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"Monsters of the Daylight" by Dirt Coyote (read by Ta'kom, part 1 of 2)
Adam meets Liam, a young wolf alone in the post-apocalypse and makes it his mission to get him home.
Today’s story is the first of two parts of “Monsters of the Daylight” by Dirt Coyote, who, when he’s not causing all sorts of trouble on twitter, is writing a novel, a series, and short furry fiction. His story featured on The Voice of Dog, “I’m Just Your Stud” was nominated for Coyotl’s Best Short Story of 2021. Find him at DirtCoyote on Twitter for future updates.
Read by Ta’kom Ironhoof, the Equine Charmer.
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https://thevoice.dog/episode/monsters-of-the-daylight-by-dirt-coyote-part-1-of-2
Transcript
You’re listening to The Voice of Dog.
Speaker:This is Rob MacWolf, your fellow traveler,
Speaker:and Today’s story is the first of two parts of
Speaker:“Monsters of the Daylight”
Speaker:by Dirt Coyote, who,
Speaker:when he’s not causing all sorts of trouble on twitter,
Speaker:is writing a novel,
Speaker:a series, and short furry fiction.
Speaker:His story featured on The Voice of Dog, “I’m Just Your Stud” was nominated
Speaker:for Coyotl’s Best Short Story of 2021.
Speaker:Find him at DirtCoyote on Twitter
Speaker:for future updates.
Speaker:Read by Ta’kom Ironhoof, the Equine Charmer. Please enjoy “Monsters of the Daylight (Part 1 of 2)” By Dirt Coyote Outside, through
Speaker:the window, into the black of the forest,
Speaker:Adam knew there was something watching him.
Speaker:Through the leafless trees in the dead of winter,
Speaker:he could sense eyes peering through the darkness.
Speaker:The pine marten knew it wasn't a Nightstalker.
Speaker:A monster like that would have just clawed at the front door and
Speaker:spewed up radioactive acid to melt through the wood.
Speaker:It wasn't a Headhunter, hiding upside down camouflaged as a branch waiting to snap his neck.
Speaker:It wasn’t a Bloodreaver or a Snoutskinner or any other post-apocalyptic creature or feral beast.
Speaker:It was too smart.
Speaker:This thing outside was alive, hungry, and tracking his movements throughout the day.
Speaker:He’d first noticed it
Speaker:when he threw out his garbage earlier in the week.
Speaker:There were cans of beans he was sure he'd stuffed inside to incinerate later.
Speaker:They'd all been pulled out, remains scooped clean for what little sauce was left.
Speaker:Every morning since,
Speaker:he'd find similar discards.
Speaker:The fowl he'd eaten last night was pulled out bone by bone.
Speaker:Any morsel hanging off was now in something's belly.
Speaker:It was getting braver with each night,
Speaker:and he’d allowed it to happen to some extent.
Speaker:Though he was only a year fresh into living alone in the war destroyed wastelands,
Speaker:he wasn’t afraid of it.
Speaker:If anything, he wanted it to get a little too comfortable.
Speaker:"Come out!" Adam cried, stepping through the front screen door, rifle over his shoulder.
Speaker:He wasn't a good shot,
Speaker:but had hoped he looked intimidating.
Speaker:A visible exhale of air protruded from his muzzle in a sigh.
Speaker:When nothing came, he shouted again,
Speaker:"I said come out!" He waited.
Speaker:Only the soft fall of snowflakes answered.
Speaker:Putting on a show of grumbles,
Speaker:he turned his back to the woods and called out,
Speaker:"Well, alright. I sure hope no one finds my hidden stash underneath the kitchen sink.
Speaker:I'm going to go to bed now."
Speaker:Admittingly, he wasn’t the best actor,
Speaker:but he didn’t have to be.
Speaker:When he put away his food behind a board in the walls of his kitchen earlier that evening,
Speaker:he was sure to leave the blinds open.
Speaker:His taunts would surely drive whoever was outside to come and take what was his.
Speaker:When he closed the door, he made sure to leave the latch unlocked.
Speaker:Adam killed all the gas lamps in the house, and stumbled his way to the couch in the living room,
Speaker:only knocking into the coffee table once.
Speaker:Then he sat himself to bed,
Speaker:hiding the rifle underneath himself.
Speaker:When he slept, it was genuine.
Speaker:His dream was of him and his family.
Speaker:He followed along behind his mother, nodding his head up and down as she showed him out to pull out the carburetor of a car with only a pick. SNAP! "Howwwwwwwwwl!"
Speaker:A voice roared from his kitchen.
Speaker:"Owie, owie, owie! Crap!"
Speaker:Adam was up in an instant, the rifle between his paws.
Speaker:He knocked into the coffee table once more, muttering curses as he stumbled through the doorframe of the kitchen.
Speaker:There, a young wolf cub,
Speaker:no more than ten,
Speaker:was sitting on the floor holding his paw.
Speaker:His paw was snatched tightly under the jaws of a vermin trap.
Speaker:The boy had managed to rip open the hidden board where Adamn had hidden some food without waking him.
Speaker:He didn't fall for the trap underneath the sink,
Speaker:but wasn't anticipating the surprise the pine marten left inside the wall for him.
Speaker:"Damn right, owie!" the pine marten growled, waving the rifle around.
Speaker:The cub looked up at him, tears running down the sides of his cheeks.
Speaker:His gaze held both anger and self pity in it.
Speaker:Frustrated, the wolf grabbed at the trap,
Speaker:trying to pull it off.
Speaker:It was only then that Adam saw the destruction he had caused.
Speaker:Two of the wolf's fingers were clamped down hard by the kill bar.
Speaker:Both were bent awkwardly and blood was beginning to sticky the fur where it had caught him.
Speaker:The boy tugged at its wooden base, trying to rip them free.
Speaker:The only thing he might manage to do was tear his own fingers off.
Speaker:"Stop that," Adam cried out in panic, rushing to the wolf's side.
Speaker:The boy scooched away and screamed,
Speaker:"No!" but then looked back at his aching paw.
Speaker:"Shoot, kid. Just let me help,"
Speaker:he said, trying to get close to him.
Speaker:Though the wolf was panting and his glare remained on Adam,
Speaker:he didn’t move a second time.
Speaker:Adam reached down, grabbing his wrist and pulling it towards him. The cub fought only slightly, but any movement hurt too much
Speaker:for him to put up any real fight.
Speaker:Adam wasn't sure what he was doing,
Speaker:but he hooked a claw underneath the bar and pulled up as hard as he could.
Speaker:As soon as he made room for his fingers, the wolf pulled himself free
Speaker:and Adam dropped the bar.
Speaker:It snagged on his claw, a small pinch,
Speaker:but not hard enough to break it.
Speaker:He just wiggled his paw around until the trap flung away and clunked noisily against the tiled floor.
Speaker:Then he grabbed the wolf by his wrist and pulled it towards his nose to inspect the injury.
Speaker:A guilt bubbled up from Adam’s stomach,
Speaker:making him queasy.
Speaker:All he could say though was,
Speaker:"Serves you right, you know?"
Speaker:Mostly, for himself.
Speaker:He hadn't meant for this;
Speaker:thought it would just give the intruder a little scare.
Speaker:Now he had an injured cub on his paws.
Speaker:The wolf didn't respond.
Speaker:He just let Adam inspect his paw, trying his best to make sure the pine marten couldn’t see him wiping his tears on the shoulder of his blue cape.
Speaker:Adam thought he recognized the colors,
Speaker:but didn’t let it distract him.
Speaker:"Stay put," he said, getting off the ground.
Speaker:"I shouldn't waste anything on you, but that's gonna need to be cleaned."
Speaker:Adam got to his feet and walked to the supplies closet in the hallway.
Speaker:There was a thought, a hope really,
Speaker:that the boy might not be there when he got back.
Speaker:He fished out an emergency kit, one he distinctly remembered he traded forty pounds of steel nuts and bolts for,
Speaker:and then got back to the kitchen.
Speaker:The boy was still there, ravaging a stick of jerky he pulled from his hiding spot.
Speaker:"Just flippin' help yourself, I guess?"
Speaker:Adam growled in annoyance,
Speaker:wanting to snatch the food from his maw and put it back.
Speaker:The wolf just tore another big bite off and chewed at it
Speaker:noisily. Adam rolled his eyes, slamming the kit onto a countertop.
