Shu was having a really great month this month! 

He had just graduated from the local university college a week ago, getting his computer science degree, he and his ex-boyfriend, who had broken up with him two months ago, were talking about getting back together again, he had won an all expense paid cruise line from the local thrift store raffle, and he was finally starting to get into shape after years of being a string bean, as his Uncle Teddy liked to call him, thanks to his time at the local gym down the street from his apartment complex. Things were so awesome at the moment that Shu actually felt as though he were walking on air as he made his way up to the third floor of his studio apartment in downtown Los Granis. 

Inserting his keycard into the electronic slot on his door, Shu found himself humming a tune he had once heard on the radio as he made his way into his living room. The raven haired twenty-six year old had already gathered up most of the clothing and other items that he was going to be taking for his cruise - including the medicine his friends had told him that he should take before getting on the boat - so Shu was confident that he would be ready for his taxi to pick him up in three hours. With that thought in mind Shu decided to make himself something quick to snack on before sitting down in front of his living room tv to watch one of the reports he had recorded yesterday about the mysterious landmasses that were popping up in the southern seas.

According to the news that was being told to the public, the islands in question were forgotten pieces of a greater continent which were being pushed up from off of the ocean floor by shifting geological events that had been taking place by the recent earthquakes which had been happening all across the world. Scientists from all across the globe were searching through various archives in order to learn more about these places, however most of the information in question was being kept from the public by the governing bodies of the world, for fear that explorers and thrill seekers might try to make their way here and disturb the areas in question. So with that in mind, the military had designated that the places in question were to be off-limits to civilians, with heavy fines and threats of imprisonment for those who dared to try and get near the areas. The thought behind this was that there might be strains of ancient bacteria on the islands that could infect the entire populace if someone went to these areas without the proper protection, this was enough to keep most people away, yet for some the temptation of exploring something unknown was too tempting to ignore. 

The stories of those who had been caught riding along small boats to investigate these islands had so far entered into the double digits, much to Shu's disbelief. 

After turning off his tv and checking his wall mounted cat clock Shu noted that he still had an hour left before his taxi was to arrive. With that in mind, he picked himself up from off of his couch, washed his dish and then headed to his room to check the shadow web. Most people didn't know that the shadow web existed, or how to even log onto it, however some friends from college had given Shu a 'black box' to use in order to hack into the deeper recesses of the interweb and look through to see the 'real news'. With that in mind, Shu logged in and then checked on the database someone had copied from the government's information network. 

Apparently, there was a group of eggheads within the underground parts of the national assembly hall within the capital believed that there were worlds out there with resources, the likes of which they could take and then utilize to create superweapons with; this belief proved to be true, because in trying to create a particle accelerator for another project that wasn't documented in the report, the machine had exploded within one of their facilities, opening a 'window' of sorts into another world. Said window closed after a few hours, but in 'fishing' through it with a number of instruments the scientists working beneath the national assembly hall were able to recover several plants and other minerals, the likes of which were spectacularly rare in this world.

The scientists in question had attempted to replicate the accident and, so far, had seen a level of success, though that wasn't to say that there weren't issues involved, namely things coming out of the windows. From what Shu was able to see of one of the video feeds which had been uploaded, it seemed as though there were creatures that could slip through from the dimensional breeches, the likes of which were sometimes large and very unfriendly. The military personnel on duty was able to dispose of most of the creatures with relative ease, although there was one video that was labeled R.U.B. that showed what looked like some kind of black viscous substance escaping from out of the one of the laboratories where the breeches were being created, causing a lot of alarm. So far the substance hadn't been found as of yet, as it had slipped down one of the drain pipes and was currently on the loose. A special task force had been sent to track it down and currently they were checking through the capital's water line for traces of the substance. 

Shu shivered at the thought of something like that getting into the water pipes and then infecting a given town.  

Looking into the various videos that were online, the raven haired youth could see that most of the other experiments had gone off without a hitch, leading the military to try and open up a larger window someplace out at sea where there would be little chance of being spotted by prying eyes. However, as it turned out, someone had miscalculated somewhere and so several  giant islands had appeared off seas to the north. Shu didn't really care about all of those specific details, however he was fascinated by the photographs of the strange beasts which were captured by those who were sent out to document these uncharted land masses. From the pictures of flora which had never before been documented, to videotapes of various structures which seemed so alien to anything he had seen before, the islands in question were indeed marvelous to behold. A true testament to the worlds for which they had come from. 

The buzzing of his phone startled Shu. 

Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his mobile device and then accepted the call which was being sent his way. Hearing that his taxi was there for him made the young man switch off his access to the shadow web, grabbed his suitcase which was sitting quietly by the door, and then headed out down the elevator to the parking lot. An hour later Shu found himself showing his travel visa to one of the attendants in the docking area of the cruise line he was about to board, all around him hundreds of people chattered excessively making his head hurt just a bit. Thankfully he was quickly stamped and then shuffled up the ramp and then aboard the Sactmaria. Getting to his room, three sixty-nine, was easy enough as there was someone on board to lead him down the painfully tight corridors to where he was registered for his two week stay aboard the vessel.

