The Desert Huntress
Chapter I: Love at First Fight
Co-authored by: Clancey, my friend
Wild Survival, Savannah dome. Huygens Orbital station, Rhea orbit above Saturn. Wednesday, January 18, 2440.
The environment was a vast Serengeti-like grassland some two miles wide, encompassing nearly the entire dome, illuminated by an artificial sky. The yellow grasses were tall, in some places tall enough to hide a man, interspersed with boulders, acacia trees, patches of woodland and a single watering hole fed by two winding rivers on either side.
Two aliens sat on a felled log at a raised area overlooking the rest of the dome, with a patch of jungle just behind them. They were just enjoying the sights and chewing the fat. One was a Yipzit, small rat-like being resembling a skinny porcupine with a thin snout and a naked tail; the other was a Hudaarian, a rotund and deceptively obese alien resembling a pig with thick mud-brown skin, stumpy pillar-like legs, small sunken eyes and a pair of small, blunt tusks from a perpetually frowning mouth.
"I tell ya, Pooga." The smaller alien said, "Isn't this fake thing just wonderful, with the fake sun, fake clouds and fake sunlight?"
"I feel ya, Tamone." Pooga, the larger alien said, "I'm amazed you could get so teary-eyed about this whole thing, in a free-for-all place for wannabe safari guys like us."
"I know, right? That's the funny thing. People can do all sorta things out here. Guess it goes to show people like their weird things. Things should be a bit more tame here."
"Yea, I guess you're right."
Tamone and Pooga stared out at the artificial sunset. Neither of them realized that something, or some
one
, was slowly easing her way towards them, waiting for the right moment to pounce.
"Hey, Tamone. I'm gonna go take a leak. Imma be right back." He gets off the log and then leaves into the thick of the jungle.
"Don't go off too far, ya hear?"
This change in the situation forced her to decide what prey to pick off first. The spiny one would be more difficult given the spines on his back, and his smaller size would not make for a satisfying catch. The fat one, on the other hand, seemed like a bumbling fool who was completely unaware of the danger he was in. This fact made the decision an easy one. With silent tread she moved on to track him, following him on four limbs.
Pooga hummed a tune as he tread down a dirt path in the woods. Soon he found a good spot to do his business.
Now was the perfect time to strike.
As the unsuspecting pig alien was just finishing urinating and unzipping himself, he spotted something in the bushes. It didn't take long for him to see what it was...
"AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!"
In a single mighty bound she leapt forward by an astounding distance. Pooga stumbled in a panic, but in the nick of time he was able to run and dodge her and make a run for it. But she was far from done. As she made a landing, she turned on a dime and pursued him, but she wasn't going to catch him just yet -- she was herding him.
Meanwhile, Tamone heard his friend scream from inside the jungle, sending chills down his spine that made his back-spikes rear up. "Pooga?"
"Aaaaaaggghhh!!" He tripped on an exposed root and landed on his partner, who scrambled to get his flabby weight off him.
"Pooga, what the devil is wrong with y-?!"
"
SHE'S GONNA EAT ME!!
" Pooga runs out from the jungle, pursued by a strange-looking Kubal. Tamone screamed, startled and with his spines raised up. He and his friend made a run for it down the other path.
As they did, they waded and stumbled through the jungle, only for Pooga to get his round body stuck in an attempt to crawl under another root. Desperately, his friend tried to push his little weight against his rotund friend to get him loose, with the Kubal hot on their trail and closing in breakneck speed.
"Why is it that every time we are in danger I have to save your- AAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!!!"
With fangs bared and claws outstretched she pounced towards them. She had them cornered. There was no escape.
Later, elsewhere in the dome, another predator stalked. He was another Kubal named Cujo, with a primarily red coat like a fox with black markings on his face and violet eyes. His kind resembled a cross between canines, jackrabbits and kangaroos, with prominent snouts, long erect ears, thin and coarse coats of fur, long and limber limbs with powerful haunches, and long, muscular tails that served as support and as a sort of fifth leg. He had a deep barrel chest that was also characteristic of his species, providing for a huge lung capacity not unlike in a racehorse, and a slim build for aerodynamic running.
He stood on his hind legs with his head high above the grass, his back erect like a giant meerkat, propped up by his thick tail. He sniffed the air for potential prey. His species did not have a rhinarium like in most Earth mammals, leaving their sense of smell less developed, but it was coupled by a sharp vision and impeccable hearing. He scanned the horizon for any contrast and movement, swiveling his erect ears for any sound.
