Alone Time

They were soaked. It had taken hours for her to complete her latest map of the island they were docked at, and now they were drenched with Usopp's latest hot sauce. Luffy had come barging in at the sound of Sanji calling "supper time", and had run right into Usopp's back, causing the spicy sauce to spill all over the map Nami had placed on the table in hope of showing her crew what she had had finished.

"What have you done?!" Nami shouted at Luffy in anger and grabbed her papers to see what damage had been made to her work. The map was hardly recognizable now that it was covered with the red liquid and the lines were blurred. She had been so excited about showing it off, and now she wished she had just left it in her navigational room. All of her hard work had been ruined.

The navigator closed her eyes in agitation. Usopp's jaw dropped in shock as he looked at his spicy sauce that now covered the table. "Wadja to that for?! I was working very hard on that!"

"Oi, sorry Usopp, I didn't mean to run into you" Luffy apologized to the marksman, who sighed. There wasn't much that could be done, and he couldn't stay mad at the boy.

"It's ok. I'll just start over" Usopp said, returning the bowl to its upright position.

"Hey Sanji, Could you get me another plate of fish" asked Franky, whose plate had also been ruined by the sauce.

"Sure thing" the cook replied, and soon everything had returned to the usual supper time for the crew.

This irritated Nami, for it seemed that no one cared that her maps had been ruined. She had worked so hard on them, and no one even noticed that they were a mess now.

"Thanks Luffy" she mumbled coldly, then carried her papers out of the kitchen.

The others followed her with their eyes till she had closed the door, then they all looked at Luffy who cocked his head.

"Why'd she thank me?" he asked aloud, completely lost as to why she was upset.

"Luffy" Usopp sighed "that was sarcasm. She wasn't really thanking you. She was upset with you for ruining her maps."

"I ruined her maps?!" Luffy shouted in shock.

"You just now realized that?!" the crew shouted in unison.

"AHH! I'd better go apologize!" the captain shouted to no one in particular, then rushed out the door.

The crew sighed together and returned to their eating.

Luffy made his way to the deck of the Thousand Sunny and looked around to see Nami walking out of her navigation room. She had a small backpack on and was making her way to the wharf they were docked at.

"NO NAMI! Don't leave! I'm sorry!" Luffy shouted and ran over to her. His response was an odd look from the navigator.

"What makes you think I'm leaving?" she asked.

"Well, you were pretty upset when you left the kitchen…" he mumbled, rubbing his head.

"Don't worry Luffy, I'm not leaving. I'm just going ashore for some time to myself."

The navigator still looked upset, and her voice sounded irritated, but she didn't yell at the boy talking to her.

"I'll come with you if you want" Luffy said questioningly.

"Not now Luffy. I'm sorry, but I don't want to be around you right now."

Luffy looked sad, but didn't press the issue. If his navigator wanted some space, he would let her have it.

"I'll be in town if you need me" she said shouldering her backpack, and then stepped off the ship.

"I really am sorry" Luffy said quietly before she walked off.

"It's ok" she mumbled, then continued down the walkway. She was a little taken back by his statement, but kept walking. It would take more than that to make things fine again. She was still very upset. Maybe there were maps in the town, but how could she know if they were accurate?

The navigator let out a sigh. She just needed some time to chill.

The sun was slowly setting to the west. It was the only thing on the Grand Line that was for certain. No matter what the weather, the sun always rose and set. As the ginger haired girl walked into the small town, she pondered this and this brought another thought to her awareness. Like the sun, she could always count on her captain and crew to be there for her. She frowned; she wasn't going to be ok with them just yet. The navigator stopped and turned towards the ship. It looked remarkable against the sunset and she could make out her captain leaning on the railing.

"Hmph" she chuckled aloud. It was funny how she could just forgive them and come back to the ship, but she was a stubborn girl and she knew it. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of thinking it wasn't that big of a deal. To think that she would just get over it, as if it didn't matter.

Letting out a sigh she continued up the road that would lead to the town. The season of the island was fall, and the view was pleasant. The sun glistened off of the red and golden leaves that covered the island upon trees of diverse sizes and shapes. It was definitely a peaceful place to be. This wasn't helping her fuel her temper.

As she walked into the town she began to search for a shop that might have some maps of the area. The town seemed normal, with crowds of people filling the streets. She spotted a meat market and a few book stores. Finally, she potted what she was looking for; a store full of maps. To be honest, she was a bit surprised to find such a store in the village. Most towns didn't care much for maps; none the less have a store for them. She walked in and spotted a man at the counter, with three other men. They were hovered over a large map and mumbling to one another.

