Queen's note: Ever see the mushroom forest mod for the game? I love the looks of it and it makes sense.

Welcome to the Wasteland

Chapter Twenty Three:

Wagon

"Is he okay?" Preston asked, having come over later in the morning to try and help. He glanced over as the big moose pawed at the ground, scrapping the old pavement. Buck was staring at the group, seemingly getting more restless as the wagon had been put together over the morning. Then started to get vocal and shake his antlers now and then from where he had been moved and tied to.

Valory chuckled from her resting spot on the street, glancing over to the bull. "He is excited. He knows what this is."

"Buck used to pull back home, and he knows what his harness is." Lana added as she came out from under the wagon with Jacky. Being sure everything was connected and the brakes were not disturbed. The bottom section was almost in one large piece. Yet it was Valory who had to be the one manipulating it out of the double doors, they needed to be sure her killing claws did no damage.

"Okay, we can get the last wheel on." Jacky pulled himself out from under as well, rubbing at his scalp, neck and then shook his shirt to be sure no dust or dirt stuck to him, "Where were the poles, or yoke?"

"I think that's still in the museum." Lucy tilted her head at Lana, who nodded.

"Remember those boxes beside the original display?" Lana half asked as she stretched her back a bit while Jake and Preston lifted the last side panel back into place. Mary sat inside the wagon to help with attaching the joints and locks.

The wagon itself was propped up on the cinder blocks from inside. At least for now, once the last wheel was attached, Valory would lift the wagon to let the humans take the wagon off the blocks.

As Lana and Lucy headed back inside to get the yoke, what Buck would be attached to to pull. Jacky stepped over to catch the panel that was tilting on Preston's side. Helping support it until the piece settled into place.

"We did it!" Mary cheered, patting Preston's head as the young man leaned on the wagon while the brothers moved over to put the last wheel on. "Almost done with this Preston, and then… we can do a lot of stuff."

"We can," Preston let himself feel a moment of wonder at the wagon that was whole and real. "You guys really think you can make more?"

"Oh yeah, we just need to find the hardware, and some tools." Jake said cheerfully, "We have some of the needed tools where our family is, under Deegan's protection. And other stuff we can get from the Masons or another group. One of my grandsons has some saws that could cut the right wood in large enough planks."

"There should be some aged white cedar, walnut, oak and… ash I think in the closer train station." Jacky noted, grunting a moment as he pushed the wheel in place as his brother locked it into place. "Should be enough hard wood, excluding the cedar."

"We found the yoke," Lana called as she and Lucy carried and maneuvered a long wooden pole that was needed. "It was missing the shide shafts… but Buck is a good boy. He should be able to pull it from one side."

As if in response, the big moose lifted his head high and snorted deeply.

May giggled as the others grinned or chuckled, "He's a great, noble bull, and very strong!"

Buck huffed and pawed at the ground, his brown eyes exited as he watched Lana show how the yoke itself needed to be attached. Almost prancing in place when she picked up his gear for pulling. It had been packed in case of needing to drag logs or large rocks out of the way of a growing area, as well as for when a plow was needed. Lana had put it back together on the ride back from the Co-Op, bringing some other supplies for Preston and Clare in the bank. As well as leaving a warning to Megan about the new people coming.

Lana considered the thick, well cared for leather of the harness, an idle thought coming. She was going to be sleeping so well whenever sleep came.

"Wonder if we can find any of the surviving chestnut trees in this area?" Jake wondered aloud once everyone had a bit of a break. The ghoul was watching Lucy going down the street collecting the mushrooms that were sprouting.

"What are chestnuts?" Preston asked, looking up and shook out of the mental image of a venison dinner with mashed and creamed tatos, topped with a mushroom gravy on it. Could he be allowed to eat meat? Would a mushroom steak be better?

"An old world tree, there's a few surviving big ones," Jake explained, chuckling as Lana popped her head up to listen, "You know the walnut trees here and there?"

"Yes," Preston had to pause and remember the nuts that sometimes showed up in rations. "There used to be one of those trees by the Castle right? I think."

"I think there was," Jake aloud, thinking back to the small park in front of that fortification. "But a chestnut is and isn't like that tree. Its pods look strange, so not surprised if a lot of people know the seeds inside are edible. There's a big mother tree where the Masons live, and leather workers. And one by the Parsons Asylum."

