Tevun-Krus #56 - BonePunk

Tooth Bullet - A Short Story by @ChristopherArmstron8

2556 – Earth

Oliver's Estate

He had an order to fulfill, thirty rounds to be precise. It had come in this morning and he had wanted to wait until he knew they were all awake before he went out to discuss it with his stock. Calling them stock seemed rude but they and he knew it was the easiest way to describe how it all worked.

Rather than search them out as he owned over five hundred acres of land that included swamps, forests, a small set of hills, three lakes, two rivers, and numerous small stream, he rang the old fashioned bell a few times. The seven groups of stock he had ranged the land and maintained it and his fields in a way the few people actually understood, along with herding and protecting the various cattle, sheep, goats, and horses.

Placing his hand on his brow to block out the midday sun the glared in his eyes, he watched and waited. The main house which he lived in and conducted his affairs from was on a small hill, with the immediate area around lower. This allowed him to know when his stock were nearby as he could see a mile in each direction from the house, though most of his land wat to the north. Even now he watched as three groups appeared in the distance, slipping out from the dense forest that covered a good portion of his land in the northeast. Two groups joined them from the northwest, the general direction of the mountains his property had. They had been chasing a group of rogue wolf/dog hybrids that had been raiding his flock. Oliver had given them order to catch as many as they could, preferably alive as he could sell them to Gentex.

After a handful of minutes as the five group ate up the distance between them and him, the other two group which lived near the house as farmers of his fields of hay, corn, and greens, appeared. Closer than the other five groups, the two farming group strode over to him, a few carrying various tools in their hands, as if they had come from the fields.

Fifteen minutes passed before the forty five odd members of his stock had come to a stop in a loose cluster in front of him. Anyone else would be terrified at the thought of standing in front of a pack of Velociraptors. Oliver had never felt afraid of them though he admitted that they were different than their ancestors that stalked many a science fiction movie. Specifically each of them had been implanted with a small translator that allowed them to both speak and understand English. Along with this they each had signed various agreements and contracts with him, including one that killed all of them if any of them killed him, or kill an individual if they attacked him.

"What you calling us for?" asked Cattleman. He was the alpha male of the main group Oliver used to watch after the livestock. His group consisted of his mate, Turquoise, their two younglings, and Turquoise's sister.

"I have an order to fill. Thirty rounds are needed. But also I wanted to hear how work is going. You all know I have been ill recently and have not gotten out in the last week or so," Oliver informed the group.

"What's the pay for this batch? Fargo inquired. Fargo had taken charge of running the farm after her mate had died last year in a fight with a trio of bears. She was always helping Oliver keep the records up to date and make sure that they were not cheated on any of their sales. Surprisingly for a dinosaur she had an amazing knack for math and value of various goods in barter.

Pulling out a piece of paper and looking over it, Oliver replied, "Four thousand marks. Standard price. I was thinking about getting some new workers or livestock. But first we need to make the sale."

Jarhead, a youngster that Oliver had bought last year and had helped fill many of the order recently perked up and offered, "I am willing. Cattleman can afford to not have me around for a couple of days, especially if we get another one of us to add to the group."

Nodding his head in agreement, Oliver stated, "Ok, be in the shop in an hour. Meanwhile, how has the planting been going?"

"Fifty five percent of the fields have been planted. We should be done in a week as long as those hybrid curs are kept away from the fields," Fargo spat.

"Patience Fargo, me and the gang have located their lair. We're just waiting for the boss man to tell us how to proceed. They could turn a nice profit if we can catch enough of them alive, or a few weeks of food I fa few put up a fight and are killed," Trent, the leader of the group who was responsible for security on the estate explained.

"Alive if possible Trent. Gentex will pay one marks an individual. Could be a nice profit if we can get ten... how many are there, roughly?"

"We estimate fifteen or so Oliver. There might be a large pack, but it's not on the property. A good can of gas through the front of the cave should knock them out, or send them fleeing, in which case we can catch them with nets," Trent informed.

"Alright keep them there for now. I can come out later today, if you can give me a good idea of where they are. First I need to get this order filled, then we can chase these mutts," Oliver reminded.

"You're the boss. Me and the boys will keep them cornered, up by old Duff point," replied Trent, baring his teeth slightly as he dipped his head in acknowledgement.

With nothing left to discuss, Oliver watched as the groups split up and headed back off to their various tasks. Jarhead walked around the side of the house and in through the open door to the workshop.

Wanting to get the job done, Oliver went into the house and through it into the workshop. Jarhead was already there, his head in the brace that flared his mouth and also made sur he did not impulsively attack Oliver once the operation began. Pulling teeth was a painful procedure, but the Velociraptors teeth grew quickly and it was a small price to pay to be able to live the life they did on the estate.

Having done it dozens of times now, Oliver finished the teeth pulling quickly, rewarding Jarhead with a chunk of raw beef. While Jarhead worked it with thirty less teeth, Oliver used his tools to modify the teeth. Each tooth was filed down on the sides to make them more cylindrical, though he kept the sharp points intact. Once they were of the proper size, Olive carefully slid each into an already filled bullet case, capping the openings.

Making tooth bullets took time, especially when 30 hunting rounds were involved. Still the end result did not look anything less than the product that the estate was known for. Oliver himself used an old fashioned bold action rifle that fired the tooth/bone rounds that he made. All weapons now that were pre 21st century required bullets from either tooth or bone. Mostly they were used by the rich to hunt with, as the military used lasers and weapons that fired pure energy. But while the rich were rich they would pay for Oliver's tooth bullets.