Chapter 3: Halfway there

I let Leo and Tiger deal with the zoologist that was waiting while we unloaded. I set the mini leopard eggs in the living area before putting the pelts in the storage area to clean later. Mom pulled all the girls away and into the bathing room when we finished. After they were done it was our turn to get clean.

When we got out mom and dad took everyone to Kimber, the closest colony town. I stayed behind to start looking at the sat maps for our next site. I had just picked one below the great lake when Griffin lifted his head from my lap and looked across the room. I followed his look to see the warming pad shaking.

I stood and crossed to look at the eggs. They were rocking and had cracks running through them. I quickly went to the kitchen for meat from the stasis cabinet and then ran up to the storage rooms for fire and spice leaves. I was ready when the first egg cracked and spilled the tiny kitten out.

I started the leaves burning in the fire pit beside me and held the mewing creature until it quieted and started swaying. I pulled it back and started feeding it tiny slivers of meat. They broke shells quickly and I struggled to keep up and feed them. When they were finally satisfied and curled up to nap I cleaned up.

I sat and made a sling before slipping the kittens into it. I put the remaining meat away before returning to the map. Griffin and Hunter both put their heads inside the sling to smell the young animals. I rubbed Griffin's ears, "they are to hunt the squirrel rats with."

He sniffed and I smiled as I pet Hunter, "you need to teach Hunter how to hunt tree rabbits and lemurs."

I marked the site I chose and went to start cleaning the pelts we had brought back. I was feeding the kittens again when everyone returned and the next thing I knew all the girls were helping. A few hours later we went hunting and I kept the kittens in the sling. When Leo pointed out the rat nest we were just turning to go back.

I looked at the huge ball of leaves and slipped the sling off, "Alex?"

She took the kittens as I took the large bag of fruit from Jade. I gestured and started filling Terrie's and Sandy's bags before using vines to swing out and away from the branch. I glanced back at my brothers as they watched and grinned, "wait until I tell you and then come out and beat on the top."

I used my legs to grip a vine when I reached the bottom of the nest. I covered the only opening into the nest and glanced back. Leo and Tiger swung out and a minute later were beside the nest and held on with one hand while gripping the vine with their legs as they struck it. The dragons suddenly decided to help and landed on top and started digging and tearing.

The rats poured out of the nest and into the bag as I held it. When they stopped coming out I closed the bag and struggled to tie it. I used the end of a cord as my brothers moved back to the branch and then I tossed the other end to Tiger. I let the bag go and started back as he pulled it up.

When we returned to the house I took the bag and went up to the shop. I used a shop freezer to freeze the bag and the rats inside before dumping them out. I started cutting heads off and skinning the rats before cleaning them. I let Tiger take the small skins to clean them as I defrosted the bodies and took them down to the stasis cabinet.

It was a week before we left, Alex had another bird bat and Jade had three, the other girls each got a couple, one of mom's had hatched her eggs. While we had waited the council had added a dozen flyer transport battery packs to our first site and reviewed the total cost of our work.

This time when I stepped out of the hatch of the cargo flyer Griffin and Hunter both flew down ahead of me. I had a large pack on my chest with the kittens and was careful going through the leaves. The others followed me just like before and we landed on a branch before circling a tree trunk and climbing down.

We were less than a kilometer from the shore of the great lake. We must have had luck riding with us because when we reached the thicker branches we needed we found the site. I glanced at the others before opening the comm, "we are down and safe. We have the site already too."

The pilot chuckled, "we will let your dad know."

We selected a tree for the pod and hung up packs. I left the pouch of kittens with Alex before carrying the wood laser out to the end of the branch. Since we had done this before things seemed to go faster and smoother. When I heard the crack of a rifle behind me I spun to see a leaf leopard collapsing to the narrow branch.

Jade was a little white faced as she lowered her rifle. Alex shook her head, "it came down from above."

I set the laser aside before moving to the leopard. Something did not seem right when I looked at the wound carefully. I pulled my pistol before stopping and pulling fire and spice leaves out of my shirt. I knelt and set them just in front of the five hundred pound animal's head. I lit them and watched as the leopard breathed in the smoke.

I almost shot it when I saw that but froze. Alex and Jade were pointing their rifles as I looked across at Tiger who was watching, "I need a lemur or a couple of tree rabbits."

He turned to look around before saying something to Sandy. She turned to aim above her and fired before he sent his dragon after the lemur body. Griffin and Hunter were growling as they landed by me and faced the leopard that was shaking its head. I caught the lemur body when my brother's dragon dropped it.

I turned back to the leopard before knocking the remains of the fire away. It lifted its head and I saw how dazed its eyes were before I cut off a shoulder and held it out. The leopard hesitated before taking the shoulder and chewing. It glanced around and I was ready to kill it but waited and cut the other shoulder off and held it out.

