From behind the curtain of water that hid them, Yulia and Tari stood silent and breathless as they watched the two large rippling masses of air inspect the bank at the bottom of the falls.
The two creatures circled and searched, but they couldn't seem to find what it was that they were looking for.
Suddenly, two spots of bright yellow light burst to life from one of the rippling air waves; a pair of eyes. It frightened Yulia, causing her to step backwards onto Tari's foot. Tari expertly suppressed a yelp of shock, biting her lower lip and digging her nails into Yulia's arm.
The creatures did not appear to have heard.
The other creature then flashed his own eyes, the pair then making a few clicking sounds back and forth between each other, then deactivating their cloaks. The women watched in complete wonder as the two creatures interacted and communicated.
It was now obvious why the shorter creature seemed to limp; one of his legs was missing a foot.
The entire foot.
This creature was walking around on nothing except a stump. Yulia was staring intently; startled but intrigued. How any bipedal being could get around while balancing his entire weight on only one foot was beyond her. Especially one as big and muscled as this. She also noticed that the creatures resembled the same humanoid shape she had seen perched on a tree branch earlier in the forest. But now, there were two of them? A lump formed in her throat. She was able to inspect them more clearly now that she was hidden.
Their bodies were rock-hard and covered in armor. They seemed to be covered in a sort of netting; most likely how they can activate their cloak. On their heads were rubbery tendrils that resembled dreadlocks; on their shoulders were nasty-looking weapons. They intimidated and fascinated her.
Were either of these two the creature she had encountered earlier? Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat. But it wasn't out of fear; she was feeling the slightest twinge of anticipation. Immediately, she remembered the rush she got from feeling the creature standing behind her. The tiny single droplet of water falling from him and onto her. Was it perhaps his persperation? The thought of his sweat dripping onto her bare skin should have sent a wave of nausea through her, but instead it sent a wave of pleasure. Yes, she had been scared out of her mind, but she also recalled not feeling so much as in fear for her life, but more of a feeling of being spied on. Looked at. It was like being in the presense of an admirer. She tried desperately to flush these new incredible feelings out of her mind and focus on the current grave danger.
But she had to know if one of these creatures was him...
She then looked closely at the legs of the creatures. She did not see any type of flesh wound or sign of stitching or any other medical procedure to fix the wound she knew she inflicted.
Neither of these two were the one who was with her that night in her camp by the river. She was sure of it.
She wondered where he was.
The taller creature approached the smaller one, but kept enough distance between them. More clicking, then some grunting and growling, then both creatures began scanning the falls. They ignited some sort of beam at their temples; 3 red dots in a 'V' formation. Slowly, the beams traced and searched from the base of the falls, coming closer and closer to where Yulia and Tari were hiding.
It was no use. They couldn't move to retreat back further into the cave, the movement would give them away. Yulia's right hand moved down her leg to unholster her pistol, but stopped when she realized she would need to unfasten the snap that held the safely inside the holster. The noise were surely give them away.
They had not choice but to remain still and silent.
From behind the creatures' masks, the water was showing up on their infrared as frigidly cold; natural and normal for this time of year when the springs chilled. Nonetheless, they weren't going to leave the falls until they discovered the source of the mouthwatering female scent that even now surged into his nose. It had been a long time since they had been with a creature that smelled so tantilizing. The thought of having their members enveloped inside such a sweet-smelling female orifice was too much for them to pass up, and they agreed to share this fresh new meat. They continued to scan the falls.
Yulia and Tari once again held their breath as the two creatures below continued to scan their hideout. So far, they seemed to be unaware that the two women were now only a few feet away. The water must be doing wonders to hide them and their scent. But the beams of light still traveled up, up, until one beam shone on Yulia's pant leg. Yulia noticed the beam reflecting off of the water that was splashing onto the cave floor. She stood silent, breathless, staring straight out ahead of her as the beam moved up her leg, her thigh, her pelvis, her abdomen, her breasts, her neck, her face. Then, the beam disappeared.
Below, the creatures finished their scan of the falls. Nothing.
Frustrated, the taller creature grabbed at his groin and seemed to itch it. The two growled in rage, turning towards each other, making more clicking noises.
Yulia and Tari relaxed slightly. It seemed that the creatures were about to give up and leave.
In the dark shadows of the cave, a large native insect emerged from underneath one of the large broad leaves that made up Yulia's sleeping mat. It was huge and cruel-looking, with a long body, bulbous eyes, iridescent wings and a huge pair of barbed stingers. Very quickly, it skittered across the floor, throught a few puddles, and up Yulia's pant leg. Yulia felt the tug on her pants, and noticed the weight difference. Slowly, she looked down, and into the eyes of a horrifyingly large alien bug crawling up her trousers.
Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to let out a scream. She managed to let out quite a loud gasp before Tari clapped her hand once again over Yulia's mouth, silencing her.
Within a fraction of a second, the sound of Yulia's gasp was heard by the creatures. They spun, dreadlocks whipping against the backs of their necks. Immediately they began to scan again, fine-tuning their devices to pick up the smallest anomalies within the icy waterfall.
They were sure the females where there. The larger creature put one hand on his groin, feeling the blood pumping into his length, hardening it. It wouldn't be long before he was deep inside this female's opening; the feeling of warm, moist inner flesh wrapping around his spear. He let out another mating scream in a boorish hormonal rush; loud and raucous. His companion joined in, creating a mixed scream that echoed throughout the night.
The alien insect was now crawling up over the zipper on Yulia's pants. Tari kept her hand fimly on Yulia's mouth to keep her quiet, all the while shaking her head at Yulia, who was looking desperately over her own shoulder and into Tari's eyes, begging for help. Yulia deduced that Tari dare not touch the bug. The insect was now over Yulia's waist band, and instead of crawling up and over her shirt, it skittered over her belly button, up her chest and into her shirt. Yulia broke into a cold sweat as she felt the tiny pointed insect legs grasping the tender flesh on her belly.
Any moment now, the insect would sting her.
Yulia could feel it.