Chapter 7: Nightfall's Lurking Dangers

(Jonathon's P.O.V.)

While Ruby disappeared from sight, I was still kneeling where I had been as I felt a turmoil of emotions surging through me from her display of obvious affection. I felt conflicted with all the emotions rolling through my heart and mind, but most of all I was confused on why she had kissed me, why she was so sudden, and most of all; what had I done to earn affection from her when we had quite literally just met? She had kissed me right after she had finished demonstrating her magic to me, and while the kiss could have only been considered a peck, a kiss was still a kiss. It did leave my face burning with embarrassment, but as I stood up, I felt all the more confused while I tried to sort through my emotions while I still could.

When a snort of laughter sounded off behind me however, I was dragged from my silent musings, and it was then that one of the men under my command made the fatal mistake of mocking me. "Sir, I didn't know you were trying to get some local tail?"

This earned him a chorus of laughter from those near him. A brief glance over my shoulder was enough for me to see they were part of the lower ranking men I had received, and as I looked back forward, I stood up and remained standing tall as I waited for them to finish their laughing. Taking in a deep breath and holding it for a few moments, I regained control of the turmoil that was my emotions, and thought back to the time I had taken part in training grunts.

Placing one foot behind the other as I let a scowl cover my features, I turned around and faced them in a single swift motion. With the glare I sent them, the laughter began to die down until it was but a brief echo. "Men, you seem to forget who is in charge here," As soon as I said that, I saw their eyes flash in worry, and I let a misplaced grin cross my lips as I spoke loudly and firmly, "Drop and give me fifty!"

...

(Eric's P.O.V.)

Looking at the makeshift camp Sakido and I had managed to set up; I smiled as I looked towards the gently crackling fire that was set up five feet away. The foliage in this part of Fragaria was good enough that I was able to throw down my cloak, and it was almost as good as any bed I had been in while here; which wasn't many. The tree branches overhead would prevent any rain from disturbing Sakido or I should it become a problem.

Smiling as I saw Sakido's wing lightly rise into my view, I looked down and saw a grin over her muzzle as she still had her eyes closed. She was lying on her stomach as she relaxed comfortably, and her smile was all I needed to know she was enjoying herself as I reached my hand over and continued to massage her wing. Her happiness was my happiness, and I was all too happy that I was able to assist her by helping make her wing feel better. Plus, while it was mainly her pleasure, I always did enjoy running my hands through her soft feathers and feeling the muscles that resided beneath said feathers.

Sliding one of my hands over the top of her wings and towards the tip as much as I could, I once again marveled at how large her wingspan was in relative size to my arm span. Looking at such a great ability as her own personal flight was quite attractive in its own right, but I was more interested in who that flight belonged to than flight overall. Flying was a joyful experience... once you got over the feeling of weightlessness and the fact that you could easily fall to your death... unless you trusted the one flying you around how I did.

Glancing down when I felt something slowly snaking across my waist, I wasn't surprised when I saw it was Sakido's arm, but I was when I felt her pull her wing from my grasp to instead pull me down into a hug where she was lying. It became darker around me as she leaned forward and planted a passionate kiss against my lips that caused some of her hair to fall over my face, and also because of her using her wing I had just been massaging to cover both our bodies. Her arms pulled me close to her as she tilted her muzzle down and pulled her head back enough that when we both opened our eyes, I saw her beautiful blue eyes looking back into my own with unrelenting passion. She didn't need to say what she was thinking, or even let me know, as it was clear in her gaze alone. The moment was perfect, nothing needed to be said, and it was nearing night the longer we laid there.

Next Morning

(Jonathon's P.O.V.)

Looking over the list of supplies we had and how long we had, I already knew what I was confirming, but it wouldn't have done well to send my men off to complete these tasks without knowing exactly what was needed. As for what I would need to send them off to collect, rations and suitable sleeping equipment were at the top of the list. With our current stock of rations, we had less than a week's worth of MRE's, and even less water. There was the chance that we could hunt for our food and collect our water from rivers or streams we would be sure to pass, but it was the former that could prove problematic if the locals used them for cultivation. I was sure my men and I would be able to understand the difference between local cattle and wild animals, but it would be best that we carried supplies that would last.

