A sharp squawk of parrots echoed high in the canopy, unapologetically loud at first light. Whistles, trills and cackles follow like they're gossiping among themselves, waking up the forest.
Insects droned like a low buzzing undercurrent. A branch creaked nearby as something unseen shifted its weight, and the rustling of leaves, like whispers of the wind billowing through, roused Nova's consciousness. It was far from quiet, but it was like soothing music.
Until it's not. Nova blinked against the dappled light and exhaled slowly, taking in her new reality. Everything that happened yesterday hadn't been a dream. Her body still ached from running.
The lake, the vampire bats, the eagles, capuchins, and-
A shrill alarm blasted in the air, making her jolt, arms flapping out and heart almost leaping from her chest. Nova clutched at her phone and nearly tossed it aside until she remembered where she was lying—high up in the trees of Isla De Tayun.
Something shifts under her and a mix between a groan and a yawn followed. Nova froze and rolled onto her side, gasping. How could she forget about this mammoth of a man?
Yoa was sprawled underneath her, completely at ease with his back lying on the thick wide branch, one arm holding her waist as his legs and other arm dangled loosely. This man was fearless or confident in his abilities to not fall from a tree and break his body. Or both.
He acts like a giant cat, lazily stretching out and yawning in content before those sharp eyes land on Nova, taking in her appearance. "If I hear that noise again…" he threatened, but his voice was thick with sleep. "I will destroy it."
"Noted. Can you…" She trails off as realisation hits her. "My phone…"
Nova looks at it again. The phone hadn't died, it was working perfectly fine without needing to put it in any rice. She grinned, unlocking the screen and flicking across the screen to phone someone, anyone.
"You are attached to a noisy critter," Yoa growls, glaring at her phone like he really will destroy it.
Nova hugged it to herself and away from his sight, turning her back to him. Yoa slowly sat up, pulling Nova along with him, but she wasn't paying attention to him as she tried pressing the call button for Chad, but the call didn't go through. It instantly announced she had no signal.
"What? How…" Nova tipped her head back. It must be because of the canopy. She hadn't paid attention before at the resort because Wi-Fi had already been installed.
"What's the problem?" Yoa asks nonchalantly, only one of his legs now dangling from the tree as his huge hand splays over Nova's stomach, keeping her in his lap. She was now currently straddling one thigh, her back to him, not paying attention to anything but her phone.
"There's no service," she murmurs, staring at her phone, then leaning back a little, raising her hand up and testing the signal.
"Which means…?" Yoa asked, watching Nova and the phone curiously. He seriously couldn't understand her obsession with it. It woke them up earlier than he wanted to.
Yoa was more of a night creature but he didn't mind moving around during the day either. He was flexible depending on the circumstances.
"I can't get in contact with anyone," Nova sighs and lowers her phone then frowns noticing his hand, where she was seated and his warm body behind her.
Yoa drawled, "And this 'resort', a place I have never heard of, will help you return home?"
"Yes," Nova nodded adamantly, her grip tightening as she peeked over her shoulder at Yoa and, in the process, saw the dizzying height they were at. She also realised her white-knuckled grip was firmly on Yoa's leg. His leg tensed beneath, somehow solidifying those defined muscles more.
"Fine. Where is it?" Yoa asked gruffly, picking her up like some pet and placing her on his body more so he could part his legs on either side of the branch.
"P-put me down," Nova stuttered her command. She couldn't quite get over how easily he moved her about. She also couldn't deny she liked it, but he was a stranger, a beast of sorts, a killer even if it was as 'self-defence'.
Yoa arched a brow at her, then turned swiftly and placed her on the branch without hesitation. "If you fall, that's on you."
Nova narrowed her eyes and slid down against the tree trunk, feeling sturdier with it at her back. With legs on either side of the branch, Yoa stared at her, intense like normal, waiting for her response to his earlier question.
"I don't know?" Nova cringed at his unimpressed stare. "It was on the beach."
"The beach…" he drawled.
"Yes the beach… sand and sea," Nova snarkily replied, unable to stop herself. Jeez, was she hungry? She couldn't remember when she last ate.
Yoa's chest rumbled with a guttural growl, those eyes of sunsets and flames glaring back at her. "There are three in opposite directions," he stated, baring his teeth in annoyance. "What else can you tell me? Is there anything near it? Tribes or change of environment near it?"
Nova cleared her throat, looking away as she filtered through what had happened to her in the last twenty-four hours. "The resort, the beach, is close to the capuchins."
"Tomaq's tribe." Yoa frowned. "How did you end up in Oncari land?"
"Oncari… Jaguar?" Nova questioned; she couldn't quite place that word for some reason, even though there was still no explanation about how she could suddenly understand and speak to these people. She had no knowledge of it. "I was chased by the eagles… Zana?"
Yoa's expression darkened. "Ixana?"
"That's it! Yeah, she and her bird friend chased me, but they wouldn't go further when I got this side of the river," Nova explained while trying to read Yoa's expression. It was impossible to figure out what he was thinking, those golden-red eyes were like two metal walls, unable to scale and look into.
Was he possibly scared of Ixana as well, like the capuchins? She eyed him. No, even while sitting so casually, Yoa was intimidating, his aura thrumming with power. Those nearby shifted uneasily, or areas were scarce.
Ixana was a huge freakin' bird though-
"Good. She knows her place," Yoa muttered, with a steel edge in his voice.
Nova's brows rose at that. Was there beef between Yoa and Ixana? She thought most of the animals and beastmen would be terrified of the eagles. Not Yoa, though; he was brimming with confidence.
Nova cleared her head of all thoughts about them. That wasn't important unless they were to face the eagles again. All that mattered was that she got to the resort and got the hell off this island.
Side note: If the eagles were so giant, why the heck did they stay on this island? Why hadn't they discovered them yet? Actually, how had no one discovered these 'shifters'?
"Ready to go?" Yoa asked, hopping up to his feet like they weren't a thousand feet in the air—okay, that was a little dramatic.
Nova nodded profusely. She was more than ready to get off this island. She accepted Yoa's outstretched hand. Her lips parted on a hitched breath as he lifted her up and held her with one arm, her backside planted on it.
Nova couldn't help but stare up at him. "What?" Yoa huffed. "Would you prefer I throw you over my shoulder?"
Nova squeaked, shaking her head, unable to voice anything. Yoa smirked and chuckled. "Hold on tight, little mouse."
"Stop calling me- ah!" Yoa leapt off the branch before she could finish her sentence. She clung to his neck tightly, squeezing her eyes shut.
That was one way of shutting her up! The damned beast knew what he was doing!