I was hoping for more than two reviews, but it's better than nothing. To those of you who do read, please please please review. I will get down on my knees and beg if I must. Reviews make my day and virtual cookies for those who do leave one! Thanks!
Disclaimer: I do not own G.I. Joe or the characters, but I do own all OCs and the plot line.
Griffin waited patiently while Sasha and Quick Breeze searched for a good spot to stay for the night. Quick Breeze was the first to find one, no surprise there. He managed to find a small hollow in the ground and would hide them from onlookers unless they looked too closely and would protect them from the majority of the wind that would ravage the Australian plains every now and again.
Sasha dismounted and gave a small bird whistle to Griffin to show her sister where they were. The blind twin allowed her stallion to pick his way to the others and stop before she also dismounted, standing next to Sasha. Griffin hated unknown territory. Unlike the Pit, where she knew every twist and turn and grove in the hallways, she knew nothing about the compound that they would be going into tomorrow morning. She could only hear the breeze whistling about it and get an estimate on its size. Other than that, Sasha had to describe everything to her, from the vine covered walls to the bloodstains that looked more like rust spots than anything else. Frustrated once more by her blindness, Griffin just sat in silence as she listened to her sister while Quick Breeze set up camp and untacked Arrow. He knew better than to try and settle down the twins horses. The first time he'd tried, both had managed to smack him upside the head before Sasha scolded him for trying to do their jobs. By now, the village messenger boy knew better than to try and take over for the twins. Both had been raised to look after their animals themselves by their mother.
As Sasha told Griffin about the menacing looking compound that stood only a few yards in front of them, she untacked and rubbed down her chestnut overo paint mare while Griffin took care of Sparrow. A few minutes later, the trio of horses were grazing peacefully nearby while their owners sat in a circle around a pile of sticks, which Quick Breeze was currently attempting to make alight. He cracked his flintstone against a small piece of steel and sparks flew, a few landing on the stick pile. Quick Breeze knelt closer to the pile and blew gently on the sparks until they caught on the leaves and dry grass that had been placed under the sticks. The sparks caught and grew into a hungry flame, eating at the grass and leaves that had been placed there. The flame grew as it spread to the sticks and Quick Breeze added a few twigs to keep it going before looking up into the sky, watching the bloody colors that matched the flames in front of him.
"Nightfall will be here soon," he announced, though instinctively kept his voice low.
Sasha nodded in agreement, her silver and blue colored gaze on the sky as well. Griffin's sightless silver eyes just kept on the fire, feeling the heat on her face.
"What should we do for the watch tonight?" Sasha asked, breaking the comfortable silence after a few moments.
"You can take first, Sash," Griffin said almost instantly. "I'll take second and Breeze can take third. Three hours each."
Sasha was already nodding her head. She knew that Griffin was always the smarter one when it came to a plan. Quick Breeze made a small noise in the back of his throat, agreeing with Sasha. Griffin nodded in satisfaction and took her bedroll from her saddle, unrolling it a few paces from the fire, close enough so that she would be warm, but far enough that she wouldn't become burned by any flying sparks. Sasha and Quick Breeze quickly did the same, though mostly just sitting on them for the time being.
"So, what's the plan for tomorrow?" Griffin asked, sitting on her own bedroll. Queen laid down beside her mistress, adding to the warmth. Griffin was leaning against the liger's side, feeling comfort in her familiar presence.
"I don't know," Sasha said honestly. "Search the compound and hope for a clue, I guess." She absently stroked Shadow, who was leaning against Sasha's leg, his head resting in her lap. Like Griffin, she found comfort in being with her protector.
"A clue that will lead us to Cobra and ultimately, your parents," Quick Breeze added. Both girls nodded.
"That would be correct," Sasha said with a small smile towards the lanky village boy. Quick Breeze blushed slightly, though it was hidden by the shadows and went unnoticed.
"But exactly what kind of clue? The compound is more than likely to be wiped clean by now," Griffin reasoned, missing the small exchange between her sibling and Quick Breeze.
"Crates or something that would show where they got their weapons and such from. There has to be an address somewhere that will help us find out where Cobra took Mom and Dad," Sasha replied. Griffin gave a small nod.
"I guess you're right," she said. Sasha gave a sly smirk.
"Of course I am. I'm me, remember?" Sasha replied before both sisters broke out into giggles. Their laughter soon spread to Quick Breeze and all three started laughing, lightening the atmosphere around them greatly.
