Lenko immediately reached for the knife clutched in the child's small hand.
"Give me that," he hissed under his breath, but the girl only pulled back, her fingers tightening around the hilt with surprising strength. Her little claws dug into his wrist as if warning him to back off.
"Hey! It's not a toy!" he growled, trying to pry it away while still keeping one arm looped securely under her knees. The child's tail coiled around his forearm again, rough scales scraping against his skin, and she gave a low, defiant hiss.
"Alright, alright, fine, you keep it, just, don't stab anything else!" Lenko muttered, half out of breath, leaping over what was left of the corpse behind them. The thing's limbs were bent wrong, its eyes dull and glassy, but he turned his head away quickly, shielding the child's gaze with his shoulder.
No way in hell was he letting her see that mess.
Then another whistle split the air.
