by Vivian Venus
“My mother taught me how to speak, my father to hunt. The wisdom comes from the Great Ones, and they sent you here.”
“Maybe your parents would be able to help me then,” she said hopefully.
“They passed long ago,” he said. “And now I’m all that remains of the Ulduuk. And Toovah.” He gestured to the boy.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. All that remains… She wasn’t sure what he meant by this. Surely these two couldn’t be the only ones here? “All that remains? I’m not sure I understand.”
“The sickness took everyone in the village. Hundreds fell. I was the only one not affected by it. I asked the Great Ones for help every night when their Great Eye was open in the sky,” he gestured up at the planet that hung overhead, “and each time, silence. Until tonight. Tonight you came, and you will help me rebuild the Ulduuk people.”
Kaylee’s face turned red hot as she grasped what he was saying. Hold on, just hold on, wait one minute! She just crash landed on an alien planet and now some giant cat wolf alien man was asking her to help him propagate his species? She stumbled back like someone who’d had the rug pulled out from under them. “W-what?” she stammered. She thrust her hand down into her pocket where the tiny energy knife was, and was doubtful it would be even remotely effective against him and his spear. “What are you saying?”
“Were you not sent by the Great Ones to recover our people?”
Somehow Tor didn’t seem like the type that would try anything bad, but what did she know? He was an alien. He was calm now, but he could flip if she said something he didn’t like. Just like Devlan. She held up her hands. “I…like I said, I crashed here. My pod. The space shuttle. I’m not meant to be here. Someone is going to come rescue me soon, in a few days, they’ll be looking.”
He stared at her, puzzled. “You’re saying that you were not sent by the Great Ones.”
“I, well…” She really didn’t want to upset him.
“Their will is not always clear, Kaylee Mentz,” he said. “You helped Toovah. I know he will be better tomorrow. I feel it.” He turned. “Come, back to the village. We will sleep.”
“No, thanks,” she said. She wasn’t going to sleep anywhere near him, not with that idea in his head. “I’ve got my pod here, I can sleep inside it.”
“Alone?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, alone. Now it’s been a long day. I think I’m going to go to sleep. It was a pleasure meeting you, Tor, goodbye.” She turned around quickly and headed for the hatch.
“I don’t think it’s a wise idea for you to sleep alone here in the middle of the jungle,” he said. “Even if you are from the Great Ones.” He gestured around with his spear. “The vizers are silent and cautious now, fearful of your star, but they will come soon to investigate.”
“My star has a door,” she said.
He shook his head. “I cannot leave you here. How would I forgive myself if I left a daughter of the Great Ones here to be food for the jungle?” He strode forward, his long legs rapidly closing the distance between them, and he swept out with one thickly muscled arm and scooped her up in the same way that she held the first aid kit under hers.
“Hey!” she shrieked. “Hey, stop! Put me down!” Kaylee struggled, squirming against his body, but he was too strong. Panic washed over her. He was going to take her away, take her away from the one thing that she had, that could potentially mean her rescue from this place. And what was he going to do with her...? “No!” she screamed. Her hand was still in her pocket, wrapped around the handle of the tiny energy knife, and when she tried to pull it free it tumbled out of her grasp and fell to the dirt. “Shit!”
“Shh,” Tor said, crouching down.
“Like hell!” Kaylee yelled. “I’m going to scream until you let me go!” She wasn’t sure what good that would do, but if he wanted her to be quiet she sure wasn’t going to be quiet. Then at that moment a piercing howl cut through the air, like a banshee’s call. She shut up and stopped moving. “What the hell was that?” she asked, eyes wide with fear.
“Vizers. A pack of them, somewhere close. They’ll be coming soon.” Another bone chilling howl.
“Well what are you waiting for,” Kaylee said, struggling again, “Let’s go! Come on, either put down or let’s get out of here.”
The vizers howl sounded again, even closer now, and Tor broke into a sprint. Behind them, Kaylee watched as the escape pod disappeared into the jungle, the glow of its lights flickering as they were lost behind the thickening density of the trees.
