.

The Forest in the Crater

Samus stood by, ready with her plasma whip and electric prod. She had them on her at all times now, and everything else she intended to bring with her. Ridley was staying in the air longer these days. Long enough that he could ditch her at this point, if he got it into his head to. He inevitably was. He kept stealing looks at her to check if she was looking, then turning quickly away and playing innocent when he saw that she was. She was unimpressed with his plotting. He had clued in, by now, that she wasn't going to look away from him. Currently they were glaring each other down.

"You want to fly, you're taking me with you," Samus firmly said to him. He growled. "Are you ready to get out of this canyon or not?" Ridley screeched. "You're playing up your wing, Ridley. I know you can fly well enough to get out now. You're just waiting for the second my guard is down." He huffed. She approached him and he growled. "Cooperate or else," she warned. "Now let me check your wound."

Ridley screeched and ripped off the dressing before rolling over onto his side so she could check his back. She did so. "It looks good. It's mostly healed now." She might have waited too long in fact, she grimly thought. She could still salvage this though. Ridley roared and rolled onto his stomach again, glaring at her. Then they heard a low droning sound…

Frowning, they both looked up. "What's that? It almost sounds like…" Samus began before trailing off, eyes widening a little. "Like the humming of a thousand wings." She and Ridley exchanged looks, eyes widening, then looked quickly up again. Both their mouths fell slowly open when suddenly, from over the precipice of the canyon, flew an army of the large creatures, only these were airborne. "Oh my god…" Samus said. Ridley made a curious sound, pointing to himself. She frowned, unimpressed. "No, Ridley, not you! Don't get sassy. We have a problem in case you haven't noticed!" Ridley looked up, growling, then screeched and released a stream of plasma at the creatures. Many fell, but most were untouched and immediately dove. Ridley started. "Time to go Ridley," Samus said, leaping onto his back quickly. He roared, put out by the action. "Fly!" she commanded.

He looked up, growled, but nonetheless relented. He saw clearly the odds weren't in their favor. Immediately he leapt up, taking off into the air and soaring down the canyon with a screech, aiming to escape the creature. "Whoa!" Samus exclaimed, holding on tightly. There was no point in trying to get to the top of the canyon with a sky of enemies above them, and it seemed that Ridley was doing all in his power besides, to avoid beating his wings as much as possible. It explained why for now he was favoring gliding. Samus' eyes widened when she saw the massive lava river far below growing closer. It was bigger than she had even started to imagine from higher up, and flowed faster than she'd ever seen lava flowing before. Needless to say, the experience was making her incredibly anxious. The creatures were closing in fast on them. Ridley began to beat his wings, picking up speed. She looked ahead and spotted the lava river dropping over an edge. Her eyes widened. Ridley soared above the lava fall with a screech, heading for a mountain further ahead. He must see something there that she couldn't. She looked back. "They're almost on top of us!" she shouted, aiming back with her arm canon and starting to fire rapidly to try and thin out the swarm. Ridley screeched. She looked ahead and shouted in alarm, ducking low and pressing herself against him as he tore right into a cave so tight that she almost felt the stone brushing her back. He was insane!

"Ridley!" she shouted. She looked up ahead and her lips parted in horror. On the other side of this cave was a fall of lava pouring down, curtaining the exit, and dread seized her. Could Ridley survive lava? Was this his plan? Fly through it and exterminate her once and for all?! She fumbled for her plasma whip before realizing that if there was any chance of survival, it lay in clinging onto him for all she was worth. She cried out, pressing flush against him and wrapping her arms around his neck, closing her eyes tightly. She couldn't help but peek, though, when she felt the searing heat. He made as if to turn her towards the waterfall, likely in an attempt to burn her off, but that wasn't going to happen. Scowling, she lashed her whip around his neck and threw her weight to the other side. He shrieked in pain and turned the other way, so she was as far from the lava as she could be. Ridley rolled. She clung on for dear life. He straightened and shrieked in rage, attempting to spear her with his tail. She dodged to the side and caught it, trapping it quickly beneath her leg and attempting to lock it in place as she grappled with him. He struggled, prying at the plasma whip furiously. He attempted to barrel roll again in an effort to toss her off. With a shout she jammed the electric prod deep into his wound. He screeched, throwing his head back. She shoved it farther in and he thrashed frantically before falling into line.

"Foolish human. You must be enjoying every second of this!" he snarled at her, speaking for the first time in quite a while now.

"No. I don't relish this, Ridley. But I won't stop either, because I know that you would," she answered. With another defiant shriek, he began to barrel roll in the air again, trying everything he could think of to shake her off. She, though, clung on with teeth gritted and would not be thrown. Yelling again, she jammed the prod into his wound a second time and turned up the power, as well as doubling the power of her whip. He writhed and screeched in agony, and this time was quick to settle down and fall into line, cursing. "Cooperate," she said through gritted teeth. "Cooperate so this doesn't have to get any worse than it already is!"

He was starting to waver, she felt. He'd done too much now for his wing to be happy with him. She held her breath, hoping he could tank it out long enough to reach safety. She saw a crater up ahead. It looked surprisingly dormant on a planet so volatile. He aimed for it and dove down, spinning rapidly on the way. She clung to him for all she was worth, teeth gritted. He screeched in defiance, flew low to the ground, then struck it hard on his stomach, sliding along the rocky bottom! Samus caught her breath in surprise. "Ridley?" she asked quickly in concern as she held on. She cursed the concern and wondered why it had even been there at all. He came to a stop and lay still, growling lowly.