Speaker:It caused the boy to jump,
Speaker:and that got a mean smile from the mustelid.
Speaker:He opened up the case, rummaging through the mess before finding a jar of ointment.
Speaker:Then he took out some tape
Speaker:and a splint and got down to the wolf’s level. "Hold out your paw," Adam said as he opened the jar.
Speaker:The boy stuffed the jerky in his muzzle
Speaker:and then held out his uninjured paw.
Speaker:"Do you want me to break one of those or…?"
Speaker:Adam asked, and the wolf rolled his eyes.
Speaker:He hesitated a second, glancing at the blood and the marten, trying to decide which was worse.
Speaker:Apparently, the blood.
Speaker:His wounded paw was placed in Adam’s, trembling the whole way.
Speaker:The pine marten scooped up a small amount of the ointment,
Speaker:taking a sniff and wrinkling his nose.
Speaker:It stung his nostrils, probably a good sign that it worked,
Speaker:and he looked into the cub's eyes.
Speaker:"This'll probably hurt,"
Speaker:Adam warned. The wolf nodded,
Speaker:put on a brave face,
Speaker:and said with the jerky still between his teeth,
Speaker:"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
Speaker:Adam, not holding back an impish smile, replied,
Speaker:"Kinda, yeah." With that,
Speaker:he smeared the ointment all over the wound.
Speaker:The wolf bit down so hard on the jerky that it snapped, half of it falling to his chest.
Speaker:He growled with his muzzle closed. A howl roared in his throat,
Speaker:but he did everything he could to suppress it.
Speaker:When the ointment had matted his fur,
Speaker:Adam grabbed the bandages and the wooden splint.
Speaker:He set his fingers and then wrapped them up in the cloth.
Speaker:There was one last big howl as the marten tied it all together
Speaker:and then let go. "There.
Speaker:Good to go," Adam said, falling onto his rear with his back against a kitchen island across from the wolf.. They sat there in silence,
Speaker:the wolf needing a minute to compose himself.
Speaker:Again, the boy tried cleaning his face without drawing attention to it.
Speaker:As if proving his bravery,
Speaker:he snagged the piece of jerky that’d fallen to the ground
Speaker:and stuffed it in his mouth like he hadn’t just been howling a second ago.
Speaker:The pine marten rolled his eyes, then tapped himself on the chest.
Speaker:"I'm Adam," he said,
Speaker:his manners. His mom would scold him if he didn't introduce himself to a stranger properly.
Speaker:With his mouth still full of food, the boy said,
Speaker:"Liam." Adam’s muzzle twisted in disgust.
Speaker:"Finish chewing before you speak,"
Speaker:he said, another thing his mom would punish him for.
Speaker:"You asked," he said, bits of jerky plopping on his chin.
Speaker:Adam shrugged his shoulders and asked,
Speaker:"Where's your parents?" The wolf didn't
Speaker:say anything immediately.
Speaker:He thought as he chewed, swallowing before saying,
Speaker:"Don't have any." "Liar,"
Speaker:Adam responded quickly.
Speaker:Liam's ears went back and he growled out, "What?"
Speaker:The pine waved a paw.
Speaker:"I've got a half dozen little brothers and sisters.
Speaker:I can tell when you're lying."
Speaker:Liam's ears went back and he said again,
Speaker:"They're dead." “Lie,”
Speaker:Adam thought to himself.
Speaker:He then pointed to the wolf's blue cloak.
Speaker:"Where's your clan?"
Speaker:Liam looked at his cape with small confusion,
Speaker:as if he didn’t understand that it had meaning.
Speaker:Then he said sharply,
Speaker:"They're all dead too."
Speaker:Another lie. Adam didn't need to read the wolf's muzzle to know that wasn't true.
Speaker:Clans were hard to get rid of.
Speaker:Sure, a building could collapse with a lot of them in it
Speaker:or a bandit raid could decimate a group,
Speaker:but people were smart navigating this wasteland.
Speaker:If the bombs couldn't eliminate everyone, then there was no way an entire clan could disappear.
Speaker:Adam had to get this wolf cub back to where he came from.
Speaker:That's what his mom would have had him do.
