maybe I shouldn’t be relieved…
If the animals I saw in the woods earlier are any indication, there’s definitely plenty of life here. Strange and different life. So far, nothing looks familiar.
I’m walking by deep purple and maroon foliage! Even the shapes of the leaves are different from Earth. Instead of round or oval, I see more triangular leaves than anything else. It’s really strange.
Squinting at the movement I noticed earlier, the shapes seem to differentiate themselves from the surrounding bushes and rocks. They’re definitely coming this way. Interesting, but it’s still hard for me to tell whether or not they’re animals.
I’m a little concerned as I keep walking along the ridge line, unsure of whether I’m ever going to be able to get down to the valley below. The rocks and landscape along the edge here are a deep black, making me wonder whether this valley is natural or something that was created by a meteor in the planet’s ancient past. Not wanting to get sidetracked, I concentrate on scanning the surrounding environment.
So far, I haven’t seen any other animals that concern me. But I’m worried about where I’m going! This ridge appears to double back into the forest on my left, and I’m starting to move further away from the water. I want to go there. It’s as if the water is calling to me. Studying the landscape below, I consider trying to descend here.
My boots are comfortable and have quite a bit of traction on the bottom, but there’s just no way. At this point, it’s a sheer cliff of black rock, and the bottom has a collection of scree where the cliff has broken off in smaller chunks and created a let down to the valley floor. That alone is probably twenty to thirty feet. I’m risking a twisted ankle if I attempt it, and possibly far worse.
Looking back out over the landscape, I’m surprised to see how close the two moving shapes appear to have travelled. Even though I feel like I’ve barely gone anywhere, they’re probably halfway across the valley by now. The only real positive thing about it is now that they’re closer, they do appear to be human. Wouldn’t that be awesome?
Dropping the backpack between my legs, I untie different pockets. That’s odd that they don’t have zippers on this thing, but who’s to say with an alien race if that’s really what brought me here. Poking around inside, I see some more clothing like what I’m wearing as well as a few other things I’ll have to look at later. Nothing that looks like binoculars, though.
By the time I arrange the bag so I can close it back up again, I’m shocked by how close the two figures are. They’re pretty much at the base of the cliff. They’re still tiny with how far away they are, but I’m squinting and trying to get a better look as I shade my eyes from the suns setting over the woods in front of me.
I’m not sure what to do at this point. Do I wait for them to catch up with me? Or will they tell me a better way to get down from here? Maybe they have some kind of climbing equipment?
There’s just no way…
I watch in awe as they both start to climb up the side of the cliff. It’s impressive how quickly they cover the ground, but as they get closer and I take in their appearance, my heart rate picks up. Because it isn’t only the fact that they’re climbing up a sheer-ass rock wall, but also how! Moving with the skill and grace of trained rock climbers, they use their hands and feet. And they don’t appear to be wearing shoes or gloves…
Is that even possible? I can hear them coming, even when they dip in and out of sight at the different crevices. A loud crunching sound precedes them.
How should I be handling this? Part of me thinks I should stay still and waiting for them calmly. But this is not your normal “lost in the woods” scenario. I could be trespassing, too!
Aren’t you supposed to hold your hands up and gesture that you’re just harmless? I don’t really know what I’m expected to be doing, but I notice deep inside my gut, I’m feeling a churning and bubbling sensation. I want to run, but I’m glued in place.
I don’t really have time to consider this new impending flight sensation because it boggles my mind how quickly