Page 158 of Riv's Sanctuary

Today was not the day she thought she'd have to fight monster gators but she guessed she didn't have a choice.

Gripping the cow-hippo, which she was surprised hadn't thrown her to the ground, Lauren slipped off its back, her head flashing from left to right as she tried to find a weapon of some kind.

There was only a rake and hay.

A rake and hay.

Shit.

Behind her, she heard a hard thud and turned in horror, hoping she didn't see blue on the ground but Riv was still upright. The gator guard was immobilized and Riv held his blaster.

In front of him, Grot had another guard's blaster-holding arm in his mouth and the guard was hammering his fist into the dog with all his might, his blaster rendered useless. But Grot did not let go. Despite the beating, he held fast.

On the ground lay another guard, motionless. She had no idea how he'd been taken down.

To the left, Ka’Cit laughed and she looked at him in horror. He had two guards cornering him and he didn't seem to care.

As Riv lunged toward the alien beating on Grot, movement in her peripheral vision caught her eye.

The guard who had attacked Riv first was rousing, his eyes on Riv's back.

She knew what she had to do.

Grabbing the rake, she launched herself over the gate in a move she didn’t know her limbs could complete.

When she landed on her feet, she was pleasantly surprised.

The guard didn’t see her coming.

Racing toward him, rake high in the air, she slammed down the metal part into the guard’s head with a roar of her own.

Already weak, the guard’s knees buckled.

“Pesky alligator piece of shit!” She slammed the rake into the guard again, and again.

It wasn’t until a strong hand closed over her arm and took the rake from her trembling hand that she stopped.

Wide-eyed, she stared at the guard.

He was going to get a big lump on his head where she’d beat the rake into it.

“It’s ok,” Riv said, pulling her into him.

Her eyes moved over him quickly. Apart from his ripped tunic, he seemed okay.

Grot limped over to rub his nose against her and she dropped to her knees, wringing out of Riv’s arms to grab ahold of the dog.

“Oh my God, is he going to be alright?”

“He’s tougher than you think,” she heard Riv say.

Her gaze moved to the sound of a chuckle to land on Ka’Cit.

She couldn’t see his face behind the mask but he was the only other conscious individual around for miles so the laugh must have come from him.

He stepped over the bodies of the two guards who’d taken him on. Spinning a small device like a mini-flashlight between his fingers, he approached.

“How did you…” She stared at him. She didn’t remember seeing him brandish a weapon.