The Next Chapter of Life

Twenty Five Years Later

I waited under the shielding cover of a rocky overhang at the mouth of the cave. It was taking too long.

I was just about to give up my wait and venture out with all the anxiousness of a mother when without practically a whisper of sound to herald her arrival, my eldest daughter, Tatiana appeared.  

She was me, only younger. Though in truth she did stand two inches taller than me.

It was a fact that she never quite let me forget.

At twenty two years of age however she was far more willful than I had ever been. She may look like me, but she was more like her father on the inside.

The best of both of us and yet of all my children she gave me the most concern. Her independent nature often put her in danger.

Combine that with her father’s natural aptitude for heroism and you got a beautiful but highly deadly combination.

Anxiously I went to her and closed my arms about her. Even as I relaxed in the knowledge that my eyes had seen no injuries upon her.

“I’m okay mother.” She said, as she briefly returned the hug only to then press away.

I let her. Pulling back to arm’s length I gazed into her deep blue eyes and asked with renewed anxiety, “Did you see him?”

Grimly she nodded, “Yes, they have father along with several of the more southern tribesman held up in one of the abandoned buildings at the old compound.”

My whole being feeling relieved to know that my mate yet lived, was now made doubly more anxious as I asked, “The people that have him and the others, do they have any of the flags I described to you or any of the symbols I’ve mentioned before on their clothing?”

Tatiana shook her head no.

“Mercenaries.” I breathed out.

In truth I didn’t know whether that was good or bad. In the current reality there was little that could be called good though.

“They are not good men though.”

I looked to Tatiana. She was very intuitive about the character of people and over the years I had learned to trust her instinctual liking or disliking for people.

“We must get him free and the others too if we can manage. They are likely of little value to the men that have them and …..and…..”

“Mother I will save him.” Tatiana affirmed confidently.

My concerned gaze came to her face. But of course she would try. It was just like my daughter to take on such impossible odds.

It should not be this way, but it was. My two sons were away on a trip to the southern glaciers that would not see them return for another month.

Tatiana’s younger sister though capable was too young for what was required. Even now she was all I had to help me care for the little ones that were all that were left of our clan.

Our compound had been bombed from above and we’d had no choice but to flee. We’d grabbed what we could and fled.

Instinctively I had known the only place we would be relatively safe was underground where we could safely avoid their thermal imaging devices and who knows what other types of technology by now.

If any of the others were still alive I hoped that they had come to the same conclusion.

Not long after the compound had been bombed there had been an incursion of ground forces against us as they sought to hunt us down.

The sound of their automatic gunfire ripping through the vegetation and pinging off rocks still haunted me every waking hour of the day. Taino had doubled back and left me the task of keeping the others moving along.

Within a short duration the report of gunfire had ceased along with all sounds of pursuit. I knew that my man had ended the lives of those who had been pursuing us, but till now I had not known whether he yet lived.

It was little comfort to know though that he was held in the hands of human monsters that would attack people innocently just trying to survive in an already harsh world.

Tatiana had not been at the compound when it was attacked.

Her instincts were rarely wrong and now in this moment I realized that I had to trust them like never before. Even so, I was going to be doing a lot of praying.

Realizing the inevitable, but seeing no choice around it I lifted my hands up to a face so like my own and said as a tear rolled down my cheek, “Go then, my brave girl and do what you can to save your father. But you must promise me this. Your father is a warrior and he like me, well, we have truly lived our lives and we both have much to look back upon and be grateful in that our days have been so full. You, my precious girl, are so young and full of days to come. You must promise me that if it comes down to a choice of whether it will be your life or your father’s life that you will not give your own in place of his!”

Tatiana’s head shook negatively in my grip even as her usually stoically guarded features gave way to the uncharacteristic evidence of heavy emotion upon her part, as tears slipped out from her eyes to wet my fingers.

Fiercely I gripped her face harder and with more aggression than I rarely displayed before my children I said with force, “You must promise me this! You know what I speak is the truth when I tell you that this is what your father would want.”

The truth of my statement was undeniable and she knew it. Wordlessly I felt her immense will bend to me in the form of her shaking her head softly in compliance to my request of her.

Emotionally I let go of her face only to grip her close to me in a crushing hug. I tried to express all the love I had for her in a single moment then, but that was truly impossible.

