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raynedanserwritesRiddick walked quickly ahead, long strides that forced Frye to walk faster. When the sun had climbed high over the trees, Riddick pulled on his goggles. He was only a few paces ahead of Frye and constantly scanned the dense woods around them. Nearby, a brook chattered quietly to itself.
He touched a hand to his side as his thoughts traveled back to the night before. She'd helped him. It had been a long time since anyone had shown him genuine kindness.
A rumble of protest from his stomach reminded him they'd broken camp this morning before eating. Two large rocks nearby offered a good place to rest. Purple berries grew in abundance on the surrounding bushes. Better still, he'd found the water.
“What did you see this morning?” Frye asked again. She pulled her pack off and slid it to the ground next to her.
Riddick sat on the larger of the two rocks and considered his words. He doubted that he would frighten her any more. She'd already shown she was tough as nails by releasing him after the crash. Most people would have left him there to die. He did want to make sure she understood that at the moment, he didn't completely know what he saw. If those traps meant what he thought they did, they had more to worry about than just finding the skiff and getting off the planet.
“Hunting traps,” he answered finally. He waited while she processed the information and its implications.
“What sort of hunting traps?” she asked. She opened her pack and took out the first aid kit, standing it against her rock. “How many?”
“The old fashioned claw and bait traps. I saw three. What worries me are the ones I didn't see.” He waited again, watching her jaw work as she pieced the new information together.
“Tell me what you saw,” she prompted.
“Not much. Three traps with something resembling jerky for the bait. Obviously, I didn't get too close, but the hinges were recently oiled, so they haven't been unattended long.” He picked a few berries. Time to see if they were edible. If they were, they'd be able to conserve the Nor’pax a little longer.
“So we're not the only ones here,” Frye concluded.
“Exactly.”
“Those edible?” she asked as her eyes moved to the berries he held in the palm of his large hand.
He shrugged. “Not a clue. Guess we'll find out.” He popped a couple into his mouth. They were surprisingly juicy, but they were extremely bitter tasting. He hoped the taste was the worst thing to come from eating them.
“I need to look at that cut again,” Frye said as she scooted to the edge of her rock and felt for the first aid kit until her fingers closed around the handle.
Riddick pulled his shirt out of the way. The cut and surrounding skin were still sensitive. He knew that she was trying to be gentle when she took the bandage off, but it still hurt enough to make him growl quietly. He swallowed the impulse and reminded himself that she was only trying to help.
“Why?” he wanted to know, breaking the silence. He popped a few more berries into his mouth.
“Why what?” she asked as she snatched a few berries from his palm.
“Why'd we crash? Why'd you help me? You know who I am.” The second question she could answer one of two ways and he waited to see which she'd pick. Riddick watched as she tried to decide how to answer his questions.
Frye cleared her throat. “I don't know why we crashed. Or why I freed you. I guess I thought if I left you there to die, I would be no better than a common criminal.”
Riddick took a quick look around. They'd spent too much time talking and not enough time walking. He stood and pushed through the dense brush to reach the brook's edge. A quick glance up and down the shore assured him they were alone. He found a flat rock at the edge of the water and stretched out on his stomach, ignored the flash of pain from his cut, and cupped the cool water to his mouth.
He stood when he heard thrashing in the bushes and grinned. He'd have to teach her to move silently. “We've wasted enough time. Get a drink and let's go,” he rumbled quietly as he brushed past her. He returned to the rocks, strapped the pack on and waited.
They struck out again in silence, walking side by side. They paused occasionally to study more traps he found or to watch odd creatures with beaks and fur or wings and four legs. The animals were small and easy to miss as they darted about.
At dusk, Riddick lifted Frye’s wrist, and glanced at the tracker. The orange blip on the screen that represented the skiff still wasn't any closer. He looked around. There was nothing nearby to use for shelter for the night. They'd have to keep moving.
Only a few minutes later, they came to the edge of a large field. Riddick stopped and listened. He had to take a few more steps before he could see anything. He crouched low, watching in silence. What he saw confirmed his suspicions about where they were. It was a hunting party with two or three fires, a dozen or so tents and numerous people. The people he could see cleaned animal skins, ate or stretched skins on frames to dry. He knew this would be only a small part of the population.
The hunting camp he saw meant they were on Diego Minor, a small planet far away from the shipping lanes. Criminals of various and assorted pedigrees populated it, many made even his skin crawl. He'd heard stories about the camps here from way back during his Company Ranger days, but had always thought they were just legends.
Mercs tended to stay away for two reasons. First, no merc in their right mind would travel here alone, no matter what the pay. Few had tried it, fewer had returned. Second, no merc would come with another merc as a ticket to survival. They were a greedy lot. To do so meant less profit. These were all criminals that had avoided capture so far.
“Who are they?” Frye whispered, suddenly crouched next to him.
“Trouble.” Riddick stood, eager to be moving again.
It was a few minutes more until Riddick found a cave set in a small hill. He silently slid his pack to the ground. Motioning for Frye to stay where she was, he disappeared into the darkness of the cave, and then reappeared moments later, hefted up his pack and grinned.
“Looks clear,” he said before the mouth of the cave swallowed him in darkness again.
The walls of the cave had been worn smooth and the ceiling was low enough to force Riddick to stoop. The floor was covered with fine sand that absorbed their footsteps. Instead of ending in a cavernous room, the cave dead-ended.
“This is a joke, right?” she asked as she stared at the small space. “Where are we supposed to sleep? What about a fire?” She shrugged her pack off. It landed in the sand silently.
Riddick shook his head. “No fire. And we'll set the blankets here,” he answered, indicating the end of the cave. He opened his pack and rolled out one of his blankets. “It will be cool tonight, especially with no fire. We'll lie down on one blanket and cover with the other three.”
