In Alien Hands: Crashed

Crashed - Part 3

I let out a great yawn as Merle rolled out of the hammock, waking me up. Still sleepy, I watched Merle prepare our breakfast. With fruit, he didn't bother cooking a fish, he'd save that for dinner. He cut the apples in slices and picked out six blackberries for each of us. He poured more water in my bottle and brought it to me, grinning. He was clearly in a good mood that day.

I smiled back and sat up. I took a swig of my water and climbed out of the hammock. I followed him over to the campfire and sat in his lap. We both happily ate our breakfast together. He helped me brush my hair and then my teeth. I was still a bit sleepy when we were finished.

Merle helped me to my feet and started walking away from camp. At first, I didn't follow, assuming he was off to hunt again, but he beckoned to me. It was the first time he asked me to leave the camp with him. Merle must've figured out i was bored when I wandered the day before. I was happy for something to do.

I followed him on a stroll through the woods. We stayed by the river Merle had been fishing in. We passed lots of odd plants of unusual colors. I occasionally heard rustling in nearby bushes, but Merle didnt seem too bothered. We'd been walking for half an hour when Merle came to a dead stop and began to growl.

He moved me behind him and I obliged. It took me a few moments to determine that he was growling at something behind another bush. The fur on his neck stood on end as he bared his sharp teeth. He got down on four legs in preparation of a fight with whatever threatened us. He went from a human-like dog to a huge, vicious wolf. Even on all fours, he was my height.

Our attacker came from its hiding spot and lunged at us. It was two thirds the size of Merle, but much more formidable. It, like the alien visitor we had yesterday, was furless. It was a strange, blueish color, with deep yellow eyes. It had bared, yellow, sharp teeth and drool dripping from its jaw. I didn't get to see much more, as the creature grabbed my arm.

I let out a scream as the sharp teeth punctured my arm. I was immediately dragged to the ground and away from Merle. I screamed from a combination of pain and terror. I was dragged through mud and undergrowth by my assailant, hitting my head on a variety of branches and rocks as we travelled.

My hope wasnt lost, however. I could hear Merle responding to my calls, and got the occasional glance of him following us through the forest. I soon stopped struggling, as the beast's teeth only grew deeper into my flesh as I tried to get away.

Once we finally came to a stop, I was let go. Before I had the chance to even sit upright, the monster tried to grab my neck. Thankfully, Merle had arrived just in time to save me. He tackled the creature and the two began to fight. While the two tussled in the dirt, I climbed to my feet. I worked up the bravery to look at my arm, which was bloody and covered in picture holes. To my relief, it wasn't broken, though it was very painful.

Merle and the animal didn't fight for long. After half a minute of fighting, the furless creature ran off into the distance, yelping. Merle turned back to me, turquoise blood in his fur. He was breathing heavily while he returned to his hind legs and approached me. I took several steps towards him as well, and outstretched my arms for a hug.

We held each other for quite some time before we finally walked away. My arm was dripping blood by the time we made it back to camp. I was more than ready to pass out in the hammock, but Merle had other plans. He used nearly half our water to rinse my arm, and used a clean towel to wrap it. After this, he finally left me alone to rest in the hammock. After an hour long walk and being attacked by a monster, I was ready for a long nap.