Upon a Savage Shore Ch. 19

"That undercut," he replied, pointing.

Tem'Ma'tel flipped a switch on the side of her weapon and brought the scope to her eye. The scope was not as versatile or sensitive as Liam's sensors, but it did have a heat sensing mode. The shape of the thing under the water was distorted and the signature muted, but she could see it was large. And then she saw its head break the surface and took the scope from her eye to stare at it.

"Damn," Liam swore softly. He'd been expecting something fearsome, scaled and horned. This thing was slick, with oddly textured scales. Even as he stared at it the animal seemed to flicker and fade into the background. It didn't disappear, it just became difficult to see. Large, opaque black eyes blinked at them and then it submerged again. The chief and Stolk moved back further from the water's edge and watched the slight wake the animal made as it swam under the surface towards them, stopping a few meters away.

"What do you think?" Liam asked his mate.

"Shoot no good," she said.

"Yeah, the water would dissipate your rounds before they could do any damage." He took one of his EP 12s from its holster and contemplated putting a round into the water to see if he could get any penetration. Likely, though, even an armor piercing round would slow too much to hurt the creature.

"Warrior," Charlie said, coming up to Liam. He held a large stone and bounced it in his palm. "Throw rocks at it. Make it angry."

"Chhal! Leave them to their hunt!" Sscuha said urgently. She took her son's arm and drew him back even further from the water, but Warrior turned to consider the boy's suggestion.

"I think I see what he means," Liam said and took the stone from the boy.

"The young one is right," Chief Seschiqal said and picked a fist sized stone from the ground. "Stolk, gather more stones. We may need many to bring it up."

"Throwing the rocks might just drive it off," Liam said, still holding the rock.

"How we shoot animal, SarJ'ant?" Tem'Ma'tel asked.

"We need some rope," he said and turned to Chhal. "Charlie. Rope."

"Rope?" Chhal asked, confused by the sudden change in plan.

"Fetch a rope," Sscuha said. "Make it a long one."

As the boy ran off Liam went to a thick sapling nearby.

"Tem'Ma'tel, give me a hand with this," he said. When she joined him they both pulled on the sapling, gradually bending it over until its roots tore from the soft soil.

The Fauns paused in their collection of stones to watch what the stranger would do next. Liam used his knife to chop several small branches off the trunk before hacking at the trunk itself. He continued to work on the part he had cut away until he was left with a stout wooden grapnel.

"His blade did not break," said Stolk in amazement.

"It is made from a god tear," Seschiqal said almost reverently. He had seen such a blade many seasons ago and now wondered if he could make one from the god tear Warrior had given him.

Chhal returned at a run with a cord as big around as Liam's thumb. Liam took the rope and tried to fasten a large stone to the grapnel, but the rope was too thick to hold it securely.

"Here, take this," Seschiqal said, unwinding the thong from his war club.

"Thanks, Chief," said Liam, accepting the long strip of leather. In a minute Liam had the stone lashed to the wood and had the rope tied to the grapnel. Liam rose, swinging his creation lightly. Moving closer to the water he said, "Weapons ready."

Tem'Ma'tel brought her deq'istle up to her shoulder and watched as Liam whirled the weighted grapnel over his head. He looked into the water and with his scope found the long form of the predator below the surface.

"Alright," he said. "I'm going to try to hook it and drag it to the surface. It may not come up. It might just charge us. I don't know. Everyone be ready. Sue and Charlie, you two get back up the slope a little further. I don't want you getting hurt."

At the gesture from Warrior, Sscuha took Chhal by the arm and pulled him away. Rover wandered a little closer, curious as to what the bipeds were doing. He'd never seen them act like this before and was concerned that they were going to make the creature in the water angry. That would not be a good thing. He'd had his own encounter with it before his new bipeds had come here, though that had been farther downstream.

"Chief Seschiqal, what does he do?" Stolk asked, putting an arrow to his bowstring.

"I think he plans to cast the hook into the water," Seschiqal replied, readying his spear. "Why he baited it with the stone, I do not know."

"It's moving again. Get ready!" Liam barked and threw the grapnel so that the rope would cross over the animal's back. It fell near the beast's hind quarters and Liam hauled back hard, feeling the long hooks take hold. Instantly there was a thrashing below the surface as the beast rolled and Liam was dragged a couple of paces towards the stream, fighting and slipping in the mud. His boot clamps snapped out, but there was nothing for them to bite on. His feet slid out from under him and he went to his ass. Though jolted by the fall Liam kept pulling on the line, watching as the animal continued to roll under the water, churning the surface as its tail lashed.

