Hey everyone! I'm back! So originally I was going to wait a few more days to post this be I got super impatient because I've just written the chapter where we first meet Poe! (Chapter Five) So stay tuned and the next two chapters should be posted sometime probably within the week. I just want to take a moment as well to thank the reviews I've had with a special mention to Daere! Your reviews honestly make me so excited and I appreciate the feedback so feel free to flick through what you think! Now, enjoy the next chapter! :)
"Is it me," Yaneé chirped over the radio, "or does this place kind of remind you of home?"
"Speak for yourself," Mace panted, "It's just rocks where we are." Upon waking that morning, the group had gathered more supplies from the wreckage, including blasters, radios and enough food and water to last them a few days. From there they'd made their way down the mountain together with Yaneé and Xxarr's improvised cloaking device in place. Each with their own pack, they'd walked down the mountain together before splitting up and heading off in different directions. From what Veruna could gather, Mace and Grosby had ended up in similar terrain which consisted mostly of rocky outcrops and dust. Xxarr had followed a river he'd found and ended up at a waterfall that he wasn't willing to climb down and was tracking back to try and find a way down. Yaneé seemed to have discovered some of the lush rolling plains that the planet contained. Sabé, however, was still in the same forest she'd been in since they'd split off. The valley they'd crashed in seemed to be an outlier, as not a few hundred metres down, the valley had turned into a rocky canyon with a sliver of a stream winding its way through. Veruna guessed that it was a tiny vein of the water that made up the river Xxarr had walked alongside.
"It's not muggy enough to be home," Grosby laughed over the crackle of the radio. Veruna kept quiet as she continued her trek. The trees had changed the further down she'd got. While they'd been a mix of pines and cypress trees they were now more like beech trees. There were ferns at her feet and fallen, moss covered logs. The only sounds around her were those of birds and the trees swaying against each other in the breeze which is why she stopped suddenly when she heard a branch snap behind her. As silently as she could, she pulled her blaster from its place at her hip and took the safety off. Her eyes scanned the foliage for the threat. She passed it and continued to scan before something in her gut told her to go back and look again.
"Just confirming, none of you are in my area, are you?" she asked over the radio.
"Negative," replied Yaneé.
"Nowhere near," confirmed Mace and Grosby.
"I might be nearby but I'm not close," was Xxarr's reply. It did nothing to settle the uneasy feeling that was settling in her stomach. Crouching down, she squinted and there it was. It was barely visible in the underbrush, but as she crouched it moved forward and she gasped. It had shaggy brown hair that almost reminded her of a wookie. This animal was much wider than a wookie, however, and she had no doubt that when she stood, its back at the highest part would at least meet her shoulder. Its eyes were as black as anything she'd seen and it had rounded ears and a long rectangular snout. Suddenly, it opened its mouth to reveal several sharp canines that would tear through her in an instant, and let out a throaty noise. She stood up in panic, her heart beating heavily in her chest and aimed her blaster. As she did the creature stood up on its hind legs, letting out the same throaty noise.
Without hesitation, Veruna shot at it.
And nearly cried out in horror as the blaster did nothing to the animal except anger it. It flopped back down onto four legs and that was when Veruna turned and ran.
As she ran, Veruna could hear heart heartbeat in her ears. She could feel her lungs crying out for more oxygen and she could feel the forest floor beneath her feet as she tried to out run the animal. She dared not look back to see how close it was in fear that it would slow her down or she would run into a tree. If she looked ahead she could weave nimbly between the trees. She could hear the triplet of its feet hitting the ground as it ran. Thunk-thunk-thunk, thunk-thunk-thunk. Ahead, she could see more light coming through the trees and as she continued the forest began to thin out. She jumped over a fallen log, running as soon as one foot hit the ground. She was almost out of the forest now. She could see the last line of trees and pushed her body to go faster. Her lungs screamed in protest. With a smile, she dive-rolled under a particularly low hanging branch and continued.
She had finally cleared the forest.
In front of her were golden grass plains, swaying and full of tussock grass. The dirt beneath her feet was fine and sand-like, and as she continued running she left a small cloud behind her. She dared herself a look back and found that the animal was a fair distance behind her, its short muscular legs designed for sprinting in the forest. Looking in front of her again she skidded to a wild stop, her arms flailing to keep her balance and keep her from falling off the edge of the cliff. In a panic, she looked down. She could make the jump into the water with a run-up. She looked back to the creature and then back down at the water. With a gulp and wide eyes, she ran back a few metres, the creature seeming to speed up with the promise of catching its prey. Dipping down, Veruna skidded slightly as turned, and pushed back off, sprinting towards the cliff without a second thought, the creature gained enough to pounce, right as her foot hit the edge of the rock and fell into the azure water below.
She came up clutching for air, just in time to see the creature turn and walk back towards the forest. The water was warmer than she expected it to be and she tread it for a few moments, trying to catch her breath. She gave a sigh in relief. Looking around, she attempted to find a beach where she could climb out, but all she saw was the jagged cliff face. Diving under the water she had a quick look around, attempting to see if there was a passage she could potentially follow. Nothing but a few fish who swam away when she moved closer. Sighing in defeat, Veruna began to swim up the coastline. It had to even out somewhere. After swimming for a few hours, Veruna felt a tinge off excitement. In front of her was a cave that looked like it might lead somewhere. With a grin, she dove back under again to see where it would lead.
Veruna gasped when she came back up for air. She frowned in confusion as she met daylight above her and smooth, curved rock.
A well, she quickly realized, I'm at the bottom of a well. As she trod water she looked for a way to get out in wonder. What was a well doing here? Surely no one had lived here before? There was a rickety ladder that consisted of wood and rope that she wasn't overly enthused to attempt to climb, but she realized it was probably her only way out. She sighed and placed her foot on the first rung above the water. The wood crumbled away as she put weight on it and she fell back into the water with a splash. With a determined look, she tugged on one of the ropes. To her satisfaction it didn't budge. With slippery hands, she began to haul herself up the side of the well, firmly planting her feet when she could in an attempt not to slip back down. Just put one hand on top of the other, she told herself as she felt her arms begin to shake from the effort, just keep going. It was with bared teeth and a grunt she hauled herself over the ledge before she landed on hard stone to her surprise. Pausing a moment to lie on her back and let her body recover, she closed her eyes, not taking in her surroundings as she contemplated falling asleep where she was.
Suddenly, her radio crackled to life and she answered it without looking.
"Sabé!" came Yaneé's panicked voice, "what happened?"
"I came across some of the native wildlife," she panted casually.
"Yeah, I heard the shots. Where did you go? That was hours ago?" Xxarr piped up.
"I went cliff jumping. Our blasters do nothing to these creatures."
"Where are you now?" There was radio silence as her eyes snapped open. She was stunned by what surrounded her. She was in the middle of an ancient city, built from limestone with clay-tiled rooves that was halfway to becoming a ruin. She stood in a large square area that she assumed had been a market or city centre as beyond that the buildings were fairly close together with twisting alleyways, with only a few wider streets that appeared to be main roads. They entire city sat half-carved out of rock and the streets slanted steadily upwards despite the levelness of the buildings. At the top and somewhat to the side was a building far larger than any of the others, built of marble rather than just rock. A palace. The radio crackled again.
"Veruna! What's going on?" Mace asked with a worried voice.
"Guys, I think you need to get down here."