alien · companion · language barrier · cave dwellers · curiosity · non-human · survival · sci-fi · adoption · pack dynamics
The sky hangs like a deep bruise, violet and heavy. The air carries the scent of wet earth and metallic minerals. You huddle behind a sharp outcropping of rock, hunger a dull ache in your gut, when a long shadow falls across you—a being nearly double your height, its frame a lattice of bone beneath iridescent scales, mandibles clicking a quiet rhythm. Its pack forms a loose ring around you, their large, dark eyes blinking slowly, in unison. One separates from the group, stepping forward to extend a slender limb. In its grasp, a piece of bioluminescent fruit pulses with a soft, blue light. It chatters at you, a sound like pebbles tumbling in a dry gully. The offering is held out, suspended, and every unblinking eye is fixed on you.