July turned into August. It took much longer than I thought teaching this little girl to be a warrior using what memories of the ancient past when dragons and knights existed and made up my own little training nonsense on how to be warrior. Polly went ahead and did it all without a complaint, really, even during dummy sword fight practice. Not a peep came out except for a few odd grunts.

"Who is that, Miss Emily?" Polly one day asks, pointing towards the rock sculpture.

"Loki," I hiss. "Loki of Asgard, God of Mischief, master of magic."

"Ooh, so he's a god," Polly said.

"He is," I hiss, using a flake of my tail to smooth out a part of the demolishing part of the rocky cheek.

"So does he have a part in becoming a warrior?" Polly asks.

"No," I hiss. "He has nothing to do with it."

"Then why do you have a statue of him?" Polly asks. "Do you worship him or something?"

"I do not," I hiss. "I made it for fun."

"Oooh," Polly said. "Miss Emily likes Prince Loki!"

I walk towards the mouth of the cave.

"Perhaps it is time I show you how to ride a horse properly." I nudge over to my side. "Hop on, with some protection, we are going on a wild ride."

____________________ ___________________

One fine day in August, Polly did not come to the cave.

She didn't come that following week.

"Hmm..." I said, seeing the city from the cliff side down the path near my cave. It is strange Polly did not come. "And she hasn't gotten the marking yet."

The marking consists of a lower case 'e' with a dash mark and two "|' marks beside it. I had decided it would be placed on her right cheek using a stick dipped in my acid blood. A marking that will never leave the girl until the day she died and her body decomposes inside a box over the decades that come to pass.

"There is something going on," I said.

I have long gone to learn that when I am saying something no one can hear it. But when I am hissing then others can hear a word I am saying which is pretty strange in terms of communication. I strolled down the cleared path oddly not seeing a critter moving about. I had only caught a rabbit this morning and ate it. Normally there would be more prey to munch on for breakfast. I did not hear the 'ooh oh oh oah aha ah' sounds to monkeys in the trees. Not a chirp is heard. Insects did not make a sound.

There is a lingering fog shrouding the forest when I went down the path.

I feel as though the forest is watching me, waiting, and staring.

Something moves in the bushes.

I turn my head towards the side showing my sharp fangs with a sharp hiss.

Ribbit went a frog as it hopped out.

"Stupid frog," I hiss, turning away from the small animal.

I went down to the center place of civilian life breaking my own rule. I step foot on to the pavement seeing the windows are closed, dangling window pieces being blown against the walls by the wind, and abandonment seen every where in the entrance to the city. I look around going further into the city. Stuffed toys are left on the ground on the benches. Benches are flipped over with remains of what seems to be hats.

Squeak went something under my clawed foot.

I look down to see it is a rag doll lacking the middle of it's forehead.

"What the hell?" I said, taking my foot off the rag doll.

I look up seeing not a figure being human like move.

If something happened to this civilization then hysteria must have been wide spread. On the spreading of this threat Polly must have been told not to leave the house. Now, since it seems deserted, where would Polly hide? She would go to the safest place she knows of.

Polly had sometimes babbled about her house but never gave directions.

I sniff for Polly's scent.

Polly's scent is unique in a way because her favorite food of all time is cotton candy and she is by far the only living individual out there I know of who's breath smells like cotton candy. I sneak alongside the alley walls quietly and silently following Polly's scent. I came to a threshold with a hole at the top that once had been a blockade made up of furniture. I sat down giving it some though on how to enter without taking down the blockade.

"Maybe I could crash it, then put everything back where it was, and see if Polly is okay," I said.

That sounded like a brilliant idea.

But Loki would likely say 'What is the point when you can get cornered by the threat that scared this civilization after getting Polly and you apparently blocked your exit?' when weighing in on this decision making. Now that I think of it my idea sounds stupid. I get right up now focused on what I should do instead. I get in to the leaping position wiggling my tail from side to side glaring at the blockade of furniture.

Yes, Polly's scent is coming from that house.

Here goes nothing!

I tore through the furniture landing on my side square on the floor.

I look over seeing a gold fish flopping on the ground. I quickly get up, grab a bowl and fill it up in water using the faucet. I then pick up several little pebbles laying on the floor,get a wet leaf, and a miniature hula-hoop into the little new water bowl. I put the little goldfish into the new bowl and put in a lot of fish food for the little guy.

I put the water bowl on the counter far from the edge.

The little goldfish swims around.

Phew, that was a close one.

I step back carefully not to break part the goldfish's new home. I take a lot of steps back until I am not in the kitchen. My unique scaled foot steps on a photograph with glass that broke. I look down to see a picture of Polly's family. She had two brothers and two parents. Her parents look so cute together as a couple. I clean off the photograph taking it with me following after the scent. Note to self; give the picture to Polly.

If Polly were to be hiding; it will be somewhere not even Xenomorphs or monsters think to go first. I come alongside the wall that is part of the spiral staircase leading up stairs into a curl. There is a door similar to the one seen in a movie preview I saw on television while out on a case. Yes, there was a television on during the time I had been working in the same room on a top secret mission. I don't remember which agency I worked for at the time but it must have been FBI or CIA; one of the two.

Polly's scent is coming from the door.

I carefully open the door.

"STAY BACK!" Polly shrieks, poking at me with a umbrella.

I grab at the umbrella yanking it out.

"Polly!" I hiss. "It is me," I grab Polly right at the corner of the door before she could make a break for it. "Polly!" I bring her into a embraced kind of hug trying to calm her down. "It is okay," My claw went through her hair. "I am here."

Polly is trembling.

Then a large figure tore through the wall in the room behind the door.

I turn away slapping my tail through the attacking figure to see it is Xenomorph.

A XENOMORPH.

I slam the door shut on the Xenomorph then go the cabinets, grab a large deal of food products out-all the while not breaking the goldfishes new home-of the cabinets,and run right out. Somehow I kept Polly, that picture, and the food-for Polly-in my arms without losing anything. I climb the rooftops being chased by my most hated enemy. This planet has been infested by Xenomorphs, but how?

I kick the roof materials back towards the Xenomorphs knocking them down. I know somewhere safe enough that not even I can get in but only a human figure such as Polly can get in. It is safer for Polly. There is not a beast lurking in that place not friendly to them. Polly can't live on a planet swarming in Xenomorphs. She just can't.

I went so fast the Xenomorphs stop chasing me