Well, here we have another very late chapter. I'm sorry to keep y'all waiting so long for so little! I hope you enjoy what I do get up -_-

As always, I don't own anything in this story. All the rights go to the people with the lawyers.


Jayne pressed his back against the cold metal of the bulkhead and followed the thing in the cargo hold with his eyes. He wouldn't let this one get the drop on him. It might be small, but that didn't mean it couldn't gut him.

It moved about like an animal but watched him with wary, intelligent eyes. It grabbed up a piece of broken crate just as Zoe and Mal appeared at the top of the catwalk.

"Careful, Mal!" Jayne barked without taking his eyes off the slinking thing in front of him. "It's got a weapon..." Mal halted at the top of the catwalk steps and opened his arms in a peaceful type gesture. Zoe made a small motion behind the cover of Mal's wide arms and Jayne knew at least she had the good sense to be armed.

Unfortunately, the feral creature saw her movement, too. It snarled showing teeth, filed to sharp points, and bloody gums where some had been cut out of its mouth. It glared at the captain and Zoe with a hatred Jayne had never seen, not even in others like this one.

"It's not working, Captain." River's smooth, high-pitched voice came from the corridor. She was just standing there, cool as fruit, stroking the bulkhead. "It understands your ultimatum, but refuses captivity." Her head was cocked to the side at that angle. The one that would tell anyone on this boat, except maybe Riddick, that she had gone feng-Le.

Mal continued down the stairs a few steps then halted, mid way. "Problem is: it's also refused hospitality."

The creature's eyes flicked from one target to another, noting that there were more targets than it could handle and none of them seemed particularly panicked. Jayne could just barely make out Simon's voice murmur something from inside the corridor and Mal nodded.

The thing crouched low and started to growl through its gnashed teeth. Jayne saw his moment and stepped away from the wall, but the wild creature caught the movement. It turned its hatred toward him and gathered to lunge.

The small beast and River leapt at the same instance. The animal launched itself at Jayne, a small bundle of energy and needle-sharp teeth bared to rip his throat out. River palmed the railing of the scaffolding, vaulted over the thin steel and launched herself from the landing onto the cargo bay floor just behind the creature as its small body slammed into Jayne.

Jayne hadn't had enough time to brace, so all he could to do was keep the thing from eating his face. The force of the thing's momentum slammed them back into the wall and Jayne exhaled sharply in surprise. The creature clawed at Jayne's head in desperate attempt to draw his flesh close enough to gnaw on, but Jayne locked his elbows straight and turned his face away, grimacing from the sight.

~:}¥{:~

Riddick found his eyes again on the girl as she arrowed through the air, sun dress billowing and fluttering around her thin frame. The rugged looking kid caught the Merc right as she landed, light on her feet and dropped to a crouch to equalize the force of her landing.

Before Riddick could blink, River had popped upright and executed a roundhouse like a ballerina should. She spun in a graceful pirouette, extending her leg at just the right moment and knocking the wild thing from Jayne's grasp. The kid was sent, flying, across the room to where Riddick was standing in the shadows behind some crates. It came to a skidding halt at his feet but didn't sit still for long.

As soon as the kid hit the deck it sprang back into action. Or... Would have, if Riddick had not snatched it out of the air by the greasy, shaggy mane. He shook the snarling monster child until it's teeth chattered and it stopped trying to bite him. Simon rushed down the scaffolding stairs and across the cargo bay decking. He stepped up to the child, grabbed a wiry leg and was mule-kicked when he jabbed it with a hypo.

"Cute kid, doc... you breed it yourself?" Simon chuckled and shook his head as he picked himself up, off the floor, Riddick jerked his chin toward the medical supplies bag the doctor was stashing his hypo in. "What's that?"

"Vitamins, minerals, basic immune boosters, a tracking chip and enough tranquilizers to keep a gorilla playing nice."

"Tracking chip?" Riddick's eyebrows raised toward his shiny scalp.

"Can't have him wanderin' about, unsupervised." Mal had strutted over to join them, "But on days like this, where there's been all kinds of unsupervised wandering, we should have a way of finding the lad before he kills us all in our sleep."

"What's wrong with 'im...?" Riddick stuffed the kid into the crate, pausing to grab the shiv out of the child's limp fingers.

"That, there's a Reever!" Jayne was rubbing on a shoulder, rotating it.

"Jayne!" Mal scolded him. "What have I told you about speakin' in public?"

"It's a bit late to be all cautious, like!" Jayne poked a finger at Riddick, "He done seen it, Mal!"

"I don't care what he's seen!" Mal growled the rebuke. "You keep yer trap shut."

Riddick frowned at Jayne's extended digit then brushed it aside with the back of his own hand. Jayne sneered but backed out of Riddick's immediate reach.

"Reevers don't keep children." River stated the fact as if she were telling them The Black is cold. "Too weak. Fatty meats."

There was a small sound of movement from inside the crate right before the wild child started screaming at the top of its lungs. The sharp sound elicited reactions from everyone in the cargo bay ranging from Jayne's kicking the crate to River covering her ears and running out the way she had come.

"How are we gonna get this thing loaded, if it won't stay shut up?" Jayne yelled at Mal over the wailing.

Mal just threw his hands up in the air and turned to leave. River darted back into the bay, clutching something in each hand. She sprinted up to the crate and shoved something through the slats.

The sound assault faltered, then ceased entirely and River smiled. She pushed another thing through the slats, and another, continuing until her hands were empty.

"The animal was on the hunt." River cooed and patted the side of the crate. "Hungry-"

"I fed it!" Jayne barked at her but she made a face and stuck out her tongue.

"It doesn't eat what you give it."

"Oh, yeah?" Jayne grimaced, "Then what does the King of the Wild Things eat?"

"Sweet rolls." She smiled at him and batted her eyes.


Alrighty! Tell me what you think ^_^