...

..

.

Third Person P.O.V

Maisie's anxious panting could be heard in the pitch black darkness of the Red Bluster's mouth, Jacob quickly lighting the lantern that was inside the boat.

His eyes move around swiftly, his shoulders relaxing when he spots (Y/N) in the boat as well in front of him, her hands clinging to the sides of the row boat as she looks around the area with wide eyes. Maisie was on Jacob's shoulders, her arms curled around his head tightly.

Jacob raises the lantern to look around, the light illuminating off the Red Bluster's teeth. He rises slowly as he turns to view the area behind him, the Bluster's growl making Maisie gasp fearfully as her grip tightens around Jacob.

(Y/N) rises to her feet as well, her legs a bit wobbly as she looks towards the back of the Bluster's throat with Jacob. She turns to look at Jacob, expression uncertain with a tinge of fear in her eyes. Jacob's heart hurts a bit at this, his face falling as he tries to think of something to comfort her. Instead of words, he gently takes her hand at his side, making her step closer to him and hug his arm silently in thanks.

"Are we gonna... die in here?" Maisie's meek voice gets the two's attention.

Jacob felt a sense of deja vu, recalling (Y/N) asking the same question when they were stranded at sea after the beast attack. (Y/N) releases his arm, Jacob offering his other hand up to Maisie. She takes it, slowly detaching herself from Jacob and climbing down off him.

He sets the lantern down and slowly sits, (Y/N) remaining standing as Maisie sits in front of the two.

"No," Jacob responds confidently, some fear leaving Maisie as she breathes out her mouth.

The Bluster growling makes the three look up, Jacob's confidence wavering as he winces.

"Well... yeah," he truthfully whispers, making Maisie's eyes widen as she hugs her arms close.

(Y/N) worries at her bottom lip as she sighs through her nose, her eyebrows furrowed in thought as she starts to pace around the boat.

"Is-- is it gonna chew us, or--" Maisie pauses fearfully, hugging her legs to her chest. "Will we get digested slowly... with acids?"

Jacob rests a hand on his knee, shifting in his spot uncomfortably, "I don't know, Maisie. This is all new territory for us, too."

"Haven't you both hunted these things your whole life?" she whimpers in response, voice breaking a bit.

"We kill 'em, lass," Jacob says, shaking his head. "We don't study 'em."

"Well..." (Y/N)'s voice gets their attention, Jacob's expression hardening with concern as she slowly steps out of the boat and onto the Bluster's tongue. "I guess now's as good as time as any."

"Where are you going?" Jacob demands apprehensively, rising as (Y/N) reaches into the boat and takes out some rope.

"I, for one, do not enjoy the idea of being digested by this beast," she responds, unrolling the rope with a sigh. "So I'm going to see if there's a way out of here. Wait back with Maisie while I scout further in."

"Wait," Jacob grabs the rope, shaking his head. "I'll go. You stay here until I tug on the rope."

"Jacob, I'm capable of doing this one simple thing," she deadpans, giving him a pointed look as she crosses her arms over her chest.

Jacob huffs a bit, glancing back at Maisie before leaning closer to (Y/N) and speaking lowly. "You're better with children than I am. You can comfort her while I go on ahead. All I've done is make her more frightened."

(Y/N)'s arms lower to her sides as her eyes flick back to Maisie, and she sighs before nodding while looking up to Jacob.

...

Jacob swiftly ties the roping around himself, tying the other end to (Y/N) securely. She looks up at him, uncertainty in her eyes as he manages to offer a reassuring grin. He grabs his spear, breathing out slowly as he lowers his foot down onto the beast's tongue.

He winces as it squishes beneath his boot, setting his other foot down and taking short steps forward.

"Jacob!" Maisie whispers fearfully, making him look back. "What if it swallows you?"

"It won't," (Y/N) gently reassures, hugging Maisie to her side and running a hand through her wild hair. "He'll be all right, little one."

"If it does..." Jacob's low voice makes the two look up, Jacob looking over his shoulder at (Y/N) with a darkened, serious expression that makes her heart sink. "Cut the rope."

(Y/N) stares back at him with wide eyes, Jacob's gaze lowering from hers as he turns and resumes walking forward. Maisie's hand curls around her dagger's handle as she leans further into (Y/N)'s side, (Y/N) lightly rubbing her back in a comforting manner.

Jacob continues forward, pausing and peering down the throat of the Bluster. He glances up, tossing his spear onto the fleshy platform above him and climbing up after it with a grunt. He picks his spear back up, squinting to see in the darkness around him, only a deep blue color lighting the area.

He peers around different areas, settling on one and setting a hand along the walling. Quickly taking his hand off it, he slowly walks forward.

...

..

The Red Bluster swims at a swift pace, sea creatures around her moving out of her way as her tail sways gently in the water.

...

..

(Y/N)'s vision was set the way Jacob had left in, Maisie sitting on her knee with a worried look on her face as she watches the rope. The rope starts to shift forward the further Jacob goes, making (Y/N) rise and set Maisie down.

She offers her hand to the girl, Maisie taking it instantly and huddling close to her side as the two start to walk after the rope.

(Y/N) follows the rope with her eyes, noticing it goes upward. She lowers herself down in a squat in front of Maisie, Maisie understanding and climbing onto her backside. Maisie holds onto (Y/N) tightly with her arms wrapped around her neck, her legs circling (Y/N)'s waist.

(Y/N) climbs up the wall of the Bluster's throat, trying to not think about how it squished under her hands and left saliva on her palms. Maisie gasps as (Y/N) almost slips, (Y/N) struggling to regain her footing.

...

Jacob pauses as the rope yanks back, making him grab it with both hands and tug lightly.

...

The rope lifts up (Y/N) and Maisie, (Y/N) grabbing at the ledge and pulling herself and Maisie up with a sigh of relief. Maisie climbs off (Y/N)'s back, (Y/N) wiping her hands off on her pants before once more taking Maisie's hand, following after Jacob.

(Y/N) pauses while peering up the slanted corridor, spotting Jacob standing up ahead. He was leaning an arm on the wall beside him, staring at something.

She pushes past some of the mucus membrane, Maisie trailing after her as they approach Jacob.

The two join his side, (Y/N)'s eyes widening at the sight in front of them.

They could see out into the sea, a school of fish swimming in front of them before dispersing. All around the ocean were schools of exotic fish, some coral and rocks along the ocean floor. It was then the three realized... they were watching out the nostril of the beast.

"Transparent membrane..." (Y/N) whispers in realization as she looks at the clear substance blocking the water from entering the nostril, thankful for it.

The Red Bluster swims upwards, making the three yelp as they stagger backwards. Jacob lands on his backside with a grunt, (Y/N) landing on top of him. She props herself up, the two staring at one another in bafflement before quickly looking to Maisie as she lands besides him.

...

The Red Bluster emerges from the sea, seagulls flying overhead as she swims towards an island nearby.

...

(Y/N) pushes herself off Jacob, Jacob swiftly rising to his feet and grabbing his dropped spear as he marches forward.

"What are you going to do?" Maisie questions quickly, scrambling to her feet.

"I'm going to kill it," Jacob firmly responds, approaching the clear membrane and looking around.

"Kill it? How?" Maisie asks incredulously, shaking her head.

"Well, I don't know! I just get pumped up and kind of wing it," Jacob answers, grasping his spear readily in his hands. "Look, I don't want to overthink this, all right? I'm just gonna kill it."

The membrane around the beast's nostrils open, powerful wind whipping around the three as the Bluster continues to swim forward towards the island.

"I don't know about this!" Maisie shouts over the wind.

"We're Jacob Holland and (Y/N) (L/N), remember!" Jacob yells over the wind as well, setting his spear down along the wall of the nostril. "Who killed five of them beasts in the span of two days! And this... is just another beast."

He kneels down in front of Maisie, giving her a confident nod as she frowns with uncertainty. His spear shifts a bit with the Bluster's movement, the spear head scraping a bit against the membrane.

...

The Red Bluster snorts, her eyes squinting a bit as her nostril tickles.

...

"There has to be another way! What if you kill it from the inside?" Maisie loudly asks, looking between the two.

Jacob rises and turns to (Y/N), grabbing the roping around her and attempting to loosen the knot he had done earlier.

"If it dies while we're in here, we're going down with it! " (Y/N) disagrees, shaking her head. "Maybe we should just think about getting out of here and away from it for now!"

Jacob pauses his movements as his brows furrow in thought, the three gasping as the Red Bluster raises her head with a groan. The three start to fall backwards once more, the Bluster fully raising her head before releasing a sneeze.

Jacob goes flying out of the nostril, (Y/N) snatching the spear lodged in the nostril's entrance and grabbing Maisie before she could fling out as well. Jacob screams as he falls towards the ground, (Y/N) wincing as the rope around her waist tightens against Jacob's weight. Jacob was flung back towards the Bluster, yelping in pain as he rolls along the sand. He was lifted into the air once more, his body colliding roughly against the Bluster's neck.

He manages to grab onto her scales, panting with wide eyes as he looks up. Quickly unsheathing his cutlass, he shouts as he readies himself to stab her.

The Red Bluster moves her head, (Y/N) tightening her hold on the spear and Maisie as she struggles to hold on. Jacob yells as he loses his grip on the Bluster, swinging backwards.

He swings eye level with the Bluster, who watches him boredly as he swings back down and lands on his backside in the sand.

Jacob's eyes slowly open as he catches his breath, and he yelps and dodges to the side as his cutlass comes down and pierces the sand where his head once was.

The Red Bluster shakes her head once more, Jacob grabbing his knife and yelling out as he goes flying. He manages to grab hold of a palm tree, panting heavily as he holds onto it tightly with his arms and legs. He stabs his cutlass through the tree, scowling as he turns his head to look back at the Bluster. The Bluster softly growls as she shifts closer towards Jacob, lowering her head a bit to be eye level with him.

Jacob spots (Y/N) holding onto his spear, Maisie gripping her free arm tightly with terror as she looks around. (Y/N) and Jacob make eye contact, Jacob's expression hardening as he starts to climb upwards.

"Hold on, you two!" he shouts, stepping up onto the cutlass' handle and balancing in a crouch.

He starts to gather the rope in his hands, the Bluster grumbling lightly with confusion as she lifts the rope with her front fin. She tugs on it curiously, (Y/N) gasping in alarm before wrapping her legs around the spear, grabbing Maisie into her arms and holding onto her tightly. She braces herself, Maisie screaming as they and the spear go flinging out of the beast's nostril.

Jacob's eyes widen as they start to swing towards him, Jacob straining to reach for (Y/N)'s hand as she holds Maisie close, reaching to him with her other.

"Jacob!" (Y/N) shouts, their hands missing just barely as she quickly adjusts her hold around Maisie.

Jacob's hand slips off the tree as he yells out, falling towards the ground. The rope stops him just before he could, making him look up. The rope was knotted around his cutlass' handle, Maisie screaming as she and (Y/N) continue to swing around.

"Oh, no," (Y/N) nervously mutters, bracing herself as they swing directly towards the Bluster's mouth.

(Y/N)'s foot bumps against the Bluster's mouth, her head dropping to look back as she gasps. If they swung back, her head would collide with the palm tree not too far from them.

"Oh, no!" she repeats loudly in alarm, bracing herself with a wince.

As she starts swinging back, the Red Bluster softly chuffs as she quickly leans forward, grabbing (Y/N)'s foot gently with her front teeth and halting her from swinging.

(Y/N) looks up at the Red Bluster with wide eyes, Maisie panting heavily as she holds onto (Y/N)'s backside in a tight koala-hold. The two look up at the Bluster, the Bluster growly lowly in almost a purr as she stares back at them with dilated pupils.

The Red Bluster huffs with a light snort, Maisie and (Y/N)'s hair swaying a bit with the rush of air.

"What?" (Y/N) whispers to herself in disbelief, not taking her eyes off the Bluster's.

Maisie tilts her head a bit, the Bluster cooing lowly as she copies the action. Maisie blinks rapidly at this, her eyebrows furrowing as she tilts her head the other direction. The Red Bluster copies this as well, purring before snorting softly through her nose.

...

Jacob pants heavily as he rises through the palm tree's leaves, leaves in his hair as he holds his cutlass' blade between his teeth. He turns to the Bluster with a scowl, grabbing his cutlass' handle. His face pales at the sight of (Y/N), his expression hardening once more in rage.

