Debbi stared in amazement as the beasts climbed straight up the rock face with Fareel and Sahrin clinging to their backs like burrs. She scooted closer to Martool and looked expectantly at her.
After a moment, Martool said, "The creature attacking your friend is unknown to us. But it appears quite fierce. We will attack it simultaneously from multiple fronts."
Martool urged her mount up the path and Debbi's chanouk followed. They reached the top of the cliff and Debbi recognized the terrain. She and Ross had crossed this area while fleeing from the weird feline creatures.
Martool pulled her mount sharply to the right, away from the crevasse, and galloped out into the desert. Another gunshot sounded ahead of them. Now Debbi heard a loud growling and the hairs on her forearms rose. She recognized the sound. It was one of the cat creatures.
She kicked the chanouk in the ribs and it bounded ahead of Martool with a throaty growl. In the distance she could just make out a rock outcrop jutting up like a black rib out of the desert. Midway up the rock, a flash of metal caught her eye, possibly the sun reflecting off Ross's gun. There was a large, dark shape clawing its way up the rock and again a shot rang out. Debbi saw the muzzle flash as a weapon discharged from the top of the outcrop and the black shape leaped back from the rock. It prowled below, mewling angrily.
Debbi pulled her gun and stood in the stirrups, drawing in her knees tight to steady herself. The chanouk's gait was smooth and steady, a marvelous firing platform. She lined up the cat-thing in her sights and pulled the trigger.
Taken unaware, the beast was hit in the right rear hip and spun around. It screamed and quickly launched itself toward Debbi. It came in a fury of jaws and sinew with a speed that Debbi hadn't counted on. Before she could shoot again, another chanouk filled her vision and raced between her and the creature.
It was Fareel, tannis spear crackling with purple energy and at the ready. He threw the spear at the beast in midair. It roared when the shaft penetrated its left shoulder, but it didn't stop its leap. At the last second, Fareel's chanouk turned to meet the charge and the two beasts collided amid a ferocious clash of teeth and claws. Debbi could hear the scrape of claws against the chanouk's breastplate. Fareel still must have been hooked onto the saddle; he didn't even slide. He clung to his chanouk as if they were one creature. The cat-creature fell beneath the chanouk's fearsome claws, but leaped away from the large jaws that easily could have snapped its spine in half.
Debbi veered off to the side, trying for a clear shot. Sahrin came barreling up out of a wadi on his chanouk and attacked the monster from behind. His war whoop was loud and clear in the hot desert air The cat-beast whipped around and was about to leap on Sahrin, but Debbi's shot shoved it violently aside, hitting it cleanly in the ribs. Wasting no time, Sahrin heaved a massive battle-ax at the creature. Incredibly, the cat-thing leaped aside and scrambled up a sandy slope.
Debbi thought it was escaping, but then it turned suddenly and pounced at Fareel who just barely wheeled his chanouk at the last second and slipped under the attack. Immediately, Sahrin was on the creature, jamming a spear through its ribcage.
Martool laid a heavy hand on Debbi's shoulder and pointed out a lone bedraggled figure wedged into a crevice high in the tannis outcropping. His weapon was out and aiming down at them.
Debbi's chanouk raced forward at her urging. She waved her arm and shouted Ross's name. She didn't want him to shoot the anouks, not realizing they were friends.
That last thought surprised Debbi. She would have never thought that such a thing would be possible in her lifetime. But she did think of Martool as a friend. Hell, Fareel and Sahrin had risked their lives to save a Ranger. If that wasn't friendship, she didn't know what was.
"Ross!" she shouted. "It's me, Debbi! Don't shoot!"
Debbi counted the seconds as the barrel of his gun held its aim at Martool. It took longer than it should have for Ross to recognize her Finally the weapon dropped. Debbi cried out in alarm as the figure slumped over.
"Ross!" She dismounted even before the chanouk was fully to a halt, feet flying from the stirrups.
