Warriors: The New Era.
Chapter Twenty Six: Predator's and Prey
In this chapter, Poppyfrost spends her time bonding with itty bitty Scourge. And as they get to know each other, Poppyfrost begins to wonder, was he evil by Nature? Or by Nurture?
"Get up, kid."
Tiny rubbed his eyes, looking up at Poppyfrost who poked him in the ribs "Wha..."
"Get up kid," she repeated "We're going hunting."
She dropped a revolver down on Tiny's feet.
The little boy climbed to his feet, and grabbed the gun "Where did you get this?"
Poppyfrost turned her back to the kid, walking out the shed door "You know how to shoot?"
"Single Action or Double?" Tiny smirked.
"Double."
Tiny nodded "What are we huntin? There is no wildcats or foxes nearby."
"We've got a herd of Buffalo crossing a nearby creek. We'll hunt them."
Tiny's eyes bulged "That's Illegal! Buffalo's are endangered!"
"Which is why we are only hunting one, for meat," Poppyfrost scolded "Not for sport."
Tiny looked at the revolver "This won't stop a buffalo."
"No it won't. But it'll agitate them."
Tiny growled "This is a terrible idea."
"This is a great idea!" Tiny giggled with glee.
As they traveled, the rock dessert turned more into a dry grassland. The grass was as tall as Tiny.
After an hour of crossing the terrain, they had snuck behind a herd of buffalo, drinking from a stream of water.
Poppyfrost was lying on her chest, right beside the young boy and spoke softly "Aim for the kneecaps, and then one shot to the head."
"It won't kill it!"
Poppyfrost pulled a knife out "This will. It will render it immobile, and then we can finish it off."
"The herd will attack us."
"No they won't," Poppyfrost smirked "Trust me."
Tiny sighed "That's getting harder to do ma'am."
Poppyfrost grinned.
"Shoot."
Tiny gripped the gun tightly, and aimed the barrel down at one's kneecap.
BANG!
The squeal that came from the buffalo was haunting, as the herd jumped to attention in search of the danger, when they spotted the two humans they began to sprint off in the other direction, leaving their comrade in the dust, true to Poppyfrost's word.
Tiny stood up, astonished "How'd you know they'd run?"
"Because I've been spooking them all night before I woke you up," Poppyfrost grinned.
Tiny chuckled "Wow. You're amazing Miss Poppyfrost."
"Just call me Poppyfrost, kid," Poppyfrost said warmly.
Before Tiny could reply, the sounds of horses caught their attention. Over the horizon, three men on horseback galloped to them.
They were armed with guns.
Instantly, Poppyfrost's motherly instinct kicked in, and she knew she had to protect Tiny "Tiny-"
"Wha- what are they doing? What do they want?!"
Poppyfrost grabbed the kid, and dragged/sprinted to the grass. The three horsemen were still coming up to them.
Tiny began to panic as Poppyfrost's head erupted with a million different questions "Listen up boy. You do exactly as a say, just as how I say it. Stay here and don't come out until I tell you too. If I die, stay here for ten minutes and then take the horses back to your home. Grab my satchel and flee from that house. Understand?"
"Ye- yes ma'am!" Tiny gulped, as Poppyfrost grabbed the gun from his hands.
Poppyfrost stood up and walked out of the grass, revolver in her hand.
The three horseman had got off their respective horses, and were leaning over a nearby Buffalo. They were all dressed for the environment, and their leader had a red handkerchief across his neck. The other's wore hats and boots. When they noticed her, their hands hovered over their holstered sidearms.
Poppyfrost growled "What do you want?!"
"Did you shoot this 'ere buffalo?" The leader asked.
Poppyfrost nodded "Yeah, why?"
"I been tracking this herd for weeks. You just killed their alpha. My quarry. I had a nice spot on my wall for 'im to."
Poppyfrost inwardly groaned.
Poachers.
"Well, my sincerest apologies..." Poppyfrost dipped her head.
The leader eyed her up and down, wicked thoughts entering his head "What's a young thing like yerself, doing way out 'ere?"
Poppyfrost instantly saw the way he looked at her and snarled, gripping her gun tightly "Stay back, or I will shoot."
"Me and the boys love hunting, especially when there is no one to hear the quarry's screams."
Poppyfrost stared them down "Stay. Back."
There they stood.
The three men, reached for their holstered guns.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Poppyfrost was faster.
The three men's heads sprouted a new hole, and they each fell backwards onto the bloodstained creek.
Poppyfrost breathed deeply and looked at the still smoking barrel of her gun.
