[12] TYLER―▲

There was an eerie not-quite silence as Tyler pushed the twisted metal off him. He didn't think anything was broken, but he hadn't tried to stand up yet either. Glancing down at his body, he saw a few cuts that had ripped through his shirt, and some bruising forming, but other than that he was fine. Around him. There were shouts, crying, and a few panicked screaming. Other than those human sounds, there was nothing.

And for the Cage, that was strange. Most animals kept in the lofts were noisy but there was absolutely nothing. No cawing, not flapping of wings. Several of the tribe folk were using the ground area to train raptors and some wolves at the time, too, but even the ground was silent.

As Tyler finished pulling himself from the rubble, he looked up, surprised at the sun. His heart twisted. The Cage had always been an impressive sight. Tall and wide enough to safely work younger birds and fliers until they were trusted to be taken into the world on missions or travel. But now the metal lattice was twisted and torn, like the hand of a giant had swept over it, grabbed, and twisted as he did so. Pieces still looked intact, and from where he stood most of the aeries and lofts were still standing. But it was the silence that had him panicked.

"Master Tyler!"

Tyler winced at Rayno's voice, mostly because he hated being called 'master' as the African man had been working with the argents much longer than he. "Are you alright?" Rayno asked, coming up to him. He had blood trickling from under his dark, curly, hair, but other than that Rayno looked fine.

"I think so," Tyler replied. "Did you see what hit us?"

Rayno frowned. "No, I did na'," he replied with his thick accent. "I was 'bout to fly when...It was huge...big. Like a sun. But blue."

Tyler pursed his lips, rubbing his arm as he did so. If it was out of it's socket he wouldn't be surprised but he hoped not. He had seen shoulders put back in place and he wasn't looking forward to dealing with that pain regardless of what was best. "I...was flying," he said quietly. "But..." He trailed off, starting to remember with more clarity the events that led them to being buried under their own building. Shit, this is like 9-11 but...without planes... And two skyscrapers but the sinking feeling in his gut was no different than that day. Well, except that he had been no where near New York on 9-11 either. But he still remembered what he was doing at the moment his class learned of the first plane impact. He doubted, however, that terrorists were at fault this time. "Salem...he went crazy."

"Aye," another man said, coming up to them, looking dirty, bloody and shaken. "Falcor did, too. They all did. All started flappin' east like the devil was after them."

Tyler frowned, looking west. He hadn't seen what hit them. He was to busy trying to keep Salem under control, not that it did much good. He was on a downward spiral when he was hit. He remembered burning from the inside out, his mind was in a microwave and the additional pain of falling and having a building fall on him, all at the same time. What order he wasn't certain anymore but it hurt. "We need to dig out others," he said, looking around. "I think later we can figure out what happened but...anyone know where Kenneth was?"

Rayno shook his head. "He left hours ago after watching a few of the young birds." The man frowned. "It's normal, actually, for him to get like that when she's off fighting that...thing."

"The Overseer," the other man replied, looking between Tyler and Rayno. "Why?"

Tyler looked at Rayno who glanced at him at the same time. Apparently Kenneth's relation with Morgan wasn't as common knowledge as they thought. "It's nothing," Tyler said quickly, not wanting to bring up Kenneth's personal life at the moment. It was bad enough he walked in on them, oblivious to their 'meeting', the last time she was here. He had ended up staying in Salem's aerie that night, which had definitely helped build trust with the bird. After what he witnessed he felt it best to let the two have the house to themselves. He didn't know Morgan, not that well, and by the time he had returned to the house in the morning she was gone. He hadn't pressed Kenneth but his friend was definitely in a great mood and he was sure it was because of something other than sex.

"What is your name?" he asked the youth.

"Mat," he said. "With one 't'."

Okay then, Tyler thought, deciding it wasn't worth commenting on. "Mat, I need you to start digging people out. Anyone with healing abilities need to start treating the wounded..."

"What about Takana?" Rayno asked, confused. "She's our best healer."

Tyler shook his head. "Takana left a few days ago on a trip south. Something about needing a specific herb that only grows at the mouth of the canyon." He turned back to Mat. "We need to figure out what we have left, animals and supplies, especially food. Food and shelter are our first priority. Rayno and I are going to go find Kenneth and the other leaders."

The young man nodded vigorously, seeming thrilled he was getting such an important role. Touching Rayno on the shoulder as he passed, Tyler started his way through the rubble and out of the Cage. The moment they walked out they both stopped, Rayno letting out a long whistle while Tyler could only gape.

