Extraterrestrial Exploration

chapter 12

–Eikan–

staring ahead through the brush I could see my prey grazing upon grasses out in an open field. 

notching an arrow I waited for it to move forward ever so slightly so that I might get a clear shot. There were too many saplings blocking my view from where I lay in wait and moving would mean risking getting caught, so with little choice I waited patiently for the right moment. 

the kavskeer I was hunting continued to munch away as it's ears twitched in every direction, listening for approaching danger, unknowing to its current hunter.

as it took another hesitant step forward, it stopped and lifted its head, its ears directed towards me. 

I had neither moved or made any sounds but it seemed to be aware of my presence.  sniffing the air I caught its scent on the downhill draft meaning it couldn't smell me either so why was it so alert?

Suddenly the doe took off running in the opposite direction leaving me with no choice but to give up the hunt. 

‘It escaped.’ Eiso's voice rang in my head. 

huffing my tail slammed against the ground behind me as I lowered my bow and turned my head to glare at him up in the trees. ‘it sensed something.’ I replied before looking back behind me curiously.

Eiso climbed down from his perch and looked at me disappointed. ‘It looked towards you, you must've made some sort of noise and scared it!’

looking back at Eiso I growled. ‘It was not me, I did not move! something else spooked it’

Eiso chittered quietly before turning and walking away. ‘Well now we must go track it down, again. or else we will have no meat tonight.’

I glared at my brother before turning in the direction the doe had been looking. Instead of following Eiso I climbed up the tree he had been perched in and tried getting a view overlooking the forest. 

A short distance away I could see something odd. a strange reflection of light peeking over the trees. but there was no watering hole in this area?

‘What are you doing?’ Eiso questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. 

jumping down from the tree I started making my way towards the strange object that reflected the sun. ‘Figuring out why our dinner ran.’

‘?! Eikan!’ Eiso ran after me as I walked through the forest keeping an eye out for anything shiny. 

As I got closer I smelt smoke up ahead and stopped in my tracks. ‘Eikan! what are you doing?!’ Eiso ran up beside me. 

‘Something is out here, smell the air? the scent of burned foliage is strong.’ Eiso paused to sniff and seemed surprised and as unsure as I was about the smell. 

‘Other hunters?’ he mused.

‘in this area? unlikely.’  I responded.

moving closer the scent became stronger and before long we came across an open field where the plants and everything had been burned to ash. In the middle of the crater stood an unfamiliar and strange structure. 

Eiso crouched down grabbing a handful of char from a burned plant and rubbed it between his fingers. “Whatever fire caused this has been dead for a while, the ash isn't even warm.’

I didn't respond and merely stared at the large object lying in the dead field. There were deep skid marks trudged through the ground that suggested it hit the ground and slid to a stop. Eiso looked back and following the path of origin, he saw there was nowhere for it to have fallen from other than…’the sky?’ he mused.