He should be able to get away before Kisia emerged from her ship, he thought, feeling very cocky as he left the grass for the rocks. It wasn’t until the bolt from a stun gun mounted in the ship’s side sliced through him that it occurred to him, in one last flash of thought, that Kisia probably had no need to leave the ship to bring him down.
None of the people who invaded the holy place were able to see him, so well did he blend with his surroundings. But he saw them. Saw the first spacecraft land and the small furry animal, the same one who had come before, first fall from the craft’s belly, only to twist in midair and land on all four paws. It momentarily licked itself, then came running-straight toward him. None of the people had seen him, but the small furry creature headed his way immediately, past the sacred’iplace and into the rocks where he lay concealed.
The other ship descended and as it did, a man bounced out of the same ship as the one that had* carried the animal. The second ship landed, and a bolt of light shot from it. The man was on his third bounce, almost safe behind one of the hillocks of rubble created by the Khieevi when they destroyed this world. The man was the same one who had come before with the animal. He had the same smooth face and forehead. He did not look like a Khieevi and he did not act like a Khieevi. The Khieevi did not run in fear. They caused others to fear.
The animal had reached the hidden one, had greeted him with soft twinings and loud rumblings, seeking sanctuary. It had watched, wide-eyed, as the man fell. It had changed its body so that it grew to twice its size and the pointed ears lay flat on the head. The rumbling had given way to the sound air makes when escaping the lungs of someone punched in the stomach.
The second craft landed. Four people came out of it. There was a small one with a loud voice, and three larger ones. The small one moved with certainty, the others had less.
The small one walked right to the man, pointed to him, and indicated that the others should carry him. They did so, carrying him back to the grass between the two ships. The small one began to kick the body all over.
That was when the little animal burst from the rocky cover and leaped across the grass, into the midst of these intruders who, although they looked like the first man, appeared from their actions, from their-energy-to be Khieevi after all.
The hidden one shook and felt sick. He could not bear the Khieevi again, he was sure he could not. They had hurt him beyond repair before. He could not face them again, not even to save their new victim, for he knew he could not save him.
The little animal had less experience, though. It dove straight into the middle of them in a howling, angry whirlwind of fury, blood, snarling, and screaming. The blood appeared to be mostly from the small biped in the center. The noise seemed to be coming from all of them.
And then, all at once, another light bolt and the furry creature fell to the ground. A silence fell upon the group.
The people still standing looked much different now. Their clothing was torn, one of them covered an eye with his hand, and their faces were a network of scratches. The small biped had her-for the voice sounded female to the hidden one-hand to her throat and red blood streamed from between her fingers.
She sent a vicious kick into the body of the little beast and it flew to the edge of the grass.
Then she began once more to beat the unconscious man, until one of the other men stopped her.
The hidden one rocked and cried and grieved and wondered if perhaps-perhaps the little animal could be saved without the Khieevi noticing. There was enough power nearby to heal it, if the wounds were not already fatal.