"Chestnuts survived out here?" Lana marveled, and squeaked as Lucy came back with the 'small' harvest of mushrooms. Despite Buck's protesting grunts, she set down the harness and investigated the fungus. There were a different size, clearly mutated but almost looked like a portobello variant and a oyster base on the other-

"Oh my gods, 'port tops,'" Lana realized, looking up with wide eyes at the carpenter brothers, "Portabellas? Are the port tops a variant of Portabellas? I mean I recognize the oyster mushroom base on these with the trumpets and gill but…?"

"That's a great guess," Jacky leaned on the wagon as Valory looked over from her spot. "Not sure when they rooted so to say through the commonwealth. Probably from stores? But they were changed enough by the time I noticed them. Still tastes mostly the same."

"Do they dry well like the pre-war version?" Lana wondered, daring to take a nibble of the bit that Lucy pinched off to share and eat herself.

"Yep! If you want smaller amounts you need to cut it up," Mary said from where she still sat in the wagon, "You can smoke the whole tops too but it takes soo long."

"They're really good in gravy too," Preston could not help but add, and smiled as Jake agreed happily to the side.

"We'll definitely have to gather as much as we can on the way to the Bunker." Jacky noted as he picked up one of the larger woven baskets just inside the main doors. Offering the open top to Lucy to put her armful of fungus loot into it. "Knowing Deegan, we might have whoever he's sending coming in the next few days."

Jake huffed in amusement as he fussed and checked over the wagon one last time, "He would be around the Asylum by now huh?"

"Knowing his stride, that would be about right." Jacky agreed, "He mentioned changing the guards so, at least we can have some people to help with look out and such."

"After a good rest." Lana added around another nibble of mushroom, looking thoughtful at the taste. "He mentioned they would need to."

"True." Valory spoke up as she started to stretch her legs one at a time. Testing the range of movement of her bad leg, being sure the stitches did not pull out. She was getting up slowly, able to see they needed to get the wagon off the cement blocks and ready to roll. The matriarch chuffed at Lana for her attention, "Brakes first."

"Right, need those on before Buck's strapped in." Lana turned away from the basket of mushrooms, scanning what supplies they had gathered out of Megan's museum. "And load up the things we're bringing before picking up those with Clare and Blake."

"Cart first," Valory said as she finally stood up, flexing her hands as she came over. Chuffing playfully at Mary inside the wagon as the Deathclaw carefully got a grip on the back. Preston and Jacky scooted over to duck and pull the bricks out in the back.

Valory carefully lifted a bit to one side, the left, so the front bricks could be pulled. Then slowly the other way for the same, setting the wagon down with controlled care. It likely could handle the drop, by why stress the valuable thing?

"Time to load," Jake said, giving Lucy the basket, "See if there's any more, Lana you found yours by the back door?"

"Yeah, let's go together to be safe." Lana nodded making sure she had her bow and quiver on her back and her pistol was easy access., "I'll hook up Buck when we're back so he's not causing you trouble. Mary?"

"I'm going to help arrange things inside the cart." Mary chirped happily, helping Preston get the back gate down, and moving out of the way as Jacky was picking up one of the barrels of Razorgrain seeds. "Then grab the newest harvest inside."

"See if you can get any more live squirrels!" Jake called inside after the two young women, "And bring out some more of the bigger baskets. We'll need them on the way to the bunker entrance."

"Okay!"

"Will do!"

Preston smiled, at first not realizing as he stepped back from the cart, wagon? He was leaning on Valory's shoulder. Blinking as he heard her chuckle and then give her own trilling of a laugh at all of them humans.

"Sorry," Preston said softly, not sure what to do as a golden eye turned to focus on him.

"It is alright," Valory hummed in reassurance, but gave an amused snort, "You at least are not climbing like some hatchlings."

Preston blinked and then smiled, "Yeah?"

"I love young ones, newly hatched and your soft ones' littles. But no matter the kind of hatchling…deathclaw or human, even moose. No sense… No sense of gravity either."

That had Preston snorting, he tried and failed to hold in a laugh. "You know… I'm not that surprised."

The young man turned as he heard a whistle from up the street, just out of sight. Preston pushed himself back onto his own feet, having to brace a hand on a warm mottled shoulder. Then dared to pat it as he had seen Lana do to Valory, smiling to find that the deathclaw just gave the same kind of content, neutral grumble sound.

Preston whistled back, moving to look down the main street to spot Clare on the other side near the bank still. Calling out, "All good?"

"Yeah, some are waking up!" Clare's voice drifted back in the late morning, "ETA?"

