As it moved across this strange world with its strange buildings, beneath its strange sky, its thoughts were not of the passing scenery, but only of the Prey. The Prey moved more quickly now, almost as quickly as the Masters could fly on their machines that soared through the skies. The Prey and its comrades must have mounted wheeled vehicles again and were now speeding to some unknown destination in the northlands of this continent. But where the Prey ran to did not matter. All that mattered was catching and devouring the Prey. And after it had done that, it would be free again to do as it pleased—until the Masters required it perform some other task.
The Prey’s signal was still strong, the hu-man’s thoughts a teasing pull on the creature’s own, a tickling in its brain. The two were linked together now just as the Masters were linked to their undead servants. It almost drove the creature mad at times; there was nothing it would enjoy more than to become unlinked again, unlinked and free.
It thought fleetingly of the Masters. There were still a few of them left, but right now they were very far away in other parts of the hu-man’s world. It wasn’t sure what they were doing but then again it wasn’t its place to question the Masters, only to serve them.
Up ahead, a sprawling fenced-in area contained a group of large animals, thin and frail because they had no masters to care for them.
It licked its lips with a triple-forked tongue and opened its great jaws wide, exposing rows of dagger-teeth. If it were to keep pace and eventually overcome the Prey, it would require sustenance.
The animals screamed when they spied its lightning-quick approach. But they did not scream for long.