Nami walked over to them and coughed to get their attention. She seemed to have taken them by surprise, for upon hearing her cough, the one with his back to her snapped around with an expression she didn't quite understand. He looked surprised, but she felt frightened by his face, which looked almost lustful. She stepped back but the man behind the counter held up his hand and smiled.

"Don't mind him, he's just very edgy. Now what can I don't for you?"

"Right" she said, calming herself "I'm here to see if you have a map of this island I could buy."

The man laughed. "Do we have a map of the island? My girl, this is a map shop. Do you really think we don't have a map of our own island?"

Nami blushed, a little embarrassed; "Sorry".

"Don't worry, I got one for ya' right here" he said as he pulled a map out from underneath the counter.

"That'll be 20 beli" he said handing it to her.

"What!" Nami shouted "that's robbery!"

"Feel free to go to the other map shop in town and see if they have a better deal" he responded sarcastically.

Nami growled. He had a good point, this was her only option, so she handed him the money and took the map. Reaching into her backpack, she took out her original copy and checked to see if they resembled one another. She smiled in pride, seeing that they were almost identical, except for the hot sauce. She lifted her head to see what the other maps had on them, and to her surprise, they were all identical to the one she had, but some had been marked at different parts of the island. Nami's curiosity got the best of her.

"Excuse me, but what exactly are all these maps for, and what do these marked spots represent?"

The man looked up "curious cat are you? Well, let me explain. You see, all across this island are herds of large deer called Amphels. They are strong creatures, and we take great pride in catching the head male in the herd. They usually have enormous horns that can be up to 6 feet long."

Nami's jaw dropped. Just how big were these Amphels?

"They are our major food source and we keep track of each heard that dwells on this island. Every man, woman, and child learns to hunt these creatures, and we usually pursue them once a week."

The navigator was becoming a bit uncomfortable. Just how important was hunting to this town?

"How long will you be staying with us mam?" he asked kindly.

"Oh not too long; my crew and I will be shipping out hopefully by tonight" she replied with a small smile.

"Aw, that's too bad. We would love for you to join us. Oh well. Do enjoy your time here miss, we'll be seeing you."

Nami thought she saw the men glance at each other, but it happened so fast she figured she had imagined it. As she stepped out of the shop she noticed that the town did seem a bit odd. She could smell the odor of meat everywhere, and she kept noticing people glancing at her.

"What's with this place?" she wondered, then looked to the sky to see that is had become much darker than it had been since she entered the store. She also noticed the dark clouds coming upon them. There would be quite a storm tonight.

The navigator figured she'd better rush back to the ship before the rain would drench her. So she began jogging down the street, glancing around nervously as she noticed that the once crowded street was now vacant. She was now becoming uneasy, and picked up her pace; suddenly wishing she had let Luffy come along. The navigator felt a bit guilty for being so upset with him, now that she knew getting a new map would be so easy. Her temper had departed from her and been replaced with the uneasy feeling that she couldn't shake. Why was she freaking out? So what the streets were empty? That didn't mean anything.

She was now sprinting down the road, towards the fading sunset. The sun had already slipped behind the horizon and the dark clouds soon washed away the magnificent color she had seen earlier.

Suddenly, she heard a scurrying noise behind her and she stopped. Nami turned her head to see nothing but an empty street. She shivered, partially from cold, partially out of dread. Something was up, she knew it. Now that night was coming over the island, it had become quite chilly without the warmth of the sun. This reminded her of the comparison she had made of her captain earlier, comparing him to the sun. She wished the sun would come back up, just until she made it back to the Thousand Sunny, but she knew, though she could always count on the sun to come up in the morning, it wasn't always there. She could also count on it setting in the evening. However, she knew that Luffy would come if he knew, for he, unlike the sun, cared about her, and would come if he knew she was in trouble; but he didn't know. He was probably still waiting on the deck for her to return.

The rain began to fall. Lightly at first, then the droplets became larger and closer together. Before she knew it, she was drenched, but she could find no place for shelter, so she briskly made her way, once again, down the road.

Then she spotted it; a flash to her left. It came from an alleyway, but once again, she was left wondering what it was, for it had vanished, whatever it was.

The navigator was now officially creeped out and began sprinting down the street as the rain pelted against her face.

Finally she saw what was pursuing her. She had heard a loud panting noise from behind and turned to see, what appeared to be, an enormous dog. It actually looked like a combination of a wolf and a bear. It had brown fur and was broader than a normal wolf, but its snout was longer than a bears, and its ears were pointed at the tips. It ran on all fours, but as she ran she saw that it would sometimes only run on its back feet.

Nami screamed in terror and tried to pick up her pace.

What on earth was something like that doing in the town?!

The creature was catching up to her as she began to run out of steam, then she heard more panting around her. It had turned dark and she could hardly see around her, but she glanced over her shoulder to see the dark shadows of, not one, but seven beasts overtaking her. Their eyes glowed brightly in the darkness and she could hear the dead leaves crunching under their paws, and the clacking of their claws against the rocks scattered across the road.

Nami was drenched by the rain, but she could feel warm tears pouring from her eyes. She was struck with terror and regret. Was she really going to die here? She wished she had her nakama with her. They had always been there in the past, but they had no clue she was in such terrible danger. It was her own fault. Luffy had offered to come with her. He had asked to join her, but she had refused. Now she wished more than ever that she had told him that the stupid map didn't matter, that she loved having him around. How would he know now?

"Help me! Somebody!" she screamed as she heard the breath of one of the creatures behind her jolt, and heard the leaves scatter across the earth. Figuring that one of the beasts had jumped towards her, she dropped to her knees just in time. She felt a rush of air as the creature flew over her head and skidded to a stop in front of her. The navigator would have given anything for her clima tact, but the fact that she was weaponless couldn't be helped. She was surprised that the wolf creatures behind her hadn't pounced upon her, and she looked up to see that they had stopped, only a few feet away. Several more came up and joined the one in front of her. In a matter of seconds she had become surrounded, and she shuttered as she heard their rough breath rapidity increase in excitement. Then her eyes widened in shock as she heard a voice come from the back.

"You curious cat, we usually don't go on our hunt for another five days, but since your such easy prey, we figured it best to give the young an easy kill for experience."

The voice was rough, but she recognized it as the voice that belonged to the man behind the counter at the map shop. Then it all clicked.

"You mean… you are the people I saw earlier!?" she asked in shock.

"Look who's a smart little kitten" he growled, and she saw his dark form rise to his full height over her. The beast stood at a shocking 9 feet over her, and his bright eyes were filled with that fearful desire she had seen earlier.

"Well, since we will be devouring you soon, I guess I'll just inform you of a few things before you die" he said, a bit amused. "You see, we are normal humans most of the time. Living our lives with the daily routine, but unlike regular humans, we transform into our real form when we go on a hunt. Humanity bores us, and we all live our lives in anticipation for that next chase; for that weekly kill. However, it seems we'll be getting and extra dose of excitement for this week. I'm curious to see how such a lovely lady will taste" he said licking his lips.

Nami felt her heart pounding in her chest and she shook all over. The rain was frigid against her skin, and had seeped into her clothes to where they gave no warmth to her. Her hands were numb and her knees were scraped up from the fall she had just taken.

"You're humans though!" the navigator shouted in reply, hoping to either buy time, or convince them not to eat her. Her best bet would be the first option.

"Why would you prey on your own kind?"

The werewolf chuckled. "Our own kind? You? Hah! Your kind is weak, and foolishly kindhearted. We are the higher species, which puts us higher on the food chain and you are free game."

As he spoke those words, Nami thought back to Arlong and the merman's way of thinking. That because they were stronger, or more adaptable, they could just walk all over the lower species. Would she fall victim, once again, to this way of thought.

"We'll give you a fighting chance though. Here's how this is going to work. You will be allowed to run from here, and we will stay behind, but our pups will chase you down instead. This gives them a taste of a real hunt, and I'm sure you'll be real treat for them."

Lightning flashed, revealing the horror on the girls face as she saw the smaller beasts make their way through the pack. They were smaller than the older ones, but still appeared to be much larger than the average wolf.

"You'd better run little kitty" said the werewolf as he stepped out to the side, leaving her an opening.

To be continued….

This was actually supposed to be a oneshot but it turned out I made it too long and need to divide it into chapters. Luckily for you! I'm almost done writing it so I can be quick to update cheers! I am still working on "For Nakama" so don't worry. I haven't forgotten it… im just havin a lil trouble putting the events coming up in order. Thanks for reading! Please R&R it really is what makes me update. Without ur comments, I have no motivation to put anything up.