The leopard took it but its eyes were still a little glassy. I cut the back quarters off and fed the animal. When everything was gone it looked at me and I reached out to rub an ear and it leaned into it. I slowly pulled a med stimulator and gently tilted the large animals head down. I sprayed the gash where the bullet had struck and it shifted.

I rubbed an ear again, "still hungry?"

It lay down and put its head on its paws. I shook myself and glanced at my brothers and their girls before looking at the leopard. It was acting strangely like a lost cub and I moved it back on the limb, "watch it."

Alex and Jade nodded and I used a long cord to tie it off to several limbs. We went back to cutting and were much higher than before when we got the call for the pod. I looked at the leopard before gesturing to Alex, "stay and watch her."

She had been petting it and it was making a soft crooning purr. Guiding the pod down this time was nerve wracking since I kept worrying about the leopard turning on Alex. It settled into place perfectly and we fastened the ramps before putting the stairs together. I climbed back to Alex and the leopard and untied it.

I sent Alex down before backing towards the tree, "come."

It took a little coaxing but it climbed down the tree and followed to the pod. I hesitated before calling Griffin and moving closer. The leopard growled and I spoke sharply, "NO!"

It looked at me before reaching out to smell. One at a time I brought the others close and the leopard smelled them. I gestured to Alex and Jade, "stay back when we hunt."

I looked at the others, "I will cross my fingers."

I climbed down with the leopard following and Griffin and Hunter flying ahead. I sent Griffin and Hunter after tree rabbits while I looked for something larger. I had just killed a Rainbow peacock feeding on vine melons when Griffin dropped down between me and the leopard.

I turned expecting it to attack but Griffin dropped a rabbit body and pushed it towards the larger animal. The leopard crouched as it looked at him before slowly reaching out to take the rabbit. Five times Hunter and Griffin killed a rabbit and brought back the body to feed the leopard, it was something I did not expect.

I killed four of the large birds before we headed back. Jade and Alex had been nervous but collected two large baskets of melons. At the foot of the ramp we were cooking dinner, the leopard lay just beyond us and watched until Emily walked close and it lifted its head. She knelt and held out something and I frowned, "what is that?"

Peter chuckled as the leopard smelled it and perked up before gently taking it, "blood fruit."

Blood fruit was a different kind of fruit and unless you knew how to cook it, not very tasty. The leopard loved it and even licked her hand. She grinned and opened a pouch on her hip to feed it another. I was not sure what to do with the leopard during the night but Sandy, Terrie and Emily coaxed it into the pod.

It sniffed the baby mini leopards as it went by but did not do anything. When I closed the door for the night it was resting beside the front grate. I did not get much sleep but when the morning storm started the leopard growled. Jade looked over my shoulder, "she does not like the storm either."

I reached out slowly to touch the leopard and it looked at me. I gestured and it moved closer so I could touch and pet it. I was surprised when first Griffin crawled onto it and spread his wings and then Hunter. The large animal put its head down and sighed and I shook my head. After the rain stopped and it lightened up I opened the door.

The leopard was the first out and lifted its head to smell before looking around. We had breakfast before climbing back to the branches to start cutting again. I was a little surprised we had not seen more large predators and the girls kept looking below. When the wolfapes were spotted the leopard went from laying in front of Alex and Jade to crouching.

Suddenly it was gone, it dropped and moved straight across to climb up and attack as the wolfapes moved closer to Emily. It ripped the first apart and tore the second from shoulder to crotch. The rest fled as it roared. It looked around after they were gone before turning and moving back and climb up.

Alex did not even hesitate and hugged it, "good girl!"

Jade rubbed her face and scratched under her chin. I turned back to finish and was surprised when we did without anymore animals coming for us. We started pulling beams out and putting them together as the girls sat on the pod with the dragons and leopard to watch. I smiled when I saw Jade feeding the baby leopards and the big one only watched.

We went hunting together and like before Griffin and Hunter brought their kills to the leopard. We still had meat from the rainbow peacocks, I had put two in one of the stasis boxes mom sent. Emily pointed out another cluster of blood fruit vines and we made several pouches before picking and filling them.

Even the bird bats seemed to like the leopard because several came to drop blood fruit for it. I was curious and sliced one of the fruits up and tried to feed the baby leopards. They were more than eager to eat it and I shook my head, "you learn something new each day."

After we returned the leopard stretched out to one side as we cooked and I frowned before moving to feel its tummy. It shifted nervously but did not do anything. I moved away after rubbing against its cheek. I looked at Alex and Jade, "it is pregnant."