Dragon Little - the small, human girl whose real name was Joy Shelley, not yet five years old - stood with her arms and hands shaking in the middle of a pool of blood. She was covered with blood, none of which was her own, and the pool of red around her was twice the length of her arms. Beyond that and all around the pool was the mangled and slashed body of the giant, flying octopus that had kidnapped her. 

Her sword and small laser pistol lay behind her in the pool of blood. 

She breathed hard and did not move. 

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