by Lori Beery
“I tried a multi-arrow shot from up in the tree. And – I got lucky and hit something vital. The next thing I knew, it fell over. When it hit the ground, it shook me out of the tree, and I – fell.” My words rushed out of me. I ended feeling embarrassed and out of breath. Pain emanating from my chest registered on my adrenaline hyped brain.
X-tee stared at me. “I think you better sit down,” he said urgently.
He helped me move back to the tree. I slid down the trunk, feeling very woozy and fighting for air. I let my head rest against the tree.
“Where’s your bow?” he asked.
“Smashed,” I replied, pointing to its remains laying a meter from me to the right.
“Good thing you weren’t,” he murmured. “You stay here,” he said more forcibly.
He rose and walked over to Dr. Locus. As they whispered together, my eyes drifted closed. Next thing I knew, Dr. Locus was kneeling beside me.
“Ky, open your eyes,” he ordered. Even though I knew he was right beside me, his voice sounded far away. I struggled to comply.
“That’s it,” he encouraged. “Focus on my face. That’s a good girl.”
I met his eyes. They were a striking shade of blue. Had I ever noticed how blue they were before now?
“Ok,” he said. I’m going to feel your head. Let me know if it hurts.”
His hands moved along my skull and neck. I winced several times as he brushed scrapes and bumps. He stopped and looked at me.
“Ky, does your chest hurt?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I mumbled. “My left side hurts, and I’m finding it painful to breathe.”
After a moment he said, “You’ve got one doozy of a bruise here. I’m going to wrap your chest. Ky, this will not be pleasant.”
Dr. Locus hadn’t been kidding. As he pulled an improvised bandage tight around my chest, pain exploded along every nerve. I heard myself scream, and then darkness claimed me.
The pain woke me. I struggled to open my eyes. When I did, I saw booted feet alternating on a dirt trail and felt an even swaying as each foot moved forward. Suddenly, I realized someone was carrying me.
“Be still, Ky,” X-tee’s voice ordered me quietly and sternly. “We have yet to reach the cliffs. Try to rest.”
I subsided, willing myself to still. It was not easy since every step X-tee took lanced pain through me. I gritted my teeth and tried to endure. Darkness became my intermittent friend.
Presently, I was aware of humming, a walking melody in a nice tenor. I smiled to think of my burly guard captain humming. Despite my pain, a giggle escaped my lips.
“What?” he asked. “Don’t you like my humming?”
“It’s quite pleasant,” I confessed. “I’m sorry, but I never thought such a sweet sound could come from you.”
“Ahh,” he grunted. “I’m full of surprises, missy.”
“Yes, so I am learning,” I agreed.
The terrain was getting more rugged and steeper. We must be getting closer to the cliffs. X-tee stopped humming. He was having to exert himself more to keep going. I felt guilty for increasing his difficulty. Despite that, he made no move to put me down.
“Sir, I can walk,” I asserted.
“No. I’ve been working too hard to get you to the settlement. I will not risk you damaging yourself any further or having to find you when you lag too far behind us. For the time being, you will stay right where I put you. Understood?”
“Yes, Sir,” I replied meekly.
After a long while, we reached the cliffs. The last leg of our journey remained. We had to go up the rock face, and right now, it looked higher than ever.
I remembered climbing up that cliff when we first explored it. It had been a long, tough ordeal under the best of conditions. But, since we had built the settlement up there, we had made some improvements, one of which was a lift system.
X-tee carefully laid me on the lift’s platform. The doctor knelt beside me.
“Up we go,” he said. “Try to lay still.”
I nodded, grateful for the elevator. Time was messing with me, or perhaps I had been given something to help me with the pain. In any case, the platform smoothly began its ascent. X-tee gave me a ‘thumbs up’ gesture as we rose past his chest. I turned my head to look at Dr. Locus.
“So, what did I do to myself?” I asked him panting.
“I think you broke some ribs,” he answered. “Dr. Hawthorn and his team are going to meet us at the top. Then, they’ll get you fixed up; good as new.”
“Oh,” I murmured.
We continued our ride up to the settlement. There was no rocking or any jerking at all. We just rose up the cliff face. It was an almost comfortable ride; nothing jarred me and made me hurt.
