Metroid: The Last Aurealian

Chapter 9: Hunted

I ran what seemed like hours, until my legs strained beneath me, and my paws trembled in weariness. Judging by the sun's position it was early afternoon, meaning we left the ruins three to four hours ago.Instinctively twitching my head chords, I detected no signs of life, save for birds and insects.Looking behind me the ruins are nowhere to be seen. 

 I heaved a relieving sigh. I've finally lost them. The G.F soldiers must be miles behind me, not even their swiftest machines could outrun my speed. Looking above I listen for the distinct buzz of the transport ship, searching for an approaching dot in the distance. There is no sign of it. I'm safe...for now.

I stand next to a pool, ravenously drinking while keeping my chords perked to my environment. I was surrounded by a sea of grass and trees, with the open blue sky above. The marshlands spread beyond the horizon in every direction, and even as an Aurealian I felt like a midge trapped in a sandbox. 

 What should I do now? I think disgruntled,there was no turning back and I couldn't lope on until my paws collapsed. It would become dark eventually, and I needed to seek food and shelter. I explore the area, poking my head into the trees, searching nook and cranny for a place to hide. I snap up a few fish and nab a hornfrog or two, but that will not sate my approaching hunger. Squatting I relieved myself against a patch of dirt, covering the evidence so I wouldn't be tracked. 

 I continue onward through the open grass, occasionally reaching for a fruit or drinking from the many ponds dotting the landscape. The birds retreat into the trees,shrinking back at my appearance while the smaller animals dart underground as they hear my pawsteps. I feel utterly lost, with no sense of direction and no place to go, gnawed by the driving instinct to move on, or else be caught by the GF fleet. 

 I needed to look for Skye. The last I had seen of him was when he slashed the ribs of a GF soldier, causing an all-out melee among the troop. Horror bubbles within me as I think he had been shot, or brutally executed by the GF troops in defense. I shook my head. No that's not true, you saw him flee into the grasses remember. He's still out there, probably looking for me. But what if he had been shot, what if the soldiers caught him down and interrogated him on my whereabouts? 

Raising my head, I give a mental call. Skye!! The birds flutter in detest as the fish splash underneath the water. I growl anxiously. That was not the response I was looking for. Skye where are you!! I call out again.

 Only the rattling reeds answer. Panicked thoughts plagued my mind, thinking the worst possible fates. He's been caught;they're torturing him now, beating the life from him as he refuses to give me away, loyal to the end. Or they already shot him and left and left him to rot in the marsh grass. I stomp my foot snarling aggressively. 

No, don't assume that!He isn't captured and he isn't dead. He knows how to handle these situations. I understood Skye well enough to know what he would do, he would have slipped away from the midst of the chaos, using the tall grass and the thick trees to hide himself while he searched for me. Skye is not the one to easily be caught, even out of his element. 

 A dull pain ebbs into my entire calf, throbbing heavier with each step. I finally get a chance to inspect for a wound, and to my great dismay, see a huge black dart protruding from my flank. I rasp a frustrated hiss, gnawing at my hind flank in attempt to get it off before yanking it with my claws and removing it with a sharp stab. Clean blood oozes from the wound and clots over, though I knew it was too late; the dart had done its job and the toxins were already in my bloodstream. It was only matter of time until I conked out.