Page 34

The growl rolled from the trees and echoed round their camp. Deep and throaty, it was the ominous sound of a predator getting ready to attack.

Vahn squinted into the forest, trying to pinpoint the source. A second growl joined the first, this time to the left. A third, on the right.

Drek.

“Whatever is out there, there is more than one,”

he said quietly. “Get behind me.”

“Yeah, right.”

Kara drew her laser-blade and set the output to maximum.

There was a blaster in her backpack but she didn’t want to waste time trying to retrieve it. She cursed herself for her lack of foresight.

Glancing at Vahn, she saw the dendra on his serpetri were already glistening with arak. A full-bore injection of that would kill most things stone dead. Reassured, she tightened her grip on her weapon and waited.

Whatever the creatures were, they were patient. They seemed to be circling the camp. Kara and Vahn tried to track their movements through the sound of their snarls and the occasional rustle of leaves but the beasts were good at remaining hidden.

“They are assessing us as prey,”

Vahn muttered. “Try not to be scared. They will smell your fear.”

“Easy for you to say, Blue Mountain. They sound a hell of a lot bigger than me.”

“I doubt they’ve seen ones such as us on this planet. We are different to their normal prey.”

“Does that mean they might leave us alone?”

asked Kara hopefully.

“Unlikely. I suspect they’re working themselves up to attack.”

“Ever the optimist. That’s what I like about you, snake-boy.”

The growling ratcheted up a notch and she tensed. When the first shape padded out of the forest, her breath caught.

Hellhound. That’s what she’d named them the first time she’d run across them. A feral canine-shaped creature with bony spurs jutting from its spine, a long reptilian tail, and a drooling jaw full of bone-crushing fangs.

They traveled in packs and normally lived in the scrubland on the other side of the hills. As far as she knew, there’d only ever been one on this side of the planet. And that one had perished the day she and Vahn had been rescued.

The creature eyed them malevolently.

“What fiend from the pit of Xesh is that?”

asked Vahn.

“We called them hound-beasts. Carnivorous, obviously. And there’ll be more where that came from.”

Even as she spoke, two more emerged from the trees. They hung back a little, happy to let their pack-mate take the lead. It crept two steps closer, feet the size of dinner plates. It was huge. If it put its paws on Vahn’s shoulders, it could look him square in the face.

“Easy, boy,”

said Kara, hoping against hope it might respond to friendliness. Its muzzle wrinkled back, revealing more of its fearsome teeth.

“When it leaps, I will take it out with my arak,”

said Vahn calmly. “But do not run, kalehsha. That will trigger the others to attack.”

Kalehsha. She barely had time to register the endearment before the hound-beast lunged at them. It leapt with shocking speed, jaws wide open.

As if in slow motion, Kara saw Vahn shoot out his serpetri towards it. And then, in her peripheral vision, she saw another shape hurtling through the air. It collided with the first beast and sent it flying, out of Vahn’s poisonous reach.

The newcomer landed on all fours, its back to Kara and Vahn. Its hackles were up and the fur on the back of its neck bristled. It unleashed a volley of bloodcurdling barks and the other hounds cringed.

“This is the pack-leader,”

observed Vahn. It was but a meter or two away, well within range of his poison. If he killed it, the others might disperse. He tensed his serpetri, ready to strike. Kara laid her hand on his arm.

“Wait,”

she said softly.

“But…”

“Trust me.”

Hope made her heart beat faster.

The hound-beast took a few paces towards the others and snapped at them irritably. One by one, they turned and melted back into the forest. Satisfied he’d been obeyed, the beast finally trotted round to face Kara and Vahn. Kara shrieked.

“Rocky! Oh my God. It is you!”

The hound bounded at her much to Vahn’s alarm, until he saw she was laughing. Or maybe crying? He couldn’t tell. But she seemed to be beside herself with happiness as she fell to her knees and allowed the creature to lick her face repeatedly, its spindly lizard tail wagging manically.

“Kara?”

he asked warily. “What is going on?”

“Don’t you recognize him?”

she asked. “Look at him. Hey, down boy. Down. Good boy.”

Rocky finally stopped prancing long enough for Vahn to get a good look.

At first glance the animal looked like the rest of its murderous brethren lurking in the trees. But then he noticed an oddity.

A scar curved over its right eye resembling a partially raised eyebrow, giving the beast a quizzical look.

It pushed its nose into Vahn’s hand and whined. A fragment of memory floated into his mind. The beast fighting by his side. Trying to fend off a viramec.

He frowned. That couldn’t be right. Viramecs were mythical.

“Why did the beast protect us?” he asked.

“Because it’s Rocky. He was with us pretty much the whole time we were here. I thought he was dead.”

She ruffled the beast’s leathery ears. “But you survived because you’re a clever boy, aren’t you? Who’s a clever boy? You’re a clever boy. Yes, you are. Yes, you are!”

Vahn rolled his eyes. The human was fussing over the predator as if it was a cute fluffy pet. Though from the way it was regarding him with its liquid black eyes, the damn thing obviously wanted attention from him too.

It was strangely hard to resist.

Reluctantly, he ran his hand down the animal’s sleek coat and sent Rocky into a mania of delight. Putting his massive paws on Vahn’s shoulders, he licked the Vraxian square in the face.

“Drek’aa beresh, get away from me you slobbering oaf.”

Kara shook with laughter.

“The band’s back together again. Just like old times.”