"SarJ'ant!" Tem'Ma'tel cried in alarm at the vulnerable position her mate was now in.

Liam ignored her and pulled with everything he had, his boots sinking deeper in the mud. Suddenly the chief laid hands to the line and dragged with him, his hooves sinking into the mud alongside Liam's. The chief was larger than the average Faun and his slim frame had more strength than one might have guessed. Between the two they began to pull the monster to shore. It struggled for a moment more and then abruptly reversed itself, surging towards the source of its torment.

Tem'Ma'tel and Stolk both shot as the creature, all churning legs and wide spread mouth, lunged up from the deep water. Tem'Ma'tel's blast caught it a grazing shot across its back. Stolk's arrow struck in the shoulder, but bounced off uselessly. And then the animal was on top of Liam. Four meters of muscle and teeth lunged at him and Liam only just got his arms up in time to take the impact.

Out of nowhere Rover appeared and clamped down on one of its powerful forelegs, drawing blood and a hiss of anger. The beast turned on him, snapping at Rover's back, but got a mouthful of quills for his trouble. It hissed again and tried to free its leg, only dragging Rover closer.

Seschiqal, unable to use his spear at this range, beat at the creature with his club to no effect. It lunged at him, biting the top edge of his shield. With a powerful convulsion it tore the leather and wood from the chief's arm, flinging it into the stream. Tem'Ma'tel fired another bolt, blasting a hole in the beast's side. It screamed in agony and tried to spin away, but Rover still had its leg and his massive claws dug deep into the muddy bank. Liam got hold of the rope again and pulled, tangling four or five of the animal's legs. Stolk shot another arrow and then took one of his spears to stab at its eyes.

The animal, in rage and pain, thrashed, driving Liam deeper into the soft bank, knocking the chief away with its massive head. Finally it tore its leg from Rover's teeth, though it opened a deep wound, crippling the leg. Stolk's spear found one of the dark eyes and the animal screamed again in agony. As it reared up Tem'Ma'tel put a bolt through its head and it fell limp, legs and tail twitching as it died. Everyone went silent, panting with the abrupt end to the battle. From up the bank came cheers and whistles. A small group of villagers had gathered to watch the hunt, coming in time to witness the battle.

"Well, it's dead," Liam panted. "Could someone get it off of me now?"

Tem'Ma'tel rushed to him and tried to lift the dead beast off, but it was far too heavy, perhaps three hundred kilos. She began scrabbling at the mud and soil of the bank, trying to dig Liam out. Rover came to her side and seeing what she was doing he applied his claws, moving huge mounds of sodden soil with each stroke. Tem'Ma'tel wrapped her strong fingers around Liam's arm and pulled with all her might, sliding him free of the enormous weight.

Immediately they were surrounded by cheering, whistling Fauns. Liam was hoisted to his feet and the chief was lifted from the mud to stand next to him. Tem'Ma'tel rose and threw her arms around her mate with an offer of 'Take!' bursting from her as she did.

"Not right now, Marine," he said, opening his visor. "You're all muddy."

She kissed him and hugged harder, almost lifting him from the ground in her exuberance after surviving another battle.

Rover moved away from the crowd of cheering bipeds and sat down in the grass to let the mud on his fur and quills dry. So much noise over something like this made no sense to him. They killed it. Now what?

"Well done, Mighty One!" Seschiqal shouted and clapped Liam across his armored shoulders. "None has ever slain a beast such as this! We will feast. You shall have its heart!"

He stepped to Tem'Ma'tel and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You are as mighty as your mate!" he shouted so that all could hear. "We will make a necklace of the beast's teeth and all will know you slew it with your magic. You will be honored among our people in the Tales. And you, Stolk, will from this day be known as Stolkchiq. I give you part of my name in honor of the deed you have done. Let all hear me, I have spoken!"