She scrambled up the steep, rocky outcrop, oblivious to the tannis cutting into her hands and knees. Ross's limp hand dangled beside her as she pulled herself up. She reached out and touched it, desperate for a pulse. A thready beat greeted her stiff fingers. She sent a silent prayer of thanks and heaved herself up the rest of the way.
She let out a gasp. Ross was a mess. His right side was drenched in blood, most of it dried and flaking. His duster and the clothes beneath it were torn with long gashes. The flesh underneath was no better. He had his bandana wadded up against the torn flesh and held in place by his belt. The gashes were still leaking and the makeshift bandage was saturated.
His right arm was scarlet. The sleeve of his shirt was torn off and used as a bandage around the cut. That wound at least had ceased bleeding. There was a nasty gash just above his left knee and he had tied a makeshift tourniquet around his upper thigh. How had he survived for this long all alone?
"You're a pig-headed man, David Ross," she whispered to him. "Thank God."
He needed medical attention and the nearest first aid supplies were in the Stallion. Then her brain clamored for her to remember something. Her head jerked up and she looked for Martool. The anouk had healed her injuries with only a touch of her hand.
But the desert plain beneath her was empty.
The three anouks were gone. All that remained was the carcass of the bleeding cat-thing and Debbi's chanouk. It stood placidly, but it stared in the direction of the canyon after its missing companions.
Debbi couldn't believe Martool would leave. Damn it! She needed her more than ever. Why would she leave now? Why help only her and not Ross?
Debbi cursed. She needed to get Ross home to Temptation and medical care. Thankfully, the chanouk was still there. She could use it to bring Ross to the ship. Hopefully, those damn inmates hadn't gotten to it.
She tapped Ross's cheek lightly. "Ross? You still with me?"
A muscle twitched in his jaw and a moan escaped from between his cracked lips.
"That's it," she encouraged him. "We have to get out of here and I need your help."
Ross's eyelids fluttered and then slipped open. His pupils performed the required contraction as the light poured in. She felt an extraordinary sense of relief. That meant no head injury. Thank heaven for big favors.
"D-Debbi?"
Her face broke out into a wide grin. "Yeah."
"You're alive?" His face skewed with confusion. He reached out and touched her to verify she was solid. Then he grabbed her forearm in a grip that was surprisingly tight, and held on.
"I think that's my line." Debbi laughed, her elation at finding Ross safe making her almost giddy. She tried to lift him up into a sitting position.
"You think you can sit up?"
"Yeah," he mumbled, but it was more Debbi's muscle that got him upright than his own. She set him against a rock and watched him carefully for a moment. She could tell he was still struggling to come back to her, to make sense of what was happening around him. She saw his jaw muscles begin to work in frustration as torn and aching flesh refused to obey his most basic commands.
"How did you.?" He paused to take a deep breath and lost his focus.
Debbi understood. "I had some help. Seems like anouks are a whole lot friendlier out here than around Temptation."
That cleared his head. "Anouks?" He huffed slightly and wished he hadn't. Pain blossomed with the movement.
His grip on her arm tightened painfully, but she didn't show it.
"I know it sounds strange, but they saved me from those inmates." She touched her head lightly. "They packed a wallop. If it wasn't for Martool.. " She let her voice drift off.
The thought of Martool's abandonment angered her. Ross needed medical attention as badly as she had when Martool had found her. Why play timid now? What was so different between her and Ross? But now was not
the time to debate Martool's irrational actions.
"We've got to move. The Hoss is over that rise." She pointed to a distant hill that was at least four miles away.
Ross laughed weakly. "I'm not going to make it that far. You go and bring the Hoss back here."
Debbi smiled, realizing that Ross probably believed they were walking the distance. "I'm not leaving you alone again. We have transportation. Just trust me. We're going to get out of this."
He regarded her skeptically, but Debbi merely grinned.
"I'll be right back." She scampered away down the rock face.
Ross watched as her red head disappeared. It wasn't long before he heard soft murmuring from below. He couldn't tell to whom she was talking. Was she serious about these friendly anouks? A minute later, Debbie reappeared with a rope coiled over her shoulder.
