Rise of The Fallen

–a few hours later–

–Elazar–

Such a strange creature… are all humans like this?

Shortly after her attempt to speak to me, the small female pulled away, moving a good distance away to rest. Even after spending the day in my company, she still seemed cautious of me.

I was glad she wasn’t trying to run from me again, but she was intent on isolating herself, and still wary despite my lack of action towards her. If she wasn’t injured, she likely would have already tried to return home, wherever that might be.

Aside from her wariness, my attempts to speak with her since she’d muttered a few words of gratitude in my language had been met with silence and strange looks. It was clear she didn’t understand much, but it left me curious as to how she understood anything in my language and who might have taught her.

It was a shame she didn’t know more.

The lack of communication left us in an armistice of sorts, though she kept a close eye on me while I struggled with my decision to leave her. I needed to hunt, but I was still reluctant to part with her for any length of time.

The human stirred in her spot near the large stones with a wince, trying to get comfortable while doing her best to avoid putting pressure on her wounds. She mumbled in frustration as she rolled onto her side, her words unintelligible as her eyes drooped with fatigue. She seemed much like a child fighting off sleep with little success.

It had been nearly an entire day since I provided her with medicine to help moderate her pain, and its numbing effects would wear off soon. When that happened, she’d need more, leaving me with another reason to leave. She needed food and herbs to aid in her healing.

Eventually, the female rolled onto her back, her side pressed against a boulder as her eyes drifted shut. Her breathing deepened, and the lines around her mouth disappeared as she finally relaxed.

Had she fallen asleep? My tail twitched slightly. Cautiously, I moved from my sitting position and into a crouch.

Seeing no movement from the female as I crept forward, I decided now was my chance to hunt.

Slowly and quietly, I made my way out of the area, stepping on stones and avoiding outlying branches and ferns until I was sure I wouldn’t wake her.

Walking through the forest, I made my way back to the devil-cat the small human had fought off the night before. It would be a shame to let its pelt go to waste, and perhaps I could take its meat for food if scavengers hadn’t already torn into it. Whether her hunt was intentional or not, she’d killed the beast. It would only be right to claim its pelt and a trophy from the kill.

As I approached the area, I found the body surrounded by tree dwellers who were happily feasting from the feline’s corpse through a hole torn in its neck. Rushing forward, I shooed the critters away, waving my arms and tail around the body until they all scattered and climbed back up the trees.

I quickly found the spear that I had left behind, bending to retrieve it. Just then, there was a slight movement next to the body. I leaned down, inspecting the odd bundle of cloth that faintly resembled my own rucksack. A tail of a tree dweller was sticking out from the bag’s opening, the creature chittering as it moved around inside.

Grabbing the sack from the bottom, I lifted it up, dumping the contents and small critter out onto the ground. It screeched and quickly skittered away, climbing up a tree and disappearing into the leaves.

My fingers brushed over the items on the ground as I spread them out. I hardly recognized any of them and was unsure of their purpose. I vaguely remembered the female carrying this bag around the first night we’d met.

She will probably be happy to have her items back, I thought with excitement, eager to provide her with some happiness. My hands stilled over the items a moment later as another thought intruded.

Then again, I needed to be careful… I’d heard humans carried strange, dangerous weapons. If I just handed her belongings over without understanding each object, she might brandish a weapon and attack me.

With far less enthusiasm, I began gathering up the items, placing them back into the sack warily.

I’ll investigate more thoroughly once I return.

As I plucked up the last remaining item, the glint of silver caught my eye, a blade peeking out from underneath some debris on the forest floor. I picked up the blade, studying it closely.

This is Xanadisian… why–how does she have this?

Dried blood covered the weapon, along with some dirt and leaves that had stuck to it. I glanced back at the dead cat.

So this was the weapon she used to kill it.

Shaking my head, I placed the blade in the sack with the rest of the items and slung the strange bag over my shoulder.

Redirecting my attention to the deceased animal, I started cutting it open, making quick work of skinning it to take the pelt with me. Once that was done, I moved onto my next task; carving out some of the untampered meat and cutting out the cat’s organs. When I was finished, I wrapped them in leaves to keep them fresh and away from bugs.

As much as I didn’t want to waste so much from this kill, I had yet to gather the medicinal herbs and soon the sun would set. Looking over the animal one last time, I broke off one of the feline’s large front fangs, the tooth thick in my hand.

