<8> Thora nodded slowly. “I know… that there’s nothing we can do about the ship. There was no controlling the sea… but if I had been topside, not dealing with that insolent-” “Stop,” Jexon returned gently. “As fast as that storm came, you and I both know that wouldn’t have made a difference. You can’t blame the cabin boy for Azeroth’s cruelty.” The captain’s face pushed further into her brother’s fur. “I can if I wanna,” she mumbled with exaggerated petulance. “Not unless you’d rather be certain that we lost every last member of our crew,” he added grimly. Thora pulled her muzzle back to finally look sadly into her brother’s eyes. “He tries my patience with his mere presence,” she murmured wearily. “If it were just us, I might actually be happy. If it were any other member of the crew, I might even be happy.” “We have nothing to hide around him.” “But that doesn’t mean I [i]want[/i] him looking,” she reminded him a bit more sternly. Jexon’s clawed hands gently drifted down her back as he spoke. “I am not fond of it either… but our choices are few, my love. If we let him die, we are no better than the beasts others see us as.” Thora kept quiet for another few moments, then reluctantly offered him a slight smile. “Maybe I like us as beasts.” “I know that all too well,” Jexon rumbled back with a half-grin. “Find any quiet nooks for us when night falls?” The captain’s cheeks flushed even darker than her already-dark gray fur. “I was hoping we could find one together.” Jexon chuckled before his muzzle pressed against his sister’s to kiss her deeply. The two worgen held each other close as they did their best to cope with the chaos through gentle intimacy. For that moment, things felt normal, and that touch of normalcy seemed to temper the on-edge captain considerably. Jexon broke the kiss to see a much calmer smile on his sister’s face, which he gladly reciprocated. “We will get through this together. I’m sure we shall see rescue within a month or less, and the island seems to offer us plenty in the meantime. Maybe the crew’s already been rescued, even.” A soft chuckle escaped Thora. “Wouldn’t that be a treat?” * * * * * Midday melted into sundown as the trio of survivors did their best to make a meager camp. The crate of booze Carl had brought back made for excellent food storage, though much of the soiled booze had to be tossed. Jexon and Thora had left the encampment before Carl had returned, but it wasn’t long before Thora had come back once more. “Status?” “Uh… got the crate back, captain. Sorted out the bad and stored the coconuts in it.” Thora nodded, and to Carl’s surprise, she added, “Good work.” The worgeness plopped down another armful of coconuts next to the cabin boy before taking a seat with her back against one tree, and letting out a sigh of relief in the process. The warlock nodded as he began to sort through the new armful, and for a moment he didn’t feel so… irritated. Something in her voice had changed a little from before. The gears in his mind processed his next words carefully before he dared speak. “Wh-what did you find?” A weary sigh, devoid of irritation, escaped her as her eyes turned to the palm fronds high above her. “Not much. The island is bigger than we thought. I went about a half hour into the jungle and still didn’t reach the other side. There is a freshwater spring about two hundred yards East of here though, so we won’t want for water.” “That sounds good,” Carl agreed, though he kept his eyes fixed on the crate. “Where’s Jexon?” “He was gonna follow the beach,” she said plainly. “He should be back before dusk.” “... Cool,” was all Carl could think to say as he allowed an uncomfortably awkward silence to ensue between them both. Thora’s gaze drifted over the busy cabin boy, and after several moments of silence, she suddenly piped up with, “... Thanks.” Carl flinched at this, but slowly he dared turn at least his head to look over at her. “Huh?” The captain showed her teeth as she let out a frustrated growl. “I said thanks,” she reiterated. “For… for the rez, I mean.” The warlock shook his head and offered her a timid smile. “It was nothing. Just… glad I could help.” “Mmh,” she mumbled and turned her eyes skyward again, this time clearly swallowing hard and consciously clamping her mouth shut. Carl’s smile faded as he watched her for a few moments before adding, “Why not change?” Thora’s head snapped back to look at him instantly. “What?” “You’re panting,” he stated more than asked. “Wouldn’t it be easier just to change back?” The captain’s yellow eyes narrowed angrily. “And burn?” “Not in the shade here,” he persisted. Her teeth bared at him again. “I do as I wish,” she hissed. “I’m just fine as I am.” Carl no longer seemed nearly as intimidated. “Just trying to be helpful. You look uncomfortable.” Thora did not respond, but her thoughts found themselves at least entertaining his concept. Without a word, the worgen’s form wavered and changed in a mysterious haze, until the ginger-haired beauty from before had taken her place. Thora was a fair bit shorter in her human form than before, and while her grass skirt and coconut top were a tad looser on her, her natural curves were a boon in keeping the coverings quite nicely filled out. Carl hadn’t gotten such a good look at her human form when he’d been spying on her before, and he had to avert his eyes at the sight of the stark white triangles of skin that covered her breasts and created a v-shape over her hips and between her thighs. She was quite tan from her time at sea, but it was apparent that she was always wearing at least a bathing suit in her human form, and the tan lines showed beautifully around the sides of her makeshift outfit. She no longer appeared to have the urge to pant, though the humid heat that infested their encampment rather quickly drenched the maiden in sweat. Still, she did look much more comfortable than before.