As the two alien moons moved gently across the night sky, their light eventually shone directly onto the outcropping where Yulia deeply slept. Milky silver light danced across Yulia's face, making her stir in her sleep. The fire she built a few hours earlier was now just a pile of red ashes; smoke gently rising up, drifting towards the tree line.
The only sound that could be heard was the river water trickling over smooth stones.
In her sleep, Yulia's lips parted; letting out a heavy breath of air.
At her neck, three bright red dots in a 'V' formation appeared. They traced the curve of her neck, down her collarbone, across her chest, down her stomach. Yulia continued to sleep peacefully, unaware that she was being watched by a slice of pulsating, rippling air in the vaguest shape of a humanoid.
The creature emerged from its hiding spot and uncloaked itself from an invisible shield. There stood a hulking mass of alien bone and flesh; tall, rippling muscles, broad chest, clawed hands, covered from head to toe with metal armor and bits of collected bone. Over its head was a simple metal face shield. It had no hair, but rather long leathery 'dreadlocks' that protruded from the back of its skull. Intimidating. Deadly.
Yulia continued to sleep deeply.
The creature, now visible, crept quietly in Yulia's direction, all the while keeping his three red beams pointed continuously at Yulia's abdomen.
He was curious about her. But he wasn't going to let his guard down.
He thought back earlier to how she protected herself in the forest. There was strength in her, unlike any female creature that had been brought here before…she was bold and daring, never allowed even a single muscle to relax. And with a stroke of dumb luck, she had actually spotted him for a moment or two. How lucky he had been to be the first to find her…
He took another step towards her.
Clumsily, he kicked over a small pile of stacked stones. He quickly realized his mistake and wasted no time turning his invisible shield back on, just as Yulia's eyes flew open, her hand whipping out her bowie knife and throwing it in the direction she had heard the stones fall.
The creature froze as the huge knife flew past his face. He could feel the displaced air as it shot past his head. It flew a few more feet, then abruptly hit a large rock and fell to the ground.
Yulia froze, even though it was obvious that her knife had hit nothing but stone. She sat perfectly still, scanning the river bank for any movement. After a few minutes, she thought that it may have just been an animal coming down to drink, and got up to retrieve her knife.
She rose up from her outcropping, and stepped out onto the river bank. She was wearing only her white tank top and her underwear; her other clothing left to dry near the fire. With each step she took, she was nearing the invisible creature. For a moment, the creature panicked; afraid she would soon be able to see him. But the closer she got to him, the more intrigued he was with her.
Her body was smaller than his own; her skin an all-over shade of very light brown. She stepped with grace that his own kind did not have. She also wore no armor, which allowed for him to see her shape more easily. He could smell her more intensely the closer she got to him. She was nearly toe-to-toe with him before he noticed that something was wrong...
He felt warm liquid trickling down his leg and pooling around his foot. His wound, the weapon she had pierced his leg with earlier...the sutures he had sewn into the deep gash in his calf had come undone. His eyes glanced at the pile of stones he had tripped over; smeared across one of them was a streak of green fluorescent blood.
Yulia was only a few feet away...