Speaker:"You're free to stay here, but not alone,"
Speaker:Adam said, getting up to his feet.
Speaker:The wolf rose too, careful with his injured paw.
Speaker:"What's that supposed to mean?"
Speaker:he whined. "It means tomorrow you're coming with me,"
Speaker:Adam growled, standing tall over the cub until Liam shrunk in on himself.
Speaker:"I need to run into a settlement for supplies.
Speaker:Especially since I'm gonna have to feed for two now."
Speaker:Liam’s muzzle dipped to the floor and he muttered,
Speaker:"Why do I have to go?"
Speaker:Adam scoffed at that.
Speaker:"Because I’m not carrying everything back here on my own,"
Speaker:he said, turning to the living room.
Speaker:"I expect you to do things if you're gonna be sticking around.
Speaker:around." Then he yawned and walked through the doorway with Liam, following along.
Speaker:Adam pointed to the couch and said,
Speaker:"You can sleep there.
Speaker:Hope you brought your own blanket cause I only got the one."
Speaker:Liam asked in a squeak.
Speaker:“What?” Adam held up his paws.
Speaker:"What do you want me to do?
Speaker:Didn't you bring anything?
Speaker:How've you been keeping warm?"
Speaker:The wolf's ears folded, an unintentional sniffle breaking through.
Speaker:"Caves. Fires. No blanket."
Speaker:Adam grumbled. A wolf's fur was thick, especially in the winter,
Speaker:but it must've been hard only relying on that.
Speaker:Still, the cabin wasn't that cold and he survived this long.
Speaker:"You'll be fine.
Speaker:Just get some sleep.
Speaker:I'll be in the other room."
Speaker:Scratching his foot into the hardwood floors, Liam asked,
Speaker:"Can I sleep with you?"
Speaker:Adam let out a bark of a laugh. "Absolutely not,"
Speaker:he said, noticing the sharp glare he received.
Speaker:"I snore. Anyways, just get your butt to bed. I'm tired."
Speaker:And with that, he turned to the room and slammed the door shut behind him.
Speaker:In his bed, he dreamed of the farm.
Speaker:He dreamed of mom and dad;
Speaker:dreamed of his brothers and sisters.
Speaker:His youngest sibling, Amber, tugged his paw out towards the field.
Speaker:She wanted to show him something small,
Speaker:curled in on itself, and scared.
Speaker:Amber wasn’t tugging on his arm when he awoke with a gasp.
Speaker:No, it was this strange wolf boy pulling at his wrist cautiously.
Speaker:Adam blinked, then drew his arm back towards himself and growled,
Speaker:"What're you doing?"
Speaker:Liam jumped back slightly, muttering,
Speaker:"Your snoring kept me up all night."
Speaker:Lie. "I don't snore,"
Speaker:Adam grumbled, rubbing his eyes before turning himself away from Liam.
Speaker:The wolf harrumphed,
Speaker:reaching a paw underneath the blanket to give his tail a sharp tug.
Speaker:"You said you snore."
Speaker:When Adam opened his eyes again, he got a good helping of sunlight coming from the window facing him.
Speaker:Morning had come faster than he would have liked.
Speaker:He groaned, flipping back around to the cub.
Speaker:"What is it you want?
Speaker:Do I need to take you potty or something?"
Speaker:"I don't potty," he said quick,
Speaker:like he was defending his honor.
Speaker:"I'm still hungry. Where's the rest of your food?"
Speaker:Muttering to himself, Adam got out of bed.
Speaker:The pine marten was still in the same clothes from last night.
Speaker:"You ate most of it.
Speaker:That's why we're getting supplies,"
Speaker:he said, rotating his shoulders and cracking his neck.
Speaker:It got a wince from the cub.
Speaker:There was food, and lots of it.
Speaker:He'd tied up most of it in a tree, sealed and preserved by the winter's cold.
Speaker:He wasn't about to reveal that though
Speaker:when he could just find this cub his family and get him home.
Speaker:Adam instead reached over to a nightstand next to his bed.
Speaker:He pulled a drawer open,
Speaker:grabbing a cloth bag and tossing it to the cub.
Speaker:Another, he took out for himself.