The chief lifted his club into the air like a baton and led the way back to the kraal while the gathered folk continued to whistle and cheer. Some clapped Liam on the back and a few even patted Tem'Ma'tel on the shoulders. More villagers were gathered near the entrance, all staring in wonder at the mud covered hunters and cheering folk. Word spread and soon the whole community knew what had passed at the stream bank. A score of the males were sent out by Chief Seschiqal and other folk were ordered to prepare food. There would be a celebration of the victory and the vengeance they had wreaked upon the monster. There was good news for the hunters as well. The young female was no longer in danger of dying.

"We were able to stop the bleeding," M'pel E'kmel told Liam as soon as he and Tem'Ma'tel came up to the hut where the girl lay. "She'll need to remain in bed for a few days, or weeks. I don't know. But she will recover. We can keep an eye on her. Monitor her progress."

"That's good," Liam said, a little out of breath.

"Are you injured?" the commander asked, concern clouding her face.

"My side hurts," he explained. "Suit says I'm not bleeding, though. Just the strain of the fight, I think. I'll be fine in a bit."

"We should examine your wound," she said and reached for the seal on the side of his breastplate.

"Just give me the scanner," Liam replied. She frowned, but did as he asked. He took the lead from the med kit, plugged it into a port on his breastplate and showed her the screen.

"It says the new tissue is swollen and recommends an anti-inflammatory," she told him. "Also, you need to take a vitamin C capsule and should consume more fiber."

"It always says that," he grumbled and unplugged the lead.

They were interrupted when the ambassador stepped up and placed his hand on M'pel E'kmel's shoulder. He spoke a few words and then unexpectedly embraced her warmly. His daughter had been saved. The older female who had been sitting with the girl earlier came up and also embraced M'pel E'kmel, then stepped back. She took a string of polished stones from her neck and hung it about the commander's, embracing her again.

"I'm thinking they're the parents," Liam said softly.

"You are most welcome," M'pel E'kmel said to the couple and hugged them both again before they ducked into the hut where their daughter lay. Her ears flicked and she sighed, pleased to see the couple's relief, but when she spoke her voice was tinged with something sad. "I wonder how the other family is dealing with the loss of their child."

Soon after that the Fauns carried the massive form of the predator into the kraal. They'd tied its eight legs to a series of logs and several of them bore each log on their shoulders. The chief made some sort of speech and then amidst cheers and whistles from the gathered villagers, they carried the thing down to where they slaughtered their kills.

Liam noticed an odd, concerned look in M'pel E'kmel's eyes. She was focused wholly on the carcass as the natives carried it away.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She shook herself and said, "That is a huge animal."

"It looks bigger when it's laying on top of you," Liam chuckled.

"Liam okay?" Clot'ilda asked, coming from the hut where the wounded girl lay quietly. About her neck was a necklace of shining shells. Some were long and thin. Others were oval. All sparkled in the sunlight, winking in blues and pinks.

"I'm fine," he said and bent down to kiss her. Before he could draw away she nipped his beard and smiled. "Tem'Ma'tel is fine, too. She's the one that actually killed the monster. Put a round right through its head."

"Rover helped," Tem'Ma'tel added, coming up to them with the big plainswalker at her hip. "Rover brave. Strong."

"Sure is," Liam agreed and patted the beast on his neck.

"Good Rover," Clot'ilda said and squatted in front of him to scratch under his jaw. Rover moaned and pressed his snout into Clot'ilda's belly, closing his eyes. There were no parasites these days, but he still liked the attention.

"It's quite late. Before we return to the villa I would like to get a sample of the animal's saliva and examine it," M'pel E'kmel said.

"Why?" asked Liam.

"There might be toxins or venom that the kits missed," she replied a little too easily.

Liam frowned at her.

"I'm curious, Sergeant," she said a little sheepishly. "Had I not gone into the military, I would have made a career of biology. I find it fascinating."

"Alright, but don't take too long," he agreed. "I'm tired and sore. I'd like to get some food into me and then some sleep."

While the commander was away Liam and his mates rested in the shade and watched as the villagers built a fire. Meat on spits was hung over the flames and several females cut long tubers of some sort, dropping them into a stone bowl filled with water. Others folded large green leaves over some kind of grain and shoved the bundles under coals at the edge of the fire. Everyone seemed animated and a general air of good cheer filled the Fauns.

"I suppose it is time for us to return to the villa," the commander observed when she returned, slinging the med kit over her shoulder on its strap. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I have had quite enough excitement."

"Yeah," Liam agreed. "Let them celebrate. It's been a long day in just the last couple of hours."

