by Phoebe Nix
The man walked on his bare feet, but they were coated in a layer of soft fur, which was thick enough to protect him from the weather. Even a few feet away, she could sense his body heat radiating from him.
Is he sending me heat to keep me warm? she wondered.
The man took one step forward, but Liz took two backward. She could not keep her eyes off this extraordinary being, but she refused to take any more chances. She turned her head down, watching her knees wobble. Around her feet were the branches that this alien-man had cut down to free her from her restraints.
She thought that maybe she should thank him, but realized that he could be out to hunt her as well. It was likely that he only fought off the hounds to steal the meal from them. But judging by the teeth that showed while he was in the midst of the battle, his canines did not look designed to eat raw meat.
The man blinked.
Liz blinked back.
They had to find a way to communicate and it was certainly not going to be through words, although Liz had not even tried. Earlier, she could not bring herself to scream, as though her vocal cords had suddenly frozen in this frosty weather. She was still whimpering and quivering. The sudden quietude that had befallen her after the chase was too overwhelming for her body, which was failing to process the shock of everything she had seen and experienced in the past hour.
The man’s nostrils flared and he began sniffing the air around him. That was when she started to worry. Was he trying to see if she were edible?
She shook her head in fear, taking several steps back. She could hear him gulp. He was just as nervous and curious. If anything, he might have been as scared as she was, even for someone who just fought off wild half-wolf animals with his bare hands.
The man tilted his head as his eyes scanned her. He looked at her breasts and sneakers. Her first instinct was to try and cover herself up, as useless as that would be, but the way he looked at her was far from sexual.
As soon as he began walking toward her, Liz turned around and started running for her life. Again.
She could hear him holler at her, but she could not understand him. She ran slower, knowing deep down that he didn’t wish to harm her, but she could not understand what he was saying.
Liz stopped. Not because she wanted to interact with him, but she was losing stamina. She slowly turned around to find him a few feet away – keeping his distance, but still trying his best to communicate with her. He continued to talk, incompressible words, and in the midst of it all, she began to sway.
His deep, calming voice was the last thing she heard before she passed out.
Chapter 5
Jerof noticed the woman’s skin growing less blue and more pink as the warmth of the fire enveloped her weakened body.
She was certainly not built for these lands.
He had first thought that he would run into a Hagran from another kingdom, but she did not look anything like a Hagran. Her body was entirely bare of any hair before he had covered her in a woolen blanket. She was smiling as she slept despite everything that had happened to her.
Whoever this female was, he felt destined to protect her. She was never going to make it here without his aid. He had previously tried to speak to her, but she did not seem to comprehend what he was saying. She likely spoke in a different tongue, but she certainly was a creature that possessed the ability of speech.
They were more similar than they were different – sizes and strengths aside. She was small compared to him, but that was the case even with most Hagrans he had come across. She was around the same height as his sister.
This woman was likely an alien whose ship had crashed here from another planet, which explained the glowing trail. This wasn’t the first time that he had encountered an alien, but others were usually more hostile and bigger in size.
Most importantly, they were never female.
She smelled different than when he had first met her. There was no fear exuding from her as she slept. He wanted to try to wake her up, but she looked like she needed to rest. He had made her a makeshift bed, much like a raft, from surrounding fallen branches so that she was isolated enough from the snow.
Despite her size, she appeared to be strong enough to survive her crash and the frosty weather without any fur to protect her. She must have come from a very warm planet to be barely dressed in such a peculiar way.
The creature’s hair was much softer and thinner than a Hagran’s. Jerof scrutinized the woman’s locks, which covered the left side of her face as she softly whimpered in her sleep. Her hair had streaks of gold that shone in the light of the fire he had started.
He had laid her down on her back, but she had immediately tossed to the other side as she moaned to rest her head in the palm of her hand. She looked like a child that had cried itself to sleep. Before she had passed out, her pupils were so dilated that he had thought her eyes were pitch black. Although unconscious, the woman appeared to be relieved from the continuous shocking events that she had to witness and endure. The slight smile on her face was endearing even, and her chest slowly rose and fell, mist emanating from her nostrils every exhale.
Jerof was seated on a log that he had pulled from its roots. His legs were slightly spread and he leaned forward, watching the woman behind the flailing flames.
He had to think of a way to communicate with her. Whatever language she spoke, he was going to be able to reason with her and find out why she was here. He had thought that Source had sent him someone to enlighten him, but it looked like she had no idea why she was there. She was going to try to go back to her home, but Jerof was not going to let her leave until he found out how he was going to utilize her in his favor.
That was a dilemma in and of itself.
How such a weakling was going to be utilized was a mystery. All he had to do was leave her behind and she would draw her last breath in a few hours’ time.
If Finoa were here with him, she would be far more merciful with this creature. He did not look forward to the day Finoa was going to eventually meet this woman. She was likely going to care for her like she once did with many stray aliens that had accidentally ended up on Hagran. They eventually died – one of them ended its own life after it found out there was no way out. Ending one’s life was always a mystery to Hagrans. No matter how difficult things would get, they always appreciated the gift of life until the day they met their demise.
