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January 19, 2024 8:13 AM


Jacob did not care for that damn catmonster growling at him. That fucking monster had killed so many of his comrades back during the colony mission. There was no way he was ever forgetting that, no matter how many times it saved him or Samantha or anyone else. It might be tame now, but it was still a fucking monster that ate people. Only a matter of time before it showed its true colors.

"Let me be clear about something. You hurt Pyrrha or even look to be THINKING about hurting her, I'll..." Sanders started before stopping as Derek's yelling voice drifted toward them. Sanders got a slight grin at that that made Jacob a bit worried.

"I'll let your dad sort you out," Sanders said with a smirk. Jacob's anger flared, but a wave of fear keep him from acting on it. His dad was already angry at him for their first meeting of Pyrrha, if Jacob caused more trouble with her... With no other choice, he bottled his anger and just glared back at Sanders. Fucking bastard, using his own father against him.

"That's enough, you two. Jacob won't try to hurt Pyrrha, right?" Samantha said as she moved between them and stared at Jacob. Jacob sighed and nodded, wasn't like he could kill Pyrrha at this point anyway. He was one of the best fighters in the Force, but even he couldn't take a catmonster by himself. And...and Sanders was a hero for saving them and killing that giantess...ugh.

"I won't hurt it as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else," Jacob said with a sigh. Sanders didn't seem at all pleased with that response, for some reason. Fuck did Jacob have to bow and scrap to him to make him happy?!

"Pyrrha is a she not an it. And its only cause of Samantha that I am letting you come," Sanders said as he turned and stormed off into the clearing. Pyrrha gave a low growl before shifting around to keep up with Sanders. Samantha sighed as Sanders left and gave Jacob an annoyed look.

"What? That thing is an it. Its dangerous and could kill any of us with a flick of its finger!" Jacob said, not understanding why Samantha seemed to so calm around it. It was a catMONSTER for God's sake. Both of them had seen comrades be devoured by those damn things!

"SHE also saved me and you from that giantess AND is the only reason we saved Hope," Samantha said with an annoyed glare. She looked away before turning back to him.

"What is with you, Jacob? You are not, usually, this angry or suspicious," Samantha asked, her look changed to one of concern. That was right, only his dad knew Pyrrha was the same catmonster that had attacked him and the others on that doomed mission. Jacob bet Samantha would change her tune after hearing that. Then they could have two sets of eyes watching that damn thing.

"Because that is the same catmonster that attacked me and the others when we went to warn the colony. Those giantesses sent it after us and I saw it eat at least fifteen of our people, including Rance," Jacob said in fury. Just thinking back to seeing his friends and comrades being devoured by that thing made his blood boil. Samantha HAD to understand now why he didn't trust that damn monster.

Samantha glanced back at Pyrrha in shock and stared at it for a second. She turned back to Jacob and looked at him before glancing down at the ground.

"Is that why you shot at her when you first saw her?" she asked. Jacob anger flared as Samantha called it a her. Why was she still calling it a SHE?!?!

"YES that is why I shot at IT!" he yelled out, not caring that he was now yelling. Both Sanders and Pyrrha turned to look at him with an angry glare. He might have turned to yell at them if his head hadn't snapped around. He was confused at first about what had happened, but the sudden stinging on his face gave him an idea. He turned back to face Samantha as he realized she had just slapped him.

"Stop calling her an it and blaming her for their deaths. It wasn't Pyrrha's fault they died and you know it. Just like you know who that anger should really be directed at. If you want to come with me and Sanders, you better come over to apologize. Otherwise, go back to the Squad and stay there. I don't want to see you unless its to apoglize," Samantha said with a furious look. She stormed off toward Sanders, her hands clenched into fists, leaving Jacob alone.

Jacob rubbed his stinging face and watching in silence as Samantha left. Not Pyrrha's fault...well then who the fuck's fault was it?! It wasn't his, of course, it couldn't be his! It wasn't like he wanted the gi-...the giantesses... Jacob looked up at Pyrrha and thought back to how Sanders was controlling it during the fight. He had been yelling orders to it and it had obeyed like...like an obedient animal... aww hell.

Lovely, he had been a complete dumbass. Pyrrha hadn't killed his friends out of spite or hate or anything, i-...she had simply been doing what the giantesses had told her to do. Jacob could blame her no more than he could blame a guard dog for attacking him when its master said to. It wasn't the animal's fault, it was the master. No...the real people who were at fault for his friends' deaths were the giantesses who had unleashed her on them. Though that also meant he had to thank Sanders for saving them and not Pyrrha... Ugh, both choices were equally sickening.

As much as he hated to admit it, he needed to go apologize to Pyrrha. He had shoved all the lose and anger at that failed mission, and the unfair treatment he got from it, onto Pyrrha. I-SHE didn't deserve that considering she was just an animal with no real will of her own. Still, swallowing his pride and apologizing, to a catmonster no less, wasn't easy. But it was either that or leaving Sanders alone with Samantha, and that was not happening. And he would have to face Samantha's wraith...

