cosmicshifts Page 2
“All-eee-ka.” He sounded out the name.
She frowned. It wasn’t exactly right, but she wasn’t sure a human throat could say her name properly so she was satisfied with the way he said it. “Pillup,” she pronounced again.
He nodded and approached the pool. She pulled away even more, pressing against the rock lip. A small growl trembled the back of her throat, and she bared her teeth, wondering what his intentions were. Phillip took a piece of fabric from a space next to him and held it out to her. She remained still. He opened it, covered himself with it, and then placed it at his feet. He must want me to use that to dry off. Alika hesitated and then swam over to the other side, clutched the edge of the pool, and studied him. His ears grew red, and he turned around. Silly humans. I’ll never understand them. She hopped out of the pool and wrapped the cloth around her body. It was pleasantly softer than it looked and absorbed the water from her flesh. When she was done, Alika tapped him on the shoulder. Phillip turned around. She unwound the material and handed it to him. His face became a darker shade of crimson, and he looked away. She sighed. How are we going to communicate if he won’t look at me? Alika poked him again, harder this time. He glanced at her before racing around and then took the garments that had been folded up and held them out to her, still keeping his eyes down. She was perfectly fine walking around naked, although it seemed that he was not comfortable with it. Then again, he was only wearing something that covered his lower half.
Alika took the clothes, pulled the red top over her head, and stuck her arms through the other two holes. The top stretched across her breasts, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Next, she slipped her legs through the two holes in the blue bottoms and pulled them around her waist. They were a little big, but her hips held them up. When she was done, Phillip smiled and held a cylinder of clear liquid. He twisted the white top off the clear canister, tilted it to his lips, and drank the liquid. He offered her the other container. She took it and mirrored his movements. When the fluid washed over her tongue, she realized that it was water. It had no flavor to it like the minerals she had tasted in the pool did.
After a moment she stopped drinking and gazed at the man before her. She didn’t sense any malice from him. It seemed that Phillip was trying to help her, not hurt her or keep her against her will. And yet she still had to make him understand that she had to get back to her ship. Phillip came toward her with a square of material in his hand and reached toward her face. She caught his hand and growled at him again. With his free hand, he gestured toward his head and then pointed at hers. He’s concerned about my well-being. Surely he can’t be working for some military organization. He can’t be trying to trick me. Alika released him. Phillip took the cloth and pressed it against her lip. She winced at the sudden pain. He took the cloth away and then added water to it. He said something, but she shook her head and didn’t understand.
It was frustrating because he wanted to converse. Alika took the rag and pressed it to her mouth, but her wound was no longer bleeding. She glanced around the cave for something to write with. I really have to get back to my ship. He brought me here, so he has to know the way to it. Alika found a sheathed knife. She pulled it out and heard her host make a noise. He had jumped back. She pressed her finger into the point and found that it was moderately sharp. After clearing a space on the dirt floor, she gestured for him to join her.
“Pillup.” She drew a crude picture of her ship and waited.
He shook his head and pointed at her drawing. Phillip moved his hands in a motion to indicate that it had exploded. She already knew that. Alika rolled his eyes. Why can’t this go more smoothly? She pointed at the ship, at him, then at the passageway she assumed led to the surface.
Her host glanced at the ceiling where the sunlight filtered in. The first dappling of stars shone on the horizon, and none of them were the ones she called home. Phillip looked back at her and shook his head, which she understood to mean no. He pointed to the sky and then at himself. Something agitated him that he was trying to tell her from his distressed expression, but she could not figure it out from his hand gestures.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me.” She threw up her arms.
Phillip took the knife and erased the drawing of her ship. Instead, he drew some humanoid figure that resembled a gorenaut, a giant gray ape that lived in the forests on her planet. They were eight feet tall and weighed between six hundred and eight hundred pounds. They were ferocious beasts that even the most seasoned hunters avoided. She had only seen photographs of them, and the environmentalists of Rovan had them proclaimed a protected species.