Frye’s eyes grew round. “We?” she asked before falling silent.
“Body heat,” he whispered as he leaned in close.
He touched a hand to his side as his thoughts traveled back to the night before. She'd helped him. It had been a long time since anyone had shown him genuine kindness.
A rumble of protest from his stomach reminded him they'd broken camp this morning before eating. Two large rocks nearby offered a good place to rest. Purple berries grew in abundance on the surrounding bushes. Better still, he'd found the water.
“What did you see this morning?” Frye asked again. She pulled her pack off and slid it to the ground next to her.
Riddick sat on the larger of the two rocks and considered his words. He doubted that he would frighten her any more. She'd already shown she was tough as nails by releasing him after the crash. Most people would have left him there to die. He did want to make sure she understood that at the moment, he didn't completely know what he saw. If those traps meant what he thought they did, they had more to worry about than just finding the skiff and getting off the planet.
“Hunting traps,” he answered finally. He waited while she processed the information and its implications.
“What sort of hunting traps?” she asked. She opened her pack and took out the first aid kit, standing it against her rock. “How many?”
“The old fashioned claw and bait traps. I saw three. What worries me are the ones I didn't see.” He waited again, watching her jaw work as she pieced the new information together.
“Tell me what you saw,” she prompted.
“Not much. Three traps with something resembling jerky for the bait. Obviously, I didn't get too close, but the hinges were recently oiled, so they haven't been unattended long.” He picked a few berries. Time to see if they were edible. If they were, they'd be able to conserve the Nor’pax a little longer.
“So we're not the only ones here,” Frye concluded.
“Exactly.”
“Those edible?” she asked as her eyes moved to the berries he held in the palm of his large hand.
He shrugged. “Not a clue. Guess we'll find out.” He popped a couple into his mouth. They were surprisingly juicy, but they were extremely bitter tasting. He hoped the taste was the worst thing to come from eating them.
“I need to look at that cut again,” Frye said as she scooted to the edge of her rock and felt for the first aid kit until her fingers closed around the handle.
Riddick pulled his shirt out of the way. The cut and surrounding skin were still sensitive. He knew that she was trying to be gentle when she took the bandage off, but it still hurt enough to make him growl quietly. He swallowed the impulse and reminded himself that she was only trying to help.
“Why?” he wanted to know, breaking the silence. He popped a few more berries into his mouth.
“Why what?” she asked as she snatched a few berries from his palm.
“Why'd we crash? Why'd you help me? You know who I am.” The second question she could answer one of two ways and he waited to see which she'd pick. Riddick watched as she tried to decide how to answer his questions.
Frye cleared her throat. “I don't know why we crashed. Or why I freed you. I guess I thought if I left you there to die, I would be no better than a common criminal.”
Riddick took a quick look around. They'd spent too much time talking and not enough time walking. He stood and pushed through the dense brush to reach the brook's edge. A quick glance up and down the shore assured him they were alone. He found a flat rock at the edge of the water and stretched out on his stomach, ignored the flash of pain from his cut, and cupped the cool water to his mouth.
He stood when he heard thrashing in the bushes and grinned. He'd have to teach her to move silently. “We've wasted enough time. Get a drink and let's go,” he rumbled quietly as he brushed past her. He returned to the rocks, strapped the pack on and waited.
They struck out again in silence, walking side by side. They paused occasionally to study more traps he found or to watch odd creatures with beaks and fur or wings and four legs. The animals were small and easy to miss as they darted about.
At dusk, Riddick lifted Frye’s wrist, and glanced at the tracker. The orange blip on the screen that represented the skiff still wasn't any closer. He looked around. There was nothing nearby to use for shelter for the night. They'd have to keep moving.
Only a few minutes later, they came to the edge of a large field. Riddick stopped and listened. He had to take a few more steps before he could see anything. He crouched low, watching in silence. What he saw confirmed his suspicions about where they were. It was a hunting party with two or three fires, a dozen or so tents and numerous people. The people he could see cleaned animal skins, ate or stretched skins on frames to dry. He knew this would be only a small part of the population.
The hunting camp he saw meant they were on Diego Minor, a small planet far away from the shipping lanes. Criminals of various and assorted pedigrees populated it, many made even his skin crawl. He'd heard stories about the camps here from way back during his Company Ranger days, but had always thought they were just legends.
Mercs tended to stay away for two reasons. First, no merc in their right mind would travel here alone, no matter what the pay. Few had tried it, fewer had returned. Second, no merc would come with another merc as a ticket to survival. They were a greedy lot. To do so meant less profit. These were all criminals that had avoided capture so far.
“Who are they?” Frye whispered, suddenly crouched next to him.
“Trouble.” Riddick stood, eager to be moving again.
It was a few minutes more until Riddick found a cave set in a small hill. He silently slid his pack to the ground. Motioning for Frye to stay where she was, he disappeared into the darkness of the cave, and then reappeared moments later, hefted up his pack and grinned.
“Looks clear,” he said before the mouth of the cave swallowed him in darkness again.
The walls of the cave had been worn smooth and the ceiling was low enough to force Riddick to stoop. The floor was covered with fine sand that absorbed their footsteps. Instead of ending in a cavernous room, the cave dead-ended.
“This is a joke, right?” she asked as she stared at the small space. “Where are we supposed to sleep? What about a fire?” She shrugged her pack off. It landed in the sand silently.
Riddick shook his head. “No fire. And we'll set the blankets here,” he answered, indicating the end of the cave. He opened his pack and rolled out one of his blankets. “It will be cool tonight, especially with no fire. We'll lie down on one blanket and cover with the other three.”
Frye’s eyes grew round. “We?” she asked before falling silent.
“Body heat,” he whispered as he leaned in close.
