~This Isn't Just Our Planet Anymore~

“Target acquired and locked on,” I say into the ear piece, holding the miniature button down as I speak. I remove my finger from the device and crouch farther down into the foliage.
I’m staring at the creature known as a Garranian. Its body is slender and almost cheetah like; the ribs are white against the gray reptilian skin. The front appendages are long and look like they could be snapped by a kick. Hind legs have thighs that are larger than the rest of the leg, but end up becoming skinner. The face is almost flat, the upper lip hangs lower and canines stick out in an intimidating way. The cheeks have attachments with extra skin, almost like a frilled lizard’s but not as large. Menacing claws are connected to its large feet, but are a darker shade than the skin, becoming black at the tips. This one has its spine extensions down, showing that it doesn’t sense anything nearby.
I must stay completely still, and hold my breath. A sign if it hears me would be the long ears twitching, and the beady black eyes shifting to a golden color. The gills on the side of its neck are pressed down, only operating when the Garranian goes underwater. These things are as deadly in the water as they are out.
The devilish tail swings from side to side, the end of it smacking against trees. I swallow hard as bark is chipped away, even though no force is put into the strikes. The Garranian hangs its head low, sniffing fallen leaves. Its extra neck skin trembles with the slightest movement.
I’m inspecting it to see if there are any visible weak spots. All too suddenly, it shoots its head up, the eyes becoming gold but with slender black pupils and dark edges. I jump a little, burrowing my head down, glad that my brown hair is pulled back.
I can see the Garranian’s leg muscles tense, and then it’s gone. The beast had bounded out of sight and into the thick of the forest in a matter of seconds. I sigh in relief. It must have heard a deer or bear nearby.
Then, another voice comes through to me. “Shit, shit, shit! We’ve got a live one AHHHHHH!” The horrible scream drags on and I can feel my eyes begin to widen. I quickly cut off the connection when I hear the breaking of bones. My breathing has picked up as sweat falls down the nape of my neck. I didn’t even realize I was getting another call. I press the button on the ear piece, and his voice comes through.
“Hey Kat, did you hear me? I said make sure you didn’t forget to fully charge your pulse cannon this time,” Jared teases.
“Y-yeah,” I stutter unwillingly, not really paying attention to what he had said.
“Hey, you okay? You aren’t scared are ya? Hey, if you plan on being number one, wetting yourself won’t work,” he mocks in that know-it-all tone.
“Shut up,” I snarl, tightening my grip on the gun. I have to hold it in both hands to keep it up; otherwise I can barely move it around. It’s medium sized and pretty basic, especially its green color. The gripping handle stands out about a hundred degrees instead of ninety, and there are finger holes so it’s hard to lose it when running. The barrel of the gun expands out in a wide, open circle.

“Hey, if you two plan on bickering then take it off of intercom, we have a job to do,” Starrk interferes.
“Sorry Starrk,” I mutter an apology. I bring my eyes down for a second, and then back up. I curse under my breath. But Starrk had heard it and sounds worried. “Kat, what’s wrong?”
“My pulse cannon isn’t charged and there are two heading my way. Get Sylvia to watch the area. I have to go, ending transmission,” I quickly tell him before pressing the button, cutting Starrk’s shouting off.
I hold back my fear and panic. Those are only extra weight I can’t afford to carry. I take two deep breaths before placing the pulse cannon on the soggy ground. This is either going to kill me, or keep me alive. I deal with 50/50 chances every day.
I slowly press two code keys, and my gun fires up with barely enough juice to charge off of. But, there isn’t enough to fire. I get up to one knee, and both Garranians look up. They gaze in my direction with golden cat’s eyes.
With my heart pounding, I remove the blade attached to my left hip and place it in my mouth. I have to unlatch the other one with both hands, since it has more restraints. It’s the size of a butcher’s knife, and I can’t help but smile at its silver glows.
One Garranian creeps forward, and I do the same to match sounds. The other one catches its foot on a twig, and the moving Garranian looks at the faulty one. It scolds with clicks and growls, a language too foreign for me to understand. The one getting chewed out presses its ears flat against scaly skull, and places a long tail between legs. It’s a younger Garranian, and must be new to hunting (or being prey). I can tell by the very light shade of gray and its slightly smaller size.
This is my chance. I have to strike. NOW!

