-kora-
Opening my eyes I sat up and immediately groaned as the room started spinning and I became light headed. My stomach twisted in knots and I clammored to my feet using the cave wall for support as I went to the bowl filled with rain water in the back.
When I finally made it over I scooped some of the water with my hand and drank it. But it did nothing to appease my stomach or symptoms.
My hand was shaking and I silently cursed to myself. I felt weak. No, I was weak. I was fatigued and practically starving. After being chased down last night I was too paranoid to sleep.
I had stayed up all night clutching my makeshift bone knife in my hand half expecting that native who chased me all the way to the river to just suddenly walk through the cave's opening.
I knew I stood no chance fighting him with the flimsy brittle weapon, especially considering the state I was in but fuck if I wasnt gonna go down without a fight.
That chase used up the last bit of energy I had and my hunt was completely ruined, meaning I lost the much needed food and furs that I spent all week prepping for.
Sighing, I sat down by my fire and removed some of the charcoal from the pit with a stick to cool down. I was actually extremely lucky with the way things turned out last night. I may not have gotten the food but I did escape with my life, unharmed.
Had that native caught me or decided to shoot me with his bow and arrows, I'd be a corpse right about now, rotting on the forest floor for all the crazy alien creatures to snack on… I scoffed at the idea.
using the burnt tip of the stick I ended up drawing a stick figure of the native, with horns and a long squiggly tail, on the wall. While I waited for the charcoal to cool off. I gave him sharp teeth, a bow and some arrows. I drew myself lying beside him dead on the ground with crossed out eyes and an arrow through my body. I even used some red berries to mimic blood and smeared it on the picture.
Leaning back I looked at my artwork, unimpressed. It honestly looked like something a morbid eight year old would draw. Uhg. Very mature kora.
Going back over to the charcoal I had separated from the fire I tested to make sure they were cooled and threw them into my mortar and pestle to grind them into a thin dusty powder.
After my encounter with one of the bounty hunters weeks ago I learned pretty quickly that if I wanted to survive I needed to find a way to blend into my environment. It's hard to evade predators and hunt or scavenge when you stick out like a sore thumb in the middle of the forest.
At first I had been covering myself with mud to try and blend in but unfortunately that idea didn't last long. It dried too quickly and cracked, usually falling off my skin and leaving noticeable patches all over. That idea only lasted about three days before I gave up on it and came up with a better one.
Charcoal.
If ground into a fine powder and mixed with a little bit of water it is a great cover for my skin that helps me blend in at night. I've managed to hide in plain sight from a number of creatures by using it. Who would've thought such a simple thing could be such a lifesaver?
After a good hour of pulverizing the charcoal into power I had a decent amount to cover up with for the next two days. Now I can focus on the real problem at hand.
Food.
I've lost my chance to get proper food when that native chased me off, all the fruits in the area I've already used up and the most I've been able to catch protein-wise has been the tree lizards. Every time I manage to kill one I also get attacked and bitten twenty times. It's like Literally kicking a hornet's nest.
I hardly know what's safe to eat and what isn't, my notebook doesn't hold much information on the plants or wildlife I've seen in this area. The few plants I have found to be edible hardly seem to satiate my ever-growing hunger…
Unfortunately I also lost my only arrow last night and previous attempts to make more have all failed so I've been reduced to practically nothing. Sure I have a bone knife but it's so small it would probably break if I try to use it.
Preparing myself to go out I did my best to mentally prepare for what I might encounter. There's a chance the native is still looking for me but they tend not to roam too much during the day since they stick out a bit more, so that's one advantage I do seem to have but there's still so many problems and possibilities. It gives me a headache just thinking about it.
Once I mentally finished prepping myself I made my way outside, being extra cautious of my surroundings. If I get jumped I'm dead. Making my way to the river I refilled my canteen and traveled upstream to an area I hadn't explored yet.