Before long, he caught a whiff and began moving in that direction, settling onto all-fours to hide in the tall grass. Before long, he found what he was looking for. It was a springbok, a bounding herbivore native to Earth. It drank delicately and nervously from the watering hole.
"Perfect," Cujo thought as he sank further into the tall grass. He wore a camouflaged hunting uniform, ideal for hiding in this environment. He was about to move in on the springbok when he caught the scent of another creature, alarming him. He flicked his ears and looked around, anxious at being watched.
He saw nothing. He heard nothing, but the scent lingered. Someone is nearby. But who?
Whoever or whatever it was, he decided to lure them out and went back to looking like was going for the springbok, keeping his ears on the alert. Trusting his instincts, he approached the springbok from behind, going as steadily as he could.
The springbok's ears flickered. As soon as it reared its head up, it spotted something that spooked it and leapt away. It wasn't Cujo.
He freezes in place, raising his tail as he made ready to face his adversary.
Then, it leaps, claws outstretched, aiming for his flank. Instinct kicked in and he swung his tail right in that direction.
His adversary was caught off-guard. They flinched and bound to the side, attempting to dodge the attack. They rolled along the grass and then landed on their feet, their true identity now visible. It was another Kubal, like himself but a female. She was just smaller than himself, and unusual-looking with a sleek and spry form. What made her unusual was her smooth skin was grey in color. Her coat was thin and healthy. She boasted powerful thighs and an excellent muscle tone all throughout her body.
What's more, she was completely nude.
"Looks like I'm not the only hunter here," he spoke with an Australian accent. He stood up on his hind legs again, showing off his imposing form. "Good, I thought this would be too easy."
She grinned, giving him an impressed look with her large ice-blue eyes. She saw that, unlike herself, he had a dart gun holstered in his belt with a cloth ammo pouch at his side. She spoke with an American accent. "You caught me by surprise there. Good, I was hoping for more of a challenge."
"Alright, mate. Show me what you got," he thumped his tail against the ground, a show of force to intimidate or challenge a rival.
She chuckled darkly and licked her chops excitedly before crouching down, with her tail and haunches raised high. She seemed oddly aroused from this. "Bring it!"
She slammed her own tail to the ground, accepting his challenge.
The two charged at each other as Cujo tried to pounce at her. She leapt over him, doing so at a great height and with effortless ease. Looking up at her he caught a glimpse of her underside, where he saw something
very
prominent between her hind legs.
She landed gracefully on her front feet and then turned on a dime, now facing him while crouched down. She bound at least Cujo's own height - twice over!
"I'll be! You are quite the jumper. However," he said impressed before stealthily wrapping his tail around her left arm, intending to pull her towards himself. "You still need to watch your feet."
"You're not too bad yourself, but I got more tricks up my sleeve." She noticed Cujo reaching out to one of her forelimbs. Grinning, she let him yank her towards him, but as he did he leans forward with her kangaroo-like hind legs. Using the momentum from the pull, she unleashed a powerful kick with both her legs, jumping high as she pushed him away. She backflipped in the air and then prepared to land on her feet again, confident in her victory... except for that tail still around her arm, which ended up pulling them both towards each other. She yelped, and the two of them collided with one another as it happened. Cujo was now on his stomach, with Kala on his back.
Initially a little dazed, she quickly came to her senses, feeling his red fur against her stomach. As for Cujo, he thought he could feel her heart thumping away against her ribcage. Though subtle, he could tell it was palpable and large even for a Kubal. Though it was already obvious by her grey coat, that when he learned there was something truly abnormal about her.
Seeing an opportunity, she quickly got up and then attempted to pin him down with her strength. "Is that all you got? If that's the case then this match is as good as over."
But Cujo grinned, "you are strong but don't get too proud yet. You may think you won but you missed one little thing." He slowly pulls something out from underneath him, holding it on his right hand. "You forgot to aim."
He flicked his wrist at her and
POW!
he fired a dart at the back of her neck, pumping a toxin into her bloodstream. But this only made her collapse on top of him, with her full weight now pinning him down. There was no blood drawn.
"Aww bugger," he tried to push her off of him but he was heavier than he expected and she wasn't holding up her weight anymore. "Uhh, I think we are stuck."
