by Calista Skye
Juri’ex walks calmly and silently, in the same way the cavemen usually do, often looking around and up to spot dangers. His sword almost reaches the ground, but somehow never strikes rocks or roots.
He’s wearing the same knee-length pants that many other cavemen like, pretty tight things that don’t hide any of his muscles. He has insanely powerful legs, and his back flexes with each step. With the stripes, it’s like following a large, alien tiger through the woods. Except of course, this guy is more deadly than any tiger.
Well, hopefully not deadly to me. All the girls talk about how safe the cavemen make them feel in the jungle, and I feel it too now. Looking at this caveman, I don’t think this crazy planet has that many dangers he can’t handle. The confidence he radiates is so thick I could cut it with a knife, and it is contagious. I’m walking a little freer than before.
After a while the path disappears. The way to Bune is not that frequently used, and Delyah makes sure to take a slightly different route every time to not be too predictable for any lurking dangers.
I open the little map Phoebe prepared for me last night. It only has the major landmarks on it so I can find the new location of the crashed spaceship.
Well, at least it flew once, not so long ago. But Delyah says the whole thing can never fly again, and certainly not in space. As I understand it, there’s a smaller spaceship inside it that she hopes to get to work.
We keep walking, and I realize that Juri’ex is discreetly walking slower than he otherwise would. Just so I can keep up. It’s a nice thing for him to do. I know some people who would walk at their own pace and then impatiently wait for me to catch up. Or knew, rather. I have met none of that type on Xren—
I almost bump into Juri’ex’s firm butt.
He holds his hand out as a sign to stop, and I stop and listen.
Nothing.
I look up nervously. No dactyls in the air.
But Juri’ex is tense, and one hand rests on the hilt of his sword behind his head.
Then I hear it. Or rather, feel it. It’s a slight trembling of the ground, too low frequency to really hear.
There’s a really big dino coming.
Juri’ex glances behind him to check on me. In the relative darkness of the jungle, I notice his eyes are a bright turquoise, too, with the inner light that they all have. But his are freaking neon lights.
He gives me a little alien smile, and I’m sure he would be quite handsome if the proportions of his face had been different. It is a muscled face, but his eyelashes are curiously long and curved. His hair is thick and dark blond. It shines whenever a sunray catches it. The total impression is… unusual. I have some trouble taking my eyes off him, as if his appearance presents some kind of visual puzzle that my brain can’t quite process but won’t give up on.
The ground shakes harder and harder, and I’m getting nervous. A dino this heavy has to be absolutely gigantic.
I think Juri’ex is nervous, too. He looks around, frowning, with his fingers curling and uncurling around the hilt of his sword.
I jump as a sharp bang like from a gunshot reverberates from the trees around me, followed by another. I know what that is. Those are large trees being effortlessly knocked down by the huge beast, breaking like toothpicks.
Juri’ex can’t take it anymore. He unceremoniously grabs me around the waist, lifts me up, and then jogs away from the source of the sound.
“Hey!” It’s more the surprise than the indignity of being carried like a toddler that causes my exclamation, because I do actually feel safer like this. And he does smell good from this close. Fresh and manly, with a hint of pine needles. Well, he has lived his whole life in the jungle.
His strength is astonishing, though. I mean, I’ve seen cavemen lift heavy objects like they were toys, but actually being that object is a little more visceral. I was never the lightest chick in the group, but this guy lifts me as easily as I would lift a bag of potato chips back home.
Juri’ex stops under a particularly large tree and puts me down. “There’s a large Big coming. I think we’re safer here.”
I brush down my dress and stay close to the tree trunk. It looks solid enough, and I hope any dino would prefer not to rub up against it. But some of these creatures are so large they just walk in straight lines without veering aside for any obstacle.
The noise of the approaching dino gradually gets louder. It sounds like an approaching army or a tornado, just a cacophony of white noise as the creature bends and knocks down trees and tramples all the vegetation.
