Post #18. An Angry Rohba

Posted on Tue Apr 2nd, 2024 @ 10:49pm by Commander Kehlani
Edited on on Wed Apr 3rd, 2024 @ 1:35pm

Mission: TALES FROM THE MIDDLE STARS
Location: Kor'Kang Colony
Timeline: Current

ON:

Kehlani, Matriarch and Commander, stood quietly behind her chosen tree, peeking out to see when and where the Rohba beasts would come through the mists in the air from the humidity and rainfall that had recently passed over. All around her, and stretching to both sides of her for several meters, were dozens of Klingons awaiting their chance to battle the beasts and claim their prize. The Kor'Kang colony was coming along smoothly, with more Klingons arriving each week. They sought a wild world they could help claim as thei own, and a fresh start away from worlds too tightly packed with cities and industry. Those things would come to Kor'Kang, too, but it would be severely regulated to maintain the natural aspects of the planet. Like the Ketha lowlands on Qo'noS were protected.

There was the rumbling hoof beats of a number of animals coming towards them, and those same feet also caused a splashing of water as the beasts were walking through a flood plain, a natural curvature to the landscape that created a perfectly natural sluice for the run off to flow through. The water moved gently since the land did not tilt at a severe angle, which meant that any attack on the animals would be detected meters before they were assaulted by anyone. It was dangerous that way, the Rohba being a very protective animal when it came to their young, and with any kind of warning the bulls would immediately go into attack mode. Kehlani herself had witnessed a Rohba bull, pumped up during rut with testosterone, fully attack a tree that had done nothing to it, simply to alleviate its anger at having not yet found a suitable mate. "Qapla'!"

This cry came from her right as the first Rohba's head began to appear through the mists. A younger Klingon, his heart pumped up with excitement, gave the cry. But, it was shouted and every Klingon on the line charged in, side by side, their lances and spears held forward as they charged. With that first cry, then all the shouts and roars from the hunters, the Rohba formed a protective circle and faced outward, their young within the protective barrier of beastly flesh. Along with her brethren, Kehlani charged forward and confronted a large bull, getting its attention on her as Ch'tang and Omar got to each side of her with enough room for the three of them to use their weapons without wounding each other. The rohba stomped a foot and snorted continuously, its head weaving back and forth as it sized up its enemy, and saw that there were three.

Omar went in from the animal's left and thrust his spear into the gristle around its neck, and below the thick, curly, dark brown fur of its mane that added another light covering of armor. The animal bellowed in pain as the spear head sank an inch into its flesh and then it went wild, bucking and kicking in a circle along with its fellows all around the herd. The beast lowered its head and charged at Omar trying to gore him but, the fleet-footed Klingon was able to side step enough to avoid being gored. The animal, for its size, was quite nimble and when it missed it turned its head and waved it to the left, catching Omar under his legs and tossing him through the air, narrowly avoiding another gore attempt as he became airborne. Ch'tang ran in on the left side of the animal and plunged his own spear into its side, the spear head disappearing into the animals side as blood began to pour from the wound. He had missed the heart thrust due to the animal moving around and fighting for its life. It rump swung around, backs legs kicking as it spun, the left flank slamming into Ch'tang like an organic wall. He too ended up being tossed through the air a meter, splashing down into the ankle deep water.

With the other beasts being distracted by the other hunters in the Klingon hunting party, this bull was now focused on the three who dared to threaten his females. Kehlani, seeing her two comrades getting up and shaking their heads, gave a blood curdling war cry and charged in, spear at the ready. The rohba planted his feet and lowered his head and Kehlani stopped her charge. They stared at each other through their eyebrows, her own chin dropped as she planted her feet shoulder width apart. Omar and Ch'tang were coming back to fight having recovered quickly. Seeing that Kehlani pounded her chest with a fist twice, tossed her spear aside and then bent at the waist as she stared the beast down. "Come on!" She bellowed in Klingon and began to run towards the rohba.

