Page 133 of Specter Bred

He smirked faintly.

"Then a horse." I rested a hand on my hip. "Fast. Nimble. Powerful enough to kill, but constantly underestimated because everyone mistakes it for prey."

The rope creaked behind us. Hayes climbed down, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he wandered over to our packs. He dug through one until he found an MRE, then dropped onto a nearby log and started tearing it open, only half listening.

"And the third?" Graves asked.

I glanced toward Hayes.

"A donkey."

Hayes stopped mid-rip and looked up.

"I'm the donkey, aren't I?"

"You are."

"I don't know whether to be offended."

"You shouldn't be."

I nodded toward him.

"People think donkeys are stubborn. They're not. They're patient. Loyal. They don't scare easily, and once they've decided you're part of their herd, they'll stand between you and a predator without a second thought."

"You know what ranchers use them for?" Hayes asked.

"Guarding livestock," I said. "A donkey will charge a coyote. It'll stomp a wolf to death if it has to. It doesn't care that the predator's bigger."

I looked at Hayes.

"It only cares that something threatened what it protects."

Silence settled over the clearing. Then Graves looked from Hayes to me.

"A grizzly. A horse. And a donkey."

I nodded.

"Three different strengths. Three different weaknesses," I said with a smile. "Which means no single weakness can bring down the entire pack."

"Well," he said, "let's put your theory to the test, Teacup." He nodded between the three of us. "Time to find out if this unit works."

He crouched beside his pack and pulled out a weathered folder.

"Ready for a briefing?"

I exchanged a glance with Hayes.

"I thought this was a compatibility assessment."

"It is,” he said as he flipped open the folder. "It also happens to be an opportunity to collect some intelligence."

My brow furrowed.

"Did Command authorize this mission?"

Graves didn't bother looking up as he said, "No."