SIX

- sedona -

It's a flare gun.

So much for protection. I toss the thing to the side with disgust and jump away squealing when that triggers it and it starts sparking off. When it stops and seems relatively safe, I creep back over and pick it up carefully. It must have had only one flair loaded, but I wonder if the residual sparks could be used to start a fire.

For the next several minutes I scavenge and scrounge, looking for something flammable enough to be used as a kindling. And I come up with absolutely nothing. Not a random manual, or piece of clothing besides the ones on my body, or even a fucking roll of toilet paper. Everything in my vicinity is metal, glass, stone, and snow.

I look up above me and see that the second sun is creeping slowly lower. Soon there'll only be one sun left and I know that complete darkness will have to come quickly after that, and I don't want to be outside when it does.

Feeling absolutely defeated, I sulk back over to the shipping container and slip through the blanket door. The temperature difference is minute, but what is very different is the lack of wind and excessive snow. A few flakes steadily creep in at the very front due to the hole in the ceiling, but in the back closest to the pods, it's clear of snow. I suspect that's where I'll sleep tonight.

I collapse onto the ground against my pod, tears pricking in my eyes. I immediately wipe them away. As cold as it is, they'll probably freeze on my face. Sniffling, I curl my arms around myself and pull the blanket taut around my body, ensuring every possible inch of me's covered. Then, I settle against the pod and wait for night.

***

Don't ask how I managed to fall asleep, but when I wake up the next morning, it's incredibly bright again. I sit up from my fetal position on the floor and clutch my blanket tight to me. While I was asleep, a mini hill of snow formed where the crate's ceiling is missing. It takes some maneuvering and stamping down to get over it, but when I cautiously exit my pseudo-shelter, I notice that there are two suns in the sky again. I'd fallen asleep before sunset yesterday for sure because there was still one sun hanging on for dear life and casting a minor light when I finally closed my eyes.

I grimace as I look at the blanket of white around me. The snow only got thicker through the night, and the air only got colder. Even with my blanket, I'm shivering against the wind. I can't help but look out at the horizon hoping to see someone. I don't at first, but there's a big ass stone not too far from us that could be blocking my view, so I walk a few feet and move around it. Still nothing but white and red.

I set off the flare hours ago, and it was a pretty obvious sign to come to this spot because aliens can't do anything half-assed. The flare gun had shot off a small metal ball, and when it was about a hundred feet away from me, the thing shot straight up and exploded into a blue holographic image of an arrow pointing directly down at us.

But, unfortunately, or fortunately I guess, depending on who the aliens could be, no one has shown up.

The thought of waking the other girls flits across my mind, but I quickly push it aside. I can't, in good conscience, subject them to the same uncertain fate that awaits me. Either we are too far from civilization to be rescued, or there is the very great possibility this planet is uninhabited by any sentient, intelligent life forms. I look at all of the snow around me and frown. For all I know, I could be stuck in the middle of another planet's ice age. Civilization might be thousands of years in the future. I remember seeing in a cartoon show once that a dude in a stasis pod slept in it for a thousand years. Maybe the other girls can sleep through the evolution of this world and they'll eventually be saved by some reformed utopian alien race. It's a long shot for them, but what isn't hard to imagine is the fact that I'm probably going to die out here.

Before I have a chance to scold myself for my negative thoughts, I catch sight of movement in my peripheral. My gaze snaps to the right, following the movement to see a silhouette approaching in the distance. The figure is definitely walking upright—I notice that immediately. My heart soars to my throat in hope and fear, but as the figure gets closer, it drops right back down to my stomach.

What had first looked like a man wearing head gear, turns out to be a large, lumpy figure with a distinctly inhuman shape and gait. Who—or what— ever it is, is moving fast, already only two football field's length away from me and getting rapidly closer. It's hard to distinguish much through the glare of the suns off the snow.

"Stop!" I scream out desperately. Its footsteps falter far enough away that I still can't see exactly what or who it is. But it doesn't stop for long and when it moves again, I am horrified because it is running this time.

I shriek and take several steps back when it draws near enough that I catch full sight of what exactly was sticking out of its head.

Horns.

As it comes closer, I can actually make out its two sets of horns; thick curled ones like a ram's on the side and then thinner ones at the crown of its head. I briefly give thanks that it's not a bug. I would hate to have to deal with that again, but this creature is scary enough on its own. It looks like a demon. Or a goatman. A demon goatman. Wasn't the devil a goat? I don't know. I do know I am terrified.

Fuck.

My brain flips into the fight part of ‘fight or flight' and I scramble looking for a weapon. My options are limited so I lean down to pick up several rocks. Without waiting, I lob a few at the swiftly approaching creature. I miss the first throw, but the second one boinks off its chest. That gets its attention. It stops maybe fifteen feet away and extends its arm in the air.

"Oy! Ja faskel pvieti!" Fuck. Of course it wouldn't speak English. It's a goat thingy for god sakes.

Now the question is, do I engage? I scoff at myself. Do I really have an option?

"Hello? Do you come in peace?" I realize how stupid a question that is, considering I was the one throwing rocks. But in my defense, this thing is huge and the rocks definitely didn't hurt. Even from this distance, I can tell it's over six feet, possibly headed towards seven, and either the bulk is muscle or several layers of fur skins and leather. I'm betting on muscles though.

"Noveq loo cam din as Atiqarii?" It calls from afar, its voice loud and echoing off the valley walls.

Shaking my head, I answer back, "I don't understand what you are saying!"

Instead of speaking more, the thing scares me by taking a few more steps forward, bringing it within ten feet of me.

