Daniel spent most of the morning washing off the lovebirds. He was half tempted to leave them like that, especially after he realized they were breathing fine.

Still, it was best to finish scrubbing them down and separating them. Easier said than done. For one thing, the woman's legs stayed firmly wrapped around her lover's waist.

They'd certainly taken a tumble. Getting her to relax took more time than he cared to admit.

Samson took to licking the man's foot again. Daniel put his hand against his face and pushed him back.

"Stop. That's disgusting for a lot of reasons. You know where they've been."

The large cat obeyed the chide and kept his distance.

It was well past noon before Daniel gave up and stood.

"She's got a vice grip on him." Short of breaking those legs, he wasn't sure how to get them apart. At least the black stuff all over them had nearly washed off.

Daniel scraped it off in clumps using a coconut shell. It was rancid.

Samson tried to smell it but Daniel nudged him back again. "Away, already. You'll make yourself sick."

The girl was stark naked under that gunk but her boyfriend—husband wasn't as much of a gentleman.

"He didn't even take off his clothes. Wow." They both wore something strange on their heads. Hers was round while the man's was somewhat cruder. Daniel hesitated to fiddle with something that unfamiliar so he focused on their bodies. Short of cutting the rags off, Daniel wasn't sure how to get them both bare so he could examine them better. "And how exactly do you reckon we break them up, Sam?"

The beast's large tongue flicked its nose.

Daniel sighed. "You're no help."

Another day passed before the woman finally let go; and it took great effort to accomplish that much. When she lay bare, Daniel frowned at the bruises all over her. Little by little he started to doubt whether or not this was really what it seemed.

She'd been beaten. A lot.

There wasn't much he could offer her in the way of clothes, but he found something.

Later that evening, the man came around. Daniel smiled in spite of himself, especially when the lover regarded the woman at his side and sighed with relief at the sight of her.

With that, Daniel considered himself mistaken. They were lovers.

They were of age, though. And short.

Besides that, they weren't very perceptive.

Sitting at a distance, Daniel watched as the man reached out and held his woman by the neck. He then tore off the strange head covering he wore and pressed his face to her chest.

The gasp that time provoked Daniel to stand; he'd noticed them, too—the lumps in her throat. To his shock, the man held her neck tighter.

One cough came from the woman, then a gag. That's when Daniel understood; they were trying to travel to the afterlife together.

"There's no need for that now," Daniel said.

He startled the man but didn't hesitate to bring a cloth to the stranger's face. The body went limp—it wouldn't stay that way for long.

The woman was more troubling. Daniel gave of his own meager clothing to keep her warm. It took all of the day to work that thing off her face. Most of the top layer wasn't hard to pull off but a second layer below took more effort.

"Well look at that," Daniel said. "It's all gone. All her hair." He called back to the panther. "Sam, come look. It's all—"

Whap.

Daniel saw white and red. He wasn't sure what hit him the second time. He jumped back to avoid the third strike but something slammed into his ankles and he toppled.

A woman on top of him should have been a welcomed treat. The thing she slammed against his face without mercy stole those sentiments—it was that strange, round head covering she once wore.

Samson growled.

That prompted the woman to freeze. In one jump, she dismounted and scurried back.

Daniel took some time in rising and he did so with a cough. "You're safe here. I'm not trying to harm you."

Her wild brown eyes took him in and he held his hands up.

"You're safe."

Each word made her eyes wider. At first Daniel thought it was the shock of the situation that caused it but it slowly dawned on him...she couldn't understand his words.

The thing that was on her head clenched close, she cowered away from Sam.

Daniel tested his lip. He didn't need to feel for the knot on his brow; it was hard to miss.

"You're safe," Daniel said again.

But Sam was her only focus.

"You don't like animals? He's harmless. Just a little big. Look." Daniel called Sam close and patted his side. "He's just big but not frightening at all. He doesn't even catch food well. I promise."

Nothing. Just that wide stare.