After unpacking his clothes, booting up his laptop to the ship's personal satellite to get the internet, and then taking a shower, Shu decided to grab him something to eat from one of the many dining halls. Walking back through the hallways was a bit of a challenge for him, as the brightly lit walkway with its colorful walls seemed to all but close in on him as he moved through them, thankfully closing his brown eyes helped him to move along without much issue. Once he made it to the middle area within his floor of the ship Shu made his way up to the higher levels in order to get to the cafes that served the free meals, his uncle had given him some money to play around with but Shu really wasn't that interested in spending it on gambling or 'pretty young thing' as his only living relative liked to call women under the age of thirty-five. That the older man didn't know that he was gay was something that always bothered Shu, but considering the older man's barely restrained homophobia, the raven haired youth thought it was best to keep the other in the dark about his tastes in bedpartners. 

With that thought in mind Shu went to a nearby table, ordered himself a nice meal, ate, and then got up to have a look around the vessel which would be his home away from home for the next fourteen days. 

Passing by the casinos was amusing enough, as he happened to pick up several dollars which had fallen out of someone's pocket, though going down to the lower area got him fussed at by a crew member, however getting outside to have a look at the rolling waves made everything worth it to him, as Shu was able to watch the sun sink into the crimson colored waters. The sight of the blue water turning into a ruby red pool that sparkled with thousands of glittering gemstones scattered within its depths took Shu's breath away. Shu thought about bringing out his camera and taking a picture, but he realized too late that he had left his mobile device back in his room next to his laptop. Shrugging, the raven haired college grad seated himself onto the one the chairs outside on the deck, ever mindful of the rugrats which were running about the place screaming their fool heads off, and then let out a happy sigh of contentment. 

Shu had no idea how long he remained out on deck, but by the time he opened his eyes - he had no clue as to when he had closed them - he found that darkness had covered the entire boat. Blinking, Shu looked up into the night sky and found that the half moon had sailed upwards above his head. The cool light made shivers run across the young man's body, and so he quickly picked himself up and then went back inside where it was warmer. Shu had never understood why it was that being outside underneath the moonlight caused his body to have such a reaction, but he had also never gone through the steps needed to have a medical professional survey his blood to find out if he had some sort of medical condition, mostly because he didn't want to risk having to pay an exorbitant amount of his earnings, which he had yet to begin working to receive, to fund. His Uncle Teddy suffered greatly from needing dialysis, both physically and financially, and so that had given Shu a somewhat irrational fear over having himself looked over by a medical professional. 

Getting to his room, Shu checked over his phone to see if any of his friends had texted him - they had - and then looked at his email to see if there were any hits on the job postings he had signed up for last week. Seeing that there hadn't been any responses so far, Shu decided to text his friends to let them know that he was okay, email his uncle, as the older man couldn't use his phone to send a digital message to save a life, and then went to bed. Stripping himself down, since he loved the feeling of being nude, despite having some reservations about his body, what with his pale body being somewhat lanky thanks to his sitting down on his butt all day in front of the computer typing up essays for his professors and goofing around with his friends on his video game console in the online multiplayer they all were currently hooked on, Shu crawled into the very comfortable cotton covers, closed his big brown eyes, and then drifted off to sleep. Or at least he tried to, but it seemed as though someone had snuck a cat onboard, as the minute he was about to drift off Shu heard the little creature's cries echo throughout the ship. 

The mewling lasted for a full minute before it finally died down. 

The next few days were exactly as Shu had been told they would be, with him getting to the various island stops that dotted the course between his home country and the southern territories. Though between sampling some of the fine food and getting a bit drunk on the local liquor at one particular bar whose clientele happened to be exactly to Shu's liking, the young college graduate found himself spending a lot of the money that he had been gifted with. Thankfully he was able to grab a few souvenirs for his uncle and friends before he had to get back to the boat, however, Shu couldn't help but notice that he seemed to be constantly followed by a number of cats wherever he went. Whether he was looking out of the railing of a tropical village, or walking down the sidewalk with a bunch of other tourists who had gotten off of the ship with, or flirting with a few hunky guys who he might or not happened to have gotten a taste of back behind an empty alleyway, there was always a feline or two seemingly watching him wherever he went. 

Trying to shoo the cats away proved to be useless, since they seemed to sense that he wasn't actually intending to cause them any harm, and so after surrendering to the fact that he was being 'stalked' by said creatures Shu decided to pet them whenever they came up to him. Luckily enough they didn't follow him onto the boat, however, every night before he went to sleep he couldn't help hearing the cat from earlier crying out near his room. Complaining to the staff members just got him odd looks, as no one else seemed to hear the creature in question, which in itself really bothered Shu because in trying to get up to capture the feline he found himself opening his door to find nothing outside of his room, save for a few bewildered people who stared at him slightly bewildered as they looked up his naked form with awe and slight disgust. 

He wasn't reported for this happening though, as he only let himself be caught nude once, but in continuing to try and look for the feline night after night, Shu found himself becoming more and more confused by the darn thing's crying whenever he tried to go to sleep. By the sixth evening Shu decided to just give up and listen to the creature's calls, knowing well enough that he only had to deal with it for another six days. Of course, that thought proved to be rather erroneous, because the night when the seventh night rolled around the sound intensified in its volume making Shu snap up from his bed to look around wildly within the dark for its source. What he found turned out not to be a cat, but a pair of large green eyes which stared back at him with a look that utterly confused the young man. The feeling of warm breath on his face made Shu freeze in shock. He was sure that he had to have been dreaming, because there was no possible way that what he was seeing could have been real. 

