I find myself glancing up at the sky and then across the grass, searching for something dangerous. The danger is not from him. My breathing quickens and I’m almost jogging to keep up with him. He could run off and leave me to be eaten.
“Cross the stream. Now.” He turns. His markings are glowing blue and I’m sure I can feel the crackle in the air.
I wade across the stream, kicking up water as I try to make it to the other side. I’m not even halfway across when I hear that scream. My jaw locks, but I don’t turn. I know what makes that noise.
“Get in the grass on your belly,” Aldit orders.
I’m not sure that’s going to help, but when I splash on to the other side, I drop and hide in the grass. If I can see him, can the screamer see me?
Before I can ask where it is, the screamer, with its claw tipped wings, bursts out of the grass and launches itself at him. Last time I had a gun, this time I have nothing.
But I also have nothing left to lose.
Without Aldit, I’m dead.
8
ALDIT
The screamer is almost as tall as me and is no less terrifying than when I saw it yesterday. This is a different one. Maybe it is part of the same pack, or family, or however they gather.
I hope it’s alone.
I don’t wait for it to get close enough for me to use the sword. If it’s that close, I have no doubt that it will be able to slash me with its clawed feet and wings. I point my sword and send the strongest charge I can toward it. If it doesn’t kill it, it might slow it down.
The stink of burning feathers fills my nose.
The screamer stops and glares at me.
Its heart is still beating. They aren’t immune, but they are tough, and I can only make so much charge before I need to replenish.
“Hey!” Ruby shouts. I told her…
A rock hits the screamer in the side of the head.
It screeches and turns toward her, deadly wings outstretched. I can’t let it go after Ruby. I lunge, sliding on one knee as I stab up under the wing, and send a charge with it. The wing slashes, cutting open my shoulder. I roll, dodging its clawed feet and I end up in the stream on my ass. My sword is stuck in the oversized flightless cloud-seeker.
It screams again. Its toothed mouth opening wide enough to fit a man’s head in. I pick up a rock ready to inflict more damage.
The creature lurches to the side and falls over.
I don’t take my eyes off it as I stand, rock clutched in my hand, breathing hard. Its heart is still beating, though slower. It’s staring at me as if it is smart enough to know that I inflicted this pain on it.
“If you’d left us alone, you’d still be running around.” I step out of the water and give its weakened heart enough charge to finally stop it. It’s only then I grab my sword and wipe the blade on its fur before sheathing it. I turn to Ruby. “That was dangerous.”
Ruby stands on the other side of the stream. “You’re bleeding.”
And there’s nothing I can do about it now. As much as I hate killing and leaving all that meat. We don’t have the time to butcher it. “We need to run before its friends arrive.”
I stride across the stream. My shoulder and arm burning as the rush of the fight leaves me. I’d much rather be in the forest than on the grassland.
“Follow the stream and run.” I give her a shove. “We need to get out of the grasses.”
There could be several nests of those things hidden by the grass until they stand up. As if hearing my thoughts, a chirp, followed by another, rolls over the grasses. They’re calling to each other.
And when their friend doesn’t answer, they’re coming after us.
Ruby doesn’t argue. She’s running. Her boots slap against the muddy shore.
