Okay, I should probably head back. Don’t want to worry Shanai, or freak out the villagers.

Rina stretched, a yawn escaping from her lips. The gorgeous girl wiped a bead of sweat from her brow, the night’s exertions mixing with the balmy jungle air. She turned, frowning as she tried to get her bearings in the pitch dark. Eventually settling on a path she thought familiar, Rina wandered ahead.

The night got on. The moon overhead shone out in patches, visible when she passed into a frustratingly unfamiliar clearing. An uncomfortable feeling was starting to grow inside her as she went; Have I managed to get myself lost?

She gradually quickened her pace, trying to keep her breathing steady to ward off an anxious panic that threatened to overtake her. The darkness still gathered, and after what seemed hours on her aching feet, Rina had to admit defeat for the night. “Well, @$%T…” she mumbled, knocking her head lightly against a tree trunk repeatedly. “Why did I think going into the jungle at night was a good idea?! I can’t see a thing out here, let alone where I’m going…unless…” She glanced up the tree she leaned against, appraising its height and sturdiness, an idea beginning to form in her head.

It's worth a shot, she thought.

It should be safer to sleep in, and I guess I’ll get to be a jungle girl for a little bit longer.

Despite her predicament, Rina found herself smiling sheepishly as she began to climb. Making her way up into the boughs, she scanned the canopy for a familiar sight, but to no avail. The moon had disappeared behind a patch of cloud, and her vision above the trees was little better than below them.

Okay, Jungle, you win. I’ll spend the night here, and get an early start back to the village in the morning. Rina yawned, stretching out, almost catlike, along the branch, into a comfortable position, her hands forming a makeshift pillow for her head. Hopefully, I can slip back before anyone has noticed I’m gone, she added, drifting off to a peaceful sleep, comfortable amongst the canopies of the vast Seoni.

---

Morning dawned in a bright yellow glow, the sun peeking up above the eastern horizon. A ray of light flashed over the sleeping form of a woman, naked but for a silky red bra and panties, her midsection, chest and head resting comfortably along a thick branch. Toned legs straddled the side, toes twitching and curling slightly from the teasing kisses of the morning breeze. The light inched higher, a beam brushing over her face, causing the woman to stir. Rina blinked a bleary eye open, then another, shaking off her pleasant dreams. She sat up slowly and looked around.

“Mm, where-oh, OH! That’s right!” she realized, fully jolting awake. “Man, I slept like a rock! Okay, no time to lose, tengo que ir!”

With that, Rina jumped up, shimmied quickly down the tree, and made for the direction she thought looked most familiar. Helped by the photos of the previous evening she was able to retrace her steps, eventually coming back to the pool she’d paused at. It was no less inviting under the sun than it had been in the moonlight, and Rina eyed it, biting her lip as she considered.

I need to keep moving, but…maybe just a quick rinse?

Glancing left and right, as if she was expecting someone to be watching, the woman stripped off her underwear and waded into the calm waters.

“Ahh, that’s better!” A contented sigh escaped Rina’s lips, as she relaxed. Her scant clothing hung from a branch that stretched over the bank, drying in the morning sun, while her devices sat in the shade below a bush. I should probably get moving, though.

Giving herself a few more pleasant moments, Rina at last reluctantly clambered out of the pool, shaking her hair dry in the cool air. After a quick sun-dry, she gathered up her things, and was just finishing pulling on her silk panties when an intimately familiar voice shocked her out of her post-bath relaxation.

“Rinaa!! Where are you??” The calling was distant, but it sent a wave of guilt washing over her. “Oh, no -- F*$#W! I waited too long!!” Rina smacked her forehead with an open palm. She immediately took off in the direction of the voice; her friend’s shouts mixed with her own calls of “Shanai!” and “I’m coming to you!”

The two nearly collided as Rina emerged from behind a brush and found herself face-to-face with a pair of green eyes set in a freckled face, sporting a scowl that meant business. Shanai pulled up short, her irritation giving way to momentary shock, then relief.

“Ohmygod, RINA! Thank #@%S I found you, holy @#%!!” She nearly screamed, and pulled her best friend into a sudden embrace. Rina returned it, guilt and relief mingling uncomfortably within her. After a long moment, the two pulled apart.

With her heart starting to settle, the raven-haired woman took in the sight of her friend. Shanai looked a bit wild herself – hair unbound and unbrushed, with a twig or leaf sticking out here and there. Her clothes, light garments given as welcome gifts from the villagers were ripped in odd places, the formerly ankle-length skirt having been torn at some point to end just above the knees. A sudden understanding hit Rina like a ton of bricks – Shanai had rushed off after her – she’d gone through all that for her. Her guilt doubled, though as she stood on one foot, her heart began to beat faster for an altogether different reason.

“…okay, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way…” Shanai was speaking, yanking Rina back to reality. “What the HELL were you thinking??! Running off in the middle of the night?? By yourself?! And wearing j-just…” Shanai blinked and stopped midsentence, taking in Rina’s scantily clad appearance and flushing, before she turned away, pretending to cough.