Before they made it more than a few steps, though, they were grabbed by a dozen female Fauns and led back to the chief's hut. Inside they found the chief who was still covered in mud and beside him were Sue and Charlie. The chief greeted them with a large smile and open arms, waving them to mats of antelope hide stuffed with grass laid along the walls. Small tallow lamps were brought in and then the females who had stopped them from leaving reentered carrying wooden trays and baskets of food.

The chief kept the castaways for three more hours, talking nearly nonstop the whole time. Finally, when they were allowed to leave, one of the hunters came and presented a necklace of shining white teeth to Tem'Ma'tel and another to Liam. The largest of the teeth were as long as a man's index finger. Liam's necklace fit snuggly around the collar of his armor, but Tem'Ma'tel's hung on a loose thong with the longest teeth pointing straight into her cleavage. She looked down at it and then up into Liam's eyes with a wicked smile that he could not miss.

They left as the sun was beginning to set and took their time about crossing the valley. There was no need to rush. Besides, their bellies were too full of good food to warrant any haste.

***********

"Liam awake?" Clot'ilda's voice came from the doorway. She poked her head around the frame and smiled at him. Her fur was damp from the bath she had taken as soon as they had the animals and gear stowed.

"I'm awake," he replied. Liam had just been knocking the worst of the dried mud off his armor, thinking it was impossible to keep it clean for more than a day around this place. His boots sat to one side, caked in the stuff. "Enjoy your bath, Babydoll?"

"Yes!" she hissed happily. "Tem'Ma'tel enjoy, too."

"Oh?" he asked with a broad smile. "The two of you bathed together and didn't call me?"

"Yes," she said and reached around the door frame to pull the larger jZav'Etch into the room after her. Both were naked except for the necklaces they had been given. Tem'Ma'tel's necklace of teeth shone ivory white against her red-gold fur while the silver opalescent shells of Clot'ilda's winked and glittered in the light of the hand lamp hung on the wall.

Liam smiled, taking in the display of lush curves and dancing eyes. The two females reminded him of mischievous schoolgirls out of a movie he had seen many years ago. They pranced lightly across the room to him, both jiggling enticingly. The tall, powerful Tem'Ma'tel a sharp contrast to the petite Clot'ilda. Liam could already feel himself becoming aroused before they kissed him.

"Take, SarJ'ant," Tem'Ma'tel purred into his ear. "No mud. Clean."

Their scent filled the room and it was all he could do not to tear his clothes off. Damp and warm they pressed themselves to him and Clot'ilda giggled as she stretched up to nip at his beard. Liam forgot his sore muscles and the pounding he had taken when fighting the eight legged monster in the stream. He drew them in tighter against his sides, feeling their warm curves and ran his hands down until he cupped one firm ass cheek in each. Clot'ilda pressed her face into his chest and Tem'Ma'tel nuzzled his neck, nipping lightly.

"So why did the two of you come in here?" he asked teasingly.

Clot'ilda answered by opening the clasp on his fatigues. At the same time Tem'Ma'tel began pulling his shirt up. She slipped her hand under the material and ran her fingers over his broad chest, feeling the scars almost as if she were reading them the way a blind person might read Braille. Both cats purred, the humming vibrations filled the room as thoroughly as their scent. Liam squeezed their pliable flesh in his fingers, enjoying the sensation of their fur. Clot'ilda's was longer than Tem'Ma'tel's, but both were silky soft, even damp.

The females turned their mate and eased him back towards his air mattress. Liam allowed them to maneuver him, stepping carefully over the hard packed earth of the floor. As Clot'ilda began pulling his trousers down, Tem'Ma'tel took him by the arms and eased him down onto the mattress catching the cuffs of his sleeves when he was seated. She pulled his shirt off in one smooth motion and then they were on him. Tem'Ma'tel found his mouth with hers and Clot'ilda found his manhood. Liam took in a sharp breath at the combined sensations even as Tem'Ma'tel pinched one of his nipples between her thumbs.

Liam kissed Tem'Ma'tel harder, his hand at the nape of her neck, and put his other hand on the back of Clot'ilda's head, gently encouraging her to continue her ministrations. She ran her tongue down the length of his engorged member and then back up, laughing when she felt it twitch under the light pressure. She kissed the head before slipping it between her lips. Slowly she slid the head to the back of her throat and then in, taking his full length.