Tales of the Wastelander Ch. 06

"So, now what do we do?" Ylva asked.

"Well, I could use a hand in cleaning the bird," Mellany told her, and Ylva nodded, knowing that plucking and gutting such large fowl was a two-person job.

"Well, I think I'll have a quick nap while we wait for our men to return," Tasya said, yawing tiredly.

"Go on! You look like you haven't slept a wink!" Mellany laughed.

Tasya then meandered off to the house cart while Mellany and Ylva walked back to the creek. They found a nice flat stone that was large enough to place the bird on and got to work. Ylva held the bird in place while Mellany plucked it and, about halfway into it, they started talking.

"So, did you get a good view last night?" Ylva wondered.

"I'm sorry?" Mellany peeped, caught off guard.

"Last night. Did you get a good view from the cart? Watching Tasya and your brother? Or were you more interested in Ben and me?" Ylva smirked.

"I-I d-don't know what you mean," Mellany stammered, blushing furiously.

"It's all right, Mel. I saw you last night and I'm fine with you watching. In fact, it was a bit of a turn on," Ylva admitted with a slight blush.

"It... it did? Turn you on?" Mellany asked, surprised by Ylva's candor.

"As far as Ben and I are concerned, you're more than welcome to watch us. Maybe, after I talk to Ben, I could see about you joining us. If you're up for it," Ylva suggested boldly.

Mellany was beside herself with desire, as she stopped plucking the bird and started fanning herself with her hand. The swarthy woman was all hot and bothered by these suggestions. Being a merchantess with her brother had taken up most of her time and what time she had left little for any... social encounters. Ylva giggled at this, knowing she'd hit on something that Mellany found hot and kept on.

"How long has it been for you? Since you've had a man?" Ylva pressed.

"More than a year," Mellany admitted. "I've devoted most of my time to helping my brother with his business and helping Tasya back to a semblance of normalcy. So, I have had little time to... meet men. Good men."

"You've gone without for that long?" Ylva yipped in disbelief.

"Yes."

"OK, that is something that will have to change right now!" Ylva declared. "You are too pretty and have a body that was made to be enjoyed by you and the men you lie with!"

"How do you think we would accomplish this? And with whom?" Mellany asked bashfully.

"Well, Ben, obviously! And as far as how we'll get it done, that's where I'm going to need some input from you," Ylva giggled lustfully. She then popped off a few ideas, some of which were enticing to Mellany. They then put their heads together as they resumed plucking and gutting the bird, thinking of the best way to bring Mellany into an intimate encounter.

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Ben and Lawrie had been gone for a little more than half an hour and had some moderate luck. Two more of those birds, which Lawrie called Turkeys, hung from the back of the Thunderer as they kept roaming. They kept their eyes peeled for more of the Turkeys, but had little luck in spotting any more. The two men had just turned back when a meadow they were crossing held a surprise for them.

"Ben, look!" Lawrie called out as quietly as he dared.

Ben followed the man's outstretched arm and spotted two Rabbits grazing just ahead of them. He dropped out of the Rabbit's line of sight, hoping they hadn't spotted him. They were just at the treeline, and the Rabbits hadn't moved at all. Thinking quickly, Ben pulled two arrows and nocked one, gauging how far it was to the nearest one.

"What are you doing?" the big man whispered.

"Going to bring them down," Ben told him.

"The pack might be close by! You'll have to drop them without them calling for help!" Lawrie breathed.

"It's a tricky shot, but I've done it more than once. Stand ready with that spear," Ben told him.

Lawrie nodded soberly, hoping and praying that Ben could make the shot. The smaller man drew the arrow and waited for the nearest Rabbit to raise its head. The moment its head stopped moving, Ben loosed the arrow, catching the beast in the neck. The second it left his bow, Ben nocked and drew the second arrow and sighted his second target.

The other Rabbit stopped grazing and turned to make a call but dropped not even a second later. Its heart and lungs were pierced by the arrow Ben fired at it, stealing its ability to call for help. Lawrie blinked several times, before he dared to even move, as he couldn't believe just how quickly Ben had killed the Rabbits. Sighing in satisfaction, Ben stood up and headed over to where the creatures fell.

"Wow! You got them both, just like you said you would! Think you can teach me to shoot like that?" Lawrie asked, as he joined Ben in going to claim the animals.

"Sure. We'll need a proper-sized bow for you, along with some arrows, to go with it. They'll have to be of half decent quality, so we can be sure you're shooting correctly," Ben informed him.

"Not an issue! I know a few traders who deal in weapons. Maybe one of them has items of sufficient quality?" Lawrie queried.

"We can only hope. Let's tag these two boogers and get going. The ladies are probably wondering where we got to," Ben agreed, reminding Lawrie of why they were there.