()()()()()()
A man watched the trio from a far distance, keeping as silent as he could. He backed up a few yards before making contact to the Cobra Commander.
"They are at the compound," he informed his superior through the radio.
"Excellent," came the expected raspy voice. "I'll be sending your backup to you around midnight. Bring at least one of them back to me. Both if you can manage it. Kill anyone else that is with them."
"Understood, sir," the other man replied before cutting off the radio and moving a bit closer to the campsite to get a better view at his targets.
()()()()()()
Griffin woke up to her sister shaking her shoulder. Sasha spoke quietly so that she wouldn't wake up Quick Breeze.
"Your turn to take watch, Grif," Sasha whispered.
Griffin gave a mute nod and yawned, stretching her tight muscles before reluctantly slipping out of her warm bedroll. The warmth of the fire was just barely there, just a patch of heated embers that radiated what was left of their fire. The chill of the night made her yearn for her bedroll again, but she pushed it away, taking up where Sasha had left off on watch as her twin slipped into her own bedroll to get some sleep before the new day.
Queen stood and walked next to Griffin, staying under her hand to lead her to the bare path of ground Sasha had been using to do the watch. Once she was there, Queen laid down along the bare patch just as Griffin sat. For the next few minutes, Griffin just concentrated on keeping herself awake until her body had adjusted and was awake. Once she was fully awake, she sent out her senses, listening to the area around their little campsite. Crickets chirping, the gentle breathing of the sleeping horses, and the even deeper breathings of Quick Breeze and Sasha behind her. Griffin gave a small smile of content. Everything was peaceful.
"Hopefully the rest of this mission will go this smoothly," Griffin told her liger. Queen just flicked her ears, her massive head resting on her paws. Griffin grinned and placed a hand on her back, stroking the soft fur.
The next two hours were quiet enough. The only thing that caught Griffin's attention was the rumbling sound that came from the sky.
"Think it's going to rain, Queen?" Griffin asked, believing the sound to be thunder. Unfortunately, she couldn't see that the sky was completely clear of anything but stars and the half moon that night. Queen gave a small growl, her hackles lifting. Griffin frowned when she felt the liger's hair standing under her hand. She spread out her senses and she noted that the horses were awake and becoming antsy. Becoming nervous, Griffin shifted her position, coming up to sit on her haunches. Something wasn't right.
Something cracked to the right and Griffin's head shot over towards the nose, touching the dirk her father had given her, ready to pull it out of its sheath. Queen's growl rose and the liger got to her feet, tail lashing. Griffin strained her hearing and picked up the faint sound of heartbeats. A lot of heartbeats. Struggling to keep calm, Griffin made her way stealthily back to the campsite, though she tripped multiple times over rocks and pieces of shrubbery.
"Banshee, get up," Griffin said, shaking as adrenaline flooded through her. As her call sign was said, Sasha shot awake. She knew that Griffin wouldn't use her call sign unless something was seriously wrong.
"What is it, Valkyrie?" Sasha asked, her voice hushed.
"I hear heartbeats. And a lot of them," Griffin replied nervously. "They're starting to encircle the camp."
Sasha was on her feet in an instant, grabbing her backpack and her bow. She grabbed the cuff from her backpack and slipped it on before putting her quiver of arrows over her shoulders. After that, she shoved Griffin's backpack into her hands before going to wake up Quick Breeze.
"What's goi-?" Quick Breeze started to ask sleepily before Sasha slapped her hand over his mouth. The boy's dark eyes widened slightly before he soundlessly got out of his bedroll and grabbed his throwing knife from his pack, arming himself.
"It's Cobra. It has to be," Griffin hissed softly, unsheathing her Japanese dirk. She was instantly thankful that Jungle Cat had been able to teach them the basics of fighting with their weapons, glad that they wouldn't be going into this fight empty-handed.
"Viel glueck, Valkyrie," Sasha said in German, flashing her sister a smile even though she knew she couldn't see it.
"Viel glueck, Banshee," Griffin replied, smiling softly. "Mag ihr ziel wahr sein."
"Mag ihr ziel wahr sein," Sasha agreed just as shouts came from around them and the Cobra Commander's Vipers attacked.
Ha! Cliffy! You have to love to hate 'em! Anyway, please R&R or I'll send the twins on you. And they already seem to have their hands full at the moment, so they won't be very happy.
Translations:
-Viel glueck...Good luck
-Mag ihr ziel wahr sein...May your aim be true.
Until the next chapter (which will come faster with more reviews), ML out!