Hunting - The Stampede

Posted on Wed Mar 1st, 2023 @ 10:58am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Dean House & Patin

Mission: Planet of the Dinosaurs
Location: A kilometre from camp/

Red froze, knife in hand but unsure of what and where to use it. The herd thundered towards him and out of instinct he ducked as though he could somehow travel beneath the heavy animal’s hooves. One of the bulls spied him and charged, neatly ending his miserable life with an impalement of his long tusk. Back in the tree Gerty closed her eyes as the fool lost and became nothing more than a plaything for a bunch of crazy charging bison.

Patin’s brow sunk in anger as she watched the man get trampled to death right in front of her. “Idiot!” She cursed before realigning herself on the steed. She then gritted her teeth, pulled out the cracker and tossed it as far as she could. It exploded with a loud crack of the air, stopping the herd in its tracks. She then pelted the bull in the hind quarters, causing it to rear back with a mighty roar garnering the herd’s attention. The silence was momentary however as soon as the bull landed, she urged it to turn around.

Then like the wild woman Patin had always been she ‘yipped’ and urged the bull, herd in tow, to head for the camp. Dean and Gerty would have to fend for themselves and they would have to deal with Red and the fallout of his actions, or in-action in this case. He was an idiot, she told herself, and he got what he deserved. It was reassuring banter, but she knew better. No one truly deserved to die, especially not like that.

Gerty watched as the herd headed for camp, knowing she and Dean would need to be hot on their tails to cull the slower ones close to camp. Whilst she was still traumatized from the sight of Red now lying trampled in the dust, her survival training kicked in and she knew they needed to act.

"Commander, should we follow the herd and get the slow ones?" She called as she shimmied down the tree, hitting the ground on shaking legs.

Dean reached up to put a finger up to his lips, indicating to be quiet. Keeping his voice low, “We and they are being hunted. More us than the bulls. I think that the slower ones can wait and be used as a distraction or bait.”

He shook his head, “Forget it. Red is lost anyway, you can go into shock later. Right now. Move your ass. You get back with the rest, I’ve got this.” There was no arguing from Gerty with a reply to Dean’s order. If she did, the Raptors would be the least of her worries. Dean could keep them from going after Gerty. Which he planned to do. Snatching out his knife and throwing it deep into the brush at the first one. Ducking down to a crouch and shooting the next. That was going to piss them off. As long as they focused on him, they would ignore Gerty as the weaker prey, sprinting out of sight.

Yeah, great. Bigger pack..lovely. What happened to fives. This was not just five. Stopping in a slight clearing, and hearing the kaws coming out around him. Literally closing his eyes to listen in 360 degrees. Every bristol, step, breath, snort.

Gerty's eyes went widder than dinner plates at this new threat. Whilst leaving an officer on their own went against everything she had ever learnt at the academy, he had ordered her to do so. Nodding mutely she tossed him the rifle she had and bolted after the bison pack.

Meanwhile, Patin pushed her bull forward. Every few hundred yards he wanted to slow to a stop from exhaustion, which she couldn’t blame him for. He had just gotten done mounting one of his mates when this all began which she had found puts many males out cold for a few hours. And now she was forcing this one to run like he had been just caught cheating on his wife.

There was no looking back now. The others were on their own and hopefully capable. While she hadn't been expecting to carry the burden of getting the herd to the camp, she was fairly certain she was the right one for the job. Though she had wanted to see what sassy pants McDean could have accomplished on top, she would have to wait for another opportunity.

Gerty puffed and panted as she tailed the pack, struggling to keep them in view.

"Captain, herd incoming!" She puffed, unable to get more than a few words out as she ran. Hopefully the CO would organize a few snipers to drop a few of the creatures as they passed the camp.

Behind them, they could hear the sounds of the ‘screams’ or ‘calls’ from the Raptors. Assumedly from where Dean was fighting with them. Keeping them at bay instead of letting them come for the herd and the rest of them. Stopping them as well from making it to the camp. Just because there were more numbers of the crew at the camp, didn’t mean they were safe. That actually made it easier for them to be picked off one by one.

Dean was not having a particularly fun time with the Raptors to be honest. It was a lot of them and they were much more organized and collected than that group of soldiers he’d taken care of a few months ago by himself. While it was still working, he’d dropped three, Dean had taken a good number of claw wounds himself. Some of them pretty deep, even for him. At least he’d stopped any of them from actually knocking him off his feet and getting their maws around his throat.

The Captain, having heard the hurried call from Gerty regarding the incoming herd had gathered the security team and were currently on their way to the high points in the local landscape in order to cull some of the beasts as they passed. Another group of officers also armed were set up in a defensive flank at the campsite in order to deflect the herd around the camp itself. In a perfect world it was a wild plan, and in their current situation the odds of it going off without a hitch were questionable.

The thundering footfalls of a thousand large herd of prehistoric buffalo barreled towards the camp causing the earth beneath their feet to shake. Patin, high upon her bull, and high upon her ride, was enjoying every minute of the rush she felt between her legs. Her bull on the other hand was beginning to slow from over exertion.

Looking ahead, Patin wondered if she could stop or steer the herd around the camp and whether or not the snipers were good shots. If they started shooting randomly it was highly likely they could hit her, or worse, stir the herd into a flight frenzy. This needed to be a calculated hunt, not a barrel fishing expedition. She thought to herself.

“ All teams, wait for my order” Rhenora said calmly, adjusting the setting on her phaser rifle slightly as she took the herd in her sights. They would pick off those at the back so as to not startle the leaders, and the teams at the camp would only fire if threatened with a direct stampede, hopefully the sight of a line of humanoids would be enough of a deterrent.

Another few anxious moments passed and she held still, arm held in the air and waiting for the opportune moment. “Take aim, target the last 5 animals. Kill shot to the head” It was a brutal order to give, but they desperately needed the protein plus whatever it was in these creatures that had them acclimated to this environment.

“Fire!”

TBC