Blake watched in shock as Mallory stabbed the man with the end of the stick before proceeding to beat him mercilessly about the head with it. The man's wails were drowned out in a series of grunts and muffled yelps, until finally he was slumping back down to the ground, the arms that had been attempting to cover his head protectively now slapping down onto some of the twigs that littered the ground beneath the tree. A full grown man had just been beaten into a state of unconsciousness by a small, scrawny girl armed with a stick. Although he felt sorry for the man, Blake couldn't help but smile at the limitless capabilities of his friend. It was clear that if she hadn't predicted the ship's destruction earlier she could have easily taken over the vessel. She was unstoppable.<br/><br/>He stared hungrily as she pulled the chicken out of the basket, feeling the amount of saliva in his mouth triple as she tore into it with a savagery that suggested he might lose a finger if he tried to take a piece. But the painful emptiness of his stomach overwhelmed any reluctance he might have felt at the prospect.<br/><br/>"Mal, leh'me ge' a bit," he said as he moved closer to her stumbling form; she was still winded from her surprise assault, but it didn't seem to be stopping her from attacking the poultry like a wild animal. "I'll givit' back aft-"<br/><br/>A shout reached his ears, and rapid footsteps; he turned to see two men running towards them, the looks on their faces making it clear that they'd witnessed what had just happened. One of the men, the one in front, reached him first and effortlessly knocked him to the ground; he was tired, weak, and skinny whilst his attacker was both tall and strong. The other man, who was rather fat and much shorter, was headed straight for Mallory, passing through the clearing like butts.<br/><br/>Blake's senses came to life as he caught sight of the rod in the man's grip. His own pains were forgotten as he realized Mallory was in danger; at the same time, he caught a whiff of something particularly pungent and turned to see a small heap of shit not far from where he was sprawled out on the ground.<br/><br/>The man who had knocked him down put a hand on him to keep him where he was, but with the speed of a snake's strike the boney youth wriggled out from under him and seized a handful of the shit, pelting it as hard as he could at the adult advancing on Mallory.<br/><br/>"Ey! Your ma sucks cocks f'coin!"<br/><br/>Blake was no expert on verbal assaults, or insults in general, but he knew the basic rule. People generally didn't like it when you said their mothers sucked things, and if it was for money it was even worse. Flinging animal droppings at a person's face<span style="font-style: italic">while</span>doing so was sure to draw the maximum amount of anger, he figured.<br/><br/>The shit hit the side of the man's face with an audible<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">SPLAT</span></span>, and by the time he could turn, shocked and enraged, Blake was already tearing across the clearing in the opposite direction, bare feet navigating the ground with buttery ease.<br/><br/>"She sucks goats too!" he called over his shoulder, turning his head just enough to see that they were already gaining on him, the shitfaced one moving much faster than his appearance would have suggested possible. Aside from the feces plastering his cheek, his entire face was very red and there was a vein pulsing in his forehead.<br/><br/>Blake felt a bit worried as he plunged through some bushes, twigs scraping fiercely at him as he pushed through, but at least they weren't going after Mallory. Hopefully they wouldn't kill him when they caught him, though.