Pushing his pride away in favor of his need to protect Samantha, he headed over to where Sanders, Samantha, and Pyrrha were all together. He had to fight back a glare at Sanders getting too friendly with Samantha for his liking. Glaring at him, though, wasn't going to improve his chances of Samantha letting him come. It didn't stop Sanders from glaring at him or Pyrrha giving a low angry growl at his approach. He might have given in to his anger if he didn't focus on Samantha and her hopeful look. He had to focus on her and not the other two. She was worth some wounded pride as was doing the right thing.

He pulled his eyes off Samantha and turned toward Pyrrha. He had to fight back his anger, and some fear, at staring up at the catmonster that had killed his friends. Those slit eyes reflected his own image back to him, but all he saw was Rance being pulled into her mouth. He ignored it as he pushed through and spit it out.

"Sorry, its not your fault my friends died," Jacob said. Pyrrha gave him a confused look and Sander looked shocked by his apology. Did he really think Jacob couldn't apologize if it meant making Samantha happy and keeping her safe? Well now he did know and Jacob was going to make sure he didn't forget. AND that he let Jacob come with him. He wasn't going to leave her alone with him again.

"I won't call her an it either or hurt her," Jacob said looking at Sanders now. Sanders gave him an unconvinced look as he crossed his arms. Samantha turned to Sanders and gave him a "please" look which only made Jacob more angry. Samantha was having to beg for him to come...fucking bastard. He said he wouldn't call her an it and apologized, what the fuck did he want? Thankfully, for Sanders sake, he sighed and nodded.

"Fine, let's go. Pyrrha, up," Sanders said, shaking his head. Pyrrha eyed Jacob with suspicion, but didn't growl, as she lowered her hand to let them climb on. Jacob grumbled a bit under his breath as he climbed onto her hand and tried to think about something other than her eating his comrades. Dammit, this had been easier when his dad and Lindsey had been here. At least then he was sure they could kill this d- Pyrrha if something did go wrong.

As Pyrrha raised her hand, he was tempted to drop flat on her palm in panic, but refused to show his fear when Sanders was so calm. Instead, he tried to brace himself with his feet and keep balanced like Sanders was managing to. Despite his best effort, though, he nearly fell and only barely keep his feet through the ascent. He might have been mortified if Samantha wasn't having just as much trouble. Just a matter of more experience than skill, couldn't really be mocked for that.

They jumped over to Pyrrha's head and Samantha spent a minute showing him how to hold onto Pyrrha. Sanders waited till he had a good grip before telling Pyrrha to move. The catmonster swung her head back toward the Force and Jacob felt his stomach nearly drop out. A wave of both fear and awe hit him at, even with Pyrrha on all fours, how high up they were. So this is what the world looked like to a catmonster... And to a giantess, everything was even smaller... Jesus..

He shook off his speechlessness as Pyrrha lowered her head down to the edge of the clearing. Jacob spotted his dad and the squad leaders at the edge of the forest. Past them, the rest of the Force looked ready to move out and were milling about. Dad looked surprised to see Jacob on Pyrrha, but not at the same time as he glanced at Samantha. He shook his head and...was that a smirk on his face?

"I was wondering where Jacob had gone. Are you alright with letting him go with you, Sanders?" Dad asked. Sanders sighed but nodded.

"Yeah its fine. Are you and your soldiers ready to move?" Sanders asked, probably trying to get the conversation on something else. That was fine by Jacob as he had no wish for his dad to show just how little trust he had in him... Jacob already knew.

"Yes, we are ready. My Squad leaders and myself think it best if we make use of a nearby water drainage tunnel to head further east and then swing back northwest to the Southern HQ. Its a longer route, but it should prevent the Society from following us. However, the tunnel is too small for Pyrrha to fit in," Dad said as his eyes drifted back to Jacob. Jacob looked away, unwilling to hold his dad's gaze, and looked at a nearby tree. Those eyes...had just never been the same.

"So you want me to take Pyrrha a different direction and find my own way back to the HQ, right?" Sanders said without a hint of anger or annoyance at the situation. If anything, he almost sounded happy. Maybe he didn't like his dad anymore than Jacob did...or maybe he wanted to get away from the Force for some other reason...

"Yes. Ideally, a round-about route in case they try to track you," Dad said as he glanced at Jacob yet again. Was he that worried Jacob would fuck things up? He thought that, but some part of Jacob knew his dad was just worried about him, he just didn't want to admit it. Easier to stay with Samantha without feeling guilty for making his dad worry. And he sure as hell didn't want to be stuck with Squad 3 and their constant taunts.

"Of course. We should get moving before the Society catches up to us. Good luck Derek and make sure you keep your people safe," Sanders said with a smile.

