— Harrma! the leader shouted hoarsely.
- Haarrrmmma! cackled his henchmen in unison, nodding their plucked heads quite contentedly.
Watching the guards lower their weapons, Christina did not know what to expect from what was happening. Will she not be killed? Did she get a reprieve? Why are these birds rejoicing? Is it even a little lucky? This is the big misconception.
Chapter 2
A little while later…
— Harrma! Harrrmmmaaa!! the hoarse echo sounded again and again.
Christina was pushed hard in the back, and she almost fell on the trampled soft earth, entering a kind of round arena. Although, it was difficult to call this a mess of gray-brown sand and dust earth. All that reminded her of the surrounding structure, where several tiers rose in steps, was the old amphitheater. Stone lodges were supported by a metal frame. The whole structure was surrounded by high stone walls. For now, you can forget about running. As soon as Christina went forward, motley creatures began to yell, wheeze and hoot from all sides. But now Christina didn't care about their appearance.
— Harrma! Harrrmmmaaa!! the creature shouted disgustingly from the largest box.
The prisoner recognized him. It seems that he came out to them on the day of arrival on the sandy planet. Or not? They are all the same. The creature waved its bony arms, peeking out from under the long, wide sleeves of its robes. Bright and colorful, like a parrot, he did not let up.
- What do you want from me? Cristina muttered again. - What do you want?
There was a noise behind her. Christina looked around, feeling a stab somewhere in her chest from amazement, giving herself up to the very tips of her dirty fingers. The creature was huge by human standards. over two meters. Powerful muscles played under dark brown dense wool. He walked straight, proudly, raising his muzzle high ... Muzzle. Christina could not call this beast a human.
The dog grinned as one of the guards aimed his spear at him. The creature really did look like a huge dog. His eyes: deep, dark, wild, but at the same time left no doubt - he was wise, this ... Whoever he was. Following the leader of the bony creatures, the rest of the audience joined in. In response to their croaking, a knife flew at Christina's feet, piercing gently into the gray sand.
Cristina looked in a stupor from the weapons at the boots to the chanting crowd. Now she understood what kind of fun was being held here. Her green eyes widened in fright. The chief feathered one purred, deep, low, running a crooked thumb along his own neck, and poking the same finger at Christine's back. Where the overgrown dog stood. Wanted her to fight that giant werewolf?!
- Are you crazy? .. - The prisoner went into a dry cough.
His throat was dry from the raised dust. Meanwhile, behind her growled wildly. Raking up a nasty mixture of dust and sand, the woolly rival rushed to Christina. She instinctively grabbed the thrown knife.
The dog rushed, Christina somehow dodged, marveling at herself, where did so much dexterity come from. Throw again, dodge again. She coughed dryly, and the raised dust gnawed at her eyes. Now I realized that it was not at all in her agility. The dog allowed him to dodge. Played with her?
A muscular paw slammed into Christina's chest, sending her flying a good couple of meters away. Fortunately, the soft ground saved her bones. She suffocated in a cloud of raised dust, and kept trying to breathe air. Coming to her senses, Christina realized that he hit the dog with his palm, not with his fist. Sorry again?
In an instant, the enemy was nearby, hovering over her, grinning with fanged maw. Christina took a full handful of sand, and threw it in his face. As the dog snarled and tossed its head, she rolled to the side and rose to her feet. I was dizzy with hunger, and there were enough kicks for today.
She glanced at the dog from under her brows and felt that the knife in her hand was getting heavier. The beast walked in circles with its shaggy head down. Christina's copper hair clung to her sweaty face so inopportunely. She lost her gum a long time ago. Now I had to angrily blow them off and walk in circles after the dog. The first fear has passed. Now Christine felt a growing rage. She hated the whole damn world. And she had the opportunity to at least a little throw out her anger. Before death…
Christina gripped the handle of the knife, her hand was wet with excitement, and it became even more difficult to hold it. The opponent approached, and then she made a lunge. The dog leaned on the knife, and the hair on his paw turned scarlet. Still stuck. He unexpectedly roared his approval, and at the same moment recoiled sharply, trying to deliver a powerful blow with his paw. Christina was able to evade the attack while retaining her weapon. While she was trying to strike again, the dog, of course, was ahead of her. He knocked out the knife, and Christina, angry and dirty, hugged the ground again.
The dog growled furiously, entertaining the audience, making attacks on Christina. Played great. She, to be honest, could not understand why this woolly uncle was playing for time. Having contrived, she was able to noticeably kick him on the knee with her foot. The opponent howled, immediately returning the blow. The strongest kick again made Christina tumble in the dust.
"That's a bastard…" she hissed.
The audience perked up, chanting. Kicking off the knife with the toe of his boot, the dog grabbed Christina by the neck, lifting her in front of him. The audience yelled, the main leader shouted something, shaking his disgusting muzzle. But Christina practically did not hear and she did not care that he was there, spitting saliva, declaiming. It seemed that her head would come off and she could no longer breathe.
With a wild roar, finishing this strange fight, the dog threw Christina to the ground. A huge paw crushed her, not allowing her to rise. Christina tried to free herself with her hands, but, covering her face, the beast pressed her head to the ground more and more.
Somewhere far away, at the edge of consciousness, she heard the dog purring softly every time she tried to resist. This sound was so quiet that it was almost indistinguishable from the cries of the crowd. She did not have a dictionary with her that translated from dog language into human, but mentally, it translated approximately like this: “Lie down. Do not move". Then the rusty sky before my eyes darkened and went out. Everything was over.
She didn't float, she fell into the abyss. Everything is lower and lower. Black, endless, it sucked her in. Noise added to the blackness. At first quiet, hesitant, it grew, becoming an all-consuming rumble, trembling in her whole body.
Cristina opened her eyes, immediately closing them back. A layer of dust had already settled on the eyelids and was now trying to burn out the eyes. She tried to wipe the dirt from her face, but her hands barely obeyed. The ground beneath her trembled again, and Christina tried to see at least something around. Recognizing the familiar roof, she realized that she was once again at the hangar, in which she, like other prisoners, was kept before entering the arena. Cristina sat up, looking around frantically. It turned out that she was simply thrown to the ground behind the hangar, apparently considered dead. Meanwhile, something incomprehensible continued to happen in the yard.
The sky darkened, something howled, a terrible wind intensified, raising the cursed sand in whirlwinds. She crouched down, no longer seeing the sky or the ground, pulling her T-shirt up to her eyes to protect her face. Christina ran out into the yard, managing to slip between the rushing six-legged creatures guarding the entrance to the hangar. Luckily the chains held them back. Stumbling and coughing, she ran forward, not understanding the road. Where? Not important. Most importantly, stay away from here. Christina found herself in an open area, feeling an unusual firmament under her feet, and she was no longer alone. The sounds of the ongoing battle deafened her. Quite nearby, an unknown weapon dug through the gray earth in a burst.