Laying back in his hammock one hundred meters off the forest floor, Nor'kum watched the twinkling stars shimmer. Usually, this would bring him peace, but of late, a troubling question was distorting his usual meek thoughts. A breezy gently caused his hammock to sway, swirling the distinct aromas from the multitude of plant life of the great forest. One reason his people came to this world, the lush forests. It reminded him of home. Even though he and his people have evolved much from their ancestors, he enjoyed being close to them. Sometimes could feel them, especially the older ones. Of course, they could not communicate as he could, but there was an ancient or a spiritual way they connected. The old ones were giving off what he felt like a warning.
A warning of what? He mused repeatedly in his mind.
Having never felt such a concerning frequency before, his concerns grew darker, like an eternal eclipse. Over the last 120 years, he has never felt his ancestors cry out, not for themselves; But for every other creature on the planet. He could not prove it, not yet. He needed more proof; thus, one reason he made his perch in some of the oldest living trees on the planet, the ones whose roots dug deep into the history of the planet. Using his device, he had to develop a way to record the vibes that were emitting from the trees, the same vibes he felt within his being, like a silent symphony. His ancestors were more in unison at night. In the day there was so much other "noise" it was hard to decipher what was what. But, at night under the stars, the older tree's voice ran supreme.
A rustle in the high canopy brought him to his full awareness. The forest is full of predators, predators that would silently climb many meters off the ground. Keeping his wits about him, not allowing himself to get too entangled with his thoughts. Quickly reaching for his blade, he brought it close to his chest and listened. Whatever it was, had made a very subtle mistake the cunning of the unknown creature still impressed him. It must have been moving during the multitude of undulating wind gusts, moving upon swaying branches of the canopy, and pausing when the winds subsided. The creature must have become excited with the likelihood of a delightful meal, not noticing the wind had stopped swirling. Just enough for a slight snap in the heartbeat of stillness. He hopes it is just one, two creatures he would have to use his gun. Guns in this forest tend to be problematic. The more aggressive animals associated the gunfire as a dinner bell, knowing that a soft creature without natural claws or rugged shell was near. So, using a gun was the last result.
"Nor'kum, what's your location?" said a voice from his radio that was integrated into the fiber of his clothes.
Touching the communication stud on his shoulder,
"Activating my location now, I think I'm being actively stalked."
"Dammit, Nor!" the voice on the other end scolded him. "I told you not to stay out in the canopy so long. We are on the way now, ETA ten mins." The voice said, cutting the line.
Nor'kum knew this would definitely put him on Parker's shitlist, but if he could record successfully and decipher the tree vibrations, it would be worth the risk, of course, if he could last the next ten minutes. Slowly sliding out of his hammock, gaining purchase on a huge branch nearby, keeping a wary eye toward where he first heard the sound. Deciding not to wait for the hunter to dictate the action, crawling on all fours upside down. His long limbs made it easy for him to move in such an awkward position. Awkward for most beings, but for his people, it was almost second nature. His people were built long and lean, with strong hands. He wasn't like the old ones who had thick hard bark for skin that came with age. His skin was still in the sapling stages, this and easy to tear. He looked forward to the day his skin would mature, and he would sprout his first real beard. It will be magnificent, like his father's, thick and green.
A howl filled with frustration filled the night.
Wow, it sounds like it's mad; he thought as he continued to make haste, moving towards the end of the branch. Shrieks from different areas of the forest answered the first howl, causing Nor'hum to pause as he realizes he was in a worse situation than he believed. Making to the end of the massive branch, he threw himself toward the neighboring tree. Landing with the grace of someone who was born in the trees, he landed without adding a sound, listening. Three? Five? No, it sounded like eight. Eight if all had responded to that god-forsaken howl.
fuck he thought as he scrambled towards the trunk, the trunk would make it harder for them to pinpoint where he was.
They had to hear me when I make the leap he thought feverously. Hearing the first creature scrambling within the tree he just left, he could hear it sniffing the warm spring air.
Well, at least I know what I'm up against, he said, still working around the tree's massive trunk. Taking a sniff himself, he could smell the wet, musty odor of the creatures now. The wind finally shifted his way when he abandoned the first tree.
Had to be a fucking Cugalugos, he thought, changing his mind about going higher. Higher would mean certain death. Knowing the identity of his hunter, he knows what not to do. Cugalugo's tactics were to draw their prey either up towards the top of the tree canopy or force them down to the floor. They had surrounded a nice little area. Communicating with howls and shrikes now that their prey was on the move, they wouldn't use stealth. They would try to ambush him. They would use two members, probably female, to spook him and flush him out. The males always flew, so he knew they were silently circling the canopy top, awaiting to dive-bomb him, hoping to dislodge him from the tree. Causing him to fall, hopefully killing him from the fall. An easy meal.
"Nor'kum! What's your fucking status? We are seeing a whole heap of life forms in your area" "
"I have several Cugalugos on my ass" "
"Cugalugos? Are you sure?"
"Yea, pretty sure, Parker. I'm on the move now. Can you see my beacon?"
"We think so. The thick vegetation is making it hard to get a lock. You're going in and out."
