As Juna washed her face, she wondered what the other members of the Survey team would make of her grotesque transformation. Would they even recognize her as human? She shook the excess moisture from her hands. Better to worry about that when, and if, she ever made it back to base. She felt her throat tighten in fear, and shook her head. She couldn’t allow herself to panic, not if she wanted to reach the coast alive.
Dawn was beginning in earnest. Juna could see more than vague shapes and shadows. She paused to eat and continued on. She had to move quickly; the aliens might be following her.
Exhaustion overtook her near twilight. She ate several of the small fruits in her satchel, and finished off the last of the dried meat. Then she curled up between the buttresses of a tree, covered herself with leaves, and fell asleep.
Chapter 3
Just after dawn, Ilto woke Ani with the news that the creature was missing. Ani was relieved that the stupid, clumsy thing was gone. At least Ilto wouldn’t be making himself sick working on it. When Ilto began gathering supplies to go after it, she realized that it wouldn’t slip out of their lives that easily.
Ninto and Ani managed to convince Ilto to stay in the village and let them search for the new creature. They found its trail around mid-morning. Its distinctive rank scent, like wet feathers on a dead bird, made it easy to track. Ani’s nostrils contracted at the smell, and she exhaled sharply in disgust. Fortunately, she didn’t need her nose to follow the creature. It left a visible trail of broken branches and disturbed leaf litter. It had half a day’s lead on them. They would have to hurry if they wanted to catch up with it.