I’m bathing in sunlight. Twin suns shine down on me, one big and one small, and a gentle breeze makes my white gown flap in the wind.

My arms are stretched wide as I drink it all in.

No frozen tundra, no barren desert, but a lush, fruitful world, teeming with life. In the distance I hear birds chirping and bees humming. Our shuttle crash-landed in a clearing, on the edge of a vast wilderness, a primeval forest.

It’s not quite paradise, but it’s close.

The grass feels wonderful between my toes. I was mentally prepared for the worst, so this is a more than welcome surprise.

YAWK!

A giant bird flies by overhead, snapping its beak as it passes by. Its massive wingspan casts a large shadow, and a shiver runs down my spine. How primeval is this world, anyway?

To my relief it passes by, not giving me a second thought. Good. I can’t deal with evil birds right now. My bladder calls for attention once more, and I head into the overgrown forest in front of me. The foliage is so thick that it nearly blocks out the two suns. The air is decidedly cooler in here, and in the distance I hear the soft, gentle rumbling of a stream of water. I allow myself a moment to relax.

After taking my well-deserved bathroom break, I make my way towards the running water. After rummaging through some bushes I stumble upon a small, picturesque stream which cuts right through the forest. The water is so clear it’s transparent, and without hesitation I stick both my hands in and gulp as much of it down as I can.

It’s cool and refreshing, and tastes cleaner and better than any water I’ve ever had back on Earth. When I look up, my eyes land on a tree filled with the biggest, juiciest fruits I’ve ever seen. The many branches of the trees look like they’re about to snap because the purple fruits are so heavy.

I simply must taste it.

I pluck one of the fruits and dig in, and the purple thing is every bit as juicy as I had hoped. It runs down my chin as I stuff my face, and I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

I think I’ve earned my right to eat like a caveman.

If everything tastes as well as this fruit on this planet, then this might not be such a bad place after all. In the distance, through the thick foliage I see more trees, with different colors of fruits — red, yellow, pink.

I can’t resist temptation.

I make my way through the dense forest, amazed at the sheer size of the trees and of the fruits they bear. I’m so lost in thought I lose my sense of direction, and I stop dead in my tracks when I find myself facing the open mouth of a cave.

It’s pitch black inside, and a cool wind rises from the depths, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. With a jolt I realize what an absolute fool I’m being — stranded on an alien world and the first thing I do is wander off into some dark, foreboding forest?!

I turn around, fully intent on finding my way back by following the line of fruit-trees, but my plan grinds to a halt when a massive alien beast stalks out of the high grass and growls at me, exposing its imposing fangs.

Oh crap.

The beast looks like a cross between a bear and a dog — only with horns. Its red, menacing eyes are looking right at me as it licks its sharp fangs.

Crap crap crap.

“Easy, boy,” I say.

The beast growls and snaps at me. I know how to take a hint — it doesn’t like to be talked to. I take a step back, as that’s the only direction I can go, but for every step back I take, the beast takes one forward.

My heart is beating like a war drum, my eyes wide as I look for a way out, but I don’t see any. The light around us dims as we head deeper into the cave, yet I can still see the beast’s red eyes, as if they were glowing.

I bump my back into a massive, hard wall.

End of the line.

Fuck. Devoured by an alien bear-dog. Not the way I wanted to go.

“Down!”

Every fiber of my being jumps up in surprise when I hear a loud, thundering voice — coming from right behind me.

The wild animal sits down obediently on its hind legs, its tongue hanging out of its large mouth.

I whirl around, and it takes my brain more than few seconds to process what I’m looking at.

I hadn’t backed my way into the wall. My barely clothed body was pressed right against a Zoran warrior! Only he’s unlike any Zoran I’ve ever seen. His skin is purple, like amethyst, and the only thing covering his imposingly tall and broad frame is a loincloth draped loosely around his fine waist.

Which means that the thing I just bumped into wasn’t a jutted out rock, but his…

I tear my eyes away from the impressive bulge in his loincloth, my eyes traveling up his sculpted, purple frame. He’s big in every sense of the word. His eyes, a breathtaking orange, are studying my features. He frowns at me, and it’s the sexiest damn frown I’ve ever seen.

Questions flood my mind as I try to make sense of it all.

What’s a Zoran doing on this uninhabited planet? Why is he only wearing a loincloth like some barbarian? Why is he looking at me like that?

And, most importantly…

Am I saved… or in even more trouble?