It reminded him of ground zero or a hell of a twister had gone through. "Damn," he whispered. It was horrible and yet he was still unsure of how to react to all this except that one word. Shock, he knew. He was simply in shock. Without a word to his companion, Tyler started through the destroyed city. Buildings made of wood were flattened into splinters. Stone seemed to have fared better, even against metal which was often twisted and warped. Glass, he noticed, had shattered which made him hurry faster toward Kenneth's house, which was made mostly of glass on one side, including the two bedrooms.

He broke into a run.

Rayno followed, either because he realized the same thing or because Tyler was running he didn't know. His body protested loudly at the jarring but his heart was racing in fear.

Kenneth's house was in as bad of shape as the others and he could tell the moment he walked in the shattered front door that all the glass had been blown out from the blast. "Kenneth!" he cried, shoving the sofa and chairs out of his way. "Kenneth! Where are you?" Oh, God, please don't be dead...

Rayno stepped away from him, peeking into the kitchen and calling for his tribe leader as Tyler moved to the study. Books, scrolls, and papers littered the room and the ornate desk had been splintered into hundreds of pieces along with the shelving. He searched for a moment but didn't find Kenneth's body underneath, which he was both relieved and panicked. He had expected his friend to be sulking in the study, doing paperwork and trying to keep his mind off Morgan. He heard Rayno moving through the house as Tyler left the study and managed to duck under the broken door to Kenneth's room. It was larger than his, though he had expected that, with a lot more room as well. The bed had been pushed and the mattress was laying on the side of the dresser like a tent. Glass and wood shards poked from the fabric and the filling was all over the place.

"Last room," Rayno said as he entered behind Tyler, looking worried. "Maybe he wasn't here..."

Tyler shook his head, his eyes searching the room. He saw the blood before he saw the body. "Here!" he cried, trying to fling the mattress away. His shoulder screamed in pain and he let it go with a whimpered yelp. "Under the mattress! There is blood..."

Rayno easily flung the mattress away back toward the splintered bed. Kenneth was under it, curled in a ball and unconscious, a pool of blood under his shoulder and head. Tyler was about to turn him over when Rayno pushed him to the side roughly. "No move yet," the man said gruffly. He touched Kenneth's neck with two fingers and waited, eyes closed. Tyler hadn't realized he had been holding his breath until Rayno said. "He's alive. Hurt tho." His large hands began to move over Kenneth gently, inspecting his head and neck. "We can move now."

Tyler only nodded dumbly, looking down at the unconscious man. There was a lot more blood than he wanted to admit. Without Takana here he was suddenly afraid for Kenneth's life. There were others with medical training, he knew, but Takana had been here the longest and had the most skill, and schooling from Earth. "We need to stop bleeding," Rayno told him, patting his arm as he stood up. "Then we move."

"Where?"

"Somewhere with roof," Rayno replied, pointing to the broken ceiling. The sun was peeking through now, as if nothing had happened less than thirty minutes ago. Tyler felt like it was mocking them. He found a strip of cloth from the bed sheets and let Rayno bandage up their tribe leader while he went to find something to carry him. Kenneth was alive at least. He had to be thankful for that. It could be so much worse, but right now he had a sinking feeling of what would happen to the tribe with their leader out for the count.

By the time they had found a suitable stretcher, two others of Kenneth's council had arrived, both looking worn or slightly injured. They saw Rayno and Tyler carrying Kenneth out and, without a word, rushed to help, their faces pale. No one needed to say anything, Tyler realized. There was only one thing to do now. One step at a time they would recover but it wasn't going to happen over night. He had never assisted in a disaster relief. He had no clue, other than tending the wounded, and making sure everyone had food, water, and shelter for the coming days.

In silence, they carried Kenneth to the makeshift infirmary in one of the more stable barns that had been used for the mid sized creatures, mostly parasaurs, trikes and a few cramped stegos. All were gone now, without a trace, which gave the people plenty of room to clear out space for cots and tables with cloth. Pots were already boiling water, and many of the wounded had been herded in and others were trying the best they could to treat their injuries.

It was chaos to Tyler.

"We found him," one of the men told an older man with white, wiry hair that reminded Tyler of Einstein. "He's hurt. I want him somewhere more...quiet," he added, frowning at the commotion around them. Some people were staring at the man on their stretcher and others were already starting to panic seeing their leader unconscious.