Metroid

For a moment she was still, heart pounding with adrenaline. When she realized they had stopped, though, she gasped and looked at him. He could be playing wounded, she knew, but somehow this seemed more real than that. She leapt off almost without thinking and moved around in front of him quickly. "Ridley?" she asked again, kneeling.

He grimaced and shuddered in pain, shifting. A pained sound escaped his beak and his eyes were screwed tightly shut like he was willing back nausea. She shifted uncomfortably and rose, going around him to check on his wing. Lightly she touched it. He screeched in pain and she retracted her hand quickly with a wince. She checked his impalement wound and saw the fresh blood spilling from it. She looked to his neck and saw the scorch marks and cuts left by her whip… For a moment she regretted everything.

"R-Ridley?" she said again. She hated how nervous and worried she sounded, but dammit, he was her only way off of this planet! If he didn't recover, that was it. She was trapped here.

He made a whining sound and shrieked a pathetic sounding screech at her. She was quiet, wrapping her arms around herself. She looked around their surroundings. The crater was fertile, she noted. Alien flora flourished here, and not far away poured a waterfall of steaming water, falling into a basin and forming something of a hot spring. She examined her surroundings further. All around were warm pools, and perhaps some cooler ones as well. She looked back at Ridley. After a moment, she knelt and reached out for him. He turned his head away with a bitter growl. She bit her lip in frustration. "If you hadn't tried to kill me, I wouldn't have had to use them," she dared to say. He screeched at her. "You tried to kill me," she said again.

Hissing, he lifted his tail and speared it straight through a nearby boulder. His unspoken retort did not go missed by Samus, who flinched a bit. She had trapped his barb under her leg, or rather had thought she did, but had he wanted to pull it free, he could have done it without issue. In fact, if he'd wanted her dead at all, all he would have had to do was reach up, seize her from his back, and throw her into the river.

"What was the stunt with the waterfall then?" she demanded. He roared at her indignantly. She was quiet. His focus had been on survival, not on getting rid of her. He was an animal… Just a hyperintelligent animal… Survival was all that had mattered to him. Had he been close enough to the lava fall, she wondered, that the lava would have hit her and burned her off him? Could he even get so close to it at all without being scorched himself? Okay, so maybe burning her off hadn't been his plan, but what about after the waterfall? When he began to barrel roll and purposely try to toss her off! She looked at him and her heart felt suddenly heavy. He had been retaliating to the pain she was causing him, she realized numbly. He had been attempting to rid himself of a threat, something that was hurting him. Survival instinct… It was all survival instinct. Not everything he'd done in the past had been, of course, but in this case?

She let out a shaking breath, bowing her head and shaking it. She couldn't believe this… Maybe she didn't want to believe. She looked at him again, huddled in on himself in pain. Frowning, she rose and went to his wing, taking hold of it. His tail snapped around to strike her. She dodged it just in time. "Stop!" she ordered. "I want to help you soothe it." He looked at her warily. She pointed at the hot spring fed by the steaming fall. "The hot water will help you," she said. He gave her an incredulous look. She frowned. "What, you think it'll just scald you instead? Fine. I'll test it myself." She went towards the pool, hesitated briefly, then got out of her power suit and knelt by the water. She reached to it, touching the liquid carefully with her fingers. Truth be told, she hadn't actually thought about the risk of scalding. She'd just wanted to help his wing heal quicker so they could get out of this nightmare. Her fingers didn't immediately burn, so she pushed her hand in deeper. The water, while hot, wasn't uncomfortably so. She sighed in relief and rose, showing Ridley her hand. She gasped when his tail flew at her from nowhere and sliced open her blue bodysuit. If he'd wanted to impale her, she would have been impaled. She frowned at him, unimpressed by his little warning. Huffing, she returned to her power suit and got into it. Just to be safe.

She approached him again and took his wing gently. He crept warily towards the hot spring and she waded into the water, pulling the wing carefully with her until it was submerged in the warm pool. He stared at the water warily and somewhat curiously. He'd probably never seen, or at least never been in or used, a hot spring in his life. He rumbled lowly and settled, letting his wing rest in it. Samus got out of the water and gave him some space before shedding the power suit. She smelled herself and grimaced. Goodness knew she could use a good washing. The pool in the cave had been too cold, and even if it hadn't been, there had been a lot of unpleasant looking critters down there. Besides, it had been her only source of drinking water. Dirtying it wasn't in her best interests. Sure, she could have used a basin, but the fact still remained that it had been too cold to be of much use to her. Here, though, it looked like water was forthcoming, plentiful, and warm. She could afford the luxury. Her zerosuit was practically plastered to her body and it wasn't a comfortable feeling. She grimaced a bit and sighed in frustration. She had to patch it up anyway no thanks to that stupid space dragon, so fine. While they still had some respite, she would take the opportunity to put a bit of focus on her personal hygiene. Goodness knew it had been subpar, to say the least, since they'd crash landed here.

She looked back at him, frowning and debating whether to go somewhere for privacy. Then she realized how ridiculous that was. Sentient as he might be, he was still an animal. Frankly she doubted he even knew anything about human anatomy, much less cared for it. If he knew anything at all, it was the basics. Humans conceived and gave birth to live young down below, and mammary glands fed the infants. Feeling uncomfortable being undressed in front of him was equivalent to feeling uncomfortable being undressed in front of a cat or a dog. They simply didn't give a damn. About the only thing Ridley might care about was how much easier to kill being sans zerosuit made her.

