Survival Island (reality show)

15.Questions and answers

“Do you think it’s safe to look out of this cave?” Magnus asks a bit later.

“Are you hungry?” Sebastian muses. “I can see if there is a fish or two to catch. We can’t go anywhere right now, you need more rest.”

“What are you talking about? I feel fine.” Magnus frowns at him. 

“Aha. Stand up and walk.” He smirks, but gets ready to catch him. He knows this can’t go right. Shifter speed is not for humans and the Major managed to keep up for half of the way.

Magnus stands, but falls right as he lifts one leg to make a step. Sebastian jumps over the cave and catches the guy before he hits the ground. He sits him back down and gives him some water to drink. This will be a long day of trial and failure, he’s lucky to come out of this experience with no permanent damage to his heart.

“Stay put. I’m sorry, but I really wanted to get you away from there fast. This is all my fault.” Sebastian tells Magnus. “You tried to keep up with my pace. I should be more considerate and just lift you.”

“I don’t actually remember anything, it was a blur of green around me.” Magnus smiles.

“Traveling at my speed can do that to you. I’ll warn you if it comes to that again.” He nods and sighs. “We’ll be here for a while. Let me see about some food and I can tell you more later.”

Sebastian stands at the entrance of the cave and listens intently. No sounds that are not water or jungle. No humans close by. Or if they are, he can’t hear them. So, hopefully, whoever was on the top of the waterfall, took some other route. They seem to be alone here. He steps out and around the wall to see if there is any suitable firewood close by. He gathers some branches and carries them inside. The fire will have to be small and close to the opening. He can’t add smoke poisoning to the energy deprivation. He’s trying to save Magnus, not kill him.

“Let me show you another thing I can do.” He tells Magnus who watches him like a hawk. “The strength allows me to make kindling from branches.”

“Just like that? With your bare hands?” Magnus asks.

“Yes.” Sebastian nods. He breaks the branches into smaller pieces and even crushes a few in his fist to make splinters. He will need a small starting fire to avoid making too much smoke.

“That was neat.” Magnus laughs. “That part where you carried me here was real? I didn’t imagine that?”

“It was real.” He nods. “I can carry you across the island and not feel any difference. It all comes down to shape, that defines how hard or awkward something is to carry. Weight comes last, but I draw the line at cars. Even shifters can sprain a joint or tear up muscles.”

“Fascinating. So, catching fish with only your hands is just speed and wolf reflexes?” Magnus inquires to remind him of food.

“Yeah. Thank you for reminding me that we both need food. I’ll go see about those fish now. I get distracted easily.” Sebastian chuckles. How could he forget that he still needs to go fishing for them? He feels even more hungry now that he shifted. It takes energy he doesn’t have to spare. Getting food is a must now.

He goes back out and listens to his senses. There is no one around. He can hear Magnus crawling around the cave, but nothing else. There is not even a breeze to disturb the trees. He leaves his boots and pants on the shore and wades into a pool at the side. Same rocky grounds and fish hiding spots as on the other side of the river. He lets the wolf do the job and his eyes turn gold. This is a sure way of getting fish. 

Concentrating on the task of fishing, he is still listening to the jungle. He would hate it to be surprised by anything. Yet alone the killer. Sebastian needs to come up with a plan to catch the guy. But who is it? Which of the experts would go to such lengths? Who is a sociopath among them? He doesn’t know them by name, he knows nothing about any of them. Maybe Magnus knows something? Did he recognize a name or two? Did he even watch any of the survival shows on Discovery? He needs to ask him later.

‘How many fish do we need?’ The wolf asks him.

‘Four. We need protein and there is nothing else. I can’t believe I’m missing the sides.’ Sebastian answers. He glances at shore and there are four dead fish next to his boots. He smiles at his wolf and thanks him for the food. ‘Thank you, wolfie. If you come up with a plan on how to catch the killer, let me know.’ 

Sebastian cleans the fish while he dries off enough to get dressed back up. He is surprised to see a small fire going in the entrance of the cave. Magnus managed to start it, even if he looks pale like a sheet. The experience left him rattled, but he’ll come around soon. He nods to the guy and fixes the fish on a thin branch. He will roast the fish gently over the fire and pass it over when it’s done. 

“Stop feeling guilty for saving my life. I’ll be fine.” Magnus tells him.

“I should think before I act. You could have permanent damage to your organs. I worry about your heart. You’re not built for such exertion.” Sebastian sighs. 

“You make it up by feeding me.” Magnus smiles and takes a fish to slowly eat it.

“I have to, you’ve grown on me.” He nods. “I miss potatoes. I can’t wait to get back home and eat a decent meal.”

“Tell me about it. Right now I couldn’t care less for the prize.” Magnus cuckles. “But I’m worried about the killings. I don’t want to be next, but what can we do to avoid it? We have no weapons.”

