"Taylor and me are here because my helmet malfunctioned on a scouting mission outside The Wall and rather than let me choke to death, he took it off of me," I interjected. "I don't think the Guardians care much for explanations."
There was a pause, during which Coal stowed his gun and all of Laurie's. He then dropped the radio to the ground and crushed it under his boot.
"There, much better." He smiled.
"Fine, I'm coming with you. But do you really think I'd shoot you in the back after you saved our lives?" Laurie snapped.
"I haven't decided. When I do, you may get your guns back." He smiled again and turned towards the far side of the clearing just as a soft padding sound reached my ears.
A pair of blue eyes loomed between two tree trunks, the greenish light of the forest reflected within them. They were soon joined by a long snout covered with white fur and two huge, pointed, grey ears.
The creature's face was covered in fur and lined with razor sharp teeth in a gaping jaw that hung open, ready to bite. A moment later, a colossal, hulking body shrouded in long grey and white fur stepped out into the clearing. The animal regarded us with curiosity, or possibly it was evaluating which one of us would taste the nicest.
My first instinct was to scream but I remembered my shotgun and snatched it from my back instead. I swung the gun up to point at the snarling face and placed my finger on the trigger. I pulled. At the same moment, Coal threw out an arm knocking the barrel of my gun skyward, sending my bullets into the treetops.
"What the hell are you doing?" he shouted.
His fingers locked around my wrists and dug in so that I released the grip on my gun. It fell to the ground and hit my leg. I gaped at him in disbelief. We stared at each other for several moments before I remembered the fanged monster which had now closed the distance between us. I took a step back and stumbled on a tree root. He held me on my feet.
"Let me go," I gasped and he did so instantly.
The animal sat down and tilted its head as it regarded us. I staggered back again while Coal narrowed his eyes at me and then his gaze softened.
"I'm sorry, I should have warned you," Coal said. "There's no need to be afraid." He reached out a hand and ran it through the shaggy fur on the animal's head. It stood and licked his fingers.
"What is it?" Laurie asked, she had moved away from it too, right to the other side of the clearing.
"She is a dog... or a wolf, we never could be sure. I found Kaloo as a puppy years ago and she seemed to want to stay with me, so she did."
"It's a beast," I gasped, eyeing the long fangs and feet as big as my hands. She stood on four legs with her back higher than Coal's hip and her head level with his chest.
"She is that, but she's my beast. You'll have to get used to her if you want your friend to make it to our camp because I don't plan on dragging him the whole way there."
"Will she hurt us?" I asked, watching her warily as she stalked about the clearing, sniffing amongst the foliage on the ground.
"Of course not. Come here." He offered me his hand. I didn't move. Laurie took another step back.
Coal rolled his eyes and made a motion with his hand. Kaloo lay down and rolled onto her back, with her paws in the air. I couldn't help but laugh, though whether out of amusement or fear I wasn't entirely s
ure. Coal took my hand.
"Seriously, she won't hurt you." He lead me over to her and I tried very hard not to drag my feet.
"I've never met an animal before," I said, resisting a little as he pulled on my arm.
"Just run your hand over her fur." He guided my hand along the fluff on her tummy and her tail started to thump the ground vigorously.
"Hello, Kaloo," I smiled. The fur was silky soft between my fingers. "Laurie come here," I called but Laurie had moved further back still, some of the leaves at the edge of the clearing blocked her from view.
"I can see she's perfectly friendly from over here, thank you," she called back.
"We should get going." Coal took the ends of the vines that bound Taylor's litter and tied them around Kaloo's powerful shoulders. She gave his face a big lick and he cuffed her affectionately around the ears. At another sharp whistle from Coal, Kaloo took off through the dense greenery, dragging Taylor behind her.
We followed in her wake, taking advantage of the smooth trail the litter left along the ground.
We had been walking for several hours. During that time the sunlight, which had been filtering through the tree tops creating a green haze filled with spiralling golden dust motes, had slowly disappeared.
The sounds of the forest had changed subtly too. Bird songs and the chitter chatter of small mammals had slowly given way to the call of crickets and other insects that inhabited every inch of the undergrowth. I'd spent hours pestering Coal for information about every small detail of the surroundings until my voice had grown horse and I finally fell silent.