Rin and Zuan

  Rin chuckled. A baby dragon. Wow. Tiny, feathered, but undoubtedly a baby dragon. Now that she knew what to look for and how to look for it, she easily found a dozen more such piles. I wonder if kids are plucking bushes like that, then how fast should the leaves grow?

  Gradually, the dull dullness passed. The mind has reconciled itself to the alien world. Fatigue set in. Heavy, oppressive, oppressive. In an instant, she lost everything she had. Home, friends, family, everything. But at the same time, she got... what? A chance? An opportunity? Rin deftly caught a bunch of leaves. The baby dragon squeaked frantically, but the girl held on tightly. The leaves fell like golden confetti on the stone, and the dragon struggled violently, squeaking thinly. Rin did not move, and so the animal stopped its desperate attempts to free itself. He felt the warmth of the body and the presence of someone else, the unfamiliar smell unnerved him, but at the same time he felt... safety. And soon he calmed down, curled up in his palm, covered with thin wings. The girl gently stroked the back, barely touching the feathers with her finger. The dragon twitched, jumped up, looking around and squeaking. Rin stroked the wing. The animal squeaked, twitched, but did not bite. The small mouth only settled on the finger, but the jaws did not clench. Rin opened her hand, giving the baby freedom, and the animal immediately shot into the air, chirping and squeaking furiously. Tiny heads rose from the heaps of leaves all over the bush, watching their brother with interest. The little brawler screamed at the top of his tiny lungs, spinning in the air, his friends were chatting and chirping, a couple even took off, joining the first dragon, the animals were spinning in the air, sometimes hovering in one place, and looking closely at the girl sitting motionless on a rock.

  Somewhere out there, in the thick of the bushes, a thin, high-pitched squeal was heard, immediately picked up by other animals. The little dragons became alarmed, darted around, and from somewhere above, from under the crowns, a dark shadow rapidly swooped down. A bird? The kids darted into the bushes, disappearing into a cap of golden leaves, leaving three baby dragons and the brawler in the air. A quiet panic began among the animals, the little dragons darted around, one darted into a gap between the piles of roots, the second into the dark moss, and the remaining two pulled... to Rin. They were almost there when a dark shadow took shape-something that looked like a cross between a bird and a bat, spreading its paws, falling down without a single sound. Rin didn't know why she did it. At some point, she felt sorry for the golden animals, and she slapped the predator in the face. The "bird" turned out to be a fragile creature, and even such a slight blow was serious for him. The predator flew away, falling on one wing.

  The little dragons were silent for a while, hiding somewhere, and then... They chirped, beeped, and chattered. Almost the entire population of the surrounding shrubbery gathered around Rin, the most brazen perched on their shoulders and heads, the rest circled in the air. Are they really that gullible? It turned out — not so much. They were sitting, but they wouldn't fit in my hand. Undeterred animals... clearly didn't know what a human was. On the one hand, it's good. With another... Apparently not here... people. On the one hand, it's good. With another... Apparently not here... human.

  The river was discovered quickly. Seven minutes walk from the edge of the forest and here it is — a deep and wide river, lazily rushing its waters to the ocean. The local reed variety was actively growing along the shore, completely blocking access to the water with a wall of tall elastic stems. In some places, there were clearings in the undergrowth, trampled by local wildlife to the water: the river was popular, and the chance of running into a thirsty animal was very high.

  By this time, the star couple was godlessly hot, although it was still far from the middle of the day, and it was getting uncomfortable under the bright sun. My stomach, accustomed to getting breakfast in the morning, demanded food, my bare feet ached and pinched in small scratches, and my head felt hot. The situation is lovely.

  Pushing aside the vegetation, Rin climbed out onto a wide stone extending into the water. The reeds provided enough shade to protect themselves from the scorching rays, and large fleshy leaves with sides resembling a palette in its classic oval design floated near the shore. In some places, arrows with large red flowers and black cones of delicious fruits stuck out between the leaves.

  They're poisonous.

  The confidence is just ironclad!

  Impenetrable.

