The dark-furred ape broke from the brush at a full sprint, knuckles hammering the ground, and Luke went after it without thinking twice.
He knew better than to take the bait the moment he heard the others.
Three came from the left, bursting out of the ferns like they'd been coiled there waiting.
Two more dropped from the branches overhead, landing so hard the ground shuddered. Another pair circled wide to cut off his retreat, and somewhere behind him a seventh screamed, a sound like tearing metal.
Seven of them.
'Nice haul.'
The closest one charged with its arms spread wide, mouth open, canines yellowed and long.
Luke called the steel claws into his right hand and sidestepped the rush entirely, letting the ape's momentum carry it past him.
He dragged the claws across its back as it went. Not deep enough to drop it, deep enough to register. It screamed and stumbled forward into a tree and he was already moving.
