Lost Bloodline 3 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It didn’t take much to get them off the road and out of sight.

The way that the local hills rolled and moved with the landscape made it easy to break line of sight unless one was in possession of a height advantage, like being up in the pass. It still surprised Koda just how many little nooks and dells there were in the landscape, despite it appearing mostly flat at a glance.

Since they weren’t racing the clock for once, Koda and his group didn’t rush once they were out of the mountains and away from the road. 

As Hannah had hunted the plains quite a bit, she was leading the group along a winding game trail that was barely wide enough for Hans to travel without falling over. Given that she was bigger than the horned man, Arthene surprised them all by trotting along without a care in the world.

“I don’t like this,” Calandra grumbled, the stocky dwarven woman stumping along behind Koda at the moment.

“I know what you mean. I dislike being away from the town when a potential threat is on its way,” Koda echoed back to her.

“What? No, not that.” Calandra sounded confused at first before waving a hand dismissively. “No, you are doing the right thing. Being there will only increase the risk that the others are under. You are making it safer by being away from town. No, what I meant is that I dislike this.” She gestured around her with one hand.

“The grass?”

Calandra rolled her eyes again and shot him a long-suffering look while pulling one of her braids over her shoulder to tug on.

“Chandra’s tits you are lucky that you are so damn handsome. No, not that, though it’s part of it. I’ve spent most all my life in town or near town. I’ve camped before I met you lot, but I think I’ve spent more nights outside than inside since we first ran into each other. It’s the not knowing that bothers me.”

“You dislike feeling helpless, right?” Sienna piped up from behind Koda and Calandra grunted again, tossing her thumb over her shoulder at the redhead.

“That’s the one. I’m not experienced with the outdoors or the wilderness. I feel so out of my depth right now that I almost wish something would show up for me to deal with. I know that I shouldn’t be thinking with my axe, but I can’t help it! I was all fired up to start training your folks, but then this happened.”

Calandra heaved an even larger sigh and her shoulders slumped.

Since they were just traveling, the dwarven woman wasn’t currently wearing her armor. The chainmail shirt was tucked into her pack right now, while her helmet dangled from the same pack. Her broad-bladed Dane axe rested on her shoulder though, the early sunlight glittering on the polished metal with keen intent. This left her curvy form exposed as she was wearing only a loose white shirt with most of the buttons undone and only a wrapped breast-band keeping her from exposing more of herself, and a pair of close-fitting leather pants tucked into her armored boots.

“I’m sure that they will be looking forward to your lessons when we get back, Cal,” Sienna reassured her, reaching out to tug lightly on the centermost of Calandra’s three chunky braids.

The dwarf growled and made snapping motions at the hand, but didn’t try all that hard beyond making the warning.

“Yeah, but I want to pull my weight. I can’t earn my keep on my back after all, though I know our man might like that,” Calandra grumbled, prodding Koda in the butt with the pommel of her axe.

“Hey! No poking me in the ass,” Koda protested with a laugh, swatting at the weapon. “I won’t protest you trying to earn money yourself, but we will all look after each other.”

“Aye, and no earning on your back with anyone besides our mate,” Sienna added on, her pointed wolf ears flicking in amusement while her fluffy tail wiggled behind her.

Calandra sputtered in protest at her insinuation, as it was clear that the dwarf hadn’t meant it quite that way. It took Calandra a moment to get herself under control enough to actually outright state what she’d been meaning.

“I wouldn’t dare! I may have been quick to jump in his bed, but I’m not a loose woman.”

“No you certainly are not,” Koda muttered, daydreaming of the interlude he’d had with the dwarf woman back in Amberpost. He was broken out of the thought with a yelp of surprise when he got poked in the ass with the axe handle again.

“As I was saying!” Calandra growled. “I’m not a loose woman. The only man I plan to spread my legs for is that great idiot with far to nice of hair for how little fucks he gives about it!”

“It is aggravating, isn’t it?” Sienna asked with a long sigh. “I use special soaps and treatments to keep my hair shiny, and he just dunks his head in the rain-barrel and comes out looking like a statue of some fertility god.”

“It’s frustrating!” Calandra barked, stomping one foot firmly in the dirt. “At least he has the good grace to help me braid mine after washing, but it’s just straight out unfair that his can look so nice while being ignored.”

Koda glanced back over top of the grumbling dwarf and caught Sienna’s gaze. His crystal-eyed lover shot him a quick wink before she went back to bemoaning her and Cal’s fates as the gods of hair care clearly didn’t favor them.

Slick, Koda thought as he gave Sienna a smile and turned back to the path ahead. She immediately saw Cal’s problem and worked to distract her. We’ll need to help her find something else to feel productive while we are out here. Maybe planning training schedules and the like? She’s not wrong that we all need to find a way to provide…

Koda’s mind went back to the great moving herds that they’d seen from the edge of the pass. Hundreds to thousands of animals roaming in the distance of the plains, animals he was pretty sure were some kind of bison.

