Queen's note: *whispers* I did a thing. [Also in case any of my old readers see this: guess who has a negative on her covid test!]

Welcome to the Wasteland

Chapter One

Commonwealth Edge

The big head rested on a lump of old wood that once was a fallen tree. Valory was positioned to be not readily visible, her thick hide mottled to the environment to break up her outline. Half lounging, but more reclined on a rise, almost a large hill, she could keep a look out easily here

Her person was just down the slope working on butchering the wild dear Valory had taken down. Working without looking up and scanning every few minutes, having the rare luxury of knowing she was safe even out in the wasteland wilds.

It was a lot of trust that was placed in Valory's hands, and something that she would never dream of or consider not taking very seriously. So she laid there and watched for humans, of any variety, or some poor desperate predator that would risk crossing the scent line.

There were some nervous bleeting sounds from the doe's living calves. Valory's companion had used some rope around the base of their double necks and tied them to their own large pack animals. Creatures native to their mountain range, not here. Insisting with that soft heart of hers that they keep them as they were going to be setting up a base camp in the area.

The woman paused butchering, standing up to look around at the semi frosted area. The trees had been thining out steadily the last few days of traveling. More scrubby underbrush just starting to get some new spring leaves. Patches of exposed grey rocks in the last couple days were also showing up with power lines.

The young woman took a break to stretch and look over at the other big creatures.

Taking the place of draft horses, were three relatively massive near horses. One bull and two cows that were sometimes seeming as wide as tall, being very close to the time they would give birth.

The bull, affectionately named Buck for reasons was lifting his head to rip off the bark of the nearest tree. He had a double set of paddle like antlers, the main pair not unlike the classic antlers of moose. Just curved a little more and seemingly thicker. The rear set cresting back and then up to protect the moose's neck and make a headbut that much more painful.

He had two long packs along his sides, made of thick oiled leather and deceptively held more that it would seem. Not really the heaviest equipment but definitely the truly valuable stuff such as parts for the water purifier.

The two cows were nosing at the orphaned dear calves, quite interested in them, they had smaller thicker antlers that curved back and the points up. The older of the two had a thick leather bridle, braided reins and a clear saddle resting on her back along with smaller pack bags. While the younger cow had only packs with two small animal cages near her rump with sleeping fuzzy bundles. Though in a pinch she could carry a rider or two as well (it just would not be that comfortable).

These slightly mutated moose were as valuable as horses in far back times. If not more so, definitely better than cars being able to climb mountains. Not just valuable to Lana but Valory too. They could walk or trot all day for the long stretches, able to eat most every kind of flora, including wood to some degree if nothing else was available. Once the group had settled for a time, the cows could plow larger fields in a day, and the manure was just as valuable for that. So much good bacteria and such as well as the leftovers for fertilizing what was plowed.

And… well, Buck had already proven he could take on a 'wild' Deathclaw on his own. Making good use of his own sheer tonnage, so to say, and his sets of horns.

Lana resisted reaching up to rub her face, using the very edge of her glove to get the itch on her cheek. She regarded the carcass and the tarp that it was lying on. The discarded bits she was not sure if they were tumors or something else cut out and tossed aside.. Trying to save all the meat she could, Valory had made short work of the intestines as a snack earlier and skinning would be done once at a propper camp.

The woman sighed, hearing movement as she started to wrap the carcass up. Lana looked up as the Deathclaw started down the hill. "Ready?"

"Yess..." Valory dipped her head rather than nod, it was easier and also let her bump the flat of her head against the smaller human. "Finishing the butcher-ing later?"

Lana nodded, resisting the urge to wipe her hands, "I think I got the questionable bits all out, you had a snack with the innerads. It should be good to wrap up and finish later after we get to the place you found last night."

Hazel eyes scanned around, landing on the fawn that were tied to the moose cows. She smiled despite herself, Lana was fond of the deer-like creatures out here, they reminded her of the elk back home, and of course alike to the moose. Just with much smaller cute noses. "The girls should be able to produce milk for them… depending on how things go, we might be able to bring some home with us on the return trip if the deer bond to Luna and Grace."

The big deathclaw tilted her horn head, thinking about it but shrugged, "If they can keep up? Lots of work to keep a… big-big herd?"

"Bigger," Lana reflexively offered the right word as she chucked the questionable bits from the kill into the woods, then started to wrap the doe carcass up in the tarp.

