Anunnaki ignored the urge to reposition himself on the branch and resisted itching his crotch. He had been frozen in the same position for over four hours now, waiting for the elusive animal to make an appearance. The animal he was after used the same infrared vision as he did, so he couldn't use the homeostasis netting that kept him warm. Anunnaki's body temp would match his surroundings without the netting, and so he would be invisible to the animal. In the past that wasn't enough though, so this time he had covered his scent with animal urine.
He had insects crawling over every inch of him, lured by the wretched smell. He was miserable, and was starting to doubt that any oversized-lizards were going to show. However, when he heard a small sound, he perked up immediately. His heart started to beat faster with anticipation, and his body was on the edge of an adrenaline rush already.
The animal slowly came into view, and a calm focus overcame Anunnaki. It looked like an agile monitor lizard, but with the longer body of a snake. There was a small population of them on the island, but this one had to be the biggest he'd seen yet. It was as thick around as an anaconda. The animal stopped frequently to flick its tongue across the ground or lift its head, surveying the trees.
The creature was always on guard and would rather run than fight if attacked. However, Anunnaki knew that if he could manage to wound it, then it will try to kill him and it would not stop until the job was done. The animal crept closer suspiciously, before finally deciding to turn back around. Anunnaki's anger flared, as this had happened many times before. It was like the creature could still sense him somehow.
Anunnaki didn't budge, hoping the lizard would wander back and give him an opportunity to attack. He held his breath even, in case it picked up on the gasses he exhaled, or saw his chest moving as he breathed. His efforts were in vain. He watched his trophy slip into a hole in the ground and disappear. It had a network of tunnels under the entire island, where he couldn't follow.
Anunnaki let his nails dig into the bark of the tree, trying to vent some of his frustration. He'd tried everything. He'd tried to trap the animal, knowing that would send it into a panic and make it fight, but it always managed to escape instead. He'd tried baits, tracking devices, long distance weapons, and more. If he covered the entrances to its tunnels, it dug more.
As worse as his day was progressing though, it apparently wasn't as bad as the oomans. As soon as he jumped down from the tree, the ooman went streaking past him in a blur. A feral yaut hound followed close behind her. A population of hounds left on the island after their masters had been killed had continued to breed. The yaut hound was faster and had more stamina than a scrawny ooman. Anunnaki assumed was dead for sure.
He turned the opposite way, uninterested until he heard a high-pitched yelp. He cocked his head, listening then to the unnatural thumping sounds that followed. Curiosity got the best of him, and he went to investigate. He found the ooman hunched over the yaut hound, bashing in its skull with a rock. It was a shame she ruined a perfectly good trophy, but at the same time, Anunnaki was almost impressed.
Ariana fought to get her breathing under control, and stared down at the dead hound. Blood oozed from its face and streaked down its long white tusks. She didn't even have a scratch on her. It was unbelievable. Perhaps she was capable of tackling this jungle after all. However, just when she was starting to gain some confidence, the hunter showed up again.
He was only about thirty feet away, crouched in between two moss-covered tree trunks, staring her down. She quickly realized that the rock was now a weapon though, and tossed it away. After a few moments, the hunter stood up and left. So she was right-the yautja was out to get her. As soon as she showed aggression he showed up, and when she dropped the rock he left.
She almost walked away from the dead yaut hound before realizing the mistake she was about to make. The yaut hound could be food for days, if she could cook it. Getting a fire going wasn't easy though. Even the nights in mexico were hot, and she had never needed to know how to build a fire. Her former owner hadn't bothered to teach her either.
Ariana systematically began to rub sticks together until blisters formed. After that, she wrapped her hands in grass and leaves to prevent anymore rubbing, but her blisters started to bleed anyway. Her owner was always calling her a stupid ooman. She didn't want to give up and prove the yautja right. Her hands were cramping and she finally had to give it a break though.
She wandered away to find a good place to go to the bathroom, but by the time she returned the yaut hound was already being eaten. Little spiny snakes were ripping off big chunks of her kill. She couldn't believe it! Ariana panicked and grabbed the closest stick. When she tried to swat them away though, a foul stench like a skunk assaulted her. It made her gag so bad she had to leave.
Fueled by her anger, she went back to trying to light a fire. She selected the driest sticks and used bark instead of leaves for tinder. Ariana pictured scaring off the spiny snakes with the fire. She'd have warmth at night, protection from other animals, and be able to cook a meal. It was hopeless though-no matter what technique she tried, she never saw even a spark.
She meandered through the jungle then, feeling defeated, but at the same time seeking out water. There were no streams, only the ocean. Without a fire, she didn't know how to purify water. In mexico she bought purified water at the store or it was delivered right to her house. When it started to rain, she finally got something to drink but it presented a new set of problems.
The rain was quickly becoming worse, so even if she had managed to create a flame, she wouldn't have been able to preserve it. She needed a shelter out of the rain to be able to attempt a fire again. The ground was quickly getting slick and muddy. The best shelter she could manage right then was a rotted crevice in a huge tree trunk. She squeezed herself inside and tried to get comfortable. It was cramped, dirty, and she quickly realized that all the sticks were soaking wet and unusable now. She wouldn't be able to try starting a fire again. Everything was beginning to feel impossible.
Ariana brought her knees up to her chest, ready to wait out the storm. Not everyone was deterred by the downpour like her though, and only a few minutes later she heard something approaching. Another feral yaut hound stuck its muzzle into the hollowed trunk, breathing heavily. Ariana squeezed herself against the back wall and held her breath. It decided that it liked what it smelled, and started to carve away at the bark with its claws and tusks.
Ariana couldn't help but scream as its long tusks came closer to her. She kicked at its face, but it hardly budged. The crevice in the hollow tree trunk was steadily getting wider, and Ariana had no choice but to try and climb up through the center of the tree. The wood was damp and rotted though, making it hard to gain a foothold. She desperately scratched at the insides of the trunk, shrieking every time she felt a tusk graze her. She eventually managed to wedge herself up in the hollow trunk, her arms and legs braced against the sides.
After the rain, Anunnaki lounged in a tree, waiting for his next meal to pass by. He had assumed that on such a large island that he wouldn't see the ooman often, but that didn't turn out to be true. He cocked his head and watched her pass under him. She was swatting bugs, itching, and combing her fingers through her hair constantly and he saw it as a waste of energy. His every move was calculated and precise while she was slowly draining valuable energy that would be needed later.
As he watched her, it suddenly occurred to him that the ooman could be an easy meal. He preferred not to eat the hounds, since they had been domesticated by Yautjas. Between the feral hounds then and the huge monitor lizard, small game was scarce. He didn't think the ooman could survive for much longer anyway.
