Island Survival: Starts by chopping a tree-Chapter 24
"Are these wolves or other wild animals?" he mumbled, as the realization of a significant problem dawned on him.
"We should hurry up and relocate our shelter. They must have already marked this place for their next attack," he concluded.
"Staying here for too long would be dangerous," Jeff thought, as he needed to speed up his pace.
Throughout the night, he didn’t sleep and made sure the fire wouldn’t be put out, fearing they would return. As the sun began to rise, his eyes were filled with dark circles.
Day 4
Finally, Layla, who had just woken up earlier, felt that she was going to pee, so she got up and stretched her arms wide with a yawn.
As she got out, she noticed that Jeff was already up, putting some branches and wood in the fireplace.
"Wow, Captain, you’re early," Layla said, surprised in her face, as she walked toward him.
Jeff, hearing a voice, shifted his look towards her.
Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, just like that of a panda, Layla was stunned by what happened to him.
"Captain, did you not get any sleep at all?" Layla exclaimed in concern.
Jeff, hearing her question, nodded in reply, "I didn’t," he said, full of seriousness.
As the rest also woke up feeling refreshed, Emma also saw Jeff’s presence, making her recall the events of last night, causing her face to turn red.
When Layla explained that he hadn’t slept at all, they were stunned, especially Charlotte.
Her sleep was very good and comfortable there is no ounce of problem at all, she was dumbfounded why she was not doing fine as her.
"Is it because of me?" Emma said in a low voice, her face turning crimson and shy.
Recalling the touch and the small bits of electricity that spread throughout her, she couldn’t help but close her legs, remembering her wet garden.
"Why did you not sleep last night? Did something happen!" Charlotte asked, feeling the situation was not normal at all.
When she looked at Emma, she could see that she was diverting her gaze towards him, clearly something must have happened.
Emma, hearing her question and looking at her suspiciously, was frightened. She was like a cat that had its tail stepped on.
Jeff, who was tired, answered it directly, about the events last night, he had already forgotten it.
Since memories like that would make him go down a dark path. The path of segsss.
"There were some wild animals last night. I didn’t sleep since no one was going to light up the fire to scare them away," he explained.
Hearing what he said, all of them were frightened. Jessica hugged Ariana’s arms again, and this time Ariana wasn’t frustrated since she was also afraid.
Emma, who heard his explanation, furrowed her brows. She thought that he couldn’t sleep after what happened last night.
That seemed to not be the case at all, "Is he making an excuse?" she thought with a frown on her face.
"Captain, what should we do then?" Layla asked, since this place was not safe anymore.
"We have to move out. Let’s go and gather our stuff so we can prepare," he spoke to the five of them.
The girls, who had been feeling reluctant yesterday, were now very afraid.
They were scared that while they were sleeping last night, they might have been bitten or become lunch for some wild animals.
Luckily, Jeff, their captain, was wide awake, keeping the fire alive to scare away any wild animals in the surrounding area.
They then organized their stuff while Jeff took the pouch from the tree. As he got down, they decided to rest for a bit after they were almost done.
"Hey, Captain, look at this!" Layla called out, pointing towards a coconut lying on the ground.
The coconut was split open, its thick husk partially shredded and the soft, juicy interior was exposed in the sunlight. The edges of the opening were jagged, as though something with powerful claws had pried it apart.
"It seems like something sharp managed to open it. I’ve never seen anything like it," she added, her curiosity was piqued.
The girls seeing this they began to gather around it and ponder for a while as an idea emerges in their mind, "Is this what I think it is?" Emma said with a wary face, her voice serious.
"Another survivor must have, pried it open while we are sleeping last night" Charlotte shuddered thinking if this is the case.
"Survivor? big sister is it those people" Jessica uttered, her lips were trembling.
She greatly remembered how abnormal and crazy those guys are, Charlotte did not speak but also believed that it must be those guys.
"Should we escape right now? What happens if they return to cause trouble again?" Ariana suggested, glancing at the four of them.
Emma then intervened, "Don’t worry, isn’t the young captain is quite capable? We have nothing to fear; if he could fend them off once, he can do it again," she said, smiling to reassure them.
As she spoke with admiration, memories of the previous night’s events flooded back, causing her cheeks to flush with redness.
Charlotte, seeing Layla’s sudden change in demeanor, was clearly curious if something really happened last night.
"Speaking of the Captain, here he is," Ariana said, looking at Jeff who arrived closed to them.
They then opened up a space so Jeff could take a closer look. He lowered himself onto his knees, examining the coconut closely.
As he touched the jagged edges, an idea emerged in his mind.
"This wasn’t done by a person," Jeff explained, noting the puzzled expressions on their faces.
"Look at the way it’s been opened it looks uneven, with bits of the husk shredded and scattered. This is the work of a coconut crab. They’re strong enough to crack open coconuts with their powerful claws. So, no need to worry about any unwelcome visitors. It’s just nature doing its thing." His explanation brought a wave of relief to the group, easing their initial concerns. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
Jeff then stood up, brushing off his hands, and gave them a reassuring nod.
"Let’s keep moving. We’ve got a lot to do today."
They all nodded, and as Emma was about to move, she spotted something crawling on the ground in the distance.
"Captain, is that the coconut crab?" she exclaimed, pointing at the creature.
Upon hearing her, he also looked toward the spot and saw it, "Nice eye, Ms. Emma," Jeff muttered, his voice tinged with excitement.
He then dashed towards the coconut crab, which was minding its own business searching for coconuts.
With swift and precise movements, Jeff reached down and seized the crab by its sturdy legs, thwarting its escape.