This possibility proved to be quite questionable when a heavy weight pressed him down into his bed and then held him there. Brown eyes stared into deep green orbs for what seemed like an eternity before something warm and fuzzy leaned down and then began to brush itself across the side of his slightly spread legs. Shu's heart raced within his chest as he felt the full press of whatever the hell was on him, yet he found himself unable to do or say anything to try and remove the presence which was holding him down thanks to his throat clamping itself shut on him. The green eyes disappeared a few seconds later, however, the feeling of a warm, wet nose rubbing across the side of his chin and neck soon followed their departure. Shu gasped when something large and moist stroked the side of his throat, the feel of teeth gently nibbling against the skin of his neck caused Shu to both grow hard in between his legs and shiver all over. To say that he liked the feeling of such intimate play would have been an understatement, as his neck was such an erogenous zone that all it took was a few nibbles to turn him into a warm, babbling puddle of goo; a pity that not too many of his one night stands liked to be this intimate with him.

Upon feeling his throat bitten by his mysterious lover Shu gasped and then humped his hips forward against a very warm, very masculine body which seemed to be covered in some kind of stretchy material. Shu had no idea what in the world was going on, but upon blinking his eyes he found that the weight above him was no longer present. Reaching out for the lamp that had been provided on the small dresser drawer near him, the raven haired youth flipped the switch and then looked around to find his unknown lover. And as expected, he couldn't find the other, leading him to believe that he had simply had a very vivid dream, especially after reaching up to his throat and finding that there were no teeth marks embedded within his skin. Sighing in defeat, Shu let out a pitiful chuckle before switching off the lights and then settling himself back down in his bed.

That the sounds of purrs could be heard next to his ears was something that slightly freaked the young man out, at least until a pair of warm arms enfolded themselves around his lanky body and then dragged him backwards into a very firm form. Instead of trying to figure things out the raven haired college grad simply shook his head and then drifted deeper into the proverbial arms of sleep.

The sound of screams jolted him from his slumber hours later.

- - - - - -

At first Shu thought that someone had left their tv on, as he didn't see anything after popping his head out from his doorway. Looking back and forth for a few seconds, Shu shrugged his shoulders and then slipped himself back into his room. Looking at the digital clock that was on one of the drawers within the room Shu noticed that it was only about five-thirty in the morning. Grumbling at having his sleep disturbed, the raven haired college grad stretched his arms towards the ceiling and then sighed in frustration. Reaching down to caress his half hard erection, which seemed to throb somewhat incessantly at the moment, Shu turned to look back at his bed. Brown eyes blinked as their owner wondered if there was any point in trying to get back to sleep right now. The rumbling of his stomach told him that, no, there wasn't. Chuckling, Shu decided to quickly rub one out inside of the bathroom, put on some clothes, grab his cell phone, and then head out into the hallway. He immediately found himself coming face to face with what could only be described as a monster upon doing so.

The creature, which had an elongated skinless face reminiscent of some kind of bovine creature, stared at him with pitch black eyes. Shu found his breath stolen away from his lungs as he looked down across the brown furred hide which was covered in splotches of blood, the likes of which ran down its muscular body, along its massive thighs and leg, to its animalistic cloven feet. Menacing black claws rose up into the air towards Shu making the young man instinctively tip backwards. Gravity forced him to fall back onto his butt just as the monster attempted to swipe at his head. An ear piercing shriek echoed throughout the creature's throat after it opened its skeletal jaws in anger over missing such an easy kill. Thought didn't enter into Shu's head as he pulled himself backwards as best he could, just barely getting out of the way of another attack that was centered at his head, before he rose up onto his feet and then sprinted down the red and yellow carpeted hallway as fast as his legs could carry him. 

Shu wasn't ashamed to admit that he screamed his head off with every step he took, nor was he ashamed of knocking over every object he saw in front of him as he attempted to try and trip the skeletal monster that was chasing him down. The sounds of the beast's grunts and groans as it fell over various carts and chairs and other assorted objects stopped Shu from screaming, as a sense of victory overcame his mind, however, his triumph truly came about after getting to the end of the hallway which led out into the main hall of the ship. Grabbing the cold metal handle of the door just as he passed through it, the raven haired youth slammed the six foot barrier closed as hard as he could, and then searched around for an object which he could use to jam the door handle with. Seeing a nearby broom, Shu grabbed the cleaning tool, snapped the handle over his leg, and then shoved the broken wood into the door in order to secure it. Seeing the handle useless flicking up and down told Shu that the monster wasn't able to unlock the door from its side, making him punch the air in triumph, at least until he heard the sounds of screams and other assorted noises behind him.

Brown eyes whipped around just in time to see an elderly man stumbling out of the hallway with what appeared to be half of some other person. Shu gasped when the man was pounced on by an insectoid looking creature, the likes of which seemed quite reminiscent of a praying mantis. The size and blue color of the monster told Shu that the bug was no normal insect, however, before the young man could try and piece together what in the hell thing truly was he was treated to a sight of the insectoid lowering its mandibles down onto the squirming man's head and then cracking his skull open as though it were a walnut. The sight of blood and gore spraying everywhere made Shu's stomach roll, yet he was able to keep down his dinner in favor of turning to the right and then racing down the stairs next to him. 

