heart. Her ears were warm and so were her checks. She was pissed but at the same time curious with the feeling. For her, it was an uncommon reaction.

"Do you need me to wash your back? We don't have soap, but I tore some material from my tunic. I could use it to wash your back." He said from behind the rock. She heard splashing from his position, and she concluded that he was already bathing.

"I told you I don't need your help. Let's establish a few rules here. I don't like it when people intrude in my personal space. It makes me agitated and when I'm agitated, I tend to eliminate the source of the said agitation." her voice echoed loudly.

Taking a few calming breaths, she started to wash her face. She planned to take a proper bath but with the man accompanying her, it would have to wait. Tahlia contented herself with splashing some water on her face and rubbing the grime from neck, all the exposed parts of her body.

"You should take your clothes off."

She yelped in surprise, and no matter how she tried to grab the nearest stone to steady herself, she still fell on the little pool near the riverbank. Whisking around, she faced the man who was now standing where she was crouching earlier.

"Do you really want to die?!" she snarled at the man who was weirdly looking at her. Talon looked at her face and down the rest of her body. Eyes shaking, she is sure that he can't see anything unusual even if the clear water can't hide her form.

"You have to clean your body thoroughly and you can't do that with your clothes on. Take it off." he ordered. "Maybe you don't know how to bathe well because you live here and aren't used to it but that's not how you wash yourself." he continued to flood her with unsolicited comments.

The nerve of the idiot. She just warned him about keeping his distance and yet he had the audacity to comment on her hygiene. Slapping the water in frustration, she made her way to the bank, pulling herself up from the water.

"You might be the master when it comes to surviving the forest, but I am also a master of my own craft. Besides being good at sex, I am also an expert when it comes to hygiene and stuff. Trust me." he proudly boasted, thumping his chest for added measure.

It was ridiculous to watch since he looked like a lanky, naked statue. He looks proportionate except the dangling stick between his legs. She successfully hoisted herself up from the water and in one clean swoop, she smacked the man upside down his head. This time, he was the one who fell on the pool, flapping noisily.

"I don't give a shit about your expertise. You leave me alone, you freaking halfwit!" she growled, glaring at the spluttering man in the water. If his goal was to rile her up, then he succeeded. Unsheathing the small knife that never left her side, she pointed it at his direction.

Talon looked at her with wide eyes. There is a sprouting fear in those eyes, and she approved of it. It is right that he knows his place and learns to fear the human living on the island alone. She could kill him, and no one would ever know.

"I'm just trying to help." he choked out, warily looking at the small knife she's threatening him with. Of course, she won't do something so villainous, however, it seems that this man needs a little shocking to understand her rules.

"Well, I said I don't want it." She spat at him.

"But I can't help it. I feel like I need to take care of you in some way." he pouted and dunked his head in the water.

Her eyebrows meet in a frown. What the hell is he even saying? She shook her head to dislodge the water from it and wiped the water droplets on her face. Now that she is drenched to the bones, she has to dry her clothes and there is no way in hell that she would take them off with him around.

"Nonsense." she hissed.

Talon emerged from under the water and started cleaning himself free from grime. The fear he showed earlier disappeared and he was now vigorously scrubbing himself with the piece of cloth he tore from his already tattered tunic.

"If you are worried about my expertise then watch me wash myself alright? Observing is one effective method of teaching after all." he blabbered on, but she did wait for him to finish and find a spot where she can peacefully do her own thing.

Sheathing the small knife back its case, she washed her face once more, movements quick and evidently irked. She hoped that the man would get the hint and leave her alone. She glared at the callous in her hands when it slightly scraped her face. They are not that bad but when compared to Langdon's soft hands it was disgusting.

How dare he imply that she didn't know how to take care of herself, that she has no hygiene? She is not some feral, savage man living in the jungle.

"How annoying. He should learn how personal space works." she murmured to herself, still vexed with what he did. Splashing sounds caught her attention, and her heart stopped when spotted a grizzly a few yards ahead. The animal was hunting for its meal, or rather precisely fishing for its meal. Salmon usually swam downstream, making it easy for bears to fish. The bear was so huge and could easily make strands of meat out of them.

Tahlia's vexation left her body and was replaced with fear. Sure, she was able to gather bear fur before but it was because the animal was dead from an injury. Hunting a bear was never on her list. Living in the main island means coexisting with all the animals already lording the area before she even arrived. Respecting the ecosystem already in place.

Also, the animals evolve to be bigger in size, most of them. One of those bigger animals was currently oblivious to her presence. Taking a deep breath, she moves with stealth and retraces her steps.

"Talon, do you need my help?" that yell made her gasp, her eyes intent on the grizzly. Luckily, the bear was still occupied with catching fishes. With urgency, she returned to where the man was bathing.

"So, you decided to watch me bathe after---" he said loudly with an 'I-told-you-so' expression on his face. Not waiting for him to finish, she pounced on him, covering his mouth.

Langdon caught her with ease, eyes surprised. Unsaid questions were written in his wide eyes as he watched her check if the grizzly noticed them.

"Grizzly." she whispered in his ears, eyes alert.

"You really feel different." he whispered back. This man seems to have no sense of crisis. Thus, she cupped his mouth tighter to silence him.

"Shush."

While Tahlia was engrossed with making sure that their safety isn't in jeopardy, the man was busy staring at her. Occupied, she did not notice that Langdon tightened his arms on her, pulling her in, and curiosity flowered in his eyes more than ever.

One is oblivious, and the other one is slowly becoming aware.