by Lily Smith
Cherie and Jett clamored from the ship with their guns drawn in case of any surprises. Jett was the first to peak her head out of the ship, then Cherie. No one but desert lizards and rattlesnakes were witness to the unusual craft, and if anything, they probably felt safer with it hovering in mid-air rather than the usual stampede of running horses around their concealed dens and desert warrens.
Cherie and Jett had failed to convince Di to back up their incredible series of events that day. The reason given was that it would be giving too much for too little gain, and created needless complications with a human government that wouldn't have existed otherwise. Maybe not directly, but certainly given enough time, unexpected consequences always reared their ugly heads. At any rate, Cherie didn't think Lilith would slice them into pieces for the loss of two horses, as long as they were honest. She might however kick them out of the group for making up such wild fantasy stories if they couldn't sell an ounce of believability. And that was the problem with Lilith: she wasn't an easy boss to please, and you knew you were in trouble when she said less than she usually did about their missions.
Both of them walked into camp with barely a bruise to show for their ordeal. Cherie walked with a slight limp from her alien ass pounding, but neither one bothered to try and create a fanciful story to explain how they managed to walk back by themselves, or how they managed to get out of a dead-end canyon while being shot at by half a dozen armed deputies. Everyone in the gang knew that Lilith could tell when an elaborate story had been made up. A few of the girls had half-joked that Lilith was a detective in a previous life, and for all her gifts at conversation and logical reasoning, it didn't seem far from the truth.
They both saw Lilith standing at the entrance to their encampment, brushing her prized horse. Valery was her name, and she was faster than any other horse that the girls owned. However fast she was on the ground, her head was a stubborn as a mule when being told what to do and how to do it, with no amount of carrots or apples being incentive enough.
"So, should I ask for the short version or the long version of today's events?" Lilith asked without looking up at them.
"I don't think there even is a short version. The short version is just as hysterically laughable as the long version" Cherie remarked.
Lilith looked up at Jett with judgmental eyes.
"I don't even know where to start" Jett said, looking down at the ground.
"Well, why don't you start from the beginning? It isn't as if we're pressed for time. We've got all day and the day ain't half over yet." Lilith added.
Cherie took in a deep breath and said, "We scouted the area you wanted us to scout. We didn't find Indians or any such thing, but rather a crashed uh...ship of some kind."
"The kind that can fly" Jett added.
Cherie flashed Jett a rude look.
"We had a rather bad encounter with some of the deputies in town, but obviously since we're standing here, they didn't get the best of us" Cherie stated.
"Tell me more about this...mystery ship" Lilith commanded.
"Well, it's not really anything threatening. We saw a downed ship, we talked to the captain, and she brought out some rather nice, er...toys, which made quick work of the deputies."
"Toys? Explain." Lilith commanded.
"Well sort of like a gun, only, well...it really does a number on one's clothes" Jett started to say.
Cherie chuckled at the thought of it.
Lilith nodded and looked down at the ground at them, then back up into their eyes.
"Just so you know...your horses made it here long before you did. Bathe and feed em' then we'll discuss it further later." she added.
Neither one of them had thought to bring up the blue starlet that they had passionately made love to mere hours before. They decided to leave that pertinent detail out of the equation entirely. Maybe it would balance itself out, maybe not. They both walked up the path that spiraled snakelike up the mountain to their base of operations, trying to calculate Lilith's verdict in all of it.
Lilith stood alone by her horse at the base of the cliff. She looked up and inhaled the desert air into her lungs, then looked around the perimeter as if scouting for a possible ambush, but then silence and mystery coalesced into a low hum that was subtle enough to evade the senses in a crowded room, but loud enough to invite curiosity in the still of the desert canyon. She looked to the northeast and saw the black craft that had airlifted Cherie and Jett to safety. Lilith squinted to make out any details, but they evaded her. She could only see the spinning circular motion underneath, with the vapors under the craft spiraling outward. It hovered for a few seconds at a hundred feet in the air before shooting straight up into the clouds. She caught her breath and nearly fell back against her horse as her eyes followed the craft towards the starry constellation Orion. The horse also had looked up at the fire in the sky, yet had no visual effect on him.
Back at base camp, Cherie and Jett both sat at opposite ends of a campfire, staring pointedly at the flickering flames that licked the air.
"You know, I wonder if things like what happened today just weren't meant for people like you and me" Cherie stated.
"Well I think I'd disagree with you there partner. I think things like that happen precisely because of people like you and me. You think Di doesn't have her own empress or boss to answer to? She has probably had her fill of bossiness of eons, just like us. It's the individual that matters, not the group-think." she said matter-of-factly.
"Yeah I guess you're right. I keep wondering if maybe we should have asked her if we could tag along." Cherie answered.
"We did tag along. What, you want her to tow us around the universe as her personal lapdogs?" Jett asked.
"Actually I don't think I'd much mind being her lapdog. It's being a lapdog to Lilith that has its quirks" Cherie remarked.
