“My name is William. But you can call me Butch.” The large man said, stepping forward from the edge of the torchlight. He kept his club at his side, but didn’t raise it. He stepped up to Jack, his eyes not fully leaving Tilly as he walked. He extended his hand for a handshake and Jack noticed he was not wearing an artifact. Jack put one hand on Tilly’s neck to calm her and tried to push calm through their bond. He reached out with his other hand to shake Butch’s.

  “I’m Jack. From the Roaring Falls tribe. My friends and I were sent here to try and make friends, find other survivors and trade if possible.” Butch’s handshake was firm. After a single shake they both let go and Jack gestured to his friends. “This is Soren, Clara, Beth, and Shelby. The two in the baskets are Aster and Izzy. The Parasaur is Thrasher, and this is Tilly.”

  Butch took a step back, and Tilly relaxed even more. He nodded to each person as they were introduced, and Jack could see compassion and worry in his eyes as he looked at the women in the baskets. He turned his attention back to Jack, as the other members of his tribe approached.

  “Nice to meet other friendly faces. But something about your story doesn’t make sense. If you were sent here, why do you have a tribe leader’s artifact on your wrist?” He asked, looking into Jack’s eyes. Jack didn’t blink.

  “Our tribe leader, Marcus, gave it to me for this mission. He was injured, and isn't in a state to be running around taming dinosaurs at the moment. He knew we would need it for our mission to be successful.” He said. Honesty was the best policy, especially when someone was clearly suspicious of him.

  Butch nodded, seemingly satisfied with Jack’s earnest answer. He gestured with his head to the women inside the baskets. “What about them? What happened?” He asked.

  Beth stepped forward and gave a small smile.

  “We are from a different tribe. We were attacked by a group of assholes. All of our men were killed, and the women were taken. The four of us managed to escape.” She gestured to Jack, Soren and Clara. “They found us in the Bronto Valley, and helped us. We had previously met a scouting group from a tribe living in the redwoods and decided to try and find you. Aster and Izzy need rest, and we couldn’t make it back to their camp in a reasonable time. I can tell you the full story, but I would like to request your aid. Can we rest with you for a few days and let them heal?” She asked.

  Before Butch could respond the woman with the bow stepped forward.

  “Butch, it’s getting dark. Those torches are going to start attracting things. We should bring them back to camp and have this conversation there.” She said. Butch sighed and Jack got the sense that he wasn’t in charge. He might be a respected voice, but not the one calling the shots.

  “I agree. You lot, put your torches out. Once darkness falls some nasty stuff comes out of the woods. There are enough fireflies and moonlight to see by most nights. If we move quickly we should make it back before night truly falls. Keep a tight hand on your tames, they will lash out at people not in their tribe. We learned that the hard way.” He said the last bit almost under his breath. But quickly turned and started leading everyone southeast. “We are the Wild Bunch. I’ll introduce everyone properly when we are safe.”

  Jack and Clara shared a look. She nodded. “I have a good feeling about them.”

  “Good enough for me. We don’t have much choice anyway.” Jack said, grabbing his club and following the other tribe. He kept a hand on Tilly’s back. His mind thinking about how they had been lucky to not fall into the Alien’s trap. Bringing Tilly home to the tribe could have ended in disaster.

  Another look from Butch had them putting their torches out. As soon as they did, the noise of the woods increased around them. Insects were the most noticeable, buzzing louder and closer to the group as they danced around the flowing vegetation. Many smaller noises started to appear, the calls of birds and shrill cries of something else echoed through the twisting undergrowth. Jack caught sight of a small rodent creature skittering out of a hole near a tree root. It jumped back into the hole when Tilly took a step towards it.

