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  He tied it around his waist and paced around his tree house to get a feel for it. He jumped a few times to make sure it didn’t hinder him. Immediately problems began to emerge. Without anything to secure them in place the leaves bunched up, leaving Felix literally hanging in the breeze. Even worse, one leaf had already torn loose. This wouldn’t last any time at all when he was out and about.

  Felix took his leaf skirt off and pulled the leaves off the rope. He went to cook his newly butchered meat and gather more leaves. He was sure this was the right concept, but his execution was off. He could tinker with it a bit.

  He stared at the fire and thought it over. It was strange to be thinking of how to make something himself again, rather than relying on the system. He would have to be wary that he did not fall into that trap. He was beginning to think he would have to use his head if he ever wanted to get off this planet.

  Turning his attention back to his skirt, or lack thereof, Felix saw two problems. There was nothing to keep the leaves in proper position around the rope length, and threading the rope through a hole introduced a weakness that would cause massive wear over a short period of time. He felt a bit absurd thinking about it in terms of product shortcomings like it was one of his goods to sell, but it helped.

  He could tie them on. That would solve both issues, but the system made rope was too thick. Easy fix. Felix took out a vine and set to work with his knife. He cut it into several long strips. He then tied the leaves together by stem. He needed quite a few more than his original attempt, but the results were workable, if not very aesthetically pleasing.

  He tied it around his waist. The stems stuck up and jabbed at his stomach. The leaves were uneven and there were odd gaps. But it worked for now. Bright blue boots and a homemade leaf skirt, but Felix was at least clothed.

  While Felix had been preoccupied Liz had woken up for the evening and had seated herself next to him. Felix petted her as he planned ahead. He had food, and as much clothing as he was going to get. Tomorrow, he would begin his search for Koale.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  When Felix awoke the next morning, he lounged in his bed, feet up on the wall and thought. He needed to find Koale. He knew from their trip down that they were on an island, and that it wasn’t extraordinarily large. Still, searching blindly was going to go nowhere fast.

  When Felix died, he had appeared in his house. Felix’s face blanched as he thought about what that might mean. Would Koale keep popping up in their cave? Was he a perpetual snack for that landshark? If Felix’s cowardice had caused that, well. He shook his head. No time to dwell on that.

  He hoped he was wrong, but he had to find his way back to the cave. He had to know for sure.

  With the chaos of that day, he wasn’t sure precisely where the cave was from his new house. It was at the foothills of the large volcano, and so he did have a place to start. He gathered up his rebuilt supplies and gave Liz a pet before he stepped out. From his platform, he could just see the volcano rising up through the foliage.

  Felix set off, walking as straight and unerring path as he could through the trees.

  During his aimless run, Felix had covered quite a bit of distance. It was late afternoon before he finally broke through the trees to the foothills. Felix thought back to his first run with Koale to get water. He grabbed a few rocks. He piled them on top of one another with a longer side pointing in the direction he had come out. He would be able to find his way back this time.

  He sat down to rest and eat before continuing onward. It was a well timed rest break, and he wasn’t stalling. He insisted that to himself firmly, even as his mind dwelled on the memory of Koale’s death. What would he do if they were both still there? How could he save Koale?

  He couldn’t fight off that monster, but maybe he could distract it and make it chase him. Would that be enough? Could Koale run after a week of that vicious cycle? Felix owed it to him to try.

  With renewed determination, Felix stood and began the trek south.

  Felix was beginning to get hungry again and was contemplating another break when he saw it. He saw the ruined wall of his old home. Their old home.

  Felix crept into the tree line and edged forward. He was hunched over and moved with exaggerated slowness as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. The wall was wrecked and broken. He had expected that; it had been before he had ran. Something about it wasn’t right, and it took a while for Felix to pinpoint what it was.

  The logs were splinted and snapped from the abuse the landshark had inflicted. That was to be expected. The dilapidated state of the materials themselves was not. The vine ropes holding the construction together were falling apart. They were only two weeks old, but they looked ancient. The logs of the wall itself were already showing signs of rot.