Usually I would take things slow when scouting out new places but I needed to find something to eat. Even if it means going out of my comfort zone. I continued on trekking the forest for hours, making the trees as I went. I had to take breaks on multiple occasions due to my fatigue and I knew it was slowing me down considerably.
I kept an eye out for any potential food like fruit or a small animal –not that I had the energy to chase one– but was having about as much luck as I usually did.
Groaning, I leaned against a tree and cursed under my breath. Glancing around there was nothing that stuck out, just more ferns and trees, hundreds and hundreds of trees. I kinda miss concrete.
With how far I traveled I estimate I've got only a few more hours of daylight. Yet I've seen nothing useful. How far will I have to go before I find food again?
Traveling long distances is out of the question because I run the risk of staying out in uncharted forest in the dark with god knows what out here. Even with my camo, it's extremely dangerous for me to be out at night, and sleeping out here without shelter or protection is a death sentence.
My stomach churned and I instinctively covered it with my arm. Fuck, had that stupid native not chased me off I would be gorging myself on some juicy deer meat. At least I think it was a deer, close enough to one at least.
Just thinking about it made me even more irritated as I pushed on. Looking up at the treetops I tried to get a read on the suns' positions so I knew how much time I had before dark it was past noon so I have to head back soon-
My foot got caught on something and I stumbled, nearly falling face first on the forest floor. After regaining my balance I looked down and paled to see the thing I had tripped on was a foot. A very dark, skinned foot belonging to a very large native lying face down in the dirt.
I scrambled back as my heart lept from my chest and watched for any movement. When there was none, I looked a bit closer and noticed blood. Blue blood. That's something I found odd about xanadis, most of its inhabitants bleed blue.
Most of the blood seemed to have soaked into the ground around the natives head. Is he dead? Carefully circling around to get a closer look I saw the wound. A bullet hole straight through the head. I glanced around the area for any signs of convicts or natives but saw nothing.
Crouching down I moved closer to get a better look hesitantly I checked the body temp to see if it was cold yet. To my dismay the body was still a bit warm, meaning he hasn't been here for long. That means there's bounty hunters around here..
I eyed the strange alien, seeing his arms decorated in tribal tattoos and his belt with small pouches attached but the biggest thing that caught my eye was the knife clutched in one of the aliens hands.
Reaching out I gently pulled the blade from his grasp and admired the weapon and its sharpness. It was much bigger than the knife I originally had from the survival kit and seemed a lot sturdier. He must have taken good care of his weapons. This was a weapon I could use…
I looked back at the native and my heart clenched a little. Am I really willing to steal from the dead? It feels wrong, but what choice do I have? My own survival is at stake here.
Silently I debated on taking or leaving the knife, I pitied the poor guy for the way he died and how he was left to rot. I wonder if he has a family or a tribe? Maybe they are looking for him. They'll be devastated seeing him like this. I know I wouldn't want to end up being abandoned out here like trash, forgotten and discarded.
I stared at the knife in my hand solemnly. No one would search for me if I perished. My body would be left to decay and be picked apart by scavengers.
I don't want to die like that. I don't want to be forgotten and left to rot…
Taking a deep breath I secured the knife to my belt and did my best to move the alien. Turning him on his back I placed his arms over his abdomen and closed his eyes. I even went out of my way taking a few minutes to gather flowers to place over him. Once I was done I stood up and looked down at the man.
He looked peaceful now… I don't exactly believe in deity's or the afterlife but I do hope he gets to rest peacefully knowing that he wasn't left discarded. I'm not sure why I'm even going out of my way to do all this. I knew nothing of this man I know nothing of if he's a good person or not. Hell had I ran into him while he was alive he probably would've just killed me on sight. So why do I care so much if he rests in peace…
A slight breeze passed over me and I hesitated before turning and walking away. Maybe I'm just hoping when my time is up, when I die and my body lay cold somewhere on the forest floor, someone will find me and do the same.