  She might have thought the same thing when she saw a pale toadstool. But the rather vile-looking slimy yellow balls floating in the water on faded antennae caused profuse salivation and a hungry "brrrr" of the stomach. On second thought, it was the yellow stuff that looked the most unappetizing. But, again... the same stupid conviction. Rin, ignoring logic's screams in the shower, stretched out her leg, hooked a pale spirochaete tendril with her fingers, pulling the ball towards her. I got it. The tendril turned out to be unusually strong, it didn't even stretch, but the ball fell off with a rather unpleasant dancing sound. Releasing the tendril, Rin peeled off one of the palette-shaped sheets and placed a yellow slimy ball on it. It felt even more disgusting than it looked. There, on the "tray", went a bunch of blue balls, stripped from some underwater plant and ... a large beetle. Very big. If not for the same confidence in its edibility... Catching a black beetle the size of its head... Brrr! And what mandibles he has... Mommy! Rin pinned the beetle by its shell with her foot and carefully tore off its head. It will bite again... And then you won't know what to treat or how to treat it. Tearing off two more very strong and tough leaves of local water lilies, Rin picked up her prey, kicked the severed head into the river, and crawled out from behind the reeds.

  Two attentive yellow eyes were looking at her from the grass. Round, with vertical pupil. They're cold. Evaluators. The eyes of a predator. On a green furry muzzle. The mouth, generously studded with teeth, cut this very muzzle from one round salad ear to the other.

  Rin's heart skipped a beat. Apparently, her journey in the new world will end quickly and sadly. Rage rose from the depths of his soul, fueled by despair and someone else's anger, filling with a black wave of rage. Yes, like... this... green... the furry one... It dared... A low, hollow growl was born somewhere under the diaphragm and, fueled by rage and despair, burst out. Rin, this cute fluffy red-haired creature, growled low, aggressively, menacingly, leaned forward, looming over the predator crouching to the ground. A wave of light came from Rin. The gray eyes glared at the yellow ones with a heavy, angry stare, the beast hesitated, his eyes widened even more, his gaze darted. The animal was completely confused. What kind of strange creature is this? And the girl swung at the feline and screamed:

  Get out of here, you green face!

  And the beast... He ran, squealing in fright. There was a strange rumble in Rin's voice. Inconspicuous, almost indefinable, but... tangible.

  The grass only moved behind the beast, and Rin sank heavily to the ground. My heart was pounding in my chest, trying to pop out, burst, my blood was pumping adrenaline through my veins, and my head was pounding heavily. Damn it! And it could have ended very sadly! She needs a weapon. No. She needs a weapon! Gradually, the jitters passed. She stopped shaking, her thoughts stopped racing across the fields, and she calmed down a little.

  Rin shook herself and cheerfully ran towards the forest. It's not far to the mouth of the river, and there's a forest, and the ocean, and such convenient stones. Her feet splashed on the grass, it was easy to run, and after another ten minutes, Rin snuggled down on a rock by the water.

  After sorting out the loot, she gathered dry twigs and pieces of bark, built a small fire on the ground near the stone and, twisting the lens from the watch as she was used to hiking with her brother, carefully caught the rays of the sun in focus and froze. A bright point of light touched the bark. The gray surface quickly turned black, and a thin smoke appeared. Now the smoke became thicker, the first reddish reflections appeared, Rin blew cautiously, and again, and again, and finally, a timid flame flared up, and after a couple more minutes a small bonfire was burning merrily on the ground. How to roast a yellow ball, Rin found it difficult to say. After thinking about it, she let the fire burn out and placed a beetle and a washed ball wrapped in a thin leaf of some kind of plant directly on the glowing coals. And she sat down to wait.

  After a while, amazing scents began to float. The girl turned over a beetle and a half-charred leaf with a stick. Half an hour later, reasonably thinking that everything was ready, she rolled a beetle and something half-burnt onto a fleshy leaf. The beetle was left to cool. Rin carefully unwrapped the sheet, burning herself, blowing on her fingers. The yellow filth turned into a golden fragrant ball! Peeling off the burnt skin, Rin reached the appetizing-smelling porous fluffy mass. It tastes like the freshest bread fresh from the oven! Fishing out a pellet at the bottom, Rin pinned the beetle. The shell cracked and gave way on the third blow. After uncovering the insect, the girl got to the juicy whitish meat. A great lunch! Delicious, somewhat similar to chicken spicy meat, porous fruit... Lovely! A familiar chirp sounded from the nearby bushes, and a pair of feathered dragons glided onto a rock. Rin smiled. The beggars. So trusting? Or do they just know that they won't be offended? The girl threw a piece of an aquatic plant on a stone, and the dragons did not refuse the treat. Rin let the meat cool down and slowly fed it to the animals. They stole the meat on their own, gnawing off the torn pieces of chitin. Rin thoughtfully watched the dragons chewing enthusiastically.

  "What should I do, kids? What?"

  The day was slowly declining towards evening, the suns were sliding towards the horizon, the sky was slowly darkening, the first stars shone in the north. The forest was noisy, animals shouted at each other, birds chirped, insects chirped, squeaked and chirped. Life went on as usual. Night was approaching. It's hunting time. Rin seriously thought about staying the night. Spending the night on earth is idiotic! She remembered the green cat and those vague shadows in the forest twilight, at the approach of which life stopped.

  One of the nearby trees was so thickly wrapped in ivy and all kinds of climbing parasitic plants that it was quite realistic to climb it. Tying a leaf with the remains of the meal into a bag, Rin approached the tree, tilting her head back, examining the plants on the trunk. She tugged. They held on tight, but she additionally reinforced them with light. Hanging the leaves around her neck on a rope woven from grass, the girl carefully climbed up, expecting at any moment that the ivy would start to break. But the climb went without problems, and soon she was sitting astride a thick branch. At least some semblance of security. Even if it's a similarity. Climbing onto the upper branches and choosing a very nice fork, I twisted the gap between the branches in the manner of a hammock and lay down to sleep. There was a gap in the canopy just above her. Lying on her back, she looked up at the stars. To the alien scattering of constellations, brighter and more juicy than on such a distant Earth. The red moon hung in the sky in her sight. Beautiful, gloomy, scarlet... A haze of bright stars. How beautiful! A nearby nebula spread its tendrils across the sky, coloring the night with a fantastic lilac glow...

  One of the stars blinked with green fire, flickered, shining brighter and brighter. As if approaching. Rin braced herself. The star broke into a scattering of green lights, dark shadows blocked out the stars, and not a single extraneous sound! A moment later, a black predatory shadow rushed over his head! The cold steady fire of the engines, not a single sound! The fighters! More, and more, and more, and more! Seven elongated sharp-nosed shadows! The wedge raced over the forest and sped off into the distance. There was a distant explosion, and the night was lit up by the glow of fires. A flash, the screech of gunfire, the roar of explosions... and suddenly — silence. It took no more than a minute. Sudden attack, explosions. That's all. Rin clutched the branch convulsively. The fighters! The war! The world is not only inhabited, but also inhabited by a warlike people... The questions arose on their own, and along with the questions, anxiety was born. An animal can be predicted, its actions can be predicted. He can be understood. But it's much more difficult to understand and even more difficult to predict another reasonable one!

  A quiet voice sounded faintly, drowning in the sounds of forest life:

  "Who are you?"

* * *

  Early in the morning, Rin was awakened by the roar of a ship flying at low altitude. Early in the morning, Rin was awakened by the roar of a ship flying at low altitude. Not an airplane, but an aerospace ship! The sharp-nosed miracle of someone else's technology passed overhead and disappeared into the mountains, leaving behind a terrifying roar. Rin, covering her ears with her hands, gently wished the ship to stick into the nearest rock.

  The rumble of the engines stopped. Rin breathed a sigh of relief. The sound of a broken string sounded clearly in my head, an explosion thudded in the mountains, and a puff of black smoke rose into the air.

  Rin's jaw dropped. For a few seconds, she just stared at the smoke cutting through the blue morning sky. It was real. The ship exploded. Fact.

  The girl swallowed.

  "I didn't mean to..." shaking her head, she corrected herself: "No. I just wanted to. Is this a coincidence?"

  The answer was a column of black smoke, disappearing into the sky with a mute reproach. Rin felt guilty, which, however, quickly faded. The girl stretched. A wonderful new day was beginning!

Chapter 2. The Green-eyed killer

  When meeting neighbors, it usually sounds like a cross between "Good afternoon" and "Absolutely fucked up."

  The week slipped by unnoticed in the worries of food, housing arrangements and exploring a new world. Rin thoughtfully arranged herself in a tree: the same fork high in the crown became the base of a small hut, woven in two days. There was no time — drown! The day turned out to be three hours longer, the nights were quite short, eight to nine hours each, and daylight and prolonged twilight provided a lot of useful time. Besides, Rin could see perfectly well at dusk and in the dark.