Sunlight is slipping through the large jungle leaves, while a gentle and warm breeze softly glides through the large trees. All around predators could be heard, fighting in the dynamic jungle over territories and power.

Among the disorientating jungle, a group of humanoids make their way to a place they call home. They walk through the enormous jungle with no fear, they know that the creatures treat them as their own.

At the back, two large camel like creatures follow the group, carrying all the cargo gathered from the spacecraft. Among the cargo two humans are present, their hands and legs tied up while their unconscious bodies dangle with each step the creatures take

Ward slowly opened his eyes, his body still in pain while his mind has not yet grasped the situation he is in. Every three seconds his body violently shakes due to the enormous steps that the creatures take, causing his wound and body to buzz with pain and discomfort.

Ugh...Where...Where am I? Ward thought, a second before all of his memories gushed back into his mind.

Upon realizing what happened, he quickly looked around, his hands and legs are tightly tied up while his mouth is covered with cloth, preventing him from speaking. Ward turned his head to the right and saw Fraser’s unconscious body dangling among the attached cargo. Upon seeing him, Ward felt relief, as he comforted himself by the fact that he is not the only one in this dire situation.

Ward then turned his head to the left, only to see a massive group of humanoids following a path. While some of the humanoids are focused on protecting the cargo, most of them are positioned in front, defending the nose of the group and ensuring the path is clear of any obstacles.

Shit, what can I do? Think, Ward, think

Ward looked around his surroundings once again, trying his best to find any kind of opening or weakness in the humanoids formation.

Nothing. There must be something, some kind of weakness. All right, all right. Imagine there is a weakness in their formation and I will be able to slip past them, what then? I will not have time to search through cargo for food or weapons and my body can go without food for about a week and two days max, not more than that. And plus there are these - Ward looked at his tied up hand.

This is not your usual day to day rope, it looks and feels stronger. - Ward rubbed his hands up and down, trying to identify if he can even free his hands.

“Oh look, one of your prisoners woke up Zara” A humanoid by the name of Tira said

“He is not my prisoner!”

“Well he kind of is. I mean it was your idea after all”

“...”

“So that means you have to take care of him and feed him. Like a little pet” Tira said with a chuckle

“Ha. ha, very funny”

“No I am serious. You need to feed them, you want the sacrifice to please the gods right? I am sure they don’t want something half dead”

She does have a good point, Zara thought. All the sacrificial beings are well fed and taken care off before their death, as to please the gods with a healthy meal. There is only one problem. She does not know what and how to feed the aliens, maybe the food will even kill them, who knows. It is a big risk, but a risk that needs to be taken

“All right, I’ll think of something”

“Better be fast, we reach the city in a few days”

“We not stopping at the outpost?”

“No, apparently we heading straight for the Aquos, by the Elders request”

“Elders?!”

Elders are the high beings of this world, they are the closest ones to gods and sometimes can even communicate with the earth mothers. Their rule is absolute and none may stand against them.

“Why would Elders care about some cargo? This is not the first time”

“Maybe they want to question the aliens? Who knows. Just make sure they are prepared”

Strange

Zara walked closer to the large creature that is carrying cargo, making her stand closer to Ward. Ward still thinking about his master plan of escape didn’t even notice how Zara began staring at him, examining his body and physique.

What if I cut the rope using that sharp edge on that box? Will it even work? I mean it should. Or I can just- Ward's thought paused as he noticed a now close up demi human staring at him.

Don’t tell me they can mind read

Zara lifted her hand and began touching Ward’s hair, occasionally poking her finger at his body.

Hmm, the hair is similar to ours but its body is so soft and weak. How do they manage to fight? Do they even fight?

Zara's rough hands brushed through Ward’s hair, although she tried to be gentle, her hard skin still scratched Ward scalp. Her fingers push against Ward’s body, causing his body to ache in pain as wounds once again began buzzing.

The hell is she doing? Is she inspecting me?

“Zara!” A captain called

Zara quickly moved her hands away from Ward and fixed her posture.

“Stop fiddling with the prisoner and get back to your position”

“Apologies captain” Zara said as she moved back to her original position, guarding the far-right side of the group.

Aliens are fascinating creatures. While their bodies are weak and frail their minds are the complete opposite. That’s the only reasonable explanation to what we saw in the skies.Zara thought as she began thinking about the life outside this planet

After a few hours of a long journey, the captain decided to call it a day and set up a camp

“Halt” The captain shouted, making everyone stop and stand still. The sky is now orange-red, indicating that it is evening and night is soon to approach.

“This will be our camp area, set up your tents and prepare for tomorrow”

Almost instantly everyone began unpacking and setting up small tents, some began making food while others explored the surrounding area, making sure it is safe of any dangers. It is clear that although all the humanoids are first and foremost warriors, they all have secondary roles in the group, some are hunters, some are builders while others are cooks.

Zara is one of the hunters and began getting her equipment ready to capture some food for the group.

“Zara” A captain called from behind her

Zara quickly turned around, ready to receive commands

“Instead of hunting today, I want you to take care of the prisoners. Make sure they are healthy and uninjured”

“But-”

“Don’t worry, i will appoint someone free for the hunt. Right now, your job is ensuring the prisoners’ safety, this is the Elders request after all.”