"Bigger herd is harder to guard." Valory huffed, and once the new large bundle was wrapped she reached down. Careful and very mindful of her killing claws, Valory lifted the doe up. Three strides had her by the younger of the two female moose, and setting it over Luna's back.

"I think we can do it. They might be able to be trained." Lana said, following and reaching out to rub a small head and nose of the deer like baby. She should find someone and ask about local names. The fawn were frozen stiff, rightly afraid of Valory. But they might get desensitized to her over time. Her three moose for sure were, having grown up in the same complex both Lana and Valory had. Coexisting and making a new culture.

Though to them it was just normal.

Making sure the fawn were well secured as well as the carcass, Lana whistled for Buck's attention. The big bull huffed as he headed over, massive head lowering for a nose rub. "Good boy, I'm going to ride with you so not to get in the way of the kids."

Lana grinned, giving the command from the ground to get Buck into a bow like motion. Much easier to climb up him then trying to make a jump to get a saddle over six feet in the air.

"This way." Valory purred, the sound felt as much as heard as she motioned to the south east. Despite her mixed feelings about the fawn… it did make Valory happy to see her small pack sister happy. She started down the rest of the hill, leading the way.

The moose were already turning to follow even before Lana was fully settled in the saddle. Buck hesitated to let the cows and babies pass, taking up the rear guard. Lana was fussing, getting her riding gloves on instead of the butchering ones. Making sure her bow was in easy reach, and the quiver was attached to the saddle. Doing a quick count of the shafts and making a face. Lana needed to make more soon, maybe there was something she could use at this new place. Otherwise it was a few good days of hunting through the old trees or hoping for in an older hunting store.

Lana looked down, reaching to run her fingers through the thick, dark brown fur, it was a little more tan on Buck's neck and one should, where most was near black fur. She felt the bull rumble and did his version of a nicker, a low gutteral sound that helped calm the woman down.

It was hard going so far from home. Setting up a home base for a new area was not something new, but it was the first time Lana did not have her uncle here. Yes there was the sure protection with Her Pack sister, but Valory could not do everything.

There was still a lot of hard work to do, that involved smaller hands and time. Hard work that was worth it, being able to sleep well, have clean if not some hot water, lights and power for things. It was faster with two people and… and…

And comfortable with more family around. Her uncle was more experienced in the wastelands, where Lana was just used to the wildlands of the rockies, and the planes that were down south.

Lana yawned, squeaking a bit in surprise. The last two months of travel were starting to take a toll. Enough that once they secured this place Valory found, Lana was considering very much to just sleep for a few days.

Maybe find a way to get a warm, if not hot bath…

A snort had the woman's attention snapping back, hazel eyes scanning the brush and landscape where Buck was suddenly staring. Big ears tilted at the same spot.

Lana frowned, giving a soft whistle before nudging Buck to where his attention was. The bull huffed softer, lowering his head and tilting it so his antlers were going into his 'battle position.' It did not necessarily mean that what he picked up was a direct threat, but it was definitely something to check.

A semi distant gunshot had the woman crouching lower on the saddle and the moose's shoulder blades. Stream lining as she kicked her legs with an urging clicking sound. "Go Buck, someone might need help Val!"

The bull snorted and before launching into a lope. Buck was virtually a living tank in his own right so the underbrush did not hold up all that well- The moose however was able to see the trouble first. Head down, shifting his path and ran head first into the roughly dressed humans.

Or rather antlers first.

Three clusters of people, one was in the middle with a struggling brahmin. Two men that crouched behind things pulled off the brahmin, one scarred man in green fatigue and armor leaning over to cut the rope the other man on the ground was clutching. The other two groups were on either side, four or five on each side walking closer and yelling even as the two headed creature ran off in the gunfire.

Buck recognized the scents on a whole, bitter alcohol, old blood from several humans not belonging to the ones that wore it. Gunpowder and rusty metal. Buck swung his head, great paddles sweeping through the cluster of bad-humans. Shifting his weight the animal kicked out with a hind leg, off to a side to drive a hoove into the soft middle of one of the bad humans.

There was a soft tich sound of an arrow before he sank his hindquarters and launched into a jump out of this first group. Trusting his person to hold on as he got them out of the direct line of chaos. He was not afraid of weapons fire, not even from on his back as Lana shot her pistol.

Charging in like a strange battle demon, Buck was also out of the way and shaking his head to knock off the body stuck to his antlers. Hardly silent as the haunting cry of his kind bellowed out.