Maisie looks back at Jacob, gasping. "No, wait!"

Jacob doesn't listen, only focusing on (Y/N)'s foot in the Bluster's mouth as he shouts and leaps off the palm tree, cutlass extended in front of him as he yells out a battlecry. The Bluster's eye flicks to him, Maisie reaching down and yanking the lace on (Y/N)'s boot.

"Maisie!" (Y/N) shouts out in a panic, her boot loosening and slipping off her foot as the two go swinging backwards.

Jacob notices the two swing past him, making his face fall to a dumbfounded expression. The rope supporting him slackens, causing him to fall onto his frontside into the sand.

Maisie screams as (Y/N) yells, (Y/N) landing on her backside on the top of the palm tree and grunting in pain as Maisie lands on top of her stomach.

...

Jacob raises his head from the sand, sand all along his face and hair as he glares up at the Red Bluster. He spots his spear lodged in the sand in front of her, making him rise to his feet and run forward towards it.

Maisie looks down, noticing Jacob and gasping as (Y/N) tries to regain her breath, the wind knocked from her.

"Wait, wait-- wait, Jacob, no! Stop!" Maisie shouts out, turning to (Y/N) and rising quickly.

She struggles to undo the severely tightened knot around (Y/N)'s waist, (Y/N) managing to sit up a bit as she watches Jacob with confliction. Maisie takes out her dagger, attempting to saw through the rope before pausing as the Red Bluster's groan gets their attention.

They watch as the Red Bluster moves her fin, the waves obeying her command and rising in front of Jacob.

"... oh, bloody hell," Jacob mutters, coming to a stop.

"Jacob!" (Y/N) yells in concern, her hand outstretched towards him as if she could reach him to help him.

The massive wave crashes against him, enveloping the area. Jacob grabs onto the palm tree's base, his legs swaying in the water from the force of the wave as fish swim around frantically.

...

The tree sways a bit as (Y/N) rises, steadying her footing and setting a hand on Maisie's shoulder to secure her.

The wave slowly calms and lowers, Jacob gasping for air as a starfish becomes stuck to his head. He sputters and coughs, panting as he holds onto the tree. He turns as the Red Bluster slowly walks off in the distance, the Red Bluster snorting at him as she disappears further into the island.

Jacob grumbles under his breath as he looks back towards the beach, their row boat on the shore.

"You could've killed us!" Maisie's angry voice shouts, making him look up towards the other palm tree where (Y/N) and Maisie were.

"Wha--?" he stammers in disbelief, scowling. "I could've killed you?!"

Jacob climbs down from the palm tree in rigged, frustrated movements, scoffing as he unties the rope from around him and throws it down. Maisie scowls down at him, holding onto (Y/N) as she climbs down from the tree as well.

"You've got it backwards, lass! I had it dead to rights, and you bollocksed it up!" Jacob snaps as he marches forward.

"Dead to rights?" Maisie repeats with a scoff, rolling her eyes as she marches towards Jacob as well. "I must've been watching a different fight."

(Y/N) sighs as she slices through the knot of the rope, tossing the rope to the side as she walks after Maisie. "Calm down, the both of ya!"

"We wouldn't have been fighting at all if you hadn't cut them lines!" Jacob argues with Maisie, pointing to her in an accusation manner.

"Hey now, I cut the lines, too!" (Y/N) argues back with Jacob, huffing as she squints angrily.

Jacob sighs in exasperation. "Only because of her!"

"Jacob, I did it because it was the right thing!" she argues.

"No— you did it because some kid gave you big goo-goo eyes and you've got a big heart!" Jacob protests.

"Jacob," she firmly says, shaking her head. "Bottom line is Maisie and I both cut them lines. I chose to!"

"Actually, we all cut them lines," Maisie smugly says, grabbing Jacob's discarded sword off the ground. "You didn't stop us, did you? Which means you did as well!"

"That's not the same thing," Jacob tries to disagree, rolling his eyes as he grabs (Y/N)'s boot and dusts it off.

"Isn't it?" Maisie demands, holding Jacob's sword out to him.

"No, it isn't," Jacob grumbles in response, taking his sword before handing (Y/N) her boot.

Jacob sighs harshly in mild aggravation, sheathing his cutlass and setting his hands on his hips as he angles away from the two.

