Cuculiformes 02 Pt. 01

"So they are," muttered José. The security sentinel hadn't kicked on, so it had thought nothing dangerous of the moving shapes. In theory they were safe? He moved over to one of the carryalls and found his binoculars. He flicked them on to full digital pick up and studied the dots.

"Hard to tell, maybe a dozen of them. Couple meters, long body shape. Looks like something on their backs, maybe young? Herbivores? Plantosauruses? Don't look like anything to worry about. We'll track them down in the morning, see what they're like up close." He walked back into the fire light and tossed the binoculars to Tom. "Just keep an eye on them for a while, Mr Observant. See what they get up to."

He eyed the sentinel to make sure it was on, which it was, and then resumed his seat. The others were eyeing the distant animals briefly in case they became interesting, but eventually they returned to reminiscing about their lives while they kept the fire going.

He noticed Rolley keeping an eye on Brooke, who seemed oblivious to his attention, or his hanging on any word she said. He caught them both having a smile at each other over a conversation, but he put it down to nothing more than a momentary connection.

Late in the evening they bedded down to sleep, while the distant animals appeared to graze happily in the landscape. Another glorious day on a perfect, untouched planet, did it get any better?

**********

José woke to the smell of peppermint, no, was it strawberry? No, peppermint, and it was more than smell, he could taste it. He revelled in the taste. It wasn't a manufactured, chemical taste either, it was like a rich, natural taste as if he was chewing on a leaf. The aroma wasn't just on his tongue, he was breathing it in, so refreshing and clearing.

He opened his eyes, the landscape was just starting to color with the prelight of sunrise. He could hear a mumble of voices, and somewhere a soft rumbling noise which was completely new. He sat up and looked over at the pale green lights on the sentinel which were still silently pulsing. Operational and unalarmed.

Scanning around, he could see the source of the rumbles. The herd of creatures had almost moved into the camp overnight, uncaring about the strange creatures they had encountered from outer space and all of the material they brought with them. They were casually grazing, occasionally lifting their heads to look around and then dip down to take another chomp of grass. He could feel their heavy feet pawing across the ground, the mechanical rip of the grass as they pulled their heads up to tear it loose. They seemed totally harmless and disinterested in anything but the grass.

A number of the creatures swaggered through the crew as they slept, or sat up watching them pass. They were a couple meters high, a deep tawny gold color, and looked nothing more complicated than an elongated fat sausage on tall spindly legs, with a massive bovine head made for chewing. One turned to watch him with its big, brown, doe eyes, and then it rumble snorted before turning its attention back to the morning's feed.

It ambled away, letting José see that on its rump lay another creature, spread eagled across it with its back legs hanging down the rear of the bigger animal. Not much bigger than some kind of domestic cat, but looking more primate like with hands that were hanging on to the fur. There was another one on a nearby bigger animal, sitting atop it like a buddha, having an idle scratch with its back leg. There were only a couple of them scattered through the herd, noticeable by their white coloring with black bands.

Their heads were forever turning, taking in the sights of the world as if they were constantly scanning for enemies or action. They clearly didn't look like the children of the bigger animals, so he assumed they were symbiotic or cohabitable. Then he rolled his eyes, he'd clearly spent too much time among the researchers. They would tell him later what they found out in scientific terms, not that he cared in the slightest either way.

All of the crew appeared to be sitting up now, the first splashes of sunlight running over the camp. They were all silently watching the big animals, taking in the feeling of being at one with nature. And then he noticed Brooke. She wasn't fully dressed, at least, she had her shirt off. And even though she had a very modest black sports bra on, her slightly overweight love handles were on display. And even there, with that most basic view of a woman he didn't naturally think was that sexy, he proved that the instincts of males were primevally etched into their makeup.

He could just hear Rolley fussing over whether she was ok with the animals passing through, and her sincere appreciation of his concerns. And there was no mistaking Rolley's eyes barely left her tits. As modest as that bra was, José couldn't help feeling jealous of the view Rolley was drinking in. They were just little, flat, pancake tits, whereas, he had to remind himself, he really liked big, heavy handfuls topped by cherries. Which was the polar opposite of Brooke's. And still he was annoyed that he was missing out on the vaguest view of them.