I bound out of the bushes, and the Garranian closest is quick to swing its tail at me. I manage to twist in the air and avoid getting cut in half. I down kick on its back, the impact of my heel to the Garranian causes a blade to come out of my boot. I can hear it slice right through the creature’s skin and muscle fibers. The Garranian releases a high pitched scream when I somersault away, the blade retracting. Slimy blue blood oozes from its wound, the smell is horrible. But, the stench has grown on me, something I feel I shouldn’t be proud of.

The injured Garranian hisses at me, its back spikes going up as it reveals long fangs. I get to my feet, now holding a knife in either hand. My eyes move from side to side. Where’s the other one? No, I can’t afford to look away from the one that’s before me. This one is already hurt; I just have to keep striking in the same spot.
The Garranian charges and I’m quick to twirl out of its way. Sneakily, it slips its tail under my feet, making me stumble. My right foots stick with the ground, while the rest of my leg decides to keep going. I can feel tendons in my knee stretch in an unnatural way, and I hold back a scream. But the Garranian comes at me once more, aiming for my face.
I cross both blades in front of me, and the Garranian’s head butts into them. I’m forced backwards as it continues to walk, attempting to shove me back. I grit my teeth together and furrow eyebrows, and start moving against it. My feet are starting to slip, and its claws dig into the ground. My blades are creating sparks as they rub together forcefully, the Garranian adding more power into its steps. But I don’t give in and continue to walk forward as it does.
I swiftly separate my blades, surprising the creature. I can’t give it even a millisecond to react! I slice down, cutting its right eye and leaving an open scar that runs from upper lid to lower. The Garranian yowls, flailing away. It stops, staring at me with one intense yellow eye.
I step to the side, and the Garranian growls and moves in an opposite motion. Its body is curved in to protect the wounded side. I swallow before cautiously taking another movement. That’s all it takes for the Garranian to lunge forward with mouth open and ready to snap down on my skull. I purposely trip forward and onto my belly, dodging the creature. I can feel it glide over my back, and the ground jumps when it lands with a thud behind me. The moist ground squishes between my gloved fingers as I pull myself up.
There’s a loud SMACK! And I get the wind knocked out of me. It was a distraction for the second Garranian to come by and get a hit in. It must have struck with the flat of its tail. But why not kill when it had the chance? Do they plan on toying with me now? I’m gasping for air; the world is coming in and out of my sights. I have to hurry before they finish me. Where are my blades? When did I drop them!?
The world comes into focus. The creatures are gone. Only a large pool of blue blood remains. Its jump must have caused the wound to split open even more. But, it left a trail of random splotches.
I spot my knives then pick them up and place each one in their proper holsters. I go over to where I had set my pulse cannon, and sling it over my shoulder. With a heavy sigh, I follow the bloody trail, limping slightly.

I spot my knives then pick them up and place each one in their proper holsters. I go over to where I had set my pulse cannon, and sling it over my shoulder. With a heavy sigh, I follow the bloody trail, limping slightly.
The blood looks fresher, and is now placed about on leaves of trees and rocks on the ground. I just don’t want to fall into a trap, that’s when there could be ten Garranians in the area. But, I didn’t hear any of their calls, and they couldn’t have gotten far.
The ground slopes down into a ditch up ahead, so I’ll have to check there.
“Kat, what in the world are you doing going off on your own!? You shouldn’t be leaving post like that!” Sylvia comes through. I must have forgotten to set my code to block hackers. Sylvia isn’t only a great sniper, but a computer whizz.
“I’m not on my own,” I lie, keeping my eyes constantly moving.
“Katie, I can see you from my position, like I’m supposed to!” Sylvia responds. When someone uses my full name, I know I’m in trouble. “I can see everyone, and they are all at their posts. Get back to yours before you get out of my viewing points. Kat, where are you going!? Get-.” But before she can yell at me any longer, I cut off connections with her, something Sylvia can’t get into. Now Sylvia will only be able to track me by heat, and with just that she won’t know if it’s me or someone else.
“Looks like I’m on my own,” I smile to myself.
“Hey, don’t get too cocky,” Starrk sighs, his voice coming sort of fuzzy out of the earpiece.
“How did you?” I begin to ask. But, he finishes, “I took someone else’s communicator, you only cut off signal for Squad One.”
“Damn,” I snicker, knocking some branches out of my way. “Well, I’ll see you when I get back, or in the other world.” Then, I disconnect the earpiece from my head, letting it buzz for a while. Then, I throw it over my shoulder, hearing the technological instrument rustle through leaves.
I make my way down the slope, finding it steeper than anticipated. If I lose my footing it could be the death of me since Garranian’s could easily attack. I carefully scale down, making sure that I don’t trip on anything. The surface begins to curve into a flatter area. But, it’s tall and thick grass below. I jump into the foliage, unable to see anything but green. I can’t even tell which direction I’ve come from anymore.