"Same to you, Sanders. Make sure my boy comes back alive," Derek said as he looked over to Jacob again. Jacob turned away and was grateful to feel Pyrrha shifting away. He didn't want to have to say goodbye or anything like that to his dad. It wasn't like he wouldn't see him again. His dad had survived a lot worse, after all, and the Society wouldn't find them. Those drainage tunnels were perfect places to sneak through.

"You should have said goodbye at least," Samantha said as Pyrrha started to move away from the Force, keeping on all fours.

"Leave it alone, Samantha," Jacob warned her as he gave her a glare. There were very few things he was unwilling to talk to her about, but this was one of them. His dad and him had a...strained relationship. Dad's need to be the second-in-command of the Phoenixes first and a father second had pissed Jacob off when he was younger and that anger hadn't completely faded. And then there was what happened when Mom...

Samantha took the hint, thankfully, and let it go. Sanders didn't show any interest in it and just stayed by Pyrrha's other ear, petting it absentmindedly. Good, Jacob REALLY didn't want to get into that with him. Pyrrha keep right on walking without a sound.

A few minutes passed with no noise until Pyrrha's stomach grumbled. A wave of fear went through Jacob as that noise, along with rumbling meows, buzzing wings, and booming footsteps, was almost bred into Phoenixes to be terrifying. Samantha stiffened from the noise as well, but relaxed very quickly. Sanders, though, didn't even twitch and just rubbed Pyrrha's ear a bit more. He smiled a bit as Pyrrha gave a soft meow.

"I want some breakfast too, Pyrrha. We need to get out of this area first, though. Can't afford to be found by the Society," Sanders said in a soothing voice. Jacob rolled his eyes at Sanders acting like the catmonster could understand him. Pyrrha's meow in response did sound kinda disappointed... but it was probably just his imagination.

He might have thought more about it if his own stomach hadn't grumbled as well. He hadn't eaten anything since waking up, having gone straight to looking for Samantha. Thankfully, it didn't look like Sanders had heard his stomach, though Samantha had. She turned to him and gave him a "really" look. He shrugged at her and she rolled her eyes before taking out a bit of jerky from her pack. He knew better than try to wave it off, Samantha would shove it down his throat if she had too, so he took it and ate it with a nod of thanks.

They traveled for a good while without saying much, save for Pyrrha's stomach rumbling and Sanders soothing her. They crested a large hill and Pyrrha stopped at the top of it. She looked around as her ears perked up. She gave a soft meow as her nose started to sniff the air. Jacob gave Samantha a confused look and she shrugged in response.

"Alright, Pyrrha. I think we are far enough now. Samantha, Jacob, keep quiet for a few minutes. Pyrrha, hunt," Sanders said getting an excited meow from Pyrrha. Jacob raised his eyebrow in confusion as Samantha pulled him down into a crouch.

"She is hunting for food. Don't worry, it's probably just some deer," Samantha whispered to him. He nodded as Pyrrha lowered herself to the ground and began to slowly creep over the trees. Despite her huge size, she was barely causing any noise at all and only crushed a few trees. Jacob was not surprised, though, as he knew how quiet catmonsters could be. But Samantha better be right that it was just deer she was after.... Or Rangers, that would be OK too now that he thought about it.

Thankfully, it did turn out to be deer and Pyrrha, easily, took them by surprise. Jacob had to fight back a shudder as she crushed and then swallowed the poor animals. His disgusted feeling only got worse as her feeding went on and on and on. That fucking noise...and this being the same damn one...it was...it was...

"STOP IT!" he yelled, getting Pyrrha to wince. Her ear flattened as she hissed up at him and both Sanders and Samantha turned to him in confusion. Sanders look quickly turned to anger as Samantha went to concern.

"Jacob, wha-"

"NOTHING! It...just let me off while she eats," Jacob said, unable to bare it any longer. He couldn't bare to hear it anymore and the fact it was the same one that ate his friends.... Ever time he heard it he saw Rance and Malcolm and so many others disappearing into her mouth. Fuck fuck fuck FUCK!!!

"Pyrrha, down," Sanders said as Pyrrha gave a low annoyed growl. Her bloody hand came up and Jacob wasted no time getting on. Fuck this was disgusting, but it was better than suffering with that damn noise and memories. Samantha looked to be about to get on, but Sanders grabbed her shoulder.

"You stay with Pyrrha. I need to have a chat with Jacob and someone needs to stay with Pyrrha in case the Society finds us. If you see them, tell Pyrrha to get me, she'll know what to do," Sanders said as he leap over to Pyrrha's hand. Samantha looked about to argue, but Jacob beat her to it.

"Wait, you can't leave her with the catmonster, she'l-" Jacob started to say, but Sanders cut him off.

"Pyrrha won't hurt her. Why would she want to eat Samantha when she has plenty of deer to eat? You want to come with me then you are going to have this chat with me. Otherwise, I'm taking you back to your dad," Sanders said with a glare. Jacob returned it full force and grumbled a bit to himself. Before he could think of a comeback, Pyrrha's hand started to move and Jacob nearly lost his footing again. Fucking catmonster. Samantha looked down after them, but stayed silent.