Red-faced and puffing slightly, she dropped beside him. "I'll lower you down."
"I can get down myself," was Ross's manly retort.
Debbi cocked her head at him in annoyance. "You couldn't crawl off a bar stool right about now, and the bottom line is, I'm not letting you crawl down this rock, slip, fall, and suddenly I have another injury to patch up." She threw one end of the rope at him. "Tie that around yourself."
He stared down at the rope in his lap and then back up to Debbi. "You're damn bossy." He picked up the rope and began making a loop.
"My mother made it clear never to give in to a man's pig-headedness."
"Figures."
Within minutes, they were ready to go. Debbi helped Ross scoot closer to the edge of the rock face. He looked down and, for the first time, saw the chanouk waiting patiently below them. His hands darted out to grab the nearest rock, refusing to go any further.
"Sweet mother, that's a chanouk!" He quickly looked around for its rider.
"Very observant." Debbi tried to nudge him a bit closer to the edge, but he was steadfast. She sighed and rocked back on her heels. "It's mine, for now at least. It'll take us to the Hoss." At least she hoped it would. It might also take them back to Martool, but that was fine too. Either way, Ross would receive help.
"Come on," she urged. "It's a hell of a lot faster than walking."
The beast was looking up at them with black, predatory eyes. Its long tongue chose a poor moment to lick its lips.
Ross looked at Debbi. "Give me my gun."
"Ross, it's okay. Trust me. I told it not to eat you."
"Just give me my gun. I'm not going to be lowered down like some giant cat toy."
The beast's thick tail swished back and forth in anticipation.
Ross's expression confirmed his resolution.
Debbi sighed and handed him his pistol. "Just don't point it at him and make him angry, will you? He seems to be quiet enough, but no sense tempting fate, you know."
Ross clutched his gun with deadly earnest. "Let's just do it."
Debbi slowly lowered Ross, all the while praying she was right about the chanouk. Her short, calming conversation with it didn't really allay her fears, but she had little choice. This was the only way down. It would be bad form for her mount to eat her commanding officer; especially after all they had been through.
The chanouk's gaze followed Ross all the way to the bottom.
When he touched down, Ross managed to keep his feet under him instead of collapsing to the ground like he wanted to. Showing weakness would make him look too irresistible to a hungry chanouk. He was exhausted and experiencing pain in every limb, but he'd be damned if he would go out as a snack for some stupid animal. He gave the beast his best withering glare and hoped it was enough. If not, he'd make it see reason with a little bit of lead.
Well, it would probably take a lot of lead.
The sheer size of the chanouk, up close and personal, was daunting. He could feel the animal's warm breath across the ten feet separating them. Its ears were flat against its head. Its mane bristled, making it seem twice its normal size. Its huge teeth gleamed white against the dark rock.
The two of them shifted their gazes simultaneously as Debbi slid down the cliff to land beside them, then their eyes immediately locked back on one another.
Debbi swiped the dirt and stone fragments from her pants and rose. She approached the chanouk fearlessly. At least, she hoped it appeared that way. Debbi had learned enough about animals to know that they knew when you were afraid. Sometimes, those vibes were all that was needed to get a relationship off to a bad start.
The chanouk swung its huge head to Debbi, mouth open and teeth visible. Ross held his breath as the massive creature brushed up close to Debbi. She seemed almost petite next to the behemoth. His fingers tightened on the butt of his pistol, his index finger curling around the trigger. To his amazement, the chanouk only took a deep sniff of Debbi and then looked out over the desert to the distant skyline. Ross saw its nostrils flare as it read the air for anything abnormal.
Debbi breathed a sigh of relief and laid a hand on the chanouk, giving it a quick scratch. She felt its muscles ripple. One final pat and she turned her attention to Ross, who was held in place against the wall only by sheer determination. His face was approaching ashen and she knew he was rapidly running out of strength.
