A chuck of ice large enough to render a man unconscious struck the ground near Reuben's feet with brutal force. He dove for the cover of his cave with mere centimeters to spare. The winter on Gittern had settled in full force and what a force it was to behold. Reuben had never seen anything quite like it before.
The entire planet was being decimated by the violence of its season. Only a few a few of the larger, sturdier mushrooms were managing to survive the onslaught of ice and electric storms. It made even the coldest winters on Reuben's homeworld, Tabor, pale in comparison.
A chunk of ice roughly half Reuben's size hit the ground outside the cave causing a few deadly shards to explode off of it in every direction. Reuben moved deeper into his temporary home to avoid being struck by the shrapnel. At least his choice of shelter was a good one. The cave was at the base of a large hill and it seemed to be holding its own.
Reuben shivered and he recalled his briefing. The days on Gittern lasted about eight standard hours and each season lasted for three of Gittern's days. If he was going to survive this he was going to have to become acquainted with these seasons fast.
Another huge chunk of ice sailed by the cave's entrance.
When he had been dropped off by the shuttle the weather, though not welcoming, had been more or less temperate. If this was a Gittern winter Reuben was not fool enough to think that the other seasons would be any better. But it made sense that there had to be lulls long enough for the native fungus to grow.
Winter was going to last another day. It was a risk but as soon as he saw the storms let up a bit, Reuben was going to have to head out and see if he could find a source of food before the next season settled in.
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