They both hopped off her hand and Sanders lead the way away from Pyrrha. Pyrrha seemed a little worried, but Sanders patted her hips as they moved past them. That seemed to calm her a bit and she went back to eating while Samantha stared after them, looking worried.

Jacob made sure to keep his hand near his weapon, just in case, as they went a few yards into the forest. They moved out of sight of Pyrrha and into a small cleared area.  Sanders turned around to face Jacob and crossed his arms.

"Alright, what the hell is your problem with Pyrrha and me? Its obvious this is something more than just misplaced jealously or not liking catgirls," Sanders said with an annoyed look. Jacob rolled his eyes as he looked away from him. Misplaced jealously...that still remained to be seen, but he was right about it being more than not liking catMONSTERS. Dumbass, how could he even call one of those things a girl? Bah, if he wanted to know, then Jacob would tell him.

"My problem is that catmonster is the same one that ate a lot of my friends and nearly killed me," Jacob said as he stared Sanders down. Sanders angry look became one of shock as his arms loosened.

"Wh-what?!" Sanders asked, taken off-guard by that response.

"You heard me. She killed and ate my comrades when we went to warn one of our colonies," Jacob said, feeling more and more angry as he said it. He knew he had agreed it wasn't Pyrrha's fault, but that agreement drifted further and further from his mind. The screams of terror, running for his life, all while those giantesses laughed in psychotic joy as they toyed with the colony...

Sanders stared at him with eyes that seem to beg him to be lying. He shook his head as he looked down and reached into his pocket. He took out something and glanced at it before putting it back, though Jacob wasn't sure what. Sanders sighed as he seemed to gather himself.

"Tell me what happened," he said with an even look on his face. Jacob wasn't fooled by that look, though. Any idiot could tell Sanders wanted to do anything other than hear this. Well too bad, Sanders was going to learn why he shouldn't trust that monster anymore than Jacob did. And why he was the one who owed Jacob an apology.

"A few months ago, a large group of people left Hope. They all had differing reasons, but mostly it was just being sick of being underground. When they announced their intentions, Darius said they were just going to die, but didn't try to stop them. So they left and managed to build a small town south east of our territory. It went well till about a month ago," Jacob started. He still couldn't believe Darius had just let them walk out without doing something. Should have at least sent a Force with them or something. Bastard.

"A big winter storm was coming and those people didn't have a lot of winter gear. They people who left still had family and friends in Hope and they all were worried about them freezing to death. They asked Darius to send someone to check on them, but he refused to no one's surprise. Said he didn't have the spare manpower and other bullshit. I had a few friends out in the colony too so I decided to go myself. Word got around and a number of people asked to tag along. I was leery of that at first, but my friend, Booker, convinced me to let them come. More people meant more supplies we could bring, after all. We had about thirty people when we left, though only three of us had any combat experience. Me, Booker, and another friend of mine, Rance, were the only soldiers in the group, the rest were civilians. Since this whole thing had been my idea, they put me in charge and I got us moving to the colony."

Jacob paused as he thought back to the day they left. It had been a bright day full of promise and hope. He and his two buddies leading a group of civilians to go help their colony and save it from disaster. They thought they would come back to a hero's welcome... and instead... He pushed the thoughts away as he leaned against a nearby tree and keep going.

"Trip there was easy. Back then the Society wasn't pushing forward like it is now, so there weren't too many patrols. We only got close to one and it was just a lone giantess, easy to slip past. Trip took a little over a week, but...but we never did get to the town," Jacob said as his mind drifted back to that day. The rumbling noises, the screams drifting over the wind. Him, Rance, and Booker sprinting up the hill to see...

"We heard the rumbling and the screams long before we got there. Town was being crushed by five giantesses and a catmonster...your catmonster," Jacob said as he glared at Sanders. Sanders blinked a few times before looked down at the ground. His shoulders slumped down as he let out a long, sad, sigh. He shook his head before looking back up.

"And they saw you and attacked... I'm so so-" Sanders started to say as Jacob's annoyance flared. Why did everyone assume the giantesses had saw him?! He was better at hiding than that AND knew to keep the civilians hidden too!

"They didn't see me or anyone in the group. I wasn't stupid or incompetent at keeping hidden," Jacob corrected him as he crossed his arms in anger. Sanders looked back up at him in confusion.

"I was- wait..,they didn't? But then how did Pyrrha eat your friends? If they did-..." Sanders stopped as his eyes widened in horror and disbelief. What the hell was that look for? Sanders eyes turned on him and stared at him.

"You...you didn't...you...you ATTACKED them?!" Sanders asked, looking like he was in complete shock. Why was he in shock? Was him trying to save the people of that colony really so hard to believe?

"Of course I did. They were killing people down there and we had a chance to save some of those people! Our lives were worth the chance to save some of theirs!" Jacob said as Sanders disbelief turned to anger.