I walk forward, pushing grass away from my path of travel. I touch something wet with my finger, and I know it’s not water from the earlier rain. I bring my hand to my face, and see fresh Garranian blood running down my index finger. So, they have recently been through here. I keep moving forward, but this time I don’t touch anything.
With one more step, I’m in an opening that’s surrounded by grass. It’s a large circular shape and if I took two more steps, I would end up falling into a muddy pit of liquid. The trail of blood ends at the edge of the water. They’re either in the water or swam across. I don’t want to take any chances of going around, there could be more water. I turn around, feeling my boots sink into the mud. I pick my feet up to step into the grass once more, going to return to my post.
My eyes meet with a large, beady black one. The Garranian has its head down to meet mine, and it growls. This is the one I had recently fought…it still has the back wound and its injured eye is shut and swelling with infection.
I can’t afford to freeze up like this. The Garranian releases a warm breath from its nostrils; burning my eyes and making them water. I have my hand hovering over the large blade at my waist.
Then, it extends front legs, cranes neck up and back slightly, and puffs chest out - now towering. The Garranian looks down in disgust at the human before it. The tail fans out and the spikes on its back shoot up as the cheek fins stick out. The one eye pulsates into a golden, the slender pupils slimming even more. It’s trying to show me whose boss, but I don’t plan on being knocked down on the chain.
I grasp onto one of my blades, not paying attention to which, and make an attempt at its neck. But the beast saw it coming seconds before, and quickly gets the blade in its mouth, biting down to shatter the butcher knife. Having it this close, I don’t hesitate to elbow down on its cut eye. It flinches back, crying out. While it shudders in pain, I bolt away. But my speed is reduced by my knee. I have to move faster! I pump my arms harder, feeling my leg begin to give. I clench my teeth together, still running over the pain.
The Garranian’s behind me and coming fast. It’s only yards away, hissing angrily. I feel a tug at my back, and the pulse cannon drops behind me. The Garranian almost got me, but instead got the gun. I’m shaking, unwillingly. I can’t move anymore, and my knee gives in and knocks me off balance. The Garranian is about to roar in a way of victory, but a blur of brown catches its side and the two figures vanish in the grass to my side. I can hear rabid snarling, and the Garranian’s yowling. I tense when I hear footsteps, and a man comes from the other side.

