| Speculative biology is simultaneously a science and form of art in which one speculates on the possibilities of life and evolution. What could the world look like if dinosaurs had never gone extinct? What could alien lifeforms look like? What kinds of plants and animals might exist in the far future? These questions and more are tackled by speculative biologists, and the Speculative Evolution welcomes all relevant ideas, inquiries, and world-building projects alike. With a member base comprising users from across the world, our community is the largest and longest-running place of gathering for speculative biologists on the web. While unregistered users are able to browse the forum on a basic level, registering an account provides additional forum access not visible to guests as well as the ability to join in discussions and contribute yourself! Registration is free and instantaneous. Join our community today! |
| Project Circe | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Feb 2 2016, 06:15 PM (4,033 Views) | |
| Flisch | Feb 2 2016, 06:15 PM Post #1 |
|
Superhuman
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Disclaimer: This story may contain adult themes* and violence that might not be suited for younger members of the forum. Keep reading at your own discretion. *Adult refers to sexual themes, though not (intentionally) pornographic ones. # # # In order to prevent the story from being broken up too much, please post comments, questions or suggestions in the OOC thread. Thank you. ![]() # # #
Edited by Flisch, Apr 9 2016, 05:41 PM.
|
| We have a discord. If you want to join, simply message me, Icthyander or Sphenodon. | |
![]() |
|
| Replies: | |
|---|---|
| Flisch | Jun 14 2016, 06:10 PM Post #61 |
|
Superhuman
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I stand in front of the room where todays palaeontology class is supposed to take place, waiting for Quinton to show up. He actually wanted to postpone the lesson, but I declined. I don't want to be cuddled. I don't need to be cuddled. If I was one of those people, I wouldn't be here today to be part of this research project. Eventually he comes and greets me with a friendly "hello". After a nod from my side, we move inside and sit down. He spreads out his lecture materials again and begins talking about today's era, the Jurassic. The first thing he shows me is its position on the timeline. It is actually the middle of the mesozoic, which itself is the middle of the time of life. So I guess that makes it the very center of life's history. However, I check the number of trips and realize that we're merely one third in, not that I'm complaining. Quinton shows me the map of the world back then. It's vaguely familiar. You can make out the shape of africa and south america, but the rest is only recognizable when you know what you're looking for. Especially asia looks really torn up and Quinton tells me that india is still part of the southern continent, together with antarctica and australia. One can tell that this constellation is the result of a vaguely C-shaped continent breaking up in geologically recent times. Meanwhile the climate was -surprise- tropical. Compared to modern standards of course. We move on to the life of the Jurassic. Quinton prefaces this section by saying that life in this era is not all that different from the cretaceous, though there are some key differences. First of all there are no flowering plants in the jurassic and infact the forests mostly consisted of conifers and gingko. The undergrowth and open areas were dominated by ferns. Quinton continues by saying that the general makeup of the dinosaurs is largely the same as in the cretaceous. What he means is that there were large four-legged herbivores and two-legged carnivores. There are some exceptions though. There are heterodontosaurs as well as the ancestors to the cretaceous hadrosaurs, which were mostly bipeds, but ate plants. There were no ceratopsians, which were the hornfaced dinosaurs I've seen in my first trip to the cretaceous, but stegosaurs, relatives to the ankylosaurs. Unlike those, the stegosaurs only had rows of spikes or plates on their back and tail as well as single spikes on their hips, depending on species. I give him a look that let's him know that he's dwelling too much on the details again. Quinton adds that birds did not really exist yet, only their ancestors, like the famous Archaeopteryx. This left the skies solely to the pterosaurs. As for the smaller animals, snakes did not exist in the jurassic while amphibians were diversifying into their modern forms. Meanwhile mammals probably got no larger than a badger. The seas were also largely the same as during the cretaceous. There were ammonites, reef-building clams and of course the marine reptiles. With the exception of the mosasaurs all of the ones from the cretaceous already existed in the jurassic. Quinton wraps up our lesson by asking me if I have any questions. Before I leave he asks me if I really want another trip tomorrow. I confirm and head to my room. My mind keeps going back to the nest from earlier today, to the last moments before my trip ended, how close I was to death. I try to keep myself occupied by carving something else to remind me of the positive experiences I've had. I don't like to lie to myself, but I also don't feel like ruining my evening like this. Usually I'd just pick up something to remind me of this situation, so I can look at it again later, like a rock. Unfortunately there is nothing I can take with me from my