[Level 2 Deathworlder] I don't know how you can be so relaxed about this human. This is an unknown planet and, save for a few starvation rations and potable water, we've no supplies left. All of the prey is too fast to catch, and you are obviously starting to look worse. HOW can you be so calm when all you're doing is banging rocks together, scraping sticks, and weaving those disgusting plants skin together?
[Human] Yes so I've lost some kilos, but I now have everything we need. Sure the plants are useless to eat, containing absolutely no nutrition, but they burn, don't they?
[L2 Deathworlder] Yeah we're warm and have shelter, but we have no more food.
[Human] --holds up several pieces of very sharp stone arrowheads, wooden shafts, and woven bark netting-- Not for long, my friend, oh, trust me, not for long. -- DaniAndShali
Humans are relentless. Fyorq got to see it in person. Stranded on a world they were initially there to scout. The good news - they had shelter and a decent scanner. The bad news was that they were running out of edible foodstuffs. At their most-uncomfortable survival situation, they would still perish of starvation.
None of that seemed to stop Human Fil. Ze had, upon landing and verifying the nutritional content of the plant life, started messing about with rocks, sticks, and plant fibres. Ze had also immediately began living on as little as ze could whilst doing so. Humans like Fil were capable of doing survival math and arriving to conclusions that it would take Havenworlders months to arrive at without help.
In such cases, it's always best to watch what the Deathworlders are doing, and then at least lend a hand. This resulted in Fyorq endlessly plaiting lengths of rubbery leaf strips sheared from some marginally nutritious fruiting body. The fruits took more calories to render edible than they delivered and the extensions they allegedly made to their diet made Fyorq wish that their molecular dissassembler and printer wasn't damaged beyond repair.
For two weeks, Human Fil hit rocks with other rocks, made some improvised cooking equipment and apparently ruined about half of it with elementary chemistry that Fyorq had to remain upwind of.
"I understand the need for sanity projects," soothed Fyorq as Human Fil was looking pleased with hirself at their latest collection of knots. "There is a time to admit the truth. We are on starvation rations and... well... even at the end of that help will not be here. We are looking forward to death and death only."
"Nope," said Human Fil. "There's madness in my method, and I have a plan."
Since there was little more dangerous than a Human with a plan, Fyorq had to ask. "Does this plan involve truly risky behaviour? Or foolish chances that could easily end either of us?"
"Uh... maybe?" Human Fil folded up an extended tangle of cord that Fyorq had braided, and coiled up another length of it by winding it around hir forearm. Fyorq had been briefly hypnotised by the rhythm of it. Elbow to hand to elbow again. Around and around and around... "I know the critters here are edible, but they're way too fast for either of us to catch. At least... catch bare-handed." One of the sticks Human Fil had been messing with now stretched into a curve with the help of the rubbery plant's cord. It wasn't just a stick. It was a bow. Now all the disparate pieces were coming together, including Human Fil's fascination with Fyorq's wing feathers.
Ze had a bow and a quiver of arrows. Ze had nets, not tangles of cord. Ze had a spear and some kind of arm extension that would make it fly further towards a target. Ze had an arsenal.
"Oh," said Fyorq with realisation. "You were making tools."
"Yep. If I can't kill 'em outright, I can at least slow them down. And if I can slow them down..." A menacing grin that reminded Fyorq that Human Fil was a Deathworlder and a predator with it. "I can run them down."
Humans are pursuit predators. Capable of walking distances that boggled many minds. They could, at a set pace, simply stroll their selected prey to death.
Fyorq could not keep up with Human Fil in hunting mode. "Call if you are in trouble?"
"Got my tracker monitoring life signs in case it's too quick or too slow," Fil reassured. "We're going to be okay."
It might have been a Last Lie, but Humans had a way of making lies become reality. Fyorq remained on thin rations for the sake of hope and kept working on evolving the traps set around their wreck site. Hope was a powerful force, and Humans had enough of it to share with everyone.
It was a surprise to see Human Fil's tracker coming back at the end of the day. Slower than their normal pace. It was difficult to tell whether they were under stress from an injury or from a heavy load that was slowing them down.
Fyorq would find out in a handful of hours, since Human Fil was close and drawing steadily closer by the Easy Slope.
There were few creatures in the night interested in chewing on either of them, but Fyorq still took one of the stunners that were still working. Just in case. It only had a few charges, but it would give any trailing predator something to think about if it wanted to make trouble for them.
Humanity was infectious, especially their particular brand of insanity... Fyorq wasn't sure if they had it or not, but this mind-set, right now and in this setting, didn't seem that insane.
Human Fil wasn't very injured. Ze had gained bruises and a few minor lacerations that had scabbed up during hir journey. "I got lucky," called Fil. "Th' flakker panicked and tripped in a gopher hole after the net hit. Broke a leg and their neck. Finished 'em off at can't-miss range. It was beautiful."
Only a Human could possibly have that thought and say it out loud.
They had so much more food, in the form of a cooling corpse dragged on Human Fil's travois. Fyorq knew without asking that the Human had already removed all the non-edible portions of the creature's internals.
"How are we cooking all of this?" Fyorq asked.
"Using every part but the moo, of course."
Also a very Human articulation.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / idimair]
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