Too bad I don’t have some kind of storage power, Koda thought with a sigh. Would be just far too easy to kill something and stuff it into a pocket dimension to keep the meat fresh. Would make hunting a lot easier. But that is part of this. We have to keep in mind the heat, how fast the meat will spoil, and how long we have to travel. Sure there are preservation methods but nothing is perfect.

Before he could get too lost in his thoughts, he was torn from his distraction by the boisterous laughter of Arthene as the big woman had come to a stop on top of a hill just ahead of him. She was standing with her hands on her hips while the bone club she carried leaned against her side, looking out over the plains with her back turned slightly towards them.

The pose that Arthene had struck had the added effect of putting her body in profile, which let the breeze that was ubiquitous to the plains caress her figure alluringly. The way that the wind whipped her massive mane of brown curls while sending her skirt flapping got Koda thinking of things he probably shouldn’t have been, especially as it flashed him more than a little bit of her muscled thigh as the skirt she wore stirred.

“We should braid your hair tonight, Arthene,” Koda said as he approached from behind. “If we are going to be out in the wind like this, it’s going to tie itself in knots as a result.”

“Psh,” Arthene dismissed. “I’ll just have my mate brush it out for me again later. But if you want to spend extra time pampering me tonight, I won’t object. Look, my mate.”

Arthene turned to lock eyes with him, her yellow orbs shimmering like two motes of sunlight while she posed for him before turning to gesture out to the plains once more.

Koda did as she directed, turning to stare out into the rolling grassland. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was that Arthene was indicating, but he’d at least try.

There were several thin lines that shimmered amongst the waving fields of grass. Koda guessed they were streams based on how the greenery just seemed brighter near them. A few large stones covered in lichen and bleached by the sun lay scattered distantly, making him wonder what cataclysmic event must have brought those stones to that resting spot. A distant smudge of movement caught his attention many miles away though and he focused on that as Arthene’s laughter began again.

“What are those?” he asked, unable to make out the specifics of the animal shapes beyond that they looked large and were moving at a slow plod.

“Bison. Lovely, fat bison,” Arthene rumbled happily, the hunger in her voice clear even as her stubby bear tail bounced above the curve of her ass. “It’s been so long since I’ve had good roast bison. And the hides are strong and make great bedding.”

“She’s not wrong,” Hannah said from Arthene’s other side. The cat beastfolk had paused as well and was studying the distant herd. “The challenge is usually transport, but between you and Aegisclaw here, we shouldn’t have a problem moving one of them to the base of the mountain where there are more trees. Then we can smoke the meat while we prepare the hides.”

“Easily. We can take three or four I think,” Arthene said, not looking away from the animals. She began to bounce excitedly on her heels. “Koda and I can carry one each, then it’s just a matter of what the other six can support.”

Koda wanted to argue. The idea of him being able to carry an entire bison was ridiculous. Sure, he was better defined now than when he’d come to this world, but they were talking about an animal that would weigh in excess of twelve hundred pounds.

But you aren’t operating on just muscular strength anymore, Koda, he reminded himself. The power granted by Thera has done more than just give you some fancy gloves and the affection of three beautiful women. You are stronger, faster, and noticeably more savage than you once were.

He noted the startled looks that Hannah was giving Arthene and it actually reassured him that someone else was questioning the demigoddess’ words. He had no problem imagining Arthene able to shift one of the massive creatures, but him? That was a bit much.

“Better to only take two right now,” Todd added as the rest of the group came to a stop and looked out over the plains. “While we could haul them that far, it would result in spoilage of the meat. There is only so fast we can process the bodies, smoke the meat, and all the other things. I refuse to waste what we don’t need to.”

That statement brought Arthene out of her hungry staring and she turned a curious look on the fox beastfolk for a moment, her yellow eyes searching him before she nodded once sharply.

“That is fair and acceptable, Todd. I shouldn’t get greedy. Two will still give me enough to feast properly for the first time in centuries, and provide us with supplies for some time. They are still some ways off, so we should get moving.”

As if that decided everything, Arthene turned and gave Hannah a slight push, urging the cat beastfolk back onto the path. Hannah squawked in protest at first, arms flailing for a moment as she nearly lost her balance, but Arthene righted her with barely an effort.

“We don’t need to rush, Arthene. Those beasties make a hell of a landmark out there,” Hannah grumbled once she had her footing steady once more and dusted herself off.

“Yes, and if something decides to spook them before I get a chance to bring one down, I’ll be annoyed. Sooner we get moving, the sooner we can camp. If we are lucky, we can catch up with them either tomorrow or the day after depending on which way they turn.” Arthene’s answer was just so enthusiastic that even Hannah couldn’t hang on to her irritation at the much larger woman.

