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With a clear goal, I head straight for it, but focusing purely on that is my downfall, because I don’t see the creature stalking me until it’s at my heels, razor sharp teeth snapping together with such fierceness, it’s snap resonates around me, bouncing from tree-trunk to tree-trunk.
The hollowed-out tree gets closer, but so does the creature. I don’t dare look back to see how close for fear of falling, but its hot breath sinks into the material covering my calves, puckering every inch of my skin.
The creature makes a weird huffing noise and down in the pit of my stomach, I just know it's getting ready to leap.
Sending every ounce of strength to my legs, I make one last ditched attempt to sprint to the hollow, but the breath I felt on my calves is now at the back of my neck. Every hair on my head rises. I know without looking it’s leapt up from the ground and is going for my throat.
A strangled scream is all I can manage as I wait for the impact as it lands on my back, but it never comes. What does come, is a gut-wrenching squeal that doesn’t sound good for the creature.
Is there no end to this insanity?
I daren’t look back to see what bigger and scarier predator has taken down the creature who was about to take me down. My body starts shaking and my legs suddenly go weak and buckle.
“No!” Not now. I think my adrenaline peaked, and now I’m on the comedown. All I can do is crawl on hands and knees towards the hollow of the tree as I listen to whatever it was that caught the creature, rip into its flesh and crunch on its bones.
Vomit bubbles up my throat and I can’t hold it down. It spews out of me, and I’m too weak to do anything about it. Too weak to stop being sick, and too weak to get back onto my feet and run the remaining ten feet to the tree hollow.
My entire body refuses to work, and I fall onto the ground trembling. I think I’m in shock. Either that, or I’m dying from fright.
The consumption of the creature suddenly stops. I stiffen. Now it really is my turn to die. This time I don’t close my eyes. I’m going to look straight into the eyes of the creature that wants to feast on me and tell it I hope I give it the shits. I’m so done with this planet.
Wings spread out to full capacity, before furling tight and compressing into the back of a humanoid alien I recognise. He takes a step towards me, as he wipes blood away from his mouth with the back of his hand.
Stoney black eyes bore into mine, stripping my soul bare. I want to curl up in a ball and scoot away from the monster alien, but once again, I’m paralysed with fear.
He stoops down beside me, and black claw tipped fingers raise up to my face. I brace myself, waiting for him to tear my face off, but instead, they lift a strand of my hair which is sticking to my cheek, and rubs it in between his fingers and thumb, before moving it over to the side.
I gasp.
Then I see movement behind the monster-man alien and a hideous creature with two heads rises up onto its back legs, its one head limp with a huge chunk missing out of its neck. It pounces onto the back of the alien-man and bites into his shoulder. The alien-man lets out a groan and reaches his and backwards, taking hold of the creature by the neck. They fall to the ground, and I listen to grunts and roars as they roll around, the creature snapping at the alien-man. I can see he’s losing a lot of blood—thick black blood, and he’s getting weaker by the second.
My heart is hammering and my eyes are unwavering as I watch their fight, uncertain who I am rooting for. If the alien-man wins, then I’m left to the mercy of the creature. It might leave me alone and settle for just eating the alien-man, and I could escape. Or worst-case scenario, there’s the chance it might come after me, anyway.
Or, if the creature dies, the alien-man might decide to go flying with me in his grips again, deciding he’d like to splatter me after all.
I bite my lip unsure what to do, as I scoot backwards. That’s when my hand lands on something hard. I turn around and see a thick branch. Grabbing it, I stagger up onto my feet and slowly walk over to the sprawling mass of grey flesh, black and orange goo, and yellow scales. I stand over them, the alien-man now on his back with the creature on top getting the better of him, and raise the branch above my head.
The alien-man's eyes look up at me and go wide. I slam the branch down with all my might, and the creature slumps dead on top of the alien-man, whose eyelids flutter, and close. I don’t know whether he is dead too, or just passed out.
I drop onto my knees and sob. Not for the squashed face alien-man. But for myself, and the unfairness of it all.
When there’s no more sobs to hack up, I wipe away my tears and stare down at a sight I could never have conjured up back on Earth, not in my wildest nightmares. I have a predicament. The forest stretches for miles, and beyond that is a mountain range. Even if I set out now armed with my new branch weapon, it might take me months before I can go beyond the mountains, and that’s even if I can survive. What’s to say there aren’t worse creatures out there than these two? At least I know the winged one is an intelligent species. Not only that, I can understand him.
I see no other option than to make the alien-man fly me over the forest and mountain range.
Pushing the dead creature from his body, it lands heavily by his side. I stare at the alien-man's chest, watching closely for life. That’s when I see it rise and fall. I sit back on my heels and sigh a breath of relief.
But what now?
I need to restrain him. Looking around I see nothing but fallen leaves. The alien-man groans, and I quickly rise to my feet and step backwards, sending my long blonde ponytail swishing over my shoulder.
My hair scrunchie! It’s twice as big as a normal sized one because my hair is so thick. I pull it from my hair and search the forest detritus for a small but sturdy slim branch. I see one under a tree and run to claim it. I hear the alien groan again behind me, and once I’ve claimed the branch, I spin around to face him, half expecting him to be rousing, but his eyes are still closed.
As quickly as I can, I kneel beside him, and try to push him over onto his side, but he weighs a ton. I’m momentarily distracted by the feel of his skin. It feels like brushed velvet. Reaching tentatively for his wings, I run my index finger along the skin covering them. How on earth his fragile-looking wings get him airborne is incredible. Undeterred by his bulk, I try again. It takes three attempts, but I finally get him onto his side.
Pulling his arms behind his back, I slip the scrunchie over both his wrists and weave the branch through it and twist, making a garrote that pulls the scrunchie material tight, which I lock in place with a smaller branch I see on the ground next to me.
“What-what are you doing female?”
