searched frantically for a weapon. She glimpsed the dagger on the ground, feet from her; too far to make a jump for it and be ready to attack fast. She cursed and the striped monster screamed and made ready for a lunge. Ricure's hands searched her chest for something and felt leather at the crook of her armpit. Her eyes widened and she reached fast for the metal inside the leather. She drew a dull, dark grey gun from her holster just as the animal jumped into the air, its forelegs reaching out for her, black claws extended. Ricure instinctively jumped back from her position in an attempt to get away from the beasts landing and pulled the trigger of her weapon. She heard no gunfire and screamed as she could just see her impending doom.
"Fuck!"
Just as she tried her gun and screamed, a second animal of the same species barreled out of the jungle and buldozed the attacking beast in midair. They both tumbled to the ground and the second arriving beast clawed and bit at the other. Ricure was too scared and shaky to fix her jammed gun while the animals were occupied with each other, but she noticed bold odd markings on the new animal- paint. It occurred to her that the beast who just saved her life was someones pet. And just as she thought this, a figure burst through the trees and vines the same way the pet had come, yelling fiercely. The person was fast and ran close to the brawling beasts, aiming her bow and arrow at the rabid animal. The tamed animal gave one last crushing bite to the one who lunged at Ricure and killed it. It climbed off the carcass and stepped towards the the girl. The newcomer WAS a girl, as Ricure barely realized. The new girl smiled and lowered her weapon and stroked the top of the animal's head. She spoke in a foreign tongue to the animal and it laid down and breathed hard. The girl kneeled beside the dead animal and stroked it, whispering words once more that Ricure didn't understand. When she was finished she pulled out a dagger of her own and began cutting parts off the body, starting with the tail.
"Machines like that are unreliable, as you just saw." She spoke words Ricure understood. Ricure fully expected the girl to leave with her pet as soon as the other beast was killed. She was referring to Ricure's gun. "You would have been killed if Jaerd and I hadn't helped you. Did you not feel it's eyes watching you? Do you not know how to defend yourself? You're a little old to not know the basics of animal defense."
Ricure was taken aback by the girl's straightforwardness, "I've never seen an animal like that." Ricure pointed at the corpse.
"What?" The girl was taken aback now, giving Ricure a look that meant Ricure was
"Fuck!"
Just as she tried her gun and screamed, a second animal of the same species barreled out of the jungle and buldozed the attacking beast in midair. They both tumbled to the ground and the second arriving beast clawed and bit at the other. Ricure was too scared and shaky to fix her jammed gun while the animals were occupied with each other, but she noticed bold odd markings on the new animal- paint. It occurred to her that the beast who just saved her life was someones pet. And just as she thought this, a figure burst through the trees and vines the same way the pet had come, yelling fiercely. The person was fast and ran close to the brawling beasts, aiming her bow and arrow at the rabid animal. The tamed animal gave one last crushing bite to the one who lunged at Ricure and killed it. It climbed off the carcass and stepped towards the the girl. The newcomer WAS a girl, as Ricure barely realized. The new girl smiled and lowered her weapon and stroked the top of the animal's head. She spoke in a foreign tongue to the animal and it laid down and breathed hard. The girl kneeled beside the dead animal and stroked it, whispering words once more that Ricure didn't understand. When she was finished she pulled out a dagger of her own and began cutting parts off the body, starting with the tail.
"Machines like that are unreliable, as you just saw." She spoke words Ricure understood. Ricure fully expected the girl to leave with her pet as soon as the other beast was killed. She was referring to Ricure's gun. "You would have been killed if Jaerd and I hadn't helped you. Did you not feel it's eyes watching you? Do you not know how to defend yourself? You're a little old to not know the basics of animal defense."
Ricure was taken aback by the girl's straightforwardness, "I've never seen an animal like that." Ricure pointed at the corpse.
"What?" The girl was taken aback now, giving Ricure a look that meant Ricure was
