Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79927 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79927 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
The air smelled different too. Not bad—never bad—but other. There was a clean, mineral tang to it, like rain hitting warm stone…mixed with a faint sweetness, almost like crushed mint and wild honey drifting on the breeze from the low, velvet—soft ground cover that replaced ordinary grass.
Under her boots the earth had a springy give—the “meadow” was actually made up of millions of tiny, cushiony plants the deep green color of moss, shot through with threads of silver that winked when the light hit them just right.
The sanctuary itself spread out across a wide, open plain surrounded by gentle hills—hills that looked familiar in shape but not in color. The rock here had a reddish, rusty cast, like Arizona sandstone, and in the shallow valleys grew stands of tall, reed—like trees with trunks the color of cinnamon and leaves that shimmered in sheets of pale violet.
When the wind moved through them, they didn’t rustle like Earth leaves—they chimed, softly, like a distant wind—harp. And everywhere, all around the enclosures, were the scent barriers and safety fields the Monstrum engineers had installed—mostly invisible, except when the light caught them at an angle and they flickered like heat shimmer.
Kiera loved that part. It meant she could give even the most dangerous predators room to roam without worrying they’d ever get out and hurt anyone.
To her left was the petting—zoo section—her pride and joy—ringed by cheerful signs written in Standard Galactic and in English, for the human visitors the Monstrum planned to bring once everything was fully finished.
The theebles from Hama’ba’ba Nine were already out, scampering over their padded climbing structures like neon kittens with bird beaks—lime green, hot pink, and electric blue fur glowing against the muted landscape. One of them saw Kiera and immediately cheeped,
“Kiera! Kiera! Kiera!” in a ridiculously high voice, while another bobbed its little beaked head and echoed,
“Good boy! Good boy!”—clearly repeating what she’d said earlier to the wolf.
She groaned and laughed at the same time.
“You guys never shut up!”
But that was exactly what she loved about them, after all. Since she was the only living person on the sanctuary–most of the grunt work being performed by the work—bots the Monstrum had bought for her on Frag’ma Six–it was nice to hear another voice now and then.
Beyond the petting zoo were the larger habitats—wide stretches of land enclosed by tall, blue, transparent barriers that kept each species separated without making them feel caged. The new schoonies’ pen was near the edge of a gently sloping hill, where they’d have room to graze and trot and run.
Up close, the creatures really did look like long—necked llamas at first glance—until you noticed the scales instead of fur, the ridged plates along their spines that shifted and flexed when they moved, and the way their eyes glinted like polished amber. They made a low, musical humming sound as they explored their new space, noses dipping to sniff the strange silver—threaded plants. One of them gave a cautious little snort, then nibbled a tuft…and immediately sneezed, rattling its whole long neck.
Kiera smiled. They’d settle in. It always took a little time.
And farther out—far enough that even the curious humans would stay safely behind the viewing lines—were the habitats meant to make visitors’ eyes go wide and their mouths drop open.
The chooley enclosure was one of the prettiest–a rolling, misty grove filled with pale gray “mushroom trees” and soft, floating seedpods that drifted like lanterns.
The chooley itself was curled in a nest the size of a kiddie pool–all fluffy lavender fur and enormous, expressive eyes shifted color like a mood ring depending on how it was feeling.
Right now they were a dreamy sea—glass green…until it noticed the huge wolf standing at Kiera’s side. Then the eyes flashed bright, alarmed purple and the Chooley let out a tiny, offended squeak, as if to say, Absolutely not!
Kiera laughed.
“Oh, don’t be such a diva,” she said affectionately. “You’re perfectly safe.”
At the far end of the sanctuary, separated by multiple redundant safety fields—because Kiera was careful and Commander Rarev was thorough—loomed the Vorn habitat. Even from here, she could see the dark shape moving through the red—stained scrub brush like a living tank.
The creature’s thick body rippled with muscle as it prowled, and when it lifted its head, the air seemed to vibrate with a low, hungry hum. For a moment, the Vorn opened its jaws—just slightly—and she caught the glint of those three concentric rings of jagged teeth…and the twitch of the tentacles that framed its mouth, flexing as if tasting the wind.
The sight sent a chill skittering down her spine—fear, yes, but also awe. The Vorn was terrifying…and magnificent. Exactly the kind of animal that deserved a safe place where no one would try to hunt it for trophies or slaughter it out of ignorance.
Kiera breathed in the mint—and—mineral air, listened to the chiming trees, and watched her strange, wonderful sanctuary humming with life…and felt her heart swell.