Then I see it. Over the treetops there’s a small head perched atop a thin neck. It moves with a soft, regular undulation as it makes its way through the jungle. It’s as tall as an office building.
“A gatagank,” Juri’ex informs me, having to raise his voice over the sound of the approaching monster. “Stay still. They eat meat as well as leaves.”
Ah. I guess that means that thing could suddenly take an interest in us as a snack. I draw close to Juri’ex, trying to hide behind his back.
The gatagank snaps another couple of trees, just flattening the jungle as it passes through. And then I can see the rest of it. It’s as wide as an office building, too. It’s very strange. Its body is shaped like a cone, extremely wide at the bottom and then thinner and thinner further up, until it ends up at that small head. It must have at least thirty legs, each as thick as a church tower. They move independently of each other, but still somehow create that bobbing motion higher up.
The creature is a splotchy brown and must be immensely heavy, because my boobs are trembling. As I watch, the beast just walks straight over many huge trees, bending them down and then just trampling them. It is a sight both terrifying and mesmerizing.
“It’s coming straight for us!” I exclaim. Because it really is, and I itch to get out of its way.
Juri’ex just stares at the approaching danger.
“Should we run?” I ask, just about ready to bolt.
“No,” Juri’ex rumbles.
“Will it turn?” I swear the gatagank distorts the air around it. It sounds like the noise is coming from every direction now.
“No,” Juri’ex repeats, tense.
“It will trample us!” Now panic is tugging at me. We are right in the path of that thing. And it’s moving with deceptive speed.
“No.” Still, Juri’ex doesn’t move.
The gatagank walks right over another tree, so thick the trunk makes the sound of a cannon being fired when it snaps. The noise everywhere is so loud now I want to clamp my hands over my ears.
And it’s coming straight for us, a giant wall of moving dinosaur.
I swear I have no control over it. Suddenly, my body just bolts to the side, perpendicular to the direction the monster is travelling. If I can make it just a hundred yards, I might be out of the monster’s path.
“Woman!” I hear Juri’ex’s surprised exclamation over the din, but I’m not stopping.
Twigs whip me in the face as I run past trees and crash through bushes. I think Juri’ex is coming after me, but I’m not stopping to check.
A huge gape full of teeth opens right in front of me. I can smell it before I see it – it’s the most rancid stench. I throw myself down on the ground to stop before I run right into it. The gape is only slightly smaller than I am tall, and all I see is row after row of jagged, brown teeth.
And eyes. Six of them, red and reptilian.
I yelp and bounce back on my feet. The noise from the approaching gatagank is deafening.
I’m frozen. What the hell do I do? There’s one dino right in front of me, just waiting for me to run into its mouth. And now there are more moving shapes all around me. Eyes and teeth and claws and limbs. I’m surrounded by dinosaurs.
I squat down and curl up, my small spear clanging as it hits the ground. A desperate sob escapes me.
Then I scream as I’m lifted up, and I just wait to feel the intense pain from dinosaur teeth ripping into my flesh.
“That was not very smart,” a deep voice says into my ear.
Juri’ex sets me down on my feet. He has a cold look in his eyes and that huge sword in his hand.
The first dinosaur pounces. Juri’ex calmly cuts it in half while it’s still in the air, and both pieces of the predator go flying in among the trees. The next meets a similar destiny.
Juri’ex’s sword becomes a blur of motion, and I’m sprayed with cold dinosaur blood.
All the while, the ground shakes with the footsteps of the approaching gatagank.
Juri’ex is obviously aware of it. He suddenly turns, tosses me over his shoulder, and runs, his sword still in his hand.
We crash through the underbrush, and if I’m not much mistaken, we’re headed right for the gatagank. Well, if that’s what he wants, then fine. Being crushed by that thing is probably a quicker death than being eaten by those smaller dinos.
