FSE

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At least I slept better this time, nothing disturbed me during the night.

By the time I woke up the fire had become ash and smoldering embers, still warm enough though to fully dry the meat and keep pests away.

Two things though quickly come to my attention as I stretch my limbs.

First my entire right arm is sore, not sore in the way your arm gets after laying on it, sore as in a deep throbbing ache.

And second, a spot on it itches and I don't remember it doing so yesterday or the day before.

After sitting up I part the fur on my right arm what is causing the itch only to be puzzled at what I see.

What I expect is some sort of bug bite.

What I find instead is a square shaped welt that looks like it came from some kind of vaccine injector.

You know the ones, they make a seal on part of your skin thus it makes a welt.

Then they use short quick and high pressure burst that forces the vaccine particles into your skin without the use of needles and with less pain, only normally those are circular, not square shaped.

Needless to say this frightens the hell out of me as I look about franticly for the culprit.

After calming down that I smack myself for how stupid it is to think that who or what did this would stick around.

Hell, some vaccines take a few days to show side-effects so I could've even been injected when I was picked up.

The thought of what was injected into me never leaves my mind as I tie off the bottom of my pants legs.

I fill one side with the cooked and dried meat, then the other with the stone blades wrapped in my underwear to keep them safe.

Holding the makeshift backpack over my left shoulder with the same arm.

I rather not trust my right arm now considering.

I leave the fire to die on its own as I follow the creek downstream at a leisurely pace.

When I get hungry I remove a piece of the meat from the backpack and snack on it, when I am thirsty I take a drink from the creek.

I find it kind of liberating in its simplicity, all the while though my right arm is still sore but at least the itching has stopped.

I know there are some clusters of those trees scattered about the landscape but I have yet to run into any yet.

The creek bends and twists through the landscape, occasionally cutting into hills otherwise I see no drastic changes in terrain.

It is all rather boring so I guess they were just utilitarian.

Eventually I do come across a small grove of two large trees and three smaller trees.

It's within sight of the creek so I do not have to go far to get water when I need it.

So I choose this grove as a place to stay for a while since it seems suitable.

My discomfort builds throughout the day as I go about setting up an area for a fire pit followed by clearing underside of a tree for shelter.

I still have a soreness in my right arm, but along with it now I have a general sense of something is off or wrong.

The feeling of not quite being well but your not sick either yet you know something is wrong, malaise I think it's called.

I try to ignore it as a reaction to the food being completely and utterly alien to what I am used to.

But it's hard to ignore as I work to make a short term shelter out of this tree.

Once the area under the tree is clear of debris I need to secure it against the Spider-hounds.

I place broken tree limbs that are too big for me to break by hand in between the legs of the tree.

With meager strength I try to interweave them in between the legs of the tree, and if I can't do that I just pile them up on the outside.

It kind of makes a wall that is similar to a thicket between the inside and outside.

And it's all I can do to keep the Spider-hounds out with what I have on hand.

Not that it's going to stop one that is utterly determined to get at me.

The barrier should give me time to use the Beam-gun, that is at least till I run out of shots with it.

Still it's going to be my home for a while so I toss my few possessions inside and turn my attention to getting a fire started.

Only to be side tracked as my stomach decides to do a sudden and violent revolt.

I have just enough sense besides the urgency to vacate its contents to head away from my shelter before puking.

While on my hands and knees I hurl up the food I had eaten today and that I worked so hard for yesterday.

Why does food taste worse on its way back up then on the way down?

I even keep heaving up for a few minutes after completely emptying my stomach leaving me gasping for air.

I back up a little before wiping my muzzle and whiskers of any of the vomit left on my muzzle.

"I don't need this." I really don't, It's the only food I have and it turns out I can't eat it.

Voiding my stomach contents doesn't improve my condition at all.

I move to stand up only to find that sense of balance is off and I feel a bit dizzy.

Still I make my way over to the creek and proceed to get the taste of vomit out of my mouth then drink my fill of the water.

