*Goodsprings*
Scott and Stiles woke up just as the sun was peeking over the hills, both of them popping of the couch in a haphazard manner. They grumbled, half awake and stretching out their kinks, Stiles quickly bringing up breakfast.
"Think Sunny might share some food with us?" he asked.
Scott rolled his eyes, "We have plenty of food Stiles, we got all that Gecko meat from the other day, calm down."
"I'm just saying, it would be nice to actually have properly cooked food, from an actual kitchen, and not a fire," Stiles scowled.
Scott was going to respond but they heard Sunny walking around in the other part of the house; they probably woke her up and both boys felt embarrassed. But Sunny opened her bedroom door a moment later, completely dressed and smiling at them.
"Oh, glad to see that you're both awake, are you ready to go hunt some Powder Gangers?"
"Hell yea! Well, maybe eat first? I don't think too many others would be up this early," Stiles said hopefully.
"We've got some cooked Bighorner steaks if you want to eat on the run, I know those Gangers will be eager to make a move on us. We've got to collect the troops and get into positions, that Cobb doesn't mess around."
"We're pretty good at eating on the move, thanks for the meal," Scott immediately threw out there, being the polite person he is.
Sunny went into the kitchen and grabbed some of the dried steaks, tossing them at the boys as she made her way to the front door, "Come on, let's go!"
The boys both followed, munching on their steaks as they headed back towards the center of town (which wasn't far at all). On the way there, they passed by the farmer's house and Stiles paused, looking at the three Bighorners still in the pen then at the steak in his hand. Bighorners weren't rare at all, but he had never walked right by one as he was eating one of their brethren; Stiles felt a little guilty about it. Bighorners were gentle creatures (mostly), even if they were a little alarming to look at- they were large hybrid goat creatures with ram-like horns protruding from their skull, curling backwards. They had shaggy grey fur everywhere except for their face and top of their spine. The youngsters were already as tall as he was, and their momma was a good half foot taller than him. In his honest opinion, they face was the scariest part of them, with their bare pink skin and cruel looking gaze. Realizing that he fallen behind, Stiles waved to the Bighorners and crammed the rest of his steak into his mouth, jogging to catch up with Scott and Sunny.
"Alright, so we've got most of the participating people hanging out in the Saloon, waiting for the action to start. Everyone else is prepared to defend their homes until the all-clear."
"Where's What's-His-Name?" Stiles asked, almost choking on his meal.
"Ringo? He's still at the gas station, I'm about to go get him, so go ahead and find a position, things are going to heat up fast," Sunny replied.
Stiles nodded, "Sounds good, let's go Scott."
He pulled his rifle off his shoulder and scanned the surrounding area; as a sniper, he needed a nest to hide out in during the battle. He was by no means a close-combat expert so the further away from the actual fight, the better, he'd leave the hand-to-hand stuff to his brother.
"Hey Scotty, boost me up onto the roof, come on."
Scott readily agreed, figuring that was a pretty safe spot for him, with all the townspeople on the street level, the odds of one of the Gangers seeing him and taking him out were pretty slim. So they climbed up onto one of the rusty dumpsters on the side of the Saloon and then Scott gave him a quick lift, making sure he was properly settled before taking off across the street. The wind was coming in from a South-Southeast direction and he could smell Cobb, just barely- so he knew which direction they would be coming from. He crouched down behind the charred remains of an old house and waited, breathing in through his nose to catch the scent. It wasn't long before he heard the sounds of rustling all around him, it seems like everyone else in the town was making their move and preparing for the shootout.
A strong gust of wind came their way and Scott caught the strong scent of 'male' coming this way but when he searched the road, he didn't see anyone. Feeling a little apprehensive, he scanned the brush on either side of the road, easily picking up on the crawling forms that were coming closer. Apparently the gangers wanted to get as close as possible before being detected, but luckily for Goodsprings, Scott had been able to catch their scent and knew they were within a hundred yards. Scott twisted around and waved, catching Stiles's attention, easily signaling that there were about 5 guys he could see and that they were sneaking up from about 100 yards. Stiles responded with a thumbs-up before Scott heard him whispering the information down to Melissa. Assured that the people would prepare accordingly, Scott turned back around and started to creep forward, staying by the houses to conceal his presence. He was hoping to sneak up on a few of the gangers and quickly disable them, making it easier for everyone- the fewer that made it to the town, the quicker it would go. Scott disliked killing if it wasn't completely necessary, but had no problem rendering people unconscious and maybe breaking a few bones. Plus it didn't hurt that most wounds weren't very fatal to him so it was much safer for him to be out here than anyone else (even if no one but Stiles knew about his Werewolf status).
