human
'Mom wasn't all that creative with names', Ginger thought while leaning her back against the trunk of some fallen timber. 'It could have been worse, I suppose. The woman could have named me something more absurd like Red or Scarlett. Ginger isn't that bad of a name. After all it's a spice, right? I think it is. Could be something else. I wonder if Earth had any flowers called that? Cinnamon might have been an interesting name. I could really go for cinnamon rolls.'
This was just one of the few thoughts racing through the dark haired girl's mind while holding a hand over a large gash in her side. Nothing too deadly. Not if she could find a medi-pack and soon, but it wasn't looking that way. It was just as well. Not like she had many prospects waiting for her back at the colony. No husband, no children. She was a lone woman without any ties and only a fragile reason to hang on. This was just as well. Life in the colony hadn't been fun and games. It was a hard living and Ginger was getting tired of it. A lot of work with very little pay off except the knowledge that their research might preserve some hope for the continuation of mankind. That's all that mattered, right? Her father seemed to think so or he wouldn't have brought his young daughter here. Not that she was a kid anymore. No, Ginger Wallace was a twenty-seven year old woman with a substantial build. Not that she was huge, but this woman definitely held onto her old Scottish roots.
And here she was whimpering over something her father would call a flesh wound. Peeling her hand back from the gash, she hissed in pain. It stung like hell and hurt like a bitch. The man was absolutely inhuman when he had been alive. She only hoped that he was annoying his Maker with all the things he used to tell her. 'Pick yourself up, girl. You're a Wallace! Show some spirit.' There wasn't much along a nurturing side to him. Not after his wife passed away. Smiling softly, she thought of him finally being with her mother. That was a happy thought. The two of them together. As harsh as her father could be... he always had a weakness for his dainty blonde wife. Not that Ginger remembered much about her mother. Just that sweet smile and hair like clouds. It always smelled like... smelled like... god, she couldn't remember. And as Ginger allowed these thoughts to play out, she felt hot tears spilling down her cheeks.
"Show some spirit", she said through gritted teeth. Her parents deserved better then a whiny kid of a daughter. No, she needed to get up and get moving. It was the only way.
Standing at last... she picked up her Remington and machete. Even if they were finally exploring other planets, humans remained remarkably low tech when it came to weapons. Not that people like her needed much more then this. The blade was used to cut through thick flora while she used the shotgun to scare off hostiles. Usually that did the trick. Not this time. They had gotten close enough to rip a hole into the woman's side and her Kevlar top. Great for stopping bullets, but not so terrific against claws. If only her father had shared that much information with the grunting Ginger. Wiping a hand through her dark red-brown hair, she sighed. Then again... her father didn't know much about these bastard sons of Earth tigers and elephants. Not that they were actually that. Just they were the closest she could think of to describe them.
The beasts were huge, but hardly the most dangerous thing on the planet. While they could tear through a mining station in little time... they were dumb beasts and easy to predict. It was just a spot of bad luck that this particular critter had gotten the drop on her. The more dangerous creatures were the intelligent type. They thought out their attack plans and it was a real chore dealing with some of them. Half the time, Ginger tried her hardest to avoid packs of such beasties.
After a while, she felt that the pain wasn't so bad. It was starting to dissipate just enough for her to tread the land a little longer. It would be hours before Ginger reached the next station, but damn if she was going to let herself die this far from home.
"How's this for spirit, old man?" She snickered softly.
Things would be great if she could just cut a clear path to the station, but things rarely went the way you want them to. She should have known that fate had something else in mind for her. Something along the lines of a small scouting party of those same beasties she spoke about. The smart ones that knew how to track and plan. Not much bigger then your small ponies, but still a pain. If only she knew the exact word for these devils. Xeno seemed to fit them fine. Then again... Xeno fit just about anything that was alien to humans.
gpt
This world was deadly. Infested with apex predators and covered with hostile enviroments, little else was needed to require the stamp of "uninhabitable planet". The colonists didn't need another top predator to make their lives more harsh then what it needs to be, but these people had little choice then to tolerate what was comming their way. The settlers might have the ambition to tame this world, and make it their own... But there was in all honesty only one master of this planet, and there could only be the toughest predator of them all who could rightfully make this planet his. As it is as of now, there where two outher wordly races on this hellish world.