"You shouldn't have defended us from Crow if you were going to regret it so much. You stood up for us, and now... I mean..." she bitterly laughs, shaking her head. "Why defend us from the Captain, only to turn on us now?"

The hurt tone in her voice makes him look back to her, (Y/N) already turned away from him as she slides her boot on. Maisie looks up at her with concern, her expression hardening as she glares at Jacob.

"I..." Jacob starts, struggling to find the words to say as he reaches for her. "I'm not--"

A booming growl makes the three look back in alarm, the sounds of numerous monsters in the distance reaching their ears as they echo.

"Right... we should find shelter," (Y/N) decides as the growls slowly subside, Maisie looking up at her and nodding in agreement.

Maisie starts to walk forward, (Y/N) following after her. Jacob grabs her bicep, making her sigh and stop as she turns to him with a blank, if not hardened expression.

"I'd never turn on you, darling. You know that."

Was all he said, releasing her arm and avoiding eye contact as he briskly walks after Maisie. (Y/N) watches him for a moment, sighing once more with a frown as she follows.

...

..

It was nightfall by the time they found a secure place to rest, inside of a large shell, the sound of insects chirping heard around them as rain starts to pour down from the sky.

Jacob carries a netting of fruits he found around the island, his hair sleeked to his face as he makes his way back to their camping spot, spear in hand.

...

(Y/N) had gathered wood before the rain, so thankfully it was still dry as she knelt over it, starting a small fire.

Maisie sat on a small ledge of the shell behind her, looking over her book with a conflicted expression.

"(Y/N)..."

(Y/N) looks back as Maisie calls her, (Y/N) rising and turning to her with a nod for her to continue.

"Why didn't Red eat us?"

(Y/N) blinks slowly as she frowns thoughtfully, her eyes flicking down as she tries to come up with a rational answer. The only one she could think of was... Red simply didn't want to hurt them. She shakes her head, thinking it didn't make any sense as she looks over the fearsome beast on the page of Maisie's book.

Footsteps make her look over her shoulder, Jacob entering the shell and setting down the bag of food. He sighs in relief as he sits down, rolling his shoulder to release some tension off of it.

"Get your strength," he quietly says, throwing a coconut over to Maisie.

Maisie catches it, Jacob tossing one to (Y/N) as well.

"We're leaving in the morning."

Jacob grabs a coconut, setting it on a rock next to him and cracking it open with his dagger with ease. He raises one half of it to his mouth, drinking the water inside. (Y/N) unsheathes her cutlass, sitting down on the ground in front of Maisie with a sigh as she sets the coconut down, swinging her blade down and slicing it in half.

Maisie unsurely sets the coconut down, grabbing her dagger and pressing the tip down against the top of the fruit. She looks at Jacob with a frown as he seems to avoid looking at both her and (Y/N), (Y/N) noticing as well as she quietly drinks the water.

Maisie looks at her book cover, Captain Crow on the front.

"... Me books say the beasts used to come right up to shore," Maisie breaks the silence, her eyes squinting a bit as she turns to Jacob. "That nowhere was safe. Is that true?"

She hits her hand on the top of the dagger handle, the dagger sliding off the coconut and not breaking through.

"Of course it's true," Jacob firmly answers, keeping his eyes on the entrance.

(Y/N) sits up, turning to Maisie and cracking her fruit in half for her.

"You saw it?" Maisie questions, frowning.

"Well... it's what the books say," (Y/N) slowly responds, sitting back forward with a light sigh. "Everyone says it's true."

"It is true," Jacob stubbornly adds in a grumble, stretching one leg out while propping his other up.

Maisie looks down at the book once more, her eyebrows furrowed. "What if them things ain't as bad as they say? I mean... the sea is their home. We went after her, didn't we? What if we just... left 'em alone?"

(Y/N) looks down in thought at this, leaning back with her legs criss-cross.

"We kill them because they kill us," Jacob harshly responds, rising to his feet with a look of disbelief. "Do I need to remind you that one of them things took your parents? Should they have just left the monsters alone?"

"I-- I don't know," Maisie truthfully whispers, lowering her gaze to her lap.

"Oh, you are lost girl," Jacob mutters in disappointment. "Your parents died heroes!"

