{"sf1_id":885047,"sf2_id":"keND8vMn","title":"The Merrin, part 11","author":"Sovereign Kyle","words":884,"posted_at":"2015-07-10T23:46:00.000Z","tags":["Crustacean","Human","Merrin","Sci-Fi","Space Travel","Story Progression","galaxy"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/885047-the-merrin-part-11","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/keND8vMn","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/4a/fc/4afcd646-072e-482d-84ba-775cff1fbf2e","description":"#11 of Merr\n\nAfter the storm, time to get to work. Knowing he could be here for quite some time, Key starts to salvage what he can...\nAvy seems to have other plans.\nNext: Part 12","content":"Having spent much of the early morning having no luck scanning for, or trying to contact other pods, Key activates the pod's homing beacon and grabs his pack. The storm last night was all lightning, thunder, and high winds. There was no precipitation.\n\nWith the sun coming up, Key now gets to see the area. A quick survey of the other pod tells Key that it's beyond salvage. What the entry and landing didn't damage, was by the storm , and most of the smaller pieces are gone. He looks around at the plants, for the most part, they appear undamaged.\n\nWhen the light hits them, they start to unfurl their branches. He's only a little surprised. \"The plants protect themselves from the storms too, huh.\"\n\nAvy, who's perched on his shoulder, taps once, confirming his suspicion.\n\nGlancing at the little creature, he asks, \"Same thing you did?\"\n\nAvy taps once again.\n\n\"Are those storms frequent?\"\n\nAgain, a single tap.\n\nKey sighs heavily, and starts collecting the shelter sections. \"I better keep that in mind when I set this up.\"\n\nAs he starts to strap the sections together, Avy hops from his shoulder and skitters off into the brush.\n\nKey finishes tying the bundle, then grabs the empty pack from the pod and starts loading the supplies in it, and his other pack. About the time he's finished making everything fit, Avy comes back and starts tapping repeatedly on the stacked sections.\n\nGiving the little creature a curious look, he asks, \"What? You find something?\"\n\nAvy bobs anxiously and gives the stack a firm, solitary tap.\n\n\"Relax. I'm almost done here,\" he chuckles.\n\nClosing up the packs, he stands and slings one on his back, and picks the other up by its handle. When he reaches for the sections, Avy hops to the ground and starts off again.\n\n\"Don't get too far ahead.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHaving been following Avy through thick brush for nearly an hour, they break through into a decent sized clearing. Key stops for a moment to survey the area, but Avy keeps going. Seeing this, Key quickly catches up.\n\n\"Where're we--I mean, is it much farther?\"\n\nAvy abruptly stops and turns, looking around. It then scratches an X in the ground.\n\n\"Here?\"\n\nThe small creature bobs its body, then scurries up a meter tall embankment.\n\nNoticing the embankment, Key looks around. Avy has led him to an area that's looks like it was once a small marsh, so it's lower than much of the surrounding area. According to Drudge's map, this is part of the same river valley that he crashed in.\n\nSuddenly curious about the lack of ground water, Key asks, \"Does it rain here?\"\n\nAvy appears confused for a moment, then lets out a sad trill and taps once on a rock.\n\n\"No rain,\" he mutters to himself. \"Wonder why?\"\n\nDrudge answers his musing, \"With the ambient temperature as it is, any rain that would form, would immediately evaporate.\"\n\n\"Yeah, I figured that.\" Key places both packs at the edge of the \"marsh\" and unpacks the shelter parts.\n\nSetting one of the shelters aside, he starts to arrange the remaining pieces.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\*\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \\*\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \\*\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nWith the shelter up, Key's returned to his original pod to salvage all he can. Aside from the two empty packs, he's brought an energy cell and a portable converter. Everything else is in the shelter.\n\nAfter using the converter to make a few tools, he starts to dissect the pod. Anything that he thinks he can salvage, he removes and puts in a pack. He starts with things like the onboard computer core, empty power cells, even one of the seats.\n\nRealizing that he's going to have too much for the packs, he removes a section of the outer hull from the outside of the pod. Using some wiring from inside the pod, and a few well placed bends to the panel, he turns it into a crude sled.\n\nAs he continues to dissect the pod, Avy skitters over to Alice's grave and sits there for a moment. Then, using only a leg tip, it traces the name and date. After a moment, it turns back to Key. Then, letting out a sorrow-like coo, it burrows down into the rocks.\n\nBeing too busy to see this, Key stacks a few more things on the sled, then checks to see if it's too heavy.\n\n\"That's probably enough,\" he mutters to himself. \"Avy, I'm heading back home.\"\n\nAs he starts pulling the sled, he mulls that though over.\n\nHome.\n\nYeah, it's home now. Just him and his friend Avy.\n\nHe stops. Where's Avy? He looks around, but not seeing the little creature anywhere, he calls, \"Avy?\"\n\nHe stills his mind for a moment, hoping to get an impression or a word clue, but nothing.\n\nWith a heavy sigh, he says, \"Well, I suppose you know your way around. Be careful little one.\"\n\nHe then gives Alice's grave a long, sad look.\n\nFeeling alone again, Key drags the sled back to his new home.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nAvy burrows till it finds Alice's body. Saddened by the discovery, it starts to shift itself a bit and starts tunneling sideways. Soon, Avy finds itself near Alice's head. After balling up, Avy secretes its shell and begins to concentrate.\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Merr","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/883541-the-merrin-part-10.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/886413-the-merrin-part-12.json"}}