Queen's note: Well the story off on its own life here. Again. Lol

Welcome to the Wasteland

Chapter Twenty Eight:

Back to School

"Ooohh…boy." Winston breathed as he almost belatedly saw the massive form lounging in the field and an even bigger deathclaw curled loosely by the Abernathy farm. They had gotten just close enough for Preston to stand and call out to some of his own men to head to the Museum and that they would be back.

He had almost been annoyed as one of his men elbowed him sharply as Winston was taking a moment to check the bow that Lana was carrying on her back. Winston almost felt his old heart momentarily stop and then drop somewhere around where his appendix used to be.

"Easy," Lana cautioned as she saw the male deathclaw walking almost towards them. He would come more at an angle as was walking in a relaxed way. Clearly curious about the new people in the wagon that he had almost just seen from a distance last night.

"That's Moon?" Sturges asked, peering at the death claw as he paused beside the road path.

"Moon?" Winston echoed, frowning and hesitated before lifting his firearm. Surprised though as Preston and Clare were firmly pushing any weapon down.

"Keep your weapons down," Preston hissed in warning, scowling at Winston's men, "Do not make a threat at him."

"Moon Ridge is the main reason we all have enough protein." Clare said, keeping her voice calm as she glanced back to see the smaller male, compared to Valory, was watching the group. "Just because he puts up with us, does not mean he'll just sit and let us humans threaten him."

"He's courting Valory, and in turn taking some care for those she protects." Lana explained, glancing back, worried that they might loose some nerve. "You're new so he's just checking to see if Preston, Clare, Sturges and I are okay. That we're not being a pack hostage. He was checking in on us last night too."

"I saw him when we were getting the deer herded." Clare agreed, making sure people were calm even if they would not be relaxed by the time they passed beside the male.

It was eerie, Winston realized, looking up at the creature that the wagon trundled by. Seeing the top wasteland predator just standing quiet and still, mostly. Moonridge chuffed at Buck first, the moose shaking his head back in warning. Then again as the Deathclaw saw Lana.

This should not be something to happen.

With the natural teratoral aggressiveness of the Deathclaws as he knew them, Winston only found himself staring. Head turning as Lana gave a soft chitter like 'brrt?' at the big beastie. Then more shock as the deathclaw rested his arms loosely in front of him, and chittered back in a low rumbling voice.

So close that Winston could see the dark seaweed green eyes, with silver rings framing the predator gaze. It was as alien as something so creepily alike to what the man had seen in people. In those that just turned into feral ghouls. That look of someone just surviving and willing to do whatever it takes.

Moon Ridge cocked his head to his right, giving a quizzical sound, breaking Winston's wide eyed gaze to peer at the other humans. Scarred, ghoul-ed, burned or 'normal' clearly did not seem to matter as he scented. Long, forked tongue flicked out, snorting to smell both ways it seemed like.

Preston shifted and dared to make a chirp sound like what Lana did. It had a questioning edge in his tone, but had a response.

The deathclaw chuffed and trilled in a distinctly lighter tone than any sound those in the wagon's passenger area have ever heard. It was almost like laughter as Moon Ridge took a few easy steps after them, head swinging to either side as if scanning for threats. The posture in him changed from alert and focused on the new people in the wagon to just relaxed walking half behind, half alongside.

"Did you just say something about taxes?" Winston wondered aloud. Not fully relaxed like his men but that shock-fear was oddly easing into tense curiosity around him.

"Nearly." Preston ducked his head and glanced at the driver's seat, where Lana and Mary were trying to hold in giggles.

"Depending on who it's aimed at," Lana snorted, coughed and tried again, "It's a way to show respect to an older pack mate. Or pack leader. I'm distinctly one of Valory's little pack sisters, a lesser female to him. Protected. Preston just buttered up Moon. He treated Moon Ridge like he was in a pack leadership role."

