I got the blues

Soulsand was older than most of the scavengers. She acted like a thirty-ish to forty-ish year old, hardened and wisened by life. Who kept count in these times? Time was meaningless. She was not one of the love-stricken younger scavengers. Well, that was with the exception of her girlfriend. Soulsand had left her girlfriend at home. The demigoddess had been happily romping through the forest when Soulsand left the multi-dimensional caravan that they shared. It was better for Dox that way and easier to keep her out of any situations that might hurt her. Soulsand forgot that her lover was almost indestructible. Soulsand rummaged through the rubble of an abandoned shopping mall while her two companions were racing shopping trolleys around. Soulsand was appointed the leader of their party of three for a reason. Soulsand was always putting up with Shadowclaw and Sweetiebelle’s chaotic energy, even if all she wanted to do was sleep and survive.

Sweetiebelle and Shadowclaw’s laughter faded into the near distance as the pair mucked around. Soulsand picked her way through the abandoned building, looking for anything that had not already been taken or damaged by other scavenging parties. Anything from axes and fishing equipment to plants and batteries. Soulsand was already on edge as she crept along to the points of her toe pads. The tiniest sounds of the building settling made her jump and whirl around,looking for the nearest weapons.

Soulsand turned over the plastic window boxes and ceramic flower pots, looking for edible vegetation or plants that could be brought home and planted to become a renewable source of food. Sunflowers, bean sprouts, kale, corn, tomatoes or oranges…Anything that wasn’t weeds. Soulsand liked seeing things from before the apocalypse times. The apocalypse had taught her to appreciate benign, every day trinkets that she took for granted.

“Ah! There you are. I found you!” Soulsand cheered as she uncovered some freshly overturned pots full of seedlings. Soulsand sniffed gingerly to make sure the seedlings were edible and not poisoned or rotting. Satisfied, she stowed her weapon on her belt and scooped up as much as she could carry in her arms without slowing herself down.

It was a good thing that she did, because as she picked her way through collapsed aisles towards the exit, she heard something large approaching her. Soulsand picked up the pace, trying not to look over her shoulder. If she looked, she would slow down. Slowing down would mean death or serious injury.

At first, Soulsand told herself not to be paranoid, but the noises grew louder and closer. This thing was hunting her. She had seen Dox hunting things. She did not fear Dox often despite Dox’s cluelessness that she was too big to nip and pounce on her girlfriend unexpectedly, but not everyone or everything was as loving as the eldritch monster.

Something with too many eyes and teeth from the sounds of it. She raced out of the store and ducked into another store with a large tree growing up through the floor and into the roof. Its branches had punctured the roof like splinters and the roots had clawed their way through the tiles and linoleum searching for softer soil, nutrients and water.

The scavenger hoped the stale and rotting stench of dehydrated meat and meat cures would distract her pursuer long enough for her to scale up the tree and to the safety of her girlfriend’s arms. After a few twists and turns, Soulsand realized she was trapped with her back against the trunk of the tree. It was too steep for her to scale with her tiny claws. She closed her eyes and braced for the crunching of her bones. The tearing of her own flesh as whatever was hunting her, tore her apart like a packet of musty jerky. Shouting for her friends would do nothing but get them eaten too. Then she felt something massive and slimy slither across her cheek.

“Aww, did the big and scary eldritch monster scare you?” Dox mocked the smaller female, flicking out her long, blue, bioluminescent tongue to lick her girlfriend again. Soulsand shoved her with an exasperated sigh and bent over to scoop up the plants that had fallen from her arms as she resigned herself to her fate. Dox had noticeably less eyes and teeth now.

“Move! I have to get these plants home before they shrivel up and die.”

“Aww, is my widdle, sweet Soulsand angry?”

Soulsand rolled her eyes. Her eyes widened as Dox shoved something large and orange into her girlfriend’s line of sight.

“Will this make up for scaring you?”

Dox thought the backpack was ugly with its round shape,  googly eyes, vibrant orange felt and stripes that looked scribbled on by a pen, but she thought Soulsand needed a backpack. Even if it was slightly torn and aged. Stuffing poked out through the stitching.

“Yes! I love it!” Soulsand jumped up and kissed Dox on the cheek. Dox blushed. She did not hear Soulsand blabbering about how this backpack was a much older design than most. How the character was redesigned to become something uglier barely resembling the original, teeth and tendrils. She crammed the food and her weapons into the backpack. The fabric was only slightly ripped. Soulsand continued to kiss Dox’s cheeks as the eldritch monster kneeled down to accept the kisses, her tail wagging. Dox did not understand normal interactions, but seeing her girlfriend’s eyes light up made her happy. Dox scooped up her smaller girlfriend and carried her home to the caravan. Making it a date. Soulsand almost forgot about her friends. Asking Dox to carry her back the way she came so Shadowclaw and Sweetiebelle knew that Soulsand was safe. She did not want them looking for her, worried that she was never going to be seen again while Soulsand was sleeping snuggled in Dox’s belly fur in their caravan. Shadowclaw and Sweetiebelle were about to trudge home when Dox lumbered over. Their friends had no idea that their leader was chased away by the eldritch monster.

“Uh, Dox and I…are going on an…impromptu date, after we get these supplies home. I’ll see you both soon?” Soulsand explained, pulling her cap down over her blushing face.

“Okay! Stay safe.” Sweetiebelle waved, shooing Shadowclaw away with her.