I can’t see where we’re going. But the noise from the walking gatagank is coming closer, and the ground now gives off a deep sound, right at the edge of what I can hear, like a huge bass drum beaten by some kid of troll.
It’s suddenly dark. And insanely noisy. And smelly. Like the stench of a million elephants with less than ideal personal hygiene.
I writhe and twist to try to see where we are.
Ah. We’re under the gatagank. Its legs are on all sides of us, walking calmly. But we’re in the middle. And the main bulk of the dino is above us.
I catch a glimpse straight up. It’s hollow and cone-shaped, like the outside. It’s like being under the dress of some gigantic woman. Or inside a circus tent. The smell is similar, too.
Juri’ex stands still, watching the approaching legs intently. And I know that of course this is exactly what he wanted to do in the first place.
Then he runs again, and now that I know where we are, I can’t help squealing when he brings us in among the humongously thick legs that pound the ground and make it tremble like a leaf.
Then we’re in sunlight again, and Juri’ex doesn’t slow down before we’re deep in among the trees on one side of the gatagank’s now downtrodden path.
He lets me down to the ground, not as gently as before.
He dries the dinosaur blood off his face, then wipes his sword with greater care before he puts it back in its scabbard. “I wish you a good walk to your destination. Safe travels.”
He starts walking back the way we came.
My jaw drops. “Huh? Wait!”
He doesn’t.
I run to catch up with him. “But… I thought you were coming all the way!”
His turquoise eyes penetrate me like diamond-tipped drills. “And I thought you needed a warrior to escort you. But it seems you have no confidence in me.”
“I’m sorry! It’s just… I panicked. I didn’t know you could walk underneath that gatagank.”
“But I knew it. It is for events like this that your tribesmen thought you needed an escort. I know the jungle.”
“Shit. I’m so sorry. My legs just ran. I never distrusted you. Of course, I know you know the jungle. Please come along.”
Juri’ex stares me down for three heartbeats. I feel very, very small. Then he turns and starts walking towards Bune again at a pace I can follow.
“It is tempting to run out of the gatagank’s path,” he says, his voice milder. “But every predator here knows that, too. They travel alongside and ahead of the gatagank, waiting for some inexperienced creature to try to escape the danger. Which is in fact much more dangerous.”
“Okay. Now I know.” My voice is tiny.
He sends me a tiny smile. “I know the jungle. But the only way to know the jungle is to live in it. And to make mistakes. I did that very same thing you did. When I had just passed the Stripening. Here is evidence.”
He points to a long scar running up the back of one calf. “A young rekh almost got me.”
I can’t think of anything intelligent to say. “That must have hurt.”
“It hurt so much I never forgot that lesson. And hopefully, neither will you. Let’s talk no more about it. But we can talk about other things now. It is usually safe to walk where the gatagank has flattened the woods. The predators can’t hide, and they all prefer to follow along with the giant.”
“Okay.”
I slink after the huge caveman as we make our way along the wide path the dino has cleared. It’s actually much harder than walking in the regular jungle, because I have to somehow get over and around the fallen trees. But if this really is safer, then I’m all for it.
And as we make our way, Juri’ex helps me out in small ways. He keeps choosing an easy path which is clearly for my benefit, and whenever I get to a troublesome obstacle I can’t climb, he gently lifts me without a word. He bends branches out of my way and sometimes lifts entire trees so I can pass underneath them.
I keep cursing my own behavior. Damn it. Why couldn’t I just keep cool? He really didn’t deserve me bolting on him. I definitely will trust his judgment from now on. It’s clearly better than my own, but that shouldn’t surprise me.
I wipe the sweat and dinosaur blood from my face. This could become a long day.
At midday Juri’ex stops and sits down on a fallen tree. It creaks under his considerable weight as he opens a sack that’s attached to his belt and takes out a folded-up leaf. “Would you like some lunch?”