She stripped down and sure enough, he didn't even bat an eye. Well, he lifted his head curiously and sniffed the air as if trying to detect a change in scent. He also looked her over, clearly puzzled at the lack of 'skin' or 'scales'—whatever he perceived clothing and armor to be—on her body. Beyond that, though, little else. He sniffed a second time, probably trying to deduce edibility, then shrugged it off and lay his head down, closing his eyes and letting his wing soak in the warm water. He quite liked it, it seemed. She was pretty sure she heard him almost 'purr' again briefly, trailing his wing around in the hot spring and flicking his tail around almost like a wag.

"See? It's not so bad," she said to him, walking passed and wading into the water. She took her zerosuit with her to patch as she washed the grime from her body and clothing. She put herself far enough away from Ridley that if he decided he was through tolerating her presence, he wouldn't be able to immediately skewer her. Fortunately, the hot spring seemed to have him good and relaxed, and he lazily dipped his tail and wing into it before letting out a contented roar screech and sliding completely into the pool, submerging all of himself except his nostrils and eyes. He sighed in contentment and made pleased sounds, enjoying the warmth. She couldn't help but smile a little. After a bit he adjusted himself so his arms and head and neck were out. He rested his head on his talons and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep. Fine by her. She would keep watch for a while. He probably needed the rest anyway. It could only accelerate his healing. She heard droning high above and looked up. He made a sound and lifted his head as well, narrowing his eyes warily. They were searching for them, it seemed, but couldn't spot them among the flora in this crater. Good. As they passed overhead, she looked at her unlikely ally. "It's okay. You can sleep now. I'll keep watch," she assured. He glanced at her warily, then huffed and laid his head down again to rest. He closed his eyes and soon was fast asleep. She sighed and focused on patching her zerosuit.

Metroid

After drying off and getting dressed again, she checked on Ridley. He'd crept out of the hot spring and was now asleep next to it. She set about finding a place where she could rest as well. Preferably out of Ridley's view. Out of sight, out of mind. He might not be bothered hunting her if she was more difficult to find than other food. She went to a pond and peered inside. She saw some underwater creatures and looked back at her companion, who was yawning and stretching now. "Hey Ridley!" she called over. He screeched, annoyed at her voice, and glared at her. "Food's up," she said, pointing at the pond. He growled and got up, stalking towards it. He crouched next to the water, peering inside, then suddenly struck and came up with a mouthful of large 'fish', she would call them. He gulped them quickly down. Some fell out of his mouth, but he paid them little heed. Once he'd devoured them, he set to drinking deeply from the water. That was his pond now, she guessed. Rolling her eyes, she left to find another one.

She found one some distance away that had fresh water and a host of creatures as well. She'd get food from here, if she needed it. Water too. She looked around. The crater was practically an entire forest inside a dormant volcano. Maybe even an extinct one. She drank some water then turned to check on Ridley, who was eating another mouthful of fish. "How's your wing, big guy?" she asked him.

He turned his head to her, appearing mildly annoyed by the nickname, and swallowed down the rest of his fish. He looked back at his wing, testing it a bit, and grimaced. Huffing, he lay down and began lapping at the water. She would assume that meant it wasn't as great as it could be. At least they were in a relatively nice place this time though. She'd almost call it pleasant, if not for the creatures regularly circling above them trying to detect where they'd gone. She sat against a rock and took to observing Ridley. In a monstrous sort of way, he was majestic. He always had been. Majestic, though, didn't always mean something good. Still, in another time and another place he probably would have been fascinating to observe and study in a natural habitat.

"So, females of your species are called hens?" she asked. He looked up at her in vague annoyance, eyes narrowed, and screeched. "And the newborns, larval stage, whatever you call it, are hatchlings?" she pressed. "That must mean your kind don't give birth to live young. They produce eggs instead. So, if females are hens and babies are hatchlings, what does that make males? Roosters? Cocks? Bulls?"

"Drakes," he answered finally. "Hens, drakes, hatchlings."

"Bird, dragon, lizard. Sort of represents your three life stages, if you think about it," she said. Ridley rolled his eyes and went back to eating. She sighed. She kept forgetting. He was an animal, at the core. Just an animal. Abstract concepts such at that, symbolism and other complex poetic formations, meant nothing to him. He could mimic them, perhaps, but he didn't truly understand them. She might as well give up on that line of conversation. Come to think of it, why was she bothering to converse with him at all? "Your kind molt, right? To get from one lifestage to the next?" He gave her a look. "Don't ask how I know," she dryly said. He frowned, growling a little. Samus sighed. Seriously, why was she even trying to have a conversation with her nemesis anyway? Humph. She'd been stuck on this planet for too long.

She felt her eyes growing heavy, but she didn't want to risk sleeping. Doing so in Ridley's presence would be an almost guaranteed fatality. Even out of his presence it might spell her doom, because he'd flown a fair bit before his wing had given out. That meant it was healing relatively quickly. He could take off at any time, she knew. On the other hand, he probably wouldn't be able to get far enough away for it to matter. At best he'd escape her presence, but that would only spell his own doom then. Without her, he was vulnerable. At least for now. He might not be able to hunt on his own yet, but even if he could, he still probably wouldn't be able to fend off a swarm of this planet's inhabitants solo.

