The green-haired girl, who had been called K'aijeen, drew back only slightly at first. She had memories of hunting sand drakes. Setting a trap. Harvesting one for its spine. She hadn't made the choice to do those things. She wouldn't have. It hadn't been right. But she remembered the feeling of bones and meat giving way under her small hands and improvised tools. She remembered touching the electricity of the dismembered nervous system.
Hiding almost more from the unwanted memories than from the drake itself, K'aijeen backpedaled and spun, putting herself behind Thal and pushing herself flat against his back, her hands up on his shoulders.
She looked around him as the drake came down the stones and headed for the water, shouting the whole way. Two more appeared atop the great stones near the water, following it, roaring in kind. Bestial roars still came from further south. The Ourobon heard them coming and began to flee clumsily, its unwieldy body moving with difficulty. But the drake did not chase it. It gave the fish no attention at all. The drake, pulling itself along on its belly but its head still as high as K'aijeen's shoulders, pulled itself into the water and continued straight towards herself and Thal. Its eyes burned with light. Its mouth opened to display teeth and tongue and oozing, petulant drool.
K'aijeen grated out a high-pitched sound of fear when suddenly there was nothing but air and water and silt between Thal and the lizard.
Hiding almost more from the unwanted memories than from the drake itself, K'aijeen backpedaled and spun, putting herself behind Thal and pushing herself flat against his back, her hands up on his shoulders.
She looked around him as the drake came down the stones and headed for the water, shouting the whole way. Two more appeared atop the great stones near the water, following it, roaring in kind. Bestial roars still came from further south. The Ourobon heard them coming and began to flee clumsily, its unwieldy body moving with difficulty. But the drake did not chase it. It gave the fish no attention at all. The drake, pulling itself along on its belly but its head still as high as K'aijeen's shoulders, pulled itself into the water and continued straight towards herself and Thal. Its eyes burned with light. Its mouth opened to display teeth and tongue and oozing, petulant drool.
K'aijeen grated out a high-pitched sound of fear when suddenly there was nothing but air and water and silt between Thal and the lizard.
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