I am not going to be able to start a fire like this my shelter will have to do.

When I try to get up I lose my balance and fall back down onto my rear.

Great now I can't even stand so I resort to crawling over to the tree.

It's not that big of a shelter barely big enough for me to lay down on my back without my head and feet touching opposite ends of it.

But right now it's got to work because I can do nothing else.

This might have been caused by the water instead of the food now that I have a moment to think about it, I did not boil the water before drinking it.

I will probably never know what caused this since I am most likely to die from this.

Oh god I don't want to die, I'm too young.

Reflexively I curl up as the same dull ache that was previously only in my right arm invades the rest of my body.

I don't know when I loose consciousness all I know is that at some point I start seeing and hearing weird things.

I'm alive!

That is the first thought that goes through my head when the shinning daylight hits my eyes.

I have no idea how long I have been out, I still feel like warmed over crap, But I am alive!

Moving to sit up I regret even trying because as soon as I start to move I am hit with one hell of a headache.

Grabbing my head I fall back down onto my back and hit a soft cushion of some sort, wait that wasn't there when I crawled in here expecting to die wasn't it?

Picking it up and looking at it I see it's made of the pine needle like tree leaves these trees have.

I let the bedding fall through my fingers.

And sitting on top of my pants are orange and purple objects.

It really hurts to move but my curiosity is overwhelming and makes me roll over to pick one of them up.

The orange ones look like a cylinder curled into a crescent shape, they remind me of doughnuts.

Bringing it up to my nose to take a sniff tells me that it must be very sweet.

It just looks very weird for a piece of fruit, but who am I to judge as this whole place is really weird.

I'm hungry again, not surprising considering what happened to the last food I ate.

So I really do not have a choice here, eat it or go hungry and I already seemed to have escaped death once.

So dying of voluntary starvation would not be a good choice to make.

I carefully take a small bite of it like any child does with a food they never ate before.

The outside has a tough skin but oh god the inside its soft and so very sweet.

My next bite is bigger and followed by more voracious bites.

Before I know it I have eaten the whole thing and I am laying there licking the juice from it that covered my fingers.

I would not say I instantly felt better after eating it.

But it did take the edge off my headache and allowed me to sit up and take a better look around my shelter.

More branches have been added around the tree's legs further making this place a proper shelter.

And there is some kind of white strand like stuff woven in between the branches like a thick thread.

Well all except a small hole that I think is large enough for me to barely fit through.

Not that I think it's a good idea for me to go out like this.

I feel relieved that what ever did this at least put in an exit otherwise I would think I am being imprisoned.

Laying back down onto the soft bedding I try to recover my strength some more.

I turn my attention to remaining food that seems to have been deposited by who ever did this.

The orange ones are small and grouped together like grapes are on a vine.

But they smell like pineapple and after I plop one into my mouth I find they taste like nothing I have ever eaten before.

Who ever left them here I think I am going to kiss them in thanks, seriously it's the best food I have tasted in a very long while.

But that still begs the question, who left this stuff here for me and improved the shelter I made?

The area does smell heavily of spider silk now that I think about it and that really does nothing to help keep me from freaking out.

If this was any other time and place I would be worrying about someone having their way with me while I was out.

Right now I am more worried about the possibility of who ever did this coming back.

And what to do about it if they do.

They can't be too hostile otherwise they would've killed me when I was out.

I go through my belongings to see if they took anything but everything is there.

The only oddity is the Beam gun registered an unauthorized attempt at use from a non matching DNA signature, thank you safety systems!

This does make me realize that I can't assume they will be nice either.

Considering I am like one of those stranded aliens in some of the early 21st century science fiction stories.

I summon up enough strength to get on my hands and knees and crawl over to the hole and stick my head through it to look outside.

I'm mainly curious to see if what ever did this is still out there.

Also to see if they did anything else to this tree to help me.

Nothing else was changed, the circle of stone I made for the fire is still there waiting for one.

