a.k.a. Katana

Chapter Five

Chapter Five:

Dismounting was not a thought that had crossed Katana's mind until she had to use the bathroom. It was easy to sleep on top of Banna. She laid on her stomach and let the momentous swaying of the creature lull her to sleep. Everything was great until she had to use the bathroom. Holding onto the neck or shoulder hair and swinging down would twist the hairs and might hurt the animal. It also meant that she would still have to climb down at least half a story before she could jump. Risking mechanical injury seemed unwise all of a sudden.

The first time she chickened out and reached out for a tree limb and climbed down the tree. She couldn't ride any other animals other than Banna and it seemed to stop for almost nothing. So if she lost him in the massive herd, she might never find him again.

She shimmied down the tree, keeping an eye on the Banna and then ran ahead of him and did what she had to do and climbed back up. Eventually, she learned to lay across the shoulders and slowly descend, one hand of hair at the time. It took a great deal of upper body strength and her arms ached terribly. But it was worth it. She didn't have to worry about predators, her shoes rubbing her feet raw, food or water, and she eventually slept through the night on top of Banna. It was warm and as long as she laid on her front, she wouldn't roll. The animals ate from a variety of trees and even some grasses, which Katana found to be very unappetizing.

Katana rode Banna for three days before she found a road in the distance. She was sad to leave Banna and she even cried as she said good bye. But she couldn't have survived on fruit forever. Her body was craving proteins and fats and Krystal's.

She took a few strands of hair from Banna and put them in the pocket of her sweater and kissed him and sang a Beetles song to him and then left. No use dragging it out. Well, maybe just one more pat on his snout.

Katana found herself on the road in short time and began the long walk. She wondered if she should try and hitch a ride from a passerby if one appeared. She had no weapons to defend herself and her strength was much less than that of a man's. Besides that, the people of this planet seemed rather tall. She was no match for them and she hadn't forgotten how the last fight she had gotten into had ended.

She scanned the long stretch of dusty, orangish brown road ahead of her. She knew there was a coast coming up, an ocean or bay or something of the sort. Maybe it was a really huge lake. Surely there would be civilization somewhere on its shoreline. No, she wouldn't take the ride, she would walk.

And so she did. She walked past trees that turned to shrubs and dirt that turned to sand and calm that turned to a salty breeze. It refreshed her spirit which affected her physically. She found herself walking with a quicker step, though there was really no reason why she should. Her mind began to wonder to the types of things that might greet her upon her entry into the city she was so sure existed.

It was impossible to guess what the city would be like. It was also stressful. She could speak just enough Skureki to function, but she couldn't read or write it. And then, not everyone spoke Skureki. It was only a trade language, a mish mash of a hundred other languages that was used to buy and sell in space ports. But it also made her tired to speak in Skureki. Understanding it was much easier than speaking it. She always felt like she was leaving out conjunctions and messing up the verbs.

The real trick would be to find a way to contact someone she knew. Or should she? Kokin had told her that she could live in a place where they would teach her a trade and help her get on her feet. But wouldn't that cost money or something? Education was never really free and what about room and board, clothes, transportation, and so on? Surely they wouldn't provide all of that free of charge. How could they?

She definitely wasn't going to go back 'home' and if she was going to make a new start for herself, this was as good a place as any, and she was already here, well almost.

As the natural light began to fade another light presented itself. Katana's heart swelled with joy as her hope became reality. A soft glow could be seen over the next ridge. Katana knew it to be a city and patted herself on the back for making it out of the wilderness alive and with an incredible story to tell.

What she didn't have was a decent set of clean clothes or shoes and she definitely needed a shower. She didn't dare try to smell herself. Instead she started thinking up a plan. There was a body of water that she could bathe in but it was salty and she had no soap. It would probably make her smell just as bad and she would still have to put on dirty clothes. As much as she would have enjoyed a moonlit swim, it didn't seem like the most logical of choices. Besides, if there were dinosaur sized creatures on land, there could be anything in the water.

She would have to depend on the kindness of a stranger. It was always a last resort for her because people were so unpredictable. It was impossible to tell who would be genuinely helpful and who would just see an obvious weakness in another human being and take advantage. It was her only idea, though. If there were better options or resources within the city, there was no way for her to know of them.

The thought of a kind stranger made her think of Kokin. Perhaps she had used up her good luck in this area. She decided that she would miss him, but couldn't possibly miss him too much. She had only known him for a short time...two days was it? She had already been away from him for more days than she had seen him. She wondered what he thought about her. Did he know that she had fallen in the river? Did he think she was dead or did he think of her at all?

She sighed and watched the last bit of sunlight slip beneath the horizon. Somehow, facing people seemed a greater challenge than facing the wilderness. Even the dinoceri hadn't caused her this much anxiety.

It was completely dark by the time she entered the city. She stood at the top of the ridge and looked down at her dusty clothes and the holes in the knees of her pants. Maybe it would be fashionable. She kept a few of the pieces of fruit just in case and pulled the sweater on over her head.

Below her the city spread out like a lighted snake slithering parallel to the coastline. The ocean was only a vast darkness that went on and on forever, and above was the sky with its various moons travelling amongst the blanket of unfamiliar stars. Katana knew that there were thousands, possibly a million people moving, working, sleeping and doing hidden inside the glowing radiance below like ants hurrying about deep inside the confines of an anthill. Katana twisted her hair nervously. Time to go become another ant.