My Wasteland Angel Bk. 01

My eyes slowly drift back down to the milky little yellow flowers. The delicate looking yet flourishing hardy shrubs that grew in and around both the old dead trunks as well as the great mutant branch...and a smile comes to my face. Gabriela wasn't a pure blood. She was a product of this world as much as me. She might not be able to enjoy the comparative comfort and security behind the walls and old world weaponry of the pure blood settlements, but maybe she would be able to find something even better. A future.

It is then I hear a sound behind me. Spinning back with my spear at the ready I twist my bad ankle hard and grunt as I collapse awkwardly down to one knee. Gabby rushes forward to help me to my feet. As I take her arm to let her help me up I realize that I had been far too overconfident in my abilities before. It was probably a good thing I wasn't out there trying to hunt down someone armed with a gun. I test my leg again, then slowly settle my weight back onto it.

"You okay?" She whispers. I see that she was wearing her shirt again, a hasty few rough stitches held the holes closed at her shoulder.

I nod, though I look at her with annoyance. "You hide." I say and urgently wave her back the way she came.

She shakes her head. I could see in her tense body language that something was bothering her. "I-I was thinking...um, we should stay together Willow. It's safer that way." She says uncertainly. "I'll be quiet, I-I won't get in your way."

I am about to argue with her as I wanted her as far from harm's way as possible, but I soon realize she was absolutely right. There were threats everywhere around here. Better to be together to face them side by side than to get picked off alone. Besides, it was so much more pleasant this way.

I finally nod. I rasp a hushed joke. "Pure blood...smarter...than I...grmmm...expected."

Gabby blushes at hearing her own words used back against her. Her look of guilt showing me that she now realized how wrong her preconceptions had been about me and my kind. She nods sadly. "Maybe not as smart as I once thought." I can see the playful quip had been taken to heart. I give her hand a supportive squeeze. She smiles bashfully then whispers. "Anyone out there?" She heads back to pick up the bottle and the plastic jug she had dropped when she had rushed forward to help me.

"All clear." I reply. "We wait...ahummm...nother hour...or so."

She nods in agreement. I note once more the tension in her. Her eyes were darting here and there, mostly downward looking, never looking at me directly. She was probably just scared.

Moving out to the front end of the ruined vehicle I sit on the already nearly dry earth and keep watch. Gabby moves up right in behind me and squats down. As usual she sits unusually close to me, her shoulder practically rubbing against my back.

I sit there a while, watching and listening and feeling Gabby occasionally shift her weight behind me. I knew that if we didn't need to be quiet right now she's probably be talking my ear off. I would have liked that a lot, though just sitting with her in silence was pretty nice too.

She shifts and squirms more than usual and I feel her getting ever closer to me. Eventually she comes to press herself fully against me. Her hands together against the middle of my back, her head slowly coming to rest higher up. Her knees pushing against my butt. I feel her very tentatively begin to stroke my long red braided hair, then reach out and feel the bare flesh just under the back of my armpit. I knew from previous comments that she was marveling at how "human" I felt. I stayed absolutely still, curious as to what this was about and where it was leading. Generally while on watch I wouldn't like being crowded and pawed at like this, but Gabby was an exception.

It is then I hear a sniffle and light sob escape my companion. Her hands clasp lightly on my back and I feel her face push into me. Another soft sob, followed soon by another. I can feel her hands shake as the continue to hold desperately onto my shirt. Gradually I turn myself ninety degrees, sitting so that I could still turn my head to keep an eye out at the area beyond while also being able to see Gabriela.

I look over to see her chin trembling and tears flowing down her perfect cheeks. She sucked in a breath of air and let it out and tiny sobs, trying her very best to stay quiet. She wasn't looking up at me, her big eyes staring down at the ground instead. Fat tears fall to the earth below.

As I turn she backs up a bit and balls up, trembling uncontrollably as she cried in wretched whimpers. My heart breaks as I watch my tiny savior curl up and cry just two feet away from me. I carefully lay down my cane then reach out and gently place my hand on her hunched shoulders. "Shhhh, come here. It's okay." I say. I wasn't used to dealing with this sort of thing, but if it was possible for me to have maternal instincts I was feeling them now like never before. My friend had a wound as deep as the bite from the Gore Rat, and no mutant healing ability could help her now.