FOUR
This must be a test, Tor thought, a test from the Great Ones. This strange woman looked similar to an Ulduuk, but was much smaller and did not have the same ears and had no tail at all. Her hair shone as bright as the eye of the Great Ones itself, and her eyes were the color of cool water. She was very beautiful, and because the Ulduuk found smaller females to be more attractive, Tor thought she might’ve been created by the Great Ones specifically to arouse his desires.
He would’ve expected a mate sent to him from the Great Ones would’ve known her purpose here and been willing and eager to accept him, but she was confused, talking nonsense. When he looked down at her as he ran through the jungle back towards the empty Ulduuk village, he saw her expression was a mix of anger and fear. He then recalled a story that his father had told him when he was young, of the first Ulduuk hunter, a boy who was born from a flower. This boy’s mind was blank because he had no parents to teach him, only the world to observe. He named the land, the animals in it, learned to hunt, and discovered the first Ulduuk mother, also born from a flower. When he saw her, he remembered the hidden knowledge the Great Ones had stored in his mind, and knew what his purpose was – they created life together, the will of the Great Ones, and to his children he taught the things that he had learned and created for himself.
Maybe she was like the boy in the flower, and soon she would remember the reason the Great Ones sent her here on her star.
Toovah was fast asleep on Tor’s back despite all the commotion, but he could feel a distinct change in his body temperature. He was recovering, he could sense it. The star woman’s magic had saved him.
The shrieking howl of the vizer pack sounded from off in the distance – he could hear that they were in pursuit. If they had left earlier they could’ve easily made it back to the village, but now he would have to evade them. His heart pounded – with Toovah on his back, losing them wouldn’t be a problem, but carrying Kaylee too…
She had stopped wriggling and hung silently at his side, her eyes flicking nervously back and forth. Tor suddenly slid to a stop and pivoted on his front foot, using the momentum of his run to turn his body and chuck his spear so that it flew solidly into the middle of a tree trunk. Then he dashed forward and leapt up onto the wood of the spear, using it as a step, and jumped into the crown of the tree. He let her down onto one of the thick branches, crouching next to her. “Be silent, Kaylee Mentz,” he whispered. He quickly leaned over and with a hard tug, the muscles of his arm bulging out, he freed the spear from the tree.
“What are we doing,” she whispered.
“Shh,” he hissed, and he hoped to the Great Ones that Toovah didn’t wake up.
From out in the distance he heard the warning calls of various beasts shouting to each other that danger was approaching. It seemed to spread through the jungle like a wave, the angry, fearful shouts encroaching all around them. Kaylee looked around, her eyes wide with fear. She was shivering. Tor reached out and put his arm around her to pull her close to him, and she didn’t resist. In fact she didn’t seem to notice at all, she was too taken by fear.
It seemed like the jungle was erupting in the violent calls of creatures all around them now. “Get out! Get out!” they seemed to shout. “They’re coming!” And then suddenly, it all went silent.
Tor looked at Kaylee and covered his mouth, then shook his head. She covered her mouth, silencing her breath.
The jungle was
quiet except for the rustle of leaves in the wind.
And then he heard it – the thudding of paws on dirt from down below. He saw them now, the pack of vizers, their jaws filled with rows and rows of razor sharp death, their four beady red eyes glowing with deadly intelligence. Each vizer ran on six legs ended with wicked claws and had a whiplike tail that trailed behind them, its tip glowing purple in the darkness. This pack was huge, and Tor thought it might’ve been two that had joined together, drawn by the curiosity of her falling star.
Kaylee’s eyes were wide with fear, and she kept her hand clasped firmly over her mouth. The creatures snarled, some snapping violently when one invaded into its space, their eyes searching for any prey they could consume. Tor tightened his grip on his spear, watching wearily. Even without Kaylee and Toovah, a pack of this size… He could take on half this, but he had never seen such a large gathering before.
