Nowhere ... Like Home?
Vincent Berg
01: Crap! Where the Hell?
Moaning piteously, his head aching, he clenched his already closed eyes tight, wishing the world would go away. Either he was drinking all night, someone shattered a heavy chair over his head or he head-butted a ram. Though a rhino sitting on it while sipping tea was equally likely. Rolling over, he noted he was laying on grass, not the soft short kind, but a sharp, tall, itchy variety. A type he’d never encountered before. After all, most grasses are simply different varieties of the same basic …
Only barely conscious, yet curious, he slowly peered through his lids—the light too bright to open them—and gasped—inhaling deeply. This definitely wasn’t home! The sky was an odd orangish color, with duel suns: a smaller, nearer one with a dimmer brownish hue, and a larger, more distant one well off to the side and evidently setting, even as the other was still rising.
“What the friggin’ hell?”
Grasping his forehead, trying to hold his head together lest it rupture, he rolled over, closing his eyes and psyching himself up. After gathering his strength, he opened them again, considering his surroundings without moving.
The grass was indeed … odd. He could feel several pieces piercing his back. They’d likely bleed, yet the pain wasn’t comparable to his pounding headache. It wasn’t only the sharp ends, just breathing caused the rough saw-toothed blades to tear his flesh.
Trees stood in the distance, the edge of a forest, though they were utterly unfamiliar. Standing tall—much taller than any he was familiar with—with a sleek, reflective surface and adorned with multiple pointed spikes, which made climbing them impossible. The air smelled different too, with an almost bitter scent triggering tears, which didn’t aid his burning eyes. His headache eased a bit, though not nearly enough.
Evidently he was naked, otherwise his back, arms, legs and butt wouldn’t sting as they rubbed against the near razor-like edges. He definitely hadn’t stumbled out of a bar and passed out in a public park.
However, his breathing was clear, only mildly unpleasant, thus it was a relief his irritations weren’t from allergies, or he’d already be gone, without any epinephrine dosage sufficiently strong enough to combat an otherworldly-level anaphylactic shock. The odd scents and the irritating air triggered a cough, though he fought it down. He concentrated on his breathing. Deeper controlled breaths in from his diaphram, not his chest. This was … old hat? He shook his head, where the hell had that come from?
Nervous of glancing around, as nothing he’d seen helped him understand what was happening, he wondered how he ended up here. He was … He had no idea where, nor what he was last doing. Searching his absent most-recent memories, nothing made sense. Then again, the headache could have resulted from a … currison? Whatever the word was, a blow to the head. However, his thinking was clear, his memory was lacking, which was a classic symptom of … something.
‘Okay, what’s my name?’ he asked, unable to answer. ‘What’s today’s date?’ Again, nothing. His questions were focused, though his answers … weren’t. He couldn’t guess the century or even the mell… “Aargh!” he groaned, the sound echoing inside his skull, worsening his agony.
Frustrated, he concentrated, gathering his strength, rocking to better ease into sitting up. Now, everything seemed foreign, downright alien. He glanced at himself, confirming he was entirely nude, although he wore a new, polished leather belt, holding … shiny pointed shells?
“When the hell do I finally wake up?” he demanded, his voice also sounding unfamiliar. Somehow deeper, slightly groaning and oddly accented. What frigging happened to him?
Pulling a shell from its polished sleeve, recognizing the glistening, hard substance—harder than most natural elements. If he had those, he must possess the matching weapon, so propping himself up with his left hand, since he awakened laying down, he glanced back where he lay.
There it was; a familiar shape. A … crowbar? No, that wasn’t it. He recognized it, unable to place the name. It was not only the same rigid, reflective substance, it was small, easily carried and fireable with only one hand. It had a brace and a … similar draw string, made of the identical material, which would launch the … darts in his belt. Yeah, that’s it. Darts, not shells.
Reaching over, he grabbed the crossthingy—the solid feel reassuring—hoisting it as he stood. Only instead of standing, he arched his back and sprang to his feet with a practiced ease and glanced around, surveying his surroundings searching for potential dangers. He was used to this and recognizing potentially dangerous situations, despite his faulty memory.
As long as his brains weren’t dribbling down his neck, he assumed he was safe enough not to worry about his health. After all, you can’t nurse a headache when dead!
He faced an extending clearing, the odd forest surrounded him on three sides. Keeping his still unloaded crossthing ready, he moved confidently forward. His bare feet seemingly finding their own way, searching for any unusual movements.
There were recognizable yet unfamiliar sounds, which was promising, yet unlike any he’d heard before. Bark-like calls from the tress around him, the breeze creating an odd hollow sound in the trees above and hissing chirps from unknown insects in the grass.
It didn’t take long to determine the face and formost edges of the grass were sharp, so walking facing the smoother far side, presumably addressing the predominant sun, was fine. However, there was no way to determine which it was, the nearer or brighter one?
Moving into a larger clearing, there were still intermittent trees and shrubs of all kinds, though not a single one recognizable. Easily passing each, giving them a comfortable clearance, he continued, until he heard something truly familiar—voices.
He couldn’t yet figure out what they were saying, but now knew what direction to head. Unsure whether these were friends or foes, he wanted to approach slowly and survey, before actually engaging them, another seemly practiced skill.
With many obstacles in the way, the sounds were clearer the nearer he approached. He then saw them … and froze!
The creatures are humanoid, though their limbs thinner, sleeker and significantly longer than his, and their skin a rich, vibrant light purple. They looked nothing like him, yet they too were familiar, as were their words. Apparently he knew more than he first suspected.
Realizing he was a long ways from home, obviously on another planet, somewhere likely thousands of lightyears from his own, he felt not only relaxed around them, his tensions eased at seeing them.
He didn’t know why, but guessed he’d either lived with or married one, learning their language, or perhaps he was once stationed on their world, living among them.
The phrasing and pronunciations were similar, though with a short clipped dialect with less complex words and shorter sentences.
Easing forward, now calmly walking through the alien grass—which still occasionally cut him—no longer distracting him. He was too focused on meeting and introducing himself to these people, but again, he had no idea who or what they were.
Moving cautiously, not wanting to scare or surprise them, he kept his eyes peeled and his crossthing prepped for any others nearby.
He stiffened and froze, hearing a soft unexpected sound among the many other strange otherworldly noises, yet still recognized it. The gentle pad of a predator stalking their prey, along with the click of sharp claws, striking the hard ground beneath the grass.
Surveying for the creature, he pulled three darts from their clips in his beltclip, loading the first, while keeping the spares ready to swiftly reload. Whatever the beast was, it was notably dangerous and probably unpredicable too.
One of the … people, both females, froze and cried out “Ligor!” Her companion scrambled backwards like an upside down crab, leaving her friend frozen behind, too terrified to flee lest she trigger it into attacking.
He saw it, still silently advancing, now issuing a quiet hiss—likely designed to terrify its prey—and realized it was one massive kitty. Not the small cuddly kitties which purr, in another similar family. The sound, like his own voice, was much too deep, seemingly penetrating his very bones. It’s fur and outer hair was thicker, with two tails instead of one, but two separate sets of precision saber-tooth like teeth projecting over its lips, too tall to fit into its mouth.
Nope, he wasn’t eager to face off against this particular kitty, nor fond of its temperament and inclinations.
Moving rapidly yet noiselssly, having identified his target, he shouted “HEY!”, surprising everyone, including himself. It ceased advancing, partially turning, giving him a few more quick steps, before he pulled the trigger, aiming at its head.
It was fast, clearly nimble despite its immense size. Again, its limbs were thinner than he expected. As its body was between him and his goal, it did little to block the hard metal bolt. It flinched, it’s feet tensing, shifting, not attempting to flee, as the bolt struck it, though only a glancing blow, stunning, rather than killing it outright.
He slowed, sliding the next dart into place and cocking the string, as it turned, still unsteady. He pulled the trigger, releasing another projectile, as it faced him, flashing it’s ultrasharp teeth and issuing an ungodly, terrifying cry, seemingly rattling his very bones. He was now committed, whatever occurred.
The second shot was truer, striking it square in the forehead. It froze, stumbled slightly, shivered and collapsed, like a six-hundred pound dead weight.
The unnamed hunter continued, though slowing, not trusting the potentially wounded animal. He loaded another, and prodded it with his bare foot, feeling his toes sink into its thick fleece.
Watching it carefully, scanning for any others, he yelled over his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
It took the terrified woman a few seconds to gather her wits to respond. “Uh, yeah, I guess.”
“I’ll need a sharp knife, and something to carry it back with.”
“You’re, going to carry a full-sized ligor?”
“Only the meat, but we have to move, as other scavengers will come, wanting a taste!”
There was another silent moment, and he heard it as she stood, and her rapidly retreating feet. “Tor! TOR!”
He withdrew another two shells, not leaving many spares, and surveying the distance for other predators, started searching for his rest, as their lives depended on them. Finally locating them and prying the final one from the kitty’s skull, requiring a bit of twisting and pulling, he noted someone returning.
Spinning, not knowing who or what it may be, it was the same girl, not her companion, and he lifted his … weapon away from her.
“I have it!” she announced, running up beside him as he knelt beside the beast. He glanced, her plate only a broad piece of curved bark, though thicker than most, making transporting anything even more difficult. “No one has ever killed a ligor before!” she marveled.
“Keep an eye out for others. Don’t panic if you see one, I’ll handle it, but …” He held his hand out, setting his … dart-thrower aside, within easy reach.
After a moment’s hesitation, she placed a small, black, chipped knife—obviously flint—in his hand. That’s what he hoped for, rather than something sturdier, without the sharp edge he required. “What are you gonna do with it?”
Parting the animal’s fur and holding it with one hand, he slit its belly, its intestines spilling out. Letting the blood drain, he reached in, extracting the intestines by hand, until it was mostly out of the body cavity. Once more unaware how he knew how to clean such a creature.
His assumption was correct, both its ‘guard hair’ and it’s underlining hair was thicker, the top coat slicker, making stabbing it with something as small and fragile as a flint knife virtually impossible. “Hold your nose,” he cautioned. The girl stared in fascination.
Lifting either end, he severed the upper and the lower intestine—a substantial burden—withdrew them, stood and carried them away, throwing it into a clear, open area: the bile, blood and shit flowing freely.
“That’ll keep the smaller scavengers at bay.” He returned and again knelt by her, parting the undercoat and lifting the rear leg, slicing through the tendons holding it to the body, then cutting the skin to free it.
Due to the flint’s inherent weakness, he muscled through the cut, relying on force to prevent the irregular blade from catching and tearing the flesh he preferred whole. Twisting, he freed it. That done, he tossed it beside them, and sliced the animal’s underbelly again, and handed her the knife as he grabbed the skin, raising it.
“Slice it, as I pull it clear,” he instructed.
“Why not just take the meat,” she spoke in a calm yet quiet voice, already doing so, “and leave everything else before something comes for us?”
“There is a lot of it, and I prefer feeding people, rather than even larger beasts, who’ll only be hungry again. I don’t mind starving them, whenever possible.”
They made swift work, as he removed huge strips, dumping them onto her impromptu tray. “Uh, who be you, and … why do you look … as you do?”
He paused, facing her. “Frankly, I don’t know. For now, call me Adam, as it seems fitting. What’s more, I don’t know how I got here, although, however I did, it screwed up my memory.”
“Adam?” she inquired, her voice raising at the end of the question, as he resumed his task, once more scanning for anything of concern. Smaller scavengers were already nearing their offering, though sufficiently skittish they hadn’t yet closed on it.
“In my culture, he was the first human, and … that’s what I am. We’re similar, as I assume I’m the only of my kind here.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, you are. No one else is stupid enough to tackle a ligor, much less succeed and get away with it.”
He heard something behind him, recognizing it as it was too loud to be a wild animal, which lived by stealth.
“Tiss? Tiss?”