It wasn't long before he picked up on the sounds of the men preparing to spring up and make a dash for the town center; thankfully they were deciding to stick together as a group and head straight for the main defense and not go house to house to rustle up hostages. That made Scott's job much easier. He stayed crouched as they made their way past his hiding spot, the men slowly starting to stand up and get their weapons ready. Glancing around, Scott found a hefty rock and snatched it, taking deep breathes to calm himself and tune into his wolf senses. As soon as they were a few feet past the him, he crept up behind the slowest member, raising the rock up and bringing it down over the Ganger's head, trying his best to reign in his wolf strength. With his free hand, he caught the now unconscious man and slowly laid him down; thankfully none of the others had noticed him yet.
Scott realized then that his count had been off, including the guy on the ground, there were actually 7 Powder Gangers; shit, that meant Melissa wasn't properly prepared for this. Just as Cobb and a few others came fully into view and started shooting, Scott surged forward and grabbed another one of the men, no need for secrecy any longer. He wrapped his arms around the guy's throat, effectively getting him in a choke hold and holding on tight until he passed out- dropping him rather rudely onto the ground.
Up on the Saloon roof, Stiles was laid out, rifle perched on the edge, and wishing he had a scope. But, his eyesight was good enough, and it wasn't long before he spotted movement down the road; he readjusted his weapon in his shoulder and gave a low whistle, letting Melissa know he saw someone. He needed them to come closer, Stiles hated wasting ammunition and with no scope at all, he wanted a larger target to shoot at. Taking deep breaths and slowing his breathing, Stiles brought his heartbeat down-until a loud thump came from his right and his heart rate skyrocketed, the gun almost jumping right out of his hands. Looking to his right, he saw a burlap sack sitting there now, barely registering what he saw in it before he heard Sunny's low whisper.
"Pete's dynamite, he said to bring it straight to you or Scott and to not lose any limbs."
"Thanks," Stiles whispered back, one hand over his chest as he tried to collect himself again. "A little warning next time would be appreciated… good thing my finger wasn't on the trigger."
A quick scan of the road told him he had a few more moments to spare, so he reached into the sack and took out a few sticks of dynamite and lined them up on his left, along with his lighter. Satisfied, he readied his rifle again, just catching Scott take out one of the guys and then the shooting started. Instantly Stiles heard Melissa and a few others shoot back but most of their shots were wild and none of their adversaries went down. So he took aim and easily shot one guy in the chest, hardly taking time to register that he went down before he had focused on another target. The Gangers advanced quickly, knowing that their pistols weren't good at such a distance and that most of the settlers weren't the best of shots. Stiles swore, shooting down his second target before he released his rifle and picked up a stick of dynamite; once the fuse was lit, he raised to a crouch and threw the dynamite right into the Gangers path. Sadly they saw it land and scattered before it exploded, taking only minimal damage. But it paused their advancement and that was the main point-it gave him enough time to pick up his rifle again and continue shooting. Before he could take another shot, he heard a woman cry out in pain, from somewhere below him and pulled out his pistol. Without hesitation, he leaned over the roof and saw that Cobb had managed to get close- he had grabbed Melissa and was holding his gun to her head.
Time slowed down, it seemed like Stiles could count the seconds in between the shots fired just yards away. Stiles didn't hesitate, he thrust both arms forward and took aim; he had a crappy vantage point and Cobb was holding Melissa right in front of him so if his bullet passed through Cobb, Melissa would get hit too. He swore, deciding that he's have to wing him and just hope for the best so he aimed at Cobb's right arm, the one holding the gun and squeezed the trigger. Fate must have decided to be kind to Stiles that day because Cobb reacted by jerking his arm down once the bullet entered his skin- much better than reflexively pulling the trigger! Melissa immediately reacted, elbowing him in the stomach and ripped herself out of his grasp. But Cobb let her go, turning to look for the asshole that decided to shot him and it only took him a moment to register the skinny guy with his upper body hanging off the roof.