Samus set her jaw. She could take the chance, she determined. She rose. Ridley turned sharply to her, narrowing his eyes, and screeched. "I'm finding myself shelter, Ridley. Preferably somewhere you can't get in case I fall asleep." He smirked darkly and she rolled her eyes, leaving him. He roared after her, but she just dismissively waved her hand and vanished into the forest-like flora.

It wasn't long before she heard him slinking through the foliage after her, doubtless trying to stalk her. She'd find a cave he couldn't fit in, go as far back in as was safe, then make a bed behind a rock so if he decided to roast her alive, she'd have protection from his flames and plasma. She reached a cliff and began climbing. She looked warily back down and spotted him peeking his head up out of the foliage, peering after her. When he realized she'd spotted him, he ducked quickly back down. She couldn't help but smile a bit and chuckled quietly to herself. She hated to say it, but it was almost cute. Well, he wasn't cute, but his actions kind of were. She kept climbing then looked back suddenly again. He was peeking out and started when her eyes locked on him. Ridley screeched in protest and ducked down again. She kept watching the forest. He peeked up, saw her, then quickly ducked once more.

It was strange, she noted. When it came to stealth, Ridley wasn't an amateur. Nor was he amateur in matters of stalking or hunting. Not being seen or heard was a specialty of his, so it was out of the ordinary that he'd be caught so easily. Even by her. She refused to believe he was playing with her, that was the last thing he'd ever do, but he probably wasn't trying hard to stay hidden either. Maybe he just wanted to see where she went. Maybe he was afraid of being left behind too…

She frowned at the thought and shook her head, trying not to acknowledge that idea, then continued to climb. She found a little cave big enough for her to crawl into. She did so and soon was able to stand up. She moved further back until she was able to drop off a ledge. She landed, looked around, and determined that this would be the perfect place to sleep. If Ridley breathed fire or plasma in here, it would soar right over her and do no damage. She just had to get some twigs and leaves and start a fire to keep herself warm. Some to crawl under too, since she had no blanket. Yes. This would work. She'd get her suit, bring it up here, then grab whatever else she needed and settle in. Explore more too, just in case this was actually an entrance into the nest of those things. In which case she was probably better off with Ridley.

After collecting her things and moving them up, Samus began her exploration. The cave, she noted, didn't go far back. She was in the rearmost chamber, it looked like, so it must be a very young cave. That or a cave that had been dug out some time ago and abandoned. Maybe an old nest or attempt at one? Whatever the case, it clearly wasn't in operation now. In theory, she should be safe. Suddenly she heard Ridley screech and gasped, looking back. Quickly she ran to the entrance of the cave and clambered out. She froze when she saw him in the process of scrambling eagerly up a tree towards some large, reddish pink fruits with yellow accents. She blinked blankly.

"Ridley?" she called. He looked back at her and screeched before continuing to climb. He snatched no less that six fruits from the tree before crawling into its branches and beginning to devour them. Samus frowned. They looked familiar. Like the ones Ridley's larval stage enjoyed. "Of for pete's sake. Really?!" she called, frowning with hands on her hips. He screeched and went back to eating. She shook her head. "A favorite fruit. Of all the ridiculous things for a flesh-eating carnivore to adore." Unless he was omnivorous, she noted to herself. She'd never really seen him eat anything other than flesh though. Of course, she'd never seen him on neutral ground either. Besides, even carnivores sprinkled some variety into their diets she supposed. Shaking her head, she looked around the crater they were in and frowned a bit. Why weren't there more of the alien inhabitants of this planet here? Was there some sort of plant that repelled them? Did something else keep them away? This seemed like a prime location for them to get food and whatever else they needed. There was something off about it. She wasn't sure what, but something told her letting down her guard here wouldn't be the best idea. Not just because of Ridley's ever-looming presence either.

Metroid

Samus sat outside her cave, scribbling in a notebook and looking down into the crater to observe her companion. She'd taken to recording her experiences and observations about him. It wasn't like there was anything better to do until they could fly out of here. She pursed her lips and looked down at her notes.

I no longer think he is just an animal. That is to say, he certainly is, but he's also more. A strange in-between state, I think. As much animal as he is not. He does not possess a human understanding of the world, though he has something of an understanding of it. Those things that animals and humans both share and comprehend, he has a firm grasp on, but the more abstract and philosophical aspects of humanity are something he cannot express in word, nor does he seem to fully grasp them. He doesn't understand love. Not like a human understands it. He understands loyalty. He understands protecting your own and ensuring the survival of your offspring or mate. He understands failing to do so as well. He understands mourning and grief, but he does not feel it like humans do or experience it the same. It still hurts, at least I assume it does, but not in the same ways. He understands when something is considered wrong and when something is considered right, but whether you could call it a conscience is debatable. If you choose to call it such, then there is no doubt that conscience does not function on the same level as a human's does, and in fact is only a conscience on the most basic of levels (i.e. If I do this, others will not like it and there will be consequences. If I do this, others will approve and I will be rewarded). There is something more than just that, though, so perhaps his conscience, if you so choose to call it such, is a little above basic after all (i.e. If I do this, others will not like it and there will be consequences, so I must negate those consequences before they come about. If I do this, others will approve and I will be rewarded, so perhaps consequence can be negated by gaining approval). There is no line of thinking that goes: I feel bad when I do this, it was horrible of me. Nor is there a line of thinking that goes: I feel good when I do this despite the fact I get nothing in return, so I'll do it more often. There is only action and consequence. At least from what I have observed so far. I suppose there is a possibility there is a little more. An animal can feel bad, in some sense, when it perceives it has hurt something or someone it likes. Maybe Ridley does too, just there is nothing he likes enough that that aspect would manifest itself.