"Jacob," (Y/N) firmly speaks up, looking up at him with narrowed eyes. "Enough."

"(Y/N), you and I have spent our lives devoted to fighting these beasts to keep people safe!" Jacob replies with exasperation, holding a hand to his forehead for a moment as he shakes his head. "We are heroes to thousands of people, and she's telling us we should just leave them alone!"

"You can be a hero and still be wrong," Maisie softly says, watching Jacob with pleading eyes for him to try to understand.

(Y/N)'s brows furrow a bit as she looks down, feeling confused and a bit of doubt in her mind.

Jacob huffs loudly through his nose, scowling. "You're not making any--!"

A loud growl makes him snap his mouth shut, the three looking up at the close sound.

"You're not making any sense!" Jacob hisses quietly, waving his arms down.

"Why did Red swallow us?!" Maisie whispers harshly back, glaring back at him.

Jacob stammers in bewilderment. "Oh, 'Red,' is it?"

"She, not it!" Maisie responds, adjusting her body to face him as she sits cross-cross. "I think it's a she, and I think she was protecting us from Crow."

"You're giving that beast way too much credit."

Maisie's face hardens in anger. "He was pointing a gun at you, and he--!"

"He was pointing it at you, through me!" Jacob cuts her off, shaking his head in denial. "Because you cut them lines!"

"Jacob, he only pointed it at you after you defended us!" (Y/N) argues as she rises, facing Jacob. She pauses, listening to the sounds of the island and sighing harshly. "Listen, we should all just drop this for now, because the beasts outside are going to hear us bickering."

"We wouldn't even be here with all these beasts if she hadn't convinced you to cut the lines!" Jacob speaks in a hurried, frustrated voice, running his hands through his hair and sitting down with his head hanging low.

"I thought we already established I made that decision on my own," she heatedly responds, setting a hand on her hip.

"Why, why did you cut the lines?" he whispers quietly to himself mostly, voice a bit broken as he shakes his head, hands still in his hair.

(Y/N) face softens at this, her eyes closing in sadness as she sighs. "Because... I wasn't going to let you and the others die for Crow's revenge. I... I care about you too much to have let that happen. I'd give my life for yours, Jacob."

Jacob slowly lifts his head, turning his neck to look up at her with an unreadable expression.

Maisie looks between the two. "So... what do we do now?"

Jacob looks down at the hunting tattoo on his forearm, sighing as he rises from the ground and grabs his spear. "I'm going to gather supplies. We'll take you to Guelston, and when we get back to the ship, we'll... finish what we started."

"You certainly can. The captain may very well have me killed for helping Red escape," (Y/N) casually reminds, shaking her head as she looks away.

"I won't let him," Jacob promises in a growl, making her look back to him. "I'll... I'll talk to him. Make him forgive you."

He starts towards the shell entrance.

"Jacob," Maisie quickly calls, making him pause at her anxious voice. "Don't... get killed out there."

"I won't make any promises," Jacob stubbornly grumbles back, continuing walking forward.

"Jacob."

He pauses once more, his hand tightening around his spear as (Y/N) calls his name.

"Please, come back in one piece. Promise me," (Y/N) insists firmly, walking towards him and slowly reaching her hand out, setting it on his shoulder.

Jacob's shoulders slowly relax at her touch, and he exhales deeply as he turns to look at her, the two looking into each other's eyes.

He looks away and rolls his eyes fondly with a slight smirk, scoffing. "How can I say no to that face? Fine. I promise."

(Y/N) tenses in surprise as he leans down, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead before turning and leaving.

"Frustrating man," she grumbles, cheeks feeling a bit warm as she huffs.

She turns back at Maisie, clearing her throat almost bashfully as Maisie gives her a pointed look.

"Get some rest, little one. I'll keep watch," she says to change the subject, walking over and sitting on the small ledge besides Maisie.

Maisie only nods tiredly in response, tucking her book and dagger away in her bag. As (Y/N) goes to rise, she was stopped by Maisie laying her head down on her lap, curling up in a ball and closing her eyes. (Y/N) looks down at her, mouth parted before she chuckles softly and smiles.

She runs her hand through Maisie's hair, the girl fast asleep within minutes.

...

..

.