The Iarians - A New Age - 5. Chapter 4 - Survival

Chapter 4 - Survival

Prasa Tribe Lands, Bara Clan, Beneterra, 1 N.E. (New Era)

- Karl Adler -

THE UNUSUAL SKY immediately silenced any remaining doubts anyone had left. They remained silent as each tried to process the information and what it meant.

"Let's not panic. We must try and figure out what to do next," John said calmly, trying to be the voice of reason in the sea of confusion and disbelief. Turning to Karl, he asked, "You said the boy claims to be a god? What did he mean by 'amuse him'?"

"I don't know. That was all he said, along with 'survive'," Karl said despondently.

Lydia asked with a tremulous voice, "Survive, survive what? Are we the only ones on this world?"

"I don't know, he never said. I think he was enjoying being as cryptic and unhelpful as he possibly could, wanting to watch us scramble." Karl said with a scowl.

"Fuck him!" Terry cursed. "Let's decide what needs doing, a'right?"

"Okay," said John taking over. "The question is this, and I never thought I would ever have to seriously consider this," he said with a smile. "We are on an alien world, with no food, shelter or tools. We have no idea whether we are alone or whether there are any wild predators or alien savages waiting to tear us apart and eat us. There is no way to get back to civilisation. And to make matters worse, there appears to be a god or some sort of powerful being who seems to be getting a real laugh out of our situation. Have I missed out on anything?" John said drily, and the group gave a strained laugh as John tried to lighten their circumstances.

"Food, water, shelter; in that order," said Dennis to nods from everyone.

"Wait, do we gather wood for a fire? Is it safe? Which danger should we risk, light a fire to ward off wild predators and maybe attract some unwanted attention, or don't light a fire and get mauled?" Jess asked.

"What about the native animal and plant life, Karl? What did you see in the forest? Do you think we can forage for food?" Lydia said.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do. Lydia, you're our resident biologist and I know you're also quite keen on botany and your garden. You go and try to find some food. Jess, would you go with her as well?" John instructed and they both nodded in the affirmative.

John continued, "Dennis, I remember you telling me all about your hellish summer anthropology course which you described, if I remember correctly as 'the summer you lived like a savage, started fires with sticks and built crude wooden lean-to's. You're in charge of fire duty as well as shelter. Maybe we can use the car tonight if we don't finish building a hut, but I for one wouldn't want to cram myself into the car."

"Right, John. I'll set to it," Dennis replied readily.

"Terry, would you like to follow the Lydia and Jess or work with Dennis at camp?"

"I'll stay at camp, if you don't mind. I don't fancy a nature walk, thank you."

"Alright then. Stay at camp, and maybe try to find a way to get water from the stream over there."

"What about you and Karl?" Lydia asked John.

"Karl and I will accompany you ladies. Maybe we can try to hunt some meat for dinner. Besides, Karl already knows a little about the forest and should be able to help us navigate and all," John replied.

Before they left, Dennis called out, "Please wait." He took his car keys out and opened the car boot. He leaned in and removed an aluminium baseball bat along with a hockey stick, passing the bat to John and keeping the hockey stick. "I'll keep the hockey stick, if you don't mind. Someone needs to protect the camp, after all," he said with a cheeky smile.

"As for you two," Dennis continued addressing Jess and Lydia. "How will you bring back any fruits or plants you might find, use your skirt to bundle up the produce like an old house-wife?" he asked cheekily, looking at the tight and impractical clothing that both Jess and Lydia had worn to the club. Tight and short miniskirts that barely reached their knees and high heels. Jess' heels had an unbelievable and impractical stiletto heel so high that it appeared as if it would only be a matter of time until she fell flat on her face. They responded with indignant glares back at him.

Tongue in cheek, Dennis rummaged through the cluttered junk in his boot, finding his sports duffel bag. Quickly emptying it of its contents of crumpled and stained clothes, he passed it to them. Both Jess and Lydia wrinkled their noses with disgust at the musky smell of unwashed male sweat that permeated through the bag. He also produced two pairs of worn sports shoes, one for running while the other was for tennis. Lydia took a step backwards while Jess reluctantly reached out and took the bag before quickly passing it on to Karl.

They also reluctantly took the proffered shoes and winced as they put them on. Even though the shoes were much too big for them, at least they would be more suitable for walking in the forest. The guys tried to suppress their mirth at the girls' expense. Dennis though was less politic about it and held his arms around his body as he shook with laughter.

With injured expressions, Jess and Lydia turned their backs on the guys and flounced off heading towards the forest. Karl and John shared amused glances with Terry and Dennis before rushing to join them.