"You die," was all Cobb said, raising his .357 revolver.
Scott cheered when he saw Stiles shot down one of the gunmen; now that everyone was involved, Scott decided that it was time to head back to his brother. When he saw Stiles throw the dynamite a few moments later, he covered his sensitive ears and crouched down, waiting until it exploded to keep moving. He came up to the burned down building just as he saw Cobb kick Melissa shotgun out of her hands- when had he gotten that close? How had no one seen him? Melissa struggled but Cobb hit her across the face with the butt of his weapon and grabbed her, forcing her in front of him as a hostage. Scott wanted to call out, to get someone's attention but he also realized that if anyone saw Melissa like this, they'd probably give up the fight. Cobb couldn't win like that, especially when he'd still probably kill everyone here just because they stood up to him. Thankfully Stiles had also heard her cry out, Scott watched and he crawled forward and held out his out gun. Scott continued to creep forward, knowing Stiles was carefully lining up a shot, but he wanted to be ready to pull Melissa to safety.
Unfortunately Stiles wasn't able to get a debilitating shot, but it was enough for Melissa to get away and Scott rushed forward, pulling her behind him to shield her from any further injury. But Cobb hadn't come after Melissa, instead he looked up at Stiles, gun raised. Stiles cried out and barely managed to roll over when the first shot came, although it left him in a very precarious position. From here the world was upside down and he could feel gravity starting to drag him down off the roof. He kicked his legs wildly, trying to roll back onto his stomach and also give Cobb a very uneasy target, although he was only a few feet away. It was a miracle that the first bullet had missed him. Just before Cobb readjusted his aim, Stiles managed to roll over once more, hands pressed on the wall of the Saloon to steady himself. He heard a loud growl and suddenly Scott was behind Cobb, one hand under his chin and the other along the back of his head.
Stiles watched in morbid fascination as Scott, with his fangs out and amber eyes glowing, savagely twisting the Ganger leader's neck to the right. He barely registered the gasp from Melissa before he pushed himself back onto the roof, he needed to get down there and make sure no one else saw Scott! He stuffed the dynamite back into the sack, slung the rifle over his shoulder and holstered his gun. He jumped back down onto the dumpster and as soon as his feet touched the ground, Scott was there, nose pressed into his neck. Stiles held him close, letting him snuffle knowing that it calms him down and centers him; and everyone else was checking on Melissa.
"I'm fine Scotty, I'm fine, I promise," Stiles soothed.
Scott was fine after a moment longer, fangs receding back and eyes going back to their regular brown. "Good, I didn't almost lose you the other night just to have you get shot today!"
"Come on, let's go see what those Gangers were carrying," Stiles nudged.
Scott chuckled and let himself be led out towards all the bodies, keeping his head down and not looking at the others. They picked up some caps, a few more guns Stiles could patch up and resell and Cobb even had a Stealth Boy on him. As they were rummaging, Ringo ran up to them and gave Scott a small pouch of caps.
"Here, I really owe you boys a huge favor… technically this is Crimson Caravan funds, but they'll understand once I explain everything that happened. Thanks a bunch for decided to help me out, it really does mean a lot."
"No problem man, we can't let bullies like that come into this town full of nice people, I'm just glad we were around when it happened," Scott said, tucking away the caps.
"Yea, I mean, Sunny is one badass chick, but the more guns the merrier right?" Stiles added on, tossing a smile Sunny's way.
The townsfolk all helped drag the dead Gangers away from the town proper and left them to be picked off by the wildlife. Scott mentioned the two others he had dispatched, admitting that he had no idea if they were alive or not but Melissa said the town would take care of it.
"Thanks for saving me you two, I know you didn't have to, but you did," Melissa said, once the rest of the folks had walked away.
"Well, you are really nice, we couldn't let Cobb hurt you," Stiles told her.
Melissa smiled at them, "You both will always be welcome here, you've helped Goodsprings out a lot, and we never forget kindness."
"I-I don't know…" Scott mumbled, looking down at his feet.