As he traveled lower and lower across the ship Shu was treated to the sights of horror, the likes of which had no reason to exist outside of a movie screen, as all around him more and more creatures ran down and slaughtered those humans who seemed to be completely unprepared to try and fight back. The occasional sight of someone using a makeshift weapon to fight off a monster or two filled the young man's sights, but before Shu could try and speak to the victorious individual another monster would jump down from the ceiling or through a porthole window to attack them. Panic kept him from sticking around to try and aid his fellow man, as it wouldn't be long before they were cut down or tackled or mauled by the new creature that had just entered the area. Shu was able to help one woman find her daughter as he made his way towards the lowest part of the ship, what with the little girl hiding herself within a closet in order to try and get away from a giant beetle-like creature which knocked at her hiding spot in order to try and get her to come out. 

Picking up a gun that someone had dropped, unlocking the safety, and then shooting the insect dead filled Shu was a strange, primal sense of accomplishment. He had never thought much about his Uncle Teddy teaching him how to use a firearm after he graduated high school, but now he could have kissed the man for giving him such a skill. Nervously tossing the empty weapon away, Shu helped the little girl out from her hiding space and then watched as mother and daughter hugged one another. Shu departed from the pair's company after the woman told him to come with him towards the upper areas of the ship where the survivors were waiting for rescue from the military. 

Shu had seen one too many horror films to know that putting yourself inside of a central area with several other nervous and possibly panic crazed people was a very bad idea. With that thought in mind, he quickly darted towards the lowest level of the ship and then looked around for the gangway. As expected, someone else had had the same idea that Shu did and decided to escape out into the island that the vessel was docked next to. That there were several monsters crawling up the sides of the ship didn't stop Shu from running forward across the metallic steps and then down into the jungle which stood out before him. The sounds of creatures running behind him echoed within Shu's ears for what seemed like hours before they finally tapered off into silence. The raven haired college drad didn't stop running until he made his way to something that looked like an old mud building of some sort. 

After diving into the area and then looking around to see if there was any danger within the perimeter, and finding none, Shu used what he could to barricade himself inside of his new sanctuary and then curled himself up. Reaching for his cell phone, Shu dialed his friends and uncle and then told them what exactly he had just witnessed. They had a hard time believing him, however, a few minutes later reports began to swarm in about how the cruise line he was on had been taken over by pirates and was now floating somewhere out at sea. Shu didn't know what to say about any of this, however, as the day continued on the young man found himself being transferred to various channels in order to speak with the authorities that policed the various islands he had traveled to. Using the gps within his phone they were able to track down where he was, however, halfway into speaking with the officials who were making plans to send out a rescue for him his phone line was cut off. Shu didn't understand this, seeing as his battery life was more than halfway full, but then things became even stranger when, upon trying to call out to someone once again a recorded message came across the line telling him that the service had been cut off. 

Shu was utterly bewildered by this, and remained as such for the rest of the day, and then well on into the night. He must have passed out at some point because upon him waking up once more he found that it was daytime. Rising up from off of the muddy ground sticking to his sticky body, the raven haired youth rubbed the crude from out of his brown eyes and then let out a tired yawn. His stomach grumbled for attention, but Shu ignored his part of himself in favor of trying to make a call to his uncle. Once more the recorded message from earlier told him that the service had been cut off. Grunting irritation, Shu waited inside of his little mud hut for most of the day before finally his hunger demanded that he get up off of his rear and get himself something to eat. His throat decided that this was the perfect time to chime in with its two cents by reminding him that he hadn't had anything to drink since the night before. Picking himself up from off of the ground, Shu brushed his dirt caked body down and then removed the makeshift barricade that had been set up earlier. 

Getting outside of his little hideaway, Shu found himself lowering his jaw in awe as he found himself in what looked like some kind of ancient village, the likes of which had been abandoned for quite some time. The sight of moss and other vegetation growing all along the tops of the various huts spoke of just how long the area had been left to nature, and yet there was something off about the place. Shu couldn't quite place what it was that kept nagging at him, but as he wandered about the darkened area he began to notice that there was a stone path spiraling about the area, of which seemed to lead to a strange hill covered in small shrubs. Climbing the hill didn't reveal anything of note to Shu, though it did give him a pretty good view of the silent village beneath him. Shu spent an hour looking about the area before finally shrugging and then making his way back towards the ship. 

Surely the creatures who had attacked the vessel were gone by now, which meant that he could meet up with those people who had survived the attack and hopefully work together with them to call someone to pick them up. Or, if they were all dead, hopefully he would be able to raid whatever food was left within the kitchens; the thought that he might have to walk over dead bodies was something that didn't bother the raven haired college grad all that much, if only because his thoughts of eating pushed aside the fact that he would have to look into the eyes of the dead. Making his way forward took some time but eventually Shu returned to the docked vessel, only to find that it wasn't exactly as abandoned as he thought it would be. Looking out from the shade of a large clump of trees, Shu watched as military men went about the area dressed to the tee in camouflage gear and carrying around rifles, the likes of which seemed to have recently been used to the secure the beach, if the numerous dead creatures littering the area were anything to speculate on. A feeling of elation swelled within Shu's heart as he thought that rescue had arrived, however, he soon found his emotions being splashed with a heavy dose of cold reality when he listened to the talk which was going on between some of the men he was standing in close proximity with.