"This way," the Einstein-man said, gesturing impatiently. Tyler carried his side of the stretcher, keeping one hand on Kenneth's arm in fear that he might roll off as they navigated the short stretch into a smaller stall that was almost empty. They lay the stretcher down gently and the old man started to take off Kenneth's shirt.

Tyler watched. He felt helpless. Kenneth looked pale and weak and it made him uneasy that someone as robust and full of life could be reduced to this in a matter of seconds. This must be what war is like, he thought. Kenneth had told him stories of the war in Afghanistan, a war that had just been starting in Kenneth's time but had been raging for over ten years by the time Tyler drove through some rain and woke up on a beach full of dinosaurs. He knew of the men that Kenneth had lost in his unit, the friend he had held as he had died. It had made him feel so small listening to those stories. As if his life had been nothing. An IT guy who liked to play computer games and play D&D on the weekend was nothing next to a war hero.

"Come with me," a voice said stofly next to him and Tyler looked up, noticing that the other three were leaving. He didn't want to go, but he also couldn't stand seeing the wound on Kenneth's side and the amount of blood. He turned and left the small room as others came in to help the old man.

He followed the group through the barn and back into the village. They called several other men and women toward them as they walked, then headed for the central plaza which had withstood the blast rather well. By the time that Tyler realized he was going to be included on a tribal council he was already standing in the room and the others were taking their seats at a large oval shaped table amid a wind-ravaged room. He stood frozen, watching as Rayno sat down.

"Sit, Tyler," one of the middle-aged men said as he himself took a seat near the head of the table. The larger chair remained vacant and he assumed that was Kenneth's seat, if he wasn't in a barn bleeding.

"Why am I here?" He didn't mean to sound so sharp when he asked but his uncertainty was getting the best of him. He was nothing. No one. Just because he lived with Kenneth didn't mean he was important.

"Sit," the man commanded again, this time with some ice in his tone.

Everything in Tyler wanted to rebel. He looked over at Rayno who nodded encouragingly. Taking a deep breath, Tyler found a seat next to Rayno. He sat stiffly, wanting to be next to Kenneth right now rather then with these people he didn't really know.

There were suppose to be nine, including Kenneth, Tyler knew. Only five men and one woman sat around them. He didn't know many of them by name or very well, nor what they did. Of those around him the two he did know were missing which was disheartening. Conor, whom most people had nicknamed Conan for his build and gruff ways, was leader of the Rangers, a division of the small excuse of the army that High Rock had. The last missing, other than Kenneth, was Takana who was in charge of the infirmary and all things regarding medicine. It was just rotten luck that the tribe would lose her when they needed her most. He knew that she and Kenneth often butted heads but she was very good at what she did.

When everyone was seated the man took a deep breath. "I'm no Kenneth, as you all know, but I will try to do this as best I can. We have no idea what hit us, or if we were the only ones affected. Our first priority has to be ourselves before we can consider bringing in others that need help. This includes the outlying settlements under our protection as well as other tribes that may be suffering." He looked at a wiry man with wild blond hair and bright brown eyes that were almost as gold as his hair. "Zay, we need buildings and shelter. For now, I don't care what they look like. Scavenge what you can and get up barracks, tents, or anything that can give people a place to stay." The man nodded vigorously. "Jeric, start getting a list of supplies along with Brynn," he said, turning to the two on the other side of the table. The woman with dark hair and a plump build nodded, her eyes puffy. Tyler realized that she was the woman Rayno often spoke of that managed the herbivores and farm animals. If they had lost every argent in High Rock it was safe to say all her animals had died as well and she was taking it rather hard.

"As for medical, we are down Takana which is a foresight and horrible timing but she left us with most of her assistants which will have to make due. Zay, a better infirmary is your number one priority, then get on shelter for the non-wounded. I want all of you to recruit those with the skills you need. The sooner we get back on our feet the better. Archie and I will manage keeping people calm as best we can."

The man took a deep breath, looking very tired and worn all of a sudden. "Rayno, Brynn...I want you two to also see if we have any fertilized eggs left. Hatch them if you can. I don't care if it's a stupid dodo. Until we know what happened to all the animals we're going to need mounts and animals for food."

Tyler shifted uncomfortably on his chair the moment the big man looked at him. "Tyler, you were training with Conor, correct?" Tyler nodded, that sinking feeling in his gut starting to turn into a black hole. "Conor is dead, which is why I'm promoting you to his position."

