He weighed nothing to their maw. Yuli tossed him through the air right into a small wetland- a slight incline, but steep enough to fill with water and make a pond. Thirsty cane and shrubs crowded around its banks. He landed with a splash. Seconds later, his partner skidded into the muck beside him.

She swore. They were both covered in green scum and trying to regain their footing. The man clutched at his vest–at the injuries hiding underneath–and slogged forward through the calf-deep water. No time to rest. This wasn’t over yet. Yuli was already right behind them.

The woman turned her rifle on Julia and took a shot. She ducked but Yuli had already lept to the side- then they faltered when a second bullet hit their foreleg.

“Shit!" Julia yelled. "You ok?”

“Yes,” they growled, shaking their paw and contorting the bullet out of their body. “Almost there.”

The gap between them and the gunmen was closed again in seconds. Yuli kept them moving like a pair of bleating mutton sheep, shepherding them on legs that weren’t quite right. They moved through the foliage as some other creature might swim through water, and even at a trot their enemies couldn’t get away.

Another shot whizzed past, but it missed badly.