"You're saying he… just complimented a deathclaw into a good mood?" One of the former Watchmen asked, incredulous. Glancing at the creature escorting them, Ron was just in shock at the situation.

Sure Deegan had briefed them in detail about Valory, even mentioning there was a wild deathclaw male staying close. Even what he knew of the history of the talking deathclaw…

Yet seeing a calm, 'wild' deathclaw just casually strolling beside them?

Seeing any kind of deathclaw that was calm and awake? This was…so strange.

Ron glanced at Winston, feeling his burn scar pull on his face and neck, but his commander seemed just as taken aback.

"Yeah, I think that covers what happened." Mary considered, almost as relaxed as Lana. Leaning on the other young woman where she sat on the left, Clare to the right of them in the other shotgun seat.

"Trippy isn't it?" Sturges asked, settling back down in his seat with Preston behind the girls, his own eyes staring at Moon Ridge with fascination. A little lingering wariness that was shared with Preston, "I don't think I would ever trust being remotely close to any deathclaw outside of Valory and her inner territory."

"You really shouldn't." Lana agreed, hearing a few people sigh, likely thankful she was not so crazy. "Moon Ridge is also likely still learning who's a safe human to pass by, and who's a bad one. Though, I think he likes the Minutemen jackets."

"Wait, what?" Clare glanced back to the shorter woman.

"The blue?" Sturges guessed, glancing between Clare and Preston, and the other Minutemen now at the farm and Co-Op.

"Yeah, I think he likes the color. So it was easier for Valory to explain blue means good humans at first." Lana glanced down at her clothes, earthy tones and the odd black leather jacket. "I most likely smell like Valory… the most. Likely why he's confused about me."

"Is that why you were trying to get me to cuddle with you and her?" Mary asked, sitting up a bit.

Lana flushed and kept her eyes on the roadway they found and could follow to the school area according to Winston's old map. "...maybe?"

Winston ran a hand down his scared face, shifting to pinching the bridge of his nose. Not quite able to believe how calm the youngest five were, enough that those two were doing an odd fluster flirt, and Preston relaxing back into his seat. The man looked up and over his men, noting how only two out of the nine he brought, leaving more than just one at the Museum after all. There was the rest of his 'shift' of guards from the Asylum that would be following in a few weeks.

What was Deegan thinking?

What was so valuable?

Other than having 'friendly' deathclaw?

It took them almost forty minutes to find the nearest school. A high school according to the signs that were still half standing around. They were not quite coming from the right angle to be coming in through the front right away. There was a chuff from Moon ridge as he hopped up into the bed of one of the pickups pulled over on the shoulder of the old road as they passed.

Admittedly it was kind of funny seeing a feral ghoul screech in protest, crawling out from under the truck and swinging around only to freeze. Moon Ridge glanced down at it from where he was standing as tall as he could on the truck.

Ron snorted quietly as he watched the feral ghoul shrink down from the bigger predator. It did not save it from getting itself swatted by a thick tail. Whether it was playing dead, or something broke after landing on another car and sliding down. It was hard to tell.

"Don't think I've ever seen an interaction like that." One of Winston's men said in a low voice. As if that would help to not draw any aggressive attention to them.

"Normally when we see them. They're like, out hunting?" Another former Watchman offered, a scarred ghoul man unlike Ron's burn scars, "Or defending a territory?"

"Lana, what was it Valory mentioned about, others like her?" Preston glanced back over his shoulder to those in the large driver's seat, "Keeping others in line?"

"Like her…? Oh! Other Matriarchs?" Lana started confused, there were no other talking deathclaws locally they knew of, and then remembered the mentioned conversation. "Yeah, she was talking to Moon Ridge, and a passing lesser female a bit back. There used to be I think… Three Matriarchs in this area that kept their packs in line. They went missing a few seasons ago, she said, that lesser female I mean. I know Moon said the packs dissolved after the last matriarch went missing this last winter too?"

