The Broken Alpha
Bottom lip trembling as she held in her cries, she rolled onto her back to face the leurcher.
It was even uglier up close. Brown skin twisted in unnatural shapes down its legs and tail, the three limbs joined in the centre in the most basic of mechanisms. The gills heaved – it knew its prey was near, and injured. Its pincers snapped, all three gleaming like polished steel.
She scrambled backwards, her left leg howling and protesting against every minute movement. A quick glance confirmed that blood had soaked through the leg of her trousers. She swore again, fear making her voice too loud.