Apparently they seemed to consider the situation on the ship to be something of a mess for some reason, though the exact details didn't come to pass until Shu heard one of them mention something about Project Veil. Recalling the details he had read on the shadow web, the raven quickly began to piece together the oddity behind the island that he was on and the monsters that he had encountered the other day. First of all, they weren't supposed to dock at another island, the six day had treated everyone to the last bit of land that the cruise line was supposed to traverse by. Secondly, in looking around at the various pieces of foliage around the area Shu began to notice that some of the plants seemed really off-color, the leaves were too bright and some of the vines were thickers than he thought they should have been. For the third and final piece of evidence to show that there was something really weird going on here, Shu noticed a pair of green eyes looking out at him from across the way. 

Memories of the night before swam within the raven haired youth's mind as he looked into the unflinching orbs, a sense of calm familiarity overcame Shu for a brief moment. The sense of safety which radiated out from the eyes in question echoed within his mind and soul speaking a hidden language to him that he didn't exactly have words to describe, however Shu trusted what they were trying to tell him as he moved forward towards them unbidden. Stepping over some underbrush filled his ears with an almost deafening cracking sound as his foot snapping on a bunch of sticks. The shouts from the men behind him made Shu yelp. Turning to look behind him, the raven haired youth looked to see several men charging forward at him, all of whom didn't seem to have any interest in trying to speak civilly with him. Flipping his head back around Shu noticed that the green eyes from earlier were nowhere to be seen, making him bite out a short swear.

The young college grad began running before he could rationally think over the consequences of his decision. 

Sure, there was a possibility that he could try and speak with the military personnel in order to get everything sorted out, but something in the back of Shu's mind told him that he was not going to be getting out of this situation that easily, especially given what he had pieced together. The fact that the others told him to stop running only helped to make things much more clear inside of his mind that those chasing him did not have good intentions toward him. It also didn't help matters in the slightest that as he dove over fallen trees and around various fruit bushes that the men pursuing him decided to fire shots in his general direction. When one caught him in the leg Shu yelped and then crashed down to the ground, inertia and the fact that he was headed down what appeared to be an incline found him rolling for several minutes before he came to a stop near a large river that trailed down the side of a very long cliff. Reaching down for his leg, which was bleeding with the same force of a broken water pipe, Shu gasped and then whimpered as he felt pain like no other race throughout his body. 

Brown eyes clenched and then reopened just in time to see several men in military fatigues surround him. One of them said something to him, but Shu was unable to comprehend what the other was saying because of the excruciating pain that he was currently in. Whatever the person said wasn't repeated after being spoken, instead, the men around him began to speak with one another about Shu and his presence on the island. A small argument bounced between everyone before one of the men stepped forward and then pointed his rifle at Shu's head. Brown eyes flew wide as they stared into the barrel of the gun, small beads of sweat pushed out from the pores of Shu's skin as he realized that he was about to die alone, in the middle of an unknown jungle because of some government conspiracy that he and several hundred others had happened to accidentally stumble into. 

Shu would never be able to say why exactly he did it, however, just before the man pulling back on the trigger could fully unload a bullet into his skull, Shu ducked to the side out of the way, kicked the man into the knee, and then threw himself forward into the river. The water swiftly swept him up, causing Shu to disappear out of sight from the stupefied soldiers. Had he not fallen down the side of the waterfall Shu would have witnessed a very large presence slip out from the darkness of the jungle and begin assaulting the men in question. The bloody fight which ensued would have been one that might have actually caused the raven haired youth to lose his lunch there on the ground, however, as it currently stood, Shu didn't have to worry about that, as upon hitting the bottom river he found himself falling unconscious from the force of his impact into the water. The current thankfully swept him further down stream into the gentler part of the river, where he was then dumped unceremoniously onto a nearby bank.

Shu slept for much of the rest of the day, his bloody leg having drained what strength he had left out of him as his veins continued to stream his vital essence down through the water, so he was completely unaware of a shadowy figure carefully picking him up and then carrying him away. When next Shu opened his eyes he found himself sleeping in what could be considered a hammock. A spike of pain rushing up his spine caused him to wince. Blinking, he looked down at his leg, his fingers unconsciously reaching out to try and massage the wound he had received earlier, only to find that someone had bandaged his injury. A slight bit of confusion filled Shu's mind as he wondered who could have done such a thing. 

His grumbling stomach decided to push his confusion away in favor of reminding him of much it had gone ignored for far too long. Slowly lifting himself inside of the hammock, Shu tested the weight of his wrapped leg against the dirt underneath himself. Upon finding that he was strong enough to walk, the raven haired began looking around the area he was within. From what he could see he was in another of those mud huts that he had been in beforehand, however this one was a little more furnished, as there was some kind of animal skinned rug on the floor, a couple of wooden bowls off to the side, and a few spears were off to the side near a covered entryway. Shu guessed that he had probably been helped by some of the natives that lived on this island, the question of why they had helped him was something that fluttered within his mind like a stray moth before he realized that he needed to find something to eat before the black hole growing inside of his stomach decided to devour him whole. Making his way to the covered door, Shu brushed aside the black animal skin and then squinted his eyes as he noticed that the sun was about to set. 

