I should have posted this so much sooner, but mitigating circumstances - (cough) writer's block - compelled me to postpone it. But this really should be posted before they start showing new episodes in April, so I thought I'd better get it up. I hope I can get writing and keep the story going fast enough to keep readers interested. And yes, the first chapter is horrifically short. Consider it a teaser - they'll get longer. Enjoy!
Against the Odds
A lone avian creature winged its way across the desert, searching for any signs of life upon the sand. Its species had no name, as no sentient species had ever lived upon the planet to name it, and it did not think of itself in that manner. It simply followed its instinct to feed. Its sharp eyes missed nothing as it glided over the sand, its large pupils swallowing the shadows of the night. The place it had chosen this night was bare. Sometimes the underground rodents were plentiful in the east, but tonight some disturbance seemed to have frightened them underground. The avian's instincts desired to know of the disturbance - perhaps in it there was an opportunity for sustenance. It dipped into a dive, swung low, and leveled out as it spied the Rock. It was a landmark to the avian, a strangely shaped monolith with smooth sides that had sat in the same place since the avian had first learned flight. Normally the avian paid it little attention, but tonight beside the Rock there was a large creature. It was unlike anything the avian had ever seen before, crawling about on only two legs and touching the Rock's undersides, its odd growls carrying on the wind to the avian's sensitive ears. It sounded angry, aggressive, and the avian shied higher up and circled carefully. The avian was a scavenger. The creature was too alive yet to be set upon.
How long did it have left? The avian's instincts considered the question, watching the creature's gait and noting its difficulty upon the sand. The creature seemed unfortunately hardy, but it was lost - it was not accustomed to the terrain, and it did not fly like the avian. The avian caught the creature's strange scent on the breeze, and a low thrum emanated from its breast as it contemplated the possibility of a meal. The creature was peculiar, but it looked edible enough. The avian's instincts suggested two or three days for the creature to lose its hardiness - to fall on the sand and become prey. Until then, watching the thing was pointless. The avian wheeled, about to leave, when an odd, sharp growl rent the air - a sound that did not seem to come from a living being. Startled, the avian looked down, and saw, for the first time, a change in the Rock. A small cave was suddenly appearing in the Rock's side, and the dirtbound creature gave a different cry, vanishing inside. The avian was disappointed. Somewhere in its mind, it realized that the creature's death would take longer with shelter. But still, there was no water in the area, and the slow, flightless animal would not find any nearby. Eventually, the avian would feast.
The avian at last winged off, content to wait for the time to return.
Now please review.