A New Start
Oct 30, 2017 21:32:37 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2017 21:32:37 GMT -5
His head was killing him.
But you know, that's kind of what happens when you crash-land on a planet.
It had been a few days since that day, at least, though things weren't really getting any better. Tiberius didn't know what the hell he was doing, or what he should be doing, but hey, there were some good things. The air was clean, he wasn't in some wasteland, and people weren't dying all around him. That kind of helped. Didn't stop the headache, or the fact he was hungry, or the lost feeling that was eating away at him, but it could be worse. He'd been in worse. If he could survive that, he could survive this.
He'd basically crashed on the side of the mountain, but he'd managed to save a good amount of his ship, and more importantly, himself. Not that gravity had been his friend, but once all the rolling and downward movement had stopped, he had found himself in what appeared to be a large forest at the base of a mountainside. But hey, a forest meant food, and a clearing nearby could possibly be used to grow things, and a nearby stream provided fresh water.
Even some more exploring had let him find a small cave that would give Tiberius the shelter he needed. A narrow path up the side of the mountain had lead to a flat, jutting cliff, with a cave tucked in the back. And what had looked small at the beginning had proved to be wrong, as exploring it had led to deeper areas and even a few side caves. It was worth more exploring.
Except, you know, the headache. And being hungry. And tired, too. There might be plans on how to survive, but he just needed to find the energy to do it all. And then maybe he could focus on other things. And checking out his ship, see if he could repair her.
But right now, sleep. He had some blankets from the ship, and he'd made a nest in the cave to rest in. He had managed a firepit, and had stocked wood nearby to keep things warm. And that meant, at the very least, he felt safe enough to sleep for a few hours.
--
Hey now. Wake up. It's morning time, and I brought breakfast.
The warm, gentle voice broke through Tiberus's sleep. It wasn't like when his ship spoke to him, or other bits of machinery that demanded to be fixed. This was different, and far more real and with more nuances. Shifting a bit, with a stretch and a yawn and not at all convinced he wasn't just dreaming, Tiberius sat up, rubbing a hand over his face and wincing at the scrape of stubble.
Fluffing her feathers, the Chinook cocked her head. Morning, sunshine.
Tiberius blinked. And stared out at the opening of the cave. At the giant colorful eagle that was standing there. And there was a dead animal of some sort next to its talons.
"Um."
You can cook this over the fire. There are other things that I can show you to gather, too. But this is a good start.
"...."
Well, maybe he was going insane. But there was a dead animal, and he could probably butcher it fairly well. And get the fire going. If he was going insane, he could at least be full while doing it.
Two hours later, Tiberius was utterly grossed out by the concept of butchering something, but he had gotten food, cooked and ate and cleaned up, and was still staring at the giant eagle. She had settled herself rather comfortably, having been mostly quiet as she watched Tiberius work, but he still wasn't sure what to make of her. She seemed real enough.
Would fish be better? She asked, curiously. There are also some delightful berries and fruiting trees nearby. Does flying bother you? You could ride upon my back. We could go out later.
Tiberius stared some more. Then beamed at her.
Because screw it, he might be going insane, but this was going to be FUN.
But you know, that's kind of what happens when you crash-land on a planet.
It had been a few days since that day, at least, though things weren't really getting any better. Tiberius didn't know what the hell he was doing, or what he should be doing, but hey, there were some good things. The air was clean, he wasn't in some wasteland, and people weren't dying all around him. That kind of helped. Didn't stop the headache, or the fact he was hungry, or the lost feeling that was eating away at him, but it could be worse. He'd been in worse. If he could survive that, he could survive this.
He'd basically crashed on the side of the mountain, but he'd managed to save a good amount of his ship, and more importantly, himself. Not that gravity had been his friend, but once all the rolling and downward movement had stopped, he had found himself in what appeared to be a large forest at the base of a mountainside. But hey, a forest meant food, and a clearing nearby could possibly be used to grow things, and a nearby stream provided fresh water.
Even some more exploring had let him find a small cave that would give Tiberius the shelter he needed. A narrow path up the side of the mountain had lead to a flat, jutting cliff, with a cave tucked in the back. And what had looked small at the beginning had proved to be wrong, as exploring it had led to deeper areas and even a few side caves. It was worth more exploring.
Except, you know, the headache. And being hungry. And tired, too. There might be plans on how to survive, but he just needed to find the energy to do it all. And then maybe he could focus on other things. And checking out his ship, see if he could repair her.
But right now, sleep. He had some blankets from the ship, and he'd made a nest in the cave to rest in. He had managed a firepit, and had stocked wood nearby to keep things warm. And that meant, at the very least, he felt safe enough to sleep for a few hours.
--
Hey now. Wake up. It's morning time, and I brought breakfast.
The warm, gentle voice broke through Tiberus's sleep. It wasn't like when his ship spoke to him, or other bits of machinery that demanded to be fixed. This was different, and far more real and with more nuances. Shifting a bit, with a stretch and a yawn and not at all convinced he wasn't just dreaming, Tiberius sat up, rubbing a hand over his face and wincing at the scrape of stubble.
Fluffing her feathers, the Chinook cocked her head. Morning, sunshine.
Tiberius blinked. And stared out at the opening of the cave. At the giant colorful eagle that was standing there. And there was a dead animal of some sort next to its talons.
"Um."
You can cook this over the fire. There are other things that I can show you to gather, too. But this is a good start.
"...."
Well, maybe he was going insane. But there was a dead animal, and he could probably butcher it fairly well. And get the fire going. If he was going insane, he could at least be full while doing it.
Two hours later, Tiberius was utterly grossed out by the concept of butchering something, but he had gotten food, cooked and ate and cleaned up, and was still staring at the giant eagle. She had settled herself rather comfortably, having been mostly quiet as she watched Tiberius work, but he still wasn't sure what to make of her. She seemed real enough.
Would fish be better? She asked, curiously. There are also some delightful berries and fruiting trees nearby. Does flying bother you? You could ride upon my back. We could go out later.
Tiberius stared some more. Then beamed at her.
Because screw it, he might be going insane, but this was going to be FUN.