Here's a side story that forms part of the Book of Space Lore series, created by myself and @zakludick.
Since this short story is around 4600 words, I decided to break it up into three, more digestible parts.
If anyone is interested in creating some artwork for this, let's have a chat. I'd love to get some artwork done on Freyai, which we can possibly turn into NFTs.
My thought is three different artworks since this story is broken into three parts, with each of those having three NFTs available.
Birth of Freyai
The earlier brilliant orange sky was gradually growing duller, and Freyai’s third eyelid had become translucent.
I need to hurry.
She looked at her potential options, attempting to figure out where to go.
Straight, left, or right?
The plain ahead provided no clues, therefore, Freyai decided it would be most adequate to follow the lighter part of the sky, angling slightly to the left.
She started with a gradual jog, keeping her eyes and ears peeled. The liquid she’d obtained had been an absolute lifesaver, with micronutrients, bacteria, and microbes further aiding circulation. Her body and mind felt refreshed.
After jogging for another 30 minutes, she became keenly aware of how quickly the darkness was setting in. Up until now, there was no sign of this so-called home her mind was taking her to.
Freyai managed her way up another steep incline. There, in the distance, she observed the artificial lights. It appeared to be floating just above the planet and stretched for miles on end.
That’s it. That is what I’ve been seeking.
Freyai realized this was her home. This is where she belonged. This is where she’ll be reunited with her family. The sole thing standing in her way was the valley between them. The extremely gloomy-looking valley.
Stealth will remain your friend, she thought, as more of her knowledge fell into order. Freyai took a few more sips of the nourishing liquid, then headed down into the valley.
As she headed down, the trees grew taller and the brush grew thicker. Lesser animals scurried away from her footsteps, and Freyai kept a close eye out for any potentially dangerous plants. Periodically, she had to backtrack and discover an alternative route. She looked up at the towering trees when it dawned on her.
It will be better to move along the trees.
Freyai climbed up the tree with relative ease. Her four arms and legs felt naturally adept. She drew in a deep breath as the charming, fragrant air filled her nostrils. It was better than the dank, musty smell down below, and everything just felt more natural to her up there.
Freyai gained her way up to where the branches were thick enough to handle her weight, yet close enough so she could leap from one tree to another. At intervals, she’d have to climb up slightly higher or drop a little lower, to move from one to another. It all felt seamless though as she quickly made it ¾ across the valley.
Freedom. This is what freedom feels like.
Freyai’s second, emotional brain took over. Her purely logical, primary brain hadn’t quite learned how to suppress it properly, and before she could recognize it, it was too late. Freyai lunged from one branch, up towards another, when her hand clasped onto something hard, yet unfamiliar. Immediately letting go, she swung ahead and landed on a lower branch.
A piercing squeal filled the air, as Freyai looked back up towards the aurli’ast. Within seconds, a flurry of flapping wings emerged, as the flock of the aurli’ast launched into the air. She counted seven, however, wasn’t going to stick around to find out exactly how many there were.
The flock launched themselves high up into the sky and Freyai attempted to move as quickly as possible. Occasionally, one or two of them would dive down to just above the tree line, flap their wings hard against the gravity, and send a flurry of darts in her direction. Her heart was racing, and the adrenaline was pumping as these whistling darts narrowly missed her. When one of them landed on their target, she immediately felt a numbness setting into her left rear buttock, stretching down her upper leg and across her lower back.
Two more of these and you’re done for. You must get lower down.
Freyai quickly scaled down the tree, however, the numbness in her leg made it difficult. Another whistling flurry approached, with one dart landing an inch from her hand. Freyai missed her step and went tumbling down. She managed to break her fall, grabbing at some branches, until she landed face down on the ground.
Freyai rolled onto her back and let off a deep sigh as she looked up at the canopy. The numbness didn’t subside, and now her entire upper body felt battered and bruised.
She got up slowly. Although she felt pain all over, it didn’t seem as if anything else had been broken. Freyai scanned her surroundings and managed to see the lights of her home through the tree line.
About 500 yards to go.
As short a distance as it may seem, it was nighttime now and she knew how many dangers were about. Without a hitch, she crossed 50 yards, then 100, until she got to the 150-yard mark. There was a strong, pungent smell in the air. The acidity started burning her nostrils as she carefully pushed ahead.
