All about perspective

The wind was all but gone as the mid day sun baked the ground they stepped on.

"Have you seen anything good with that thing yet?"

Hasso looked around with is new module "Define good."

"Anything of interest."

"There is more vegetation on the mountain rage than we thought. And the mountain range goes around us and fades in to the south west. It's hard to tell much else until I can get to higher ground. I can get a better view if we make it to that hill just to the north of our path."

"So we are headed to that hill. How far do you think it is to the mountains proper?"

"Not that far but climbing them will take more time then just walking across a flat desert."

"How good is the magnification on that thing any way?"

"It says sixty four, but I haven't tested over six while walking. There is just too much sway in our strides."

"So what about the other vision types?"

"You have the standard type that's charge is mitigated by recharge. Then thermal and night vision, haven't tested them for obvious reasons. Then there are two others that are quite hard to explain."

"Hard but not impossible?"

"One shows only us, or the energy flowing through us to be more precise. The other, shows another energy I guess you can say. It's radiated in small amounts by everything but you and I."

"So the first one is some type of electromagnetic field observer?"

"Well it doesn't show a magnetic field generated by the planet or anything else."

"So it's a 'robotic' energy field?"

"As far as I can tell."

"And the other observes a field of what?"

"I don't know but living creatures have a lot of it. That's how I have been observing the beast's cub following us."

Nick quickly turned around to see the cub's head duck behind a rock it was using for cover just to poke its head back out. "That's so cute. But what the hell are we going to do? I don't want to deal with the beast again, especially if it thinks we stole its cub."

"We do nothing. The beast is probably still eating that hawk's carcass, it will probably howl for its cub before it gets too dark. And at that size we will hear it from the hill."

"Fine, off to the hill."

- - -

The hill was tricky to climb with a bluff facing them as they walked towards it. Brown vegetation was scattered here and there with even fewer patches of green. Nick and Hasso sat on the top of the hill overlooking the bluff and down on to the land they just walked through.

Nick rubbed his hands together. "There's something about this view that makes me want to build a camp fire."

Hasso looked down at the beast cub toying with something. "Well we have some time to kill."

"There's not enough wood around here, I've checked."

Hasso was still watching the cub when he noticed that it had moisture and what looked like some small scales on its snout . "Did it kill and eat a snake?"

"Ahh, I killed the snake."

"What? When?"

"Remember when i screamed. 'AHH, a snake!' I reflexively threw a knife and killed it. Then picked up the knife and left the snake."

"Great, hopefully it doesn't think you left the snake for it to eat."

"You mean it will fallow us more because of that snake? Should have buried it in a deep grave."

"What's done is done."

"Hey Hasso, do you think I can try the mono-thing module?"

Hasso started to detach the module"Yes, you can try the monocular module."

Nick held out his hand. "Thanks, I promise to give it back."

Hasso handed the module to Nick. "I wish it was a hand held unit. Then sharing wouldn't be a problem."

Nick plugged in the module "Or if the second one wasn't damaged."

"A lot of the modules were damaged. All but that on the skull and everything on the chest and spine."

Nick looked over the desert "I definitely don't want to run in to what ever did that damage."

"It could have been the hawk catching it by surprise. How did you know how to spot dive bombing birds anyway?"

"I my mother was a camper and bird watcher while my father was a hunter. In other words I had an education in animal behavior and how to survive in nature."

"If you were educated in animal behavior, why did you leave the snake behind?"

"I never said I was a good student. I got more in to the survivalist side of camping. 'If you need it, take it. If you don't, leave it.' It's hard changing one's own mentality after it's set."

"So, survival. How much of that knowledge is still useful to us?"

"Us directly? Making a shelter is about it. We don't have a need for fire or food."

"How about indirectly?"

Nick handed back the monocular module. "Well I have noticed about three communities out there. Two to the south west and one to the north west."

Hasso quickly put the module in. "Three?"

"Yes, can't see much from the one to the north west but the smoke rising. The second to the south east is the same but a lot more smoke, meaning a larger community. And the first to the south that you probably saw."

"I thought I saw something but didn't want to assume."

"If we headed south from our original position, we would have hit them. That is if they weren't travailing through."

"How can you tell that?"

"Their dwellings are tents that are small and of makeshift materials. They are setting up camp before the sun goes down. Couldn't see the inhabitants that well though."

"Too far?"

"No. Too much heat from the sun and the sand."

"And you don't know what a monocular is?"

"I know what they are. I just always have trouble saying it."

Hasso looked of over the bluff and saw the cub laying down towards them wagging its tail. "That's not a good sign."

Nick looked at where Hasso was as the cub sat up in attention. "Great."

- - -

The sun started to set over the desert valley. And a loud low howl was heard of in the distance. And Nick moved in exaggerated movements "Now, get. Leave. Your mama is calling for you. Run home."

Hasso watched as the cub just playfully moved around to Nick's exaggerated movements. "Your only making it like you more."

Nick hung his head low and walked back to where Hasso was siting. "Fine, I won't do anything else."

Hasso watched the cub come even closer than before and laid down watching the pair. "You already did too much."

Another howl was herd from the distance taking the cubs attention as it started to whine then sit up to make its own howl. This long distance exchange between the beast and the cub continued as Nick and Hasso looked on in silence. Then the cub got up and waked off.

Nick looked back at Hasso "I wonder if it will be OK on it's way back."

Hasso materialized a rifle. "Don't worry, it will be."

"So you do care."

Hasso ignored Nick and moved slowly to the edge of the bluff. "Dang, I lost it. Where could it be?"

Nick pointed to a spot not far from them. "How about right there."

Hasso saw the cub was walking back wagging its tale with the remains of the snake in its mouth. "Well I guess that answers my question."

The cub dropped the snake portion and nudged it towards Nick. "Look, he brought a gift."

"What's done is done."

"This is going to be a massive creature. The only place where they work out as pets is in fantasy stories."

Hasso sat back down beside Nick but facing the east. "Then we will deal with that when it comes. I'm more interested in the moons right now."

Nick turned his body to face east. "Well, I'm interested to."

"I'll let you look after me. OK?"

Nick laid back as the cub laid down curled up for the night. "Fine"

Hasso started by looking at the white moon in the robotic energy field. There were several lines like roots cumming out of one of the moons craters. Switching back to regular view and saw some metallic structures where the lines were observed. Switching over to the other field he saw nothing where the structures were. Like a blight infecting the stellar body. He continued watching for a while then decided to observe the other moon.

Hasso started with the robotic energy field that didn't show anything. Moving on to the regular view showed that it did have water, a shore line, islands lakes, rivers and a few designed structures. Switching over to the other field Hasso was blinded by a brilliant light that made him cry out. "Ahh, that's not good."

"What?"

"Found the source of the 'other' energy field."