“Dear God please watch over my girl! Give her strength and every kind of help that only You, as the Creator, can provide. If it is in Your will please bring her and her father along with all the others safely back to us. I ask it in Jesus Name.”

I held her firmly a moment more. I pressed a kiss against her blonde hair and then with a strength of will that was beyond all the aspects of me as a mother that wanted to hold onto my child and protect her from all harm I instead thrust her from me.

Tatiana reeled back from me with the evidence of distraught emotion apparent on her face. As much as I was inwardly relieved to see this softer side of my daughter now was not the time.

Lifting a hand I pointed to the outside world beyond the cave entrance and said, “Dry your tears and be like the wind. Do not let them catch you and do not hesitate to do that which needs to be done in order to see that justice is done!”

I watched the aspects of nature that lay upon her that so heavily reminded me of her father take charge and with an almost angered range of movement I saw her wipe her sun browned cheeks dry.

The resolve to do all that I had commanded was there upon her face and without a word she turned and was gone. In many ways I felt that I had just unleased the most violent of huntresses upon the world.

In many ways I had. Tatiana was every bit as skilled in the ways of survival as her two older brothers were, maybe even more so.

Without a doubt blood would be spilled by her hands and yet was it not justified?

We had lived apart from the rest of the world seeking no harm to others only to then be hunted down as if we were something less than human. No, whatever justice came from this unleashing moment of my daughter upon the world was a fit response to the moment.

I only prayed that the soft emotional center I had just witnessed in my daughter would be somehow preserved. It was a lot to hope for, but just the same my lips moved in silent urgency as I prayed that it would be so.

“Mother?”

Blinking I turned toward the voice of my youngest daughter even as her arms came around me tightly. In turn my arms came around her and together we stood in silent earnestness that everything would be alright and that somehow the blessed life we had been living would return to us somehow.

I heard rocks shift and my hand went to the dagger by my side, but quickly stopped as I recognized Winastra come into view. Her younger children along with one of Wenzou’s hurried forward into the cave.

Rushing forward I embraced her briefly. Pulling back I made to ask, but I didn’t have to as she wearily shook her head no.

My focus turned to Wenzou’s youngest son, whose face bore the evidence of hard tears even as he fought to be hard and indifferent to the pain he so evidently felt just like his father would have done. Going to him I sank to my knees and enfolded my arms about him.

I was as much his mother almost as his birth mother had been a mother to my children and with a release of built up emotion he let go of his control and began bawling in my arms even as I too cried.

Holding his sobbing body to me I looked out over his shoulder to the bright looking day outside that was so at odds with the grief being shared in this moment. Like it or not some things would simply never be the same again.

Winastra with tears in her own eyes was looking around at the others. “Where is Tatiana?”

My youngest daughter spoke, “She has gone to save father.”

Winastra instinctively knew all that entailed. Coming to me she knelt down and hugged the two of us to her.

Tears coming freely to my own eyes I felt her whisper into my ear, “Do not fear for that child. She is as graceful as the panther and as hard to catch as the wind. She will do it!

I glanced to her as inwardly my own faith in the impossible being achieved came to the breaking point. Meeting my gaze she affirmed with all the great faith she had as an individual, “She will do it.”

Nodding I affirmed, “She will do it.”

A moment went by and then brokenly I whispered, “But what will she become?”

Winastra’s finger rose to tip up my chin and gazing into my eyes she said, “A woman worthy of the parents that the Creator in His wisdom chose to give her. Her path is before her even as ours once was before us at her age. Do not fear for her for surely does not the same God that preserved us to this day not watch over her as well.”

Smiling through the tears I leaned into her embrace and said, “Yes, He does.”

“Yes, He does indeed.

******

Tatiana’s Perspective

Anger coursed through me at all that had been done to destroy not only the life I had known, but the lives of the ones I loved. Instead of letting it pass by though I used it.

Indeed I fed off of it like a wolf does from off his prey. Yesterday morning I had been hunting, when the sounds of concussive explosions had echoed out across the valley.

Both predator and prey alike had been spooked by the sudden disturbance and we had all shifted our gazes to the direction the sounds emanated from. For me it had been an experience of horror as I witnessed carnage such as I had never seen before in my life fall upon the settlement of our tribe in the locks of the mountain ridges.

