Silver eyes bored into me as I pressed myself back against the tree. I felt like a deer in
headlights, staring into the burning gaze of a predator that wanted to eat me alive.
His bladed tail swayed back and forth as he stalked closer. I shrank back as his eyes never left
mine, and he stopped his approach mere feet away—almost close enough to touch.
He didn't break eye contact once as he grabbed his spear from the cat creature's body, pulling
it free with a squelch. He may have saved me, but he didn't seem pleased about it.
His cold stare swept over me, briefly pausing on my hair before dropping to the makeshift
bandage around my forearm.
I could practically see his jaw tick and the muscles in his face tighten as his irritation grew.
Why was he here? He looks angry again, but I haven't done anything—and I didn't take
anything from him, so why would he come back?
A low snarl slipped from his mouth, making me jump. His tail whipped behind him, and his
grip on the knife tightened.
There was nothing I could do. I couldn't run—I couldn't fight—I couldn't even plead for
mercy or try to reason with him, because he wouldn't understand a word I said.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I waited.
To my surprise, he simply mumbled something in his language before turning away. Peeking
my eyes open, I watched as he set his spear on the ground, then knelt beside the dead feline
creature and, knife in hand, began cutting it open.
My stomach churned at the gory sight, so I quickly stepped away and averted my gaze,
leaning against the tree to calm my racing heart and release a breath I hadn't realized I was
holding.
After a few moments, he stood and moved to a nearby fern of some kind with giant leaves.
Completely focused on his task, he cut several of them and brought them back, kneeling
down again before the carcass.
I wasn't used to watching someone skin and gut an animal, but I couldn't help being
intrigued by how carefully and methodically he worked—cutting out chunks of meat and
portioning them onto the large leaves before folding them up. He moved with the skill and
efficiency of someone who had done this every day of his life, whereas my meals had always
come cooked and prepared in advance.
When his gaze finally returned to me, I snapped out of my thoughts and watched him stand
and sheathe the knife. He then practically forced the folded leaf bundles into my hands,
giving me little choice but to take them, before grabbing his spear and turning to walk away.
I stood there, shocked and unsure what to do or even what was happening.
When he noticed I wasn't behind him, he stopped and looked back with an accusing glare, his
tail swishing in agitation. He said something unintelligible, nodding in the direction he was
heading and looking at me expectantly.
Was he waiting for me to follow him?
I hesitated for a brief moment before walking over to him and looking up, confused. He
merely huffed and continued on into the forest.
I followed, carrying the two leaf packets in my arms as we made our way through the
darkened grove. Despite how little light filtered through the canopy above, he navigated the
dark with no difficulty, while I struggled not to fall face-first with every step. My feet kept
catching on roots and rocks I couldn't make out in the dim light.
He glanced back at me over his shoulder whenever I tripped, and even stopped when I nearly
slipped in the mud—though he seemed more annoyed than concerned.
Eventually we arrived at the base of a cliff that cast a long shadow over the surrounding
forest. Even in the dark I could make out the thick vines and dense plant growth covering its
surface.
I glanced up toward the top, confused about why he had brought me here. He approached the
base of the cliff—and then simply disappeared into the darkness.
"H-hello?"
No response. Confused, I moved closer with one hand outstretched. As I reached the cliff
wall, I found that he really was gone.
How was that even possible? It's not like he could just phase through sto—
A hand shot out of the wall and grabbed me by the arm. I shrieked as I was pulled through a
curtain of vines into a hidden cave.
Inside, clusters of glowing crystals bathed the space in a gentle light. Fur blankets and rugs
were draped across wooden racks near the back wall, and a few clay pots were gathered near
a flat stone slab that appeared to be used for food preparation. Two empty tanning racks
flanked the entrance, and an assortment of bone tools were laid out on a wide, flat surface
that seemed to have been carved directly from the cave wall. In the center of the cave sat a
small fire pit.