Shortly, the platform came to a halt. There was a distinct shift to the right before a slight bump as the platform touched down on the balcony. The balcony was a deck we had built right outside the opening into the cavern in which we had built the settlement.
No sooner had we landed than a medical team appeared. The man in the lead was Dr. Hawthorn, our newly selected chief doctor. He was one of only six physicians who had survived the crash.
Dr. Hawthorn had dark hair and warm brown eyes. I thought his kind face and gentle voice matched perfectly with his profession. He and four others lifted me onto a rolling bed. Once they had me settled, we were off into the settlement. The distance to the medical bay was covered quickly and without any bumps. At least, I wasn’t feeling any pain.
I am uncertain what happened once we entered the medical bay. I know I was moved onto a table in a brightly lit room. Dr. Hawthorn spoke to me – his lips moved. I didn’t quite catch what he said. It was something about a poke and counting. Then, everything went dark again.
When I awoke, I found I was tucked neatly into a medical bed in an alcove. The room was too small to be called anything else. The lighting was dim, and all was quiet. The environment was conducive to sleeping, and I was finding it difficult to stay awake.
A quiet rustle caught my attention sometime later. More alert, I rolled my head slowly toward the sound and discovered I was not alone. Someone was sitting in a chair beside my bed. I couldn’t identify my guest because of the light beyond my alcove made him a shadow.
“Ah, you are awake,” said a pleased, feminine voice. “How are you feeling?”
“Sleepy,” I responded drowsily. “I assume I’m all fixed up now, right?”
“You will be when your body has the chance to heal,” she told me, stressing the words ‘chance to heal’.
“So, it’s a good thing I’m sleepy,” I responded as I failed to stifle a yawn.
“Yes,” she confirmed. “Dr. Hawthorn would like to talk to you. Excuse me while I go tell him you are awake.”
“Ok,” I said, hoping I would still be awake when the doctor arrived.
I shouldn’t have been so concerned. A few minutes later, the woman who was a nurse, returned with three other people in tow. I recognized all of them except the woman who had been sitting beside me. The others were Dr. Hawthorn, X-tee, and the Madame Elder. Before I could wonder why the leader of our settlement was here to visit me, Dr. Hawthorn stepped over to my bed.
“I’m glad to see you awake,” he said in his gentle voice. “How do you feel?”
“At the moment, sleepy,” I answered honestly.
“Do you feel any pain?” he inquired as he checked my pulse.
“No.”
“Good,” he said as he seated himself on the edge of my bed. He seemed expectant like he was waiting for me to ask questions. So, I did, although I was worried about his answers. I hoped X-tee would help me with what I should ask.
“What did you have to do to fix me?” I asked meekly.
“Well, those branches you fell on, broke four of your ribs,” he told me. “One of them punctured your lung. We fixed your lung and restored your ribs to their proper positions. Your body must finish the healing. So,” he turned to eye X-tee and then m
e, “you need to rest until the ribs mend. Then, you will need to build up your strength until you regain your prior level of fitness before you return to duty.” He stressed the ‘before.’
“That sounds like it might take a long time,” I remarked concerned.
“I estimate two or three months, at least,” he supplied. “It will take longer if you push it too quickly.”
“How long will she need to remain here in the med bay?” asked X-tee.
“She stays right where she is for two weeks,” he said. “Afterwards, she will move into a rehab apartment until her ribs heal. Then, she will be released to her living quarters. Of course, all of this is contingent on all going as expected.”
“Is she allowed visitors?” inquired X-tee.
“Visitors that let her sleep when she needs to will be welcomed,” answered the doctor.
“What do you mean by ‘all going as expected’?” I asked alarmed.
He turned to me with a thoughtful expression on his face. “Ky, we live on an unknown world,” he said. “If something happens that upsets current operating conditions, like another emergency, we might have to make other arrangements for your recuperation.”
“Oh,” I replied. “Hopefully, current operating conditions will persist.”
At my words, Dr. Hawthorn smiled. “To be honest, Ky, so do I,” he said conspiratorially.
“Ky.” The voice came from the Madame Elder as she moved to sit in the chair beside the bed. She reminded me of a queen. She was an elegant, middle-aged woman with an aura of command. “I hope we haven’t worn you out.”