trips to the past. I spend the next few hours carving a whale, specifically the friendly one who tried to cheer me up from my first "scheduled" trip. It's strange, but I wish I was back in the pod again. I don't care so much for human interaction, but I felt at home with the other whales. There's this line of thought again. I shake it off and head to the cafeteria. Later I return and continue with the whale, until I decide to go to bed. In the middle of the night, I notice a movement on the couch. I can feel the fabric vibrating as if something is rocking back and forth, always stopping for one or two seconds before continuing. Each time the source seems to get closer. I remain still, trying not to to draw attention to myself. The source moves closer, up the back of the couch, until I can feel it being only a few inches above my arm. In the corner of my eyes I see a black body, doing the rhythmic movements between each pause, causing the fabric of the couch to vibrate. As it moves closer I can make out a round body with several hairy legs sticking out. I still don't move, although the spider is about the size of my head, not counting the legs and keeps moving towards me. My heart races, hoping against all odds that it won't notice me. Then it is close to my face, I can feel the rocking motions right next to my head. Now I can't take it anymore and I try to escape. I try to push myself away, but my body barely moves, as if my arms are held in place by some invisible force. I arch my back, but my whole body moves not even an inch. Two hairy legs intrude my field of vision from the left and I push away with all my might. I half tumble, half scramble down the couch to the ground. My whole body has tensed up, as if finally following my command but not letting go. I take a look to the place where I saw the spider, but there is nothing. I remain still for several seconds, minutes maybe, but everything seems perfectly normal. There are no strange creatures to be seen anywhere. It was this kind of nightmare again, the one I had before, with the crocodile entering my room. It was a similar situation, something frightening entering my vicinity with me first being unwilling to move and later being unable to escape. Both times the dream also seemed to be real. My room, while different, was still believable and not abstract or shifting, as it is normal for dreams. I look at the time and see that it is truly the middle of the night. Not only is it too early to get up, but I also feel tired again, now that the bulk of the shock has subsided. I lay back and stare at the darkness of the ceiling for about ten minutes before finally falling asleep. The next day's morning turns out to be rather uneventful. I wake up to a vivid dream, luckily not a nightmare. I was in the body of a small mammal, crawling along the forest floor, desperately trying to find something or someone. The details fade away quickly as I do my morning workout and go to have breakfast. When I arrive at the lab, the scientists have already prepared everything and I take note of the fact that nobody is asking me this time if I really want to continue, although I can see the concern in their faces. Especially Chris, who is usually the cheerful one of the three does not smile today. Once Quinton arrives, he briefs me on today's trip. 151 to 159 million years, late jurassic. We already had the lesson yesterday, so there is no need for a detailed reminder. I lay down in the timepod and let Chris lower the lid. I hear the familiar initialisation routine. A ping of 13 and a countdown. Three. Two. One. Edited by Flisch, Jun 17 2016, 04:39 PM.
|
| We have a discord. If you want to join, simply message me, Icthyander or Sphenodon. | |
![]() |
|
| Flisch | Jun 16 2016, 05:28 PM Post #62 |
|
Superhuman
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I find myself in a forest. It is nighttime and I can hear crickets around me, though despite the darkness I can see everything in full clarity. After taking a quick look, I seem to be alone. Enjoying the moment of safety, I inspect myself. The first thing I notice is that my body is covered in feathers, including my arms and legs. My feet possess a single sickle-shaped claw on the inner toe, while my hands feature three small curved claws. My tail is long and ends in a round diamond shape of fanned feathers. As far as I can tell in this darkness, my plumage is mostly grey with dark tips on my wing-like arms and tail and spots at the base on my neck. Although I can't see my head, I can tell that I have a narrow snout rather than a beak. I must be a theropod, one of the two-legged carnivorous dinosaurs. Quinton showed me some pictures, and the ones with these sickle-claws were depicted with feathers and plumes. I must admit I forgot the name, but then again it hardly matters. I decide to stroll through the forest. The trees are big and old, narrow-leafed as far as I can tell. Quinton said conifers dominated most of the forests during this time, so I guess this is what they are. The ground is mostly covered with ferns, though I can see some young trees as well. When Quinton told me the plant life mostly consisted of conifers and ferns, I thought the forests would look monotonous from being populated with only two kinds of plants but now I see the diversity within each group. Although ferns cover most of the ground here, there are plenty of variations. Some are long and thin, others have dense bushes of fronds. Yet others grow very wide and close to the ground. Grass is less diverse than this and dominates large parts of the modern world. As I move through the forest I hear various sounds, like rustling leaves, sniffing noses and even the faint cracking of insect carapaces. When I move my head to face the noise, I can often enough pinpoint the exact location and sometimes I can even make out a small shadow or a moving leaf at the position of the noise. It seems like this animal's sound locating skills are way better than that of a human. I come to a burrow, or at least, what I assume to be a burrow. It's mostly just a hole in the ground. I can see very faint markings of ultraviolet in front of the opening, though it doesn't appear as if the mammal responsible for these stains has produced them here. Rather the marks are drawn out and hardly visible, as if the urine was scraped off as the animal walked on the ground. It was possibly just brought from elsewhere. A smell is emanating from the opening that makes me stop for a moment. I can't tell what it reminds me of, if it even reminds me of something, but it makes me curious. I poke my head inside the burrow, trying to find the source. Unfortunately I can't see anything, because the tunnel inside goes down and then bends or branches off. There is also no sound coming from inside. There is, however, suddely a noise coming from behind. I hear paws rapidly closing in, rustling leaves and brushing ferns as they advance. I bolt up and whirl around to see a badger-like mammal running towards me. I take some steps back and the animal stops in front of me, positioning itself in front of the opening. It is rather large from my point of view, though taking the environment into account, it is possibly no larger than a meter. Though that doesn't help a lot considering that I am not much biger myself and in terms of mass, the mammal is larger. While the body looks like that of a badger, complete with a short tail, the head is round, making it look more like a wombat. The fur seems to be uniform grey or brown, with a white spot on its forehead. Luckily, the wombadger does not seem to want to fight. Instead it let's me know by hissing and arching its back that I have overstayed my welcome. Well, I don't really want any beef either, so I simply back away and continue my stroll through the forest. I look behind me a few times to make sure the mammal isn't following me. Instead it is simply standing there, in front of the opening, watching my every move. Possibly it's afraid I'd come back, if it left. Eventually it is gone and I assume that it actually went inside its burrow. I walk through the forest for the next few minutes, until an especially loud cricket draws my attention. I swivel my head to the side to locate the insect. I can see it sitting on the trunk of a nearby tree. Infact, I can even see its legs move across its wings, producing the chirping tune. I make my way towards the insect, treading carefully so I don't alarm it of my presence. After a few steps it stops chirping, as if it noticed me. I freeze for a few seconds until it continues with its tune. We repeat this process for several times until I am close enough to strike. I swoop down and manage to grab only a leg of the insect. Quickly, I move my head to the ground and use the sickle-claw on my left leg to pin the cricket to the earth, while balancing my body with my arms and tail. I let go of the insect, which can't escape now and realize that I did all of that instinctively. I should be used to that by now and yet... I move my head down again and take the cricket into my mouth. In my excitement I did not hear another animal behind me approaching. I turn around and look at the face of another me. Or rather another animal like me. I watch it as the cricket is wiggling in my mouth, with its feet sticking out. It almost feels as if I've been caught red-handed. Well, this is awkward. |
| We have a discord. If you want to join, simply message me, Icthyander or Sphenodon. | |
![]() |
|
| Flisch | Jun 19 2016, 05:51 PM Post #63 |
|
Superhuman
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
As I swallow the struggling insect, I take a look at my fellow dinosaur. There is no doubt he's one of my kind. Also apparently I just subconsciously decided it's a male. His plumage has the same colouration and markings as mine and the shape of the feathers fits as well. Looking at him also tells me what my head and face looks like. The face is surrounded by a disc of feathers, similar to that of owls, with a reptilian snout sticking out below the two big eyes. The bird-like appearance is reinforced by the pupils which are big and round rather than narrow slits like those of reptiles. The puffed up plumage of the head extends down the neck, making it look stockier than it is. The other dinosaur seems to expect some sort of reaction from me. He seems to avoid eye contact for more than a second and now starts to make himself appear smaller by bowing his head, while still looking up at me. It's not enough to count as a submissive gesture, especially since he still inquisitively checks what I'm doing. It feels more like he's just trying to tell me he's not a threat. Well, that's fine I guess. I don't really know how to respond, so I just turn away slightly to survey the environment, letting him know that I tolerate his presence by letting my guard down. Luckily he understands and raises back to his normal height, which I now realize is slightly below mine. Maybe it's a juvenile? It can't be a difference in sex, since I'm also male, as far as I can tell. It's a bit difficult