His brown orbs quickly adjusted to the waning light, and upon taking a look around his current surroundings Shu found himself surprised to see a large figure walking towards him. Shock filled his mind as he noticed that the creature in question was a lion, but not just any lion, one that was bipedal and built like a living brick wall. In looking down over the feline entity in front of him, Shu's eyes beheld a muscular body covered in golden brown fur, the likes of which looked very wild and unkept in certain areas. A strip of animal hide kept the creature modest, however it was quite clear from what the raven haired youth could see that beneath the strip of material lay a very large package, the likes of which seemed quite eager to be free from that which was holding it back. Dipping his gaze further down revealed the sight of two massive thighs connected to impossibly muscular legs and then to a pair of large feet. A chuckle drew Shu's face back up across a firm set of pectorals on further past a wide, dark brown mane which framed a very handsome, if predatory looking face. Shu's mouth dropped open when he noticed a pair of jade eyes staring back at him with a look that made his heart pound rapidly within his chest. 

Before he could say anything Shu found himself forcibly backed into the hut by the large wall of fur which sauntered up to him. Shu just managed to keep from stumbling over the animal hide which covered the entryway, however, as the bipedal lion kept advancing on him he was unable to keep himself from falling back into the hammock that he had awoken on. It was only when he found himself uncomfortably settled into place the lionman stopped his forward motions. Shu found himself staring in silence at the other, his eyes darting down when a flash of motion caught the corners of his eyes. The sight of a long, ropey tail with a dark brown tuft at its base made the raven haired youth blink for several seconds. Hearing more chuckles, Shu lifted his eyes back up to the feline's head, his mind noted that the creature stood about two heads taller than his own five foot five inch height. 

When the other moved up to him Shu grit his teeth and then clenched his eyes shut, hoping against hope that the lionman was not about to hurt him. His prayers were answered, because instead of a punch to the face or smack upside the head the towering feline patted him on the head, the same as one would a child. Gently prying his eyes open, Shu looked up at the creature in front of him and then gasping slightly as bright green eyes stared back at him with a warm look that made his heart flutter slightly. Confusion and curiosity filled the college grad's mind as hundreds of questions entered into his mind, that was until his stomach decided to pipe up for a third time now. 

A blush of embarrassment formed on Shu's face at this. 

The lionman let out a guff of very humanistic laughter as he stroked the human across the side of his hairless face before walking over to where the wooden bowls were resting on the floor. 

Shu would have denied it had anyone asked, but it was impossible for him not to have stared at the firm glutes which rested just below the feline's slowly swaying tail. A sense of want bloomed within Shu's chest as he thought about going over and lifting the other's long appendage up and then pressing his nose against the pucker that he knew was hidden between those twin cheeks; Shu had always a deep fascination with tonguing another guy's rear, as there was something deliciously sexy about burying his nose within the hot folds of a man's butt, breathing in the thick, warm scent from their puckered hole, and then burying his tongue within the heated depths of their body until they were left shivering and moaning and pressing his head further into their backsides. There was just something about performing such an act that delighted Shu on a rather primal level, however, most of his partners, including his ex, were too weirded out to allow him to tongue them open. Shu shook his head to dispel thoughts about slobbering all over this strange lionman's bottom - the question of why he had thought about doing such a thing in the first place was shoved violently out of his head - as he watched the feline kneel down and then open a hatch which was inside hidden neath some of the bowls.

When the other pulled out a couple of pieces of what looked dried fruit Shu felt like he could have cried in happiness. The lionman seemed to have sensed this, because upon closing his secret hideaway, he moved to the side of the room and then settled himself down onto the floor, folding his legs as he did so. Shu watched as the feline placed the fruit into the area right near his loincloth and then turned his head to stare almost impishly at Shu. For a moment the raven haired youth didn't know what to think about what he was seeing, as this just seemed to be too surreal for his mind to handle, however, as the seconds ticked by and his ever present hunger grew even more demanding Shu decided to take a chance. 

Easing his way from the hammock, he slowly padded his way forward towards the lionman, ever cautious of the other's demeanor. Once he was near enough to the other that he could feel the heat radiating from the maned feline's nearly naked form, Shu opened his mouth to ask if it would be alright to get a piece of food from the other. Of course the lionman didn't seem to understand him, tilting his head to the side in confusion as if to highlight this fact, so Shu pointed down to one of the morsels sitting down below him and then to his stomach, which growled once again. The lionman did nothing more than stare at him. Grunting in slight frustration, Shu knelt down and then snatched one of the pieces of fruit. When he wasn't immediately punished for what he had just done he quickly brought his wouldbe meal to his face and then bit into it. A strong, sweet flavor burst onto his tongue a second later causing Shu to let out a happy hum. 

After polishing off his food the raven haired turned to look at the lionman. The other said nothing to him. Shu was about to return to the hammock when his stomach let out another growl. Trepidation caused him to turn on his heel back towards the green eyed feline who smirked at him knowingly. 

