The Fozin pointed to a dark red line on the stage. “For your own safety, don’t cross this line. If she can get her hands on you, she’ll kill you. We keep her well fed, but she loves the taste of fresh, bloody meat.”
He could feel the men on either side of him tense, they weren’t happy about this either.
“If you wish to let your children meet her, we will be giving her calming drugs for the second show, and they can approach her safely. Her deep desire to have children of her own means the young of any species are safe in her presence. For only a small fee, your child can touch a rare human specimen.”
The audience buzzed with excitement for a moment, parents already making plans to bring their children back to touch the wild human.
The Fozin stepped aside and raised his hand with a flourish. There was the sound of a mechanical whirr, and the drape was pulled free to reveal a large cage.
Miran sucked in a breath at what he saw.
A human female was crouched inside the cage. She hissed at the audience, baring long fangs.
The front row gasped as she threw herself at the bars.
“Do not be afraid,” Riff said. “The cage is strong enough to hold her.”
She reached through the bars, clawing to get her hands on one of the audience members. Her hand didn’t go further than the red line on the floor, far from any of the seats. Despite being a safe distance away, several individuals in the front row got up and moved away. She howled when she couldn’t touch any of them and jumped up, grabbing the bars high on the cage wall, and violently pulling at them.
“She's lost her mind,” Nerin whispered, heartbreak in his voice.
“We’ll take her to Hissa, at least she won't be abused like this anymore,” Lazil said in a voice heavy with sadness. Miran and Nerin nodded in agreement.
She was wearing pants so tattered they didn't cover much of her legs and some kind of tight garment over the top of her that hid her breasts from view. The rest of her was nothing but lean muscles. She flung herself from one end of the cage to the other,screaming and howling. Each movement showed impressive feats of strength and agility. She climbed, balanced, and jumped all around the cage while never once touching the floor.
Riff told the audience about her capture. According to him, five men died trying to subdue her. One died of a bite from her fangs, and he screamed in pain for three days before he succumbed to her venom.
“I didn't know humans could have sharp teeth like us,” Lazil commented. “I’m sure he made up the venom part though.”
“Maybe she was created with them,” Miran said. “They could have put all kinds of special tweaks in her DNA. This pleasure ship specifically ordered her so maybe they requested the fangs. They look over-large though. I don't think they fit in her mouth when she closes her jaw. Poor thing, I bet they make eating difficult.”
“Our doctors might be able to file them back for her,” Nerin said.
Miran grunted in agreement. “I'm sure we can do a lot of things to make her more comfortable.”
Lazil straightened away from the wall. “We should put a stop to this abomination.”
Miran grabbed his arm to hold him back. “We need them to sell her to us. It won't put them in a good mood if we interrupt the show. Stealing her is a last resort.”
Lazil grumbled but settled back down to lean against the wall again. “I don't like this.”
Miran let out a sigh. “None of us likes this.”
They watched the rest of the show in silence. They could tell the show was coming to an end when Riff stepped in front of the cage and all the lights came on. Miran noted the little male was standing inside the red line. Maybe he wasn’t concerned for his safety because the human wouldn’t attack her keeper.
Miran was taken by surprise when the human reached out her hand and grabbed the Fozin by the collar of his little coat and dragged him back against the bars.
She bared her teeth, but before she could bite him, several men rushed forward with shock sticks and violently pushed them against her.
They could hear the zaps from the shock sticks and her howls of pain. Whimpering, she let go of Riff and scrambled away.
Hissing and glaring, she crouched in almost the same place she’d been when the curtain was first pulled off the cage.
It was hard to remain in place when the poor human was being abused.
“Calm,” he said for his benefit as much as his two companions. He looked to Lazil. “Find the ship’s owner. Negotiate a price for the human. We’ll stay here and make sure there isn't an afternoon show or reprisal for what just happened.”
Lazil gave him a curt nod and with one last hard glance toward the cage, he stalked off.
