Free Koban Universe 1 by Stephen W. Bennett Page B

of the root, the leopard’s claws sweeping the air where it had just been.
    The cat pulled sideways on the pig’s leg to turn it fully onto its back, exposing its throat. With a glance at the screamers, and the circling wolfbat, it knew it could bite down on the sow’s windpipe and still keep both eyes on potential threats, positioned as it was between the walls formed by the roots. It clamped its jaws on the grunting animal’s throat, and pressed its neck frill down against the pig.
    A significant part of the joy of the kill for any of Koban’s cats was to use their contact telepathic ability to experience their prey’s fear of them, and receiving their last thoughts and images. The leopard pressed the soft, organic superconducting nerve filled neck frill against the pig, as it clamped its jaws tight and shut off the flow of air.
    The pigs fear of dying, and the savage images sent from the cat’s mind triggered a delectable “flavor” of mental terror from the sow, which produced the sense of dominance that all felines of Koban had evolved to relish. One byproduct of what humans called frilling was the enhanced communication this telepathic ability provided between cats of the same species, and between different varieties of cats, with the means to pass on learning to their young, experience, and facilitating peaceful social interactions.
    Flock Leader, having shared thoughts directly with rippers, at first with humans acting as intermediaries between them and the feared rippers, was experienced enough to know what to expect. When the pig’s life started to fade, the cat would be mentally distracted despite its open eyes. Just as humans could act as a filtered, slightly insulated two-way conduit for thoughts between a ripper and a wolfbat, the pig, while still alive could do the same. Any of Koban’s life forms, with their universal superconducting nerves, could link a cat’s mind to any other creature touching the same animal that the cat frilled. That would permit shared images and emotions between all three creatures. In this case, the pig’s thoughts were irrelevant.
    This was a moment where Flock Leader had to take a risk if he hoped to form the hunting partnership he’d wanted to forge. He’d done this sort of link with humans and rippers many times, but never with a wild feline who had never shared a wolfbat’s thoughts, and probably never had a peaceful meeting of the minds with another species. He would have to risk turning his back on the screamer pack, and place himself in dangerous proximity with the leopard.
    The two squadrons he’d summoned would be here soon, but he couldn’t wait for the reinforcements. The weakened pig would probably be dead by then, and the cat would break the link when it released the sow’s throat. The Flock would flourish better here, as they did at home, if he could make the cat understand the advantages of cooperation in hunts.
    Swooping down silently, he passed over the heads of the forward edge of the largest and most dominate pack members, squawking and stamping their small feet in agitation in the wider part of the root cleft. The screamers had largely ignored the wolfbat after the leopard arrived. Startled, they pulled well back from the pig as he swept over them, wings rustling for air braking as he landed. His recent snatching of one of them was made fresh in their thoughts by this close passage.
    Using the pig’s thick bulk for cover, Flock Leader crawled low to reach the animal’s hindquarters. Closer to the head would strengthen the mental connection, but that would provoke an attack from the cat. The ass end would have to do.
    As he placed his muzzle on the sow’s nerve dense genitalia region, the frill link was established. Two years of practice with humans and rippers had taught Flock Leader how to withhold transmitting its own mental images. That was a learned tactic, to withhold information in order to negotiate the size of a food reward for scouting