She slipped his uninjured arm over her shoulder and heaved him up onto the chanouk. She had to take most of his weight, which was no small feat, but he kept it together until he had climbed onto the back of the beast, half-hanging over the saddle in a near stupor. Debbi quickly mounted behind him.
"Ross," she called gently, pulling him back so that he leaned into her shoulder. His damp head lolled there, his eyes shut tight.
"Get us home, Dallas." His voice was a mere whisper.
Debbi clenched her jaw as the weight of responsibility fell heavily onto her shoulders. With one hand gripping Ross and the other the reins of the chanouk, she urged the animal toward the Stallion. She was surprised that it complied. A part of her wished that it would take them to Martool, but she supposed the anouk woman had her reasons for disappearing. Right now, Debbi was just obliged for the use of the animal.
Four miles sped by under the chanouk's ground-eating stride. Debbi was grateful because she could feel the heat of a fever starting to emanate from Ross. He hadn't said much since they had started the ride to the ship and that worried her.
She readjusted her grip on him and was comforted by the gentle rise and fall of his chest beneath her hand. She urged the chanouk faster and it complied.
Debbi had to give credit to the anouks. Their mounts were superbly trained. She wondered how and why this one in particular was so responsive to her commands. She was a human after all. The only time she had ever seen one of these creatures was on the battlefield, and she had always been intimidated by their ferocity and immense build, all mayhem and muscle and trained for war.
She dropped one hand to give it a reassuring pat. It grunted. Debbi wasn't sure if it was a good grunt or a bad grunt. She wondered what she was going to do with it. Would it come with her? She could name it Little Joe or something. She would be the only Colonial Ranger with her own chanouk. It would be a tight squeeze getting it in the Stallion. Not that Ross was going to allow such a thing. She glanced down at her boss. Of course, he was so out of it, he probably wouldn't notice until it was too late anyway.
Her small joke didn't bolster her spirits as much as she would have liked. She mentally began preparing all the things she needed to do once they arrived at their destination. The Stallion would have plenty of bandages, antibiotics, and antiseptics. She needed to get Ross hydrated and warm as quickly as possible, which meant a drip and lots of blankets. Then she would pump him full of antibiotics for infection. It would have to be enough to keep him alive until she could get back to Temptation.
She let out a gasp of relief when they topped a rise and the sun glinting off their vehicle nearly blinded her. Blinking back the moisture, she was reassured to see that the Stallion was still intact. She kept the rein tight on Little Joe and let him
sniff the air. He didn't seem to be nervous and the Stallion was upwind. If the chanouk was satisfied, then so was she. She gave him free rein and he trotted down the slope toward the craft.
Debbi dropped her reins and yanked out her gun, just in case. Little Joe pulled up in front of the Stallion and blew the dust out of its nose with a snort. Everything else was quiet. Debbi gently shook Ross.
"Ross."
There was a groan and his eyes opened, narrowed against the sun. He licked cracked lips. "We home?"
"Not quite. We're at the Hoss." She eased him off her and dismounted; using one hand to make sure he stayed in the saddle, but to no avail. He began to slide toward her. She planted her feet and tried to take his weight as he toppled. She couldn't.
They fell to the ground with Debbi doing her best to cushion him. His grunt of pain was plain in her ear. He struggled to stand and Debbi helped him. She palmed the panel on the craft and heard the locking mechanism disengage as it read her print.
Inside, it took nearly thirty minutes before she sat back from Ross who lay stretched out in the undersized berth behind the seats in the cab. It was almost too small for him, but he didn't seem to mind. He was out of the sun. He had lost his hat in the fall over the cliff and now had the makings of a beautiful sunburn on his face. She clipped the IV to the nearby wall.
She had done everything she could for him. His vitals were already improving. "Rest easy, Ross. We're almost out of here. One last thing to do."
He grabbed her arm. It surprised her since she thought he was unconscious. Turning around, she found him looking at her with an exhausted eye that seemed to be finally free of pain.
"Don't even...think about it."
Her mouth fell partially open and then she frowned. He couldn't possibly know what she was thinking.
"You're not...taking that chanouk," he murmured.
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