Lt. Cmdr. DeVeau -"Sounds Of The Forest"
Amanda Nordstrom
(( Planet Limbo, Day 10))
::The forest cast shadows on the ground, the canopy so dense that
only filtered light made it to the floor. It was still bright
enough to see well, however, so Alora had no trouble in that
regard. What she did have trouble with, however, was navigating
the dense foliage that thrived on forest floor. At first, she’d
felt like she was wading through dense water, waves from an ocean
pushing her back, unwilling to let her through. Unlike Sachiko,
she was not small enough to slip beneath, nor lithe enough to hop
over. Her speed was also hampered by the fact that Alora stopped
to constantly study the flora and fauna that she found. Using
wide pieces of bark, she drew images of what she saw by etching
them with sharp rocks. They weren’t the best materials, but Alora
didn’t have a way to take pictures, nor did she have any modern
drawing materials. Primitive would have to do. Eventually, she
had to make a second sack for her drawings out of more of the
broad leaves and vines, unwilling to leave them behind. ::
::When she could, Alora gathered specimens. This was easy in
regards to flora. She could tie them with vines and hang them
from her makeshift belt - also made from vines, the rather useful
things. As she walked, they would dry and she could keep them.
The fauna was more challenging, and since Alora couldn’t come up
with a way to keep any specimens contained without killing them,
she had elected to simply rely on her drawings.::
::Most of the fauna she had seen was small, insects, rodents, bird
like creatures, all in an array of colours that dazzled. Some
were reminiscent of earth critters, though with unique traits that
were specific to those particular species. Others were so
different, Alora couldn’t remember studying anything close to what
they looked like, even on other alien planets. Flowers that could
literally move from place to place, taking advantage of the breeze
that rustled through the trees. Alora suspected it had to do with
the availability of certain nutrients in the soil. In another
area, she had discovered a fascinating caterpillar that was mostly
flat and formed a four petal shape, the petals undulating to allow
it to travel, and boasting a variety of colours from pink, to
green, to aquamarine. From what she could tell, they were all
carbon based life forms, like her, and the ecological hierarchy
was the same. That was something that didn’t seem to change, no
matter what planet she was on.::
::During her studies, something else had been discovered. Thick
as the foliage was, there were definite paths that had been
created. When she found some that were so obvious, even she could
follow them, Alora knew there was larger game out there - she just
hadn’t run into it yet. When she found a shed claw sheath, Alora
really hoped that she didn’t meet the animal it had belonged to.
After realising how light it was, she had tied it on to her belt,
marveling at its sized. Had she a way to make a hilt, she could
have turned the thing into a curved dagger. Despite only being a
shell, it was sharp as well as strong. Keeping it could prove
useful, so she merely added it to her array of ornaments that
already adorned her waist.::
::On the tenth day, however, Alora realised that she was going to
have to do something about actually eating. By restricting her
meals, she’d managed to extend the life of her food. Fortunately,
she had also taken note not only of the animals, but of the plants
they ate. A small mammal, not much bigger than Sachiko, shaped
somewhere between a dog and a pig had used two tusks that jutted
from its lower jaw to uproot some tubers from the ground. There
had also been a pair of twisted horns that erupted above the
nostrils on the snout, and Alora had observed it using that to
scrape off paper like bark from a specific tree. The bark hadn’t
proved palatable, but the tubers might. ::
::As the day descended into twilight, Alora made camp. Clearing
an area and lining it with rocks, she prepared a space in which
she arranged an artfully placed pile of wood. Using a quick,
efficient burst from the phaser, she lit the pile, then set about
searching for the plant that had the edible roots. She found them
and easily dug them up, then used the last of her water to rinse
them. Cutting them up would help them to cook faster. Realising
she had a tool to help with that, Alora unwound the claw sheath
and, after wiping it down with a moist leaf, used it to cut.
While the slices were roughly hewn, it was well enough for what
she wanted.. Taking yet more leaves, she wrapped the tubers up,
then waited until a side of the fire was mostly glowing. It was
there she placed the little package, the fresh leaves blackening
rather than burning, but allowing the tubers to cook. Alora
checked them from time to time, then removed them completely once
they were soft. The layers of leaves peeled away easily, holes in
the first two from the blackening by the fire, but the tubers
remained uncharred. Tentatively, Alora took a bite.::
DeVeau: Not bad. ::Alora commented to Sachiko, who perched
nearby, a mostly eaten carcass of the double nosed rodent that
seemed so plentiful in the area between her paws.:: I appreciate
the offer, but that’s not really the sort of thing that would work
well with my stomach.
::Sachiko didn’t attempt o eat more, just sat there and purred,
her little motor running steadily. The tubers weren’t what she
expected. If she’d had to guess what they would taste like, Alora
would have chosen potatoes, but they weren’t. They were strangely
closer to peas, though a firmer texter and not quite so sweet. In
silence, Alora munched on her meager meal, then paused. The
silence had grow, extending beyond her, surrounding her and
growing wider. Glancing over at the cat, the scientist noticed
that Sachiko had stood up, fur raised, completely at attention.
She knew what was coming next. A split second later, there it
was, that low, almost impenetrable growl. The first few nights,
she hadn’t been sure what it was, but as their trek took them
deeper in the forest, she heard it more clearly, and could only
athom it was some sort of a creature - possibly even multiple
ones. Like every other night before, the rumble, a mysterious hum
that hushed the other sounds of the forest, intensified. Just as
the rest of the forest did, Alora paused to listen in awe.
Eventually, it faded, and sounds of the insects that normally
dominated the night returned. If only she could see what made
such a magnificent sound.::
DeVeau: Maybe tomorrow. ::Alora whispered to her feline friend,
her food forgotten.:: Maybe we’ll get lucky.
--
Science Officer
USS Veritas
M239008AD0