Stranded on a Tiny Planet

Back at the lake...

After getting dressed completely and finding a new patch of the special healing weed to fill his head wound, Merco walked back to the spot he had unofficially designated as his ‘territory’. Anu flitted and flew around him, giving him space but seeming to show less outright fear of him. She’d certainly proven that by helping him remove that fishhook; a dangerous endeavor from her point of view. He felt a sense of accomplishment and relief knowing they were making progress at building trust. It was very uncomfortable to be feared like he was on this planet, so it felt good to know there was at least one less native that saw him as the devil incarnate.

Now if only they could get over their language barrier. It was hard enough to hear the little aliens sometimes at his size, but their language was indeed alien sounding. He doubted he could even speak it if taught. It sounded almost like a language mixed with rapid-fire clicks and trills; as if hummingbirds were trying to speak a human language.

He wanted to know so much about Anu and her kind. Predominantly if they possessed any means to contact other worlds or if they could build ships to get him off this planet and back home. Given their shock and fear of him he very much doubted they had trade with other worlds which meant the likelihood of a ship was slim to none. Not to mention his continual scanning of the sky had yet to reveal any evidence of any kind of flying ships.

Also, he wanted to know what became of little Pixie. Was she reunited with her family? Was she OK? The frustration of wanting to know so much and not being able to communicate it was maddening. However, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t try.

Something that was also nagging at his veteran mind was that the natives had been watching him, gathering reconnaissance, and yet they hadn’t sent out any sort of military force or diplomatic party. He’d only come into direct contact by a random twist of fate. Reconnaissance was common and familiar to him, but he knew it was a precursor to military action...or diplomatic action. He hoped for the latter. Merco had no wish to be the ‘Godzilla’ on the end of some sort of military strike.

That thought alone set his veteran paranoia afire. If that was the case, he didn’t need to be staying in one spot, making himself a very big target. But if they were going to send some sort of peaceful ambassador or diplomatic party to him would moving be a good idea?

However, Merco knew for a fact that fear seldomly lead to peaceful action.

Moving from the lake could be very risky as well. Before he even found this forest it was nothing but desert. The lake had provided him with both fresh water and a food source, neither of which he wanted to be without. If only he had some sort of container to hold water. Then he could move more freely without fear of not finding another drinking source.

As he neared his campsite his thoughts were shoved to the back when Anu flew down to her green-skinned partner, Traynar. Merco guessed they were a mated couple considering how they doted and worried about one another. The two tiny aliens touched their foreheads together in what looked like a greeting. Merco felt himself smile at the tender gesture. Traynar made an expression of pain when they pulled apart which made Merco wonder if his injury was life threatening or if he was just in pain and needed to hold still.

As he watched them, they both suddenly froze. The little feather-like plumes on the top of their heads began undulating in rippling waves. He’d never seen them behave like that before. Anu’s head darted, looking skyward but not at him this time.

“What is it?” he asked, “What’s wrong?”

His voice made her look at him. She made a sweeping, aggressive gesture with her arms and pointed at the sky. Merco looked up. At first he couldn’t see much but then he felt it: a temperature drop, the subtle pick up in wind-speed. It felt like a storm was coming. His eyes swept over the top of the forest until he saw it. A towering, pink to smoky purple mass of what looked like clouds rolling across the sky from the desert area. As he stared at it flashes of lightning crackled within its pink interior. It looked like an angry bit of weather that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

“Nasty looking storm.” He stated, pointing in the direction he saw it.

At first he expected Anu to fly up and see for herself what he was pointing at. But when she attempted it, she sputtered and dropped like a tiny plane out of fuel. She stumbled on the ground and then rushed back to Traynar, trying to get him up. The green skinned male grimaced with pain as she got under his shoulder and arm to stand him up.

...

After returning with Merco to the lake, Anu landed beside Traynar.

His dark eyes opened to her and he managed a weak smile, “So you found him?”

“He was swimming.” She explained, “He did the oddest thing. He...”

Suddenly a familiar tingle scurried up Anu’s spine. Traynar felt it too. Both of their head plumes reacted like mini barometers to the phenomenon that was happening. A storm. An electro-storm.

“Oh no.” Anu fretted.

Storms were nothing uncommon but electro- storms were particularly dangerous to be out in. Especially for fliers. Not only was there the obvious possibility of being struck by lightning but the churning soup of electro-activity messed up an Ansheetan’s ability to fly. There had been several instances of EFP members falling out of the sky, trying to outrun an electro-storm.

Merco spoke and his voice indicated a question. Anu merely could gesture showing the violence of an invisible storm before pointing to the sky. The huge alien, towering above them, turned his head trying to see what she was indicating. After a moment he pointed out toward the Great Wasteland. Anu tried to fly up to see, but even now the storm was wreaking havoc on her ability. She dropped, stumbling. She couldn’t see the distinct pink clouds yet, but she knew it was probably a bad storm considering how quickly it rendered her flightless. It was not something any Ansheetan should be out in.

She rushed to Traynar to get him up, “Come on Traynar. We’ve got to go!”