Glancing up at the slowly brightening sky, I looked back down at my men and saw many of them were already wide awake and ready to move out. The only ones that looked the least bit drowsy and yawning were the civilian scientists; luckily the communication and engineer specialists weren't part of that category of civilians. Bringing my attention back to the two men still at my side, I cleared my throat and said softly so not to wake the inhabitants whose homes were close to our location, "Alvin, Charles, I will need your two squads to go into the city and search out the location for this 'trouble center' we heard about yesterday. If they really do pay local currency in exchange for help around riverside, I need your squads to do whatever tasks that can be finished quickly and efficiently. We may as well leave a good lasting impression while we get paid for helping these people. Next, once your men are finished, while on your way back, I need Alpha and Charlie to search for food and or camping implements for the duration of this mission. Once that is done, we can load up the vehicles and set out to search for Eric again. Do either of you need any clarification with what I just said?"

I looked to Alvin as he nodded towards me, "Are the camping supplies necessary? We will be here for two weeks if I am not wrong sir, not long enough to need to extra gear."

Feeling a smirk cross my face, I nodded as I began to fold the paper in my hands as I said, "True, but I figured we may as well keep our men as comfortable as possible while we are here. But it is an excellent point. So in that case, if either of you do wish to collect camping gear, do not overextend yourselves just for comfort; sleeping bags, pads, or even just blankets or pillows will do just fine. If it can't be set up and taken down quickly, it won't be worth the time for it to be there. But I am sure after two weeks of sleeping on the ground or in a BTR; many of the grunts will be a bit... tired of the arrangements." Finishing with a chuckle, I closed my eyes briefly at that thought, and when I opened them, I handed the folded paper to Charles and added, "And I'm sure most of those in your squads wouldn't even know where to start when making a shelter out in the bush."

Alvin nodded as he looked over to Charles as well, and when they both looked at me, Charles spoke this time, "Do you want us to leave now sir?"

Looking back towards the sky, I looked back down as I said, "No, wait until the sun starts to shine. I'm sure most of Riverside won't begin to wake up until then. Until then, check your gear and make sure the men do the same or are ready for their assigned tasks."

They both nodded as they turned and walked in opposite directions. Letting my smile drop as I looked down at my rifle, I knew that they wouldn't need to perform weapon inspections this early on, but it was something that the men could do while they waited. It wouldn't do if they started to get loud and potentially aggravate any of the sleeping locals. It would seem we found a city that preferred our presence rather than resented it, and I would like to keep it that way for the future.

...

Looking towards the men as they packed sleeping bags into the back of the Humvee's, I saw a few of them were even grinning as they packed crates of cooked and salted meat into the back of the Humvee's. I still didn't know where they got them from, but I myself couldn't help but smile as the thought of eating something as good as actual meat came to mind. Turning and walking away from the convoy, I made my way towards the inn so that I could properly express my gratitude to the owner for the useful knowledge he had provided. Not only had I learned that Eric had passed through here, but he was traveling with a local, I had discovered magic was real in this world, along with seeing firsthand a new and sentient race.

Once I reached the wooden door, I reached forward and pushed it open and stepped inside and was greeted with a small first story. I saw the young man standing behind a desk, and when he looked up, he looked a bit more interested than before, and I made my way over to him. I spoke as I approached the desk, "We may not have stayed here in your inn, but I would still like to express my gratitude for the knowledge you gave me and my men yesterday." Once I was finished speaking, I placed a pile of the gold coins on the desk, and he looked down at it in surprise.

I saw him swallow as his eyes glanced up at me, before they returned to the coins. Smiling politely, he pushed the coins back towards me before saying, "Thanks, but I cannot accept this. You and your men didn't even stay the night."

Smiling, I merely shook my head as I turned around and began to walk towards the door, "Then take the coins as goodwill from my men and I."

Walking out the door as he started to offer a weak protest, I felt a dry laugh leave my lips, before I made my way back towards the now waiting convoy. The sky was starting to be bathed in a rich yellow light as the sun began to ascend higher, and the gentle murmurs of the vehicles engines was comforting as I walked up to the first Humvee where Alvin and Charles were talking. When they saw me approaching, they finished off their conversation, and then they turned to face me.

"Sir, we are ready to head out when you give the orders." Alvin said as he gestured to the vehicles.

Nodding as I looked to the men that were milling around the vehicles they would be boarding, I saw two men sitting on the lead BTR, before I turned back to the two squad leaders and spoke. "Alright, your vehicles can leave then. We will follow right behind you. Once you reach the end of the bridge, your men will divert south so that you can search the fields."

When they both nodded, I nodded to them, before turning and making my way towards the second portion of the convoy that I would be in command of. As I walked away, I heard Charles call out, "Alpha and Charlie squad, board front two vehicles immediately!"

The men began to board the first two vehicles, and that left a considerable amount of less men staying behind for the two of the ones that would be in my command. The plain convoy would have fourteen men total, and my convoy would have ten, including myself. Raising my hand and making a circular motion, those left behind, or more specifically Bravo squad, began to board the two vehicles. Six went into the back of the BTR, and three got into the Humvee; I would be taking my place on top of the BTR again. It wasn't as safe, and while it may be against regulation in some cases, I knew I wouldn't be scolded when we got back.

Looking over my shoulder as the lead half of the convoy peeled off and began to leave, I saw the locals that were up make way for the vehicles. Looking back in front of me, I stopped as I grabbed the railing near the top of the BTR and hoisted myself up while placing a foot on one of the tires. When I was finally atop the BTR, I got comfortable along the side of it as I pulled my radio out of my vest and spoke into the speaker, "Alright Bravo, move out."

(Ruby's P.O.V.)

Opening the window to my home as I heard a strange growling noise from the direction of one of the bridges, I looked for the source of the noise that had been disturbing me for the past few minutes. It had started quietly, but as time had passed, it had begun to grow louder, but every time I had looked outside, I saw not a thing that could explain the source of the noise.

Looking towards the bridge as I saw a flash of pale tan and black move between the buildings, I did my best to focus my attention in that direction. When another flash of movement, this time a shade of green, I then recognized the shape as one of those weird things Jonathon had been sitting on yesterday.

Are they leaving already?

My question didn't have to wait long as soon I saw the strange things move onto the bridge, and it was then I saw more of them following behind those ones. I felt a jolt of sadness shoot through me as I saw the first two go onto the bridge.

I thought I would have had time to say goodbye before he left...

Leaning back and away from the window as I felt the sadness strike hold my heart, I felt more than just disappointed as I knew I possibly wouldn't meet Johnny again. He was the first human to show genuine amazement on my magical skills, even though I knew myself it wasn't that great. And he was the first male –Human or Jakkai- to look at me as more than another random person; even when he claimed to never have seen a Jakkai before.

I still didn't get to try and see if I could get him to come back no matter what.

Letting out a sigh as I looked back up, I saw two of the vehicles were already halfway across the bridge linking Riverside to the rest of Fragaria, but as I looked at the other two, I saw them stop right before they passed the first section of the bridge. It was then that I found myself hoping it was Johnny in one of those two strange wagons that stopped them. Narrowing my eyes so that I could see better, I felt the largest smile ever stretch across my muzzle as I saw Johnny jump from the top of the large green wagon thing to the ground, and I knew I had to get there quickly before he left.

Oh I hope I get there on time!

...

(Jonathon's P.O.V.)

Looking upwards and to the sky as the time ticked by, I couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed at myself that I had forgotten to have the men buy a second map earlier today. I had needed to give the previous one to the other men so that they wouldn't get lost on their journey, and that had left me and my men without one. It wouldn't have been a problem, but seeing as our route was going to be cutting in and out of forests, I would rather have the safety of a map than to only trust the roads we would be traveling over. Normally it wouldn't be an issue, but since this world doesn't have GPS, we would be able to easily get lost if the roads wound back in on themselves. Other than that, if we wanted to make it back to the portal if we didn't find Eric, the return trip would be much smoother if we weren't wondering aimlessly for any part of it.

Lowering my gaze as I looked down at shops across from me, I took note of the different books it seemed to display in the glass, but I couldn't see what they were for, so I merely shook my head and looked towards the end of the road where the Humvee had turned and driven down. They shouldn't be much longer now, if they are, I will just need to use the radio to see what is taking so long. Ten minutes should've been enough time for them to find any shop selling maps and to get back here. Unless, if they did get lost.

Just as I was about to look away from the road, I saw a Jakkai come jogging around the corner and quickly make its way towards my location. Squinting my eyes a bit in the mid-morning sunlight, I was just able to make out the smiling face of the only Jakkai that I knew; Ruby Brighteye. Her jogging was replaced with a quick walk as she seemed to be holding something against her chest.

Getting to my feet and making my way towards the back of the convoy, I knew the only reason she would be here was to speak with me, and I would prefer whatever she wanted to ask was kept between us. I was also able to make out whatever she was carrying seemed to be rectangular in shape; almost as if she was carrying a book or something similar.

Once she was closer, I kneeled down in front of her, and she smiled as she let out a sigh and said happily, "I thought you were going to leave before I could get here..."

Offering her a sincere smile, I nodded my head towards her and said, "We may have if I hadn't forgotten to purchase another map." It was a bit difficult to speak so casually as all I could think about was the kiss she had shared with me less than twenty-four hours ago, but it was bearable with knowing she was genuinely being kind.

She held the book out to me as she spoke, "Here! I can't travel anytime soon, and I thought since you are going to be looking for your friend, you can write your experiences down and show them to me when you come back to Riverside!"

When I reached out and grabbed the book, I looked down at it, before looking back up into her Ruby red eyes as her hand reached up and rested against the top of my hand. She smiled widely as her eyes lowered a bit, before I said calmly, "I'm not sure if I will be able to always write in this... journal, but I promise I can and will come back and visit you then."

When her eyes looked back up and into my own, she smiled widely, but I looked over her when I heard the sound of the Humvee drawing closer. When I looked back down, I was once again surprised By Ruby when I felt her lips push against my own, just this time she seemed to hold the kiss for a bit longer. It wasn't much longer, but I felt my face instantly flare with heat, and as she pulled away, I saw her eyes weren't looking into my own anymore; there was even a faint reddish hue along the tops of her cheeks where the fur seemed to be thinnest.

I felt my jaw work itself a few times as I tried to come up with something to say, but right before each time I was about to speak, my words left me. She looked up briefly and giggled soon afterwards, before she leaned forward and gave me a small hug, which I returned in a daze, before I simply snapped my jaw shut.

"Until next time Johnny! I will be waiting!"

Looking over the camp as it was being set up, I saw everything was going over smoothly and quickly. The patrols that had walked through the forest that surrounded the clearing we were set up in had set up motion trackers that would alert us to any intruders. Though there were only two vehicles to set up in defensive positions, we would be safe from any angle. The BTR was positioned towards the road should we need to make a quick exfil, and the Humvee was behind the BTR but at an angle that make a lopsided 'L'.

If whatever had those huge footprints shows up again, we will still be able to take it down with zero casualties. The BTR cannon can cut through these trees, and the Humvee can cover any angle the BTR isn't shooting, or even support it with direct fire. But if whatever lives in this world can survive a BTR's barrage, then I don't think there is much we will be able to do.

Smiling as I turned around, I walked over towards the hood of the Humvee and reached into my combat vest and grabbed the book that Ruby had given me. Upon closure inspection, it looked like one of those old journals that you could find in a library; minus any writing other than a small note Ruby had left on the inside.

Opening it up once I was leaning against the hood, I flipped through the pages to the very first page, and written in fancy lettering was the brief message Ruby had written in it for me. 'Don't forget to visit Riverside when your trip is over.'

Chuckling a bit to myself as I flipped the book closed, I would do another round around the camp before writing my first entry. Sliding the book into my vest where it would be safe from those that would want to look within its pages, I slid my rifle from my back and against the front of my chest as I began to walk towards the back of the BTR. Since it was night, I may as well equip a flashlight to the under barrel so that later when I did patrol I could get straight to it.

Looking over as one of my men dropped their armor on the ground, I stopped briefly as I said, "If you're going to have that off, be close to it in case you need it." I only left after he looked up and acknowledged that he heard me, and then I was walking towards the back of the BTR again. Our encampment may be small, but I was going to be sure to at least make sure the weapons on both vehicles would be ready should they too be needed tonight. It was only our fifth night in this strange land, and despite us having not run into any trouble with the wildlife or any hostile groups, or even the rebels, I was starting to feel slightly put off by the calmness. Every deployment I was ever issued on put my skills to test, or were painstakingly stressful with events that would take place. It was almost like the calm before the shit-storm...

...

Smiling as I sat down on the ground and leaned against the large off-road tire of the Humvee, I made sure I was on the side facing the forest so none of my men would see me writing. Reaching into my armored vest and pulling out the book again, I grabbed a pen from my pocket as well and flipped to the first blank page. Looking up towards the sky as I organized my thoughts, I wanted to write what I was thinking, but also write it in a way that she would understand me as well when she read it. By the time we get back to Riverside, if she doesn't learn by then, I will just explain to her of my world as well before we will have to leave.

Looking down at the notebook, I brought the tip of the pen down to the paper, before I began to write carefully on the blank page.

'Day 5, night-time,

We have made fair distance from the town of Riverside and we are now set up in a small clearing located ten meters off the main road. The men have set up motion sensors to alert us if anything dangerous enters the area around us, but while I have doubts anything will attack us, I would rather have us be ready than not.

The journey was pleasant today, more than the day before, as there wasn't too many trees and I was able to watch as the clouds blew through the sky overhead. There was a strange figure high in the sky, but my binoculars were unable to get a good view of it, so the object was left unidentified. It was too small to be a rebel helicopter, but it was too bit to be a simple piece of debris. One of the men that had been sitting in the Humvee had laughed before saying it looked like a dragon. Considering how dragons are nothing more than myth, the thought was quickly reconsidered as it soon disappeared behind a cloud.