The pitiful sight of this feeble creature sent Jerof to a distant memory.
The queen of Url had once foretold that Jerof would fall in love with a peculiar looking female that did not resemble the Hagran race. His eyes traveled up and down the creature in front of him, his face wrinkling at the thought that he would ever be attracted to such a minuscule, naked creature that did not even possess claws to protect itself from basic day-to-day dangers.
Time seemed to pass slower in this female’s presence, and at some point it seemed to have stopped. Jerof was curious as to what kind of conversations he would be able to have with her, but he was nonetheless learning about her by merely watching her sleep. The way she had curled her tiny body, embracing her own shins under the blanket, made her look childishly innocent.
Whoever she was, a woman like her could never have any evil intentions, but he was unsure about her intellect. She was as skittish as a Wanderkitten; he could imagine how challenging it would be to calm her down in order to converse with her.
The look in her eyes when he had first seen her had said quite a lot about her
Jerof was not disgusted by her. Perhaps he would enjoy looking after her as a pet, but never as a mate. He shrugged the thought off. Even if his mother were right, it didn’t have to be her. He didn’t want it to be her.
He jerked as the woman sneezed in her sleep, rubbing her nose and sniffing as she embraced the wool blanket covering her.
The crackling of the fire grew louder as the winds grew stronger. Jerof poked the fire with a wooden stick, deliberately trying to make enough noi
se to wake her up. He realized his efforts were in vain when he heard her lightly snore in response.
She would be hungry when she wakes up.
He wondered what this creature’s diet would include and if she were a carnivore. He sighed at the fact that something as small as a meal would likely be a hassle. She looked like she hadn’t eaten in days, and he needed her alive until he decided what he was going to do with her.
The little he could see from the side of her face shone in the light of the fire. Her skin was smooth and it was soft to touch. He had never felt anything like it. If there was one thing he enjoyed looking at, it was her face. She didn’t look too different from a Hagran if one were to look her in the eyes and ignore the rest of her near-naked body.
They were going to have to cover her.
Jerof unbraided his hair and let his thick locks cover his shoulders and arms for more warmth. Just looking at the shivering woman was making him cold.
When the word got out in Url that he was keeping this creature, rumors would inevitably circulate. His people had not been happy when a Royal had once fallen in love with an alien, but that was a different case. That alien had deliberately descended to Hagran for a quest. This creature, however, probably had no clue where she was.
Jerof caressed his scabbard, wondering if he should provide this woman with a weapon in case she decided to eventually part ways with him. Even back in the capital, she wouldn’t be able to sustain herself. He would have to endure the burden of showing her around and teaching her the traditions of his people. Even then, it wouldn’t be a good idea to let her wander the streets of Url. The people were not hostile, as they valued every life, but they were wary of foreigners. She was not going to fit in no matter how hard she tried.
Wherever her spaceship was, they had to find it when he was done with her. They had to go back to the Icelands.
Gazing at the sky and impatiently waiting for this creature to wake up, Jerof reached for the giana in the pocket of his coat of arms and slowly drove his teeth in it. He wasn’t hungry, but he was hoping the grounding of his teeth would be enough noise to wake this delicate creature up. He feared going up to her and shaking her awake would be a terrible first impression. She would likely aim straight at his face and run off a second time, and he didn’t have enough energy to go for another chase.
Soon after, she sneezed a second time and Jerof noticed she began to stir. He sat up straight, watching her as she yawned pushed the woolen blanket off of her, stretching her arms in the air. She seemed to act quite casually for a moment shortly before realizing she was still in a foreign land. With a start she jumped to her feet, looking Jerof straight in the eye. His face remained relaxed, hoping not to frighten her, and he remained seated.
When he saw her fists clenching and her teeth grounding together, he decided to turn his eyes the other way. He was about to grab the stick next to the fire, but the woman beat him to it. He sighed, rolling his eyes as he rested his arms on his spread legs. His hair flew to the left as he stared the woman down with his icy blue eyes.
It felt like some challenge, the way she was taunting him with a wooden stick that would break the moment she decided to land it on him. He glanced at the terrible choice of a weapon, then his eyes traveled back to her petrified face. He was tempted to laugh, but he suppressed it, in fear of scaring her even more.
Well, she’s not running off.
He knew she wouldn’t dare to try to attack him, but he wanted to wait a while before he would try to communicate with her. He could smell from her pheromones that she was not hostile despite the stick she was waving at him. He wondered if such a creature could smell his intentions as well. If she could, she wouldn’t be so scared to death of him.
Jerof slowly rose with his massive hands in front of him, assuring her that he meant no harm. He was losing patience with this brat of a creature.
As soon as he moved toward her, she started beating him with the stick. On his shoulders, his head, his legs. He stood absolutely still with a straight face, then crossed his arms and waited her tantrum out.
