Pheasant Hunt 06 - The new home
#7 of Hunting
Now this one i marked extreme because of the wicked environment Pepe gets, finally at his now home, the Three Creeks Hunting Resort.
The rest of the trip, Pepe was like in Trance. He wasnt able to get the images out of his head. The deadly wounded mare, that dragon killing her, looking like some fantasy-hero and Abes reaction like thats the most normal stuff in the world. And in addition, he was sure, in a few days, he would end the same.
After half an hour, they reached the farm. It was a rather huge area with multiple wooden buildings on it. Some two, the other just one story high. Paved ways connected them. Some stables were a bit offsite.
At a grill there were some preds preparing something to eat and drank some beer, propably hunters who were relaxing.
Some servants were also visible, one cutting down the busches and the other, a female mouse cleaning the windows of one of the buildings.
Abe stopped the car just in front of the main building. There was a big "THREE CREEK RESORT" sign atop it in wooden letters and just below a smaller one naming "Reception".
"Ok, lets see were Jose is" the dragon said, opening his door and winking Pepe to follow him.
Both entered the building. It had a rather large free space with a big open fireplace at the back. Left and right from it, there were doors to other rooms and on the right side at the wall, steps to the first floor. To the left, there was an open door with another sign "Reception" on it and a redhaired squirrelgirl was sitting behind a computer typing as Abe entered it, knocking jost before on the wooden door.
She looked up, raised her glasses with her right paw and then smiled. "Hello Abe, nice to see you." she smiled winningly. "What can I do for you?" "Hi, you are looking beautiful today!" The dragon smiled back. Pepe could feel her blush and lower her eyes. "I have a delivery and want to talk to Jose. Is he available?" The squirrelgirl nodded. "Yes, Mr. Hernandez is in his office. I will ask!" she got up, made polite nod and turned around to the door behind her, knocking on it. "Yes?" they heard a voice. The girl opened the door. "Mr. Lazare is here!" she said. Now Pepe looked up to Abe, surprised. "Lazare?" he asked. The dragon smiled down. "I am not that stupid telling that criminals my name, dear.." he smirked and grabbed the boys paw, pulling him into Joses office after Lucy gave them a wink.
Jose was an elk. Huge, muscular, middle aged, wearing a classic cowboy dress, with boots, blue jeans, leather chaps, a checkered shirt and a hat. Around his waist, he had a huge belt, glistening and a gun hanging low fixed to it.
He got up and offered Abe a hoof and smiled. "Abe, nice to see you." his eyes wandered towards Pepe, who stood there, now feeling again very naked and helpless. "Your cargo is awake yet?" "No, Sir!" the dragon shook his head. "Ok.. then how long will that take until I can speak with them?" "An hour... i.." he said. "Fine. As I said, the dragongirl, and the two bunnies, and i suppose the whitetail is this one!" he pointed at Pepe. "Yes... I..." Abe smirked. The elk laughed. "I can imagine.. no need to tell. Just ask Lucy for the bath and some place to put them. And come back with the three others..." "Yes, Jose." the scaled one nodded, winking Pepe to follow him. "No. leave the boy here, I want to talk to him!" The owner said. "Okey.. just as you want."
Just moments later, Pepe was alone with that guy. The boys heart beated like mad. Jose bought him. Just like some stuff. "Sir...?" the boy asked after some moments of awkward silence as he got a visual inspection. "My name is Jose Hernandez!" the elk suddenly said. "And whats your name?" "I get called Pepe.." the boy stuttered now getting more and more nervous. "Ok, Pepe. Now, take a seat. You are thirsty?" The deer was dazzled. "A.. bit?" he said shyly. "Lucy! bring us two glasses of orange juice!" he shouted through the door. "Yes, Sir!" the squirrelgirl answered. "I hope you like orange juice.." the elk said and Pepe nodded, finally getting on the chair. They waited in silence until the secretary brought in two glasses of juice. The deerboy drank some of it and put it onto the desk that was between him and Jose. The older one nodded then and laid back into his chair, crossing his hoofes behind his head.
"Well, here I am.. you have any questions?" the guy said. "Y.. you will b.. buy me?" the boy asked after some moments of silence, hearing his own heartbeat and the blood flow through his veins. "Yes!" the elk nodded. "Abe will bring me the papers and i will buy you four." "Oh. hummm.." Pepe knotet his fingers looking down. "A..and i." he stuttered. "I. gonna be.. h.. hu...hunted?" he swallowed, feeling the tears raise again as he once again realised the despair of his situation. "Well, we are a hunting resort and thats what i bought you for!" the elk swayed slightly back and for on his office chair. The boy felt like a huge stone crush his body, now it was all settled. Heavy panting he calmed down slowly. "S.. soon?" he finally asked. "Not the next weeks." the elk explained now. "You gonne need some preparation in advance." He lifted some notes and slid through the paged. "If i am right here.. the first real hunt for the new staff is in.. uhm.. I think two and a half months from now.. eleven weeks. thats okey?" the elk looked at him now as if that was the most natural thing in the world. Like doing some appointments or stuff. "Mr Hernandez, the dinner is ready!" the secretary suddenly announced. "I also ordered a dish for Mr. Lazare and the boy, was that ok?" "Sure.." the elk raised. "Follow me!" he tapped the boys shoulders as he passed him by. "We have some guests here and i cant let them wait."
