Underbrush rustled, tracing against the dark metal that slowly inched its way through the low-lying bushes and scrubs. On its flank, a dog-like head pushed out, making a motion akin to sniffing at the air.

Damnit, they've officially learned to start hunting in packs. Maybe a sign that I was being taken seriously now. That wasn't a good thing. Still, they were headed north. So my plan worked. For the time being. Sooner rather than later, they were going to have to wisen up.

Thank you, crew members, for your generous donation of binoculars. I waited a few more minutes, as a third destroyer joined the pair, before continuing. Still, I hadn't been spotted, so that was enough of a success in my book. Now, let's get down from this igneous outcrop and get back to our little camp.

And actually, prepare to properly leave this time. Packing up food should have been the first thing we did. I didn't know how long pineapple kept, but it should be able to hold up a few days. Heading back had crossed my mind. Even if we had to go further inland again, the food supplies alone would be worth it. Or would I be heading inland? We had been traveling east yet we hadn't run into the ocean, or near it, like I thought we had.

Curse my messed up sense of scale and distance. I probably wouldn't have gotten this far without my internal compass, I freaking swear.

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"Luzon?" Luzon, are you here?" I whispered as I made my way into the small clearing. Trees and brush nearly surrounded it entirely, with a small but very rocky and steep hill to the north. Having our backs to the wall wasn't the greatest idea, but I doubted the destroyers could climb.

I couldn't see the small girl in the clearing. Great. I honestly should have known better than to leave a child, an easily bored and scared child, alone for any length of time. But I didn't want to drag her needlessly through the jungle every time I want to scout out the area, either.

Okay, she couldn't have gotten far. Or have been gone for long. I couldn't find any tracks, human or otherwise. That meant.

"Isabell! Up here!" A noise exited my throat, my body jolting.

"Sorry! Did I scare you?" Luzon's voice made my heart stop its erratic hammering against my rib cage.

"I'm fine," I did my best to wave off the question. "But I'm going to have to ask what you're doing up there." Yeah, what exactly was she doing up there, anyway? And why was she holding a pointed stick?

She chuckled a slight grin on her face. "I found something up here. Come up! I'll show you!"

I paused for a moment. She seemed happy about whatever she had found. It could be important. And even if it wasn't, did it matter that much? We had a secure position up there.

"All right, I'm coming up," ultimately, I conceded that I was going to be climbing up this rock face. God, the last time I did something like this felt like a lifetime ago. Though I do suppose field camp may have been a lifetime ago. At least my body as strong as steel now, and my skin wouldn't be torn to pieces on the sharpened limestone. Or the cactus. Never before have I hated a plant more.

In moments, I managed to scramble up the cliff face, pulling myself up to my feet. The view could have been better, though I didn't have much time to contemplate as Luzon grabbed my hand, dragging me along towards whatever place she uncovered.

A familiar trickle found it's way to my ears. Water? What was water doing back here?

Then I saw green. Which, okay, made sense. Running water was a surefire way to find plantlife or vise versa. That meant the outcrop was smaller than I thought it was, which was, well, not ideal. Little of this situation was, oh. Oh my.

I stand corrected. This was very ideal. I mean, holy cow! This was just, damn. It looked a bit like a crater, with a large pond in the center of uneven ground. Small trees surrounded it on the cliffs and near the edges of the surface. An oasis carved from rock and stone. Sunlight reflected off the water's surface glistening in the ripples that gently ran across.

Wow. Just wow. I'd never thought I'd see anything like this. We might actually be set here, for the time being.

"I found fish up here!" Luzon's grin was nearly ear to ear.

Huh. That would go a ways in explaining the spear.

"You know how to spearfish?" I raised an eyebrow at her. That was a particular set of skills right there. Her hair nearly cracked like a whip, she nodded so fast.

"Can you teach me?" I got another nod from the smaller ship. If I had a fishing pole, I would have tried to do this my way, but I didn't. And well, I wasn't seeing any string, or anything like it lying around, so I couldn't just find a stick and wrap a thread around it.

"First you need a stick, then you need to sharpen it, then you need to," did fish contain a similar level of sugar to that found in candy, by chance? I wasn't going to be able to keep half of this straight. The basic idea was simple. Make spear, throw at fish. That I could understand.

My lips twitched upward as I watched Luzon make her way to on the trees, breaking off a branch with a sickening snap. For a moment, I paused. That didn't sound like someone breaking off the limb of a tree at all. That sounded more like? The breaking of rocks?

Suddenly, the ground beneath me lurched, giving way. Wind rustled past my hair as shards of stone hurled past me. I managed to catch a glimpse of Luzon, her face contorting as I slammed into the water body.

The water felt warm, washing over my body. Even as I winced from the inverse bellyflop I just performed, I began to paddle. Numerous splashes came down around me, ranging from small fragments of rock to stones that could easily cave in a man's skulls. Some were even larger.

Further complicating matters was the response from my crew. They were doing, as the kids would call it, flipping their shit. Ultimately, I rose to the surface. In part because I didn't want the oncoming headache that would result due to the panic of several hundred men running amok in my skull.

Air rushed into my lungs with a gasp as I broke the now disturbed waters, ripples bouncing back and forth. Damn it, now my clothes were wet. Again! This was the second time since I landed on this island! On the open ocean that was probably a given, but inland!

Still, the water was calmer here than in the rapids of that stream, so even if I was soaked, I would at least enjoy myself.

"Isabella!" Luzon was already out on the water, skating slowly back and forth.