She was panting and close to crying. She shouted something he could not understand. She was yelling indefinitely and all Jerof wanted to do was shut her up.
He lifted his index finger to his lips.
His calm demeanor seemed to slowly pass on to her. Her eyes were filled with tears and fear. She gave him one more frustrated smack to his side before she threw the stick away.
Jerof tilted his head slightly. The way her cheekbone shone in the light of the fire was almost mesmerizing. He would have even gone as far as saying she was beautiful, but then he shook the thought away as soon as he glanced at her bare body. When his sight landed on her breasts, the woman turned her back and pulled the blanket from the makeshift bed. She covered herself as she muttered something.
Probably an insult.
The woman looked behind her. Jerof could tell she was searching for a way to run, but then she scanned the area that he had made comfortable. He could see on her face that she had begun to realize his intentions were pure – that, or she knew she would freeze to death if she thought about leaving the warmth of the fire.
She stood there, crossing her arms as though she were mimicking him. She scanned his body the way he scrutinized hers. Her eyes seemed to be fixed on his hair for a moment, much like hers caught his attention for longer than he’d intended. With each of them standing on either side of the fire, they gazed at each other without saying a word.
Then a moment afterward, she didn’t seem to stop talking. Jerof knew he had to translate what she was saying before he deliberately threw her to the wild animals again.
Without turning around, he took a few steps backward, stretching his arm behind him to reach for his leather satchel. The woman kept her eyes fixed on his hand.
After rummaging in his bag for a moment, Jerof took out a golden collar that was similar in hue to his glimmering bronze skin. He pushed the flap of the bag closed and took out a squared flat tablet from the pocket of his bag. With the tablet in the palm of his hand, he put the collar on, securing it in a tight knot at the back of his neck by tying the strings that dangled from the edges.
He touched the tablet while the woman continued to gaze at him in bewilderment. She kept on talking; he could tell from her tone that she was asking him questions.
Scrolling the wheel on the tablet, Jerof switched between languages until he could finally understand what she was saying.
The tablet read Earth: English.
“Earth!” Jerof exclaimed in the woman’s language.
“Wait, did you just say “Earth?”
He could finally understand her.
As one of the strongest warriors on his planet, Jerof had never experienced fear.
But now, for the first time in his life, he was terrified.
Chapter 6
Why this furry man was pretending not to understand her this whole time when he could clearly speak in her language was a mystery to Liz.
Then again, that wasn’t the most peculiar thing she had come across on this imaginary land. She was convinced that she was in some sort of simulation. Whatever she had stepped in before had taken her consciousness captive. She was likely being experimented on. She had to figure out a way to snap out of it and escape whatever it was that was keeping her subdued. And she was sure it had something to do with that damn ship.
Liz kept feeling the crown of her head, to see if she could feel a helmet in another dimension.
This isn’t real.
Nonetheless, everything in this land felt quite realistic, but oddly so. Maybe even too realistic. The hues around her were much more vibrant. Even amidst the darkness of the night, the sky glowed in luminescent colors that normally wouldn’t blend together, but looked perfectly harmonious. Liz kept glancing at the sky before her eyes traveled back to the giant that stood in front of her. He seemed completely unbothered by the frigid, howling winds that sent his thick hair fla
pping in the direction of the breeze.
This was finally the time to start a conversation with this alien and find out exactly where the hell she was, but she was petrified of saying something to offend him. One wrong word could send him in a frenzy to tear her apart as he had done with those hounds.
As much as she appreciated his efforts to save her life, she couldn’t be sure of his motive. He could be saving her for himself, and the patience he had for her was not of the curious kind. Liz could tell that he had something in mind, as though their future relationship was going to be a symbiotic one. That said, she couldn’t see how this humanoid Bigfoot was going to be of help, unless he knew the way out of this fictional world.
Liz looked him straight in the eye. Neither of them blinked. Judging by the look on his face, he was just as uncomfortable with her presence as she was with his. She wondered if he previously had questionable experiences with humans, but then shook away the thought and reminded herself that she was definitely stuck in an alternate universe of some sort.
She gulped before she spoke and tried to stay calm. She didn’t want him to see how nervous she was.
“You…you speak English,” Liz stuttered.
The alien shrugged. “Whatever tongue you communicate in, I do not speak it. This device,” he pointed to his collar, “is a medium through which we can understand one another.”
She shook her head and was about to ask him where she was, but he raised a hand to silence her.
“You’re an Earthling,” he scornfully said. “Why are you here?”
“What do you mean, I’m an Earthling? Of course, I am! Where the hell do you think we are? This isn’t outer space.” Her tone was a mixture of anger and confusion. She ran her fingers through her knotted hair and scratched her head as she spoke, as though searching for her sanity.
“This is not Earth. You’re on Hagran,” he said, his tone less scornful. “I see you have accidentally fallen here. Where can we find your ship?”