He stood watching me for a moment as I took it all in. I lingered near the entrance while he
set his spear against the wall, took the leaf bundles from my arms, and began sorting through
the supplies near the stone slab, brushing dust from their surfaces.
Feeling awkward just standing there, I sat down near the pit. The cave seemed quite bare, and
the layer of dust on most of the equipment made me wonder if this was even his home.
Very little was known about the natives. They were a popular subject of discussion on Krosa,
but reliable information was nearly impossible to come by. They were elusive, secretive, and
few people had ever come face to face with one and survived to tell the tale. From what I had
heard, they wanted nothing to do with humans, and the harsh environment made it difficult
for researchers to gather any real data on their people.
I snapped out of my thoughts as the stranger returned. He sat down across the fire pit from
me and set a wooden bowl of fresh raw meat in front of me.
He watched me expectantly. My gaze moved from the bowl of bloodied red meat to him.
"Sa'te." He gestured toward the bowl, then picked a piece of meat from his own and ate it
completely raw.
My eyes widened. He expected me to eat it raw too.
I was hungry, but I couldn't risk a tapeworm or some other illness. There was no telling how
raw alien meat might affect me, or what kind of bacteria it carried.
"Can we make a fire and cook it?" I asked.
He stared at me with an unreadable expression. I quickly realized he didn't understand.
Sighing, I hugged my knees to my chest. If I could just get a fire going, I could at least make
the meat safe to eat—but there was no way I was going to play charades with someone who
already clearly disliked me and make myself look like a bumbling idiot in the process.
He watched me in silence. When I made no move to eat, he picked up the bowl and set it
beside himself, then ate from his own dish.
Time passed, and he finished off both bowls. Afterward, he cleaned off the hanging furs and
laid some of them out near the fire pit—for sleeping, I assumed.
I sat watching, hugging my knees. He glanced at me often, seeming cautious, as though he
didn't quite trust me. Even so, I was grateful. He had saved my life twice and brought me to
shelter. The cave was a little dusty, but it was far better than a dirt hole or sleeping out in the
open.
But why did he come back for me? He seemed completely uninterested in having me follow
him, and he lashed out just from me touching his arm... My gaze drifted to my bandaged arm.
Why come back, save me, and bring me to safety?
Since I couldn't speak to him, I stayed quiet and watched as he moved about the
cave—checking the pots and tools, ignoring my presence as though I weren't there.
If he felt any pity for me, he had a funny way of showing it.
When he finally looked my way again, I rubbed my eyes. Sleep had not come easily in the
past two days, and between all the running and fighting for my life, I was exhausted.
I didn't notice how the stranger had tensed, or how he slowly reached for his spear while
staying crouched. Looking up, I found him staring at me with an intensity that made me
uneasy. I lowered my hands as he began to move slowly—like he was preparing to pounce.
"W-what are you doing..." I said carefully, watching his muscles coil. Before I could react,
he lunged at me with the spear. I shrieked and covered my head with my arms, bracing for the
blow.
A hissing sound came from above my head. When I wasn't skewered, I opened my eyes.
Looking up, I saw him standing over me, spear in hand—its tip driven through a nightmarish
insect that had apparently been crawling on the cave wall directly above me.
A disgusted chill ran through me, and I scrambled away as the thing thrashed and hissed,
pinned to the wall. He glanced at me with those silver eyes before twisting the spear and
severing its head. It looked like a cross between a spider and a centipede.
He kicked the head toward the cave entrance and flung the body out into the forest, then
peered outside for a moment before stepping back and turning to look at me with another
glare.
He returned to his side of the cave and sat atop one of the furs, setting his spear down beside
him.
I reluctantly moved to the other set of furs he had laid out. As I settled in, he lay on his back,
resting his head on one arm, and watched me. I glanced at the dead bug's head and
shuddered, then lay down and pulled the extra fur blanket over myself. The exhaustion came
rushing back. I used my bag as a pillow, laid my head down, and looked over at the stranger,
who was still watching me carefully.
