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We fight against the waves going out, but then start to move sideways and soon we're practically surfing the waves. This is way faster than when we paddled north and there is way less water going inside. Bokyli taste it as she scoops it out, and not just once.
"This water taste foul, but I really like that salty taste. This is so fun!"
I swear I've heard something 'Wheee' like a few times from Bokyli who is sitting just in front of me, and I've gotten a good look at her. It feels bad to say, and I don't want to jump to any conclusion, but I think our newest group member is a happy-go-lucky natural airhead teenager that don't really understand the danger or her new life here. Really understand that she will never see her family again, and might soon die a horrible death. Bokyli is all excited smiles and even waves to Xuela flying above as she looks around with big eyes. Bokyli is like an anthropomorphized deer or something, but reminding me of Reiley in her mix of bare skin and short fur, except for longer fur in a wide brown strip from between her horns, over her head and all the way along her back ending in her big brown cat like tail. A tail that is moving excitedly like a cat more than a dog, and kind of annoying as I try to paddle a smallish canoe, and Bokyli seem to forget about keeping her tail in check. Bokyli's face and body is less human than Reiley, but her body is still over all better proportioned than Xuela, and she got serious leg muscles. And three toes with very big nails reminding me of small hoofs on her quite long feet that also have foot pads, so I guess those hoof toes are for grip. Her hands with opposable thumbs look quite human, although she only have four fingers on each hand. Her nakedness is because Bokyli was sensible enough to roll her colour happy red dress around the back of her bandolier so she would blend in better. She sure don't seems bothered about being naked in front of strangers. And I am a bit annoyed that Bokyli got both a good big kukri-machete looking thing and a big round leather water canteen on her bandolier, plus a couple of large leather pockets. Kind of weird that a vegetarian would have leather stuff, but I guess it's due to material limitations and so on.
Sure, I had my tools, small multi tool and mobile phones when I woke up here - but still.
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As we get behind the natural breakwater the big island outcrops are, the return journey becomes better and safer, and we just continue heading back to our beach. The easier journey means that me and Reiley starts to ask Bokyli questions, and answers her questions in return. But even telling her about all the bad things doesn't change her happy disposition.
"Wow, it was really good you found me, as being here alone and just wander around and getting chased all the time would be so boring and bad. Ooh, that is so pretty! Have you tried eating those red flowers?"
Yeah... Oh, well. At least I don't think she is acting, and getting killed in our sleep by our newest member so she can eat us or take our stuff seems unlikely. I don't think I will trust her with fire though. Shit. Where will she sleep?! There is no way Xuela will share her bed. Where will she live? There is no way Xuela will share her hut when that is done, and I feel bad about just making some shelter and leaving Bokyli there while we have our hut. Especially if the weather is bad. I remember feeling miserable in my first shelter, and it would hardly make her like us. What is the most effective way to build a good hut in the cliff work area? I could use the same principle like for the hut, but that would be a very long big tree, and the roof would only cover a part of the space that would be kind of triangular, and even that would be a lot of work and a far more 'interesting' solution due to the water hole and shape of the cliff and ground. Still, not including the water hole would make something like a 30-35 square meter hut, and we could add a loft to use the interior height and get more space.
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We reach our beach and hide the canoe at the usual spot amongst the trees, then we make our way up the trail with Bokyli eating a couple of big leaves after discarding the beach grass she tried but tasted so boring.
"Jump. Oh, this taste so bad. Jump. It really sticks between the teeth too. Guah. Jump."
"Bokyli, do you have to say 'jump' each time you jump? And can you try to walk instead of jumping up? It's very very impressive how far and high you can jump - especially from standing still - but we're trying to move hidden, carefully and quiet."
"Sorry. It's fun to jump." Bokyli take another bite from the big leaf and grimace. "Oh, this taste really bad."
"Why do you keep eating that leaf if it taste so bad and sticks between your teeth?"
"It's just so green and luscious looking. Jump. Sorry."
"Again, please be very careful about what you eat around here. This is another world, and you can die or get very sick."
"I will try. Oh! Those leaves are pretty!"
"STOP!" Me and Reiley react together and we share a look with plenty of meaning, but Bokyli is frozen halfway towards the Number 3 tree: "Don't. Eat. That. Don't even touch that tree. That is what I call a Number 3 tree, and one reason your have to be careful. Both me and Reiley get itching and inflammatory reactions from just a drop of the sap or leaf on our arms. So, remember how that tree look and just avoid that tree, okay? Eating something from that tree might kill you, and you are a lovely young woman and I don't want to see you die a horrible painful death, and then have to bury you. We risked our lives to save you, so don't waste your life!"
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"Awh, you are all so nice! No eating Number 3. Jump. Sorry."
I can't have children here, so I had to end up with an annoying teenager didn't I? Damn alien bastards. I'm willing to bet the DAB's don't actually completely randomize location and which person ends up where. Although we did have her run towards here. Oh well, better an airhead than murderous psycho. Xuela is taking a break, but will continue to scout after the other two people today, or any other she might see. We simply need to know what happened to them, if they're dangerous and if we might try and help them. Although I don't think I will stand another Bokyli in my life. One might be bad enough.
