A nearby building provides adequate cover, and you point it out to your companions, rushing into hiding without a moment to spare as the soldiers near the bridge. You hear the patrol walk past you, their footsteps measured and precise. As they approach the bridge, you risk a peek out from an empty window, its glass long since shattered and swept away. The soldiers fan out, searching through the nearby buildings for any sign of intruders.
"We've got to get out of here!" Lapu squeaks, and Tiva puts a finger to her lips to shush him
You burst forth with a feral roar, drawing the soldiers' attention as Lapu and Tiva close in from behind. You reach the men first, slicing cleanly into the nearest human's neck with your claws, pirouetting into a crouch as you sweep another's legs out from under him.
You feel the air ripple by your ear as a bullet narrowly misses you, the soldiers panicking now, their shots hurried and off-center. By the time Lapu and Tiva join in, the humans have turned to run, only to be confronted by two more pairs of snapping fangs and lashing claws.
After that, it's all over quickly, and you silence the gurgling whimper of the last soldier with a twist of your crimson-stained claw.
Lapu stares at you as though he's never seen you before, his jaw slack as he pants with the exertion of the kill. Tiva simply smirks and cleans her claws on a soldier's uniform. From behind you, you hear a choking sound, quickly followed by the wafting stench of vomit. Dena stalks past you coldly, studiously avoiding looking at the fallen patrol.
"Way to help out, Dena!" Lapu chides halfheartedly, the grin swiftly fading from his face as he looks down at himself and realizes that his golden fur is saturated with gore. He covers his mouth, narrowly avoiding a repeat of Dena's performance.
Tiva gestures at the checkpoint as Dena walks through it, dazed and seemingly uncaring. "Looks like a few of the bullets hit one of the scanners," she says, loping over to catch up with Dena. "The system is down. We should cross while we can!"
Next