  Felix shook his head. It didn’t matter what it looked like. He just had to make sure Koale wasn’t there or save him if he was.

  The late afternoon sun cast long shadows. Felix imagined those shadows reaching out for him to atone for his past transgressions. That was fine. He was going to make it right.

  He padded towards entrance of the cave. A soft glow emanated from the cave as he approached. Felix slipped inside the mouth of the cave.

  Great swaths of the wall were covered in a glowing substance. It was semi-translucent but tinted the rock underneath with a rainbow sheen. And it glowed. Felix could see the details of the cave in a way he had never seen before. And in the middle of it all, the great mass of the landshark lay.

  Felix froze in place. It took all he had not to run. He wasn’t done yet.

  He scanned the cave for any sign of his friend. Ruined furniture lay in heaps, ominous and foreign in the odd lighting. Bones lay scattered on the floor, but none looked like they could belong to Koale. He didn’t see any sign of the man himself.

  Felix backed back out of the cave as quickly as he dared. As he emerged into the waning daylight once more, he felt he understood that tragic day a little better now. That stuff on the wall was nothing short of beautiful. Add in how useful that lighting would be, and he understood why Koale took the risk he did. Hopefully his friend would understand why Felix acted like he did.

  While he was glad Koale was not in the cave, the absence did rob Felix of his momentum. When he had died, he reappeared in his home. Shouldn’t Koale had done the same? Or did he, but manage to escape between then and now?

  Where was Felix to look?

  With a lack of options, Felix decided to head toward the pod. It was the only other landmark they both knew of that Koale might be at.

  Dark had long since set by the time Felix made it to the nook where they spent their first night on planet. He flopped down into it. He wanted to sleep, but he couldn’t help thinking about that night. Exhausted, scared, and confused. Worried about the creatures in the jungle and ill-equipped to deal with them. Felix paused and smiled grimly. Perhaps not all that much had changed.

  Felix slipped into an unease sleep and worried dreams.

  A roaring boom brought Felix out of his slumber and to his feet. His spear was in his hand in an instant and he scanned the area for wildlife.

  When no threat emerged, Felix relaxed enough to process what he had heard. It sounded like an explosion. Common sense warred with his curiosity. He foresaw no good coming from explosives. On the other hand, it might mean survivors, or something useful he could use. In the end, he set out in the direction of the sound.

  He hadn’t been walking long when he heard yelling coming from the direction he was headed. Felix sped into a jog.

  Felix was not sure what he was expecting to find, but what he saw was not it. In a small clearing, a tree lay on the ground. The bottom of the tree was jagged and burning. The roots of the tree were missing, and dirt had been thrown through the clearing.

  A snuffle lizard was investigating one of the nearby trees. Its body was leaned against the trunk and it strained to reach something in the lower branches. Another lizard prowled bene
ath the tree. Felix couldn’t see what they were after, but it was interesting enough to keep their attention. Felix had a pretty good guess who it was.

  The problem was how to get rid of the lizards. They had taken two snuffle lizards on and came out relatively unscathed before. But they had also had a chance to plan together and shields. Felix didn’t even know if Koale was armed. Best to assume not.

  If he could take out the one trying to climb up the tree, then that would leave two of them and one snuffle lizard. That didn’t sound too bad. All he had to do is take out a boar sized lizard before it could turn on him or the other could help. No problem.

  This planet sucked.

  Felix lined himself up to be behind his target. He waited for the wandering one to just pass his foe and charged. He held his spear at his side, not unlike the jousting vids he’d seen. It turns out, charging with spear leveled is more difficult than it appears.

  The tip of the spear wobbled as he ran. Felix tried to hold it steady, and on target. He needed to take out the snuffle lizard quickly, or he was not going to make it.

