Sheep Hunt II

Maxwell straightened up and charged again. Getting rid of this creature was no easy task, but he was giving it his all.

What a pleasure for the eyes it was to see those quadriceps and calves contract and define themselves on Maxwell’s legs, helping him push harder, running faster and faster, hair in the air, floating and becoming one with the wind – a true muscleteer!

The sheep, filled with anger, bleated again, even louder, so hard that the ground trembled beneath Maxwell’s feet. But he didn’t let it disturb his run and continued until he reached the sheep’s side.

As he stopped to prepare to hit the sheep’s leg, it turned its head toward him, staring at him with two glowing red eyes. Maxwell froze for a second, mesmerized by the depth of those eyes, which distracted him from his initial objective.

With its front legs, the sheep propelled its upper body into the air before landing heavily on its feet. Under its weight, the ground gave way, tearing itself apart and shattering into numerous chunks of earth, most of which were sent flying into the air.

This was also the case for the patch of land on which Maxwell stood.

“What… why am I here!? I’m not a bird!” He thought as he returned to reality, finally noticing the shitty situation he was in.

He rose high into the air, dirt falling down before he did. He tried to flap his arms like a bird to fly, but it wasn’t very helpful, only making him look dumber than he already was – though it was a totally understandable reaction when you didn’t how to fly. Anyone would try before becoming a crepe against the earth. That would be his fate in just a few seconds if he couldn’t find a solution.

“You won’t need any weapons or protections, they said… My muscles would do the job… That'll do... my ass! I've never seen an ultra-muscular bodybuilder fly before!”

He fell, and to avoid seeing what would happen – and to improve his chances of survival – he curled into a ball and covered his eyes with both hands. Too scary to watch.

The sheep bleated again and again without end, its voice reaching Maxwell's ears even though the wind was already filling them. He spread his fingers and glanced quickly below – everything happened very fast, after all, a fall doesn't last three years.

Beneath him wasn’t the ground, but the sheep’s soft, fluffy wool, as thick as a forest of softness.

“Mamma Mia! I’m saved! My ass is gonna be saved by a soft wool cushion!”

He clenched his right fist tightly, cocking it back as if to deliver a powerful punch.

“I’ll fall into this wool, it’ll cushion my fall, so I might as well seize the opportunity to hit this goddamn sheep!”

He got closer and closer until… impact.

Or rather, what should have been the impact of his punch right after his fall was cushioned.

But that wasn’t the case.

He was stuck.

The wool was so thick that it hampered his movements. He now found himself trapped in the middle of this enormous cloud, his fist still raised – but at least he was no longer in freefall.

He stared at a small area in front of him where there was no wool, roughly the size of his torso.

“Hmm. It’s not like the two unconscious kids are going to warn anyone… and not this other fucker either. Am I stuck here until they decide to come looking for me? But the sheep would cause more damage until then… I don’t want to use this thing though…”

“Even when you don’t want me, I know your heart truly wants my help.”

A voice, followed by the sound of clinking coins, echoed in front of him.

It appeared smaller, adapting to the limited space available – the only place where it could manifest.

“What exactly are you? Some kind of toxic ex who never knows when to let go and always comes back to cause trouble?”

“That could be right! I’m your toxic ex, and we’re still in a relationship!”

“And it’s a psycho to boot…” He whispered.

“Today…” A drumroll sounded. “Three options!” Trumpets echoed in celebration.

Maxwell squinted to see the options on the wheel due its smaller size. At least sunlight was passing through the wool to light the wheel. It was strange that it seemed to do so only for it.

One option was smaller than the other:‘I just want to eat some steak!’

“Sometimes bigger isn’t better… but with my luck, I can already forget this one…” Maxwell thought.

‘No more blow-drying! And no more knots!’

‘Let’s count the sheep together!’

Confusion spread across Maxwell’s face. None of these options made any sense. But since he couldn’t escape, he had to spin the wheel.

With his arms bound by wool, he used the only limb that wasn’t trapped.

With this long, hard part of his body, he was confident he could reach the wheel’s rod and push it to make the wheel spin.

And no, you perverts – it was his right leg, not whatever your twisted and perverted minds were imagining

With his foot, he spun the wheel.

And it spun.

It spun… for a long time.

It’s the wheel – spinning was what it did!

DI-DING!

“And it’s a JACKPOT once again for our lucky Maxwell!‘No more blow-drying! And no more knots!’ has been chosen!” The wheel announced joyfully, victory music echoing.