“Maximus!” I almost cry. He moves over to my right, and slings my arm over his broad shoulder. The older man helps me up, and I hold my right leg up, the leg limp. In the direction the Garranian was jumped I can hear something large scurry away. A dog bounds out of the foliage, tail wagging. It’s a tan Great Dane, and its back stands well over four feet. The dog’s muzzle is painted blue with Garranian blood. He prances over to me, panting happily and nudging my hand.
“Yes, good boy Arcadian, good boy,” I praise while scratching behind his large, perked ears. Maximus starts walking, and Arcadian trails closely, keeping lookout.
“My pulse cannon,” I gasp, just remembering.
“There are hundreds more back at Base 21,” Maximus says. Base 21 is the closest one to this area, and I’m glad. “Katie, what were you thinking going out into a marsh like that? You’re lucky Arc and I were out at the time.” The massive dog barks in agreement.
“Why exactly?” I question.
“Winry and I were out on lookout for those who leave their post,” Maximus responds, his pale green eyes turning cold. He doesn’t sound the least bit happy. I know what topic he’s going to get to.
“So where’s Winry?” I ask, wanting to change the subject away from me.
“Back at base. Arc caught scent of something so we stayed back,” Maximus explains in the same upset tone.
“Well, thanks,” I tell him, sheepishly.
“No problem, even though we aren’t in the same squad everyone has your back,” he begins and I finish, “because I have theirs.”
We are out of the grass trap and moving uphill. I’m glad Maximus is muscular because his strength makes up for my dead leg. When we reach the top, he chuckles.
“What?” I can’t help but wonder aloud.
“Guess who’s screaming at me?” Maximus snickers, taking his ear piece off and placing it over my ear. It’s Sylvia, and she sounds beyond pissed.
“Save me Maximus,” I moan as he places it back to the side of his head.

(So...bored! XD)

“Hey, Arc does the rescuing,” Maximus laughs. He turns his head to look at the dog, “Don’t chya buddy?” Arcadian barks in reply.
Dogs scare Garranians. Probably because dogs have powerful jaws and sharp teeth, unlike us humans. Arcadian knows who the enemy is, and knows his job. He does his better than some people, and he doesn’t complain…or brag.
We return to base, a tent building that’s hidden in the trees and surrounded by an electric field. But, it only works when a Garranian attempts to enter.
We get through and walk into the tent. Arcadian bolts in front of us, barking happily. Maybe he does brag?
“Arc!” someone calls behind a curtain. A girl my age walks out of a corner “room”, and greets Arcadian.
“Squad 2, second commander Claire, shouldn’t you be on patrol in Area 6?” I ask her as Maximus places me on a nearby cot.
“What about you Squad 1 third commander Katie?” Claire questions, “I got a call from Winry, she told me everything that Sylvia told Maximus.” I glare at Maximus, and he shrugs before disappearing out of the tent with Arcadian catching up.
The last thing I see before the tent flap closes is Maximus’ deep red hair in a ponytail, sweeping to the side with a calm wind, and Arcadian’s stub of a tail wiggling happily. I wish I would have had a camera, because the light on them was perfect, making both of their tan complexions almost shimmer.
I move my head to look at Claire’s katanas. She has three on each hip. They’re traditional Japanese blades, the sheaths intricately designed. I don’t know how, but she is able to wield all six at a time. I can barely use one. Claire had me try it out, but after that day I stuck with my pulse cannon and smaller knives.
“Oh, pulse cannon!” I gasp, getting up. The pain shoots up my knee, springing tears.
“Hey, sit down, I’ll go get you a gun,” Claire laughs. I do as I am told, keeping my right leg straight out.
“Great, now how am I supposed to hunt?” I mumble, folding my arms over my chest.
“Suck it up?” Edwin walks in from another separate space that’s supposed to be a room. My eyes narrow on his hazel ones, but I quickly look away. He’s in Squad 2 with Claire, Winry, Maximus and Taylor. Edwin is the youngest hunter out of all squads at the age of 13, and is known for being quite sadistic and annoying.
“What do you want?” I ask him, pulling myself against the wall and leaning my head on it. The tent’s heavy duty fabric doesn’t budge with my additional force. These tents have been through hurricane level winds, I sure hope my head doesn’t topple it over.
“To see if you’re okay of course. I heard you kicked major Garranian a…” he’s about to swear but Winry arrives, carrying a large sack. Edwin finishes with the word “butt” before scurrying out of the tent after Winry shoots him a scowl. She’s in her mid-twenties and has too much energy, something that Claire helps her release. Claire returns, with my new pulse cannon in her hands, and hers and Winry’s eyes meet.

(Haha I will probably drop this. Getting bored of it. Bored. So...bored -_-)

+i liked it)

(Thanks...I'm having terrible writer's block with it, though)