It had been twenty eight hours since I had last slept. I refused to lay down in the jungle and pray nothing eats me while I sleep. So I walked, sat down and took a break, then walked so more. I felt dead on my feet but it was better then being actually dead. I didn't care if I had to do this for another twenty eight hours I wouldn't be killed!
I had so much I wanted to do with my life. Things that I should've done long ago. I needed to be discharged some how from the UNSC. I wanted to go home and become a shop owner. Something mudane and ordinary. I think I've had enough thrills and chills in my life so far.
Every single rustling of a push or swaying of a branch had me on edge. Those fucking jackals could be hot on my trail right now. They might as well be a wild animal themselves. If I had to, I would take them down. Three to one wasn't a good number and they had energy shields, so I hope it didn't come down to that.
Today my only relief was the pouring rain. It did little to cool me off and once it stopped I would be miserable. At least I was getting the sweat and dirt washed off of me. Yet, I was making tracks even more so now. I just hope the rain will erode them away.
Another tree crashed down some five yards away from where I had stopped to lean against a tree. My eyes went to the spot in an instant. In the ground coming up was a animal. It had two fin like claws and resembled a brown whale. It snapped it's jaws onto the green part of the tree then dug it's way back into the ground. It was hug and powerful looking but I noticed that it lacked any canine teeth. It must've been a herbivore, which would explain why it was knocking trees down and dragging them under.
After it was long gone and the tremors stopped I approached where it had taken down the tree. There was obvious signs of it digging around and a large hole in the ground but no tunnel. It was like a land shark you heard about in ScFi stories.
I didn't linger much longer. I continue walking onward in the rain. It would become so strong that I would have trouble seeing or walking straight. I was wasting energy traveling in this. My justification was that the aliens wouldn't do this. That meant I was making distance between us if they were in pursuit of me.
It was getting close to sun down but the world was already shrouded in darkness. I had to bring out my flashlight to continue onward. My eyes and muscles burned from over use and fatigue. My boots were swamped and from the knee down I was caked in mud. As my light swayed in my grasp it flicked over a shadow deeper in the jungle.
At first I went still and hesitated in flashing my light over it. For a long while I looked at the shadow in fear. Then as I continued to look at it I found that it was a den. Tired, muddy, and wet I welcomed the sight almost too fast.
I almost forgot to approach with caution. I got to the mouth of the den and shinned my light inside. Instantly I caught a flash of one of those tank sized beasts. It's long trunk grabbed a hold of my leg and I was dragged in dropping my flash light in the process. I tried to escape it's grasp but I soon found myself pressed into its side.
The more I struggled the harder it held on. It wrapped it's trunk around my chest trapping one of my arms with it. My struggles became weaker and so did it's hold. He was looking at me with its one large brown eye. I stopped and stared back at it for a few moments. Then I felt something stiff and furry beside me. With my free arm I investigated it keeping eye contact with the great beast.
The other smaller thing was nestled into its stomach, lifeless. It had the same trunk and ears as the thing holding me. It was obvious when I accidentally poked it's open eye that it was dead. I connected the dots and realized that it was a mother and the other thing was it's dead offspring.
It groaned at me in high pitch and let go. Instead it's trunk traveled across my body as if exploring. I could feel the end of the trunk sniffing at me. It finally reached my face and snorted. Then without warning it rolled onto it's side more and pressed me against it's stomach. I couldn't believe what it was doing, it was trying to mother me.
Once coming to that conclusion I allowed it to press me into it. I even snuggled further into it. It was warm and soft, a welcoming combo after the last two days I have had. I relaxed and immediately fell asleep.
MORNING
When morning came the beast got up causing me to fall to the dirt below. I watched it stretch out and rub itself with its trunk. The dead offspring beside me was still there, it was just a little bit bigger than me. I felt bad for the creatures loss and was glad that it meant me no harm. I got up and stretched out. I was still muggy and muddy but at least I had some sleep.
The massive beasts trunk came and grabbed a hold of me. I was hoisted onto it's back and then let go of. I found that it's back seemed to have a hollow that I was automatically sunken into. It's shoulder blades served as arms of a chair and my legs dangled on either side of it's neck.
When it walked out of the den I was forced to lean forward. It walked right passed my flashlight. I went to slide off of it but it felt me. Thinking I was falling off it quickly pushed me back into my place then carried on.
"Okay, okay. You win, I'll get it when we come back I guess." I sighed. Weither the beasts overly mothering nature was because of its loss or just an instinctual thing was still in the air. It crashed thru the jungle causing the vines to touch me much to my displeasure. However the creature didn't seem to pay it any attention. As it continued walking I dosed off on its back.
I was woken up by it taking me off its back and dunking me in the water. When it lifted me back out I gasped for air and looked around. There was about two other mother's doing the same to their offspring. They dunked their young in the water then rubbed them over with their trunks.
My observation was cut short when I was sprayed down with water from the beasts trunk. I coughed and sputtered but it paid no mind. It hooked it's trunk between my legs and began to sway me back and forth in the water. I didn't fight it nor did I fear what was in the water at the moment. It felt good and was oddly touching.
The moment was slightly disturbed when a high pitched squeal sounded through the air. A beast resembling the one holding me came thru. It was almost twice the size as the mothers and had two large ivory tusks on either side of its trunk. I was hoisted out of the water and placed back on its shoulders.
My beast followed the others who followed what I could only assume to be the male. So this was a herd animal. From the multitude of females and only being one male I deduced they functioned kind of like a pride as well. The male easily cleared a path for the females to walk behind. I soon found myself surrounded by other beasts with children on their backs.