Winston frowned, thinking that over as they passed by the old baseball field. Mary was paying attention to the fence with Sturges, pointing out a gate they could use to get to the back of the school instead of swinging around to the front. As there was visibly a traffic jam of cars and trucks. "Come to think about it, the deathclaws have been seen more solo and scattered around over the last three or so years, where they used to have pretty distinct areas."

"There used to be an area of the Creamery. Back in Parsons. I remember standing at the veterinarian's place and looking down hill to the west, seeing deathclaws laying in the sun. Sometimes there were littler ones." The watchman spoke up, thoughtful, "They never crossed some invisible line. I thought it had something to do with the old man and the Assalum… the vets had a lot of farm animals that could be tempting."

"There could have been an unspoken truce." Lana noted, glancing back before getting Buck to slow down at the gate, "If they were close enough to see juveniles and not be, erm, eaten. They weren't seen as a threat. Or there was some benefit to risk staying close."

"They make a lot of rad-away there?" Winston thought aloud, looking right away as Moon Ridge walked after them again. "One of the main suppliers of the Commonwealth. But aren't deathclaws immune to radiation?"

"To a point," Lana made a face, "I know enough of the physiology of those back home to do first aid. Like stitching up Valory's leg. I think…I think Aunty Nona said something about an added, or modified liver like organ they have to get rads out of them."

"But if there's too much of a saturation of radiation they do go crazy, thus the glowing ones?" Sturges half asked, half noted, "Not that I've seen a glowing deathclaw in person, but I've seen a few glowing ferals this last winter. Can't imagine something Valory's size raging like that poor bloke was."

"Age has something to do with the resistance too." Lana realized aloud, "Grandsire Goris had to use rad-away now and then. But he's the oldest of the Pack."

"That's the white deathclaw from the stories right?" Clare asked, aware that keeping talking was helping Winston's men feel a bit better with their reptielen escort.

"Yep, don't think there were any other albino deathclaws that could talk. He's been around for ages too." Lana stopped the wagon at the back gate and was not the only one scanning the back lots of the school. It was mostly grown wild with the grass and flowers, with random patches of bare dirt.

There were several families of ground squirrels and some sort of former crops by the back of the school? "I heard he left to the far south last year, before Valory and I headed out ahead of winter. I think we can get in through here?"

"It would keep the wagon safe." Preston agreed, standing with two others now that it was stopped to scan the road path and their back trail. "And Buck can be loose in the field? If he can fling a feral like those wild dogs."

"He knows the difference between Lost Ones and not." Lana agreed, staying in the driver's seat as Winston carefully hopped down with Clare and Ron. Clare striding ahead with a little more confidence as Moon Ridge came to peer through the chain link fence to their right.

The deathclaw male tilted his head slowly back and forth, not for the first time studying what seemed to have the humans so fascinated. That eerie moment before coming back as the non hostile male was clearly thinking. Trying to sort out why they were so interested in this place.

Moon Ridge almost casually strided through the gate last, after the wagon and Buck passed. Peering intently at Clare as he passed, the green and silver eyes showing his own bemused confusion at his new situation.

Winston breathed a sigh only after he was back by the wagon.

Ron, the watchman, ran a hand over his scared head as he paused, looking at Clare. "You have more nerves then I do miss Clare. If you and Preston rebuild the Minutemen half as strong as you two are right now… you might have something impressive."

Preston smiled as Sturges gave his friend a nudge while Clare grinned back. It was a quiet pride at the compliment that showed, no boosting. Winston could not help but approve of what he saw.

"I like it here." Clare announced as the tall woman stretched her back while the group finally made it to the back of the main building. She kept her modified laser rifle at hand as Lana was stopping Buck and the wagon.

"I like it too." Preston said as he hopped down to help with unhitching the moose. with Moon Ridge walking farther along to the back doors of the old gym. The others hopped out to step up a guard. Winston moving to the unlocked back doors of the main highschool building and scanning for any ferals close by inside.