“Not yet, Madame Elder,” I answered.
“Good.” A smile graced her lips. “I want to thank you for keeping our people safe during the hunting expedition. I’m sorry it ended up costing you a long recovery.”
I nodded. “I’m glad I was able to do my job,” I murmured. “I’m just fine with a long recovery since it could have gone a whole lot worse.”
“I have talked with Dr. Locus and X-tee concerning the invisible creature,” she said. “What can you tell me about it?”
“Well, it’s big, it moves silently, and it’s really hard to see,” I summarized.
“But you could see it?” she asked, pouncing on my words.
“No, Madame Elder,” I replied. “The creature’s camouflage is extremely effective. I saw blurred edges when it moved parts of itself quickly – like when it twitched its ears or tail. The fuzziness lasted only a moment before it sharpens back into the ground cover or whatever it’s blending into.”
“What do you think the creature was?” she quizzed me.
“I think it was a feline,” I began.
“How big would you say it was?” asked X-tee.
“Hmm, I estimate one and a quarter meters from the shoulder to the ground and two and two-thirds meters from shoulder to the tip of its tail,” I replied. “I believe the distance between its ears is about a third of a meter.”
X-tee let a low whistle escape him. “Girl, you sure nailed its size,” he blurted.
“How do you know?” I asked frowning. “You didn’t get the chance to check out the creature. You and Dr. Locus were tending me.”
“True, but Dr. Locus and a security team went back to the creature,” he told me. “We were able to take measurements and specimens. That is after we painted it with clay water. Its camouflage was still working. Anyway, your guesses are pretty accurate. – Oh, and we were able to retrieve your arrows and ring-spinners.”
I smiled my thanks. “What did I hit that caused the creature to die so quickly?” I asked curiously.
“Dr. Locus says you punctured the heart, a lung, a kidney, and the spleen,” he reported.
“I got lucky,” I announced with a sigh.
“Yes, you did!” confirmed the Madame Elder, “and we are very grateful that you did. When did you get hurt?”
“Right after the creature dropped,” I said. “It shook the ground so hard that I got knocked off my perch up in the tree. I hit several branches on the way down.”
“You’re lucky you didn’t crack your head open or break more bones,” Dr. Hawthorn pointed out.
“Yes, I am,” I agreed whole-heartedly.
“I think it’s time we let Ky get some rest,” suggested Dr. Hawthorn.
With those words, my three guests told me goodnight and filed out of my alcove. I was left alone. Quickly the quiet, dim environment was back, and I was feeling sleepy again. This time I couldn’t resist its embrace.
Chapter 3
My recovery was going well – but slowly. I was in the final phase of convalescing, which meant I was rebuilding my fitness level. It also meant that my ribs were whole again, and I had been released to my living quarters. So, I was fending for myself again. I enjoy my independence – but it was nice to be pampered when I wasn’t feeling well.
My living quarters within the settlement were a tremendous step down from the rehab apartment. There, I had enjoyed a bedroom, a kitchen, a common room, and my own washroom. Here I had a single, small room to call my own. The other necessary facilities, the washroom, and kitchen, I shared with twenty other people.
Even so, I must admit they are a good bunch. We all got along pretty well. Everyone pitched in to keep the common area neat. We discovered that the process worked best when we divided ourselves into committees of three or four and rotated through the chores of cooking, cleaning, and supplying the place. The cooperation died, of course, when it came to our rooms. Each of us bore the responsibility for keeping those in order.
I stood in the doorway of my room and looked in. Everything was just as I had left it when I departed on the hunting expedition. I had made my bed with the pillow end against the wall furthest from the door. The foot of my bed was just to the right of the portal. My clothes hung from an array of pegs protruding from the wall opposite my bed.
As I entered the room, I hung my quiver with five hunting arrows from its peg to the left next to the door. The shelf below and beyond the quiver peg was empty. The bow I kept there had been destroyed. I trailed my left-hand fingertips along the shelf, knowing that I would need to replace it as soon as possible.
Approaching footsteps in the hall turned me back toward the open door. There stood one of my dormmates, Derrick Poplar. He had a slender build with close-cropped blond hair and expressive brown eyes. His lips curved into a large welcoming smile.
“Hey Ky, you’re back!” he said just as our eyes met. “It’s good to see you.”
