Rennek
“I must go after it,” I tell my anxious mate.
“No! Let’s just call the others and let them know what’s up and start heading in their direction.”
Fleeing will not work. I bite my words though, because I do not want to frighten my Kate. This thing will follow us, this thing has been following us. I first noticed its scent before we arrived at the ruins, I mistook it for the primates. I imagine that has been following her scent, likely because of her female cycle. If we were to leave, as she demands, Kate would not be fast enough to outrun the beast and I cannot go days on end without sleep attempting to guard her.
The only logical course of action is that I must go after it and kill it. This is no problem though; a blaster will make short work of it. The only problem is that Kate worries over me. She has never hunted or been in a survival situation like this before. I, on the other hand, have and I know I am capable of taking this beast down. I do not worry over my ability to succeed in battle against it. I have fought and killed things this size before. This monster will be no different.
I attempt to keep the mood light, so she does not worry, but in truth--I worry too. Not about fighting the beast and winning, but about all the opportunities it had to hurt my Kate before I became aware of its presence. I insist to my Kate that she eats and puts the other bird over the spit. She nibbles a bit, but worry still consumes her. I sigh heavily.
“My surprise will be ruined now,” I tell her, feigning sadness.
“Your surprise?” She asks and I notice a little of the worry escapes her voice--not all of it, but some.
“Come with me,” I tell her, leading her to an unoccupied room like ours a few doors down. Inside is what I have been working on all morning. I see Kate’s eyes light up and fill with understanding. Yesterday I made much extra cord and today I have been using to bind a pallet together for our bed.
“It is not yet finished, but if you allow me to go squash the bug I will still be able to complete it before our sunset together.”
She crosses her arms over her chest and huffs at me, but I see a smile play at the corners of her pink lips.
“Come, hold our door open for me and I will bring the supplies into our room. The pallet is complete, all that is left to do is raise it a few inches so it is not in direct contact with the floor. This will keep our bed warmer and keep any sneaking vermin out.”
“Ew, creepy. Okay, let’s raise it up then. I’m eager to help, it’ll be nice to have a bed again, especially once the others get here and bring some mattresses along--and also because now I’m going to be thinking about vermin crawling around me while I sleep.”
“You do not have to worry. I will always protect you my Kate, whether it be from eelworms or very large spiders,” I say the words with a teasing tone, but it is the truth. She pinches the bridge of her nose and swats at me in mock annoyance, but allows me to pull her body close to mine.
“So gross,” she says, then is silent in my embrace for a moment before speaking again.
“Rennek, I’m super bummed! We finally have a bed and can consummate this damned thing… but now we have this looming threat of a gigantic spider trying to sniff out my crotch! And by the way, I forget why we even have this silly self-imposed rule about our first time being in a bed to begin with… but not only do we have the spider to contend with, but my freaking period too. Thanks a lot uterus,” she huffs against my chest and I stroke her mane.
“This evening we can pad the pallet with fronds and lay our blanket over them. It is not as soft as the mattress back on the ship, but it is much better than stone,” I say, ignoring her words of worry.
“Rennek, the giant freaking man-eating spider?”
“Will have to find his own bed,” I smile.
“Very funny,” she squirms away. Holding me at arm’s length to look up into my eyes. “I’m scared of this thing Rennek. Now, don’t get all prideful about it because I believe that if necessary you would totally destroy it--but I just don’t want to risk anything. This is the start of… of…” she struggles with her words.
“It is the start of our lives together,” I say for her. I know what my mate thinks, even if she does not wish to admit to herself that she thinks it.
“Whatever it is,” she blushes, “I don’t want to tempt fate. You don’t have to hunt this thing alone. We can just leave and come back with our friends.”
The smell of smoke and the sizzle of the fire interrupts our conversation. The drip pan has tilted and begun to overflow.
“Dammit,” she says and moves to remedy the situation. I know this is not something she has ever done before and am proud at how quickly she has picked up on spit cooking.
I turn to my work on our bed. I arrange it in its space against the wall and measure out a long log from the three that I have to choose from. I find one that is approximately the same length as the bed is wide. It is thick, about ten inches in diameter. I will need to split it with my knife and a stone. It will not be simple to keep it even, but I still hope to finish my task on this day. All the while though, I am only giving partial attention to my work. I keep my ears and nose tuned in to what goes on outside in the courtyard. I think this creature is not used to a fight and I scared it away. For now.
“I will need to split this outside,” I tell my mate.
“I’ll come with you babe,” she says and grabs her charger. “Not letting this thing out of my sight again,” she says, giving it a wiggle in her palm. “Or my man, for that matter,” she closes one eye in my direction--some type of human gesture, I surmise.
“You use pet names on me, it will be my undoing if you continue.”
