They left Flanigan's and made their way down to the beach. A dirt path ran along the edge where the grass met the sand. The sun was shining, glistening on the crystal blue waves. They passed the outskirts of town, houses and little shops on one side, the white sandy beach on the other. Jango nodded or waved to a few people they passed, some of them obviously from the tribe, others simply locals he'd known all his life. This part of the island, away from the resort, was less tourist-y with a quaint, small community feel to it.<br/><br/>Kairi asked about her attacker the night before and Jango wondered just what he should tell her. He didn't want to scare her but he also thought she had a right to know everything. "The story goes that Nakiki had a sister, Jalung, who took the form of an enormous octopus and made her home beneath the island in underwater caves. She had children, creatures of the dark depths found nowhere else in the world. They take many forms but they stink of corruption and death. I couldn't get a look at what attacked you but I bit it. Everything I know about the dark ones fits. I don't think it was a shark. I'm not sure how much of the old stories I believe but there's something down there and I think one came after you. The stories say they haven't been near the surface in generations though. Most of us think they're a myth but..."<br/><br/>Buildings and roads became trees and bushes as they moved away from town. The island began to taper here. On one side were sheer cliffs. A little inland from those was a small belt of trees. On the other side of that was the beach and the dirt path they were on. At the end of the tapered peninsula of the island was a small stretch of water and further out was the little island he was leading her to. He could already see the water had receded. It was still about waist deep but he could see the tan/yellow of the sandbar beneath the surface of the blue water.<br/><br/>The little island itself was a volcanic rock formation jutting up from the waves, black rocks like strange teeth surrounding a path that led between the sparse trees and disappeared into them. Jango came to a stop on the shore, watching the waves continue to recede further, revealing more of the little island not far away. The volcanic rocks that were normally submerged were uncovered, revealing tide pools and clusters of seaweed covered outcroppings.<br/><br/>He turned to her. "I know a lot of new information has been sprung on you the last few days. Some of it is probably pretty scary. But we're a family. Some of the tribe might not like it but you're one of us. We've survived here for centuries because we protect each other." He wanted to reassure her. She'd taken all the new information quite well, considering the impact he thought it would have on an outsider. But he couldn't help feeling a strange protectiveness. "There's a party tonight. It's not like the ones at the resort. Tribe only. You could come. Meet some of the others."