And when a light breeze blows by I realize that I won't find any tracks or scents either.

Pulling myself back into the shelter I sit down in the center and think things over.

Suddenly remembering that all this started with discomfort in my right arm I move and take a look at it again.

Only a small hint is left of the welt and the area is not sore anymore.

This makes me wonder, was it this? Or the food that caused it all.

Only one way to find out for sure and that is to eat some more and wait.

If it ends up being the food I will be one hell of a glutton for punishment. I will be sure to leave this out of any stories I tell to my family if I ever get back otherwise I won't live it down.

So I dig into my makeshift backpack and take out a strip of the dried meat.

Nothing has changed about it but I hold it now with a lot more uncertainty and unease than I did before.

Staring at it won't help me figure this out, so I close my eyes and take a bite out of it before putting the rest down.

All I can do is rest and wait yet I feel like I should be doing something other than wasting time.

So I crawl out of the shelter again and look around the tree grove.

Two things come to mind that need to be done after looking about.

First I need to get a fire going as I do not know how much daylight I have left.

With my luck being what it is I might only have a few short hours.

Second I think it's time to make those spears for primary defense or at least till I can get to my Beam gun.

Once on my feet I get to work on gathering the needed wood for both tasks.

Getting the fire up and running was the easy part.

But the spears, they are proving to be more troublesome to make.

I can't find wood straight enough for my liking.

I am also failing at getting the heads to stay on the wood shafts I am using, even tearing thread from my pants and trying to tie them on fails.

So I resort to ripping out the elastic band, cutting it in half, and using that to make two spears.

Now I have two spears that are four feet long and kind of straight with stone blade tips.

It is only then I notice that I have stopped trying to pay attention to my body to see if it actually was the food.

Checking myself over about the only thing wrong I notice is that I am a bit hungry after all that work.

So I guess that means it was not the food that caused me to be ill and that is some good luck in my favor.

Badly needed luck considering all that has gone wrong lately.

So I sit down in front of the fire and eat another strip of the meat.

At the rate I am going through the amount I took I am going to run out soon leaving me without food again.

By the time I finish my meal the lighting here starts to dim into twilight.

I am not tired enough to sleep but I don't want to stray too far from the fire at night considering recent events.

So I quickly retrieve the Beam gun from the shelter and with it I feel reasonably safe.

The gun lays next to me on the ground as I sit in front of the fire. Right next to it is one of the spears I made as well.

For entertainment I use another stick to stir the fire and watch the embers fly and move with the updrafts.

They are mesmerizing to watch and as I watch them my mind wanders to the question on how long I might end up being stuck here until I am found.

The mental image of me as an old lady in front of a self made hut crosses my mind, I burst out laughing at it.

There is no possible way I am going to be stuck here for that long.

Besides everyone knows morphs don't look hunched over like that when they get that old we just get gray fur, at least that is what I have been told.

I seriously doubt I will be stuck here that long and even if I am I know I won't end up like THAT.

For instance I know I will eventually end up running into the alien that gave me that fruit while I was unconscious, or at least someone of their species.

The only questions are; When will I find them, And will they be as friendly, it's not like I can do much if there not friendly.

So it's probably a good idea to not go looking for them or to walk up to a group of them if they are nearby.

Speaking of near here, I am going to have to find a source of food or be forced to give up this shelter.

That is something I really do not want to do.

The only thing I can come up with after a running the possibility's over in my mind is to try to catch fish in the nearby creek.

It does seem deep enough to allow fresh water fish or what ever passes them here to live.

Should be simple enough, I caught a decent amount myself back home with the rest of my family.

Both with fishing gear and with my bare hands.

It does seem the latter is the only option I have at the moment but I doubt they have trout.

Now trout that is a tasty fish. Roast it over a fire and you have one heck of a meal.

I yawn as I start to get tired, Funny how that works, I start to think about back home and food and I get sleepy.

And there are still a few things I need to do before I can go to sleep.