“Fine, but no pushing me like that again! You might have the strength of a mountain, but the rest of us would be hurt if we went tumbling down the slope.”

“Koda would probably be fine,” Calandra chipped in, a teasing smirk on her lips evidence of her improved mood. “He’s much better at the tumbling, though, and I personally recommend it.”

Koda groaned in response to her joke while the others all joined in with the laughter. They had all spent so much time together over the last few weeks that there wasn’t exactly anything that would really phase any of them.

When the amusement had died down and conversations had resumed, Arthene actually reached back to catch Koda’s hand with hers, rolling her head to look over her shoulder back at him while smiling fiercely.

“You did good claiming the little one,” Arthene said brightly and Koda snorted.

“I’m still not sure if I claimed her or she claimed me. You all can be so pushy,” Koda teased back at his bear-featured lover. Arthene’s rounded bear ears wiggled happily and she nodded.

“We did, because we are what is best for you.”

“And you just happen to know what is best?”

“Now you are getting it!” Arthene laughed, giving his hand a squeeze before releasing him, as the path was still not wide enough to allow more than one to walk comfortably. “You should keep your senses open for more sites of power. It’s been a long time, but this is roughly the direction our sweet Sienna’s forbearers trod when they fled from our homelands. The area should be littered with sites.”

“Really? How far did they travel?”

“Some hundreds of miles, so don’t worry too much about finding remnants of the Crooked out here,” Arthene reassured. “I just have memories of these plains, its tossing grass, the glittering rivers, and the fat bison.”

Arthene made a theatrical slurping noise like she was sucking back a strand of drool and Koda snickered at her. His eyes were caught by the hypnotic sway of her hips as her bottom bounced back and forth in time with her steps for several moments before he forcibly tore his attention away from that lush cushion.

“Ahem, well I will then. Do you know if or when Thera might be done with that improvement? I would dearly like to boost my ability to sense these locations if they are important.”

“Oh they are important, as you well know. To Thera, myself, and those of my sisters that still dwell within Thera’s sanctuary.”

The last part of Arthene’s sentence was a reserved mumble, and Koda questioned at first if he’d actually heard her say anything. He was trying to figure out how to pry for more information when Arthene volunteered it for him.

“Many primal spirits gathered under Thera’s wings when she was at the height of her power. And just as many fell in battle to defend her and their lands when the Crooked tide came washing over the land. They now sleep in the same ethereal realm that she does, waiting for when she has gathered the power to return them to life once more as she did for me.”

Koda wanted to inquire more about the other spirits, and about Arthene’s own experiences, but felt something tugging at his mind telling him not to. So instead, he decided to ask about something else her statement had brought up.

“Not that I am meaning to insult your sisters and my ancestors, but how was it that they were overwhelmed when we’ve soundly spanked the Crooked each time we have run into them so far?”

Arthene was quiet for the first few moments before she answered him at last. Her tone was hard, but determined.

“Do not doubt that those who fell fought hard and gave it their all. The difference that we face here is that the majority of those we fought were rabble. The merest of conscripts in the Crooked armies. The foot soldiers and cavalry we have faced were mere leftovers from one of their fronts, sent to raid the other lands to bring back more souls to corrupt and create more of their own.”

Arthene growled under her breath before blowing air out of her nose in a furious snort that would have made Hans proud. The tension left her abruptly in the wake of that noise and she sighed, nodding.

“The other part is that they were all caught by surprise. To be caught as such by a champion and an incarnate spirit? They are doomed. Without more forces on our side though? We will struggle to truly battle their trained warriors if more come. We have faced their chaff so far with only a handful of truly strong opponents. I don’t know what Thera’s plan is, but we are still at the opening stages while we prepare.”

“And that is why I want to get the training started back in the village!” Calandra interrupted from behind Koda, clearly having been listening in. “I know that the Crooked are dangerous, and that’s not even including if they bring in reinforcements from one of the other monsters that they work with. I’ve heard stories enough about the Tyrantborn to keep me awake at night, let alone the Fleshmelt.”

Just the names of those things drew a brief shiver of dread out of Koda’s guts, but he crammed it back down with a fist of defiant anger instead. He would not cower at the mere thought of something dangerous!

“Indeed, we will have to work to refine the others. I’m not even sure if the Pack Lady has a plan yet, given that Koda came in out of nowhere like an unexpected spring blizzard. We just have to hang on and hope for the best,” Sienna added from behind Calandra.

Koda yelped in surprise when something again smacked him in the butt. This time it wasn’t Calandra’s axe handle. Instead, it was a hand that gave his butt a playful squeeze as Calandra spoke.

“I’ve got something to hang on to right here! But I think he’s got a good handle on the other side too, better grab it quick Sienna, before Arthene gets that one!”