Securing the items in my sack, I moved on to my next task, anxious to be done and return to the female.

As the sun started to set and darkness began to take over, I arrived back at the camp to find the female still peacefully sleeping where I’d left her. I breathed a sigh of relief, some of the tension easing from my shoulders as I crouched down beside her.

My tail curled as I looked over her features, fixating on her pink lips in curiosity. Hesitantly, I reached out to brush the back of my hand across her cheek. I’d been too panicked to really focus on it earlier, but her skin was incredibly smooth.

Shaking my head, I did my best to remove that thought from my mind.

Moving away from the female and to the healing pool, I started washing the pelt, and hung it over one of the boulders to dry. Once that was finished, I mixed the herbs, grinding them down into a paste before transferring the substance onto a pempi leaf.

My tasks were noisy, and soon enough the female stirred, waking. She groaned, her eyes opening groggily.

I only glanced back at her once as she sat up, clutching her shoulder in pain. Leaf in hand, I stepped over to the female. Her eyes locked onto me and her body tensed as I got closer.

Cautiously, I kneeled in front of her. “I will not hurt you,” I informed her, hoping my voice could reassure her even if she didn’t fully understand my words.

I held out the medicine for her to take. Instead, she eyed the green goop warily, and then glanced back up at me with confusion.

How do I tell her she needs to consume it?

Slowly, I brought the leaf up to my face. I mimicked drinking the medicine before holding it out for her once more with a nod of my head.

Her face twisted in disdain and she recoiled slightly, looking at me like I had a second head. “You need to take it,” I said sternly and scooted closer. If she wouldn’t drink it herself, I might need to force my hand to ensure she received the nutrients she desperately needed.

Luckily it was not needed. With some hesitancy, she took the leaf and sniffed it, cringing at the smell.

I huffed. “It will make you feel better.”

The small human eyed it uncertainly before looking back at me once more. I gave a small nod of encouragement, and she mumbled something incoherent before bringing it to her lips and slurping the medicine down in one swift motion.

She sputtered and coughed, making a strange face and sticking her tongue out in an odd manner before handing the leaf back to me. “This is good for you,” I insisted. “It shouldn’t take long to numb the pain.”

I set the leaf aside and stood back up, walking over to my belongings and dropping into a crouch.

As the sun set, I started going through the items I had gathered, including the meat and her bag. My hands stilled over the fabric of her rucksack.

Should I risk giving her back her things?

A startled gasp from the female drew my attention and I quickly spun around, afraid she’d injured herself.

Night had descended upon our hidden section of the forest, all of the bioluminescent plants stirring to life and creating a beautiful glow that lit up the world around us. But it wasn’t the glowing vegetation that had my gut tightening and my tail twitching wildly.

The human female’s lips were parted in awe as the flora glowed brighter, casting her in a radiant hue that was impossible to miss. She reached out towards a flower. As soon as her fingers touched the petals, the color shifted in reaction to her touch, and she gave a startled cry of delight.

Smiling, she carefully stood, marveling at how the grass beneath her feet lit up with the slightest touch. She seemed bewildered and entranced as she spun around, taking in the bright colors and lights coming from various flowers and ferns.

I couldn’t help but stare as she explored the world around us, as if she’d never seen something like this before. Perhaps this was new to her? Her reactions were so genuine and unguarded that something strange began stirring to life within me, emotions I wasn’t accustomed to.

Clutching the blanket around her small body with one hand, she used the other to trace her fingers over various fern leaves, slowly turning toward me. She paused, looking to her right at the shimmering healing pool.

Lightfliers began weaving all around us. Tentatively, the female held out her hand, letting one land in her palm. Its light disappeared as she brought it closer, inspecting the tiny creature. The small insect fluttered its wings before lighting up once more, illuminating her face in a beautiful, blue glow.

It took off to rejoin the others, buzzing around the pool as she watched in awe.

Did her home lack such scenery?

I knew she’d come down from the stars in the sky, a place that I’d always believed to be beautiful. But was her own home so different from mine? I’d envisioned her world filled with vibrant plants and peaceful animals, which made sense as her body lacked the same predatory advances as my people. She had no fangs, no sharp claws to protect herself, and her skin was so soft.

She was vulnerable, and to have come to my planet... My world was dangerous to her.

So why was she here?