"Well, if Lilith wants all the gritty details about the girl, then we'll give it to her. No pre-planned scripts to recite and what-not, just facts as they happened." Jett added.
Cherie walked over to Jett and sat down next to her. Overhead, the clouds and birds appeared indifferent to the outworlder who flew above. Like their horse, the appearance of otherworldly visitors did little to deviate them from their ordered purpose in life, and it would be the same for Cherie and Jett. She leaned over, kissing her, as a pair of blue scorpions engaged each other in a lusty embrace five feet away.
Texas Hustlers
Chapter 1: Red Bed Revolver
Luna kicked her spurs into her stallion again as she became desperate to put as much distance away from her and her ex-lover's cabin as possible. Though the moon was full, the desert ached and crawled beneath the feet of her running horse. November had been the most damning of all the months in her reckless relationship with Burt, whose thirst for premium affairs and crooked card-dealing could never be satisfied, even by the Devil himself. If it were only these, Luna thought, she could adapt herself in some evolving fashion. However, his lust for nymphs and whiskey was enough to push her over the edge of a cliff. She had had enough of his secret trysts and obscured late-night rituals involving other women (among other things), and she grew tired of his desire to screw anything that walked the earth. She galloped faster towards the mountain range, not knowing or caring where she fell from her exhausted horse.
Luna looked back over her shoulder and exhaled in relief that no one was following. She just wanted to get away, and stay away this time. No second, third or fourth chances. She pulled back the reigns a bit and galloped to a slow trot. She looked around. This really was the middle of nowhere. She slowed to a halt and dismounted the black stallion whose mane reeked of cheap whiskey and tobacco. It wasn't her horse, but rather his, and he loved to splash his whiskey through his black mane to mark him as his own whenever he returned from work, as if the poor horse would forget who its owner was. She looked him right in the eye and promised him a great bath and pampering whenever, if ever, they would find a good lake to dive into.
"You know Grant, you really deserve better treatment than this" she said into his eyes as she brushed his dark coat. She saw a mirrored reflection of herself in his eyes that seemed to echo the words right back to her. And deep down, she knew it was true.
Coyotes and hawks barked and squawked from a distant cave carved from a stone rock face, perhaps fighting over scraps of prairie dog meat. Luna was hungry, and so was Grant. Other than food however were bigger worries about spending the night under the stars so far away from her cabin. All over town people gossiped about the Ravens, a band of bandits rumored to be entirely female, with a penchant for raping old ladies and flaying men's horses alive. Luna thought the rumors ludicrous, and probably were sown by church women too distrustful of their men's inability to keep it in their pants. From the dastardly rumors she had heard, they were like the sirens from Homer's Odyssey who lured men to their deaths with their singing, and were as harpy-like in their appearance as they were seductive in their deeds.
Luna imagined nothing could be further from the truth. The Scarlet Ravens were probably some variant of Robin Hood do-gooders who didn't like living under anyone's heel. They wore dark red boots, sash and hat and flew on steeds built for speed rather than rodeos. They all had fiery strawberry hair, as if weaved from the fires of Heaven itself, and slender, acrobatic bodies designed for love and racing along the pink sandy seashore.
She looked around the prairie with its vast openness and wondered how any lawmen could possibly let a group of mischief-making girls get the better of them, and decked completely in red to boot. It just didn't make sense. How many banks had they robbed? At least twelve at the last paper's count. She thought for a second that only ghosts or perhaps a group of succubi sent from Hell itself could get in and out so quickly in the blink of an eye, and leave no trail to show for it. In short, they were miracle workers. What they did with all the money certainly didn't leave a money trail or raise suspicion. Perhaps they buried it, or burned it in some bizarre ritualistic sacrifice to their vixen goddess of invisibility and haste. At any rate, the moon was full overhead and glaring down upon her tired body. She set out the thick, red blanket she had brought and laid next to Grant hoping to catch some residue of sleep before dawn broke.
Six hours later the sound of swift horses running nearby jolted her from her sleep. She perked her head up in the darkness and reached over to calm Grant and keep him from standing up. She counted the shapes: one...two...three...four...five horses ran by at about a quarter mile distance and were thunderous in their approach to the same mountain Luna was headed toward. They galloped up a natural twisty staircase made of stone to the top as if they ran from a pursuing dragon. Luna quickly pulled Grant up by the reigns and clamored upon him.
"Go!" she said sticking her purposefully dull spurs into his sides. Grant took off in the direction of the stone-like mesa that resembled a Mayan temple. Whoever they were, she was going to find out why they decided to trespass on her secret place of solitude.
After running a half mile she came upon the light from their fire atop the mountain. At least, what she imagined was fire. She stopped Grant at the base and started her ascension. She tread carefully, placing her footsteps into those of the horses who tread before. Not that this would have done any good at all if she were caught.
