PROLOGUE
The zebra heard the rustle of grass and looked up to determine if it was danger, or just the wind. It turned its head to view every inch of the world around it. Is gaze fell on the small watering hole it was busy drinking from, then the tall grass, then other animals drinking from the water.
The horizon looked clear and devoid of predators.
Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, according to the zebra's animal instincts.
It went back to quenching its thirst.
The lion that was stalking it was hunkered low in the grass nearby. It waited for the zebra's concentration to switch back to the water then it raised its body to prepare to pounce. Its huge muscles coiled in its legs as it got ready to sprint at the zebra and make the kill.
However the lion then became aware of something behind it.
It heard the snapping of dry twigs and heavy breathing.
It felt the careful and deliberately soft footsteps behind it.
At this point various instincts took over the lion. It naturally assumed that another lion was behind it preparing to steal its meal. Not once did the lion consider what was behind it to be a threat. After all is it not the king of beasts? The lion did consider that it might be an elephant that was wandering by, they tended not to look where they were going.
The lion turned to deal with the potential competitor or get out of the way of the much larger animal.
Then, for the first time, the lion realised that for once in its life it was about to become the prey and not the predator.
It was staring into the mouth of a creature it had never seen before. The 'king of beasts' had never seen so many teeth. Or heard such a roar.
The lion took off darting through the tall grass.
The creature with the large mouth followed.
A rhino that had been grazing nearby watched the lion pass by and was unconcerned, lions didn't usually bother two tons of animal with a massive horn for defence. Then the rhino saw the beast that had been chasing the lion, and decided that maybe a horn and weight didn't count for much.
The beast switched its attention to the rhino, which was a much meatier meal.
The rhino ran, but it was not a fast runner nor particularly bright and it ran towards a clump of rocks that blocked its path.
The grass parted and the beast that had been chasing it came into view.
It was built like a crocodile except that it had three legs on both sides of its body and was able to twist like a snake.
It reared up and prepared to devour the rhino. However from above it, a human that was glowing green, came crashing down on its head and drove it into the sun baked earth.
The beast groaned and is body came to a rest.
The rhino bolted.
The human stepped off the beast's head and walked a few feet away then turned to face it.
The beast opened its eyes and sighed.
"How many times must I tell you, don't eat the endangered animals," Luke said to it.
The beast closed its eyes and started to glow with a pale white light.
"Oh not again," Luke said, and he lifted his arms and slapped his sides in frustration.
There was a flash of light and the African Savanah was gone, replaced with a brand new landscape for one mile in every direction.
The plant life had changed, the rocks had disappeared, and the soil was green, it was as if someone had picked up a piece of the Earth from another place and time and dumped it in the middle of Africa.
"You are the worst alien to work for," Luke said.
He turned back to the alien and it started to crawl off into the new plant life that actually moved away from the beast as it passed close to the exotic flowers.
Luke sighed and followed it, "I hate babysitting," he muttered.
The horizon looked clear and devoid of predators.
Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, according to the zebra's animal instincts.
It went back to quenching its thirst.
The lion that was stalking it was hunkered low in the grass nearby. It waited for the zebra's concentration to switch back to the water then it raised its body to prepare to pounce. Its huge muscles coiled in its legs as it got ready to sprint at the zebra and make the kill.
However the lion then became aware of something behind it.
It heard the snapping of dry twigs and heavy breathing.
It felt the careful and deliberately soft footsteps behind it.
At this point various instincts took over the lion. It naturally assumed that another lion was behind it preparing to steal its meal. Not once did the lion consider what was behind it to be a threat. After all is it not the king of beasts? The lion did consider that it might be an elephant that was wandering by, they tended not to look where they were going.
The lion turned to deal with the potential competitor or get out of the way of the much larger animal.
Then, for the first time, the lion realised that for once in its life it was about to become the prey and not the predator.
It was staring into the mouth of a creature it had never seen before. The 'king of beasts' had never seen so many teeth. Or heard such a roar.
The lion took off darting through the tall grass.
The creature with the large mouth followed.
A rhino that had been grazing nearby watched the lion pass by and was unconcerned, lions didn't usually bother two tons of animal with a massive horn for defence. Then the rhino saw the beast that had been chasing the lion, and decided that maybe a horn and weight didn't count for much.
The beast switched its attention to the rhino, which was a much meatier meal.
The rhino ran, but it was not a fast runner nor particularly bright and it ran towards a clump of rocks that blocked its path.
The grass parted and the beast that had been chasing it came into view.
It was built like a crocodile except that it had three legs on both sides of its body and was able to twist like a snake.
It reared up and prepared to devour the rhino. However from above it, a human that was glowing green, came crashing down on its head and drove it into the sun baked earth.
The beast groaned and is body came to a rest.
The rhino bolted.
The human stepped off the beast's head and walked a few feet away then turned to face it.
The beast opened its eyes and sighed.
"How many times must I tell you, don't eat the endangered animals," Luke said to it.
The beast closed its eyes and started to glow with a pale white light.
"Oh not again," Luke said, and he lifted his arms and slapped his sides in frustration.
There was a flash of light and the African Savanah was gone, replaced with a brand new landscape for one mile in every direction.
The plant life had changed, the rocks had disappeared, and the soil was green, it was as if someone had picked up a piece of the Earth from another place and time and dumped it in the middle of Africa.
"You are the worst alien to work for," Luke said.
He turned back to the alien and it started to crawl off into the new plant life that actually moved away from the beast as it passed close to the exotic flowers.
Luke sighed and followed it, "I hate babysitting," he muttered.
