Space Rocks! by Tom O'Donnell

Author:Tom O'Donnell
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2014-02-06T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

The group froze. Something inside me, some ancient tingle on the edge of awareness, had once again detected the presence of an ancestral predator. This reflex had turned my skin a dappled gray.

“Another thyss-cat?” groaned Becky. “Seriously? Two in one day? That’s excessive.”

“Maybe it’s just a giant spider,” I said hopefully as I scanned the rocks around us.

“And that’s better . . . how?” asked Nicki.

“Everybody stick together,” said Hollins, folding knife now in hand. “Don’t get separated.” He knew better than anyone just how dangerous a thyss-cat could be.

I swiveled all my eyes, scanning the spaces between the rocks for signs of the beast.

“There!” I cried, pointing about fifty meters down the shore. I saw a patch of blue fur hunkered down between two boulders. The humans strained their eyes, but, as usual, they couldn’t see that far.

Just then, we all heard a fearsome—meow?

“Huh. This one . . . doesn’t sound quite as big,” said Hollins.

We followed the sounds of mewling. Among the rocks we found a tiny thyss-cat. It was just a cub, only a few weeks old. Even I, the natural prey species of this animal, had to admit it was adorable. A little blue fur-ball with a pink tongue and huge yellow eyes. Its high-pitched distress squeaks pushed its lovability beyond all reason.

“Want hug,” said Little Gus, reaching his arms out toward the cub. Apparently its cuteness level had garbled his human language skills.

“The big one was probably its mother,” said Nicki, shaking her head. “Now she’s . . .”

“We should—we should probably leave it here,” said Hollins. But I could tell that even he wasn’t immune to the little thyss-cub’s charms.

“If we leave it, it will starve,” I said. Immediately, Little Gus bent down to offer the cub a bit of dehydrated chicken cacciatore that he’d been keeping in his pocket. It sniffed at the strange reddish hunk. And then it sneezed.

“Awwww,” we all said in unison. All except Becky, that is. Her judgment remained unclouded.

“Oh no,” said Becky. “You all saw what happens when these things get bigger, right? Unstoppable killing machine. Remember? Nearly ate Hollins? This animal isn’t nice.”

“C’mon,” said Little Gus. “If we hadn’t—if I hadn’t done what I did, its mom would still be alive right now.” He was right. Although, I’d almost been killed and eaten by its mother, so I had a bit of trouble empathizing.

“I don’t know,” said Hollins. “Look at its little feet. They’re like baby mittens.”

“Six baby mittens,” said Nicki softly as she bent down to rub the cub’s left middle paw with her fingers. It squeaked.

“You’ve all lost your minds,” cried Becky. “That’s it! I’m assuming command here. Executive order: No alien kill-beasts as pets!”

“Please,” said Little Gus. “It will be my responsibility. I’ll clean up after it.”

“What? Dude, we’re not even talking about that! Look, when our parents come back for us, there’s no way they’re letting you bring that thing with you,” said Becky. “You can’t even take a pineapple through customs at the airport.

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