bird-like beast opened its large beak and screeched at him. Slowly, Geoff reached into the back of his pants were he’d stuck the blaster and pulled it out. He flipped it from stun to kill and took aim.
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re doing up there, but if I were you I’d calmly fly away.”
The bird tilted its head, as if trying to understand him. But it didn’t move. Then Geoff saw the other two fighting over something, and he realized it was a piece of meat, that these animals were scavengers and were cannibalizing one of their own. How lovely. He fired a warning blast at the feet of the one watching him, and with a mighty irritated squawk it opened its wings and flew up. It circled around the pod, and Geoff kept his eyes on it. And then he felt something pull him from behind, and a second later he was leaving the ground.
“Shit!” he yelled and looked up. Sharp talons had speared through his leather jacket, holding firm, to take him into the sky. If he didn’t do something fast he’d either be too far up to fall or he’d become dinner.
Geoff twisted as much as he could and took aim at the creature’s underbelly. He fired his weapon, and the pterodactyl thing screeched before nose diving down. Luckily, the bird fell onto his back, letting Geoff land on his soft stomach.
“Good shot,” Krig called out, and Geoff raised his head to see him standing close by. “I thought for a moment you were going to be dinner.”
“So did I. Wanna help disengage me from these talons?”
It took them a few minutes to open the claws, and Geoff only shuddered when he saw how big and dangerous they were. One wrong swipe and his back could’ve been shredded meat.
“And that’s why your ass is extinct,” he muttered and gave the carcass a kick.
“We could probably eat this thing.”
Geoff pointed at the furry thing slung over Krig’s shoulder. “Didn’t you find our meal already?”
“I did,” Krig confirmed. “But we can make- jerky in case we can’t hunt for some reason. Did you chop firewood?”
“Yep. I also made a friend, but since he probably only wanted to eat my flesh and pick my bones I had to shoot him.”
“That was probably wise. Let me skin these animals here so we don’t attract anything else at the pod.”
“I don’t know if that’ll help. The big bloody carcass on top of the pod seems to be a big bulls’ eye for those vultures.”
Krig got to work on the meat, and Geoff grimaced as he turned away and headed back toward the pod. Sometime later, Krig was elbow deep in blood, and he carried chunks of meat, including something that looked cross between a bunny and a squirrel. They got a fire going, using the dry interior of the log, and a piece of metal for a cooking grate.
“How’s Keirah?” Krig asked. Twilight was falling, and a different chorus of night sounds was waking up.
“Still out of it,” Geoff said. “If she doesn’t wake up soon I’m going to force her awake.”
“Agreed.”
The food smelt good, and Geoff’s stomach rumbled. They’d been eating rations, but dried food never really filled up the belly. Krig laid out the meat in long strips, cooking it.
“Can I ask you a question?”
Geoff blinked and nodded. “Sure.”
“What was the real reason why Keirah accepted my proposition?”
Geoff stiffened. “What do you mean?”
“Give me some credit, please. Keirah is a loyal woman. She wouldn’t have said yes to me unless there was a specific reason why she had to.”
Shit! He’d been thinking of this off and on as he learned more about the Alphan culture. How could someone like Captain Krig ever understand the things he’d done to survive?
“Keirah told me a little about your old life,” Krig continued. “She said you were street smart. Although I’m not familiar with that term I can pretty much guess what it means.”
“You just can’t drop a bomb question like that. Shit, Krig.” Geoff got up and marched a bit away from the fire
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re doing up there, but if I were you I’d calmly fly away.”
The bird tilted its head, as if trying to understand him. But it didn’t move. Then Geoff saw the other two fighting over something, and he realized it was a piece of meat, that these animals were scavengers and were cannibalizing one of their own. How lovely. He fired a warning blast at the feet of the one watching him, and with a mighty irritated squawk it opened its wings and flew up. It circled around the pod, and Geoff kept his eyes on it. And then he felt something pull him from behind, and a second later he was leaving the ground.
“Shit!” he yelled and looked up. Sharp talons had speared through his leather jacket, holding firm, to take him into the sky. If he didn’t do something fast he’d either be too far up to fall or he’d become dinner.
Geoff twisted as much as he could and took aim at the creature’s underbelly. He fired his weapon, and the pterodactyl thing screeched before nose diving down. Luckily, the bird fell onto his back, letting Geoff land on his soft stomach.
“Good shot,” Krig called out, and Geoff raised his head to see him standing close by. “I thought for a moment you were going to be dinner.”
“So did I. Wanna help disengage me from these talons?”
It took them a few minutes to open the claws, and Geoff only shuddered when he saw how big and dangerous they were. One wrong swipe and his back could’ve been shredded meat.
“And that’s why your ass is extinct,” he muttered and gave the carcass a kick.
“We could probably eat this thing.”
Geoff pointed at the furry thing slung over Krig’s shoulder. “Didn’t you find our meal already?”
“I did,” Krig confirmed. “But we can make- jerky in case we can’t hunt for some reason. Did you chop firewood?”
“Yep. I also made a friend, but since he probably only wanted to eat my flesh and pick my bones I had to shoot him.”
“That was probably wise. Let me skin these animals here so we don’t attract anything else at the pod.”
“I don’t know if that’ll help. The big bloody carcass on top of the pod seems to be a big bulls’ eye for those vultures.”
Krig got to work on the meat, and Geoff grimaced as he turned away and headed back toward the pod. Sometime later, Krig was elbow deep in blood, and he carried chunks of meat, including something that looked cross between a bunny and a squirrel. They got a fire going, using the dry interior of the log, and a piece of metal for a cooking grate.
“How’s Keirah?” Krig asked. Twilight was falling, and a different chorus of night sounds was waking up.
“Still out of it,” Geoff said. “If she doesn’t wake up soon I’m going to force her awake.”
“Agreed.”
The food smelt good, and Geoff’s stomach rumbled. They’d been eating rations, but dried food never really filled up the belly. Krig laid out the meat in long strips, cooking it.
“Can I ask you a question?”
Geoff blinked and nodded. “Sure.”
“What was the real reason why Keirah accepted my proposition?”
Geoff stiffened. “What do you mean?”
“Give me some credit, please. Keirah is a loyal woman. She wouldn’t have said yes to me unless there was a specific reason why she had to.”
Shit! He’d been thinking of this off and on as he learned more about the Alphan culture. How could someone like Captain Krig ever understand the things he’d done to survive?
“Keirah told me a little about your old life,” Krig continued. “She said you were street smart. Although I’m not familiar with that term I can pretty much guess what it means.”
“You just can’t drop a bomb question like that. Shit, Krig.” Geoff got up and marched a bit away from the fire
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