“That’s my sister, Lor,” she assured him, before turning and softly calling out “Here!” The two individuals were noisy, not because they couldn’t travel silently, but because they too were desperate to flee.
“That’s what I assumed.” He continued cutting, dropping the last of the muscle onto their tray. When the others—the other girl he saw earlier, and an older male, so similar it was clear they were related—carrying the same trays neared, he called behind him, “help me flip it.”
The man froze, his eyes wide. “What?” Rather than pausing, Adam grabbed the legs, braced his, and started lifting on his own. Tiss immediately rose, helping. Observing her response, Lor joined in.
They finally rolled it, and it fell with another heavy thump, while Adam held the now loose skin clear, so they wouldn’t have repeat it.
“That’s a lot of meat!” the man declared, blinking rapidly.
“Leave the empty trays and grab a full one. We’ll require them as soon as you can return. I can hold anything off, yet we need to move quickly.”
They both rushed forward, reaching for the one tray, when he raised a hand, delaying them, and stood over its head. Pulling another dart from its pocket and holding it firmly in his hand, he struck the beast’s skull, hard. The others gasped when he succeeded, prying enough loose to tear part of the it away, producing a frightening crack.
He then used a smaller broken portion to scoop out the gray matter, before handing it to Tiss, taking a small amount, and eating it, sucking his fingers as if it were a treat.
“You eat that?” she said, clearly shocked.
“It contains vital nutrients you won’t gain from either foraging or hunting. They’re the heavy elements which allow life to exist. They’re concentrated in the brain and heart, where they’re most essential. Plus, considering how strong, brave and ferocious this beast was, it’s our way of paying it tribute. By consuming it’s crafty brains, and it’s courageous bravery, passing only a taste to us in return for the honor.”
He realized how problematic this could prove, yet given their near feral state, he wanted to convey a more natural, respectful view of hunting, to keep them from doing as humanity did, repeatedly wiping out entire species, just because they could. A healthy respect for nature is always something to encourage, over wanton greed alone. The end result was inevitable, yet the longer he could delay that day, the better for everyone.
They again stared as if he were a prancing demon, complete with curving horns and a dancing, pointed tail, Tiss tasted and swallowed it. Her eyes widening, and she took an even larger bite. “This is excellent!” she marveled, surprised.
“It won’t last long in the sun before it spoils,” he waved the others forward, “so eat whatever you can, because we can’t take it back with us.”
The rest were more hesitant, though like her, astounded by its taste, demonstrating how much they needed those heavy elements.
“I’ll carry the legs, as they’re the heaviest.” He once more took Tiss’s knife, cutting the flesh around the head, “while you take back the meat.”
“Uh, aren’t you coming with us? What are you doing with the head?” Tor was now as curious as her sister.
“Not only is there symbolic value in such a courageous creature, there’s also significance in trophies. Proving you’ve mastered the beast everyone fears, demonstrates you and your tribe are well able to defend themselves. If nothing else, these impressive teeth make a dramatic statement to anyone you deal with in the future.
“It’ll take time for them to bring back the trays, so we can’t cut the remaining meat off, less we attract every ravenous animal nearby. After they do, I’ll have severed the head, grab the heart and return to your village.”
“Ours? Not your own?”
Adam noted movement, as an odd looking cross between a long-legged ferret and a fox attacked the entrails. He again raised his hand, rather than answering, and pointed out the creature. “Are those decent eating?”
“The Nirr?” she appeared baffled. “Is fine, but too hard to corner and capture.”
“Well, we’ll find out,” he said, raising his crossbow and firing at it. It squealed loudly, frightening away all the other circling scavengers, even the larger predators.
He shrugged, grinning, and winked at her. “Hey, I just arrived. At the moment, I have no home. So, I’ll gladly follow wherever you lead!”
Arriving at the village, Adam noting it was little more than a few, unadorned straw huts, there was a great celebration. Especially as he brandished the dreaded Ligor’s head for everyone to see. As such, there wasn’t much excitement, primarily those hoping to be properly fed for a day.
