Book 5 - Chapter 7 - Copperhide's Family (1/2)

Cloudhawk was now the official leader of Greenland City.

The typical wasteland community was loosely associated and largely backwards, with its denizens generally primitive and only having simple wants. For these reasons, transforming Greenland City into a regional powerhouse would not be easy. Luckily for Cloudhawk, he had a lot of capable help and a core of strong fighters to back him up. It meant his orders were followed without much conflict. The unexpected arrival of Dawn and her people in particular impacted Greenland City on all fronts.

In a corner of the city, nestled in a shack, were three mutants. They lived antisocial lives and kept to themselves, but that wasn’t because they had acerbic personalities. Not all mutants were stupid and violent.

The Copperhide family was an example of high-functioning, intelligent mutants. Copperhide himself was over thirty years old and two meters tall. He probably weighed seven hundred pounds, sturdy as a boulder. Every inch of his tough skin was covered in a thick, hard cuticle-like layer as thick as a rhino’s. Most bullets left little more than a scar, and it protected him from the harsh sunlight of the wastes.

Stonepetal was Copperhide’s wife. She was smaller than her husband, but small was a relative term. Stonepetal was nearly two meters herself and five hundred pounds of muscle. It would take two grown men together to match her size, and she could probably hammer the guts out of an ordinary man with one punch.

They had one child, Ironspike. While mutant households were a rare sight in wasteland cities, they did exist. Ironspike was nine years old and was already over a hundred pounds. He was capable of lifting things three times his own weight and had inherited his father’s tough skin. Even at his tender age the young mutant could hold his own against many wild animals.

Both Copperhide and Stonepetal were enormously strong. Ordinary wasteland beasts were no threat to them and most people steered clear. By all rights it should have been an easy life, but things were not so simple.

Every since coming to Greenland City, they’d been struggling to make ends meet. More than once they nearly starved, and for a very simple reason.

The family was a capable one – even at nine years old, Ironspike was strong and helpful. But their incredible size and strength came with an equivalent appetite. Such hunger in a place with limited food was more lethal than any physical weakness.

Their family of three ate as much as ten strong men, and even that was barely enough to survive. Food enough to feed fifteen men might be enough to meet their needs, but if really they wanted full bellies twenty servings would do the trick. It was a massive amount of food!

Copperhide worked hard ever since they settled here. Every day he went out with the hunting parties, tracking down dangerous prey. Stonepetal found work in town doing grueling jobs others couldn’t handle. Even Ironspike spent his days working, taking hide and fur to market.

They worked from morning to night, laboring to exhaustion just for enough food. When would their struggle end, just for a full belly? Such was the life they led.

“I’m back.” Copperhide dragged half a deer carcass into the shack. Ironspike and Stonepetal had been resting inside. Ironspike’s belly rumbled when he smelled the fresh meat.

“That’s it?” Stonepetal scowled. “That’s not nearly enough. You’re getting more and more useless! You probably ate half of it on the way home!”

“We ran into a group of nasty beasts. This was all I could snatch from their mouths. Look, I’ve got the wounds on my back to prove it.” Copperhide frowned, upset at the accusations. He turned to show her his injuries. He worked hard to put food on their table, and didn’t deserve his wife’s suspicion. In fact the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. “Hell, you haven’t left the house to do anything in days. All you do is sit here and complain about what I bring home. How am I supposed to get enough for us all on my own?”

Stonepetal flew into a fury. While they were intelligent mutants, they were still more irascible than average humans. “Don’t you know anything?! The new leader is snatching up children. If I didn’t stay home to protect him, then you wouldn’t be able to go hunt!”

Copperhide was about to respond but stopped. He’d heard Greenland’s new leader had some sort of demon power. Word was he had to devour a child every night to keep himself strong. That’s why he ordered every child in the city gathered together. They were raised like cattle so that he could consume their life force.

It wasn’t clear where this rumor started, but it scared Copperhide and his family deeply. They’d seen what the new leader could do. That sort of power didn’t come from the wastelands. It could only come from demons. After hearing those dark rumors, both Copperhide and Stonepetal decided to keep Ironspike hidden away.

But this was unsustainable! They couldn’t live like this! They had to eat! Copperhide was stuck.

“That’s not what I heard!” The young mutant piped up. “I heard the new leader is a good man. He had the children living in a special place now where they’re trained and don’t have to work. They’re given plenty of food and water.”

“What?”

“I’m so hungry here! I want to go!”

“Who told you that?” Copperhide glared at him. “You think such a good thing really exists? I’ve met the new leader, and he’s a demon. If not, then how does he have a demon’s powers? If you go you’ll just be waiting for him to eat your heart!”

Ironspike hesitated. “If that’s true-”

“Enough!” She slapped Ironspike across his head. “From now on you’re staying here in this house, and if I catch you trying to leave I’ll break your legs! Now eat!”

The humble household settled down for a meal. Mutants often didn’t care if their meals were cooked or not. Stonepetal tore off a fatty deer leg and handed it to her son, still dripping with blood. Ironspike was so hungry he was at the verge of passing out, so when it was shoved his way he tore into it with relish. Before long it was gnawed down to the bone.

Half a deer was enough for a week for a family of average folk. For the three mutants, it was hardly enough for a meal. For a growing boy like Ironspike, a deer leg simply wasn’t enough.