"Really, it's fine Scott, your kind is welcome here; we know you aren't Legion and that's all that matters. Especially since you saved us all, so don't feel ashamed to be yourself around us."
"Do you mean that? I mean ever since I've learned how to control my Werewolf I've kept it hidden. Stiles helps me to keep it under control, I don't know what I'd do without him."
"I'm not going anywhere buddy," Stiles promised.
"I know you have places to go and that you really want to find the guys that roughed you up, but please come back and visit us."
"Of course we will, I mean I owe Deaton my life after all, I can't repay him if I never see him again."
"Speaking of Peter and them, where do you think we should head first? I mean, I know we don't want to go Quarry Junction, but I feel like we're not fully prepared to head to New Vegas yet. I don't know, I'd rather not rush things and have Stiles get shot again, but I also want to hunt him down as fast as I can and ruin him."
"Try heading to Primm, I remember Deaton mentioning that you were a courier, maybe talking with someone from the Mohave Express there will help. Maybe they could help you figure out why you were attacked."
Scott brightened, "That's a perfect idea Melissa! You're the greatest."
He pulled her into a hug, Stiles quickly joining in, wanting to make sure they both appreciated her. She ushered them in to have a few drinks, on the house of course, to congratulate everyone on winning. Most of the town was already in the bar, buying each other drinks and having a good time now that stress was gone. Stiles gave Scott a subtle look, silently asking if he could have some whiskey; Scott thought for a moment but he couldn't deny Stiles a few drinks, he'd done good today. Besides, Stiles definitely needed to relax, he'd been working hard before Peter shot him in the face and today he did save Melissa.
"Just don't drink too much, I'm not carrying you to Primm!" Scott warned.
Wouldn't think of it Scotty, you know I don't like to drink that much, just enough to enjoy the party."
Scott laughed as he watched Stiles head over to the bar to get a glass of whiskey to sip while they planned their next steps. He wasn't sure how far it was to Primm, his Pip-Boy didn't have it listed so that meant they hadn't been there yet but it shouldn't be a problem. He was glad that he'd gotten the Pip-Boy from his parents before they passed away; Stiles had one too and it was definitely helpful. This was the last time they took an assignment without actually visiting a Mohave Express to get exact instructions!
"Hey buddy, got you some Nuka-Cola," Stiles told him, sliding into the seat across from him.
"Thanks, I was feeling a little thirsty," Scott responded, "Hey, how far do you think Primm is from here? It's not on our Pip-Boys."
Stiles shrugged and the two of them began discussions, most of the other townsfolk stopping by at least once to thank them. Planning took until the late afternoon, Melissa stopped by every now and again bring them some more Nuka-Cola. Stiles tried not to lean into Melissa's touches; every time she walked by she gave them a pat on the back or ran her fingers through their hair. It made him miss his mother, and he really didn't want to think of her now, not when he needed to stay sharp. He cleared his head and leaned forward, putting all of his attention into what Scott was saying.
A/N: Another chapter is here =D Hope you all are continuing to enjoy this story. And also for a few quick explanations.
Bighorners: They look like a large mix between a goat and a bovine, growing larger than the average person. As stated in the story, they have shabby gray hair that grows to medium length but there is no hair that grows on their faces or along their shoulder blades. Instead they have their bare skin which makes for a very fierce looking face, coupled with large horns sprouting from their heads. Raised Bighorners are docile but any that you come across in the wild are very territorial and will charge.
Pip-Boys: these are gadgets that one wears on their wrists and have very many useful functions. They keep a map of your location and of the places you've been, as well as allows you to keep notes (quests) so you don't forget where you are supposed to go or who you might need to talk to. It can even monitor your health and injuries, updating instantly as you are treated. Not everyone has Pip-Boys, there were mostly given to the citizens that lived in the Vaults to stay safe from the nuclear fallout years before. Many of the people out in the Wastelands don't have Pip-Boys as they were not born in the Vaults.
Stealth Boys: A rare device that lets the user become invisible... essentially. It cloaks the person with a stealth field for 2 minutes; it has a modulator that transmits the light from one side of the person to the other, making it appear as though they aren't there although if one looks closely or the users moves to fast, they are easily spotted.