“It’s called sweet-talk babe and don’t worry, I don’t have you at a disadvantage. It works on me too,” she admits and so I close one eye at her and she nearly doubles over with laughter, which dies in her throat as soon as I open our door. “Do you think it will be back?” she asks and I notice all the lightness has left her tone.
“Not just yet,” I tell her. I do not elaborate, but I know we will not be safe for long. This monster has been curious about us for some time now; following our scent, watching us. I know now that it followed us as we explored the beacon, that it has been in our courtyard before. It is becoming bolder, today it followed my Kate’s scent and came directly into our room. Next, I imagine it will test my strength. But I do not want my Kate to worry, so I continue with the day’s tasks as if there is no problem.
We stand in the corridor so that I may split the log however, I did not truly need to come outside to work. I wanted to get a better scent of the area. Kate stands at one of the open stone windows looking out with her charger in hand. She guards me, I smile at how fierce my mate is. I make quick work of splitting the log. I am fairly happy with how even it comes out considering my lack of tools. Tomorrow I will take clay and use it to level any parts that are not perfect and fill any cracks in our door as well. I had hoped to do that on this day, but it seems I have more pressing tasks before me. I sniff the air. I see Kate’s eyes study me, inquiring.
“I smell it. It is not close though.”
“We should leave.”
I hold the door open for her. She sighs and we head back inside. Using the cords, I weave one half of the log at the top of the bed and the other half at the bottom. Kate goes to the door and peers out, muttering at me under her breath. “Typical man,” I catch her saying. The final pieces are woven to our bed pallet. I test the sturdiness. It is perfect.
“I will now kill the spider,” I declare. “Then we will have our sunset and make love in our bed.”
“Yup, typical man,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest. “Okay, you need to unpack that statement. If we are going to kill the spider then we need to discuss a plan of attack. I need to know what you think you’re going to do and what I can do to be your backup.”
“Is there anything else you need to unpack?” I ask smirking. She has conspicuously ignored the latter half of my statement.
“Then… uh, so you’re cool having sex even though it’s that time of the month?” She questions. “You don’t want to wait a couple more days?” she says--blushing as if we have not seen one another at our most fragile and vulnerable already.
“Will you blush like this when you birth our fledglings?” I tease and she turns a darker shade of red. The expression on her face is both shy and a little bit lost… it calls me to her. I wrap my arms around my tiny human and press kisses to her flushed face--letting her know, without the words that frighten her so much, that I am here and I will always be here.
“How will we find the spider?” She asks, changing the subject.
“I have its scent now, we simply need to go to it.”
“Okay, then how can I help?”
I rub my hand over my face. It is difficult. I will not leave Kate alone here. I let my guard down once already and this creature had been stalking her. The worst could have happened today and I would not have been by her side to rescue her. I will not allow another possibility like that to arise again. No, she will go with me. That option, however brings its own obvious risks.
“It is simple. I will kill the spider with the blaster, we should not even need to get very close. You will carry the charger and one of my knives, for your own sense of safety. When we get close, you will stay behind me and I will fire at it. That will be all,” I explain.
“...and in a worst-case scenario?” She asks.
“There will be no worst-case scenario,” I say confidently, attempting to encourage Kate to feel as assured as I do.
“You’re really sure about this?” She asks.
“We have the blaster, my sweet Kate,” I tell her. “We will be back in time to turn the meat,” I say, giving her my most confident smile.
“Yeah, I guess so,” she harrumphs. “I forgot about the big gun. For some reason I thought you’d be wrestling it or something.” She eases and I see her shoulders relax, “Sorry, you probably do stuff like this all the time and here I am making a big deal out of nothing.”
“You had a scare, being alone in the forest where you were vulnerable to the creature. I do not judge you harshly for feeling this way,” I tell her.
“No… it’s not that--I mean, yeah that was scary...but that’s not why I’m shaken up about spider hunting,” she says.
“What is it then, my goddess?” I implore.
“I don’t know…”
“I think you do,” I encourage.
“It’s just, things have been going so well. Everything has been going so well--between us, here on Elysia… life for me has never been this…” she struggles again to express herself. Her eyes search the room, landing on anything but my gaze. I pull her near me and press my head to hers and encircle her in my arms. She closes her eyes before she speaks again.
“Things in life just don’t go this well, and if they do it means the other shoe is going to drop. Something bad is going to happen. That’s just how I feel anyway; that my happiness is fragile and it’s going to be shattered.”
I sigh. This is a fear I resonate with. Kate is my everything. She has changed my life entirely from the moment I was blessed enough to look upon her. It is frightening to love something so deeply, but it is empowering as well.
“We cannot let fear rule us Kate. You are a fragile and puny human, if I sat and thought on this all day I would go mad with fear and be forced to lock you in a cage so that you would never be hurt or in danger,” she snorts a laugh and swipes at her eyes. “It is a fear I have, but it is irrational, yes?”