Their movement was like the pounding of a rainstorm on rock, hundreds of footfalls battering the earth, crashing against the plants, shrubs and weak standing trees that stood in their way. The thundering reached a peak and now began to fade to the skittering of a few stragglers behind the main group. Then, there was silence for a moment until the regular cacophony of nighttime sounds refilled the air.
Tor relaxed and sat on the branch of the tree, letting his legs hang off. He then flipped around and dropped, grabbing hold of the branch with his arms extended and then let himself go into a padded fall. He looked up at Kaylee, who still crouched with her hand covering her mouth, her eyes frozen.
“It’s safe now,” he said, “come down.”
Kaylee slowly peeled her hand away, her lips parted as she took heavy breaths. “Come on,” he said again, trying to reassure her. He held up his hands to help her and she slowly lowered herself down. Her hand slipped and she lost her grip, dropping straight down into Tor’s arms. She didn’t make a sound, like her body had completely shut off her ability to scream. “They’re gone now,” Tor said. “When we get back to the village, we’ll be completely safe. Should I carry you?”
She shook her head. “No,” she managed. “No, I’ll walk.”
“Stay close,” Tor said. The way Kaylee looked around nervously at everything, he wondered if she was familiar with anything at all in this jungle. Perhaps the Great Ones wished for him to show her the ways of the land, just like the first hunter had to learn everything new. If she hadn't known of the vizers she wouldn't know not to touch the bright orange blossoms of the uktul plant, or to stay away from the hanging vines of the zinsu zinsu. Kaylee walked behind him, and he could tell that she was just as worried as he was. “Come closer,” he said, beckoning for her to come right up to his side.
Kaylee walked close to Tor on his left side, and her thoughts were on the pack of animals that they had just hid from. She had never seen anything so terrifying in her entire life, and just knowing that each one of those creatures wouldn’t have hesitated one moment to rip her to shreds didn’t make it any better. She wondered what would’ve happened if she had stayed at the pod. Certainly they wouldn’t have been able to get inside, but what if they had stalked her? Waited for her to unwittingly come out into the open…? She shivered and snuck a glance up at the tall alien hunter. His eyes lay straight ahead, focused and keen. She was thankful that Tor had come, even though he seemed to have the idea that she was going to be the mother of his children. She shivered again. She would deal with that problem when it came to it, but right now she was happy to be alive.
Soon the sound of running water could be heard from somewhere ahead, and she realized just how thirsty she was. They came to a stream lined with large, dark rocks, and Tor turned to lead them up alongside it. “I could use some water,” Kaylee said, her throat dry. Tor nodded.
“Wait right here,” he said, and walked off to a group of low growing plants with coconut sized orbs hanging off it. Tor drew out a stone bladed knife from his belt and quickly cut two of the orbs off from the plant and then made holes in the tops of them. After this he took them over to the stream side, his eyes searching the water.
“What are you doing?” Kaylee asked.
“Making sure it’s safe,” he said, “before filling these.” He found a spot that he liked and knelt over, gesturing for Kaylee to look. He pointed at an area a few feet downstream from him. “The black weeds. If they touch you, your arms will stop moving, and eventually your whole body.” He gestured over at another spot in the stream. “Those rocks are the perfect nest for a luggar fish. Good to eat, but will easily take your hand off.”
“Oh…” she said, bewildered, again thinking that it was a good thing Tor had come and taken her away from the pod. At some point she would’ve gone out looking around and probably would’ve gotten gobbled up by some creature in the jungle. And those vicious looking things that had been following them… Goosebumps prickled her skin.
Tor dipped the makeshift jugs into the stream and cool, clear water filled them up quickly. He then walked over to a nearby tree, pulled down one of the branches and plucked off two cone shaped seeds and used them to cork the holes in the containers. After that he found a group of thin trees that came up to his waist or a little below Kaylee’s shoulder, and hacked one off with his stone knife. He cut a slice at the end of the switch and then peeled it apart into two thin, rope-like cords, braiding them and then tying them around the water containers so that they made a strap. “Drink,” he said, holding one out to Kaylee. She took it, looking at it in awe. She had never seen anyone do anything like that before, just making something so perfect and functional out of things growing from the ground. She uncorked the top and brought it to her lips, the crisp, fresh water soothing her thirst. She thought that she had never tasted water so delicious before. “Thank you,” she said.
