That Which Devours

After the next bunch of trees, the area opened up, with a break in the canopy though giant leaves stretched out toward the sun. Rough boulders took over creating a small gully and a narrow rocky path that led deeper into the jungle. The sound of water gurgling came from between the rocks as we moved closer.

Doc moved to one side and sat down on a boulder near the path. He pointed toward water trickling from a crack in the biggest rocks near the top of the gully.

Hawk took up a spot hidden in some shadows near the top of the boulder, his bow out and ready.

Water pooled in a small area before flowing down the narrow pebbles, but I knew it was better to get it straight from the source. I climbed up the two rocks, being careful on the moss and damp surface. Finding a position to keep dry as I filled the jugs wasn’t hard given the small trickle of water. I got started and pulled out the first empty jug. The sound of water filling the jug took over from the bubbling creek. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long to fill each of the large jugs. The flow of water was a lot more than it seemed when it was running down into the little pool. Once I had half of their jugs filled, I filled the ones in my inventory stone, along with my canteen. I switched back to filling the rest of the jugs for the compound.

My shoulders ached a little from the hunched-over position and the weight of each jug as it filled with water, but they quickly vanished into my inventory stone once full, so I didn’t have to hold them for long once I was done with each.

The sound of something flapping through the light breeze drew me out of my trance, watching the jug fill up. The jug I was filling I tossed into my inventory as I scrambled to pull my knife out. An arrow flew through the air, followed by a second, before I’d even spotted the creature. Doc stabbed at the football-sized bird that had already been hit by the arrows. Feathers covered it, and two wicked-looking talons stuck out. It crashed to the ground and everything around us went quiet for a moment. Then the jungle sounds picked up again.

Doc picked it up, bringing it closer to me. “Care to toss this in your inventory? Looks like fowl for dinner tonight.”

I added it to my inventory with a nod from Hawk. He was already searching the surroundings for anything else to hunt. I tucked my knife away and went back to filling the last few jugs. Hawk’s arrows were just so useful, they’d taken out the bird before I’d had a chance. His reaction speed was so much faster than mine, which I hadn't expected. It gave me something to work toward. It was clear, the whole reason I was even here was for the inventory stone. Otherwise, I wasn’t really needed.

I needed to grow. Yes, I had made it through the jungle on my own and at a low level, but this was an easy example of how much weaker I was compared to him. After a moment of thought, I realized the jug I was holding was full and about to overflow, and I went back to paying attention to my job of filling jugs, this time keeping my ears open to any change in the sounds surrounding us.

The last thing I did was cup my hands under the water and take a deep drink. Then I washed my face and hands. If I’d had more time, I’d be tempted to wash the rest of me, but even just my hands and face felt great. I stretched upward and then carefully climbed down the two boulders to the dirt path below. Not as much time had passed as I’d thought, I realized, as I took note of where the sun was in the sky. Hawk had been right that this would be a quick job.

Doc snapped upright, ready to head back down the path, but he waited for Hawk. Neither man said anything, but this time Hawk took the lead. He had to be using some stealth skill as his form almost blurred in front of me, even as I focused on trying to track him.

I changed my focus to my own stealth skill, trying to be unseen in the shadows of the trees. Hawk paused when he got to the clearing with the dead cats. He motioned me forward and mouthed for me to move fast to the other side.

I took a glance around, seeing nothing different before I sprinted across the space, safely making it to the shadows of the far trees. I paused, waiting for Doc next to a large fern. He quickly followed, making it to my side, but then everything went quiet. The birds that had been eating all stopped making noise, and then quickly took to the air in a rush of sound and feathers.

I clenched my knife in one hand, trying to spot what had spooked them, and kept the other out, ready to dodge if I needed to.

Hawk made some hand motions that I didn’t know from the other side of the clearing.

Then the shadow crossed over the clearing. It stretched from one side to the other, before moving away.

My heart pounded as I shrunk farther into the shadows of the trees. The great flier circled again over the area, before moving out of sight. It was large, bigger than I’d ever seen, bigger than I thought could be possible. Its wings stretched out as it spun in lazy circles in the air. Its beak came to a sharp point, and beady eyes searched the trees. Its legs pointed down, ending with sharp talons. Those talons were holding something large.

