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“Ragnar I must keep going to the nearest town. My sisters need medicine.” Expecting an argument, I am pleasantly surprised when he only nods, moving around me like a twister to clean up all signs that we were here before ushering me out with my bag. Like a toddler, I let him jostle me around before closing the doors behind me.
My bubble of safety pops when I stare into the surrounding woods, barely biting back a groan at the thought of all the walking I must do. I should have anticipated that Ragnar would have a solution for that too. He seems to be the king of solutions. When I start walking, expecting him to follow, a deep vibration rattles through me, bringing me to a stop. Turning back to look at him, I find him in his monstrous form simply staring at me like I’ve grown a second head, waiting for me to stop.
We stand like that for a few moments before I grow tired of the lack of communication and turn to keep trudging through the underbrush. Another vibration stops me again and this time I turn with an exasperated sigh.
“What do you want? We have to keep going. Town is this way.” I point in the direction I was walking, my compass in my hand. He has the audacity to shake his massive head at me. “What do you mean no? You agreed we could go. If my sister doesn’t get this medicine, her infection could grow and she could die. I’m not losing another person I love. So, if you won’t get your prehistoric ass going, then I’ll go without you.” The words fall out in a rush, my anger and disappointment tingeing each one until I am panting at the end of my rant.
The big, dopey, alien idiot rolls his eyes at me! Mouth gaping open, I am fully prepared to turn and continue the journey without him when he takes pity on me and walks over. With another vibration, he flops to the ground, baring his neck. Confusion takes hold of me for a moment as I stare at the bare spot on his back. It is where the spiked sail on his head stops and right before the sail on his back begins.
I stare dumbfounded as to why he is showing me this when he vibrates again, close enough that the sensation rumbles through my entire body and it feels like a caress. My nerves begin to tingle, and a gasp escapes me. I’m frozen in place, unable to focus when his tail curves around to push at my back, urging me towards that spot.
All at once laughter bubbles up out of me as understanding hits me like a freight train. He wants me to ride on his back. Another vibration turns that laugh into a moan and I bite my lip to contain it as the sensation goes straight to my core. An amused huff escapes him, and I find myself lifted from the ground, his tail tight around my chest before depositing me upon his back.
This time his vibration feels like a direct shot to my clit, and I can’t quite contain my moan. His laughter is no longer a huff, it shakes his sides as he stands, and it makes me want to bludgeon him in the head. My moan turns to a squeak of fear as the ground falls away from me, distracting me as he gains his footing.
My head is literally in the trees, a perspective that not even the tallest horse could have given me which is disorienting. My hands grapple for a hold as he readjusts, his shoulders shifting beneath me. I am hit by a wave of awe at the sheer power within him. The bunching of muscles feels like sitting upon something untamed, dangerous. A roar in the distance should sober me, should bring me back to reality but sitting upon his back I suddenly feel invincible. When he roars a warning in response, my entire body shakes with the force of that sound and all my worries disappear. A savage smile ghosts across my lips. For this moment, I am free. I am untouchable.
Chapter Nine
*Reggie*
On the back of a giant, the trip to town takes a fraction of the time it would have taken me by foot. Namely because we don’t have to avoid the main road. Ragnar has no reason to fear it like I would have. Even still, the sight of all the empty, rusted cars is jarring. It is as if the world came to a halt when the third wave hit.
We weave through the masses of abandoned metal, and I stoutly avoid looking at the cars. Deep down I’m afraid a skeleton might be staring out at me. A skeleton I most likely knew, even if in passing. Ragnar doesn’t slow down as he runs, eating up the asphalt until I can see the broken-down buildings at the edge of town, once bustling businesses now just shells of their former self. Shells that might hold what I need so our mission can be done.
The closer we get, the more my tension grows. Here there are many places for monsters to hide, and not just the alien kind. It feels asinine to fear seeing people from my past in The After, but I still do. Sensing the change in my posture, Ragnar slows as we approach the first building of many that I will need to search.
The once bright sign for Tractor Supply Co. is busted, parts of it long gone. Ducking beneath the stop lights, Ragnar makes to move past the store before I pat his neck, gaining his attention. Instantly he is on the alert, his snout to the sky to search for scents. When he senses nothing, he turns into the parking lot, weaving through the cars and debris.
