Chapter Four

The well-developed, lean muscles of Rex’s tall frame flexed with tension as he paced in front of the boulder that was the agreed upon meeting place for him and Kendra.  He anxiously scanned the trees for a sign of her approaching.  The sun’s rays were barely able to push their way through the thick green canopy that  blanketed the tree tops during its highest point of the day.  Now that it was almost set, visibility was practically nil.  Where could she be? He’d been back for well over an hour.  He’d had a devil of a time finding it once he’d ventured out and wondered if she was experiencing the same problem. Adamant that he wouldn’t return home without her and certain that she’d wait for him as well and concerned with the time of day and poor lighting, he resigned himself to the fact that he’d more than likely be spending the night right where he stood.

Deciding to be proactive, he began gathering branches and foliage that would help to make his night out in the open a bit more comfortable.  He’d managed to catch a few rabbits. It was his intention to take them home, but his stomach was demanding sustenance, so he created a cooking pit and prepared the smaller rabbit for the skewer that he’d fashioned from flexible, green branches. 

Starting a campfire and cooking at a time of day when visibility of the surroundings was poor was a risky thing to do, but he had nothing else to eat and he simply couldn’t tolerate raw meat.  He debated whether or not to prepare enough meat for both him and Kendra, but his gut told him that he’d probably spend the night alone.  So, he skewered a quarter of the rabbit and placed it on a red hot rock nearest the flames while he placed the rest  of his kill in a sack for safe keeping. If he was wrong and Kendra did come back that night, he’d simply cook up more.  It was safer that way.  Cooking meat was a dangerous thing in the unfamiliar wilderness.  At least if there was two of them, one could keep watch while the other tended to the meal.

The rock  that he used for cooking was close enough to the flames to absorb enough heat to cause an immediate sizzle as soon as the rabbit was set upon it.  He’d made sure that the amount of meat being cooked was small enough to prevent an abundance of aromas to permeate the air, but, even with it being such a small portion, there was still enough scent wafting from it to send his stomach into a frenzy. He hovered near the meat like a half-starved waif; carefully watching it to prevent over-char while, at the same time, paying close attention to his environment with his other senses.  He’d spent years surviving on his own as a wanderer.  Being able to utilize all of his senses at once was an accomplishment that came from it.  Now that he’d developed and strengthened his psychic abilities, he also had them to fall back on if the occasion called for it.

When his meal was done enough for him to eat, he shuffled the flames around until the fire was nothing but low burning embers that gave off a mellow glow. In an area that was practically pitch black at night, he needed some assistance seeing his immediate surroundings, but he made sure that the embers were barely glowing to prevent attracting unwanted visitors.

He’d hobbled his horse nearby.  After finishing his meal, he brought it closer to him and then sat with his back resting against the boulder.  The heat that the rock had absorbed during the day was in stark contrast to the moistness of the soil surrounding it.  He’d arranged a bedding of pine branches to help act as a barrier between himself and the cold, hard ground, but it did little to prevent his joints and muscles from aching as the night wore on. By morning, he was so stiff that he questioned if he’d be able to stand and walk.

He hadn’t held vigil through the night in such a way since he’d wandered into Kendra’s camp over a year ago.  Although he hadn’t lost the skill of resting his body while staying alert, he found it to be a bit more taxing than he recalled it being.  He wondered how he’d managed to survive on his own for so many years since he’d had to spend most nights just as he did the one that just passed.

The sound of someone approaching caught his attention and he smiled.  He was about to greet Kendra with a hug, kiss, broad smile, and stern talking to  while he expressed the worried night that he’d just spent when he caught sight of an unfamiliar woman’s figure coming toward him.  She wasn’t Kendra.  In fact, she wasn’t anyone who he knew.

The excessively tall, willowy female with long, brown hair that was streaked in silver almost glided across the grass beneath her as she steadily approached.  Showing no signs of fear or trepidation, she moved with bold determination.

Rex reached for his bow, but kept it at his side until he better knew the nature of her reason for approaching him.  When she stopped just feet away, he stood in silence while he waited for her to speak.

“What business brings you to my forest?” she finally asked in a voice that was deep for a female and had a slight echo.

“I didn’t know this forest belonged to anyone,” he said in earnest. “My apologies.”

 Rex’s tall, muscular frame exceeded six feet, yet her height was such that he was able to look her directly in her oversized aqua colored eyes that looked far too large for her long and uncommonly narrow face. She cocked her head to the side and looked him up and down with a type of arrogance that came from of a lifetime of considering oneself superior to others. “Who are you?”

Although he didn’t feel totally threatened, there was something about her that made him uneasy, so he took a moment to select his words before replying. “I am a family man seeking food, that’s all.  I came here to hunt.  Had I known that it was forbidden property, I would not have trespassed.  Again, I apologize.”

“Where is your family?” she asked as her overly large eyes searched their surroundings.

“They are not with me,” he said as his worried mind rested on Kendra. Where could she be? Was she in some type of trouble?  Did someone approach her as well about being on the land? 

“Where are they?” she asked as she inched closer.

Rex stepped back and gripped his bow in a way that would make it easy to raise and load if need be. “Who are you?”

She stopped and gave him an odd look.  It was as if he was expected to know who she was.  

“Where do you come from that you don’t know who I am?” she demanded.

“Tell me who you are,” Rex said in a threatening tone as he backed up a few feet. Now that he thought about it, her clothes weren’t common clothes worn by humans who’d survived the apocalypse and were struggling to survive.  They also weren’t anything like the clothes he’d seen on Baelil and his people.  She wore a one piece jumpsuit that was made from a fabric that looked almost like rubber and her hair was held away from her face with a band that looked to be made of copper covering most of her forehead.

He hastily raised his bow and loaded an arrow into it.

She  grinned at him and shook her head. “You really are not familiar with who I am.”  Pointing to the bow and arrow, she added, “That is useless against me.” When Rex stood firm with his bow at the ready, she said, “Use it and see.”

He warily eyed her for a brief moment while he debated what to do.  Besides the fact that she wasn’t the loveliest creature to look at and had an air of arrogance that grated beneath his skin, she’d done nothing to him.  Yet, the desire to put an arrow through her chest was almost overwhelming.

“Why do you hesitate?” she asked with a raised brow, a smirk, and a smug tone. “You will not hurt me.  Shoot and see.”

Her urging did the trick and he released the arrow.  It’s razor sharp blade penetrated into the area of her chest that contained the heart.  He gasped with surprise over his own actions as he waited for the life to flee from her.  Instead, she chuckled and pulled the arrow from her ribcage.  His only consolation was that the arrow gave her a bit of a struggle to pull out.

Green blood oozed from the wound he’d made with his weapon before it healed before his very eyes.

“First of all, my heart is down here, not here,” she said as she pointed to a spot in her abdomen and then back to the hole in her suit where the arrow had pierced and the wound had healed.

“You’re not human,” he said in a voice just above a whisper.

“That is correct,”  she said with a smile of assuredness.

“Alien,” he said  in the same voice and shuddered.

“You say that as if it is a bad thing,” she said.

“It’s not good,” he replied as he quickly searched their surroundings for signs of Kendra.  The last thing he wanted was for her to walk into this mess. He had no idea what was about to happen, but, if the woman was an alien, he expected it to be bad.

“Who are you looking for?” she demanded.

“No one,” he quickly replied.

“Liar,” she hissed as she suddenly sprang into action and grabbed him by both of his wrists.

Before he could respond either physically or with his new found telekinetic abilities and free himself, she slammed her copper clad forehead head into his and the world went black.