Chapter 27.
Stampede.

As weeks became months, Rhuba felt herself becoming heavier and heavier.
Keeping active was becoming a chore, but she watched with spite as Garagus made up for lost time by doing push ups every day.

She was scared to do push ups with him, in case her little one got hurt. But she was getting so bored having to watch him exercise every day when she used to be so on top of it.
'screw it…' She thought. 'if I can't be on top…'

Garagus didn't hear her escape the bed as his perception of the floor shifted close then further every second.
Then, from seemingly nowhere, Rhuba's face slid into view from below him.

"Help me." She demanded, face inches from his. "I want to stay strong. Help me."

"Stretching helps. Do that." Garagus adjusted his push ups to stop their noses from smashing into each other. Then again…
Bringing his face down, he landed a kiss on her lips before pushing away again, then again.

"Stop that!" Rhuba tried to push him back, more interested in getting stronger than fooling around.

"I was here first, stop moaning or do something else~"

Sighing, Rhuba lay back on the floor.
"Lock hands with me." Elbows pressed down with her palms up, she waited for him to interlock fingers with her. "Now, push up…"

Garagus struggled to get his balance with a less stable surface, but did manage to get himself fully extended.
Once he was, Rhuba pushed him further away by extending her arms.
"Okay, and back down."
Together, they slowly bent their arms until their noses were practically touching.
"Again?"

Looking down their bodies, Garagus could see her bump was nowhere near him.
She could work out her arms with no risk to the baby.
"Sure, okay."

After another an hour and a half of continues push ups, Rhuba was starting to feel unbearably sore in her arms. After all, she was lifting his weight this time.

"Remember to breathe," He encouraged. "you're doing amazing!"

"I can't…" She cried, feeling her hands tighten around his.

"One more! Just push! Give it all you have!" Garagus urged, watching with a proud grin as she managed to extend her arms fully once more.
From there, he dismounted, and lifted her onto the bed.
She was damp with sweat, panting, and her muscles were exhausted.

"Aw Rhuba, I expect twice as many tomorrow." Petting her head softly, he noticed the makings of a smile on her before leaning in again, he kissed her cheek.

"water please…" Eyes closed, Rhuba heard him leave the room. On his swift return, she gulped down the refreshing cup. "Tricked you~"

"hmm?"

"You'll never be stronger than me again~" Rhuba laughed. "I am the Elite Saiyan!"

"oh…" Garagus gazed out the window. Couldn't look more guilty if he tried.

"What?"

"Rhuba…" Grinning at her, he flexed his arm.
After being gone for a year in space, Rhuba noticed right away when he came back less defined. But sneaking out into the canyon to train in secret had a far more gradual change to him.

"You've been cheating on me!" Rhuba gasped, slapping him weakly with her throbbing tired arm. "So who's the stronger?"

"I guess you'll have to find out," Glancing down at her, he tried kicking the hornet's nest. "After you lose some weight."

"Oh, you…" Biting her lip, Rhuba resisted the urges to assault him right away. "You're dead,-oh… See! Even the baby is sick of your crap!"

Placing his hand on Rhuba's tummy, Garagus felt another little kick with her.
"Let's take a look…" Using Rhuba's scouter, Garagus scanned for the little power level. "One point six."

Rhuba grumbled.
"Getting stronger… and always an even number… Doesn't that strike you as odd? What if it's two babies?" Rhuba had only started getting used to the idea of there being a little one running around soon. Two little ones is really upping the ante. Not to mention they hadn't even affirmed on one name for a boy or a girl, let alone a backup of either in case they end up with two of the same.

"Two babies? Hmm, that would defiantly explain it…" Garagus muttered, stroking his chin in deep thought.

"You really think so?"

"You're defiantly big enough to store two babies."

"I Was Talking About Their Power Levels!"

"hmm." Garagus caught her wrist right before she blackened his eye. "I'll get you some food, you seem cranky."

Rhuba felt herself nearly becoming blind with rage, but what was more annoying was that he was right.
"you'd better…" She mumbled as Garagus got dressed to head out.

In the jungle, the wild creatures that once burrowed underground to hide from the Saiyans were now somewhat more acclimatised to their sight, sound and scent. They no longer hide themselves away, so as Garagus walked through, he'd hear the bustling sounds of critters scurrying about, hisses and chirps of various creatures.
He even saw a beetle half his height sharpening its horn on a tree.
Or even a giant swamp eel slithering its fifty meter long body through to find softer soil.
The latter of which still made him shiver from the sight of the half a dozen egg pods suspended from the tip of its tail.