And predators rarely liked competition.
He stalked her for two days. At first, he ha the ambition to study her and determine if she would be a worthy trophy. She did qualify for it, but he had strict conditions to meet before he hunted. The female was skilled, but, she was injured. Tradition dictated that he could not take someone else's kill, or have an unfair advantage. She was stumbling under the canopy, and decided he could not have his death on his...Conscience. Instead, he decided to observe her. She was interesting, that was enough to justify his actions. He had a good season as of yet, and there where no laws stating that he couldn't follow a potential trophy out of pure fascination... And a bit of admiration. Having seen the crude ballistic weaponry employed by most humans, he did not think of the humans to be less brave them his kind. He did not share the ideal that the weapons defined a Hunter. It is the ambition and skill of the Hunter that defines him. In this case, it is what definesher. She braved the hars nature, and fought the monsters that lived in it and came out victorious. He could only admire her bravery, facing such beasts when she was a member of the physically weak and generally cowardly 'oomans. His cloaking device hid him, and he continued to stalk her. He was convinced that if anything, she would give him a lasting memmory, a testiment to the bravery and skill of her kind. "Show..." His recorder snapped up a sentence that she uttered in her determination to endure her injury. "Show some spirit. Show. Some. Spirit.Show some spirit." It began as a pure copy that transformed soon into a macabre transformation of her words, now replacing her femenine tone with a gruesome tone of his own.
human
It was funny, but Ginger could have sworn she heard those exact words echoed on the wind. 'Show some spirit.' The rough voice of her father seemed to taunt her from above. Either that or she was starting to lose her mind. Blood loss could do that, but she didn't think enough had been depleted to cause such delusions. In fact, Ginger felt she had enough steam to trudge onward and make it to that service station or whatever. God, she could barely keep her thoughts together. Just a little longer and she could enjoy a cup of coffee while the doctor had a look at the ragged hole in her side. It wouldn't be the first time she came back like this nor would it be the last. She half wondered if Dr. Marlo would there today. He usually traveled between the different ports set up by the colonies since there were so few surgeons like himself. Hell, he was practically the only one. Or the only one she liked. He was kind of handsome in a sawbones way.
'Damn, I need to focus', she thought. 'Can't let myself become too distracted or...'
There was a definite crunch of foliage to Ginger's left. Halting in her process, she allowed her brown eyes to drift slightly in search of the reason. So far, she saw nothing, but that didn't mean anything to her. Those critters were dangerous enough when one was healthy. Her bleeding had stopped an hour before. Still, she smelled of it and... there it was again! Gritting her teeth, she gently palmed her Remington while taking a step forward. One, two... something was following her. She could hear the dried leaves crunching under a greater weight. So close that she could also smell it. Warm fur and foul intentions. And then it started to move off to the side. Ginger didn't relax exactly, but she became visibly quieter as she started walking again.
'Never trust a beast', she thought. 'It may have found something more interesting then me to track or it's waiting for the right moment'.
Well, Ginger had it half right. It did find something more interesting, but it wasn't waiting for the right moment. Instead, it followed a different signature then the woman. Something was drawing it past the bushes and trees until the faint scent oil and musk hit it's delicate senses. Much different from the female. It couldn't see what and that confused the beast. Closing its eyes, the creature breathed deeply and flicked its tongue outward. Something was there. Hidden from its vision. With a low cough like sound, the beast called to it's brethren.
gpt
The Hunter crouched low on the thick brance that he was resting on. His large arms rested on his knees as he idly observed the woman at the moment. He gave the local fauna credit for their remarkable stealth... But he was better. He saw them a long time before they came even closer, and he stared right back at them as the lithe animal on the ground sniffed the air in confusion. The red, orange and white heat signature inside his enclosing helmet and distorted sounds gave him everything he needed. He was relieve however when he saw that the beast scowled and growled loudly as their eyes met.He was spotted.The Hunter felt that now he had a legitimate reason to get involved in this. If the predator had focused on the injured woman, he could not interfer. Do not interupt a Hunt. That goes both ways.