First of all I need to put enough wood on the fire so it doesn't go out while I sleep.

I'd rather it not go out while I am sleeping.

Second I need to drag some of the remaining wood into the shelter with me.

As thankful I am for their earlier visit it is something I do not want to happen again.

So I set about getting the wood for the fire and place it onto the embers of the last bit of wood.

Next I drag what is left with me into the shelter and place it in front of the exit effectively blocking it.

Once secure I make myself comfortable on the bedding.

It's no gel bed on a starship in a climate controlled room and soft sheets but it will have to do.

The next morning I wake to the light shinning into the shelter.

My head is filled with those vague recollections of dreams everyone gets right after waking.

I stare at the ceiling of my shelter for a few minutes just to make sense of them.

Rubbing my face I just attribute them to the food or not being quite over what happened to me.

Still it's time to get up.

I remove the branches and crawl out to a nice warm breeze of the morning.

Yawning I take some time to stretch my limbs and tail a bit.

Man it feels good to not be in such a cramped place. Any longer and I would have gotten a cramp in my tail.

Looking over to the fire I see it is down to mostly embers.

So my first task this morning is to take some time and gather some more wood to keep it lit.

I don't need the fire roaring so I just gather the remaining scraps around the grove and toss them on to keep it alive.

With that done I sit down in front of it and take out the last of the dried meat for breakfast.

They are still bland, the meat could use some salt and maybe some kind of sauce.

Once finished I guess I should start on the main task of the day.

I need more food and hunting those large herbivore's is out of the question.

So it's time to try to get some fish like I planed so I head on over to the creek.

It's still as cold as the last time I waded into it but unlike the last time there are some areas that look too fast flowing to be safe in.

Near those though there are pools of deeper water and I can make out some fish that are swimming in them.

At least it is easy to tell that they are fish and I am glad for at least one thing somewhat recognizable.

Scales, fins, gills, even if they have four eyes.

The scales on them are earth tones making them hard to see if they are still but not when they move.

Not that it matters, I can see them now and all I need to do is grab one of them.

Of course the old saying, that is easier said than done, immediately applies to me as I try to catch one.

I forgot about how the surface of the water changes the angle of the light and thus where you think the object is under it.

So in my first attempt as soon as my hands were thrust into the water I found out I was way off the mark.

This allows the fish to scatter and avoid my hands.

"Stay still you little bastards, don't you know I need to eat you?" I yell at them in frustration while my tail waves about mirroring this.

Still after a few minutes the fish calm down and gather back up into a school inside one of the calm areas.

So I wade over to that section of the creek slowly as to not scare them.

I brace my feet and stop moving my tail while slowly moving my hands towards the surface but I stay just above it.

The steady and patient feline catches the fish after all.

This time I take into account the light refraction that was throwing me off earlier and plunge my hands into the water at the nearest fish.

Success!

I close my hands around a particularly plump one before pulling it out of the water.

With a triumphant smile I hold it above my head and yell out. "Suck it fish, I got you!"

A happy little smile is on my face and a happy twitch on my tail continues as I wade over to the creek bank.

Once by my fire I kill the still squirming fish then with the help of the rock blade of one of the spears I made I gut it.

I then turn to head back to creek for more fish and freeze in my paws at what I see.

At times like this I wish I had the chakat's empathic ability I would have sensed them standing there earlier.

Standing on the opposite shore are two beings that I can only describe as two anthropomorphic spider like beings, But they are both very different.

The one on the right is clearly bipedal, and the one on the left seems to be only partially bipedal and looks a bit closer to just a giant spider.

And that makes it a bit more creepy actually.

Both appear to be similar to the bulk of the creatures here. The majority of the body segmentation is gone on them.

Not completely like the spider-hounds as there are hints here at there from what I can tell at this distance.

Clothes and glints of metal adorn the one on the right while the one on the left doesn't seem to be wearing anything.

The one on the right has four arms with hands that end with three fingers and an opposable digit all of them seem to have claws at the end of them.