Tyler stared at the man, his mouth open like a suffocating fish. "Wha...why me? I just got here?" If this man seriously was offering him this position because of his friendship with Kenneth...

The man smirked a bit. "Did you think that Kenneth was having you train with him and the Rangers simply because you were his friend?" Tyler snapped his mouth shut. Kenneth had suggested he practice using a weapon and, due to Tyler's preference in a D&D character, he had suggested going to Conor instead of the military general. Tyler had improved considerably though he didn't like the rifles or guns of any sort even if he could shoot pretty straight. He was, ironically, enjoying a crossbow more than anything else. He had started to learn to hunt, track, and scout; all the things the Rangers were supposed to do. Conor trained the men, but it was Kenneth who lead them often, he had learned. Next to working with the argents, Tyler had found he quite enjoyed it even if they often rode a horse or raptor on the missions. He prefered flying but not all situations allowed for flight. "You were being trained to replace Conor who was planning on going to the desert in a few months anyway. This is Kenneth's request as of several weeks ago. You're just being promoted early. With that said, I need you to take your men and start scouting the nearby land. Report anything and everything to me. Even if it's as simple as a moving rock or an ant. I want to know everything that is going on outside these walls. Is that understood."

Tyler resented that tone. He was no military man. Less than a month ago, give or take a few days as time was hard to tell around here, he had been dangling off a cliff with a rex trying to eat him. He's about to retort when someone kicks him under the table firmly from Rayno's direction. Wincing, Tyler grinds out, "Yes, sir."

"Good. I want you to start in the morning. Dismissed."

Tyler was one of the first out of the door.

He wanted to run. To yell at someone or punch them. Either or would be satisfying at this point. Worse, he wanted to cry. In less than twenty-four hours his entire world had been turned into hell and he didn't know what to do. Kenneth was hurt, bad as far as he could tell, and now he was being ordered like some soldier to go off and wander the wilderness. For what? Why him? He didn't even know that man's name and now he was being expected to just do what he was told like a robot.

If it wasn't for Kenneth he would leave and take his chances out there. If Kenneth died maybe he would. It would be better than taking orders from that old grump.

Footsteps behind him made him cringe and stop, turning to see Rayno trotting to catch up. The big man looked worried. "What?" Tyler snapped. Rayno winced and Tyler sighed, looking away. "Sorry...I'm just...pissed. Who is that loud mouth anyway?"

"Marek, he trains the soldiers and war beasts," Rayno said, glancing behind him than taking Tyler's arm and pulling him into one of the collapsed buildings. "You listen, you listen good. And trust me. Kenneth planned this, true, but he was still watching, making sure you could do this. No time to decide now. Kenneth is hurt and Marek does what Marek thinks best. You," and he pointed at Tyler's chest, "are more than you think. Kenneth think so. So do Rayno. Everyone finds things to do in High Rock. You have found yours. Kenneth trusts you. Think, Tyler, and you will do good."

How the black man's words calmed him he didn't know. But Tyler started to think, and remember. Kenneth lead the Rangers. It was his unit and Kenneth was very proud of them. How many nights had he and Kenneth stayed up talking about the tribe, the animals, and the Rangers. THe more he thought about those nights the more he realized just what Kenneth was handing him and he paled, the weight of it settling on him. "I've only been here..." he started, part of him wanting to protest this as long as he could.

Rayno shook his head. "No, Tyler. Kenneth sees it. I've seen it. YOu are more than you think. Now..." and the big man put both large hands on Tyler's shoulders, making him feel so much smaller than he knew he was, "...now the time you fly, Tyler Sherwood. Go. Get sleep, food. Rest. Tomorrow you go and return in time to tell Kenneth what you find. Yes?"

The weight on his shoulders seemed to lift, even if Rayno's hands were still there. Tyler looked at the man, then back in the direction that he knew Kenneth was laying with a wound that he still thought was bad enough to end his life. It was a task he was not ready for, but he took a deep breath, looking up at the sky. A chill wind blew over them and he inhaled deeply. It was different he noted then. Turning, he watched as the sun began to set over the horizon, over the plateaus and beaver ponds below.

Things were different now. The game had changed. It was going to be up to him to find out what while the tribe recovered. Turning back to Rayno, Tyler managed a smile and nodded.

"Yes."