The others notice this, too. Ribbit makes an excited sound and points at me. “S’werringpantz!”

Indeed. I have been marked by my female. I pat the fabric around my hips proudly, letting them know that she has made her designs on me clear for all to see. “Murr Dakotah yes.”

Dakotah just groans as if in pain.

Ah-gee titters again.

I sit next to my Dakotah by the fire, hands on knees, and I could not hold my shoulders any higher if I tried.

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OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 25

DAKOTA

The loin wrap is pretty much an utter failure.

It’s great in theory. It’s great when Murr is standing up, hands on hips. But the moment Murr sits down, he spreads his thighs like it’s his personal duty to take up as much space as possible, and the fabric rides up, and then we’ve got a big dragon dick hanging out just as much as before. Aggie stares at him like she’s never seen a naked man in her life, her expression gleeful and fascinated. Dottie’s more circumspect about it, though I catch her frowning every now and then.

Rabbit, my smart, clever, adaptable daughter, pays it no mind. She simply sits next to Murr so she’s not in the line of sight across the fire, and tells the two ladies all about the cats they’ve been feeding. “We’re naming them after Muppets,” Rabbit says. “The ones that come around all the time and are the friendliest get names first. If we run out of muppets, we’ll go with Sesame Street.”

“Do you remember watching any of that?” Dottie asks, her expression turning fond as she watches Rabbit dice up some cooked meat with her pocket knife. “You look too young.”

“I don’t remember it at all,” Rabbit replies. “But Mom does, and there are books with Muppets. This little skinny guy is Kermit because he’s timid. And he loves this big fat orange girl cat, so we call her Miss Piggy.”

“Very nice,” Aggie says. “Which one is Rowlf?”

“This boy over here with the jowls!” she says, indicating a fluffy brown cat with stripes. “The tabby!”

They all chuckle, and I notice they’re casting fond looks at my sweet daughter. I don’t blame them—Rabbit’s impossible not to love. She’s just the happiest girl, and full of positivity. She loves life and the world around her, and it hasn’t broken her gentle, caring spirit.

Rabbit continues to name more of the cats as they wander forward for a bite to eat. The sizzling haunch is ready for us humans, and I sprinkle a bit of my precious seasoning on it to give it a bit more taste. I think longingly of the packets of seeds in my pack, the herbs I was going to grow in the window over the winter in the hopes of adding some flavor to our food. If we have to leave, I can’t exactly carry a bunch of potted plants around with me. An herb garden is very much a stationary thing.

“Whew, I think I’ve had my fill of meat for the night,” Aggie eventually says, licking her greasy fingers. Her strange wig is slightly askew but the smile on her face is huge. She beams at Murr. “And that’s not something you’ll hear from me often, young man.”

Murr frowns, trying to follow her words. When she just keeps grinning at him, he pats his kilt again. “Murr Dakotah yes.”

“Oh, I wasn’t asking to see your meat, honey.” She leans in conspiratorially. “We can all see it⁠—”

“Aggie, can’t you talk about something other than that man’s dick?” Dottie declares, shooting me an apologetic look. “I swear she’s not normally this bad around company.”

Somehow I doubt that very much. Aggie seems like the type to be herself in each and every scenario. I’m amused by it, but at the same time, I can’t help but worry over these two women. They’re elderly and though they eat with gusto, I can’t imagine that it’s easy out in the world for the two of them. Heck, it’s not easy for me and I’m at least thirty years younger. Maybe it’s the mom in me that wants to make sure everyone has a comfortable bed. “It’s getting late. Where are you ladies staying?”

Aggie picks a bit of meat out of her teeth and glances over at Dottie.

“We slept in a van a few parking lots over,” Dottie says. “Last night, anyhow. I imagine we’ll go back there tonight and then head on out tomorrow.”

“To a fort?” Rabbit asks, leaning over and scratching Rowlf’s big jowls.

Aggie sucks on her teeth, again looking over at Dottie.

“No forts for us,” Dottie replies, her tone prim. “They’re not a good fit.”

“Didn’t wanna suck dick for a bowl of shitty corn mush,” Aggie drawls. “Gotta have better food than that.”

Rabbit makes a choked sound and shoots me a look.

I clear my throat. “Um. Aggie, maybe watch the language around my daughter?”

“Right. ’Course.” Aggie leans toward Rabbit. “I didn’t wanna give sexual favors for food. You know how forts are. I imagine everyone here does. ’Cept maybe the big guy.”

She gestures at Murr.

Murr’s brow is furrowed and he glances between the two women and starts to pat his kilt again. I grab his hand before he can do just that and decide to focus the conversation elsewhere. “We left Fort Amarillo because they kept raising prices on everything. There was no free water, no free food, nothing. They figured they’d run off enough people that it’d be an easier living for those left behind. The woman that lived across from us died because she couldn’t afford medicine, and that was enough for us.”

“We left two years ago,” Rabbit adds. “It’s been great.”

I manage a smile. Her version of how things have gone is different than mine. I haven’t let her know how stressed I am about our living situation, how every day I triple check our rations to make sure she has something to eat, how I’ve gone without so she wouldn’t. I don’t regret leaving the fort, but I wouldn’t say it’s been a breeze.

“Good for you, honey,” Aggie says to Rabbit. “You and your mom are doing great.”

“You are too,” she tells them, all smiles. She leans in, and I ache at the eagerness on her face, because how long has it been since Rabbit had a friend to talk to? A mom isn’t the same thing. “So you and Dottie left the fort to go out on your own? And that’s how you got here?”

“Kinda?” Aggie looks over at Dottie again.

Maybe it’s mom radar, but that look bothers me.

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OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 26

DAKOTA

“What fort were you in?” I ask, oh so casually. I squeeze Murr’s hand in mine without realizing I’m doing so, and when he squeezes back, it startles me.

Dottie is the one that replies, her tone calm and measured. “We came from Kansas City.”

“That’s a long, long way away. You two walked?” My bullshit meter turns on. It took me and Rabbit two years to make it here from Amarillo. You can’t travel fast anymore. The roads are overgrown and broken, so you have to walk on foot. You have to be careful to avoid dragons and their attacks, not to mention other people. You have to forage for food or scavenge every building you come across in the hopes of scraps from Before. The fact that these two elderly women made it that far on their own tells me they’re either lying or there’s something they’re not sharing.

“Not exactly,” Dottie continues. “We rode bicycles all the way down to Oklahoma City. Took a bit, but it ain’t that hard to do.”

“I used to bike to work every morning back when we still had corporate jobs,” Aggie mourns. “I had the prettiest road bike, too. Lightweight, but the best glide. Bright yellow, too. I called her Little Mama.” Her mouth purses and for a moment she looks genuinely sad. “She served me well for several years, but when we got to Oklahoma, her tires gave out. Couldn’t find a replacement so we ended up trading her for parts.”