His own body was hard just imagining what Rolley could see, or what he wished Rolley could see, or what he wished he could see himself. And here, in this world tucked away in the back of the universe, he'd crawl between her chunky thighs and ride her long and hard, and maybe together they could populate this new world all on their lonesome.

He checked his thoughts. What the hell was he thinking? Strawberries. He was definitely smelling strawberries, not peppermint.

"Ok, everyone. Excitement's over, time we got on. Rolley," he said, making sure Rolley could not miss it, "Better get that carryall going so we can get out there today. Who's going to skip breakfast and follow those things and start studying them?"

"Yo, that'd be me," offered Deb, resident megafauna specialist. "Just save me some breakfast, ok. I can't keep doing this all day without no food." She quickly sprang to her rucksack and grabbed her essentials to be off trailing the roving herd.

By the time he looked back at Brooke, she had her dark shirt on and Rolley was still sitting in front of her with the biggest grin, like he had just got a great view. "Fuck," he thought, "That was my view." And then he wondered just what exactly Rolley could have seen anyway. He chastised himself, being planetside was certainly having some kind of effect. Maybe he was due for a rotation back to orbit.

**********

José could see the herd up ahead. They hadn't really wandered that far from camp, but it was good to be catching a ride in the carryall. Rolley sat next to him, humming some grungy, ghetto tune which he was also tapping out on the steering wheel. Once Deb noticed their approach, she quietly slipped away from the herd in their direction. While the animals, both big and small, had lifted their heads at the carryall's proximity, they had just as quickly returned to their normal life.

He slipped down out of the vehicle, trying to be quiet so as not to disturb the animals, but behind him Rolley was beatboxing like a pro, and probably louder than the carryall was ever going to be. As the animals seemed to take no notice of the manic singer behind him, José let it slide. Still, he walked away toward Deb so at least he wouldn't have to strain to hear her over the soundtrack.

He handed her a container of breakfast, and together in silence for a minute they simply watched. Nothing much was happening, and it didn't look like much was going to.

"They're symbiotes, probably commensalistic," Deb said. "I can't determine their relationship yet, they have some very odd behaviours. They feed separately, Glorias eat the grasses, Julians look to be more interested in flowers. The only time Julians jump down is when they near the trees and the flower stands, and once done feeding they jump back up on the Glorias. They seem to have a very strange way of being carried around though, almost like they have some velcro connection to the Gloria's butts."

Deb looked at him like she was being scientific and straight forward. José was as confused as hell.

"Oh," she muttered. "In the old, open source movies, my kids used to watch one about a place called Madagascar. The big, fat ones look a bit like the Gloria character, the small ones look like a character called King Julian, which fits, because they seem to ride around like kings."

He just nodded his head as though it was all perfectly sensible.

"Julians seem to spend a lot of time scanning the horizon, which leads me to conclude there is some form of predator we have not yet seen. I can't imagine any other reason for their behaviour. Given the height of the grass, predators would have an easy time sneaking up on these guys, so the constant scanning means they are vulnerable constantly, or their predator is airborne. Our scanners haven't turned up any other significant life forms yet.

Considering how slowly Glorias move around, I find it hard to believe any predator causes them a worry, so I assume predators are smaller and more interested in the Julians. I haven't seen a Gloria go any faster than walking pace, even when socialising among themselves. Julians on the other hand are a constant ball of nervous energy, so I figure they are the vulnerable partner in the relationship.

Obviously they get free transport, a good vantage point against predators, and possibly a big protector. What they have to offer to the Glorias, I can't tell. In fact, given how plentiful grasses are and a lack of any obvious predators, it's surprising their numbers are low. Perhaps they have low fertility or else there is some other factor at play.

I'll stay with them and keep in contact. I can't imagine they'll get more than a kilometre or two from camp by tonight. However, based on my hunch there is some kind of predator, I'd rather have a couple armed people with me, if that's ok, at least until we figure out what the predator is."

