I was horrified when I realized that without even thinking about what I was doing I had swallowed the animal's ejaculate. I carefully sipped at the wa...er bowl again, keeping a watchful eye on the dog as I did.The problem with drinking from a dog's water bowl, aside from the sanitary issues and the gross out factor, is that you get tired of lapping up the water long before your thirst is quenched.I finally gave up. I curled up in the corner farthest from the dog and tried to rest. No matter. If most people were looking in, they'd see a tired soldier in leather armor walking through the forest and having an exasperated conversation with themselves. They'd never know Tally was talking to someone no one else could see."Oh! Sorry!" Brim's disembodied voice reverberated through Tally's head. "I guess I'm a little single-minded, what with being an immortal spirit of perversion and everything. But you have no idea how boring it is, Tally! All you do is float around a dark void and think. You are no longer stranded, but you cannot go home. Lofe will come and talk with you, and answer all your questions."The locals started talking among themselves, as Lofe walked up the beach and headed to the nearest individuals. He greeted them warmly and they responded in kind. He asked who was in charge, and said that a community meeting would be best to arrange, so that he could talk to everyone. The Landership's cameras watched closely, and were soon joined by cameras on several quadcopters. The first time I'd done this, not long after I moved in, I'd incautiously proceeded on for about fifteen minutes before it occurred to me that maybe going very far wasn't a good idea. I'd turned around immediately to retrace my steps, as I thought, and another fifteen minutes later realized that I was completely lost. I stumbled and bumbled around for nearly three hours before, mainly by sheer chance, I came across the dirt road that was the only vehicular access to my cabin. The only thing.