She doesn't hesitate a second at the invitation. She hurries forward and buries her head into the side of my upper chest. Her thin arms hug me around the body. Her shoulders heave and release in powerful sobs. Holding me tight she weeps and weeps and weeps. A deep shuddering soul wrenching cry of despair and agony. Her warm tears wet the bare skin of my shoulder. I hold her tight, letting her burrow into my encompassing embrace.

As I hold her I wonder how long she'd been out here alone. Alone and scared. Scared of everything and everyone with no one to turn to. Even us raiders knew the value of someone having your back. Having someone to talk with when you really needed to, to share things with, or even just be around when you didn't want to be alone. But Gabby... How long could someone endure such a lonely frightened existence? Had she trusted anyone before this? Had that trust been betrayed? How many times had she experienced what she had at the hands of Blitz? Given her healing abilities, what physical traumas had she suffered through and survived? How many times had she prayed to her god for mercy, only to have those prayers ignored?

I hold her tight. She was a frightened girl who had done the best she could to get by on her own. But now, having a friend she felt she could truly trust, she had finally reached her breaking point. The timing wasn't ideal, but when it came to human emotions I knew that was the norm. You just never knew when something like this might hit you.

My back resting against the warped rusted fender of the ruined truck, with the soft sounds of a gentle breeze blowing through the shrubs and the creaking of the giant branch, I hold my broken angel tight in my strong arms and let her cry for as long as she needed.

Part 15:

Very gradually I feel her start to steady herself. The weeping subsiding, her breathing becoming more regular, her little hands becoming less grasping and more gently caressing. She sniffles and wipes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She doesn't move to leave me though. Moving her head down she rests her cheek on the top of my large supple breast. I continue holding her soft slender body to mine.

I whisper to her. "Gabby brave. Gabby strong. Gabby...grmm...good woman."

She says nothing back, happy to just be held for the moment. Though her tears are long gone I continue to keep my arms around her and she makes no move to leave. She felt so good against me that I would stay here all day if she wanted me to. We must have sat like that for half an hour at least. Happily I watch the clouds drift overhead. She remains quiet, allowing herself to savor this extended moment to feel safe and secure in my arms. I know I should be keeping a better lookout, but this was too good not to give myself over to it.

I feel her shift her weight. At first thinking she was pulling away I loosen my embrace to allow her to go, instead she only cuddles up closer. She takes my slackening arm and pulls it against her like one might do with a blanket on a cold night. I hold her tight once more. I then hear more than feel...a kiss. A small gentle reluctant kiss to my chest, I barely sense it such was it's gentleness and as she gave it to me on my shirt. I feel her tense up with a nervous energy as she awaits my response. She had awoken my passions but I force myself to take this slow, to let her take things at her own pace. Leaning down I give her a soft kiss to the top of her head. I feel her breath pick up, her tense nerves only rising. I feel another light kiss. This one now on the bare skin of my shoulder. She follows it with another one.

Gabriela's thin fingers begin absently feeling my six pack through the tight tank top. Her hand moves up to my muscled forearm. Her fingers now trace along the valleys between the solid strands of muscle, once more I regret the ugly tat staining my skin in that area. I hear her in the most quiet of whispers say. "So soft." She continues tracing the tips of her delicate digits up and down, next moving up to my thick bicep. She feels it, squeezes it lightly, caresses her palm along the side. It was not hard to sense the change in the way she was touching me. She was admiring me, checking me out, feeling me in a more sensual manner. She takes sharp breath in through her nose and I feel her press into me in a different way than before. Not holding me for emotional support like before, this time her chest and hips doing more of the pressing.

She takes a long slow deep breath then says in a voice just a touch louder than a whisper. "You're...very...beautiful Willow. Um...I...um...I mean..." She swallows hard. "...for a woman...you, um...um..." She turns her head, her chocolate brown eyes slowly rising to meet mine. I see the suggestion in her eyes, the offer she was making to me now. She was offering me her body. But I also see a deep seated guilt and a wounded exposed soul. Her voice trails off as we stare into one another.