Apparently, they look for soft damp soil to dig into, bury themselves to their tails, and wait for other animals to eat the 'fruit' and become hosts for the offspring.

He counted himself and Rhuba lucky.
The parasitic eels grow fast and usually eat their way through the host if they get the chance.

From how fast they grow, Garagus wondered if he was looking at one of the wigglies he threw out with the others.

Regardless, He wanted none of them spawning anywhere near the ship. So once the eel was buried in the soil, he detached the eggs and threw them as far as he could.
The eel won't know the difference, but the other animals around should be thankful to be spared such a horrific end.

To discover what was or wasn't safe to eat, he'd paid a few visits to the native settlement in the cover of night and make notes of what they've been farming.
The wild uncultivated versions aren't as refined, but they do give off different readings than the 'fruit' filled with parasites.
At least now they had something to go on.
Though it did have to be said, the Wiggly egg pods were on the menu at the village.
Seems the native bug people are better at processing it than Saiyans are.

After plucking ten of Rhuba's favourite fruits and five of some that he liked, Garagus was about to head back.
However, he'd noted that the sounds in the jungle had stopped.

It was eerily silent. Even the Giant betel had curled up and tried to disguise itself next to rocks.

Reaching for his hip, he tried to grab his scouter. But his one was plugged into the long-range scanners looking for Freeza and Rhuba's was tuned in to watch their baby's growth.

"oh well." Throwing his bag over his shoulder, Garagus flew over the canopy of trees to find a place where he could see why the critters were acting like something was coming.
Garagus wasn't expecting the sight of what was approaching the jungle. With the sun looming above the horizon behind them.

Arriving at the ship, he boarded and closed the ramp.
"Rhuba!" He called through as he dropped the bag in the hall. "There's a swarm of, of, Things coming this way!"

"Wigglies?" She yelped, wrapping herself in the quilt.

"No, it looks like pill bugs, but there's bug men riding on them!"

"And you're smiling about this because…?"

"Bug men riding giant pill bugs! I couldn't stop laughing, I nearly forgot to hide in the trees when they got closer." He stopped suddenly, glancing at the cup of water on the side table.
It was vibrating.

"Are we going to be okay?" Rhuba asked, sitting up right in bed.

"I think so, it's not like they'll be able to see us through the perimeter."

"Yeah…" Rhuba looked out the window. All she could see was a wall of trees caked in mud. "But it also means we can't see them."

"Yes we can." As Garagus reached for the scouter to reset the tuning, he was able to track the movement of the approaching army. "Oh, they're actually real close."

The ship was pretty much soundproof. Even the loudest of sounds needed to really shake the hull for those inside to hear it.
That was why when several of the trees blocking their view toppled towards them, it almost seemed unreal.
The window broke into shards, letting in the roaring sounds of thousands of scurrying pill bugs and riders blowing horns as they charge through the jungle, tearing down all the foliage in their wake.

Inside the bedroom, Garagus had thrown himself over Rhuba.
Part of the tree was inside the room with them, and the branches were hitting his back as he tried to protect his family.
Rhuba reached out to him and pulled him close. Feeling the bark of the tree scrape against her arms as she too tried to protect him.

The outer hull of the ship was strong enough to endure a lot of punishment, and the trees themselves had branches that were trying to support the weight.
Had the trees not recently been uprooted and moved, they may have had a better chance of withstanding the abuse as the riders scurried over the hull of the ship.
But nothing in the jungle was fully safe.

A few of the riders would see the odd shape and colours of the alien vehicle below, but they'd moved on before they could get a proper look. To slow down would be suicidal, as they'd be trampled along with everything else.

Although the riders were merely the first wave of attack.
The self-proclaimed new ruler of Arlia had been taming wild Yetti for years in preparation for his campaign of conquest.
They were trained to follow the riders and pick off survivors left behind.
The tall beasts would swallow anyone whole if they could grab them.

Of the dozens following the herd as wide formation, seven of them that took note of the ship, and lifted the trees away to look up close.

"Garagus!" Rhuba screamed, seeing the giant hand move in and grab him.

Garagus only caught a glance before pinning her to the bed, stopping her from getting pulled out with him as the Yetti pulled him towards its mouth.

As Rhuba moved towards the window, she saw Garagus burst from the creature's hand and start fighting off the monsters.
"that's not fair…" She wanted to join in, but there was a tree still half hanging in the bedroom.

It would be safer for her and the baby if she left the fighting to Garagus, and she looked like he could handle it on his own.
But Rhuba wanted to see.
All that chaos, she wanted to see what caused it.
So running out the room and opening the airlock, she stepped down the ramp and saw the back of the attack force disappearing over the devastation. She could see the treeline vanishing in front of them as they tore through.

