Fishing

Posted on Thu Oct 10th, 2024 @ 4:48pm by Captain Rueben Gregnol & Chief Armoury Rormu Yazlin

Mission: Shackles
Location: Cotrie
Timeline: 8 months ago
1461 words - 2.9 OF Standard Post Measure

The dense, uncharted terrain where the ship had crashed was a sprawling jungle with towering trees whose canopies formed a thick, green roof above that blocked out the sun. Vines hung down like sea serpents, swaying gently in the breeze, while the underbrush was a tangle of foliage, roots, and alien flora that glowed faintly in the dim light that was like nothing she had seen before. For the girl who had grown up by the ocean, it was a completely different world mentally and physically.

Mina had been so afraid at the beginning but every hour she spent surviving and growing on the planet was a second she grew braver. She had been brave enough to leave the relative safety of the makeshift buildings they had created, venturing into the wild in search of fresh water when no one else had volunteered. She had been brave enough when the screaming and yelling had started with the green ones who had stolen them all to the stars to leave her place to escape.

Her heart had pounded as she navigated through the frenzy, but she remained focused, her mind set on finding safety which had served her well when the ship had crashed onto the planet, they now called home. She had been brave enough to get out of the wreckage and stand on a new world with no idea of where she was in the universe but she was there.

The dense, uncharted terrain was filled with unfamiliar sounds and shadows that moved menacingly around her, but she pressed on, her determination fuelled by the knowledge that her actions were vital for their survival but a branch snapping behind her made her turn looking through the dense jungle to look for what had made that noise.

“Hello?” She called thinking about the word that she had been taught by Xana. In the camp, they could communicate better with the devices that the green ones had onboard the ship but out here they did not work.

The people in the camp had started to venture out more and more in the surrounding forest. It was necessary to gather food and water, but it didn't sit well with Myoporulin. The nature of this place was so much different from his home planet. Where the forests back home gave him freedom and air, out here it felt suppressive. The overhanging canopy took away most of the light that the star central to this system provided. "Hullo." he responded in kind to the woman he had been tracking. "You stray far."

Mina had just about to raise a stick as a weapon when the man came into view, causing her to relax a little. The stick, clutched tightly in her pale blue fingers, slowly lowered as she recognized the familiar figure approaching. "Myoporulin..." she said with a small sigh of relief, though his name came out thicker and more accented than she intended. The man reminded her slightly of the men who had come from the sky but he was a much nicer person. "...shocked me." She admitted.

"Danger lurks." Myoporulin was frustrated with the limited ability to communicate with people outside of the campsite. He wanted to make sure everyone was safe, and the forests simply didn't feel safe. There was of course a need for clean water and sustenance, but if that meant they'd lose people it wouldn't be worth it. "Find food?"

The woman relaxed just a little and shook her head. "I was... water is needed." The woman was not looking for food but maybe he was and had decided to join her. "Join me?" She offered thinking it would be easier together seeing someone else had been brave enough to join her when they had not been before.

A simple hand gesture was given by Myoporulin, something that on his planet was pretty ubiquitous as a sign of agreement. He stepped in line with the other and hoped that it was a clear enough indicator that they could both venture deeper into these strange lands. Mina had been right in that they needed fresh water in order to survive. The vessel had been providing them with stuff, but none of them knew how long it would last and what remained of the crew wasn't very forthcoming in regards to how all of that strange technology worked, even if it seemed to mean that they'd starve with them.

The woman said nothing for a long time as they worked their way through undergrowth and dense forest like nothing the woman had seen before. She was used to sea and salt and the rustling of leaves and the earthy scent of moss felt foreign to her, but she found it strangely comforting, a welcome change from the salted air she was used to. It was nice to expand on the knowledge that she had gotten so far. She had never thought of herself as someone who was hungry for knowledge but since her viewpoint had changed she was desperate to know more. "How are you?" She questioned as they stopped for a moment to rest in the shades of a large fallen tree.

The oppressive heat of the dense forest wasn't too much of a hindrance to Myoporulin, but resting for a moment and enjoying the shade wasn't something he'd turn down. "Good. Healthy. Rested." Over the few days that they had been on the planet they'd been able to get enough food and drinks, as well as rest. With the dwindling supplies and failing technology it remained to be seen how long they could keep that up.

"Good. Need you strong." Mina approved thinking that they needed people strong for whatever came their way. "Further." She indicated that they could move when ready.

"Lead." He motioned for her to take point, as she had done before their little respite. It seemed she was much better at tracking sources of sustenance, and he wasn't going to diminish their chances of success by some misplaced sense of pride. His hand brushed against the tree as they left its comfortable shadow. The sensation of the trunk so foreign yet so familiar.

Suddenly, she paused, sniffing the air. A subtle but distinct scent reached her—fresh and cool, different from the damp earth and rich vegetation surrounding them. "I smell water," she said, breaking her silence, her voice tinged with excitement.

Water being as important as it was to survival it was odd that not more species could smell it as acutely as Mina's species seemed to be able to. Myoporulin followed the direction that her nose pointed in. Fresh, flowing, water. It sounded really nice right about now. "Let's collect."

Mina grinned as the huge pool of water came into view a lot quicker than she expected. It was fresh and not at all salty like the ocean of home which meant only one thing to the woman. She could feel clean for the first time in weeks. "Clean first." She admitted sitting down to start taking off her boots.

It hardly seemed like the highest priority but Myoporulin simply shrugged, standing back a bit as she waited for her to do whatever she needed to do to feel clean in this oppressive humidity. "Watch fish." He used his hand to indicated a vigilant stance looking for threats from the water. He knew there were some terrifying creatures on his own home planet, especially in the waters. Survival tip number one was always to steer clear of bodies of water where you couldn't see the bottom.

"Fish.... no fish." She assured as she shimmed out of her trousers before jumping into the water. She disappeared under the surface for a long moment before she reappeared looking happy. "Come in?" She asked.

"No." Fish or no fish, regardless of how she was able to tell in the running water, Myoporulin was definitely not going to risk it. "I stand watch." He turned away as she started to shimmy out of her clothing. Allowing for her to keep her modesty. "Fish tasty." He wasn't quite sure how to tell her that fish would certainly come in handy right now that they were running low of food as well as the water.

The woman nodded. Fish were tasty and she had missed the taste of them if she was honest. She glanced around and grinned as she saw long reeds. "Catch them." She decided wiggling out of her overshirt to use it as a net. She dived under the surface and just could feel herself relaxing in the clear water that was just as easy for her to see in as it was above ground. She dove further down from the surface and started her hunt.