She licks her lips then reaches up with an uncertain hand. The soft pads of her fingers strokes my cheek. With my good hand I caress the side of her head, ending the stroke by lightly pinching her velvety little earlobe between my finger and thumb. Her delicate finger tips run softly across my full wide lips, she pushes against the sides of my mouth where she could feel my lower tusks within, she runs her fingers down along my flat wide nose, then up along my eyebrows, and then up a scar I had that intersected the left eyebrow. Her wide curious eyes dart around my face, taking in every detail of my female Orcish face. To a male eye I knew I was a handsome woman, not pretty like Gabby per se but I had attractive symmetrical features. Large clear amber colored eyes, defined cheek bones, a lean toned body; I definitely got looks from the opposite gender...at least until they learn of my mutation. I wonder how I look to her. Was I hideous? Was I beautiful? She said I was beautiful, but I could see she was in a vulnerable state right now. There was as much uncertainty as there was passion in her dark inviting gaze.

Cupping her delicate cheek in my hand I slowly pull her toward me. I feel resistance, I feel as she forces herself toward me. We kiss. Sweet, tender, and gentle. The feel of her body close to mine, her lips pressed lightly to mine, her smell and soft skin. She was simply intoxicating. And I feel her tremble. I feel her breath catch, her breathing shallow and nervous. I lean back to look at her once more.

I see again, she was in such a very vulnerable state. I could see it in her unsure face and feel in her hesitant hands. She wasn't thinking straight right now. She had finally found a connection with someone. Someone she knew was interested in her sexually. She wanted to strengthen that bond however she could. Even if it meant...

I take a long steadying breath. This wasn't the time. In such a sensitive moment, her pain so close to the surface, now wasn't the time for this. I didn't want her to do anything that she would regret later, as much as I desperately wanted to do something with her now.

Reaching up I lightly run my fingers through her short dark hair. "You okay?" I whisper. There was an earnestness to my words that let her know I was genuinely asking. Out of heartfelt concern and friendship.

Looking into my steady empathetic eyes I see the question break her tenuous grip on the sensual offer. The tears well up once more. Biting her bottom lip to keep it from trembling she shakes her head no. In a tiny fragile voice she say. "No...I'm not."

I take her into an encompassing embrace once more. "Shhhh...it's okay...it's okay." I soothe. Once more I hold her tight as another round of weeping takes hold of her, body and soul. My poor little angel. How I wished I could carry some of her burden for her. Once again I hold her for as long as she needed me to.

Finally, after a shorter time this time around, she settles again. I say in the croaking rasp that was my voice. "I...won't leave you. Grrmmm...until you're...safe." I assure her. "I'll...grrrmmm...be good. I'll try."

She pulls back from me. Sitting back and wiping the tears from her eyes. I could see some embarrassment to her downcast eyes. Embarrassed by the outburst as well as the non-verbal offer she'd made a short time ago. "Whoo...thank you Willow. I'm sorry. Whooo...It's just...it's been a long time since I had someone. Anyone."

I smile warmly and nod my understanding. "Me too." I say. I may have had a gang at my back all these years but real connections had been scarce. She smiles back and takes my good hand in both of hers and squeezes it hard. She was happy, she was thankful, and she was grateful for what I had done. I may not have gotten to experience the fleshly pleasures of my beautiful savior, but my refusal during her weak moment had forged a connection of trust between us.

She takes another moment to collect herself. She wipes her eyes, combs her hair with her fingers, straightens her clothes and takes another few long intakes of breath followed by sharp sudden exhales. She closes her eyes and whispers a short prayers. I hear distinctly the words. "...forgive me..." in it.

She looks up with a much more calm and confident look to her. She sniffles, wipes her nose, and points out to the woods beyond. "Hey, think it's safe yet?"

I nod. I hadn't heard another sound or seen any sign of another person since I came out here to keep watch. "I think...safe. But...be careful...stay together."

Gabby grins and nods eagerly. "Definitely." She stands up and dusts off the dirt from her knees and butt. Then she dusts her hands off with growing determination. "Okay, lots to do." She reaches down and helps me to my feet. "We've had breakfast, had a drink, and you're walking around a lot better than expected."

"Mmm...orc tough." I grunt.

She nods. "Must be all those orc delicacies you eat." She says with teasing eyes.

"Mmm, tasty." I go to reach up to pick my nose once more.

She grabs my hand in hers to stop me. "Ewww, stop! I can't believe I kissed that mouth!" She giggles. She glances bashfully up at me, a subtle blush coloring her tanned cheeks.

