Silence, that was what Tal heard. It took him a while to realize that that must mean that the storm was over. He sat up and looked around the hut for Remus. Remus wasn't there, but Tal could hear him snuffling around outside.
Tal got up and was overwhelmed with a wave of nausea. He hadn't eaten for at least twelve hours, and even then it hadn't been much. He groaned and walked out of the shelter. He was immediately blinded by the hot white sun. Sweat trickled down his neck. The sun seemed so much hotter after living in the cold cave.
Remus was eating a small animal, one of the rats. Another two were lying in a pile, dead. Tal ate one to regain his strength, then set about catching more. He gave many of them to Remus, who seemed grateful.
Tal spent the day recovering from hunger. He ate until he was full, and then paced back and forth to get the feeling back into his legs. After several hours, Tal felt much better. He sat down and pet Remus for a while, looking at the horizon. There were no clouds, and the sky was a vivid yellow that reminded Tal that he was the stranger here.
He turned his gaze towards the horizon, in a direction that he had not explored before. Tal squinted, trying to see through the haze of heat that stretched across the horizon in a thin band, blending the sky with the desert. Tal thought he could see something beyond the heat, small vertical lines, perpendicular to the blinding white sand.
Tal made a decision to investigate the site soon. There was an air of mystery about it, and he desperately needed something to do after his time in the cave.
The sun burned the sand beneath Tal's feet, but Tal was unconcerned. Any heat was better than the freezing cold in the shelter.
Tal gathered together several days worth of provisions, carefully preparing for an extra week in the case of a storm. He wrapped the food and water in a cloth, then used a metal clamp from the wreck to hold it together. Tal tied a rope around the pack and hoisted it over his shoulder.
Remus bounded over to Tal and panted at him. Tal gave him a drink of water.
"Are you going to come with me?" Tal began to walk.
Remus followed him, and together they began their journey past the horizon.
YOU ARE READING
Endure
Science FictionA young boy is stranded on the lonely planet of Karakan. Wounded and weak, Tal struggles to survive the brute force of an entire planet. (Updated at least once per month) (Book Cover designed by me) (Like for more chapters /or books!)