*****

The forest turned out to be a bountiful mistress, yielding several species of fruits and berries. They were surprised to discover that much of the plant and animal life appeared to be similar to those on Earth. However, they also saw many new plants that looked alien and unusual, some having bright colours that were not commonly found in the natural life back home.

John lead the way with Lydia and Jess while Karl tailed behind them. As they entered deeper into the forest, John took out a Swiss Army knife from his pocket and made several markings on the trees they passed.

"I didn't know you have a knife with you," said Jess. "Isn't it illegal?"

John replied, "It's legal. The blade is shorter than three inches, see," he said, briefly showing the knife. "Besides," he replied with a smile, "I'm a lawyer." As if that explained anything.

Karl caught sight of a thick growth of a palm which was thickly covered in vines. He got closer and saw the vines covering a rattan-like stem. He slung the duffel bag across his neck and examined the plant. Drawing the vines aside, he took a strong grip on one stem, pulling it away from the thicket with his body weight. Once it had separated from the rest, he drew his free hand back and took a deep breath, steeled his hand before suddenly snapping forward with a powerful chop and a strong kiai shout. He had purposely angled his chop at an angle to create a sharp edge on the wood. The plant gave way and the long wooden stick formed a crude spear on one end. Throbbing with pain, he shook his hand and breathed out to disperse the pain.

He glanced up and saw John, Jess and Lydia from quite a distance away looking back at him first with alarm at his sudden cry which turned to curiosity. Karl smiled sheepishly and held up the stick he had broken off, "Sorry."

"Try and keep up, would you Karl?" Lydia said dryly.

Karl nodded and started walking towards them, at the same time stripping the leaves and trying to smooth the shaft of the stick.

Whenever they came across a fruit bearing plant, they would stop to examine the fruit closer. Lydia and Jess would then start arguing about them and trying to compare them to any similar Earth counterparts. Where both were unsure about their edibility, they would also collect them but separate them into a different compartment of the bag.

There were also numerous animal tracks about but they saw none of the actual animals themselves. Karl started feeling uneasy at the quiet, compared to when he had been following the boy to the white rock through the woods which were filled with the teeming sounds of wildlife.

Lydia called out when they came across a thick bramble which bore a rich load of purple berries. "Look at them," she cried as she eagerly went ahead of the others to study the berries. A rustling sound came from within the dense bush and the leaves started to shake violently, as if something very large was threading through the bush. Lydia and Jess stopped in their tracks while John cautiously stepped forward, raise the bat high in the air, ready to be brought to bear against any enemy.

With a slight tilt of his head, John silently ordered Karl to attempt to approach from the other side so as to encircle the bush. A long, midnight black sinewy shape suddenly broke out from within the bushes. A shaggy, muscular body stood there. Karl thought it was a wolf, its body covered with sleek black fur and with the sharp canine muzzle and teeth. However, this creature was almost twice as large as even the largest wolf he had ever seen back on Earth. It bared its teeth, and a terrifying growl rumbled menacingly from its huge body. The wolf hunched low on its haunches, its body was coiled like a spring, looking as if it was getting ready to pounce.

"Back away, slowly," John quietly ordered. With tense breaths, Karl and Jess both took slow, measured steps away. Lydia who was closest to the wolf did not. Instead, her body tensed with fear and she whimpered.

The wolf turned towards her and took a warning step forward, issuing another challenging growl that only froze Lydia further with terror and caused her body to shake violently. Unfortunately, the beast took this as a sign of challenge and adjusted itself even lower to the ground, preparing to strike.

John saw this and quickly stepped forward with a loud cry, closing the distance with the bat held before him in a defensive position. Startled, the beast leapt back. Reaching Lydia, John quickly gripped her arm and started to pull her backwards. At this, the beast started towards them at a run and leapt towards them with a loud roar when it got within range. Reacting quickly, John jerked Lydia away causing her to stumble and fall to the ground away from the path of the beast.

The wolf was suddenly upon him, and John had no time properly brandish the bat. The wolf's momentum drove them both to the ground, its jaw aimed towards his jugular. Fortunately, John managed to wedge the bat into the wicked teeth and held it away from his vulnerable throat, the wolf snarling and repeatedly trying to gnaw through the aluminium bat. The crushing force of the closing jaw left deep dents along the bat but it thankfully held firm and remained intact. With a two-handed grip on both ends of the bat, John brought all his strength to bear to stave off the beast. This however left his sides vulnerable though and the wolf's sharp claws left deep rents along his body. Blood welled from the wounds and stained his shirt red.

Seeing the danger John was in, all thoughts for his own safety left Karl's head. Anger suddenly coursed through his body giving him sudden strength and courage. His mind which was previously paralysed with fear grew lucid and clear as love and fear for John drove away the terror.

