—tord's pov—

tord sat under an overhanging rock on the beach that provided him shade. he was on a part of the island where none of the other three males knew about. he'd found this place while hunting one day, realizing it was a perfect place to be alone and get away from tom's untrusting glares, edd's nagging, and matt's complaining.

the fire he made crackled before him on the sand as he bit into the rabbit leg he had cooked. tom had guessed correctly, much to tord's surprise. he'd lied more than once about not catching anything for the group. in reality, most of the time he caught a rabbit or duck as a hearty meal for himself. probably an asshole move, but tord obviously didn't care. their survival wasn't his responsibility. every man for himself, he thought while taking another bite.

a rustle in the bushes caught tord's attention. he whipped his head in the direction of the sound but the fluttering wings of a startled bird masked whether the footsteps running off were human or animal. tord narrowed his eyes and stood up, throwing the bone off near the ocean before he put out the fire. i should head back before they get too suspicious.

—tom's pov—

tom sprinted through the forest, cursing as he tripped over the occasional root or the cloth of his hoodie got snagged on a low branch. his eyes were wide and his breathing was heavy. fuck that commie bastard! i knew it! he's been hogging all the fucking food to himself and leaving us to eat fish or berries! what a cunt!!

the eyeless male stumbled back into their camp, falling face-first into the sand. edd and matt jumped in surprise from their place by the fire, eyes wide and staring at tom.

"tom? are you okay?" edd furrowed his eyebrows.

"what's wrong?" matt asked.

"h- he.." tom wheezed for breath and kneeled unsteadily, spitting out sand. "tord..."

"calm down," edd sighed as he went over and kneeled next to tom. "you look like you saw a monster or something."

"a monster?" matt immediately pulled his hood over his head.

"no, no," tom shook his head. "it's tord. i saw him- he had- he was eating! he's been keeping food to himself and that's why he comes back with nothing!" he explained quickly. "i swear!"

edd's eyes widened and he cursed quietly under his breath, looking up at the forest. "no wonder we've been getting thinner and he hasn't changed."

"that's not fair!" matt crossed his arms.

"i know, idiot! which is why we have to kick him out!" tom threw his arms up in exasperation.

"tom, relax. we'd have to talk this out with tord. i mean, who'd hunt for us?" edd said, standing up.

"obviously not tord!" tom argued, standing up. "i could hunt!"

"you?" the brunette crossed his arms. "sorry, tom, but-"

"i can! i'm a fast runner and i'm quiet."

"okay, we'll consider it!"

"kick tord out!"

"tom-"

"kick him out!"

"okay! fine!"

tom was about to argue some more, but before he could say anything, tord appeared from the forest holding a dead mouse by the tail.

"this is all i could find." he reported, fake innocence laced in his voice.

"don't give us that bullshit!" tom pointed a finger at tord, a look of surprise coming across his face.

edd pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "tom caught you hogging food."

tom felt smug as a range of emotions crossed tord's face; shock, irritation, and then... a smirk?

"don't smirk at us, you dick." tom snarled as his triumph drained away. god! what's with this guy?

"is it true?" edd asked.

tord's smirk never faltered. "congrats, tom, you found me out."

"how stupid do you think i am?" tom clenched his fists.

"very stupid."

"i'm gonna murder-" he began, but edd grabbed his shoulder.

"shh," edd hushed. he looked at tord and frowned. "i don't know why you'd do this, but.. you're no benefit if you can't work as a team with us. i'm kicking you out, so please just stay away from us."

tord brought his piercing green gaze to lock with tom's voids.

"get out." tom hissed.

"alright." tord gave him a smile that made tom want to kick him to the ground. "guess i'm of no use to you, then." he shrugged.

"goodbye, tord. i'm sorry." edd sighed.

"bye, tord!" matt waved with a smile, clearly not fully understanding what was happening.

tord ignored the ginger and began walking to the forest again, but not before humming, "watch your back~"