Nodding, Lawrie moved to the nearest Rabbit, pulling the arrow from its neck. It was easy to pull, as the arrowhead wasn't caught on its neck bones. Ben headed to the second Rabbit to retrieve the arrow and yanked it out. Suddenly, the Rabbit made three weak, yet clear, calls for help. Ben snapped up as he heard movement and brought his bow to bear.

"What the fuck happened?!?" Lawrie called out, rushing to Ben's side.

"Fucker called out for help!" Ben growled as he watched the treeline. Lawrie readied his spear and waited with him, listening to the sound get louder and louder.

It almost sounded like a stampede to Ben, and he wasn't wrong on that assumption. Bursting out of the thickets and treeline, was a pack or Rabbits, bounding right for them. They squealed and called out in response to the call they heard. Their noses twitched as they smelled the acrid tang of blood on the air. The scent came from both Lawrie and Ben, and they moved in, kicking and butting their heads.

Ben fired a pair of shots in quick succession, dropping two more of the creatures. One of the Rabbits, a beast with a snow white coat, charged in, thinking to knock them to the ground. Lawrie sidestepped the attack just in time and drove his spear into the animal. It twitched and its feet thumped on the ground before it fell over dead. The Rabbits then just circled them, keeping their distance from the two men.

"I don't understand. They outnumber us at least twenty to one. What are they waiting for?" Ben growled, wondering if this was how he would die.

"The Alpha."

Almost on cue, the circle of Rabbits parted for a much larger beast. This one was coal black and at least fifty percent larger than the other Rabbits present. Another distinguishing feature of this animal was the fact that it possessed horns, almost curved like a goat. The beast huffed and crouched for a moment, before it exploded forwards, swinging its head every which way at the men.

Lawrie fell to the side while Ben rolled out of its way, hoping he could avoid getting trampled. The Rabbit tried to shift course but was moving too slowly to catch Ben. Scrambling back to his feet, Ben delivered a spinning back kick to its haunches, sending the Alpha staggering. It skidded to a halt and turned to Ben, crying out in frustration.

The Alpha charged again, but Ben was ready for it this time. It lunged, ramming with its horns, but Ben moved with the blow, absorbing some of its energy while deflecting it. The horns hitting him hurt like a bitch, and Ben knew that he'd have to end this quickly. Out of nowhere, it hopped into the air, kicking Ben in the chest, sending him sprawling. The Rabbit Alpha then lowered its head and charged, looking to finish the man off.

Ben, on reflex, did a handspring and launched a roundhouse at the charging animal. A sickening crack echoed in the immediate area as his boot connected with the side of the Rabbit's head. Its momentum shifted sideways, just missing Ben as he stepped away from the tumbling creature. The Alpha tried to get up, but found that it could not, and stayed down, dazed and too badly hurt to move.

The remaining pack saw this, and they all moved around the pair of men quicker than they had before. That was until Lawrie put his fingers to his lips and uttered a shrill whistle. The pack, which had closed in, quickly scattered as the Thunderer, which had been standing placidly nearby, charged in. One animal was unlucky enough to be right in its path and was trampled to death.

"Why didn't you think of that sooner?" Ben wheezed, catching his breath from the fight.

"Wasn't thinking straight. Just wanted to survive this, and it didn't occur to me until I saw it standing there, watching us," Lawrie explained. Ben nodded, knowing that when your adrenaline was up, you rarely thought clearly.

"I think we're done hunting for the day. Let's lash these boogers to the Thunderer and get ourselves back," Ben urged, seeing that some of the pack was still around, standing at the treeline.

"We gut them first, or they'll start rotting and all this meat will just go to waste," Lawrie argued.

"Fine, but you gut them. I'll stand watch with my bow," Ben stated.

Agreeing, and with Ben's help, they brought all the Rabbits together. Even the one the Thunderer trampled, as it was still in decent shape and nothing appeared to be ruptured. They were a little leery of going near the Alpha but calmed once they saw it was barely clinging onto life. Ben drew his machete and slit its throat, giving it a merciful death rather than letting it suffer.

"So, do you think I could get lessons in that?" Lawrie wondered.

"In what?" Ben asked, confused.

"That way you fight. I've seen no one move that quickly. I would like to learn how to do that," Lawrie commented as he gutted the beasts.

"It's possible. I mean, I've been a practitioner for years. Nearly had my second degree black belt before I went under," Ben told him.

"Second degree black belt?" Lawrie asked in curiosity.

"A black belt in martial arts means that you have trained and learned enough to where you are no longer treated as a student. You are treated as a peer among the other teachers and masters," Ben explained.

"And a second degree means..."

"That I was ready to take a test to prove my mastery over Shotokan karate. That I would have earned a greater level of respect among the teachers and masters of the art," Ben told him, as he kept his eyes peeled.

