AllFreeNovel
Share Us
No splatting against the ground.Good.
Only the small problem of being abandoned and to fend for ourselves.
“This is why I’m not an optimist,” I muttered into the silence.
Chapter Three
TORI
At least I landed, and I was alive.That’s the extent of me looking on the bright side, and given the current situation, I’m surprised I mustered even the energy for that.
The downside was I was alone on an alien planet, and that was a pretty fucking big downside.After having been kidnapped by some asshole aliens, I was on a random planet, and to top it off, I was stuck in a tree.Was this my abductors’ home planet?Would there be a welcome party to come meet me and finish the procedure that the aliens on the ship had almost started?No, thank you.I wasnotstaying here and waiting for them to find me.Or for anyone to find me, for that matter.If I were going to be found, it would be on my terms, and I would want to watch anyone for a while before I approached them.
Assuming I found anyone at all.
The door of the pod slid open.I scrambled against the seat, wedging myself behind it as when the pod had crashed into a tree, it had tilted, and the door was facing straight down toward the ground.I hadn’t done anything to open the door, and so I waited there, crouched behind the seat for a while, listening for the telltale sign of anything approaching.There was a lot of background chatter, what could be whatever this planet’s equivalent of birds and small animals foraging.But I heard nothing that sounded like speech nor anything large coming my way.I couldn’t hear vehicles or aliens with sickly green eyes and large, flat feet wearing white space suits.
I studied the branches before me to see if I could map a way down.
Do you remember climbing trees as a child?And when you see a tree as an adult, you reminisce about how fun it was to climb it?Then you realize that climbing trees is hard work without your childhood nimbleness, the fact you were lighter and smaller, and an unwavering faith that no matter what, Mom will come and save you.
Still, I’m stubborn.
The tree was all green, the deep, uneven color across every trunk and twig, and the branches curled and twisted over each other.There were no leaves I could see, at least from where I was, but the entire thing seemed to be covered in some sort of mossy texture.Hopefully, it was soft—that would make this a bit easier.Twisting around, I lowered myself from the pod until my toes brushed the branch below me.It didn’t feel like moss like I was expecting, but it wasn’t unpleasant either, feeling almost like wool on a sheep, slightly oily and wiry but not harsh.
My personal trainer had been pushing me hard to increase my upper body strength lately, and although I muttered things under my breath, called him every name under the sun, andhatedhim while I was working out, I was thankful for it now.Able to lower myself gently, I placed both feet on the branch below, curling my toes against the curvature of the wood and hoping it would hold me.Slowly, I let go of the pod, hovering my arms out near it, ready to grab on if there was even a hint that the branch was going to break under my weight.But it didn’t, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
First step done.
Next step, get to the ground without breaking my neck.
Sighing again, I looked down at my clothes.I didn’t want to ditch my robe because who knows how cold this planet would get, but climbing down a tree with it on was asking for trouble.So, balancing myself, I took off my robe and balled it up, tossing it to the ground and watching its trajectory.Hopefully, it was still there when I got down.
I turned around and lowered myself until I was crouching and my hands were on the same branch I stood on.Then, just as slowly as I had lowered myself from the pod, I repeated the motion until my feet touched the next branch down.
And repeat and repeat.
Eleven times until I finally reached the ground.
Looking around, I frowned.There was no white cotton amongst the green of the forest floor.My gown was gone.Fuck.I rolled my shoulders, trying not to be unsettled by the idea that something had swooped in and grabbed my robe without me hearing them, but also that they had been close enough to get in and out while I was descending the tree.
It felt like I was being watched, and I rubbed my palms up and down my forearms—the shiver running down my spine having nothing to do with the temperature.
Nope, this was no time to descend into hopelessness.
Next step—find shelter.
Or food, or water, or whatever came first.
While not the most positive person, I decided to mentally write a list of pros and cons of my immediate situation.Pro of being in a forest, lots of material to build a shelter and weapons with.Con, possibly lots of creatures I would need to defend myself against.Con, I had lost my robe.Pro, the weather wasn’t unpleasant.Con, I didn’t know what the weather would do when it got dark.Con, I didn’t know a lot of things.Con, I was hopelessly lost.Con, there may be no friendly life on this planet.Con, there may be no life at all.Con, even if there was, I may never find them.Con, I may starve to death.
Okay, so much for the pros and cons list.
Stretching out my aching muscles, I shook my legs out and took a few tentative steps away from the tree.The ground was spongy beneath my feet, but again, not unpleasant.Humming quietly to myself to stop from going insane, I began my search for one of the three things I needed to survive this place.The roots of the trees were huge and dived in and out of the soil, some high enough I needed to duck through the space underneath, others I could step or clamber over.It was impossible to tell which root system belonged to which tree.
Leaves rustled behind me, and my humming ceased abruptly as I turned but saw no movement.Turning back, the rustling started again, and I kept humming.But my gait was stiff now, and my eyes scanned the ground for anything I could use as a weapon.I played cat and mouse with whatever the hell was following me for a while, the sound ceasing every time I stopped and turned but definitely getting closer when I continued to walk.I moved faster but didn’t run, not wanting to entice a chase with some random creature.It sounded small, moving underneath all the roots I needed to step over.Finally, I spotted a fallen branch, small enough for me to wield but large enough to do damage, and I picked it up, closing my fingers around the rough green surface and holding it ready like a baseball bat.
The scuttling increased, now accompanied by a grunting noise I didnotlike the sound of.