Confusion and panic was abound, giving Lana valuable moments to see the second group of raiders floundering on the other side of the roadway. See the dark form running in a hunch. See the injured brahmin limping away without its former berdenand a third cluster, lots of dead- Ambushed traders? Travelers?

There was at least one person still shooting, still alive, popping up and firing a rifle as Buck was wielding around on this side of the road.

There was a not so muffled, "Bloody fuck!" from the man crouched between the goods that had been knocked off the pack-animal. Furniture?

"Hold your fire!" Lana yelled at the man as Valory was looming over the second group of raiders.

Having held her silence other than loping, she pointedly timed it to roar when right behind the aggressors. Valory using the ingrained fear of her species to her advantage. She was not happy to always having to resort to it, but Valory swiped through the two humans closest. Thick muscles coiling to pounce on the third, the exposed chest making it easier to drive a killing claw into the heart.

Valory turned sharply around, using her longer tail to swipe where the other two humans were. Her tail connected with one of the humans, hearing more than feeling a crunch. Focusing on the one crawling away, reaching out to grab while glancing at the road and across it to where her pack sister was.

It seemed between Buck and a few careful shots the other four raiders were taken care of. Valory looked back to the survivor, aware of his rifle aimed at her and just grinned, "Stop that."

The rifle wavered.

"Please don't shoot my pack sister." Lana added from behind, taking careful breaths and looking worried. Her pistol loosely aimed at the survivor, not wanting to lift the firearm but also not wanting her sister to be shot at. "If you're uncomfortable we can leave,"

The scarred man hesitated, glancing away from the predator for a moment, and the eerier- intelligent, golden eyes. He was able to recognize the creature the woman was on, something else to be surprised of- though in a way it made sense that a moose of all things would survive, almost untouched. But he also paused at the young looking face watching him from its back.

Movement had the tall ghoul looking back to the deathclaw, it was cleaning its claws and walking at a deceptively slow place. Finding softer earth to dig her claws into to finish cleaning blood off. That the deathclaw was not going for him and the woman or starting on eating.

"Hold on, hang on," The man held a hand up, "Let me process things for a second."

"Take your time, I know we're… a different group to most others." The young woman (girl? Most normal humans seemed so young lately...) grinned at that, shifting in the saddle before taking her own chance glance at her mount's antlers. He could tell a scan for damage, see care for the animal and...

Taking a deep breath, the man slowly stood from where he had been crouched behind the table, some part of him noting the cosmetic damage but the thick old wood had held up. "Okay, first glaring thing that, it- you said sister, she talks?"

A distinct chuckle came from the deathclaw as it, "Yes she talks. I am very good at talking too." She walked a wide circle around the goods and scared man. Coming up behind the moose and rider, pausing to head-bump the woman.

"I thought the intelligent deathclaws were extinct… and moose for that matter." The man said, resting his rifle on his shoulder slowly. Now it was the man's turn to have a small smile as he saw two surprised expressions.

"No...they're not." Lana tilted her head, almost in time with Valory.

"We have a safe home, pack," Valory added, mostioning to Lana with a little nudge with the back of her knuckles. "We are looking for things."

Something flickered in the man's blue and red eyes, he was not not exactly relaxed but calmed down. "...well damn."

Lana exchanged a look with her pack sister, and shrugged. All things considering that was not a bad reaction.

A pained luuing from the brahmin had Lana looking over and wincing seeing a smear or few of red on its sides. She made a face and spared a glare at the nearest raider- why were they semi easy to spot now? It was almost like a work uniform from halfway to hell.

"Would you like some help? We were going to set up a home base not far, so your brahmin can rest and recover there." Lana asked and offered, turning Buck around to dare come closer to the man. Not noticing Valory kicking aside one of the raiders, keeping a pointed distance as she rose up to her full height to scan for any reinforcements.

"I think... I would like that. And maybe hear your story." The man said, glancing at the brahmin as well, then to the big moose. He offered his free hand, palm up as the bull gave a polite sniff. A large, soft nose pressing into the scarred hand before giving an approving sound.

Buck liked this new person, and rumbled at his person as she climbed down off his saddle.

"Name's Deegan," The scarred man said once the woman was facing him, offering a hand. Stuck again that the face that looked up at him seemed so young, more so when she smiled. It did not help that she was near a foot shorter than his 6 food 4 self.

"I'm Lana, this is Buck, and that's my pack sister Valory." Lana introduced, no hesitation grasping the larger hand. Though with a Deathclaw as a companion it was understandable for her to have a degree of fearlessness. She looked down at the two bodies crumpled beside them, not having gotten into a form of cover. "I'm sorry about your friends."