Instantly she rushed back into the grass to see Tiny, hyperventilating.
"Follow me kid, and don't look."
"Oh dear god...those, those men! You killed them!"
"I told you not to look, damn it!" Poppyfrost snapped.
She grabbed the kid by his shoulders and hoisted him onto his horse Mac, and the two galloped away from the scene.
"Are-are they dead?"
"They ain't breathing and there is nothing wrong with that! Compose yourself! I had no choice!"
"But...but-"
"Listen Kid. In this world there are two people. Those who are fast and those who are dead. If I didn't do it, we both would have died!"
"They-but..." Tiny began to cry.
Poppyfrost could see that this was to much for the little boy to handle, and firmly held onto the kid's shoulder "Hey, you were very brave back there. If you didn't do as I said, things could have gotten a whole lot worse."
"I...I was brave?"
"Yessir, kid, you were so brave," Poppyfrost comforted.
Tiny nodded to himself "I was brave...I was brave..."
They had made it halfway home when Poppyfrost realized they didn't take the buffalo meat with them.
"SHUT UP!" Tiny yelled at the dog, as it continued to bark at him.
Poppyfrost had her hands over her ears and growled "Dumb mutt. Someone out to put it down!"
"Here's hopin'. GIT!" He screamed, kicking the dog as it ran away yelping for comfort of which they would not give "My family loves that dog more then they love me. Fuckers..."
"Language," Poppyfrost snapped.
Tiny bit his lip and nodded "Yes ma'am."
"Can I ask you something kid?" Poppyfrost asked.
"Yeah, sure," Tiny answered, leaning against the barn door.
"Why do you stay with these shitlords of family? Why don't you run?"
Tiny burst out laughing, and slowly shook his head.
"Look around, mate. We're in the middle of nowhere. Three days journey on horseback to a small town to the east, and ten days on horseback to the west. The only natural source of water is an hour away, and the horses won't go further. We have a water pump here at the house, so that makes this place the only oasis here in this godforsaken desert. Where can I go? If I wanted to die, all I have to do is pick a direction and start walking."
Poppyfrost lowered her head "I'm...sorry. I truly am."
"Yeah. It's not so bad when you've been here for ten years. Ruby and Socks may be jerks, but they are the only protection I got from raiders and bandits. Mostly because without me, they got no ways of hunting and gathering food."
Poppyfrost smirked "When I'm fit enough to leave, I'd take you with me."
"You would?" Tiny looked up with hopeful eyes.
Poppyfrost was about to continue but she froze, her mouth wide open.
Could she take him with her back to her time?
The thought never crossed her mind. If she can transfer more then one person along with the Moonstone. If she could bring the kid to HER family, his chances of ever being Scourge would decrease. A loving family.
It could work...
"Yeah Kid. Three days is nothing. I survived two, and I'm pretty sure I can take three."
Tiny nodded before asking a curious question "Hey when can you leave?"
"When I'm certain you won't become Scourge," she thought, but quickly came up with an answer "Maybe a day or two. Why?"
"I might be more eager then I admit to take you up on that offer."
"Then get a good night's sleep, cause tomorrow we should leave sometime in the afternoon."
"REALLY?" Tiny burst to his feet, happiness spreading across his face "I can LEAVE?!"
"Yeah kid. Don't pack anything, I'll take care of everything. For now...just sleep."
Tiny nodded fervently, curdling into a ball and sleeping in a pile of hay.
Poppyfrost soon joined the world of slumber, sitting up against the wall.
For only several seconds...
The damn dog had been howling for two hours.
Poppyfrost was slowly losing her mind. She was in a fetal position, hands covering her ears, trying to cancel out the annoying dog howling away.
"SHUT YER YAPPING FLAP YA BASTARD!" Poppyfrost screamed.
The dog only barked more.
Poppyfrost scowled.
"If I can bring Tiny over to my timeline, would that change anything? If time is a linear flow, then is it possible Tiny will become Scourge no matter what? I cant let that happ-"
Her thinking was interrupted again by the dog.
The dog howling in pain.
Poppyfrost jammed her eyes open, as silence enveloped the shed.
She didn't bother checking her new friend, and started to investigate.
As she drove deeper into the red rocky desert, as the stars traversed the sky, she turned around the corner of the shed.
There Tiny stood.
Knife in hand.
The dog's corpse laid beneath his feet.
Tiny looked up at Poppyfrost, his eyes horing into hers.
"I made him shut up."
Cold, emotionless eyes stared back.
Behold. Tiny isnt as innocent as he seems.
Behold. The makings of a villians.
Behold. Scourge.
Adios.