Once again Shu snatched up another piece of fruit and then quickly devoured it, before doing so again, and again, until there was only one small piece left. By this time the young man felt emboldened enough to grab at the last morsel, however, upon him doing so he was immediately snatched up by the lionman and then dragged into the other's embrace. Shu froze, as fear shut down every part of his body, save his bladder. Shakily drawing his head up to stare at the golden brown maned feline, the college grad found himself looking on just in time to see the other open his cavernous maw to reveal twin rows of yellowed fangs. When the lionman leaned his face down to the side of his neck Shu was sure that this would be the moment when he was torn to pieces. 

He was greatly surprised when, instead of having his throat torn open and left flapping in the wind, the muscular feline licked him across the side of his neck. Trembles raced up throughout Shu's body as both arousal and trepidation ate away at his mind, though instead of succumbing to either emotion Shu found himself merely tilting his head to look into the face of his 'captive'. 

"Algieba like human." The other said in a voice that was thick with an accent that the raven haired youth couldn't place. "Human has strong will." 

Before Shu could ask the other what he was talking about he found his head lifted up and his lips taken hold of by a very firm pair of lips. The taste of the other's raspy tongue brushing against his lips in askance for entrance was the last thing the raven haired boy remained aware of before his mind decided to just say fuck it and shut down all higher thought processes.

- - - - - - -

Algieba proved to be a rather interesting person, or rather lionman, as Shu had taken to mentally calling the other. 

The golden brown feline knew every square inch of the island that the two of them were settled on, and took a great deal of time showing the young raven haired college grad around the area...after killing a number of soldiers that were still lingering about the place. Shu wasn't sure what to think about that, but there was no denying Algieba's claims that the men in fatigues were dangerous outsiders that needed to be gotten rid of, as Shu had become intimately familiar with what had happened with the rest of survivors who had been on the cruise ship with him. The sight of the bodies being thrown into the sea after being cut apart made Shu lose his lunch, however, it simply embolden Algieba to strike out and kill all of those who entered into the depths of the jungle that weren't picked off by the local monster population.

Whether it was sneaking within the shadows and slicing through one soldiers neck with his claws, or piercing another's back with his spear, or grappling with one soldier who had managed to evade a trap he had set up for them, Algieba was ruthless when it came to dispatching those that had invaded his homeland. And Shu, Shu was right there with him through all of it. Why the young man had decided to follow after the other everyday when he left the small mud hut that he called home the raven haired youth would never know, but there was some compulsion within him that tugged at him to follow after his...companion. Friend was a much too strong a word for what Algieba could be defined as, despite the other feeding and sheltering Shu throughout his time with the other. There was just something too alien about the maned feline to gift him with such title, and yet there was something growing between them that seemed to demand that he show the other a greater and greater amount of respect. Shu didn't quite understand his feelings, but as the days passed by without him being able to connect to his friends or uncle, his cell phone having completely died by this point, the college grad found himself drawing ever close to the lionman that snuggled up with him inside of the only hammock within the other's home.

That Algieba showed Shu how to survive on the island was something that helped to connect the two of them together even deeper, since by the time a week had passed Shu's clothes had been slowly torn apart by the underbrush and the fact that he kept getting into encounters with other monsters, necessitating that he make himself a loincloth with Algieba's help. Most of the predatory creatures on the island kept far enough away from the area that Algieba had made into his home, the lionman having created a pseudo-perimeter for himself by leaving his scent marks all about the area, however, three steps beyond the invisible boundary left Shu and even Algieba himself open game to whatever else was out there. More than once did Shu have to use one of the spears that Algieba had forced him to carry around with him after he left the mud hut in order to go to the nearby lake to clean himself off, or relieve the tensions within his bladder. 

Shu still found himself shivering at the feeling of blood covering his hands, and yet as the days passed he grew more and more used to what he had to do. Perhaps this was because there was no need to rationalize his thoughts at the end of the day: if something wanted to kill you, then you either killed them in return or attempted to try and get away. It was as simple as that, and though Shu tried to get away whenever he could, he found himself unable to do so sometimes. Algieba always comforted him afterwards, the towering lionman usually bringing him close into his chest before nuzzling the top of his shaggy head in order to calm and pacify the confusing feelings warring inside of his mind. The sensation of the other's warm breath ghosting over his head never failed to relax the college grad, that they often drifted to sleep snuggled up together was something that didn't bother Shu after the first couple of days. 

Shu actually found himself pleasantly pleased when he found himself waking up curled up inside of Algieba's arms. The raven haired youth thought that he had been sneaky when he would often nuzzle his head into the larger male's chest, breathing in his potent spicy scent as he did so, and then let out a quiet little hum of pleasure as his cock grew hard in between his legs. Eventually his antics rouse the green eyed lion from his sleep, the two would stare at each other for a while as they rested against one another, however, they would end up getting up before long in order to search the island for something to eat. Shu usually preferred the fruits which hung off of the trees around him, yet Algieba needed meat. Watching his companion hunt down a large boar was truly a sight to see, and not just because the other looked like an feral beast from one of the many nature documentaries Shu had seen on tv, but because in watching the other hunt down his meal the raven haired youth found himself silently enjoying his companion pouncing on his prey and then tearing it apart in order to feast on it. The sight of blood and gore, like earlier on, made Shu's stomach roll, but after a while he began to silently cheer Algieba on. He would never speak a word beforehand, as some instinct told him that if he did his companion would be greatly displeased with him for possibly scaring off his potential meal.

