17 Bullets: becoming the Werewolf Queen

Chapter 9: Sukumah

47 BULLETS

I hopped out of the truck and went to go grab my skunk, but the body was covered in crawling roaches. "Eww. Darnit Thann!" I yelled into the air. "I wanted to eat that, but now there's bugs all over it." But then I contemplated if maybe the bugs were edible too. Other places even on Earth ate bugs. How desperate was I?

But as I watched I realized the roaches ate fast. More than half of the carcass was already gone, and they were even eating bone down. "Ick. Maybe I actually don't want those in my mouth." Then I added with a shiver, "or anywhere near me."

I kicked the whole writhing mass into the bushes.

I almost turned back to dig some potatoes when I realized I had a bucket full of goodies to try.

I had just set the last orange on the truck gate when Thann came strolling back into camp, holding the carcass of some skinned and cleaned animal. Maybe the size of a large pig from back home.

He held it up in pride. "Eat!"

"Yes," I laughed. "Eat for a month!" But as I considered Thann's build, I recounted. "Nah, maybe a week." I gestured proudly to my assortment of goodies. "Look, I can hunt too. But I need your help..."

He interrupted my thought, with a shrieking, "Sukumah!"

In nearly a moment I was pressed up against him, high in a tree.

"Holy Dothraki!" I shouted at the instant change. "What happened?!"

Thann was staring across the clearing to my truck, eyes twisted with confusion.

"Thann?"

"Sukumah," he stated harsh but curious.

"What's suckoomah?"

My glance followed his line of sight, and he was zeroed in on my skunk fur laid over the side of my truck.

"The skunk?" I asked.

I took a deeper look and noticed that both of Thann's daggers were stuck in the thing, attaching it to the metal. I giggled.

His eyes pointed back on me, almost daggers themselves.

My giggle turned into a chuckle. "The skunk? It's already dead. I skinned it. It's just a fur."

He turned back to the creature and scowled; still tense like he was waiting for it to get back up even though it had two knives plunged in its back.

Dude.

It was just a skunk. He was acting like it was a bigger threat than a werewolf.

"Let me down you oaf," I slapped his hands playfully until he reluctantly released me.

I started climbing down limbs and he followed, holding my hips to balance me on the final jump.

"Uh, thanks," I blushed.

He then inched forward, hands wide and outstretched, watching the skunk pelt like it was a nuclear bomb on its last seconds to blowing.

"Calm down Dothraki," I giggled. "It's dead. Kill."

"Kill?" He echoed and started walking straighter.

I strode around him and went to grab the dagger out when Thann hollered in terror and pushed me back behind him.

"It's just a skin dummy!" I tried to dart around him again, but he was too massive.

He ignored me and stepped forward giving a quick slap to the skunk's fur tail. Then he hopped back again like he was ready for an attack.