with the lack of external sex organs, but my subconsciousness says I'm a... what's the word for a male dinosaur anyway? Rooster? Cock? Drake? Let's go with drake. It looks like my fellow drake has become bored of my internal monologue and has moved away some steps while focusing on something in the distance. I can hear some sniffing noises too. It's probably a small mammal from the sounds of it. I watch the other dinosaur slowly moving forward, step by step, careful not to make any noise, until he dashes forward. A split second later he plunges his head into the underbrush. I can hear some faint squeaking noises from the distance, which come to an end, when the dinosaur moves one of his legs forward and down again next to his mouth. He brings up his head again to shoot me a quick look before returning his attention to the animal he just caught. I can see him swallow down the small mammal by jerking his head back and forth repeatedly. I decide to let him be and continue my stroll through the forest. After some seconds, I see something moving in the corner of my eyes and turn around to see him again. I jump back by half a meter in surprise. He totally caught up with me without making any sound. After my startled response, he does his head bow again, waiting for my reaction. Man, it's fine, if you want to follow me around, but don't sneak up on my like that. I let him know by calming down my tiny beating heart and continuing my walk, slow enough to let him know that I'm not trying to get away from him. First he doesn't follow me, so I stop for a moment. I still have no idea what he actually wants. The short pause was apparently enough for him to understand and he quickly catches up with me, almost like a fan. Like a fan. Huh, what if he does look up to me? If he's younger, he probaby hopes to learn something from me. I can tell from his movements that his intentions are not sexual in nature, and I don't feel any emotional connection with him, so he must be a stranger to my animal as well. Maybe he just wants to follow me around to see how I get by. Oh well, out of all the other grown-ups he could have chosen, he decides to follow around the human in disguise who has no idea what he's doing. Sorry about that, buddy. We walk for probably half an hour, though every few minutes my companion stops and hunts some small animal, often a mammal, which he gulps down, before he rejoins me. Now he returns from his latest hunt, though I can see the small mammal still in his mouth, a small rodent-like animal with small ears and a short tail. He drops the mammal right in front of my feet and looks both at the animal and then at me in alternating turns. I guess this is a gift? I take the dead animal in my mouth, carefully, just in case I'm breaching etiquette or anything. My companion doesn't seem to object, so I swallow the meal. It's a little bit more difficult than eating the grasshopper, but also more rewarding. We continue our walk without any incidents, apart from the occasional little hunt. It appears as if the entire forest is asleep and we are the only ones awake right now. The only life signs from other animals are the crickets, the mammals and the rare flutter of wings above me between the trees. Since Quinton told me that true birds likely do not exist yet, I conclude that it must be some nocturnal pterosaurs. I also sometimes hear a long and drawn-out roar in the distance, something between a mooing cow and a landing plane. I suspect it's one of those long-necked sauropods. I become a little bit hungry again and locate the next animal by sound. I hear a rustle in the distance and focus. Once I have the exact location, I carefully move forward, even ducking a little so I won't be seen. Eventually I am close enough and charge, grabbing the small mammal with my snout and silence it with my claw. I look up to check on my companion. Hopefully he has watched my display of professional hunting. But wait, where is he? Confused, I look around. I take my quarry in my mouth and go back to the location where I started my little hunt. I check the environment, but can't find him anywhere. I drop the mammal and let out a short bark, hoping to get his attention. There is no response, and he doesn't show up. I shout again, and again nothing happens. Did he leave me just like that? Well, looks like I'm all by myself once more. |
| We have a discord. If you want to join, simply message me, Icthyander or Sphenodon. | |
![]() |
|
| Flisch | Jun 21 2016, 06:01 PM Post #64 |
|
Superhuman
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I continue my walk through the night alone. The other drake has not reappeared, even though I waited for one or two minutes. I guess he got fed up with my inability to teach him anything. Or maybe it was something else. What if he actually got eaten while I was busy hunting the small mammal? No that's silly. I was only a few meters away, I would have heard something. It doesn't matter now this way or another. I'm on my own again, not that I mind the solitude. In the end, I didn't even know him. He was a complete stranger. Sooner or later we would have had to part ways anyway. Lost in thought I see something moving at the base of a tree I'm passing by. I have not made the conscious effort to hunt more animals, but the movement makes me curious. I slowly get nearer, but can't find anything. I scan the tree's surface, but all I can see is bark. Maybe it was just a flying insect I saw. Just when I am about to turn away, I see another movement, a smaller one this time, a