When Joseph came back with pears last time and set the traps, he’d left markers—snapped branches.Following them, the group quickly reached the pear trees.Just as he’d expected, the pears he’d left unpicked had plumped up nicely. Each one gleamed, bigger than the last batch. Even a few of yesterday’s blossoms had already knotted into tiny fruit.They weren’t ready to eat yet, so Joseph left them on the tree.The rainforest rains would hit soon. After that soaking, the pears would draw in fresh nutrients and swell again.To Joseph, these two pear trees were bottomless treasure troves. At least on the fruit front, they were set for a long while.Many pears had little pecks from birds, but it didn’t really matter. If you wanted perfection on this island, you were dreaming.If anything, it proved how fresh they were.Joseph sorted the pears—blemished to one side, unmarked to the other. The pecked ones would have to be eaten first after they got back.He already had a plan: pair them with

Snakes lived in damp hollows, hypersensitive to heat and humidity.They could feel the rain coming same as anyone else. At times like this, snakes would be out hunting.Joseph hadn’t run into them before likely because he hunted in daylight. As cold-blooded creatures, most snakes stayed hidden when the sun ran hot.This time, they got unlucky.Aside from pythons, most snakes stayed in loose colonies.If there was one, there were probably more nearby.“Check the area. Make sure there aren’t others.”A cold knot tightened in Joseph’s gut. If they’d stumbled into a nest, they were in real trouble.Fortunately, there was just the one—likely out alone to hunt—and now it lay dead. The others exhaled.Joseph didn’t.Wild snakes evolved for survival—sharper fangs, stronger venom. Bite, inject, and wait for the kill.On this island, that venom would only grow more potent.He’d only gotten a quick look when it fled, but the pattern—God, he knew it. Knew it and hated it.He’d seen something like

What Joseph did—putting his mouth to Naomi Martin’s wound to draw out the venom—nearly scared everyone senseless.Even he hadn’t been sure it would work. But he couldn’t stand by and watch her die. Not in front of him.By some miracle, it had worked.Back from the brink.If he’d hesitated a moment longer, let the venom run its course, even Joseph wouldn’t have been able to pull her back.Looking at Naomi, color returning to her cheeks, he felt a swell of relief and a quiet pride.“She should be okay now.”Curing a silver-banded krait bite without antivenom—on this island—that bordered on a miracle.Naomi finally came out of her daze. She looked at Joseph, eyes complicated, and then smiled—unguarded and real.“Joseph, little brother, I truly owe you,” she said, resting a hand lightly on his shoulder. “If you hadn’t risked yourself, I’d be dead. That makes twice you’ve saved me. So tell me—what reward do you want? Anything. I’ll make it happen.”Her tone was warm, teasing, reckless—impo

Looking at her now, his wife was truly deft and capable—hiding it all this time. Joseph had never noticed.With a little guidance, she’d be a natural.“Last step,” Joseph said, finally easing up, the edge of panic gone. “Score the meat with the stone knife and soak it in saltwater. Then we can marinate the rabbit.”“I may have been in the wrong before,” Alice said suddenly.Joseph blinked. “Alice, why bring that up now?”A prickle of dread crawled up his spine.People said things like that right before settling scores. He braced for a beating—only for her next words to pull the ground out from under him again.She set down her work.“You’re the backbone for everyone here. When someone’s hurt, of course you help first. So this time, I won’t hold it against you for carrying Naomi Martin back.”“Naomi’s injured. Carrying an injured person is the right thing to do. Otherwise it would’ve been heartless.”“But only this once.” Her eyes sharpened. “From now on, you keep your distance from Na

Joseph pointed at the ocean beside them. “Seawater.”“Seawater?”At their puzzled looks, he nodded. “That’s right. We made this pot of chicken soup with seawater.” He went on, “Seawater contains salt. That’s why I soaked the food in it earlier—to give it some flavor. When seawater boils, the water evaporates, but the salt stays behind. It gradually crystallizes and settles into a white layer at the bottom of the pot.”“Do that a few times, and the salt builds up. Then we can use that seawater to make chicken soup that actually has some flavor.”Everyone’s eyes lit up. “Does that mean we’ve solved our seasoning problem?”“More or less.” Joseph looked a little rueful. “I should’ve thought of this sooner. I’ve just been so busy firing pottery and looking for food that it slipped my mind. Still, using seawater every time would be a hassle. We need to extract the salt itself.”The realization hit the others as hard as it had hit Joseph. Seawater was full of salt. That was where sea salt ca