but these guys weren’t real serious; they weren’t out to kill, and he—well, he wasn’t out to kill them neither, but he had killed and he guessed it changed a guy. I’m sick of getting fucked with, he thought, exhausted. It’s easy, hitting back. How come I never did it before? “Anybody else?” he asked, breathing, calm. “Let’s get it over with.”
No takers.
Just as well. Dingus wheeled again and stalked away. “Kessa!” he snapped over his shoulder.
“Sorry, guys,” she said to her friends. She tagged after him when he headed toward the campsite, jogging to catch up. “What is your problem?” she hissed.
In a low voice—they were still close enough to be overheard—he said, “Better not let me catch you hanging around with that guy.”
“I can do whatever I want,” she said airily.
“Oh, sure,” Dingus said. “You can. But ‘can’ and ‘should’ live in two different countries.”
She stopped dead and folded her arms across her breasts. When he turned to look at her, she scowled. “You don’t get to tell me that stuff. If you don’t want—”
“You know what? Fine! You do anything you want, but don’t come crying to me after.”
“I never did. That was all your idea,” she snapped, and stomped back to the party.
Dingus let out a frustrated growl and walked away, or started to. “Hey, Dingus! Wait!” he heard Wallace call, and then Tony dashed out in front and turned a gleeful face toward him, hands spread partway out, shaking with excitement.
“Holy shit! Dingus—that was awesome! ”
He blinked. “It was?”
“Hell yeah!”
Wallace came up a little bit past, turning the three of them into points on a triangle. “Wasn’t it just!”
Tony laughed and jumped up and down, a foot at least, throwing a sloppy haymaker in the air. “Bam! Like that. Oh man, I’ve wanted to paste him one for years!”
“Well,” Dingus said slowly, “wasn’t quite like that. More like—” He demonstrated what he’d done, a quick punch that snapped from the hip and right back again, the way Grandma and later Vandis had shown him.
“Damn!” Tony said. “Damn! You’re so fucking fast, man! You’re a hero, is what you are! You know how many guys he’s messed with? Him and Bruno. My first year…” He trailed off, shaking his head.
“Held him down and farted on his face, they did,” Wallace said. “They went for him all the time. Mind, I’m bigger, but that didn’t stop them much. Fatty Walleye, that’s me, or just Fatty, even though I’m not so fat as I was.”
“And I’m Squirrel Nuts.” Tony made a face. “I mean, okay, I know I’m kinda squirrelly, but come on.”
Dingus thought again, for a long, long moment, and then he broke into a smile. He stuck his hands in his pockets. “Thingus,” he said. “I’m Thingus.”
Freaky
Fort Rule, Section One: Special Units
“From the hip, Eddie,” Krakus said. “That’s how you get your weight into it. Watch my side.” He hefted the axe he’d snagged out of the armory and gave it a wicked sidewise hack at around neck height, slightly exaggerating the snap in his hip, then followed through, adding, “And on the backswing. Watch again.” He repeated the motions three more times, swing and backswing. Then he laid down his axe, tucked the crushed-fairy ring in his breeches pocket, and said, “Now, you try.” He circled behind Eddie Jablonsky and put his hands on either side of the massive boy’s back.
Eddie looked down over his shoulder, his brown cow’s eyes huge and liquid. “I’ll hurt you.”
“If you do, it’s on me,” Krakus said. “Go on.”
Eddie swung, followed through.
“Try again. Less in the shoulder, more from the hip.” They worked on it for half an hour, under the beating near-Longday sun, before Krakus felt just the right shifting of muscle in Eddie’s torso. “Just like that!” he crowed. “You feel that?”
“I felt it!” E ddie said, beaming. “That’s how it’s
No takers.
Just as well. Dingus wheeled again and stalked away. “Kessa!” he snapped over his shoulder.
“Sorry, guys,” she said to her friends. She tagged after him when he headed toward the campsite, jogging to catch up. “What is your problem?” she hissed.
In a low voice—they were still close enough to be overheard—he said, “Better not let me catch you hanging around with that guy.”
“I can do whatever I want,” she said airily.
“Oh, sure,” Dingus said. “You can. But ‘can’ and ‘should’ live in two different countries.”
She stopped dead and folded her arms across her breasts. When he turned to look at her, she scowled. “You don’t get to tell me that stuff. If you don’t want—”
“You know what? Fine! You do anything you want, but don’t come crying to me after.”
“I never did. That was all your idea,” she snapped, and stomped back to the party.
Dingus let out a frustrated growl and walked away, or started to. “Hey, Dingus! Wait!” he heard Wallace call, and then Tony dashed out in front and turned a gleeful face toward him, hands spread partway out, shaking with excitement.
“Holy shit! Dingus—that was awesome! ”
He blinked. “It was?”
“Hell yeah!”
Wallace came up a little bit past, turning the three of them into points on a triangle. “Wasn’t it just!”
Tony laughed and jumped up and down, a foot at least, throwing a sloppy haymaker in the air. “Bam! Like that. Oh man, I’ve wanted to paste him one for years!”
“Well,” Dingus said slowly, “wasn’t quite like that. More like—” He demonstrated what he’d done, a quick punch that snapped from the hip and right back again, the way Grandma and later Vandis had shown him.
“Damn!” Tony said. “Damn! You’re so fucking fast, man! You’re a hero, is what you are! You know how many guys he’s messed with? Him and Bruno. My first year…” He trailed off, shaking his head.
“Held him down and farted on his face, they did,” Wallace said. “They went for him all the time. Mind, I’m bigger, but that didn’t stop them much. Fatty Walleye, that’s me, or just Fatty, even though I’m not so fat as I was.”
“And I’m Squirrel Nuts.” Tony made a face. “I mean, okay, I know I’m kinda squirrelly, but come on.”
Dingus thought again, for a long, long moment, and then he broke into a smile. He stuck his hands in his pockets. “Thingus,” he said. “I’m Thingus.”
Freaky
Fort Rule, Section One: Special Units
“From the hip, Eddie,” Krakus said. “That’s how you get your weight into it. Watch my side.” He hefted the axe he’d snagged out of the armory and gave it a wicked sidewise hack at around neck height, slightly exaggerating the snap in his hip, then followed through, adding, “And on the backswing. Watch again.” He repeated the motions three more times, swing and backswing. Then he laid down his axe, tucked the crushed-fairy ring in his breeches pocket, and said, “Now, you try.” He circled behind Eddie Jablonsky and put his hands on either side of the massive boy’s back.
Eddie looked down over his shoulder, his brown cow’s eyes huge and liquid. “I’ll hurt you.”
“If you do, it’s on me,” Krakus said. “Go on.”
Eddie swung, followed through.
“Try again. Less in the shoulder, more from the hip.” They worked on it for half an hour, under the beating near-Longday sun, before Krakus felt just the right shifting of muscle in Eddie’s torso. “Just like that!” he crowed. “You feel that?”
“I felt it!” E ddie said, beaming. “That’s how it’s
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