Stellar

Chapter 5: The First Encounter

After about a mile of hiking, Livy asked, "Are we close? I'm so tired and I could really go for some ice cream right about now."

"Shhh!!" Robert exclaimed while he peeked over a bush. "Look!" He pointed to a hut made of dark moss and sticks mixed with some mud.

"What is it?" Livy asked.

"I think it's a home to something or someone." Robert replied. A rustling in the bushes ahead of them spooked them. They both jumped slightly and hid behind the bush. Robert and Livy peeked through as they heard a whistling sound.

"What is that?" asked Livy.

"I don't know." said Robert. They looked through the bush and they saw a space cadet that had been missing for a couple months now. "Jake?" Robert stepped out from the bushes. Livy followed.

"And who might you be?" Jake asked, oddly casually.

"My name is Robert and this is Livy." Livy waved with a confused suspicious look on her face.

"Nice to meet you. DID YOU GET MY MESSAGE? WHERES YOUR SHIP?" He exploded with concern and panic.
"About that. We did, yes, but... Um, how do I say this? The entire mothership AKA HQ is kinda a pile of rubble about 20 miles south of here." Robert gave an awkward, uncomfortable smile.

Jake put his palm to his head and said, "I can't believe this! I go missing for months, no one finds me, and you two kids happen to be the only thing that survived the crash?! You gotta be kidding me-"

Livy interrupted. "We're not just kids, okay? We may be 18, but we're well trained and we semi-know what we're doing out here."

"What even happene..." Jake started to reply but in that moment they all heard a loud WOOOOOWOOOWOO whistle that sent chills down their spines. Jake, in a very rushed manor, said "Hurry! Get in the bush!!"

All three of them sprinted to a big bush that looked almost man-made. They hid and watched as not one, not two, but five huge black figures with what looked to be 5 rows of razor sharp teeth, wings, and four legs with razor sharp claws approached.

"Oh my go..." Livy started to say before Jake held her mouth shut.

Jake whispers, "Shhh! They'll hear you!" As he's speaking the creature with its huge red eyes and black pupils looked them dead in the eyes. It walked closer and sniffed them. It gave off a loud RASHEEESHARA screech that was almost deafening. The three cadets held their ears and watched as the other four creatures looked at the bush and started walking closer and closer. Robert and Livy looked at Jake as if he knew exactly what to do. Jake replied first quietly then loudly "Run. RUN! I SAID RUN! RUN LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!" The three of them sprinted through the forest, jumping over logs and vines and dead trees as the creatures ran after them.

Two of the creatures took towards the sky and tried swooping at them as the other three ran after Jake, Livy, and Robert.

Jake yelled "HURRY! This is the same way I lost my entire research team! RUN TO THAT CAVE! HURRY!!" They all sprinted into the cave that's just small enough that the creatures can't get inside. They reached their huge clawed hands through the hole of the cave as the three cadets backed up farther. The creatures then retreated and the three cadets gave off a sigh of relief in unison.

"What are those things?!" Robert asked with a shaky out of breath tone.

"We call them Tribe Winders." Jake replied.

"Why is that?" Asked Livy, always curious.

"We call them that because they're the members of the tribe that are the biggest and the only ones who travel by air." He replied in a shaky tone.

"You mean to tell me that there is DIFFERENT TYPES?!" Robert yelled.

"Yup. Unfortunately, there are actually five different types. They all live in these odd moss cave-like circle camps where they sleep. Then they walk around the planet and meet back at the end of the day. " Jake explains.

"We're gonna die here, aren't we?" Livy whimpered, as she gave into tears.

"Well, as I like to say: Welcome to Hell." Jake replied.

A few hours pass, and the only thing heard echoing through the cave is the sound of drops of water hitting the cave floor. Jake looks at Robert. "Listen. I think I know a place where we can hide." Jake suggests with a meaningful and kind voice.

"Where? Where? Where?" Robert and Livy said in unison.

Jake then replied, "It's only about 19 miles west of here if you're down for the trip."

Livy and Robert look at each other then all of a sudden... RAAASHSHHSHSSACKA. They both asked, "What was that?"

Jake then replied in a scared manor, "That's what we would, uh, call a Snake Skinner."

Robert and Livy looked at each other terrified. "Now, why do you call them Snake Skinners?" Livy asked with a shaky voice.

"Well, you see, they look like a giant snake, live in caves, and skin their enemies. It's quite simple, you see?" Jake replied. The roars echoed through the cave and the sound of scaling on the cave floor got closer.

"Maybe we should RUN and get to that safe place out west?" Robert replied in a rushed tone. "Sounds good to me!" Livy and Jake said in unison. The three cadets ran out of the cave as they heard one last loud roar. They started to head west, following their newfound friend Jake who seemed to know the land decently well.

"Are we there yet?" Livy asked, tired and annoyed after walking for hours.

"Would you PLEASE stop asking that?" Robert yelled. "Does it look like we've made it? The answer is no. No, we have not. So suck it up, get that big astroid out of your gut, and get a move on!!" Livy sniffled as if that comment made her cry.

For the next couple miles, they were silent. They made their way over to a cliff edge on the edge of the forest that looked down over what seemed to be some sort of abandoned research station.

Then all of a sudden...

CRASH!