The Chara Talisman by Alastair Mayer

Author:Alastair Mayer [Mayer, Alastair]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: tspace, archeological adventure, starship, alien artifact
Publisher: Mabash Books
Published: 2011-11-11T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22: Sabertooth

In the mountains, Chara III

The carnivore jumped, again going for Marten’s neck, its claws reaching to grab and hold. Marten ducked under the leap, but felt a searing pain across his left shoulder as the animal’s claws slashed him. He twisted and repaid the beast by slashing his own claws across its belly. It yowled, but Marten knew he hadn’t hurt it much. He again tried to get space, to get time to draw his pistol. The animal wasn’t having any of it.

It pounced again, lower this time, perhaps instinctively knowing that Marten’s torso wouldn’t move as fast as a limb or head. Marten anticipated the move, but there was nowhere for him to go. Where are the others? The civet-like beast’s jaws came toward him, mouth impossibly wide, saber teeth menacing. With the uncanny speed of Marten’s kind, and with no other option, Marten grabbed a fang in each hand. The pain startled him, the teeth had an edge as well as a point, but he hung on; his life depended on it.

The civet was even more startled; this was a tactic it had never encountered. It was like its teeth were jammed in something. It pulled back, pushing forward with its clawed forepaws for leverage, snarling.

Marten cried out as the claws raked his chest, but still he held on. Damn it, where are Hannibal and Jackie? He couldn’t hold this thing forever. He felt its hot breath on his face, it stank of old meat. “Hannibal! Jackie!” he shouted. His hands were bloody, his fingers on fire from the serrated back edge of the fangs, and his grip was slipping as the animal struggled.

Suddenly the animal jerked violently, spasmodically. At the same time, Marten heard a gunshot. Another shot, two, and the great sabertooth hung limp. Marten raised a foot to its chest and kicked it away as he released his death grip on the fangs. “About time you showed up,” he said to the others, a dozen yards away with weapons drawn.

∞ ∞ ∞

Roberts tended to Marten’s injuries while Carson kept watch, pistol drawn, in case the beast had a partner. “It doesn’t look too serious,” she said.

“If you were on this side of my skin,” said Marten, “you wouldn’t be saying that. It hurts like hell.”

“I’m sure it does. But luckily he only got his claws in where you have bone underneath, your shoulder blades and ribs. A little lower and we might be trying to figure out how to stuff your guts back in.” Roberts was cleaning those scratches as she said this.

“Oh, charming. Thank you very much. Just what was that thing anyway? Those teeth! I felt like my fingers were going to be cut off.” He flexed his blood soaked hands. “Still feels like it.”

Carson glanced at the animal’s body, then resumed his lookout. “Looks a bit like a saber tooth cat or tiger,” he said, “they evolved several times on Earth. Body is more like a civet than a cat, though, although they’re related.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.