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“We’re going to have to venture outside eventually. This stuff will only last us so long.” Rose points to the bundle of supplies. “Maybe a couple of us can go take a look around and see if they can find food or water.”
“Or a friendly alien to help us.” Jayden adds hopefully.
“Maybe.” I agree, even though I’d rather not have to deal with anymore aliens. “Did anyone else hear the robot voice right before we crashed?” A few of the others nod. “It called this planet XB13, and said that it’s habitable.”
Maddie lets out a sigh of relief. “So, there should be water and plants and animals we can eat. We just have to go out and find them.”
“What I don’t understand is why did the gray guys dump us?” Isabella asks, a puzzled look on her face. “I thought we were worth a lot of money. Why would they just ditch us if we’re that valuable?”
“Maybe we’re not as valuable as we thought.” Crystal chimes in with a shrug.
Discussion breaks out around me and I try to ignore it. The one thing no one has mentioned is trying to get back home to Earth, and I think we all know that it’s an impossibility at this point. Wherever we are, we’re stuck here.
Mara, standing beside me, speaks up, “I think I know why.” Her words are drowned out by the noise of the others, so I let out a shrill whistle and everyone quiets down, and I gesture for Mara to continue.
“Zaez said that humans are valuable, but that we’re illegal. He said the Alliance Force was chasing the spaceship. That sounds like law enforcement, right?” She looks around at us before continuing, “Something was shooting at the ship before they dumped us. Maybe the Zyfeliks didn’t want to be caught with us in their possession.”
Maddie furrows her brow. “So, we’re the drugs and they basically flushed us down the toilet before the cops could bust them.”
Mara makes a face at Maddie’s analogy but nods. “Exactly.” Her next words send my pulse racing. “And if the Zyfeliks managed to escape the Alliance Force, they could come back looking for us.”
Chapter 7
Draggar
By the time I arrive near the crash site, the sun has risen high in the sky and the heat of the day is at its warmest.
Usually, when traveling over long distances, I would take my mount, a female eponir I reared from a youngling, but it is mating season for the large animals we use for transportation. The eponirs were all released so they could travel to the grassland to partake in the season. My mount is fertile this season and will hopefully reproduce with one of the males, but that means I will be reduced to traveling on foot until she returns.
On my trek through the jungle, I encountered two magnis. One was a juvenile male who had not yet learned a healthy avoidance of Laediriian warriors. He allowed his desire to make me his meal override any self-preservation he felt and with a roar he charged at me. The magnis met its match with a swipe from my sword and he fled through the jungle with a whimper.
In the distance, I spot the behemoth that is the crashed vessel. It is smaller than the Ancestors’ Ship and the material is a shade of black so dark it seems to absorb the light around it. It is situated with one side buried into the soil where it crashed and it rests at a slight sloping angle. The crash cleared away vegetation around the ship and left much of the ground churned up.
I settle down at the edge of the trees and my skin naturally camouflages itself to the foliage near me. I might as well make myself comfortable in order to watch the vessel for any signs of life. It is a wise warrior who is cautious of unknown situations, and I would rather take my time than be caught unaware.
I sit and wait. It is well after midday, now, and still there are no signs of movement from the strange ship. Reaching into the ration bag at my side, I pop another bite of dried meat into my mouth before taking a sip from the waterskin all without taking my eyes from the strange ship.
As soon as I have determined that it is safe, I can thoroughly search the vessel and get on with my mission. It is vital that I find out if any of the rumors flying so freely among members of the tribe are true.
If it is as Jaran insists, and the other two tribes are planning an attack, then the Anuriix will hopefully have time to prepare. Though, I am confident we will be able to defend ourselves successfully against any attacks the Xeniiv and Tussoll mount against us.
Our tribe is the largest with the most warriors, which is most likely one of the reasons the other two tribes are rumored to be envious of the Anuriix. While we have more elders than younger tribe members, we enough skilled warriors and hunters to protect our tribe. And our elders can still wield a sword well enough to take down a magnis or two.
Plus, the kitlings who make up our tribe, though they must be protected at all costs. They are the future of our tribe, and with fewer being born now, it is vital we ensure their safety. The kitlings will need to be moved to the safe location that is known to only the chief and select warriors and elders. They will be well protected there.
We will need time to ensure our defensive measures are strengthened, too. The River Elbi has served as a natural boundary for our territory where our lands border those of the Xeniiv, while the rocky cliffs of the Monadh Mountains act as a natural barrier around a portion of our village. The landscape of our territory has always been enough to safeguard us from direct attacks from both the creatures and other beings on our planet. Not that we have ever had to worry about an attack from the other tribes. Any animosity between us has existed in words, not physical acts.
Still, the rumors the seer has spread have left me concerned. I do not think we need to fear the other tribes – they will never be a match for skilled Anuriix warriors – and it would be foolhardy of them to attack us. I hope even the Tussoll and Xeniiv are not that foolish.
But the rumblings are growing louder, and as the chief’s first warrior, it is my duty to investigate and find out the truth. Jaran has been hailed as one of our most respected elders – mostly by his own mouth – and many will believe him no matter how outlandish his words are.
He has always been a shrewd male – one that I have never fully trusted. There is a shiftiness I have observed in his eyes of late that concerns me more than any rumored attack.
It is one of the changes I have noticed recently, and these changes concern me. And with the most recent change – this crashed vessel – a knot settles in my stomach. My instincts tell me that danger is on the horizon. Could it be the aliens on this ship? Or something else? I am not sure, and all I can do is wait and try to be as prepared as possible to meet the threat.
I murmur softly under my breath. May the Universe give us its favor in this and may any beings who were on the vessel have perished when the ship fell from the skies.
My senses focus entirely on the ruins of the alien vessel when I finally notice movement from it. A pale fleshed being emerges from an opening in the side of the twisted wreckage. From my vantage point, I can see its bright blue eyes widen as it looks searchingly around the clearing before taking a step forward.
