Drew let out a gasp and a whimper as he awoke to a large deathclaw looming over him. Its eyes seemed to burrow into his very soul and for a moment he thought he was going to die.

He didn’t because it was Ayma, though it took a good few seconds for him to realize that. By the time he did, adrenaline was already coursing through his veins and he was half-ready to leap off the bed and bolt to the door.

“Sorry,” Ayma said, moving away. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s fine,” he said, rubbing his eyes with his shaking hands. “You just startled me, that’s all.”

“It looked like you were more than startled.”

“I guess I’m not used to staring a deathclaw in the face. Most that do aren’t alive for very long.”

“Well, I’m not just any deathclaw.”

“That much is certain.”

“Anyway, enough that. Get up, Neka is here.”

He looked over to see the other Greenclaw standing by the door. She had something in her hands and it took a moment for him to realize it was a box of Sugarbombs, though it looked more like a pack of potato chips in her large hands.

She raised them up. “Brought you breakfast.”

“Oh, thanks,” he said as he sat up and slid his legs off the side of the bed, resting them on the floor.

Neka walked over and shoved them against his chest. “Eat up, we are leaving soon.”

“Any water?” he asked.

“Only from the faucet.”

“I guess that means it’s irradiated.”

Neka snorted. “Aww, does irradiated water make your tummy grumble?”

Drew decided not to complain. “I need to go to the bathroom,” he said instead.

“We just shit outside, but if you’re worried about your delicate little ass getting too cold out there, then…”

“Neka!” Ayma shouted irritatedly, interrupting her. “Be nice.”

Neka turned on the heel of her foot. “Sure. The toilets still kinda work. Follow me.”

He headed out with his laser rifle in hand, following Neka, with Ayma walking closely behind him. She waited outside, holding the box of sugar bombs and his rifle for him while he used the bathroom. After washing his hands and taking a drink from the faucet, he splashed his face and stared at his reflection in the grimy mirror.

From what little he could see, he looked like shit. He hadn’t slept well last night, constantly waking from nightmares about being eaten alive. Thankfully, Ayma had been a sound sleeper as she hadn’t been disturbed a single time by his waking cries of terror.

He splashed his face a second time before he headed back out where Neka shoved his rifle and cereal box back into his hands.

“Are you ready?”

He looked at Ayma. “Yeah,” he said. “Let’s head home.”

As they turned for the entrance, Drew noticed that there was a Greenclaw standing by the shallow ramp that led up to the exit door. Drew didn’t know which one it was, though he believed it was one of the ones that had defended him against Lotte.

“Axa,” Ayma greeted.

“Ayma, Neka,” Axa replied before looking at Drew. “I feel I have to apologize about yesterday. Do not judge us based on the actions of our so-called matriarch.”

He smiled or at least tried to. Axa was one of the ones that had stood up for him and for that, he was grateful. After all, she likely helped convince Lotte not to eat him.

“I hope you don’t see us as disgusting monsters,” Axa said.

“I did at first,” he admitted. “But Ayma and Kiki won me over.” He looked down at his feet as images of Lotte’s gaping throat flashed through his mind. “Your matriarch, on the other hand…” It was enough to send a shiver down his spine.

“I know,” Axa accepted. “I sometimes think I should have gone with the others.”

He looked back up at her. “I’ve heard others mentioned before. Ones that left?”

“They didn’t want to stay,” Axa said. “Though, for different reasons. Some thought Lotte was too brutish, others just wanted to see the world. I along with the rest stayed because we didn’t really see any other realistic alternative. Here we have shelter.”

“Shelter in exchange for letting your leader eat people,” Drew said sourly. “Those that left might have had the right idea.”

Axa looked away while Neka answered. “We weren’t always like this.”

“I know, you used to be human.”

Ayma shook her head. “She didn’t mean it like that. What she meant is that we started off more feral. It is only in the last several months that we have started to truly get our…” She paused for a moment. “Well, get our humanity back.”

Neka continued from where Ayma left off. “Axa was one of the first, the same with Kiki. Glower on the other hand still doesn’t speak. Either she can’t or doesn’t want to.”

Ayma cut the conversation short. “This is something we should talk about later. We need to be going. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

“Of course,” Axa replied. “We’ll see you in a week.”

“Hopefully,” Neka said.