  Right before contact, the spear dipped. Instead of the snuffle lizard’s throat, the spear slid in between the lizard’s ribs. Felix watched with sick fascination as the haft disappeared into the beast. The impact of hitting the tree on the other side jarred Felix back to his senses.

  The lizard flailed and screeched on the end of the spear. Blood oozed slowly out of its wound and smeared on the tree as it struggled. Felix hesitated. He couldn’t pull his spear out, or he’d be facing two lizards again. With a growl of frustration, he pulled out his knife. He was going to make a second spear after this.

  The remaining snuffle lizard whipped around the tree at Felix. It lashed at the obstructing spear haft. It snapped a foot behind the trapped lizard and slowed the charging one not a bit. In fact, it was still speeding up. And that gave Felix a crazy idea.

  Felix readied himself as the heap of muscle and claw barreled towards him. At the last moment, he threw himself out of the way. Nearly. The snuffle lizard was quicker than he thought and claws raked his left foot and shin.

  Felix yelped, but could not stop. The snuffle lizard slowed and turned to face Felix again. But Felix wasn’t staying still this time. He leapt onto the snuffle lizard’s back and held on tight, wrapping his arms and legs around it. The snuffle lizard bucked wildly.

  A flash of movement by the pinned snuffle lizard caught Felix’s eye. Something small fell out of the tree next to it. His attention was wrenched back to his own fight. The snuffle lizard had stopped trying to throw him off. Felix stabbed down with the knife.

  As he did, the lizard reached back and gouged Felix’s arm. He lost his grip and was thrown off. As he lay on the ground, he saw the first snuffle lizard push itself off the spear and onto the ground. It was bleeding profusely, but still moving.

  He pulled himself to his knees, his leg unwilling to hold his weight to get fully upright.

  A flash emanated from the base of the tree. A strong pressure rushed past him him and knocked Felix flat on his back.

  Felix groaned. His ears rang, and he was seeing after images.

  He rolled over and pushed himself upright by will alone. The ground was splattered with his blood and holding his knife was difficult. Felix stood, all his weight on his good leg.

  It was then he noticed the tree the first lizard had been pinned to had fallen, and gore was splashed over the area. And there was Koale, face down on the ground between him and the remaining snuffle lizard.

  The snuffle lizard wobbled on its feet, but its gaze stayed glued to Koale.

  Not this time.

  With a yell, Felix limped towards the brute. The lizard either didn’t notice him, or was not concerned. It continued towards Koale’s prone body.

  “No!” shouted Felix, and he threw his knife at the lizard.

  The knife skid off the thick lizard’s hide, but he got its attention. And now Felix was unarmed and facing an angry, clawed beast. Brilliant move.

  Felix pulled a large stick out of his inventory. This would have to do.

  The snuffle lizard charged. Felix swung the stick like a baseball bat. And missed.

  The lizard drove into Felix’s exposed flank and they both went down.

  A stick cracked over the lizard’s head. Its eyes rolled back and it slumped down on top of Felix. Koale stood above them, broken stick in hand. He rolled the creature off of Felix and slit its throat with Felix’s knife.

  Felix lay on the ground panting. He was covered in blood, both his own and that of the snuffle lizards. Dirt mixed with it freely, covering him in an ichor mud.. His grass skirt was ruined. One of this precious leather boots was shredded.

  Koale bent and offered Felix a hand up. “So,” he said, “You look well.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Koale stood over Felix arm outstretched. Felix looked up at him and his thoughts froze.

  He was in front of the cave again. He heard the landshark approaching. He was yelling at Koale to hurry. The sound was getting closer, trees shifted, marking its passage. He yelled again. The landshark emerged, nothing but teeth and beady black eyes. He ran. And Koale died.

  Koale looked down at Felix, concern on his face. “Hey, Felix? Can you get up?”

  “Uhh, yeah. Sorry,” Felix said as he took took Koale’s hand. The Lisnoir pulled him to a seated position. “It’s great to see you,” he said. “I didn’t think I would get to again.”

  “For a while, I would have been fine with that.”

