Carinae Sector: 01 - Traders' Scourge - Part 3 - New Shores by David Buck

Author:David Buck [Buck, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

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James Mudbury slept fitfully for a couple of hours at a time, and had ensured that the rifle and torch was both tied off to his body securely. He also had a digital camera on a cord around his neck as he had an idea that might work. His third short session of sleep was interrupted as it now started to rain steadily, and in his hurry to remain safe his poncho had ridden high and a stream of water flowed down the back of his jeans.

James quietly adjusted his poncho and his position, as he was also stiff from being in the one spot most of the night sitting on his back pack that was tied across a large branch. A loud cough from the ground made him freeze and he could hear a couple of snorts also as the animal cast around near his tree for a scent. There was silence for several minutes in the slowing rain and he remained perfectly still.

A break in the clouds revealed the shadowed form of a large marsupial lion some metres from the tree that was looking around the area, and James noted the large cat like eyes reflecting back at him. Suddenly the Thylacaleo froze for several moments, as James kept still and remembered the white sections of both his poncho and the back pack he was sitting on. There was then an explosion of movement from the Thylacaleo as is tore up the tree towards him at an incredible rate. The animal slowed for several seconds as it climbed for it now encountered the first small ropes laced across the lower branches, and James watched as it either effortlessly bit through the ropes or clawed past them towards him.

The Thylacaleo was still four meters below him when the cloud again blocked the moon light coming from the two moons. James now raised the camera from under the poncho and closed his eyes for a moment. A brilliant series of flashes erupted as the camera took several pictures of the animal. A loud screech of pain issued just metres below him as the Thylacaleo first lost its footing and fell several meters. The powerful animal then took fright, defecated loudly and fled back down the tree. A crashing from the surrounding scrub told James that he was now again alone, and he settled down to spending several more hours of the fourteen hour night in the tree as the rain continued to fall. The only consolation he could see was that he had recorded a prey’s eye view of such a fierce and powerful predator, and lived to tell the tail.

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