With Ayma taking the lead, Drew in the middle, and Neka walking behind, the three of them made their way up the shallow concrete ramp and out of the facility.

Outside, Ayma squatted down. Her back facing toward him. “Climb aboard,” she said.

“Can I eat my breakfast first?” he asked as he shoved a handful of the sugary cereal into his mouth.

“You can eat on the way,” Neka said. “Get on her back. I want to get there before nightfall. And before you talk about how it didn’t take you that long getting here, I ain’t as big as Ayma or Kiki so I can’t move as fast.”

While she was talking, he decided to eat as many as he could before discarding the box onto the floor. He knew if he tried to eat while on the move he would be sick. Then again, he might be regardless since he had just eaten, though he had to admit, riding Ayma was a lot smoother than he would have expected.

“Done?” Neka asked.

He nodded. “Yep.”

“Then get on her back and let’s go!”

Drew awkwardly climbed up onto Ayma’s back and sat on her shoulders, gripping her horns tightly.

“Ready?” Ayma asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” Drew answered.

Ayma stood up and the two Greenclaws began to run, making their way eastward.

Roughly three hours into the journey, Neka slowed to a slow walk with a raised hand and a grunt. Ayma followed her lead and the two moved closer together as they both squatted down.

Drew resisted the urge to ask what was going on and waited. He didn’t think they were tired, as they weren’t breathing heavily, so he suspected they had heard something.

Neka began to creep forward, moving with surprising fluidity considering how big she was. She moved towards a small ridge, her steps slow and methodical. She looked like a predator stalking its prey and it was terrifying to witness.

It only became more terrifying when her skin seemed to change color momentarily before she practically vanished, Ayma doing the same beneath him. Apart from the shimmering of refracted light, they were nigh on invisible.

They had definitely either seen or heard something and still being on Ayma’s back, he couldn’t help but wonder what he must look like from afar. To anyone that happened to catch a glance, it would look like he was flying.

As to what they had spotted, he didn’t know. There was an incline and a small dirt ridge ahead of them. Judging by the wind direction, it was blowing towards them which meant they had likely smelled something.

A moment later, Drew found out as the heads of a radstag popped up from the other side of the small dirt ridge and let out a shrill call. In an instant, other heads popped up and they all began to flee, disappearing back behind the mound of dirt.

In an instant, not only did Neka break into a sprint but so did Ayma. Drew held on for dear life as it felt like she was trying to buck him off.

Neka caught the slowest of the stags, becoming visible moments before she struck it with a raised claw, practically eviscerating it with a single strike.

Ayma bolted past her, continuing her pursuit. It was clear that the stags had the advantage on the uneven ground, and with the tree line up ahead it was evident that Ayma was going to lose them without help.

“Hold up a second!” he yelled. “I can take a shot.”

“I can catch them,” Ayma shouted back.

“No you can’t, they’re almost to the trees. You’ll lose them in there, you’re too big.”

Much to Drew’s surprise, Ayma became visible again as she slowed to a stop, allowing him to raise his rifle and take aim. With a lance of energy, he struck it in the hip, sending it crashing to the dirt.

“Go!” he yelled, holstering his rifle.

In an instant, Ayma was running again, and once more Drew found himself gripping her horns tightly. With a raised claw, she took a swipe for its head which practically exploded on impact, killing it instantly.

“Holy shit you’re powerful!” Drew uttered in shock.

Without missing a beat, Ayma squatted down over the kill and tore its skin open with her claws so that she could get to the tender meat inside. Unable to look away, Drew watched from his vantage point as she ripped away at the flesh and devoured it. The sounds, the blood, it was genuinely terrifying to witness and it reminded him that they were predators built for killing. If they wanted to, they could destroy entire settlements perhaps even small towns.

Ayma stopped eating for a moment. “You want some, Drew?”

“Ugh, no thanks,” he said, trying to hide his disgust. “I prefer my meat cooked. I’ll pass.”

“Oh, right, sorry,” she said before she continued eating.

He looked away as he heard heavy footsteps coming up from behind. He looked around to see Neka stomping up behind them with blood on her claws and face.

“Uh,” he said, looking at her. “You might wanna have a wash. You’re kinda bloody.”

Neka grunted at him. “There’s a stream near here. We’ll wash in that.”

