As always... please read and enjoy~Scriffignano

Chapter 14

"Don't let it get away!" Arc raised his crossbow to rally his men.

After Marie, the shield maiden from the Tundra Amazons made the declaration of their leader wanting to confer with them, the people of the Ark Angels worked their hardest to acquire a means of aerial transportation. It wasn't that taking their ground mounts would have been impossible, but the terrain along with the myriad number of predators that called the frozen tundra home would have made the trip very dangerous and slow going.

At first they tried catching a few Pteranodons, but that ended in total disaster. Either the animals were spooked by human presence and flew off or they were too young to handle such a trip. They also knew the Pelagornis or the giant seagulls that patrolled the beaches were out of the question as well. Sea birds were difficult to tame because they always flee over the water at the first sign of danger.

An Argentavis like the one Marie flew in on would have been an excellent option if the Ark Angels didn't live several days from the nearest known nesting ground for the species. The Quetzalcoatlus was in the same category since they never came close enough to the ground to catch. Not to mention their tremendous size made them a bear to stable and keep fed.

As a last resort they managed to corner a strong adult Tapejara that has been known to roost to the south of the Ark Angels base. A strange creature by design, the Tapejaras is considered a jack-of-all trades Pterosaur that is as elusive as it is impossible to catch. Some say their head crests can detect air currents created by a person breathing while others say that they have great hearing. Either way it makes them very difficult to sneak up on.

"Edward! Bola the sucker!" Arc screamed.

Edward surged ahead on a borrowed Thylacoleo. Kylie was nice enough to allow Edward to use Aggro as a hunting mount for this capture. His Allosaurus would have been too big for the mission. After he used a rock to jump above the winged beast, he threw a bola much like the one used to capture Beau. The bola wrapped itself around the Tapejara's neck, but there was a catch to the contraption. It was tied to a rope that allowed Edward to use Aggro as an anchor. This effectively stopped it from flying away.

"Surround it!" Edward also gave orders.

The hunting party surrounded the Tapejara and threw hooked ropes over it. Those that missed were hooked to trees and roots while those that hooked on restricted the animal's movements even more. Its fate was sealed. No matter what, it was now an animal claimed by the Ark Angels.

.-.-.-.-.-

Kylie waited back at the compound for the hunting party to return. She was tasked with getting supplies ready for the trip while they were out. It annoyed her that she was left behind, but Arc and Edward did it purely out of necessity. They both considered her a valued member of the tribe and would have loved to have her on the mission with them. The issue was that the beast in question needed a veteran's skills and she was still learning some of the finer points of surviving on the Ark. She looked at the small bags of supplies and could hardly believe that this would be enough for them. The only sizeable items on the list was the three full sets of fur trimmed armor and a bag of spices for cooking.

"I hope I got everything we need." She sifted through the armor to find a set that fit her the best.

She continued to wait and wait near the gate with Connie resting her massive head on her lap. It wasn't until she heard the sounds of people shouting and a strange squawking noise did she open the gate. Sure enough it was the hunting party and they seemed to be successful in capturing a means of transportation.

"A Tapejara… I think." she muttered to herself as she approached the animal.

The animal was a vibrant mixture of greens, blacks, and pinks. The crest made up a huge percentage of its head and it seemed to be able to carry a person with minimal effort. All it needed was a saddle and reins and they would be ready to head north.

"Are you sure this animal will be okay in the frozen north?" Kylie was concerned about the lack of covering on the animal. "And I thought all of us were going?"

"It will be fine. Tapejara's have huge hearts and lungs. This allows them to keep themselves warm even in the coldest parts of the island." Arc tapped the animal's chest. "And… we are. Didn't I tell you that Tapejara's were strong enough to carry two passengers as long as we keep the weight down to a minimum. It's why our packing list is so short."

"Keep the weight to a minimum you say..." Kylie got that mischievous look in her eye. "Are you calling me fat?"

Arc had gotten used to her shenanigans a long time ago so he was used to her saying things like that. "If I was going to call you fat, I would have done so already." He acted like nothing was out of the ordinary as he tied a breakaway knot to a hitching post for Beau. "So… what should we name him?"

"I don't know? What do you want to call him." Kylie was unsure of a name.

"Why not keep it simple and call him Tappy." Edward chimed in jokingly. "K.I.S.S… Keep it simple stupid!"

"Save it Edward." Kylie barked.

"Well..." Arc shifted uncomfortably. "I have a name, but it might sound weird."

"What is it? It can't be that bad" Kylie was genuinely interested.

"Well… How about Futaba?" Arc shuffled.

"What's so bad about that name. It sounds perfectly fine to me." Kylie giggled at his embarrassment.

"It's because there is a plesiosaur species called Futabasaurus." Edwards shouted from across the field.

