radiologica

[radiologica]

Symbiotic

Ch. 1: At Blizzards Mercy

My eyes open at the sound of something dropping to the ground a room over. Muffled curses meet my ears as I listen to the source of my sudden consciousness. I hear the sound of something being swept into a dustpan, then poured out into the garbage. Wonder which dish Viktor broke this time, hopefully it wasn't the deep one. Plates that are also bowls are the best. So useful for more runny food that doesn't quite need a bowl, but spills out of shallow plates. I swear if that ass broke my Blate, I'm gonna beat him.

I groan, throwing my covers off and over to the side, promptly being met by a cold breeze. Slipping on my house shoes, I begin my journey to investigate whether or not Viktor will be receiving a death sentence. Turning the corner I see none other than my dear twin brother, trying his best to clean the mess he had made. I knock on the doorframe, making him stop and look up at me. He doesn't look terrified, so my beloved Blate lives on as well as Viktor.

“Happy birthday, clutz.” I sneer, earning a sharp glare from my lovely brother.

“You could help ya know,” He replied.

“Nuh uh,” He glares harder, “your mess.” I duck as he chucks the thankfully empty dustpan at my head.

“Stop it you two, you're acting like toddlers.” We both jump as our dad walks out from the hallway. He picks up the dustpan and whacks both Victor and I as he passes, taking care not to step on any ceramic shards. “You're both eighteen now, thank god.” He grabs a mug and begins to boil water over the small fire pit on the counter. “Speaking of such, eat some breakfast. We're heading out in an hour.” He grins at us, pouring a cup of tea and leaving for the living room.

Today was both of our birthdays. Our eighteenth birthdays at that. With our new coming of age, we gain a lot of things such as freedom, the ability to get a house, etc. However, there's one thing that overshadows the excitement of these new freedoms. Something even more exciting. You see, when a person turns eighteen on Draco, we get a uh.. pet of sorts. We bond with a creature through our soul, using the lifeblood of our planet. Once bound, the link can only be broken in death. If the link is broken, either half will never bond to another soul. For some, they decide to go for a smaller animal. Not Me. If I'm gonna be a freighter, I'll need something bigger than a scurrier or snowhop. That's why I'm gonna get a polydrake. They’re the biggest land animal on the tundra, being the perfect fit for a job that requires heavy lifting. With six legs, sickle claws, thick feathers, and the build of a powerlifter, tundra polydrakes are the best option for hard jobs. So it's common sense for me to bind to one.

“What are you planning to go for?” I ask Viktor once our father is gone. Maybe he's also obsessively considered what field he's going into and what he’ll get for it…

“I dunno…” He pauses. “Something that flies for sure. Probably an aeromonitor.” He finishes, rummaging through the cabinets for something of substance.

Damn it.

“Cool,cool,” I nod. “I uh, I'm gonna get a polydrake. Ya know, so I can be a freighter.” I swing my hands, attempting to cut the awkwardness I created.

“Cargo transport is dangerous work, Vetka.” Viktor grabs some dried fish from the cabinet, holding a handful out to me, he asks. “What will you do when you get caught in a blizard? What if you get attacked by a taurovyern?” He waves his hands around, seeming to animate his concerns.

“First, they train you for blizards.” I take the dried fish he offered once he puts his hands down. “Second, taurovyerns hardly ever attack polydrakes.” I stuff a peice of fish in my mouth. His concerns are valid but, I’m sure they wont be a problem for me. Taurovyern’s are easy to avoid and pacify, and blizards are a common ocurance I’m used to. I’ll be fine…

~Two hours later~

[Location: Aurora Peaks]

“Where is everyone,” I whisper to myself. Our father had dropped us off on opposite sides of the mountain range near our town. The Aurora Peaks. It’s said to be a hotspot for bigger speices, but today is different... Its been an hour and I’m yet to see a sign of life, not even a call from an animal. I shiver, begining to hate the silence. It’s too damn quiet. Last time dad took us up here, we couldn’t go fifty feet without seeing something. Now the landscape is still, almost as if something horrible would happen if they even dared to breath. I continue my search, taking care not to be too loud. I walk another hundred yards or so before I hear something. It’s an unmistakeable sound that the tundra’s people know so well. Roaring and howling unlike any creature, I look to the peaks to confirm. A blizzard… A big one, a pure white wall of galeforce winds, snow, and ice sharp enough to cut.