Speaker:"Dried fruits and nuts. Go crazy."
Speaker:The wolf cub pulled the drawstring and sticking his tongue out when he peered inside.
Speaker:"That's it?" Adam made to snatch the bag right out of the cub's paws, but Liam jumped back in an instant.
Speaker:He laughed loudly as the wolf gave a pitiful hungry growl.
Speaker:"Guess you want it more than think,"
Speaker:Adam said, and Liam pulled a handful of the mix into his maw, chewing it loudly.
Speaker:"Two days trek,"
Speaker:Adam said, walking out of the house with backpack in tow, rifle slung on top.
Speaker:The wolf cub followed behind, holding a bag in front of him.
Speaker:He peered inside, careful not to grab anything with his broken fingers.
Speaker:"What are these?"
Speaker:"Batteries. Lithium,"
Speaker:Adam said, not even turning back.
Speaker:"Not all of them are good, but traders can't tell the difference most the time.
Speaker:They short me anyways, so it's all even."
Speaker:Liam scoffed at that, closing the bag.
Speaker:"It doesn't sound like you're really good at this,"
Speaker:he mocked him. Adam just shrugged.
Speaker:He was better than arguing with a little brat.
Speaker:"Do you even know where we're going?"
Speaker:The cub asked, following along behind the marten.
Speaker:There was no path that led out of the cabin's clearing.
Speaker:If there had been,
Speaker:it had been grown over decades ago.
Speaker:Still, Adam nodded and pointed over the trees.
Speaker:"Mountains over there. The settlement isn't too far from the base.
Speaker:There's a few markers in between, so we just gotta keep an eye out for those."
Speaker:When he turned around to see if the wolf was paying attention,
Speaker:he noticed Liam still had the bag out directly in front of him.
Speaker:Adam shook his head in disbelief.
Speaker:"Throw it over your shoulder.
Speaker:It's a long ways before our first stop and I'm not gonna carry you if you're tired."
Speaker:Liam shook his head, saying,
Speaker:"I’ve never needed to be carried.”
Speaker:Lie. The pine marten spun around, adjusting the wolf until he was holding the bag how he wanted.
Speaker:Then they marched through the woods.
Speaker:They walked for hours,
Speaker:only stopping for quick rests.
Speaker:At a river, they filled their muzzles with the coldest water they'd ever tasted.
Speaker:It left small icicles dangling from their whiskers.
Speaker:"Hey," Liam whispered, grabbing the pine marten's tail.
Speaker:Adam stopped, swatting the cub's paw off his tail.
Speaker:He was already getting annoyed with how often he touched him there.
Speaker:"Quick doing that," he hissed,
Speaker:but the wolf held up a finger for him to be silent.
Speaker:Perking his ears up,
Speaker:he listened. There was a humming he hadn’t noticed before.
Speaker:The wolf's large triangles danced left and right, and Adam listened along.
Speaker:He stood at the tips of his toes, before his muzzle pointed off towards the woods.
Speaker:"Thunderhoof," Liam whispered.
Speaker:Tesla’s Nightmare. Fuzehorn.
Speaker:The Hunched Lightning.
Speaker:It had a thousand different names, and all of them sent shivers up Adam’s spine.
Speaker:He grabbed his rifle, slipping it off of the sling and into his paws.
Speaker:Liam pointed with his broken fingers, showing him the way.
Speaker:They crept into the woods, careful not to make a sound.
Speaker:Through the trees came a rocky clearing.
Speaker:Both found trees and hid behind them.
Speaker:Walking on four massive legs was what appeared to be a feral moose.
Speaker:It seemed timid, mosing along like nothing was its business.
Speaker:There was a lone tree amongst the rocks, leaves all fallen and branches sticking in out like a thousand thorns.
Speaker:A dozen ravens cawed,
Speaker:hopping around as they looked for any frozen critters to peck at.
Speaker:None of them saw the thunderhoof,
Speaker:still ambling its way to the trees.
Speaker:No need to worry about me.
Speaker:I'm just a simple moose, wandering for no reason whatsoever.
Speaker:Adam turned to the cub, seeing his wide-eyes staring at the creature.
Speaker:If it was his younger brother or sister, he'd be sure to shield their eyes from it.
