Chapter Text
A monstrous beast was perched far above on the largest tree within the area. Quiet clicks sounded from underneath its strange metal mask. The human down below them studied the odd creature. They were noiselessly hidden in the foliage around the base of the tree; or at least they hoped.
Whatever it was, the human didn’t want to face it in a battle. From the hidden spot, the monster looked strong and large. Thick, tense muscles lined its frame. Armor covered only a third of its mottled green skin. What worried the human even more was the two blades attached to its gauntlet. Then on the creature’s shoulder was a small cannon looking device.
Down the human’s spine, a shiver shook their bones. They froze though. The foliage next to them quivered with their movement. A curse surfaced inside of their mind.
Their eyes snapped up only to find the previously filled spot vacant. More curses, whispered into the moist warming air. Inside of their chest, the important organ pounded against their ribs. Sweat had already collected in their palms, but more surfaced at the sight. Questions already flying faster than light. Would moving be too dangerous? Or was their best bet to move, get away from the scene?
An odd amount of time past when they realized the creature was no longer around them. Their shoulders relaxed, a large sigh escaping them.
Above them, the sky was empty besides the blazing, hot sun. After this near encounter and wonderful adventure, the human was desperate to go back to their little cove. The heat was beginning to get to them. Sweat covered their skin in a sheet, uncomfortably. A small part of their brain was hounding them for choosing to come here during the hottest part of the year. Maybe, they’ll die of a heat stroke.
Even with the humanoid figure gone, the human was careful as be. Their steps light as they make it back to their camp. As one of their few talents collected over time, they were able to retrace their path.
About a two hour trek back, the human found themselves safely in the camp. Nothing had been changed, thankfully, nor moved.
In the center, a mildly well-constructed campfire had been put together in ten minutes. The main struggles of finding enough large, non-river stones to created it. Worst of all for them, it was about dark by the time they gave up on going any further. It was a miracle they weren’t eaten that very night by many of the predators that roam this jungle.
Luck was on their side for just that night, weeks ago. Ever since that night, they’ve been continuously screwed over tremendously. It seemed like they could never catch a simple break. One problem after another. Then, whatever was in that tree didn’t aid them in the slightest.
Inside, a primal instinct told them to pack up what’s necessary and leave. A larger, burly predator just moved in next door. This human may have not been the smartest bulb in the pack, that didn’t mean they couldn’t see the danger flash in front of their brain.
Yet, they set down their gear: bow and arrows, a compact knife made of stone, water canaster, and a ring tied to a necklace made from fiber. Before the human let the jewelry leave their grasp, they hesitated. Their knuckles turning white for a moment then it slipped to hang off a branch of a young tree.
Their lungs expanded fully. The human allowed themselves to nearly collapse on the ground, back resting against said tree. Even with their sore muscles and tired frame, they couldn’t get the earlier sight out of their mind. How could they? What they saw… was something out of a movie!
God. Their head hit against the trunk of the tree. How they wished they could see a movie. They could care less if it was at the crappy little theater by their old house.
Before they could forget, they grabbed the knife nearby and scratched a one-inch-long line into the spot above them. Next to many that they no longer counted. Small pieces of craving fell on them, not that they could care. With a shake of their somewhat short hair, it fell to the ground, easily forgotten about. The human stared down at the dirt.
In their hands, they mindless fiddled with the almost dulled knife before the call of thirst roused them. The human gathered the items had placed down little over two hours ago. Their feet carrying them out of their little camp called home.
It wasn’t much of a walk, the same old path traveled countless times. The walkway first carved from the animals then later taken over by the human.
Once they reached the minor, fresh water creek, they simply filled the canister with liquid. As the human stood, hand twisting the lid close, an idea came to mind. Observant eyes scanned around for anything considered a danger. Nothing insight.
With that, they stripped of the clothes that were created from fiber. The cool water met their feet first then slowly embraced the rest that could be engulfed. It barely reached their hips, not that they minded. Deep waters were dangerous, especially this far in the jungle.
Scoops of water washed over them in small bits until their entire frame was doused at least twice. Then, that’s when they finally deemed themselves the cleanest possible.
A few gulps later, they found themselves on the bank of the creek, clothes back in their rightful place.
The human was in the middle of grabbing their gear when a loud splash forced adrenaline to surge into their veins. Brown eyes blown wide for a few moments, scanning for the source.
Ripples of water rolled down the flowing liquid. From the time of the noise and how long it took for them to reach the human, it was time to go. They turned tail, hair unable to reach their face from how face they turned.
This time around, they were less careful, less timid. Now, like how nature would deem their species to be, the human had turned into prey.
This human made a grave mistake.
.