  A low rumbling noise made the members of the Wild Bunch stop in their tracks. Their spears raised. They glanced from bush to bush, and two people in the center moved back to back and looked directly up. Jack and his people followed their lead, but Butch held his hand up to stop them. He brought a finger to his lips in the sign to be quiet. The rumbling noise passed after a minute, but no one moved for at least five minutes. Thrasher started to shift his weight in discontent and Soren moved silently to comfort him. After another few seconds Butch motioned for them to start moving again. But he reiterated the need to quiet as they moved.

  It wasn’t much longer until they reached their destination. They had gained a bit of altitude as the forest floor sloped upwards, and they passed a small creek trickling down the hillside. It was choked with vegetation when compared to the one they had found in the jungle, but still deep enough for small fish to swim along it. They followed the creek until they reached one of the downed redwood trees. It wasn’t the largest they had seen, but it was easily twenty feet wide and two hundred feet long. It had clearly been laying in the jungle for a long time, as the inside of it had rotted away to the point where it could be used as a shelter.

  At the entrance to the tree was a small palisade of spears that had been dug into the ground to form a barrier to the forest. To Jack’s eye, none of the spears were large enough to put up real resistance from any of the large predators he had seen. Even some of the “medium” sized dinosaurs like a Baryonix could easily swipe those spears aside or just snap them with their bulk. The roaring bonfire that sat between the spears was most likely the real deterrent that had kept them safe. It was a healthy distance from the rotting wood that made up their shelter, but seeing it gave Jack a bad feeling. If that rotting wood caught fire, it would be beyond bad.

  Three men and one woman were on guard at the spear wall, and Butch called out with a whistle as they approached. The guards relaxed, and took steps closer to the fire to await their friend. Two of the hunters that had been with Butch moved ahead, sharing brief words of welcome with the guards before they ran into the tree and out of Jack’s vision. With no torches, their vision ended with the firelight. The rest of the group stepped up to the guards, and Butch quickly explained that they had guests before motioning Jack and Tilly forward. The guards stiffened upon seeing the tiger, and she let out a low growl as they raised their spears. But Jack kept his hand on her and she didn’t attack.

  “Let’s get those women out of the baskets and get them to our healer. We don’t have any proper medical staff, but we have a fellow obsessed with gardening who has been trying to make natural medicines and stuff. He can manage letting them rest and keeping them hydrated.” He said.

  “Thank you for the help. Shelby, can you go with them? Beth if you don’t mind I would like you to stay with us and explain your side of the story when their leader arrives.” Jack said. Soren and Clara had already settled Thrasher beside the fire, and he was enjoying the warmth as they pulled his baskets off.

  Shelby and Clara helped get the women out of the baskets, and Butch noticed that they were both naked. He squinted at Jack, but Beth joined them and raised her hand for peace. Jack could feel Butch sizing him up, as he did the same. He guessed that Butch was physically stronger than himself, but they were close enough that it could go either way. Jack guessed that he had more experience fighting Dinosaurs, but he got the impression that neither of them had fought many people seriously.

  “Ugh. Men.” Beth said, rolling her eyes. “Both of you knock it off. Jack saved us, and Butch and his people are offering us help. Let's sit and talk.”

  Jack chuckled to himself, and they both looked slightly chastised. Jack sat beside the fire, and Tilly lay beside him. Butch did likewise, and Soren moved to join them as Clara and Shelby helped the women into the trunk with the other members of the Wild Bunch. Jack started to warm himself by the fire, finally letting some of the pressure from the last two days roll off his shoulders. He felt the pain in his arms more than his chest. He started to open the bandage on his right arm, and winced as it came back sticky. Several of the stitches had broken, and the skin was red, but didn’t look infected. As far as Jack could tell at least.

  “What gave you those?” Butch asked.

  “This little lady right here a few nights ago. She was stalking us after we killed her mate. Attacked while I was on watch. I took these to save my neck. Pure adrenaline and Clara’s skill with a bola let us push her off me and pin her long enough for the tame to work. Soren here did the stitches, but I won’t lie, it hurts like a bitch.” He said, showing both men the wound.