"Futaba sounds better than Tappy pal!" Arc shouted back at him. "Go get the saddle before I throw a rock at you!"

Edward sprinted off to get the saddle as a rock flew in his direction. If he had waited a moment longer the projectile would have hit him straight on the head. Arc merely huffed and started sorting through the bags that Kylie had gotten ready for the trip.

"Food, spices, rope, armor… Looks like everything is here." Arc was satisfied with the provisions gathered. "She did a heck of a job."

The bags were tied off to the saddle bars and everyone climbed on. Since this was Futaba's first flight, there was no telling how he was going to behave. Arc seemed quite sure of his abilities though and had everyone climb aboard Futaba. He squawked and bleated as everyone seated themselves, not used to the extra weight on his back.

"Release the ropes!" Arc shouted.

The handlers that were holding Futaba in place released their bonds which gave the Tapejara control of his body once more. He immediately took to the skies and tried to lose his unwanted passengers.

"Oh crap!" Edward held on to the saddle bars for dear life while Arc tried his best to grapple with the Pterosaur.

Futaba was not having it with there being three people latched onto his back. He rolled and twisted every direction he could think of in an attempt to lose them and go home.

"Oh no you don't!" Arc yanked on the reins so hard it made Futaba croak in pain.

He hated to do that to any animal, but Futaba was about to crash into a tree if he hadn't pulled on the reins. Many survivors have lost their lives to poorly trained flying beasts. Arc wasn't about to be counted amonst those who have fallen to their death because they got careless in the saddle.

Once he saw that Futaba was settling down into his new role, Arc steered him to the north and loosened the reins slightly. There was no need for a constant tug of war between them, but he did keep vigilant in case of another potential disaster. The flight should only take them until nightfall since they were in a hurry, but it was going to be nerve racking the entire time. Between Futaba being a freshly saddled animal and having two screaming passengers begging not to die by being thrown off, Arc couldn't tell which was worse.

Other pterosaurs joined them in their flight north, forming a "V" formation to reduce the amount of energy needed to fly. Arc took pleasure in seeing the other animals because it seemed to put Futaba at ease. The tailriders stuck around with Futaba up until the northern delta system came into view. Ice and snow dotted the water and a thick blanket of snow covered the mountain cap. At its peak stood the colossal blue obelisk. The tower itself wasn't blue, but the light that came from the tower was blue.

"Where are we going?" Kylie shouted over the blustery wind. "I know its near that mountain, but she didn't give us much to go on!"

"It's on the northern side!" Edward pointed ahead of them. "The Tundra Amazons literally built their stronghold into the mountain side if my memory serves me right!"

"If your memory serves you right?!" Kylie questioned him. "The fact you said that scares me more than anything else."

Futaba started getting winded from the strain of flying with all this extra weight. To ease the strain, Arc started looking for a place to land near the river. It was a gamble to land in unfamiliar territory, but there was also no reason to kill Futaba from exhaustion. Landing may increase their risk of death, but falling out of the sky would guarantee it.

Futaba croaked as his feet touched the ground. Arc chose a spot next to a melting river to take a break and raid their bag of rations. While the three ate, Futaba got a drink from the river and happened to catch a fish that swam by. He swallowed the Coelacanth whole after bobbing his head back several times. Watching him do that made Kylie giggle a little bit.

"He acts like a pelican when he eats."

"Big deal... I can do that to." Arc tried to swallow a strip of jerky whole only to choke on it for a second or two.

"Better leave the pelican act to him… you idiot." Edward laughed as Arc pounded on his chest to dislodge the jerky.

Everyone laughed and continued to relax in relative peace even though they were completely exposed. Their weapons were never far from their grip and they all turned to sit back to back to watch for incoming danger. Arc especially was on edge for one reason or another. He was facing the forest and something felt off to him. A malicious presence radiated from the forest that made Arc stand up.

"What's wrong?" Kylie looked at him.

"Everyone… get on Futaba..." Arc whispered just loud enough for them to hear. "Quickly but quietly."

Knowing that to question further would be a death sentence, Kylie jumped to her feet and took her spot on the saddle's middle seat. She waited for Edward who was backing up slowly towards the saddle himself

"What is it?" Edward kept his focus on the forest that Arc was staring at.

"Remember the stories of the creature that can kill a rex with ease?" Arc backed up as well.

"Yeah… why?" Edward had a hint of fear in his voice.

"Because I think we are about to meet that creature!" Arc turned and sprinted towards the saddle.

No sooner than he turned his back to the forest, a huge predator charged out of the forest. It had a deep green coloration with black markings on its back. A ghastly metallic roar came from it as the beast charged at them with killer intent.

"Get us out of here!"

Futaba got into the air and out of the predator's reach just in time. The beast snapped its jaws at them, but was too big to lift its feet off the ground. They circled just out of range of the animal, making sure that it had no intentions of following them before they continued their flight north.

