Free Feral Series IV: Feral Fallout by Skhye Moncrief

hellhole. Of course, that future depends upon them surviving the battle with the Sasquatch. Just how were they going to kill that animal? Time for some girl power. I rose and jumped.
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Cybernetics... “the ability to cure all temporary truth of eternal triteness.” ~Herbert Brun
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Chapter Five
    Hitting home no matter how much I gave to the force of impact with squatting always left my bones rattling whenever I jumped. But I learned how to land in jumping long distances from an ex-carnie tight-rope walker who worked for the FBI in training recruits. And I wasn't about to lose the use of my limbs because of this flea-bitten squalling Sasquatch out to rip my charges’ heads off. Palms on the warm scratchy stone base of the arena, I shoved up to stand and survey the insanity.
    M'yote caught my presence in his periphery, jerking to face me, his blue expression distraught.
    Get over it. Little Earth girl can kick ass. And I could avoid just about anything that couldn't move faster than I could. Stand back and take note.
    The gray beast studied Flonn with a pissed-off squawk, but didn't attack him, rather seemed to warn him. Then something registered with the thing. It whirled to face me.
    Ugly. If somebody brought that creature to this planet, they'd seriously screwed up.
    The thing released a blood-thirsty battle cry and bolted toward me.
    It was fast. But not that fast. I charged straight into its stare to the point I could count the sharp teeth in its grimace, threw my hands forward, into a tumble sequence until a few feet away, I shoved hard and sailed over its head. Only to land in a tuck and roll, brutal as the bite of stone always felt, and was back on my feet racing toward two gaping Prall brothers who for some reason had nothing to bitch about at the moment.
    Never seen a girl evade death? Well, they needed to get out more.
    Take a left at Mars, boys.
    The pissed bellow at my heels noted the beast followed me. But I'd reach the men in plenty of time to glean some information about our little guest. I drew up next to M'yote's squint and wondered if there was a way out of this mess.
    His gaze flicked to mine. “You didn't tell me you could do that."
    "You didn't read my resume?” I handed him the knife. “Some !Dakos warrior loaned me this when I was up in the audience. Maybe it can help?” Since I'm so damned agile and you're not. But I didn't think telling him that would win me any gratitude.
    He snatched the blade and turned to the yowling animal.
    Solvun watched us with great interest.
    Measuring us. Or our relationship. Whatever. It was sink or swim beneath the damned plank. “What is that thing?” I asked M'yote.
    "A Drod. A !Dakos female."
    No. Way. “That?” I caught myself mindlessly pointing at it.
    "And we Pralls consider it bad that we can't give birth to any live females.” M'yote managed a contemplative grin. “Stand back, Theone. It's time to calm this creature."
    "How? Why not just kill it?” End its misery.
    "Observe.” M'yote moved so quickly. Quicker than I'd seen any of the others move and circled around the Drod. He halted. And waited.
    Why? I shot Solvun a questioning glance.
    He shrugged his muscled shoulders. “You picked the wrong brother.” He actually blew me a raspberry.
    The familiar gesture was more akin to a blond biker teasing a camera at a photo shoot. Bizarre. I turned back to M'yote who'd joined a slow dance of pacing out a circle with the hovering Drod.
    "What does it want?” I shouted at Solvun.
    "Drods hunt telepaths like creatures who hunt warm-blooded organisms with infrared vision. Telepaths are their prey. Drods take their prey back to their lairs. And, as prey would suggest, eat them."
    Why was cannibalism flashing in my mind like a neon sign? Because all these cyborgs looked as if they were from Earth or earthlings dressed in Halloween costumes. Not too far from home! And that female was once one of