"You only had three soldiers, including yourself, to throw at FIVE giantesses and a catgirl, what the FUCK did you think you were going to do?! You were outnumbered by GIANTESSES! You were never going to save anyone with only three people! You should have focused on the people you brought!" Sanders said in anger as he moved toward Jacob. Jacob's fists clenched as Sanders practically gave the same speech his dad had given him back then. Did they not understand there were people DYING DOWN THERE?!

"So I should have turned my back on the people in the colony and left them to die?! I should have saved my own life and doomed theirs?!"Jacob said with a glare at Sanders. This guy didn't understand, just like everyone else. What other choice did he have, to run? To leave those people to die? What the hell kind of choice was that?!

"You should have protected the people you already were protecting! Those people needed you and you COULD save them! You were never going to save those people in the colony with only three people!" Sanders yelled back, his face scrunched up in anger.

"That is why I brought the others with us! Three people couldn't, but thirty might," Jacob said as Sanders stopped and stared at him in stunned silence. He slowly shook his head as he stumbled back a step.

"You...you sent the civilians to fight? You sen....yo..." Sanders stopped for a brief second as his face went from disbelief to rage. He glared at Jacob in fury before running at him. Jacob tried to dodge him, but was too slow as Sanders grabbed him by the collar and pulled his face down to his.

"What the FUCK is wrong with you?! You sent civilians that trusted you to protect them into a fight with FIVE giantesses and a catgirl?!?! And then have the gall to try and blame Pyrrha for their deaths?! YOU FUCKING MONSTER, THEIR DEATHS ARE YOUR DAMN FAULT!" Sanders yelled into his face. Jacob had had all he could stand of this as his rage reached its boiling point. He DARED to say it was his fault Booker and Rance were dead?! Jacob bellowed out in fury as he punched Sanders in the face, sending him reeling back. Jacob followed him and started to lay into Sanders with his fists. Smashing his fists into him with each sentence.

"I DIDN'T SEND THEM TO DIE! I SENT THEM TO SAVE THE COLONY! WE COULD HAVE DONE IT IF THEY HADN'T RUN! WE COULD HAVE SAVED THEM ALL IF THEY HADN'T BEEN COWARDS! W-" he stopped as Sanders grabbed Jacob's fist before smashing his own into Jacob's face. Jacob stumbled back from the blow and never got a chance to recover as Sanders tackled him to the ground. He pinned Jacob to the ground with his arms as he glared down at him in utter hate.

"THEY WERE CIVILIANS! THEY WERE NOT TRAINED TO BE FIGHTERS! THEY WERE THE PEOPLE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT AND THAT COLONY WAS DEAD THE MOMENT FIVE GIANTESSES ATTACKED IT! YOU CAN'T SAV-..." Sanders stopped as his voice seemed to catch in his throat. His face softened as he relaxed his grip on Jacob.

It was all the opening Jacob needed as he broke out of the pin and slammed his fist into Sanders' side. Sanders grunted in pain as he was knocked off Jacob, clutching the side Jacob had hit. Jacob leap back to his feet as Sanders tried to stagger up to his. He looked about to say something, but Jacob didn't want to hear it. He punched Sanders square in the jaw and sent him reeling back to the ground, his rage giving his punch extra power.

"THEY WERE NOT DEAD! I COULD HEAR THEM SCREAMING FOR HELP! AND YOU WERE NOT THERE SO DON'T YOU DARE FUCKING JUDGE ME!" Jacob yelled down at him before turning away in fury. Couldn't believe this. This fucking Society asshole was giving him the same talk his dad had given him. Can't save everyone...fucking BULLSHIT! Just them being too scared to risk their own lives to do what had to be done. And this fucker was being called a HERO?! He was no hero, just a fucking cowardly fucker!

"People were calling YOU a hero too. Biggest load of shit I have ever heard," Jacob said as he kicked Sanders in the stomach. Sanders grunted from the kick and gasped from the air being knocked out of him. He looked up at Jacob with a look of utter rage on his face. That's right, fucker, get up so I can kick your fake hero ass. But, the look faded as Sanders turned away and caught his breath.

"You're right, I'm no hero. Just a man who happened to tame a catgirl. And I have no right to judge you considering what I have done... Maybe...maybe you were right to try and save them," Sanders said as he seemed to completely deflate. Jacob was taken completely off-guard by Sanders response. No one had ever said that he might have been right...and he hadn't expected Sanders to agree to not being a hero. How...how could he just give that title up? Wasn't it what everyone strived to be?

Before Jacob could think of what to do, the sound of a tree being crushed got him and Sanders to look to their right. Pyrrha moved up to them, looming high above them and the trees even on all fours. She looked at Sanders and then at Jacob before hissing and reaching toward Jacob. Jacob swore under his breath and started to backpedal away from the huge hand, but not fast enough as it came ever closer.