She paused in her writing and looked up. She frowned. She couldn't see him anywhere. She looked quickly around, momentarily alarmed that he may have taken off, but relaxed when she saw his eyes glow from the wall of the crater. He had taken on the coloration of the rocks surrounding them. That was something else to note.

Note: It is possible that Ridley's species has some sort of chameleon-like feature. If so, it would certainly explain his changes in color each time we cross paths. Perhaps he achieves this color change through a molt or a shed, though I have yet to find any shed or molted Ridley scales. Thank goodness for that. Then again, he could just eat the shed or molt after he completes it. Some instinctual drive of his that ensures his tracks are covered perhaps. That's a mildly disturbing and disgusting thought, but I suppose such things are common in nature.

She sat back to observe him as he crawled along the crater walls before hopping down again and landing next to his pond. She sighed and went through what supplies she had left. Certain hygiene products were low, and that was an extremely uncomfortable thought. She grimaced and continued digging through her things. The sooner they got out of here the better. Seriously, though, what was it about this planet that slowed Ridley's healing factor so much? Even despite all the mass he was consuming? She could only imagine how slow it would be if he hadn't been eating like he was.

Just then they heard the thundering, distant sound of thousands of wings. Both paused, looking up. Samus frowned and crawled back into her cave to keep watch out of sight. Ridley curled up among some rocks beneath her cave to blend in. Soon the sky was darkened by more of those cicada-like things than they could count. It took a few minutes, but eventually the swarm passed them overhead. Samus crept out of hiding and stood to look after them. This whole planet was a hive, she noted to herself. Probably a hive and a hill, given the two different types they'd seen. Those that could fly and those that were ground bound. Ridley lifted his head and licked his maw.

"Then can't be that good!" she called, looking down at him. He growled at her but didn't screech. To do so would mean bringing them back. Samus looked back up. "There are more and more each time we see them," she said to her companion.

"Nuptual flight," Ridley said. She looked down at him in surprise. It had been a while since she'd heard him speak now. "Mating season."

"That means they'll be particularly hungry and aggressive," she dryly said. She looked around uneasily. "What if we're in the middle of their breeding ground?" Suddenly the thundering sound was back and coming fast. Both looked sharply up and quickly got back into their hiding positions. The cicadas, as Samus had taken to calling them, flew quickly overhead as if running from something. What, though, could be so terrifying to such huge numbers that they would turn tail—wing rather—and flee? Suddenly distant screeches echoed in the sky. Samus' eyes widened slowly. Those shrieks… They sounded familiar. Far, far too familiar.

Gasping, she looked quickly down at Ridley who was now standing at his full height, eyes fixed on the sky. Samus looked quickly up. Her lips slowly parted when above the cicadas appeared an entire group of creatures far, far too similar to Ridley in sound and appearance for her to be comfortable with. And they were clearly on the hunt!

Ridley suddenly shrieked and screeched, immediately trying to take off. Samus gasped, falling back and scrambling away in shock. Ridley took to the sky She didn't dare to leap on. Doing so would get her skewered without question. He was far too restless and frantic for her to take that chance. Her companion only made it about half way up before dropping in pain, grimacing. He screeched again and again and again, frantically trying to catch the attention of the murder, as he'd called groups of his species, but it seemed he was either too quiet to hear—unlikely, Samus thought—or too far away for them to notice or think twice about. Their own shrieks, loud as they were, would drown out the sound of Ridley's screeches. Samus winced a bit at how desperately her nemesis was trying to gain their attention. He tried to take to the sky again, and this time it seemed like he might actually make it, but all at once a blue light, almost like a laser, shot forth from somewhere out of sight and ripped through the middle of the murder!

Ridley froze in the sky, hovering in place and watching on with eyes wide as no less than a third of them dropped from the sky with anguished shrieks! Ridley screeched in turn and shot towards them, attempting to reach one of the falling ones. The ones that hadn't been shot down dove after their companions as well. Ridley managed to grab one of the fallen, as did many of the others from above, but just then more lasers began to fire and struck the space dragons enmasse, causing them to either retreat with their dead or wounded companions, drop the dead or wounded, or be knocked from the sky themselves!

One of the lasers suddenly struck Ridley broadside. He screeched in anguish and toppled from the air, still clutching the body of the one of the wounded. "Ridley!" Samus shouted as he plummeted back down into the crater with a screech of anguish. What the hell had hit him?! Ridley crashed down into the crater, along with no less than six others, and Samus cried out in alarm. She raced into her cave to get on her power suit and quickly emerged in a ball, taking off into the crater to search for where Ridley had landed.

Metroid

"Ridley! Ridley, answer me!" she shouted, standing up and frantically searching. She gasped when she came upon the body of one of the downed ones, covering her mouth. It was dead. Of that there was no doubt. The laser had blasted a hole in it so wide she could have crawled through it. It was not a very large one, so it must have still been quite young. At least she guessed it was. It also seemed far less resilient than Ridley was, which suggested to her as well that it had only recently molted from its adolescent form and was still tender.

