contentPairing : William/Xander
Part: 2/?
Summary: WarpedMindedYaoi asked for this: AU: A Tarzan/Jungle Book type story. Xander lives in the Jungle and William is an explorer.
Disclaimer: Mine unless you speak to Joss who seems to think he has some sort of prior claim!
Feedback: My first plot bunny – here's hoping it sticks around and plays nice with my Porn!Muse – petting of said bunny can only be of help!
William & Tar-Xan of the Jungle! – Part 2
Xander stared at the strange men who were visiting the island. And they were very strange. Their clothing seemed cumbersome and heavy, great clomping boots on their feet (how did they feel their way through the jungle with all of that on). And even when the night was warm, and the stars were twinkling they never slept out and enjoyed Nature's Bounty – always in their weird little white pyramids.
He had been fine with them taking small bits of the island back to their large floating boat, but their latest load was of concern. They had to be made aware of the dangers inherent in using the Brenmars root, and having discussed it with the village leaders he had volunteered to come and let them know, and of course satisfy his curiosity. There was one visitor in particular he had found most interesting.
There were obviously workers – those were the men loading up huge crates to take back to the boat. And the elder or leader – a tall gentleman with slightly greying hair and glasses, who walked around making notes in a little book, and harried the workers along. But this man – this man was different. Xander had observed him wandering parts of the jungle – always in sight or shouting distance of the camp – but deeply enough to perhaps imagine he was in the wild?
He was not tall but not short. Honey coloured curls on his head flopped into his face, and he was constantly pushing them back with strong, slim hands. And his face – Xander was indeed fascinated by this man's face. He had never seen blue eyes before – that he could recall – and this man's eyes were the blue of his favourite lagoon, tranquil yet deep and calming. Pale skin beneath the wide brim of the hat he generally wore, sharp cheekbones and pouting pink lips – yes, Xander found himself often watching this man from the trees and feeling a reaction that was normally reserved for the young girls in the village.
“Good Lord!!” The exclamation from the Elder brought Xander back to himself, and he turned towards the man.
“No harm. Come warn you of plant.” He had been practising his English these past few weeks – spying on these men had reminded him of the long forgotten language, although how he knew it at all was a mystery that had never been solved.
“Good Lord, he speaks English!” The Elder was wiping his glasses furiously on a handkerchief, staring at Xander like a specimen in a jar. Speaking seemed to have struck the younger man dumb as he continued to stare speechless at Xander, cup forgotten in his hand. “Erm, where exactly have you come from? And how did you get here? What plant are you talking about and what warnings - “
“RUPERT! Give him a chance to speak man!” Galvanised into action by Rupert's typical enthusiastic response to the opportunity to learn, William walked closer to the Wild Man.
“Errr, hello. My name is William. What is your name?” William made sure to speak slowly and clearly. It was obvious English was not the man's first language.
“Name Xander. Who he?”
“That's Rupert. He's our, well he's our leader”.
“Elder?”
“Yes, that would be right, Elder”. Unaccountably pleased at the understanding, William stepped forward, closer to Xander. “You said you had warnings for us – is there something wrong?”
“No, not wrong. Plant you take. Can be dangerous. Can be poison”.
“Oh I say!!! Which plant do you think?”
“Come with. I show”.
“Oh I don't know about that!! William, I'm really not sure we should trust this man enough to go into the jungle with him. Who knows what nefarious plans he might have.....”
“Ok. I'll come with you”. The words were out of William's mouth before he realised it.
“Good. You follow”. So saying, Xander turned back towards the jungle and moved to the base of the nearby tree.
“I say, William, I really don't think - “
“Rupert, please, don't worry!! I – I'm just going to see what plant he's talking about and I'll come right back. Don't you want to know what a native of this island can teach us about the vegetation?”
“Well obviously, yes, but even so ….”
“Imagine how this will enrich our research – I can't let an opportunity like this pass us by”. Diving back into the tent, William grabbed his boots and his hat and shoved them on quickly. Outside the tent again, he moved towards where Xander was waiting. “I have my whistle with me, and if I get into any difficulties I promise you I will sound it!”
“But William, what if you're too far away for us to hear you – don't you think.....”
“Bye Rupert, see you later” and William tramped off into the jungle behind Xander.
“Oh dear!”
Part 3