Sensing danger, the crab attempted to retaliate using its pincers. Anticipating this, Jeff quickly released its legs and grasped its two pincers instead.
"Got you, little thief," Jeff said with a smile, as he inspected the captured crustacean before him.
The coconut crab he caught was a massive specimen, likely an adult. Its body was covered in a tough, dark-blue exoskeleton, and its claws were impressively large and powerful, capable of cracking open coconuts with ease.
The crab’s body was about 16 inches (40 cm) in length, and its legs spanned nearly 3 feet (90 cm) when fully extended.
As he carried it up Jeff looked at this prey with a smile, he had a general understanding of this coconut crab.
The coconut crabs that he just caught are a great source of protein. Their meat is rich and nutritious, that is good for making a hearty meal.
Seeing the human scary appearance in front of him the coconut crab was scared, "Young captain there seems to be more" Ariana voiced out, pointing at some place.
Jeff hearing this and seeing that there was a lot he was happy.
"Ariana hold this" Jeff said in a haste.
Hearing his command, Ariana didn’t agree. If it had the power to crack open a coconut, what would have happened if it used its massive claw to pinch her finger? Wouldn’t it come off?
Jeff, seeing her stiff appearance, decided to give it to Layla. But this time, she was also afraid.
Seeing this, he tried to pass it to the rest, but neither Emma, Jessica, nor Charlotte took it.
Seeing this, Jeff’s smile disappeared. He looked back at the sandy beach and saw that only a small amount of coconut crabs remains.
"You know what, quickly! hand me a rope," he called out to them.
Charlotte, who was holding a small rope, passed it to him. He swiftly tied the coconut crab by its thorax1, effectively preventing it from retaliating or attacking.
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Thorax is the part of the body of a mammal between the neck and the abdomen, including the cavity enclosed by the ribs, breastbone, and dorsal vertebrae, and containing the chief organs of circulation and respiration; the chest.
Source: Oxford Dictionary
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"Here, it won’t pinch you, I promise. Catch," Jeff said, as he threw it towards Jessica.
Seeing the coconut crab in the air, she was shocked and stupefied, but her hands unexpectedly opened up and caught it. As she held it in her palm, she was scared shitless.
"Take it! Hurry and take it. I don’t want to become disabled!" she said with a sob, as her hands were straight out holding the coconut crab between her palms.
Hearing her cries, Ariana patted her on the back, with sweat on her forehead. "Jess, don’t be afraid. Look, it’s not even hurting you."
Hearing this, Jessica opened her trembling eyes and looked at her angrily. "If you’re not afraid, why don’t you take it?" she said.
"Uhhh," Ariana was scared shitless when it was pushed close to her, making her speechless since she was also afraid.
"Here, let me," Layla said as she took it in her hands.
As she held it, the coconut crab was only scratching her with its legs and didn’t hurt her. Its weapon was its pincers, but it was being restrained so no pincers no damage simple!
Layla’s stiff hands and pale face began to become livelier as she grew bolder and caressed its head.
"Look, it’s actually much cuter than what we expect," she exclaimed with a smile, caressing it with her fingers.
Hearing what she said and seeing the crab in her hands didn’t really hurt her, they all gathered towards the creature, looking at the cute little crab intently.
Even though it wasn’t little, but to them, it was since a woman’s perspective is different.
While they were caressing the coconut crab, the creature was looking at them with anger in its eyes,
Coconut Crab: "I, the benevolent one, ruler of both land and sea, with my water breathing and land walking, am the honored guardian of this island. None shall challenge my reign so easily.
It said with bubbles forming in its cute mouth. Seeing this, the girls were even happier to pet it. Jessica didn’t join in since she was afraid.
What would have happened if the bind was broken, and it suddenly pinched her fingers, cutting them off? Given the possibility, she refrained from petting it and merely glanced at it.
"Jess, why don’t you try it? It won’t bite. Look," Ariana said, with her hands putting much force on the crab’s head.
The crab, feeling the uncomfortable touch, narrowed its eyes and glared at her furiously.
Coconut Crab: Human, just you wait and see.
Feeling its ferocious gaze, Charlotte hit its head with her knuckles, making the coconut crab stunned and look at Charlotte with a shocked look.
Coconut Crab: You damn human, just you wait for my revenge!
It said, making a bubbling sound with its mouth. Seeing its angry expression again, Charlotte spanked its head again until it returned to normal.
It looked like it was crying. "See, this little crab isn’t really that tough. Just hit it a few times, then it will turn into a good boy," Charlotte spoke towards Jessica.
Jessica was very much speechless from her actions. She couldn’t help but shudder and feel bad towards the coconut crab.
"Let’s tie this coconut crab up for a while and eat it after we relocate," Jeff said towards them. Hearing his voice, all of them forgot about him for a moment, totally preoccupied by the crab.
When they saw him, the girls were astonished since he’d caught like about four more coconut crabs.
They were already restrained and tied into one line, so it was easy to carry.
Jeff then took the coconut crab in Layla’s palm and tied it to the rest. The five of them, seeing that it was taken away, were saddened.
The coconut crab, who had escaped the devil’s hands, looked at the rest of its buddies.
Coconut Crab: Heh! I’m not alone. Even though I alone am the honored one.
Coconut Crab 2: Honored one, you’re face!
The other coconut crab retorted. This same kind of him watched too much anime, thinking that he was the main character.
And now he will be the food for the main character.
Thorax is the part of the body of a mammal between the neck and the abdomen, including the cavity enclosed by the ribs, breastbone, and dorsal vertebrae, and containing the chief organs of circulation and respiration; the chest.
Oxford Dictionary.