An enormous shadow broke this moonlight that was ahead of him. The shadow was massive. Looking up, he saw its powerful body glide through the air; the moonlight filtering through its large mammalian membrane that is used for flight.
FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, he thought, pulling out his rivet gun.
"Let us go to Thagua six they said. It will be an adventure starting over in a new system, they said." He mumbled to himself, remembering when his pod left their war-torn system and start over in a place more welcoming.
Hearing a rustle and the crack of claws clamber up the thick bark of the massive tree, he knew now where the other predator was. Deciding it was best to make a stand, kill a couple if he can, and survive until help could make it. He would have to last four more minutes he estimated. The branch he was on shook a bit, signaling that he was no longer alone. The first one had hunted him down quicker than he estimated.
"Nor'kum! We have a lock on you. We are about six out"
Of course, you are. He always heard that when you are in mortal danger, time to the one running for their life differs from others' perception. To him, it felt like eight minutes as passed, but in reality, it's only been two. Steeling himself for the next few moments that would dictate his very existence. The night vision was an excellent tool, but it was not to be trusted within such dense foliage. So, he focused on listening to his environment, the breaking of branches, the tearing of bark. Then something very peculiar happened. The instrument he had brought along to measure the tree essence erupted with activity. Started, he looked down, and it was recording an enormous amount of information!
"Wha?" he gasped. Fighting to keep his curiosity in check. He would have to make it past the next moments. The creature powered through the last couple of branches that separated the two with a feral charge. Powerful jaws splintered and snapped a smaller branch that was as thick as a man's thigh… A big man. The creature's eyes, like most night creatures, were huge and fully dilated. Its matted fur stood high on its back like an angry cat, claws dug deep into the bark of the tree as it lowered its head and hissed. Nor'kum noticed it stopped about ten feet away, knowing that this one was probably the youngest of the group, used to flush out for the killer to finish the hunt. So, he deduced the killer was the one approaching from below. Processing the information in fractions of a second, he made his choice, knowing he had only less than a moment to live. He could hear the killer below coming in hot. Yet still reluctant to fire his weapon, keeping the first rule in mind of the first rule of the great forest of Thagua. There is always something bigger and deadlier. He pulled his emergency flare engaging it, dropping it below, turned away from the hissing female, closed and shielded his eyes. The flare erupted like an angry star in the forest burning the retinas of the two closes Cugalugos near him. He could feel the heat of the flare as he turned and ran, the heat searing his skin. The howls of agony from the creatures masked his own screams of pain as he worked to keep moving. It felt as if he was on the surface of the sun. Leaves wilted as the tree reached its combustion point and burned.
The flash was brilliant from Parker's point of view, who was now just two minutes out, a mere two hundred miles out, already decelerating. Parker's cockpit smart glass automatically darkens, damping the bulk of the flash. A lump lodged itself within his throat as his concern rose for his young friend. The ship's computer gave him a brilliant view of the action. Thick white smoke was rising out of the forest.
"Nor'kum, this is Parker. Can you read me? Are you ok?" not getting a response, the lump grew into a boulder.
The pack of Cugalugos had backed off but still circling the area. Powerful engines finally drove them away as he approached. The thought of killing them with his ship guns crossed his mind, but he resisted the urge to take out his frustrations on the beasts. He didn't know how long it would take to extricate his friend. He was hoping this wouldn't turn out to be a body recovery.
"Parker to HQ."
"Go ahead, Parker"
"Calling for an update. I've made it to the forest of Elder Woods. Nor'kum has not responded since my arrival. We have a lock on his responder. There is a large tree fire. We will be out investigating rescue priority."
"10-4"
Giving a quick nod to his co-pilot, unbuckling himself making haste to don his rescue equipment. The ship was circling the engulfed tree searching for a spot where parker could deploy. Wilson stabilized the ship over the pulsing symbol. The computer gave all the important readouts.
"Parker, Nor'kum is still high in the canopy. He is still living. His vitals ain't looking good. You need me to call in other units?"
"Call in a tanker, just in case. Use all the foam you have on this tree to keep the flames off of me. I'm getting ready to go in now."
"Copy that"
The pullback door opened on the starboard side, exposing the burning tree below him. Knowing the heat bloom from such a fire load of that side would be intense. Wilson would have to fight to keep the ship level. The deck gun rose from the top of the ship, taking aim. Wilson would wait for him to jump and clear the area before flowing the gun, knowing the recoil could cause the ship to ram into him. Knowing it was to always best jump away from the flow of the deck gun. Confirming he had plenty of oxygen and his jump pack was operational. Looking down to his left, three spider drones were preparing to follow him in. All three gave him green lights, letting him know they were ready and linked into him and the ship for commands.
"Send us his location, Wilson, the jumps ago" "
"Copy that"
Parker's heads-up display confirmed the information as a three-dimensional map appeared to the right side of his visor, orienting him. pinpointing Nor'kum's location, sending the three drones ahead of him as he jumped. Checking his display again making sure all of the predatory creatures had left the immediate area.
The rescue would be hard enough, he thought right before taking a deep breath, grasping his pack straps activating the system, the pack sparked to life, allowing him a controlled descent into the raging inferno.