Dirty Girls

by Rodzil LaBraun

  "Yes," she responded. "Vanilla has already done extensive work on treating the yellow grass and the huge leaves from the dragon trees. We are nowhere near out of food, though, so there isn't much focus on eating anything found on this planet yet. The samples that Sage returned with are also being tested."

  "I think that it is a good idea to start supplementing our diet with local edibles," I told her. "Even if we are not stuck here for a long time, some variety could be good. I noticed that none of you are as excited about our processed meals as I am. Aren't you getting tired of your limited diet?"

  "It's not all that limited. We just tend to fix the same things over and over again. But you are right. The girls could probably use something new to eat."

  "Let's catch a fish," I said.

  "Catch it? How, with your hands?"

  "No, we'll need to rig up some kind of fishing gear, I suppose."

  "Fishing?" she asked with a puzzled look. "Did you just make that word up?"

  I laughed and explained to her how people on Earth loved fishing. We talked and laughed for a while before it was time to take a meal break. Before I let her open the door to the hallway, I pulled her to me for another hug and kiss. When I slid my hand over the back of her shorts to cup her ass cheek, she shook her head and laughed, but didn't pull my hand away. She might need to take things slow, but at least she was willing to make steady progress. I could definitely work with that.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:

  The process required to construct a suitable fishing pole was evidently beyond my ability. Without any of the girls knowing that the device had ever existed, it was challenging to help them appreciate my design notes. Considering how lazy the snakey green fish were, I finally opted for just using a large net. That idea the girls understood.

  Sage had absolutely no interest in going to the stream with us. Only certain members of the crew were officially registered to operate the firearms, though. Sage and Strawberry were qualified to use both types. Coffee was only allowed to handle the pistol. Cinnamon, Honeysuckle and I were not permitted to use either.

  Strawberry's health was progressing nicely the doctor informed us, but she would need a couple days rest before she was cleared to return to full duty. The idea of having her tag along on the next mission was thereby dashed.

  When I suggested that allowances be made to the weapons protocol, considering the circumstances, I may have broadened the wedge between myself and the leader. My three female friends taking my side on the matter only seemed to make things worse.

  At least I was trusted with my machete once again. Honey and Cinnamon stuck with the cutters that emitted the sapphire light along the blade. I was amazed at the efficiency of the tool when it was executed on our construction projects. I had yet to see it used on a living thing as a weapon.

  We all got pasted up for the journey. This time I helped Cinnamon as the other two dirtied each other up. Though my scent was much milder than the sweet-smelling cuties on my team, I considered it wise for camo purposes. It was also good not to stand out as different, other than being a male.

  Coffee and I trailed behind as the other two slim beauties led the way to the nearby stream. She carried the pistol in her hand, always ready since we were too far from the ship to ignore the dangers involved with our mission.

  "How many times have you fired that weapon?" I asked.

  "Including training?" she queried back. That was a clear indication right there that she had little to no experience.

  "No, not including training," I replied. "How many times have you fired any weapon at a real target?"

  "None." At least she wasn't going to lie about it. "How about you? Have you fired a gun at a real target before?"

  "Yes, as a matter of fact, I have. Many times. If we get into a tricky situation where you are not confident, you can lend me the pistol. I'll return it before we get back to the ship. No one here will report you for it, I'm sure."

  She nodded agreement, but I wasn't convinced that she would go through with it. Hopefully, she would be a decent shot under stress. There seemed to be a lot more wildlife activity this time out.

  We had to take cover in a grove of yellow trees twice as dragons flew by, and once again when two of the Wofurs went chasing after a giggling goat. From the sound of them you would think that they were just playing, but I seriously doubted it the way the scaly red animal ran for its life. On all three occasions we managed to go unnoticed. Either that or they simply didn't pay us much attention. I imagined that four humans banded together would look like more trouble than we'd be worth.

  We only brought one of the water containers this time. And it was for containing a fish for the trip home, not carrying the green liquid. If the mist harvesting worked well, we'd never have to haul the stream water again. Only two people were required for this task, but I liked having the four of us working together. My plan to gain in power among this group would be dependent on their support.

  I had us creeping up to the river quietly. However, the swimming creatures clearly did not consider us a threat. They continued to travel along the surface lazily despite our proximity. Four of them were within reach in a small section of slow-moving water that I referred to as a pool.

  Attractive fish these things were not. Their faces looked like snakes, but no teeth were exposed when they opened their wide hinged mouths to snag an insect off the calm surface of the slimy liquid. Four black beady eyes sat behind its mouth. The first set were low, almost on the side of their heads, and scanned the stream. The second pair were on top, perhaps to watch for threats from above. Maybe dragons ate these things when better choices were not available. They were too large for any of the birds to hoist into the air.

