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Boar-back gave her an equally amused look. "You come back with us to camp and we'll introduce you to the rest of the gang. And don't worry, you'll have plenty of opportunities to show me what you're capable of in the coming weeks." He turned away, gesturing for the group to follow him. "If you have anything to pack up, now's the time. Looks like we're about done with this place."
"Alright, then. I wouldn't have bowed to you, in any case." She pulled her hair from her face and moved to follow the bandit leader. Stopping for only a moment, she glanced around and scowled at the place where she had lived, before following again.
The bandits soon noticed their leader was leaving and gathered in a pack behind him, most bearing the fruits of their invasion. Food, new clothes, valuables, weapons, tools–everything they could get their hands on. They seemed to be in high spirits, all laughing and talking as they made their way into the trees. By now the sun was almost completely over the mountains, and the forest looked quite lovely compared to the burnt and ruined village they'd just left.
After a few minutes, two of the bandits moved to walk closer to the new member of their tribe. One of them was Muddybones, still looking wary but more relaxed now, and the other was a skinny redheaded man with sharp blue eyes and a permanent scowl. "Heyyy," Muddybones said casually. "So how's it feel to be part of the strongest bandit tribe ever? I hope you feel lucky, cuz you definitely are. The boss doesn't usually accept newbies like you so quick."
"I'm positively thrilled that he chose me so fast," Taran said, pursing her lips. She now had a small dagger at her waist, and a full spear now, luckily, with a spearhead. She spun this around in her hands, her metal arm creaking and whirring with the sound of machinery. She frowned down at it. Hopefully there was oil where they were going, something to make her arm quieter.
Muddybones leaned away from the spear nervously. "Yeah well….good. I'm Muddybones, by the way, you probably already caught that. And this is my buddy, Blue Tommy." He nodded to the other man, who fixed Taran with a lazer-beam stare. "I wouldn't, uh, bother him too much, he's not really right in the head. He don't talk either. But he's a dang good fighter, and not too dangerous once he gets used to ya."
She tilted her head. "Why do you all have such weird names?" She tried not to laugh at his fear of her, and studied the other man.
Blue Tommy did not seem to enjoy the scrutiny. He eyed Taran for a minute, then bared his teeth in a silent warning and edged away like an annoyed dog.
Muddybones, meanwhile, straightened indignantly. "Hey, we're bandits. We can't have regular names. They're not scary enough. Is Kali your real name or your bandit name? 'Cause if it's your real one, you'd better pick a different one quick, or else the rules say we get to choose a name for ya."
"Kali is the name I went by when I was a fighter. It's from folklore, the goddess of death and destruction." Taran shrugged, turning her silver-eyed gaze to Muddybones. "If you think I should have a better name, then good for you. I'm keeping it until the boss says otherwise."
"Huh," Muddybones muttered, slowing to climb over a fallen tree. "I guess it's not a bad name, when you put it that way. Say, you're not like those freaks from the Devil-bird tribe that like to sacrifice people to a god of evil, are you? We don't want anything to do with those guys over here."
"Of course not," she said, rolling her eyes. "I don't kill people unless I'm in the mood, and I certainly don't sacrifice anyone. That's for weird cults and whatever." She shook her head with a sigh. "People are strange."
Muddybones huffed. "Well the Devil-Birds are strange, that's for sure. You don't wanna get messed up with them. They even sacrifice some of their own tribe members once a year to weed out the weak ones….at least that's what I heard. But they're stupider for it, cuz now they have a really small group, unlike us. The only reason they're on the map at all is they're frickin' good fighters." He paused, then added proudly, "But the boss thinks we'll be able to get rid of 'em pretty soon. He says their leader is young and dumb, not like Boar-back at all."
"And your boss seems to think that he can get rid of them?" She raised her eyebrows. "That's mighty ambitious." She moved forward, following the others.
"Heh. Well Chief ain't at the top for no reason." Muddybones swaggered after her confidently. "Did you notice his face? I guess it's kinda hard to miss. Nobody knows how he got those scars, but some people say he did it on purpose to make himself tougher and scarier. That's what I believe. That guy could deck a bear if it got in his way, and look good doin' it. Y'know….metaphorically speaking."
Taran snorted. The bandits had a strange, fanatic, almost worshipful devosion to their leader, and it was getting annoying. "Why did you get the name Muddybones, anyway?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Uh….well." Muddybones waved his hand carelessly. "It's because of how I like to collect the bones of my enemies. And the 'muddy' part's just because my hair's brown."
