The closest bird clamped down on Satou"s arm with its beaky chops and he dropped the neutralizer, followed by a scream of pain. He grabbed the bird in a bear-like embrace and tossed it into a nearby tree. Its screeches from before were nothing like its howls of pain as the viscous substance of the tree flowed over the doomed beast.
I helped Gard into an upright position and ran over to join Satou, who favored his wounded arm. The two remaining birds closed on him and I looked for Wraith, wondering where he"d ran off to but then I remembered his disappearing act on the Argus and questioned his courage level. I reached the closest bird and swung my fist but missed by a mile, exposing my glaring need for more weapons training. When the bird turned and focused his attention on me, I became co