He gestured at the drawing and then at himself. He took her hands and shook his head once more. This sketch, or whatever he was trying to tell her, had him very disturbed. He spoke again, but it was no use. There was a barrier between them that they could not cross unless she got to her ship and found her galactic translator. She drew the ship again and pointed at it. Maybe there’s another way to get across to him that I have to get back to the crash site. She touched her throat and then her ear. Phillip studied her. After a moment, he nodded and sighed. Miraculously, he was finally giving in and seeing it her way. Thank the stars he finally understands. She smiled, stood up, and walked to the opening that she assumed led up to the surface.
Phillip shook his head. She groaned, agitated that they could not go right away. He peered up at the sky and back at her. Alika gritted her teeth, frustration washing over her. She was so close. He gripped the wall and doubled over as if he was in pain. Alika walked over to him, but when Phillip looked up at her his features had changed. His face had elongated, with a pointier chin and thinner nose. Hair was sprouting all over his body. It seemed that he was growing before her eyes. Alika went to touch him. Phillip grunted and shoved her away from him. Is he a shape-changer too? From the knowledge I have of this planet, humans don’t have that ability. He pushed away from the wall, and his head nearly brushed the top of the ceiling. While he continued to change, the garments he wore tore and fell away from his hips as they grew wider. Phillip was completely encased in hair and resembled the gorenaut more than he did a human male. His nails turned into claws and everything about him was larger, including his feet.
He opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was an animal call. Phillip touched the side of her face. She saw the intelligence that remained in his eyes. He was not just some animal. She had seen others of her kind lose themselves to the beast within and never make it back. It was a chance they took when they switched their forms. And yet, he seemed to be okay. Phillip moved away and gestured for her to follow.
Chapter Three
Phillip stopped at the mouth of the cave and glanced behind him, hoping the alien woman could keep up. It seemed that the steep incline up to the surface was not bothering her. Maybe her six toes give her some kind of super grip on the rocks. The vision of her naked body danced through his mind. He shook his head, trying to push it aside. It had been a long time since he had been with a woman. It did not really matter because he had, and would always be, faithful to the woman he loved. As Phillip thought about his beloved, he tried to call up her image. All he could see clearly was her wonderful smile and the long, dark hair that hung in a braid down her back. He clenched his fists together and tried to recall her more clearly, but the details of her face had paled. Kaylana had slowly been fading from his memory for years, even though he had tried to hold on to her. The love burned in his heart, but it did not account for the loneliness he had suffered. It was nice to have some company in the cave, even though she was a woman from another planet.
Alika. The name flowed through his head like the river winding under the mountains. It was the only word he had understood from what she had said. The rest of it was nonsense. Whatever her language was, it had sounded more like a babbling brook with a few cricket chirps and bird whistles thrown in for good measure. There had been a grunt once in a while too, but he figured
that was her frustration coming through. Even his name she was not able to pronounce so well. It seemed that she could not put the sounds together the right way. She had communicated that she needed to go back to her ship. Phillip figured she needed something there. Hopefully, there was a gadget there that could aid in their communications because pointing and drawing things on the dirt floor was not the best way to get his point across.
Alika met him at the cave entrance and smiled. He returned the gesture and knew it was more of a grimace, his lips peeling back from his sharpened teeth. Phillip had frightened many a person with that same look. But they mistook him for some feral animal about to eat them and not for the man under all the hair. His guest said something, but he shook his head and motioned her forward. Phillip took in a whiff of the cool night air. It helped to revive him and keep him focused. He glanced up at the horizon. The stars were in full blaze, beaming their light down to the earth. He wondered if any of them were the one she had fallen from.
