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arrogant, chauvinistic, virile pig – the very embodiment all things Nethicaen.
    Testing her strength, Vaush slowly rose to her feet. Her head began to swim and she realized that in the day’s excitement, she had forgotten to eat a meal. She rummaged through her satchel until she found the food rations.
    She sniffed the contents and frowned. According to the label, it was still edible. Left with no other choice she begrudgingly spooned a bite into her mouth.
    “What is this?” she grimaced, forcing herself to swallow it down. She was just finishing when a twig snapped.
    She rose and turned in the direction of the sound.
    “Comron?” She waited, but no one entered the clearing. Could it be the same person she’d seen hunkering in the shadows while back at the transport?
    “Who’s there?” With heart pounding, she remained rooted to her spot.
    What if it wasn’t human at all? There had to be all sorts of feral creatures this deep in the wild.
    As if in answer to her question, a low growl rumbled through the air. Vaush dropped the food container and took slow steps back. She fumbled at her pocket for the surgical knife, having no other means of protection against whatever lurked in the underbrush.
    The bushes parted slightly, and a huge gold paw with razor sharp claws pushed its way through the tall grass and sank into the soft earth.
    “Oh my God!” Vaush gasped. The golden panther emerged from the brush standing a meter and a half tall at the shoulder. Large orange eyes glared out from underneath heavily-hooded lids. With hackles raised, it let out another growl, revealing large saber teeth.
    Vaush quickly scanned the area for shelter. Only trees and dangling vines surrounded her and she knew the panther would be adept at climbing those. She cautiously reached down with her free hand and picked up a fallen branch. She held it aloft, gripping it tightly.
    The predator’s eyes locked with hers as it leaned back on its haunches. Vaush watched in disbelief, refusing to accept that her life would end this way, here on some backwater planet, in such an ignoble manner.
    Vaush gritted her teeth and her pulse pounded at her neck. She checked that her grip was firm and stared at the cat without flinching. As the anger grew inside her, she determined that she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
    With lightning speed, the panther leapt forward, snarling as it hurtled through the air toward her. Vaush put the full force of her rage into a single blow to the beast’s head, before it landed on her, jolting her backward under its weight. The beast rolled to the side, confused by the blow. The force of the impact struck the limb clean from Vaush’s hands. She scrambled wildly for it, clutching the knife in her other hand. Just as she reached the limb, the panther pounced on her back, flattening her to the ground.
    “Nooo!!” she screamed. The panther’s large paws knocked her about like a rag doll, ripping at her flesh with sharp claws, drawing blood. Vaush squirmed around and drove the surgical knife down into the panther’s paw.
    It drew back with a howl, then batted Vaush across the face. She lifted her arm to fend off the attack as it lurched forward and sank its sharp teeth down into her forearm. Her screams pierced the air as she fought desperately.
    It finally released her arm. The great face of her attacker loomed before Vaush, bloody fangs slavering as it prepared for the fatal strike.
    A loud bang cracked through the air, the panther threw up its head and gave a harrowing roar before leaping off of her. Vaush gasped for air and her whole body trembled, waiting for the next attack. She dared to lift her head and saw that the panther’s attention was drawn elsewhere.
    Straining to turn over, she glimpsed Comron Van Laven a few meters away, his firearm trained on the panther.
    Vaush watched helplessly as the dazed creature mustered its strength and charged Comron.
    Stalwart, Comron stood his ground and unloaded three