And I want to show her my father’s resting spot.
HARLOW
There’s a distant gentle roar that takes me a few minutes to realize is the beach. Rukh’s brought me to the ocean. A sense of wonder takes over. I’ve never lived near the ocean. It’s warmer here, the winds less biting, and the snow isn’t as deep, which makes moving around easier.
Rukh holds my hand tight in his as we walk, and it’s clear that he’s anxious about something. Does he want me to be pleased with this place? Right now, I’m just pleased that we’re no longer traveling. I’m ready to put down roots. I don’t know why Rukh felt the need to leave at the sight of the other hunter, but I’m with him. My cootie vibrates in my chest, agreeing with me. It fills me with a weird ache, as if reminding me what I need to do soon.
Yeah, I know, stupid cootie. It’s not like I can forget with the thing going off like an alarm clock every time I turn around. I rub my chest as Rukh leads me forward.
The rolling hills curve into a steep valley, and I notice a cave mouth set off into the rock.
“Here,” Rukh says again, and gives my hand a squeeze.
I have to admit, the cave looks promising. The entrance is nice and big, taller than myself and Rukh combined. It looks like there’s a bit of a twist once you walk in, which is also good – that means the wind won’t whistle through the cave all night and chill my sorry human butt. Rukh motions for me to wait outside while he goes in, knife in hand, to ensure nothing’s living inside. I hear a scuffle a few moments later, and then Rukh appears with a pair of fat quill beasts hanging from his hand. He’s got a few quills sticking out of his arm, but seems pleased.
“I guess we’re stealing their home, huh?” I smile at him. The animal lover in me should be upset that we’re raiding their cave and taking it over, but living on Not-Hoth has taught me that it’s very much kill-or-be-killed around here.
Plus, the quill-beasts make a tasty lunch.
I follow Rukh into the cave, cautious. There’s not a lot of natural light to see by, but the ceiling of the cave is tall, so at least we can keep a fire going and not choke on the smoke. There’s a nice big interior room in the cave and a few nooks that we can use for storage. There’s a perfect spot for a fire pit, and an alcove that will make a good sleeping spot. It’s the nicest cave I’ve seen so far, and it makes me happy. “I like it,” I tell Rukh excitedly, not that he can understand me. He’ll grasp the tone of my voice.
He smiles at me and gestures at the floor, indicating sleep.
“Yes, this will be home,” I agree. The place needs a good sweep and some prepping, but the potential is awesome. I can’t stop smiling. Home, after so long. I love it. Eager, I follow behind him as he shows me the stream of fresh water nearby that comes from deep within the rock and trickles down the cliffs. He leads me to the beach, and I make mental comparisons. The waves are larger than the gentle surf I remember at home, and each one crashes hard against the sand. The sand itself is a dark, glittery green, and the water has a greenish tinge instead of Caribbean blue. But it’s the beach, and it’s familiar to me. It makes this feel like an Earth vacation instead of being totally stranded.
That is, until I see the sand-scorpions.
They crawl along the beach, a weird, Geiger-esque cross between a spider and a scorpion. Many legs scuttle along the sand, all leading back to a thorny-looking carapace covered with spikes. As a wave rolls in, the legs dig into the sand and it hunches down. When the wave rolls back again, it unhooks itself from the beach and scuttles along its way, a feeler （or stinger） bobbing overhead.
It’s easily the most disgusting looking thing I’ve seen so far. I make a face of horror and point it out to Rukh. “Look! So gross!”
He gives me a surprised smile and then trots forward in the sand. When he drives his knife through the center of one, I squirm and gag quietly. Damn language barrier. He must have seen it and thought I wanted lunch. Eeeew. Guess I’m having crab legs for dinner. As Rukh holds it up and legs twitch wildly, I amend that thought.
Rukh is having crab legs. No way am I letting that thing near my mouth, cooked or not.
The salty breeze picks up, and I gaze down the beach. Actually, now that I look at things, there’s not a lot like Earth here on this beach other than the water and sand. The waves are rough, and out in the distance, I see greenish icebergs floating in the water. Dark shapes move on the distant ice, and on the shore, there’s an ostrich-like something bobbing for things in the waves a short ways away. As I peer at the water, undulating humps flash and then disappear again.