Now, however, he would. His left hand reached from the massive tree trunk and his hand crunched the bark loudly. He skid down, jumping to branch to branch, and a loud thumping noise was created behind the woman. He was making his way down...
A rumbling gurgling growl emminated from some invisible spot up in the trees that sofar, only the locals knew anything about. Previously mentioned predators where antsy about this. Their eyes did not see what they where facing, but they could scent it and 'see' it at the same time. They saw the heat of this strange creature. Two of the dark striped feline-esque creatures snarled and spread out. They would not stand by and face some unknown creature, predator or prey, without facing it as such. They woman seemed to be out of harms way... For now.
human
"Just what in God's good name is going on...", Ginger thought outloud as the ground practically shook with movement. Something was going down and causing such a racket that the female part of her brain virtually screamed for a retreat. For a moment, she nearly moved away with the thought that this was her chance to put some distance between herself and those beasts.
'Show some backbone, girl!', she stopped dead in her tracks. Fucking phantom of her father haunted her every thought and just wouldn't let her leave this place without first taking a gander at the ruckus. If only to make sure it wasn't another colonist like herself getting into a bad spot. On a world like this... they had to take care of their own. Even at the cost of their own lives. It was practically law around here.
Licking her lips, she moved back into the canopy with every intention of retracing her steps through the woods. It was only when the sound of growling and snapping grew louder that Ginger broke away from her path only to move behind the pack of carnivores. They definitely had something in their sight, but even she couldn't figure it out. Had the creatures lost their minds? They were practically snapping at each other in frustration before leveling their gazes upon something unseen. Yet, she felt a kind of electrical charge in the air. Something was there. Every instinct started shouting warnings even as the first beast aligned himself to leap at the seemingly empty spot.
gpt
The Hunter remained invisible. Had he met any other prey, then he would have de-activated his cloaking device, but these predators where only slightly hampered by his technology. This made it more interesting. Taking advantage of the weakness of a top predator, and see how they fare without their greatest asset. Fighting and winning without using your best tools was something to respect in his society. After a few seconds of breaking branches and with a crashing descent, his feet made impact with the ground. The predators didn't hesitate, and they attacked. From all sides.
The woman could see that the beasts charged at each other, but, there was something that stirred up the fallen leaves. It flickered like a mirage on a hot day, distorting to view... But this was in the shape of a man. Not a man. it was a ghost. The large catlike thing was lifted up with a fierce grab at its chest, and was lifted up. It snarled and franticly dashed with its clawed paws infront of it. Luminescent green wounds erupted from the thin air and an inhumane snarling roar shook the jungle. A loud snap later, and the cat's head was snapped at an unatural angle, and was discarded like a boring toy. The bulk crashed against the nearest tree so fiercly, that the lithe and long body almost snaked around the trunk.
The Hunter changed his footing to meet the others. He ignored the woman for now, anticipating that she would not interfere. His massive legs stiffened as he spun on his heels, and he leaned forward towards his two last opponents in a defiant stand against what this planet had to throw at him. Then, a shrill and metallic sound struck out, and a pair of sick blades sprung from the right wrist of this ghost. They gleamed like silver, and the Hunter would feed his blades with the blood of his prey items.
human
The funny thing about humans is that they rarely do what a Hish expected. Not that many ever learned this lesson. They were merely soft meats after all, right? With no visible claws or teeth to defend themselves with. Oomans had to use their intelligence to create weapons to protect what could be considered a pathetic creature. Ginger wouldn't prove to be any different. From one moment to the next, she moved on pure instinct. It didn't matter that she couldn't get a clear view of the felines opponent. In fact, she was pretty sure this would be the last stand for her. Hell, her mind was already slipping, right? All those sounds and that splatter of phosphor blood hitting the massive trunks around them. She had to be going insane from infection or fever.