The dinner was horror. Pepes mind was off. He wasnt hungry and not able to tell more than yes or no when some of the guests asked him while staring at his naked body. Abe came a bit later and sat next to them, telling the three will be ready after the meal for a talk.
Half an hour later, again in Mr. Hernandez office: The two rabbits, Pepe and the dragon girl were there, all standing. Lucy got some additional chairs therein. On Joses desk, there were four collars, open. Jose sat, almost lay behind his desk, relaxed, with his cowboy boots up the desk, waiting for the crowd to take place. Abe was gone. He got a room for the night and would leave the estate tomorrow early morning.
The two bunnies still looked dizzy and unsure, while the dragongirl had a broad smile, almost like a grin on her face.
Jose got up and then walked around the desk, getting in front of the the four.
"Well, now, welcome at the Three Creek Hunting Resort!" he began talking. "My name is Jose Fernandez and i am the manager of that place. I do that for the three shareholders who own it." he paused. "I will show you now photos of them and you should try to remember them when you see them.." he grabbed behind his and raised the first of the pictures. An about 8 or 9 year old dragonboy. "Thats Mr. David Pelopones. He is at the moment living with his mother. His father was my owner but he died a year ago, putting me as manager into the testament until his son will be old enough to take his property.." he put the photo away and raised a second one. Another scaled one, this time some quite dark grey anthro dragon. "Thats Mr. Ibraim Jophinger. You may know him, because he is at the moment member of parliament in capital city." he puts it away and raised the third with that Pewterer guy. "And thats Sam Pewterer. You propably know him. He is at the moment here but Lucy told me his is still at the range... Maybe you see him later." He put the photo back again, looking at his four new slaves.
"The 80% of the resort are class 3 environmental protection area. Thats important to know. Littering is not allowed and camping has to be announced and should be reduced to the places reserved for that. We have here a stable with some cattle for additional meat, all organic. The crops and other foodstuff is also grown here at the resort. We usually only import stuff in the winter, and thats the real fresh stuff we offer our guests."
"Hunting Season is usually from october to april. Thats when most of the guests are here. In the winter, it gets cozy and cold with lots of snow."
"The main buildings here are: the farm with the two stables, outside left and right. The two prey barracks behind the farm and a cluster of small houses to rent a bit further down the road. We have a restaurant here in the main farmhouse and a small organic supermarkt in a former third stable. The restaurant also serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is a lengthy table reserved for you and the rest of the servants." he paused. "Thats that.. and.." he lifted a small note. "Ah ok.." then raised his voice again.
"Now to your future..." he continued. "You are gonne be part of the hunting experience of our guests. This resort is associate member of the world hunting federation and we are officially licensed to perform trainings in preperation of official events." he paused again.
"We have usually a nine month programm for full prey training in the offer. There is a selection process for promising candidates who want to join the preparation here. They usually get property of the resort, meaning slave status." he stopped, looking at the four. "The course will start in two weeks from now. The participants have signed in their contracts to be ok with being hunted while the course is running... So to get a bit of competition and selection going we do one even each month with max two allowed to be shot.." he bend back again, then got up and sat down in his desk, clapping with his hoofes against the front.
"You four are kind of special because all of you would be dead just today if you were not here..." he paused to let the things he said sink in. "You, Karazel, your father was part of a conspiracy and financial fraud sentenced to death with his family.... you begged for being able to choose your fate and now you are here..."
The dragon girl looked up the elk, grinning and nodding. "Yes, Sir!" she said with a firm voice.
"You two, Liza and Mike..." he looked to the two rabbits. "are two unregistered ones being catched multiple times stealing. You can be regard yourself lucky being here and not just simply executed for that crime because you are prey species.. and Pepe is just some small drug dealer who got catched.. and was unregistered, too..." he smirked. "Well, you are all now registered, officially as a property of that resort here.. making your legal status even better that before."
"It was Sams idea getting you up here. He said it would spice up the course." he shrugged. "And now to the next days... Lucy will bring you over to the course barracks. There are two-person rooms. You now can choose which to occupy, but keep in mind i may change the occupation as soon as the regular course members arrive. You will get an intruduction of the facilites all around here. Tomorrow morning you will first visit the doctor at 7am. You will then get your clothes. Breakfast is two hours later. Either me or Sam will be there to give you the next instructions." he stopped talking, looking at the four. "Any questions?"
"When is the first hunt?" the scaled girl asked, almost eagerly. "11 weeks from now." the elk answered shortly. His put his hands on the table, feeling the collars. He grabbed one. "Oh, I almost forgot these..."