piece of bark moving under a fold in the surface. Then I see it wasn't a piece of bark at all. Instead, there is a little frog sitting in one of the cracks, pressing itself against the surface. The movement I just saw was the little amphibian moving a leg under its body. The body of the frog is really small, I would guess no more than four centimeters and that's probably generous. Its skin is rough, reminding me of a toad, although the warts are more like ridges going from the head to the hind legs, perfectly mimicking the surface of the bark. As I inspect the little creature, it remains perfectly still, probably aware of my presence. I'm thinking about eating the little frog, but I don't feel like it. I can't tell if I'm just not in the mood or if my animal is subconsciously telling me that this frog is poisonous. Either way, I decide to leave it be and continue my journey. Despite the fact that my stroll remains largely uneventful, it doesn't feel bland. Walking through the forest at night is a feeling I don't get to experience often. Humans are diurnal and usually too scared to walk through the night alone. Not even I am brave enough to do it without reason. The night is there to sleep, to gather strength for the day. Our human senses aren't made for detecting a lot in the darkness of the night anyway. It would be no use. But it's different in this animal's body. I can tell that my senses are tailored to nighttime conditions. I can see everything in full clarity, although colour is lacking. I can hear the things around me with an accuracy that does not make me feel like I don't know what could hide behind the next tree. I don't feel anymore lost as I would feel as a human during daytime. And then there is this tranquility. Although the night is far from quiet, it is still calm. It is a truly unique feeling that only I can experience in these trips. A big rustling moving towards my position snaps me out from my daydreaming, or rather nightdreaming. I move behind a tree, but I don't exactly hide. The presence is not fast enough to be a predator. And if it is, it hasn't seen me yet. My money is on a herbivore, a predator likely wouldn't make so much noise unless it wasn't on the hunt right now, which would also mean I'm not in danger. After some seconds an animal emerges from the bushes. It is somewhat larger than me, at least in terms of total size. I can see a compact head on a somewhat bipedal body. The front feet aren't directly used for walking, but they touch the ground whenever the animal bends down to scan the ground every few steps. The tail has a row of hairs or bristles going down from the hip area all the way to the tip. After a few seconds, the strange animal notices me, allowing me to see its head from the front. The whole head shape is vaguely triangular with the top being wider than the bottom. Additionally, the top is somewhat levelled, with white markings, while the lower jaws are well developed and strong. The mouth tapers towards the tip and ends in a short narrow snout with what appears to be a horny plate on the upper lip. I am not sure what animal this is supposed to be. I can't remember any of this from our lesson. Or can I? The row of bristles on the tail looks vaguely familiar, but the rest doesn't ring a bell. It doesn't matter, I suppose. It doesn't look like a carnivore and not particularly hostile either. It looks more surprised than anything, although the animal quickly returns its attention to the foraging. I let it be. It doesn't seem dangerous, but I don't want to take any chances with those hind legs and jaws. I let it disappear in the underbrush on the other side and continue through the forest. Eventually the trees just stop and as I get closer to the edge I see why: I am standing at the edge of a cliff, looking down at the landscape of the forest as it continues below me. I can see the trees are not as tightly packed as they are up here. Instead there are open spaces between them, scattered and irregular. In the distance I make out several heads on long necks sticking out from the canopy. They only show for short times and whenever one disappears back into the trees, another would raise its head as if checking the environment. Their movements are slow and they seem to stay in one place. Judging from their size and the shape of their heads, these must be sauropods. I guess that, while they don't really sleep at night, they're still dozing during the dark hours. I wonder if the loud bellow I heard earlier came from these. I decide to take a break to enjoy the moment. I am careful not to forget my surroundings though. My ears still listen to potential dangers behind me, but as long as I can't hear anything, I can take in the view. The night sky is crystal clear and I can see the stars and moon as bright as never before. Small winged shapes silently flit high above me and I can hear the crickets from the woodland below up here. I take in a deep breath and as I exhale all the sounds are gone and the stars disappear. I pull up the lid and see Chris' face. There is still the hint of worry in there, waiting for my reaction. I can't help but smile as I think back to the moment some seconds ago, although I guess it also makes me a bit sad. Well, at least this time the trip had a pleasant ending. |
| We have a discord. If you want to join, simply message me, Icthyander or Sphenodon. | |
![]() |
|
| Flisch | Jun 23 2016, 03:17 PM Post #65 |
|
Superhuman
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Edited by Flisch, Jun 26 2016, 03:32 PM.
