Page 44 of Monstrous Baby
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KROKTL
I’d forgotten how good it felt to simply run flat out as fast as possible. Sleek, silent, slipping through the ferns and brush. The night air filled with a million alien scents. Earth was a lush, vibrant planet with remarkable jungles and wilderness, though the population was trying its best to demolish everything for another dollar.
Panting, Akylla fell behind, her small body worn out despite the adrenaline surge of her first shift. I slowed, preparing to circle back, but Axxol already had her. She shrieked with glee from her perch on the alpha’s shoulder ten meters above the ground. He let her climb around on him, using her teeth and claws, without a single snap or grumble.
:You’ve come a long way,:I told him.
:Fuck you.:
I huffed out a low, rattling chuckle.:Thanks for giving her a ride home.:
He narrowed his mental touch, hoping she wouldn’t overhear.:She might need a little help shifting back. Not sure if Natalie’ll be able to help.:
True. Shifting to the dynos usually came naturally. Convincing the beast to subside took control and focus. The first couple of times could be tricky, especially given Akylla’s age. I hadn’t missed Natalie’s first impression of seeing our youngling’s new form. I didn’t blame her. She’d never seen anything like us before. I didn’t doubt her love for me, us, or especially Akylla. Though something deep inside my chest cracked with fear she might look at me with momentary revulsion again, even for just a moment.
:Do you remember your first shift?:Axxol asked.
I flipped through my earliest memory files but they were all training vids.:No. I reckon we weren’t hatched. We were engineered.:Rizan had hatched in a giant aviary. He’d killed the competition to get into Dynosauros.
Axxol and I had been created by them one cell at a time.
:Fuck those assholes. The least they could have done was give us emotional modules.:
:Speak for yourself. I emote just fine.:
I expected him to tell me to fuck off again. Instead, he gave me a mental shove on the grid. It took me a moment to recognize a nudge of grudging affection from a BGR+.:Damned straight. You showed the rest of us how to love our mate. Go feed, Red. We’ll protect the nest.:
Slowing my pace, I shifted my focus to predator rather than speed. I needed a nice juicy kill. Scanning the undergrowth, I looked for the largest heat signatures.:Don’t rush back. It’s good for us to be in the wild.:
:Don’t tell me what to do,:Axxol retorted—though not with his usual bite. He might not admit it, but he was enjoying playtime with the youngling. Away from the rest of the squad, he didn’t mind letting his guard down without fear of looking foolish.
I targeted a nice sized deer. Feasted. Then I went looking for another. It’d been too long since I fed. I hadn’t even hunted my own kills since I found Natalie lost in the jungle. Not a complaint—just a fact. I hadn’t needed anything but her. Though if I was going to keep her and our youngling safe, I needed to be as strong and well-fed as possible.
Rizan flashed an alert on the grid.:The human male sent a text to an external number. Tracking recipient.:
My head snapped up, nostrils flaring wide. First instinct: another squad. But I didn’t scent anything that shouldn’t be in the trees. Rizan swept higher above the nest, widening his mapping capability. Nothing unexpected pinged for kilometers in any direction. Just the hurricane nearing the coast, sending wind and rain ahead in spiraling gusts.
The text itself seemed innocuous—yet cryptic.The mice should play.
Mice?:Earth rodents, right? Is there an infestation in the house?:
:It’s a human idiom,:Rizan said.:While the cat’s away, the mice will play.:
:Motherfucker.:Hissing out a vicious snarl, I spun toward the nest.:I should have ripped that bastard’s head off in Creel.:
:Halt,:Axxol ordered.:Take cover. Riz, get as high as you dare. Lohr, Snryx, take our mate to the most secure room in the house.:
Every protective instinct warred within me, demanding I sprint to my mate’s side. Without me, she was exposed. Vulnerable. Even worse, two of the squad were away, including the alpha.
But millennia of engineering had been painstakingly programmed into every single one of my cells.
The squad obeyed the alpha without question. Especially in times of warfare when strategic command would be needed.
I crouched in the shadow of a giant fallen tree with the bulk of its trunk against my back. Resisting the urge to gnash my teeth—which would only give away my position—I waited for my next order.
:The signal was received by a device located approximately five kilometers out to sea,:Rizan said.:It’s pinging the same size as several other ships in the harbor. Without getting eyes on the target, I can’t confirm if it’s a naval vessel or merely a fishing ship.:
