Chapter 2
The fire growls and snarls as Khan feeds it more wood. Little Wolf watches him and the flames warily as she sits in the mouth of the cave—as far away from the fire as possible. When Khan moves away from the fire to take up his place on the opposite of the cave, she looks up at the dark night sky to stare up at the flickering stars.
It had has been three days and they still aren't where Khan needs to be. Their feet had devoured mile after mile of land during the day but he still wasn't any closer to saving his family from Marcus's grasp.
"How old are you?" Khan asks.
"Five." He had been right. "How old are you, do you reckon?" she asks him.
"It doesn't matter."
"Is it because you're so old, you can't count that high, John?" She asks. Khan glares at her but sees no hint of mockery written on her face.
"No." Khan rolls his eyes at her. She looks back outside, this time at the dark, unwelcoming forest. Worry flickers across her features.
"What's wrong, kid?"
"Nothing." She shakes her head and stares at her feet. She was a very bad liar—most children were. "Relax. It's just a supply ship."
"What is?"
A deafening roar fills the cave and Khan can feel every vibration of the ship's mechanical heart as it screams over them. Little Wolf doesn't so much as flinch. She gives him an amused grin before leaning back into the wall of the cave and closing her eyes. Minutes later, she's asleep. How did she know about that ship…forget it. It doesn't matter.
…
The sun glares down at them and tries its best to scald the two travelers into submission with its golden, knife-like fingers. Little Wolf walks slowly beside Khan and steals glances at him when she thinks he isn't looking, but he still notices her curious glances. Suddenly, she smirks and kicks him sharply in the ankle before racing ahead quickly.
"Come on! Come! Hurry!" She yells, giving him no choice but to follow. Khan shakes his head before running after her. What was it this time? A "wabbit"? A "wittle baby bird"?
"What is it?" Khan calls after her as he quickens her pace. How can someone so tiny run so fast?
"It's Zevi, John! Look! Look! It's Zevi!" She practically bounces up and down with excitement as she runs.
What in the world was a "Zevi"? Khan wondered as he raced after her.
Little Wolf slides down a steep hill, throwing up huge clouds of brown dust. Her arms pinwheel wildly as she fights against gravity to stay upright. It doesn't work. Soon, she's tilting forward and rolling (literally) head over heels in the dirt. She comes to a stop at the base of the hill and coughs some of the dirt from her lungs. Her face and clothes are painted red with dirt but she takes no notice as she scrambles (ungracefully) back to her feet and throws her arms around a medium sized dog with short brown and white hair. It's long paintbrush tail wags happily and it whines in greeting before licking her nose.
"Where've you been?" She asks the animal. "I thought you've done been eaten!" Internally Khan winces at her poor grammar before rolling his eyes. All this excitement over some dog? Really?
"This is Zevi." She says when she gets back to her feet. "Zevi, this is John." She puts her hand on the side of her face in a (failed) effort to hide her next words from Khan: "John's kinda weird, but don't worry. I think he's housetrained. Well, maybe..."
Khan sighs. All this for some stupid ship? Had his family's lives not been in danger, there'd be one less kid in the world.
…
"How far will away is this village of yours?" Khan asks.
"What, Riverweed?" She glances at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Yes."
"A few more weeks if the sky doesn't get mad."
Khan nods. As long as it didn't storm, they'd be alright. He would have preferred they be a few minutes or hours away…but he can be patient. The extra time will give him an opportunity to plan out his next move once he gets off of this planet.
…
"Why was that man yelling at you?" Khan asks remembering the man who screamed and spit in the kid's face.
"What man?" She hops on top of a rock, jumps off, and skips ahead.
"The one from the village." Khan says and she freezes instantly before looking at Khan over her shoulder.
"He doesn't like me." She says simply but Khan can tell that she's hiding something.
"Why?" He prods.
"He's a jerk." She says and he smirks a little. She smirks back crookedly.
"Why didn't you say anything or cry out for help? You could have been injured."
"It's not allowed. I would have gotten hurt, John. It's in the rules."
"What rules?"
"The rules."
"Could you be any more cryptic?" Khan asks sarcastically and Little Wolf blinks at him blankly.
"I don't speak that much English—what's 'cryptic' mean?"
"Vague."
"Oh." They walk on. "What's 'vague' mean?"
Khan sighs. Someone please just kill him now.
"Why aren't you allowed to speak?"
"Because, I did something bad." She doesn't look at him. Khan's eyebrows twitch downward. What could she have possibly done to forbid her to speak in public?
"What was it?"
"It doesn't mattee."
He thinks for a moment before speaking: "What happens if you talk in public?"