I sit down on a branch from the same tree and unpack my own food. “I would. Would you?” I hold out one of packs of dried stew that Mia prepared.
“Alien food. Certainly, I would.” He gives me a little smile and we exchange food packs.
His is typical caveman fare – turkeypig and herbs, maybe a little light on the flavor.
Juri’ex takes a bite of the stew and chews thoughtfully. “Alien food is much similar to our own. Not bad.”
I take a nibble of the meaty thing he gave me. “I agree. Not bad. Juri’ex, I’m sorry about before. When I ran.”
“Ah. You have now apologized three times for it, when once would be plenty. And we agreed to not speak of it again. Then let me also offer my apologies. I was being childish. I should have explained why we were not running.”
“Yeah, no. You should be able to do your thing without having to explain every little action to me.”
“Very well. On your planet it would be the other way around. You would have to guard me from its dangers.” He gives me a curious glance, one that somehow takes in all of me. “Women on Xren. And not our own women. Aliens.”
“You are an alien here, yourself,” I calmly respond. “All the tribesmen and warriors are.”
He thinks about this. “Are you truly an alien if you have lived your whole life here?”
I shrug. “Probably not. Are you truly an alien if you have lived here for almost two years and created a tribe and a village?”
That he doesn’t need to think about. “Yes, of course. Two years? A blink of an eye. And look at you. No fangs, no stripes, small and soft. Clearly an alien.”
“Alien to you, perhaps. As you are alien to me. But alien to Xren? No more than you.”
“We are alien to each other,” he agrees. “Though, not too alien to understand one another.”
I take a sip of water from the water pouch. “Or to have a common goal.”
He glances at me again. “Goal?”
“To rid the planet of the dragons. When they get here.”
“It seems to me that is an alien goal. After all, you and your friends brought the dragons here.”
It’s an argument many of the cavemen make when they first hear about the dragons. It’s not an unreasonable thing to assume. They had no idea that dragons existed before we told them. Of course, they must think we brought them. Still, I sense the danger of that belief.
“We didn’t bring them. Were you not told the true story about that?”
He drinks from his own pouch and wipes his lips. “Let me see. Dragons are at war with aliens that are not o
f your kind. The dragons win and then almost wipe out those aliens. Only a few are left. They abduct my ancestors in a large spaceship and put them here on Xren, to harden them over many generations to become warriors that can kill dragons. That spaceship crashes here and becomes our holy mountain, Bune. The dragons’ servants, called the Plood, abduct you and your friends from yet another planet and put you here to ruin the warriors. Yes?”
I’m impressed. I doubt I could have given a better account. “Yes. That’s it. The aliens wanted you and the other warriors to become dragon slayers and fight the dragons for them. And the Plood tried to ruin that plan.”
“It is a strange story.”
“As we say on my planet, truth is stranger than fiction.”
“And sometimes harder to believe.”
I wrap up the rest of the food. Cavemen need more food than I do, so while it filled me up fine, about two thirds of the pack is still left. “I absolutely agree. That story is hard to believe.”
4
- Juri’ex -
I look at her with new interest. That last statement was very honest. I have never known liars to agree that their story is less than obviously true. And they will put more effort into convincing you.
“Do you believe it?”
Ashlynn closes her bag. “I don’t need to believe it. I know it’s true. The dragon Troga kept me and many others captive for months. But Delyah can explain more about it when we get to Bune. She’s very smart. Unfortunately, I am not.”
She clearly thinks it’s correct, all that about mysterious aliens and dragons.
And, I must admit, it is not that much stranger than what I can see with my own eyes. Alien women on Xren is quite odd in itself.
“You seem smart enough to me,” I say. “Delyah is the woman who is working with something in the old spaceship?”
“She’s working to make it fly again. So it can take us back to our home planet.”
I get up, looking around. No predators anywhere. But it’s been a while since the gatagank passed, and soon the smaller creatures will be moving in here. “You all have a strong desire to go home?”