"Pyrrha, stop!" Sanders yelled as Pyrrha's hand nearly reached Jacob. The hand stopped as Pyrrha turned back to Sanders, a confused look on her face.
"Don't hurt him. We just had a...disagreement is all," Sanders said as his hand drifted into his pocket for something. Jacob keep his hand on his rifle as Pyrrha eyed him, angrily, but pulled her hand back. Samantha looked over Pyrrha's forehead and said something to the catmonster. Pyrrha raised her hand and carried Samantha down to the ground. She looked at Sanders and Jacob before her face twisted into an angry scowl. Oh fuck...

"What the hell did you two do?! I told you not to cause problems, Jacob, and you go and get into a fight with Sanders?! You know Pyrrha is really protective of him and we were not far away! Did you think you could take her too?! And what if a Ranger patrol had heard you two or Phoenix patrol that didn't know who Sanders was?! How many times do I have to remind you that he is our best chance of winning this war?! Do you want to beat the Society or not?!" Samantha yelled at Jacob, causing all his rage to turn into fear. Fuck he had only see Samantha this mad a few times before and it did not end well. He tried to say something in his defense, but she slapped him across the face before he got a word out. Jacob keep his mouth shut and simply nodded as Samantha scowled up at him and Pyrrha scowled down at him. Shit, Samantha was bad enough without the catmonster...

"And you!" Samantha said turning on Sanders, who looked just as fearful now that he was the target of her anger, "It takes two to fight and Jacob has a few bruises on him that he didn't have before! You said you wanted to talk with him, not have a brawl with him! What would have happened if Pyrrha had come back during your fight, huh?! Think you could have stopped her then?! And God forbid if the Society had found us! You are supposed to be the hero that is going to help us win this war and here you are beating up on a younger soldier?! If you want to be our savior you fucking better start acting like it before I take Pyrrha for myself!"

Sanders tried to stammer out some answers, but never got a chance to say any of them as Samantha laid into him. To Jacob's surprise, Pyrrha turned the same angry look she had given him on Sanders and even meowed a few times in the rant to add emphasis. Did...did she understand what was happening? Or was she just imitating Samantha? Before he could really think on that, though, Samantha turned her furious look back on him. Jacob gulped as he worried what Samantha was going to do.

"Tired of you two acting like little boys about Pyrrha, me, and fucking everything else. Its stopping RIGHT NOW and so help me the next one of you that fights or causes problems is going to answer to me and Pyrrha, right?" Samantha said as she looked back at Pyrrha. Pyrrha hissed at them in agreement and both Jacob and Sanders cringed at the volume of her voice. Fuck when did Samantha get so good at controlling Pyrrha?

They both nodded in understanding and Jacob felt a wave of embarrassment go over him. What the fuck was he doing fighting with Sanders? The guy had saved him, Samantha, and Squad 3 just yesterday. And, as much as he didn't like to admit it, he was their best chance of beating the Society thanks to Pyrrha. Not to mention, he had told Samantha he trusted her trust in Sanders, and yet here he was doing the exact opposite. Was it any wonder Samantha was pissed as hell at him? Dammit, he was letting his anger get the best of him again...

"Sorry, Samantha. It won't happen again, I promise," Jacob said as he tried to look her in the eyes, but her harsh look made it hard. Damn she was really mad...

"Yeah, its my fault this happened. I pushed Jacob on something I shouldn't have and should have just left alone," Sanders said as he keep staring at the ground, his hand still in his pocket. Samantha got a curious look and glanced at Jacob.

"Pushed him on what?" she asked.

"On how he knows Pyrrha. He told me what happened and I... its none of my business, forget it," Sanders said as he shook his head and moved toward Pyrrha. Samantha looked back to Jacob and gave him an odd look. Was that...anger, sadness..or both? Whatever it was, it vanished quickly as she nodded and waited for Sanders to move away.

"What did he say that got you so mad?" Samantha asked Jacob as she gave him a harsh glare.

"He- he said the same thing my dad said. That I should have left the colony to die and got the others to safety," Jacob said. His anger might have come back if Samantha wasn't giving him a look that made his blood run cold. She didn't say anything in response as she headed toward Pyrrha. Jacob sighed to himself as he followed her. This was going to be a long trip.

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January 22, 2024 7:19 PM
Jacob sighed to himself as he tried to rub the cold away. Normally he would have welcome some time alone with Samantha, but ever since the fight three days ago those times had become torturous. Samantha was still furious with him and coming anywhere near her would get him nothing save an angry glare. The only good news was she was just as mad at Sanders so at least he had nothing to worry about on that front.

Sanders and Pyrrha had gone out to make some false trails for the Society to find. As large as Pyrrha was, it was all but impossible for her not to leave some trail. However, feral catmonsters were known to be in the area and that had given Jacob an idea. Rather than try not to leave a trail, they would leave an obvious one, but one that meandered around and seemed to not go a specific direction. That way, if the Society did find it, it would look like a feral had left it. Even better, the many off trails and such might pass by an actual feral catmonster's trail making their path all but impossible to pick out. He was rather proud of that idea, if he said so himself.