Over the creature's shoulders dangle two vestigial limbs as well.

They are unlike the other ones, segmented and no opposable digits just clawed fingers.

At about the same place a tail would go on a morph is a decent sized abdomen that looks almost like one from a spider.

The only thing that I can see that they both have in common is their heads

Both are similarly sized and shaped which makes them look odd.

Both have no Pedipalps and small mandibles at the edges of their mouths

And both of them have four piercing eyes that are looking right at me.

And that is what tells me that I found the makers of this place even though by the looks of the clothing they do not have the ability to make such an advanced piece of engineering.

I can't tell if the one on the right is Plantigrade or Digitgrade as the boots it is wearing seem to be hiding that.

Some kind of tunic on the right one blows in the wind obscuring any sort of indication of what is under it as well.

I notice that the one on the right is holding a spear about as tall as it is on the left side in between it and the smaller one.

I guess I will call that one Hal since the spear looks like a halberd.

Both hands on that side hold it on a single spot that looks like a leather grip wrapped around the shaft.

At the tip of the spear is a nasty looking barbed blade and looks like it's not made to be removed once thrust in.

One of the arms on Hal on its left is just hanging idly while the other one hovers over something on its waist that I can't see from here.

I glance over to the one on the left and the way it looks compared to Hal makes me think it's Hals pet, so I guess I will call it Squirt.

Not that it matters right now, naked, out in the open.

I feel very vulnerable now, vulnerable and scared.

So I take a few steps back in a slow and cautious manner hoping that I don't startle them.

As I do I glance over out of the edge of my sight the shelter and of course my Beam gun that lays within.

Hal doesn't move, Squirt looks to Hal and seems to be making clicking and hissing sounds as he does.

Hal finally reacts as it glances to Squirt and replies with similar sounds.

They must be talking but I have no clue as to what it is they are saying.

It is at that moment I decide to make a dash for the shelter.

Right before I reach the tree another one of them that looks similar to but a bit shorter than Hal roughly tackles me to the ground.

Once slammed into the ground I start to struggle under its grasp and I manage to dig my claws into one of it's arms.

Not that it did me any good.

It pins me to the ground face first into the dirt with three of its hands while the fourth brings a small curved blade to my throat.

The message is clear to me, move and you die. So I do the only thing I can I growl at this one.

The sound of metal boots hitting the earth causes my ears to swivel in the direction of the sound.

It must be from Hal, it must have crossed the creek during the struggle.

When the sound stops I hear similar hissing and clicking from the one that is on top of me.

Then another set of similar sounds from the Hal I think, but I am not sure, it could be Squirt too.

I can't see who it is with my face in the dirt.

Some silence then I guess Hal is yelling or something as the next set of hisses and clicks are much louder.

It makes me wince and fold my ears at the intensity of the voice.

I hear lighter and more numerous footfalls before something touches my feet.

Instinctively I start to squirm but that only causes the one on me to push the blade just a bit harder onto my throat.

Okay I'll stop moving.

And I think I will call this one Knives, as it seems to like holding it to my neck, or at least that is my perception.

The hisses and clicks from where I feel something on my feet confirm that it's Squirt that is climbing on me, so much for being a simple pet.

If I wasn't being held down I would have jumped at the sound of the metal boot being slammed into the ground.

I think it is Hal who did that, and I think it's not happy with what Squirt said as I hear a short set of hisses and clicks but the force behind it is obvious.

Mentally I start to freak out as I feel a sticky wet substance being attached to my ankles before my legs are held up so it can be wound around them.

They stop half way up to my knees.

Kinves shifts it's position which allows it to hold me down while letting Squirt up to my arms.

It's the same scent as the stuff around my shelter and that means it is some kind of spider silk, And I am being wrapped up in it!

I squirm and try to get out of their grip but it's too late Squirt has already started binding my arms with it.

And Knives is putting all its weight into pushing me down.