I begin my race to find a shelter just as the wall crests over the peaks, swallowing them into its depths. My panic rises as I remember something. Viktor. Viktor’s on the other side of the mountain. I stop and turn toward the blizzard, wanting to run right into it. “I would freeze before I even got to the top..” I remind myself. I clench my fists, praying Viktor found cover. As I continue down the mountain side I can feel the wind. It’s catching up. Just as I do another scan for anything to take cover in or under, a tree root trips me. I tumble down the slope, finally stopping when my back slams into a tree. With a spotty conscience, I manage to crawl behind the tree.

“Damn it…” I hiss, looking at my leg. My calf was cut badly and I could tell I bumped my head pretty bad. All I could do was watch as my fate approached. It’s not too uncommon for people to come back injured, dead, or turn up missing. I never thought I’d be one of those people, but here I am. Stuck. About to freeze out here. I clutch the vile of liquid I was given for my partner. Just as I was beginning to accept how I would end, I heard something over the rapidly approaching blizzard. It was the cry of an animal. I looked up to see the most welcome sight of my life. It was a large creature, running as fast as it could in my direction. As it got closer I was able to see what it was. A beautiful polydrake, pure white with ice green and dark gray patterns. It continued its sprint, wasting no time swooping me up and retreating. It held me by the scruff of my jacket, making me wince at the sudden movement to my head and leg.

As we made our decent, I spotted our destination. There was a cave opening, half buried by the last blizzard that ripped through the mountain. It made a beeline for the opening, quickly moving the snow to squeeze into the room behind. It made its way to the back of the cave, setting me down between the wall and a large rock, effectively shielding me from the winds that would still blow into the cave. The large animal finally turned to me, walking closer and plopping down in front of me. For the first time I got a look at it, or more accurately, her. She tilted her head at me, and I did the same. Slowly, I extended my hand toward her. She sniffed it, sneezing before placing her forehead in my palm. I chuckle as she crawls forward to rest her head in my lap. She’s quite heavy, and it’s not exactly helping my leg, but at the moment I could care less. I move my hand to the vial in my pocket, taking the top out and letting the now mist-like substance escape. It wound its way around the both of us, eventually dispating. Suddenly, I felt an odd hum in my chest and threw my hands up. With a victorious whoop, I knew it, I had found my best friend.

Despite the happiness I felt, I still held a deep worry in the back of my mind. I rested my hand back on my polydrake.

“Please, for the love of everything, let Viktor be safe.”

[radiologica]

X-7 DRACO…

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That's the planet I'm being shipped to..

Why, why why why why…

They just… took us.

Crammed us in these damned ships…

Never told us where we were going.

That ticking is quite irritating…

Warp speed is sickening…

Nobody ever mentioned that in school.

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After what seemed like centuries, I feel the jolt of the craft decelerating. I hear the startled noises of my fellow passengers as the engine's wail. Nobody dares speak as we feel the struts make landfall upon the foreign soil, telling us that we've arrived.

"Alright, get movin'," a soldier ordered over the loudspeaker, ushering out what must've been a hundred people. No, it was more than that. I look around, seeing the flock of ships blotting out the horizon. Like machines we make our way from the steel jaws of our transport ship, walking onto the strange new land. It all looks so familiar, yet different. So many colors… there's no color on Earth anymore… at least, not like this. This is beautiful. I've never seen this many trees. I've only ever seen pictures in the old history books and drawings in the old textbooks and art museums…

"Your only task is to not die." The same soldier called from the doorway as it closed. His face was almost mocking. I feel an unfamiliar anger boil in my stomach. Why were we put here and not them? Just what gives them the right, the audacity to sit beside the higher-ups on their shiny marble pedestals and look down on us? They refuse to see that we are no different, that we're all human… My fists clench as I bite back all my anger. The only thing anger will get us now is an early grave. Don't be rash. Don't do something stupid. Not now.

"What now?" Asked a lady to my left. I turn to see all that surrounds me. So many people… thousands upon thousands. How will we make it? My anger quickly shifts to a familiar shade of confusion. What now?

"Don't die, I guess." Mocked another woman. I look all around once again. Don't die. Psh, like that will be easy with so, so many… all confused… all scared… I feel the sudden need to get away, as if staying in one spot would be the death of me. I come back to my senses when I feel a rough hand on my shoulder.

"Are you alright, son?" An older man questioned. My body froze, what do I say? 'No sir I'm going insane, how are you on this horrific day?' My brain mocks, but to no avail.

"Y-yes, I suppose…" I finally responded. Turing to look him in the eye, I see a kind, weathered face looking back at me. He seems so calm.. how is he doing that?

