"Yes," Kira growled, her eyes not leaving the primus as he inched closer.
"What's the problem then?"
"Primus."
There was a beat of silence. "Say that again. I couldn't have heard what I thought I heard."
"You're not hearing things."
Jin swore, his curses accompanying the primus as he stalked toward the initiates. "I don't suppose you could leave it be?"
"No."
Jin's muttered curses were unmistakable as the primus launched into a sprint.
No more time to wait.
"Finn, make sure thetaladogs are taken care of," Kira ordered, leaving her cover.
She didn't wait to see if he agreed, her mind already on what needed to happen.
Her field of focus narrowed. In seconds, she cataloged possible weaknesses.
Taking it head on would be foolish, if not impossible. Which meant she was going to have to be smart and fast. And very, very lucky.
"I take it from your sudden silence, elevated breathing, and increased heartbeat, you've decided engaging the primus without a proper plan was the way to go," Jin snarled.
Kira was too preoccupied with not dying to give him an appropriate response.
Best way to get a primus's attention was through pain.
The distance between them narrowed. Fifteen feet. Ten. Five.
Warning filled Joule's face as he caught sight of her. She ignored him, already mid-leap.
She landed on the primus's back, throwing her weight to the side. They tipped, the primus falling. She let go, hitting the ground and rolling before landing on her feet.
A bellow of surprise left the primus.
"Come on, big guy. Let's see what you've got," Kira snarled, facing him.
Take the bait. Come on.
"Oh, that's smart. Let's anger the big, dangerous beast," Jin groused.
The primus shook his head. Confused eyes came up to find Kira's.
She didn't know how much of the world registered for him. During her transformation, it was like a haze descended. She was still her on some level, but every primal instinct was dialed up to the max.
It hadn't always been that way. The first time she took primus form, she'd blacked out, only piecing together what happened from other's accounts and snippets of memories that came to her much later.
Judging by Joule's and the other initiates presence, she was betting this Tuann didn't have a lot, if any, experience with the form. He was likely one of the initiates who'd been attacked by thetaladogs, fear and pain catapulting him into the form.
His control would be nonexistent. Without something to fight, he'd attack randomly. She needed to get him away from the rest before that happened.
The primus's lips lifted in a snarl, and his head lowered. He charged. Kira spun out of the way, sharp satisfaction filling her as he careened head first into a tree.
Not the brightest of lightbulbs.
