The atmosphere was very tense as Boulder tended to Sparky's wounds. The boy pirate had seemed to go into shock as he lay there with an unfocused gaze, seemingly unaware of the talk surrounding him.

Boulder's face was set and very solemn. He didn't say much else after his talk with Robinson, who left to dispose of the werewolf's body. The large man worked slowly, as if a single touch would mess everything up.

Jackson and Rosie had created the fire and they and everyone else was huddled around it, eating their provisions and talking in hushed voices. "Will Sparky be alright?" Smalls asked in a tiny voice. His brown eyes were huge, reflecting the firelight in them. Jillian was amazed that she had forgotten how young Smalls was until this moment. Yes, he usually put on a tough act and throw around swear words, but the attack left him very shaken. She doubted he had ever seen someone so close to death.

Jillian put her arm around Smalls and pulled him to her side. Smalls didn't protest as he snuggled next to her. "I think so," she said, though her tone wasn't very convincing. "Boulder knows what to do."

Leaves crunched behind Jillian and they all turned to see Eye-Eye coming to warm up by the fire. He settled next to Rosie and warmed his hands, not looking at anyone. No one had yet acknowledged his return to the group. Robinson hadn't said anything about it before he left so the others didn't know what to do, really.

Breaking the silence, Eye-Eye sighed loudly. "You can talk to me, you know. I'm not a ghost."

"It sure feels like we're looking at one," Jillian said. "How did you escape. We thought you were...dead."

Hesitating, Eye-Eye turned to Jackson. "And who are you?" he asked, eye narrowing.

"Jillian's brother," the boy said immediately. "I'm part of your little crew now. Surprise."

"Alright then," Eye-Eye said. "About time we found you."

Jackson looked a bit surprised at the former first mate's lackluster reaction but settled down with the others to hear his tale.

"So I was taken back to their campsite, hidden in a valley. The leader, his name's Burug, let some of his men roughen me up a bit first" Eye-Eye pulled up his shirt to reveal large purple bruises blooming across his torso. "Then they voted what to do with me. Some wanted to kill me right there, a quick beheading. In the end, they decided to tie me to a tree and leave me to the wolves. They searched me and took all my knives so I couldn't cut myself free."

"But you escaped," Jillian interrupted.

Eye-Eye nodded. "Some of the men wanted to wait for the wolves to come so they could watch, but they got bored after a few hours and left. After they all left, I was able to get the secret knife I hid from them." He cleared his throat, a bit embarrassed. "I had to hide it in my drawers."

He smiled weakly as the others burst into laughter.

"How on earth..?" Jackson asked, then said, "Never mind. Too painful."

Eye-Eye continued. "After cutting myself free, I tried to find you all. I discovered that fortress and camped out, because I didn't want Captain to find me. At nightfall, I found this little entrance someone had cut out of the wall and put the logs back into place." Everyone looked at Jackson, who reddened in learning his exit wasn't so hard to find. "I found Sparky and we talked. He gave me a bit of food and we tried to come up with a plan. But we couldn't think of something quick enough so when you all hightailed it out of there, I followed you into the Wilds. Sparky sometimes snuck away to check on me and give me food."

Jillian thought about the time at the fortress when Sparky had gone missing and when he and Rosie had been late to the exit, and all the rime he had been gone a long time collecting firewood. Suddenly, she turned to Rosie. "You knew!" she exclaimed loudly, pointing to the red-head. "You saw where Sparky had gone and when I asked, you lied about it!"

Rosie looked at her seriously. "I didn't know if it was safe letting so many people know without Robinson finding out. He was still too angry to be thinking straight."

"If it helps, I didn't know," Jackson said.

Jillian ignored him. She wasn't in the mood for his wit. "I still can't believe no one told me."

"Neither do I," a voice growled from the trees. They whipped around as Robinson emerged from the shadows, a dark look in his eyes.

Eye-Eye scrambled to his feet. He opened and closed his mouth before saying, "C-captain, I can explain-."

Robinson held up his hand. "I don't want to hear your story as I just eavesdropped in on most of it already. You showed true nerve and courage saving Sparky from the werewolf. Maybe I was...wrong." He grimaced slightly as he forced the words out. "I...am...sorry."

The pirate crew gaped at their captain. Robinson was usually so sure that he made the right decisions all the time so to hear him apologize was nothing short of a miracle.

Eye-Eye's mouth had been hanging open so he shut it and nodded quickly. "Its alright, Captain."

Rosie tentatively raised his hand. "Is Eye-Eye first mate again?"

"Good point, " Robinson said. "Rosie, you've been demoted."

The red-head looked positively delighted at these words. He even gave a rare smile, but it quickly vanished as Boulder walked over, looking grave.

"How is he?" Eye-Eye asked nervously.

"Well, I gave him some herbs for the pain and he fell asleep, but he's developing a high fever and chills. We need to have someone watching him all night and cleaning the wounds to try to slow the infection."

"I'll do it," Eye-Eye said immediately. Jillian wondered if he was volunteering to make up for his absence from the group.

The first night was horrible. Jillian was often awoken by Sparky's cries of pain as his wounds were roughly rubbed and the pirate sometimes went into fits, crying and trashing about. It was terrifying to watch.

When he was calm, Sparky wasn't really himself. He was mostly unresponsive and talked to people who weren't there. Eye-Eye and Boulder tried for hours to get him to acknowledge them but they failed.

They still had to travel to get out of the Wilds. Sparky wasn't a fan of walking so Boulder had to carry him, but the big guy never complained. None of his herbs was enough to heal the scratches. He and Robinson talked endlessly about trying to find the right herbs in the forest. Jillian and the others spent hours searching but to to avail.

By the fifth day, they seemed to lose hope that their friend would recover. Robinson was sullen and was prone to lashing out at anyone who would speak to him. Rosie and Smalls had drawn into themselves and spoke very little. Only Eye-Eye had some faith his friend would return.

One night, Jillian heard him crying at the edge of their campsite. She quietly walked over and sat next to him. Eye-Eye tried to quickly wipe his face but gave up as he blubbered. "He's not Sparky anymore, Jillian! He's an empty shell! Why do I bother to try anymore?" He covered his face and sobbed.

"Because you care about him," she said softly. "And its okay to care."

"But it hurts to care so much," he said, his voice muffled in his hands.

Jillian looked over at Sparky's sleeping form and wiped her own eyes. "I think its better to care and hurt, then to never care at all. It means you have a heart."