After Zylar finished skinning the hunt, he separated the meat and cut it into sizes that were manageable. Then he attached the raw meat to a strong pole, making it stand upright. He quickly disposed of the waste to avoid attracting the predator and covered the blood with leaves and dirt to decrease the scent of blood.
Ver watched as the alien gathered dried leaves and sticks to start a fire. He used one of his knives against a rock to produce enough friction to create a flame. The flame was the same as the fire back on earth. But what differed was the metal used in making his weapons. Both his battle axe and knife were made out of blackish grey metal instead of iron or steel. She had only seen some items made of zinc and aluminium looking like that after oxidizing or becoming old. But Zylar's weapons didn't look weathered or weak. Just like him, they looked lethal and daunting.
To check more, she made her way towards Zylar and knocked on his axe. Nope, metal like this was not available on Earth. Then she glanced at the small bonfire lit by Zylar. Now that she looked closely, she could see that the fire was more bluish than orange. A forlorn sigh left Ver's lips as she came to terms with the reality. This world was nothing like hers. Surviving here would be like a challenge she had never faced before.
While Ver wallowed in her harsh reality, Zylar kept on observing her every movement as he continued to smoke the meat. Bero was a curious creature. It watched the white beast split, examined its weapons, and studied the leaves on the ground as if they were fascinating. He had to come to terms with it.
Bero was not from this world. Its reactions to the surroundings made it clear enough. Zylar was sure that it had never seen his world before. And he had never seen a being like Bero before as well. The burning dome-shaped thing suddenly came to his mind at that thought. Did that thing bring Bero here? Was it some kind of beast that was used by Bero's kind to travel? But that thing fell from the skies.
Zylar looked at Ver in admiration. He thought Bero's species to be admirable for coming up with ways to travel in the sky.
"Bero?'' He called, gaining her attention. Just a few steps from here, there was a stream. He wanted to show it to see more of Bero's surprised face. Zylar didn't know why he wanted to do that, but just knew that he had to. The way Bero watched and was fascinated by things made him feel ticklish in an odd way.
Ver got up from her place and went to him. She felt him gripping her wrist as he led her somewhere. It only took a few minutes of walking for him to stop. 0
She gasped in stupor as he moved away, allowing her to see the image in front of her. The soft trickling sound of water hit her ears while she stood facing a beautiful stream. She couldn't help but run towards it. The water was pinkish in color. Only then did she look up at the sky and see a glassy pink sky. Ver felt like she was in some kind of Barbie world. The trees were purple, the sky and water were pink, it was as though she was in a fantasy world. But nothing here was man-made; this was how Zylar's planet looked in reality.
A huge smile bloomed on her face. She turned to look at her alien companion, "It's so beautiful, thank you for showing it to me, Zylar."
Zylar only seemed to react when she called his name, as he didn't understand her other words. Ver smiled nonetheless. She skipped towards the stream and bent down to touch the water. It felt cold on her fingers and refreshing. That in turn made her thirsty. Ver didn't remember the last time she drank or ate something. But was the pink water in her hands even safe for her to drink? Just then, she saw her alien washing his hands and drinking the water from the stream. He was also filling up his leathered bottle, probably to take it back.
Ver decided then and there, if she was to remain on this planet from now on, then she had to adapt. She looked down at her altar dress. It was long and sheer, and tearing some of it will not make any difference. And she did just that. Holding the end of her dress, she tore some of it, surprising Zylar.
He looked at her in confusion as she made her way toward him. Ver pointed at the spare bottle hanging on his waist, "Can I borrow that?''
Zylar frowned, not understanding her. Ver once again pointed at the bottle, "I want that," then she stretched her hand forward. That seemed to get to him. He removed the bottle from his holster before handing it over to her.
Ver smiled in return before running back to the stream. First, she washed the torn cloth in the stream as much as she could before wringing the water out and folding it in layers. As the water was running and not stagnant, the risk of parasites in it was less. She had to take a chance; there was no other way. Covering the bottle's mouth with the layered cloth, she held it to the stream, filling the bottle, which completed the first method of filtering. It was primitive and not that reliable, but this was the best she could do with the lack of resources.