"What is that thing?" Kylie was breathing heavily. "That's not a Tyrannosaurus is it?"

"Worse..." Edward was heaving as well. "That's a Giganotosaurus. The king of all predators."

The Giganotosaurus watched them with a hungry glare before looking back at the forest. With heavy footsteps, it retreated back to the cover of the trees to wait for its next potential victim.

"That thing is absolutely terrifying." Kylie shivered.

The Giganotosaurus left them in pursuit of different prey. The beast while massive was able to slip into the forest with hardly a sound. Its presence or lack of one was terrifying and solidified Arc's reasoning for taking aerial transportation. There was no way that Beau, Aggro, or Connie would have been able to outrun such a beast. Thankfully there have been no reports of such an animal wandering south of The Western Approach so their current home was relatively safe.

Once they were sure that the beast wasn't going to cause any more issues for them, the group continued their trip towards the Tundra Amazon's home. The sun was low in the sky by the time they reached the base of Whitesky Peak. It was now a matter of getting around to the northern side before the bitter cold got the better of them. Even their fur lined armor only did so much to fight off the frigid weather. The wind and the snow combined with the effect of the cold air coming off the ocean made the weather almost unbearable to deal with. Futaba was doing a little better than they were, but not by much. Seeing the warm glow of the many sentry fires above the Tundra Amazon's home was a blessing.

At least they thought it was a blessing until they got closer to the compound. They were met by a line of shieldmaidens holding spears at the ready. A line of women behind them also held bows with arrows knocked in their direction.

"Don't shoot!" Kylie called out. "Don't shoot!"

No sooner than Futaba landed, Kylie jumped off and showed the letter that Marie provided them when she came to their encampment.

"No sheet of parchment is going to persuade us. State your business outsider!" One of the shieldmaidens bashed her sword against her shield.

"I am Kylie Kendra!" She spoke with a voice of authority. "Leader of the Ark Angels and former member of the Thunderhoof Traders. We come to discuss business with the matriarch of the Tundra Amazons!"

Arc and Edward were beaming with pride. She was handling the situation well and using a voice that almost demanded respect from those she spoke to. The shieldmaidens lowered their weapons and split to form a single person aisle up to Kylie. At the other end of the aisle stode Maria herself. She approached with two banner women at her heels. They each held a banner flag with the tribe's crest on it that flowed in the harsh winter wind.

"Kylie Kendra, Leader of the Ark Angels. We welcome you to our homeland." Marie addressed her with due respect. "I hope your travels here were met without trouble."

"Outside the biting wind and the run in with a Giganotosaurus, everything was just fine." Arc thought it would be safe to speak.

Marie's eyes narrowed at the sound of his voice and she showed her outright animosity. She then snapped her fingers and pointed at both Arc and Edward.

"Seize them." She commanded.

The warmaidens surrounded Arc and Edward and forced them to their knees. Their hands were tied behind their backs and they were held in place at spear point. Kylie started to interject until the cold tip of a steel blade was pressed to her back. Slowly turning around, she saw that it was Marie behind the threat. Her stare as cold as the snow around them.

"Do not interfere if you want to remain in one piece." Her words as cold as her stare. "Men are not allowed to speak amongst our people unless spoken to first. They will be returned once our business is concluded."

Kylie slowly nodded and backed away from the sword blade. Edward and Arc were both escorted away leaving Kylie by herself with Maria and the other maidens of the tribe. The two were pushed inside a large wooden building and followed by two of the maidens. Kylie could only wonder what was going to happen to them, but first she had to worry about herself. It was clear these ladies did not like their male counterparts, but there was no telling how they viewed her.

"Now… I'm sure you are hungry!" Maria adopted a much friendlier tone. "Come. Some food and drink will do you good."

Kylie was escorted to a large longhouse built into the mountainside. Inside the room was dimly lit with an assortment of campfires and torches. A huge slab of meat was being grilled over a fire and several people were stirring giant vats of stewed vegetables and meats. There was even a whole terror bird being roasted on a rotisserie. Everything smelled divine which made Kylie's mouth water.

She was served at a long table by a woman who was unusually large even for their tribe. She was easily seven foot tall and her arms were as thick as tree limbs. As Kylie savored the food provided, she watched the woman work, bussing the tables and managing the food being provided. It was only when Kylie watched the woman lift a table with one arm like it was a serving tray did she truly appreciate her strength.

"That's Valka." Marie sat beside Kylie with a large wooden mug. "She's our head chef and runs things around here."

"She looks like a tough cookie." Kylie said through a mouthful of food.

"Only in here. Otherwise she is as timid as a fawn on a summer day."

Kylie nodded, but she wasn't convinced after watching Valka crack a huge leg bone in half with nothing but her own two hands. She then took a giant metal file and started shaving the splintered ends off the bone.

