Page 48 of Sohut's Protection

Maybe that’s why the blue guy, Grout, had fallen asleep.

He was sure she wasn’t going to be stupid enough to run off.

It wasn’t the first time aliens had thought she wasn’t stupid enough to do something…only, this time, this alien might just be right.

Sighing, she settled her back against the vines running upward against the rock.

Her belly wasn’t empty, thanks to the food he’d shared, but she was thirsty.

She’d been hesitant at first but his food was like cake, only doughier.

After a year of eating meat, having a pastry had been like having a piece of heaven.

Licking her lips at the thought of the food, she eyed the rock pool in front of them.

The reflection of the light on the water reminded her of that time her father had left her in the wilderness alone.

She’d found a small stream and had stayed by it on the second night. It’d just been her, the silence of the forest, and the reflection of the moonlight against the flowing water.

It’d been such a serene feeling back then, just her and nature.

She didn’t feel so serene now.

There was discomfort, anxiety, distrust, and a myriad of other feelings circling within her but no serenity.

The alien seemed nice. She wanted to trust him but dropping her guard so soon could lead to her detriment.

Eyeing the water, she tried to stand but all she could manage was a shuffle.

She guessed it would do. She wasn’t going far anyway.

She could shuffle to the pool edge and dip her head in to get a drink.

Luckily, it was moving water, so she didn’t have to worry about it being dirty.

That meant she could even bathe in the rock pool and the water would be clean again not long after she stepped out of it.

Shuffling forward, Cleo cursed underneath her breath.

She was definitely going to rip the few threads still holding her clothing together.

She’d tried to fashion clothes from the leaves in the jungle but she’d yet to find something that didn’t itch to high heaven and which lasted more than a week.

She’d actually found a plant that molded itself like cotton and she’d thought she’d found her solution, only to wake the next morning with a rash over her entire body.

Even in space, she wasn’t safe from allergies.

The rash had only lasted a few days but in that time she’d almost torn her skin off just to stop the itching and resultant burning.

From then, she’d been careful to leave the plants mostly alone.

Who knew what else she was allergic to? She didn’t need to die of poison, an allergic reaction, or stupidity.

Cleo snorted to herself.

One could argue she was going to die of the last one anyway, judging from her actions over the last day.

Finally reaching the water’s edge, Cleo took a moment to catch her breath.

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