I woke up to Jaxon kneeling next to me and I couldn't help but smile up at him. He moved a piece of hair from my face before smiling softly back.
"It's time," he told me, rocking back on his heels and standing up. Yawning I followed suit, stretching to wake up my muscles as I did so. I noticed that he had brought a small lantern into my home, it must still be dark outside then.
I moved over to my pack and picked up the clothes I had set aside. Wordlessly I changed into a pair of dark tight pants and a long sleeved dark grey shirt not caring that Jaxon was watching me the entire time. I frowned slightly as I looked down at my clothes, the shirt had been almost too tight when I had first arrived, now it hung loosely on my frame - I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
I pushed it out of my mind though and slipped a brown leather belt around my waist before pulling on a matching pair of boots. I buckled my pack around my leg before tightening it around my waist and let my knife fall on the other side of my hip. Looking up at Jaxon he motioned for me to come closer to him.
I stood still as he painted my face, a task he always insisted on doing himself. Once he was finished I turned to look in the mirror. I easily would fit in with the clan, but I looked nowhere near as fearsome as Jaxon did behind me.
He forewent a mask unlike most of the others - it seemed like many of the tribune leaders did the same, she would have to remember to ask him about it later. He had his face painted though, similar to how it had been at the last tribune meeting, and he added feathers and bone pieces to his hair. Typically only wearing light layers, he was dressed to fight today wearing a thick dark leather vest under a heavy dark green jacket that had plating around his forearms. He had his sword hanging from his waist on one side and a smaller knife on the other. Knowing him those probably weren't the only weapons he was carrying I thought to myself.
He turned me to face him and looked me over. Grabbing something from beside the table he strapped a leather bracer onto my arm that would protect me from the blowback of my bow. I had yet to get one for myself and I was surprised that he had thought of it. He also tucked a smaller knife into my boots before stepping back.
"Put this on as well," he told me handing me a bundle of dark navy fabric. Unraveling it I saw that it was a heavier hooded jacket. Shrugging it on it fit comfortably, tight enough in the arms and shoulders to not get in the way of my bow, but not tight enough to restrict my movements. It was a little longer in the back than in the front, falling just past my butt and I admired it as I turned back around to take a look at the mirror.
Zipping the jacket closed I turned back to the warrior and smiled at him.
"Thank you," I said, honestly in love with the jacket. He nodded and moved closer to me until I was pressed up against the dresser.
He put his hands on my hips and leaned down to kissed me fervently and I responded in kind. After a moment he pulled away though and rested his forehead against mine.
"Stay close to me or one of the others at all times," he said quietly. "The southern clan is much different than our own and they are already going to be suspicious of you once we arrive."
"Okay," I responded, I had expected as much.
"They have their own set of rules and customs," he continued. "But above all do not let them push you around - you can not be viewed as weak. Everyone here knows your strength, you will have to prove yourself all over again once we arrive though."
"I can do that," I told him, preparing for the journey ahead. I knew nothing about this was going to be easy and I was determined not to make the same mistakes that I had when I had first landed.
"I will do what I can to protect you," he promised, his hands on my waist tightening slightly. "But things will be chaotic."
"I know," I replied trying to ease his tension. It wouldn't do him any good to be distracted and worried about me the whole time.
"We can do this," I reassured him. "I can do this. I'm not the weak little sky girl who could barely find her way out of a drop ship anymore."
"No, you are not," he agreed. "But you are still my sky girl."
I smiled and nodded. Jaxon was more sensitive and open when it was just me and him alone and I cherished the small moments like these between us. I knew that once we walked out of the door that everything would have to change. He would be focused on the task at hand and take his rightful spot as one of the leaders of the clan and couldn't afford to be so open. I steeled myself for the task at hand knowing that I would have to do the same.
"Let's go, we've waited long enough," he said turning to walk out, making sure that I was following. I picked up my pack after strapping my bow and quiver around my back and trailed behind him. I didn't look back at, consigned that I was going to be leaving the only home I had known since I had landed on Earth. We would be back I reassured myself, though I knew if we ever got the chance to return that nothing would be the same.
"Jaxon, Cole," Nyko greeted as we approached. Artigas was posted next to him holding the reigns of both their horses with a serious expression. I was worried for an instant, thinking that Artigas would be caught up in the middle of everything when he was so young but he had taught me a lot of what I knew about fighting, I would have to trust that he would be alright. I smiled slightly anyways at him and he winked back.
"We will be riding straight through," Nyko explained, more for my sake I figured than Jaxons. "Once we arrive come find me, we will need to set up a medical base and take an inventory of all our supplies."
I nodded in response. We were going to need a fully stocked triage center if things turned ugly, and it would be best to get it ready early and be safe rather than sorry later. Nyko gave me a quick run down on the supplies he had packed, motioning to the two full looking packs tied to the side of his horse. Suddenly Indra appeared and yelled out an order and everyone started to move to their respective steeds and mount up. Guess this was it.
I turned to find Jaxon standing next to Penn and Tristan and made my over to them. Jaxon finished securing his bag, having already seen to mine, and hoisted himself onto the beast. Unlike some of the other riders Jaxon never saddled his horse, just tied a series of blankets on its back instead. Saddles were few and far between, difficult to make, and a waste of leather he had told me once. But they would have made this far easier for me I thought to myself as I evaluated how the hell I was supposed to get behind him. Jaxon had almost a half a foot on me so I wasn't going to be able to pull the same trick he had.
"Here Cole," Penn said interrupting my scheming. He knelt down beside Jaxon and cupped his hands together and I looked at him strangely, what was that supposed to accomplish?
"Put your foot here," he explained motioning to his clasped hands with his head. "I'll hoist you up and all you'll have to do is swing your leg over."
I had faced down a saber cat, adapted to a tribe of warriors and gouged out a man's eye with a scalpel but jumping onto the back of the horse was possibly one of the scariest things I had done thus far. Far less chance of death and a greater risk of injury. Groaning I knew that I didn't have a choice though.
I put my foot in the cup of his hands and steadied myself for what was about to happen, biting back a small shriek as I was lifted up suddenly.
Well, I'm not dead yet I thought sarcastically as I settled myself on the back of the horse slightly uncomfortable with how wide it was.
"Hold on," Jaxon commanded quietly as the horse started to move forward. Not needing to be told twice I wrapped my arms around his waist and prepared myself for a long trip.
Long was an understatement I thought to myself as I buried my hands underneath Jaxon's jacket for warmth. We had made our last pit stop an hour ago and were now almost to our destination. The trip had long ceased being enjoyable after the first of several stops. At this point my legs were sore, my back hurt, and I was exhausted. The pitch blackness of the forest letting me know that it was far past midnight now. But as we cleared a patch of trees I saw lights in the distance - at least we were close.
As we reached the camp I threw my hood up to shadow my face, the longer they didn't realize I was a sky person the better. We rode through the town silently and I took in as much of the surroundings as I could see. This clan was much bigger I noticed, that or other clans had arrived before us - it was impossible to tell in the dark. Only once we reached the center of the camp where a row of torches had been lit did we stop.
Indra was the first of us to dismount though everyone quickly followed suit. I winced slightly as I landed on the ground roughly, my thighs were so sore. Jaxon handed the reigns to a warrior nearby before moving to stand in line with Indra, Tristan and Nyko.
"Welcome," a voice called out from ahead of us. A woman walked out from the building in front of us flanked by a group of warriors in full battle gear. She had a flat bridge, high cheekbones and thin lips - this must be Anya I concluded. She definitely had a much different look than our clan.
"We are thankful for your help in this difficult time," she continued. "Please, get settled. What is ours is now yours."
Jaxon followed Indra and Nyko back into the building Anya had just appeared from, apparently they were going to waste no time in preparing a strategy. Sighing I turned to the warrior next to me, a man I recognized but was not familiar with.
"Give me Nyko's supplies," I told him, not knowing which of the group of beasts was the healers. He said nothing but unhooked two large saddle bags and handed them to me. I grunted under their weight - what the hell had Nyko packed? Rocks? I grabbed my bag off the back of Jaxon's horse and turned back to the warrior.
"Do you know where the healer's building is here?" I asked him again hopefully but he just shrugged.
Great. I readjusted the bags throwing one over my shoulder and tucking the other two under my arms tightly. Picking a direction where it seemed most of our party was heading I followed behind them. Apparently a group of warriors from this clan were giving out living arrangements and directing people to where they needed to go - well at least that was helpful.
I approached one of them, careful to keep my head tilted down so my hood would shadow my face.
"Healer's building?" I asked keeping my voice low. The warrior said nothing but stared at me strangely. Maybe their fighters didn't speak English. I cursed my luck.
