Blinded by the heated flow of his own blood, Fin struggled to bite back the screams that wanted desperately to erupt from within him. The searing, pulsating pain in his head, the shrieking limpness of his useless arm told him all he needed to know.

He was going to die here.
He was going to die here.
He was going to <********> die here.

If they’d only just finish the godsdamned job. But they wouldn’t, the lazy ********. He’d skipped out on his debt and they were going to take something. No collecting from a dead man, after all. Another choking gasp brought the taste of blood to his lips and he spat blindly into the red void. The swift retort of a gauntleted hand across his face answered his failing manners before gripping his throat, clawed fingertips digging into skin rubbed raw by the stubbornly inhospitable rope. “Still arrogant, oathbreaker.” A woman’s voice hissed somewhere between his nose and the forest surrounding them, “Have you forgotten so quickly?” The gauntlet snaked upward, seizing his chin in its jaws and wrenching his head to face its wearer. The planet’s rotation grew violent around him. “The soil screams your trespass to every root.”



A series of expletives erupted from the Tuath as his antlers smacked the base of the friendly tree that had offered him shelter overnight, sending the man rolling irritably onto his side with a half-conscious groan. In daylight, this planet fell well short of its nocturnal promise, though he couldn’t say whether that was the fault of the planet or the unwanted subconscious visitors that harried his sleep. Or maybe it was how godsdamned bright the sun was here. And hot. And how ******** wet the air was. And hot. His head pounded mercilessly despite the fact that the previous night was decidedly lacking in fun. Maybe it was his brain haphazardly clearing itself of the delicious fog that made the past years tolerable with no regard for his preferences. Wasn’t he supposed to be in charge of these things? You’d think so.

“Ughghhhhhhgh.”

A melodramatic groan rumbled forth as he flopped onto his back, his cheek pressing briefly against the cool of the dirt beneath. He was well past caring about the mess it would make of his face, it’s not like he was going to see anyone he knew, after all. He could worry about what these aliens thought of him later. Much later, preferably. Though, if he was lucky a few more would stumble into him and get a good scare. That reaction was a lot of fun, even if it might draw undue attention. With another theatrically loud creak he pushed himself upright and looked around. If the weather was less. This. It might even be pretty.

The tree at his back swayed hundreds of long green tendrils around him and there might even be food in the pond that stood just inches from his feet. Any willingness to haul himself to his feet remained elusive so he scooted gracelessly toward the edge of the water, crossing his long legs beneath him. Life seethed just beneath the surface, mesmerizingly unfamiliar to a man who had just hurtled from a dead world. A closer look might even distract him from this godsdamned headache.

At least until he could get his hands on something stronger.