"We might be going in an hour!" Preston yelled, glanced back and the others seemed to agree with that, "Get everyone ready downstairs, and some more cans in case!"

The young minutemen commander had a feeling that there might be some motion sickness. He stood there waiting to be sure Clare was safely back in the bank. Not that the taller woman could not handle herself normally, but Preston hated to admit he and his team were not in the best of shape. He hoped he did not fall asleep too early, but since Deegan found them, Preston was sleeping a lot more than he meant to.

"Hour seems about right," Mary was saying as the Minuteman was coming back, pausing to give Buck a careful pet in an attempt to placate him. Mary giggled, "I know Lana only has a few sample bags."

Valory huffed and trilled again, "She has…many pockets, do not under-esti-mate her."

"I heard that!" Lana's voice yelled from around the corner of the museum building. Between it and the Church most likely. "I can get a good sample of the mycelium roots with a basket!"

"Later!" Lucy's voice clearly ordered, before she and Lana came out around the corner. She had a full basket in her arms, Lana having another that was partly full and was looking over a shoulder while pouting.

"I want to play with the mushrooms." Lana complained in false dramatics as they came back.

"Tomorrow," Mary promised, smiling fondly at her friend.

"I don't believe you," Lana puffed her cheeks, glancing over at the un-impressed Buck. "I need to breed him so he stops being stupid."

Preston snorted and laughed, "That's a new and disturbingly accurate way of saying it."

"Right?" Lana offered her basket up to Mary, following Lucy's lead. "Other than the… other baskets, I need someone up here in the driver's seat to hold the break while Buck is hooked up."

"Preston, you get up." A bemused Jake mostioned the younger man up, he had noticed the slight shaking starting, "You need to sit, we can finish getting the heavy stuff loaded."

"I'll get the other baskets, and lock up the back door." Lucy volunteered, heading back inside as her sister was helped down to get the latest harvest upstairs.

Lana climbed up with Preston so she could explain how the wagon would work, from the yoke to the reins not yet there. She showed him how to engage the brakes and what to expect once Buck was brought over.

It was a bit of an adventure, getting the bull moose geared up and then walked over. He was finally getting hooked up to The Thing! Valory had to move to sit in front of Buck, leveling a look at him to help keep the excited moose from starting to pull before the humans were ready.

Only once the Museum of Freedom was locked back up, people, supplies and saddle loaded up did the big Deathclaw move. Lana sat in the driver's seat with Preston as she eased the brakes up and queued Buck to start moving.

The bull moose pushed against the weight, pausing to shake his head and antlers. As if making sure they were not caught on anything, then slowly, one step… then two. The wagon shook a bit as Buck started to 'pull' it, turning to go up the main street. He heard the humans cheer once he was in full stride, and seemed to be more than just pleased with himself.

There was another cheer from up the street, Clare, Blake and two of the groggy minutemen stood just outside of the bank.

Preston smiled as they started to slow, turning around to see Jacky and Jake hop off the back once it was lined up with the bank's front doors. Lana stayed up in the driver's seat to keep Buck in line as the rescued group were loaded up. Some were groggy like the two with Clare, but seemed to be having cleared up heads. Others are still clearly under the effects of radiation sickness but at least they could be helped up into the back of the wagon.

Wide eyes stared at Valory, as she started to move down the street, but those that did notice did not seem to be sure if she was real or not. Maybe it would be best to let them think that she was a hallucination at first.

"Oof," Mary huffed as she half climbed over a barrel, she was determined to get over and slid into the open space on Lana's left.

"Really?" Lana shifted, having to lean on Preston as he caught them both, to avoid getting an elbow or leg in the face.

"That's better." Mary beamed at them, and dramatically flung her arms around Lana to lean onto her. The botanist flushed and gave a smile that was somewhere between shy and… and that stupid happy.

Preston blinked and then grinned, "Ohhh, I get it now."

"Shut up," Lana tried to smack him, but the darker young man blocked the flailing hand with his forearm. "We have peoples to save."

"And fungus to find?" Mary said from her spot.

"Yes!"

Blake snorted and shook his head as he passed out some empty bucket trash cans as the bank was closed as well. "Okay kids, I think everyone is almost set."

Jacky and Jake lifted and locked the back gate into place, helping to boost Clare up and following her to sit on the back.

"Now we're ready." Jake clarified, holding on as Buck started to move a moment later.

Preston took his laser musket off his back, finding himself grinning, pleased with how things were turning out after all. He still hoped to get a steak soon.