"Did you get it?" she whispers.
Just as I am about to respond, the creature stirs. Its eyes, flickering with a renewed fury, lock onto Kira. With a guttural roar, it propels itself forward, a blur of black fur and glowing teeth. A scream tears from Kira's throat as she raises her gun and fires three quick bursts.
One hits it in the chest, but it doesn't stop.
I don't hesitate, lunging forward, a roar of my own erupting from my throat. The creature meets me halfway, its glowing maw snapping toward my face. With a flash of movement, I dodge its attack, feeling the putrid breath singe my neck. I slam my shoulder into its side, sending it reeling.
It lets out a pained screech, but before it can recover, I seize my opportunity. With a swift movement, I clamp my jaws around its throat, the tang of blood flooding my mouth. The creature writhes and claws at me, its fur slick with glimmering blood, but I hold on with a vice-like grip.
The stench of singed flesh and desperation fills the air.
A crack echoes through the forest, followed by a sudden stillness. I release my grip, dropping the creature's now lifeless body to the forest floor. A wave of dizziness washes over me, the battle hormones slowly ebbing away.
Kira stares at the scene before her, face a pale canvas of shock. I take a shuddering breath, tasting blood and the acrid slime on my tongue.
"Seems we won't be needing that five-tick investigation after all," I rumble, my voice raspy.
She finally tears her gaze from the creature's body, a faint flicker of amusement crossing her features.
"Well," she drawls, her voice strained, "that was certainly fun to watch. Although, next time maybe try not to get your dinner all over the place?"
I stare at her, momentarily speechless. Did she just make a joke? In the aftermath of a near-death experience?
I approve.
My spines twitch in an involuntary response, then I simply let them show my appreciation for her humor.
Strange little thing, this one. Strange little thing indeed.
A weak smile tugs at the corner of her lips before she speaks again. "The whole fight was less than three minutes. Well done."
My chest warms with the compliment, loosening a tightness that has been there since I failed to do my part in the last battle.
"Let's just keep moving," I finally say, wiping the slime from my jaws with the back of my hand. "Hopefully, there won't be any more surprises today."
"Ha," she guffaws without mirth. "I think you justjinxedus, buddy."
She moves closer to me, then whacks me hard on my shoulder. From the look on her face, it must be something humans do when they are trying to compliment you.
I'll have to remember that.
She also brings her pheromone cloud closer where the wind can't disperse it some for me. I avoid taking a breath, lest I end up choking again.
I twitch the spines along my back, ignoring the sudden heat that brings that annoying tightness as her scent fills my nostrils again, despite the burning in my lungs letting me know they desperately want me to breathe.
She speaks again, providing a welcome distraction. "We better get a move on before some other creature, with more curiosity than fear, decides to come to see what all theruckuswas about."
34
Drasuk
The jungle seems to hold its breath, the incessant drone of insects momentarily silenced.
The tension is suffocating, so I decide to break it with a touch of my usual humor, a playful jab that usually gets a rise out of her. "Seems your little scouting mission to find pets is turning out to be a little more exciting than you expected, little human," I rumble, a hint of mock arrogance lacing my voice.
She throws a glare in my direction, but it lacks its usual fire. "Yeah, well, thanks to you getting yourreptilianfreak on over there instead of avoiding things like that, which I'm pretty sure you can do, I almost became monsterchow," she mutters, gesturing toward the creature with a grimace.
"Wouldn't want anything happening to that soft, squishy body of yours before we reach those other pets you're so keen on finding. I was just protecting my investment, but I like to have fun."