Now, though, he was wishing he hadn't thought of it. While those two were out making trails, he and Samantha were left alone to listen and watch for Society forces. So far, though, the only thing Jacob had seen was wild animals and Samantha's angry glares. He sighed to himself as he pulled his jacket closer to him and wished he could wrap himself around Samantha.

With nothing better to do, Jacob let his mind wonder back to the past, back when he had first met Samantha..

It had happened just after the Bears were wiped out. She had been in the crowd when the news arrived. Darius himself gave the news, without a hint of emotion as usually. A number of people had cried and cursed at the news, devastated that a group as powerful as the Bears could be wiped out. Dad had been there too and simply shook his head before heading back to the barracks.

Back then, the Bears were legendary and spoken of in near reverence by everyone. They actually made a point of going and fighting the Society at every turn, no matter the danger. But more importantly, they fought and WON against the Society. They had even made a few raids into New Atlanta itself and lived to tell the tale, even managed to blow up a few important targets. People would train like mad to get the chance to join them as only the best of the best of the best got in. Hell, even Jacob had been dreaming of the day he would join them back then. What better place to be a hero than in the company of heroes, and the Bears were the heroes of every Resistance Group. Even the Marauders respected them and would gladly give them aid if asked.

But even they were not invincible... No one was really sure what happened to them, sadly. That day, they sent out a radio transmission that they were under attack by a massive Society attack force. Rather than call for help, though, they told everyone to stay away and keep hidden. And fucking Darius had listened to them rather than going to save them... Bastard. After that, the Bears were never seen or heard from again. People had gone to the site of the battle and found it a ruined wasteland of bodies and flattened earth. The Bears had taken a large toll on the Society, but had fallen nonetheless.

Jacob had stayed in the plaza Darius had given the news. He had been devastated to hear the thing he had been striving for was now gone and just sat there, numb and unsure what to do. He might have just gone home to wallow in self-pity if he hadn't noticed Samantha. She had been crying the entire time and showed no signs of stopping. Most of the people left her to weep, unwilling to help or figuring it was best to let her grief. Jacob, though, couldn't just leave her there, a hero didn't turn their back on crying women. And if he couldn't join the Bears to become a hero, he might as well be one this way. Man was he childish back then...

"Hey, umm...wh..what's the matter? Do..do you need some help?" he had asked her. She had looked up at him and turned away from him. He wasn't going to give up, though, doubly so as he knew that look. It had been his look a few years before.

"You lost someone, didn't you? A family member in the Bears?" he asked, but got no response. He sighed and sat down next to her. He knew no amount of its OK and stuff like that would help, it never helped him, so he decided to try something different.

"I lost someone too, you know. Back before the Society attacked, I lived in a village out by Roswell. Me, my dad, and my mom all lived there and had an OK life. Was hard work, but at least we were together, ya know?" he said before he paused. The girl hadn't stopped crying and he hadn't been sure she was even listening, but he keep going anyway.

"At least...it was till that day. Me and my dad had gone out to hunt for some food while Mom had stayed back to mind the house. While we were out there, we ran into a bunch of people, Darius among them. They told us that towns were getting wiped out by the Society and the giantesses were just crushing anything and anyone that got in their way. Dad didn't want to believe them, but...but then the rumbling started..." Jacob stopped as he had felt tears begun to form in his eyes. He wasn't sure if Samantha had stopped crying by then or not, he wasn't paying much attention to her at that point. His mind had been too busy reliving that horrible day. The day the world turned upside down yet again.

"We ran back, but...but it was too late. Our house was completely crushed and my mom...my mom...was outside it...smeared on the ground," Jacob finished as he couldn't hold back the tears anymore. He cried a little to himself as the the image of his dad falling to his knees by what was left of his mom filled his mind. His dad had shed two tears before he turned back to them, a look on his face Jacob had never seen before. A look that always reappeared whenever a giantess was near. A look of complete and utter hatred that scared Jacob even to this day. Dad had never been the same since that day...

"You...you don't...don't understand... You...you still have...a dad. I don't...have anyone now," Samantha had said between gasps for breath. Jacob snapped out of his memories and turned back to the girl. She was still crying and gasping from the tears as she glared at him. Jacob had sighed as he realized she was kind right.

"Maybe...Sometimes I'm not so sure of that. Dad spends more time as Commander Derek than Dad now. I...I think Mom dying broke something in him. He's...not the same anymore," Jacob said as he looked down at his feet. Samantha stared at him as he felt tears starting to come back. He fought them back as he turned back to her.

"But that's OK. I don't need him to keep surviving. I'll do it on my own and become the hero that saves us. I'll make a new Bears and we'll beat the Society and make sure they never bother us again!" Jacob had said with a cocky smile. Looking back on it, it was such a childish boast, doubly so for a sixteen year old. But...but it had worked.

Samantha gave him a disgusted look, at first, but it slowly faded away. She mumbled something about "again", before starting to laugh.

