Kol

 

If the tracks had been a Suhlik, he’d be dead. Or gutted. Same thing.

The footprints in the snow were just far enough apart to suggest a long stride, made by legs taller than a Terran. The wedged shape was not Terran. Only one creature had a foot so misshapen. Suhlik.

The prints were disturbingly close to the house. Too close.

His gaze followed the Suhlik’s tracks. They came from the river, but Kol could not see any obvious Suhlik shuttle or patrol. Perhaps a lone scout, searching out survivors. Or, the thought chilled him quicker than the sub zero wind, a scout searching for the source of smoke from a chimney. 

Kol finished the circuit and turned back to the house. He had kept the fire in the fireplace burning for far too long. He knew it at the time, but his mate had been cold and the firelight playing on her warm brown skin was exquisite.

Foolish male. Prideful male.

He picked up a new set of tracks outside the house. Kol crouched down, his gloved hand brushing the snow as if it could tell him what happened. One set went directly into the house. The second set was muddled, distorted as a large object was dragged behind.

Not an object, he realized as dread settled into his bones. A person. Penny.

He ran into the house, banging on the door, bellowing her name. No response. He expected nothing else.

A sharp copper scent cut through the fury in his mind. Blood. Penny’s blood on the floor.

His head fell back in a howl, twin currents of despair and rage surged through him. He did this. He left his mate unprotected. He could not lose her now that he finally had her love.

His finger swiped through the blood splatter. Still warm. She was close.

He had time to rectify this mistake.

The sun slipped below the horizon, but he could make out the tracks well enough. The arrogant Suhlik made no effort to cover his trail. A blind child could follow them. The Suhlik soldier either didn’t care if anyone followed, or it was an invitation to follow. A trap.

Cresting a slight hill, Kol made out the shape of a shuttle. He crouched down to observe. He itched to rush in and rip out the throats of the Suhlik who would dare to touch his mate, but he had no weapons. Such a plan would be disastrous. He needed a plan because he would rescue his mate from the Suhlik. Failure was not an option. There was no future without Penny. She was for him. Always.

He had no weapons, just this ridiculously primitive Terran firearm. It might as well have been a club. A club would have been more useful, in fact, as it would be balanced and designed for bludgeoning. This “rifle”—he loathed to call it that—was unwieldy and not balanced. It was a poor choice for a club. It barely had enough firepower to pierce paper. Any bullets he fired would bounce ineffectively off the hull. He might as well throw it at the shuttle.

Kol peered down the barrel. Could it even fire straight? It functioned. He verified that. Still, this was his only option. He needed to make the most of the tools he had and not wish for what he preferred.

The Suhlik had his mate in a shuttle. It could leave at any moment.  If it left, he had no way to follow. The only advantage he had was that the Suhlik had not detected his presence. Yet. They were too occupied with their new toy. Kol’s teeth clenched at the notion that his mate was a toy, but now was not the time to lose control.

He had to focus. He had to be precise. Failure was not an option.

Kol crept up on the shuttle, using the strewn rubble to provide cover. The shuttle had cameras that could monitor 360 degrees around the body of the craft. However, if the pilot was distracted, any image on the screen would remain unseen. The craft could have a proximity alarm set, but Earth had many small animals, even in an urban environment, and such creatures would trigger the alarm constantly.

The shuttle door remained open, the interior light spilling out into the darkening evening. Kol’s approach depended on the Suhlik being too lazy to check the monitors and too irritated to set the proximity alarm. Too much of his plan depended on luck. He did not like it one bit, but he crept closer, each step growing in confidence.

The door to the shuttle slid shut and his heart shuddered to a stop. No!

Kol dashed forward, shoving the barrel of the useless rifle into the door jamb. The shuttle engines rumbled to life, high pitched and annoying like a swarm of insects. It lifted off the ground and tipped to one side, the pilot trying to shake him off.

Kol dug his fingers into the door frame, metal bending under his grip. He didn’t breathe. He didn’t think. He roared with the strength of ten males as he pried open the door. He could see her, there, discarded on the floor like a broken toy. Metal protested under his hands before finally giving way to his will.

The Suhlik at the helm turned in his seat and fired a pistol. Kol growled, dodging to one side. Too close to his mate. He tackled the male, their forms tumbling as the shuttle wobbled.

Claws slashed out at Kol, tearing through his already compromised armor. Poison from the claw tips leached into him. The numbing agent spread, creating a hollow sensation in his gut. He was running out of time.

He did not dodge the next swipe of claws but let poisoned tips sink into his shoulder. Grinning, he clamped his hand around the Suhlik’s wrist and twisted. Bone broke. The male screamed, trying to pull his worthless hand back, but Kol would not let go.

He pulled the male to the damaged door. The engine whined as the shuttle gained altitude, several dozen feet above the ground now.

The Suhlik dug his heels in, resisting as Kol dragged him to his fate. The male was getting off the shuttle now. His teeth snapped, as if basic intimidation could stop Kol.

He reached for the utility knife at the Suhlik’s belt. Using one hand, he switched on the blade, energy humming down the edge. With one swift motion, he hacked through the wrist. The blade dug into his own flesh but he severed the Suhlik’s hand.

Giving a satisfied roar, Kol kicked the stunned Suhlik in the stomach, propelling him through the open hatch and into the air.

Quickly he checked on Penny. She breathed. With the Suhlik claws still embedded in his shoulder and his mate unconscious on the floor, he turned the shuttle towards the Mahdfel base.