His visitor rubbed up against his shoulder and tried to move ahead of him, but he gently grabbed her arm. She spun around and mumbled something, then motioned down the hill. He nodded and put up his hand, hoping she would understand to wait a minute. Phillip touched her chest and then pointed at the sky. Her mouth turned down in a frown, causing little lines to be etched into the corners of her mouth and even deeper ones into her forehead. And yet it made her all the more appealing. I have to stop letting my mind wander there. I can’t be with another woman, and she will eventually return to her home planet. That is, if the authorities don’t get her. I’m not going to let that happen anyway. Their fate would be the same if they were ever caught. Alika stepped away from him and gazed at the sky for a long time. She raised her arm and followed a line of stars. Her finger stopped by the Andromeda constellation and gestured that she meant beyond that. The sadness in her eyes was apparent. She was a very long way from home. Wetness lined her eyes and twisted Phillip’s heart even more. Sometimes he forgot he was a man underneath all the hair and big feet, and the animal instincts in him took over. Being with her, Phillip remembered that he was also a man who had feelings. He swiped his finger over her cheek, bringing the tear with it. Alika stared into his eyes, and he was captured by her orange gaze. It seemed like her eyes were on fire. It was a striking feature against her light green skin.
Alika pulled away and motioned back toward the hill. He nodded. Traveling among the brush and dense foliage made it easier for him to blend in so that no one would see him. Phillip moved at his normal gait and did not hear her behind him. He reached the bottom of the hill, glancing back to see if Alika was keeping pace with him. Over the years he had perfected nearly gliding over the countryside and barely leaving an imprint of his large feet. They trekked toward the crash site, and when they finally got closer he heard the hum of engines and generators. Bright lights lit up the area where the ship had skidded and broken apart. The scent of churned earth and ozone clung to the landscape, but the aroma of gasoline and sweat overpowered his senses and made his eyes water. This was one reason he hated to get so close to mankind. They took over the environment and did not care about it. They invaded the land and perverted it, eating up the pristine terrains that provided sanctuary for him and the animals that inhabited the Earth. He growled his dislike of the machinery. The ground rumbled beneath his feet from the heavy equipment being used. Once upon a time, the native peoples had probably seen him exactly the same way that he saw the men who were working on the crash site.
She slipped past him, heading off toward the site. Great! He raced after her and ensnared her waist before she could slip out of view. A disgruntled cry escaped her lips, and she struggled to get out of his grip. Wow, she sure is strong! Phillip wrapped his other hand around her waist and hauled her back into the shadows so they would not be discovered. She beat her fists against his chest and tried to escape his grasp. He hated that he might hurt her, but she had to calm down.
“Stop,” he commanded, but it came out as a grunt.
After a moment, she relaxed and motioned toward the lights. He held up his hands and tried to ease her fears. Phillip knew that she was desperate to get back to her ship. He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering all of the powers that went with his condition. They had developed over time and he had mastered them, to move among the elements and listen to the currents of the Earth. That was how he had learned to become nearly invisible. If he could cloak himself in the wind and move rapidly, then he could get in without anyone noticing him. Maybe I can take her too. I’ve never attempted it. First, I have to see what’s down there and get back.
Phillip pointed to himself and then to the illuminated crater. She shook her head and said something. But he put a finger to her lips, and her expression darkened. Alika threw up her hands, turned in a circle, and ran her hands through her hair. Her voice trilled, but she gestured for him to go. Phillip walked toward the treeline, gathering the air around him like a cloak, and drew on the speed that his curse had imparted him. He prayed to whatever god was looking over him and raced into the encampment, trying to keep to the shadows, which was difficult considering all of the lights. Men with guns patrolled the perimeter, keeping watch just in case anyone tried to infiltrate the crash site. Jeeps and ATVs were littered all over the camp. Some kind of building was set up just off to the side, surrounding part of the cracked ship. The sides were heavy-duty plastic. From his observations, he saw men walking around in white smocks, carrying clipboards. They were documenting whatever they had found. A few pieces of metal were scattered about. He wondered if they were something of any value to Alika or just pieces of the hull. In order to get closer, he had to distract the men.