“Luck is finally on my side? If I understood correctly, this means the wool will disappear! That’s great! I can retaliate. The sheep’s moving again, and there’s no guarantee the kids will last!” Maxwell thought, grinning widely as he clenched his fist and waited.

“Time to go bald!”

“Wh.. what!? Bald? What does that mean? And the wool!?” Maxwell exclaimed.

“Nothing specified whose hair would be removed” The wheel replied.

“You… damn wheel!” Maxwell growled through gritted teeth.

The wheel vanished instantly – along with every hair on Maxwell's body.

He was now completely bald. No hair on his chest, nowhere at all, even in places you’d never see beneath his shorts.

A strand of soft wool brushed his bare, shivering scalp. Maxwell trembled from head to toe, the sensation overwhelming him and drawing a surprised moan.

“That’s too much sensation! I won’t last long if this keeps tickling me from all sides!” He shouted. “I should–”

He was interrupted as his body began slipping free from the wool. Smooth as soap, nothing could restrain him. He slid effortlessly, like a bar of soap in a bathtub – impossible to hold – even more troublesome than some hairy monsters. Though in this case, it was a sheep, not a bathtub. Same same, but different.

“Without hair, I'm so smooth… the wool doesn't snag... it's great... except for my amazing haircut…” He thought as he fell, both happy and disappointed.

Maxwell landed on the sheep’s pink skin and, without hesitation, raised his arm, flexed his muscles, and punched.

The impact rippled across the sheep's body, sending shockwaves through its flesh. The beast thrashed violently, enraged at being struck without knowing who had done it.

Left and right, it shook itself so violently that Maxwell was tossed around inside the wool.

One final jolt sent him flying free, launching him back into the sky as he burst out of the soft cloud.

“This is the end… hold your breath and count to ten… it’ll be over soon…” He thought, closing his eyes calmly, without fear.

Suddenly, a strong embrace caught him – not very gentle, packed with muscles, and smelling strongly of sweat.

He opened his eyes to see Krotos carrying him midair like a princess. Maxwell blushed a little at the sight of his savior’s face.

Krotos landed on both feet with a loud crash, kicking up a cloud of dust. Yet he had no scratches or injuries, as if landing smoothly from such a height were completely normal.

“These guys are not human at this point…” Maxwell thought as Krotos set him down at the edge of the clearing, where the ground hadn’t been too badly destroyed by the sheep’s fury.

“You’re bald!” Matos laughed hard, crying with laughter and clutching his stomach in pain. “I don’t know what happened… but… oh man, I can’t stop laughing.” His laughter interrupted his sentences. He couldn’t be serious. “Hey, Jeremys! Haven’t you lost one of your balls? I found one here!” He pointed at Maxwell as Jeremys arrived, sweating.

Maxwell sighed and smacked his forehead with his hand – Krotos doing the same.

Jeremys chuckled briefly before patting Matos on the head and, with a serious expression, indicating that he should stop laughing about the situation. Matos obeyed immediately, though clearly disappointed.

“At least… well, I think I can thank the wheel for today… even if I almost died!” Maxwell thought as Krotos tapped his shoulder, making him turn toward him.

“So… the sheep seems to be stuck in the ground. It's your honor to deliver the final blow.” Krotos said, pointing at the sheep with his thumb over his shoulder.

“Any advice on how to get rid of it faster?” Maxwell asked.

“A good punch to the nose and that'll be it. It also saves you the wool problem.” Krotos replied.

Maxwell complied, rushing toward the sheep, which had one leg stuck in the ground. Using its other leg, the sheep tore a rock from the earth and hurled it at Maxwell, who dodged it.

As he drew closer, Maxwell avoided the sheep’s fury, its numerous kicks, and the ground shifting under each impact. Any one of those attacks could have been devastating.

He leapt from the ground with all his strength, readied his punch, and, before the sheep could react, struck it square in the nose. The sheep staggered back slightly.

“Wow! I’m strong!” He thought, surprised at his own strength, as he fell back in a relatively undamaged area in the middle of the clearing.

He tried to do like Krotos. If Krotos could do it, then Maxwell could too in this world.

It was only half successful. No serious injuries were visible, but intense pain twisted his face in agony, surging through his legs and the rest of his body, showing they weren't yet strong enough to fully withstand the impact.

A few seconds later, the pain faded, and he could move his legs with ease.

He lifted his head and witnessed the sheep’s fall, watching it stumble backward on its three free legs before collapsing with a tremendous crash.

A victorious smile spread across Maxwell’s face.

“Now I’ll have to educate that insulting kid from earlier!”