In three years on Leonid, I had not witnessed a truly enraged kestrian. Cayriss was beyond that state. Her magenta flanks foamed with secretion as she thrashed in a deathlock with the three off-world predatory imports. Someone had shipped in breachbacks to hunt down the native kestrians. The breachbacks were every bit the killers of promise. Yet Cayriss was giving them pause, and they snorted their frustration at not bringing the large reptilian down. Two realizations struck me. First, the breachbacks were pack hunters. Their instinct required an attack from behind. But Cayriss' highly agile tail prevented this. Second, Cayriss' shoulder joints flexed dorsally. It gave her a much longer reach than expected. Facial wounds on all three breachbacks attested to the effectiveness of those claws. The breachbacks would eventually wear her down, I knew. They were specially bred for this. Bred by owners who would make short work of my career and likely my life if I were to interfere. I pulled the trigger. The titanium shell struck the nearest breach back behind the first shoulder, and exited through one eye? |