He nodded in agreement. "You're right. While we've not seen anything yet, we're better off being extra cautious with safety. I'll head back to camp, and send Rolley and someone else back with weapons to watch over you. The noise he makes will probably keep any predators away anyway."

They both giggled.

"No worries, cap. I'll be fine here awhile."

Chapter 3

Brooke sat watching the fire slowly burn down. It has been a great day out in the sun exploring. Several kilometres away was an intermittent creek bed with a chain of waterholes which she had walked along, and waded in.

She had a stack of samples, and in her wet suit, she'd managed a surreptitious swim in between her collecting. While she had two handlers making sure she was physically safe, and helping out carrying things around, she'd spent most of the day alone in her own thoughts and enjoying the wonder of being planetside, making her own decisions on where they were going and what they were doing.

She'd spent the last ten years in space with her husband, working out of the same research lab the whole time, walking the same corridors every day, seeing exactly the same things. And now here she was going wherever, whenever, however. This was the kind of freedom she was longing for. People were meant for this, not for being automatons in space.

A log in the fire dropped with a small shower of sparks and a subdued oooo from the assembled crew. It was amazing how bonding sitting in silence around a fire was. One of her handlers took a pot of boiling water off the fire and made her a coffee. She smiled at the kind gesture, and looking across the fire, she could see Rolley smiling back at her. "That man's face seems to be turning up a lot lately," she thought to herself.

She settled back in her chair, sipping the brew and watching the rising smoke patterns. She alternated between idly thinking about the next day's tasks and the smell of fresh vanilla. Strange that in the modern era, food had become so basic that even a good vanilla was a rare treat. When did she last have good vanilla? Her eyes followed the trailing smoke to a smiling, black face in the shadows.

She smiled back, and shook her thoughts back to vanilla. Maybe it was a hint of the taste in the coffee? She nodded as the handler brought her a biscuit, and then she reclined back to look at the stars above. She'd been up there in those stars, seen the same view from space itself, but down here on the ground, the whole thing had a completely different feel to it. She sighed and wondered where her husband was out there, working at his desk, walking the same corridors still. Sleeping in the same bed they'd... and she caught herself. She was thinking about sex.

Chuckling, she thought briefly of their sex life, and as enjoyable as it was, it had always failed to live up to her expectations. Not that there was anything wrong with that, they were a good fit generally, but the hype and movies always made it out to be more than she had ever experienced. And it's not like it was that important to her anyway, she chided herself.

She sat there a long while, sipping her coffee and watching the logs burn orange, and then down into black. The crew around her were talking about things, but the whole babble just washed over her thoughts without any focus. Eventually she noticed that the Glorias had moved in among them, rumble snorting and tearing at clumps of grass. One stood near Rolley, the smaller Julian draped over it's rear furtively looking around while it clung on. Rolley meanwhile was smiling at her any time her eyes drifted sideways towards him.

She focused on the Julian for a while, trying to fathom what it was doing there. Eventually it noticed she was watching, and just as intently it watched her back. The coffee smelt of vanilla, with a touch of sweet cream, and it seemed to take over her senses. She laid back and stared up at the pinpricks of light above, and then she drifted into dreams.

**********

She was dragged from her sleep by a smiling black face above her.

"Brooke, you fell asleep. It's time for bed."

She brought her senses back to the now, and reached out for the offered hand to pull herself up from the reclining position. Her half full coffee cup sat on the ground next to her, she'd have to deal with it in the morning. The camp was lit by the dying light of the fire. Most everyone else had retired to their sleeping rolls, while the large Glorias still rumbled somewhere nearby.

She'd have to make her bedroll herself, which necessitated waking up more completely. Which was altogether a bit awkward, as she was having some yummy thoughts about her husband she didn't want to let go of. On top of that, she found it hard to let go of the dark hand holding hers after she'd stood up, as though she was hungry for human touch.

