Sunday, February 14, 2021

13 ITEMS IN THE ALIEN'S POCKETS (PART 1)

 The 13 item challenge again but for the two aliens that are likely to carry enough stuff with them to do this challenge.  



THE WHITE-FEATHERED SPECIES: [THE TERMINATOR WIND CARRIES A LEAF ALONG]




  1. Utility footblade: strapped to the front left foot.  Wind mostly uses it to to dig for arthropods and process tubers but could kill and maim a human if used in anger.  
  2. Rattle charm necklace; seed pods filled with irregularly-sized balls of metal and wood; creates a distinct and appealing rattling sound as Wind walks and denotes that they are a merchant.  
  3. Devotional tongue-stick: grooved bumps and notches carved into it store written information.  Human xenoanthropolgists initially mistook these for dental implements.  This one contains Wind's favorite religious parable.
  4. Grooming pin; used to reach where the neck can't quite.  Like most luxury tools, it is made of lacquered wood and carved to create interesting tongue sensations.  Being blind, the White Feathered Species are not usually interested in precious metals and shiny things except for their ductility.
  5. Leg satchel; made of rugged local plant fiber and fastened with a patch of velcro that was (at some point) purchased from the humans.  Wind loves pulling the patch open and closed in idle moments.  The pouch contains fiat currency from a local merchant polity (backed by steel), several dissolvable beads of narcotic sap, and a small tongue knife.
  6. "Saddlebags;" made from the hide of a large grazer and very well cured.  Contains. among other things, various trade goods, flint and steel, a used human matchbook, a manual chainsaw (requires two people to use), a fluffy bedroll, jars of pickled arthropods, a bag of dried grain, a copper cooking pot, and a foldable wooden chin rest for sleeping.  
  7. Tape player and a large unopened package of batteries; bought from human traders.  Wind has a few tapes of bizarre human music but they have convinced some of their traveling companions over the years to sing into the the tape recorder. Wind has a respectable bootlegged collection of music from all over the World.  These tapes would be a priceless anthropological resource to human researchers.
  8. Scarf; a human knit this for Wind out of real animal hair (which is apparently quite hard for humans to come by) and gave it as a gift.  Wind is informed that the scarf is "blue" and suits them very well.  It's also agreeably fluffy. 
  9. Boot/gloves; sturdy construction for travel but soft enough to allow fine manipulation with the toes.  Well cared for and frequently patched.  These boots have lasted Wind almost a half circumnavigation of the Terminator.
  10. Neck ring; heavy cast copper ornament; denotes family relationship to a minor branch of a merchant house on the far side of the world.  The weight is a symbolic reminder of family obligations.
  11. Wound dressings; Wind's back left leg was cut on a sharp shrub running from a bandit.  The wound is covered with a poultice and bandaged.
  12. Fireworks; Wind knows that these are children's toys for humans but they have impressed some uncivilized peoples that don't walk the Terminator and gotten them out of a few scrapes.
  13. Poking stick; a ten-foot cane made from a long reed.  Light enough to be used with the tongue and neck to assess the terrain ahead where echolocation fails.

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