  “Yeah, you are stupid lucky. If she was any bigger, or had gotten more than one claw into you there, that could have been the end of you.” Soren said. “You want me to try and fix those broken stitches?”

  Jack shook his head, wincing as he remembered the pain of getting them in. “I think I’ll let Shelby do it if you don’t mind.” He said, causing Soren to smile.

  “Good answer. I never want to do that shit ever again.” The redhead replied. Before Jack could ask Butch about his scar, or Butch could ask another question, Soren continued with one of his own.

  “So. How do you get Butch from William?” He asked.

  That question got a grunt from the man, but laughter from his tribemates. The young women who had been carrying the bow moved to join them at the fire.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “We’re called the Wild Bunch. Back on earth they were a notorious gang of wild west bank robbers and cattle thieves. Under the lead of one Butch Cassady. Our leader is named Cassady, so it only felt fair that we should have a Butch, and Will here fit the bill perfectly.” The women ruffled his hair, which clearly only served to annoy him more. But he wisely didn’t complain about it or the nickname. Jack saw acceptance in his eyes, and guessed that his relationship with the younger women was similar to his own with Mavis.

  A pang of worry for his friends shot through him. But he knew they would be okay for a few days without him, and that his work was important. Soren and the young women had started chatting about something that Jack missed, so he waited a moment before interrupting them.

  “I didn’t catch your name.” He said, and the women looked slightly embarrassed.

  “I’m Macy. Macy Heart. Nice to meet you.” She said, and Butch took his turn to chuckle.

  “It’s a pleasure.” Jack said.

  Suddenly Tilly growled, her eyes looking into the darkness of the tree trunk. She didn’t move, but Jack saw a large shape slowly making its way out of the darkness. As it entered the firelight he saw it was a stegosaurus. It lumbered into the clearing, its skin was a deep green, and its bony plates were covered in a network of blood vessels that caused them to flush a dull orange. He couldn't see its tail in the light, only the glints of its spikes as it’s tail waved back and forth. It stopped a good ten feet from the fire, unwilling to get closer to it.

  Beside the giant stood a woman with hair as dark as the night sky. She was short, no more than five feet, with suntanned skin and piercing brown eyes. What stood out to Jack more than anything was her outfit. A black cowboy hat, simple grey crop top, and leather biking pants with accompanying boots. She had a red pendant around her neck, and several rings of gold and silver on her fingers. The jade green alien bracelet rested on her right wrist, and her left hand hovered over a pistol that was in a holster on her hip.

  Jack could have probably crushed her with a single solid punch, and he could absolutely kill her with his club if he made contact with her. But the look in her eyes and her body language told him she was both smart and a force of personality. She wouldn’t be the one leading a raid, but he had no doubt she would be a very dangerous enemy. He stood up, quickly speaking to Tilly to keep her calm.

  “Stay girl. It’s ok.” He said, taking a step towards the tribe leader. The stegosaurus eyed him, but didn’t move. He could feel the women studying him, from the wounds on his chest and arm, to his muscles and the look in his eyes. She took a step forward, her hand moving away from the pistol on her hip. Jack wondered if it still had ammo. He suspected that was part of the reason she had worn it to meet him.

  “Nice to meet you. My men told me the gist, but I wouldn’t mind hearing it from the source. I’m Cassady Calhoun, leader of the Wild Bunch.” She said, extending her hand to shake. Her voice was deeper than Jack had expected, but he didn’t hesitate to return the handshake.

  “Jack Wilson, I’m the head warrior of the Roaring Falls Tribe. This is Soren McDarcy, and my companion Clara Green is inside with the sick women.” He said. He made a point to make his handshake firm, but not crushing. Her hand was not soft, but she was so much smaller than him that he was worried about hurting her.