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Bokyli have never seen the sea before today and Bokyli really likes the hut and the view, and especially over the 'huge lake', so I guess she doesn't have a word like sea or ocean as that doesn't translate. She is used to sleeping on a woven matt on the floor, but we will weave and make a couple of mattresses since Xuela also need her own future bed, plus it seems likely we'll get new people with short notice so having a couple of spare mattresses is just a good idea. And it's not like we have any better mattress option. This small hut really wasn't designed to be four people in, and I was worried that I might be here alone. I would honestly have been happy to have Bokyli as company instead of being alone. Probably.
The day is young and we have a lot of work to do, but we have a sit down and eat a better breakfast and have a talk. Well, me, Reiley and Xuela eat as Bokyli have eaten more than enough and isn't hungry. I guess she will be very easy to feed. Bokyli's civilization is a few bigger cities where there are important resources and trade routes meet, and most of her people seem to be nomadic tribes moving with the season and vegetation over a truly vast area. Bokyli belongs to a nomadic tribe that moved over prairie like open country, and they have beasts of burden dragging their wagons and to ride on, and they live in tents.
Bokyli's eyes are really distracting, because here inside the hut it's clear her irises glow, like they are neon. They are just 'bright' outside in the sun or shade, but in here they glow. It just pulls my eyes to hers. Out talk becomes weirder as Bokyli's kind apparently can 'change' and she finds it very weird that we never heard of other people or species that do, and that she is the weird one. Basically her kind 'slowly' change muscles, body shape, size, flexibility and so on to be more hard working, or quick and nimble, and can even 'change' to better fit a certain temperature range, terrain or season by adding layers of fat, grow more fur, store water and so on. It's not something she decide to do, and just her body's reaction to the environment, food and what activities she do and so on, although there are 'tribes' with certain predisposition. It seems that after dozens of generations with genetic selection as nomads in the same prairie like nature, her 'tribe' is adapted to that, and she will always 'change' quicker to be a fast and nimble long distance runner. Bokyli have no idea how she will 'change' to this environment, she is only sure that she will, and she is kind of curious about it. She has never been in nature like this before. It's no wonder that her kind probably have conquered her world and spread wide.
Their tech level is also higher than Xuela's, which Xuela seems to find insulting, and I would say human renaissance or something. They have different metals and make most tools in iron, but also have stuff like glass, telescopes, paper and simple printing, and both water and wind power, but Bokyli is hardly an expert on anything. Well, maybe at being annoying and getting sidetracked. Their weapons depend on need and how the person is 'changed', but it is mostly compound bows, spears, shields and those big kukri looking knives that is their most common tool. Bokyli's steel knife is excellent craftsmanship and a good indication of her cultures metal forging. Bokyli understandably have no idea about the length of day, but she knows her world have 12 day months and 33 months in a year, so 396 days in a year, and considering she is 23, it's likely that Bokyli is a few years older than that in human years, which surprises us. Especially when Bokyli say that she's been an adults since she turned 12, but never been interested in a family life or taking care of children.
I feel slightly bad for thinking that it might have been for the better for her species.
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It's a very interesting day. Xuela leaves on another scouting trip, while Reiley and Bokyli help me in the jungle working area with the furnace, weaving mattresses, making a couple of spades, brushes and trowels and plenty of bricks. Bokyli mainly focus on doing bricks, getting clay and mixing in a bit of the sandy dirt since both agree it might improve the bricks.
Bokyli really isn't scared of 'the slow stupid dinosaurs', especially not after being told about the sanctuary flower - that we assume she will try to eat sooner rather than later - and Bokyli make so many dirt and clay runs on her own so she can make more bricks. Some of those runs are obviously so Bokyli can explore the area a bit on her own as she thinks that we are too cautious, and she is an adult and her own person, so it's not like we want to try to order her not to. As long as she doesn't lead dinosaurs or other people to us, she can explore a bit and move around, and she love the lush green and rock nature and the 'huge lake' with the foul but salty tasting water, and she have obviously played in waves on two of her runs. Bokyli got so much energy that I wonder if something she ate is some kind of drug. I'll guess we know in a few days, but I really hope it's not her natural level as that would be annoying, and that there isn't something more we have to convince her to not eat. Pretty much every time Bokyli returns with more clay, she is gnawing or eating on something. Including those leaves that taste really bad and gets stuck in her teeth, because they are just that green and luscious looking, and another time it is something that makes her mouth itch. Well, it's better than she gnaws on the furniture or something, and eventually she might learn. Unless she die. And I thought it was good she doesn't eat meat. Well, it honestly is, as Bokyli feeds herself.
Huh. Considering what Bokyli have told us about 'change', she might subconsciously be compelled to try and eat and taste every new thing. So her mouth, stomach and digestive system can 'change' to eat it, and her brain might learn it. That would be a hell of a thing and incredibly powerful for survival, like her kind wasn't good enough just quickly adapting their bodies for physical need. If Bokyli doesn't die soon, she will probably out live us all.
Still, we don't think everything about Bokyli's behaviour can be explained with 'change'. Both me and Reiley are convinced that Bokyli is a free spirited nudist at heart too, and love having 'camouflage' as a good excuse for ditching her dress in the hut. Bokyli seem so utterly unfazed by her new exciting life in this horrible world, that it is a bit annoying.
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