His grinning face filled her vision again, and she couldn't help smiling back, which was all a bit too uncomfortable in her semi aroused state. She broke away and set up her bed roll, sliding in and laying back to watch the clear sky above. The taste of the coffee was still with her, which somehow seemed to reignite her thoughts about her husband. Her eyes fluttered closed, but her mind remained in gear, surrendering to thoughts of him.

Under the bulk of her roll, no one else could see her hands slide down her body, or hear the button and zipper on her pants being undone. With one hand pushing her loosened pants out of the way, she wriggled until she had them down to her ankles. With free access to her pussy, she succumbed to her desires and let her fingers make the magic that she had long denied herself.

Mellow from her orgasm and the productive day working, she slipped easily into sleep.

**********

From atop Gloria, Julian looked down on the silent camp. He had never encountered anything like this before. The strange creatures had all lain down to sleep, cocooned in some kind of nest. He looked around, and then again to be sure there were no other signs of movement. He watched the fire as it lazily petered down into a dull glow. Gloria rumble snorted as she lazily pulled another tuft of grass loose, and then he felt her settle into a slow chew, meaning she'd be going nowhere soon.

He looked around again, nothing worth worrying about. One of the nests glowed with extra heat, and his ears picked up some restrained breathing. Idly curious, he jumped down, instantly picking up the scent of two things. One of them was very sweet and compelling, leading him to a small cup, half full of an irresistible liquid. After a quick sniff of the contents, his long, worm-like tongue rapidly drank in as much of it as he could get. With that bit of exploring done, he turned his fine tuned nose to the second scent.

Something more subtle and animal. He prowled around, trying to find the source, slowly working his way through the long grass obstacles until he stood near the hot nest with a strange creature in it. He could hear it breathing raggedly, and could see it glowing hotly with his night vision.

He settled in and watched, entranced by the creamy smell leaking out from the nest. Eventually the creature's heat dropped and its breathing settled into a sleeping trance. Satisfied that it was eventually asleep, he raised himself up for a quick surveillance of the area. With no obvious activity, he dropped back down on all fours and approached the nest. He checked around again, nothing happening. With all the adventurous spirit of an explorer, he nuzzled his way into it.

Inside the creamy smell intensified, which only served to compel him to dig deeper to find its source. He sniffed along her arm, down to her still moist fingers. Instantly he was licking them, tasting the heavenly cream, but all too quickly there was little left. Wriggling further, he was left in no doubt where the source was, but to reach it he would have to crawl across the sleeping body.

He briefly lay uncertain, the creature still sleeping, but the lure of the scent was too strong. Throwing caution to the wind, he gently nuzzled over it, letting his long tongue slide along her wet opening, taking in the delicious, hot taste. Intrigued, he pressed his snout into the notch between her legs, trying to force his tongue inside her body, but her closed legs kept him from his ultimate prize.

Taking what he could, he lapped up all the fresh cream he had access to, and then he rested in the warm nest, cuddled up against her body.

**********

A rumble snort near her head startled Brooke awake, her hand wedged between her thighs suddenly shot out of the covers ready to protect her. One of the creatures was not far away, pawing a foot at something in the dirt. Her panic subsiding, she lay back and stared into the black.

It was sometime in the middle of the night, and now that the initial surprise was over, all she could think of was lemon meringue pie for dessert. The fire had long faded out, and now the night air was cool on her face. She pulled her arm back under the warmth of the bed roll, and wondered what kind of meal went best with lemon meringue. Something rich, and warm, with plenty of gravy.

Her hand nestled between her legs, her fingers casually sliding up and over her clit. She was wet again, and strangely she wasn't thinking of her husband, or anyone really. She slipped a finger just inside her lips, teasing herself with the thought of dipping in deeper to find her special spots. She fluttered in between wanting to slip into sleep, and slipping a finger in deep to satisfy the desires of her body.

The pawing started again nearby. She looked up to see the large creature ambling a little further off, a smaller creature dangling over its rear end, it's head swivelled back staring at her, the eyes luminous orange reflecting what little fire light remained.