Before I know it Squirt gets off of me but Knives still holds me down for another few minutes as I can feel the stuff drying and tightening.

When it lets go I am able to turn my head just in time to see Hal walk up and then reach down for my bound arms.

It tosses the spear to Knives who catches it with one hand and then moves to hold me in front of its self using both the arm and leg bindings on me.

I hear some mild toned hisses and clicks from Hal which Knives replies with similar ones but points to where I got it with my claws.

"You're lucky you just got away with a few scratches!" I yell at it and this causes both to look at me then they start walking.

The way I am being carried prevents me from looking in the direction they are going, but I know they are heading for the creek by the side of the tree grove and shelter I am looking at.

As they walk I can see Squirt as it follows them and all the while it seems to be staring at me.

I am held just barely above the surface of the water as they cross the creek in a single line.

The splashing this causes hits my face, and I cough due to the luck of it happening right when I am taking a breath.

"Hey watch it I'm not a fish!"

They obviously don't stop when I yell at them, I am not some animal and I should not be treated like this at all.

Not to mention my shoulders are starting to hurt from having to hold up half my weight.

I admit I am not the lightest kitty in the world.

Once we reach the shore Squirt resumes it's position behind Knives and Hal, then starts to make that hissing and clicking noise again.

But what ever it said seems to have had a negative reaction to Hal as it stops in its tracks, Knives stops a few steps later.

They both resume walking with Squirt behind them while it keeps talking in that hissing and clicking sound to them.

The Hal interrupts it with what sounds like a snort causing Squirt to stop.

Looking to Knives, it hisses and clicks at it while it scratches the wounds I gave it.

I hope those wounds itch like hell!

It then shakes its head and replies in the same noises to Hal who is carrying me.

Squirt is silent now and from the way it is walking I think what the other two said might have hurt its feelings.

And so I am carried in silence save for the sounds of their footfalls as the creek and my shelter get smaller and smaller in the distance.

Soon they disappear from view behind a hill and are gone from my sight entirely.

A small part of me is filled with a bit of dread as this happens as I had held onto some hope that I could get free of this before being taken this far away from it.

But that hope is gone now.

Its not like I can do anything anyway the silk that binds me is strong and I am at their mercy.

Time passes slowly for me as I am carried.

Especially since each step causes me to bob up and down while Hal holds me by my restrained arms and legs.

My elbows and shoulders ache and throb in pain from each step it takes.

Then all of a sudden they slow to a stop meaning they are either taking a break, or have reached their destination.

It is then I start to hear more of those large spider like herbivores combined with different tones of that clicking and hissing language of theirs.

Seems like it's the latter then.

Without warning I am dropped to the ground.

Letting out an involuntary grunt as I hit it I manage to wiggle and face my captors to give them an angry hiss with my ears flat back, It is all I am able to do right now.

Then I notice that Squirt to the side of Hal and Knives looks at me oddly, Its face kind of looks like it is concerned about something.

Movement from Hal draws my attention as it reaches for the spear it gave to Knives.

It idly scratching where I got it earlier with my claws and it seems the marks look rather irritated, Serves that one right for tackling me like that.

Hal looks Knives and speaks to it in those hisses and clicks.

In turn Knives nods and then looks to me as Hal steps over me and to what ever is behind me.

So I wiggle a bit and roll over to see where this one is heading.

What I see is several wheeled coaches that remind me of those middle-ages or old west traveling coaches.

Only more elaborate than the ones I remember seeing in museums.

All of them are made of what looks like the same type of wood but only one looks very carefully crafted and more elaborate than the rest.

The carriage of that coach is painted in a vivid shade of purple with similarly colored curtains over the side windows.

Attached to the front is one of those herbivore creatures but looking leaner and more fit than the ones I saw earlier, must be their main mode of transport.

Hal walks up to the side of it and in doing so passes two similarly dressed figures who salute,

Then Hal opens up the door of the carriage and gets in.