"That's a bunch of nonsense," interrupted the dreadlocked man, who'd come up behind them without being noticed. Muddybones yelped and scowled at him, but the taller man didn't seem to care. "Muddybones couldn't pick a name for himself, so we call him that because he's always frickin' filthy. Don't let him tell you otherwise." The man smiled wryly at Taran. "I'm Renzi, by the way. Boar-back's lieutenant. Welcome to our tribe."
"Thanks," she said, offering Renzi the smallest of smiles. So there was one bandit who was removed off of her hit list. "I'm sure it will be a lovely time. Maybe. Hopefully."
He laughed a bit. "I think you'll settle in pretty quick. We may be mostly a bunch of idiots, but you'll never find a tribe more loyal to its own." A shout came from up ahead, and Renzi quickened his pace slightly. "Let's go, we're almost to camp."
"Loyal to plunder or to each other?" She asked, almost to herself. She hopped lightly over a fallen beam of a house, and the spear in her hands bumped against it, making a hollow thud noise. She hurried to catch up with the nicer bandit.
Up ahead, the steep slope leveled out slightly, forming a large open shelf on the side of the hill. Most of the trees here had been cut down to make room for the bandit encampment. It was by no means the size of the village they'd just left behind, but it was definitely full of more people. Small ramshackle huts and tent-like structures dotted the clearing, all made from scraps of junk or old vegetation. The only two that could even remotely be called buildings were near the top of the clearing. One was a simple but sturdy shack made from rough-hewn wood with a door that had been stolen from a pre-war building. Renxi pointed it out as the belonging to the chief. The other was a sort of peaked roof on stilts with slanting walls made from salvaged tarp, sitting off to one side. It had a tiny side building and several large steel barrels alongside it.
"That's the medic's place," Renzi said, turning to avoid the large pack of dogs that had dashed over to welcome the raiding party. "You'll meet him pretty soon. Until then, follow me. Looks like the boss is calling a meeting."
"The medic's place? Do you only have one healer?" Taran shook her head. Her metal arm whirred and clicked, sparks flying from the joints, and she scowled. What the perfect time for it to start malfunctioning. She shook her head. "Do you guys have any tools I could use? To fix some machinery?"
"Uh, well, the medic does have a couple helpers, but–" Renzi muttered distractedly to himself, perhaps counting the heads of the bandits gathering around them. "Tools? Um….you can ask the scavengers after the meeting, they might have something for you. Muddybones is a scavenger, find him. But, first you have to come over here–" He ushered her to the front of the crowd, where Boar-back was silently waiting for everyone to settle down. "It's better if we introduce you to everyone, so they know not to stab you if they see you in camp."
"I'd like to see them try," Taran said smugly, but she followed him to the front of the crowd. She stared cooly at the bandits with her unnerving silver eyes, spear held lightly in her hand.
Once the hubbub had died sufficiently, Boar-back cleared his throat and spoke so all could hear. "The raid was successful. Renzi will make sure everyone is given what they deserve from the loot. Any complaints will be brought to me, as usual. We've also managed to recruit some new members." He waved slightly, and a handful of villagers were pushed forward, all looking beat-up and frightened. "I expect everyone to keep a close eye on them. Make sure they know what happens to runaways, hm?"
The bandits growled and barked like dogs, causing the real dogs to join in a moment later. The captive villagers looked suitably intimidated.
"One more thing," Boar-back continued. "A worthy fighter has agreed to join our ranks today, and she will be treated with respect. Kali, come forward."
"A worthy fighter?" Taran snorted, but sauntered forward, smirking at the villagers, who stared at her in shock. They, evidentally, recognized her alias, and they were afraid. She shrugged at them, a smug look on her face, before moving to stand beside Boar-back. She gave the bandits a mock bow, baring her teeth in a wolfish smile. "Charmed," she said sarcastically.
As one, the bandits grinned toothily back. "Kali! Kali!" they cheered loudly, raising their weapons.
"She is one of us now, a fighter," Boar-back said over the ruckus. "Show her around, help her get settled if she needs it. I want you all to show her the strength and unity of our tribe, is that clear?"
The bandits shouted their assent enthusiastically.
"Then that's all. Get some rest, and wash your hands before lunch."
As the crowd dispersed, Boar-back glanced at Taran. "Welp, welcome to the Hounds. Anything you need right off the bat?"