Chapter 7: The Saw, The Panther, and The Starry Sky
The sun hung high in the sky, a blazing white eye staring down at the clearing. It was noon, the hottest part of the day.
Kael stood on one side of a massive Silver-Bark Cedar log. On the other side stood Noir, the Shadow Panther.
Between them lay the Two-Man Crosscut Saw Kael had just created. It was six feet of gleaming steel with jagged teeth, and Kael had modified the handle on Noir's side to be a bite-grip wrapped in thick leather, perfect for a massive feline jaw.
"Okay, listen closely," Kael instructed, wiping sweat from his forehead. "This is all about rhythm. When I pull, you relax. When you pull, I relax. Like a dance. Do you understand?"
Noir blinked slowly. He let out a chuff that sounded like, 'I am a predator who hunts at the speed of sound. I do not dance with trees.'
"Just... grab the handle," Kael sighed.
Noir clamped his jaws onto the leather grip.
"Okay. Ready? One, two... PULL!"
Kael pulled his handle back.
At the exact same time, Noir yanked his head back with the force of a hydraulic press.
SCREECH!
The saw blade didn't just cut; it screamed. Because both of them pulled at the same time, the steel blade bent into a 'U' shape, binding instantly in the wood.
"No, no! Stop!" Kael yelled.
Noir let go. The saw sprang back, vibrating violently with a twang sound.
"You're too strong!" Kael laughed, inspecting the blade. "If you pull that hard, you'll snap it. Gentle. Like... 1% power."
They tried again.
"Pull," Kael said.
Noir pulled. He moved the saw three inches.
Then he got bored. He ripped the saw back three feet in a single nanosecond.
Kael, holding the other handle, was jerked forward off his feet. He flew over the log and face-planted into the pile of cedar chips.
Thump.
Noir dropped the saw and tilted his head. 'Why is the human flying? Is this part of the training?'
Kael groaned, rolling onto his back. He stared up at the leaves. "I think... we have a communication issue."
They spent the next four hours trying.
It was a disaster.
When Kael found the rhythm, Noir would sneeze and jerk the blade.
When Noir found the rhythm, Kael's human muscles couldn't keep up with the beast's speed.
At one point, Noir tried to just chew through the log directly, which was actually faster, but Kael stopped him because it ruined the wood.
By the time the sun began to dip below the tree line, painting the sky in shades of bruised purple and fiery orange, they hadn't produced a single usable plank.
The log was mangled. It looked like it had been chewed by a giant beaver with anger issues.
"Okay," Kael panted, sitting on the ground, completely defeated. "We're done. Construction site closed for the day."
Noir looked relieved. He spat out a splinter of cedar wood and immediately lay down, looking innocent.
"We need a better system," Kael muttered. "Maybe I need to build a mechanical guide... or maybe I just need to get stronger so I can keep up with you."
The forest grew dark. The "Silent Death Forest" woke up. The chirping of insects returned, louder than the day before.
Kael made a simple dinner—grilled skewers of the Steel-Plumed Hawk and some wild berries he had tested (System Analysis said they were safe).
They ate in silence by the fire. The frustration of the afternoon faded as the warmth of the food settled in. It was a comfortable silence.
Kael leaned back in his camping chair, looking up.
"Wow."
In the city, light pollution washed out the sky. You were lucky to see the Big Dipper.
Here, the sky was a crushed velvet blanket of diamonds.
There were millions of stars. Ribbons of purple and blue nebula clouds stretched across the horizon like cosmic rivers. There were two moons—one large and pearlescent white, the other small and jaggedly red.
"It really is another world," Kael whispered. "I'm really here."
He watched a shooting star streak across the darkness.
"I've been so busy," he mused. "Surviving, building, digging, sawing... I haven't even stopped to check on me."
He realized with a jolt that he had been operating on auto-pilot. He felt stronger, yes. He felt different. But how different?
He set his empty skewer down on the grass.
"System," Kael said, his voice echoing slightly in the quiet clearing. "Show me my Status Window."
Ding!
A large, crisp blue holographic panel unfolded in the air before him, glowing softly against the backdrop of the alien stars.
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