My Wild Beast-Chapter 26: Yoa’s Hideout (2)

Nova not so subtly sniffed at her armpit once Yoa left and reared back sharply, wrinkling her nose. That’s nasty. Yoa’s senses were sharper. How awful did she smell to him?! No wonder he told her to bathe!

Nova stepped further into this fantastical room with such a stunning view. She couldn’t believe how open it was, but the large leaves created an enclosed space, providing some shelter from the wind and other elements. The sun shone across the horizon, kissing the tropical seas and glittering back at her as she slowly peeled back her ratty dress. She shook her head, holding the once beautiful designer piece in front of her, and released a breath upon seeing the rips and dirt smeared across it.

It had looked so cute on her mere days ago. She let it drop to the ground and stepped into the pool, sighing at the cool water and staring at the beautiful scenery, her hands hovering above the water at her waist. It rippled the further she walked in the pool that could only be described as those fancy infinity pools one would find at a snazzy hotel.

She sighed again, her shoulders relaxing a little as she embraced the view. The wind softly caressed her hair and skin, and the sun kissed her heated body. There was something utterly freeing about standing naked in a naturally crafted infinity pool. She ventured further forward, the water trickling along the edge of the rocky formation at the end.

Nova gripped the edge and looked over it. Her breath escaped her lips upon seeing the sharp drop. Below, there was no beach or jungle. It was only the sea, and the water cascaded into the pool, trickling gently from such a height.

A wave of dizziness rushed through her as Nova gazed down at the sharp fall and took a step back. She took a deep breath and ignored that little health and safety issue. She turned to the waterfall, strolling through the water and reaching out to it, sighing as the water hit her hand, arms, and the rest of her body.

She scooped up the water and splashed it over her face with a sigh. She turned to let the water cascade down her back. The cooled liquid was refreshing, making her skin pebble a little but she wouldn’t complain. It was a far shout from a hot shower but her body already felt much better, cleaner as the stickiness and grime washed away.

As Nova stared at the horizon, she couldn’t help but feel worlds apart from her home and lifestyle. It was beyond beautiful here, and if circumstances hadn’t been so mad and literally some sort of survival game, then this right now would feel like bliss, paradise, a snazzy B&B with a cool view and a waterfall shower feature. That wasn’t the case, though, and she could feel the pang in her chest as worry gnawed at her.

How am I going to get home? Can I get home?

If it was possible to make a boat, then she could sail it- no scratch that. To get to the island, Nova had to get a seaplane from Brazil, which landed still at quite a distance from the island, meeting a speedboat that took her there. She had no idea how long sailing a boat would take to get to Brazil, how the waters were, and the main point being—she didn’t know how to sail. It would be a risky endeavour, and she didn’t particularly like the odds of dying at sea, drifting in the wrong direction, getting eaten by sharks, or dying of starvation or dehydration.

Nova shivered and rolled her shoulders, shaking her dread off. There had to be hope. She couldn’t spiral. Surely, things would be clearer once Yoa returns. He was confident that he knew this island inside and out. Although she hadn’t known the giant long, trust had been formed with him, and she didn’t doubt him. He was not a liar or a bullshitter.

The beast-man had grown up on this island without any influence from outsiders of the modern world or society in general. But that was one of the reasons Nova was drawn to him. It was refreshing to speak with someone who didn’t make her second guess or wonder if there were ulterior motives or meanings behind their words.

If Yoa knew this island inside and out, then as much as it made fear crawl into her gut, she couldn’t deny that what he said about the resort was indeed true. There had never been a resort on this island in the first place. So, what does it all mean?!

Nova rubbed at the corners of her eyes like she hadn’t been getting much sleep or staring at a screen for too long. The latter was obviously not the case but life threatening stress and a lack of sleep was a high possibility. She sighed and turned back to face the waterfall, looking around for a soap or something.

Obviously soap wasn’t a thing here but she did find some leaves that were placed intentionally on the side, piled up and inside a basket to the side. When Nova drew closer to it, hand outstretching, she realised they were aloe vera leaves. Her eyebrows rose. The inside goo should be usable for soap right?

Well, it would at least make her feel better using it. She’d only ever used aloe vera whenever she got sunburnt.

Snapping the thick, slightly spikey leaf, she mushed together the inside goo in the palm of her hands and started using it under her armpits, washing and sighing at feeling clean. Once she was done, her hair and body feeling great, she began climbing out of the pool in search of a towel. "Oh, duh, there’s not going to be one," she bonked her head idiotically.

It didn’t matter, she could drip dry or something in the sun. Just as Nova thought this, her eyes landed on a woven fibre towel. It looked bristly, possibly painful for the skin, but it was clear it was used to dry one off after bathing. She felt the material then smelled it, frowning when she recognised the smell.

"Coconut?" Nova eyed the towel. "It’s made out of the coconut hairs..."

It amazed her. She wondered if Yoa weaved it himself.

She used it to help dry off even though it didn’t take long too. As predicted, the coconut husks did aide in soaking up some of the water but it did itch. Still, it was remarkable to find such natural solutions to stuff she was so used to having from bottles and pre made items in shops.

After admiring the towel’s handiwork and hanging it up again to dry off, Nova used the pool to wash out her dirty dress before hanging it up to dry. Once that was done and she took a moment to sit on the bed, completely naked and staring at the sea, the fatigue of her previous days of running and fighting for survival finally caught up to her.

She couldn’t do anything else but crawl sluggishly under the pellets of fur on the bed and collapse. Sleep enveloped her instantly.

That was until a loud bang jolted her out of sleep, and her heart almost leapt from her chest at the sight of an unfamiliar man crouched on the end of the bed, staring at her with wide expressive golden eyes, grinning widely like a cat that found some cream.ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom