I had hoped to have this written a few days ago but they actually have things for me to do at work now so that has slowed down my writing a bit. Today was a low key day so I was able to get this written :)
Thank you so much for the reviews/alerts/favorites. Every single one makes my day so thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this
Disclaimer: do I really have to keep repeating myself?
Santana runs through the forest as quickly as her legs will take her. Her muscles scream for her to stop but she refuses to slow down until she reaches Grandmother Willow. She can see Grandmother Willow only a short distance from her and this only encourages her to push her body to new limits as she increases her pace. She runs up onto the large stump where she and Brittany sat only a few sort hours earlier and has to put her arms out to catch herself as she runs straight into the base of the willow tree. She leans against Grandmother Willow, her forehead resting against the scratchy bark. Her heart is beating so fast she thinks it may beat right out of her chest; her lungs burn as though they have been set on fire. It takes the little strength she has left to keep herself standing on her exhausted muscles.
Concern filling her withered face, Grandmother Willow cautiously begins to speak. "The earth is trembling, child. What's happened?" she asks with apprehension.
Santana pushes herself off of the large tree trunk and takes a step back now that she has caught her breath. "The warriors are here," she says as she looks up to meet the worried eyes of Grandmother Willow.
Grandmother Willow opens her mouth to try and offer some sort of comforting words, but is interrupted before she utters a single syllable.
"Santana!" Brittany shouts in both relief and worry when she sees the caramel skinned Indian standing on the tree stump.
Feeling her tense muscles relax at just the sound of her voice, Santana runs over to meet Brittany. "Brittany," she whispers with joy as she wraps herself in the taller girls arms; forehead resting against Brittany's chest.
Taking a moment to revel in the feel of holding the smaller girl close to her, Brittany reluctantly pulls Santana away from her body. Holding her at arm's length, Brittany trails her hands down Santana's arms and finally stops when she grasps the smaller hands in her own. "Listen to me," she says, willing her voice to keep steady. "My men are planning to attack your people. You've got warn them."
Santana can feel the tears building up in the corners of her eyes but takes a deep breath and forces them back down. Shaking her head she looks up into Brittany's brilliant blue eyes. "Maybe it's not too late to stop this. You have to come with me and talk to my father," she turns and attempts to drag Brittany with her with all her strength. Unfortunately for her, Brittany's strength greatly outweighs her own so the barely move an inch.
Despite the ominous mood hanging over them, Brittany can't stop the smile from forming as she watches Santana try to drag her towards the village. Though her mood turns somber again as she grips Santana lightly by the shoulders and turns her to face Brittany. "Santana, talking isn't going to do any good. I already tried talking to my men but everything about this land has them spooked."
Brittany immediately racks her brain trying to find anything else to say when she sees Santana lower her beautiful brown eyes in disappointment. Brittany once again intertwines her pale fingers with those of her sun kissed beauty and lifts their hands to rest against her chest. Pulling Santana ever slightly closer to herself, Brittany ducks her head to try and catch Santana's eyes. A sly smile plays on her lips when she sees Santana blushing at their closeness. Even Santana can't help but grin when she realizes that Brittany is trying to lighten the mood a little bit.
Brittany finally catches Santana's chocolate orbs and opens her mouth to comment on how cute a blushing Santana is when a strange sound interrupts her.
Percy, who has been lost in the dense forest for hours stumbles out of the surrounding brush howling like a wounded chicken. His eyes wide with fear as he slowly makes his way towards Grandmother Willow.
Up until this point, Grandmother Willow has been trying not to interrupt the two young lovers standing under her willow branches, but the appearance of this animal catches her completely off guard. "Mercy!" she croons. "That's the strangest creature I've ever seen!"
At this, Meeko too appears from the forest and quickly makes his way to Santana. Upon seeing the cause of his distress, Percy growls and runs full speed at Meeko. Meeko eyes widen in horror and he immediately begins retreating up Grandmother Willow's trunk. Percy stands on his hind legs and scratches at the base of the tree and growls up at the raccoon.
Brittany is shocked to see the Governor's dog out in the middle of the forest, but quickly brushes it off when Percy begins to bare his teeth up at the raccoon. Crouching down, Brittany extends her hand out to the furious dog and tries to coax him to her. "Percy! Easy, Percy, come here!"
Santana looks up into the branches and spots Meeko's beady eyes peeking out. "Meeko, come back here," she says forcefully.
Brittany stands back up and lifts her hand to motion between Percy, who is still attempting to climb the tree, and Meeko. "You see what I mean?" she asks, despair evident in her voice. "Once two sides want to fight, nothing can stop them."
Meeko skillfully leaps from the tree and sits himself at Santana's feet. Percy immediately advances towards him, but Brittany gracefully reaches down and hoists the small dog up into her arms. Percy tries to wriggle himself out of Brittany's grasp but she refuses to let go. Meeko climbs up onto Santana's shoulder and both of them lean forward a little bit to study the strange creature in Brittany's arms.
Percy begins to growl but Brittany strokes him behind his ears and says, "It's all right. They are friends." At Brittany's soothing voice the dog seems to calm down so Brittany cautiously puts him down. Meeko climbs down off of Santana and comes face to face with the white dog. The two animals go about sniffing and becoming familiar with one another. Glad that the chaos has finally calmed down, Santana takes a deep breath and looks back up at Brittany, smiling shyly when she realizes Brittany is already looking at her.
Clearing her throat, Grandmother Willow pulls the two out of their trance and begins to speak. "Now then, there's something I want to show you."
The two women watch as a leafy vine lowers itself from its place amongst the braches and barely touches the surface of the water. "Look," they here Grandmother Willow say.
Brittany moves around on the huge roots of the tree until she is crouched down right next to the water. Santana moves over to where Brittany is and gently places a hand on Brittany's shoulder so she too can watch the water.
Without even noticing, Santana's hand has moved so she is now running it through Brittany's blonde locks. She tears her eyes away from the water and looks up to meet Grandmother Willow's gaze. "The ripples," she says.
Enjoying the way Santana's fingers feel in her hair, Brittany throws her a small smile and then turns her attention back to the ripples. "What about them?" she asks in a gentle voice.
"So small at first, then look how they grow. But someone has to start them," Grandmother Willow responds while all three sets of eyes watch the continuously growing ripples.
Understanding, Brittany shakes her head and stands, turning her attention to the ancient tree. "They're not going to listen to us," her voice sounding slightly exasperated.
Santana can tell Brittany is not annoyed by Grandmother Willow, but rather, positive nobody will listen if they do try to talk some sense into the two sides. Trying to offer some comfort Santana lightly touches Brittany's hand, worries that she may not be open to the gesture right now, but is relieved when Brittany immediately intertwines their fingers.
"Young lady, sometimes the right path is not the easiest one. Don't you see, only when the fighting stops can you can be together," Grandmother Willow reasons with the tall blonde. With this, Grandmother Willow's face begins to disappear into the bark and soon the two women are left in silence.
The thought of being able to be with Santana gives Brittany all the encouragement she needs and she turns to fully face the smaller girl. Brittany has a spark in her eye that makes Santana's breath catch in her throat. "All right," Brittany says with a nod of her head. "Let's go talk to your father."
The smiles on both of their faces is almost blinding and Santana can feel tears pricking at the corners of her eyes again; although this time they are tears of relief. Santana throws her arms around Brittany's neck and hugs her tightly. Knowing she has made the right decision, Brittany eagerly wraps her arms around Santana's waist and pulls her impossibly closer to her own body. Santana pulls her head off of Brittany's shoulder and turns it slightly so her nose brushes against Brittany's creamy skin. Brittany turns her head and their noses brushes against each other. The hold still, hot breath mingling together, eyes locked on each other. Brittany slowly trails one hand up Santana's back and stops when she has reached the back of Santana's neck. She pulls Santana forward the final few centimeters and their lips finally come crashing together. Both Santana's and Brittany's eyes flutter close on impact and Santana stands on her tip-toes to get a better grip on Brittany's lips. A small gasp falls from Brittany's lips when she feels the tip of Santana's warm tongue tracing her lower lip. Immediately she grants access and the two tongues begin their battle for dominance. Breathing is becoming a struggle and the two girls pull their lips apart. Santana opens her eyes and is lost in the sea of blue looking at her with complete love. Goofy smiles grace both their faces and Brittany bites her lower lip. She begins to lean in again, ready to taste Santana's full lips when they hear the blood-curdling war cry.
XXX
After Rachel told him she thought Santana was in trouble, Puck grabbed the spear head he had been sharpening and took off into the field of corn. Having known Santana since they were both small children Puck figured the best place to start looking for her would be at the great willow tree she always went to. He quickly and quietly swept through the dense forest and made his way towards the willow tree.
Puck reaches the outskirts of the clearing surrounding the willow tree and is about to push through the final bushes and tree vines when he sees Santana talking to a tall, white woman. He watches as Santana places her hand lightly on the white woman's and his eyes widen in horror when he sees the blonde intertwine their fingers. He shrinks back so he is completely hidden in the shadows and continues to watch them interact with one another. The blonde woman says something that causes Santana to throw her arms around the stranger and he feels his blood begin to boil. He sees red when he watches their lips finally connect. Santana was his. Nobody touches what's his.
He has had enough and Puck crashes into the clearing where Santana and the blonde are leaning in to kiss again. He lets out a vicious war cry and charges forward with the intent to kill.
XXX
Brittany looks up in alarm when she hears the sudden cry. She barely has enough time to let go of Santana before she is tackled to the ground by the strange man.
Brittany lands on the ground with such force that she has to struggle to catch her breath. She is gasping for air and watched in horror as he lifts a sharpened spear head above his head.
Santana rushes forward screaming. "Puck, no!" she yells the first time Puck lowers the spear head, aiming for the center of Brittany's skull. Brittany moved her head to the side at the very last second and the spear head missed her ear by a fraction of an inch.
"Puck! Please leave her alone!" Santana screams, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
Puck lifts the spear head again and Brittany manages to grab a broken tree limb and uses it to stop Puck's second attempt to smash her skull in. She uses the stick to catch Puck off guard and flips him off of her body. She swiftly jumps to her feet, Puck right behind her, and tries to find a way to wrestle the spear head away from Puck's firm grasp
Santana watches in horror as Puck continues his attack on Brittany as she desperately tries to defend herself. "Puck, stop!" she screams.
Puck is much stronger than Brittany so it is no surprise that she can't get the weapon away from him. He has both hands on his spear head and is pushing it down towards her neck. Brittany has both hands gripped around Puck's wrists and pushes with all her strength against him, but she barely slowly down his progression towards her neck. Puck eyes, now almost the shade of black with rage, lock onto the panic-stricken eyes of the Brittany. A small voice in the back on his mind tells him not to kill the woman, but he quickly pushes the thought away.
Santana scrambles towards Puck and Brittany as Puck's strength pushes Brittany back to the ground. She grabs him around his chest and tries to pull him off of her blonde.
Puck doesn't even feel Santana arms around him and with one last push, the spear head breaks skin. Brittany feels the tip of the spear head pierce her skin. She closes her eyes, hoping he will not make her suffer for too long when she hears the deafening shot ring out.
XXX
As commanded by Will Schuester, Sam hastily followed Brittany into the unknown forest. He managed to keep out of sight as she quickly made her way to a huge willow tree. He was about to step into the clearing and ask Brittany why she had come here, when he heard her call out some strange name. 'Santana,' he thought he heard her call out. From where he was hiding amongst the tall grass he watched as a beautiful Indian threw herself into Brittany's arms.
He watches with his jaw dropped to the ground their entire interaction. From their first hug, to them seemingly talking to a tree, chasing around Percy and some strange animal all the way to the passionate kiss. Sam isn't sure what to do because he was told to shoot any Indians he came across, but Brittany looks so happy with the one she is talking to. He considers turning around and leaving them be when he hears a cry that makes the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Ducking even lower to the ground, he watches as savage hurls himself at Brittany and tackles her to the ground.
Sam grabs his gun and begins to load it with gunpowder as the furious man continues his attack on Brittany.
He finally finishes loading the gun right as Puck weapon pierces the skin on Brittany's neck. Sam raises the gun to eye level and takes a deep breath. "Both eyes open," he whispers to himself, repeating what Brittany had taught him earlier that day. Taking one final breath, he pulls the trigger
XXX
Puck gasps as the hot lead pierces his chest.
Brittany hears Santana fall to the ground as the pressure against her neck suddenly stops. She opens her eyes just in time to watch Puck's body fall to the ground beside her, his eyes and mouth still open in shock.
Time seems to slow down. Brittany watches from where she is lying on the ground as Santana scrambles over to the lifeless body. Tears stream down her tanned cheeks and the look in her eyes is a mixture of horror and disbelief. From the corner of her eye, Brittany thinks she sees a pair of boots running towards her. She rolls over and looks up, her vision slightly foggy, just in time to see Sam come to a halt by Puck's body.
Time moves normally again. For Brittany, it's like the events that have transpired over the last ten minutes come crashing back to her. "Sam!" she yells, jumping to her feet and pushing him away from the dead man.
Sam looks as though he wants to cry and vomit all at the same time. "Is he…?" he gasps out, Brittany trying to push him farther back.
Santana weeps over Puck's body. She can't focus and feels like her lungs are collapsing in on themselves. She grasps at Puck's chest and tries to shake him, pleading with the spirits to let him live. She is jarred from her thoughts when she hears a strange voice from her right. "Is he…?" she hears a man ask. She pulls herself away from Puck's body and turns on the man.
"You killed him!" she screeches. She begins to advance on the scared boy, arms outstretched, ready to fight him. Brittany quickly turns and catches Santana around the waist as she lunges at Sam
Sam takes a step towards the lifeless body, his face ashen white. "I thought that—"he starts to say, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Get away from him," Santana screams. She tries to pull away from Brittany and lunge at Sam again, but Brittany's too strong.
Brittany is tired after fighting with Puck, but she finds enough strength to hold Santana off. She pulls Santana into her body and turns her so that Santana's forehead is placed against Brittany's shoulder. Relaxing her grip, Brittany leaves one hand around Santana's waist and moves the other one up so it is stroking the back of her head. Santana pounds her fists in Brittany's chest as sobs wrack her body.
"I'm so sorry," Brittany whispers. She takes Santana's beating and feels her own tears begin to run down her cheeks. 'This is my fault,' she can't help but think. 'If I had never chased after Santana that first day, none of this would have happened.' She hangs her head in shame as she continues to try and comfort Santana.
Santana's growing tired of putting up a fight and slowly her fists stop pounding against Brittany. She finally just leans into Brittany's embrace as tears continue to fall. "He killed him," she gasps out.
Both women feel their eyelids growing heavy but neither one tries to move away from the position they are currently in. That is until they hear Native Americans shouting in the distance. Santana knows Puck must have told him he was going out looking for her and they agreed to follow after him and help him search. Brittany realizes they must have heard the gun shot and are headed this way. They look into each other's eyes knowing neither one is going to try and run away from the situation. The two women continue to hold each other when Brittany sees something out of the corner of her eye. Looking up she sees Sam shuffling awkwardly back and forth on his feet, head down in shame. It takes Brittany all of half a second to make a decision. "Sam," she quietly says her voice low and raspy from crying and fatigue. "Get out of here," she nods towards the direction of camp.
Sam looks up at her with wide eyes and starts to shake his head, realizing Brittany intends to take the blame for this.
Brittany can hear the men getting closer so wrapping her arms even tighter around Santana; she takes in a deep breath. "Get out of here now!" she screams at Sam.
Sam jumps back slightly having never heard Brittany so much as raise her voice, let alone scream. He looks her in the eyes and she meets his gaze. She nods her head once in finality and closes her eyes. Sam watches as fresh tears begin to slide down Brittany's cheeks as she rests her head against Santana's. Sam slowly begins to walk backwards, away from the two women. Hearing the shouts of the men growing even closer, he turns and runs back towards the safety of Jamestown.
It's only a few seconds after Sam has disappeared that the two women can hear the footsteps of the warriors. Giving Santana one last squeeze, Brittany lets go and takes a step away from her. Santana now realizes what Brittany intends to do and Santana reaches out to grab Brittany's hand.
Not willing to put Santana in harm's way, Brittany takes another step back as the first few warriors run into the clearing. They immediately grab at Brittany and forcefully pull her hands behind her back. She cries out and Santana winces at the both the sight of them grabbing Brittany so violently and the sound that escapes past Brittany's lips.
Brittany doesn't even try and struggle against the warriors. She lets them run up and grab her and doesn't even fight back when they pull her arms behind her back with unnecessary force. She is taller than most of the warriors so she is able to lock eyes with Santana one last time as they pull her away.
Brittany tries to give Santana a small smile even as she is fighting back tears from the pain. Santana feels her knees go weak as she looks into those once piercing blue eyes. They are slowly losing the brightness that Santana saw not even an hour ago. There is a mixture of pain and love in them and Santana knows that Brittany is telling her goodbye. Santana watches, unable to move, as Brittany is dragged into the thick woods and finally falls to her knees.
A few more warriors approach Santana and place a gentle hand on her shoulder as they move past her towards Puck's body. Santana has her eyes downcast to the ground as the warriors pick up the lifeless body of a man she has known since she was a mere child. She hears them walk past her carrying Puck on their shoulders, and only when she is left alone in the clearing by the willow tree does she stand and begin her long walk back to her village.