Ayma stopped eating and turned her head, almost throwing Drew off her shoulders in the process. “You finished already?” she asked.

“I started before you,” Neka responded.

Ayma stood up. “Race you to the river.”

Once more Drew found himself holding on for dear life as both Ayma and Neka bolted forwards. At first, their destination wasn’t obvious, but soon he saw the glistening of a small river.

It was clear that Neka was going to win, which went against what she had said earlier about Ayma being faster. He supposed Neka was faster for shorter bursts, while Ayma could run faster for longer.

With a huge splash, Neka dove into the water, and not a few moments later, Ayma did the same. As much as he tried to hold on, he found himself airborne as he was thrown clear.

Unfortunately, he didn’t land in the water and instead came down hard on the muddy bank on the far side.

“Ouch,” he muttered, his head spinning.

He heard splashing followed by Ayma’s large horned head coming into view, blocking out most of the sky.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“I think so,” he wheezed.

“I forgot you were on my back,” she said rather sheepishly.

“It’s fine,” he said. “Give me some space so I can sit up.”

“Sorry,” she said as her head disappeared from view.

With a groan, he pushed himself up into a seated position, before he slowly stood up. He turned around to see Neka in the water washing off the blood while Ayma was only partially submerged, looking at him with concern.

“I’m fine,” he reassured her. “Go wash yourself down so we can continue.”

“If you are sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” he said as he sat back down on the bank.

Ayma moved back into the water and Drew found himself staring at her mostly submerged chest. For some strange reason, seeing the water wrap around her breasts was oddly arousing. It made it look like she had huge cleavage.

His gaze moved to Neka as he heard her chuckle. “He’s checking you out.”

It was at that moment it dawned on him how strange and surreal the whole situation was. From an outside perspective, he was hanging out with two big-breasted deathclaws. Though he knew they were actually humans mutated by FEV into the creatures they were today. It was evident by how they spoke that they were more human than claw on the inside, regardless of outward appearance.

“Yeah,” he said smiling wistfully. “I am checking her out.”

Both of them stared at him for a moment before Ayma smiled. “Be careful, I’ll eat you alive.”

Images of hanging over Lotte’s open mouth flashed through his mind. He grimaced for a moment before forcing a smile “Promise?” he asked.

“You two are gross,” Neka said. “Just don’t start fucking before we get to that robot factory.”

“You’re just jealous,” Drew joked.

He had been so caught up in the moment that he hadn’t realized what he was doing. Was he really flirting? How could he still love Gemma when she had the body of a beast? He had told her yesterday that he wasn’t disgusted by her form, but why wasn’t he? Was his love for her so powerful that he could look past her new form and into her heart? Or was he secretly fucked up and preferred her new form?

He feared the latter might be true and he didn’t want to accept it.

“I still love you,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

Her smile vanished and she averted her gaze. Neka looked uncomfortable and Drew knew that he probably shouldn’t have said that.

“Sorry,” he apologized.

“It is complicated,” Ayma said, looking back at him before looking at Neka. “We should probably be going. Have I got all the blood off?”

“Yes,” Neka answered as she made her way out of the water. “You’re clean.”

Drew looked at her wet naked glistening breasts for a moment before he focused on the dirt. He wasn’t about to start ogling other women, especially when Ayma was right there. Though he suspected he might be the only person on the planet that considered them that.

“Climb aboard,” Ayma said once she was out of the water.

Like before, Drew climbed up her back and sat on her shoulders, his crotch pressed up against the back of her neck. Not a moment later they were back on the move, heading eastwards.

Very little was said. Drew had questions, but he decided they could wait. He had to focus on what he was going to tell Amy, Jack, and Sarah. Having two Greenclaws stay with them for a whole week was going to be the most difficult sell of his entire life.

Though thinking about it, it would definitely be a big help. They were very strong and tall, which meant they could help fix up some of the production lines as well as move the heavier components around such as those for the Sentry bots.

If they could get past the introductions then them staying there might actually be beneficial.

The introductions, of course, were the big point of contention and the thing he was fearing the most. He had to wonder what was going through Lotte’s head when she had suggested they stay for a week. He supposed he might never know. It certainly complicated his life.

Two hours after they had eaten lunch and had the dip in the stream, Drew saw a familiar sight ahead. It wasn’t the factory, it was a giant red-painted rocket marking the Mega Stop.

