Interstellar: exploring the cosmos with my anomaly system

"I got it!" Astra declared atop a tree, watching as her meal struggled to get away, entangled by ropes in the shape of nets below. With a satisfied grin she slid down to the creature, her stomach already growling at the sight of it. 

Though it resembles a boar, its twisted features leave much to be desired in the comparison. Its bloodshot red eyes, corkscrewed tusks, and thick dark brown hairs that felt prickly to the skin make her wonder if it's even safe to eat.

Her head hung low; all her enthusiasm from a moment ago seemed as though it had been drained from her, and her mind wandered back to her current situation.

"Celi—how much longer…" Astra murmured, a soft whimper in her voice.

[NOTICE!]

[Planetary scan will take approximately a week!]

Her head jolted up in shock; her heart shattered at the thought of having to stay here for even more than a day. 

"What?! It only took a day last time!" She cried, her eyes demanding an explanation.

[NOTICE!]

[This planet has way more resources and is much bigger in terms of size compared to Terranix!]

"Dead ass?!"

[Dead ass]

"I'm gonna die here—" She slumped to her knees, looking up at the struggling 'Boar' with tiresome eyes as it still tried to struggle free, but the ropes wouldn't budge. 

"I have no idea what this planet has– I have no way of making anything… I'll have to make all my tools from scratch—" 

"Guess life has it out for the both of us, huh—" She muttered to the boar, not a thought behind her gaze as her prey stared at her with bloodlust, grunting furiously at her. 

"Well, sorry— I guess having a conversation is too much to ask for—" The young technician stood, dusting herself off before reaching for a tree branch and snapping it off the tree.

"And here I thought we could've been friends," she mumbled, her speech fast and rant-like as she grabbed a stone from the earth, using it to sharpen the branch. "Could've at least pretended to be happy; not everything is about you, ya know?"

"'Oh woe is me I'm gonna be eaten soon, so I'm gonna act like a prick,' get over yourself! It's not like I'm after your whole lineage!" Once the stone was sharpened enough she stood, her boots grinding against the earth as she positioned herself before her prey.

"Alright porky! Close your eyes and grit those teeth; this is gonna hurt a tiny bit–" she instructed, raising her hands to aim for the creature's gaze.

 With one quick thrust through the creature's eyes it squealed, blood leaking profusely from its sockets before it eventually went limp in the net. 

"He was a good man–" Astra sighed softly, reaching to untie the net above. Watching as the lifeless body flopped to the ground with a hollow thud. With careful efficiency she wrapped the loose ends over the boar, tying it to the gaps in the now cut net, using whatever remains to drag its heavy, limp body though the dirt.

"Oh boy i can't wait," She complained as she continued to move, "Flavorless cooked board for dinner, yum! Just as God intended!"

Each step felt like a struggle, her arms under the strain of the boar's weight, "Damn it—this boar's been eating better than me… What berries have you been munching on huh?!"

She continued to press forth, the thought of taking a risk and eating a random berry to test for poison still lingering in the back of her mind.

Night began to creep closer and closer as the hours rolled by, the dark sky looming over Astra as she sat near a fire, watching as the slab of meat was roasted over the fire, her gaze staring at it intently.

The smell carried the scent of any other roasting meat, though an off putting scent soon followed with it causing her to wrinkle her nose in protest, but her stomach had other plans.

When it finally had begun to brown she took a few more minutes before trying it herself.

With a final grunt of frustration, she grabbed a nearby stick and tasted the meat. It was tough, almost rubbery, and not nearly as satisfying as she had hoped.

Its taste was possible but the texture made dirt even more enjoyable.

"Great— That's just disappointing…" She sighed, looking up to the night sky with a weak and weary smile. 

"At least it doesn't taste awful right?" Astra reassures herself, still chewing on the rubbery boar as it refuses to go down. "Maybe I should've minced it—"

The sound of rustling grass caught her attention in the distance, her head raised to the sound with wide alert eyes.

"Celi…" She muttered with concern, reaching for any form of a weapon she could find until her hand landed on a stick.

[Notice!]

[No sign of intelligent life!]

"Right… right—" Without another word she looked over to her unfinished gun made from the parts of the ship, small loose wires sprouting out of the gaps, the only parts missing is the crystal.

"Tch—" she clicked her tongue in annoyance remembering the component that seemed impossible to obtain.

"I know you're there!" She shouts off into the dark, her hands clenching into fists as she awaits a response. Her gaze softened as the night moved on, the soft alien-like chirping of the insects and birds around her slowly starting to return.

She lets out a sigh of relief, leaning back on the broken ship, her gaze on the fire as it crackles before her as she slowly shuts her eyes.

[Danger! Danger!]

Astra quickly shifts her head to the left, narrowly dodging an arrow that had dug itself within the metal wall behind her. Her heart pounded at her chest, her gaze raising to the trees to see a lean humanoid figure on one of the branches, its long slender tail whipping in the night sky, and a wooden mask to hide its face.

"Fuck me—"