  The handshake broke quickly, and she gestured for them to return to the fire. She eyed Soren for a moment, then Tilly and finally Thrasher. The Stego rumbled, then sat down behind her as Macy moved to scratch its neck. It made a happy rumbling sound not unlike the one’s Thrasher makes. They all sat beside the fire, and Cassady tossed another branch into it from the pile of timber.

  “So. Tell me about the naked women in the baskets.” She said.

  Jack gestured to Beth, who gave a nod to Cassady and introduced herself.

  “Hello. I’m Beth. We aren't technically part of the Roaring Falls tribe. At least not officially. They saved us from a Dilophosaurus and starvation this morning, and we led them here. We used to be part of a tribe to the west of here, across the river. We met one of your scouting parties, and after our leader died and lost the bracelet, we tried to find you for help. But by that point we were already sick from the water and lack of food. Another tribe found us, and.” She choked on the words. Tears stung at her eyes, gleaming in the firelight. Cassidy’s eyes narrowed.

  “They kill the men and take the women? Group of American men in their late twenties with sports jerseys?” She asked, and Beth nodded.

  “I see.” Cassady continued. “There is another tribe that lives north of us, beside a massive lake surrounded by jungle. They had a run in with this group and warned us that they had been moving around. Apparently they had tried to attack the Lake tribe, but had been scared off by their dinos.”

  “They have a Carnotaurus now, and at least one triceratops. I don’t think they will be so easily deterred anymore.” Beth said, wiping her eyes.

  Cassady’s face was hard to read, other than the anger in her eyes. She kept her voice calm though as she spoke to Beth.

  “Thank you. You don’t have to say any more. You and your girls are welcome here as long as you need. Rest up. We have food, and clean water enough to go around.” She then turned to Jack and Soren. “What about you two? Why are you here?” She asked.

  Soren opened his mouth, but Jack stopped him with a raised hand before he could start a tangent.

  “Several reasons. We are looking for a doctor or medic of some kind. Our second in command was poisoned by an Arthropleura, and we have a woman who was mauled by a different Sabertooth.” He emphasized the word differently as he pet Tilly, who had started to purr. “We are also looking to make friends. We originally came with two baskets full of thread to trade, but we had to leave much of it behind to carry the women safely. We still have some to serve as a demonstration of what we can make. From what we have seen, these woods lack the ferns needed to make the thread in the same way. But are full of other resources. And finally, we want to form some sort of alliance with you and any other tribes we can find. We don’t know when, but sometime soon the Aliens are going to start dropping supplies between tribes to try and stir up conflict between us. We want to share these supply drops.” Jack took a breath. Both Cassady and Butch seemed happy with his words at first, but looked concerned when he told them about the drops.

  “How do you know about these drops?” Cassady said skeptically. Jack glanced down at her bracelet and noticed it was missing the encyclopedia and tribe log charms. He made a decision and held up his own bracelet, showing off the extra charms on it.

  It took Butch a moment to understand, but he noticed Cassady’s hands curl into fists. Before they could ask questions Jack spoke up.

  “We figured out that parts of the alien story didn’t add up. When we confronted them about it, they gave us more information. Apparently, we are being used as entertainment by their different factions. Some want war, some want peace, some genuinely want to help us, but they all want to watch. If you ask the right questions, this thing gets more features.” He explained.

  Butch and Cassady weren't the only members of the Wild Bunch listening to them. The guards, still watching the woods, as well as Macy and several others who hadn't been introduced looked on in concern as they spoke. Murmurs started to spread around them as people reacted to the information with varying amounts of concern and anger. After a few moments Cassady and Butch shared a look. They nodded and turned back to Jack.

  “Tell us everything you know, and we will agree to be in an alliance with your tribe. Do you have the authority to agree to hunt down the bastards that attacked Beth’s tribe?” She asked.

  Jack took a moment to think. He eventually nodded.