His expression soured. He scoffed and turned his back to me, lying on his side so I couldn't
see his face.
I sulked at the clear distrust—and possibly disgust—in the gesture. I couldn't make sense of
his behavior, and there was no way to ask him about it tonight.
I closed my eyes and let sleep take me under.
I hope Varin comes for me soon...
EPISODE: 8: Waking Alone
POV: ALITA
The sound of strange chirping woke me, and I tried my best to ignore it. Curled up in my
blanket, I turned over with a groan and covered my ears, hoping whatever creatures were
making such a racket would quiet down.
The chirping was constant and only seemed to grow louder, stoking my frustration. My
attempts to block it out were futile, and by that point my sleep was ruined.
Frustrated, I sat up and rubbed my eyes groggily. As I slowly became more aware of my
surroundings, I paused, remembering where I was.
Looking around the cave, I noticed the alien who had brought me here was gone. The furs he
had been sleeping on the night before were hanging on the rack.
I felt a little disheartened. Of course he'd take off the first chance he got. He didn't want me
around in the first place. But then why save me? Why bring me here just to disappear again?
The chirping outside continued relentlessly, and I got up and walked to the cave entrance.
Peeking outside, it was clear the source of the noise was somewhere in the trees, and there
was more than one of them.
I stepped out into the tree line, searching for the culprits. It didn't take long to spot
them—strange winged creatures climbing through the branches. They were vibrant in color
with unusual patterns, wings on their front arms, and small claws on their hind legs. They had
no feathers like any bird I'd ever seen and appeared to be covered in scales. I wasn't sure
they resembled any creature from homeworld. But one thing I knew for certain: they were
giving me a headache.
I glanced at the ground and picked up a rock, testing its weight in my hand. I didn't want to
hurt them—just scare them off so they would shut up.
I pulled my arm back, ready to throw, when something grabbed my wrist from behind. I
gasped and spun around to find the stranger standing there, holding my arm and looking
down at me with a stern glare.
I dropped the rock and he let go of my arm. He looked me over, then glanced at the creatures
in the trees, which had grown quieter the moment I dropped the rock. He waited, watching
them closely, until they moved off and started chirping again at a short distance.
His eyes immediately cut back to me with a glare, and I lowered my head like a scolded
child. Did he think I was going to hurt them? I only wanted to scare them off.
He said nothing and walked back toward the cave, spear in hand. I hesitantly followed as he
went inside and began hanging the furs back on the racks.
I could only stare at him in surprise. He hadn't left me after all. Had he been waiting for me?
Once he finished tidying up, he made his way back outside. I snapped out of my stupor,
quickly grabbed my bag, and chased after him. "Wait!"
He went deeper into the forest without so much as a glance back, even as I caught up to him.
I looked back at the cave with a twinge of unease. I had a feeling it wasn't his home, but it
had seemed like a decent place to rest. Part of me wanted to stay, but after everything that had
happened, I decided I'd rather take my chances with the stranger than be alone.
I struggled to keep up with his long strides as he moved through the forest effortlessly. Being
barefoot seemed to work in his favor—he had better traction and control over his steps, while
my shoes kept making me slip and stumble. Even when I tried to follow in his exact
footsteps, I couldn't keep pace. I also noticed how he stepped on stones, roots, and other solid
surfaces whenever he could, leaving little to no tracks behind. As much as I wanted to copy
him, it was difficult with my shorter legs.
He only glanced back at me once, grumbling something in irritation—clearly annoyed that I
was slowing him down.
He seemed determined to get somewhere, and I did my best to keep up, but I was slowly
falling further and further behind. As the hours wore on, I could feel my energy draining, and
the grumble of my stomach reminded me I hadn't had a proper meal in some time—not to
mention water. I had assumed the chirping creatures were to blame for my headache, but we
were long past them now and my head was still pounding.
I needed water.