Zylar hadn't felt bored from the moment he picked up this soft creature. It was always up to something. After weirdly filling the bottle, his little alien ran back towards the fire. Then it took hold of a small pot amongst his belongings and poured the water into it before placing it above the fire. So was this creature cooking now? That didn't seem to be the case because as soon as the water came to a boil, Bero carefully removed the pot before pouring the water back into the bottle.
Ver blew on the water and let it cool down before drinking it. It tasted like nothing, which was a good sign. At least she wasn't thirsty anymore. When Zylar came to her and looked at her curiously, Ver felt like she had to explain.
First, she showed him the leftover soil and debris on the filter cloth. Zylar was taken aback. And when she made him drink the clean water, he understood. Bero had made the water cleaner. Drinking water without residual dirt felt good.
Bero was smarter than he had thought. Offcourse, it was an intelligent being, its kind traveled in the sky. Zylar would never get over that fact.
To appreciate Bero, he ruffled its head. Touching hair was considered sacred in his kind, and he hoped his little alien thought the same.
Ver felt weirdly touched by his action. It was like he was proud of her and was thanking her. Now that drinking water was sorted, she decided to find ways to communicate with her alien.
She pointed at herself, "Vero, I'm Human'', Then she touched him, "Zylar, what?'' Ver repeated it several times, "Human'' then at him, "You?''
Zylar seemed to vaguely understand it. Bero was asking about what he was, "Ne, Xoron"
Ver said it again, "Human."
He replied, "Xoron."
So his species was called Xorons. Now she could stop referring to him as an alien. Zylar thought the same. Bero's kind was known as Human. It was a totally unfamiliar word. So was Bero. His little human.
The time passed faster with his little human, and the night soon arrived, filling him up with the anticipated dread. He had fed the human some roasted meat and prepared a place for it to sleep above the tree. It was the only place he would not be able to reach once he goes through his trial. When he loses his mind, he wants Bero to stay away from him and remain safe.
Ver surveyed the wooden platform and the soft moss on it. She wasn't that scared of heights, so it was all right for her to sleep here. Then again, it was also safe to remain here in the night when predators are active. However, there was barely enough space for her to lie down; there was no way Zylar would be able to fit here. She turned to ask him about it, but he was already getting down from the tree. He had left all his belongings beside her, and as she glanced down, Ver was shocked to see him cutting the rope and throwing it away. He had no way of getting up to her.
"Zylar!'' She shouted, "What are you doing?'' But all he did was look up at her and give a nod. What the hell did that mean? Was he planning on staying on the ground? Ver darted her eyes at the expanse of the forest. As the light vanished, it became pitch black. No way was it safe for him.
As the pink sky became darker as time went on, Ver wasn't able to locate Zylar.
"Grrr." All of her thoughts came to a freezing halt when she heard that bone-chilling sound.
Goosebumps rose along her spine as that low rumbling sound continued. She didn't dare make a sound or even breathe. Some kind of predator was here. That made her remember Zylar staying on the ground unarmed. He had left even his axe behind and only took a small knife with him, probably to cut the rope connecting to the tree platform.
Ver scrambled to the edge, trying to find Zylar. She was desperate and prayed for him to be safe.
"Grrrr!" The growl was too loud this time. Ver had to cover her ears to not lose her eardrums. This was louder than lions and tigers. This sound.....that voice, was also familiar which made her even more scared.
Ver, shakingly, peeked down. The subtle light from the moon illuminated the Zylar's friendly face. He was standing right below the tree. Large canines were protruding out of his mouth, and lethal claws that could probably tear her apart in one swipe were part of his fingers. His glowish blue eyes had turned silver.
As though sensing her presence, Zylar glanced at her, making her flinch. Ver gulped in terror as she peeked again, only to see something that made her blood run cold. He was climbing towards her.