Ch'tang, watching his Matriarch charge the animal with no weapons in her hands, brought his spear up and set it for throwing, heaving the weapon at the beast enough to aid her. It struck the animal on the right shoulder and went deep for a moment, with the animal bucking and trying to get rid of it. At the same time it caught Kehlani getting closer so it lowered its head and charged her. Going straight at the beast, and at the last possible moment, Kehlani side-stepped in a spin move. As the rohba saw her go passed it turned its head to that angle, trying to spin around and use its horns. Being on the side with the spear sticking out of the shoulder, Kehlani then leaped as high as she could upwards, her right hand finding purchase in the thick fur of its mane, her left grabbing the spear handle for support. The rohba went berserk, spinning and spinning as it bucked and tried to dislodge this thing that had attached itself to its shoulder and the side of its neck. The pain of the spear in its shoulder being twisted and moved around by Kehlani's weight had it in panic mode.

All was going well until the spear handle she was using for leverage snapped, and she was free-hanging by one arm on the beast's side. How the animal did it she did not know, but this one used its hind legs to jump in the air, then come down hard on its front legs, really jarring Kehlani and sending her body forward by sheer momentum. The fistful of mane she had a hold on tore free and as the rohba turned and she pitched forward it brought its head back and slammed its hard boney skull into her armored side. She felt a crunch in her ribs, not sure if they were broken or just severely bruised and traumatized, but either way it hurt even as the animal knew he had her in the right spot. Three times it tossed her in the air, following under her to keep her there so it could bludgeon and gore her as best it could. Her side, then her hip, and finally a combination shoulder/head blow that sent her flying. Miraculously, the rohba had missed goring her, which she did not know at this time as she crashed into the shallow water face first over a meter from where her flight had begun. She got up quickly, sputtering water from her mouth as she flipped onto her butt to look back at where the beast was. It was coming at her.

The Klingon berserker rage took over and she got to her feet, feeling no pain and pulling her d'k'tagh with her left and her mek'leth with her right. She ran to meet the beast even as Ch'tang came in on the beast's right with his bat'leth, Omar coming on the left side with his spear. With his longer reach Omar distracted the animal by stabbing at it several times. The blood loss and exertion were finally taking their toll on the animal but it was still fighting to the last. Kehlani and Ch'tang slashed at the animal's legs and sides, with her dagger being used to stab when she had a chance without getting trampled. Omar kept stabbing over and over and with a final thrust his spear went deep. The animal gave a dying bellow, stumbled sideways a few paces and then its front legs collapsed followed by its rump. The thrust through the heart had ended its fight, the beast dead even as its body settled into the shallows.

Seeing the beast go down, Kehlani had to step back and breathe, to get herself under control as she sheathed her weapons. If the berserker rage were still at maximum, she would then attack friend and foe alike. Feeling her heart returning to normal and her battle rage subsiding, Kehlani limped forward on her rather sore hip and began to give a belly laugh. Omar's spear stuck up out of the side of the beast and Ch'tang had put his bat'leth over his back, the three coming together in a hug of brotherhood. When they broke they stood shoulder to shoulder looking down upon the beast's head. "A fine hunt, warriors."

"We shall surely feast this night!" Omar proclaimed.

"Come, let's dress the animal and get the good portions away from the water. The villagers can come and take what they wish from the carcass, after." Ch'tang suggested.

Kehlani agreed and stepped to the beast, drawing her dagger once again. She cut into the animals skull and dug through all the flesh to remove both the horns. She cleaned her hands, the dagger, and the horns in the water she stood in. It was fast becoming reddish in color as all the hunters began to dress their kills. The three set to work even as large, wheeled, ATV's came through the forest and parked near to the carcasses. All the trucks were then loaded full of meat and trophies. Kehlani and her two companions climbed aboard a truck by the ladder that went up the side of the vehicle, to the roost up and above the drivers, for a surrounding view of the terrain in all directions from this height. The uncovered cabin showed a cab full of leaves, mud, and water mixed with blood from the drivers and their boots as they had aided in loading the prizes. The six-wheeled vehicle began to power through the woods, with any riders on each having to duck down and hold on occasionally as the vehicle pushed through heavy foliage at times.

A bottle of bloodwine had been handed up to Kehlani by the driver, and with her dagger she lopped the cork open and slid it back in the scabbard before raising the bottle in the air, shouting over the powerful engine of the vehicle for all to hear. "Qapla'!" She then took a hefty swallow of bloodwine, handing the bottle over to Ch'tang. The bloodwine was flowing, they had meat to prepare, and the villagers would have resources. All was good.

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