For everything else it had been a warning shot to flee. Once more the outside world had invaded this land of isolation and had brought with them the means of fighting an unjust war against those who had no way of fighting back in an equal manner.

I had taken to flight then myself, but not away from the sounds of war. No, I ran straight for it.

My father had warned that this day might come and truly it had. It was a war that we likely could not win.

It was a war that had to be fought just the same.

After two hours of nonstop running I had reached the compound only to find it smoldering in ruins. The bodies of both those of my kindred and those of an invading outside force lay scattered about where they had fallen.

My father through countless lessons had bestowed on me the ability to read a trail upon the ground as if it was a story from one of Winastra’s books. I stowed away the grief I felt at the witnessing of the torn apart bodies of those I had loved and had focused on doing what I could to ensure the survival of those who still yet breathed.

It felt like it took everything of my will to accomplish it, but deep down I knew it was the way of the warrior. In this moment I very much must be the warrior my father had raised me to be.

Soon I encountered in the jumble of evidence upon the ground the signs of my father. Soon after that I found the evidence of his handiwork in the mangled and broken bodies of five of the invaders to our realm.

My mother’s signs along with about a dozen others led off in the direction of the caves. They were unpursued thanks to my father’s efforts.

Mother had said that they might be able to see us through the trees from the air the way a viper can sense another’s heat in the night. It made sense to go to the caves under such a situational disadvantage as this.

Seeing my father’s trail head off differently from mother’s I realized that he must have still been the target of surviving enemy combatants. He had intentionally led them away from the others.

I knew my father well. He was more than capable of alluding those in pursuit of him.

It was clear from the trail that he had been obvious in showing himself in order to draw off the attackers. Unfortunately I found the spot where it had not paid off well for him.

Falling to my knees I had touched the ground that bore the blood of my father upon it. The remorse of spirit at witnessing the blood of my own father upon the ground called out to me with an inner rage that was hard to define other than to say that it felt like it consumed me.

Gaining my feet under me I had followed. The tracks led me to where vehicles had been parked some two miles from the compound.

The premeditatedness of the attack upon us was staggering. I’d run then for over an hour, until I’d slowed down my pace as I’d come up on the outskirts of the old outpost of the evil ones from before my time.

The ruins were literally crawling with outsiders. They seemed to be incredibly dense and unaware of their surroundings though and it had been a thing of ease to slip through their midst.

Their soldiers had grown more numerous though the deeper I had gotten in amongst them, until I had been forced to stop my advance.

My surveillance soon discovered the most likely area that my father would be at. It was where the most soldiers were.

I crept that way, but abruptly stopped as I saw a wolf like dog pick up its ears attentively. It sensed far more than its masters did.

I was downwind so it had nothing to go off of other than movement and sound. It’s stance of attention though brought notice and suddenly they were all in high alert with weapons bristling.

I had remained motionless for hours and eventually things had quieted down. Night was coming and with its covering cloak I had crept closer.

I’d gotten as close as I dared as there was a device set up just before nightfall that instinctively I sensed would pick me out of the landscape should I trip its field of view.

I’d heard my father’s voice though. It had been hard to make out his words, but it was clear that he was being uncooperative to their questioning.

I heard the sound of blows and knowing what that entailed my hands had gripped into the rubble of the destroyed outpost as rage at my inability of the moment to stop the abuse being rained down upon my father threatened to overwhelm every instinct I had that said not to move any further.

What would my father do?

He would not abandon those he loved most. Indeed he was here even now in this new enemies clutches because he had intentionally made it to be so that those he loved were not found.

I needed to go back and ensure the safety of the others. It was what he would do and in his place it was what I must do now.

Slowly I crept back through the compound until I was beyond the night sentries they had posted. It would have been a thing of ease to have slit a half dozen of their throats, but I refrained myself from doing so through sheer force of will.

I did not need to gain attention to my presence, but I found myself unable to leave without first letting my father know that he was not alone.

Lifting my face to the night sky I let out the cry of a solitary wolf. It was the cry of nature that I identified with the most and my father would know it was me.

I made the call long and as hauntingly powerfull as I could and as I did I felt the ripple of fear my cry in the night invoked upon all those gathered together as invaders in the blown apart ruins of an older evil force than even they represented.