She gasped and raced further in. "Ridley!" she cried out. She heard a pained screech and followed it swiftly. It didn't quite sound like his, but that could be due to his injury. "Ridley?!" She raced around a corner and froze when she saw another of the creatures, full grown and well developed, in its dying throes, thrashing and convulsing before at last going still. She held her head in her hands, breathing rapidly as she shook her head. This couldn't be happening. What was happening?! She raced onwards, leaving the corpse behind. She saw two more as she ran, also very young ones. "Ridley!" she shouted once more.

She heard a screech and stopped. This one was unmistakable. It was his. She caught her breath and ran towards it. She raced out into a clearing and stopped dead in her tracks. There Ridley was, laying on the ground beneath the body of another. A third lay not far off from them. Ridley was struggling to get up, but rising was clearly proving hard for him and quite the effort. "Ridley!" she exclaimed, stepping forward. He screeched at her and she stopped. That was the sort of screech that meant don't come close or else. He at last managed to drag himself out from under the body of the other one. He stood over it and sniffed at it. He nudged and pawed at it a bit before sitting back on his haunches and staring. Samus felt her heart sinking.

She heard the third begin to thrash and screech, but the screech came out broken and garbled. She gasped, looking over, and almost immediately looked away from it, covering her mouth. It was a mangled mess. Alive, but a mess. It was clear there would be no recovery for it. One wing had been torn off. The other was mangled and bent beyond repair. And it's neck… It was broken. It's back too, given the unnatural way in which it was bent and twisted. She swallowed over a lump in her throat and turned to see Ridley cautiously approaching it, dragging himself over. It's limbs, arms, and legs were twisted and mangled, one only hanging on by muscle tissue. It gazed towards Ridley, anguish in its eyes and its tongue lolling out. It was panting, a garbled, dying sound, and Samus had to use all the willpower she possessed to fight back the burning sensation threatening her eyes. It was in so much pain…

Ridley eyed it up quietly, examining it, and sniffed. It gave a garbled sound again, trying to thrash. Ridley grimaced, closing his eyes, then suddenly shrieked and seized it by its throat, ripping it out and ending its life swiftly. Ridley tore the head clean off, tossing it away, then fell back, sat on his haunches, and stared at the body silently.

"R-Ridley?" Samus at last dared to say. He barely even acknowledged her. Eventually he turned to look towards the other one. The one he had grabbed from the sky before being shot down. He dragged himself over to it as well and nudged it. It had no crest, so Samus assumed it was a female. At least that was the best guess she could make, from what precious little she knew about Ridley's kind. It suddenly stirred and Ridley hissed and recoiled before blinking then sniffing it once more, creeping nearer. It opened its eyes, staring at him, then shrieked. Ridley nosed around her once again and suddenly stopped. All at once he shrieked and went at her, seizing her by the throat and tearing it out. Samus caught her breath, eyes wide. Wh-what had been wrong with her that he'd killed her?! Once she was dead, Ridley stared a little longer then dragged himself away into the tree line, where he lay sprawled on the ground with his breathing labored.

After a moment, Samus carefully approached the female and walked around her body. She let out a shuddering breath when she saw the reason Ridley had ended her. Her stomach had been split apart, insides spilling out. She had been doomed one way or another. He had just ended the suffering sooner. Samus knelt. She'd been pregnant, Samus noted, and her stomach twisted in knots when she saw the four eggs within. They were broken inside her, the fetuses visible and spilled out on the ground. She swallowed thickly over the lump in her throat. This time it wasn't so easy to get rid of. Neither was the burning sensation in her eyes.

She remembered the metroid baby…

She shook her head in denial, sniffing, and let out a quivering stream of air before standing up. She had to get a grip. She had to focus. These two dragons had not been young ones. They'd been older. Perhaps mates? Perhaps a murder was formed of a couple and their offspring. She didn't know. She couldn't even try and guess. Ridley had those answers. Clearly, though, Ridley was in no state to offer them. She looked towards him. These two dead ones had not been young, yet that laser had still destroyed them. That laser which had hit Ridley too… He was her only way off this damn planet. She wasn't going to let him die. Not like this!

She braced herself and approached. He growled threateningly. "Let me see," she ordered, stopping just out of reach of his barb. He screeched in rage and breathed plasma. She got quickly out of the way. "Let me see!" she shouted, rising swiftly. He screeched at her again and got up, ready to fight. She backed away. "I'm not going to battle with you. Not now," she said.

He screeched at her and lunged, but wasn't able to get far before he collapsed with a pitiful cry and lay still, eyes shut. After a moment he weakly lifted his head, looking back at himself, then lay it back down again, refusing to acknowledge her further. She was still. After a moment she left and went to get him some of his favorite fruits in the hopes that would snap him out of it. Eating helped accelerate his healing, so the fruits could only aid him. It wasn't long before she returned with them and went right up to him, laying them down. He lifted his head ever so slightly, sniffed at them, then turned away with a low, guttural growl, closing his eyes once more. "You have to heal," she said to him. he bared his teeth, growling almost as if in argument. "Yes, you do," she insisted. Was it grief causing him not to eat, she wondered? She hated how much the possibility of that distressed her.

"We die here together, Samus," he answered at last.