  Felix grimaced and looked away. He examined his leg as an excuse to keep his gaze averted. His new boot was ruined for a start. With a grunt of effort, Felix took off the shredded remains of his footwear to get a better view of the damage.

  The snuffle lizard had got him good. He skin was torn from knee to his toes. Between the dirt and the blood, Felix couldn’t tell how deep the cuts were. That was probably for the best. Felix was feeling a little woozy just looking at it as it was.

  Koale followed his gaze. “We ought to get that addressed before anything else,” he said.

  “I have the medkit in the bag, if you want to grab it-”

  “No need,” said Koale. He pulled a waterfruit out of his inventory. He poured water out of the hollow waterfruit. Blood and dirt washed off the wound.

  Several of the broad waterfruit tree leaves appeared in Koale's hand. He used them to cover the wound and the back of Felix's calf. The makeshift compress was secured with some vine.

  “Thanks, Koale, but why bother with this when the kit is right there?”

  Koale laughed. “I assume you haven't been injured too badly since we parted ways?”

  The incident with the morr came to mind, but he didn't say anything. At least he hadn't been eaten. That he remembered.

  Felix’s face must have shown some of his double. Koale added, “Don't worry, you'll be just fine soon enough.”

  Felix pulled himself to his feet. To his surprise his leg did feel better already. It still hurt. A lot. But the blood had stopped dripping down his leg. He could even walk a little with a makeshift crutch.

  He didn't go far. He pulled himself to the least gore covered tree and took a seat. Healing fast was not the same as already healed.

  Koale was gathering up the larger chunks of the exploded snuffle lizard. Felix leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He didn’t know how to make things right. He wasn’t sure he deserved things to be better.

  The silence stretched on. Koale began to butcher the second lizard. Felix wracked his brain for something to say. Nothing felt adequate. Felix mentally shrugged. If nothing was right, then it was time to rip off the bandaid and say the least worst thing.

  “I’m sorry,” said Felix.

  Koale spun towards him and jabbed a claw into his chest. “You. Left. Me. You left me to die.”

  Felix didn’t say anything. What was there to say?

  “I’m not angry about it. I would like to be. I should be
. It won’t let me.” He gestured at the implant in the back of his neck. Koale sighed, “I know intellectually that there’s nothing you could have done. That thing was massive. But you left and I was alone. I died alone, and then I had to make my way after alone.”

  “I came for you when I figured it out. It isn’t enough, but it’s all I’ve got.”

  Koale smiled weakly. “I’m glad you did. It’s all they left me. Promise me we’ll get off this planet though, so I can be proper pissed at you?”

  Felix smiled and held out his hand. “It’s a deal.”

  “So then, are you able to walk yet?”

  Felix tried his leg. It held, but just. “Yes, if we aren’t going far.”

  Koale nodded. “My new setup isn’t far from here. Why don’t we go rest up there, and we can cook all this meat while we wait?”

  They set off. Felix had his arm around his alien companion’s shoulder. Before long, they reached the shore. There was a steep drop where the tide had eroded away the turf.

  Koale led Felix down onto the beach. A shallow alcove was dug into the overhang.

  The remains of a small fire smouldered inside. Beside it was a research desk and a few small chests. On the other side was a lean to made of sticks and wood, and a ragged sleeping bag. It wasn’t much, but it was functional.

  Koale sat Felix on top of the sleeping bag and got to work cooking the meat. He had made his three pronged rotisserie. Felix had to admit, with the amount of meat they had now, it was quite handy.

  He pointed at Koale’s invention, “I see you made it. And explosives too? Seems like you’ve been busy.”

  “I’ve progressed a lot, though,” Koale trailed off and ran a hand over his crest. “Well, let’s just say my experiment with expedited logging this morning did not go as smoothly as I could have hoped.”

  “Expedited logging? That’s what I heard? You blew up a tree?”

  “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

  Felix laughed hard and lay back. “Hey, it’s good to have you back, you madman.”