MYSTERIOUS CREATURES

(1)

She awoke feeling something hard against the side of her temple and cheek, experiencing aches and pains in areas of her body she forgot existed, the result of having been dragged a long distance across the rugged ground. Her throat hurt, probably from the damp air. Or had she been screaming? The latter was not completely out of the question considering all she had been through.

Dr. Russell could smell a slight odor of mildew and heard the gentle 'plink' of water droplets against a stone surface. Intrigued, Helena's eyes blinked open and she was greeted with light. It looked like a soft morning light and it came from the mouth of a cave.

She had gone exploring around twilight the evening before, had heard something and intentionally strayed away from the Eagle when her monitor indicated life readings. They were larger than a bird or even a wild boar and could be human. She should have waited for the others but the possibility of who those readings belonged to drove her from the safe haven of the encampment.

Helena thought it was Commander John Koenig and David Reilly, Alpha's resident "Irish Cowboy" and archeologist. She had prayed it was one or the other. The men went missing when their Eagle, hours before, landed on the planet and they began a reconnaissance. There were others in the craft; Raul, Stannis and Veldt, a good team with a doctor, scientist, security-guard and, with Reilly, a man who knew nature and its elements. But the team had searched closer to their Eagle, as their Commander instructed, while Koenig and Reilly moved out further.

Koenig made one quick report about an obelisk, something which reminded both of a native totem pole from Alaska on Earth. The Commander then promised he'd call back in ten minutes but never did.

Helena was more than concerned. John knew how to take care of himself but this was an alien planet, a new unexplored world. While it seemed harmless and even hopeful with its vegetation, minerals and good weather – there could still be dangers they knew nothing about.

"Helena, stay with the Eagle." Tony Verdeschi told her as he and the others stepped down the ramp and out into the open.

She nearly protested but he followed up by saying they had no idea what condition John or Dave would be in when they found them. She, as their CMO, would need to be prepared for any eventuality when they were brought back to the Eagles. Helena still felt she should be with the search party for on the spot medical care, if it was needed. It was Maya who reminded her that Dr. Raul was with the first recon party and they were hunting for the Commander and Reilly as well.

Troubled but accepting, Helena watched them leave and knew the real reason why she was ordered not to go. If John was found dead, possibly torn to pieces by a wild animal, they did not want Helena to see him until they had prepared her. It was a kind gesture but also irritating. If John Koenig was dead she would know it.

She and the Commander had an odd and nearly enviable connection, a link that went back to those early days, just after the moon broke away from Earth orbit. They could look at one another and know what the other was thinking. It was a strange and nearly spiritual bond. Some would even say it was romantic.

Months ago, when he was reported dead during the Entra exploration, Helena never really felt it was true and, sure enough, John came back to her with a story about a penal colony of whip wielding women in red tights. She had nearly laughed at his exasperation through her relief - but dispensed with the urge. After all, they lost a good man during that fiasco.

But then in the present, as she stood on her own just outside the Eagle, using her body heat scanner to see if she could pick up something human, she heard a noise in the distance. Helena also thought she heard voices. Then her monitor beeped, picking up a heat signature. Two forms it declared. Perhaps John and Dave were on their way in and if one or the other were hurt she might be needed.

"Betty," Helena called to the lab assistant inside their Eagle, "Stay here. I'll be right back." She could hear the woman's dissenting appeal but Helena, siting the prerogative of a senior staff member, chose to ignore her. With purpose, she lifted her monitor and walked deeper into the woods.

"John?" Confused, Helena tilted her head then looked about but saw nothing. Her monitor said she should be right where the heat-readings were radiating. Helena's eyes widened when she saw a sample kit leaning against what looked like a tall thick oak. She laid her monitor down and picked up the kit. It belonged to Dave Reilly and everything looked in order. She saw his hat, the one he always wore when required for planetary exploration, a few feet away from the oak.

Then she heard a growl.

Helena's shoulders stiffened and she stood slowly from her crouching position, her hand resting on the butt of her stun gun. Carefully she turned about, eyes wide, and expression thick with worry. Helena gasped as she took in the creatures.

There were two, tall and lean like men but wolf-like, with hard muscle and fur, pointed ears and dog-like muzzles. The alpha male of the two was closest to her, its lips pulled back and it snarled, baring long sharp teeth. Helena thought the other was its mate for a moment but she could see evidence, as both stood on hind legs, that it too was male. Both looked vicious and were probably hungry.

Gulping, Helena backed away, slowly pulling her gun from its holster. Soon her shoulders made contact with the trunk of the big oak. She could feel its rough bark scrape the material of her light blue jacket, pulling at her hair. She was trapped.

She clicked the gun to 'kill' and almost fired when she became distracted. Helena saw, not far away, the obelisk John had mentioned in his report. Had John and Dave Reilly been victims of these creatures that were now closing in on her? The beasts continued to snarl and move forward. The brutes were muscular in the shoulders but surprisingly agile. She could hear the creature to the rear. His mighty jaws snapped together like a spring loaded rat trap.

Helena knew she should fire and would later regret that she did not but there was a strange humanness in their expressions, despite their aggression. "Please …" she whispered, "Don't hurt me." Helena was staggered when the taller of the two stopped growling and stood up straighter. He seemed puzzled, possibly astonished by her voice or, at least, was trying to understand what she was requesting. His head cocked ever so slightly to the side and Helena wondered if anyone had ever attempted to talk with them before, outside of their pack. Could they understand her? "I mean you no harm." she declared and watched them for a reaction. The monsters seemed a strange combination of man and beast. They had an animal-human intelligence of some kind, she thought.

The alpha of the two creatures stood directly in front of her now, its fanged mouth only inches away from her face. It sniffed her and a massive paw, complete with razor-like claws, reached up to familiarly pet her hair.

Frightened, her hand shook and the gun slipped from her fingers.

Helena cursed her terror and closed her eyes, turning away from him. She was petrified now and, thinking this was the end, she breathed heavily and waited for a blow. Finding courage, unsure of what else she could do, Helena turned and looked directly into the creature's startling blue eyes. She watched as they narrowed ever so slightly. "Where are your … people?" She asked.

Suddenly, a fierce roar came from her left and one of Helena's arms was grasped and yanked hard. She was pulled roughly and flung to the forest floor. Helena felt some twigs scrape her left cheek and she spat out a leaf while unsteadily looking up at the ensuing chaos.

The wolf-like creatures barked savagely at one another, communicating, threatening, sizing each other up and rounding as a pack of wild dogs might encircle prey.

To be continued ...