“Yes,” she agrees.
“Fate has brought us together for a reason and that reason is surely not so that we may be a spider’s meal together in the forests of Elysia.”
“Yes, yes. Okay. I get it. Let’s go kill a spider.”
We make sure the coals burn low beneath our spit before we ready ourselves to leave. I take our pack and in it I bring water and our most essential equipment: the scanner, my comm unit and our small med pack that contains bandages, ointments, and orals which can be taken in case of illness or injury. I strap my knife to my waistcloth and hang the blaster over one shoulder. Kate carries nothing but her charger and the knife I strap to her hip.
We set off in the direction the spider fled. I easily follow its trail. I do not need to search out its scuffing tracks, for its scent is familiar to me now. We travel slowly, I do not wish to wear Kate out--we still have a busy night ahead of us. I smile to myself at the thought and my anticipation causes me to quicken our pace just a bit.
“So what, are we looking for a giant spider web?” Kate whispers.
“Unlikely, I imagine it will be a den. If it utilized a web it would not be leaving it’s kills around the ruins.”
“Huh. Good point.”
As the scent becomes stronger I know we near the creature. I ready my blaster. The land dips low here and I notice a marsh begins to form. This area must be a tributary from the water that comes down the mountain. Unlike the flowing water that gushes through the canals at the ruins, the water here is stagnant and covered with green froth in many places. The scent of the marsh hangs heavy in the humid forest air and even still I can smell the foal odor of the spider getting closer with every step.
We weave through places of high ground so we do not step into the murky water. I hear the call of birds and the hum of insects. Kate jumps when she notices a swarm of translucent, multi legged creatures, with spiny thoraxes and antenna that stretch out four times the length of their bodies. I try not to point out a camouflaged creature that looks much like the branches of the trees and vines around us. It walks through the water as if on stilts, looking every bit like a stick itself. It pauses and stills, taking us in, just before a tentacle rolls up from the water and pulls it down below. No, I do not think I will point this out to my Kate.
Up ahead, I see a swell of rocks piled near the base of a large and gnarled tree. There are gaping openings between the dirt and rocks which are large enough to fit the villain we hunt. As surely as I can smell the foal thing, it pokes its massive head out from its den. Its black eyes shine and it snaps its pinchers at the sight of us. Kate gasps when she sees it and stumbles back a bit, caught by surprise. I reach behind me to steady her.
“Sorry, I’m good,” she whispers. I aim my blaster and as it emerges completely from its den. It lifts the hind side of its body in an unnatural way and I fire at it. The energy the blaster releases is like an explosion compared to the gentle hum of the marsh. It sets off a reaction from all the silent and unseen creatures in the swamp. Birds take to the air, previously unseen creatures scurry away, the water around us splashes and ripples wildly. Kate grips at my wing. The song of insects is suddenly silent.
A puff of smoke clears from the spider, revealing a disgusting mess of slimy, fleshy pieces sprayed across the opening of the den. All is still for a fleeting moment. Then, the body begins to move and twitch--even though the front half is gone.
“What the hell…?” Kate’s voice questions from behind me.
Then I see it, pushing the large body aside and emerging in a wave from the den are dozens upon dozens of spiders. Some are the size of a typical marsh rake, but others… many others, are nearly the size of the monster I just killed.
“Oh shit! What were you saying about no worst-case scenarios?” Kate exclaims.
I allow myself a silent curse before my mind begins forming a plan. The spiders are aware that we have attacked them. Hundreds of black eyes are on us, they hiss as they swarm and gnash their pincers at us.
“To the rocks,” I point behind Kate and she hastily runs toward them, her own charger drawn. Once there, we climb up a few feet to gain a height advantage and stand side by side. “Aim for the smaller ones, your weapon is better equipped for them. If I tell you to run, turn and run back to the ruins and stay there.”
“There is nothing that could make me go anywhere without you,” she says firmly.
“I need you to trust me,” I tell her and she curses, but nods assent.
“Fire,” I tell her and we spray the oncoming swarm with blasts from our weapons. Their bodies begin to pile upon one another. Making some leeway with the hoard, we retreat back a few steps. I take out a dozen of the larger spiders, then a dozen more.
“Rennek!” Kate screams and I see a midsize spider wriggling out from between the corpses of its downed brethren. It arches the rear of its body toward me as the larger one did just before I shot it. I kick it away from me and hit it with a blast before it even hits the ground. I take a moment to look at my Kate. Her fiery mane flows behind her. There is no fear on her face, only strength and determination. Her stance is powerful and controlled. She does not blink, nor flinch, nor tremble. She simply moves her weapon from one target to the next. She is good at this. I throw my head back laughing.