“We already have a lot of history here,” he said.

“Yeah,” Neka agreed. “When we first met, I wanted to scare you shitless, but Ayma decided to just let you go.”

“I was already scared shitless,” he said. “But I thought you wanted to kill me.”

“I thought about it,” Neka said. “But I wasn’t going to. I just wanted to make you shit your pants.”

“That’s a relief,” he said.

“Want anything from inside?” Ayma asked him.

“Well, we could do with a bit more cleaning fluid.”

The two Greenclaws slowed to a walk as they entered the parking lot. Ayma squatted down and Drew climbed off, stretching his legs. After so long sitting on her back, his legs ached.

“I think I’d like to walk the rest of the way,” he said. “It’s only three more hours.”

Neka shrugged her massive shoulders. “If you say so.”

Drew led the way inside the main building and headed straight for the warehouse. Most of the crates were gone now, leaving a few stacked in the corner.

“Will you help me with these?” he asked.

Ayma did so immediately, while Neka stood in the corner. With the crates un-stacked, she removed the tops and peered inside.

“See anything useful?” Drew asked as he made his way over.

“Alcohol,” she answered.

Drew peered inside and whistled. “Wine,” he said. “If I took this crate into town it would fetch a nice heap of caps.”

“You wanna take it?” Ayma asked.

Drew thought for a moment. “Neither of you minds carrying a crate, do you?”

“No,” Ayma said immediately.

Neka on the other hand wasn’t quite as open to the idea. “Only if you make it worth my while.”

Drew was cautious. “Okay, name the price.”

“You want to bring this robot factory back online, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I’ve been itching to get these hands working on something. I want to help while we’re there and I want you to give me some bots when we’re done.”

“Deal,” Drew said without question. “I could do with the help anyway.”

Ayma looked at Neka confused. “What do you need robots for?”

“Robots are cool,” Neka said with a shrug. “Besides, I’ve been thinking of going out on my own.”

“Why?”

“Because Lotte acts like a dictator and I wanna do my own thing.”

Drew could definitely understand that. “Well once the week is up, if either of you wants to stay then you’re welcome to.”

Neka accepted the offer immediately. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“We’ll still have to report to Lotte,” Ayma pointed out.

“Yeah, but nothing’s stopping us from returning after that,” Neka said.

Drew patted the side of the crate. “Come on, let’s see if we can find one with cleaning fluid in it. When we do, we can get back on the road.”

Neka walked over and pulled the top off another of the crates. A horrible smell permeated the air.

“Sludge in this one,” Neka said, quickly putting the lid back on before moving over to the next.

It took a few tries, but they finally found one that had what Drew needed. With the two crates in the Greenclaw’s hands, they headed out and made their way northwards.

Back on the highway, Drew decided they had to discuss something that had been plaguing his mind.

“I don’t know how the others are going to react,” he said.

“I do,” Neka said. “Horrified and terrified. This is gonna go badly.”

Ayma agreed. “It’s going to be tough.”

“Lotte’s an idiot for suggesting it,” Neka said. “My bet is she wants it to go badly as an excuse.”

“Excuse?” Drew asked.

“To come gobble you and your friends up. I think she enjoys it.”

It was unfortunate but Drew feared that it might be the truth. Drew was just thankful that they acknowledged it. He doubted it would make things any easier, though.

Drew decided to be optimistic. “Give them time,” he said. “They’ll come around.”

He hoped his words turned out to be true, but there was a deep-seated fear that it was all going to go badly just as Neka said.

The rest of the walk was filled with rising apprehension. Apart from the odd comment, little else was said. At least not until the old Robco plant came into view.

“Looks like we’re almost there,” he said, looking at Ayma, his eyes falling on her generous chest.

“Like the view?” she asked.

He looked away, focusing on the factory ahead. “You’re going to have to wait outside while I deactivate the turret defenses. I’ll then have to add you to the no-shoot list.”

“How close?”

“You can move in a little bit closer,” he said. “The range is to the edge of the parking lot.”

They continued down, stopping by the security office by the gates. Drew took in a deep, slow breath, trying to calm himself for what was to come.

“I’ll be back soon,” he said as he walked forwards.

He was not looking forward to what was to come.