I smile and swear I feel a little rush of blood to my cheeks as well. We enjoy a brief moment to acknowledge the fact that we'd kissed. She finally shakes her head.

"Anyways, if you want a gun so bad I did see one. Just before I got attacked by the rat." She points at the rod in my hand. "Think you can hold it off while I get the gat."

I nod but also look at her curiously. "Gat?"

She laughs. "Yeah, remember in the book? He called a gun a gat." She laughs again and swats my arm playfully. "Were you even listening when I read it to you?"

I say with a sly wink. "Distracted."

She shakes her head and rolls her eyes. She then waves me to follow along as she quietly makes her way along the edge of the trash heap. She goes into a stealthy crouch, her alert eyes darting too and fro for potential dangers. I stand and admire her small lithe body as she sneaks up ahead.

She finally turns and impatiently waves me to follow once more. Using my spear-cane for support I walk softly and carefully in behind her as we set out to find a proper weapon.

Part 16:

We move silently, ducking in and around the rubble as we move trying to stay out of sight. I keep a keen eye on the wooded area to our right, always on the lookout for any odd movements or glimpses of potential dangers. My ankle throbbed in pain but it was holding up. I was certainly slowing us down, but not by much.

We spoke little as Gabriela lead us to where she had seen a weapon. Generally just short whispered updates as we stopped before open areas to check things out before advancing. I had to admit that I was impressed with my little companion. She'd learned some skills in her time alone. Her lithe body and good fitness gave her a natural advantage when sneaking, and her size meant she could tuck herself away in little spaces I couldn't hope to fit into.

As we moved I was able to get a better look at the towering overpass that we still moved in the shadow of. Even after a lifetime in the ruins of the previous civilization I still marveled at what they were able to construct in the old world. What wonders they could construct. The airborne scavengers that I could see were down to the last few stragglers. Between the rats, birds, and bugs there would be little left up there but gnawed bones at this point. Out at the ramp leading up to that area would be a nightmare right now as the swarms of the larger non-flying carrion eaters would be coming back down after picking every last bit of flesh from the bodies up above. I am once more thankful not to be among the skeletal remains up top.

We had traveled maybe a shade over half a mile, the last part along a cracked asphalt road, when I notice Gabby slowing down and becoming even more cautious. Bringing my bar up into both hands I switch it from a cane to a spear. With the possibility of battle so close at hand I can feel myself slip naturally into what I liked to think of as my combat mode. My movements are careful and economical, always settling into a battle ready stance after every step. My eyes dark quickly around, taking in the important details of the space I would be fighting in. My large pointed outer ears actually flex outward and forward slightly as I concentrate on a cone of sounds in front of me. My mind is calm, empty. Thinking only about what it needed to...

"It's up ahead." Gabby whispers, breaking the silence abruptly. Her voice had been ever so quiet, yet it felt like a shout thanks to the unexpectedness of it.

My battle tranquil mind hits a snag as I hear Gabby speak. Suddenly new thoughts forcefully invade my once still consciousness. Worries about Gabriela overwhelm everything else. Her physical safety, her emotional experience coming back to the site she'd been wounded, her lack of combat awareness and skills. Gah! These were things I was not used to. I had never gone into a situation like this with someone so vulnerable and whom I actually cared about. She had the knife section of her multi-tool out but that would be good for a last ditch defense at best. Reaching out I take her by the shoulder. Leaning down I whisper into her ear. "Be safe."

She looks to me and nods. "You too." Pointing ahead she indicates our destination. A huge slab of concrete had violently embedded itself into the side of a small hill, jutting up at a roughly 45 degree angle out of earth. Below it was a tight sheltered area. I could see the scattered remains of what I assumed had been a raider in this area. The white and red bones freshly picked over tells me the person had perished there not that long ago. I didn't recognize the shredded clothes, likely a member of whoever the hell bushwhacked us up top. The old me felt a small glimmer of satisfaction knowing we'd at least gotten one of them. I wasn't sure how this one had made it so far away from the battle but if I had to guess I'd say he had fled from battle injured then crawled under there and succumbed to his wounds. Or perhaps he'd been killed by the same rat that had bitten Gabby when he stopped for a rest. Among the remains were weapons, my eyes also spy a good set of boots that were about my size. Just in front of this area was a wrapped bundle of cans and still sealed old world food. Obviously this had been Gabby's dropped scavenge from the day before.