The young man looked much better than he used to this winter. Clare was pretty sure they all were looking better. So far after only a couple weeks of good food, she could feel stronger again. Not the same but nearly. Definitely improving from this last hellish winter.

"It has a lot of good usable space inside, and outside." Winston agreed as he sipped from a metal canteen, coming back from the doors. Considering the building, and the abandoned equipment and spaces in the back of the school.

The playground he would not trust except for recycling materials. The edges of basketball or tennis courts had been overgrown, the cement or black top aged and cracked, but still holding up overall.

More importantly the fencing around was in good condition. A few spots Winston could tell needed patching or replaced, but the outer fence… that was in surprisingly good condition, and standing a good nine or so feet tall. Definitely tall enough to keep the deer and brahmin inside. Contained for breeding, taming and fawn kept away some smaller predators. But not fully protected from any stray bullet or even raider attention right now.

"I wonder if we can train something with thorns along the fence line." Lana mused as she stepped away from the wagon. Letting Buck go to walk around and inspect. Likely to test Moon too, but Buck at least was not in a grumpy mood anymore. "Short term it would be hard to block off the outer fence."

"True, but maybe we can make use of the train cars on that track not far." Preston pointed to the far side from where they came in. There in the tree line was one of the many trains that had been stopped with the bomb drops so long ago. "Would be a long term goal. But doable with planning I think. It would give heavy duty cover, and if inside of the fence line, the cars could be animal cover?"

"Shelters?" Sturges half asked, scanning the back field areas and their fences. glancing over as Buck shook his double set of antlers at Moon Ridge in a warning. The 'small' deathclaw gave a distinctly playful like bounce, then bounded off to the side to avoid the moose he was teasing.

The young man turned partly to see if Lana was worried. Not seeing her do more then watch for a moment then arch an eyebrow, Sturges relaxed a notch. Not fully, even he could not fully relax with the Deathclaw male around. He still woke up from that 'dead like' sleep while healing when hearing the low rumbles of Valory passing the farm.

Lana rearranged her gear, making sure her quiver was full, not the hunting set of arrows. With a bow in hand, the woman walked over as the back doors were propped open with large stones. There was a hissing shriek from inside the building as a feral noticed movement at last.

"So, how good of a shot are you?" Winsten asked as he stepped up beside Lana, watching the tall, willowy feral ghoul starting to run down the mostly empty hall.

"Bet you a cap from every headshot that downs them." Lana said, drawing an arrow back as Preston stepped up behind her.

"Two for eye shots." Ron offered, the semi retired Watchmen sauntered up. Glancing at Preston as the younger Minutemen snorted and shook his head. Looking worried as he looked past the feral charging, seeing smaller forms running after now.

"Deal." Lana said, not fully bothered by the morbid bet right then as she focused. Aware of Clare and some others lining up in the wide hall of the school to take aim.

Reviews!

Justsomerandombastard:

I think there would be several animals and likely plants that evolved-regressed. Its pretty common in cannon for mutations. More sure if something could backtrack millions of years of evolutions in like... 2 or 3 centuries. But it seems reasonable that something would adapt to the new and/or altered ecosystems. As well as needing to fill gaps of predators and prey. Like the deathclaws taking over the Apex Predator roll with the sheer decrees of the human population.

There's also the semi artificial filling in the echo system that humans would do. like small things in planting or spreading seeds by trade. I see that the commonwealth around Boston has a BIG advantage with trade in the razor-grains. its mutated grass, and a restart/something to fill in the wheat gap. I go into in the story, but I based it on the different wild grasses in the real world area and some stuff from the games.

Imagine how fast razor-grain grows cannon-ly, the continual yield and able to use the fodder [leaves and stems] for animals. but have that growing in very low radiation areas? MASSIVE yields in a short time, mostly compared to 'old world' wheat. Lana gets super exited about it again in the story later on lol