"I'm here!" I shouted, her head spinning to the sound of my voice as I stayed bobbing in the water. Summoning my rigging was something I could have done but given the river. No, I'd be better off swimming to shore.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"How are you doing that?" Luzon looked down at me, a perplexed expression growing on her face, as tears began to fade.

"I'm swimming," I kept up my stationary stroking in the water next to the smaller torpedo boat.

"But you're a cruiser. I thought," her body began to shake as Luzon let out a hiccup. I reached one of my hands out the water, ruffling her hair.

"I'm also a human. And humans can swim. We can swim," I stated, and at that moment, Luzon's expression froze. Had I just caused her to bluescreen? The whole concept had my crew screaming in sheer panic.

"I could swim?" Luzon's voice was faint but present.

I gave a simple nod. "I could teach you if you wanted." For a moment, Luzon's face tightened, her eyes squeezing shut. Her body shook once again, quaking in the water, her displacement nearly leading to me being swamped by another wave.

"I would like you to teach me please!" she nearly shouted, taking in a sharp breath. My lips twitch forward into a grin.

"Alright. We should probably start in the shallows over there," I pointed towards the water's edge. The water should be shallow enough for Luzon to be able to stand there without too much issue.

"Would you like an escort?" Luzon's foot shifted in the water, her face looking down at her feet. Okay, that was absolutely adorable.

"I'm more than willing to accept," I smiled at her bashfulness, as we began making our way back to the shore.

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Cool water lapped it's way between my toes, sending a shiver down my spine. I'd left a portion of my now considerably wet clothes out to dry. Again. I hope this wasn't going to become a pattern here. Still, the skirt had to go. It didn't take well to being waterlogged. Almost like I was being attacked by an angry wet blanket.

Luzon stood on the edge of the shore, rigging no longer active, eyeing the water as if it was about to bite off her foot. The pond continued to lap at the rocks, with Luzon slowly inching her foot forward, only to retreat as the water rushed forward. Maybe I should have just asked Luzon to dismiss her rigging before she arrived at the shoreline.

I took a few steps back, letting the water rise to past my ankles. "See? It's not going to hurt you." I offered my hand, offering Luzon an invitation. Slowly, ever so slowly, her foot tentatively moved forward again, this time holding its ground until the water made contact with her toes.

Luzon jumped back with a squeak, teeth already chattering. "Cold!"

I had to bite my lip to prevent a chuckle from sneaking out. How long ago was it when I would get up at the butt crack of dawn, before the pools had time to warm in the sun's rays, only to say the same thing? Quite a few years ago, but alas, memories.

"Unfortunately, there's not a lot I can do about that," I grinned, though I filed away that note. The sun was about to reach its zenith. A pool would have been warm by now, or at the very least, not as chilled as it was at present. Of course, I had little experience swimming in none man-made bodies of water, so I could just be wrong.

Luzon took a few more steps forward, making her way out to my depth, chattering all the while. I guess as an equatorial patrol boat, she wouldn't be able to handle cold waters all that well.

Okay, now I needed to remember how I got taught. I wasn't a monster, and try to force her to sink or swim, as it were. We had time. Maybe not a lot of it, but still we had time. It'd take a few days for the rescue op to get here, and that was before gathering the strikeforce, which would also consume a day or two. Besides, it was best to start with the basics anyway.

"Follow me," I began walking towards one of the cliffs. If remember correctly, we'd started by making our way around the pool while hanging off the side. What was it supposed to teach me? Quite frankly, I don't recall. Maybe something about our natural buoyancy? Either way, we'd simply get to a point where we couldn't touch the bottom anymore. Maybe it just let us acclimate until we felt comfortable?

Whatever it was, I knew it had to have some purpose. Luzon lagged behind me, teeth clattering as she pushed her way through more and more water. By the time I made it, water had nearly reached up to my waist. Luzon was about up to her chest, pushing through the meager waves like an icebreaker.

"Okay. Place your hands on the wall like so," once again, I was thankful for my new steel hands being able to completely ignore the sharp, eroded limestone block. Luzon mimicked me, placing her smaller hands against the white stone face. "Now, hold onto the wall, and follow me."

Using my grip, I slowly began to pull myself through the water, making sure to keep an eye on Luzon. Her movements were a bit shaky, and I wasn't sure whether it was from the cold, or her nerves.

Could it be her crew? Mentally, I send an inward glare towards my crewmates. No more panic for you! Everything is under control. No sinking. No floodings. You're just going to have to get used to me being able to swim!

Outwardly, I was still keeping a close eye on Luzon, matching the pace she set. Just in case something went wrong, being near enough to render aid was crucial.

"You're doing great," I smiled at her, giving the patrol boat a thumbs-up gesture. Luzon, whose face appeared to be full of uncertainty just a few moments prior, returned a beaming smile. I took a few more steps, before nearly lurching. My grip was more than enough to keep me from going any further, but there was a drop-off. And given how my foot wasn't returning anything but the feeling of water, no sand shifting between my toes, it had to be considerable.

"Luzon, be really careful right here, okay? There's a bit of a drop-off. Just keep a firm grip and kick your legs," I kept my voice even as I continued along. However, I was prepared to launch into action. Luzon continued to creep forward. Inch by inch she made her way closer and closer to the dropoff point. My movement began to slow, as she reached the submerged cliff.

My eyes widened as she lurched, head violently jerking down. Muscles coiled, as I prepared to push myself around Luzon and support her, or even drag her back to shore. Then her head popped back up, not quite returning to its original position, but it was no longer in danger of being swamped.

I released a breath I didn't know I was holding. That was too close for comfort.

"I'm doing it! I'm doing it!" Luzon's cries of glee brought more than a smile to my face. My heart swelled with warmth, and I returned a grin from ear to ear.