The nippers swarmed at the edges of our vision, their ferrofluid bodies shifting and contorting as they moved. Small, eldritch things with too many limbs and not enough purpose—like concepts that hadn't quite finished becoming real.

  "So what's the plan?" Nessy whispered, her back pressing against mine as we surveyed the threat circling us. "We need that concrete for Sandwichu's planting bed."

  "I'm thinking," I muttered, gripping the stop sign tighter. The creatures hadn't attacked yet, but their movements were growing more agitated, their trio of red eyes glinting with what seemed like malevolent curiosity.

  One darted forward suddenly—a quick, testing lunge that Nessy met with a snarl, her canines flashing in the sunlight. The nipper retreated, but others grew bolder, edging closer.

  "They're coordinating," I observed, watching their movements. "Like a hive mind."

  "Or a pack," Nessy countered, her ears swiveling to track sounds I couldn't hear. "But without an alpha."

  An idea struck me. "The concrete puddle—it's what they're guarding, not what they're after."

  "How do you know?"

  "Look at how they're positioned. They're not approaching the puddle; they're forming a perimeter around it."

  Nessy nodded, her nose twitching as she processed this information. "So what do we do? Fight through them?"

  "No," I said, remembering Calvin's words about confrontation. "We need a distraction. Something to draw them away."

  My hand brushed against the cereal box Calvin had given us. I pulled it out of Nessy’s bag feeling the weight of its contents. Not much, but maybe enough.

  "When I give the signal," I whispered, "run for the concrete. Fill the bucket and don't look back."

  "What signal?" Nessy asked, her voice tight with concern.

  I smiled grimly. "Just watch."

  With a fluid motion, I tore open the cereal box and flung its contents high into the air in the opposite direction from the concrete puddle. The multicolored bits scattered like confetti, catching the light as they fell.

  The effect was immediate and unsettling. The nippers froze, their red eyes tracking the falling cereal with an intensity that bordered on reverence. Then, as one, they surged toward the scattered food, their bodies rippling with excitement.

  "NOW!" I shouted, pushing Nessy toward the puddle.

  She didn't hesitate, sprinting across the cracked pavement with a speed that reminded me she wasn't human. Her digitigrade legs carried her in graceful bounds, the bucket clutched tightly in her hands, black skirt flying.

  I followed, keeping my eyes on the writhing mass of nippers now frantically consuming the cereal. They moved with disturbing efficiency, each piece disappearing into their amorphous bodies.

  Nessy reached the puddle, plunging the bucket into the iridescent concrete with a determined grunt. The liquid seemed to respond to her touch, swirling with colors that shouldn't exist in ordinary concrete.

  "Hurry!" I called, noticing that some of the nippers were beginning to lose interest in the cereal, their attention returning to us.

  "I'm trying!" she replied, struggling with the bucket. "It's... it's heavy and… fighting me! Arffff!”

  I reached her side just as the concrete began to rise up from the puddle, forming tendrils that wrapped around the bucket like possessive fingers. Nessy let out a yelp of surprise, her claws digging into the plastic handle.

  "Let go!" I shouted, swinging the stop sign at the tendrils. The metal connected with a sound like breaking glass, and the concrete recoiled momentarily.

  Nessy yanked the bucket free, now quarter-filled with the strange substance. "Got it!" she exclaimed triumphantly.

  Our victory was short-lived. The disturbed concrete puddle began to vibrate, sending ripples across its surface. From its depths rose a larger nipper—not simply a scaled-up version of the smaller ones, but something more evolved, more deliberate in its form. Its body was the size of a large dog, with many limbs that resembled twisted rebar and a head dominated by seven glowing red eyes.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  "Alpha," Nessy breathed, her ears swinging back.

  The smaller nippers abandoned their feast, scurrying back to form a protective circle around their larger kin. The alpha nipper fixed its gaze on us, particularly on the bucket in Nessy's hands.

  "Run," I said quietly, placing myself between her and the creature. "Get back to Calvin's."

  "Not without you," she growled, her free hand tightly gripping my arm.

  The alpha nipper let out a sound—not quite a roar, not quite a hiss, but something in between that made my teeth ache and my vision blur momentarily sounding like a snapping staple-gun. It began to advance, its movements deliberate and predatory.

  I raised the stop sign, ready to defend us, when a silver text suddenly flashed before my eyes:

  [Quest Update: First blood drawn! Achievement unlocked: "Ankle Appetizer."]

