When I wake up the next morning I feel completely revitalized. That long soak in the hot spring — and the hard pounding I’ve received there — have reinvigorated my tired body and downed spirit.

That sex was mind-blowing. I’ve never experienced anything like it. Hell, I didn’t know anything like that was even possible! It almost makes crash-landing here worth it.

I feel instantly guilty at that thought. There’s dozens of girls cryogenically frozen back in their claustrophobic pods, and here I am, enjoying all that alien warriors have to offer. Some leader I am.

A fur is covering my naked form. I roll over in the bed to find the other side empty and cold, and I feel a tinge of sadness at that fact.

I’m really starting to fall for Turnon, aren’t I?

I feel almost disappointed he hasn’t woken me up for a morning quickie. Every moment I spend in his arms is one I don’t have to worry about the Nezdek, about their scary drills, about Lord Erran wanting to cut my legs off.

Whenever I’m in Turnon’s arms, I feel happy. Safe. Protected. Sure, he doesn’t talk much. Yes, I don’t know if he understands me half the time. But I see in his eyes that he cares, and his actions speak for themselves.

The more time I spend with him, the more I’m starting to get used to living on this strange jungle planet. It’s only been, what, a day? Perhaps not even that?

Turnon lives like a king, with a forest in his backyard, a hot spring underneath his cave, no honking hovercars, no pollution, no phone constantly begging for your attention…

I’m sure there are some comforts I’m conveniently forgetting about now, like for instance, seeing my friends and family ever again, but I try to focus on the positives. I have to keep going, after all.

I stretch out and wait for Turnon to return and claim me again, but the caveman is nowhere to be seen. However, I do detect the smell of fried meat coming from the entrance, and my stomach orders me into action.

I crawl out of bed, wrap one of the furs around my body and head outside. It doesn’t cover much, but hey, we’re the only two souls out here. I find Turnon outside, where he’s created a small fire over which he’s roasting strips of meat. A dead animal lays by his side.

He already went out and hunted while I slept?

“Here,” he says as he hands me a bowl. It’s filled with juicy pieces of fruit, exactly the ones I asked for last night. He remembered!

“Thank you,” I say as I sit down on a rock and dig in.

The twin suns are rising, and the sky is colored a beautiful gold as they rise over the hilltops in the distance. The birds in the forest are chirping cheerfully, and for a brief moment, I can imagine I’m here on vacation, rather than stranded.

Little by little I’m allowing myself to be optimistic about my predicament. When I first crashed, I was afraid I’d die of hunger or thirst before the Nezdek would even find me, but this alien warrior is a fantastic provider.

“Turnon, may I ask where you got your name from?”

“Maker gave it to me,” he says.

I try to quiz the silent warrior some more, about his past, his tribe, and his life here on this planet, but he only replies in grunts. He cleans his knife and stares up at the sun every few minutes, as if he’s waiting for something.

“Can I take you to my crashed shuttle?” I ask. Perhaps if he sees it with his own two eyes, he’ll understand.

He shakes his head. “Must see Maker today.”

He wants me to meet his tribe. A shiver runs down my spine at that thought. We have a good thing going here — why jeopardize that by bringing more warriors into the mix?

I have no idea what to expect. Are they all like him? What’s his standing in the tribe? What if they decide they don’t like me, that they don’t trust me… or worse, that they all want me?

One Zoran warrior I can handle, but a whole tribe…

I wonder what Sarah would do. I miss my best friend. She always manages to put a smile on my face. She’d probably berate me for being so self-absorbed as to think a whole tribe of barbarians will go wild for my body, but…

That’s exactly what Turnon did.

I take a deep breath and push my shoulders back. Sarah managed to not only survive on the Nezdek homeworld, but escape as well, and free an enslaved alien race in the process. If my best friend can do that, I can surely survive out here in the jungle. I can find a way to send a distress call to Earth, or set an ambush for the Nezdek when they return.

With or without Turnon’s help.

“We’re going to the shuttle,” I say, trying to force as much confidence into my voice as I can, “and that’s final. I need to check on the girls.”

I stride right into the forest, leaving Turnon behind, dumbfounded. If I lead by example, he’ll follow me. Right?

“Stop!”

I ignore his command and keep walking.

He belts out a thundering war cry and charges at me. That’s a little much, isn’t it? I know that Zorans can be possessive, but I’m not his to command.

It suddenly dawns on me that I did say ‘sure’ last night when he told me I was his wife. I was still in the throes of passion, and my brain was foggy. Does he think I am now his to command? If so, we need to have a real heart-to-heart, and I don’t mean more sex…

He runs past me with his knife half firmly in his grasp. With one hand he pushes me back, and I nearly tumble over.

“Hey, watch it!”

A low growl coming from right above me makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. My neck slowly cranes upwards, scanning the top of the trees.

Two hellish red eyes stare back at me. I gasp, and the monstrous beasts launches itself from a tree towards me, spreadings its limbs.

The beast has the shape of a chimpanzee, but it’s covered in heavy white fur, and has giant fangs and massive claws.

And it’s moments away from crushing me to death.

Before I even have time to raise my hands in a pitiful attempt of self-defense, a purple blur flashes by in front of my eyes. The next moment the beast falls to the ground with a heavy thud.

Its white fur is covered in a crimson blood.

Turnon breathes heavily, his chest rising with every breath. The knife in his hand is dripping with blood, and his orange eyes are fixed on me.

“You okay?”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. When I saw those red eyes coming towards me, I thought it was the end. Killed by my own stubbornness. What was I thinking?

Of course this jungle, this world, this entire planet is dangerous. Just because it looks idyllic doesn’t mean there aren’t creatures lurking around every corner who want to tear me to shreds.

If it wasn’t for Turnon, that chimpanzee would have made quick work of me.

“Yes,” I answer. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

Turnon leans down and cleans his knife on the animal’s white fur, leaving more streaks of red all over it.

“Sorry.”

“Forest is dangerous,” he says. “Ava stay close.”

I nod. “I have to see the girls, though. Will you come with me?”

The warrior thinks for a moment before nodding. “Follow me.”