Extraterrestrial Attraction

Hunted by Palulakans

Harry jumped out of the opening in the side of the helicopter and took a deep breath. The smell of the air of the pandorian forest was fresh and intoxicating, the thick concoction of ozone, co2, and oxygen tasted like Earth's air to this body.

Harry looked up when he heard a rustle in the branches above him. Swinging in the trees above the group was a pack of Prolemuris, their blue and green leathery coats glistening in the bright sun.

"They're just Prolemuris." Harry turned around at Grace's voice, only to see Jake's tense shoulders and a gun pointed at the calm creatures. "Relax, Marine." Grace mocked, forcefully pushing the gun down. Harry bared his sharp canines at the botanist, and Grace immediately backed down from the shorter AVATAR.

Harry walked in front of the group, leading them through the vegetation and around certain plants. His bare feet sunk into the soil with each step, and he reviled in the pure life that he could feel thrumming underneath the surface of the soil. He could almost imagine the sound of a powerful heartbeat as it flowed through his very bones.

"Woah, Woah. What the hell is that?" Jake stopped, shocked with his gun at the ready. Harry turned around, looking ahead of the group. A Tapirus stood innocently at the end of the path, staring at the approaching group of drivers.

"Jake put the gun down," Harry said calmly. "It's a Tapirus. One of the most gentle species of animal on Pandora." Harry explained, walking towards the frightened animal. Harry held his hand out to the creature, smiling and cooing at it. "Hi there, fella." Harry tried to release some sort of calming magic, but for some reason, his magic wasn't responding as it should.

The Tapirus hesitated for a moment before walking the rest of the way to Harry. The creature butted it's head against Harry's four-fingered hand, initiating contact first. Harry smiled, even if his magic wasn't working as it used too, the creatures could still feel the small wavelengths it exerted.

"See Jake?" Harry smiled, scratching and petting the small dog-like animal. "Completely harmless." Harry looked at the creature again before shooing it away. Harry felt movement to his right and looked up, finding Jake standing there, watching the animal leave.

"It looked like a cross between a dog and a squid," Jake remarked, and Harry laughed. "It's been a while since I have seen any wildlife," Jake muttered to himself, sounding wistful. Harry felt the smile drop off of his face. Animals that he had known and loved had gone extinct in the hundreds of years he had been alive.

Dogs and cats had been replaced with machines. Birds had gotten an automatic upgrade, and zoo animals walked around with a robotic grace that didn't feel right to Harry, who had seen what an actual tiger looked like.

Harry had witnessed things in three hundred years that most children today have never even heard of. At the age of thirteen, Harry had seen things that most fifty-year-olds today could only dream of.

"The animals on Pandora are beautiful," Harry whispered back. "And they are alive."

____________

Harry was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Jake had walked ahead of the group, and of course, Harry chose to follow his friend in case he ran into a few natives. Eventually, Harry had followed Jake's trail to a grove of colorful Helicoradian. Jake stood in the middle of the plants, admiring their bright orange coloring. Harry watched Jake give into temptation and touch one of the smaller Helicoradian, and the immortal smirked when Jake jumped back in surprise when the plant sunk into the ground. Jake continued to touch the smaller plants, and Harry had no reason to step in.