They walked up alongside the stream bed which led uphill, the dark rocks growing to become boulders that Tor easily and nimbly managed. Kaylee stood at the foot of one, staring up at Tor who had quickly hoisted himself up the side, trying to figure out a way up. He turned around and held out his hand to her, offering to lift her up. “I got it,” she said. She had made the decision to leave home and Devlan not just because he was an abusive asshole, but because she wanted to prove to herself that she could take care of herself. Where would she be if she couldn’t even climb up a pile of rocks on her own?
She found a foothold on the side of the big boulder from a smaller one protruding out next to it, and she climbed up on that, placing her hand against the slick black surface of an adjacent boulder to steady herself. She was now a little closer to the top of her target and thought she could hoist herself up, and with a grunt, jumped up and threw her arms over the top, her seed canteen thunking clumsily against the rock. Tor stared on concerned and ready to grab her if she slid back and fell, but she didn’t. With another grunt she pushed herself up and managed to throw her leg over the top, and then she was up, lying on her back, panting slightly from the exertion. It was such a little thing, but Kaylee felt pleased that she had been able to do it. She stood up and wiped off her pants and shirt, and smiled at Tor. “There,” she said. “Let’s go.”
Tor turned to continue, hopping swiftly from rock to rock, the stream rushing down below between them. He led them past a roaring waterfall, the huge boulders forming a precarious path in front of its tumultuous face, and he turned over his shoulder to make sure that the star woman didn’t slip and on their surfaces slick with wet moss. She almost did once, but managed to catch herself, throwing her arms out wildly. He wondered if when the Great Ones had sent the first hunter, he had been as unequipped to handle the jungle as she was.
She was beautiful, the most beautiful creature he had ever set his eyes on, with a countenance and energy that seemed to glow to him. She truly was a creature not of this world, Tor thought, and he wondered if maybe she was the image of the Great Ones themselves. Maybe she was one, sent to him to bring back the Ulduuk. For now though, Tor wondered if she could even make it to the village
.
Kaylee tried her best to keep up with Tor as the rock path started to become even more difficult to traverse. He hopped between boulders with wide gaps and dizzying crevices that plunged down into darkness. The light from that yellow planet in the night sky was enough for her to see where she was going, but she couldn’t tell if the drops here were five feet or fifteen. Maybe they were even more, she really couldn’t be sure, but they were climbing higher and higher, almost as if they were ascending a spiral staircase. There were times when she wondered if she should call out for Tor to help her cross, but she told herself she must keep going on her own. Still, the temptation was high – she was afraid and doubtful if this was beginning to be too much for her. At this point if she did make a mistake the alien man wouldn’t have time to react and save her.
They were ascending up even higher now, the trees opening up so that she could see they were making their way up a mountain or some ridge that rose up above the jungle floor they had come from. The view of the jungle stretching out endlessly below and the huge expanse of the night sky above with that gigantic golden coin floating like a watching eye froze Kaylee in her tracks. A sight like this – the unspoiled nature and heavens – was something unknown to Earth dwellers. “Oh my God,” she whispered, her mouth gaping.
Tor stopped and turned around and saw Kaylee’s amazed expression. He smiled. “They were truly watching and listening to my calls tonight. I’ve asked them for help every time their Great Eye has opened in the sky, and it wasn’t until now that they sent an answer.” He pointed out to the yellow planet.
His words brought her back to reality. I don’t think I should encourage him in any way, she thought. “Listen, Tor,” she said. “I don’t want to disappoint you, but I wasn’t sent here by any…Great Ones. Like I said, I was in a shuttle that had some kind of trouble and got blown out in an escape pod. I’m not the person you think I am. I’m just a normal girl. Just a human from Earth.”