Alpha Siege (Omega Mates #1) - Pearl Tate Page 0,7
I watch curiously as it preens itself. It really is a beautiful animal, and I’m within twenty feet of it, or at least the tree that it’s perched in, when unexpectedly something springs out of the foliage, crashing into the bird, and then dropping back onto the forest floor in a wide arc. Flabbergasted, I fall back on my butt, blinking while I wonder if I just imagined that!
CHAPTER FOUR
- Sunny
THE BIRD I just watched get taken out never screamed, but I can hear rustling behind the bushes that separate me from where it was slammed down. It all happened so fast! I never really got a look at what sprang through the air. I know it was brown… and big.
I’m worried that whatever it was will come after me next! I stand up, slowly backing up a little at a time. There are only a few more gulping noises before things go eerily quiet.
Trying not to make any noise as I breathe, I continue retreating, unsure of whether or not I should be concerned. When I bump into something hard and solid, I realize that I better pay attention to where I’m going. Glancing over my left shoulder, my heart skips a beat as I lock eyes with the strangest creature I’ve ever seen.
Large, hairy… but decidedly humanoid because it’s standing upright like a man. Its arms are much longer than a normal man’s, almost reaching his knees. If I had to guess, I’d say that this is the kind of creature that bigfoot is based on. Easily twice as tall as me, the large, dark brown animal lumbers out from the other side of the tree I’ve backed into.
Realizing that I’m way out of my element, I grab onto the straps at my shoulders and start backing up in the other direction. I finally turn around and sprint. When I glance over my shoulder, the animal is not even looking at me. I watch in fascination as it peers around the side of the tree, probably watching whatever took down the bird. That’s a good thing… I think. If they’re worried about each other, they won’t be coming after me.
Picking up speed, I jog quickly. Thank goodness the backpack is quite light, otherwise there’s no way I’d be able to do this. I’m not in shape. I’ve been sitting behind a desk now for over five years.
I came into this forest at a fairly sedate speed, slowing down in the flying craft the entire time. After only five minutes jogging, I can tell that the trees are thinning out more, and up ahead a brighter area beckons where there’s less canopy from the large trees. In another few minutes, I break out of the woods, stopping at a ledge overlooking a a vast rolling valley.
The water I remember seeing is off to my left, cutting across the picturesque scene. Under normal circumstances, I’d be able to tell whether it was north or south by looking at the sun. But when I look up at the sky, it’s clear that there will be no telling direction from the location of the sun! With one smaller orb over on the left-hand side of the sky and one larger orb that appears to be almost directly overhead, I’ve no idea how they move through the sky.
This is just another thing that makes me realize… I’m not on Earth. And that’s scary as fuck! Goose-pimples break out on my skin as I swallow hard and try to get my bearings.
I turn left and start walking along the ridge line of the cliff I’m on, keeping my eyes open for an easier way to get down into the valley to work my way over toward the water. Once I’m there, I assure myself I can always pick through my bag some more. What are the odds they gave me any kind of purification tablets or anything like that? I just can’t believe I’m on a strange planet…
The terrain here is treacherous, and there’s no way I’ll be able to go down this embankment. It has to be at least a hundred feet to the valley floor, and the drop off is almost vertical. Despite the sturdy boots I’m wearing, I’m not willing to risk the fall—especially by myself.
Far off in the distance, my eyes scan the edge of the water closest to me. I freeze when I see movement out of the corner of my eye. A wave of relief sweeps over me.
Well,