  Our net was six feet wide and four feet long. It stretched between two poles that could be dipped into the water to submerge the weaved material, keeping it out of view. I held one pole while Cinnamon managed the other. They weren't more than twenty pounds even though they measured twelve feet long, made of solid metal more than an inch thick.

  Sure enough, one of those stupid ugly fuckers swam directly above our trap. When I yanked up on my pole my sweet assistant hurriedly followed suit. The other fish nearby scurried then to get away, and the one we caught starting screeching as it squirmed desperately in our net.

  Coffee and Honeysuckle held the barrel, wide-eyed as they leaned away to avoid contact with the captured creature. We pulled our poles together and managed to get most of the five-foot-long catch to drop into the container. More than twelve inches of the tail spun around slowly outside the opening as it tried to get a grip. I snagged up my machete off the ground and used the tip to guide it completely into the hole. The girls popped the lid on to seal the thing in.

  The anti-gravity lifters kept the barrel levitated, but the angry fish was thrashing around inside, making it difficult for one person to manage. We took turns in pairs pulling the container through the air as we headed back to the ship.

  Less than two hundred feet from our home we spotted more dragons headed our way. The four of us darted for cover among the thin trees that liked to dance in the drizzle. We watched as the terrifying reptiles took turns landing in the field before us, clawing at the dirt for crawling food. Once a critter was snagged from the grass and swiftly eaten, the next dragon took its place.

  Our last expedition out this way had us facing a similar situation. Only this time we had twice as many people and only one barrel. Since we couldn't all hide behind it, we pressed our bodies deep into the grass. Our survival required patiently kicking away insects that came to inspect the intrusion. It was challenging to do so silently. On occasion, we triggered a response from the flying lizards in the field.

  There were three black dragons this instance. They appeared to have a system for protecting each other while they ate. I imagined that their primary concern was others of their kind. They probably had very little knowledge of the dangers involved regarding humans.

  This was the f
irst time that I got a real good look at these creatures. They were only relatively motionless while clawing at the ground. Though predominantly covered with black scales, there were shades of gray in many places and a light underbelly. Their eyes had a ring of red, and there was some striping on their extremities to match.

  Each were roughly eight feet long, but at least three feet of that was the tail. They swung wildly at times and were used to pound the ground when their tiny prey was spotted. I got the impression that they came to realize that we were hiding among the trees, but they didn't seem all that interested in coming after us.

  Dragons were a thing of folklore before I arrived on this planet. Depictions varied but stayed consistent in some ways. These monsters resembled the results of cross breeding a crocodile with a raptor. Thinking back to the portal from whence I came, I wondered if some of these creatures slipped through to our world centuries ago, creating the stories that we now considered myths.

  Coffee lay flat on her belly beside me, both hands on her weapon as her elbows braced on the ground. Between the shaking hands and heavy breathing, I lacked confidence in her ability to protect us with the pistol.

  On the other side was Cinnamon, then Honeysuckle. They held their cutters ready but did not activate the electric component for fear of it drawing attention.

  I could hear the predators communicating for the first time. Instead of only making the same noise over and over again, like most animals, there was a remarkable variation in their language. Much of it resembled the vowels and consonants of human speech. They only spoke one syllable at a time, though. It wasn't like they were rattling off full sentences to each other.

  Honeysuckle let out a small yelp as she picked a large crawling beetle off her shoulder. The noise unfortunately drew the attention of the giant lizard that just finished off eating one of the green furry leaping animals. When its friend came to take its place, the dragon didn't take flight as it normally would. Instead, it stared right at us and began crawling our way, its nose low to the ground like a dog ready to pounce.

  "Who?" the thing seemed to ask as it approached the tree line. We were merely five feet away from the edge of the field. The skinny yellow trees were close together, but I had no doubt that the creature could maneuver through them. Since these trees were sort of hollow and feeble, it wouldn't even have to slalom to get us. As powerful as these dragons were, they could plow right through.

  "Fuck!" Honeysuckle muttered, angry at herself for drawing the animal's attention. She had only recently started using the word, as a throwback to my time. None of us laughed at hearing it on this occasion.

  The creeping monster turned toward Honey's position and spoke again. This time it sounded like "fut." Was the dragon mimicking us? Then it repeated its earlier word, "who?"

  All three girls were scared shitless. I could see them trembling as the ebony faced monster with menacing red eyes pushed its long snout between the narrow tree trunks. I was afraid, too. I was just determined not to show it.

  Neither of the other flying lizards approached us, but they did take note of their friend's progress. They were still taking turns guarding the threesome from the air. I got the distinct impression that they couldn't stay airborne for very long without a struggle. Each time one landed it appeared as though it was too tired to keep flying.

  "Who?" I heard our nosy intruder say again. This time I saw its lips move as it spoke. They had flexibility in the shape of their mouths similar to a monkey. Once its head was within a couple feet of Honeysuckle, she began crying as she activated the blue light on her blade. Cinnamon immediately did the same.