"Healer's building?" I tried again hoping my accent didn't come off as strange.
"To the south, marked with a red circle," he answered after a moment. Not waiting for him to ask questions I took off in the direction I thought was south. It wasn't long until I found the marker he had mentioned. The building was old and constructed out of concrete and much larger than the one we had before. Noticing that lights were flickering from inside I made my way in wanting to set the packs down as soon as possible.
No one was inside even though the place was well lit with lanterns. I scanned the area quickly, trying to figure out the best way to arrange the room. There were a line of cots on both sides of the walls with a metal table pushed against the furthest one. It would have to do for now. I started unpacking the bags and organizing all of the supplies Nyko had brought. Tools, medicine, bandages, poisons, antidotes and the small leftover supplies from the Arc med kits were all lined out in front of me - he really had brought everything he could.
It had taken me some time to sort through everything and I was still distracted when Nyko walked in not long after I had finished.
"You found everything alright?" he asked looking over my organization system to familiarize where everything was again.
"Yes," I responded, pausing before turning to ask him about something that had been bothering me. "Do the warriors here speak English?"
"Yes, though the villagers may not," he replied looking at me curiously.
"Oh alright," I said, storing away that information. I wonder why the warrior had acted so strange when I had asked him for directions then? A problem for a different time I realized as I started to yawn.
"Where are we staying while we're here?" I questioned, ready to be off my feet and sink into a pallet of furs.
"I am staying with Indra," he answered.
"Oh really now?" I asked with a smile growing on my face. He shot me a look that told me not to push my luck.
"Fine, where does that leave me?" I followed up, letting him get away with that slip for now. I made a mental note to store that information for later though, it would definitely come in handy.
"Find Penn or one of the others and stay with them," he suggested. "The tribune have been settled in a different part of camp so staying with Jaxon right now is not an option, but you need to stay with someone you trust. This village will not be safe for you if things don't go according to plan."
I sighed but nodded in agreement. Making sure I had my personal bag I made my way out of my new work station and went back to where I had saw our clan last. Luckily for me the loud mouth that was Penn was not difficult to track down. Moving next to him I nudged him with my shoulder causing him to look down and grin at me.
"Have an extra bed?" I asked with a hopeful grin. He pretended to think about it before nodding.
"Yeah, come on I'll show you where we'll be at," he instructed moving into one of the buildings not far from the bonfire outside. He halted suddenly once he passed the door frame causing me to almost run into him.
"I thought you said the other bed was empty," Penn asked, his voice sounding much harsher than his typical carefree tone. Moving to his side I could see the two warriors he was talking to. Three beds, four people - I wasn't liking the math on this one. I was going to leave and try to find someone else I recognized but Penn's grip on my wrist stopped me from going anywhere.
"It was, now its not," one of the warriors answered plainly. "He'll have to find somewhere else to stay, or sleep by the fire like the others."
Yeah, sleeping outside in a group of bloodthirsty warriors who hate the very thought of me … So not happening.
"She'll stay here," Penn replied causing the other man to look up at him amused.
"Have it your way, but she sleeps with you. Cots are small enough," he said. Penn nodded and walked over to the cot on the far side of the room. The building itself wasn't very big, cramped with just the three beds in it, but it would have to do for now.
"Put your stuff underneath," Penn said as he down on the edge of the cot. I did as he said, laying my stuff neatly beside his, careful to leave my bow and knives somewhere I could reach them quickly if needed. Penn nodded his head to the spot on the cot against the wall, apparently deciding that it would be best if he acted as a barrier between me and the other two men.
I groaned to myself, looks like I wouldn't be getting to change out of my travelling clothes. I unzipped my jacket, hesitating for a second to pull it off completely. I could feel the other two watching me inconspicuously and it put me on edge. Knowing that I couldn't very well sleep in such a heavy jacket I shrugged it off and rested it gently on the edge of the railing on the cot.
"You know, you could sleep with me if you wanted to darling," one of the men jeered as he walked over towards me. Feeling him approaching I turned and grabbed his outstretched arm ducking underneath it easily and twisted it harshly behind him. I quickly kicked my boot into the back of his knee causing him to fall to the floor.
