It took most of the day to cross to the other side of the island. Te' wanted to stay off the marked trails to avoid running into our search party, so we walked along the side of narrow creeks and streams to stay out of sight. I was afraid the stony riverbeds would splinter my makeshift moccasins, but the flexible bark absorbed most of the brunt and the shirt-tie miraculously survived the entire trip. When we passed the same waterfall where I was bitten by the sna
ke, I knew we were getting close to the beach.
"How can you navigate through this dense jungle so easily?" I said, amazed at how she'd found her way back to the same spot on such a large island.
"I've lived here my whole life," she said. "I know this island like the back of my hand. There's not much else to do for fun around here, so I've made lots of expeditions in my eighteen years."
"I hope your father and your boyfriend don't know the island as well as you do. Otherwise, there'll be nowhere safe to hide."
"Don't worry about that," Te' said, peering up at the darkening sky. "I've had lots of practice hiding out in the forest. It's starting to get dark, so we won't have time to build a more comfortable shelter until the morning. We'll have to make do with a camouflaged lean-to for this evening. I'm looking forward to showing you how easily we can live off the land. We'll try to make the most of our little exile until your friends return."
"I'm looking forward to it too," I said, recalling my Robinson Crusoe fantasy. "This should be quite the adventure."
When we reached the beach where our charter boat had set anchor, Teuila checked out the lagoon and nodded.
"This will work fine. It's nicely secluded, has shallow water and shoals to catch fish, and has a good lookout for approaching boats."
"Where will we sleep?" I said, wrapping my arms around my chest, feeling the cool onshore breeze.
"It's probably best not to sleep on the beach tonight. My father may be sending out a canoe patrol to search the perimeter of the island. We'll have to sleep inland this evening."
I peered into Te's brown eyes and smiled.
"As long as lying I'm next to you, I can sleep anywhere."
Teuila found a secluded spot behind a sand dune and hacked down some large palm leaves to provide cover and keep us warm. Then she harvested a few pineapples and coconuts from some nearby palm trees, and we enjoyed an impromptu dinner.
"You must be hungry after trekking all day," she said, noticing me shivering as she placed some leaves over my bare torso. "Tomorrow we'll catch and cook up some fresh fish. But it's too risky to build a fire right now. Will you be warm enough sleeping here tonight?"
We lay down in the pit and Te' snuggled up close to me, pulling the big leaves over our bodies.
"I am now," I said, feeling her warm skin pressed against mine.
As much as I wanted to make love to her again, after ten hours of hiking we both fell asleep within minutes. In the morning, I woke to the sound of seabirds chirping in the distance as the morning sun began to warm up our little nest of leaves. Te' rolled over when I began to stir, and I kissed her gently.
"Did you sleep well?" I asked, caressing her warm shoulders.
"Like a log. But I had a few nightmares. I dreamed that my father found us and dragged us back to the village where he tied you to a stake in the main square. As everybody celebrated my marriage to Manaia, he set you aflame while I watched helplessly from his arms."
"Jesus!" I said, flaring my eyes open. "Would he actually do that if he caught us?"
"Perhaps not quite so viciously. But he's had other tribespeople punished for far less an offense."
Te' began lifting herself up to get out of the pit.
"We need to begin building fortifications and a better hiding place."
"Can't it wait a few more minutes?" I said, clutching her wrist. "This is the first time we've been alone in almost two days. I was hoping we could have a little fun before we get to work. Besides, don't you need to let your finger rest a little longer to let it heal?"
Teuila lifted her hand and untied the strip of cloth around her finger then opened the leaves to peer at her cut. The bleeding had stopped, but she had a nasty inch-long scar on the side of her hand.
"It still looks tender," I said, lifting her finger to my mouth as I sucked on the tip gently. "Maybe it needs some of my special healing juices."
"I'm not sure it works that way," Te' chuckled. "But it feels good, just the same."
"Well if it feels good licking your finger, maybe I can make you feel even better licking you somewhere else."
I lifted Teuila's robe over her shoulders then lay her down on the leaves.