Freyai noticed some smaller, uprooted trees and lower hanging branches that had been snapped off. This could only mean one thing.
This is viltor territory.
Due to their sheer size, viltor’s covered large areas. Freyai wouldn’t be able to go around it. She couldn’t wait for daytime to arrive either, or else she risks freezing to death in the early morning hours.
Run!
Before she attempted this gauntlet, Freyai listened carefully for a few minutes. It sounded quieter than the rest of the forest. With viltor’s extremely aggressive behavior, not even small mammals dared to come close.
Freyai drew a few deep breaths, pushed as much carbon dioxide out of her lungs as she possibly could, then headed into a full-fledged sprint straight towards her home.
Her thudding footsteps sounded loud and hollow as she listened for any other sounds. Occasionally, she ducked some low-hanging branches and jumped across the brush. She was still very aware of the numbness in her left leg, however, she focused on the sensation in her foot, to ensure she was landing it properly. Freyai managed to cross 150 yards when the soil to her right cracked open. Some loose branches and brush fell to the ground as the female viltor broke through the surface.
Oh no, a viltor nest, Freyai realized.
When they laid their eggs, viltor females would dig a hole big enough for them to lay in. The males then covered them with wet soil, brush, and branches, which hardened into a solid cap, providing them with heat and shelter.
The female let off a rumbling roar, and within seconds, Freyai saw the male breaking through the tree line, charging straight for her. By this time, she still had another 100 yards to go. Aside from being large and powerful, viltor’s were formidably fast.
As Freyai reached the 50-yard mark, she felt a large, powerful claw smashing into the right of her body. She flew for a few yards, before rolling and tumbling along the ground. Freyai grabbed at the sharp pain shooting through her upper arm, landing her hand straight onto the protruding bone. Within a second, the viltor was towering above her, roaring before it would lunge down to bite her to pieces.
Familiar whistling sounds filled the air, and the viltor snapped its head to the side, before going limp. As it came crashing down, Freyai managed to roll away from the heavy head, as its front leg landed on top of her.
She heard wings fluttering as she investigated the viltor’s eyes. Freyai realized the large animal was about to have pieces of flesh ripped from it alive, and likely the exposed eye too.
She waited until all the aurli’ast had landed, before attempting to move. They required a tremendous amount of force to release those darts, therefore they’d have to lift high off the ground first, which took some time.
She noticed how the viltor’s eye moved around constantly. It was like it realized what was happening, however, it could not move. Freyai pushed and heaved against the weight with her two good arms, then slid her knee underneath as she pushed herself out from under the leg.
She had to make a final dash, as she looked around towards the dim, warm, inviting blue lights.
Freyai got into a kneeling position, with her left leg propped up. Then, she attempted one final dash.
She heard wings fluttering behind her as she ran, as best she could. Her body was broken and beaten, however, the determination of the auk’ilit’s was some of the most infamous in the known galaxies.
As Freyai reached the perimeter, she noticed a glowing, almost invisible shield, as bits of blue electrical streaks flashed about. A small rectangle opened, wide enough for her to comfortably fit through. Freyai passed through and heard singeing sounds as some of the darts disintegrated against the barrier.
There were four auk’ilit’s that came rushing towards her. An older-looking male and female, as well as a younger male and female.
Freyai immediately recognized them as they got closer. This was her family. They embraced her and tears rolled down her mother’s face.
“You made it Freyai,” her father said.
Freyai burst into tears as her emotional brain was able to comfortably take control.
“I love you. That’s what kept me alive all this time.”
“Tonight, you rest,” her father said, “Tomorrow, we’ll celebrate the greatest victory in 400 years.”
“What do you mean?” Freyai asked as this knowledge had not yet come afore.
Freyai’s father gently cupped her face in his hands.
“Freyai, you’re the first auk’ilit in 400 years to have made this journey alone. You’re also only one of three that made it here tonight. There was a couple that reached home a short period before you did. All the other lights have gone out,” he said, pointing towards a large hologram of the planet in the distance.
“You’re truly remarkable, Freyai Cordine.”
The End
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