"It's a sign we shouldn't touch em." Fury said. Fury was not his real name but it was how we all referred to him now. Boy had a real temper on him. His hatchet face coated with dust. I leaned over the top of my shield .. black eyes searching the line of wagons that stretched out before us while we waited for them .. hidden in a bosk wallow ... kaiila laid down waiting for the charge. Their standard was a mess of what looked like filthy dweller burial rags and bones. Fearful looking thing I did not blame the lad for getting superstitious about it. Was not normal .. had the feel of savagery and death all over it. The breeze toying with the bones so they lived with sound as well as movement. But there was something .. I can be as superstitious as the next Tuchuk .. sometimes more so. But there was something not real about it all though I could not peg exactly why I felt that way. I was the only Spex among them .. as well as being their commander and they looked to me to ease their fears and I spat to the side with disgust. "Nothing but a bunch of pink dweller flesh that will split open nicely beneath our blades."
There were eleven of us. Given the orders. Checking it out .. ascertaining threat and risk as apposed to benefit. They all looked to me .. "Weapons" The word met with an answering grin from each.
We were not unaware of what we were facing. Possible death .. or worse. Each of us old enough to not clutter the moment with false bravado and self importance .. but young enough not to be too serious about it either. I knew each .. save one. A young man ..Ogedaii ... about my age. Not as many scars but a weight of experience in his black eyes. Almost hidden though by the irreverence that marked every line of his posture. Something I liked about him. But he was untried with me in battle so I kept my eye on him for now.
"Bows." I pointed to four .. including Ogedaii to take out the riders we could see. It would be the signal the rest of us would take to urge our kaiila up and charge. They would cover us until we were too close and then they would join. It was with some hesitancy that I allowed Ogedaii to be one of the archers .. though there is not a Tuchuk who can not use a bow ... I usually left that to men I had more experience with. No one wants to go down under friendly fire. But Ogedaii had asked to show me his skill and there is only one way to try a man by battle .. and that is with ... battle. You can shoot all day at a target on the kaiila track but that target does not shoot back at you.
The hiss .. the signal .. the screams of men echoed that signal as spurs dug into kaiila hide and the beasts lunged to their paws and sprang over the edge of the wallow charging the line of wagons. One of their riders was down .. his kaiila screaming on top of him while he was screaming beneath. Another lay sprawled in the grass with two shafts protruding from his chest far beyond the ability to scream .. ever again.
We were on them ..I heard Fury screaming like the insane freak he was as I split open the heart of a guard with the tip of my lance. Well .. that is the nicer explanation of what I did.. that is how it was supposed to go. I am still not back to my full self and my hand was too heavy .. so yes I split his heart and shoved it right through the backside of his ribs .. which left my lance buried too deep and I had to let it go. I swore and wheeled the kaiila back around drawing two of my quiva letting one blade bury itself deep in the skull of the man spitted on my lance just in case he was still inclined to live. A warrior can never be too careful .. not much time to stop and take a pulse. The other stayed in my hand as I jumped from my saddle and grabbed the edge of the wagon seat to take out the driver. He lunged at me and grabbed my wrist and we swayed like that in a macabre dance for a moment. His fetid dweller breath hot on my face. I was cursing hand to hand combat for I was not strong enough yet for it when I saw the man's eyes bulge just before blood bubbled up out of his mouth as he coughed into my face. I shoved him from me and I saw the arrow sticking from the back of his neck as he fell away. Someone was still shooting arrows.
Ogedaii.
I was going to kill him ... as soon as I thanked him. Or .. I was going to thank him ... as soon as I killed him. Perhaps at the same time ... I had not made up my mind yet.
Just then there was the biggest bellow I have ever heard come from two legs. A great big mother fucking Kur of a man jumped from inside the wagon. And I was in his sights.
figures
He had long blonde greasy hair tied up here and there in polished bones. His face was a crisscross of jagged white lines and his nose showed it had been broken time after time .. smashed and bent sideways forever. He had a blade in his hand and he looked like he could use it.
I turned to meet him but the wagon lurched and my boot slipped on the seat about the time I felt the sickening squelching impact as the blade buried itself into my shoulder. He latched onto me like I was his long lost brother .. but it was not brotherly love in his little tarsk eyes. I felt the strain of his hold on my spine and I let my upper body go limp while shoving off the wagon seat with my boot sending us both over onto the ground .. the ground a long way beneath us ... the ground that was very hard. I broke his fall.
figures
By the time the world around me came back into focus and I started dragging the first searing painful breaths back into my lungs I realized the big fucker had impaled himself on my blade when we fell. It took all my strength to shove him off me .. coughing and trying to will my lungs to expand after being squished into paper thin remnants of what lungs should look like.
The rush of battle was over and the men were dragging loot out of the wagons spreading things around the plains until it looked like the aftermath of the Love Wars. Shit everywhere. I leaned my hands on my knees and fought with my lungs for a bit. Was not the most glorified stance but fuck .. it hurt.
"FONCE!" I heard my name and turned to find the source ... Ogedaii was hanging almost sideways out of a wagon excitedly gesturing me to come over. I stared at him for a moment .. then grunted and made my way to the wagon. Inside were a number of slaves ... but there was one in a cage .. a fierce savage looking little beast. Dark skinned like a kataii but she was wearing strange skins and bones for jewelry. Someone had filed her teeth sharp. She was scarred .. a fighter ... but none of the scars were as deep and wicked looking as the one that started at her left shoulder and traced down ravaging her left breast. She hit the bars snarling and snapping her teeth at Ogedaii and he grinned.
Foreplay.
"Fonce! I want this one!" I chuckled and nodded .. you can have your pick of them Ogedaii .. but enjoy her tonight for tomorrow .. when I get my breath back ...
I am going to kill you.
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