One chicken was missing—
This isn’t a chicken bone, C’hase gnawed on the end of the bone.
“What kind of bone is it?”
Hedge gave it to me, C’hase said, voice managing to sound as if his mouth were full even though they communicated through their minds.
“Where is Molly?”
Said chicken suddenly trotted through the opening at the ramp. Relief was short-lived as a commotion on the ramp followed, the sound of something dragging accompanied by twittering squeaks.
Hedge’s tubular ears appeared over the edge of the ramp right before his little triangular face popped up. Disappearing again, the sound of something scraped along the metal just as the body of a scaley six-legged lizard beast the size of a full-grown hellhound flopped onto the deck.
Hedge pushed it from behind before running around to drag it along with his giant claws, feather-tipped tail twirling just like C’hase’s antennae did.
Dani’s eyes widened. “How did he get that?”
Bone forgotten, C’hase jumped up, trotting to sniff all aspects of this new corpse.
Hedge likes to hunt, he said with his usual child-like enthusiasm.
Stars—
A great shadow fell over the entryway, brow furrowing as Dani’s gaze tracked it down the ramp. What now?
Loud screech piercing her ears in the next second, Dani’s head snapped towards the sky, the bright sun spotting her vision. Eyes squeezing shut, she raised a hand to block the light just as several gusts of wind ruffled through her hair.
Damn, the wind was back.
The sounds of squeaking filled her ears, followed by the most vicious growling she’d ever heard from C’hase, infused with a sense of anger, determination and fighting for his own.
Trying to blink out the black dots that obscured her sight, Dani caught glimpses of a giant fur-covered winged beast, flapping leathery wingspan creating the wind, a tiny wiggling tan furball caught between extended claws. Hedge—
Grabbing her blaster from her belt, she fired at the beast as it flew away over the landscape, Hedge squeaking frantically.
C’hase let out a howl that cleaved her heart in half, stifling sorrow taking her breath away. He bounded down the ramp, disappearing into the orange flower stalks just as two more of the beasts appeared over the ocean, heading straight for them.
“C’hase,” she called, heart pounding her chest as she ran after the mogha.
4
Darkness filled the sky as Dani ran through the flowers, roiling clouds of grey and black.
“C’hase,” she called. “Come back!”
Unable to think of anything else, a bone deep frantic drive to protect the pup overwhelmed her.
Foot catching on something, she fell face-first into the soil. As she rolled to her side, one of the furry winged beasts swooped low.
The sight of long fangs and open clawed talons raised the hair on her arms, spots in her eyes no longer having to do with the sun.
Survive. Raising her blaster, she fired—
A piercing screech released from the beast’s mouth, revealing more pointy teeth, but the only effect the blaster fire had was to piss the creature off.
C’hase was suddenly at her side, menacing growl filled with a hatred he didn’t have before, fur standing on end along his neck and back. He leapt at the winged creature, jaws chomping one of its clawed talons.
Another piercing screech filled the air and the monstrosity spread his wings wide, lifting C’hase into the air.
“Let go,” Dani yelled and C’hase let go, dropping gracefully to the ground, rejoining her side, antennae straight back, tail held high.
She dragged herself to her feet as more giant bats from stars-forsaken Hell arrived, the one C’hase bit regrouping with the new arrivals.
“Get back to the ship,” she said, grabbing the scruff of a growling C’hase’s neck, dragging him towards the ship with one hand while firing the blaster with the other.
Four hellbats were upon them before they reached the ramp. She fired round after round, C’hase’s jaws snapping, talons clicking wildly as they opened and closed, the sound of flapping wings beating along with her veins.
The sound of a squeak caught her attention. That sounded like—
Hedge?
The tiny creature appeared from between the stalks, eyes set in determination, oversized claws from his paws extending out as he allowed one of the bat beasts to pluck him up from the ground.
Jaw dropping, Dani watched in amazement as the little packrat sliced off one of the talons of the hellbat and scurried up its leg, grabbing onto the fur of its belly. The flying creature reared with a resounding screech. The motion propelled Hedge along and he ended up on the beast’s back, racing to the nape of its neck, where he spread his claws wide and plunged them deep into the base of the hellbat’s skull.
The hellbat rose high in the air, thrashing from side to side, Hedge hanging on by his teeth as his feather-tipped tail whipped around with the motion.
Suddenly seizing, stiff as a board, the winged beast fell to the ground with a sickening, crunching thud.
Hedge jumped off the hellbat and ran to C’hase, climbing to his perch atop the mogha’s head.
Alpha, C’hase’s tail and antennae twirled wildly. Hedge is back!
K’vyn felt the heart of his mogha spike, a whirlwind of emotion slamming into him; worry, consternation, fear—
“Hurry,” K’vyn said to the otherwise empty room, knowing L’iza would hear him. “C’hase is in danger.”
Several holographic images floated before him, each showing a different portion of the planet below. Menacing dark clouds roiled over the location where the bond felt strongest.
“There,” he said, pointing at the hologram in the middle. “Over those mountains, next to the ocean.”
As the ship sped over the mountains, his heartbeat quickened.
C’hase, he said. I’m coming for you.
You’re not coming for anything, the voice in the companion bond responded. I already told you, C’hase is mine.
What?
L’iza punched through the clouds, switching the holographic visuals to infrared in the darkness beneath, adopting the feed for optimal Korthan visibility. K’vyn scooted to the edge of his seat, jaw dropping at the sight below.
The human freighter lay sprawled on the ground, front section buried in dark soil, surrounded by orange popsies. A ramp lay open on the port side of the ship, near the middle.
Just outside of the ramp, two hellbats were swooping at a grouping of something, great wings flapping wide, rising and falling with each attack.
Stars, he hated hellbats.
Flashes of light erupted from beneath the bats and they rose at the same time, avoiding the shots.
His breath caught when he saw her, tingling sensation rippling beneath his skin, going straight to his groin, a fire igniting in his very soul. She was magnificent, blaster in hand, fierce determination set in a beautiful round face, black clothing snug against her curvy body.
In that moment, he knew what she was. Overpowering desire to shoot at the hellbats alongside her, he wanted to possess her, wanted her to possess him. He hadn’t found his mogha companion, he had found—
“It’s my bond mate.”
L’iza’s head swung around, eyes wide.