I then spotted two trees on my right with hardly any Peggies in them. They almost resembled zoo chimps that had sadly given up on their lives. There was trash on the ground below them thick enough to conceal small animals. Yet it was the most inviting passageway that I had seen since I left the more populated area, so I eagerly took it.
That section of jungle was eerily quiet. To me that was a bad sign. I needed to return to civilization before I got myself eaten by something too large for me to fight off. I remembered the size of the creature that had been killed in the lake yesterday. I wouldn’t have a chance without a weapon. When I heard Peggy chatter beyond the next row of trees and bushes, I headed that way.
A dozen of the monkey type aliens huddled together in the middle of the path. They were all orange skinned like orangutans and wearing black shorts. But I was picking up a strong gang vibe. Some had clubs, and I spotted one pistol in the hand of what appeared to be their leader. This way might not be any better than the way I had come.
Some of the Peggies were yelling at something or someone farther down the path, away from the city. It sounded like taunting. I had to squint to see far enough, then I finally picked out the form of a single female hiding in the tall grass. Dark brown fuzzy skin, wearing a simple yellow dress.
Had this gang been chasing after her? She looked so innocent from this distance. That judgement came mostly from her attire and attempted concealment. This girl must be in trouble, running for her life into the dangerous outskirts of TruPort to get away from these thugs.
The gang eventually turned and headed back the way they had come. Back toward civilization. The way I should also be going. They weren't in a hurry, though. I could follow them at a safe distance until I felt more comfortable going my own way again. There was safety in numbers, though those hanging around the outskirts of large herds often got picked off on the animal channel.
Then there was the girl. Cowering, desperate. She needed my help. My heart and my mind were both telling me that I couldn't just abandon her.
Young female Peggies were often found dead in the jungle cities of Pegillas, I had been informed. Three girls were born to every boy, so there was naturally an excess of them. Many were forced into undesirable career choices. Others flaunted their bodies to sell food and drink at the bars. Only the religious group that I had crossed appeared to have any self-respecting women among them. This girl looked like she could be one of them the way she was dressed.
I stayed close to the trees and piles of garbage as I made my way in her direction. That was to keep from being spotted by any of the gang members that were still glancing occasionally in our direction. The tall grass there wasn’t enough to conceal my bulk. The chosen path also kept me hidden from the girl. From what I could tell, she hadn't spotted me yet.
Then I heard a deep grunt. The girl heard it too. Eyes wide she fearfully turned in the direction of the noise like she knew exactly what kind of beast was approaching.
It grunted again, sounding something like a rhinoceros mixed with a grizzly bear. The girl was too petrified to run. She squatted down so low that I almost lost track of her location.
When the fearsome beast stood on its hind legs, I finally got a good look at it. Two meters high easy, but its limbs were short. On all fours it wouldn't stand taller than an average dog. Green fur with a yellow underbelly. Snout like a snub-nosed gator. Bulbous slitted yellow eyes staring in the direction of its prey. Nostrils flaring as it took in her scent. The predator was no longer searching for its prey. It had found what it wanted to eat and was ready to zero in.
When it sniffed in other directions it apparently didn't pick up enough of my smell to cause it alarm or distract from its first choice of dinner. Then as it dropped back down to four legs, the girl screamed. The beast was already headed her way.
The icy chill running through my veins nearly took my breath away. Hoping my newly acquired super strength would mean that I could also run faster, I took off like a rocket to intercede with the predator's attack.
I was too late, but not by much. The beast had one of the girl's legs pinned down and was about to take a big bite out of her back when I arrived on the scene. I dove forward as hard as I could to ram my shoulder into the animal, knocking it cleanly off of the Peggy female despite its sturdy girth. The ugly beast squirmed and snapped at my face with its toothy jowls. I should have put my arms around it instead of throwing a shoulder. That would have given me more control over the situation. Like an experienced gator-bear-rhino wrestler.
The creature then returned to all fours and swiftly rotated to face me. I could see the girl crawling away backwards in the tall grass as she watched the proceedings. I felt like I could make reasonably short work of this thing if I had a knife or one of those energy swords. But all I had was my bare hands. And my boots. When it charged, I hastily kicked the fucker in the bottom lip. It was a last second decision and didn't receive much