"So what? You're just going to crawl off into the bush to perish?" she retorted. She knew that some animals did that, when they sensed they were near to death, but she refused to accept such an outcome for him. She adamantly refused. He was silent. "Try," she pled. He was still. She stood and began to pace around him, searching for the wound. She froze when she saw it and swallowed hard. No weapon she'd ever used had done that kind of damage to him… Where had this sort of technology been when she'd actually needed it? It was just in line with her luck that it would come into play the one time she didn't want him dead. Dammit, it had almost one-shot him! It had one-shot the others for sure. Or at least all the young ones and the full-grown female. The male, it seemed, had been far more impacted by the fall. Perhaps he had already been weak. Maybe he'd been quite old or maybe he'd been sick. It just seemed his limbs had broken entirely too easily. Or he'd fallen far, far harder than she had thought.

"What on earth was that?" she mused out loud. He opened an eye, looking at her, then glanced at the wound. He closed his eyes soon after, laying his head down again. "It isn't like you to quit, Ridley," she said. He was silent. "I'm going to dress it, and you're going to get better. Okay?" she said, voice wavering. He didn't move to stop her. He didn't have the energy to fight or argue or struggle. She worried her lower lip, then hurried off to get what she would need to tend the injury. She had to get to the bottom of what that thing was. Anything that could take that much out of Ridley was not something you wanted to be on the receiving end of. She paused and looked back. Or maybe it wasn't the weapon that had taken so much out of him after all.

Even animals could mourn… Even animals could become depressed…

She winced at the thought and walked away as quickly as possible. The sooner this was resolved, the better.

Metroid

She came back and caught her breath when she saw the sight in front of her. Ridley was devouring the corpse of the dead male! The fruits were already gone. He hadn't touched the remains of the female. "Ridley, what are you doing?! He could have been diseased!" Samus exclaimed. She was mildly disturbed that that was her first thought, but a lot of things had become less disturbing now that she'd come to terms with the fact that Ridley was just as much animal as not. He had said it himself. What did the dead care what you did with their bodies? If that was his logic, then his cannibalizing his own kind wasn't a shocker. Disgusting and disturbing, but not a shocker. Ridley screeched back at her. "His bones shattered Ridley! They were weak or brittle or maybe he was hit harder than I thought and that was it, but better safe than sorry." Ridley growled at her and went back to feasting on the corpse. He didn't, however, touch the bones. Perhaps he sensed a disease too. Perhaps it was carried in the bones instead of the flesh, and that was why he wasn't touching those. Could he smell things like that with such precision? It was probably worth noting in her logs later.

She sighed and looked towards the female. "Is she next?" she soon asked.

Ridley paused, looking towards it, then looked away and went back to eating the male. Soon he'd picked the corpse clean down to the bone and dragged himself away to lay down once more. For a moment she was still, but soon she approached him. He allowed her to come near and to dress his wound. He didn't speak. The injury was starting to heal itself. More rapidly than she would have expected. Could his kind siphon out the healing factors of others of their sort who were deceased? Could they do it all the time, or only in a desperate survival situation? There were so many questions she had. They kept piling up, one after the other, but it never seemed the proper time to ask.

"They forced me to eat my own kind," he suddenly said, tone dark and disgusted.

She paused. "Who?" she at last asked.

"The creators of the laser. You, at least, only forced me to eat disgusting humans," he said.

She frowned. "I wasn't the reason you had to eat the bodies of the ones you killed on my home planet. I was three! You did that yourself you sick bastard." He roared at her and bit warningly, teeth falling just short of her. She didn't even flinch, glaring him down evenly. He growled and retreated, laying his head down again. Silence. "Is this your home planet?" she questioned at last. He growled, looked around, then shrugged a shoulder and shook his head. "Then why are your kind here?" she asked.

"Fertile hunting ground," he answered.

"Are the cicadas really that tasty?" she dryly asked. "I'd have thought they were mostly exoskeleton and other inedible parts."

"The crunch is delectable," he said with a dark smirk. She grimaced in disgust and focused on finishing with his wound.

"There," she said, sitting back on her heels. "It should hold long enough for you to recover. Again." She looked at him. "Did you siphon his healing factor, or did eating his meat only enhance your own?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he replied.

"What harm does it do you if I know?" she asked. He huffed and was quiet. "Fine. Don't talk," she said, standing up. "There are four other bodies on the way back to the cave. Eat your fill if you have to. Most are young. Probably only freshly molted. Is there a reason for that?"

"All hatchlings experience their first aerial hunt eventually. Their parents prefer being close when they do. To teach them," he said.

"So, it's likely they were a family," she said.

"If by family you mean a mated couple and their offspring, then yes. Perhaps two families. More likely three generations," he said.

"Why more likely?" she asked.

"The male I devoured was very old. Likely the female's father. The young ones were likely hers, the eggs within her a second or third clutch," Ridley answered.

"How do you know all that?" she asked.

He shrugged and said nothing further. She sighed and looked towards her cave. It was getting dark. Are you just going to stay here?" she soon asked. He was quiet. She frowned back at him and shook her head. "Fine. I'll be back to check up on you in the morning." He growled and she began to leave before hesitating and looking back. Was it wise to leave him alone like this? She shifted, debating her options, but at last reluctantly left. She didn't necessarily want to, but… but in the interests of self-preservation. Always in the interests of self-preservation… Besides, he probably needed some alone time anyway.

Metroid

Samus awoke with a gasp and a start. She looked rapidly around, panting quickly, then held her breath. When had she fallen asleep? For how long had she been that way? It was dark now. She was against a rock. Had she fallen asleep there? She couldn't remember. Ugh, she must have been exhausted. She'd probably gotten out of her suit, sat to rest, and ended up drifting off. She sighed, rubbing her eyes, then caught her breath. What had roused her in the first place…?

