Page 69 of Sohut's Protection

“Slizz,” he said, his shoulders stiffening.

Then she heard it—the sound of his claws protracting.

It happened so fast. One second, there was movement at the mouth of the cave and then something flew in so fast she had little time to jump to her feet.

A screech caught in the air as the blur materialized into Wawa.

Wawa!

His claws dug into Sohut’s back, into the wounds there that hadn’t fully healed yet and Sohut grunted in pain as he reached back, his entire palm closing around Wawa’s small body.

Wawa screeched again—a sound she’d never heard him make before—and dug his claws deeper, his mouth opening to show a terror she never knew he even had.

Rows upon rows of sharp teeth were exposed to the morning light.

Cleo’s heart lodged into her throat as her brain caught up with what was happening.

“Wawa!” she shouted, advancing toward them, but Sohut stumbled back instead, out of her reach.

Slamming his back into the cave wall, he tried to put Wawa out of business and Cleo realized at that moment that she was feeling two things.

1. She didn’t want Wawa to hurt the alien who’d appeared in her solitary life like a whirlwind.

2. She didn’t want Sohut to hurt Wawa either.

“Stop!” she shouted to Sohut. “He thinks you’re an intruder. I’ll get him off you.”

The alien looked at her as if she belonged in an asylum. His eyes were the widest she’d ever seen them before.

“It’s a phekking slizz. I knew I smelled it but I hadn’t been sure.” He grunted as Wawa kept harming him and Cleo gulped, the thought of those teeth she’d seen sinking in the alien’s back making her rush toward them.

But the alien moved out of the way again, keeping his back away from her as he tried to dislodge Wawa from his skin.

She saw enough to tell he had one hand around Wawa’s skinny body and the other squeezing Wawa’s neck but Wawa’s claws were dug into his back, not letting go.

One of them was going to win and the other was going to be badly hurt if she didn’t intervene.

She advanced again and the alien took another step backward. They were walking in circles. Every time she moved forward, he’d go around her.

“This creature is dangerous. More dangerous than you realize. Stay away. One bite and it will kill you with its venom. You’ll die in seconds.”

Wawa?

The same sweet animal she’d slept beside for over a year?

No way he was as dangerous as Sohut thought…but then again, she’d never seen Wawa act like he was now…and she’d never seen those teeth.

It was as if the teeth had been hidden until he’d needed them just now.

“Wawa,” she cooed mid-Wawa-screech and the screech seemed to die a little at the end. He was listening to her.

“Wawa…let the nice alien go. He won’t hurt you.” She said the last four words while looking at Sohut but he was still looking at her as if she was insane.

“You named it?” He almost spat the words. “You named this…this little murderer? You think it’s your friend?”

“It—he is my friend. He’s been my only friend for over a year. If—”

“Phek me…” Then his nose scrunched up. “Raxu knows, it phekking stinks!”

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