"Touch me and I'll kill you," I threatened quietly. Apparently the southern clan didn't hold the same sort of respect for women as the woods clan did despite that their leader was one. I let go of him quickly, knowing that if chose to fight me on it that I was going to be on the end of a losing battle. He easily towered over me and had me out weighed by a solid fifty pounds at least - I just needed to make a point, not start the war myself. I could hear Jaxon's voice echoing in my head, I couldn't afford to appear weak right now.
"Fine, fine," he conceded rubbing his shoulder as he stood back up and made his way back over to his own cot. I shot his friend a look trying to tell him that the same would go for him but he just smiled and put his hands up.
Penn had watched the entire interaction carefully, ready to interrupt at the first sign that there was going to be trouble. He smiled at me slightly as I set my knife down on the bed and undid my belt and leg holster. I kicked off my boots and climbed into the cot, pressing myself against the cold wall. I felt Penn lay behind me on his side, the cot was nowhere near big enough for both of us to rest comfortably, but at least we were both inside and safe for the night. He pulled a couple furs over us and laid back down.
His body felt strange against mine. He wasn't as tall as Jaxon and when his arm fell over my waist innocently everything just felt off. But I knew I could trust Penn so I pushed away my thoughts and let sleep wash over me.
"Is there a woman in here?" a familiar voice asked from somewhere behind me. I was still half way asleep, not quite ready to get out from underneath the furs and face the day. My muscles were still sore from the ride yesterday and I wanted to rest as much as I could, while I could.
"Yeah over there," a voice answered. "Sleeping with him."
I heard a low growl and instantly woke up. I would recognize Jaxon's raspy noise anywhere. I tried to sit up but Penn's arm was still draped around my waist - this wasn't going to be a good morning I concluded. In a second the blankets were ripped back and Jaxon stood at the foot of the cot glaring coldly.
"Penn get up," I groaned nudging him slightly with my elbow. He just muttered something in his sleep and pulled me tighter against him. I decided I was going to kill him for embarrassing me like this, that was if Jaxon didn't beat me to it.
"Penn," I whined as I dug two of my nails sharply into his hand. He jumped up quickly pushing me slightly into the wall. Yup, definitely dead.
"What was that for?" Penn asked yawning half way through.
"You wouldn't wake up," I told him sitting up now that he was off of me. "Ask Jaxon, I tried to wake you up nicely first."
"Jaxon?" Penn asked looking at me. It took a moment but he finally registered the man standing at the end of the cot who looked very unamused. "Shit. It wasn't what it looked like!"
"Shut up," Jaxon commanded, holding his hand out to help me out of the cot.
"Grab your jacket, we need to talk," Jaxon told me moving away from me once I was standing on my own. I did as he said wordlessly thinking that it would be easier to talk to him when we weren't surrounded by a group of people. Pulling on my boots I followed him out of the door, ignoring the hushed whispers from behind me - Penn could deal with that.
I followed him a ways out into the forest before he stopped. Double checking that no one was around I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around him tightly. He stiffened for a second but relaxed just as quickly.
"There was no other bed open, so Penn offered to share. It was either that or sleep alone and I thought that would be too dangerous and…" I rambled.
"I understand," Jaxon said interrupting. He turned around to face me and pulled my arms back around him.
"You just seemed awfully upset," I said hesitantly letting my head fall against his chest.
"I said I understood, not that I liked it," he replied. I sighed, I guess those two weren't the same thing.
"That's not why I came to talk to you though," he added taking a step back from me to look me in the eyes. Guess we were back to business.
"Does the name Clark mean anything to you?" he asked.
I nodded. Clark was Dr. Griffin's daughter. We had become pseudo-friends when I mentored under her mother but we were never very close. She was locked up for years before I was, placed in solitary if I remembered right. I told Jaxon as much.
"Why? What does she have to do with anything?" I questioned.
"She's their leader," he replied startling me. Clark was always strong willed but never struck me as a leader type, she seemed to soft.
"Didn't see that coming," I answered without thinking. "I still think talking to them is our best bet. I used to know Clark and she might be more willing to listen to what we have to say if it's coming from someone she recognizes."
"The Tribune agrees," Jaxon said. "Anya has agreed to meet with this Clark and wants you to ride out before her to try and talk with her first."
"Alright," I agreed. "When are meeting with her?"
"Get changed and gather your stuff, you ride out in three hours."
Getting closer to the actual 100 now! This one was a little shorter than the others but it's really just serving as a lead up to bigger and better things =]
Please continue to review and such!