  “Ankle-whaa…. Ahhhh, shit, God damn it!” I yelped in pain, shaking a nipper off my ankle. The dark fluid critter’s tiny jaws sunk deep into my skin, drawing blood.

  I swatted at it with the stop sign, batting it away from me. It hit the ground with a wet splat but immediately began reforming itself, its red eyes never leaving me.

  The alpha nipper was now only fifteen feet away, its followers forming a living carpet of writhing darkness behind it.

  Then, with shocking speed, it lunged.

  I swung the stop sign with all my strength, connecting solidly with the creature's mass. The impact sent vibrations up my arms, nearly numbing my hands, but the alpha was knocked sideways, skidding across the pavement.

  "Run, damn it!" I shouted again, already backing away. This time Nessy didn't argue, turning to sprint toward Calvin's mini-mart with the bucket clutched to her chest.

  I followed, risking glances over my shoulder. The alpha was recovering quickly, reorganizing its distorted form. The smaller nippers swarmed around it, seeming to offer pieces of themselves to help it rebuild.

  We were halfway back to Calvin's when the concrete in Nessy's bucket began to glow with an intense blue light.

  "What the—" she yelped, nearly dropping it.

  "Keep going!" I urged as I heard the distinctive sound of the alpha's pursuit behind us.

  The glow intensified, illuminating Nessy's fur with an ethereal blue radiance. Streams of light began to escape from the bucket, forming intricate patterns in the air around her—symbols and glyphs that seemed vaguely familiar, though I couldn't place them.

  [Quest Update: The Concrete has swiped right on your profile! Achievement unlocked: "Hot Single Minerals In Your Area." Warning: Commitment issues detected.]

  "It's talking to me!" Nessy gasped.

  "Keep moving, damn it!" I insisted, risking another glance behind us. The alpha nipper was gaining, its seven eyes blazing like angry stars amidst its dark fluid body.

  Nessy stopped completely, turning to face our pursuer. Before I could protest, she thrust her hand into the glowing concrete.

  "What are you doing?!" I shouted.

  "Trust me," she replied, her voice unusually calm. "I know what I'm doing… I think."

  The blue light engulfed her arm, spreading around it in radial patterns.

  "I claim you!" She inhaled and barked at the concrete. "Not as a prisoner, but as part of my pack. Will you choose us over them?"

  The alpha nipper skidded to a halt just yards away, its smaller kin gathering around it. It seemed wary now, its attention fixed on the glowing bucket rather than on us.

  For a moment, nothing happened. Then the concrete surged up Nessy's right arm, coating it in a gleaming gray gauntlet of semi-fluid concrete that hardened instantly.

  [Alliance formed! Achievement unlocked: "Cement Mixer, Not a Heartbreaker." Your relationship status is now: It's Complicated (with Minerals).]

  Nessy grinned, flexing her newly armored hand. The concrete moved with her, flowing like quicksilver yet solid where needed.

  "Time to party, fuckers!" Nessy growled, her ears forward in a predatory stance.

  The alpha nipper let out another of those unsettling staple-gun sounds. The smaller nippers pressed closer to it, as if seeking reassurance.

  "You want this tasty concrete?" Nessy taunted, chucking the empty orange bucket towards the entrance of the Mini-mart. "Come and get it!"

  She rushed forward to meet the alpha, her concrete-armored fist raised.

  They collided with a sound like thunder, the impact sending shockwaves across the parking lot. The alpha's mass distorted around Nessy's armored fist, its form momentarily losing cohesion before reforming several feet away.

  Nessy howled with delight, the sound so primal and canine it sent shivers down my spine. She charged the alpha, her movements a blur of speed and precision. The concrete fist bubbled around her hand.

  A silver flash in my peripheral vision drew my attention:

  [Quest update: Your companion fights valiantly! Achievement unlocked: "Spectator Sport." Would you prefer to A) Join the fray, B) [System error], or C) Run away screaming and sacrifice your husky companion to the Nipper Alpha? Note: Option C comes with a complementary paper bag for hyperventilation.]

  The question forced a decision. Nessy seemed to be holding her own, the concrete glove giving her an edge against the alpha. But, the smaller nippers were beginning to regroup, circling around to attack her from behind.

  "Hey!" I shouted, drawing the attention of the baby nippers. "Over here, you little bastards!"

  They turned as one, their red eyes fixing on me with malevolent interest. I braced myself, feet planted firmly on the broken pavement.

  "Come on then," I muttered, twirling the stop sign like a staff. "Let's dance."