016 ┃ Stripped Down Truths

Dawn had little difficulty in preparing the bonfire. Though she managed it in less than five minutes, Spud couldn't help but shiver uncontrollably. He even hugged himself to retain as much warmth as possible. With the icy wind lashing at him, he wouldn't be surprised if he lost feeling in his toes at any moment.

Once the fire was lit, he threw himself towards it, eager to warm up as quickly as possible.

"Oh... so warm," he expressed, feeling sensation return to his fingers gradually.

He turned to thank his companion, but what he saw made him cry out in surprise. Dawn was calmly undressing down to her underwear. Hearing his shout, she looked at him, puzzled.

"What?" she asked, bewildered.

Spud blushed as red as a tomato while trying to look away from his companion's body.

"What do you mean, what's going on? Why are you undressing?" the boy questioned, agitated. He didn't know what made him more nervous: the fact that Dawn had taken off her clothes or that she didn't care at all.

"It's obvious. It'll dry faster this way," she replied, indifferent to her companion's anxiety. "With this cold, if we don't dry properly, we could get sick easily, believe me. You're soaked through; you should do the same, or you'll regret it later."

Spud didn't know what to say. It didn't seem like his companion had any qualms about undressing in front of him. Was he the odd one? In the end, he opted to do the same as Dawn and stripped down to his underwear, which only made him blush even more.

They laid their clothes on rocks near the fire and prepared some fish to cook. Throughout the time they waited for them to cook, Dawn avoided looking directly at him, and he was grateful. It would have been too uncomfortable for him.

The fish didn't take long to cook. Dawn had taken care of gutting them, placing them over the fire, turning them when necessary, and removing them when they were done. Spud could only watch his companion's adept work from the other side of the fire. He still had much to learn if he didn't want Dawn to take care of him like a child. When the meal was ready, they each took a fish and gave another to Lion, who began to devour it eagerly.

They ate in silence while waiting for their clothes to dry. Spud tried to think of something to say to break the silence, but the situation had unnerved him too much.

He tried to keep his eyes straight ahead, but he couldn't prevent a couple of sidelong glances at his companion.

Though slender, Dawn had well-defined muscles. Spud knew that the girl had been hunting and doing all sorts of activities for a year, but he was still impressed. She looked like a professional athlete. Even though he was almost a head and a half taller than her, his mediocre physique paled in comparison to hers.

Spud also noticed that the girl's body was covered in scars of all sizes. She must have been through hell during the year she had been there. He couldn't help but look at the fresh cuts that covered her arms and legs, inflicted during the fight with the stalker the previous day.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. You have many wounds because of me," the boy apologized, his voice almost inaudible.

The girl looked in his direction and blushed slightly, aware that Spud had been watching her.

"Don't worry about that. I already told you they were superficial," she responded, looking away.

Spud didn't know what to reply, so silence fell again. The only sounds were the crackling fire and the melodies of the birds. They remained that way for quite a while until Dawn decided to speak again.

"We need to find you new clothes," the girl mentioned, looking at the black uniform hanging in front of them.

Spud looked up to see it. It was tattered and covered with dirt and grime, but still recognizable as a school uniform. He had never bothered to study the clothing he'd arrived on the island with in detail. There was a withered white flower pinned to the upper pocket of the jacket.

"Yeah, that would be good," the boy responded. "Hey, Dawn, what were you wearing when you arrived on the island?"

"I think it was a uniform similar to yours. Although I was wearing a skirt," she explained.

"Really? That's a bit odd, isn't it? Maybe it means something," Spud analyzed.

"Yes, that we were students. Well done, genius," Dawn teased.

"I mean besides that. Yesterday, when I went to the temple, I saw many interesting things. In one of the books, I found a story explained. I still need to look at it better because I could only understand the drawings and barely grasp the plot..." Spud began to ramble but shook his head to refocus. "The point is that in the story, a girl appeared wearing a uniform similar to ours."

"It could be a coincidence," Dawn suggested while eating unconcernedly.

"Well, yes, of course. But the interesting part is that in the story, the girl seemed to be... committed in some way. I don't know if it makes sense," explained Spud, unsure of his own words.

"Committed?"

"Yes. I still don't understand it very well, but she was floating in the sky, and above her, there was a rather strange character. He seemed to be the one who was giving the girl away. What's strange is that it was the same boy who was in the statue at the temple."

"Oh, that creepy thing. I remember it," added Dawn.

"I think the people of this place worshipped a god, and that it's the one in the statue. That's my theory, at least," Spud proposed, staring at his food.

"Well, it doesn't seem to have done them much good," she mocked.

Spud smiled at the comment.

"Maybe you're right," he paused. "But I think I'm on the right track. Perhaps if I find out more about the myths, I can discover what happened here. I just need some time."

"Yes, good luck with that," Dawn replied sarcastically.

The girl turned to offer Lion another piece of fish, but the cat was not there. Instead, the remains of the carp he had been eating were left. She looked around, scanning the place with her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Spud asked, seeing his companion's agitation.

"The cat. It's gone," she replied, getting up. She threw the remains of her food on the ground and picked up her already dry clothes.

"What?" the boy asked again, looking around to make sure. "Oh, no. What if a bird or a snake or something caught him? He's too small to defend himself."

"Let's go look for him. Quickly," the girl ordered, tossing her clothes to Spud.

They both dressed as quickly as they could and began to search the nearby bushes. There was no sign of him.

Within a few seconds, Spud found the tail of the carp they had given the kitten on the ground.

"Dawn! He went this way!" the boy informed, entering the forest to follow the cat's path. He didn't stray far from the bonfire, but the forest was so dense that it was hard to move quickly.

After a few minutes of searching among the trees, Spud located a black spot on the ground. Lion was swishing his tail, entertained, as he played with a very annoyed lizard. The boy's heart nearly stopped when he found him.

"Heavens, at last," he exclaimed, picking up the cat and embracing him tightly. "Don't ever do that again."

Dawn ran to where they were. Her expression relaxed as soon as she saw Spud with the animal. She was about to say something but suddenly fell silent, fixing her gaze in the distance.

"Did you see that?" she asked, nodding her head toward something behind Spud.

The boy turned, confused, to see what she was referring to. He must have been so focused on the ground looking for Lion that he hadn't noticed. A few meters away, hidden in a clearing between the trees, stood a huge mansion. Unlike Dawn's house, this building was much more ostentatious and elegantly designed. It was not as large as the temple, but it still made the rest of the village houses look like ramshackle huts. There was even what he believed to be a horse-drawn carriage parked near the entrance, though it was so wrecked that it was hard to recognize.

Spud looked at Dawn with bright eyes and a puppy-like face. Although he said nothing, the girl read his thoughts. She sighed and began to walk toward the house.

"Fine, I get it. We'll go take a quick look."

Spud celebrated quietly and hurried to follow his companion.