Kora-
Waking up I yawned and sat up to stretch my aching muscles. Sleeping on the ground with only one thin fur blanket really wants the most comfortable but at least it was better than sleeping in a tree.
Looking over to the firepit I found it was little more than embers now. A small bit of light managed to slip through the entrance of the cave and I could smell the fresh scent of rain that permitted through the air.
Standing up I walked over to the entrance and moved some of the vines to poke my head out. The blinding light had me blinking and covering my face as my eyes had to adjust.The suns were shining high in the sky no longer covered by rain clouds. Everything around me was wet and glistening with dew drops.
I smiled a bit seeing my environment. Something was so calming about the scent of rain and it reminded me of earth when I was younger…
The happy moment didn't last long however as my stomach twisted in pain from the lack of food. Looking around I was disappointed to see the canteen I had left out last night was knocked over.
I hesitated for a moment, looking at myself and my lack of clothing before saying screw it and just stepping outside to grab my canteen. It's not like anyone around to see more or judge me anyways…
Unfortunately I only got about half a bottle's worth of rainwater since it was knocked over but I supposed that was better than nothing. Going back inside I drank what I had collected and groaned in satisfaction as the water quenched my dry mouth and throat. With a small gasp I finished it off and set the canteen aside.
Feeding some sticks to the fire to keep the embers alive I looked at my suit that was hanging on the rack. There were so many tears from the dumb lizards I'm not even sure if it was worth wearing.
Grabbing my bag I pulled out the spare clothes and put them on. It was just a simple pair of khaki shorts and a long sleeve men's blouse. How original. At least they were clean. I grabbed the sneakers that came with the clothes and put them on. Once I was done getting ready I grabbed my bag and made my way outside. Time to find some food and water…
Standing outside I looked back at the cave unsure how I'd find my way back, then an idea popped in my head. Grabbing the knife from my bag I walked up to a tree and carved an arrow pointing towards the cave. Perfect!
With that plan set I started traversing the forest. Marking trees as I went. The ground was muddy so I had to avoid stepping in a lot of spots or else I'd lose a shoe.
As I walked through some denser foliage I pushed a leaf up out of my way only to have a decent amount of rain water get dumped on my head. "What the hell?!" looking up I noticed multiple giant leaves with rainwater collected inside of them because of their cup-like shape.
Quickly grabbing my canteen I unscrewed the cap then grabbed one of the leaves slowly tipping it down to pour water into the container. A large smile appeared on my face as I copied the action with a few more and filled the canteen all the way. Water, check. Now to find food.
I glanced around a bit and continued onward. After about an hour of searching I noticed something strange. Like a giant purple ball or…coconut?
Just sitting on the ground. I stepped closer to get a better look at it and noticed a few more scattered around. My gaze moved upward and I could see they were growing from high up in a tree. The storm must've knocked them down.
I searched around a bit more and found a few that had been cracked open and practically picked clean from what I assumed were animals which means only one thing. Food!
I grabbed a nice plump looking one and turned it around, wiping off any dirt or mud. I stuffed it in my bag and started walking back to the cave only to stop when I heard the sound of branches snapping.
Immediately my heart started pounding and I quickly moved to hide behind some foliage away from the sounds. Whatever was coming wasn't some small tree lizards!
Crouching down I tried to calm my breathing and peeked through some bushes, waiting. Sure enough something came running out and my eyes widened as I realized it was another human?
The man was running full sprint through the area and passed in front of me looking over his shoulder like he was being chased. He disappeared from sight as he ran through some more foliage away from me. What the fuck?
My mind was reeling with questions from what I had just seen. There's other people still here… I half expected everyone who came to this planet was dead yet that guy didn't looked anything but dead. He had to be another convict who was sent here, I don't remember how many people have been sent here in the recent months but…
My thoughts came to a halt as another, very important question came to mind. That man looked extremely panicked and kept glancing behind him as he ran… What was he being chased by?
As if on cue a thud caught my attention and I looked up to peer through the bushes to see a fucking monster standing in the clearing. I shrunk down even further feeling the need to hide as I looked at the humanoid more closely. Their skin was a dark grey in color and they looked fucking massive even while crouched on all fours.
