"That croc almost had my arm, Mack! Here, hold him down while I wrap his jaws."
"Right, Mick."
"That's done! Let's get this big guy to his new home, then hit the pub. I for one am glad I can still raise a cold one."
"You're tellin' me? This here beauty was a hair away from havin' Leg O' Mack."
"First we'd best let the owner know that we took care of her croc problem, then we can be on our way. Maybe with a nice tip."
"Mick, you are a genius!"
"How can I ever thank you fine gentlemen?"
"It ain't nothing, Ma'am. That's what we do." blushed Mick.
"We do accept tips, though." interrupted Mack quickly.
"That we do." agreed Mick, nodding vigorously.
"Well you both certainly deserve a big reward. Let me go in and get it. I'll just be a moment." she said sweetly.
"Here it is, boys! My famous extra sweet, extra cold, lemonade!" she beamed proudly, as she handed the two stunned men a tall glass each.
"Thank you, Ma'am." both fumbled, as they took the glasses.
They made quick work of the liquid reward, then were on their way.
The next day:
"Hello? Yes, this is Mick. A croc in a swimming pool? Text me the address, we're on it!"
"Mack! We got another one. Must be our lucky week. The guy is from that wrestling thing we went to last month. Maybe he will be grateful, and give us some tickets for the next show."
"Lucky? Yesterday I almost got my leg yanked off, and you almost lost an arm. This job is too expensive. We can't afford an arm and a leg. And then we gotta wrestle the brutes at the Crocodiles In Action show on weekends. I tell you, Mick. We need to find a different line of work."
"What else do we know? We wrestle crocs, doesn't matter if it's to pull them out of a pool, or give the tourists a thrill."
"I know..."
30 minutes later:
"Keep his head pinned, Mack. Those are some of the biggest jaws I've seen this year."
THRASH!
"Lay on him, Mack! I just need one more wrap, then he can't chomp on us."
"Now!" panted Mack, subduing the massive head again.
"Got him!" Mick said triumphantly.
"Well done, fellas! How would you like a job wrestling a different type of monster?" asked a man, as he stood well back from the action. In his Armani suit, with his Rolex gleaming in the sun, he exuded power and confidence.
"What do you have in mind?" asked Mack and Mick at the same time.
One month later:
"I must say, Mick. This is harder than croc wrestling. But at least we know we'll come out of it with all of our limbs."
"And once we learn a few more moves, we'll be in the big-time. No more working for lemonade either."
"You got that right! But you gotta admit, that was some killer lemonade."
"That it was. She should bottle it, she'd be rich."
Five months later:
"Are you guys excited about your first match in front of an audience?" asked Mr. Zannis. The same man who had approached them a lifetime ago, at a poolside, as they finished tying up a massive crocodile.
"Yes, Mr. Zannis. We're gonna to blow the roof off this place tonight!" said Mick, enthusiastically.
"Blow it all the way to the moon." added Mack, grinning.
"Have you two settled on a name yet?" asked Mr. Zannis.
"Yep... The Hinterland Hunters." they both replied.
Thirty minutes later:
Mick and Mack strode confidently to the ring, each carrying a four foot crocodile over their shoulders. The crowd roared its approval. Handing the reptiles over to attendants, the two men entered the ring.
Their opponents, The Running Zombies, came charging to the ring. Their ring gear was decorated to look like rotten flesh, small pieces of red, black, and green silk dangling. Those who were uninformed enough to attempt to use them as a handhold would find themselves left with nothing but a piece of cloth, similar to a lizard shedding its tail in an emergency.
Deadset and Mick start off by locking up with each other. Mick pushes Deadset into the corner, and makes the first move with a chop heard all over the arena. Deadset reeled for a few seconds, then mockingly said "Hey, mate. Can I put you on the barbie?". Mick grabs him, and delivers a thunderous powerbomb in response, followed by the first pin attempt. Deadset kicks out at the south end of two.
Mick walks around the ring, venting frustration. Then he delivers two Joey Hops to Deadset's abdomen. Writhing in pain, Deadset rolls to his corner for the tag.
Undead Jed comes in ready to clean house. Mick absorbs three Lines To The Other Side, before he finally succumbs to the Zombie Enziguri.
"No, his foot is on the ropes!" said the ref, breaking the count.
The crowd roared its approval. Veteran wrestling fans were in awe that such a green wrestler had so much ring sense.
"Ref! That was a three." snarled Undead Jed, trying to intimidate the official.
In response, the ref pointed to Mick's foot. Enraged, Undead Jed jumped to his feet, and began savagely kicking Mick in the head.
Mick, lightning fast, grabbed both of Jed's ankles, and yanked. Down went the Running Zombie, to the utter disbelief of the fans! Thanks to his years of wrestling deadly crocodiles, he knew that he couldn't let an opponent get the upper hand.
While Jed was down, Mick threw his leg towards Mack, who just managed to make the tag with his finger tips touching the legal man's boot.
Mack exploded into the ring, not wasting any time. He dragged Jed to the middle of the ring, and hit a big elbow-drop to the sternum. Jed convulsed, gasping for air! In a flash, Mack was on him, cutting off the blood-flow to the brain using The Steel Trap.
1! 2! 3! 4! 5! 6! 7! 8! 9!
Suddenly, Deadset charged into the ring, and dropkicked Mack squarely in the head. He then dragged his partner back to their corner, and as Jed groggily came out of it, Deadset slapped his shoulder.
Sprinting across the ring, Deadset fell flat on his face. Mick had stealthily entered the ring, and delivered a Saltwater Slap (named after the force a saltwater crocodile's tail exerts when it uses it as a weapon. In truth, the move was not a slap, but a running clothesline delivered with a jump for extra momentum).
Mick helped Mack to his feet, and the two hunters stood quietly, waiting. Deadset slowly made his way to his knees, and after he caught his breath, he unsteadily rose to his feet. Mick and Mack charged, delivering the Double Spear.
Both men placed a boot on Deadset's chest, daring Jed to interfere with a menacing glare.
"Your winners, ladies and gentlemen! The Hinterland Hunters!" Declared the referee, as he raised their arms. The crowd roared in appreciation.
An hour later:
"Well, guys? What do you think? Is this better than performing at the Crocodiles In Action show?" asked Mr. Zannis.
"Sir, no matter how hard it is, this is much better. And the rush I got from the crowd is beyond better than anything I've ever felt before. It's like Christmas!" declared Mick. Mack nodded in agreement.
Source of Hinterland Hunters png
Fractal art in the background is mine, WOO may use it freely. I will send it to them if they want, for other backgrounds, nft's, etc. Also upon request, the 5 mb plus png of the cover image.