Author's Note: Brownie points if you get the title reference. Also, lemme know what you like or have questions about.

VALINOR

After her companion finished answering nature's call, he returned to the cockpit and promptly passed out once more. Adira checked on him, worried at how angry and swollen his wounds looked. Thick, dark-green scabs had begun to form over the lash marks. His arm felt hot to the touch, but she didn't know if that was normal or not. She didn't dare try touching his forehead to see if he had a fever and risk startling him. Wounded as he was, Adira had seen him fight and would bet credits he could still throw a nasty punch.

Rummaging around the pod didn't yield anything that could be used as bandages. She avoided the area around the corpse. It needed to be moved but there was no way she would be able to drag two-and-a-half meters of stiff deadweight by herself. The shard she'd shoved into its chest had slid underneath the control panel along with some other debris. She fished it out, examining its odd, angular shape. Dried green blood still coated half of it. Her fingerless work gloves protected her hands from any sharp edges along its "handle."

Adira glanced over at her sleeping companion. She hated not being able to help him but with the way things were going he and his immune system were on their own at the moment. It was time to focus her attention on the problem of water.

There was nothing obvious like a bucket or tube she could use to carry liquid in if— when she found some. Adira looked down at her clothing. She wore a black tank top and an orange and blue jumpsuit. The top of her jumpsuit was unzipped with the end of the sleeves tucked into her belted waist. The ends of her pants were rolled up above her high-top, steel-toed work boots. Completing her ensemble was a bandana tied to her left arm.

Her jumpsuit probably wouldn't work since it was only water-resistant. Adira looked down at her shoes. That might work. But then she'd be walking around in her socks. Who knew what kind of creepy crawlies waited for her out there.

Adira sighed and rose. That was a risk she'd just have to take. After a few tries at the door, it grumbled open for her. She looked about, hesitating as she faced the grey shadows of the purple-shaded woods. Nature wasn't her forte. Machines, cities, ships — those were the things she understood. Oh, she'd been near nature plenty of times. Beach resorts, indoor tours of various biomes, etc. But never alone and without a path or instructions to follow.

Well, water flows downward, she thought. Simple enough. Adira ventured right, in the direction she'd gone to relieve herself earlier. As she walked further and further away from the safety of the flight deck, a tingling anxiousness curled inside her gut. Adira looked back every so often, worried she'd get lost or that something was sneaking up behind her.

The trees formed geometric patterns in their trunks and branches — cubed, helix, hexagonal — making them seem almost synthetic. The leaves underfoot were either fan-shaped or long and squiggly. Freshly fallen leaves faded to blue or green before turning brown. Fluffy pink conical flowers with fat stalks dotted the ground here and there, strange orange insectoids humming about them. The "birds'' she'd heard earlier turned out to look more like colorful bat-avian hybrids.

Adira stopped to bask in a sun-patch, the storm clouds overhead finally breaking apart. As she held the blue-tinged rays in her hand, a name popped into her mind. Valinor. It was from one of the fantasy books her father loved so much, although she couldn't remember which one. He preferred classical literature that featured slow-paced writing, the kind that dwelled on minute details for several paragraphs. Modern stuff, he complained, was sloppy and dry. She didn't agree with him but she had enjoyed falling asleep to the sound of his voice as he waxed on about elves and talking rabbits.

Adira's hand began to shake and she clenched it tight. You'll see your family again. Just find water first.

~v'/\'v~

Finding water took longer than she'd assumed but when she did eventually stumble upon some it came in the form of a sizable creek. White, hairy insects bobbed over its fast-moving surface while crustacean-like fish swam beneath. Adira smiled, pleased to see how clear it was. Although tempted, she wasn't stupid enough to try and drink it right then and there, despite the super-shot she'd received. Somehow, she'd have to find a way to boil it.

Adira was about to take off her boots and dunk them into the creek when she spotted a plant with giant, heart-shaped leaves. She hacked at one of its thick stems with her shard, cutting a leaf off and testing its flexibility. It made a nice pouch when folded and looked like it could hold half a liter at least.

"'Adira San, the world's best human survivalist,'" she said aloud. Since she was the only one on Valinor, it was technically true and there was no one to say otherwise.

She scooped up the water, one hand squeezing the top folds tight and the other cupping its bottom. The fresh liquid sloshed around inside but didn't leak. A small victory.

As Adira headed back to "base camp," she wondered how she would keep the water sealed in without needing to hold it. Maybe she could use her belt? The woman sighed as she trudged through the ferns. One problem at a time, Adira.

She looked for the "V" marks she'd carved into tree trunks along the way. They reassured her and kept her on the right path. By the time she arrived close to the crashed cockpit, evening had begun to settle in, the light blue sky melting into gold and orange. Adira hummed as she stepped into the rough clearing the flight deck had carved during its aggressive "landing," then froze.

A thing. A monstrous thing hovered at the cockpit door, sniffing. It looked like a cross between a giant red praying mantis and a tiger. It snapped its horrifying face in her direction, dark round eyes assessing her as it raised its long neck in cautious curiosity. Thick bristled spines rose along its furred back. One of its six chitinous legs stepped toward her. Then another.

This was bad. This was very, very bad. Her legs locked in place. One hand squeezed around the shard's jagged haft while the other strangled the water pouch's neck. Adira's mind raced as it drew closer, trying to figure out a way that didn't end with her dying.

One thing was clear: she couldn't run. Not this time.