Chapter 1: The Touch of Time
The world I used to know was always a place of innumerable possibilities for adventure. There was always a new mountain to climb, or a new group of people to guide, or a new place to discover. But whenever I finished the trek to the highest peak, the adrenaline I felt would always dissipate before fading away with each breath I took. The unhappiness I found within my path only urged me to continue on.
Something within my heart yearned for a touch of something unattainable, and new, but I always ignored it. To listen to my heart before my mind, would always end up in heartbreak. And yet, my mind chose to follow a path where my heart studiously lingered ahead.
It has been years since the "great accident" had occurred, but my memories of such a thing have yet to fade away. The people's faces that I had once conversed with upon the expedition have become fragmented, and are only sewn together when I decide to reread the old articles of their deaths and how there was only one lucky survivor, me. The sadness of their passing never haunted me for than a couple of months. I knew that life can end in an instant, especially when guiding inexperienced, or experienced, climbers past the point of safety. There was always death to counteract the lives within the world, and their deaths were no different than those from the expedition.
But what had haunted me to this very day, was his eyes.
I had never seen a more profound nor breathtaking shade of amber combined with a glint of intelligence. Those eyes that had watched me skitter across the floors of the pyramid for a way out, also followed me as I miraculously transformed from a meek prey to a cautious predator under the guidance of their owner.
If I were to close my eyes and listen, I could still hear his near silent footsteps, and soft purring before me and feel the intense heat that his own species seems to radiate with. The musky scent of his smooth hide would envelop me as I recall the instances where we would be forced to endure each others' close proximity. The touch of the said-hide was scorching compared to the frigid air that seemed to encase the whole temple.
During those moments, my mind seems to attach its fate for existence to the palm of the hand of the alien hunter. The fear of death still lurked within my mind, but the fear of the survival of the serpents became overwhelming such as my resolve to survive. Between the skirmishes with the serpents and finding the way out, I instinctively marked the hunter as mine. His life soon became a priority as he somehow brought out a part of me that I had never expected to find in the depths of the labyrinth, hope.
The moment that Sebastian was dragged away from my fingertips, the possibilities of my existence plummeted within my mind.
And yet, the mercy that the young hunter had shown me as I gave back his weapon, only fueled my will to hope.
Consciously, I touch the mark on my face. Scar.
A bittersweet smile fell upon my lips as I recall the moment his eyes had met mine. I could swear that there was a spark of something between the two of us that the world could not comprehend. The pain that followed the marking upon my face felt like nothing I've ever felt before, but I knew that I would trust the soul that held mine tightly in his claws through whatever he would do.
The touch between our eyes again, torn a part of my heart away, as I subconsciously knew that I would never again have what we had at that moment.
Tragically, whatever that could've been said between our differing dialect soon fell into the pit of the abyss as the mother of the serpents rose to seek vengeance for her fallen offspring.
The battle itself was hard to decipher as I was running high on adrenaline to survive. A memory of a breathtaking leap from Scar stood stock still in my mind. The dexterity that he had shown in maneuvering his body to an angle where he could pierce the neck of the queen astounds me. For a being as large as he was to move as fluid as the wind slicing the trees, sends a chill up my spine. And yet, no matter how marvelous his skills and talent are, he is still a mortal. The moment the serpent's tail pierce through his body, my soul cried out in anguish.
The painful remorse in his eyes yanked another chunk of my heart apart as his body was lifted towards the blades of death. But then, the serpent queen fell to her doom by the gigantic iron separating vat, ending her short reign of terror upon the Earth. But my mind was only set on one entirely different being, who was quickly bleeding out on the cold white canvas. As I knelt before him, I knew that my life would never be the same again. His soft chattering breath seems to echo through the morose wind and I leaned down to grasp his hand in mine.
A soft sputtering purr vibrated through his chest as I sat and desperately tried to stifle my sobs of sorrow. Scar's unoccupied weak clawed hand rose and gently traced the scar upon my cheeks, before sullenly falls to the ground and silence envelops the land.
I bowed my head in grief and had I been able to, I would've screamed the unfairness of it all to the banshees of the Arctic.
A crackling sound forced my attention from the un-moving body of Scar to the looming figure of another hunter. The huge size and white coloration of this hunter showed the age and experience that he had surpassed. The wisdom hidden behind his hooded eyes sent a shiver through me.
Within seconds, more hunters seemingly appear out of thin air and a huge entrance to a spacecraft hovers behind them. Their appearance nearly made me step back, but I remembered how the hunters only valued strength. I stood straight as I could and stared up into the eyes of the ancient one as he stared right back with undistinguished curiosity.
Without a word, four hunters broke away from the formation and carried Scar's body towards the ship.
A clicking noise tore my gaze from the disheartening procedure to the old one before me. He reached out his arm grasped out an object. I slowly reached my hand out to accept it. The chill that radiated from the object seeps into my skin. The metallic sheen from the object reflected my dark gaze. I looked back up to the being before me in gratitude.
The old one gave a short nod of, what I had assumed, respect, before majestically turning around and strode back onto the spaceship with his brethren.
The moment that the ship left my vision and fled into the skies above, I stoically began my march towards the snowcat that was still operational. The silvery wind began to play with the waves of my hair avidly. And at that moment, I knew that it was the last time that I would ever see the snow be so silent and somber.
As I stood there watching the Hunter's Moon reflection the sun's radiance, I heard a familiar purring noise.
My eyes snap open and my memories leave my mind in a smooth flush.
I pivot my body into a cautious swiftly search around the room for anything that looks different.
Once I have searched around and came to a conclusion that there is nothing out of the ordinary, I stride towards my drawer and meticulously unlocking the mechanism that holds the revered gift within. Once the lock opens, I reach inside for the innocent looking object and carefully remove it.
I had memorized all of the grooves and contours of the object a few months back. The cutting sound of a sharp object reaches my ear before silencing. The object within my grasp is no longer a duplicate for a tin can, but rather a menacing spear. I had also taken time to teach myself the ways to handle such a weapon when the need for it arise. But for now, I would only hide it in a safe place. The spear sheathes itself by the simple pressure on a hidden switch.
Before I could put the spear away, a red light shines through a little hole from inside the handle, leaving me momentarily awestruck. The beam flashes brightly before disappearing. I look up at the vanity mirror above my drawer and my own dumbfounded reflection stares back.
So like, I had this story in head for like years, but I never tried to write it out until now. I would love it if you guys would review and tell me your thoughts on it! Have a great day everyone!~ :3
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Aliens or Predators or Aliens vs. Predator Universe.(not jk)
I am only using them for my malicious deeds... MUAAAHAHAHAAHAHAH! (jk)