Though it hurt to do so, Traynar sat up with a marked grimace of pain. Anu threw his arm over her shoulder to help him up. A shadow flickered over them and they startled upon seeing Merco’s hand resting openly on the ground behind them. His fingers curled twice in a gesture that said to climb aboard. His eyes also held an expectancy to them. Anu exhaled slowly and helped Traynar sit back on the edge of the giant’s massive hand.

“Anu...” her mate’s tone was uncomfortable.

“It’s all right Traynar. Trust him.” She said simply.

He still didn’t look like his uncertainty was alleviated, but he made no further protest. Traynar painfully pulled his legs up over the edge of Merco’s pinkie muscle, so he was sitting in his palm fully. Anu hopped up and sat next to him. When they were settled, Merco’s other hand cupped over the top of them, shielding them as he stood. Then they were all but thrown back as he began to move.

...

Watching Anu hurriedly pull her injured partner to his feet in spite of his injury made Merco realize they were very concerned about the impending storm. A sense of protectiveness overcame him as well as concern. He wanted to help them and get them to safety. But... two major obstacles: a lightning storm strikes for the tallest object and he was that object. Not only was he the tallest thing but he had metal prosthetic attached to him. In short he was a great big lightning rod just begging to get struck. However, he couldn’t just leave them near the lake. A huge body of water was bound to be worse than elsewhere. He looked off toward the approaching storm and made a decision. Quickly, he knelt and offered his hand to them. They paused but gradually the pair settled down into his hand. Very gently, he placed his gloved hand over them, pulled them closer to his chest, and began to briskly walk away from the lake and the storm with haste.

He wanted to run but the trees hindered him from moving much faster than a brisk walk. Merco kept up the pace, trying to keep his hands steady and not jostle the tiny aliens he held. He’d never been past the lake, so he wasn’t sure what he’d encounter. He hoped there would be some shelter lower to the ground where he could wait out the storm. Though, he promised himself if the storm got too close and he couldn’t find shelter he’d sit as low to the ground as he could to prevent all three of them from getting electrocuted.

The trees rattled at his back as a fresh front of colder wind swept in behind him. In the distance he could hear the deadly crackling and the rumble of the angry storm as it loomed like a stalking monster.

For several minutes he hurried through the forest, nearly running. Trees scraped against him, whipping behind him and snapping. His keen veteran senses were alive now, awakened by the sense of urgency and survival. He could feel his heart begin to pound in his ears. The storm seemed to prickle at his back.

“It’s not a battle. It’s not. Keep it together.” He mentally coached himself.

Ahead he spotted what looked like a clearing of the trees bordered by a sheer rock wall. As the trees began to grow sparse, his pace quickened to a loping run. The wind whistled and the thunder behind him grew louder and more aggressive, breathing down his neck.

“Running out of time. Need to find shelter.” his brain urged.

And then he spotted a dark patch just ahead on the ground. Even though the storm was pushing him forward he slowed down until the darkness became clear. A crevasse in the ground...or a canyon of some sort? His eyes scanned around and sure enough the crack in the ground widened and spread like veins on the skin of a great rocky beast. It was a canyon...though for him it was more of a deep rocky trench.

It would do for shelter.

Merco wandered briskly until he found an entry point that wasn’t too deep. Carefully, he planted his foot on the slope. Dirt and rocks slid under his boot to the bottom. He placed his other foot lower and then the other until he was at the bottom of the trench. It seemed to get deeper, even over his head a few feet, further on. Wind swept sand and dirt from above over his head. He squinted his eyes and ducked low as he walked through the trench. Merco found a spot deeper in with a slight outcropping that was just a few inches taller than his head and decided that was the spot to wait out the storm. Doing his best to keep his hands from jostling, he knelt down and sat on the ground, placing his back to the rocky wall.

After a moment he raised his hand, uncovering the two aliens. They seemed bewildered for several minutes before they began tittering to one another in their alien language.

....

It was dark within the confines of Merco’s huge hands, which surrounded them on all sides. Walls, floor, and ceiling of flesh and bone with only tiny strips of light peeked through the spaces between his fingers and glove. Anu held on to Traynar as the giant alien’s movement bounced and rocked them in a manner that felt like he was moving with purpose. Even though she trusted Merco, the feeling of being held in such a manner by such immeasurably powerful hands was still unsettling. Any movement, even accidental, could prove fatal to both of them.

However, the tingling of her head plumage reminded her that the storm would be equally dangerous if they didn’t find shelter from it.

She felt Traynar grope for her hand and hold it tightly, “Where is he going?”

“I don’t know. Away from the storm I hope.”

Outside they could hear trees snapping and could feel the vibration of each of his thundering steps shudder through his palm. Anu wanted to stand and peek out through his fingers to at least gauge where they were headed but the constant sway made balance impossible. So, she resigned to sit and wait.

A peal of thunder drowned out the booming of Merco’s footsteps. Anu lowered her plumage, cowed by the familiar sound. She’d never been caught outside of Anashee in an electro-storm, but it was most certainly part of their safety training.

“This is not good.” Traynar said with certainty.

“I know.” Anu admitted.

“We need to get as low as we can.” He sounded urgent, “But he’s the biggest thing out here!”

That fact had not gone unnoticed by Anu either. A sense of dread crept over her. If Merco got struck by the electro-storm they’d be struck too. And it could probably kill all three of them in one shot. That is unless Merco was somehow immune? She had no idea.

As time ticked on and worsening scenarios played morbidly in both their minds, the pair suddenly felt Merco slow his pace.

His movement paused. Then they felt the sharp jolt of a downward step. Then another. He was leaning slightly and then came to a steady stop. His movement felt slower and more careful now. Anu and Traynar felt their insides lurch when a rapid downward movement gripped them, followed by a heavy jostle that felt like Merco had sat down. Before either could question anything, Merco’s gloved hand retreated from over them.

Anu blinked and took in their surroundings. It didn’t take her long to recognize the towering walls of pale rock and dirt surrounding them.

Traynar knew the place as well as he shook his head, “He took us to the Pela Canyons.”

His tone was a duality of admiration for the speed at which they’d traveled and dread of how close the Pela Canyons were to Anashee. Anu couldn’t believe it herself. It would’ve taken them nublars to even fly here. But during an electro-storm is was one of the safer places to take shelter next to being in Anashee.

However, Fate’s kind smile was fanged.

“We’re not far from Anashee, Anu.” Traynar whispered.

Anu nodded in acknowledgement. She no longer feared what she had initially believed: that Merco would demolish their home and destroy them all should he find Anashee. Now her fear wheeled into what would happen if Merco was seen so close to Anashee. The bottled paranoia of Anashee would erupt into unbridled chaos. Many Ansheetans could be hurt over a misunderstanding.

“Traynar, we have to bring Felreh and Madala here. They need to meet with Merco and see that he’s not here to destroy us. Otherwise...”

“There will be a panic.” Traynar concluded.

He glanced up and cringed as a violent flash of lightning bounced around the pink sky, “But we can’t go anywhere now.”

Then the crackling rain began. It rained normally, but during an electo-storm the rain was filled with tiny shocks of electricity. Not enough to kill or even maim but it hurt like a static shock with every drop. Even though the rock outcropping above them shielded them a few drops still hit them and Merco. His skin literally jerked with involuntary violence beneath them.

“Ow. What the Hell?” he rumbled in almost a growl.

He glanced up at the offending crackling rain and then his hand slowly swung out toward his side and rested on the ground.

Anu waited a moment and then understood that he was putting them down when his hand began to tilt. She hopped off and turned for Traynar. However, Merco was already anticipating her mate’s need for assistance as he gloved fingers moved in and gently plucked him up before delicately lowering him to the soft sand of the canyon floor. Traynar grunted with pain from the aggravated slice in his middle but marveled at the gentility the huge mechanical fingers could achieve when he was laid down.

Hands freed, Merco uncinched his leather jacket from around his waist, draped it across the backs of his arms, and held it over his head as a makeshift umbrella. The crackling rain that pelted them before was now harmlessly hitting the coat with dull, repetitive thuds. He glanced down at them.

“Thank you Merco.” Anu said with gratitude.

He merely gave a small smile and sighed as the rain continued from above. A peal of thunder made them all cringe as electricity crackled violently across the sky. But they were, for the moment, safe.

Anu stroked her mate’s plumage and then checked his wound. The bandage was soaked with his blue blood.

“You’re bleeding again.” she announced.

Traynar sighed, “Might’ve opened again from moving so much.”

Anu went for her hip pack to find another bandage but there weren’t anymore large ones, “Do you have bandages in your pack?”

Traynar shook his head, “Lost mine after fighting the Rogashay.”

Anu gave a look of frustration and tried to figure out a makeshift bandage.

...

As Merco sat with his jacket over his head, shielding all of them from the shocking rain, he noticed Anu was behaving a bit urgently. She had just examined Traynar’s injury and was now acting like something was wrong. He could see a stain of blue on Traynar’s abdomen and knew his wound was reopened. He’d seen that a number of times in battle. Anu had searched through the little bag on her hip but didn’t seem to find what she was looking for.

Merco could only guess she was looking for a replacement bandage since the one she’d applied earlier looked soaked through. But given her urgent searching it seemed like she didn’t have one and was trying to find something else.

His fingers touched the inside lining of his jacket and an idea occurred to him. The cotton under the liner with a small piece of the fabric would do for a bandage. Not exactly sterile...but what was out here? Letting the opposite side of his jacket drop so he could retrieve his knife, Merco set to work. Using the pocket knife, he cut into the slick fabric that lined the inside of his jacket to make a hole. He then pulled out a small clump of cotton and sliced off some of the liner cloth.

“Anu. Use this.” he offered her the materials.

She looked up at him and carefully took them. Her hands and eyes scrutinized the material a moment before she nodded with understanding. Then she set to work to change Traynar’s bandage.