In their rush to get away, the human failed to pay full attention to where they were going. It wasn’t until dark that they released a yell of frustration into the unrestful jungle. For just a moment, everything quieted. The human froze on the spot, heart thumping against thick ribs. That was the stupidest thing possible to do in their situation.
It was night. Night was dangerous. In almost a fit of overwhelming emotions, they choked on another shout.
Then, they felt it. Something watching them, eyes peering at their sweaty frame through the darkness. The primal sixth sense coming to aid them after the incredible idiotic stunt they had just pulled.
All of their muscles froze, unable to respond to the words shouting in their brain to run. If this was their end, they wished for a quick death. Actually, prayed for it. After so many weeks in this unforgiving forest, alone, the human wanted out. For them, death was the only way to get away from here.
Quiet crunching of leaves sounded, so close. All that was possible to see was the faint outlines of trees and ground foliage. The poor human could barely hear the noise over the rushing of blood through their ears. Yet, it was slowly gaining ground. Step by timid step. No, not timid. Something about the way whatever the predator stepped stated it held confidence. It was cautious though, an intelligent animal.
Now, that thought caused the human’s heart to stutter. Big cats didn’t have that type of walk, nor were they smart enough for that.
Finally, praise God, finally the human was able to take a step.
“Wait,” a nearly unrecognizable word broke the silence. The voice didn’t sound human. Far too grumbly, like someone struggling to say the four letters. Then, hushed clicking.
All the warning bells inside the human’s mind were going off all at once. Go. Go! It took all of their will power to turn tail and run away, again. Prey, their brain supplied. And it wasn’t well liked.
Stupidly so, their head turned back for just a spilt second to peer into the darkness behind them. Nothing stared back. Right as they looked forward, out of the corner of their brown eyes, two yellow dots flashed, like eyes. That only drove the human faster away from whatever was there. Whatever had followed them this far from the creek.
Lungs ached, brain feeling light, legs about to give out. The human found themselves miraculously back at camp, by the sun rising. It kissed their skin, further warming up the exhausted body and mind. This time, it was both welcomed and not. Now, if that creature came, it could be easier to spot. Yet, with light, harder came sleep. A win-lose situation the human couldn’t tell if they were happy about.
The creature could come for them while they slept. It had to know where the camp was. It was able to follow their fleeing form through the jungle in complete darkness. There was a high likely hood of the creature being able to track them down. A shiver ran up the length of the human’s spine, bones rattling.
They easily slipped the bow and arrows off of their body before resting against the tree. It was a mistake. Their eyes began to grow heavy. These past twenty-four hours have been extremely difficult for the human. To fight against the need sleep, pointless and futile. And the human was weak.
It was a soft wake up, not the greatest rest nor the worst; content. The human stretched their arms far above their head, hand knocking into their primitive bow, a small reminder to go hunting for food. Their stomach grumbled lowly as well. A sigh escaped them. How could they possibly forget to go hunting? It was a necessary thing to do. Now, their schedule was thrown off course. With another sigh, they carefully rose from their seat.
Before they could take a step though, they grab their knife and cut a new line into the bark. Deep breaths filled their lungs; an ache now resided in the overexerted muscles.
Another one, another day.
With the sun still low in the sky, the human grabs all of their gear once more. But something was missing. Knife, check. Bow and arrow, check. Water canister, check. Ring… The ring, it was gone!
As any sane person would do, the human searched all around camp. Turning up leaves and stones, looking over every possible within a reasonable radius. Nothing. Nothing. Nowhere in sight. Tears at this point began to built up. That was all they had left. Now, it was gone. They turned and slammed a fist against the nearest tree.
A hiss of pain escaped them. The human pulled back their hand to inspect for any damage. Only a spilt knuckle. A curse pushed passed their lips at the sight. This wasn’t good for survival. An open would in this environment could get them an infection. That could lead to death, a long, drawn-out end. God, they didn’t want to die that way. They’ve survived this long in a jungle where everything wants to kill them, including the plants. So stupid.
They grabbed the cloth from their former clothing and tied it poorly around the wound. It didn’t look half bad for someone who doesn’t have much medical training. All they could do was keep the injury clean and hope for the best. Nothing out here would aid the human, not that they know of.
With that situation over, they headed out, slightly weighed down by the nights former exhaustion and today’s gear. This hunt had to go as planned. No room for mistakes or it could be their last.
It was midday when the human was found up in a tree, like a predator, bow and arrow in hand. The latter already in place, just waiting to be pulled and fired.
Nothing had shown its self for the time being. The human was beginning to grow weary. Two full days without anything besides water was starting to get to them. Sleep could only do some much in this situation.
For just a thought, like many that’ve been brought to mind before, they wondered if this is how their ancestors felt. A verge of adrenaline in their veins, just waiting to release, like the bow in their hands.
Movement caught their eyes for the first time in over three hours. Out of their excitement, they pulled the bow tauten and aimed, the arrow still attached to the weapon. Already, they felt the ache in the muscles lining their arms and back. They’ve released their mistake a second too late.
Worst part, it was a Jaguar. The predator stalked through the forest with just a hint of care in its steps. Its frame much stronger than the human, they noted. The human eased the tauten bow to a relaxed position and held it at their side.
Yet, that wasn’t all.
The Jaguar stopped, ears forward and head swiveled to its five o’clock position. Its tail and fur rising as well, an easy thing to read on its lanky body. Fear coursed through the human. If the predator was on alert, nervous about what it heard, that meant trouble for them. One: no food. Two: it could be that humanoid creature they earlier. Like they’ve stated in their mind, they didn’t want to meet that monster if they had the choice.
A low growl rumbled in the four legged predator. The Jaguar’s belly now grazed the jungle’s floor, ears continuously pinned to its body.
Instead of the bow, the human carefully unsheathed the dulling knife. It was much, let alone again a large predator but enough to do damage; especially in the right place. The human was thankful they took perch up in the tree. Yes, these large cats could climb them but height was an advantage. They had the high ground in this possible battle.
Their hands trembled as everything seemed to slow for just a moment before an arrow pierced the air. Made of a matte metal, the keen head easily struck the Jaguar in the side. From their position, it seemed to hit the heart perfectly. The predator collapsed after a moment, body eased against the soft grounds.
Now, it was time fear for their lift. Who else was out here with them? As much as they would’ve loved to shout out for another human, their primal instinct curved them to stay silent; eyes staring out into the dense jungle. But if it was the monster from before, its green hide would easily camouflage it. A curse sprung to mind. Their best chances now were to stay still and absolutely silent or else…
About a minute passed but it felt like hours to the human before more movement appeared through the brush. When whatever was there came to view, their heart didn’t just land in the stomach it went all the way to floor, a good thirty feet away.
The human’s mouth hung low now. It traversed over the grounds with a terrifying ease, thick muscles tensing and relaxing at each movement. Cursing flying through the human’s mind at lightning speed all over again. How in the world was it able to kill the jaguar with a bow and arrow with such precision. If they weren’t afraid before, now they surely were shaking in their boots. They were going to die. There was no way to defeat such a creature with what this human had.
From their spot, they watched it cross the grounds and stop before the lower predator. It knelt down next to it and place a large, clawed hand on the jaguar’s muzzle. A few clicks escaping from underneath its metal mask. Then it unsheathed a mid-sized knife and began to cut at its prey.
There wasn’t any way for them to get down from the tree at the point, especially with the monster so close now. So, all they could do was watch, watch and wait.
As much as their stomach rolled at the sight, their eyes refused to look away. And their stomach was cramping, hunger the most noticeable. Maybe they’ll leave something behind for them to snack on. This hunt had gone south, very quickly. A third day without food, it wasn’t going to end in their favor.
Further in the carving, the larger predator grabbed the base of the jaguar’s skull then pulled with all of their strength. Similar to string cheese, it tore easily from the body, skull and spine together.
A choked gasped escaped the human before they could stop the sound. Everything quieted besides the clinking from the monster before. Its massive head whipped up, the dark, long dreads decorated with metal smacked against each other. The two cold eye sockets stared straight up, straight at them.
Fear coursed through their body. Instead of stilling, the human accidently dropped the knife. It smacked against the thick branch they were perched on before dropping to the ground. Uh oh. The predator didn’t act, it stayed there.
On the other side, the human was scrambling to move. They were able to shimmy over to another branch, opposite to the first branch. From there, they spotted a close enough limb from a nearby tree. With a deep breath to help calm their nerves, they lunged.
But, it was a dead branch. It snapped easily underneath their weight. The branch and human fell, one falling quicker to the ground.
When the latter slammed into a ground, they stilled, besides their chest slowly moving up and down. That was the only observable to tell the predator they were still alive. First thing to come to mind was how stupid the human had reacted at the sight of him. With a shake oh his head, his locks swaying with the movement, he finished the rest of his cleaning. The skull and spine temporarily decorated his back.
Once finished, he stood to his full height, gaze returning to the unconscious human. Don’t, his mind commanded him. He could already see his mentor sternly shaking her head with disappointment. Yet, this human intrigued him for some odd reason. His mistakes have nearly cost him his pathetic life. He had survived through a lot of things though, the Yautja’s mind supplied. The human had been out here longer than he had been.
A grumbling of clicks sounded from underneath his mask. If the human were to parish, the Yautja felt like it would be a waste of possible potential skill.
