For Volldai, the days were becoming too numerous to count and too monotonous to distinguish between.  If there was one thing Volldai hated most, it was sitting idle, and that's exactly what he was doing.  The mist hadn't receded one foot, and there were no signs of the creature that he had seen weeks before.  It had even come to the point that Volldai had to replace in rotation all the wooden weapons he had made, as they had begun to rot with age.
 
    By the seventh week, Volldai had explored the entire width of the peninsula where the mist blocked his way.  There was no sign of anyone having been there in years, and what was worse, it seems the forest was slowing on its growth of fruit.  Though the island was tropical where he was, it was obvious now that it still had a distinguishable growing season, at least for the plants he had been eating.  Without the fruit he had been gathering, Volldai would have only the roots and bark he had been eating along with them.  Volldai knew, too, that those roots and bark wouldn't sustain him.  He needed meat, he needed to hunt something down.  But just as it was when he first was on the island, he hadn't seen any type of fauna anywhere, save his small reptilian friend.  It became apparent that he would have to find a source of food, and soon, Vollai predicted that the trees he had been harvesting only had a few more weeks of fruit production.

    The dawn of his forty ninth day on the island (for those of you keeping track, that's December 1st) found Volldai packing up his camp.  It was time for him to move, he had to find food before he ran out.  Volldai had decided that the best place he could go would be the shore line, as he could most likely fish for food, providing the fish wouldn't avoid him like the creatures of the forest were.  Volldai's lizard companion was happily chirping on Volldai's shoulder has he worked, keeping a sly smirk on Volldai's face.  Volldai abandoned his hut, taking with him only the weapons he could carry, plus a sack full of fruit.  The trek to the shoreline took the entire day, but sure enough, by nightfall he had made it.  Volldai looked the beach over, and camped where he thought the tides would not touch him.  He also made sure to pick a location on the beach that would give him a clear view of the mist, so that if it receded he would know.  He made a lean-to and a fire, and bedded down for the night.

    Morning.  The fiftieth day.  Volldai was up with the dawn, removing all of his armor and placing it in plain sight on the beach.  Volldai placed his companion on the pile of armor and pointed at it.
    "Now you guard this well while I fish, I don't need to lose these."
    The little creature stood upright and expanded its' chest, making itself look as big as it could.   Volldai chuckled at his companion and patted its head.
    "I'll take you over any human any day little one."
    Volldai walked out into the surf, spear in hand, ready to catch some food.  The water was relatively calm, and very clear, though it seemed there were many hidden rocks beneath the waves.  Volldai could tell this was a ship's deathtrap.  But for Volldai, nothing mattered but food, and to his delight the sea was teaming with fish of every color.  However, Volldai, though an experienced hunter, was having a hard time catching these faster than normal fish.  Every one of them seemed to be faster than he remembered fish being.  That is, until he spotted a peculiar lump on the sea floor.  Volldai jabbed his spear as hard as he could, and skewered a huge, docile fish.  It didn't make much movement, Volldai had pierced right through its' skull.  As he made it back to shore, Volldai triumphantly marched up to his companion, still sitting on the pile of armor.
    "Come my friend, it is time to eat!"
    Volldai looked the fish over carefully.  It's mouth was lined with razor sharp teeth, and its' fins were all barbed.  He had seem fish like these before, and such fish usually had poison glands attached to the barbs.  Volldai quickly removed them from the fish and continued to clean it.  This was obviously a predatory fish, one that lied in wait for its prey.  It's need for fast reflexes, being an ambush predator, would mean it would have strong muscles, and would satisfy the warrior well.  Unfortunately, Volldai also knew that fish like these probably weren't common, so he'd have to find a more numerous species to hunt in the future.  It only took a few minutes to clean the fish, though it brought out some choice words from Volldai as he struggled with the fish's seemingly never ending supply of bones.
    As it cooked on the fire, Vollai closed his eyes and took in the smell of it, trying to remember the last time he had meat in his stomach.  His lizard companion was on his shoulder, as always, trying to analyze the new smell.  Volldai picked a piece off of the fish with his knife and blew on it, cooling it off, and offered it to his friend.
    "It's fish, it's good," Volldai said, taking a small bite.  The lizard looked over the meat, cocking its' head side to side.  "Careful little one, it's hot," Volldai warned.  The creature opened its' mouth and tried to devour piece of fish.  Volldai smiled as the lizard stood perfectly still for a second or two and then spit out the fish, darting around the lean-to frantically.
    "I told you, it's hot," Volldai chuckled, pouring some water from his bladder pouch into a small wooden bowl.  The lizard didn't bother with drinking the water, it dived right into the bowl.  Volldai fell over backwards laughing at his small friend.  He couldn't remember a time when he was so content with being where he was.  Granted, he'd rather be exploring the island, but Volldai had never enjoyed doing relatively nothing so much.  Volldai picked up his lizard friend and petted him gently, calming the creature.  Volldai began to think about all that had happened to him on the isle, and what had happened before.  The isle was changing him, he could tell.  Something about the island was keeping him from being as ruthless as he usually was.  Though it was normal for him to befriend some animal, he had never kept one so long before.  Usually he would eat the creature at the first sign of it getting in his way, but this time was different.  Volldai looked up at the stars and wondered...