Aquaertus

Chapter Fourteen - Into the Woods

Finally, Derik and I venture into the woods. Although, Derik is clearly trying to avoid going much farther than about 10 feet into the tree line.

"You know, eventually we're going to have to go farther in, Derik," I tell him.

"I know, I know. I just try to go into the woods as little as possible. The shore is much safer," he responds.

I stop walking to look at Derik. He notices my halt and glances towards me. I put on my best "no-nonsense" face, and I think Derik gets the point. He begins to lead me farther into the forest of alien trees and I sigh in happiness. Finally.

I look around me as I enter the new environment; we travel from an area with a sparse amount of trees to a jungle-like ecosystem. The trees are tall, thick, and condensed, it's almost too difficult to move around. Vines descend from the canopy above, along with a small amount of light that allows us to see. Derik and I constantly push aside plants and step over shrubbery to make our way through the jungle.

Thank God I'm not claustrophobic.

As we travel deeper into the trees, I see fewer and fewer animals. At first, I spotted multiple colorful creatures jumping around in the branches above me, but now I see almost none. I anticipate watching the active critters again later.

At some point, I hear chittering and see Zippy jump down from a tree to Derik. Other yelps sound in the distance, exactly like Zippy's. I wonder if she has a family.

Derik stops and turns to me. "Are you done looking around yet?"

"Ugh, fine. Let me soak in the scenery for a second and then we can go," I once again roll my eyes at Derik's lack of adventurousness.

I take one last moment to study my surroundings. The life on this planet is breathtaking, and happily untouched by humans. I question if Earth would be this beautiful if we had never touched it. Now, our planet is destroyed beyond repair, barren of most life forms other than human. Overflowing with humans, in fact. The thought that our initial intention was to colonize Aquaertus fills me with sadness and regret. I hope that Earth has learned its lesson and decides to stop meddling with alien life. I highly doubt it, though. Humans are a selfish breed.

As I take in one last deep breath of fresh air, I say to Derik, "Alright, let's get going." He simply smiles at my decision to leave.

As we exit the woods, I enjoy the scenery. I look at the animals up in the trees a little closer.

I'm able to spot a few different species. I see a creature that flies like a bird, but looks like an odd stingray. Its skin is a dark blue and appears slick and moist. There's also a slight greenish glow along the edges of its limbs, including the long tail and multiple fins. I spot a butterfly-like animal as well, although it's much more terrifying than a normal butterfly. The wingspan of the animal is probably as long as my arm, so it's not small. The back of the creature is camouflaged as the leaves of the trees, so the animal is hard to find at times. The underside is a brilliant ocean colored blue, so it's easy to see while flying. Its head is the scary part, though; I can see its bones because the skin is so taut, and there's a row of razor sharp teeth along its jaw. Lastly, I see a multitude of tiny multicolored lizard-like critters with long hind legs and short arms. The creatures have lengthy tails with a feathery end. Otherwise, the body is scaly. These are my favorite, because of their wide range of bright colors and amusing run.

As we reach the edge of the forest, Derik bends down and picks a pinkish sphere from a bush. "What is that?" I ask.

"Some sort of fruit," he answers. "I don't know exactly what it is, but it hasn't killed me yet, so I think it's safe to eat. The sun is setting soon, so grab some if you want to eat before nighttime." I am hungry, and it's almost dark outside, so I pick a couple of the fruits. I continue to walk as I bite into one. The alien fruit has a crisp crunch - like an apple - with a sweet and tangy taste - like a grapefruit. The inside is white and dotted with dark seeds. After weeks of eating raw fish and seaweed, I feel like I'm biting into a slice of heaven. I moan aloud at the new flavor, and Derik scoffs at my overreaction.

We reach the pod right before the sun dips under the horizon. I watch the last moments of the sunset as Derik starts up another fire. I sit down next to Derik once the fire is burning.

"Today was a good day," I announce. Derik grunts at my declaration. "Really," I reply, "I enjoyed exploring the island with you today. Thank you."

Derik hears the seriousness in my tone. "You're welcome. I'm glad you're happy." I grin at him, and he returns it.

Derik and I warm up for a bit then head into the pod to sleep. I begin to make myself comfortable on the ground, when Derik interrupts me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to sleep, stupid."

"No, I mean why are you on the ground?"

"I've used the seat for the last day, now it's your turn. I don't want to take the comfortable spot from you, you deserve it. Plus, this is technically your place."

"I feel bad making you sleep on the floor," he looks at me guiltily.

"You're not making me, I'm volunteering. Seriously, I want you to be comfortable too."

Derik grumbles, but sits in the seat anyways. "Thanks," he said grumpily but gratefully.

"You're welcome!"

"Mphf."

Derik's noise is the last thing I hear before I fall asleep the second night in the battered pod.