Chapter 3: 27-43
s e l c o u t h (Adjective.)
strange, unusual, rare; unfamiliar; marvelous, wondrous
The days soon after her fall was spent just laying in the lab or trying to get work done from inside. Though, it was only when her assistant went out was she allowed to get up from her spot on the bed. He kind of took control of inspecting and gathering samples, only asking for some advice about the finer details. He was truly getting on her nerves while he continued to tell her what to do. Her grumpy expression proved how much she hated being stuck on the bed as well, but she knew he was only doing it for her own good. He even found out the differences between the clear sample and the base sample. Turns out the mushroom consisted of a protein similar to meat and one that the crab creature would drain from the Fungorum Arbores. She loved the idea of it all, but longed to find more of the animal-like creatures of site 27-43. She wasn't able to do that from her bed.
It was a week later when she finally convinced Milo that she was alright to walk on her own. It was this day that Elain had made a friend. She sat with Milo on a very low hanging bridge, both eating a dried food bar. He wanted her first outing again to be a small one as to not hurt herself again. So he decided a small snack break first and they would see how that went. Her pick of the day was the 'Thanksgiving Feast,' while his was called 'Mixed Berries.' Her food bar tasted mostly like an artificial turkey, but she didn't complain. She just wanted to continue her exploration of site 27-43 and get her assistant's opinion on some of the plants' and creatures' behaviors.
They were leaned over the book, trying to understand her quick scribbles from the days prior, when a growl echoed from ground floor. Elain instantly perked up. Most creatures made sure to avoid their paths, as though they were the plague. Which was the main reason why they had no other knowledge of any creatures beside the crab. Even that was an accident. This beast was intentionally seeking them out. Even if it was in an aggressive way, it still amazed her.
The creature had the posture of what used to be called a Hyena on Earth. The body was short in length, though, as it was almost her height. Maybe around five foot (something that her glasses were able to confirm). The back legs had to have been shorter with the front, seeing as it's body looked to be at a slope. The head was a bone-like structure and continued only down the highest point of the back, resembling a spinal cord. Down its body was matted and soggy fur with the texture of seaweed. The texture must have helped it hide from their eyes in the flora of the site. Speaking of eyes, it had four magnificent pink eyes two at the front of the skull and two at the back. It paced back and forth below them on eight legs. Its long tail dragged behind it like it was only some added on weight. This was most definitely the reason for many of the snake-like trails that led all over the site, completely hiding their tracks from searching predators. The tracks looked so similar to the centipede creature's trails that they had first found. With such a strong shell, predators probably wouldn't even try their luck with them. A perfect camouflage for something that wants to hide away.
It growled deep in its throat, showing off a second jaw inside its mouth. It decided to lean back on its haunches and stretch up to sniff the foreign scent they gave off. Was it sniffing towards them, or the dried food bars? It could honestly be either. Then it began pacing with its eyes watching them closely, probably debating if they were a worthy meal.
"Awe!" She cooed at it, earning a wide-eyed look from Milo. "Poor little scavenger must be starving." Elain clicked her tongue, slowly reaching down her hand with the food. She couldn't see this little beast surviving any other way than being a scavenger in this large world. It was something that she wouldn't confirm in her notes yet. Simply a theory.
The beast stopped its pacing and slowly moved forward towards their bridge again. It growled again, warning her against moving closer than what it moved. As if she would ever do that with its powerful jaw close to her hand. She was brave, but not that brave. Then it gingerly took the food, swallowing it down like a Crocodile with a chunk of meat. She retracted her hand with a grin, but the creature didn't leave. It slowly stalked its way atop the bridge they sat on with its head low, like it was testing the waters.
Elain could hear Milo shift behind her. "Maybe we shouldn't get too close, doctor. I mean," She interrupted him with a nasty look, telling him not to ruin such a magnificent thing for her. The creature sniffed their foreign scent through the holes at the very end of its snout which seemed to be its nose. Maybe looking for more food?
She slowly reached into her backpack and pulled out three more of their food bars to pass to the large creature. She wasn't worrying about running out of food. Head Quarters covered them for at least a year, not including the bimonthly supplies that were sent out for precautions. The creature took all of them happily, hopefully starting to trust her now. Half of the large beast slowly stretched passed her legs, sniffing at the her assistant. It snorted in his direction, then plopped down into her lap. Milo looked distressed at the new situation, but Elain just quietly ushered him to go get a vial for the sticky substance that leaked from its slimy fur. The creature's low grumbles slowly turned more into snores. The fact that it already found sanctuary with her squeezed at her heart strings.
Milo came back and continued to make her feel insane. He took the sample himself and closed it at the top with a cork.
"Milo, if you are unable to trust my actions as a biologist or person, I don't believe you will be joining me on many of my ventures anymore. Do you understand me? I understand that you are only trying to help, but I don't need someone constantly questioning my actions." Though her words were seen as harsh, she had a content smile brushing through the beast's disgusting fur. Feeling for a protruding skeletal structure, which was easy seeing as the creature must have been starving. "If I decided so, you'd be stuck in the lab for the rest of your contract here. I told you that my ways were unorthodox from the beginning, but if I deem it unsafe I won't do it. This guy is most likely a scavenger like the Vultures of Earth. Most of the creature is made to be invisible, because it seems to be extremely low in the food chain. And I have a perfectly sharp pocket knife in my back pocket. I was in the military before I made a living in the science world. I know how to protect myself."
The memories of her military days were a touchy subject. One that she still had nightmares about. A war she chose to fight in over land on a dying planet. She was slow to realize the pain of being one of the fighters, but now that time is behind her. The girl never wanted to go through it again. Her mind still echoed the gunshots and explosions. Her eyes still saw her friends fall victim to war. Her hands still felt soaked in blood. But doing something she loved allowed her to try and rid herself of the constant remembrance.
"Oh." Her cold eyes looked up to meet his own at the pitiful tone in his voice. "I never knew, doctor. I trust you, I just don't know what I'd do if you got hurt. There is no way I would be able to take your place and I don't know how long it would take before someone would come for me." Her face turned neutral, but (no matter the amount of guilt she had because of it) she wasn't going to take back her words. He needed to learn something today. "Please forgive me, I didn't mean to offend you."
Elain stayed quiet for a moment, her tongue sliding along her flat teeth as she decided what to say. "I accept your apology, but I don't want to hear it again. I don't care for your reasoning. If you question me, you can continue to stay in the lab and work there. It's as easy as that." She watched his lips turn down into a shallow frown. Either way he nodded and apologized again.
"I'll just go put the sample through the microscope." Her attention shifted to the snoring creature again. If it was a friend of her's now like they thought, she'll be able to study the new creature up close and personal. Hopefully take another look at that second row of teeth. "Good luck, Dr. Mavka." She nodded his way, listening to him walk his way back to the lab.
Every day after this beast would come back to her, no matter where she was or what she was doing. She decided to name it Selcouth. A week after meeting it, she was able to identify that Selcouth was indeed a male of his kind. Maybe under a year old with the amount of growth he was experiencing day after day. That would explain why he was so quick to bond with her. He was only an infant. Selcouth had a grumbly personality, which was most likely shared with most of his kind. He was protective or jealous as well. Most creatures he saw her and Milo almost about to interact with were warned off by a low growl. Milo had grown to accept its presence once he realized that it wasn't going away. Not like he really had a choice though.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone