AEON


Someone shouted and everyone turned toward the sound. A strange creature had appeared at the edge of the clearing. At the blink of an eye another one appeared and then another. Soon there were thirty or more of the creatures standing in a circle around them. The things were like something out of a horror movie. Their legs were long and slender and bent back like a kangaroo. Their arms were muscular and ended in three long fingers. At the end of each finger were long sharp claws. Their bodies were thin and muscular and above that, they had a long neck, and a tear shaped head. One of them twisted its upper body completely to the back without moving its lower half.

The head reminded Kevin of a giant version of the praying mantas from Earth. It had no hair and its skin was a light green. A membrane of clear skin flashed up and down over the huge dark green eyes and it had two slits where its nose should have been. Under the slits was a vicious looking mouth full of razor sharp teeth. A clear slime dripped from one corner of the creature’s mouth and a long tongue darted in and out. One of the creatures extended its legs and rose to well over six feet.

Everyone in the group quickly made a circle. Kevin’s mouth felt like cotton as he held his sphere out. Were these the creatures that built the ship, but they had no weapons. They didn’t even wear clothing.
Suddenly one of the creatures jumped from the ground to a limb of a nearby tree. The limb was over twenty or so feet above the ground. Even in the lighter gravity, it was quiet a jump. It balanced there easily, turning its ugly head from side to side. Then leaning down toward the others, it began to make sharp hissing and chirping sounds. The sounds were familiar, and then Kevin realized that it sounded like the bat things. The other creatures turned their heads up as the creature continued its rhetoric and then turned sharply back to the humans. Without warning, they begin to jump in toward the humans and then back out again. The chirping sounds became louder and louder. Each jump brought them closer.

Mike was the first one to speak. “Try for their belly!” he yelled. The creatures stopped in their tracks at the sound of the human voice and stood there, turning their heads back and forth. Then the one on the limb make a sharp chirping sound and the creatures begin their onslaught again.