Nope, no intro comment, except that I may have overreacted about not getting a response: I thought it had been, like, a week, but I realized it was more like three days. I've lost track of time because school's almost out. My bad!
Chapter V
Skrit instinctively shrieked at the intruder, as it is considered poor ettiquete for a paramite to sneak up on a member of another pack in such a fashion, then realized he had made a mistake.
"What the hell was that?" wondered one of the sligs.
"Hell if I know," said an armored popper, "but I'm gonna find out!"
The slig walked to the edge of the clearing where Skrit, his scouting party, and the new paramite were hiding. Seeing nothing through the dense foliage, he ventured a ways into the trees. Skrit was quivering with fear: they were about to be discovered! If the slig fired a single shot, the others would come running. Skrit and the small scouting party would be killed instantly, and it wouldn't be long till the rest of the pack was found and slaughtered.
Just as the slig was about to step into the small thicket were Skrit's scouting party was hiding, three paramites; the one who had thrown berries to get Skrit's attention and two others apparently of the same tribe, dropped down on silk lines and grabbed the slig. Two grabbed his arms, taking his gun so he was defenseless, while the other clasped his mouth and throat so he couldn't shout for help. Skrit was amazed at the skill and deftness with which these foreign paramites captured and neutralized their prey-- they had done this before! They backtracked up their silken ropes, both drawing the material into their body and climbing with their hind legs at the same time. They disappeared into the dense canopy, and there was a slight rustling and a
snikt! sound as they disposed of the helpless slig, then silence. After a moment the one who had thrown berries at Skrit dropped back down.
The paramite (Skrit noticed that this was a female by her more muscular, heavy build. This surprised him, as males almost always are the hunters of the pack.) introduced herself as Skirk. She explained that she was the leader of a pack (even more unusual for a female) that lived in this forest, and invited Skrit to join her at her pack's den so she could give him a thorough briefing of the situation.
Selecting two of his recon party to join him and leaving the rest to resume watching the slig encampment, Skrit followed Skirk and her two-paramite escort deep into the forest, realizing he had found an allie.
There, short and sweet. Now respond at your leisure. Just within the next few days.