Back to Becker. Jumping around a bit, hope it's not too confusing...
Becker woke as the sun rose the next morning, and climbed down from the tree. He looked around before trying to decide what to do for food. Deciding to check for fish first, he went to the river to get a drink and then watched the water closely. A few minutes later, he spotted movement in the water, some fish swimming around. He grabbed the spear he had made, and thrust it into the water.
It took a few attempts before he managed to get one. Smiling in victory, he pulled it off the spear, making sure it was dead, and carried it back to his camp. Setting it on a rock, he stacked wood for a fire and then cleaned the fish while it heated up. Once the fired burned down, he propped his meal up on some sticks and waited for it to cook.
He ate it quickly, glad for something more substantial then berries. Deciding to get some more, he headed back for the river and spent the afternoon catching several fish. He took them all back to camp, and smoked them over the fire, knowing they would last a couple days like that. Once that was done, he set them in a hollow log he'd found and put them up in the tree to keep scavengers away.
Throughout the day, Becker kept glancing back at the anomaly site, wishing for the golden light to appear so he could return home. Thinking of home only brought Jess to mind, and he instantly felt depressed. He had avoided thinking about her by staying busy, but now he had nothing to do again. He wondered how she was doing without him, and if she missed him as much as he missed her. He knew she would be keeping busy as well, and hopefully working with Connor to get him home. Sighing, he forced the thoughts from his mind, and tried to find something else to occupy his mind.
Standing, he looked around, and picked a direction. Grabbing his weapons, he started walking, deciding to explore further. Being cautious, he went to the anomaly site first, and shaped some stones into an arrow, pointing the direction he had gone. He figured if rescue did come, they would know where he was and be able to find him. That done, he started walking, glancing at the sun to see how long he could go before needing to turn back.
He found some caves that he thought would make a good shelter if he needed it, but didn't note anything else of interest. He walked until the sun was starting to fade, and then turned around to return to his camp. Walking back, he had nothing to occupy his mind, and his thoughts turned to home again. He missed Jess, and his friends. He wanted real food, and a warm bed to sleep in, and someone to talk to. He shook his head at the thought. A few years ago, he was used to being alone, and actually preferred it that way. His team, his friends changed that. He randomly thought how lucky Abby and Connor were to at least be stuck together, and then felt slightly guilty. He wouldn't wish his fate on anyone else, even if it meant he was alone forever.
Refusing to think so negatively, he turned his thoughts back to Jess, thinking of how much fun they had before the mission that went so badly. He smiled softly thinking about how much he loved her, and knew he couldn't imagine his life without her now.
Reaching his camp, he built a small fire to heat up a fish. He ate while watching the flames dance before deciding to try and get some sleep.
Becker jolted awake as he heard a loud noise in the distance. Looking around, he noticed it was still dark, and wondered what had woken him. The noise sounded again, and he realized it was thunder. Turning his eyes to the sky, he realized it wasn't as early as he thought; the sky was just covered by dark storm clouds. "Great, just what I needed," he muttered, gathering his supplies quickly. Glad he had found the caves a few days ago, he got all his stuff and took off running as lightning flashed across the sky and the first drops began to fall on him. He cursed and picked up his pace, reaching the nearest cave just as the rain began to come down heavily.
He lit a branch on fire, using it to light his way a bit further into the cave. He cautiously checked for any hidden occupants after setting his supplies down. Building a small fire, he settled in, leaning against a wall, watching the lightning flash occasionally and the rain fall. He let the sound of it lull him back to sleep.
He woke later to sun shining through the mouth of the cave, and ventured out to see the remains of the storm. The ground was soaked, large puddles everywhere. Deciding it was safer to stay where he was; he went back to the cave and ate some of the food he had collected the day before. After eating, he grabbed a branch from the fire and started exploring the cave. It was only a few meters deep, but he figured it would make a good home for the time being if need be.
A quick inventory told him he had enough food for another day, but he would still have to go back to the river for water. Making a decision, he left some of his supplies hidden in the cave, and headed back to his camp in the trees. He figured he could stay there as long as the weather allowed, and move back to the cave without too much trouble if the storms kept up.
Getting back to the river, he noticed it had grown larger thanks to the storm, and was grateful he saw plenty of fish still swimming around. He caught a few more fish just in case, and returned to the tree line to gather more wood. It was all wet, so he piled some up on rocks, hoping it would dry by nightfall.
As the sky darkened once again, he grabbed up a handful of the wood and his catch from the day and headed for the caves, seeing lightning flash on the horizon. The first drops began to fall just before he reached the cave, getting him wet. He dropped the wood as he got inside, trying to shake the water from his hair. A noise coming from the back of the cave had him reaching for his EMD. He stepped forward a bit to see an aelurodoncome out of the darkness of the cave, slinking towards him. He squeezed the trigger, panicking when nothing happened, realizing the power supply must be drained. He tossed it to the side, reaching into his pocket for his knife instead.
The creature jumped, hitting him in the chest and they fell to the ground. It clawed at him, snapping its jaw and snarling. A sharp claw dug into his lower arm, slicing the skin open. Pushing it back, Becker managed to move his hand, shoving the blade roughly into its side. It howled, dropping to the ground. He shoved it off him, kicking it to make sure it was dead.
Satisfied, he turned back to his wood, building a fire so he could assess his injuries. He got it burning and sat down, pulling out his first aid supplies. There was a large gash on his arm; he figured it probably needed stitches, but he had to settle for cleaning it and placing a bandage on the wound.
After he took care of that, he looked back to the creature, trying to decide what to do with it. He thought about gutting it for meat, or maybe the hide. If he was here in winter, he might need the extra covering. Deciding he could figure it out in the morning, he moved it to the back of the cave for the night, and settled in by the fire, falling into a light sleep.
Next chapter up soon!