Speaker:He wasn't, and though he felt like he should still do something,
Speaker:moving might blow their cover.
Speaker:As well, he suspected this wolf knew what he was about to see.
Speaker:The thundhoof stopped at the base of the tree.
Speaker:Then it lifted it's head,
Speaker:neck growijg in length.
Speaker:It slithered out of its body up to the base of the branches like a snake uncoiling.
Speaker:The tips of its rack began to glow, the humming growing louder.
Speaker:Arcs of electricity began skipping between the antlers.
Speaker:A bird spun around, beak opening to make a warning cry.
Speaker:It never got the chance.
Speaker:Lightning zapped out of the thunderhoof's antlers, an arc racing between through a group of ravens perched too close.
Speaker:They sizzled, feathers exploding off of them like popcorn. Their wings went spreadeagle, and their talons hooked into the branches in a death grip.
Speaker:Then, the lightning stopped,
Speaker:and a half a dozen ravens dropped from the branches.
Speaker:The other half escaped with their lives.
Speaker:The thunderhoof's head slank back into its massive chest.
Speaker:It ambled to the dead birds on the ground.
Speaker:Reaching down, it opened its maw over a raven, still twitching.
Speaker:A thousand needles stretched out of the post-apocalyptic nightmare's mouth.
Speaker:With a sickening suck, it slurped the entire avian into its muzzle, and gave a nasty crunch.
Speaker:Adam winced at that
Speaker:but he couldn't keep himself from watching.
Speaker:Those antlers were worth a lot,
Speaker:capable of acting like a generator for months.
Speaker:Sure, he could make some use of it at home,
Speaker:but the cabin was made to run without electricity.
Speaker:What he could really use
Speaker:was a fresh new set of stainless steel cooking ware.
Speaker:He pulled off the magazine from his rifle, seeing it was fully loaded.
Speaker:Stepping out from the tree,
Speaker:he loaded the chamber and held the rifle at his hip.
Speaker:It was the spot that hurt the least whenever he fired the gun.
Speaker:His finger was on the trigger, ready to take the shot just before he got a loud hiss from his side.
Speaker:"What're you doing?"
Speaker:Liam whispered,
Speaker:still behind the tree.
Speaker:"Shhh," he whispered back.
Speaker:The wolf folded his arms.
Speaker:"You can't be serious?"
Speaker:Adam turned his head for a second, shushing him again before turning back to the thunderhoof.
Speaker:He could see from across the rocks, its ears began to twitch.
Speaker:Just as it was lifting its awful head,
Speaker:the pine marten braced himself, and pulled the trigger.
Speaker:Crack! Crack! Crack! The thunderhoof shot up, prancing into the air wildly, before taking off into a full sprint to the cover of the woods.
Speaker:Only one of the three-round burst managed to hit anything:
Speaker:the tree. The other two went sailing into nothing.
Speaker:Adam's hip ached.
Speaker:"You made me miss my shot!"
Speaker:the pine marten growled, spinning around to Liam.
Speaker:The wolf ducked out of the way from the barrels direction, and then batted the side of it with the back of his paw.
Speaker:"Don't point that at people!
Speaker:Have you never used a gun before?"
Speaker:"Yeah!" Adam shouted back, mostly in anger,
Speaker:and not really in sureness.
Speaker:He had picked up the rifle from a corpse a few seasons ago.
Speaker:His experience was mostly using it to miss broken bottles and scare off wild beasts, so technically,
Speaker:his track record was still flawless.
Speaker:Liam stomped his foot on the ground.
Speaker:"You're a dumbhead."
Speaker:"I'm not a dumbhead,"
Speaker:Adam said, lips snarled.
Speaker:Liam stuck out his tongue and said again,
Speaker:"Dumbhead." The pine marten stuck a finger up under the wolf's nose.
Speaker:"Don't call me a dumbhead.
Speaker:What does that even mean?"
Speaker:A snotty mean smile crooked over Liam's muzzle,
Speaker:and he answered, "It means your head's full of dumb."
Speaker:Adam squinted hard at the cub in front of him, a bit of puzzlement slapped to his muzzle.
Speaker:He'd really misjudged the boy's age if he was acting this much like a brat.