"HEY don't laugh at my goals! At least I have one!" Jacob had said, letting his anger get the best of him again. Samantha stopped laughing and got a far away look at that. Jacob felt bad for saying it and was going to apologize when the girl suddenly jumped to her feet.

"You are right. I don't have a goal...and I can't just sit here with no goal, she wouldn't want that. She would want me to keep going," she said as she whipped away her tears. She then smiled at Jacob.

"Thank you...umm."

"Jacob, Jacob Ranferd," Jacob answered with his own smile.

"Samantha," she said before kissing him on the cheek and running off. Jacob had stood there, stunned for a second before getting a big smile on his face. Shit he had hoped to see her again. And he got his wish.

The next day, Samantha joined the trainees and blitzed through the training program. Where as most took a month or more of training to get bumped to a soldier, she took only a week. By sheer chance, she had wound up in the same watchpost he had been assigned to and...well things had progressed from there. Those were some of his favorite memories... Him, Rance, Booker, and Samantha all in the same watchpost. It was a wonder nothing sneaked past the post with them constantly goofing off.

But now...now Rance and Booker were gone and Samantha was furious at him. Jacob sighed to himself as he wondered if Sanders had been right about saving the civilians. No, no he wouldn't believe that. The people in the colony deserved better than to be left to die and he would NEVER accept that the proper choice was to leave them to die. He glanced up and shook his thoughts away as a large form began to loom out of the darkness.

He tapped a nearby tree to get Samantha's attention as he slowly took out his rifle. He began to back away toward here as the shape stopped. It gave out two short meows before moving toward them again. Jacob and Samantha relaxed as Pyrrha came into view. Jacob put away his rifle and his emotions toward Pyrrha as Sanders was lowered down to them.

"I think we left enough broken trees that the Society will think we are just a feral moving through the area. Still, we should probably keep heading north west just in case," Sanders said as he jumped off Pyrrha's hand.

"If we do that we might just want to forget going to the Southern HQ. I think we have already overshoot it so might as well just start heading for Hope instead," Jacob said as he took out the rough map he had of the Phoenixes' territory. He had learned back when he was a boy scout how to navigate with the stars and his time in the Phoenixes had sharpened the skill. It was a, mostly, cloudless night so it was easy enough to figure out where they were. After a few quick checks his guess was proven right. They were a good mile west of the Southern HQ and a number of miles south. If they keep heading west they would be WAY off target of it, but Hope was still to the north, north east, so west was still in line with it.

"Yeah, we are already west of the HQ. We'd have to swing back east to get to it and that would take us over some mountains. Be odd for a feral to decide to climb one," Jacob said as Samantha nodded in agreement.

"What about the Force? They'll be wondering what happened to us," Sanders put in, looking a bit worried about leaving Derek in the dark. Not surprising considering how protective his dad was of him.

"We'll have to pass a watchpost at some point and they will have a telegraph. We can send a message we are safe to the Southern HQ that way," Samantha said. Jacob nodded in agreement and Sanders gave a "well...alright" shrug. With their path determined, they all climbed back onto Pyrrha and headed out.

Jacob made sure to keep his anger and distrust of Sanders and Pyrrha to himself for the remainder of the trip. Anytime he felt they were getting the best of him, a quick glance at Samantha put those fires out. If he every wanted to be with Samantha again, he was going to have to show he trusted her by trusting Pyrrha and Sanders. He didn't like it, but he loved Samantha more. She was worth putting aside his rage for.

Thankfully, the rest of the trip was uneventful and his plan seemed to work. They never saw any signs of the Society following them. Sanders, also, seemed willing to make sure they didn't have a fight. He never brought up the colony or anything involving it again. He, also, made sure to drop Samantha and Jacob off somewhere before taking Pyrrha to hunt. Jacob tried to use those times to get back in Samantha's good graces, but she didn't seem interested.

Finally, they arrived at one of the watchposts. General Holmes had, thankfully, sent out the word there was a catmonster on their side now so the post didn't fire on them. Once Jacob and Samantha climbed down and said who they were, they were welcomed in pretty quickly. Sanders and Pyrrha moved away from the post and stayed a good distance away, lest they draw attention to it.

Inside, Samantha headed for the telegraph room to send the message to the HQ while Jacob was bombarded with questions. After telling the soldiers in the post pretty much the whole story of them taking down the Ranger patrol, with some creative licensee taken by Jacob, Samantha came back with their reply.

"What did they say?" Jacob asked as Samantha stared blankly at him. She handed him the letter and headed out. Jacob gulped as he looked down at the message, afraid of what was on it.

"Acknowledged. Commander Derek wishes you well and will meet you in Hope. Safe travels."

Jacob blinked a few times at the note, confused by why Samantha would make it seem like bad news. He turned back to her and saw her glancing back at him. She gave him a playful smirk as she headed out of the watchpost. Jacob smiled to himself as he felt a massive weight lifted off him. Samantha wouldn't be poking fun at him if she was still mad at him. He was going to look forward to tonight.

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