My little secret excursion wouldn’t hurt anybody, and I wouldn’t be gone long, anyway. I’d pop out, scope beyond the Sweetfields for the questing Maeleons, and be back by tomorrow. Nobody would even notice I’d left.
And with tonight’s feast distracting the whole village, slipping away would be easy as cake.
Sexy alien mate, here I come.
2 /Kur’tok
“Where’s our dinner?”I roared.
My underlings ducked their heads to dodge my flying spittle. Their feelers pulsed with a brief ring of red that revealed their fear.
“We’re looking, Kur’tok,” said Arr’tow meekly. Their small pink body quaked. Their tone was acceptably obedient, which tempered my urge to cuff them over the horns.
I grunted. “Look faster. My stomach is growling louder than a pandar. And speaking of which, Kookee hasn’t eaten all day.”
The other one, a blue-scaled weakling called Haz’rull, clasped their claws together but didn’t move. “Right away, Kur’tok,” they muttered.
“Go already!” I boomed.
Both of them skittered away like insectoid drones. They were just about as useful—only good for collecting food and following my orders.
I leaned back against my tree root throne. It was perfectly suited to my large, powerful body, as if the tree grew that way just for me.
A loud, droning snore sounded next to the throne. My pet pandar, Kookee, dozed without a care in the world. The hugebeast spent most of its day asleep. Its shaggy flank rose and fell with every breath. I reached over to give it a few affectionate pats. Kookee grunted in its sleep but didn’t wake.
I sighed. “If only I could be as carefree as you, Kookee. But my underlings are useless. Every day, they nag and disappoint me. I should have left them behind in that stupid village.”
Kookee snorted from its nostrils.
“Yes, I know,” I said, brushing the long fur from its face. “You’ll be fed soon, I promise.”
Comfortably seated in my throne, I gazed out upon my domain. The wilds of Eukaria had turned golden beneath the setting sun. I ground my teeth. If my underlings weren’t fast enough, the sun would disappear, and they’d find nothing to eat in the darkness.
I drummed my claws against the hard root. Impatience gnawed at me. I was hungry, and so was my precious Kookee. If my underlings failed, I might feed them to my pet. They’d be more useful as a snack, anyway.
The minutes passed in silence, broken only by the flowing waterfall behind my throne. But the rushing water did nothing to calm my anger. If anything, the silence made it worse. Without my bumbling underlings around, I had nobody to yell at. And that just wouldn’t do.
I stood up with a growl. The sun brushed against the horizon, threatening to sleep. There was no sign of my underlings—and that meant no sign of dinner.
“I have to do everything myself,” I muttered under my breath. “Stay here, Kookee. I will find you a meal.”
Kookee peeked one massive eye open, then fell back asleep.
I trudged into my den, a cavernous opening beneath the waterfall. It was packed with my belongings. I scanned the piles of items until I found what I sought. Grabbing the wooden stake, I yanked it from the pile and stalked outside.
Doing the dirty work myself was irritating, but I was the only competent hunter among us. My underlings still clung to their fruit-eater ways, finding it difficult to eat meat, and therefore, difficult to hunt. They were as weak as the Maeleons back at the village I’d abandoned.
But I was strong. I would find food.
Holding the snare in my tentacles, I dropped to all fours and ran into the wilds. My red hide was well-camouflaged in the sunset light. But I didn’t want to expend too much energy hunting, hence the snare. I’d set it up and wait for an unsuspecting meal to walk right into my trap. Watching my prey dangle helplessly in front of me was a rush.
I licked my lips expectantly. What would I catch tonight? The possibilities excited me. The snare was strong enough to hold a large creature’s foot, and agile enough to capture a small beast. I’d be pleased either way, since my incompetent underlings would probably return empty-handed.
I stopped at the perfect trap location. It was a small, forested nook with trees for shelter and a built-in alcove for a makeshift den. Any wandering creature would seize this opportunity for a safe place to sleep. All I had to do was set the snare in front of the den, and boom—dinner was served.
I crouched by the alcove and shoved the stake into the ground. The trailing rope was crafted from the toughest plant material; nothing could chew or claw their way through it. I hid the loop beneath the leaf debris and concealed the wooden stake by scattering the area with similar branches.
Satisfied with the snare, I stepped away. The only thing missing was bait. I glanced up at the trees and saw a bright pink fruit dangling from a branch. I snatched the thing with my tentacle and tossed it close to the alcove. Free food and a bed—it was the perfect trap for anything dumb enough to crawl into it.