"What is she doing?"

"Making mugs. We use bone and wood to make the mugs we drink from."

After the meal, Kylie was escorted to another building. It was a longhouse much like their dining hall, but this one was a single hallway lined with doors. Each door had a torch above it. Some were lit while others were not. Marie took her to a door with an unlit torch and lit the torch for her.

"The Matriarch will speak with you in the morning. For now, get some rest." Marie took her leave.

Kylie went in the room and found that it was a well furnished bedroom. The bed was piled high with pillows and fur blankets and there was a chest for her belongings. She looked outside and saw that some of the maidens had taken Futaba into a hangar for the night. Knowing that their mount was safe put Kylie at ease a bit, but she worried about Edward and Arc. What was to happen to them since Arc had to be daft and open his big mouth. She stared at the ceiling from where she laid and wondered until her mind was blank and she had fallen asleep.

A long way off though, Arc and Edward found their accommodations a little less than comfortable. They were both in wooden jail cells and they had been stripped of their weapons. The only source of warmth they had was the straw bedding they sat on. Edward was curled up sleeping while Arc sat and stared at the doorway. He then whistled a tune to break the monotony.

"Hey Edward… you awake?"

He got no response from his sleeping compatriot.

"Edward. Wake-up!" Arc tried to throw a pebble at him.

The pebble missed and bounced off the cage bars. Arc swore to himself and started looking for another one to throw.

"Now now… enough of that Honey Bunches." a new voice echoed in Arc's ears.

His heart dropped and he froze in place. Turning as slowly as he could, his eyes soon locked with another set of luminous forest green eyes. A young woman around the same age as Arc stood in the doorway. Her long mahogany brown hair flowed down to the small of her back. Her well built body was hidden under long flowing fur lined cloths held together by rings in the center of her chest. A golden circlet perched on her brow and emerald earrings hung from her ears.

"It's been a long time… hasn't it my love." The woman slowly walked over to his cell.

"Aya… how have you been?" Arc tried to avert his eyes. "It has been awhile. How have you been?"

She smiled and pressed herself up against the cell bars. "Come now… don't be that way… haven't you missed me?"

Arc started to fidget and his eyes were fluttering around wildly. His hormones were racing, but he tried his best to contain himself. Aya mere giggled and undid the latch to his cell and met herself in.

"Still as stubborn as ever I see." She approached him with a very seductive walk.

"Aya… please don't do this." Arc backed himself into a corner. "Don't you remember what happened last time you tried this with me."

Her smile vanished in an instant and she hugged her own arm. The pain of previous encounters came to the forefront of her memory. A tear graced her cheek and her stare became cold.

"I remember you banishing me. Leaving me in the cold just like everyone else used to!" Her voiced brandished hatred.

"I never once did anything like that. If I recall correctly I saved your ass when you first arrived here. You were pinned down by a pack of Troodons when we found you." Arc defended himself. "We fed and clothed you. Treated you as an equal and welcomed you to the Thunderhoof Traders with open arms."

"You treated me like everyone else even though. I had deep feelings for you." Her anger was growing. "Now I hear you have your arms wrapped around another woman. What does that whore have that I don't?"

Arc said nothing but turned his back to Aya. After he had struck Kylie for her idiocracy, he swore that he would never be violent again. The guilt he would feel would be too great so he gathered his composure.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but you expected me to fall in love with you when I was getting over something myself. I told you my life was complicated before I got here, but you chose to ignore that." Arc turned to face her again. "And as for Kylie… we are tribemates. Nothing more and nothing less. Awful you would call her such a name… and you haven't even met her yet."

"Nothing more and nothing less you say…"Aya gained a cheeky grin. "And you say your over your previous complication."

"Well.. yeah I am, but… Wait a minute…" Everything sunk in for Arc all at once. "What are you doing?"

Aya said nothing, but pulled the pin that held the rings of her clothes together. They fell off her body without a sound and revealed her topless body. Her chest rose and fell with her heavy breathing. She then backed him into a corner and pressed herself up against him.

"Now that we are alone… we can move on with the main event."

Arc tried his best to resist, but she wasn't going to have it. She soon pulled him to the floor and forced herself on him. He tried desperately to get away,but she bound him her discarded garments. She kissed him and pulled at his shirt. She was just about to get him undressed when Edward started to stir. Aya had not realized that Edward was here as well and all of Arc's ploys to escape had woken him up.

"Hey can you keep it down? I'm trying to-" Edward went slackjawed when he saw what laid before him.

Arc was tied up and missing his pants. On top of that there was a woman laying on top of him in a very seductive manner. Her chest was bare and pressed against him. It was all too much to process and Edward seemed traumatized.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Edward's voice echoed over the entire mountain range.

A previous lover that hates men? Things are going to get I interesting around the Ark.

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