Radeon was deep in the forest when the commotion rose behind him. He did not rush back.
His sight was not the normal zoom of a regular cultivator. It slid past trunks and brush and distance like the world was made of thin paper.
Even through the uneven ground he saw the camp's shape break apart, people scattering, crates and bundles thrown wide.
He did not care about the scattered goods.
His hands were not idle.
Campion was locked in with a massive pit frog, nearly the same size as the bison, a clay green brute slick with slime like wet moss.
It bounced and twisted, dodging Campion's charges with springy contempt.
Radeon needed its sweat glands. That was the whole point of coming this far.
The frog was not alone. Its partner came at Radeon, a smaller thin grey male, half the female's size, skin dry and pulled tight over a gaunt frame like it had been wrung out by its own lust.