Their head was turned away from me but I could still see their long black hair and horns that curled back on their head. Another major detail that caught my attention was the long ass tail with a blade attached to the end.
The humanoid glanced around the area before standing upright. Shit he's tall! I had to cover my mouth to muffle a surprised gasp as two more came out of the wood works carrying spears and knives.
They spoke to each other momentarily in a different language before one of them pointed to the man's tracks on the ground. They were quick to follow the trail and disappear out of sight. Were they hunting him?
I stayed in place hiding for a few more minutes to make sure they were long gone before coming out of hiding. I stepped out into the open area and looked at the tail left behind by the human guy. They were tracking him by his footprints? I looked around for any tracks left behind by the monsters but I only found one and damn was that footprint big.
Swiveling my head around the area I noticed how few tracks those three aliens left behind. They seemed to have been using the rocks and roots around them to avoid leaving much of a trail.
I nearly shrieked and jumped in my skin as a loud bang could be heard a short distance away. Holy shit was that a gunshot?! The sound seemed to come from the direction the tail led towards. Did those monsters already catch up to him?!
I gulped and decided that this area wasn't safe at the moment. I copied those monster humanoids and did my best to avoid leaving tracks behind so they couldn't follow me and hunt me down.
There was no telling why they were hunting that convict down but I have a feeling they wouldn't hesitate to do the same to me.
The idea of facing one of those fuckers head on was kind of scary. They were tall…like seven feet tall. They barely wore any clothing and had those giant dagger like tails that looked like they could cut through a person's flesh with ease.
I finally made it back to the cave. I hesitated as a thought came to mind. Those things spoke…like actually conversed with one another. Not only that but they had weapons and clothing. They were intelligent beings who could hunt and track. Was it possible this cave belongs to one of those things?.
I stared at the cave entrance hesitant to enter. Creeping towards the entrance as quietly as possible I reached out towards the vines to pull them aside and look inside.
To my relief the place was empty and looked exactly how I had left it. I sighed and crawled in, only glancing back at the forest once. Yeah no, I think that's enough exploring for today…
—--Hours later—-
"Piece of shit!" I grit through my teeth after slamming the purple ball I found earlier onto a stone again. I've been trying to crack this damn thing open forever but nothing has worked.
My knife can't seem to even leave a scratch on its outer shell. I've used every bit of strength I've had to try and smash it open on the rocks. At one point I even went outside, climbed a tree and tried throwing it down in hopes it would at least crack open from the impact, but nothing, not even a dent.
Grabbing my knife I held the tip over top of the shell and grabbed a rock in my other hand. taking a deep breath to prepare myself I lifted the rock high above my head. "open sesame!" I slammed the rock on the bottom of the knife and the blade practically snapped from the pressure leaving me sitting there dumbfounded.
You've gotta be fucking kidding me! I tossed the blade aside and kicked the stupid purple coconut into the fire pit angrily. Sitting back on the furrs I hugged my knees to my chest and glared at the fire and coconut in deep thought.
I have so many questions about this place. How long has that convict been surviving here on the planet? Are there others like him? What were those humanoids that were chasing him… Natives? Why haven't I heard anything about natives on xanadis? And what about that gunshot I heard? Did that convict manage to smuggle a pistol when he was exiled?
My stomach made an audible growling sound and I winced from the tight pain in my stomach before sighing. My glare softened asni sulked and laid down on the fur blankets. I'm going to starve to death at this rate… So much for rubbing it in the faces of those corrupt officials. Guess I'm not cut out for surviving down here… Turning away from the fire and curling up I closed my eyes to drift asleep.
If i'm lucky i'll pass away in my sleep. It would be better than being torn apart by alien monsters or slowly starving.
My senses started to melt away as the warmth of the fire against my back lulled me into a sense of comfort. I was already drifting off into the nothingness of sleep and could hardly register anything else at that point as my exhaustion took over.
My mind was so far gone I didn't even notice the cracking sound coming from behind me.