Lining up her shot, she aimed for one of the larger cats and almost smirked as the gun rocked in her grasp. The slug managed to hit one of the oncoming creatures and knocked it to the ground, but it did little deter the animal from not attacking again. Damn, she hated moving targets. Never was good at them. Biting her lip, she watched the massive creature pick itself up off the ground and level her with a glaring stare. It's lips pulled back from deadly fangs before darting across the fray straight at her. Cocking her weapon again, she stood absolutely still and held her breath as it's pounding paws brought it closer and closer to her. Another shot rang out, but this time with more success. The beast fell back with half it's skull missing and it's tongue lolling out in a morbid display.
She stepped over the corpse started loading her Remington as another creature took notice of her. With a shriek of rage, she was caught off guard and her gun knocked out of her grasp. On the ground, Ginger struggled with the muscular form above her, her arms nestled under it's snapping jaws while she reached for the blade strapped to her leg. Usually she wouldn't resort to this particular thing, but desperate measures. It was too large to be nimble and more useful at cutting through vegetation, but for now, she used it to slice the animal's throat open while trying to keep it from chewing her up too badly. Those claws were no picnic either, but the thing was more interested in ripping off her face then tearing into her torso.
'Must've been it's mate', she thought with a bark of mad laughter.
gpt
The Hunter felt very much interrupted wehn the 'ooman joined the fight. He swung his body fast when his 'last' prety ran past him and pounched the newcommer. As the feline was snarling and snapping at her face, there was a loud thud, a sound of cracking ribs and the predator's howling wail. The invisible fighter kicked the side of the beast and it flew several yards away, rolling on the ground in extreme pain. It grimached constantly without a break at the pain. Judging form the limpness of it's hindlegs, it could have a broken spine. The Hunter ended up standing above the woman, his left side facing her. He took a short moment to look at her. From what he knews about the beauty ideals of ooman society, she was a keeper. The odd thought that he agreed entered his mind, but was just as quickly replaced when he felt a hard impact at his back. A 4th, previously unnoticed predator pounched the Hunter and forced him onto his stomach.
The feline was ferocious. It raked his back, which was thankfully mostly protected, but the sick tearing of flesh was hear when it hit a vunerable spot. Alien blood gushed and ran down his flutteringly invisible arms. He let out a deep bellowing roar, but got the wind knocked out of him and the sound of metal grinding against dirt echoed inside of his helmet.
human
Still laughing, she managed to slide the sharp edge across the animal's throat just as her companion kicked the beast. Blood bloomed from the wound and splattered her face in a warm gush. Peering up at the hazy figure, she still couldn't understand what the hell was going on. It had to be infection. There was someone above her, she could feel it. Hell, she almost felt the weight of his gaze settling upon her before the final beast took him by surprise. Without even thinking, she flipped onto her knees and lunged at the animal, her body straddling it like some morbid steed while fitting her machete under it's chin. What had they called this kind of attack? Some sort of bow-tie. Damn, her father had loved using old phrases like that, but this was neither here or now. Jerking her blade upward, she felt the body twist under her own before it finally gave up the fight.
Ginger rolled off the limp body and laid next to her comrade. That's what they call each other after a fight, right? Both on the same side. Still, she could feel darkness narrowing her vision. 'Show some spirit, girl', growled a voice from the past. Fighting off her exhaustion, she tried flipping onto her side, her eyes slightly out of focus as she reached for the other figure. Madness. Maybe none of this was real. She still couldn't make out his form, but she could tell it was there. All that warmth and taste of heavy musk. She reached out and placed a hand upon what should have been a shoulder, but could have been his back.
All this time... Ginger dismissed the idea that this wasn't a human. Her mind just wouldn't accept the possibility that this could be something else. Something completely different from herself. No matter what sounds were made during the battle, she merely chalked it up to the cats. All those growls and hisses, shrieks and bellows. Inhuman sounds. The rest she figured was a delusion brought on by infection. She had been wounded and lord only knew what kind of alien illnesses inhabited this planet. Although, Ginger was finding it hard to ignore the strange green fluid leaking from him.
"You... okay?", she managed to pant.