“Thanks. It’s good to be seen.”
“You’ve become quite the hero around here,” he confided to me, his brown eyes twinkling.
“Me?” I asked. “For doing my job?” I was surprised. I knew anyone in my place would have done the same thing.
“Yes, for taking down that invisible cat!” he confirmed.
“I got very lucky,” I said.
“Maybe, but you still dropped it,” he reasoned. “Why don’t you let me serve you something in the commons, and you can tell us all how you brought the beast down?”
“OK,” I replied. Hopefully, telling my other dorm mates now would quash this hero business.
I accompanied Derrick into the common area. My steps came to an abrupt halt as I saw all the people packed into the room. Not only were my fellow dormitory mates there but also many others. If I had to guess, there were well over a hundred people present, about half the population of the settlement. And they were all cheering.
“Ky is home!” they called. “It’s Ky! She’s back! Welcome home!”
I was touched by their welcome. I smiled and waved back to the crowd in response. As Derrick and I walked further into the room, the gathering parted to allow us access to the serving counter. On it lay trays of finger sandwiches, fruit, cookies, and a big cake.
The cake captured my gaze. It was a large sheet cake decorated with a picture of me holding my bow with the arrow pulled to anchor worked in the icing. It was a three-quarter profile which
showed my shoulderblade-length ebony hair pulled back in a ponytail. Cake-me wore a forest camouflage tank top and shorts. My exposed skin, and there seemed to be a lot it, was painted a light brown. But the focus of the image was the tip of the arrowhead and my golden brown right eye.
“Wow!” I exclaimed looking at all the food. “This is amazing. Thank you so much.” I shifted my regard back to the cake. “Who did this wonderful work of art? Will someone take an image of it? I want a copy of it, please.”
“No problem,” chorused several voices.
“Good, I want them all,” I assured them. “Really, who did this?” I asked, pointing to the cake.
“It was a team effort,” replied Derrick who was now leaning on the counter on the other side of the cake.
“And they are?” I prompted.
“You’ll find out after you get something to eat,” he said with a mischievous grin. “The plates are on the far side of the sandwiches. You first.” As I continued to stare at him, he continued, “Get moving, Ky. We’re all waiting for you to take first dibs so the rest of us can get something to eat.”
“I see,” I murmured, knowing I wasn’t going to get any answers until I complied. So, I selected three of the sandwiches, a piece of fruit, and a couple of the cookies. Back at the cake, I found someone had already cut it. Derrick served me a corner piece heavy with icing – but none of the image. I smiled happily. The cake was chocolate. My favorite kind!
I walked away from the counter, easily balancing my plates. The crowd gave way to reveal a path to a table. I obediently proceeded to my destination and chose the seat looking back the way I had come. I settled into place and began to nibble at my food.
As people walked past me, they patted my shoulder and murmured their thanks. I realized that most of them had comprised the groups that had processed the herbivores. I returned their gratitude with smiles and nods.
Before long, some of my friends made their way to my table with their food-laden plates. Leading the way was Marta Sequoia. She approached with her graceful movements. The room lighting gleamed blue off her short black locks. As she placed her plates on the far-right side of the table, she flashed me a beautiful, warm smile and took her seat. Before I could do more than return her smile, Ross Beech folded his tall, lanky frame into the chair next to her. His green eyes danced with pleasure as he took in the sight of his food-heaped dishes. He jerked his face toward me, sending his red hair swinging, to present me with a wink and a grin. At my smile, he returned his attention to his food. Kristine Tanoak slipped her slender form into the seat closest to me while Carl Filbert pulled out the chair for her. Her long, blond hair slid off her shoulder in a silken wave as she nodded to Carl. Once settled, she pushed her locks back over her shoulder with a flick of her wrist. She gave me a smile and a nod before she focused on getting her napkin spread across her lap. Seeing that she had settled herself, Carl sank into the seat next to her. He wore a surprised expression after noting Ross’ plates. I was sure he was comparing his healthier selections of fruit, a few sandwiches, and one piece of cake to Ross’ unrestrained selection of the available choices. To his credit, he didn’t comment. He did turn concerned brown eyes toward me before smiling broadly and nodding to me. I answered his smile and nod with one of my own.