A loud battle yell ripped from his throat as Karl threw himself on the wolf, trying to drive the crude spear's sharp end into the beast's body. However, the roughly fashioned wooden point only managed to pierce a shallow wound on the beast, its thick hide and muscular torso managing to absorb and withstand the attack. An painful yelp tore from the wolf's throat and the beast quickly retreated away from the new danger, disengaging from John.

The wolf is too large, Karl suddenly realised with dread. Its thick hide and massive size means that I won't be able to drive the spear deep enough to kill it. Instead, it would only enrage the beast further. At least, it managed to distract the wolf's fierce attention away from John and towards him, buying John precious time to get back to a more advantageous position and lead the girls to safety, he concluded gratefully.

Karl stepped to the side, trying to lead the wolf further away from John. "Help them get away," Karl urgently shouted at John with a nod of his head in the women's direction. John hesitated awhile, looking at him with concern. The agony from the conflicting choices in his mind were clearly displayed in a brief glance they shared; stay and fight the wolf beside Karl or lead the girls to safety and leave Karl to certain death.

"Go!" Karl shouted, resolving John's quandary. "I'll join you later when I can." Karl quickly removed the duffel bag from around his shoulders and threw it towards John.

"I love you," John said and followed this declaration with a quick but deep and meaningful nonetheless expression of love. He then took the bag and struggled to rise to his feet. He winced from the bruises and wounds he had sustained in his brief close encounter with the wolf. Hurrying towards Jess and Lydia, he took hold of their hands and dragged them away to safety heading back towards the car.

For a brief moment, disappointment at being abandoned by John warred with his relief that John had the presence of mind to take both Jess and Lydia away to safety. The large wolf warily circling his defences however quickly dispelled any thought other than the battle at hand.

Moving to his right, the wolf suddenly backtracked and came in from his left, charging towards him with teeth flashing. Karl barely managed to react to this devious change, instinctively rolling on the ground away from the path of the wolf. Getting back onto his feet, he swiftly got back on his feet and crouched down low, bending his knees and lowering his chest and head, coiling his body to ready for any sudden movements he might have to make. The sharp end of the spear followed the wolf's movements, for the moment keeping it at bay.

Whenever the wolf came snapping at him, he would quickly stab forward at the wolf. However, the beast was much too clever and fast, always managing to evade the weapon.

Unexpectedly, he started to recall a book he had read on boar hunting in the olden days, a plan beginning to take shape in his mind. I must get the wolf to charge at me, he realised, then bury one end of the spear in the ground to give enough resistance and leverage to bear against the wolf for it to spit itself through the heart with its own momentum.

Determinedly, Karl abandoned his previously defensive movements and started to take the offensive. He charged forward, driving the spear towards it and trying to provoke the beast into making another head-long charge at him. Leaping to the side, the wolf made an unexpectedly agile twist of its body and charged at Karl, startling Karl who in turn had to desperately throw himself away to avoid the attack. He wasn't fast enough, as evident when a sharp swipe suddenly caused a hot, sharp pain to erupt along his back. A cry of pain wrenched free from his throat and brought tears to his eyes.

Using the lessons he had learnt from the dojo, he took deep breaths and exhaled the pain out of his body. The beast seems to possess an incredible amount of intelligence and cunning, he thought with mounting despair. Even so, I must not give in so easily, he resolved. Once again, he brought the point of the spear to face the wolf, taking several steps backwards to add distance between them.

At that moment, curious puppy-sounding yapping emanated from within the bushes brought dawning realisation to Karl's head, explaining why the wolf appeared to be so determined to run them off. Cautiously, Karl took slow steps backwards to try and escape the protective mother. His efforts were however met with resistance as the she-wolf pursued him, snapping close at his heels. Undeterred, he simply continued walking away, though he always kept the spear tip unerringly aimed towards the beast. Eventually, he got to a sufficient distance away from the she-wolf's den within the bramble that she no longer advanced towards him, reluctant to leave her cubs behind.

Once he had gotten to a reasonably safe distance, a powerful feeling of relief that he had survived the fight against the mother wolf threatened to overwhelm him. His temporary burst of strength seemed to abandon him and he felt weak. All of a sudden, his legs suddenly gave way beneath him and he stumbled towards a tree, leaning against it before slowly sliding down to the ground.

The sunlight streaming through the trees appeared to grow brighter, the fresh smells of nature suddenly filled his senses and he felt a great euphoria. Having just faced death and survive made him suddenly appreciate life better.

After enjoying a brief rest sitting with his back against a tree, he picked his way through the forest, trying to find the markings John had made that would lead him back to camp.

*****