Stable Spice

1

A scream cut the air in an echo of pain and fear. I knew that sound. I made no move. Sticking my nose where it doesn't belong would only cause problems. I was here for one reason and only that reason.

Yet, when the sound came again my spines stiffened. Lifting lightly off my back. Another one sent them higher. Again and again until I had to move. I moved quickly and quietly. To the attached dock port.

There was a group of Luchians around a much smaller form. They likely planned to return to their home planet after they were. Perhaps they even planned to take her with them. It seemed that she had no intention of going willingly. These things were not uncommon from new slaves. She would eventually resign herself to her new life. Or she would die.

Four arms pinned each of hers but her hands wiggled pitifully trying to reach those gasping hands. One held her hair pulling the grey, brown locks keeping her head in place. My blood boiled seeing that the last one had her legs open with one set of arms as the other worked to open his own pants. That was all I could see until the he shifted to line himself up with her. A growl rumbled through my chest as I charged the group.

Another scream ripped through the air. She had seen me first. Her eyes a dull blue, almost grey themselves, met mine. They sparked for a single moment and then she twisted away just as I warped a single hand around the neck of the now pantless one. He let out a yelp of surprise as I pulled him back.

"What the k-" he started to say as I smashed my balled fist into his muscle. He grunted as thick green blood pooled out. The four holding her arms and upper legs let go to help their brother. To come join the fight, to fight me. They must have thought it would only take one of them to hold her in place, or at least that she was not so much a danger to need multiple people holding her.

My tail swung out striking two hard across the chest. The sound of snapping ribs, and breast plates seemed to echo even as their mouths opened to voice it and the shock. Green seeped into the cloth at their chest. Proof the sharp scales that rounded the tip of my tail had hit home. I drove the head of the first one to the ground. My foot lifting before striking down on the back of his neck. If the broken spine did not finish him than my four toe claws sinking into one side of his neck was.

One dead five to go. Or so I thought when another shout rang. The other four turned sharply to the one left to hold her. Still holding tightly onto the queens hair with one hand, the other three now pulled at any part of her body they managed to reach. I had never seen a Latana so small, so I could only guess that she was in fact a child. Her feet were warped up hiding her entrie foot up to her ankle. She was clearly trying to fight even though she was heavily out matched.

One of the males breaks from the group around me to help his brother. Twisted in an abnormal way already, I knew she was in even more danger now than she had once been. Without a second thought I threw myself at the closest one of the three. I pulled one of his arms to me. Taking hold of his head I threw my knee up. Slamming the back of his skull into the heavy plated scales that covers my knees. The shock it induced enough to cause him to become disordered long enough for me to take hold of his head and twist it around. By that point the other two had brought their attention back to me. One baring the brown soaked cloth the other seeming no less for ware than what the queen had managed to do in her attempt to get away.

Time was growing thin. My hearts pounding with fear for her and worry. I turned to the uninjured one. The two of us trading blows while my tail took hold of the others neck. Crushing it in an instant but seemed so slow. Knowing full well that nothing would come of my constant blocking I dropped my guard. By letting him land a hit to my right shoulder it opened his guard. Giving me the spilt second to lift my leg. Slamming my foot into his face, I jumped as he fell off balance. He landed on his back with my body weight crushing his skull.

Despite the seven arms pulling at the little Latana and her odd position she was still latched onto that one arm. While they were busy with her I took hold of both their heads and smashed them together. Both skulls caved in from the force. I went to reach for the the female and found her missing.

I looked up quickly and scanned the room in search of her. There in the corner she stared at me completely still other than for her breathing. I creep closer knowing full well that she was spooked. She may have been young but she was by no means weak for a child. Her fingers curled slightly in warning. A full grown Latana had claws that could protract at will. In addition to sharp teeth and poison sacks. I had little doubt that like Zannon, Jelion, and nearly every other species out there she was weaker as a young one than as a full grown adult. It also ment she would be quicker to strike at me in fear as many young do.

Still as a Zannon male every instinct about me should call to her that I am safe and a protector. I crept slowly closer but with every second the chance of something going wrong or someone coming increased. I thought back to the endangered Cisco family that had an injured calf. A group of female Zannonas had been directing their males to get the calf away from its mother so they could treat it. The mother had injured three of those males and the calf had broken the arm of another while he held it for the females. Fear at someone finding us finally dove me to snatch her up in my arms. She let out a different cry this time. I knew a similar sound thanks to my sister. Outrage.

No claws hit me even as my skin recognized the sight feel of scoring. My mother's claws had felt like that when she had cefted me as a young one. My spikes relaxed on instinct, shocking me for a moment, but also allowing me to relax even as she continued to struggle. This way I would not hurt her on accident. I started heading back to the room I had rented for the night. She turned without twisting her lower body. It was an unnatural thing for one so young. It was only after five years of training that a Zannon male would even try such a move and find it nearly impossible to do fast.

She did it faster than most twelve cycle children. She opened her mouth and there was a pop sound just before I felt little teeth latch onto my shoulder. There was a bit of pressure but it was clear her mouth was to small to get in anything like a ture bite. Her front teeth, two on the top and four on the bottom, were mostly flat with little groves. Were they filed down or was this natural? I had no way of knowing until I could contact my eldest brother. Which I could do now but he would expect it to come with news of our sister.