Chapter 25: Homecoming.
Riss was utterly amazed at the welcome she received from the people of Runs's village, she'd expected them to be utterly terrified of her but they just weren't, nervous and a little cautious yes, but scared?
Not at all it seemed.
No sooner had they been led into the village itself and the gates closed behind them than the whole village turned out to look at the strange newcomers in their home, Riss noticed children peeking out from behind the legs of their parents curiously looking at her and indeed all of them with wide eyes, in fact, it didn't take long for one of the braver ones to break free of their mothers grasp and to run right up to Visa of all people.
It was quite a sightseeing the small human boy standing looking up at the huge female deathclaw while she stood staring at him curiously as well, she must have seemed like an utter giant to the boy who couldn't have been more than five years old, he was dressed in what looked like traditional deer leather clothing with a small pair of mocassins on his small feet and his jet black hair was tied at the back with an assortment of beads and strange-looking ties while two large bangs constantly swished across his face making him blow them out of the way.
Everyone froze solid like they fully expected the huge claw to either snatch him up and devour him in a single bite or swipe him clean in two with her wicked claws, but instead, Visa simply leaned down and with a single hand gently plucked the little human from the ground before placing him on her back where he sat atop on of her spine with his arms wrapped around her neck.
"Hold tight little one I don't want you to fall," Visa said in the softest voice Riss had ever heard her make, undoubtedly Seven had heard her speak softer in their nest together but everyone else just got deep growly Visa.
The boy squealed with utter delight and clung tightly to the neck of his mighty claw steed as she rose back to her full height, Riss could actually taste the worry washing off his parents in waves as they stood wringing their hands silently praying for their child's safety.
But they needn't have worried for a single second, little did they know that Visa was a human loving claw and would never ever raise her hand in anger to a child of any race let alone the one she had fallen so deeply in love with.
"Get the feeling I'm getting a rare glimpse of mamma Visa right here" Seven chuckled softly patting his big claw girl's long right arm and she shot him a look that quickly morphed into a sly grin.
"Indeed you are my human and I must say these little creatures are delightful, I expect you to give me many of them of our own," she said grinning as everyone could practically feel Seven paling under his armoured helmet, but never one to back down from a challenge Seven as if feeling all the eyes upon him simply puffed out his metal-coated chest and nodded.
"Well I can but try," he said and Visa's grin widened.
"Indeed we can my human, practice makes perfect as you humans say and we will practice vigorously until we get it right," she said making her brother snort a laugh.
"What the hell have you done to my sister Seven, can't ever remember being this bold or forthright before?" Ven said and Seven just shrugged.
"Simple dear brother, he showed me who I truly am and made me accept it, now I am who I am meant to be and I am with who I am meant to be with, no more need for masks or pretence, I honour my male as he honours me and I care not one shit who knows I love him or who knows he loves me because I am proud to stand at his side and call myself a human lover," she said proudly puffing out her chest and standing tall making her little jockey squeal with delight as he got even higher moving to sit atop her shoulders now and gripping onto her horns.
Ven glanced at Gregory and slid an arm around his slender shoulders, "Amen to that sister, amen to that" he said feeling Gregory hug his side unashamedly.
Riss let out a happy little hiss and flicked her tongue at the group happily, she could taste the joy in the air radiating from the two large claws, their pride was a truly heartwarming thing to see and in such a public setting no less, it made her very hopeful that her own human would be just as proud to stand at her side as both Seven and Gregory stood at the sides of the ones they loved.
In fact just as she was having such a happy little daydream Runs returned to her and grabbed her hand making her jump slightly having not heard him approach, he gestured for her to follow him and then did the same to the others, it seemed that Visa's little gesture to the brave boy who was still riding on her shoulders had quite the effect as now she and Ven were utterly surrounded by a group of them all trying to get either a claw ride or just to be able to touch such mighty creatures.
The pair had to be very careful where they stepped as they waded forwards through the group and when Riss glanced back at them it seemed to have spread to both Seven and Wisp as well as Seven now had one on each huge shoulder pauldron and one on the back of his head while Wisp was beginning to look like a bus with some many of them hanging onto every surface as she rolled forwards.
Runs led them through the village which was made up of a large collection of large tent-like structures shaped like large upside-down cones made from what appeared to be leather covered with both intricately woven leaves and grasses, with a wooden skeletal structure giving it both strength and flexibility from within.
Riss assumed this gave them both flexibility and possibly mobility as well as she figured that with skilled hands such structures would be rather easy to erect and take down allowing the whole tribe to relocate their village quickly should the need arise.