The tree's here seem healthy, as the bark is as brown as the dirt, and the leaves are as bright green as any I have ever seen before. Aside from the bumps the BTR hit during our time on the path, everything seemed perfectly peaceful. We haven't passed any other settlements since leaving Riverside, but while I would like to stop and see if Eric is potentially nearby, it would be as pointless as calling his name around every corner we come to.

While travelling today, I couldn't stop thinking about the magic you showed me, and while I know it may be impossible for me to learn how to-'

Shooting my head up as a shrill alarm began to emit from the forest, I saw one of the outer patrols near the forest jump as they lifted their weapons towards the forest. As they began to retreat towards the camp, I jumped to my feet and quickly forced the book into my vest and put the pen back into my pocket. Once my hands were free, I brought my rifle in front of me and clicked the flashlight on.

It was possible whatever set off the motion detector was just an animal, but the only animals that would be out at this time would be a predator. So as the two man patrol was finally three meters from the Humvee's I looked over my right shoulder and at the two closest men and said, "Man the BTR's weapon systems in case whatever is out there-"

Snapping my head to left of the area the first alarm had sounded off from; I saw something moving within the forest. All I could see was something akin to a shadow with two blazing red eyes slowly moving through the forest the dual moons above weren't providing enough light to see further than two feet into the forest, but whatever was moving through the tree line was huge. It wasn't bit, or even large... it was huge. Its eyes bobbed up and down slowly as it made its way from the left side of the forest further to the left.

Following its motion with my eyes and the rifle, I heard another shrill alarm sound from my rear. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw more dark shadows in the forest across from me bobbing quicker than the red eyes had been. What is this!?

Turning back around, I saw the men finally make it behind the safety of the Humvee, and they were now within the protective field of metal plates of both vehicles. "Hey," the man closest to me looked towards me with wide worried eyes, "Get on the fifty cal, and keep an eye on the one at the rear of the Hum-"

Another shrill alarm, this time from the forest trees closest to the road sounded off.

We were surrounded by whatever it was in the forest tree line.

Shooting my head in front of me, I quickly raised my rifle towards the tree line as the bright red glowing eyes had vanished, but the motion sensor was still picking up its movements as it hadn't deactivated yet. Three directions... four now, were registering something large enough to trip the detectors, and whatever it was had glowing eyes and didn't make a sound as it lumbered through the forest, and that frightened me. The few times I had encountered bears, they seemed to always make some sort of sound when they walked, but whatever was in the forest ahead of me had been larger than the average bear. Then there were the quick movers to my rear, at least two of them, and the only way we could see them was their eyes or the shadows against shadows. It was quiet except for the shrill alarms going off, and the sound of men getting ready for a firefight was all I could hear.

As the hair rose up on my neck, I felt the air grow all the colder and every other sound seemed to become muffled as I heard a near silent whistling sound. Turning and looking to my left, I felt my throat tighten up as I saw a something speeding near the edge of the tree line, it was bathed in shadows, but when I brought my rifle up to face it, the flashlight flashed on white fangs that seemed to hang suspended in the air, and whatever it was that was moving stopped, I saw a fiery red flare beside it at waist level to me. There was no sound for a second, and as I looked at the strange creature across the empty clearing, I saw a muzzle in the firelight, along with a pair of horns sticking straight back from the skull in a horrible looking way that gave it a demonic appearance. Its face was hidden save for the glowing red eyes, and as its arms rose, I felt myself petrified to see it was holding fire...

And then it seemed to throw it at me...

"Fuck..."

A.N.: Due to a series of events, my writing has slown down as I need to go to libraries to have internet now, and I'm not fond of riding my bike with my computer (that I can't replace) in my backpack, as I have had past crash's that I know would've broken it if it had been in my backpack at the time. And I do not like walking around... not fast enough for my taste, and the car would be pointless and a waste of fuel to drive to the library and back just to use internet for 2 hours, so until I get internet at home, I cant converse with my beta-readers for my stories 24/7 how I used to.

Guest: BTR's are Russian, yes, but Russia has a different landscape than America, and thus our APC's are meant for different Terrain than a Russian BTR. Hope that is enough. And if you want to continue it, then I can throw this card out there; Russian consolation for dealing with their problem. ***As of recent events that have started in reality, do not compare the Russia from my story to the one in real life... the one in real life is beginning to worry me as they are acting like War-mongers now...

Gunslinger01: Ah, Johnny isn't a romantic, but we all fall for a kiss depending on who it is coming from. As for the storyline and how they meet the SD crew, I can say it runs somewhat parallel to canon storyline in St. Curtis.