|
| We have a discord. If you want to join, simply message me, Icthyander or Sphenodon. | |
![]() |
|
| Flisch | Jun 26 2016, 05:05 PM Post #66 |
|
Superhuman
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I put down the whale sculpture next to the ammonite I had already finished two days ago. Because it was getting late and I wanted to start something new tomorrow, I decided to hurry up a little bit. Now I somewhat regret that decision. The whale looks unfinished and rushed. Still, I let it be. Next one is going to be better. I hope. Tonight I find it hard to fall asleep. I only manage to roll from one side to the other for about an hour or so. In the end I decide that my body should know best what it needs, so I get up. I walk towards the window of the sleeping room. As I watch the night outside, I am reminded of my last trip. Maybe I should take a stroll through the forest. I certainly feel like doing so. Unfortunately, I believe the guards would have something against me walking out in the middle of the night. Even in the best case it'd be highly suspicious of me. And with good reason, too. I don't want to imagine how many spies and secret agents are already trying to infiltrate this project. I open the window to let the cold air inside. The wind prickles my skin, so I wrap myself in one of the bed's blankets. This place is fairly remote and as a result calm, but even then you have some action going on during the day: Military personnel going about their business, people walking down the corridor, chirping of birds outside. But now there is absolutely nothing if one doesn't count the two guards at the gate. As it's starting to become winter, there are not even crickets filling the night with their sounds. I listen to the near perfect quiet as I watch plumes of my breath escape into the cold air. Only the wind is rustling some fallen leaves or breezing through the branches of the evergreens. Apart from that, there is nothing. I can't even hear any owls, but then again I don't think there are that many animals around here anyway. The forest is only one in name and the rest is open fields that lay fallow for the next few months. It's been quite some time now and despite the fresh air, I'm starting to feel tired. I close the window and lie down on the couch, still wrapped in blankets. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the leather. I wake up in the morning, again to a dream. At least it wasn't a nightmare this time. It was just me, holding out at the bottom of a ravine as a storm was raging above me. The feeling was both comforting and unsettling. As I go through my morning routine, something occurs to me. The dreams have changed. At the beginning they were strange and abstract, just like dreams normally are, but lately they have become more and more realistic. I decide not to worry about it though. They're just dreams after all. I meet the scientists and Quinton at the lab. He gives me the quick rundown as usual. 171 to 179 million years, middle to early jurassic. Oh, already? I ask him how many trips there are in the jurassic in total. He tells me there are only three. Mmh, that is one less than the cretaceous. On the other hand, it's still about the same amount as for the entire age of mammals. It doesn't matter too much in the end anyway, so I just lay down on the timepod and let the scientists do their thing. Three. Two. One. |
| We have a discord. If you want to join, simply message me, Icthyander or Sphenodon. | |
![]() |
|
| Flisch | Jun 28 2016, 05:42 PM Post #67 |
|
Superhuman
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The first thing that fills my senses is the nearly deafening noise. As soon as the vertigo subsides I look around me and notice that I am surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of chittering, shrieking and croaking winged creatures sitting on a bare cliff overhanging the coast. Pterosaurs. I can see these animals everywhere, on the rocks, in the sky and even down on the water, floating on the surface like ducks. There are different kinds, some bigger, some stockier and some featuring coloured crests on their head. The sides of the cliffs are painted white from their droppings, similar to rock islands inhabited by seabirds in modern times. I watch the pterosaurs as they go about their business. Most are simply squatting in each corner of the cliff, apparently resting or waiting. Others are walking around the colony and I think I can even make out pairs of males presenting their colourful crests and bills to the females in some sort of competition. Interestingly though, I cannot make out any nests, not that there would be any space to begin with. Strange. Looking at the pterosaurs reminds me that I don't even know what I am yet, so I investigate myself. Luckily I seem to have a rather long and flexible neck, nowhere near the likes of a swan, but still longer than the short necks of most of the pterosaurs. Unsurprisingly, I am one myself. My fur is brown with a white belly and dark wing tips. I have a medium long tail and short webbed feet. With one of my wings I feel a crest at the top of my head, but cannot tell its colour. I look around in the colony to see which kind of pterosaur I am. I see some that match my fur colour perfectly, though they seem to come with two different crest types. Some have larger, brightly yellow crests with vertical dark stripes while others have smaller, pale orange crests with the same stripes but muted. Something tells me they're males and females respectively. Speaking of which, I must be a female. Well, things are getting a little too loud and crowded for my taste so I decide to go fishing for a bit. I head towards the sea and notice only now that I just took to the air as if it was the most normal thing in the world. I don't think this will ever cease to amaze me. I also realize in retrospect that I launched differently from a bird. Rather than jumping up with my