Gunfire rang out in the night as in their fear they shot their weapons out at the dark, but I was already one with the shadows.

With resolve I headed out for mother and the others. Even so, I vowed to myself that I would return and when I did it would not be with restraint.

That had been yesterday and now here I was again once more overlooking the camp of my enemy. Mother and the others were as safe as anywhere could be right now.

It was time to do what I could to even the score and rescue my father. Blood would be spilled this night.

In the gathering shadows I inspected my weapons. The universal thing my weapons had in common was that I knew how to use them almost silently.

My mission was simple. Kill as many of them as I could without being noticed.

Grimly I waited for darkness. The future before me was dark and in truth I did not expect to live out the night.

That said the promise I had made to my mother weighed upon me heavily. The reality of the moment though was that the situation was beyond my ability to control.

Whispering into the gathering shadows I said, “Please help me free my father and survive this night, God. And if it be Your will for it to be otherwise then at least help me to die with honor. Thy will be done. In Jesus’s Name even so be it.”

The Opposing Ridgeline Overlooking the Old Compound

Two figures entirely indistinguishable from the landscape by likely even the most trained pair of eyes sat in complete camouflage as they surveyed the encampment below. They had been there for three days and in all that time they had barely moved.

Hour by hour they had watched what took place in the camp below. One through a pair of spotter binoculars and the other through the scope of a rifle that was a generation above anything available on the market.

Neither wore any identifying insignias, even as they appeared as nothing more than tufted crests of dry grass. They were hunters trained in the art of warfare and yet they had no set allegiance to any country.

Unlike those gathered below though they were not here because they were being paid to be here. They had chosen to come of their own free will.

The one with the binoculars spoke the first syllable in days as with an iconic southern American accent he drawled out, “She’s back.”

The man gazing through the infrared scope of the rifle at the object of both men’s fascination said nothing in response. The only sign of emotion he gave was the sighting of a rare smile about his lips.

His companion noticed instantly and cajolingly said, “Ohhh ho ho my friend, I do believe you like what you see.”

Again there was no response, but the smile hadn’t gone away either. The talkative one glanced back through his spotting glasses and softly exclaimed, “What’s not to like!” Whooee that thar is one fine example of a female. Yes, Sir!”

The slight smile upon the visage of the other faded and with glibness the other said, “Don’t worry none mate. I ain’t about to step in the path of a big old Russian that’s done seen something fine and shiny that he wants to play with. My mother didn’t raise no fools.”

Silence ensued as the two men watched from above as the girl from last night that moved with undeniable skill once more stole her way into the compound. One by one she took out sentry after sentry with nary a sound being made.

The man with the spotting glasses let them dip down for a moment as he softly exclaimed, “I wouldn’t believe it if I wasn’t seeing it, but still she ain’t got a chance. What do we do?”

For the first time his companion spoke. In heavily accented English he said, “We help her.”

His companion glanced at him with surprise. Doing so may well cost them their lives too as there was a veritable army down there.

Giving a shrug though he went back to gazing through his night vision equipped spotting lenses. Even if only one of them got the girl in the end they were still a team.

“Looks like the dog is picking up on her movement aga…..”

Before he had even finished his observation the large rifle manned by his silent companion coughed in the dark. The bullet sped away with almost subsonic speed and connected with a smack into the German Shepard that had begun to rise up off its haunches.

It had been the perfect shot from over 500 yards away and the incidence of its occurrence went without virtually anyone’s notice.

One sentry had noticed the sudden slump over of the dog and yet in the next moment his voice was silenced from sounding out the alarm by the smack of a second bullet fired with the same precision as the first shot.

The sentry sank down to slump, as if asleep, against the wall he had been formerly leaning against. The only other witness to what had just occurred remained frozen in place.

The man with the rifle took aim again and fired. This time the bullet did not strike flesh but rather the bio signature scanner set up in the yard near where the prisoners were being held.

A few solitary sparks showered to the ground the only evidence that the device had just been destroyed. The girl slipping into the compound noticed them though.

Her gaze lifted from the destroyed device to stare outward in the night seemingly directly right at them. With her dirt smudged face filling his scope the man, who had just figuratively opened the door for her to the compound, smiled again and said, “The night is yours now little shewolf.