It was crazy. The once lush forest was destroyed. Smashed into the dirt with the thick green and purple ceiling of leaves completely gone.
It was the closest she ever felt to being back home living in the jungle, and once again she got to witness its destruction.
It made her cry.

A Yetti saw the ramp open and the lone woman standing in the shade of the entry way.
Too simpleminded to care about her appearance or the ship, he simply went for the kill, but it wasn't unnoticed as it came from the stern of the ship.

"Die." Rhuba reached out her hand and blasted a whole through its head. That simple action set fire to her Saiyan blood. "And that was about as much fun as we're going to ha-, ha, have…"
Holding her tummy, Rhuba ran down the ramp and away from the ship as fast as she could, not even looking behind as two more Yetti spotted and chased after her, stomping with heavy feet as they chased after the quick meal.

For every twenty of her steps, they took one.
It wasn't long before she was caught.
Her arms were still sore from the push ups, so she wasn't able to defend herself when she was plucked from the uneven, trampled, soggy ground.
Her arms were too busy trying to protect her tummy from being crushed by the Yetti's fingers.
The last thing she saw was the glassy blue eyes and twitching antenna before the bristly baleen covering its mouth frayed apart to let her in, losing herself to the darkness.

Garagus had no idea she had been chased, or that she'd even left the ship.
He was too busy killing the monsters on his side.
One by one, he crushed and smashed Monster heads. Getting covered in blood and brain juice.

Most of the Yetti herd had already moved on to keep up with the riders, but once Garagus had dealt with the ones attacking him, I ignored the ones turning their back to the ship as he swooped down to push the tree aside.
"Rhuba. You alright?"
He checked the bed. It was empty. He checked the bathroom. Empty.
"Rhuba?" Walking through the ship, he saw the ramp was open, saw the headless body of a Yeti, the several walking away, but worst of all, the full moon hanging above the horizon.
"Rhuba…?"

A screech hurt his ears. It was almost ultra sonic, but it could be felt in his bones.
One of the Yetti was bloating up from the inside before exploding outwards, then standing in its place covered in blood and slime was the hairy monster known to the Saiyans as the Oozaru.
The following roar was a haunting reminder to all the Yetti that heard it back when they were wild. They hoped never to hear it again, much less to see the creature up close.

Rhuba thumped her palms on the ground while the fearful Yetti each decided weather to flee or attack while they have her out numbered.
A choice that was soon taken from them.

The Yetti always relied on their towering size to overpower other creatures.
The campaigning Arlians who seek conquest were able to subdue them with numbers, careful planning, and tools.

But to Rhuba, who's size now matched theirs, and whose' strength had decupled since reaping the power of the moon.
On a planet where the Yetti reigned supreme with their sheer strength, against Rhuba, they were just bugs, the only bother they gave her was getting her fur dirty.

Garagus hovered by the ship, not knowing what to do.
The safest way to contain her would be to cut her tail off, but she'd be so angry with him if he did.
"Darn it!" Flying down to the ship, he checked how long the moon would be out for.
Since they had been under a canopy for so long, they hadn't bothered to check for months.
It seemed that Rhuba wouldn't be turning back on her own for a while.

Garagus would have to act fast, and he knew a tough choice faced him.
He warned that if she turned he'd be forced to cut her tail off, but he also knew Rhuba wouldn't have turned on purpose. This was a mistake and he didn't want to punish her for it.
After all, his tail hadn't grown back yet.
Seems it was true. There was a tale, funnily enough, that tails take longer to resprout with age.
As children, Rhuba and Garagus got their tails back in a matter of weeks.

But Rhuba could tear the ship apart in her wild aggressive state. And that's the one thing he'll not allow her to do.
She can be angry all she wants. But if she so much as glares at their only way to leave the world safely, her tail is coming off.

Leaving the ship, Garagus saw Rhuba was gone.
The Yetti were smashed to bits, and the blood trails led off into sections of the jungle that were still standing.
Going back to their bedroom to grab her scouter, Garagus started resetting the scanner as he followed the trail until finding the hairy beast roaming in the trees.

He stayed high along the treetops while keeping her in sight.
If he could get through this without being seen, she won't attack.
If she doesn't attack, he won't have to defend.
If he doesn't defend, she keeps her tail.

Garagus noted that she seemed less volatile than Oozaru typically are, but she was irritable, and was growling as she crawled on all fours through the trees.

