The Wolf You Feed

Chapter 87

It was just a day like any other day. Natania carried a small basket of laundry into her house and set it on the table. The day was warm and she was tired. Her chores for the day were finished and she was thinking about lying in her hammock outside and reading a book. Then she heard a gun being cocked behind her.

Natania turned, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the other woman. She knew it when the woman disappeared without a trace. But now she was sure. She should have killed this woman on sight. They never should have trusted a stranger.

"Have a seat," Carol ordered, gesturing towards a nearby chair. "I don't want to have to hurt you."

"What's going on?," Natania asked.

Carol explained as calmly as she could that the rest of her group was outside. And that they were going to clear Oceanside's armory. Take their guns. Her people needed those weapons to fight the saviors.

The door swung open and Cyndie came in. Carol turned and pointed her weapon at the girl, instructing her to sit next to her grandmother. But Cyndie darted away, further into the room. She grabbed for the gun she kept hidden near the bed. Back she came up empty. Her gun was gone.

"Looking for something?"

Cyndie jumped, not only startled by the words but by the deep voice of the person that spoke. The man was standing against the wall, her gun already nestled securely in the waistband of his pants. But he made no move to point it at her. He leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed. Cyndie couldn't remember the last time she saw a man. This one was older than her, but not as old as her grandmother. He had long dark hair that was tied away from his face with a strip of leather. It was obvious that like her, he was of native american descent. But unlike Cyndie, who was a mashup of different ethnicities, this man appeared to be full blooded.

"Ozuye," he said, giving Cyndie his opinion of her with an approving tick of his chin. She was unfamiliar with the word, but Cyndie could tell from the man's tone that it was a compliment. Despite the fact that he was old enough to be her father, Cyndie felt a little blush rise up into her cheeks. The man pointed her towards the chair next to her grandmother and Cyndie moved, sitting in it without complaint. He spoke up again but this time he addressed Natania.

"Your people are brave and strong," he said, crossing the room and moving so he was standing next to Carol. "You are ozuye, warriors. You should join us. You should fight the Wendigo that call themselves the Savoirs."

"NO!," Natania hollered, "we already tried and it cost us too much."

"The fight will come to you eventually, whether you seek it or not," the man told her. Natania shook her head. They were well hidden. If they stayed quiet and kept their heads down, the Savoirs wouldn't find them. It had worked this long. But Cyndie wasn't so sure. If these people could find them, so could the Saviors. They would have a better chance at beating them if they had more people to fight. Especially if those people were brave and strong and knew how to fight.

"Maybe we could beat them this time," Cyndie said, her voice uncertain as she watched her grandmother's face for a reaction.

Grey Wolf took a step towards the girl and offered her his hand. She took it. He pulled her from her chair and handed Cyndie her gun back. Carol narrowed her eyes at him but didn't say anything. She was fine with this girl joining the fight. But not totally sure she was ready to trust her with a gun yet. Natania stood up, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. She opened her mouth to speak but the sound of the explosion outside drowned out her words.

By the time Cyndie got outside to the clearing, she realized her community had already been overtaken. She felt like she ought to be angry. These people set off a string of explosions with the intent to rob them. But mostly, Cyndie was just impressed. With the help of people like this, they stood a chance against Negan's army.

Cyndie wasn't the only one of her people that wanted to join the fight. She was even more impressed when she realized the group that had attacked them was mostly women. There was a woman with jagged scars across one side of her face that appeared to be in charge of them. She stood next to the man named Rick when he tried to talk Oceanside into joining the fight.

But Natania wasn't hearing anything he had to say. She struck a bargain with the man, allowing him to take their guns and go. Leaving the oceanside women that wanted to join in the fight behind. But that wasn't all they left. Cyndie smoothed out the folded paper, pressing it out flat against the table so she could get a better look at it. It wasn't Rick or the scarred woman that gave her the map. It was a girl about her same age named Enid. The locations of all the communities that were joining in the fight were indicated on the map. Along with the location of the Saviors' outposts and their base. It was invaluable information. But it was the girl's words that kept playing on repeat in Cyndie's mind.

"We'll come back for you when it's time. Be ready."