It spun closer to the clearing and dropped the object. The creature slammed into the ground near the edge of the tree trunks, splitting open and filling the air with the scent of blood. If it hadn’t been dead before, it was now. I couldn't tell what it had been, but still my mouth watered.

Doc took off down the dirt path, moving quickly but quietly, and leaving me and Hawk behind. I glanced at Hawk, but he waved me on. Mouthing the word ‘go!’’

Yet, I hesitated, waiting until the flier twisted out of sight in the air. My stomach growled at the smell of the dead creature, but with effort I turned and fled. I didn’t move as fast as Doc, though I probably could have. Instead, my focus was on staying under the shadows of the trees and being as silent as possible.

[You have increased your stealth skill.]

The notification made me smile, even though every moment I expected to feel talons piercing my shoulders and lifting me from the ground. I kept my eyes peeled, keeping my cloak around me, but the shadow didn’t appear above. By the time I got to the area around the fence, Doc was nowhere to be seen. The gap between the fence and the trees made me nervous. So I waited, just watching and staying hidden.

Time ticked by, but I wanted to be sure as I searched the sky. That thing could fly fast and silent, and I didn’t want to be the next thing dropped in that clearing to splatter among the trees.

Finally, I moved, making my way close to the fence, and along the edge of it toward the gate. A shadow moving within the trees caused me to freeze. My heart pounded as I gripped my knife, ready to spring into action.

Hawk appeared, his edges blurring as he approached. He moved behind me and motioned for me to continue toward the gate.

I started walking again, but it took several moments for my body and my thumping heart to calm down. At the door, I went first and Hawk paused behind me, making hand signals to the treetop. To my shock, Jimmy appeared, climbing down from the platform. Hawk stayed at the open gate with his bow out and an arrow notched, keeping watch.

Jimmy didn’t take long to reach the bottom of the tall tree. He was covered in sweat as he carefully walked down the pathway, his head darting to either side with his bow out and an arrow ready. A few of the sections that had been missing crystal shards now had them; Hawk must have been busy while I’d napped.

Once Jimmy stood inside the fence, Hawk closed it with the wooden brace.

“The flier landed to eat,” said Hawk.

“I saw,” replied Jimmy. “It looks like it's closer than the last one.”

My mouth dropped, but I followed silently, still tense. Hawk had stuck around to watch the flier, and waited until it’d landed before coming back.

“It's a bigger concern than those cats,” muttered Hawk once we were near the dropship. “Can’t catch a break out here.”

Doc appeared at the opening, noticing Jimmy. “Finally,” he said. Then he pointed at me. “You owe me a bottle, which I need after that fright. I shouldn’t have been out there to begin with. What could I do against that thing?” Doc shook at his own words, whether from fear or withdrawal I couldn’t tell. He glared at Jimmy.

Jimmy entered the dropship, his shoulders relaxing for the first time since I’d seen him, but he just ignored Doc.

“That flier is building a nest.” Hawk rolled his eyes at the scene Doc was making. “It isn’t complete, but it’s getting there. I think it cleaned up the cat pride, which is a positive. It dropped one of those cats.”

“Just great. We finally fix the fence, now we have a flier to deal with,” mumbled Doc. He held his hands out toward me. “At least the cats are gone. Gimme the bottle.”

I headed into the common area, ignoring his outstretched hands, and pulled out a filled water jug, putting it where I’d found the empties. Once I’d unloaded all of them, I turned toward Doc, and placed the bottle on the table.

Jimmy sat at the bench, drinking out of a mug. He nodded at the water supply. “You did good with helping with the fence, and the water.”

“You better savor that,” I said to Doc after nodding at Jimmy. “I don’t know how much more there will be.” My mind went to the fact that Greg was gone. I didn’t know who else had taken the profession of booze-making, but it couldn’t be widespread, given the Council’s views on alcohol.

Doc shrugged and took the bottle before disappearing into the back doorway. Hawk still stood outside by the crystal. He had his knife in one hand, and a long stick in the other, carving it into a point. It looked like the beginnings of a spear.