Rather than handing it over, since he knew what they’d likely do with it, he instead took it into Lor and Tiss’s—actually their father, Toq’s, hut. Not noting anywhere suitable to lay it, he carried it further in and ended up dropping it in the dirt—like a caveman—which given the circumstances, was entirely apropos.
“Do we have any water, to wash off our hands?” he asked, not expecting much.
“I’ll fetch it. We capture rainwater, and keep it inside each home,” Tor now speaking for herself, growing confident around Adam.
“So, where’s yours?” Tiss stood near him while her family members weren’t actively watching. “What direction does it lie, how many hands is it, and do they have more of your amazing weapon?”
Rather than answering, he looked up, turning in a circle. “Do me a favor, could you go outside? I’m going to fire my darts into the ceiling, and I need someone to see where they fall.” Toq, who’d been waiting to speak, glanced between them, unsure who he was addressing. “If only one is watching, they may not be looking in the right spot. I only have a few, so can’t afford to waste any.”
“Why waste time here? When everyone waits out front?”
“If I light a fire here, the smoke will force us to abandon your hut.”
“Fire?” His eyes widening as he stepped back, ready to bolt.
“To prevent the food from killing people, it needs to be cooked,” Adam said.
“No one creates fire!” Toq stated. “Fires burn, destroying everything. If survive, we must leave area, make new home, far away, where others fight us.”
“Are you throwing your dart?” Tiss asked from outside, “we’re waiting.”
“Not throw,” he clarified, “fire. Here it comes.” He moved over, so he was several steps past the center, and aimed at the uppermost point, aimed, called “Fire!” and pulled the trigger.
“I see it,” Tor yelled, happily.
“I do too,” echoed her sister, and their bare feet sounded as they took off, each hoping to recover it herself.
“What that do?” Toq inquired. “Now rain fill home.”
“Not rain, now smoke can escape, allowing us to cook our food indoors, saving many lives. You don’t want to lose your precious daughters, do you?”
He shrugged. “Lost five. They both hard workers, but no hunter to marry,” he raised a brow suggestively. Adam merely chuckled.
“We’ll see about that. Between us, I suspect we’ll feed the whole village, once I train them.” Toq’s eyes lit up and he grinned broadly, his greatest wish nearly realized. “Though it’ll take time,” Adam cautioned, as Tiss raced in.
“We found it!” she exclaimed, proudly displaying it. Followed soon after by her sister, who was equally pleased, carrying a shallow skin hopefully containing water.
“Terrific!” he approached, reaching out and holding both of Tiss’s shoulders as if bestowing a prodigious honor, before leaning in and kissing her on the cheek. “We’ll work well together, the three of us. I can’t hunt alone, as I can’t kill, clean, wash and carry everything I kill.” Then, stepping aside, he did the same for Tor, who grinned, anticipating the impromptu honor. “Together though, we’ll be the village’s greatest hunters.”
“Us?” they both enquired, astounded. “We no hunters!”
He chuckled, which only startled them, unused to the sound. “Not before, though now you are.”
“They not yet married!” The older man insisted. “You no own them. You no change rules. I make rules, tell what do!”
“Toq, if you sit back, the three of us will feed the entire tribe and attract many potential husbands.”
Both girls’ faces dropped, though Tiss appeared stricken, an emotional flint knife thrust into her chest, her heart’s blood running down her chest.
“Don’t worry. Things will work out. Trust me.” He winked, so only the girls saw it. They had no clue what it meant, yet giggled, encouraged by his words.
“Husbands take long to arrive, you likely leave by then,” Toq grumbled.
“Again, they will come together for everyone.
“Now, do you have something hard to clear the dirt?” He sat, took out another dart, and used it to repeatedly stab the hardpacked ground, in an ever growing circle.
Toq peered over his shoulder. “What you do?”
“I am softening the floor, so we can dig it out, creating a fire pit. We require several large flat rocks, to shelter the flames, warm ourselves, and to sit and toast our tootsies,” Ty playfully demonstrating by wiggling his toes.