"Hey! No! Stop!" The goat-demon doesn't heed me, so I lob a rock. I miss. It keeps moving forward, so I toss another. Hit. It moves anyway, so I throw again. Hit. Move. Throw. Miss. Move. Throw. Hit.

Soon, I'm out of rocks and there's a goat-demon standing less than five feet from me. My gaze takes in the scope of him and my breath catches in my throat as I really get a good look. I was right about him being tall, but he is closer to seven feet than six, I think. He's imposing and wild looking, with weapons shoved into the pockets of some kind of utility belt slung across his body and a large pack on his back. He has leather pants with fur and leather wrappings around his feet. His torso is covered with a half-cloak draped across one shoulder. Everything he has is fur or rough leather.

Despite the fact that he is covered in various sewn items, I realize that a good bit of the hair and fur I see is his own. He appears to have short fur on most of his body, but thicker tufts around his head and face. Despite the clothing, I can tell that he's full of muscle, from the broad curve of his shoulders to the vast expanse of his chest. It's his face that gives me pause.

Now, with it close enough for me to fully take in its features, I can't help but note the intelligence in his eyes. And the friendly, albeit toothy and fangy, grin he wears, his hands raised in what appears to be a greeting. A strange mixture of animal and humanoid, he's got an elongated face with deep set eyes and a flat slotted nose. His lips are plump and brown like much of his face. There are patches of white as well, around the base of his nose and lips and along his brow bone, giving him the impression of eyebrows. His golden eyes peer right through me, and I feel disgusted with myself when I feel a flutter of excitement at the pit of my stomach, but I can't help it. Somehow, the weird hodgepodge of features comes together to create a very handsome…creature? I don't know what to call him. ‘Man' doesn't feel quite right.

"This is scary," I murmur to myself, my eyes still on Tall, Dark and Handsome.

And my brain, while slightly distracted by how strangely hot the goat dude is, does circle back to his clothes and tools. They all appear to be handmade from bone and stone and leather. That does not bode well for our chances to get help getting back to Earth. I have a sinking feeling that this is the closest to civilization this planet has gotten.

My brain flashes back to the ship falling apart and I remember that the robot voice had said something about emergency overriding that intergalactic code that kept us from being able to force navigation to Earth. This place is definitely underdeveloped enough to fall under the protections of that code. If that's the case, that means we are probably stuck here. If our captors stole us illegally, no one knows to look for us. No one would come looking here because of the same code, and probably because of all those asteroids that forced us on this planet in the first place. All of that boils down to one thing in my head—Tall, Dark and Handsome just became my only hope at survival.

Which means, I think with an internal sigh, being nice and no more throwing stones.

Cautiously, I bend to place my rocks on the ground. My eyes stay on TDH making sure he doesn't move. TDH watches me intently, cocking his head to the side, his horns tilting and creating a strangely cute image. Sucking in a breath to draw in my courage, I slowly move forward, until I am right in front of him. The whole time I move, he stays still.

"Hi, no hurt me?" I implore, fingers crossed that he at least can understand that. When I stop talking, though, he doesn't give any indication that he understood me. In fact, it's like he didn't hear me at all. Instead, his pupils are blown wide, the gold a thin line around deep black as he wiggles his nose and leans forward. Is he trying to smell me?

A rumble falls from him and he makes a move to come closer suddenly. With a squeak, I startle and jump backwards. He gives an irritated huff and takes a giant step, bringing him directly in front me. I make a distressed sound as my eyes travel up until they finally meet his. His frame looming over me is intense, but I find myself swimming in the intensity of his gaze.

He reaches out and uses his thumb and pointer finger to grip one of the loose coils of my hair that had fallen from my braided pony. Leaning down until he's nearly eye level and lifting the lock of hair to his nose, he inhales deeply and his eyes fall closed. When he opens them again, the look on his face nearly steals my breath.

He gazes at me as if I planted a fourth sun in the sky.

TDH speaks to me in a bunch of gibberish that I couldn't make sense of if I tried. I pick up the word ‘khesi' over and over and I can tell he's fucking ecstatic about something, but that's hardly helpful. I grumble and open my mouth to tell him I don't understand, when without warning, he grabs me, hauling me up and against him.

On instinct, I wrap my legs around his waist and my hands clutch at his shoulders, and just like that, I've somehow found myself clutched to him like a koala. Any protest I would have had dies on my lips though when I am enveloped in sheer warmth . I can't help the tiny moan that slips out of my mouth as I lean into the heat.

TDH pulls away slightly and stares at me in sheer fascination. Realizing the sounds I'm making, I pipe up, "Don't get any ideas, buddy, you're just warm."

You are also hot in a way that has nothing to do with temperature, I think, but I'll keep that particular thought to myself.

TDH rumbles more words in his language as he nuzzles my neck. The words mean fuck all to me, but the snuggling is awkward enough that I start to wiggle and slap at him.

"Down! Put me down!"

I don't honestly expect him to listen and put me down, but he actually does. I know it's not because of my words, but it seems body language is somewhat universal, or rather intergalactic. And that gives me an idea.

"Okay, so goat demon dudes are friendly," I talk aloud to myself, considering he can't understand me anyway. TDH watches my lips closely as I talk. "Maybe too friendly, though," I amend, feeling like I'm under a microscope.

Regardless, he has been nice so far. He did overstep with the whole koala hug, but he also put me down when I asked. And I liked how warm he was.

I snort derisively at myself. I'm feeling like after being kidnapped by bug aliens my bar for civil treatment is on the floor. But, I'm also in a really weird situation, so obviously, I'll have to bend the normal rules sometimes . I try to reason with myself, and it does make me feel a bit better. Though not more confident in my decision.

Regardless, it's time to put all of my eggs into the goat dude's baskets.