The Greatest Betrayal

[thebestoffense]

Who| Volanz and OPEN
What| How long does it take Volanz to figure out that nothing is edible? Let's find out!
Where| Up a tree in the central jungles.
When| Day three. Or night three. YOU DECIDE!
Warnings/Notes| Nothing to start with. Miserable, sick, hungry alien kid who's definitely more afraid of you than you are of him.

Food wasn't supposed to do this to you. It just wasn't. Volanz had been pretty confident to start with, even considering how much he hated being surrounded by forest. At least it was full of living things, surely he'd be able to eat until something or someone else finally killed him? Food was so important, how could it just betray him like this?

Then again, it was probably just because he was still crap at figuring out which alien trees gave edible fruit. This one he was resting in clearly didn't, and neither had the last two. Hunger was beginning to gnaw in his belly, which hadn't held anything he'd put in it besides water since stepping off his platform.

Volanz felt a horrible wrenching in his digestive coil, leaned against the trunk of the tree, and dry heaved. It broke off into futile coughing and he groaned, his throat burned and his muscles were sore as he tried to expel something that wasn't even there anymore. How long was this going to go on for? When he finally did find viable food would he even be able to keep it down? Even worse, he was getting thirsty and he'd have to brave the forest floor again for water soon.

...Not that he had reason to fear that. But it felt unnatural down there, and all the experience Volanz had told him that large predators preferred the ground. After the incident with the slumberbeast that had led to his first death, he intended to take no chances.

Comments

[thebestoffense]

Volanz exhaled heavily. "Okay, I'll be completely honest here? I'm pretty much not in a position to be hurting like... anybody at all right now."

He paused, frowned, and added, "I mean, even when I'm not sick and stuff I'm not actually all that good at this?"

[savedbyasong]

"You're sick?" Shion got a bit closer, his voice worried. "What's wrong? I might be able to help." The exact opposite of what he was supposed to be doing, but he was never going to be good at these arena's.

[thebestoffense]

"It's the thing I learned," said Volanz. "I don't think the fruit on any of the trees is actually any good? I tried some different kinds and all of them are basically terrible for eating. Mostly."

He cringed.

"I don't know what you could do to help? But I mean, if you want that's okay. It's weird how many people in here help each other all things being considered?"

[savedbyasong]

"I tried some too." Just one thing, and it had made him feel bad, but it had been something he knew not to be poisonous usually.

"I don't think it's weird. I think people will always try and help people, even in situations like this. If they can."

He blinked at him, "I don't have any water or anything, but I can help you to a river if you like."

[thebestoffense]

Volanz mulled over the offer, but ultimately he could find no reason not to take it. Besides, he'd have to climb back down sometime. It was better to have another person around for now.

The reasons for that made his guts clench again, but in shame for his cowardice instead of hunger.

"Alright, if you know where one is? I'd actually appreciate that."

Volanz wasn't a fast climber. He was cautious and methodical on his way down, and had to pause to find footholds in the rippled tree bark every few feet. But he made it.

[savedbyasong]

Shion wasn't a very good climber either but soon he was on the ground as well, keeping an eye out for the vines. "I know where one is, follow me." If there was anything Shion was good at it was remembering things, so it would take long for them to find the river he had found earlier that day.