Free Chronicles of Kin Roland 1: Enemy of Man by Scott E Moon

wolves, larger and more sentient than the descendants of Earth, sometimes attacked settlements, and more disturbingly, took prisoners.
    He had encountered dogs gone feral from shipwrecks, wild boars, and the occasional mad man devoid of humanity. Legends told of bears wearing necklaces of bones and speaking a simple language, walking upright more often than not, and growling at the wormhole. Snakes, rodents, birds, and insects reminded him that Crashdown was similar to Earth, but would never be rated an Earth Class planet. Beyond the range of Clavender’s influence, sinister creatures roamed without fear of mankind.
    Crashdown, with its yellow sun and infestation of Earth-like flora and fauna, lured many people into the wilderness. Most were never seen again. Home sickness could be deadly, especially when the si milarities to Earth were a lie.
    Kin had found dead travelers in the mountain pass who had probably been on their way to Crater Town from wherever their ship crashed. But others had been exploring or had adopted a nomadic life style, always on the run from predators and searching for resources, realizing too late that certain flowers ate your face.
    The strongest of these wanderers formed gangs of raiders. They came to Crater Town to steal food, tools, and people. Anyone and anything that survived outside Clavender’s world-calming influence was strong, ruthless, and cunning. Kin watched for them, though he had sent a message to the last band by sneaking into their camp and stealing their leader as they slept. Two days later he sent the man back, unharmed, but convinced any attack on Crater Town was suicidal.
    Kin stopped frequently to listen and look. He backtracked and set up ambushes for anyone or anything that might have followed him. Twice he circled, hoping to come behind anyone who might have followed him undetected. He expected Captain Raien’s men, but they were apparently still occupied with Gold Village. It would only take one of them to recognize him and convince his buddies they could get rich from the bounty.
    And t here was a Reaper on the loose.
    After several hours, he found the unidentified ship that came through the wormhole in the Fleet’s wake.
    The small craft had landed on the side of a steep ravine, hanging from the shattered remains of trees barely clinging to the rocky soil. He saw a scrap of metal in the stream below and blood on the rocks.
    Kin, moving slowly, flattened himself against the ground and listened. An untrained man would have dropped to the ground in a rush, allowing the sudden movement to be visible from a distance. He softened his movements, keeping his eyes and ears open.
    Less than an hour later, the Reaper burst from the water and sucked in air. Kin checked his pistol and watched. Reapers hated water, but he had seen this tactic before. Sooner or later, everyone had to drink. Reapers could hold their breath for a long time and loved to ambush prey.
    Kin remained motionless as he watched the Reaper. It looked his direction several times, but didn’t see him.
    He couldn’t judge the Reaper’s height. The creature slouched like an ape, but moved with feline grace. Though humanoid and bipedal, it could run on all four limbs. He had seen them charge like jaguars during the Hellsbreach campaign. The sight made tough soldiers shit their pants. He hated the look of their grotesque rolling muscles, because there were too many. A Reaper’s leg could bend both directions, as Kin had learned after kicking one in the knee, expecting a disabling injury, but nearly getting his head bitten off when the monster didn’t go down.
    They were demons who wanted to be men, but hadn’t followed the assembly instructions.
    Kin felt the touch of the Reaper’s mind. He didn’t think. He didn’t move. The moment passed and he released his breath. So long as Kin was awake, the Reaper couldn’t penetrate his mind, but he didn’t take needless chances. Nightmares were fertile ground for the