hind feet, I just use my wings to push myself off the edge before spreading them again to start flying. I look down at the others to see if they do it the same way. Of course they do. I am reminded of that giant pterosaur I saw a few days ago. Well then, time to figure out how these animals go about hunting. I circle the water several times, watching the pterosaurs below me. Although there are some who literally nose-dive into the water, the vast majority floats on the surface, where they dive down. A few seconds later they emerge, often at a different location, usually with a fish in their mouth. I do notice that not all the pterosaurs from the cliffs are present here. Especially those that were huddled together in tight groups don't seem to have any members hunting for fish right now. I hope they are not nocturnal, because nobody could possibly sleep with that noise. Oh well, maybe they're used to it. I join the other pterosaurs and take my place on top of the waves. I stick my head underwater to see if there are any fish. There are plenty, but they're all scattered, partly because of the various pterosaurs swimming around them. I decide to try my luck as well, targeting a nearby group of fish. They keep their distance as I approach, but I maneuver them into another pterosaur ahead of me. The other one acts the way I anticipated and dives into the cluster of fish, which makes them scatter in all directions. I aim for one who is entering my vicinity and snap my neck forward, missing my prey by a hair's breadth. Quickly, I jerk my head to the side and manage to catch it with my teeth after all. With the struggling fish still in my mouth I return to the surface, where I carefully maneuver the fish headfirst into my mouth before swallowing it whole. I repeat the hunt several times, though not every dive is successful. But eventually I am sated and decide to return to the cliff to rest a little bit. As I approach the rocks, the noise grows louder, though this time I don't seem to mind. It's almost as if I'm glad to be back. I land on top of one of the rocks, intending to sunbathe a little bit under the perfectly clear blue sky. After I found a suitable spot, I sit down with my wings spread out. I feel safe enough to close my eyes for a bit. Taking in the sunlight and the cool breeze, I doze off. |
| We have a discord. If you want to join, simply message me, Icthyander or Sphenodon. | |
![]() |
|
| Flisch | Jun 30 2016, 03:47 PM Post #68 |
|
Superhuman
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I am not fully asleep, merely resting, so I notice two animals landing near me and coming closer. I open my eyes to see two male pterosaurs of my kind standing on either side. I'm not sure what they actually want, if they want anything from me, but I cautiously get up a little. I don't feel comfortable between the two, so I start to leave. I have not even managed to take the second step when the pterosaur on my left bites the tip of my wing and pulls it towards him. What the hell? That actually hurt. I retract my wing and let him know with a croak that if he does that again, he can- Ow, the other one pecks my back. That hurt even more. What the hell is wrong with these two? I try to get away quickly, but the bully on my right places one of his front limbs on my right wing, pinning me down. I want to hiss at him, showing my teeth, but the one on my left pulls on my other wing again, making me drop to the ground. Then things happen really fast. As I struggle to get my right wing out from under the pterosaur's claws, he moves forward and bites into my head crest, pulling back. Despite the pain I can feel his body press down on mine, as he is climbing on my back. I struggle against his grip on my wing and his hold on my crest, while the other pterosaur keeps biting into the tip of my left wing. Then I feel something hard between his legs, which can't be a tail. Oh shit no, this can't be happening. I increase my efforts, focusing on getting at least my head free, so I can defend myself, but the male is too strong and keeps me pinned down. I try to claw at him with my feet, but they only manage to scrape against the rocky surface. The pterosaur above me holds down my head, twisting my neck to keep me from struggling. Despite the situation part of me realizes that if I keep fighting, I might get injured or even killed, should he snap my neck. I cease my movements, and momentarily I am rewarded with subsiding pain. I lay my head down on the ground to stabilize it and minimize risks of injury. I am, however, far from relaxed. The other pterosaur has stopped outright biting me and is now content with just pecking, not that it makes me feel any better. I move my wings as close as I can to my body, though it doesn't make much of a difference. Meanwhile, the pterosaur on top of me seems to become more excited, his movements faster. Still he does not loosen his hold of my head. Then I feel something entering me, something hot and firm. Waves of pain emanate from my lower section with each push. I have to force myself to remain calm, despite the urge to defend myself. I can feel my neck straining. The smallest jerk from the pterosaur's head and I'm dead. I cannot fight back, not yet. After a few seconds that feel like hours, the pterosaur pulls out and releases my head. At the periphery of my mind I can sense the two pterosaurs walking away and taking to the air. Right now my mind is a swirling mass of nothing. I cannot formulate a single coherent thought. The feeling of sexual assault still lingers like an afterglow and single images flit across my inner eye. Without moving my head I look around me. I can see other pterosaurs not far away, only a few body lengths from me. They go about their business as usual, as if nothing happened. None of them are helping or even acknowledging me. Not one of the thousands of pterosaurs. I have never felt this alone. Edited by Flisch, Jul 3 2016, 05:09 PM.