"You're making that odd face again, what's on your mind." He said this with such a level voice that I almost had to take a step back.

"How are you doing that?" I ask, mentally slapping myself for not thinking before such a blunt question. "How are you so calm," I continue, "We just got dropped like trash, on a planet we know nothing about." I look at the man expectantly.

"Such a negative outlook you youth have…" He responded. "We get to live in nature again, something so far gone on Earth. This is an honor, son." He gently smiled and patted my shoulder. I turn away, once again getting the urge to escape from the crowd. The cloud of confusion that was now our lives. How.. how… how will we make it…

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WEEK TWO ON X7-DRACO

FOREST VILLAGE

POPULATION - 103

STATUS - FOOD SOURCE FOUND. WATER SOURCE FOUND. 2 LOST TO NATURAL CAUSES.

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"Seth, hey, world to Seth."

I close my eyes, exhaling as I calm my mind. I finally turn toward the person calling me, unsurprised to see an old man.

"Yes, Russell?" I answer, mildly annoyed.

"Has she come around yet?"

"No.."

"You've been out here for four hours Seth, it's time to come back home."

I look back into the maze of trees, hoping Russell would take the hint and leave. My hope's are fulfilled as I hear the older man sigh and the crunch of leaves as he left me to my wait.

Nearly an hour later, I hear the familiar thunder I had been waiting so long for. I grin and hop off the log, looking in the direction of the sound. My eyes fall on a familiar creature, a large drake-like animal with reddish brown scales, interrupted with a pattern similar to that of a ball python. She came to a halt about five feet from me. I walk toward her and hold out my hand, letting her sniff me. She hesitates, something she's never done.

"Is something wrong?" I ask as if she could respond. To my surprise however, she almost did. She tilted her head, evidence that she was thinking. "Ace?" I try with her name, seeing if that would get more of a response. Before I could move, the drake grabbed me, holding me by the collar of my jacket. The sudden action made me nauseous. My head spins as Ace runs through the labyrinth of trees, skillfully weaving through their branches.

Within a few minutes, Ace comes to a sudden stop. She gently bows to put me down on the ground. My upright posture doesn't last as quickly plop down, holding my head. As my dizziness clears, I look around. A… cave? My head slowly turns as my eyes roam over the large room. The walls have so much vegetation… Even a cave, a place that's supposed to be dark and empty, has so much life. My mind begins to spin once again. Suddenly, I hear Ace make a splash deeper in the cavern. Somehow, I find my way to my feet, starting down what seemed to be a natural staircase. As I round the corner, my breath leaves me.

In the center of the cavern room was a beautiful pool. Its light was unlike anything I've ever seen… The water was a brilliant teal, almost blinding. The water cast light throughout the cave, illuminating Ace. She ran out of the water, galloping towards me. She stopped, looking at me expectantly. I follow her toward the pool. It's so bright, but now, there's something else. Something seems to pull me towards the water. Ace suddenly shoved me into the water, then jumped in herself.

The pain was so sudden I opened my mouth to scream, water taking its chance to rush into my lungs. My body goes numb as fear rushes me.

'This is how I die this is how I die this is how I die this is how I die this is how-' My panicked thoughts are interrupted as a large paw wraps around my torso. Hacking coughs rack my body as Ace brings me to the shore. When I finally calm down from my fit, something feels off. I feel like someone else is in my head somehow. I feel like my soul has somehow been altered, like it was connected to something. I look over to Ace, seeing her tail wagging. Suddenly, I feel a pang of happiness.

"Wha- what did you do to me?" I desperately try to get up. I start feeling another wave… worry. 'What's going on.' Ace ran toward me, the worry got stronger, almost sickening. 'Wha- no. No, that's illogical.' I silence my thoughts. Ace relaxes and walks off, taking that sickening worry with her.

"No way. Nuh uh. Not possible." As I say that, also as if it was rehearsed, Ace turned around. She, once again, grabbed the back of my coat. However, this time she put me down on her back. I bring my hands to my chest, really not wanting to anger the animal that's the size of a box truck. As if she could hear me, Ace suddenly shook. With a yelp I grab onto the leaf-like membrane. I feel a pang of what I assume to be amusement.

"You think that's funny, really?" I frown. She looks back at me, securing her position as an absolute ass by proceeding to sprint full speed out of the cavern.

A few minutes later, we arrived back at where I was waiting all those hours ago. I say goodbye to Ace, watching as she weaves back through the trees. The feeling of happiness fades but never fully leaves. I can't help but believe the impossible…

what if?