Deegan looked down as well and sighed, slowly putting his rifle on his back. Very aware out of the corner of his eye he was being watched intently as soon as the weapon started moving. "One I know had a brother, should see if I can find him once things settle."

The scarred man stooped checking pockets and slipping the jacket off the older of the two dead guards. Folding it and his things into a bag, taking the time to do this for both.

It said something good about him for Lana as she scanned the goods dropped, but then moved to the brahmin down the road a bit.

The brahmin was a bull, with unbroken 'c' shaped horns and… Lana tilted her head, seemed to be intact. She paused, yet the brahmin proved to be very imprinted on people as the short bull started limping to her. Both heads extending noses in the want for reassurance, prompting Lana to hold her hands palms up, "Hey there young man."

"He should be friendly." Deegan called, gathered supplies in a pack slung over his back, a few things as he started to come over. "I've had him for a few years now."

One leathery nose pressed against Lana's forearm as she focused on the right head, while the other reached for the taller man. He rubbed at the soft hide face, the brahmin was still young and had not been bothered by too much radiation. The man smiled in a way that made his scarred face look calmer, not unlike Lana's uncle who still had laugh lines through his own radiation scarring.

"It doesn't look like he was hit in the legs," Lana said as she shifted to look down the flank on her side.

Deegan nodded, moving to check the beastie over as the bull calmed down enough to start chuffing. Finding grazed wounds and a few punctures around what was left of the cargo pad and few small bits left on it, "I might need to find someone experienced with pulling bullets out of brahmin, I don't think anything has gone past the muscle..."

"I'm not exactly sure," Lana said apoligeditly, glancing at Buck that was slowly walking over, ears up and puzzled expression on his long face. "If it was an elk or a moose... I only saw a brahmin for the first time last year when one of my aunts brought a small herd home."

"Really?" The man looked surprised and then grinned, glancing at the moose, "Makes sense. How far out are you? I originally came from up the south before the war."

"I'm from the north west… well north midwest? The rookie mountains." Lana brightened up at the recognition from the blue and red eyes.

"Really now?" There was a lot of interest in Deegan's eyes- and he turned to look at Valory, who was standing beside the two cows. "Wait, are you from, what was it called, Green Seed Bunker? Where Richard was from."

He watched as the young woman brightened up even more, "You know my uncle?"

"It's been a few decades, but yes." Deegan nodded, it was a strange, but welcome feeling in his chest under his armor plate. "I worked with him, and he was looking for something, I think a vault."

"Supposedly there's a seed vault in the area." Lana nodded, excited about this idea, though kept a careful eye as both bulls started to sniff at one another. Yet being completely different species seemed to help. "Not sure if anyone is still taking care of it, how much or if anything is still viable, but I want to try and find it. And to see what crops my Uncle had mentioned, some kind of grain and he brought tatos home."

"Probably razor grain." Deegan explained, willing to leave the rest of things on the roadway, "He had a big sack, but if I remember right, Richard gave it and half his fresh tatoes to a family that was uprooted from raiders."

"That sounds like my uncle." Lana nodded, and picked up that the scarred man was ready motioned to the east side of the road. "Valory found a place for us that way, we didn't know there was a road… kinda glad we missed it… Sorry, do you need anything else there?"

Deegan shook his head, glancing back but took the lead of the bull, it was wrapped around the base of the thicker right neck. "No, maybe I'll come back after a bit and see what's still there. The important things are in my bag and still on the brahmin. There are a few places around, just have to be careful with your… sister. Not many if at all would have heard those stories of aware deathclaws this far east."

The man turned his boots to where said deathclaw was, off the road and onto the earth as Lana nudged Buck's big head around. Walking with Deegan and also putting the moose between Valory and the brahmin. Deegan nodded his thanks, "How long have you two been traveling?"

"Over two months, just ahead of the snow back home," Lana shook her head, "It fell when we were in the lower valley and just started off so I could be here around planting season."

"Must have been cold," Deegan chuckled, glad there was not much snow in the Commonwealth except around the new years. "I was never that fond of the cold and its not much better after becoming a ghoul."

"Ghoul?" Lana squinted a bit, "What's that? I don't think I've heard that term before."

Edward Deegan stopped, a brahmin head nudging his right arm and poking his side with a blunted horn, staring down at the confused hazel eyes tilted up at him.

Well this was a new situation for Deegan.