"I get dead." She says softly and shock jolts up Khan's spine.
What kind of a planet was this?!
…
It's now day 5 of their never ending trek through mystery fricken forest. Little Wolf skillfully leads him around mine fields, past dangerous ravines, and away from more quicksand.
But she never. Stops. Talking. Not even once. With every step they take, another story of random fact flies out of her mouth like a payload of raindrops falling from a cloud.
"There isn't another cave for a while now; so, we'll have to take shelter at Sharp Quill's house. I hope you have good reflexes. Oh! And don't make her mad. She's the only one of The People besides my mother who is violent. Sharp Quill will beat you with her stick if you make her mad, so be good. And a frost is coming. We can't move when there's frost or snow on the ground. It makes it too hard to see the bombs in the ground. And…" Little Wolf rambles on. And on.
And on.
Would it be morally wrong if he just snapped her neck and found his own way there...?
...
They reach a clearing. By now, Khan is half tempted to strangle the kid until she loses unconsciousness if only to enjoy a few moments of sweet, sweet silence.
"Where have you been?" An elderly woman storms out of a large hut and glowers at Little Wolf. Little Wolf grins sheepishly and shrugs in response.
"Would you believe me if I told you I was kidnapped by pirates and taken to Earth where I fought 'em off and barely escaped with my life?"
"No." The old woman narrows her eyes at Little Wolf.
"Aw, but I thought you loved my stories." The girl jokes and the woman's gaze softens a little.
"Who's your friend? Hm? Another stray?" The woman looks Khan over with cold brown eyes.
"No, he's another idiot tourist." Little Wolf said quickly and Khan glowered at her; she moved away from him. "He crashed and blowed up his airship so he needs to get a new one. His name is John. He only speaks English."
"Right." The woman sighs and looks heavenwards as if asking for divine help. "Well, I suppose you two need a place to stay. There's food on the table, but if you want to eat my food, you better earn your keep. I got wood that needs choppin' and plates that require washin'. Little Wolf, you take the dishes; 'John', the wood's all yours. Have at it." She disappears outside.
"Wow." Little Wolf whistles under her breath before looking up at Khan and tugging on his pant leg. He looks down at her questioningly. "She didn't hit you with her stick—I think she likes you, which is weird."
"Why?" He raises an eyebrow. "Because I'm an 'idiot tourist'?"
"No, because she hits most everyone with that walkin' stick. Be careful. She's probably just waiting to hit you—I can feel it. Just don't be bad or too weird and you might be okay…maybe."
"How fortunate I am to have you to protect me. Really." Khan says sarcastically. The sarcasm is lost on her.
"You're welcome, John. Have fun!" She yells over her shoulder as she rushes inside to begin her assigned job before Sharp Quill can hit her with her walking cane. The old woman watches Khan suspiciously from a small window in the kitchen. Khan waves at her just to iritate the old lady and her eyes narrow at him coldly. He bites back the desire to laugh.
…
That night, Khan sleeps on an old and torn up couch. The hut, it had turned out, was actually two levels. The top level and a bottom level hidden by a trap door. Right now, Khan was below the surface of the living room and watching as spiders as large as his outstretched palm scittered across the dark clay walls by his face.
Little Wolf sleeps in an easy chair a few feet away from him. She's curled into a ball, her chest rising and falling gently as she slumbers. Her dog, Zevi, sleeps on the ground in front of her. Every now and then, he'll jerk himself awake, look at Khan with his honey colored eyes, and wag his tail before slipping back off into unconsciousness.
Khan stretches and sighs contently. He had missed the peace that silence brought…but Little Wolf and all her antics were beginning to grow on him. She was so trusting; so innocent. She didn't see a monster when she looked at him or cower away with fear. Her body didn't quiver with barely held back rage like Kirk as he had recounted all his loved ones that had perished due to his actions…
To Little Wolf, he wasn't an Augment or a murderer.
He was just a man.
How strange was that?
Khan falls asleep and his snoring fills the room, jerking both the girl and Zevi awake. Little Wolf glares at Khan for a moment before rustling quietly through her bag and pulling out a roll of duct tape. She cuts off a strip and walks soundlessly towards the couch. Gently, she smooths the tape over Khan's mouth. His hand swings upwards instantly and captures her offending arm. Icy blue eyes slice into her angrily but she doesn't flinch under his irritated gaze.
"You breathe too loud." She says with a yawn and he releases her with an irritated growl. "Are you sick?" She cocks her head to the side.
"No." He glares at her as he tears the tape off of his mouth. An hour later, they're both asleep in their own respective areas.
This time, he doesn't snore.