“I need to go into this store. It was a farming supply store, but they might have some antibiotics. There are some animal antibiotics that would be alright to give my sister.” My words are a whisper, but I know he hears me. If only we should be so lucky. Though uncertainty fills me. What would that mean for Ragnar and me? Would he leave once I was back with my siblings? Would I want him to? Craziness. Of course I want him to…don’t I?
Ragnar looks around the busted down shopping center, scanning for any threats before he finally lets me down. Neither of us speak as I wait for him to shift. I do not even have to question if he will go inside with me. Danger can be anywhere. Once again, the cocoon of safety wraps around me, seducing me with the sense of rightness. Of peace.
He lets me lead the way, watching our backs as we enter the store through its shattered front doors. Merchandise spills out into the street, scattered by beasts or humans. Or both. There is no way to tell. My heart wants to beat out of my chest with fear and the insurmountable task ahead of me as I look around the interior of the store.
It looks as if a tornado has hit it, all the shelves knocked over and the stuff scattered all over the place. A giant hole in the ceiling provides minimal light, but enough that I can see there is little hope that my search will prove fruitful. Chaos has destroyed any form of organization and most of the merchandise.
If I were alone, the trip here and from here to any other store would take me weeks. A tear tracks down my cheek as I consider how long it will take to sift through this all. Distracted by my sadness I don’t pay attention to my surroundings. A loud crunch has me freezing, my breath sawing in and out of my lungs. Bringing up my rifle, I point it in the direction the sound came from.
Ragnar comes up to my side, glaring into the interior of the store as he places himself in front of me. Once more he lifts his lupine snout to the sky, sniffing. Whatever he finds makes him relax and a deep rumbling growl escapes him.
From somewhere deeper in the store, a squeak reaches us. The sound is filled with fear, yet the sound of approach is loud. Whatever the creature is, it makes a scuttling sound as it nears us. When the light from the outside can finally penetrate the darkened interior, I catch sight of reflective eyes.
From the shadows emerges a small creature, an alien. It is about the size of a dog. Its body is rounded, covered in fur with a long, curled tail. Its dominating features though, are its massive eyes. They are cartoonish with their size, and I instantly want to melt at the sight of the adorable thing. Its ears are long, sticking out from its head and in the center of its face is a button nose. Kind of like an alien chinchilla. Curiosity drives it to crawl closer to us, sniffing us as well.
Ragnar growls again and the little thing reacts as if it is shot. With a small scream it scurries back into the rubble, hidden from sight. Turning to Ragnar I raise my eyebrows questioningly.
“Dangerous? Safe?” I ask, praying that the adorable ball of fluff is safe. It would suck to get eaten by something that looks like a floofy soccer ball.
“Safe. Animal.” He responds, using words he learned from me to respond. For a second, I consider finding a dictionary and saying every word in the hopes that it helps our communication, but one look at the destroyed store and I doubt I can find anything in here. Much less a dictionary.
Hours later, I know I am right. Defeated, I slump down into the pile of junk I have been sifting through. The only good things I have found are a few pairs of pants and shirts. Those are now stuffed into my backpack. Everything else? It has either been eaten, torn apart or destroyed. Even the light has given up, the sun dropping low enough in the sky that there is little light to work with.
My ever-present shadow, Ragnar, has stood guard through it all. When I needed a shelf moved, he moved it without a word of complaint. He must be as exhausted as I am. More so considering he ran us here and yet he is unfailing, his eyes scanning the store constantly. His long ears poised and listening for any unfamiliar sounds, his snout scenting constantly. He even holds my rifle in his massive hands, having taken it from me so I could search. It looks like a toy in his grasp.
The smart thing would probably have been to keep it on hand, just in case he turns on me…and yet I can’t find it in me to worry about that. If he wanted me dead, I’d be dead. Thank God that he doesn’t. Quite the opposite. It still awes me how much he dotes upon me, worrying about every little thing. Including the furry little soccer ball that has followed me all afternoon.
No matter how much he growls at it, it doesn’t run away. It is drawn to me and every so often it gets close enough to rub along my leg before Ragnar sends it running once more. Personally, I find it kind of funny, but a few times I have glimpsed the sharp teeth lining its mouth when it made a chirping sound at me. If Ragnar weren’t with me and I encountered it? I'd shit my pants.