Daniel looked down at his companion and apologized, "Sorry, Sam. Out you go. You're too big. She'll have to warm up to you." They traveled the long hall and Daniel opened the door and put the cat out. "There. He's gone."

He turned in time to see something charge. The woman jumped, that strange object in hand.

Unbalanced, Daniel toppled. By luck, he landed beside the cloth which he shoved over her nose until she fell limp above him.

When she was finally calm and that round thing rolled from her fingers, Daniel closed his eyes and rested back.

He had a cage for hunts. He'd put them both in until he could figure out how to explain things to them.

Getting them in quickly was best before either of them did something foolish and rash. The cage wasn't designed for people, and although it was a tight fit, Daniel managed to get the lovers in without trouble.

The first thing he needed to do was get pain relief for the girl. Then the two of them would calm. Once he convinced them to abandon this idea of traveling to the underworld together, they could perhaps see about communicating.

Daniel's body ached, but as the medicine grew wild all around, it wasn't difficult to find a good handful of the plant and bring it back. He opened his door to the sound of groans. The lovers were awake.

Rather than venture down the hall and possibly interrupt them, he ducked into a different room and began the preparations for the medicine.

Another grunt came. One sound that followed confused him.

Flub.

Flub.

Curious, Daniel popped his head out the doorway. The sound stopped.

He waited a minute more then went back in. A man's sharp wail sent him scurrying out again.

Daniel's feet fell fast as he approached. The cage did rock but when he closed in at the sight of the blood, what he saw shocked him. The man pressed both thumbs into the woman's eye sockets, his feet on her chest.

There was no getting the cloth now—there was no time. Daniel struggled with a possible decision.

Not for long.

The woman grabbed under her lover, yanked forward, and twisted. Daniel winced in sympathy. The prospect of what she'd just done render Daniel unable to walk.

Sam came to see what the commotion was about. His presence was a blessing—both strangers feared the animal enough to calm. Daniel opened the cage and pulled the poor woman out.

When he looked between her and her companion, he made a terrible discovery...they didn't like each other.

That was made all too clear when the lover scratched her and she in turn kicked him in the open wound on his arm, no doubt a bite mark.

Her new bruises worried Daniel. She looked strange there in his clothing.

"Come. I'll see to you."

But she planted her feet once free from the cage. Getting the man secured was of more importance so Daniel let the woman go, reasoning she couldn't get far.

After he fastened the cage, he turned. The hallway was bare.

"Woman?" That wasn't a very nice way to call someone. She was too young for him to say Aunty. "Lala?" A flower's name was a better fit, perhaps. Daniel inched down the hall and peered into his usual room. "Pst?"

It was something like a monster; it was so fast. She jumped up, kicked him in the throat then dragged his legs out from under him.

By the time Daniel landed, she sat on his chest and delivered blow after blow to his face. He couldn't determine if her fists were in fact made of metal; the speed left him unable to focus.

Sam leapt, knocking her over. She jumped back into the room. It took a long while before Daniel could stagger to his feet. He was in time to see the woman frantically rush to each open area only to back away.

There was nothing beyond the house but jungle and the bottom of the tree itself wasn't one anyone would want to see the hard way.

"Okay. Let's try this again," Daniel blubbered. "Let's try this one last time." Anger burned in his belly but he willed himself to push it back. In the attack, his turban came undone, so he decided to remedy that before approaching this unfavorable situation again. He wasn't certain what he was dealing with, but by nightfall he found out the hard way. He was dealing with something evil.

Lala lay bound by her feet and hands the next day thanks to Samson's presence.

"You are sick," Daniel told her, dressing his own wounds with the plant. "You are sick. Absolutely ill in the head."

The scowl she wore hadn't faded in that time. All attempts at communicating with her or dressing some of the meager injuries Daniel'd managed to inflict in his desperation to live was to no avail. She only stared at him. Stared and scowled.