  “The laws set down by our tribe leader Marcus and the tribe council encourage us to be peaceful and try diplomacy first. However I have no doubts that with Beth’s story and my own urging we will have no issue in declaring war on them. I knew their leader back on earth, he was part of the survivors that landed with us at the start of this. His name is Shane Gerling, and he deserves death for what he has done.” Jack spoke with conviction. Finding himself getting angrier with each word. He took a breath to calm himself.

  Cassady nodded, and extended her hand to Jack once more.

  “Well then. As leader, I officially offer an alliance between our tribes. We can sit down and settle the details for trade and such later. It’s late and I don’t have the head for it right now. But you are welcome here.” She said.

  Jack took her hand, and as he opened his mouth to respond both of their bracelets shone with green light. It was so surprising and bright that Jack could only close his eyes. But when he opened them, a new charm was resting on the bracelet. It was shaped like a scroll. He touched it, and a familiar screen showed up in front of him. It read Tribe Alliances and Diplomacy. The tab only showed one option, The Wild Bunch. He selected it and saw an outline of their verbal agreement spelled out for him. There were two other tabs, one for trade, and one for war. Both were greyed out.

  “Well then. That didn’t happen when we made a deal with the Lake Tribe.” Cassady said, looking at her own screen.

  “Tom wasn’t wearing the bracelet when we shook hands.” Butch said. “They didn’t have the extra charms either. What do they do by the way?” He asked.

  “Tribe log lets you see who is in your tribe, and track your dinosaurs. The other one is an encyclopedia. It lets you study the dinos in each biome. Its similar to the identification feature it has, but more general to the different species.” Jack explained.

  A dark look showed in Cassady’s eyes as she spoke “Tribe log.” The screen appeared for her, but Jack couldn’t see what it said. The associated charm appeared for her.

  “If we had this, we wouldn’t have had any casualties when we brought home Lego.” She said, gritting her teeth. Butch put a hand on her shoulder. She seemed to scan the list, then closed it.

  “It's still missing a few people.” She said.

  “The alien told us that to join the tribe, you have to give your loyalty to the tribe leader. That will add you to the list.” Soren said.

  “Well then. I won’t be losing anyone else to this trap.” She stood up, looking at the bracelet. “Encyclopedia.” She said, and the charm appeared. She closed it without digging into it.

  “I suspect that being allies will let our dino’s not attack each other. But to be safe, stay with your Sabertooth for the night and don’t let her hurt anyone. We can talk more in the morning.”

  Jack nodded, and stood up to shake her hand one more time. “Good night. We can discuss trade and such tomorrow.” He wasn’t sure what else he should say. But the moment didn’t last long as she walked away.

  More people came out of the tree as she left, and they spent an hour or so chatting with the other tribe before laying down to sleep. Clara had returned with Shelby, and given word that the other women were doing ok. It seemed like there were only around thirty or so members of the Wild Bunch. Approximately twenty men and ten women. It turns out they were all from a town in northern Texas before the world ended, and had split from the rest of their landing group when they had been attacked by some sort of prehistoric turkeys. They weren’t sure what had happened to the other tribe, but they hadn't seen any signs of them since then.

  At some point Macy started telling scary stories with some of the others. Jack shared a few he knew from his days camping, but the creepiest one of the night came from one of the guards. It was about his first night on guard in this world. About how he looked into the darkness that first night as the campfire fought the edge of the woods back. It was silent for hours, without any movement save for the wind in the bushes. Until the firelight flickered and he added wood. When the light grew he saw a creature standing at the edge of the clearing. Two amber eyes watching him from the forest. He claimed it looked like a giant human, but he only saw its silhouette. The guard seemed more freaked out than anyone else as he told the story, and Jack got the sense it wasn’t the first time the others had heard it. There was real fear in his eyes, and Jack didn’t blame him. The night was full of terror here. He had been stalked by Sabertooth’s during his watch at least three times. Maybe the man had seen some sort of great ape, or just a dinosaur that had been stalking him.

  Jack didn’t sleep particularly well after that.