riverviewlogs | (no subject)

[ Clark felt the same the first time he saw this all the way out here. ]

Yeah.

[ There's no safe place to land. Clark comes to a stop over it and descends very slowly. ]

Do you want to take a photo? I can get us close. [ And out if needed. ]

Please.

[ she's already readying the camera. ]

[ Clark looks around. He can move without waking it. If they're this close they should make the most of it. ]

What angles do you need?

One that gets the whole of it, and I want a few close-ups of its head, maybe its claws.

[ Here goes.

Lois points and he moves, slowly, listening for anything else that might come along. ]

Did you get enough?

[ there are a few moments when lois stretches just so, dangling above the ground and trusting that clark will hold her up. he does, of course. he always does. ]

Yeah, I think I did. Are there more around?

[ He tugs her close soon enough for a comfortable flight away from it. ]

Only one of those that I've seen. [ This time, he stops above a herd of what look like rhinos, much bigger and slower. A calf is wandering away from its mother. ] Look.

There's a few of these herds around. This is a smaller one.

Which ones invaded the city?

[ you can bet she's snapping pictures of the calf, too. ]

Those are closer to the perimeter. [ He catches her eye to smile. ] Do you want video this time? They don't startle easily.

Videos and photographs. Can't really use videos in anything but online articles.

[ and she wants to write about this. of course she does. ]

[ He sets her down on the other side of the herd from the calf, so that the mother won't misinterpret what they're doing. Clark dutifully keeps watch as she snaps her pictures. ]

[ the creatures are huge, but they're slow and seem mostly harmless for now. lois snaps a few pictures, moving around a bit, always careful not to move too fast or to let herself get too close to one of them, though she has no doubt that clark would pull her out before anything bad could happen. he's proven himself very good at saving her life, hasn't he? but she'd rather not need saving.

there's a certain adrenaline rush that comes from this, not quite the same as facing down criminals or the us military, but close enough. it's maybe six minutes before she nods at clark, a smile on her face. ] All done.

[ There's no camera flash and no predators. The animals ignore the two of them and graze quietly.

Clark holds out his hand to her when they're done. ]

We'll be heading to the perimeter. Stay close, we might have to leave in a hurry.

[ lois curls her fingers around his, her smile satisfied. ]

Why's that?

There're a lot more predators.

[ There's also a variety of them. Clark can't be ambushed but he'd like to be careful anyway.

She's not invulnerable. ]

It's the ones that'll head for the fence we need to worry about.

[ lois isn't invulnerable, but she has a lot of faith in clark's ability to get her out of the line of fire, so to speak. besides: she's risked her life before knowing him for stories she deemed important, and so far she's always made it. ]

You think they'll attack us, or is it more of an accidentally getting trampled?

Both.

[ The big ones trample and attack and the little ones are equally vicious. ]

I know most of the species we'll be seeing. We can observe the more dangerous ones from above. What do you say?

Sounds good to me.

[ lois nods, grip on the camera firm but still relaxed. ] When you say you know them - from home, or because you've run into them here before?

I've had a lot of time to observe them here.

[ Clark doesn't think anything Kryptonian is going to come through the portal. If it did, he wouldn't recognise it. ]

[ that's a bit worrisome, isn't it? but if it happens, they'll handle it, one way or another. ]

Tell me about them.

I can write it down for you, too.

[ Clark starts describing them as they fly. There are many species from all different worlds. Some of the predators only pick at the local wildlife and leave the fence alone. Others seem to exist only to attack it.

To show her what he means, Clark hovers over one of them, a giant creepy-crawly, squelching its way through the forest. ]

That's what I was talking about.

[ lois considers herself pretty tough. she's been to the desert, she's worn combat boots and a flak vest for days without taking either off even to sleep. she's seen spiders and stepped on them or just avoided them — but even she has to admit that this particular creature leaves her a little queasy in the stomach. ]

That's bigger than I was expecting.

No kidding.

[ Clark likes all creatures great and small. This one makes him question that a little.

He sees a guard patrol up ahead going to intercept the creature and brings Lois higher up so they can watch safely. ]

[ lois doesn't need to question it; she already knows she doesn't like this one. maybe that's prejudiced, but there it is. she watched the guard patrol take charge of the situation, taking note of their apparent strategy. ]

Do you want to be down there, helping them?

[ Clark shakes his head. ]

They're handling it.

[ He learns by watching them. ]