Her whole body stiffened up. She heard footsteps in the forest and quickly scrambled up, dodging behind the rock. She froze when she was met by glowing yellow eyes, her own widening like saucers. Ridley! She had fallen asleep against Ridley? No. That was impossible. There was no way she would have let her guard down so easily. Realization dawned on her. He had moved her. Without killing her? That was the bigger shock. How long, she wondered, had he been hearing these sounds too? He bared his teeth, hissing warningly as it to threaten her off of rubbing it in, then fell quiet. Samus crouched down and peered over him. Figures appeared from the brush and she narrowed her eyes before they widened again. Humanoid. They were humanoid! They were whispering to one another. She could understand them! They were wondering what was out here. Were they part of the Federation? Associated with them? Were they human?

After a moment, Samus rose. "Who's there?!" she called out sharply. Flashlights fell on her and she winced, shielding her eyes, then frowned towards them.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" one of them finally said, sounding confused.

"I could ask you the same," she replied.

"We're military researchers and scientists who have set up base on this planet. We're studying the inhabitants of this world and other neighboring ones. That's all you need to know. Our mission is top secret. Now who are you and how did you get here?" the man asked more firmly.

"I crash landed here in the canyon over that way," she replied, pointing in the general direction. "Been stuck there for a while. Found a way out, managed to survive the trek over here, happened on this crater. It looked livable. At least livable enough that I could last a while while trying to find a way off. Make contact with a rescue team or something," she answered, avoiding giving her name. She didn't know how much these people knew about her, nor was she inclined to find out if it could be helped. She subtly searched for her power suit and spotted it not far off, also hidden behind Ridley who clearly was masquerading quite convincingly as a boulder. She couldn't help but inwardly smirk. When Ridley didn't want to be seen or found, he wouldn't be. Not until he chose to reveal himself. Darkness was his ally, and clearly camouflage as well.

"You must be quite the ass-kicker to survive that trek. As tough as diamonds. Those cicadas are not a joke. How you survived them solo is beyond me," the man replied. "But you didn't answer our first question. Who are you?"

"How long have you been out here?" she asked, avoiding the question.

"That's not how this works," the man replied, shaking his head.

She was quiet, considering her answer. "How long you've been out here directly correlates to how much I tell you," she soon said.

Silence. "Years," was the vague, but promising enough, answer.

"Are you Federation?" she asked.

"Private company," he replied.

"You've had no contact with them?" she asked.

"No," he answered. "We could care less what those Federation incompetents do."

"Then my name is Samus," she said. "Samus Aran." Giving her full name might not have been wise, but it was the best way to establish trust with these strangers. If she wanted help, she needed their trust.

For a beat, the man was silent. "Hmm... I've never heard of you," he finally said.

"Good," she replied. Whether she believed him, though, was another matter entirely.

"You're trespassing on top secret operations," the man said.

"I'm sorry, do you own the planet?" she asked. "It wasn't my fault I was knocked out of the sky."

"I suppose not. It was just bad luck, because now we have to deal with you. You're associated with the Federation. You're a threat. News of this operation cannot make its way back to them. So, you've become a liability," he said.

"What you're doing here is none of my concern and none of their business. I owe them nothing," she said.

"We can't take that chance," he answered. His guards, and fellow researchers and scientists perhaps, all raised their weapons at her.

"Attacking me isn't going to be in your best interests," she warned. "You won't stand a chance. I'm that good. Oh, and I have a little backup too. Just in case." As if in response, a barbed tail snaked its way around her. She smirked, patting it as Ridley raised his head to growl slash hiss darkly at the group. They gasped in horror and quickly staggered back in shock, staring wide-eyed at the space pirate. "Like I said, attacking me isn't in your best interests. I don't want to cause trouble. He might, but I don't. I'm the only one who can stop him, so, you scratch my back I scratch yours, how about? I'm real tired of being stuck on this planet you see, but my ship is in ruins in the canyon, I don't have the tools I need to repair it, and well, my way out currently has a busted wing and more injuries than is safe, so there's that," she said. "Listen, I'll level with you. I'm a bounty hunter. Up to the highest bidder. Pay me enough and the Federation is guaranteed to never hear of your secret little operation behind their backs. Whatever that is. So, what do you say? Can you help me? Us?"

The was silence a moment. "Very well," the man at last said. "We'll help you. Truth be told, though, you're already quite safe. This little crater you're in? It's the garden, so to speak, of our facility, and ways into that facility are all around you. You just need to know where to look."

Samus started and frowned. "I've been holing up in a cave that I figured had been excavated out rather than naturally formed. Was I right?"

"Yes. You stumbled on one of our escape tunnels," he said.

"Why couldn't I find the entrance?" she asked.

"The purpose of an escape tunnel is to be overlooked and written off," he answered. "Answer your own question." He gestured for the others to return their weapons. "Since you're no threat, as far as I can tell, fine. We'll scratch each other's backs. Come with us. Bring your large friend too." Ridley screeched at him.

"Down boy," Samus warned, giving her nemesis a warning look. "We play their game for now." Ridley grimaced, glaring at them, then huffed and relented, backing down. She doubted highly, though, that it was because she had told him to. In fact, she suspected heavily he had his own agenda and motives for being so docile. She frowned, shaking her head. Or she was again overthinking the motives of a half-animal. She put it out of her mind, for now, and followed the researchers into the forest.