“We have my wolf. You don’t have to worry about it. I’ll let him out to scout ahead at night.” Sebastian tells him. “I can’t do that in the daytime. Wolves are not native to this island and a white wolf would stand out too much.”

“What if he falls into one of the traps that were set all over?” Magnus inquires.

“He won’t. Give him some credit. The wolf can smell a trap. I have some of his abilities, but not all. My human nose just can’t catch all the subtle nuances a wolf’s snout can.” He answers and he can hear a faint musing of his wolf in the background. The animal is oddly flattered that Magnus worries about him. 

“Should I apologize? He’s not offended, is he?” Magnus asks.

“No need.” Sebastian laughs. “I bet you have more questions for me.”

“A few. Can the wolf see at night? I mean like real night vision?” The Major inquires. He might as well play around in his head and think in terms of rank, it’s fun sometimes.  

“He can. It’s not like those night vision goggles. I can’t exactly explain it. It’s something between thermal imaging and not needing as much light to see. For me, it’s normal, I’m used to it by now. I even learned to differentiate shades of red and orange, the wolf can’t see. It all appears grey.” Sebastian explains.

“You don’t even look weird with golden eyes.” Magnus comments randomly. “Can you change something else as well? Is that too intrusive to ask?”

“Not at all. I can shift only my fingers into claws. Comes very handy at catching things or self defense.” Sebastian winks and flicks his claws out. “It’s a useful party trick. It takes a lot of self control to pull this off. And a good relationship with the wolf. Most shifters can’t do a partial shift. It’s usually all or nothing.”

“Oh, wow! That’s amazing. Does it hurt to shift? It didn’t look anything like the movie werewolves.” Magnus asks. He is getting genuinely interested.

“It doesn’t hurt, it’s magic.” Sebastian shakes his head. “It can hurt if one looses touch with the wolf and the shifts happen involuntary. Or, if the shift is forced. That hurts like hell.”

“Forced? Like at a full moon?” Magnus looks over at him with interest.

“The full moon thing is a myth. If I get shocked with electricity. A police taser on full power would do it.” Sebastian smirk. “Never had that done, but I have seen it. And the Alpha can do it. He just orders it and you have to obey. Fighting the order is futile, it will happen either way.”

“That sounds personal.” Magnus comments.

“Yeah. My dad is the Alpha. As kids, my brother and I, we did a lot of stupid things. It was his kind of punishment to force a shift. It cured us better of the stupidity than our mothers smack over the head.” He explains.

“I was thinking.” Magnus starts carefully and Sebastian wonders what the guy thought of that warrants such careful phrasing. “You told me the other day that things about you are top secret. Does the military know you’re a shifter?”

“Oh, that.” Sebastian laughs. “It’s not common knowledge, but yes. Some people in the military know. There are quite a lot of shifters in active duty. I know five others, but we were never stationed together. They like to keep us dispersed around, so we don’t forget to hide our abilities. It would be too obvious, if a team would be so much better than the rest. I have missed a shot or two on purpose at evaluations, just to better fit in.”

“You’re telling me your ex team doesn’t know? How could you hide it from people you spent so much time with?” Magnus is surprised.

“Out of six people on my last team, only two know. My CO and our strategy officer. I could trust the guys with my life, but the chatterboxes on the team could not be trusted with my secrets. One of them even got a warning before discharge, because he told his wife where we were. He was reassigned right before I retired.” Sebastian tells Magnus. “Lucky for us, that mission was not so information sensitive, but still. You just don’t do that.”

“I get it. I feel honoured that you trust me with this.” Magnus inclines his head.

“It’s getting dark outside. How about a nice cold bath? This river has many small pools that are safe to bathe in. The center is a fast flowing mass of water, but the sides are safe.” He offers to get a break in the questioning and they really could use a bath.

“That would be nice. Did you wait till darkness for modesty or was I interesting enough with my questions?” Magnus inquires.

“Both, but mostly to not be seen by anyone else. I don’t know where the others are. I don’t know where the killer is. I like to have the advantage and right now I don’t, so we play it safe.” Sebastian explains.

“I understand.” Magnus nods.

They leave their clothes in the cave and slide out carefully. The small pool where Sebastian caught the fish before is just right to dip in and bathe off the sweat and dirt. He wishes for a bar of soap, but what he doesn’t have can wait. Even fresh water is a luxury out here in the jungle. He scans the surroundings carefully, but there is nothing out of the ordinary to be seen. They are safe for tonight where they are. Even the small fire can’t be seen from too many spots on the other side of the river. That gives him the incentive to catch a few more fish. They can roast them while they dry off by the fire. They are light food anyway. If he wants to go scouting later, he needs more energy.