Chapter 8 Unknown
Unknown
The beast crashed through the jungle, the noise so loud it drowned out everything else, even the sound of my ragged breathing.
I was in no state to be running, my feet bleeding and my body drained of energy, but I didn't have a choice.
If I stopped, I was dead. I'd only got a glimpse of the monster before my paralysis had lifted and I'd started running, but it had not looked like it was prepared to stop and negotiate. It wanted to eat me.
My only advantage was my size. I was small enough to squeeze through the dense undergrowth; the monster wasn't. It was three times as tall as me, running on two huge legs like a T-rex, with leathery wings folded against its body.
I was convinced I'd seen a sharp beak protruding from its scaled head.
The trees ahead seemed to be getting ever bigger, the gaps between them tightening. Maybe I could lose the monster there. I couldn't run much longer. Already my vision was darkening around the edges. I hadn't eaten or drunk anything since I awoke. It felt like an eternity ago.
Was there even a point to continuing to fight?
Yes, every part of me screamed. Giving up now made no sense. I'd fought so hard to survive on the space station. I could fight a little bit more.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'd registered that I was on an alien planet, that the trees were the wrong colours, that the smells and sounds were unfamiliar, that I had no idea how far from home I was – but all that didn't matter while I was being pursued by a winged dinosaur who saw me as a delicious treat.
I reached one of the biggest trees yet, so tall I couldn't see the end of it.
The lowest branches were too high above me to attempt to climb to safety.
I didn't know if the monster could climb – or fly.
That was a sobering thought. I needed to find a way to shake it off. Or shelter it couldn't reach.
But I had no idea how this planet worked.
Were there caves? Were there areas this kind of monster avoided?
Would it get tired or bored and simply abandon the hunt?
Were there beasts even bigger than this one that could distract or attack it?
And, most important of all, were there people?
Friendly people – aliens or not – who could help me?
Because one thing was for certain: Even if I somehow survived this encounter – and that was a very big if – I wouldn't last long without some kind of help. I had no idea what food was edible. I'd not found a stream or river yet that would give me access to water. If that water was drinkable.
I learned something new about myself. I could think and worry even in the most taxing of circumstances.
Somehow, my brain was able to separate the physical effort, the pain, the fear, from the rational part of my mind.
I didn't know what that said about me. Maybe I'd been in stressful situations like this before – not that anything could be as stressful as being chased by an alien monster. That trumped everything else.
Something caught around my ankle. I was too exhausted to react in time. I crashed onto the forest floor, hard roots digging into my sore muscles. I tasted mud and blood where my jaw had hit a rock.
For a moment, I was tempted to just lie here until the monster reached me. It would be so easy to give up. Sleep, rest, die.
My vision was cloudy with exhaustion and lack of oxygen. I could close my eyes. Could stop looking at the scary world around me and pretend I was somewhere else, somewhere safe. Home.
A golden ball fell onto the ground, right next to my head. Instinct took over and I scrambled to my feet, muscles screaming in protest. I swayed as everything went black for a second or two. I blinked, knowing my eyes were open, waiting for my blood pressure to return to normal. I needed fluids.
An angry roar shook the leaves around me. It came from a different direction than I'd expected. The alien dinosaur must have been circling me, trying to find a way through the dense jungle. My strategy of running towards these trees had worked, but for how long?
Chirp, chirp.
Finally, my vision cleared, just in time to see the golden ball stretch into an animal like none I'd ever seen.
Golden feathers covered it from its tufted ears down to the tips of its three tails.
It was the size of a large cat, with four limbs that reminded me of the nimble arms and legs of a monkey.
It stared at me with three dark, watery eyes that seemed too big for its head.
There was intelligence lurking behind those eyes, and something like kindness.
Pity. This was no mere animal. It was a sentient being.
I didn't know how I knew that, but I would have sworn on it with my life. This little alien was observing me not with the curiosity of an animal, but with the judgement and caution of an intelligent lifeform.
Its three tails moved behind it, swirling in hypnotising pirouettes, while the rest of its body stayed still. And it hadn't stopped staring right into my eyes.
"Hello?" I tried but felt silly right away. Of course it wouldn't understand me.
For some reason, the people on the space station – space ship? – had spoken English, although sometimes it had seemed as if their lips moved differently from the words I was hearing. I could not expect every being in the universe to also speak my language.
The little alien chittered in response without breaking its stare. It was starting to creep me out, but I didn't feel any animosity or danger from it.
The dinosaur monster roared again, sounding much closer suddenly. I was wasting time.
The feathered monkey seemed to come to the same conclusion and swirled around, its tails forming question marks above its slim body. It ran a few steps, then turned as if to see whether I was following.
I didn't hesitate. This alien being was likely to know where to hide from the monster. If I was lucky, it would show me the way.
I staggered after it, my knees weak and my head spinning. It felt like I was walking on clouds. Wherever the little alien was leading me, I hoped it was close. I wouldn't last another ten minutes.
The sound of something crashing against the trees behind us made me pull together my last remnants of energy. I would not become a monster's meal. I simply refused to. I deserved better.
The monkey-alien was faster than me. I appreciated it waiting for me every few trees.
If I hadn't dragged along, it may have taken to jumping into the high branches, but with me, it stayed on the ground, always staying close to the massive purple trunks.
Yes, they were purple, the colour of ripe plums. I'd stopped being amazed by that the moment the alien dinosaur had come for me, but I knew that I would need some time to simply stare and take in the otherness of this place at some point. Once we'd reached safety. I hoped.
Something shimmered up above, as if the air itself was glittering.
The little alien chirped in excitement and ran faster. I struggled to even stay upright. Every step could be my last. My vision was once again fogging up. Only the hope that we might soon reach safety kept me going.
The chirping turned to something more urgent, as if it was warning me.
"I'm coming." My voice cracked, my throat painfully dry. For a fraction of a second, I imagined water, an ocean full of it, all around me, cooling my skin, running down my aching throat, providing me with energy.
Chirp, chirp.
A promise. And an encouragement. You can do this.
Maybe I was hallucinating, but I thought I could see an army of golden monkey-aliens running towards me. Hundreds of them.
My legs gave way beneath me. I sucked in one last breath. The sweet scent of the alien planet made me smile.
I closed my eyes and surrendered to the darkness.
I was floating in a sea of dreams. Fragments of images flashed before me, gone before I could understand what I was seeing.
People of all ages, men and women, laughter, smiles, tears.
I knew them and yet I didn't know who they were.
Landscapes. Cities. Mountains. Oh, the mountains!
I flew over crags and over glaciers, breathing in air so fresh it seemed to be newly born, far down below lush valleys and ribbons of water.
Deep within my barely conscious mind, I knew that these were memories, but I couldn't make sense of them, couldn't put them in any sort of order that made sense.
Another group of people, another family.
But they were different. They weren't human.
Their skin was shades of green, pale spring leaves and deep ivy, their faces almost familiar, but beneath their waist, they had the bodies of giant snakes, thick scaly coils.
Yet despite their otherness, I saw the same emotions as I had among the humans that I knew were my own family. Laughter. Happiness. Sadness. Love.
I smiled with true contentment. I understood.
Something new itched at the back of my mind. I grasped it firmly until it became part of me once more.
My name.
And I opened my eyes, fully awake, ready for life to continue.
I wasn't done yet.