Friendship on Mars

The Martian night was dark and frigid, as it always was. I shivered every now and then, a small cloud of fog escaping my lungs. How long had I been here? Was it days, weeks, months? The first few days were blurry, but at some point I realized I had no idea how long I'd been here, or where "here" even was.

I slowly climbed up the rocks, my froglike toes sticking to the stone. When I reached the top of the rocky hill, I could see the stars and the hazy outline of the city, lit up with lights. It was strange, seeing that city glowing in the distance. I never knew people lived like this.

I suddenly froze, as I heard a loud creak. A door? I looked around me. I was at the edge of a small clearing. I looked back at the city, wondering if I should just leave. But then again, I had nowhere else to go.

The door opened, and a strange man walked out. He was wearing a strange outfit, made of leather and metal. He had a rifle on his back and a sword at his side. For a moment, he looked at me, then walked up to me. He was large and imposing, and I had the feeling he could overpower me with ease. I stayed still, waiting for him to lay a hand on me.

"Hey there," he said, quietly.

I flinched slightly. There was something so soothing in his voice, so different from all the other voices I had heard. Was this how men were supposed to sound?

"Uh... hello?" I asked.

He smiled. "What are you doing here?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I woke up a few days ago, and I've been walking around ever since."

He smirked. "So you're lost too? That's not very surprising." He held out a hand. "My name's Kain. You?"

"Frin," I answered, shaking his hand.

"Well, Frin, welcome to Mars. I hope you enjoy your stay."

"Who are you?" I asked. "Are you... are you a hunter?"

"That's right. We hunt down the beasts that roam these lands, so that the good people of Mars can live in peace."

"Beasts? You mean, like the ones that attacked me?"

Kain shook his head. "Those are just animals. They don't have much intelligence. No, we hunt things that look like people. Their skin is green and they have four arms."

"Oh," I answered. "Then I'm glad you're here."

"You're safe now, Frin. I'll make sure of that."

I looked up at him. It had been a long time since someone had shown me kindness. I felt tears springing up in my eyes.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Don't mention it," he replied, smiling at me. "But you should probably get to bed. We can talk more tomorrow."

I nodded, then left. When I got back to the room, I collapsed on the bed. I couldn't believe my luck. Just a few days ago I had been alone, without anyone to talk to. Now there was this man, Kain, who seemed to be kind and caring. I didn't know what to make of it.

---

The next few days flew by. Kain took me hunting with him, and he showed me the best places to wait for prey. In the evenings, we would sit around a campfire, talking about this and that. I learned that Kain was part of a group called the Hunters, a group of people who protected the good people of Mars. They hunted down the beasts that attacked people, and they protected the cities from those beasts. It was apparently a dangerous job, but Kain was a great hunter. He was strong, tough, and smart, and he always made sure to keep himself alive.

I found myself growing closer to him. He was a large man, but he never scared me. He always made sure I was safe, and he always treated me with respect. I felt a friendship forming between us. It was the first friendship I had ever felt in my life.

It was a cold day. Kain and I were on our way back to the city, when suddenly, we heard a rumble. Kain quickly turned around, and I froze.

A green figure was running towards us. It had eight arms, and it had already torn three holes in the ground with its sharp claws. Kain pulled out his sword and ran towards it, shooting out his gun at the same time. The bullets bounced off the beast's thick green skin, while the sword was knocked out of Kain's hands. The beast grabbed Kain with two of its arms, and pulled him away. Kain screamed, and the beast threw him into a pile of rocks.

Kain groaned, struggling to get up. The beast raised its claw, ready to strike.

"No!" I yelled.

The beast looked over at me. I felt fear grip my heart.

"Please don't kill him!"

-

The beast stared at me for a moment, before lowering its claw. Kain looked up at me, and gave me a thumbs up. I smiled back at him.

"Thanks for your help, Frin!" he said.

The beast grunted and ran off into the distance.