The stranger seemed to notice my lagging pace. He stopped, looked back at me, then turned
his gaze to the forest ahead. He let out a low growl before turning around and walking back
toward me.
As he drew closer, I looked up sheepishly. With his spear in hand, he glanced around the area
before motioning for me to go stand by a particularly large tree.
I moved over to it and sat down on one of its large protruding roots, glancing around in
confusion, curious about why he had stopped here. There were some unusual plants that stood
out from the rest of the forest, but otherwise I saw nothing remarkable.
I watched as he set his spear on the ground beside me and looked up into the tree's canopy. I
followed his gaze and spotted clusters of blue, pomegranate-shaped fruit growing high up on
the branches.
My eyes widened. Is that food? I stood up, staring at the bundles above.
He inspected the base of the tree carefully, seemingly working out the best way to reach the
fruit. They were a couple dozen feet off the ground. He can't possibly be thinking of climbing
all the way up there, can he?
He crouched down and leapt into the air, grabbing onto one of the lower branches and pulling
himself up with ease. I watched as he scaled the tree, climbing higher and higher until he
reached the fruit. Once in position, he glanced down at me, and I realized he intended for me
to catch them as they fell. He pulled out his knife and cut the fruit from the branch, and I did
my best to catch each one and tuck it into my bag.
With about four of the strange pomegranates secured, he climbed back down and landed on
the ground beside me. I knelt down and set the fruits out, inspecting one curiously. The last
time I had tried to cut open a strange fruit, I had only managed to hurt myself.
The stranger picked up two of the blue pomegranate-like fruits and settled onto an overgrown
root beneath the tree. I watched closely as he used the claw of his thumb to slice through the
skin and peel it away with ease.
I turned back to the fruit in my hand and tried to copy him, despite my nails being nowhere
near as long or sharp. I succeeded only in puncturing it with my thumb, squirting juice all
over my hands and making a mess.
The man scoffed at my failed attempt, but I was too distracted by the sweet smell to care. My
mouth watered as I peeled away the outer layer and hesitantly took a bite.
After just one taste, I couldn't stop myself. I devoured the rest, savoring its sweet and savory
flavor. Even as the native watched me with an unreadable expression, I finished the first fruit
in moments and moved on to a second.
He finished his own first fruit and then stared intently at the second one in his hand. I finished
my second fruit and licked my fingers clean—and then, to my surprise, he spoke up to get my
attention before tossing me his uneaten fruit.
I fumbled to catch it, and when I looked up at him, he had already turned his back to me and
was scanning the surrounding forest.
Was he...waiting for me?
I was stunned. Up until now, although the stranger had saved my life twice and given me
shelter, he had made it abundantly clear he didn't like me. All I had gotten from him were
cold glares, growls, and a sharp attitude.
He glanced over his shoulder without turning, as if sensing I was watching him, and I quickly
looked away.
I stared at the last fruit in my hands, turning it over in thought as I peeled back the skin.
In the political world I came from, you always had to give something to get something. Yet
this stranger had helped me without receiving anything in return. It was strange—unsettling,
even—to be on the receiving end of that kind of generosity.
My father always told me that kindness was a virtue, something he encouraged me to show
everyone I met, especially those in need. But I had rarely been the one receiving it.
I split the fruit in half, got to my feet, and carefully approached the native, making sure to
keep some distance between us to avoid a repeat of last time.
He turned his attention from the forest back to me as I came up beside him with a smile. His
arms were crossed over his chest, his posture brooding.
I held out half of the fruit—an offering of friendship. Something shifted in his expression as
he looked at it, then back at my face. His eyes searched mine, studying my smile, then drifted
to my braided hair. After a long moment, he held out his hand, and I placed the fruit in it.
Satisfied, I finished the last of my half as we stood together beneath the large tree in silence.
He inspected the fruit before eating it, a flicker of confusion crossing his face as he gazed out
into the forest.
It was kind of cute.