He made his move. The predator grabbed him by his nape and simply lifted him up, not struggling. His wooden bow had broken on his first hit against the ground. At this point, it slipped off of his body, now forgotten about. He mumbled to himself some more before slinging the human on the opposite shoulder of his newly gathered meat.
The trek through the jungle was easy. He made quick, long strides. Thick legs traversing over steep hills and fallen trees. Before long, he reached his destination and set both dead weights down. One by an ongoing fire, the other in a pre dugged hole before the hunt. The Yautja returned back to the human’s side, his masking scanning him over.
Three cracked ribs, a concussion, and a miniature cut on his knuckle was all that showed. Nothing he could do about it with the supplies the predator had on hand. So, he left the smaller creature by the fire and trudged back over to his meat.
It wasn’t long, before the sun was setting when the human woke slowly, pain spreading through their body. Confusion lined their face, eyes blearily yet darting around the place. What had happened? Where… where are they?
An ache raced up their spine and chest when they sat up, a groan escaping their mouth. One of their hands rested against their forehead, now they could feel a headache growing the longer they were conscious. Yet, something deep inside of their mind told them they needed to get up. This wasn’t their camp, not the place they could considered safety.
The crackling of fire reached their ears. It caused their spine to completely tense. Fire? Now the smell of smoke wavered underneath their nose.
With a shake of their head, they were able to clear their blurry sight. Now, they were in some deep crap, chained and no way out.
Sound of movements behind them made the human scramble to their feet, eyes wide. They spun around to face… the monster. If it wasn’t for their tensed muscles, the human’s body would’ve collapsed right there.
It observed them, unmoving besides the small rise and fall of its massive shoulders. But, the predator didn’t attack. That didn’t the human was going to let down their guard so easily and also watched it. At the same time, they were looking for any nearby weapons. Anything that could do some sort of damage to it.
There, the carving knife from before.
As quick as lightning, the human snatch it from its spot and held the weapon mildly well. This didn’t affect the Yautja at all. They continued to stare at them which unnerved the human even more to point they lashed out.
Yeah, it was stupid. They knew this better than anyone but what else were they supposed to do. The human dashed at the predator knife ready to dig into the green mottled skin.
Right before it could though, the Yautja simply grabbed their hand. His other stretched out and wrapped around the humans neck. With ease, it lifted them off of the ground by their neck. They kicked wildly, legs striking at any point possible. But, the monster seemed unfazed watching the human’s pathetic attempt to fight him.
With a few more strikes, they finally realized it was futile and stilled in his grasp. He clicked. Then, his hand released the human’s small hand but plucked the knife out of from their hold. The predator sheathed the weapon then pulled something from a little pouch around its neck.
The human gasped, eyes wide and staring up at the monster. It offered the jewelry to them. “Take,” it grumbled, its word barely recognizable.
Hesitate, they watched the creature, a hand wrapped around its sturdy wrist. Finally, they swiped the ring from it and pressed it against their chest as much as possible. “Thank you,” the human whispered barely above a whisper.
They were gently place back on the ground. Now, the human stared up at the creature. Their heart had calmed, muscles relaxed at this point. Until it reached up towards its face and gripped the metal mask’s edge. Its other limb pulled two hoses from their spot; they made a hissing noise in reaction.
Then, the humanoid pried the mask away from its face. A gasp left the human at the sight, they took a step back, eyes scanning over its newly revealed features.
To be honest, it was horrifying to say in the least. This thing wasn’t from earth, no way.
Its four mandibles were a clear sign of this. Behind them, there was a small mouth with four fangs on them. The shape of its head was nothing they’ve ever seen. Even before it revealed its face to them, the shape was strange. The dome like forehead/head was a striking detail. But its eyes, they couldn’t look away once captured by them.
Two pairs of eyes watching one another until the massive predator turned away. He strode away, back to his meal.
At the sight of the meat, their stomach growled. Pink dusted their cheeks. It was time to go. A lucky chance of survival against a predator that could kill them. One thing they knew deep down, they weren’t going to get a second time.
“Come,” the creature commanded. They stilled and gazed behind them. It had its back to them as it strolled back over to its original spot. Once the creature sat down, he looked over to the human and motioned with his head. The thick, rubbery-looking dreads swayed with the movement. “Come.”
It picked up a small piece of meat and offered it to them. Hope bubbled in their chest and their stomach growled again. Without another thought, they walked over to him and grabbed the slab of meat from him. “Thank you,” they spoke their gratitude. For a moment, they were silent before holding out their hand out of instinct. “I’m Casey.”
There was a strange silence between the two. The Yautja returned back to the meat before him. With his head bowed, he grumbled something underneath his breath. “A’jiadh.”
They left it at that and went over to the fire. A well-placed stone was used to help cook the meat, one of the best meals they’ve had in a long time. It was all due to a companion.