The Great Cat Rebellion by Craig Martelle

Author:Craig Martelle [Martelle, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-06-07T06:00:00+00:00

A Welcome Unwelcome Surprise

Skirill and Zyena soared high over a farmer’s homestead. A few buildings were set within a vast pasture where water buffalo grazed. Skirill had his eyes on the barn while Zyena watched for people. Skirill dove toward the barn when he received the all-clear from his mate.

“Can anyone hear me?” he called.

Two men came running from one of the buildings. One carried something that looked like a rifle.

‘Watch out!’ Zyena cried out.

Skirill increased his speed and started to dip and turn. The man fired and missed. He cocked his weapon, but it jammed. Skirill turned and glided low over the barn’s roof. He screeched again and was rewarded by screams from within. The Hawkoids were there.

Skirill flew away from the men, keeping the building between him and them. He dropped one wing to make a tight turn and flew back toward the barn.

‘They are coming around to your left,’ Zyena said. Skirill flew the other way, increasing speed as he banked around the barn, flying in from behind the men. He dove over the man’s shoulder, shredding the man’s hands with his long claws and ripping the rifle from the man’s numb grip. Skirill dodged the second person and flew away, holding the rifle firmly.

He beat his wings hard to fly toward a pond where the water buffalo were drinking. The Hawkoid dropped the rifle into it and headed back. Even at that distance, Skirill could see the whites of the man’s eyes, the terror he felt.

Skirill screeched anew to give his people hope as he raced in. The man turned just as Skirill hit him from behind. Hawkoid claws tore at the man while his partner looked for a weapon. The man went down. The other was ready to pounce on Skirill’s unprotected back when he was hit by the full weight of a Hawkoid in a high-speed dive.

He tumbled and rolled. Zyena hit the ground, hopped twice, and flew back into the air. She hovered over the cowering man. Skirill’s target was out of the fight, unconscious at least. Skirill didn’t care if he was dead.

With G-War’s gift of thought speech, Skirill spoke directly to the man. ‘Open the barn and release my people.’

Their captive looked around, eyes wild as he tried to find who was speaking.

Zyena thrust her beak at him and screamed. ‘He said open the barn!’

The man scrambled to his feet and ran toward the door. He undid the latch and opened it, jumping aside. Zyena stayed behind him in case it was a trap. Skirill took to the air to watch from a safe distance.

‘Go inside and let them out.’ Skirill assumed they were caged since none had flown free when the door was opened. The man’s eyes darted toward the body on the ground. ‘DO IT NOW!’

He bolted inside and one by one, Hawkoids started to fly out.

“Tell me when the last is free, and we will leave this cursed place,” Skirill told them.

The Hawkoids didn’t answer. They waited for the man to reappear.

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