Thread: Dani's Post Journal

A Whole New World with a little fantasy flare this is old and I'm moving it down so my newer better posts are first The sky was just beginning to lighten as a young woman slipped away from the human camp with her sample kit strapped over her shoulder. The researchers had been forbidden from exploring the area, certainly not alone, until the peace keepers that had accompanied them had finished sweeping the area. It had been days since they had landed and they were all starting to get antsy. Still, most had seen the logic behind staying put. All they knew about this land was that it had a livable atmosphere. There could be any number of hidden dangers that they had no way of scanning for. They had already seen several unidentified animals and plants that had yet to be classified. Any one of them could be poisonous or predatory and then there was always the possibility of finding hostile intelligent beings like they had on Artemis 7. Allie was unconcerned. She had spent much of her early life traveling to new worlds with her mother and had met many new peoples and species. She knew how to react against a predator or hostile beings and she had tucked a med kit in her bag to buy her time with a poison. Space stations made her claustrophobic as it was but now she was trapped in a tiny shuttle with people that, quite frankly, drove her nuts. At this point, she would rather deal with the unknown, no matter how dangerous, than any of them and if Corporal Fitzpatrick grabbed her ass one more time... She sighed and set her bag down near a moss covered log, once she had traveled a fair distance from camp, before digging through it for a hair tie. The sun was just starting to show through the trees and it was already sweltering hot even in the shade. She was glad that she had brought plenty of water and that she had opted to wear shorts and a tank top despite the fact that pants and a long sleeved shirt would have offered more protection. She straightened with a victorious Ha! when she she finally found what she was looking for and swept her long light brown curls away from her neck and up into a ponytail. She debated, and not for the first time, chopping it all off altogether but, as always, she decided against it. Her mother would be disappointed and that was more terrifying than any discomfort it caused. Slightly more comfortable, her pale green eyes scanned the immediate area for any unusual plants that she might collect while she was stopped and got to work. ------------- After hours of exploring and sample collecting, Allie had just settled down in a well shaded clearing for lunch when she heard the rustling of something large in the trees to her left. She froze, protein bar halfway to her open mouth, then stood, hurriedly stuffing her things back in her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. Then turned in the direction of the noise that was clearly moving closer. Very slowly, she began backing toward the trees behind her for coverage, legs tensed and ready to run. She had almost made it when a wolf-like creature burst through the foliage on the other side of the clearing less than 10 yards away. She froze, barely even breathing, forcing herself to remain calm. Perhaps, if she was lucky, it wouldn't see her. She had the advantage of being upwind and her clothes blended with the surroundings, it was certainly possible that it wouldn't. Then her protein bar fell out of her pack and the creature's head snapped in her direction with a growl that made her hair stand on end. For a moment, they just stared at one another. It was as tall as a man but hunched awkwardly like it wasn't used to standing. And that's what it was doing, she realized, standing on its hind legs, one clawed hand digging into a tree for support as its red beady eyes glared at her hungrily. Saliva dripped from its black lips and the wind carried the stretch of rotting flesh and blood to her nose, making her want to gag. A bird took flight near the center of the clearing, breaking the suspended moment, and both of them made their move. Allie turned on her heel and ran faster than she had in her entire life. She could hear the thing crashing through the trees behind her but she didn't dare look back. Instead, she began running in a serpentine pattern, ducking between close trees and hopping over bushes. It seemed to help but the creature was relentless in its pursuit. At one point, it came alongside her, snapping its elongated jaws at her. It had switched from its hind legs to all fours and it was fast . It was clear that she would not be able to outrun it for long and she was way too far away from camp to call for help. It didn't matter though. Logical thought was long gone at this point. Help! Somebody, please! She screamed once, then came to a full stop as the creature dove and swiped at her, standing on her toes and pulling back her stomach to avoid the claws. They got her, tearing the flesh at her side, but just barely. Not enough to slow her down. The creature's moment him took it far beyond her and its attempt to switch directions and come back at her caused it to topple over into a bush of thorns. Using the opportunity, while the creature recovered from it's wipe-out, she took off in the opposite direction, stumbling through to a clearing of what looked to be farmland. Help me! She gasped as she kept on running through the field. She knew that she had a better chance of survival if she stayed in the trees but if there was any chance that she might find someone who could help...