  The dragon jerked its head back, eyes wide as it stared at the strange blue beam. Regrettably, the cutters did not manage to scare it off. Just a few seconds later it nosed its way back in between the narrow trees.

  I glanced over at Coffee. She needed to aim for this thing and fire a bolt. That was the only way that we could scare it off evidently. But she was still pointing the weapon directly forward, frozen up in her panic.

  Both electric cutters raised toward the dragon's face as it pushed even closer, now within twelve inches. This thing was not giving up. With my machete gripped tightly in my right hand I dug knees and feet into the ground. Launching myself into the air in the direction of our foe, I struck my left shoulder on a tree as I swing the large blade.

  "Wow!" the dragon screamed as the sharp edge of my weapon struck its neck, dark gray liquid shooting out of its scaly hide like blood. It retreated beyond the tree line but went no farther. I could clearly see anger in its expression as it clutched a clawed front foot to its bloody neck.

  The one that was flying landed right beside it. When the third dragon that was already in the field started to join them, the recently landed creature turned and said, "no." The rejected one then took to flight, hovering just above.

  Both black scaled, red eyed beasts were then clawing at the trees as they snapped their gator-like mouths forward, clacking teeth together like a fierce dog. Still, Coffee did not fire a shot.

  I grabbed the pistol and yanked it from her grip. I was the only one that wasn't still lying on the ground, so I had a clear view of both attackers. I pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. There must be a safety, and Coffee didn't even remove it yet.

  Trees splintered and snapped from the force of the dragons entering the grove. The three girls finally raised up to their knees and scurried backwards as I fumbled with the two switches on the side of the firearm. Finally, a bolt shot out of the end when I pulled the trigger and struck the second dragon in the chest.

  "Wow!" it screamed, just like the first one did when I cut it. Apparently, that was their word for ouch. It clutched at the wound as a dark liquid oozed out between its clawed toes. The first dragon was recovering from its injury and angrily lunged toward me. Two more trees snapped from its attack but slowed the beast just enough. I fired off another shot as one of the falling yellow trees struck me in the shoulder.

  A more hideous sound erupted from the mouth of our first attacker as it clutched at its eye. The thing flailed backwards in obvious pain. Its partner started screaming "go!" repeatedly to the other two. I didn't bother wasting anymore ammo while they all three recollected themselves and took to the air. The one with the injured eye couldn't go more than twenty feet before landing again, but they frantically made steady progress away from us.

  I stood at the tree line and watched, making sure that they weren't regrouping or calling for support. Their conversations were more rapid than previous as they raced to get away from us, fear and anger evident in their occasional backward glances.

  Honeysuckle was the first one to hug me. She came at me from behind. It was her that the first dragon was trying to eat when I intervened with my machete. She thanked me over and over again while gripping my waist tightly. Cinnamon joined us next, placing her arms around both of us from my right side. I was barely able to turn so I could see the third girl.

  Coffee stood a few feet behind me horror struck, face wet with tears. When I asked if she was okay, she just apologized repeatedly. I tried to hush her, but she was too traumatized. Cinnamon kept an eye out for more trouble as I went to my frazzled traveling companion.

  "You don't have to be sorry," I told Coffee. "It's over now and we are all uninjured. Pull yourself together. We still need to get back."

  It took a couple minutes before everyone had enough composure to continue our journey. We were already close to the ship, so it didn't take long to get there. The fish had stopped flopping around in the container, so I was able to drag it through the air easily all by myself.

  I handed the pistol back to Coffee as we approached the rear of the ship. At first, she refused to take it. She wasn't quite scared of it, more like it was a cause of embarrassment for her. I forced the weapon into her hand explaining how that she was the only crew member that was allowed to carry the weapon.

  "I thought you girls were used to dealing with these dragons,"
I said as we stepped into the tunnel between the two sections of the ship's engine. I looked back to make sure that nothing was following us into the protected space.

  "That was the closest that any of us have gotten to being eaten," Cinnamon replied.

  "Sage or Strawberry always scared them off with gunfire before they could get that close," Coffee explained. "If you hadn't taken the gun from me, we would probably all be dead."

  Honeysuckle keyed in the code to open the door to our secure home as I told the girls that our story to explain the gunshots was that Coffee shot the dragons, not me.

  "I don't think that is going to work," Cinnamon told me as the door whisked open to reveal someone standing on the inside ready to depart. It was Sage. She stared into my eyes first, then looked down to my hands. I got the impression that she expected me to still have the pistol. When she noticed it in Coffee's hand instead, she stepped out of the way and invited us inside. She did not have her rifle with her, nor was she pasted up, so her intention must have been to clear us for entry instead of coming to our rescue.