Oh God, it's getting closer. I can hear it right outside now. Whatever it is, it doesn't sound friendly. I have no idea what I can do against whatever it is that's coming this time, but I don't think I'll have the chance to find out. I just hope whoever finds my journal realizes how brave I was.
Much of the rest of the day and evening is a blur, at least for the first few hours or so. At first, I was so impressed with how this new world worked and how readily I adapted to those changes, living in a totally alien ecosystem. Even the food tasted better than it ever did on Earth, or at least the bits of the meal I didn't have to spit out.
But what impressed me most was how each part of this new world seemed so in tune with everything else, unlike the way it was on Earth. Every section of the forest seemed to match one or more others in varying ratios, with everything finding its place or a home in this semblance of harmony.
However, I had no time to reflect on it as I was in a rush to get to the colony ahead of schedule to see the marvels humans had made there, even though it had only been established four months ago. I was told that I would be taking a break at midday to eat, and when I approached the small camp that camp was under way, but luckily they didn't notice me.
I sat back down and began reading over my journal before looking up the time and realizing that I had just missed the break. I had no choice but to continue on and make it before dark.
I was determined to make this colony work, even if it meant working with a species I didn't know much about. But I hadn't realized how many changes I would have to make, as my native habitat kept on going every corner of this new world, and soon I found myself missing it almost as much as I missed Earth.
Still, I continued on, even as the bird I was following vanished over the horizon. For a moment, I thought about abandoning my mission and exploring the world for a bit, since it was so beautiful.
Then I realized what a bad idea that was, and turned around, only to see a strange man standing in front of me. He looked like he was a cousin of this world's version of humans, though in a more primitive form. Still, he wasn't a danger, and even the fact that he was speaking my native language did not provoke immediate awe.
I made strange sounds with your vocal cords, so I certainly couldn't fault him for his, at least not at this point in our meeting. I just wanted to make sure he understood I shouldn't be here before I went back to exploring and recording my findings.
I only started to feel uneasy again when he put a hand on my shoulder, even putting his full weight into it. I shook him off, but saw that he seemed to be on a mission of his own, and I never wished to go on one that didn't concern me. I had to call my work mates, who were on the other side of the wall.
Though I considered warning them not to come back until they were sure it was safe, I knew they would wonder why I was so jumpy. Instead, I began warning them, and they came back only a minute later. I didn't want to show them how scared I was, so I led them quickly back to the camp.
I learned from them that their leader was upset because the planet was changing, and that the wildlife had been growing more aggressive. The fact that no one on my team had learned more about this planet was frustrating to me, but I knew that was a problem I couldn't fix. I even said that if there were more people here, I wouldn't run off into the forest every time one of them got in my way.
Still, I kept listening to whatever the man was saying, since maybe, if I could get him to stop taking me elsewhere, I could learn what had caused such an upset in the ecosystem. The leader, unfortunately, did not let me get a word in edgewise until we were deep in the forest, and even then, he swatted me away when I tried to talk to him.
At that point I had reached the end of my rope, and I tried to sound louder than he had his men sound when he was talking to me about how some of the vegetation had changed. It caught his attention, and he quickly checked out my eyes.
I swear I could even hear him think, ''those eyes of his are important enough to make up for any mistakes he might have made in the past.'' I didn't want to make a fool of myself, so I took that route instead. Defying him was not an option, especially not if he had some power over me.
As we walked, he explained what had started becoming of the wildlife, at least as best as he knew. Apparently, I had been the first to notice some of the changes that had been taking effect on the planet, even though they seemed to have been going on before I had arrived.
Still, the change in the trees seemed sudden when I saw the vines that had covered the fallen logs around here shake again, though mostly I had had the trees change around me. As we walked further into the forest, we saw that not only the plants were causing problems, but the animals as well.
The other team members said that seeing the animals' reactions to their surroundings was more than I should have been able to see from my place in the outpost, and if what I saw was anything to go by, with the insects living strictly in a certain place was becoming harder for them to do. At least I was able to determine that several of the animals were becoming disoriented and scattered all over the forest.
I just wondered, as people usually do, why. I knew insects lived here, but why the presence of territorial cats, wild dogs, and even venomous snakes and insects like bees was here was anyone's guess.
We were told that our food was running low, and we had to send more men back to the city to get more supplies, which turned out to be a lie. No sooner had our scouts come out of the forest did my movements become irregular and fluid.
I was still looking at the ground, but I was walking in a circle, and the only thing I saw that was really there were shadows and colors; a blur of shapes, circles and lines that made no sense. I began saying stuff I found amusing, but didn't know why.
I think it was something they said earlier that made me begin to just babble, though.