Kora-
Gasping, I suddenly awoke and opened my eyes to darkness. A small bit of light was coming through a crack in the pod's door and I coughed from all the dust and smoke in the air. Did the damn things seal break when I crashed?
Putting my hands on the door I did my best to push it out but the damn thing was jammed. "Come on, you stupid hunk of metal!"
Groaning, I braced myself against the back of the pod and moved onto a better position. I started kicking the blasted thing trying to get it to budge and by the fourth kick I actually saw some progress of the crack growing a little wider. A few more and the metal door finally broke off and I was blinded momentarily by the light that poured in.
I shielded my face with my arms to block some of the sunlight from my eyes. Blinking a few times my vision adjusted and I looked outside of the pod to see tons of trees and other strange looking plants. Climbing out of my pod that had landed sideways I stood up and looked around at the endless forest.
There was a small impact crater surrounding the pod from its landing but besides that it was nothing but plants and trees as far as I could see.
"ah well this is just fucking great…" I looked up at the sky as if I could see krosa and held up my middle finger. "fuck you pricks! You could have at least dropped in. In a field or something so I could see my surroundings!!"
Huffing I turned my attention back to the forest and put my hands on my hips trying to think of what to do next. I made sure to check my body for any injuries or cuts but found none. The tacky suit they made me wear hugged my curves and covered everything up to my neck except my hands. I guess emerging from the pod unharmed is a good thing…
Those bastards up above dropped me here expecting me to die in the next 24 hours… Considering most people don't last more than two days.
But if sooner cut down a hundred trees and lay them out in a open field to spell out 'fuck you'. I'm sure the planet's surveillance teams would love that…
Sighing, I turned back to the pod and stepped over to look inside of it. A small latch on the bottom caught my attention and I grabbed it before pulling it open.
Inside laid a bag with supplies that I quickly grabbed and dug through.
Clothes, notebook, pencil, canteen, and a knife. Who the fuck made these survival kits? Huffing I threw the strap over my shoulder and left the pod. Facing the forest I looked for the most appealing path with less foliage and started walking.
The whole point of sending criminals down here to the planet was a means of getting rid of unwanted civilians and to learn a bit about the world and its wildlife. They gave us notebooks to write about our experiences here on xanadis in our final days before we inevitably die to the environment, starvation, or the wildlife.
But like hell am I gonna go down so easily… Digging into my bag I pulled out my fancy pencil and glared at it. These things were rigged to relay anything we wrote down on our notebooks, to a data center on the ship to be studied. Their way of passive research without risking the lives of any scientists. I still remember hearing about how the first exploration team was wiped out in a matter of weeks. Half of them were killed and the other half went missing. Since then they've struggled to obtain any research on the planet.
Snapping the pencil in half I tossed it behind me as a nice 'fuck you' to the scientists up above. I'm not anyone's guinea pig, I'm not giving them free information.
They can come down here and get it themselves after the way I was treated.
Stomping along the path I stared at the forest ahead of me looking for any kind of landmarks or anything that might help me. I needed to first find shelter, then food. But honestly I haven't the slightest clue where to start looking…maybe if I find some solid ground?
I paused in my musings and stopped in my tracks as I noticed something laying on the path in front of me that looked out of place.
A blue thorny vine lay across the path much like a tripwire would be set for a trap. The only reason I noticed it was because none of the surrounding plants looked similar to it. The thing kinda stuck out compared to everything else.
Looking around I grabbed a stick and contemplated for a moment before throwing it at the vine. As soon as the stick made contact the vine moved, practically grabbing it and dragging it away into the brush out of sight.
"holy shit!" I stepped back waiting for something else to happen. But there was nothing. No movement, no sounds.
"ok so fuck the blue vines…" carefully I went around that area, avoiding the spot where I had seen the vine, and continued forward.
I knew this place was dangerous and I did my best to avoid any brightly colored plants. The last thing I want is to be eaten by some giant Venus fly trap or get scratched by a thorn and start foaming at the mouth…
I'm not sure how long I'll last down here but I'll damn well last more than two days… after what seemed like hours of walking I stopped to take a break, sitting under a tree to rest.
I've yet to find anything but trees and ferns during my journey and I was starting to doubt I'd find shelter before nightfall.
Sighing I laid back against a patch of soft blue moss, using it like a pillow. I stared up at the trees remembering my childhood on earth.
I used to run around outside and play…there was always something so enticing about nature and the great outdoors that would fuel my imagination… But with how earth was back then all that wonder and magic of nature was quickly uprooted and destroyed to make room for the new drug stores and apartment complexes…
I learned quite early on that people were greedy and only cared for themselves. There was no room for kindness. Every day was a struggle to survive against those who looked down on you and tried to use you for their own benefit.
When I first joined the Krosa colonization program I thought that it would be a fresh start at a new life. Away from the greed and pollution of earth…
But when we finally found a habitable planet it was deemed too dangerous to colonize and krosa became an orbital habitat while the officials decided to throw any undesirables to the planet below. And people like me were left to rot in the slums of krosa…at least until they found a reason to dispose of us…
In the end I've been cast out and treated like scum once more by those around me and left to die… I trusted someone, and I mean really trusted him and he turned on me…now I'm stuck here to live out the rest of my days in this new savage world…
But you know what? Fuck everyone else. I don't don't need anyone but myself. I won't just survive down here I'll live… I won't ever let someone take advantage of me ever again. I'll do things on my own and make myself a new life here, without suffering… Because if there's one thing I know about life?...
It's that you can never trust anyone…
—--
???
Falling to the ground I could feel every cut, every bruise and stab wound upon my body sting. Sitting up I could see my own blood dripping onto the dirt. Spitting out a was of saliva and blood I tried to sit up off my hands and knees but my body screamed in protest from the pain and severe beating it took.
"Stay down, you've already lost this fight…" my opponent chided while looking down at me.
My tail curled in anger as I looked at him and clenched my fists. My claws dug into the palms of my hands creating even more wounds.
"He's right, just submit Elazar, it's not worth losing your life here…" one of my brothers spoke up from among the gathered crowd.
I grit my teeth and my eyes moved to the female across the camp watching the fight. My female… she was standing there with her arms crossed watching me with such…disgust.
My heart ached at the mere sight of her disapproval. I've failed to keep up her expectations…all the strength and fury I had before drained away as I lowered my head in submission, giving up the fight. I know when I'm defeated…
My opponent huffed before throwing a simple bone knife down in front of me. "cut your braid…" he didn't even stay to watch and simply turned and walked away as well as the great of the onlookers. The same people who had once praised me now congratulated him for his victory while I was looked over like a bug in the mud…
Grabbing the knife before me I reached to the braid in my hair and cut it free from my scalp. Holding it in my hand I stared at the severed strand in my bloody hand.
"don't fret so much brother…sometimes it's just not meant to be." my 'brother' patted my shoulder before walking away back towards the center of camp.
I didn't say a word and just sat there for A moment unable to accept the fact I've lost…again.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I stood to my feet and held my bleeding side in pain, my wounds were bad though not severe enough to kill me... Dropping the strand of braided hair I limped off into the forest to tend to my wounds in shame.
Part of me wishes that I had died in the fight…maybe then I wouldn't have to suffer anymore…