|
| We have a discord. If you want to join, simply message me, Icthyander or Sphenodon. | |
![]() |
|
| Flisch | Jul 3 2016, 06:17 PM Post #69 |
|
Superhuman
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I get up slowly. My neck still hurts. It seems as if some muscles have been overstretched. I look at my left wing, where I can see bite marks. There's a trickle of blood, but nothing major. I should still be able to fly. Alone. The word hums in my head like a swarm of bees. I have been alone my entire life. I never relied on anyone else. I never needed anyone else. I wouldn't be where I am today, if I had trusted others. Yes, I am alone, but now do I realize that it is not a liability, but a strength. It has honed my skills, made me stronger than I am. I don't need anyone, I only need myself. Let the other pterosaurs be. I will right this on my own. I will not go down without a fight. I take to the air, ignoring the pain in my neck. Infact, I am grateful it is still there, fueling my determination and reminding me that I am still alive. I soar above the cliff, searching the colony. I am not sure if I will find what I am looking for, but that doesn't stop me from trying. I make several rounds until I spot a familiar crest. A closer look confirms it is indeed him. I make a gentle landing in some distance and walk over as unsuspicious as I can. As I get closer, I take in a familiar smell, his smell. There is no doubt about it now. I approach him and he looks at me for a brief moment. If he recognizes me, he doesn't let it show. Interestingly I cannot see his accomplice nearby. Looks like they parted ways after they left. I am now positioned somewhat behind him, to his right. The irony of the situation doesnt escape me. This was the same position where he approached me. As I stand there, he doesn't pay me as much attention as I would have thought. I am close enough to invade his personal space and yet he hasn't reacted to me, apart from some short glances. His guard is also fully down. Maybe he's spent? Well, it would seem that I have the element of surprise then. I jump forward onto his back, biting into his neck. Even though I can tell that he is weakened, he is still bigger than me and tries to rear up. I throw my entire weight down on his shoulders and pin his wings to the ground with mine. He struggles, but I am holding him on the ground. Meanwhile I tighten my bite. I can feel his veins pulsing and his lungs gasping for air. He tries to fight back, but the best he can manage is free one of his wings, before I bring it back down again. I have the advantage of being in control. While he is panicking, his movements uncoordinated and planless, I know exactly what I am doing and keep a clear head. Despite our differences in strength, he is slowly losing the battle. We grapple for about a minute. I can feel his movements getting slower and slower. Eventually they turn into mere twitches, half-hearted attempts at fighting back. In the end his body goes limp completely. My jaw muscles hurt, but I don't let go. Maybe I can't let go at this point. Maybe my beak has already stiffened into a deadlock. It takes another half a minute until his pulse ebbs out and my jaw finally loosens its grasp. I take a last look at the dead body below me. Then a last one at the pterosaurs around me, who still don't seem to notice a thing. I push myself off the cliff and take a last look at the colony as a whole as I am heading towards the ocean. I don't have a destination in mind. All I know is that I have to leave. I spend the next minutes flying over the open ocean. I have lost all sense of time by now. It could be as little as 5 minutes or as much as an hour. I really don't know. I also don't care. Although part of me wants to go back, the solitude is too comforting. I am alone. And it feels great. I am not alone anymore. There are not hundreds of pterosaurs this time, but a handful of humans. Chris opens the lid and sees me lying motionless in the timepod. He asks me if anything is wrong. I don't know how to answer, it feels like I don't know how to speak anymore. I get up and start leaving the room. Someone behind me says my name, in a tone that asks both for my attention and what's wrong. I say something about the report, that they can call me later. Then I leave the room without waiting for a reply. I need to be alone. |
| We have a discord. If you want to join, simply message me, Icthyander or Sphenodon. | |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| « Previous Topic · Café Cosmique · Next Topic » |








7:52 PM Jul 10