It's then Knives grabs me and rolls me onto my back before placing its foot a bit roughly onto my chest, looking down at me it hisses and clicks.

"Get off of me!" Yelling at it in response not caring if it understands or not.

I think it doesn't want me to move, still it doesn't have to put it's foot on me like that.

I hear more foot falls as I would guess more of them are coming over to look at me.

Come look at the weird looking creature, marvel at her two arms!

My thoughts are interrupted once they come into view., two of them to be exact.

Hal and standing next to it is a new one covered in an ornate purple robe with gold trim and a hood covering it's head from my sight.

It reminds me of those stereotypical monk robes, So I guess Monk would be a fitting name for me to call this one.

Monk looks at Squirt who has remained standing there, still and quiet but its mood by its body language picks up the very second Monk looks at it.

This is followed by clicks and hisses from it directed to Monk.

Monk speaks in the same clicks and hisses but it seems with a kinder and more gentile tone, not as loud or as sharp as Hal and Knives were with Squirt.

Monk looks over to Hal and it visibly flinches upon the robed ones gaze, Hal might be in trouble I think.

Monk speaks in those same noises and in that same comforting tone yet Hal doesn't seem to like it one bit.

So I guess Monk must be some kind of high authority or something.

And that escalates my fear in this situation as Monk points to me with one of it's four arms and makes a similar set of hisses and clicks only louder than the last.

Hal comes closer and then leans down, Oh god this is it, It's going to kill me right here and now!

Wincing I expect to feel the pain of being stabbed or my throat cut any second now.

That is not what happens, Instead I hear the sound of the blade slicing the silken bonds on my arms and legs.

As soon as my bonds are cut I can hear them all take a few steps back but I don't look at them I just sit up and rub my sore arms and legs for a few minutes.

While I do this I can hear one of them walking off as their metal boots hit the ground.

It might be Hal, or I at least hope it is, I don't like that one.

I look at each of them as I sit there on the ground.

Monk's hood hides most its face from view as well as the robe hiding most of the body language too.

Squirt though appears to still be in a good mood as it looks at me and then at Monk.

It is Knives that has a negative reaction when I look at it.

Backing away from me, granted I put my ears back and growl at it.

What stops me is the sound of Monk rustling through its robes as if looking for something.

It then stops and looks at me before slowly pulling out the shirt of my uniform which I had thought I lost in the creek.

Monk holds the shirt out to me with one of its hands, the fabric moving in the light breeze.

I grab the shirt from the creatures hand like it was the last bit of food in the entire world.

The first thing I notice is that it still has the communicator badge attached, tapping it of course still proves as useless as before.

Other than that all the tears and holes have been fixed with less synthetic like thread, but with the utmost care from the look of the handy work.

Monk speaks as I put it on relishing the fact I at least some of my clothing back, It's basically a security blanket to me now.

I have no idea what it said but I want to show my thanks for this.

"Thank you, even if you can't understand me." I say while giving the robed one a toothless smile.

Monk stares at me for a few seconds as I adjust the shirt a little.

The shirt must've shrunk from the exposure to the water as it feels a bit tighter around the chest area.

I glance over to Monk as it clicks and hisses at Squirt before it nods and heads off in what I think was the direction the other two carried me from.

Next thing I know Monk extends a hand down to me, palm up and fingers open.

Through all that has happened so far this is the first time I have gotten a good look at one of them close up, It's hand like the other ones I saw.

Having three fingers and an opposing digit with all four tipped with what look like well manicured claws.

And like those herbivores the surface looks more like a rough textured skin rather than the typical exoskeleton of anthropods.

Though I can now see some hard surfaces at the edges of the finger joints.

Slowly I move my hand up and cautiously grab it.

It grasps mine gently back and with a tug it pulls me onto my feet before letting go and pointing to the carriage.

"You want me to go over there?" I ask and point at the carriage too.

I know it did not understand what I said but I do know it understood what I was pointing at.

Monk nods and points at the carriage again before heading for it, I follow right behind it.