Now
Wait
Wait
Wait for it….
Now!
I haul on the bark-fibre cord with all the raw power I can muster. The creature’s foot is snared and is pulled up towards the canopy, the rest of its body helplessly following after. I don’t pull it up high, nor do I let it dangle for long. The whole trap is more to disorientate than to hold, after all. Once its head is a foot off the ground, I let the rope go, stunning it. Fortunately, my hopes proved true and its neck and head are sufficiently protected to not crack on impact with the ground.
As the creature lands on the ground with a thud, Bastet leaps onto it. Already disorientated, the creature doesn’t seem able to muster any defence against an angry and snarling raptorcat. Not that I can blame it – having something not all that dissimilar to a forest-coloured panther with wings and taloned feet snarling that close to one’s neck is not an experience I would recommend.
The distraction combined with the disorientation works. The lizard creature doesn’t react even as I start binding its legs together with its tail, using the cord snared around one foot. It’s not particularly secure, but hopefully it will do the job. Tying off the first cord, I pull a second one out which I use to bind its jaws shut. Bastet shifts slightly to give me enough space to work, but when the creature starts moving again in response, her snarls take it up a notch and I see the lizard still again in fear.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Once the creature’s forearms are bound to its torso, I reckon we’re as good as we’re going to get with the equipment I have to hand. With a quick mental command, Bastet steps off the lizard creature, now bound practically head to tail. She starts mussing up the area around us, doing her best to disguise the signs of the brief struggle. Meanwhile, I haul the creature over my shoulder in a fire-man’s carry, letting out a small grunt from effort – I may have significantly increased my Strength but my burden is only slightly smaller than me and is solid muscle. Plus, it’s starting to wriggle.
Casting an eye over the area, I send a short feeling of appreciation over to my Bound for her work. Even with my tracking skills, I would have been hard-pressed to say exactly what had gone on here, though I could tell something had. That’s as good as it’s going to get, I reckon. Besides, this operation is supposed to be quick and quiet; every second longer that we spend here means more chance of discovery.
Turning tail, I start running, Bastet first following behind me to cover any tracks, and then ranging ahead to check for threats. She repeats the process, her speed significantly faster than mine, considering the weight I’m carrying. By the time we’re far enough that I reckon we’re probably safe for now, I’m panting and my stamina has almost bottomed out. As I’ve learnt all too recently, letting my stamina completely deplete is not a good idea, so I slow to a stop.
Pulling the lizard off my shoulder, I let it drop to the ground with a bit of a thump, not even trying to be particularly careful with my burden.
“Right, let’s find out what’s going on,” I say to my Bound. “If it tries to attack me, kill it,” I tell her. She sends a grim wave of acknowledgment across our Bond. Crouching down by its head, I meet the lizard’s eyes seeing the roiling mass of anger, helplessness, and fear within them. I almost feel bad...but these guys started it. “Dominate!”