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Clutching the rope, she screamed."Hold her!" the Viis commanded as she struggled. "Take care, you fool! Don't hurt the cubs."
Despite the tightening of the noose, she fought harder. Through the roaring in her ears, she could hear her babies crying. Their helplessness and danger enraged her past all caution, and she roared with fury as she lunged for a floppy Toth ear, bit it hard, and tried to tear it off.
Oaths filled the room, mingling with her shouts and the screams of the cubs.
"Now!" the Viis said.
Another noose settled over her head, and the two enforcers dragged her bodily off the bed. She hit the floor hard enough to knock the wind from her weakened body. Lying there, she shook her head and tried to raise herself, but the Toths held her pinned, both of them sitting on her with cruel disregard for her condition or the pain they were inflicting. The Toth with the bitten ear shook his head, slinging splatters of blood, and huffed to himself. The Aaroun mother could still taste blood and hair in her mouth. She spat, wishing her teeth had caught his shaggy throat instead.
Helpless and seething, she was forced to watch as the Viis grabbed each of her babies in turn by its scruff and carried them over to the light by the open door. He dumped them on the floor and examined them one by one, checking fur quality, conformation, and tiny milk teeth. Instinctive infant growling filled the air, and the mother pressed her face against the dirty floor and wept in sheer frustration.
"Stripes," the Viis said in disgust. "Ordinary stripes, just like all the other cubs in this birthing row. Ah, but what are you?"
The mother heard the change in his tone, the keen interest, and her heart constricted. She saw him lift her golden child, her only daughter, high into the air to examine her thoroughly.
When he lowered the golden one to chest height and cradled her against him, the mother knew she had lost.
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10
h o m e • a l i e n s p e c i e s • e x c e r p t • a n e w u n i v e r s e • o r i g i n s • a r t