Speaker:Wolves were bigger than martens,
Speaker:and he now suspected the cub was closer to a teetsucker.
Speaker:If Mom was here, she'd sure have nipped off the tip of his ear if she'd heard the way that he spoke to an adult.
Speaker:Before he could say anything,
Speaker:Liam sighed and shook his head.
Speaker:Then he pushed past the pine marten, keeping to the edge of the clearing.
Speaker:Adam's head tilted, taking a second before he realized he was supposed to be following him.
Speaker:"Where you going?"
Speaker:he asked, looking back to the way they came.
Speaker:The wolf turned his head, dumbfounded, but he kept walking.
Speaker:"What do you mean where am I going? This isn't over,"
Speaker:he said so matter-of-factly.
Speaker:Adam caught up, tapping the wolf's side. "This isn't
Speaker:over? That thing is probably on the other side of the continent by now."
Speaker:Without turning, the wolf trudged along, still keeping just behind the trees.
Speaker:"It's a Thunderhoof,
Speaker:probably one of the
Speaker:biggest baddies in these woods.
Speaker:You only startled it.
Speaker:It's not scared of us,
Speaker:and it's probably still hungry and pissed off."
Speaker:"Language," Adam hissed,
Speaker:but didn't swat him like his mom would have.
Speaker:"You think it's coming back?"
Speaker:"I know it's coming back,
Speaker:and it's gonna be mad,
Speaker:so we need to find a new place to hide.
Speaker:If we're lucky, it won't find us first,"
Speaker:he said, and his words dropped to a hush.
Speaker:That made Adam's hackle rise.
Speaker:If they were the prey now,
Speaker:he'd much rather just go back, and continue to the checkpoint.
Speaker:Liam's confidence was inspiring though,
Speaker:and he didn't feel like he was the one in charge anymore.
Speaker:The wolf pointed to a log.
Speaker:"What're we doing?"
Speaker:Adam asked, words trembling.
Speaker:Liam turned back, noticing how far the pine marten was from him.
Speaker:His ears folded, and he spun around to grab him by his paw.
Speaker:He was now being led at the boy's pace, urging him towards the log.
Speaker:They ducked down beneath it.
Speaker:Only when they were covered did the wolf speak again.
Speaker:"We're gonna kill it before it kills us.
Speaker:It's too dangerous to let it try and track us.
Speaker:I'd do it myself but,"
Speaker:he paused to hold up his broken fingers.
Speaker:"It's gonna have to be you.
Speaker:you." Then he pointed at the rifle and motioned for him to bring it up to the log.
Speaker:Just who the fuck was this kid?
Speaker:Adam did as instructed, steadying it on top,
Speaker:but keeping himself tucked underneath.
Speaker:Liam frowned, and the pine marten rolled his eyes.
Speaker:He didn't want to get out of cover,
Speaker:but he also didn't want to look less brave than he was.
Speaker:Slowly, he poked his head out.
Speaker:"Hold your left paw against the side of the gun
Speaker:and hold it tight.
Speaker:Aim it to where we just came from,"
Speaker:Liam started, slowly coming out of cover.
Speaker:His ears were folded back, and he didn't go up further than he had to.
Speaker:Adam did as he was told, seeing the trees where they were standing just minutes ago.
Speaker:Nothing happened at first,
Speaker:but over the rustle of wind
Speaker:they could make out that same humming sound.
Speaker:And sure enough, the antlers gradually came into view.
Speaker:The thunderhoof was stalking them.
Speaker:It walked from the spot, antlers already glowing with the same sparks. Teeth were bared, those bushels of needles extended out in full.
Speaker:There was an anger in its dead eyes.
Speaker:If they'd still be there,
Speaker:they'd already be toasted.
Speaker:"Push the stock– the back of the gun into your shoulder. Keep it tight," Liam whispered, not taking his eyes off the beast.
Speaker:The soreness in his hip stung, the recoil still fresh in his mind.
Speaker:He did as he was told though, feeling a grove he hadn't noticed before.
Speaker:It slipped right into his shoulder
Speaker:and he felt slightly better than he had a second ago.
Speaker:Only slightly. "On top of the rifle is your sight. Line it up
Speaker:so that it's pointed right at its head,"
Speaker:the wolf gulped out.