Doc unexpectedly appeared behind me with a sled. He carefully set it on the ground before vanishing again. It was narrower than the ones we used at the colony. Slightly smaller, as well. It would fit maybe four jugs of water on it. The crystal would have plenty of room, though, and that was what mattered. A thick rope was attached to the front of it, connected to both corners. The small crystals along the back edge would help lighten the load once it was moving. Right now, though, it rested solidly against the ground.

“That’s yours to borrow,” said Hawk. “You better bring it back.”

“I will,” I said, looking at it from a few different angles and trying to figure out the best way to do this. “What are you going to do about the flier?” I asked, not sure I wanted to know, but sure I needed to.

“Nothing for now. I need a plan, and Denver to be back to normal. The three of us should be able to take it with arrows.” He paused his carving for a moment before nodding. “And a trap. Don’t worry about the flier, you aren’t strong enough to tackle something like that with us.” He studied me for a moment before turning back to the spear.

I shook my head. “Wasn’t planning on it.” I pointed at the crystal. “I need to get moving, my brother’s waiting on me.” If the flier was eating, it meant I needed to move now while it was occupied. Though, things quieted in the jungle with a flier overhead, which had its advantages. There were both pros and cons to every situation. The vision of those talons tended to slide things over into the ‘con’ column pretty quick, though.

“Tell him about the flier, it's gonna mean he needs to time his stops better. Be less sloppy.” He paused, like he wanted to say more, but didn’t.

I shrugged. John was going to do what John would do, but I would pass along the information. “I will.” Moving closer to the crystal, I put my knife away and studied it. This had to work.

I picked up the crystal and placed it on the center of the sled. Then, I looked at Hawk. “Do you have any straps I can borrow?"

He snorted and pointed inside.

Once inside, I glanced around the common room, finding a pile of rope, straps, and other odds and ends. This was exactly what I needed. It didn’t take long for me to attach the crystal to the sled, making sure it wouldn’t move around. Within the time it took, the giant thing had already started humming. Now that it sat immobile on the sled, it should start grounding every time I stopped.

That would make tonight safer out there, at least. I’d need to stop early enough for a charge to start forming if I didn't plan to climb a tree.

“It’s getting late,” said Hawk. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait to set out until morning?”

The sun was headed toward the horizon, but I had at least two or three hours of light before shadows took over, even under the thick canopy. That might give me enough distance that I could finish the hike the next day and still make it back to the shuttle on time, if on the later edge of my estimate. Hopefully, John would be ok. He had to be, I had to believe it. I just had to do everything I could.

“I have to try to make the deadline. I don’t want John to worry.” In all honesty, I worried he hadn’t saved enough water or food for himself. I just didn’t know. The supplies he’d given me would have lasted him twice as long, given his level, but I’d needed them. Hopefully, he hadn’t needed them, too.

“This is boring, you should make progress,” buzzed Noseen.

I almost flinched at the sound, but he was right. I needed to make progress.

“I hope everything works out and we see you soon with the shuttle,” said Hawk. He stood up and held out a hand for me to shake.

“Thanks,” I said, shaking his hand. Then I stepped in the rope loop and pulled the sled forward. The crystals activated, and the sled suddenly grew lighter, almost making me stumble. Hawk followed me toward the gate in the fence and opened it, holding it for me as I traveled through.

“See you soon,” I said, then I headed toward the south along the fence. I still remembered the last place I had carved a sign on a tree, and I’d need to continue from there. Then, if everything went according to plan, I could follow the carvings in the trees like bread crumbs along a trail, all the way to the shuttle. Breaking through the treeline bushes was hard with the sled, small though it was relative to the cargo sleds back at the colony. Pushing and shoving the sled through the bushes was rough, though the lighter weight meant at least I wasn’t dragging it on the ground, too. This would take some getting used to. I stopped my struggling walk and looked up, finally spotting the last carving I’d made.

“Okay, this should be possible,” I muttered.

“I mean, as long as you don’t get lost, you should be okay, though it's not like you created a path or anything,” said Noseen. “This has been one strange adventure you are on.”