“Absolutely not.” Hutte narrowed his eyes and fixed Denninger with a firm glare. “I’m going to be reporting everything we’ve found to Bio-Minex. Someone needs to get a properly equipped team down here as soon as possible to investigate our discovery.”
“We’re more than equipped—”
“We’re here for bacteria and water samples,” Hutte snapped. “We’re not here for game hunting, dick measuring, or any other macho bullshit nonsense that you might have deluded yourself with.”
Denninger’s upper lip twitched.
Kittisak wanted to cheer, but he instead enjoyed a very smug smirk.
“As soon as we’re done collecting samples, we will be returning this dearly departed creature to its resting place.” Hutte crossed his arms, daring Denninger to counter him. “I’d wondered why you fought so hard to come along on this trip, and now I know why. You want to hunt. Well, I hate to disappoint you, but your purpose here remains unchanged. You may conduct additional perimeter patrols if you truly feel as if this species may pose a threat to us, but you are not, under any circumstances, to actively hunt or track these creatures. Do you understand?”
“Of course.” Denninger’s lips drew back in a tight smile. “Whatever you say.”
“Let’s get this over with as quickly as we can. We’ve already done enough damage as it is.”
With Kittisak’s help, Hutte and Browning took samples from the water of the pool and a few from the mysterious creature’s body. When they were done, they carefully tucked the arm back inside the casket and tried to close it up. Browning was visibly fatigued and Kittisak told him and Hutte that he could finish on his own.
Hutte thanked him, Browning grumbled, and the pair headed back to shore and into the trees where Denninger and his men were setting up camp for the night.
Paiva hadn’t said much of anything since they brought the body up, and Kittisak didn’t think the man had it in him to stay so quiet. He definitely seemed upset, maybe even spooked, but Kittisak wasn’t sure what exactly was wrong.
Then again, he mused, being an accessory to grave robbing of any species was pretty damn disturbing.
Kittisak headed into the bushes near the edge of the pool to get some vines. Bissell had really screwed up the casket, and Kittisak was going to have to braid some vines through to get it to close again. Once he had the lid secured, he got more vines to patch up the large hole on the side, and his thoughts were running wild.
They’d discovered a brand-new species of incredible creatures out here. The whole team was going to be famous for sure, and he wondered if they’d get to help name it. Maybe the monsters had a name of their own. There could be a whole tribe of them out here somewhere, frozen in time and totally untouched by mankind.
For now at least, Kittisak thought with a frown.
He had seen the way Denninger, Bissell, and Zimm had been looking at each other—like wolves ready to pounce. He knew they’d shoot first and ask questions later, and his gut lurched with dread.
If the monster from his dream was real, he hoped the damn thing had sense enough to stay away.
Though the monster had big claws and was definitely not a fluffy kitten, the one Kittisak had met was nothing but kind. Curious perhaps, but Kittisak hadn’t been the least bit afraid.
Okay, yes, part of that was because he thought it had been a crazy dream, but still.
Kittisak was nearly finished repairing the casket when he remembered Bissell had dropped the gold necklace. He really didn’t want to stick his hand back in that water, especially knowing now how acidic it might be, but he also didn’t feel right closing up the casket without the creature’s belongings.
With a very disgruntled sigh, Kittisak reached into the water.
While he was groping around and hoping that weird thing touching his hand was just a leaf, he had the funniest feeling that he was being watched.
No one at the campsite was looking his way, and he turned to scan the trees on the other side of the river. He didn’t see anything there either, and then a glimmer of movement in the river itself grabbed his attention. It was gone too quickly before he could say what it was, but for a split second it looked like the top of someone’s head.
A head with big crests.
Shit.
Kittisak finally found the necklace and placed it back inside with the body. He finished braiding the vines through to close up the hole, dragged the casket back into the recess in the pool floor Bissell had pulled it out from, and was now completely exhausted.
Ugh, not to mention soaked.
He trudged to the new camp, pleasantly surprised that someone had already put up his tent for him. He didn’t see Denninger or Zimm, but Bissell was sitting near a tree, doing something with his rifle.
Bissell held up his hand and moved it upward as if going for a high five, the signal for greeting someone in the made-up sign language Kittisak had created.
Kittisak signed back.