I take. You.

“Zaata! Zaata! Zaata!” The lanky creature ambled over toward the rifle.

“Wait!” Eva said.

I take. You. I take. Him.

She nodded at the behemoth, then looked over at her companion. Balancing on his good foot, the lanky creature knelt down and grabbed the rifle. Eva heard a distinct hum as he started to charge it.

Groggy, the waking huntsman sat up, his lemon eyes blinking rapidly. “Grasset de fugill Ruzender!” he bellowed.

“No!” Eva ran over to support her companion. “Use me as a crutch.”

The bristling huntsman grabbed his lance. He pulled himself up, charging his weapon.

Hurry. Little one.

The lanky creature aimed the humming rifle at the huntsman as he and Eva stumbled toward the armored behemoth.

Get. On. Little one.

The huntsman was now on his feet, snorting loudly. The combined charging hum of both weapons rose to a grating pitch.

“We’ll make it,” Eva said as they reached the behemoth. It knelt low to the ground, and she grabbed on to the armored plating, pulling herself up.

“Come on! Hurry!” she shouted with her hand held out.

With an unsteady aim the huntsman pointed the lance at them as the lanky creature climbed up. The humming was so loud now that it vibrated Eva’s entire body. She ignored the noise as she helped her lame companion scramble up onto their mount’s armored back. The lanky creature fired the rifle. It was so charged that it kicked out of the creature’s hands and its blast toppled a stack of cages behind the huntsman.

Jump. Free. Hurry.

“Go!” screamed Eva.

The huntsman released the lever on the sonic lance. The intense sound wave was so loud that it rocked the surrounding forest. The huntsman’s lanterns exploded, and several trees in the line of fire were reduced to heaps of green shredded pulp.

Eva’s eyes watered, and long tears streaked backward over her cheeks as cool wind buffeted her face. The behemoth descended through the dusky light in a gigantic leap, like a humungous grasshopper. Though Eva was holding on to the animal for dear life, she had a giddy smile on her face.

Despite its immense size, the armored animal landed gracefully in a clearing and tucked its thick, fanlike tail underneath its body.

Free. Jump. Again.

“Hold on!” she said to her lanky companion saddled alongside her on the animal’s back. With a feeble grin he held tightly on to the behemoth’s armored plates.

With tremendous force the animal snapped down its tail, sending them all soaring up into the sky. Birds and other flying creatures flapped about, screeching from the disturbance. The behemoth arced over a copse of wandering trees and landed more than a hundred meters away. In moments the trio had cleared the woods completely and now found themselves on the rocky plain right at the forest’s edge.

Safe. Now. Little one.