"It's called a Licker. You'll probably notice its slightly exposed brain and heart first or maybe its lack of skin and eyes; one of those two is always what people seem to see. And, if you're unlucky, its elongated tongue second. Or last, as the case usually is." Birkin had seen a fair share of people get stabbed or decapitated by those tongues and it was just as fascinating and horrific as when he first saw it happen.

Birkin swiped a keycard to get into his personal lab, wincing when the reader beeped. "You're going to need to be extremely quiet; its hearing is very sensitive and I don't want it to get too agitated if I can avoid it," he whispered. The scientist opened the door, preparing the anesthetic as quickly and quietly as he could, wincing slightly at any sound that seemed too loud.

The creature started thrashing its massive claws when Birkin got a bit too close to it. Luckily it didn't thrash hard enough to break the bonds that were currently holding it down. He jabbed his syringe into its leg, injecting the liquid. He sighed in relief once it looked like it had passed out. "They usually travel in packs so you can imagine how hard it was to just get the one." Birkin spoke louder this time, testing to make sure it was actually out. He let himself smile at it, like a father checking on his sleeping child. "Beautiful, isn't it?"