After a long day and with the equally challenging night ahead, Daniel thought to leave Sam out in the hall with the she-devil. The way she looked from him to Daniel changed that notion. Daniel eased the animal into his room for both their safety, and shut the door, shrouding her in the darkness of the hallway.

The oil lamp in his room stayed all night—not that he dared close his eyes knowing she was loose. Tomorrow he'd see about constructing a new cage.

Sam was the first to stir in the morning, rubbing his nose against Daniel's bare leg.

Daniel shot to his feet, terrified. When he saw that it was the panther and not perhaps that woman looming over him with a knife of sorts, he calmed.

That wasn't all that calmed. Daniel found her crouched in a ball, shivering. As he stood over her, he came to one firm conclusion—she wasn't made for the wild.

He wanted to see about those ailments, though. Now with her so timid, maybe he could make some progress. Rather than risk being in her reach, he dragged her into the room by her feet. He had his doubts about the so-called safety of that tactic.

That was another concern. She'd struggled so much in the night that the raw vines dug into her flesh, causing a most rancid gash on both ankles.

Her arms were better. He found that suspicious. Those injuries were real though. He glanced at Sam who watched them curiously from the doorway.

"You'll be sure to pounce should she attack, right?" Daniel laughed at his own joke when no response came.

It wasn't much of a joke, though. Lala was untrustworthy.

"I'm going to cut you free," Daniel said. He spoke slowly and loudly in hopes it would help the language barrier. "But hold still."

He kept a keen eye on her as he cut the vines with his blade. She didn't move. Still, he waited a longer minute more to make certain.

The leaves from the day before still lay scattered around the room and he gathered them up while casting fervent glances at her to be sure she wouldn't move.

He found his pestle and stone and mashed up the root. Once it was a sticky white paste, he plastered it along her ankles. Each wince she gave off made his stomach drop—he half thought she'd attack again, somehow.

Her hands were still bound though, and he took that as a comfort as he stood and got some more of the plant. He'd need it for those stones in her throat.

No sooner had he turned, she whipped up on her feet. They stood rigid, watching one another. Sam seemed ages away.

She glanced at Daniel, then at the large open window on his right then at him again.

"Wait..." Daniel began.

But it was too late; she was in motion.

"Wait."

She jumped out feet first.

He caught the binds but not her hands properly.

"Idiot. What are you doing?" The fall below seemed a certainty, but he wasn't having it. "Lala. What are you doing?" She was heavy. Heavier than he expected and he feared she'd drag him along if he didn't let go. "You're ill, I know. Your people threw you away. I understand that now. I understand but there is no need for this."

Slide. Daniel struggled to keep his feet on the floor and not slip over.

"Lala...."

And then she jerked her body again, intentionally dangling.

"No. No. I'll pull you back up," Daniel promised. "I'll pull you back up. You need only take my hand and come back up. Please." Till now he hadn't the courage to look at her face but when he did, it was blank with no feeling. She intended to go, and was more than ready to take him with her should the need arise.

Her brown eyes took him in and when he was sure she seemed ready to use her body weight and drag him yet again, he relented.

"All right. All right, Lala. You wanna end it. It's just you and me, then. I'll come with you."

They locked gazes for some time. Daniel's arms screamed from fatigue. She stopped struggling. As deeply as he studied her blank expression, she took him in as well. For a split second he fooled himself into thinking she understood or would give in. But when she began to swing, her momentum dragging him along, he quelled his fear. She'd take him up on the offer. And she did.

She jerked again, pulling Daniel out the window with her. She flung herself into the lower room. Daniel gripped the ledge.

And there she was, that strange woman looking smug for the first time as she stood and walked toward him.

Something caught him around the neck...Lala's bound hands. Daniel gritted his teeth, bracing himself. But she reached lower, dragging him by the shirt as she hoisted him back up.

Panting, they both remained there for some time. When Daniel found the strength to stand, he climbed back up to the main house, deciding then and there that he'd no doubt have to abandon his home to them should he wish to survive another day.