Growing Misunderstandings

The work had been very difficult - even with the crew they had, it turned out to be harder than any of them imagined. Five days had passed already, and they didn't have a lot to show for it.

Lack of tools, bodies, and magic stones had made this project a lot more challenging than it did at first glance. They had to make their own tools with sharpened rocks tied to large sticks, and thin river rocks that could be ground down or chipped to make teeth to help saw wood. Hammers had been the easiest of all of their tools, but they also proved to be the most flimsy. Each time someone got too into their work, a rock would fly off and whizz past someone's head, or worse.....

"Agh! My eye! My fucking eye!" Jyiriah howled out and grabbed the left side of his face that was bleeding so profusely it seeped past his palm and dripped down his face.

"Jyriah! I'm so so sorry!" Jessie cried out in horror as she looked down to the stick she held missing its rock.

"Ow...Oh Goddess, that actually hurts..." the red head squelched out with a gurgle in his words as he tried to hold back tears.

"It's..okay...ahg..." Jyriah managed to tack on as his hand pressed into his wound as much as he could.

"I think I ruptured your eyeball," Jessie revealed horrified and turned as though she were going to puke.

"Oh cool-" Jyriah joked and started to fail at holding in tears, and so instead he let out yells of anger.

"Do you want me to go get Joss?" she asked in a hurry.

"No, no..." he assured her through a croak. "No offense, but I kind of want to get away from you right now. You're a stone-cold killer...hahah..stone...stone cold.." once again, his voice broke, but it held a remarkable strength to it as he laughed through the pain.

"Can I at least help you back?" Jessie asked, positively mortified at the accident.

"No thanks..." he managed to reply as he walked off.

Jessie didn't know it - but he was just trying to get away as fast as he could so that he could throw up, or struggle out of view of anyone.

Instead, she thought that he was just angry at her and she sank her head into her hand with a jagged sigh.

Jess had every intention of telling him about her and Veltar today. It's why she wanted to come out here with him in the first place. With that plan ruined, she groaned and went about looking for the rock she had lost.

"Well, shit." Jessie hissed to herself as she scoured the ground for the heavy stone she had lost. It was extra frustrating that it had been one of the best ones she had found for pounding.

The darkness from the thick forest hiding most of the moonlight didn't help. This was better than the alternative, though. She could be stuck with Metas, Lara, and Joss - they had the task of waiting at three separate locations to wait for anyone who was brought there to die.

It had happily been quiet and no one had needed to be rescued in the past five days, but no one was expecting that to last much longer, and the vigilance in waiting had only increased.

"I hate this...." she muttered as her fingers ran over soft blades of grass and fallen debris from trees and tiny pebbles embedded in the ground.

Jess would consider it bad luck, but she would have no idea how big of a discover she made as her palm sliced across something very, very sharp in the rustle of the leaves. To say her cry was shrill and sharp would be an understatement as her voice bounced off of the trees.

Angry, she kicked at the area, which sent leaves into the air, and caused the tip of the mysterious item to make a low, brief 'clunk'. "What in the hell?" she muttered out as she clutched her palm to her chest and held it with the other to stop the bleeding.

It was just a tiny little metal 'pyramid' that they had somehow not run into in the past few days they had been working in this space, and it confused her. What could it have possibly been...and how would she be able to find it again if she left and the wind covered it back up?

She kept her orange eyes focused on the barely shiny metal that teased her to dig for it. A dig she most certainly could not do with one paw.

Instead, she'd wait and hope someone came back to this spot soon before she ran into any kind of trouble.

*********

"Ah, sweetheart - what happened?" Joss asked as he tended to Jyriah's burst eyeball. It was nothing a mate couldn't fix, but it was clearly painful.

"Your sister lost her stone when we were breaking down a large boulder and it hit me in the eye," the fiery male answered with a grimace, but still a grin on his face.

"I'm so sorry - I'm sure she didn't mean it" Joss replied with anxiety. Ever since Syrana had died - it seemed like had been acting extra weird.

"Babe, I know she didn't mean it - it was an accident. Why are you so nervous lately?" Jyriah asked with a raised brow.

"I..well..." Joss started, but was unable to continue. Instead he told a half-truth, "look, I think I really put my foot in my mouth with your sister, and nothing I do seems to be fixing it."

"Oh. Listen, Myri is really stubborn. The best way to get her to forgive you is to not say anything. Just give her some space, and she'll come to you," Jyriah reassured him with a smile that was losing the pain in it the more Joss cleaned the wound and gave his flesh tender little pecks around the damaged area.

"Are you sure that won't upset her more?" Joss asked with uncertainty.

"Hah - absolutely, Myranda has always been like that. Stop giving her ammunition, and she'll cool off. Just smile, be yourself around everyone, and eventually she'll welcome you back with a joke or ask you a question - something like that," Jyriah said with a lighthearted tone.

"Thanks, sweetheart. I can always count on you for support, I'm really lucky to have you," the cobalt-haired mate said with relief as he put his forehead to the side of Jyriah's head.

"Likewise, babe" the fiery mate replied to his icy love.

"Why do I feel like something else is on your mind?" he followed up.

"Oh, it's - it's nothing..." Joss lied and then tried to change the conversation quickly. "How is the base going for the third opening?"

"I know you are lying to me - but I respect your right to not tell me - but please tell me when you can find the courage," Jyriah replied with a soft sigh and wondered what could be making his cool-headed, grounded mate act so unlike himself.

Jyriah found himself falling down a rabbit hole of worry as different ideas tried to fill the unknown.

Was he cheating on him with someone?

Was he having second thoughts about their relationship?

Why would Joss hide something from him?

Had he not liked the way the he had reacted to his sister's death? There were so many worries that flooded his mind, that it made his heart tense with pain. The pair were usually open and honest with each other about absolutely everything. What changed that? What did he do to upset Joss so badly?

"Hey, I'm going to go back to my post, okay? I feel my eye regenerating and I don't think Jessie can lift the next log without me. I'll see you at dinner time...or.. breakfast? I don't know what anything is anymore now that we sleep during the day. Although, it feels far more natural to me, you know?" Jyriah said and used his own distraction naturally.

"I agree. I kind of don't want to go back to being up in the sun. It get too hot with we have to run in it. It makes it a lot harder to hunt," Joss replied as he played into Jyriah's flawless diversion.

"See you soon ice cube," Jyriah said before he departed, and when he saw that Joss turned back to doing his work on diagrams and blueprints, relief flooded him as it was clear he suspected nothing about his fears.

Maybe he'd reveal what was bothering him soon..and if not, how could he find out behind Joss' back? This was a new feeling for Jyriah, as Joss had been the one he trusted more than anyone - and if he was about to lose that, too - he wanted to know in advance so he could prepare for it.

Even if preparing for it would absolutely do nothing when it came to the crushing blow.

No, he couldn't wait. He'd have to find out somehow. Starting with questioning Jess as soon as he got back to where they had been working. She had been acting weird, too and now he wanted to know why.

He prepared to interrogate her as soon as he got back to the dig site.