Page 12 of Awakening Storm

She glanced to where the eagle had been yesterday. The spot was empty. Then her gaze swept the trees and surrounding area to see if it had moved, but she couldn’t find it.

She stood slowly, keeping the crinkling blanket wrapped around her as best she could, and moved to the nearly extinguished fire. Goodness that Mylar was loud! At least any nearby wild creature would hear her and stay away. But not the pup; he followed at her heels.

She decided the best way to warm up was to do some morning exercises , just like she did at home. She set the Mylar blanket aside and strolled to the beach, the dog walking right along with her. The cove of the island faced southeast, and in the fog-kissed sunrise, she went through her Tai Chi sequence. The stretches felt so good after the long hours of traveling she’d done the past few days. As she bent over to touch the ground again, the dog ran up to her and licked her face and neck, making her laugh and nearly fall over.

When she finished, she headed back to the fire. She’d need to stoke it and get it roaring again. She stirred the ashes with a stick. In the middle, the coals flared red.

The pup stuck his nose close to the embers. “No,” she commanded. “It’s hot.”

The dog quickly stepped back. “Oh, you’re a smart one, aren’t you?” she asked with a laugh. “You stay back while I work, okay?”

The pup barked as if in answer.

She went over to the stockpile of kindling and branches she’d stored beneath the ledge and grabbed some leaves and sticks. She layered them over the glowing embers and then leaned closer to lightly blow on them until a fire sparked. When it flamed, she carefully placed larger sticks and branches one on top of the other. The fire climbed along the dry wood.

Satisfied, she warmed her hands near the heat. God, it felt good. According to her research, this area maintained a temperature between forty and seventy degrees in October. This morning definitely felt like the lower end of that spectrum. And according to Google, it rained seventeen out of thirty days. Traveling inland to find a permanent dry shelter was definitely at the top of her to-do list today.

Reluctantly leaving the fire, she headed for the firewood she’d stored beneath the ridge. Taking a few steps in that direction she froze in mid-stride. What? There was a sleeping bag resting next to the pile of broken branches she’d gathered last night.

How did it get there?

She searched the surrounding area. Had someone from the reality show crew delivered it during the night? That seemed a bit farfetched given the premise of the show, yet she didn’t have another explanation.

A chill ran through her, one that had nothing to do with the biting wind. Someone had entered her camp and she hadn’t even realized it.

* * *

From the deep shadowsof the trees, Aidan watched in his tiger form. She’d found the sleeping bag he’d left. At least she’d have something more than that noisy Mylar to keep her warm tonight. That is, if he hadn’t convinced her to go home by then.

She grabbed the GoPro from her satchel and put it on, this time using a chest harness. She spoke to her presumed audience. “Good morning, everyone. Welcome to day two ofIf You Dare. I’m here in what the locals call the Dragon Vortex, which covers about 600,000 square miles off the coast of northern Japan, with this deserted island situated smack-dab in the middle. This is the island of Tsuriairando, which means ‘tree island.’”—she swept her arms left and right—“for obvious reasons.”

Aidan stretched his spine. Yes, she seemed to be documenting her journey for some reason, walking around and capturing the island on camera.

“The legend goes that a dragon resides in this area and eats anyone who ventures here. Which is the local’s explanation as to why hundreds of people have vanished in this area, never to be heard from again. Planes have crashed; ships have been found abandoned.”

She crouched nearer to the fire, warming her hands. She pursed her lips and paused in thought. The adorable expression touched something in him, called to him, and made him want to help her even more.

“So, here I am,” she continued, “daring to defy the odds of surviving the unknown. I’ll let you know if I see any such mythical creatures.” She peered at Takeshi. “And this little guy doesn’t count, even though there supposedly aren’t any domestic animals on this island. That obviously isn’t the case,” she said, twisting her lips into a smile.

He liked listening to her. It was like the sun rising on the water, vibrant yet quiet and smooth, with a hint of an accent. And since he was the only one here, it felt like she was speaking directly to him.

“Okay,” she said, grabbing the pan from the pack and glancing at Takeshi. “Let’s head down to the ocean and see if I can rustle up some clams for breakfast.”

She walked toward the water carrying a knife, a tall walking stick, and the pan. After she’d passed by him, still in tiger form, he slowly moved from his hiding place and lumbered after her, keeping his distance.

Show yourself. Frighten her so she will flee the island and not return.

He knew that was his best chance to get her to leave. But it wasn’t as simple as it sounded. What if she caught him on her camera?

At the water’s edge, she squatted and dug the knife in the sand. It didn’t take long for her to unearth a couple of fist-sized clams. The island was rich with them, so he wasn’t surprised how quickly she found some, but she obviously didn’t know that and started jumping up and down, holding the clams in front of the camera.

“Look! Look. I did it!” She laughed, then set them in the pan.

Aidan stepped back into the shadows, to make sure she wouldn’t see him. He gave a feline smile. He enjoyed watching her; she was so sweet and seemingly naive in a good way. Rhianna skipped right past him again, this time with her prize.

After a moment, he followed her once more, staying hidden. Just a little longer, and then he’d frighten her and send her on her way.

Back at her makeshift camp, she took the camera and placed it on a stand to the side of the fire, facing toward her. Then she found a medium-sized rock and, using some sticks, repositioned the firewood. She set the rock in the middle of the fire, placing the clams on it, and positioned the burning wood and embers around it. She stood, resting a hand on her hip and looking into the camera.