Rhuba would snarl and snort as she ripped bushes from their roots and drag them to one specific spot she'd been smashing flat with her hands.
The branches were torn into strips with their leaves still intact and laid out flat.
Occasionally, she'd let out a loud grunt or roar before carrying on with her work.

"what the hell are you doing, Rhuba?" Garagus found a tall tree that forked off at the top. From there he could perch like a bird of pray and observe a behaviour in their Oozaru form he'd never known about.

No random aggression, no destruction.
Instead it looked like she was trying to lay down bedding for herself.
It was interesting.

But his fascination would have to wait.
His scouter picked up small power levels over near the ship.
After seeing how easily she dealt with the Yetti, he decided to leave her to her work, whatever it was.
Their home took priority.

Flying back from over the trees, he saw around a dozen riders had broken off to investigate the disappearance of their Yetti.
"twelve thirteen, fourteen pill bug mounts…" He eyed the riders on foot. "eight nine, ten… where's the others?"
Two of the riders were on the ramp to the ship, swords in hand.
"swords…?" He laughed, but regained his composure.
They're hardly a threat but, he didn't like the idea of them entering his home.

Plus, he wanted to get back to Rhuba.
Perhaps scaring them off is better.
There was his hailstorm attack. If he held back a lot, he'd scatter shot blasts all around them. But the randomness of it could damage them, or the ship.
Single energy blasts fired one at a time would offer them the chance to trace the shot back to him and if their courage outweighs their intelligence, he'll end up having to kill them.

"what's the best way to scare them…?" He thought aloud, just as an ear bursting series of roars nearly shook the very ground below.

Birds flocked to the skies, and beetles escaped the jungle along with resurfaced swamp leaches looking to get away.
Even the riders.
The ones unaccounted for appeared from the ship and mounted their rides before fleeing to catch up with the rest of the army.
Once they started riding, Garagus fired a few shots while their backs were turned. Missing intentionally, he gave them more reason not to return.
After that, he flew to the ship and did a scan with the scouter to make sure there was none on board before closing the ramp.
Then it was back to Rhuba.

Garagus' heart was pounding in his chest. He'd never heard an Oozaru scream like that.
If something's happened to her, the devastation laid upon the jungle by the riders will seem paltry to what he'll bring to anyone who caused her harm.

Finding his perch once more, Garagus looked down at her curled up in her nest.
She was breathing heavily, looked like she was licking a wound.

The bark on the tree flaked off as Garagus' grip tightened.
Someone did hurt her. Whoever it was is either dead or will be when he finds them.
His teeth grinded together as he prepared to track the nearest signal.

With all the jungle creatures fleeing for their lives, it should be easy for the scouter to track them, especially if they were strong enough to wound her.
Any other day, he'd prioritise getting her treatment. But she's unlikely to accept his help while in that state.
After the foe is dead, he'll consider removing her tail and treating her wounds.

The scouter was able to track another power level.
"sixteen…?" Nothing… nothing to Rhuba, let alone as an Oozaru when she's ten times stronger than normal. No one so weak could ever cause her trouble, much less hurt her.

Garagus watched Rhuba a little longer.
She was licking her arm, but there was something strange about her.
Her fur was pinkish, sticky and red in some places.
Blood on her dark brown fur should be virtually invisible, not pink.
As Garagus floated overhead, risking everything just to get a better look, he saw she was holding something in her arms.
Cradling it would be a better description.

Garagus lost his breath, watching with wide eyes as Rhuba licked the fur of a small Oozaru in her arms.
The tiny animal wailed and cried, reaching out as the wide tongue ran over its fur.

Garagus found himself losing the ability to fly by the second.
The longer he watched, the more he wanted to descend and get a better look.

But no.
Rhuba is calm. She is protecting her young, and seeing someone else could set her off in a rage.
Garagus found another perch with a better view, but for the time being, his only mission was to watch over Rhuba and their child, while also keeping an eye on the security of the ship.

Eventually, they'll turn back.
Eventually…

"oh shit…" It was going to be a long, Long day.

Author's Note:
Okay. So people are still reading, that's good.
Hey, Fanfiction, get your shit together! I've been here 5 years and I've not noticed a single positive update. If you're not going to make improvements to your site's UI or let us add Pictures, can you at least stop leaving fruit lying out so all these damn bugs don't appear?

On other notes.
Someone asked if Ruby Chan and Garry Kun will be staying long enough to meet VeggieTales and Papy Nappy when they land on Arlia.
That's a branching timeline deal right there. VeggieTales finger blasted Arlia, and I didn't write all these chapters just for my characters to get killed off-screen as collateral damage during a filler episode.