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Herbs.
Serenity knew the forests and fields of this planet contained all kinds of herbal remedies. That was one of the things the ukkur had taught the humans back in the canyon encampment. But Serenity had not been a particularly good student. She remembered one jelly-like fungus that grew in caves, which was a remedy for diarrhea and nausea. And the root of a certain thistle that grew in the prairies contained a juice that was useful for cleaning wounds.
But Serenity could think of nothing that would help with Hruk’s situation.
She looked around at the dense greenery of the forest. There was a whole plethora of plants and fungi growing here, but she didn’t have a clue what any of them were.
Serenity sniffed again.
This time, the gentle forest breeze carried an old familiar smell.
Ksh.
It was unmistakable. Light and sweet and rather like the odor of coconut. Not that Serenity had ever had a real coconut before. Only artificially flavored candies and drinks. Back on Earth, real fruit was hard to come by these days.
The smell of ksh was pleasant, but it sent a shiver down Serenity’s back.
The nith farmed ksh on big plantations. Actually, they didn’t do any farming themselves. They left all the real labor to their ukkur slaves. Serenity had learned all about it.
But surely there was nothing to fear now. If there was a nith farm nearby, she would have heard something. Right? Besides, ksh was a plant after all, and even domesticated plants grew in the wild too.
More important, ksh was full of energy. It wasn’t medicine, per se, but if she could manage to get some of the nutrient rich food into Hruk’s system, maybe it would kick start his recovery.
It was worth a shot.
Serenity walked in the direction of the breeze, and the scent grew stronger. Soon she came to a small glade, and there on the other side she saw it. A tangled vine laden with heavy bunches of ksh berries like milky white grapes.
Perfect!
There was enough here for Serenity to eat a little and recover her energy. The rest she would take back to Hruk. The walk back would take another hour. Maybe less since she would have more energy. And if she could manage to get Hruk back on his feet, they might just make it back to the canyon in time.
It was a slim chance, but right now it was the only chance Serenity had.
She crossed the small glade. The forest around her was incredibly peaceful, quiet, and still. Drifting motes of pollen swirled in the warm bars of light spearing through the canopy overhead.
The smell of the ksh was almost overpowering. Cloyingly sweet. As she reached the plant, Serenity saw that the berries were over-ripe, bordering on rotten, but still edible. Weird that nothing else had eaten them already. Oh well. No point looking a gift horse in the mouth, as they say.
She took one berry, popped it in her mouth, and bit down.
A rush of creamy, sugary fluid flooded her mouth. She swallowed it down, and instantly she felt the nutrients of the alien fruit entering her system, filling her muscles with renewed vigor. One more berry, and she was good to go.
Now to gather up the rest of the plant to take back to Hruk.
Serenity knew from experience that the woody vines of the ksh plant were notoriously hard to break by hand. It would be easier to uproot the entire plant. Serenity let her fingers trace the main vine, searching for the place where it penetrated into the dark soil.
She froze.
The plant had no roots. It was not connected to the earth. The main stem had been snapped off. No, not snapped…cut with a blade.
Someone had cut this ksh plant and placed it here.
Serenity’s heart hammered. Her chest tightened with panic. Hard to breathe. She backed away slowly from the tangle of ksh vines.
Her ankle snagged one of the tendrils.
A loud snap. Serenity’s stomach lurched as she was swept off the ground, and the dappled shade of the forest whirled around her. She gave a sharp cry of surprise and fear.
Then, as quickly as it had started, the movement stopped.
