I left immediately, not bothering to eat or rest. I’d prefer to do it on the road, particularly with Deux busy with his misinformation campaign, and Nico still in the field. I got some stares and whispers on the way out, but the overall atmosphere of celebration could still be felt throughout the city as I walked. We’d won a solid victory with minimal losses, but this was going to be a war. We were going to experience a real loss at some point, and even if our losses were kept minor we didn’t have the numbers to lose that the Remnants did. I wondered if the newly minted soldiers celebrating had the stomach for the long haul.

I walked without sleep for several days, taking what shortcuts I knew, but deviating my path to go to Jasper before I headed back to the Black Woods. The trip there and back would be much easier with my motorcycle, and I also wanted to take the opportunity to store some excess equipment, lighten my load, check on any orders I had out with Murphy, and feed Gus. I hadn’t managed to get him a meal in quite some time, and was concerned at what might happen if I appeared without a meal for him.

I reached the outskirts of my personal deadzone, inhaling deeply and searching for the scents of any potential prey nearby. I got a faint whiff of musk, and started to follow it. I eventually came upon a massive dog roughly the size of my motorcycle, with patchwork fur, that was limping. Deciding not to waste a bullet, I approached it slowly, and drew my knife. The beast didn’t detect me until I was around halfway to it, and it began to limp faster, whimpering as I approached it.

I made up my mind to end its fear and suffering as quickly as possible, and ran the rest of the gap toward it. Just as I was about to reach it, something slammed into my side and buried its teeth into my leg.

I let out an involuntary cry and slammed the hilt of my knife into whatever was biting my leg. I was released, and thrown several yards away.

I brought myself to my feet and found myself cornered by three of the dogs. The one that had been limping was no longer doing so, and all three of them were baring their teeth and letting out low, fearsome growls.

I drew my own pistol, lowered my stance, showed my own teeth, and let out a roar of my own.

The dog nearest to me, took a step back, hesitating, but the other two took my challenge and charged. Both went for my legs, and I stepped back, using what little room I had to maneuver out of their reach, while firing off 9mm rounds.

The shots didn’t slow them down, and the nearest of the dogs leapt at me, with its mouth wide open and aimed at my face.

Instead of backing away, I leaned forward, slamming my gun into its mouth and firing a half dozen times directly through its throat. The body went limp, but the teeth stayed buried deep into my arm.

The other dog leapt at me again, and I sent out a leg, kicking its snout. There was a loud crunching noise, and it fell backward, dazed.

Before I could move to finish it off with my knife, the last dog found its spine and leapt at me. I swung the arm that was still half encased in its companion at it, and knocked it to the side. I sheathed my knife quickly, grabbed its tail and lifted the creature by it, slamming it onto the ground on the other side. It made the sounds of a wet rag hitting a flat surface. I re-drew my knife and slit the throat of the last one, ending its whimpering.

After that I yanked the jaws embedded in my arm open, dropping the dog’s corpse to the ground. They’d tricked me, and done so more effectively than most of the human opponents I’d encountered. I was as impressed as I was irritated. My annoyance was quickly abated by the thought that since I had three bodies I could keep one for myself while still having plenty to keep up my agreement with Gus.

I did some swift butchering on the one I selected to eat myself. I'd chosen the one who had died with my arm in its mouth, for the irony, and the other two I simply tied together for ease of moving them, and slung them over my shoulder. It didn’t take long for me to reach the small lake that was as close to home as any other place ever had been. Green electricity arced across the surface of it, and the dark shape of my ramshackle ship bobbed gently on its surface. I saw another shape moving through the water, and a pair of massive eyes peeked out of the water's surface. Gus’s large white body was clearly visible, contrasting heavily with the murky water in which he lived. I took the meat I’d gathered for him and put it on the usual patch of ground, before walking toward the raft I used to reach my main boat. Before I’d even got on the water, Gus had lifted himself onto the shore, and made his way to his meal. I heard the snapping of bones, and felt some calm come over me. The sounds and smells of my shelter putting me at ease after a long time away.

The boat itself was in good condition. Clean, maintained. I could tell that Nico had taken the time to visit it and ensure everything had stayed in working order while I was away. I could also see from the deck that she’d done as I’d asked and returned Betty, my motorcycle, to its place by my old mail delivery cart on the shore. I’d let her borrow it in my name while I was gone, but knew I wouldn’t want to retrieve it from Fette myself after I’d returned.

I made my way into the cabin of the boat itself. It was relatively clean, but after checking my stores I could tell they were lower than usual. Either Deux had found time to visit, or Nico had taken and neglected to restore them. I leaned toward the first option being the most likely.

I took the time to update my maps, adding to a section that had been left frustratingly blank since I’d first begun my explorations. I added more than a dozen landmarks, both in and around the Cut, including notes that referenced their entries in my journals, and my smaller atlases that covered the area. When I was done I took a moment to look around at what I’d done. One wall of my cabin was now full of notebooks that broke down areas of the wastes, what they held, who lived within them, and what dangers could be expected. Every deadzone, settlement, and caravan I’d ever encountered had been cataloged and mapped. I wasn’t sure why I did it. Partially it was for Pott’s, who received copies of all the information I had, and the other part was for myself to reference, but I didn’t really need it. Still, I felt immense satisfaction as I looked at all that I’d written.

The wall next to that was covered in my favorite books, and I took the time to switch out the ones I’d taken with me for some old favorites I hadn’t read in some time. I doubted I’d have time to read, but there was something comforting about having them in my pack. I ignored my bed, and instead stored the extra supplies I’d been paid by the Remnants and took a quick inventory. Once I was done, I went back out on the deck. It was dawn, and I could see that Gus had finished his meal, bones and all. I myself took a few moments to enjoy the fresh meat I’d just acquired, washing it down with a cup of coffee as I waited for the sun to rise. I wanted to simply go straight into town, get my trading done, and move directly on to the blackwoods, but other people needed to sleep and the town wouldn’t be active for a bit longer. I found it frustrating, but at the same time if everyone else required as little rest as I did, it wouldn’t be much of an advantage for me.

Once I finished my meal and my coffee, I made my way back to the lakeshore, Gus’ eyes tracking me lazily as I moved. I took the tarp off of Betty, turned the key in the ignition, enjoying the sound of her roaring to life, hopped into the seat and started making my way toward Jasper.