"So, will you teach me?" Lawrie reiterated.

"Yes, but not just you. I think Ylva, Mellany and Tasya should also receive lessons," Ben stated. In the short time he'd been awake, he knew just how dangerous this world could be. He didn't want to have to watch any of his new friends die if he could help it.

"Thank you. That's the last one. Give me a hand?" Lawrie asked.

Ben stared at Lawrie and saw that he had finished gutting all seven of the fallen animals. A large heap of guts lay on the ground several feet from where they stood. It impressed Ben with how quickly Lawrie had gotten the work done and helped him. It was a bit of a pile on the Thunderer, with seven Rabbits and two Turkeys on it.

The animal didn't seem to mind and didn't even fuss about the strain as Lawrie led it back to camp. They walked on, Ben having his bow ready as they made their way back. The men arrived in the camp and found the women jabbering around carts. All three of them were astonished by the haul of game they'd brought back.

Even Ylva was amazed at the amount of meat they had and inquired at how they did it. Ben told the story as they brought the game to be packed into the carts until they got to town at least. Lawrie put in his two bits here and there, but let Ben tell the story, as Ben was a natural storyteller. They awed the women with the fact that he'd brought down the pack Alpha with one well-placed kick.

"Pack Alphas do not go down easily! Yet, you brought one down! You must teach me how to fight like you do!" Ylva told Ben, her almost demanding that he do so.

"I already told Lawrie that he will get lessons, along with you, Mellany and Tasya, if you want ladies want them," Ben chuckled as he finished helping Lawrie pack away the game.

"Yes, please!" Ylva gushed, which was also accompanied by nods from Mellany and Tasya.

"That settles the matter, then. Let's get to the town and we can figure out things from there," Ben stated.

"What about the Rabbits? How are those being split?" Ylva asked as Ben hopped into their cart, taking a seat next to her.

"Lawrie and I agreed that everything I killed, even the Alpha, is mine and anything else is his," Ben told her.

"Pelts and all?"

"Pelts and all," he smiled, which had Ylva smile happily.

Not only would the meat be good for eating, but the pelts could be used. To make cold weather clothes or to be sold for a hefty price. Especially the pelt of the Alpha, as black furred Rabbits were rare. She clucked her tongue, and the Thunderers got going, following the carts driven by Lawrie and Mellany.

The day wore on; the convoy traveling quickly and was eager to get to the town before sundown. The rest of the day was uneventful as they moved along, encountering no other life, aside from chittering squirrels and the odd songbird. Early afternoon hit and they kept going instead of stopping, hoping to sleep in proper beds that night. They traveled until midafternoon, when they saw smoke in the distance.

"Is that the town?" Ben called up, spotting the smoke.

"Yes!" Lawrie called out, stopping his cart. He squinted in the distance and could tell that something was wrong. There was far too much smoke in the sky, which made the man worry.

"Lawrie? What is it?" Tasya asked, coming awake after dozing off next to him.

"Look!" he pointed.

"I don't like the look of that!" Ben stated, walking up next to the mutant man. He reached for his binoculars and brought the image into focus. The human man then breathed a little more heavily than usual.

"What is it? What do you see?" Ylva asked, coming to stand next to her lover.

"See for yourself!" Ben told her and handed her the binoculars. Ylva then looked through them, and her beautiful face was then marked by a scowl. She brought the binoculars down and growled out a single word.

"Raiders!"

"Raiders?!? Here?? This far north???" Mellany gasped.

"Seems so. From what I saw, there is some sort of skirmish in front of the town. The gates are closed, but some of the town looks to be on fire. Who's fighting back against them?" Ben wondered.

"The town militia. Usually they fight against any wild threats that come against the town, but haven't fought slavers or raiders much, if at all!" Lawrie worried. "We have to help them!"

"We will. I have a plan, but it will require everyone doing their part if we're going to catch these fuckers off guard," Ben stated.

Ben then spoke his idea, some of it not making sense initially, but it then when he put it all together, they all nodded, thinking it could work.

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That's the end of chapter 6! Lots to be learned about this world I've created and loads more to come in the following chapters! I do so love world building, as it gives me the license to make this world my own! With this attack happening on a frontier town, expect more of this world I've created to be revealed as the chapters roll out!

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read my work and I hope that you've enjoyed it! I'm open to constructive criticism and will seriously consider any suggestions made about various story arcs. Please feel free to rate and comment on my work down below. If you like what I write, don't be afraid to follow and share, though your views, ratings and comments are quite enough for me.

In the meantime, this is C.H. Darkstrider, signing off to grab a beer and some quality time with the wife! ;) You will attain whatever you most desire, as long as you believe in yourself. Cheers!