“And you said you did not want to hunt on this day,” I laugh. “I see the fighter in you, my Kate.”
“Let’s save it for the after party,” she shouts, not taking her eyes off her oncoming targets. I laugh again and resume my firing. We are nearly done, when I hear my blaster phase down a setting. Luckily, Kate does not know what the sound indicates. I do not wish to worry her. This is still our fight to win. Even if the blaster doesn’t make it through--Kate and I will. I reinvest mentally in the task before us, taking out the largest of the spiders. A dozen more down, perhaps twice that with Kate’s contribution. The blaster drops another phase. I tally the remaining spiders. We can finish this, I think… and I may not even need to draw my knife.
But then, to use Kate’s words, the other shoe drops and over the den I see the long spindly and jointed legs of another spider giant--just as massive, if not more so than the first. I don’t have many blasts left. I aim for the giant.
“Rennek, eleven o’clock!” Kate screams nonsense words at me, causing me to realize three midsize spiders are closing in on me. I do not want to waste my blasts on them however. Kate sees my hesitation and fires on them. It blows the creatures back, but she has to send them a second charger blast to end them each.
I fire at the final giant, but it only blows off a portion of a leg. I aim and fire again and the phase whinnies down to nothing. The final shot connects exactly where I wanted it to go, but without enough power to land a kill. The giant recoils at the sensation and rears its hind half. Suddenly, spines come flying at us. I look around and realize that the still oncoming swarm fires the hairy spines at us as well. It is some type of defense mechanism.
Kate now realizes the state of my weapon. She bravely steps in front of me, firing her charger at anything that dares near us. I laugh and pull her back by the waist.
“Do not forget, my sweet Kate. The blaster is not my only weapon.” Pulling out my blade, I dive into the fray. Kate curses angrily in my wake. I trust my brave and fierce female to cover me without instruction. I ignore the smaller spines that fly near me as I move in--my thick skin will not allow them to penetrate anyway. I count only a half dozen or so remaining spiders and I seek them out. Gripping each one I pass with my claws, I drive my knife into their heads. They fall lifeless at my feet. I hear the electric sound of Kate’s charger and its shots fly past me.
I gradually make my way towards the last giant. The spider charges me, its gait uneven from its missing leg, it wobbles toward me at a great speed. I kill one more large spider and Kate fills the last with multiple shots from her charger. There are a few small strays left, but Kate will make quick work of them. Now, it is just me and the final beast.
It snaps at me and raises a leg, swinging it down on me like a spear. I dodge it. Kate runs to my side, her charger still raised and I see the spider’s eyes cloud and shift to my mate. It smells her. It immediately abandons its path towards me, perceptibly honing in on Kate.
“Run,” I tell her. She huffs and hesitates. “Get back, now!” I roar and fling my wings open. The pack rips from my back and I hear Kate stumble and hit the ground. She scrambles and I hear her feet begin to beat against the ground. I roar my battle cry and let my wings pump just enough to aid me in a leap towards the creature.
The beast prickles at my challenge and fires more hairy spines. These are larger and have more power behind them than those of the younger spiders. I feel them graze my arm and side, but my charge is not interrupted. I land on the monstrosity’s back and drive my blade into one of its eyes. It hisses and screams, bucking me off. I land on the ground in front of it, the wind is knocked from my lungs. I hear Kate’s screams, but cannot make out her words. Before I can recover, the spider’s pincers come down on my shoulder. I imagine it will hurt later, but for now I am numb with adrenaline.
Suddenly, in my peripheral vision, I see Kate’s form next to the spider. She takes her charger and presses it down into the wound my blaster gave the beast and fires. The thing releases me and it writhes wildly on the ground--jointed legs frantically working to ease the pain of electrocution. I take this opportunity to drive my knife through the underside of the beast’s head. It’s screaming and hissing comes to an abrupt end.
“Rennek!” Kate screams. I can feel her grabbing at me and pulling me away from the spider. My feet falter and my legs feel weak, but I am beyond pleased. The threat has been eliminated.
“Rennek, come on. You’re hurt. It’s time to go.” She tugs at me and I hear a thread of hysteria under her effortfully calm tone.
I stand and look at my Kate, brushing her hair back from her sweat and dirt smeared face. I beam at her, “All is well. I am fine.” Truly, I feel fine.
“Rennek, you’re bleeding. We have to get back now,” she says firmly. I laugh and look down. That’s when I see the blood. I move to take a step forward and stumble again. Kate instinctively ducks under my arm to steady me.
I look down at her and see the worry in her eyes. They are wide, like saucers and I want to tell her something to ease her fears, but it is suddenly a struggle to form words. “We should hurry…” I manage, “if we want to make it back by sunset,” I tell her before the world around me goes black.