He pressed himself against one of the large pine trees and howled. At first, none of the men moved. Phillip darted to another tree and let out a low grunt. Then he tipped over one of the lights. As it exploded, the men started to scramble. He raced around the perimeter and did the same with the other lights, making the darkness better for his needs. With the light from the stars, he was able to see clearly. When he approached the last one, he saw Alika residing in the shadows. She must’ve been watching me while I was putting out the lights. The army is scurrying to figure out what’s happening and who is infiltrating the crash site. All he saw was a blur when she dashed from the darkness. Alika stopped, and he spotted her on the other side of the camp before she disappeared again. Shouting erupted in the clearing, and some of the military men were trying to get the lights back on. Screams and tearing sounds exploded around him. Phillip sped into the middle of the camp and prayed that Alika was all right because he could not see her. Others were dashing around, trying to make sense of the chaos. Gunfire erupted around him. Some of the bullets whizzed past him and narrowly missed his fur.
As he loped through the darkness, one of the men bumped into him. The soldier’s eyes widened, and he backpedaled a few steps. The look of shock and fear on his face was almost comical. Phillip smiled and nearly forgot what he was doing there. He glanced down at the crater and noticed some shiny metallic pieces that he scooped up. There was another blur, and something brushed against his leg. Phillip saw an animal that appeared to be a wolf waiting for him just beyond the treeline. Its fur was brown in the moonlight with a hint of green to it. The creature had something in its teeth. He figured it was Alika. More men with guns floundered around. Additional gunshots echoed in the night. The lights were coming back on. It was time for him to vamoose. When Phillip left the encampment, he made sure to leave a couple of foot impressions to confound the scientists. It would make the authorities scratch their heads. Maybe they even got a blurry photo of him that would puzzle them even more. The most important thing was that Alika got whatever she was looking for.
Phillip moved further into the woods where the trees were thicker and no one could see him. When he stopped, he saw the same beast under the light of the sickle moon. This creature was the tallest wolf he had ever seen, and it stood to his hips. Its h
ead was wider than a normal wolf, and its snout held more teeth than any lupine he had ever come across. Its eyes were orange, as if it were a demon hound emerged from the underworld. It had sharp, curved claws, and both legs held six toes. Its two tails were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen on a wolf. There was something in its mouth, and he still carried the few pieces he could find. It glanced at him and then swung its snout toward the direction of the cave. Phillip was all in favor of getting back under cover, where the men could not follow.
He glanced up at the sky. The stars were slowly dimming as they sank lower below the mountains. When they arrived back at the cave, Alika slipped through the underbrush that hid the opening. Phillip had to duck and squeezed in the pathways until he reached the room he called his home. He placed the metallic pieces on his bed and then glanced at the alien creature before him. They stared at one another before she walked over and dropped the things she had in her mouth next to the pieces he had retrieved from her ship. When she stepped back her form twisted, and she was propelled back on two legs. Standing before him, she was almost as tall as his seven foot five frame when in her human guise she barely came up to his stomach when he was a Bigfoot. Her brownish hair receded, and her chest caved in on itself while her green skin reappeared. Her shock of purple hair fell down her back and covered her naked form. Alika’s teeth blunted, and her eyes once again captured his attention.
When she was finished with her transformation, he wished that it would be so easy for him to take his human shape. However, that was not to be so. Phillip shivered and tried not to think about the night he had been cursed. He was stuck as an overhairy giant who took human form during the day. He mostly slept those hours away because he had no other reason to be awake. Now he had to be sure that Alika was protected, although by looking at the claws on her feet that had blunted he wondered how much protection she needed. Phillip’s passions were rising the more he studied her. He ground his teeth together and focused on something else. His stomach grumbled, and his need for meat grew because the beast in him was letting loose. The longer the night stamped by and he didn’t feed, the more it would possess him, and he did not want to lose himself in front of Alika. What would she think of him? Why do I care what she thinks of me? She’s from a different planet and probably has someone waiting for her. Besides, who knows if we’re even compatible? I could never be with anyone but Kaylana. My love for her is unending.