At the crest, she poked her head out from the shadows and scoped her eyes toward their circle. They all were definitely female, and from the looks of it, very young. One by one they all unbraided their red, chest-long hair as their campfire warmed the perimeter. They all wore red sashes around their crimson boots as well, as if to mark themselves as belonging to the same clan. She then saw one with a tattoo of a bird scribbled on her arm. She wondered if the rest possessed the same. It wouldn't be far-fetched, she thought. She marveled at how strong they looked, like a gathering of great predators of the air: eagle, hawk, falcon and owl.
A current of envy rushed through Luna's veins as she gazed at the servants of solidarity and independence. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself as one of them, free from the tyranny of politicians and clergymen while she ran with them like wild horses in the desert canyon. No sooner her eyes closed, she felt a stern nudge from her side. She looked beside her in annoyance to see the long face of Grant looking back at her.
She belted under her breath, "You stupid, fucking horse! You're gonna get us killed!"
Grant neighed a bit too loudly in protest.
"Who the fuck is that out there?! Speak up or we'll slice you from eyeballs to gonads!" one of them said as she stood up, her eyes trying to pierce the dense darkness. The sound half a dozen guns being cocked at once sent panic through both Grant and Luna.
Luna looked down and then sighed. She looked over at her not-too-bright horse, giving him an evil eye. For all his strength and speed, he was terminally short on common sense, at least as it applied to equestrian species. Luna stood up in submission.
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to see who was on my mountain..." she stated haphazardly.
Two of the red sashed Ravens ran over to her and grabbed her by both arms and hustled her over to the campfire. Luna inhaled deeply as they manhandled her. She looked over at both of them, noticing how breathtakingly feminine they were, yet seemingly with the strength of five men. A strange scent of vanilla hung in the air around them as they brought her to stand upright. Luna stood face to face with whom she assumed was the leader.
"I'm Lilith. And this isn't your mountain...is it? I was under the impression that it belongs to all of us", she said.
Luna straightened her shirt.
"No, I didn't mean it like that...not that I own the mountain per se. I just meant that I come here a lot to meditate and sort of be by myself. I have never seen you here".
"We needed a place to camp out for the night. And of course a place to discipline one of our members who got a little out of hand. That said...do you consider us trespassers?" Lilith asked.
Chapter 2: A Bitch of a Teacher
Luna's heart skipped a beat when she was asked the question on trespassing. If anything, it was she who felt as if she were the trespasser, not them. However she downplayed her role in all of it and decided to answer regardless.
"No, not at all. I have heard of you though and have to say I am not easily impressed, but you guys, er, I mean girls, really inspire simpletons like me"
"Inspire?" Lilith said, not sure if Luna was joking.
"Ever since I heard about your um...exploits, I wanted to join up with you guys."
"Well..." Lilith said, stroking her chin. "It just so happens that we are in need of an extra member. Interested?"
Luna's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Oh hell yeah! Um, I mean, of course" she said, trying to sound as unemotional as possible.
"There are three tests you have to pass first. Nothing extraordinarily taxing, just do as your told kind of test. A loyalty test of sorts." Lilith said.
"Not a problem, I can do that." she remarked.
Luna looked at the rest of the girls who looked on at her. They were drop dead gorgeous sitting there with their crimson boots and dark red hats. None of them wore any makeup. They didn't have to. Their natural aura and beauty surpassed anyone in her own family, and perhaps anyone she had even met before. Their breasts seemed to be aching to pop out of their shirts and express their freedom in as natural way as possible.
"Maya here will escort you to your first test. Just a word of advice. Remember, do what you're told, no matter how absurd it might seem" she said.
Maya walked over to Luna and handed her a pair of six shooters strapped to a velvet belt. Gunpowder etched the sides. Luna looked Maya over. She looked like a Cherokee Indian, with jet black hair that streaked down her back and dangled around her fine ass. Her figure was like a work of art, toned and curved from years of riding, lassoing and fucking who knows how many Indian warriors. Her hips and legs were like a cat's graceful walk upon the roof of a house.
"Here put
this on. We're going to rob a stagecoach."
Luna called her horse over to her with a whistle.
"No, use one of our horses, not your own. At least for this test." Maya said. She handed Luna the reigns of a beautiful brown stallion who looked anxious.
"His name is Phoenix. He is a bit grumpy in the mornings but is fine at night. Let's go".
Luna hoisted herself onto Phoenix and rode down the path towards her first test. She thought of Grant and looked back. His ears perked as if he wondered if he was being abandoned.
They rode for about an hour under the cold moon that seemed to glare down at them in approval. They sound of a train became louder the more they continued on. A few more minutes passed and they crossed the tracks as the train left. They could see a stagecoach not far from them.
"There it is! That's the one were gonna hit. And its right on time too, just like Lilith said it would be" Maya said.
Maya slapped the back of her horse's ass with a small whip, spurring him faster.
A few minutes more and they were right upon the stagecoach in the thickness of the dark. Maya pointed a gun towards the driver and yelled out to him.
"Stop this fucking stagecoach or your head will be rolling under the feet of your horses!"
He pulled back on the reigns hard. The coach skidded to a stop and sent clouds of dust funneling in the air. The driver, an older fellow who looked more like a magician than a cowboy, thrust his arms into the air.