“Dressed in your undies, without telling anyone!” She managed finally. “Like, what the hell, girl??”

“Shanai…” Rina started, wrapping her arms around herself. “I’m-I’m so sorry; I just wanted to explore a bit on my own, I was planning to come back after a couple hours, but, well…” she trailed off, embarrassed.

“…You got lost?” Shanai finished for her.

“Yeah. But I managed through the night just fine;I do know a lot about surviving out here, really.”

“Uh-huh” Shanai raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

“Look, I’m, I really am sorry I worried you, and ran off without telling you. I know I can be a bit impulsive sometimes, but I do know how to take care of myself, and I was okay last night. I uh, I know a little pool you can wash off in, if you need it.” She pointed back, taking Shanai’s hand, her brown eyes staring into the greens of her friend.

Shanai seemed to hesitate, but didn’t pull her hand away from Rina’s. A tense moment passed, and then another. All at once, Shanai’s scowl softened, crumbling against Rina’s puppy-dog eyes.

“Aagghhhh, fine! Dammit, why is it so hard to stay mad at you, Rina?” She fumed. “I’m going to try though, and you’re going to owe me BIG TIME, as soon as we get back to the village. But yeah, I could use a bath, she glanced down at herself.

Rina breathed a silent sigh of relief as she led the bedraggled blonde back under the leaves, towards the pool of clear water.

Still, ‘wild girl’ isn’t a bad look for her, either.

---

“You know, you never did tell me what you were doing out in the jungle, by yourself, at night.” Shanai intoned casually, walking just a few paces ahead of Rina. Her friend’s mood had been improved significantly by both a wash and the fortuitous discovery of mangoes and bananas that the girls breakfasted on before continuing on their journey.

“I totally did! I was scoping out parts of the jungle, getting a bit of solo exploring in.” Rina scoffed, opening one eye to gauge Shanai’s reaction.

“Yeah, suuuure: in your underwear. With headphones. While everyone else was asleep?”

Rina flushed with embarrassment, but Shanai’s grin made it clear she was teasing more than anything. The blonde had taken the lead on the walk, sauntering with a casual pace that suited Rina as well. Come to think, she seems more at ease than usual; maybe she’s actually enjoying walking through the jungle?

Her eyes trailed down Shanai’s back, past the edge of the cropped choli, over the curves of her lower back, and down the folds of the torn skirt, swishing to and fro as she walked. Rina stared, almost entranced by the sway.

“Hey, my eyes are up here, ya perv!”

Rina shook her head suddenly and started stammering an apology, wondering why she was suddenly feeling so warm in the face, and why she hadn’t noticed how nice Shanai had looked from behind until now.

“I’m kidding, just kidding!” Shanai laughed, winking back at Rina. “Look all you want! just don’t mind if I do the same~” she added playfully, and kept walking.

For a moment, Rina just stood there, puzzled. Shaking her head slightly, she followed along, pushing down a few stray butterflies that had begun flapping around in her stomach. Has…has Shan always been this flirty? She wondered.

---

A few more hours passed, and though the sun climbed higher and higher into the sky, Rina wasn’t sure they were getting any closer to the edge of the jungle. The trees seemed just as thick in front of them as behind. Her phone battery had been limping along, and before she’d thought to check the compass on it, had shut down completely. Now, the sun was dipping in the sky, and though they’d been able to forage for a few more fruits along the path, Rina started to worry that her friend might be just as lost as she herself had been the previous evening.

“Hey, so are you sure this is the way you came to find me this morning, Shan?”

“This morning?” She replied offhand.

“Yeah, you know; when you got up and I wasn’t in my bed.” Rina continued.

“I didn’t come looking for you this morning. I saw you run off into the jungle, and I followed you in." Shanai explained.

“Wait, WHAT?? You’ve been looking for me that whole time? How are you still on your feet, aren’t you exhausted?”

“Pssh, pleeease, Rina. You know I’ve got great endurance. Besides, I, I must have…hmm...” She stopped short.

“You spent the night in the jungle too, didn’t you?” Rina asked.

“Yeah, I guess I did. But I don’t…that’s weird…” Shanai stared off into the tree line, lost in thought.

Rina wrapped her arms around herself again, her guilt returning. “Again, I’m so sorry you put yourself in danger to come get me. I know I was being stupid, and that was -- amazingly brave of you.” her heart beat faster.

“Rina, it’s fine.” Shanai was saying. “I just have to take you to the man-village...” she spoke, her voice low and monotone, almost like she’d been reading a line.

Rina perked up, her dark bob shaking slightly as she registered the words.

“Shanai -- what, what did you just say?”

She couldn’t have said what I thought she just said.

Her friend’s face was turned away, obscuring the suddenly slack expression she wore as a few spirals of color flashed over her eyes. Shanai blinked, coming back to herself suddenly.

“Hm? I just said, we’ve got to get back to the village. Now, I could have sworn it was this way.” She put her hands on her hips and looked around, uncertain.

That…was weird. Rina glanced overhead, noting the sun’s position in the sky.

“We’d better keep moving, it’s getting late.”