“Understood” Zara nodded, her face filled with disappointment while her eyes look down at the ground. As soon as the captain turned, she began putting her equipment away.

“You ready Zara?” Tira approached, a smile on her face only annoyed Zara even more.

“No”

“What do you mean?”

“The captain replaced me, I have to take care of the prisoners”

“…"

“I told you that would happen” Tira said, adding salt to the wound

“I know” Zara’s voice now full of frustration

“I assume you are replaced?”

“Yeah”

“All right then, good luck” Tira said as she began walking away

I know I suggested taking the prisoners, but why do I have to take care of them? Like taking care of children, ughh this is so vexing. And how am I even supposed to know what they can and can’t eat? What if i feed them something dangerous that they can’t eat? Maybe I should establish some kind of communication with them first?

“Arghh!” Zara scratched her head in search of ideas

So they stop travelling near the night? Ward looked around, still hanging from the creatures back.

I have been watching their behaviour for some time now, and noticed how similar they are to humans. Of course, their bodies are way different but their minds are alike. They communicate and show emotion. All though I do not understand their language, I know they argue, talk and tell jokes to each other. Just like humans.

Shit, one of them is approaching

Zara approached Ward and picked him up from the creatures back. She carried his body to the end of the camp, where one of the tents is set up. After placing his body down, she approached Fraser’s unconscious body and brought it to Ward, laying it down beside him.

The tent’s position allowed Zara to see if anyone was to approach from far away, it also separated the prisoners from the group. Eradicating the possibility of prisoners harming more than one member of the group.

I assume they are wounded, so I will try and treat their wounds first. Zara thought as she crouched in front of Ward. The difference in height very noticeable, all of the humanoids, including Zara, are more than two meters tall and are way stronger than the average human.

What is she doing? Ward thought as Zara sliced the upper part of his suit with a knife. Upon seeing Ward’s shoulder, she began taking off the blood covered bandage causing the pain to strike once again.

“Ughh!” Ward groaned, causing Zara to slow down and proceed with caution.

Wow! She thought as she looked at the wound.

His shoulder has been pierced, yet the insides of it are growing and stitching back together. I didn’t know they have such amazing regeneration abilities.

At first Zara wanted to treat the wound, but upon seeing it close on its own, she decided to just change the bandages and keep it simple. She grabbed a long and clean piece of clothing and began wrapping it around Ward’s shoulder. Ward did groan with pain once again but not as much as before, as this time Zara moved her rough hands with the utmost care. Trying her best to avoid inflicting more pain onto Ward’s body.

All right, let's take care of the other prisoner. She thought to herself as she stood up and approached Fraser.

Why is she taking care of us? If they didn’t need us for something, we would have been dead. Maybe they want to use us as hostages and demand something when the rescue arrives? Strange. He thought as his eyes are focused on Zara treating Fraser’s wounds.

As soon as Fraser’s bandages were changed Zara stood up and began walking to the main camp. If it wasn’t for a cloth covering his mouth, Ward would have tried his best to wake up Fraser. Now all he can do is sit still and observe the busy humanoids from the distance. Few of them are setting up the tents while others are cooking food that even reaches Ward’s nose.

What is this smell? Kind of reminds me of food from scout training camp. If I remember correctly it was low grade meat and a few potatoes.

Oh? She is coming back. Ward noticed the same humanoid walking back to him, while one of her hands occupied with a bowl and a spoon.

I hope this is not going to kill him. Zara thought as she places a bowl filled with food in front of Ward. A moment later she sat in front of him and submerged the wooden spoon in the bowl filled with stew. As soon as the spoon was filled with food, she took off the cloth that was covering his mouth and put it next to Ward’s mouth. Trying to feed him as if he is a child.

Is she trying to feed me? I am not hungry but I better eat it, I don’t want her getting angry. Ward hesitated for a second before opening his mouth and eating the stew

Meat? And...and something else, it takes like vegetables but different

Zara once again submerged her spoon and lifted it up to Ward. This time he opened his mouth without hesitation. Although this is embarrassing for him, he needs to do it to survive. Not because of hunger but because he does not want to anger the humanoids.

Ughh, this is so embarrassing. Zara thought as she lifted her spoon once again.

A few minutes later, the bowl is empty and the sky is almost dark. As last rays of sunlight began fading away on the horizon Zara started getting ready for bed. Before ensuring that Ward’s and Fraser’s hands and legs are securely tied up, she applied green like goo to the back of their heads. In case they do actually escape, she as well as hunters will be able to track them based on the goo's smell. She secured the ropes and placed Wards and Fraser’s body in the tent next to hers. The camp is always watched by the hunters, so Zara can sleep knowing that she is not in any danger from the prisoners.

The camp is now quiet and peaceful. You could hear the nocturnal creatures sing their melodies, while cricket-like sounds accompany the gentle wind that is brushing past the large jungle leaves.

All of the humanoids are in their tents, the exception being the hunters, who stay up all night to watch over the camp. They do swap, keeping vigil throughout the long night.

Ward laid on soft grass, his body uncomfortable and stiff while his mind is exhausted.

What a day...My spacecraft crashed, I nearly died and I have been captured by an alien race. Ward chuckled. Due to the mental exhaustion, his brain turned off as soon as his eyes closed. Making him sleep soundlessly through the night.