Chapter 5: Shrubbery

Baer woke up feeling refreshed. This was probably caused by the raindrop that had hit him full in the face, taking away the parched feeling. Taking the remains of the drop, he went around to revive some of his dormant relatives. Time to see if any neighbours had turned up in the past 100 million or so years. Crawling around on all eights, Baer crested the nearest sand dune. The view delighted him to no end.

After surveying the beautiful sight, Baer quickly made a three-point turn to fetch his relatives for their long delayed breakfast, lunch and dinner. There may be even enough for some dessert as well.

While casually enjoying the finer culinary aspects of their late neighbours, Baer got into a discussion with his brother in lore about the general uncultivated look of their surroundings. All their neighbours had amounted to was some sort of dome for sunbathing that now double-functioned as a kitchen table. They both agreed that there was work to do. Baer’s partner Siotha proposed that they should embark on a landscaping competition. If time allowed, there might even be a chance for a shrubbery or two at the side.

Knowing Siotha, Baer decided that a shrubbery was now highest on his priority list. This might be problematic, given the lack of any plant life to speak of within at least the nearest 7.68 parsecs. He would need to improvise. Baer looked around and mumbled dejectedly ' Let’s see what we have… There’s sand, sand and some other sand. Oh, and rocks that are too big for me to move. Sand it is, then…'. Remembering the magnificent sculptured shrubberies they had back in Vega (before things really started smoking), Baer started off creating delicate patterns in the sand, moving every separate grain to exactly the right spot. Nothing too big, but satisfying nonetheless.

Several days later, Siotha and her brother Blod came down to look at the result. Despite their praise, Baer couldn’t help noticing a slightly cold air of 'Is that all?' in both of them. The next look his brother in lore shot at him told Baer that now, the game was really on. Maybe reviving Blod wasn’t such a good idea after all. They had never really connected back on their old home planet. On the other hand, having him skip a cycle would leave him the younger, more vital explorer in future cycles.
Leaving the 'shrubbery' to erode, Baer decided that before going any further, it would be a good idea to freshen up a bit, so he retreated to somewhere in the shade of a small rock and started shedding his skin, starting from the mouth. (Good thing they just ate something).

This might take some time.

Caiman Raptor Elk