He hadn’t found anything to wear, yet no one mentioned or reacted to his nudity. Once again, the girls ran out, not waiting for approval. Luckily, it still wasn’t dark outside, with the world’s twin suns.
“Can I do something?” Toq seemed edgy.
“Yeah, we need dry kindling to burn, as fresh wood burns black, choking us, and alerting anyone nearby there’s a community here.”
“You really start fire?” he pressed. “Lighting make fire, and it spread rapidly, killing everything.”
Adam waved, indicating the area he’d been working. “Only a small one, from a few sparks. Only we require dry leaves, which will catch. However, there’s nowhere for it to spread, as long as there’s a draw. There’s enough space, embers shouldn’t be a problem, but having water near is always a good idea, for several reasons.”
“And you … cook meat? Like fire does? Burned black and tough, nothing left?”
“Well, a small, slow one done over time in a controlled environment. Nothing wild here. We won’t give it a chance to spread.”
Toq stared at him, then shrugged. “You kill ligor no one ever has. I will accept, just no kill anyone.”
“Only ligors,” Adam promised, grinning broadly. “Nothing else.”
The girls returned, their arms full of stones of various sizes, as Toq left. Adam directed them in how to place them, and they pointed out their collection of broad branch trays, which he used to dig up a shallow fire pit. Once set, he told them about the kindling required to start and maintain fires.
They accepted his word and headed out, searching in another direction. Adam didn’t think the village was here long enough to exhaust the available dry branches—given the local trees, more likely brush or weeds—though it’s always best to preserve local supplies for cold nights no one wants to venture out.
“Tomorrow, when we go hunting, I’ll show them likely places to collect the right types of wood. Just one of many things I’ll teach them both.”
When everyone returned, he demonstrated how to properly lay out a fire, having them gather around. Removing the small plastic plug from the base of his crossbow, he extracted his firestarter, two pieces of metal to scrape together, producing the necessary spark.
When he succeeded, with a practiced ease, everybody gasped. He encouraged the initial spark, fanning and feeding it, until he had a decent start, fed it the medium-sized dry sticks, and the fire built. Then urged them to move everything else to the side.
He indicated the hole he punctured in the ceiling. “Notice there’s no smoke? The draft pulls in air to feed the fire, while drawing the white fumes straight out the top. The key now, it to feed it through the evening, heating the stones so they’ll remain hottish throughout the night, and settle in. When we’re ready for sleep, we extinguish the fire for safety, but also to preserve the kindling for another day.”
Once more, the two girls were attentive, though Toq less so. ‘Well,’ Adam thought, ‘he’ll either come around, or be left behind. Progress moves forwards, yet anything holding us back, eventually falls away.’
The ligor meal was, interesting. Since they had no way to suspend the meat over the fire, and no carpenters or builders, Adam set a smaller flat stone in the center of the hot coals. It’s a slow process, and given the smallish stone, they could only cook a incredibly small portion at a time. Their flint knives were worthless at removing individual portions, and impractical for removing a whole leg or beast, while his was better, he couldn’t maintain the fire, while also handling the meat.
Still, the first time these people tasted cooked meat, their eyes widened. Expecting the taste of raw, hard to chew, essentially flavorless red meat, only to discover a flavorful, delicate and easy to chew meal, they couldn’t get enough. However, it too was problematic, given the limited cooking surface.
Yet Adam realized it was best, as it kept them from overeating, as their stomachs weren’t used to eating much at any given time. So by extending the eating time by several hours, allowed them to eat multiple small servings, expanding their stomachs while getting their fill. Normally, they’d only share thin portions of tiny kills like insignificant rodents or roughly cat or ferret-sized animals they managed to trap.
With still much to do, and few individuals to train. Everyone expected to be fed, yet only a scattering working. What’s more, the village members are hardly equal. Over the years, in addition to those slaughtered by roving beasts, infections from infected meat or acquiring various parasites or diseases, there weren’t many with sufficient capabilities and energy to bother training.
How these people survived this long, astounded Adam. With a little luck, he and the girls will help ensure their survival and potential growth too.
Adam’s biggest dilemma however, proved to be his sleeping arrangements for the night.
Toq stood, glaring at him. “No. If you no agree to marry my daughters, you no stay overnight!”.
“Fine,” Adam huffed. “I’m sure someone else will take me in. If not, it’s a quiet night. I’m comfortable on my own.”
“No!” both girls’ eyes widening, considering the likelihood of anyone else laying claim to him.
“Girls, while you remain here, your father decides who stays and who doesn’t. You will see me on the morrow, since we have much to do, and you lots to learn.”
It appeared to appease them, though remaining worried about Adam more than his leaving them behind. They were plainly attached to him, but he held serious reservations of it becoming more than just an interest.
Their ages were a significant concern, as he was so much older. Even as a teen, he only had a few, mostly unsuccessful liaisons with other teens. Only gaining confidence in himself in collage, and more in the service, concentrating on experienced women during short tours with little opportunities in general quarters.
For now, he needed their youth, vitality and willingness to try new things, yet the idea of a romantic or physical relationship was well beyond his ken. But explaining it, wasn’t something he cared to venture, as it would likely crush the spirits he hoped to fuel over the coming days.
“If he goes, other families encourage him to supply them the best meat, not us,” Tiss extemporized. Adam grinned, pleased at how creatively she approached the problem, once more proving their worth as hunters, but also further challenging their roles.
Toq froze, realizing his bluff had been called, by his daughters, no less. He wanted Adam to commit, accepting one, which didn’t matter, as either would cement his role with the family. The prospect of some other woman catching his attention risked everything he was gambling on.
“If you sleep outside, I should join you,” Lor suggested, stepping forward. “If we’re to help you hunt, we may need to shelter for the night, so learning now, in the safety of the village, is wise.”
“That is something we both have to learn,” Tiss objected.
“True,” her sister countered. “It is better if we alternate, you sleep soundly here, while I brave the night alone with Adam. You then stay out with him, tomorrow.”
“Safety in number,” Toq added. “One stay awake, other sleep, all rest well.”
Adam nodded, studying them both. “It’s not a bad idea. Although for tonight, I think it best I’m by myself, as I have much to consider, dealing with an unknown land and unfamiliar dangers.”
His response pleased no one, as he slipped out before anyone could object. This time, he walked a ways away, so any peering out wouldn’t see him and be tempted to join, his fellow-humanoid’s smell may keep any meandering animals away.
Still, this was an unnecessary risk, as he surveyed his surroundings. Again, further enticing the girls was the greater risk. His choices were few. He needed to claim someone older, to curb the younger girls fascination. However, his choices there were fairly limited.
Speaking of which, he noted the native bugs, unused to his scent, generally avoided him.
Slumber didn’t come swiftly, as he gazed at the unfamiliar stars, the night still lit by a secondary sun. He considered everything he didn’t know, all the potential risks they’d face together, wondering about their likelihood of survival.
Then, there was the question of why he was here in the first place. Clearly, something extraordinary happened, transporting him this far back in time, to a planet not his own. For what purpose, he couldn’t ken. With no clear answers to either, nor for curbing the girls’ fascination. He needed answers, yet none arose, only an ever-growing list of concerns.
The girls, or any woman from this world, was another issue. Despite their similarities, they were different species, so he was unlikely to ever get anyone pregnant, so what was their hope? That he’d lend a hand, until eventually dying, either sooner or later, alone and unloved, after living an unfulfilling life on his own?
Though an additional challenge, children were also a welcome addition, as was the love of someone who cared for him—whatever their DNA structure—was oft the greatest treasure of all. He apparently loved someone here before, and it supposedly hadn’t ended badly, so …
He was definitely far from home, with no hope of returning. Again, destined to be alone, no matter how many he surrounded himself with. Could he make a home here, on a world he didn’t understand, without any common associations or mutual histories?
Still, he kept his crossbow nearby, just in case. This was a hostile, alien environment, after all, and there was no telling what he may encounter in the semi-darkness, on his own.