Speaker:He was shivering. The thunderhoof broke from the trees in its careless amble.
Speaker:He knew it was just a trick.
Speaker:Its head lifted into the air and then stretched its impossibly long neck into the air.
Speaker:Two massive nostrils flared, taking in the wind and their scents.
Speaker:With chattered teeth, Liam finished,
Speaker:"Hold your breath and squeeze the trigger. Don't pull the handle.
Speaker:handle." That was all he could manage to say.
Speaker:The thunderhoof's head curved towards the log,
Speaker:muzzle pulling back to reveal its fangs.
Speaker:Unwittingly though,
Speaker:it had managed to line its own forehead directly into the rifle's sight.
Speaker:Adam took in a breath,
Speaker:said a prayer to himself,
Speaker:and squeezed the trigger.
Speaker:Liam and Adam ate like kings.
Speaker:The pine marten was still picking at his teeth by the time they approached the first checkpoint.
Speaker:Every time he managed to get another sliver of thunderhoof meat out between a fang,
Speaker:it sent a little shock that bristled his fur and tickled him all over.
Speaker:Both of their fur was bushy
Speaker:as they approached the door to a second cabin.
Speaker:Liam sighed out, "I don't think I could ever eat again.
Speaker:again." He patted his swollen belly softly with his injured paw.
Speaker:Adam laughed, pulling out keys from his pocket.
Speaker:"You better remember that meal.
Speaker:We'll probably never have it again,"
Speaker:he said as he tested the handle to see if it was still locked.
Speaker:It was. The twilight had come and gone by the time he managed to find the right key.
Speaker:He had a couple dozen of them,
Speaker:all for different locations that he had claimed for himself.
Speaker:There was an idea that he would color code the doors and find a key press to mark them individually.
Speaker:That was months ago and he doubted he'd ever get around to it.
Speaker:"You're in luck," Adam said,
Speaker:picking up his backpack with the rifle, and now,Thunderhoof
Speaker:rack tied to the back.
Speaker:"This house has two beds and I don't think I've traded the extra blankets yet."
Speaker:Liam stepped inside,
Speaker:shaking the cold off of his fur.
Speaker:The place had been stripped down to just the furniture.
Speaker:There was a massive TV that Adam had lugged into the nearby settlement to be stripped down for useful metals.
Speaker:All he got for his efforts was two cartons of eggs.
Speaker:"Hey, um," Liam muttered out.
Speaker:Adam turned, saw the wolf looking bashful again.
Speaker:"Would it be alright now if we slept together?"
Speaker:He laughed straight to his dumb little muzzle. "Yeah, right!
Speaker:What? Did the big thunderhoof scare you?"
Speaker:The cub's ears folded and he ducked his head away.
Speaker:"No! It's just cold."
Speaker:Lie. Didn't matter though.
Speaker:This war torn world was hard
Speaker:and it was unfair.
Speaker:He couldn't be soft, not even for his little brothers and sisters,
Speaker:and especially not for some bratty wolf.
Speaker:If this cub was going to survive,
Speaker:he would have to toughen up.
Speaker:Still, those puppy eyes were hard to bare. "Hmmf,
Speaker:how about this," Adam started,
Speaker:pointing to the hall.
Speaker:"The bedrooms are right next to each other.
Speaker:If you see anything scary, just call out and I'll come in, rifle ready.
Speaker:ready." He finished that last part by grabbing the gun and giving it a shake.
Speaker:Liam didn't look like that was enough,
Speaker:but all he could do was nod his head.
Speaker:Adam ruffled his headfur and started towards the bedroom.
Speaker:The wolf followed and stood at the door for a second.
Speaker:He could tell he wanted to ask again.
Speaker:All he got was faceful of wood.
Speaker:This was the first of two parts of “Monsters of the Daylight” by Dirt Coyote,
Speaker:read for you by Ta’kom Ironhoof, the Equine Charmer..
Speaker:Tune in next time to find out how Adam continues to take Liam home,
Speaker:and what lies from them
Speaker:at the end of their journey.
Speaker:As always, you can find more stories on the web at thevoice.dog,
Speaker:or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker:Thank you for listening to The Voice of Dog.