One that was walking beside mine reached of and sniffed me with it's trunk. It was kind of cute. While we walked I grabbed my bag and took out a food ration. I was in the middle of eating it when the baby next to me took it out of my hands.
"Hey!" I yelled in irration. I hadn't eaten anything for almost two days and I was starving. It paid me no mind and ate my food paper and all. It even had the oddasity to sniff around me for more. It almost got its trunk in my bag but I pulled it away in time.
We walked out into a thinly wooded valley. Me along with the other babies where placed onto the ground. The male laid down causing the earth to shake a bit while the females walked off. I tried to follow mine but it pushed me back into the crowd of the others.
The message was clear, I was stay here under the watch of the male. I didn't want to stay with the male fearing aggression but my attempts to go with them was always stopped. Be it by my adoptive beast mother, another female or a baby. So I sat down and played the good adoptive daughter.
"You know, maybe this is a sign that I had been adopted by my parents too." I huffed crossing my arms. The male didn't do anything, just watched or snoozed off. Meanwhile the babies sniffed me out and grabbed onto random parts of me and my clothes.
They soon lost interest and began picking up sticks and other things. It was comical when one hit the other with a branch it found. However it wasn't funny when a baby smacked me up side the head with a branch too. Then it knocked me over by head butting my back.
"You ass!" I huffed looking back at it. I couldn't get too made at it though. By it stopping on the ground and wagging it's little tail I knew it was playing. I may have been an adult but I soon found myself chasing the babies around with a stick of my own. When I was all tired from running around and being whacked I sat down.
They turned their attention to the male who just laid there and took their abuse. The only protest he made was taking a few branches away and groaning. An hour latter I was alerted to the arrival of the mothers. The male got up and left while the mothers tended to the kids.
Mine approached me like the others. It reached its trunk under itself and pulled out a weird fruit. I watched the others do the same as mine pressed the food to my chest. The babies accepted their mothers offering and began to eat. So I accepted the odd looking fruit from mine.
She immediately was pacified by my acceptance. The fruit that was given to me was hard shelled. I gave up on trying to crack it open by hand. I dug out my knife and stabbed it into the fruit with much effort. Immediately a green juice squirted out coating my hands. Once it was cut in half I sniffed it then tasted the juice that had coated my hand. It was really sweet and reminded me of honeydew. I ripped off a small chunk and popped it into my mouth.
After chewing it up and swallowing it I waited for a moment. Finding nothing alarming about the fruit paired with my hunger I decided it was safe to eat. I had to eventually find something to eat or I would die. So if the fruit turned out to be dangerous to me it was an 'oh well' situation.
Soon I had completely eaten the fruit and left it's shell on the ground. As I licked my hands free of the sticky feeling juice a baby came and took the shell from the ground. It crunched it up loudly and seemed to enjoy it. If it wanted it I had no issues with it.
I was picked up after a little bit and placed on her back. The male showed up again and we were right back to walking. It was about noon now. As we walked I was given another piece of fruit. I took it and quickly ate it handing the shell to another baby.
We marched further down the valley to a large lake. They wall waddled into the middle of the lake. I was still on my beasts back when she sprayed the top of herself down with water from her trunk. I wasn't too happy because I was once again soaked. It felt nice either way and I would dry out.
I took off my boots and socks throwing them into my bag and allowed them some much needed air. For about two hours they just swam around splashing in the water. I was offered another piece of fruit. When I refused it she didn't accept it. She once again insisted that I eat. So I took it and threw it into my bag. I would get hungry again later.
As I soaked up the sun relaxing on her back I decided to name her. I was going to name her Nanny. Their breed of creature I decided to call Wooly Stampers. I know it wasn't the most clever name but I felt the need to name them. Perhaps I was becoming to sentimental.
It was getting late in the day when they all swam out. If we were in running water I would've filled my canteen and drank my fill. As they all got out another breed of beast came running towards up. It was lizard like with a patch of fur on the scruff of its neck.
From the reaction that Nanny and the others had I knew it wasn't a nice creature. The females all ran away with their young crying in fear while the male charged up to stop the creature. We were taken back into the jungle when we watched the male take on the other creature.
It hissed hunkering low trying to snap at the males legs but it wasn't wise. The male ended up stopping on it's head sending it scuttling away hurt. The make chases after it roaring it's aggression at it. It was trying to impale it with a tusk but it was quick. When it was long gone the male returned to the females and lead us through the jungle.
It was that moment that I choose to name the male Phil. It just popped into my head and stuck. T was sun down when the females all broke away from each other. Once again it was just me and my Nanny. She took us to another vacant den.
I was relieved because the dead baby was depressing. Though, I feared the flash light left behind would be found by the enemy. If Nanny chose a different den every night it would be okay. I had been adopted into a very protective herd. Food was being brought to me, I would be brought to water every day hopefully and I was protected against other dangerous beasts.
So I would stay with Nanny. I didn't know what would happen after a while but for now I wouldn't sweet it. When that day came I could deal with it. Right now I would live high on the hog, or should I say Nanny. I only had mother nature and maternal instincts to thank for this.
Nanny laid down and picked me up only to put me in the same possition we were in last night. I immediately settled down and worked on the piece of fruit I was given before. I gave the shell to Nanny and she didn't turn it down. I assumed it was their favorite part. Sure the sound of her crunching was a little annoying but it was a small price to pay.
