Page 10 of Guardian's Heart

I left the tablet on the rock, imagining silver hunk's reaction when he found it, and even thought about staying just to watch his expression. But my daddy hadn't raised a dummy, and Missy had always warned thatcuriosity would kill the cat, so I opted to put as much distance as possible between us.

I followed the faint sound of trickling water until I reached a narrow creek. The water running through it was deceivingly clear, but again, my daddy hadn't raised a dummy. All kinds of nasty bacteria, fungi, parasites, or whatever could be in that water, not to mention that it was on an alien planet. Yet, sooner or later, I would have to drink water.

I decided to walk through the stream for now, and later, I would figure out a way to boil the water before I drank it.

The light coming through the tops of the trees was becoming sparser, it would be dark soon if this planet was anything like Earth.

I hadn't heard any heavy footsteps announcing the silver alien stalking me, but with night coming soon, I needed to figure out where to sleep and how to defend myself. Trees and ferns were still the predominant flora around these parts, but here and there, I made out curious mushrooms, and the further I walked, the more they took over. Some even reached my hips.

After a while, I stared at an especially gnarly-looking twisted tree—a natural opening in between the roots made for a perfect little alcove. I picked up a rock and threw it inside, ready to run if something came charging out, but it was only a small, mouse-looking creature with blue fur, making a nasty squeaking sound.

"Sorry buddy," I called after it as it scrambled away.

Thankfully, the air was moist, so I wasn't too thirsty yet, but it was only a matter of time before I would be. First things first, I grabbed a fallen branch and a piece of dead, dried root lying on the ground. Hoping that the same kind of physics applied to this world as they did on Earth, I collected more dried-out leaves and roots andSpanish mossthat had fallen off the trees to make a neat pile. From there, I sat cross-legged to begin the arduous task of teasing a spark from the wood. I put the branch between my palms and began twisting it as hard and fast against the root as I could. It had been years since I had to make a fire this way,but as it turned out, I hadn't forgotten how, and the wood here worked the same way as it did at home—if anything, it seemed faster.

The sparks ignited on the dried moss and leaves. Carefully, I pulled my hair back and blew, teasing the flames higher. Once a small fire burned, I found more rocks to keep it enclosed and added dried wood and moss.

With the fire going, I felt more confident in my ability to survive this alien world. I searched until I found a large branch sturdy enough to be turned into a spear.Thanks, Daddy and Uncle Boone.

I hit two larger rocks against each other until sharp splinters fell off one. I used it to cut the length ofSpanish moss, with which I tied the largest splinter to the tip of my spear.

There! Weapon!

I stood and looked at my shoes. They would have to do for now. I had other things I needed to worry about first, like water.

That proved more complicated. But not impossible. Collecting more sticks, I made a makeshift spit over the fire and tested the resilience of the leaves against the flames. One didn't seem to want to burn at all, so I used it to collect water, and with the help of more strings from the moss, I dangled it over the fire, waiting for it to boil.

The bottom of theleaf bowlturned black, but it neither leaked nor burned.

There is nothing more boring than watching water boil, so I busied myself by making a quick torch to inspect the hollowed-out space where I had chased themousefrom. The ground was littered on one side with mouse droppings, and on the other… hallelujah, were those nuts? My stomach rumbled at the idea. I justified that if Mister Mouse survived eating those, I should be able to as well. What choice was there? I doubted if I waited a few more days, my hunger would get any better, or a buffetwould magically appear. First, I broke one of thebushesoff a tree and used it to get rid of the droppings; then, I turned to my new best friends: the rocks. With the help of two of them, I opened the first nut, which reminded me of an acorn, only it was the size of a large walnut. The kernel inside was yellow and looked edible enough.

"Here goes nothing." I bit into it. It was much softer than a nut, almost bread-like in texture, and tasted kind of bitter, but nothing I couldn't handle.

"Thanks, Mister Mouse," I called into the darkening forest. I wasn't above eating the critter's stash, nor would I have been above eating the critter for that matter. Already, my mind was busy trying to remember how to make traps for small and larger animals.

In the meantime, the water had not only begun to boil but had been boiling for several minutes. I carefully removed the leaf bowl from the spit and hung it from a branch to let it cool, repeating the process with another leaf. Hoping my optimism would win out and I wouldn't drop dead from either nut or water poisoning.

My stomach was still growling, but I stopped at two of the nuts, just in case. Eventually, I would work my way up to more and maybe even try the mushrooms, but for now, the two nuts would do.

ZAAREK

I expected to hear screams, but when I entered the woods and there wasn't a sound to be heard, I expected the worst. I moved as fast as the treacherous terrain allowed, following the signal from my comm.

It was getting dark by the time I reached the place where the signal originated from. Fearing to find her body, I scanned the ground for traces of blood, flesh, and torn pieces of my cloak, but there was nothing. Nothing but undisturbed forest. Well, undisturbed to the casual eye. I noticed small footprints, ripped leaves, and neatly placed on top of a rock: my comm.

Speechless, I stared at it. Looking up into the trees to see if some predator had dragged her up there, even though that wouldn’t have explained the neat placing of my comm. No, for that, there was only one explanation. She had found it and put it there, which made me conclude: A) she was a lot smarter than I had assumed, having realized there was a tracking chip inside the comm, B) she wasn’t familiar with the comm; otherwise, she would have taken it out, and C) that she was here in theforest on her own will, which either pointed to someone very courageous, resourceful, and intelligent or someone very, very stupid. Normally, I would have gone with the last option, but I had already underestimated her twice now, and I wouldn't make the same mistake again.

She could not possibly know this forest, this planet, Morrakbarr. By the starfire, I wasn't familiar with it, so why would shechoosethe incredible dangers of this place instead of the safety of my ship? And how, by the seven sunsets, was I supposed to find her now?

It was getting darker by the moment. My confidence that I would find her before nighttime went up into smoke. I wished all forms of nebula storms on her, and yet I couldn't deny that I was impressed. Even more so when I noticed her footsteps got bigger and mishappened. She had fashioned some kind of footwear for herself. Her resourcefulness amazed me and filled me with the desire to get to know her better.

First, I had to find her.

Fortunately, her tracks were as easy to spot as a comet's tail. A blind koloch would have been able to pick it up… until I didn't.

She had followed the stream for a little while, but at some point, she had stepped into the water, leaving me to figure out if she went up or downstream.

Darkness had now fully set in. Like it or not, it was time to pitch a camp for the night. Damn female. I hadn't brought any items to set up a camp, and I had given her my cloak, snygging starlight ban that she was. The night would be cold.

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