He shot, and glimpsed the man's face drive in. But another Humanite had seized the instant to rush in at him, sword gleaming. A gray thunderbolt flew from behind Nelson at the new attacker, aiming for the throat.
"Asha, look out!" Nelson sent his warning thought as he saw the dog-wolf's staggering opponent drop sword and whip out a dagger.
Even as he flung himself off Hatha into the shallow water to help he saw the dagger rip the dog-wolf's ribs. And then the Humanite sprawled in the water, his throat a pumping red gash.
Asha staggered, slipped. Fading flare of green eyes shone up at Nelson as he reached the wolf. He heard the dying thought
"Good hunting, broth—"
"They flee!" came the wild, raging thought-cry of Quorr. "Kill, before they escape!"
The Humanites, what was left of those who had landed, were wildly pushing their rafts back into the river, back into the deeper water.
Nelson heard Nick Sloan's cool sharp voice cut in across the din, from the rafts farther out.
"Pull back! That's enough!"
The fighters of the Clans, blood-mad, were balked, could not follow into that deeper water. But as the fight momentarily slackened thus, past Nelson pushed Kree.