Once Algieba was done with his feast he would take the dead animal back to Shu in an attempt to share it with the human. Shu was quick to show the feline how to make a campfire in order to cook his offered meal, as there was no chance in hell that his stomach would have been able to properly digest raw meat. Algieba was somewhat terrified of the flames when Shu first created them within the stone circle, yet he quickly came to enjoy the heat that was offered by the small circle of fire after he laid with Shu outside of their hut together under the stars. The fact that the lionman seemed to grow aroused as they lay together outside was something that slightly threw Shu off guard, as despite his clear interest in Shu as a bed partner, never once had his loincloth covered shaft grow hard while they slept together within Algieba's hammock. Shu was tempted to ask his companion what the sudden change in physical demeanor was about, but he had found out earlier that while his feline companion could speak the common tongue, he was not well versed in it to speak long drawn out conversation. 

Because of this, Shu quickly found himself picking up on the nonverbal commands that his companion would often use to try and tell him something, from the close proximity of an enemy to his location, to the need for them to travel together in silence, Algieba seemed to possess a level of language, the likes of which went much further than Shu would have originally thought upon encountering the other. 

Things turned slightly chaotic for the pair as the military began to creep further inwards towards the island, Algieba's attempts to drive them off were met with more and more resistance, all the way up to the point where Shu was forced to slay some of the men in order to defend his companion. After their search parties got close to Algieba's hut the golden brown lionman decided that it was time to make a retreat to a certain part of the jungle that he had made clear was off-limits to Shu. The young man didn't understand the significance of the place in question, as Algieba was not able to properly explain himself, however, upon getting to the glade where a magnificent looking tree with the brightest green leaves Shu had ever seen hung, the raven haired college grad began to understand the significance of the area. Just breathing in the surrounding air told him of the purity that the tree was able to produce, and yet that alone wasn't the only thing that made the region quiet so special. 

It was hard to describe, but it almost felt like the tree sung within Shu's ears as he stood beneath its shadow, impossible to be sure, but then again perhaps not. The fact that there were bits of blue pollen floating around proved to be rather odd to him, as he hadn't seen such things drifting anywhere around the island earlier on, however the raven haired youth put it out of his mind in favor of surveying more of the area. From what he could see, it didn't seem as though there was anything all that special about the glade in question, save for the massive flower buds which dotted the base of the tree, some of which were as big as his companion. Shu asked Algieba about the strange buds, however, instead of answering him the golden brown feline simply smiled and told him that they were the 'seeds' of the master of the island. When Shu asked him about this mysterious master the lionman simply shook his head. Knowing better than to press an issue with the other, as Algieba could become just as indifferent and aloof as a regular feline when he didn't want to talk about something, Shu simply ignored the strange pods and instead went about helping his companion to settle the two of them into a space near the towering tree.

For days following their arrival nothing out of the ordinary happened, as the military seemed content with surveying the island, however, in a week's time they soon made their way towards the glade. As expected, Algieba fought off the uniformed men as best he could, however he was forced back by their increased numbers. Shu was forced to fight with his companion after Algieba became wounded in the shoulder by a bullet that had been aimed at his head - Shu had breathed a long sigh of relief that he had followed the voice that had whispered inside of his head to tackle Algieba to the ground before he was shot at. Bandaging his companion after the two of them had struck down the rest of the soldiers, all of whom seemed to be suffering hay fever from the pollen wafting about the air, had been easy enough, though getting the bullet out of the other beforehand was a bloody mess. Shu decided that it was worth listening to Algieba grunt and growl up at him as he bloodied his hands while trying to remove the offending piece of metal, seeing as the other had taken such good care of him earlier on.

Nothing was said between the two of them the following night, as they simply chose to lay entangled with one another while the cold moon above drifted across the black, cloudless sky. Both of them knew that the following few days would more than likely spell their end if something didn't change soon, however, Algieba refused to retreat any further. The lionman's stubborn determination to remain within the glade was something that Shu would never understand, however, he didn't question it, instead he focused on sharpening their spears and making new bandages from the leaves he found for his friend. Algieba had chuckled upon him calling him that. The raven haired youth would never know when he had begun doing as such, but it honestly didn't matter, because two days later he found himself standing back to back against his golden brown furred friend after they had been surrounded by a small platoon of soldiers.

By this time both he and Algieba were bleeding heavily, the two of them having sustained a number of injuries from the various guns which had been used on them, however, neither one fell in the face of their adversaries. Shu found his breath catching within his throat as he felt Algieba's tail curl around the side of his leg, a telltale sign that the lionman was trying to say what he couldn't at that moment. A bitter smile crossed the raven haired human's face as he thought about what was to come, but instead of fearing it he embraced it as hard as he did the spear clutched within his hand. Both he and Algieba let out roars that caused the surrounding men to flinch. A moment later they darted forward.

The sounds of gunfire and screams filled the air minutes later before stunning silence.

- - - - - -